Personal Shopper

Movie Name: Personal Shopper
Year of Release: 2016
Director: Olivier Assayas
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Lars Eidinger, Sigrid Bouaziz, Anders Danielsen Lie, Ty Olwin, Nora Waldstätten, Hammou Graïa, Benjamin Biolay, Audrey Bonnet, Pascal Rambert, Aurelia Petit
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review

After their successful partnership with "Clouds of Sils Maria", writer/director Olivier Assayas and actress Kristen Stewart reunited once again for "Personal Shopper", which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival of 2016 to solid reviews. The film follows the story of Maureen, a 20 something woman living in Paris. She works as a personal shopper for a high profile woman, but also believes herself to be a medium. She's reeling from the recent death of her twin brother, and has stayed in Paris waiting to get a "connection" from his ghost. Her boyfriend is also working abroad, in Muscat, Oman, and invites her come visit him, so she can distance herself from all the pain that Paris sparks in her. While trying to feel or catch any signs of her lost sibling in the house he and his girlfriend shared, Maureen does come across a spirit, but that of a female, which scares her. She also starts getting text messages from an unknown sender who seems to know a lot about her. Her life is thrown into further disarray when her employer is brutally murdered, and Maureen is questioned on how she found her, and the role she played in her life. 

One of the most interesting aspects of "Personal Shopper" is the sentiment of initial disbelief that the writer/director creates towards what is happening in the lead character's life. The film isn't your typical ghost story, nor is it this deambulatory chronicle of a young woman's life in Paris. It marries both those aspects in a way that feels organic and eventually sensical. Yes, Maureen is a personal shopper for someone who is wealthy and lives an opulent lifestyle, but she's also someone who firmly believes her dead twin brother will communicate with her from the after life, and that her "abilities"/sensitivity, will be able to hone in when he does so. These aspects coexist in this narrative, but as the director keeps adding more events, including the anonymous text messages, the death of her employer, all of these aspects while creating a sense of dread, also murky the journey Maureen has been experiencing. What was initially an exploration of grief, and how people at times dehumanize themselves while serving others, becomes a bit more trivial when the writer/director layers them across the narrative (that didn't really need it). Maureen is a bit puzzling herself: she's very sure of herself when performing her tasks, but less assured when addressing her own path in life. And this duality makes her an interesting character, even if we never know much more about who she actually is, and what her ambitions are. This film lives from all these aspects that the audience has to build for themselves, as they witness the story unfold, and where Maureen's experiences lead her. Mr. Assayas does create a vivid universe for these characters to live in, but doesn't really know where to take them, which seems to be a perpetual issue in many of his films. Kristen Stewart does a solid job playing Maureen, and the film lies squarely on her shoulders. The production team is equally solid, particularly Yorick Le Saux's cinematography and François-Renaud Labarthe's production design. It's not an entirely successful film, but one that is enigmatic and well performed to hold one's attention. 

Kimi

Movie Name: Kimi
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Zoe Kravitz, Byron Bowers, Rita Wilson, Devin Ratray, Jacob Vargas, Derek DelGaudio, Sarai Koo, Jaime Camil, George Evans, Robin Givens, India de Beaufort, Charles Halford, David Wain
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the well received "No Good Deed", the prolifically talented Steven Soderbergh quickly came back with another release, marking his first collaboration with screenwriter David Koepp (a long time collaborator of Steven Spielberg, for whom he wrote "Jurassic Park", "Lost World", "War of the Worlds", "Indiana Jones 4", and "Disclosure Day"). "Kimi" follows the story of Angela Childs, an agoraphobic tech worker, who has been having troubles going outside for quite some time (a result from an assault she previously experienced), an issue that got substantially worse with the advent of Covid-19. She monitors incoming data streams from the Kimi devices, built and sold by a company that is about to go through an IPO process. She's been dating a neighbor who lives in the building across from her, a lawyer by the name of Terry. Terry has been attempting to get her outside, starting with something as simple as enjoying food from a local food truck, something that is unable to tackle. While going through the daily streams she detects what appears to be a woman being subjected to a violent assault. With the help of a coworker she is able to trace the identity back to a user whose name is Samantha. She uncovers more of that user's recordings, and is horrified to realize that her additional recordings indicate she might have been murdered. She reports the issue to her company, and she's eventually told to come into the office so they can call the FBI and clarify the whole situation. However and while she's waiting, she realizes two individuals are coming to get her, upon which she decides to leave the offices and go to the local FBI offices herself.

David Koepp's scripts are at times hit or miss. His latest collaboration with Steven Soderbergh, the wonderful and criminally underrated "Black Bag" was a perfectly executed thriller, with enough sophistication and character development to warrant multiple viewings. Some of his scripts, including "Secret Window" or even "Premium Rush", which he also directed, just don't work quite as successfully. They are genre films where characters are presented as sketches, and the narrative feels rushed and underdeveloped. Some of those traits are also noticeable on "Kimi", however this film benefits from having Steven Soderbergh at the helm. Mr. Soderbergh has always been able to illustrate the central heroes of his narratives as individuals who have found a unique place for themselves in the world, even if they may come across as borderline anti-conventional (that was the case of James Spader's Graham in "sex, lies, and videotape", Jesse Bradford's Aaron Kurlander in "King of the Hill", or even Julia Roberts' Erin Brockovich, in the film with the same title). Angela may seem at first glance as a modern heroine from a Hitchcock film, or even a distant relation to Sigourney Weaver's Dr. Helen Hudson from Jon Amiel's "Copycat", but as the narrative develops, we get to learn more about what motivates her specific behavior, including her emotional barriers, her relationships with others, and even why is she so intent on reporting what she just captured. The best part of this feature is indeed the way this character comes to life as the narrative develops, even if some of her tribulations with her pursuers diminish the power of his storyline. It would have been interesting if David Koepp had written this film like an updated version of Brian De Palma's "Blow Out", but sadly this script lacks that ambition, and falls a bit too easily into the trappings of a more conventional thriller. Still, even with its script limitations, Steven Soderbergh works his magic defining the claustrophobia of Angela's apartment, as well as the fears she faces when she goes outside. The cast is solid, though it would be interesting to see what Naomi Scott or Jessica Henwick could have done with this part. The production team is solid, since as usual Steven Soderbergh also works as cinematographer, editor, with the addition of the stupendous Cliff Martinez on score (they've been regular collaborators since "sex, lies, and videotape"), and Philip Messina's production design. It's an entertaining and worth watching feature from a very talented film maker. 

Dust Bunny

Movie Name: Dust Bunny
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Bryan Fuller 
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sigourney Weaver, David Dastmalchian, Sheila Atim, Rebecca Henderson, Line Kruse, Caspar Phillipson, Armond Willis, Rea Milla, Tibor Szauervein, Sute Zhao, Tao Jia, Hisham Omer
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Dust Bunny" is the feature directorial debut for celebrated writer/producer Bryan Fuller, who has created iconic tv shows in the past including "Wonderfalls", "Dead Like Me", "Pushing Daisies", and more recently "Hannibal". The film had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in 2025 where it was greeted with solid reviews. The narrative follows the story of Aurora, an 8 year old girl who lives with her foster parents in NY. One night she follows her neighbor from unit 5B to Chinatown, where she witnesses him killing what appears to be an immense dragon (but in reality he kills an entire gang who is hidden under the guise of a dragon dance puppet). Aurora is terrified of the place where she lives, since as she explains to her foster parents, there is an enormous monster underneath her bed (and floor). They don't believe her until one night she hears immense rubble in the place, and the following day her parents are gone and their bedroom is torn to pieces. She decides to hire her neighbor to help her get rid of the monster, and with that in mind she steals the donation tray of the nearest church. When she recounts her story and her purpose to her neighbor, he believes that her parents were mistakenly killed by people trying to kill him. He informs his handler Laverne of the matter. Laverne advises him to get rid of Aurora. That evening two assassins arrive at Aurora's apartment, and while the neighbor tackles one of them, the other mysteriously disappears.

The stylistic world of Bryan Fuller is an immensely enjoyable one. One aspect that has been very evident across all the creative endeavors he has originated, is how thoroughly detailed, and stylistically dazzling they all are. "Dust Bunny" is an interesting film that at first glance may be a marriage of Luc Besson's "The Professional/Leon", with Juan Antonio Bayona's "A Monster Calls", but it eventually goes in the direction and tone that is very much coherent with everything that Bryan Fuller has created thus far. His heroes (and anti-heroes) are always characters who inhabit fairly conventional realities, ones that can tilt to the horrifying and violent, but they always have the ability to view the world in their own special way. They're not outcasts by any means, they live just enough outside of the conventional, and they have a special ability which enables them to see beyond what is typical and commonplace. They're outsiders who can blend in, but still very much special in their own manner, characters who carve their own path no matter the situation in which they find themselves in. Such is the case with Aurora, her neighbor, and even Laverne. It's a universe that is always colorful, with characters that are at times under-developed, but never conventional nor pretentious. "Dust Bunny" which starts with a dose of surreality and as it progresses thrives on it, is a film that may seem like a child-like narrative of a young girl living with fear, but it evolves into something quite different, a narrative about thriving, making connections, and controlling her own destiny. The cast is superb, with Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, and the always great Sigourney Weaver all creating indelible characters. The production team is equally fantastic, particularly Isabella Summers' score, Nicole Hirsch Whitaker's cinematography, Jeremy Reed's production design, and Olivier Beriot and Catherine Leterrier's costumes. It's a film that deserves to find a bigger audience, and one that reveals Bryan Fuller's solid ability to work on a bigger canvas. 

Black Phone 2

Movie Name: Black Phone 2
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Scott Derrickson 
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Demian Bechir, Jeremy Davies, Miguel Mora, Arianna Rivas, Maev Beaty, Graham Abbey, James Ransone, Anna Lore, Simon Webster, Shepherd Munroe, Chase B. Robertson, Dexter Bolduc, Jazlyn Wong-lee, Julien Norman, Jacob Moran
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the success of "Black Phone", co-writer/producer/director Scott Derrickson has returned with a sequel which further establishes the mystique of the main villain, while also clarifying some key points of the past of some of the characters (coincidentally 2025 also saw the release of his Apple produced film, "The Gorge", which featured Anya Taylor-Joy, Miles Teller, and Sigourney Weaver). The narrative takes place in 1982, four years after the events of the first film. Finney is now 17 and is in high school, still experiencing issues relating to others, but protecting those who are bullied. His sister Gwen starts having dreams where she witnesses murders that have happened in a lake camp in 1957. Gwen and Finney's mother also had similar dreams, since she too had similar abilities to Gwen. Gwen convinces Finney and Ernesto, the latter the brother of one of the boys who got killed by the Grabber, to travel to that camp to investigate further. They get stuck at the camp due to a harsh snow storm. The camp is run by Armando and his niece Mustang, alongside two employees Kenneth and Barbara. Finney receives a phone call on the camp's dead payphone from the Grabber. He is intent on seeking revenge and starts doing so by attacking Gwen in her dreams. Everyone in the camp realizes they have to find the bodies from the additional victims of the Grabber, in order for him to lose his powers over the dream world. They realize the bodies are beneath the frozen lake. Armando, Hope (Finney and Gwen's mother), and the Grabber, all knew each other at the camp when they were younger. As it turns out, Hope's death wasn't a suicide after all. Finney and Gwen decide to fight back.

The first "Black Phone" was an interesting ghost story that managed to capture the spirit of the 1970s rather colorfully, even if the characters that populated that story had very little substance. This sequel, once again succeeds in establishing the mood and recreating the time period (kudos to the production design team), but as the nods to Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" become more pronounced (the killer that attacks you in your dreams, that can lead to lethal consequences), the characters and what makes them more unique falls to the wayside. The film's creative team is more concerned about tone and setting a mood, more so than bringing these characters to life, beyond the bare minimum of what would be passable for them to register as individuals (they let the costumes do much of that work for them, namely with the character named Mustang). Finney spends most of the film answering supernatural calls, whereas Gwen is perpetually falling asleep and either being targeted by the Grabber or witnessing past killings perpetrated by him. The film is not without its good points: Demian Bechir's Armando brings some humanity and intensity to an underwritten role, Ethan Hawke has fun playing a different version of Freddy Kruger, and placing the action in an isolated campground brings to mind all the horror films of the early 1980s (and this is a worthy homage). The cast is solid, led by Ethan Hawke and Demian Bechir, while Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw don't really do much with their characters. The production team is top notch, including Atticus Derrickson's score, Par M. Ekberg's cinematography, and Patti Podesta's production design. Ultimately it's a watchable film, but also one that is slight and unmemorable.