'Crime 101' A Review

Crime 101 is an action/thriller about elusive methodical jewel thief Mike(Chris Hemsworth), his in-the-dark love interest Maya(Monica Barbaro), the cop on his trail with marital problems Lou(Mark Ruffalo), and frustrated high-end insurance broker Sharon(Halle Berry) and how their stories intersect over one final heist.

Hemsworth is a out of his element, whenever he's asked to play more muted/stoic/reserved characters he seems to struggle, a la Extraction & Extraction 2, he needs characters with humor or some perspective. He's unquestionably a compelling star but this is one archtype he's yet to crack. Ruffalo and Berry are able to bring much more depth and authenticity to their characters even if on-the-page they're pretty thin. You can just tell they have a backstory they've come into their scenes with, their history and context, as a result they feel like actual humans you want to watch. Barbaro and the heavy, that lil gremlin Barry Keoghan, are both miscast. They have yet to demonstrate they have any real range and do nothing but detract here. Barbaro's character is a plot point only and she fails to make it more than that. Keoghan has yet to demonstrate he can do anything successfully beyond his debut Killing of a Sacred Deer and continues to fail into a stunningly robust career with role after role where he deploys the same limited arsenal of ticks and calls it acting.

Shot mostly on location in LA the city looks great and feels like a real place people exists(a big plus these days!). The car chases are thrilling, the heists are tension filled and fun, there's just not enough of either in a runtime that is overlong. There's been some decent Heat knockoffs over the years- The Town, Den of Thieves, even Wrath of Man to a degree- but this isn't even able to reach those mid-tier heights. There's too much character stuff and most of that stuff lacks depth, there's not enough action/thrills and what there is doesn't hold as much as weight as it should because there's little investment in the characters, and just overall the plot is unnecessarily complicated.

Aspirations to Heat with an A-list cast(on paper at least) produce a straight-to-DVD quality caper.

Currently streaming on Amazon.

Stream It.

'Apex' A Review

Apex is an action/thriller about adrenaline junkie Sasha(Charlize Theron), the movie opens with a prologue where her and her husband Tommy(Eric Bana) are climbing the Troll Wall in Norway and he tragically dies. Five months later she is taking a solo trip in Wandarra National Park in Australia. She's warned by the ranger there have been multiple disappearances in the area and she meets a couple locals who are slaveringly psychotic but she's gotta kayak! One of the seemingly nice locals Ben(Taron Egerton) gives her a tip about the best(and secret) place to enter the park. But of course Ben is not a good boy, he is in fact a disturbed cannibal with mommy issues, and what quickly gets going is part Most Dangerous Game part Deliverance.

Theron is one of our greatest living movie stars, she's got a facility for emotion and a dynamic physical presence. But here she doesn't have much room to operate, she never really gets to open up and kick ass, the action is mostly calisthenic(she runs, climbs, kayaks, swims) which she's great at and it looks great but overall the character is overly thin and there's not enough compelling action to keep interest. Egerton goes delightfully big, a little dance sequence that starts off the chase is really fun and weird. So there's some energy to the performance but over time it just kind of peters out. In both cases the talent of the actors outstrips the script relatively quickly.

Visually the movie is incredibly uneven, some great on location shots, some decent studio shots, and some stunningly bad and obvious CG. It's part-and-parcel with the script- tonally confused. It can't quite decide if it wants to be pure action, can't quite decide how much it wants to delve into the emotional context of either Sasha or Ben, the fact they just don't kill one another at multiple points doesn't really track, and just overall it has the kind of patina of Netflix algorithmic compromise about it.

Theron and Egerton put forth incredible effort to make this barely compelling.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.

'Ready Or Not: Here I Come' A Review

Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come is a horror/thriller, a sequel to the 2019 flick, picking up right where that movie left off. After surviving her attempted sacrifice Grace(Samara Weaving) must endure a double-or-nothing game this time pitted against the various other members of the Satanic cabal and they've brought in her sister Faith(Kathryn Newton) as extra incentive.

Weaving maintains her top tier Scream Queen/Final Girl status and it's great to see her again in this role. Newton is a wonderful addition and although some of the exposition the two are saddled with is a bit clunky they have great chemistry. The supporting cast is even richer than its predecessor- Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood, and Néstor Carbonell, among others- all deliciously play the avaricious satanists.

On a limited budget the movie makes the most out of its(mostly) singular location and focuses(again) on practical effects and fight choreography, it's potent and it's fun although maybe not a well we necessarily needed to go back to. It's somewhat bogged down by unnecessary lore, similar but not nearly as egregious as the John Wick movies, what was compelling about the original was Weaving surviving and kicking ass not the specific machinations of the Satanic cult and contract. It doesn't noticeably detract but the movie could definitely be tighter, more propulsive.

Solidly entertaining, a wonderful cast, but not particularly surprising.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.

'Send Help' A Review

Send Help is a survival horror/thriller about Linda(Rachel McAdams) an awkward and timid(but extremely competent) corporate strategist and her new boss Bradley(Dylan O'Brien) a misogynist nepo baby who get stranded on a tropical island following a plane crash. Their dynamic shifts as Bradley is injured and Linda is a surprise survival enthusiast.

McAdams is one of our great movie stars, her presence, authenticity, and versatility just grows with age and that is very apparent here. She's having a ball and giving this character all different kinds of dimensions- menace, humor, pathos- the whole gambit. In one pretty incredible solo sequence on the island she discovers a waterfall and baths, notices her skin glowing and hair shiny, she's transformed from her beaten down office drudgery into the woman she's always wanted to be. McAdams just conveys this ocean of history and subtext with an effortlessness that's just stupendous to watch. And O'Brien is good too! Out of all the crowded Hollywood leading-men hopefuls O'Brien is actually one I can get behind. He's got talent and good lucks but also a grounded approachability and naturalism that for my money puts him head and shoulders above the Austin Butlers and the Chalamets. And the two have magnetic chemistry. The support cast is limited, it's basically a two-hander, and as such a real pleasure just to watch McAdams and O'Brien work off each other.

Visually the film is relatively simple yet evocative with a couple pretty spectacular gore set pieces and judicious use of CGI. The score is subtle and effective, overall the production design is focused, effective, if not particularly flashy(which given the budget, works perfect). The film somewhat stumbles in the third act but the journey is fun enough it doesn't particularly matter. A near perfect January release, a welcome piece of well-done dimensional entertainment to offset the long shadow of overly serious 2025 awards flicks still in theaters.

McAdams for the win.

Currently in theaters.

See It.

'The Rip' A Review

The Rip is an action thriller about the Miami-Dade Police Department's Tactical Narcotics Team(TNT) that investigates a tip that turns into something much bigger and dangerous than they expected.

Matt Damon as the leader of the team Lt. Dumars is good if not particularly surprising or doing anything much beyond what we've seen him do in the past, he is no doubt a movie star and he is no doubt servicable in the role. Ben Affleck as Sgt. Byrne is more electric, is having more fun, and it is genuinely great to see the two of them share scenes together again, their chemistry is undeniable. And if the movie itself is semi-standard cop-fair it is well made, the script is tight, the action is compelling, it works. The supporting cast is full of some solid talent- Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Kyle Chandler- who all round out the film and give it depth and texture. Is this Heat? No. But it's a world beyond Netflix's typical offerings in this genre like Havoc and Extraction. 

Visually the film is dark and thick evoking the close humidity of southern Florida, the locations are limited, the action, when it comes, explosive and potent. The score subtle and suspenseful. It's a pro production. When the script veers into the obvious or the cliche the presence of the actors weathers those bumps relatively easily. In a feature landscape where regular action movies(without superheroes or magic or aliens) are in shorter and shorter supply this is kind of treat. The logic of not distributing it theatrical is increasingly silly given this is the kind of movie that would be a sleeper January hit, the kind of decent money maker Gerard Butler and Jason Statham have had a monopoly on the past several years.

A solid piece of popcorn entertainment.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

See It.

'The Secret Agent' A Review

The Secret Agent is a historical thriller set in 1977 Brazil about research professor Armando(Wagner Moura) on the run after a local oligarch dismantled his department and murdered his wife.

Moura is compelling but he overly relies on his(not ineffective) neutral face to do a lot of the work. He leads the film well, with confidence and solidity, but all the characters and plot that swirl around him are kind of a mess. The supporting cast are all talented, particularly the women- Tânia Maria, Maria Fernanda Cândido, and Alice Carvalho in a brief flashback- to name a few. But the material just really isn't there for them to dig in and soar, acknowledging of course there may be some cultural connections or meaning that an average US citizen would miss.

Visually the film is beautiful with some inspired, exciting sequences. Some long takes and artistic ones. And the score is thrumming and enhances the mood. But the story is deliberately unclear, overly complicated, and tonally inconsistent. It careens from thriller, to drama, to melodrama, to straight up slapstick comedy. Which is all great it just doesn't come together. At about the halfway point a new time period is introduced, in which nothing at all really happens, and seemingly serves no purpose but to cap the film in a very contrived unnecessary way. There's a lot going for it but at 2 hours and 40 minutes it is simply too sprawling, too erratic, too unfocused to have the kind of artistic impact it so clearly aspires to.

Intriguing and beautiful but unequal to the sum of it's parts especially narratively.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

'No Other Choice' A Review

No Other Choice is a black comedy/thriller about Man-su(Lee Byung-hun) a papermaking expert who is laid off, struggles to find employment, then hatches a plan to murder various other candidates in order to secure a coveted position.

Lee is a solid lead, balancing absurdity and slapstick with sincere emotional vulnerability. Son Ye-jin as Lee Mi-ri, Man-su's wife though really steals the show and brings some much needed sympathy and reality to the narrative. The support cast are all solid and maintain the kind of unreal tone. Does that tone work though? It's consistent but feels, at least from a US perspective, dated. It's the same kind of corporate satire of the excellent American Psycho or the much less successful Wolf Of Wall Street. It feels somewhat irrelevant and the purpose of it all is unclear.

Visually the film is compelling with some cool artistic flourishes and short abstract sequences, but again, to what end? Corporations are bad? Capitalism destroys people? No shit. On top of the overall theme being pretty 80's 101 Man-su as written is a selfish, inarticulate, buffoon. We have absolutely no reason to care about this idiot so whether he succeeds in killing other selfish idiots or his life is dismantled as a result of his own pride and ineffectuality doesn't really matter. All in, the film feels like there are materially no stakes other than like, how much will Mi-ri put up with?

A big theme of recent years seems to be movies about selfish men being selfish but most(if not all) of them are uninteresting and given the current state of the world men like these are getting more than enough air time in the news and positions of power. 

Not a bad movie but seemingly has nothing to tell us about our current time that we don't already thoroughly know. Seems only interested in highlighting the absurdity of the current human condition but stops there.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

'One Battle After Another' A Review

One Battle After Another is a drama/thriller based on the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. It follows Pat/Bob(Leonardo DiCaprio) a member of a far-left militant group during his active years(in the prologue) with the bulk of the story happening years later as he is separated from his daughter and both of them are on the run from government agents.

DiCaprio continues a bit of a plateau in his career, he's not bad here he's just not particularly interesting or dynamic, and as the lead that's a problem. Surprisingly, the most nuanced character is Sean Penn as the heavy, his performance full of eccentricity and depth. Closely followed by Benicio del Toro who also builds in quirk and backstory and makes the character come alive. Teyana Taylor is wonderful and electric but she's only in the prologue. Regina Hall is woefully underused and Chase Infiniti is good but her subplot seems like an after thought. The rest of the extensive supporting cast have such brief appearances they can't do much.

Visually the film is dynamic and rich, a return to form for writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson after the bland look of Licorice Pizza and the script is an improvement too but it is bloated and unfocused. There are too many threads, too many subplots, too many ideas, and none of it really comes together. At a sprawling almost three hour runtime the storytelling feels indulgent and isn't particularly satisfying either as a character study or as a socio-political message.

Not equal to the sum of its parts.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

'Highest 2 Lowest' A Review

Highest 2 Lowest is a crime thriller, a remake of Kurosawa's High and Low, directed by Spike Lee. David King(Denzel Washington) is a high-powered music producer and on the eve of a large deal with his label his son is kidnapped and held for ransom.

Washington is captivating as always, just like in Gladiator II, he creates a compelling character by sheer talent and will from the uneven, confused script. Jeffrey Wright is underutilized as his friend/driver but still compelling. The rest of the cast struggles to make anything interesting from the script and come across as mostly wooden and melodramatic. 

The production is inconsistent. The movie opens with a repeated pedestrian drone shot, the first 2/3rd's are strangled by an incessant old-timey orchestral score, the shot set-ups and framing are frequently bizarre. All this together just makes for a profound confusion in tone. It kinda smooths out and gets interesting in the final third with some more of Spike Lee's patented inspired sequences and shots as well as a more appropriate and compelling soundtrack, unfortunately it's a case of too-little too-late. Perhaps the script or Lee wanted to stick too close to the original or perhaps the production was rushed, either way it just feels underbaked, erratic, and dated.

Lower tier Spike Lee but worth watching for Washington and the lively third act. 

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

'Last Breath' A Review

Last Breath is an action/thriller based on the real-life loss and rescue of a deep sea diver. Duncan(Woody Harrelson), David(Simu Liu), and Chris(Finn Cole) are saturation divers who work to maintain undersea gas pipelines. On a rotation heavy storm activity causes a technical malfunction that results in Chris being cut off from the ship with limited oxygen.

Harrelson, Liu, and Cole(who kinda has the least to do) are all compelling and competent, its not the kind of movie that requires a tone of acting but Harrelson and Liu have the presence, as do the supporting cast, to give the story appropriate stakes and also dimension to the characters, not a ton as the focus is on the events, but enough for us to be invested.

Mostly practical filming, whether on location or in tanks/on sets, makes for a pretty process-driven tactile feel, which is perfect for the subject matter. It appropriately evokes the environment and the risk. If there's a detraction its that at 90 minutes it feels a bit rushed and ultimately we aren't as invested as we could be in the characters as we don't get to see them much outside of crisis mode. Still holds the interest.

A tight, relatively low budget, adult flick focused on process, no frills. 

Currently available to rent on most VOD platforms, streaming on Peacock.

Rent It.

'Black Bag' A Review

Black Bag is an espionage thriller about a married couple both working at MI6. George(Michael Fassbender) is given a list of potential moles and tasked to root out the traitor. His wife Kathryn(Cate Blanchett) is on the list.

Fassbender and Blanchett are both in top form and have an instant and easy chemistry. Two of our greatest film stars doing what they do best without a lot of frills or distractions. Committed, precise, and compelling. The supporting cast is made up primarily of the other suspects range from good, Regé-Jean Page & Tom Burke, to great, Naomie Harris and particularly Marisa Abela who brings a needed chaotic electricity. Pierce Brosnan is in this too but it's essentially a cameo but still great to see him.

Visually, no surprise coming from director/cinematographer/editor Soderbergh, it looks great. It flows, has movement, has surprises, has a POV. Even if some of the soft focus shots don't exactly work, unlike so many modern movies, it's shot with the goal of having a style. The score effectively enhances the already solid script which is tight, has twists and turns, and still allows the actors to cut out some real, breathing characters. It's the kind of solid, meat-and-potatoes adult entertainment we used to get a lot more of.

Twenty years ago this kind of movie wouldn't be such a gem but given the ascendence of IP and studio focus on broad demographic appeal this is a must see.

Currently in theaters.

See It.

'Presence' A Review

Presence is a supernatural thriller about a family of four that moves into a large suburban home inhabited by the titular presence. As they navigate their own interpersonal issues they butt up against the spirit at various times culminating in the unraveling of its mystery.

Lucy Liu as Rebecca the matriarch is the biggest name in the cast and has the biggest presence, its a treat to see her in something this intimate and grounded given her recent cinematic offerings were Red One and Shazam 2 she's able to really stretch here and do some subtle, interesting stuff and the character has some darkness to it. Chris Sullivan as Chris Rebecca's husband is good but he struggles a bit with finding a groove and matching the tone, the same is true of Eddy Maday as Tyler, neither of them are bad but their calibration is off. Callina Liang as Chloe fairs better and effectively grounds and gives emotional stakes to the story and her scenes with Sullivan are his best. The big sore thumb of it all is West Mulholland as Ryan, partly a result of the absurd dialogue he has to speak but also he seems totally ignorant of the tone. The performance has no subtlety, comes across like a mustache twirling villain more appropriate as a bully in a 80's teen comedy than in this. His casting severely limits how far the film can go because of the nature of the role and how flatly and obviously he plays it.

No surprise coming from Soderbergh, visually it has some flair, shot from the POV of the spirit, the camera floats around the house(and is constrained within it) and cuts in-and-out based on it's own whim resulting in not only a cool look but a unique way we get to know the family and it's situation. The soundtrack is subtle and eerie, the location(its all in the house) effective. Soderbergh does what he does best, makes a pretty good movie fast and on the cheap.

An engaging distraction with a heavy that drags down much of its potential.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

'Flight Risk' A Review

Flight Risk is a thriller about U.S. Marshall Madolyn(Michelle Dockery) escorting mob accountant Winston(Topher Grace) from Alaska to the lower 48 in order to turn informant, but bush pilot Daryl Booth(Mark Wahlberg) is more than he appears!

Dockery, probably best known for Downton Abbey, is great here- pulpy, brash, competent- the total package for this kind of role in this kind of movie. Grace is equally good as the worm-with-a-conscience and the two play off each other kind of shockingly beautifully for this kind of B grade genre fair. Wahlberg though is the real point of discord, the squeaky wheel, he is just horribly miscast. He starts off with this really bad corny, aw-shucks old boy accent, which morphs into his best attempt at a deranged killer a la Cape Fear and it...really doesn't work. He puts in a valiant effort but it just does not fall within his range. As a result, the movie never really takes off as the bulk of it is just the three of them in a small puddle jumper.

Shot on a budget it looks decent, the production elements work, its all very contained and adequate. The script is a bit rote but there's definitely appetite for this kind of flick.  It's short, well paced, a tight little piece of pulp, decent enough but falls short of making that big of an impression.

Mildly entertaining, held back by its star.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Stream It.

'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.

'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.

'Rebel Ridge' A Review

Rebel Ridge is an action/thriller about a well-meaning veteran who is antagonized by small town police a la First Blood. Terry(Aaron Pierre) is riding his bike into a small southern town in order to post bail for his cousin but is run off the road by a cop and has the bail money seized via civil forfeiture. He befriends local county employee Summer(AnnaSophia Robb) who attempts to help him but is further antagonized by the police chief Burnne(Don Johnson). The situation escalates.

Pierre gives a memorable, assured, star-making performance. Constantly cool, almost serene, he kind of plays against the action with a calmness which just serves to draw the situations in further relief as well as punctuates the actions when it does erupt. Robb brings some needed emotional depth and has good chemistry with Pierre, Johnson is delicious as the small town despot even if its something we've seen him do before. The supporting cast is all solid, James Cromwell shows up for a couple minutes, overall just a some good casting all around, a testament that no huge stars are needed to make a good marketable film.

Visually sharp, tightly paced, a thrumming/droning score all serve to set the scene and ratchet up the tension. The action, when it comes, feels real and visceral and has a messiness to it. The danger Terry is in and skirts for much of the film we feel. It is a impeccably, deliciously made film. From a craft stand point writer/director Jeremy Saulnier is totally in control. His screenwriting maybe not as taut. There are some big ideas presented- racism, policing, cash bail, civil forfeiture, addiction- and they certainly solicit discussion after but none are totally followed through on within the film, there are themes but no message. And that's mostly A-O-K as this is a very fun action film. Even if it is somewhat derivative in some ways it is refreshing how original it feels given the glut of IP. 

The biggest issue is, of course, the fact this was released straight to streaming. This would have made $75 million at the box office if not more and still seen great streaming numbers when it came to it, the fact Netflix still has no real theatrical distribution model or deal is increasingly dumb even from the most base capitalist perspective.

An intense, rhythmic, adult action thriller that makes you think but not too much.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

See It.

'Strange Darling' A Review

Strange Darling is a horror/thriller about the final crimes of a serial killer. Set in Oregon and cut into non-sequential chapters it follows the enmity between The Lady(Willa Fitzgerald) and The Demon(Kyle Gallner).

Fitzgerald, clearly relishing the lead position, goes big. Its a full, almost over-brimming, performance, full of ticks, digressions, and a wide range of emotion. Its impressive but at times incongruous or distracting, its busyness occasionally clashes with character coherence. Gallner ultimately has the easier job, on the page he is more contained, but his stolidness pairs well with Fitzgerald's more baroque approach. The supporting cast is so small as to have very little impact but Barbara Hershey and Ed Begley Jr. are absolutely delightful in a brief interlude.

The production bursts with ambition and ideas, there's a couple scenes with saturated monochrome lighting, the shot composition and cutting meld well with the non-linear structure. The soundtrack and score are effective with one diegetic song that's really effective. The bloodwork and action, seemingly all practical, gives it a bit of a 90's grindhouse feel that works. All in all its solid and feels if not totally unique(the influences are very clear almost glaring) at least fresh especially this year with a release schedule so abbreviated and homogenous.

There is an eagerness and excitement that's contagious in the film from writer/director JT Mollner and in total he shows a lot of promise but there are some missteps like the title card loudly proclaiming "Shot in 35 mm" which comes across as pretty gauche as well as the unnecessary true crime lay on that doesn't really work. But the bigger issue is in the messaging, there's a turn about 2/3rds of the way through, a twist/reveal, that recontextualizes what's happening(the non-linear structure is in service mostly to this), and the implications of that are, at best, muddled. It doesn't seem deliberate but an unintended consequence of being overly enamored with this particular plot turn. Regardless of the reason it leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth and undercuts some of the impact.

An energetic, rich, bloody thriller whose reach ultimately exceeds its grasp.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.

'Blink Twice' A Review

Blink Twice is a psychological thriller about Frida(Naomi Ackie) and her friend Jess(Alia Shawkat) who meet tech bro billionaire Slater(Channing Tatum) while they are catering his annual gala and go with him and a group of others to his private island.

Visually sharp and occasionally audacious the colors, the cutting, the framing work in perfect tandem with the soundtrack and the incredibly effective sound mix. The production design is bursting with ideas and courage. From this standpoint the film is an absolute success and feels more unique and cinematic than almost anything else released so far this year. The story unfortunately doesn't meet its artistic ambition, it feels more like a protracted situation rather than a narrative, if not derivative exactly more like a pastiche of influences that doesn't quite come together. As a result some of the themes get muddled, its unclear what the message is other than sexual assault (and more broadly subjugation) is bad. But power, wealth, autonomy, authenticity, avarice these are kind of brought up but not really refined.

The cast is full of talent but unfortunately none of the characters feel particularly three dimensional and their motivations and interiority remain frustratingly distant. Ackie imparticular is a wonderful actor but she, at least in the beginning, seems to be solely motivated by a greed and consumerist envy that is really off putting. That may be only what we see on the surface but the script doesn't allow us(or her for that matter) to go any deeper. All that being said it is just kinda great to see Christian Slater, Geena Davis, Haley Joel Osment, Adria Arjona, and Shawkat on screen in this bizarre situation.

A promising debut from director/co-writer Zoë Kravitz, not perfect but bold and worth a watch.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.

'Trap' A Review

Trap is a thriller about the attempted capture of serial killer 'The Butcher', Cooper(Josh Hartnett), at the concert of a famous pop star Lady Raven(Saleka Shyamalan) which Cooper brings his daughter Riley(Ariel Donoghue) to.

Hartnett in his first lead role in awhile gives a deliciously evil and complicated performance, balancing humor, heart, and threat with a sophistication that is quite frankly above the rest of the movies abilities or concerns. He's having fun, you can tell, but he also roots the character with realism, imbues him with genuine emotion(however perverted) really investigating what this guy would be like rather than a 2D killer. Shyamalan is OK but doesn't have the presence the role requires nor is she really able to match Hartnett's commitment. Donoghue is servicable but there's no scene where she has to really contend with any of the underlying truths of what's going on so she doesn't have much with which to stretch. Alison Pill and Hayley Mills are both inspired pieces of casting but neither is given enough to do.

The look and feel of the production is a bit uneven. The first hour plays almost exclusively like a concert film seemingly only to attempt to further writer/director M. Night's daughter's musical career. She's not untalented as a musician but all her songs and various dance numbers that are featured are distracting given the movie is not about her and Hartnett is clearly the more interesting character and performance. The second half of the movie is when it really starts going, there's more movement not only in the locations but in the story. The pacing is uneven as is the tone, it veers from straight-thriller to camp in an odd ADD kind of way, some of which is really effective. But overall you are left with a feeling of unfulfilled potential.

M. Night, like many auteurs of his generation, should no longer write his own scripts. He is still a craftsman, he still has a great eye for talent and knows how to put together a good looking movie but his screenwriting ability has fallen off. Where this movie fails is in the sporadically stilted dialogue and lack of narrative focus.

An excellent Hartnett elevates a wobbly script. Not a great movie but a mostly fun one.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.