Venom: The Last Dance

Movie Name: Venom: The Last Dance
Year of Release: 2024
Director: Kelly Marcel
Starring: Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Clark Backo, Cristo Fernandez, Jared Abrahamson, Hala Finley, Dash McCloud, Andy Serkis
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
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Synopsis and Review

The last (at least for now) episode of the anti-hero Venom's narrative, arrives by the hand of Kelly Marcel, in her feature directorial debut (she also wrote the scripts for the prior two installments of the series, the first one directed by Ruben Fleischer and the second by Andy Serkis). This time around Eddie Brock/Venom realize they are being named prime suspects of the murder of former detective, Patrick Mulligan. Eddie/Venom decide to go to New York, and try to restore their good name, as they were not responsible for the demise of the former detective (who as it turns out, isn't dead, and is also a symbiote). In the interim they're being tracked by a creature known as a Xenophage, who wants a Codex, something they carry within themselves. The Xenophage wants it in order to give it to Knull, the creator of the symbiotes, and a creature of enormously destructive power. Eddie/Venom in the meantime become also the target of Rex Strickland, a soldier who is in charge of Imperium, a government sponsored operation which is situated on Area 51. Strickland has with him a team of scientists, led by Dr. Teddy Paine, who has the assistance of the resourceful Sadie, and they have been capturing and studying symbiotes. Eddie/Venom are tracked and nearly acquired by the Xenophage while on their way to NY, but manage to escape. They're barefoot and far from everything, but eventually meet up a hippie family who gives them a ride. They're on their way to visit Area 51 and agree to give Eddie/Venom a ride up until Vegas. Their plans however take a turn, when Eddie is captured while in city, and taken to Area 51. 

Looking at Kelly Marcel's screenwriting career, it's somewhat puzzling how she was actually allowed to direct this installment of this film, but then again this series has never been one which primes for the quality of its directorial talent. This latest installment of the Venom series, has even less of passable characters, while sub-plots such as the one involving Rhys Ifans' character's hippie family seemingly appears out of nowhere to further humanize Venom (much like Mrs. Chen), to place them in and out of Area 51, both as potential victims and later on to unexpectedly assist when the hero is in dire need of help, only to disappear once more. The villains are digitally rendered creatures (which usually works out so well in most films), whereas the puppet-master, and therefore the main villain, is barely given any screen time, personality or even a hint of motivation, and is shrouded in so much flowing hair (there are stylists in outer space) and dark lighting, that the individual is never fully seen (which is of course the goal of the film, but still not much is ever done with this entity). It's a brisk film, barely over 90 minutes, but one that is so shallow in terms of narrative/plot definition and characters, that by the time it comes to a closure, it mostly feels like a series of vignettes put together, with no exact purpose aside from gratuitous visual effects involving the symbiote with a horse, and whatever else it latches itself on. The talented cast tries their best with the material they have, but ultimately Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rhys Ifans, Alanna Ubach, and Juno Temple can't really salvage this feature. The film has a solid production team, starting with the great cinematography from Fabian Wagner, complemented by Dan Beacon's score, and the visual effects led by Tom Bailey and series of very talented teams. It's not a very good film, even considering the low bar the previous installments had established. 

The Monkey

Movie Name: The Monkey
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Osgood Perkins
Starring: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Elijah Wood, Sarah Levy, Rohan Campbell, Osgood Perkins, Tess Degenstein, Danica Dreyer, Zia Newton, Adam Scott, Laura Mennell, Katie Stuart
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review

Writer/director Oz/Osgood Perkins is back, following the critical and commercial success of his prior film, "Longlegs". This time around he's adapting a short story by Stephen King, which focuses its attention on two brothers, identical twins by the names of Hal and Bill. Their father has abandoned/left the household, and their mother Lois, is suddenly back in the dating arena, trying to raise them while coming to terms with being by herself. The two siblings don't get along at all, with Bill bullying Hal most of the time. While going through their father's possessions, they come across a stuffed monkey inside a box. They decide to wind it, and later that evening while dining out with their babysitter, she experiences a particularly gruesome death. As Bill's bullying worsens, Hal out of sheer despair, winds the monkey again and hopes his brother is the victim. As it turns out, their mother dies of a particularly rare aneurysm, which racks Hal with guilt, leading him to dismantle and get rid of the monkey. The brothers also end up in Maine living with their aunt (and her husband). When the monkey reappears, it scares the brothers, but Bill decides to wind it up again, which results in their uncle getting killed (by a stampeded). The brothers decide to seal the monkey in a box and throw it down a well. Twenty-five years later, Hal and Bill are estranged, while Hal who has a son, has been avoiding him as much as possible out of fear the young boy is impacted by the monkey. When a series of horrific deaths starts happening again, Hal suspects the monkey may be involved. 

While "Longlegs" was an interesting exercise or variation on some of the paths that Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs" created, "The Monkey" is a very different film, both in tone, and also in terms of character development. The film is very economical for starters, succinctly describing and positioning the antagonistic siblings as the focal points for the narrative, providing just enough dimension to them, while also never volunteering much of what has happened with them when they became adults. Osgood Perkins manages to, much like he did in "Longlegs", define an environment quite well, courtesy of stylistic options that he makes, which includes the cinematography and production design. His style options make his films always feel situated in the beginning of the 1980s, even if his narratives are contemporary. All these choices aside, Osgood Perkins also goes for over the top violence in this film, borderline Robert Rodriguez's splatter violence which he illustrated on "Planet Terror", always with a very clearly ironic stance. No matter how morbidly violent the deaths are, it always feels as if the characters are so jaded that none of them are very shaken by it in the least. The narrative moves fast and some character cameos are wonderfully loony, such as Elijah Wood's, Sarah Levy's and even Osgood Perkins' character. Theo James who gets to play Hal and Bill as adults sadly doesn't have much to give to the characters, but the film's purpose is definitely not to be a character study, but to bring this odd entity to life, with over the top death scenes, dark humor, and a conveniently eerie environment. The supporting cast is quite good, including Tatiana Maslany, Adam Scott (in a great cameo), Elijah Wood, and Osgood Perkins as the creepy uncle. The production team is quite solid as well, with highlights going to Nico Aguilar's cinematography, and Danny Vermette's production design. It's a dark and over the top narrative, one worth watching. 

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Movie Name: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Michael Morris
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, Hugh Grant, Sally Phillips, Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Nico Parker, Shirley Henderson, James Callis, Celia Imrie, Isla Fisher, Leila Farzad, Milla Jankovic, Casper Knopf, Colin Firth, Neil Pearson, Alessandro Bedetti
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review

Following the unexpected indie success that was "To Leslie", director Michael Morris is back, with a decidedly more emotional turn in the adventures of Bridget Jones. The narrative finds Bridget, now a single mom with two young children, navigating an unexpected turn of events, as Mark Darcy has been killed a few years ago, leaving her with an emotional hole in her life, one that has been challenging to overcome. Following the advice of her medical practitioner, Bridget decides to go back to work, resuming her role as a producer for a TV show. Her friends also mention it's time for her to get back in the dating game, and set up a profile for her on Tinder. She meets a park ranger by the name of Roxster, a younger man, who becomes smitten with her. While the relationship seems to be moving fairly well, he suddenly ghosts her. In the meantime, Bridget finds herself supporting Daniel Cleaver, who has a health scare and in the interim has also become a close friend and confidante. When Roxster reappears and apologizes for his behavior, Bridget decides to move on, focusing on her children and making sure they continue their journey of healing. She also decides to attend a school trip, featuring her son's class with the additional attendance of various teachers, including science teacher Scott Walliker, who as it turns out, is a kind, intelligent and sweet man, and not the brash man Bridget mistook him for. At the school winter holiday pageant, Bridget's son Billy sings "I'd Do Anything" as a tribute to his father, and she thanks Walliker for his time spent with Billy. She also invites him for a holiday celebration. 

It's been a somewhat difficult task to replicate the spirit that the original "Bridget Jones's Diary" captured, which Sharon Maguire directed to much critical and commercial success in 2001, and the sequels that have since been released. Of all the sequels this may well be the most successful one, one where in parallel with the tropes of the romantic comedy, there's also deeper emotional aspects tied with grief, growing older, and trying to make sense of one's life, as life takes dramatic and unexpected turns. It's a bit like Lawrence Kasdan's "Grand Canyon" meets "Bridget Jones' Diary". Bridget is still very much herself, this time around, not as clumsily insecure as she was before, but still attempting to navigate the dating world, with deep bruises from the passing of her dearest one. It's a film that chronicles, not quite as literally as Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" did with the passing of time, but nonetheless it does chronicle the life changes that have occurred with Bridget, her family and circle of close friends. It's a bittersweet film, one that allows for some characters to be more than the typical cliché they've been in the past, even if some of the supporting characters should have gotten a bit more time/bandwidth (though it's nice to witness the evolution of Daniel Cleaver, though Bridget's other close friends deserved a bit more than just the footnote they ended up getting). The cast really does bring this film to life, particularly the always fantastic Renee Zellweger in the lead role, who gets great support from a cast that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Sally Phillips, Jim Broadbent, and Nico Parker. The production team is equally impeccable, featuring the cinematography of Suzie Lavelle,  score from Dustin O'Halloran, and production design by Kave Quinn. An entertaining film worth watching. 

Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Movie Name: Ever After: A Cinderella Story
Year of Release: 1998
Director: Andy Tennant
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Megan Dodds, Melanie Lynskey, Timothy West, Patrick Godfrey, Judy Parfitt, Jeroen Krabbe, Lee Ingleby, Kate Lansbury, Walter Sparrow, Jeanne Moreau, Anna Maguire, Richard O'Brien, Peter Gunn
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Andy Tennant who prior to directing features had a long career in television, directing episodes for a series of TV shows including "The Wonder Years" and "Parker Lewis Can't Lose", firstly got a taste of middling success with "Fools Rush In", but his visibility increased substantially after the success of "Ever After". The narrative follows the adventures of Danielle de Barbarac during the French Renaissance. In the years since her father passed away, she has become a de facto chambermaid/servant to her stepmother, the Baroness Rodmilla, and her two daughters. One day while out and about she meets a young man, who turns out to be Prince Henry, who is attempting to flee the area in order to avoid an arranged marriage. Henry notices Danielle once again when she heads to the palace to buy back a family servant. He becomes so impressed with her passion he orders the man to be released. Henry's father, King Francis negotiates a deal with his son in the meantime: there's a masquerade ball to be held in a few days, upon which Henry will announce his engagement to the woman of his choosing by midnight, or marry the one they have chosen for him. Rodmilla accelerates her efforts of getting one of her daughters to become more visible to Henry, while he is secretly spending more and more time with Danielle. 

"Ever After: A Cinderella Story" much like its title implies, gets its inspiration from Charles Perrault's book "Histoires ou contes du temps passé" (which includes "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Cinderella", to name but a few), but adds a more modernist vibe courtesy of the screenplay by Susannah Grant, Andy Tennant, and Rick Parks. The film sadly doesn't have much substance to it, lacking the magical and delight that the original Walt Disney version originally rendered in its animated version from 1950 (directed by the team of Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Luske). There's attempts at modernizing Danielle, by making her more humane and in touch with the plight of her employees (wouldn't you know, she's the original Norma Rae), and also by making her more tomboyish (a bit rough around the edges, means personality wise, you're that much more likely to be less judgmental or artificial). All these attempts at portraying the virtues of Danielle through a more modern prism, versus the not so friendly embodiment of selfishness and villainy from Rodmilla and her daughters, tries to slightly distance the narrative from the black or white aspects of these tales when it comes to defining characters' traits, while still retaining its core message intact. It would have been far more interesting if the narrative did attempt a more radical departure, by illustrating the challenges of women's roles during that time, as opposed to once again pitying them against each other. Even if the script is indeed superficial, it does provide Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston a few opportunities to shine and demonstrate what makes them always so watchable, even if the material doesn't do them enough justice. The rest of the cast is solid, particularly Melanie Lynskey, Judy Parfitt, and the magical Jeanne Moreau, who has a wonderful cameo in the film. The production team is equally solid, particularly the wonderful costumes authored by Jenny Beavan. It's watchable, but also forgettable, which seems to be an undercurrent with all the films from this director. 

The King of Comedy

Movie Name: The King of Comedy
Year of Release: 1982
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, Sandra Bernhard, Ed Herlihy, Shelley Hack, Jay Julien, Harry J. Ufland, 
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
Watch it on Hulu

Synopsis and Review

Following the critical success of "Raging Bull", director Martin Scorsese decided to do an inflection of genres, and swerved towards dark comedy. While the film didn't win over audiences at the time of its release (which would also be the case with "After Hours"), it has steadily since then gotten more praise and is now considered one of the best in the director's portfolio. The narrative focuses itself on Rupert Pupkin, a deluded stand-up comedian who has been trying to launch his career without much success. After "meeting" Jerry Langford, the host for a very popular talk show, he believes that he can have his big break on his show. He starts hounding the show mercilessly, asking for a spot on the show, which is constantly denied. When that doesn't work, he alongside a woman he's on a date with, invade Langford's home, only to be expelled by the apoplectic entertainer. Not knowing what else to do, Pupkin partners with Masha, another Langford stalker who has romantic infatuations towards the entertainer, and decide to kidnap the man. The ransom they ask for is for Rupert to be allowed to guest star on the show, while Masha spend some "alone time" with Langford. 

"King of Comedy" has taken a more visible stance for modern audiences since Todd Phillips copied many of the themes, aesthetic, and even tone of the film for his version of what eventually became "Joker", released in 2019 to much commercial success (critical was more so and so, while the sequel is best not even to be mentioned). Martin Scorsese as is habitual in his films, manages to imbue a rhythm to the film that makes the narrative feel vividly inhabited, as opposed to feel artificial or without authenticity. He perfectly captures the dynamics of the TV world, but also the culture of celebrity, which in the early 1980s was on its upward trajectory (nothing obviously compared with today's standards). He also illustrates, by lifting the veil behind the dazzle of TV, the edgier sides of its entertainers, individuals themselves with their egos, their frailties, and their less than perfect persona they portray for audiences. He mixes this vibe, with the introduction of a character as obsessive as "Taxi Driver"'s Travis Bickle, this time around with the self-deluded Rupert Pupkin. Pupkin is someone who essentially lives in a construct of reality he has built for himself, which at times parks itself in this world, but that for the most part has very intersections with it. His ambitions of grandeur, and the role Jerry is supposed to play in it, go beyond fantasy, they consume his entire life and drive his constant pursuit. He surrounds himself with people who are as devoid of common sense and a grounded reality as him. It's a perfect illustration for the times we currently live in, and the film features three pitch perfect central performances: Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis, and Sandra Bernhard. This trifecta of performers compliment each other wonderfully, and they bring to life these damaged individuals, each with very different challenges, in a way that never feels judgmental or less than authentic. The film could have benefited from a bit more dimension to the lead and some supporting characters, but its economy is also one of its strong qualities. The production team is impeccable, including Fred Schuler's cinematography, Boris Leven's production design, and Richard Bruno's costumes. It's a great film from a tremendously talented filmmaker. 

Clockwatchers

Movie Name: Clockwatchers
Year of Release: 1997
Director: Jill Sprecher
Starring: Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow, Alanna Ubach, Helen Fitzgerald, Stanley DeSantis, Jamie Kennedy, David James Elliott, Debra Jo Rupp, Kevin Cooney, Bob Balaban, Paul Dooley, Scott Mosenson, Joshua Malina, O-Lan Jones, Joe Chrest
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Clockwatchers" is the feature directorial debut of Jill Sprecher. It made the rounds of the Sundance Film Festival of 1997, where one of its stars, Parker Posey, also had Mark Waters' "The House of Yes" in competition. The film focuses its narrative on Iris, a shy young woman who takes a temp job with a credit company. She is soon befriended by another temp veteran, Margaret, who introduces her to Paula, an aspiring actress, and Jane, who is engaged to be married, both of whom are temping until their situations change. Margaret has hopes of becoming an assistant to one of the company's executives, but that soon fades to nothing when the gentleman in question dies of a heart attack. Margaret expects at least to get a good letter of recommendation out of all the temping she's done. In the meanwhile, office thefts have been occurring, with Margaret being one of the chief suspects. When Margaret proposes a one-day strike from work, the group agrees with that decision, but none of them follow through, resulting in Margaret being fired. Also as it turns out, she wasn't the office thief. As all of them go their separate ways, Iris has to portend with another colleague whom she witnesses stealing items from an executive's desk, and also her own notebook. Iris finally decides to take action.

Looking back on "Clockwatchers", this film feels very much like an indie release of the mid 90s. Not only because its cast is peppered with actresses who were the cream of the crop for Independent film of the 1990s, but also for its tone and rhythm. It's a feature where plot isn't necessarily the focal point of the narrative, but more the meeting point for these characters to interact and showcase a bit of their quirky traits. The four main actresses are cast to their strengths, with Toni Collette's Iris inheriting a bit of the shy demeanor that made the actress so well known in PJ Hogan's "Muriel's Wedding" (and even Douglas McGrath's "Emma"), while Parker Posey takes on the snarky and cynical Margaret (similarly to roles she had already taken on in Rory Kelly's "Sleep with Me", Hal Hartley's "Amateur" and her most recognizable role at the time, Daisy von Scherler Mayer's "Party Girl"). Lisa Kudrow who was then more well known for her run on "Friends", was also coming off Albert Brooks' "Mother", she got tasked with Paula, the aspiring and somewhat ditzy actress, whereas Alanna Ubach, who made a splash with the well received "Denise Calls Up" from Hal Salwen, got the role of Jane, who simply wanted to get married, and was a bit high strung on it. The film is more of a convergence of these characters, who sadly don't get much in terms of a compelling description, or motivation to speak of, however their interactions are nonetheless always peppered with an ease and charm, which makes them feel as lived in characters as they can be (considering how little we know of them). This narrative ploy is the best but also the most limiting aspect of the feature, which ultimately doesn't have much to itself. The cast is stupendous, but the production team is a bit subdued, and the film ultimately looks and feels very much like the time of its production and release. It's watchable for its very talented cast, but not necessarily very memorable. 

The Cloverfield Paradox

Movie Name: The Cloverfield Paradox
Year of Release: 2018
Director: Julius Onah
Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Bruhl, John Ortiz, Chris O'Dowd, Elizabeth Debicki, Zhang Ziyi, Roger Davies, Aksel Hennie, Clover Nee
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

The Cloverfield franchise is now three films counting, with indication there's more to come. "The Cloverfield Paradox", which premiered in 2018, is the sophomore directorial endeavor for Julius Onah, who prior to this film had released a series of shorts, and "The Girl is in Trouble" as his feature directorial debut, which didn't fare very well. "The Cloverfield Paradox" takes place in 2028, and follows the adventures of an international team, located on a space station by the name of Cloverfield, who are attempting to test a particle accelerator in order to provide Earth with a source of infinite energy. There are groups on Earth who fear the accelerator will possibly open portals to parallel universes, which may turn out to be quite dangerous for Earth and its inhabitants. After years of unsuccessful attempts, the team apparently manages to create a stable beam, only for it to overload, eventually creating a power surge. Following these events the team notices that Eath has vanished and the gyroscope that is crucial for the station's navigation is missing. They soon also discover a woman named Mina Jensen who is within the walls of the station, fused with its wires. As more disturbing events keep occurring, the team eventually locates Earth, and realizes the accelerator was indeed activated, and that the station was transported to a parallel universe, where some of the team members are now different, as are some of the backstories for some of the crew members themselves. Ava Hamilton, the communications officer on the station tries to make sense of it all before everything gets out of control.

"The Cloverfield Paradox" had a rather colorful journey to the screen, with Paramount Pictures originally behind the production of the feature, until its budget spiraled quite a bit, upon which the feature got purchased and eventually released by Netflix. Upon its release the film received harsh reviews, mostly directed at its plot and its ties with the franchise originator. In reality the film isn't worthy of that lambasting, as it is a competent science fiction film, one that inherits influences from Ridley Scott's "Alien", Stanley Kubrick's seminal "2001: A Space Odyssey", and even Danny Boyle's "Sunshine", though it takes a detour into the territory of parallel universes, something that the Marvel Universe has made very popular. Director Julius Onah manages to create atmosphere and tension throughout the narrative, and in parallel illustrates in broad strokes the relationships between the crew members, with just a few of them being entitled to an actual view into their past, their motivations, and what ultimately haunts them. Sadly this more in-depth vision of the characters isn't shared by all of them, including the new crew member they add to their group, something that makes most of these characters rather forgettable, which in turn ends up being the sorest point of the feature. Some of the criticism directed at the film targeted how the creative team forced this feature to tie itself with the rest of the franchise, which is indeed an unexpected aspect of the film, but something that doesn't take away from the storytelling that Julius Onah and his team have crafted up until then. The cast is solid, with highlights going for the always fantastic David Oyelowo, Daniel Bruhl, Zhang Ziyi, Chris O'Dowd, Elizabeth Debicki, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw who ends up having the most central role. The production team is also solid, including Dan Mindel's cinematography, Bear McCreary's score, Colleen Atwood's costumes, and Amelia Brooke & Doug J. Meerdink's production design. Possibly not as impactful as Matt Reeves' first "Cloverfield" feature, this endeavor is nonetheless watchable and entertaining. 

Tomorrow Never Dies

Movie Name: Tomorrow Never Dies
Year of Release: 1997
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Michelle Yeoh, Judi Dench, Jonathan Pryce, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay, Joe Don Baker, Vincent Schiavelli, Gotz Otto, Samantha Bond, Desmond Llewelyn, Colin Salmon, Geoffrey Palmer, Julian Fellowes, Terence Rigby, Cecilie Thomsen, Nina Young
Genre: Action
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the immense success of "Goldeneye", the James Bond creative team was incensed to continue that success, and quickly reconvened with a new director in order to continue the adventures of the super spy, embodied by the newly appointed Pierce Brosnan. This time around James Bond gets involved in a scenario which includes a media magnate by the name of Elliot Carver, who is coincidentally married to one of his former lovers by the name of Paris, and who has made himself a figure of wealth and influence by owning a series of publishing outlets and broadcast stations. As it turns out, Carver is intent in provoking a war between China and the UK, broadcasting everything through his channels and reaping the audience numbers and money from the coverage of the whole ordeal. With that in mind he has some missiles he plans on deploying. Bond, with the help of Wai Lin, a Chinese State Security agent, they both manage to abort the firing one of the missiles directed at Beijing, but Wai Lin is captured in the process, forcing Bond to figure out a plan to rescue her and still deter Carver's plans. 

Roger Spottiswoode's career was not in the best of places in the mid 1990s when he chose to tackle "Tomorrow Never Dies". "Air America" didn't work at the box office nor with the critical responses, something that was made even worse with his next feature, "Stop! Or My Mom will Shoot", which was ridiculed, and not solely for its title. He got some redemption soon after with "And the Band Played On", and he remained in TV land, until the James Bond opportunity presented itself. Unlike Martin Campbell's "Goldeneye" which managed to reasonably balance the silliness and campy factor that at times permeates across the James Bond films, Roger Spottiswoode had a tougher time of reconciling these aspects, with the villainous Elliot Carver being an over the top villain, one that was almost too much for the narrative itself, something that Toby Stephens would repeat once again in "Die Another Day" (less is definitely more as some of the other Bond villains started to realize, including the fantastic Javier Bardem in Sam Mendes' "Skyfall"). The cartoonish aspect of some of the characters took away some of the grittiness Martin Campbell had set in motion with "Goldeneye", and in a way, "Tomorrow Never Dies" was a step back in the direction of the films that John Glen directed for the series during the 1980s (though not quite as tongue in cheek). The film does successfully place Michelle Yeoh as a co-lead, much more effectively than prior Bond Girls in similar situations had been rendered, but sadly she never got much to do, even if she is indeed a scene stealer wherever and whenever she appears. The film suffers from some tonal issues, undecided if it wants to be slicker than its previous chapters, or just as over the top. Ultimately there are some solid action set pieces, such as Bond and Wai Lin escaping Carver's building, but this ended up being a middling affair during Pierce Brosnan's tenure with the character. The cast while populated with great performers, had to portend with characters with very little dimension, including Jonathan Pryce's Elliot Carver (someone must have told the actor to go louder and louder), the previously mentioned Michelle Yeoh, and the always remarkable Judi Dench, who stole every scene she found herself in. The production team was excellent, including David Arnold's score, Robert Elswit's cinematography, and Allan Cameron's production design. It's a watchable and noisy entry to the series, but definitely a step down from "Goldeneye". 

Cooties

Movie Name: Cooties
Year of Release: 2014
Director: Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion
Starring: Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad, Ian Brennan, Jorge Garcia, Cooper Roth, Miles Elliott, Morgan Lily, Sunny May Allison, Peter Kwong
Genre: Comedy, Action
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Cooties" is the feature directorial debut of the team comprised of Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, who have since directed other features, including "Becky" and "Bushwick". The film co-written by Leigh Whannell and Ian Brennan (Whannell is responsible and co-responsible for the "Saw" and "Insidious" franchises, as well as the films "Upgrade", "The Invisible Man", and the recent "Wolf Man") follows the story of Clint Hadson, an aspiring writer, but current substitute teacher. On his first day of teaching he is reunited with his former high school crush, Lucy McCormick, also a teacher at the same school, who is now dating the physical education teacher, the high strung Wade Johnson. Unbeknownst to the school staff, the kids eat chicken nuggets that are infected with a mutant virus. The kids start infecting each other on the playground, and they're soon turning on the school staff, killing quite a few of them, including the Vice Principal, and even the Sheriff who happens to come by to check on what's happening. The surviving school staff barricades themselves in the musicl room, and they soon realize that the virus only latches on to children, and not adults. They plan on notifying the parents when it's time for the pick-up at the end of the day, but soon the arriving parents are attacked and killed by the feral children. The survivors try to escape the school, which they do with some sacrifices, only to realize that the nearby city has also been overrun. 

One of the most interesting aspects of the film "Cooties" is the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously (the title is in itself a hint for the prior statement). The film, unlike your typical zombie outbreak film or series, takes its time in setting the premise, and smartly places the most innocent and unexpected group of characters as the harbingers of doom, namely children. The characters are thinly developed, but they also have just enough substance and dimension to feel more than your typical cliché. Where the film differentiates itself is the humor in which the characters are consistently placed on, balancing the element of horror and comedy at all times, in a way that it doesn't feel forced or cringe-inducing. The adult characters are teachers/frustrated professionals, even more overwhelmed by the new situation they're having to deal with, whereas the savagery of the children, is essentially their worst nightmare come alive. The dynamics that exists between the characters is nicely established, with Clint and Lucy's chemistry being one of the highlights, the same going for Wade's irascible yet charismatic presence. The group of actors is perfectly cast for these roles, with Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Rainn Wilson, Jack McBrayer, all playing to the strengths of their abilities. The production team is equally solid, including Lyle Vincent's cinematography, Thomas William Hallbauer's production design and the makeup effects from the team that includes Megan Areford and Martin Astles. It's an unpretentious and entertaining film worth watching.