'Venom: The Last Dance' A Review

Venom: The Last Dance is a superhero/buddy comedy, the third and final installment in the Tom Hardy helmed series started with 2018's Venom. Eddie Brock(Hardy) is on the run from the law after the events of Venom: Let There Be Carnage only to be attacked by multi-dimensional monsters at the behest of the symbiotes creator Knull. Eddie also crosses paths with the Imperium the alien-focused branch of the government/military.

Hardy is as compelling and funny as ever, taking his performance even further turning what has heretofore been a kind of a double act, he and Venom(who he also voices), into almost a straight up love story. Its gonzo and effective. The supporting cast don't have a ton to do but its great to see Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, and Rhys Ifans although Temple and Ifans have some pretty bizarre American accents. Overall a solid cast if a noticeable glut of Brits. The best of course is the return of Peggy Lu as Mrs. Chen who makes a brief appearance for a wonderful dance sequence.

Filmed in Spain it doesn't really look like the American southwest but it looks good. There are a fair amount of needle drops which are cool but don't totally make sense tonally. The CGI is used sparingly until the final battle and it works well.

This has always been an odd series, not quite sure what it wants to be, conventional superhero fair or an inversion of it. At least tonally this hits closer to home, it is exceedingly odd, which it seems to have been trying to be all along. But its not really able to go fully off the leash and not only here but throughout the series has never been able to meet its potential.

Pleasingly bizarre and surprisingly heartfelt if constrained by convention.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

Life On Life's Terms

It's work
every day

it can seem

endless

there's joy too

hope, contentment

all the goodies

but it always

requires effort

the small things

need to get done

the big things

need to be addressed

for every triumph

a new trial

for every moment of peace

a fresh irritant

that's the deal

we didn't ask for this

yet

here we are

'Conclave' A Review

Conclave is a drama/thriller about a papal conclave administered by Thomas(Ralph Fiennes) the Dean of the College of Cardinals. He navigates surprises, uncovers deceptions, and manages the personalities and ambitions of the various Cardinals.

Fiennes, as ever, is totally present, totally committed, and absolutely captivating. He elevates and centers what is at times a relatively formulaic mystery(although set not in law enforcement but the Catholic Church) into something that has some emotional dimension, addresses faith in an interesting way, and has a couple things to say. The supporting cast assist in this of course with stacked actors like Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, and Isabella Rossellini(among others) but the heavy lifting is done by Fiennes, it is his movie and he delivers.

Filmed in Rome but mostly at a studio the sets and locations give it authenticity, the simple recurring score is incredibly effective, the costuming pitch perfect. All the production elements work together in concert on a relatively modest budget. The story somewhat falters in the third act and there's a tension throughout as to what it wants to be, is it straight drama or is it pulpy mystery, the interplay between the two doesn't always result in a tonal marriage but throughout it remains engaging and entertaining.

A surprisingly potent piece of(increasingly rare) adult cinema. Seemingly destined to be underappreciated in theaters and a hit once streaming.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

'Hold Your Breath' A Review

Hold Your Breath is a period horror/thriller set in 1930's rural Oklahoma about Margaret(Sarah Paulson) a mother of two who's husband is out of state for work. She struggles to keep her daughters safe as she contends with mental deterioration and/or the supernatural.

Paulson is a captivating actor and expertly ratchets up the tension and deploys raw emotion to give the story some oomph but she's unable to make sense of the derivative frequently boring script. Ebon Moss-Bachrach makes an appearance as a mysterious drifter, and he's great, but he's underused and is called upon essentially to be a MacGuffin. Amiah Miller and Alona Jane Robbins as Margaret's daughters are both good but are hamstrung by the necessities of the plot.

For a low budget indie the movie looks good, the ambiance is there, its evocative. The sound design with the wind and dust whirling, the creaking floor boards, its effective. But at the center is one of the worst and unfortunately most well trodden horror tropes - is the threat it in the characters head or is it supernatural- and the movie ultimately falls firmly in the less interesting of those two options rendering the story, character development, and good performances essentially meaningless. The ultimate 'reveal' deflates any real stakes or investment we the audience have. Ever since the, just, smash success of The Babadook there have been many copycats and this is one of those but without the nuance, depth, or genuine terror.

Written as part of Sundance Institute Writer's Lab it very much feels like an exercise in selling a screenplay not creating a compelling narrative.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

Don't See It.

F.E.A.R.

the oldtimers say
it stands for
fuck everything and run

which can be

a seductive proposition

to flee from trial

to recede

from responsibility

to risk nothing

safety

at the cost of growth

'Woman Of The Hour' A Review

Woman Of The Hour is a period thriller about the The Dating Game appearance of serial killer Rodney Alcala(Daniel Zovatto). The movie follows Alcala in a series of flashbacks/flashforwards that depict his murders cut with struggling actor Cheryl Bradshaw(Anna Kendrick) the eventual Bachelorette on the show and the taping itself.

Zovatto is, quite frankly, boring. Kind of a recycle of his character from Station Eleven. Thirty years ago this might have been an acceptable performance but with the proliferation of thrillers and true crime his take just doesn't offer anything unique or as something we haven't seen a hundred times before. Silence of the Lambs and even the more recent Mindhunter exist ie this is a well already deeply plumbed, the psychology/depiction of serial killers is something thoroughly investigated in pop culture and his portrayal just doesn't even register in comparison. There is no nuance or interest in it, it is simply superficially scary because of the situations depicted. Which perhaps would be OK if the focus of the movie was more on Cheryl but its confusingly split. Kendrick is serviceable but this push-and-pull of focus doesn't really give her enough to do and her character as a result is rendered just as a potential victim.

Kendrick as director shows a lot of promise, the film looks good, there's a tightness to it, threat, commentary, but the script confines her to a flawed structure. Despite the title, despite whatever good intent Kendrick and her team had making the movie, the result comes across as about Alcala and simply showing a series of his awful crimes is not only not entertaining it lacks any kind of dimension. Its bleak and bludgeoning, not thrilling or interesting.

Well-made but lacking a pulse.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

'Smile 2' A Review

Smile 2 is a horror film, a sequel to 2022's Smile, that follows the path of the cursed entity this time to pop star Skye(Naomi Scott). She is in the middle of relaunching her career after a tragic accident and a year of recovery, with increasing pressure from her label and momager(Rosemarie DeWitt) she struggles to make sense of and survive her mental deterioration at the hands of the titular grin.

Scott is an absolute knockout, bringing raw and deep emotion that grounds the supernatural elements and give them stakes. She's also a thoroughly convincing pop star singing original songs with several full-on dance sequences, and this attention to making this Lady Gaga-esk pop star real again furthers the reality when things get weird. This aspect is more convincing and compelling than the similar device used in this year's Trap you would almost be satisfied if there were no genre element involved and the story was simply about Skye revitalizing her career. DeWitt furthers the texture playing the semi-supportive but clearly manipulative momager and the rest of the supporting cast all give great turns(particularly Ray Nicholson). Its a genre film clearly focused on not only the scares and the gore but equally the characters and they all feel full and real and lived in making all the horror that much more effective.

The film looks great with bold camera work, inventive horror sequences, attention to real and surprisingly good pop music with some solid diegetic performances, and a slowly ratcheting suspenseful score- the production across the board has a thrumming infectious energy. Where it falters is in the pacing, the film is too long, and the script in the final act drags and devolves unable to reach the ambition and talent on display elsewhere. Still. It's a surprisingly fun, effective, evocative, feisty piece of cinema.

A superb Scott helms an electric genre flick that doesn't quite stick the landing.

Currently in theaters.

See It.