'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' A Review

Wake Up Dead Man is a murder mystery, the third in the Knives Out series. Father Jud(Josh O'Connor) a former boxer turned priest is reassigned to a rural parish after punching a rude deacon. He is under the thumb of megalomaniacal Monsignor Wicks(Josh Brolin) who unexpectedly and mysteriously dies. When all fingers point to Jud the gentlemen detective Benoit Blanc(Daniel Craig) is called in to solve the case.

O'Connor gives a good, if inconsistent, lead performance here. The problem with O'Connor is that we're simply seeing too much of him, this is the third(of four) major releases this year for him. Kind of getting into Glen Powell territory, any actor, no matter how talented, cannot saturate the market, be forced upon the collective cultural consciousness. Back to the movie, he provides heart and sincerity and provides a believable(and necessary) portrayal of a truly devote Christian calling out and acting against the corruptions of religion both in the abstract and the specific. But overall its just kind of flat, plateaus and doesn't change. Brolin is delicious as the heavy, with total commitment and total presence. Craig seems to be losing a bit of umph with Blanc and his ill-advised hair piece doesn't do him any favors. He's still compelling but at this juncture the character and the series is falling into diminishing returns. The supporting cast is all stacked with great actors and cool cameos, most notably Glenn Close who absolutely dominates, but a bit too much time is spent on plotting and a bit too little is spent on character so as great as the cast is, it doesn't particularly matter.

Visually the film is a huge improvement on the over-saturated, pastel repugnance of Glass Onion. The color pallet is more subdued, there's a sense of place and history, more-in-line with the original even though it is clearly shot in the UK and on soundstages. The score works, the costuming is great, the twists-and-turns of the plot entertain but it doesn't have that singular electricity of the original, doesn't have the emotional depth needed to make it work both as a great mystery and a great film. Writer/director Rian Johnson is inching closer and closer to Kenneth Branagh Poirot territory. Not bad, just pure entertainment.

Funny, engaging, with attempts at commentary which are admirable if not altogether successful, a little thin.

Currently in theaters and streaming on Netflix.

Rent It.

'Sentimental Value' A Review

Sentimental Value is a drama about a dysfunctional Norwegian family. Gustav(Stellan Skarsgård) returns to Oslo in the wake of his ex-wife's death and attempts to reconnect with his daughters Nora(Renate Reinsve) and Agnes(Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) and get a new film made after a long hiatus.

Skarsgård continues to deliver in his later career, here he is constrained by the character's emotional limitations but compensates beautifully with subtlety, nuance, and portrays an artist with the kind of insight and contradictions you'd expect from a life long creative. Reinsve's performance is more limited, it is in essence a version of the same character she played in Worst Person In The World an individual who is selfish, mentally ill, impenetrable, with little to no interest in changing(until the very end). Maybe that character arc is particularly appealing to co-writer/director Joachim Trier but as a viewer is pretty frustrating. The real star is Lilleaas who plays the only relatable human in the cast, she feels real, has recognizable emotions, and grows and shrinks and changes as the story progresses. The 'artist' characters swirl around her while she lives in reality. The other notable supporting cast member is Elle Fanning as Rachel Kemp an American movie star. She's compelling but the whole movie-within-a-movie subplot feels unnecessary, feels like a delaying tactic to not have to show the characters change or transform.

Visually the film is beautiful. Shot with subtlety and richness with the occasional inspired flourish or bit of magical realism. The score is effective, the locations are evocative. The production all the way around is top notch. The story is just unfocused, the themes ambitious but muddily conveyed, the resolution too tidy and brief, unearned. There's a luxuriating within the past and present trauma of the characters but no real insight about that trauma. Reminiscent of movies about addiction like Crazy Heart where the bulk of the runtime is spent languishing in the pain of life and quickly montaging through the actual progress made as a result of that pain in the final minutes proceeding the credits. Especially now in 2025 our movies do not need to tell us about how painful life is and can be, most of the entire population is living it and has been. Not to mention this particular story is full up with a kind of oblivious economic privilege that may be cultural but is still off putting.

Trauma porn. Well made, well acted, and finely drawn but trauma porn nonetheless.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.

Endings

At an end

we are forced to reflect

assess

the value

the meaning

sometimes we will mourn

the passing

sometimes we will rage at

the absence

sometimes we will trivialize

sometimes we will be relieved

and yet

the cessation itself

does not effect

the impact

of the past

'Jay Kelly' A Review

Jay Kelly is a drama about a sad and lonely rich boomer movie star the titular Jay Kelly(George Clooney). The movie opens on the wrapping of his latest movie after which he attempts to connect with his daughters who, after years of neglect, justly don't want much to do with him. He wanders around Europe and fails again and again to really learn anything or come to terms with his actions, life, or career in any meaningful or insightful way.

Clooney is decent, he seems a bit on auto-pilot which makes sense for the role but isn't particularly compelling. The supporting cast is a cavalcade of names but the only real standout is Adam Sandler as Ron Jay's manager, he's the only one who really seems like an actual, relatable human being with recognizable emotions, it would have been a more interesting story following his character.

The cinematography is bold and rich and compelling as is the score. The big issue is just the whole premise. Who cares about this rich, aging narcissist who's motivation in trying to connect with his friends and family seems to only be a self-centered loneliness and who displays a complete inability to take responsibility for his actions or understand, in any way, his failings. The whole central conundrum is very specific to a certain type of aging white male(presumably a lot of the themes are very close to co-writer/director Baumbach) and as such doesn't really have broad appeal. 

An incredibly made film that elicits no compassion or interest in its narrative or characters(aside from Sandman).

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

'Zodiac Killer Project' A Review

Zodiac Killer Project is a meta-documentary about the failed adaptation of The Zodiac Killer Cover-Up: The Silenced Badge by director Charlie Shackleton. Shackleton narrates over b-roll footage, describing the film he intended to make until it fell through and ruminates on the True Crime genre, occasionally cutting to popular features or series to elucidate certain troupes.

Visually the film is simple and meditative, the California b-roll, which may be location scouting footage, is mostly static, the only movement being slow pans and zooms, it's effective to a point but certainly strains attention at feature length. The big issue isn't that the film is experimental in form and content but just that that content, the point of it all, isn't particularly complex. Shackleton criticizes True Crime filmmaking troupes and practices and in the same breath how he couldn't wait to deploy them. He talks about the explosion of True Crime's popularity with a certain amount of distain but is clearly an avid watcher. He expresses frustration about not getting to make his project simply because it would have been watched by a lot of people.

Ultimately the film, Shackleton, has no real insight to offer- he tried to make a film, couldn't, and made this as a substitute- that's it. He feints at broader analysis of True Crime both as a product and the culture's fascination with it but never follows through. However, the way he breaks down imagery and discusses the lexicon of film in conveying information is engaging, the film he describes sounds like the kind of HBO or Netflix project that people would watch, there's a certain appeal to the simplicity and cleanness of the images, but taken together it's all a bit underbaked.

Interesting as an experiment but ultimately incomplete, feels like what it is- the scraps from a bigger, fuller idea.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

'Five Nights At Freddy's 2' A Review

Five Nights At Freddy's 2 is a horror sequel to 2023's Five Nights At Freddy's based on the video game series. The movie opens on a flashback to 1982 on a different Freddy's location from the original where an isolated girl Charlotte sees owner and serial killer William(Matthew Lillard) kidnapping a little boy, in attempting to rescue him she is killed and her ghost is trapped. Twenty years later Mike(Josh Hutcherson), his sister Abby(Piper Rubio), and their friend Vanessa(Elizabeth Lail) struggle to adjust in the wake of the events of the first movie when Charlotte's malevolent spirit reaches out to interfere.

Hutcherson, Rubio, and Lail are all great and committed and serve as the grounding point for all the absurdity and violence and give those things emotional stakes making it fun, entertaining, and if not believable exactly than at least plausible. Lillard isn't in it as much as the previous movie but he's got one great, terrifying dream sequence. The supporting cast is all solid and there's one piece of really inspired casting with Skeet Ulrich as Charlotte's dad, a cool bit of resonance with Lillard calling back their Scream villains.

Visually the movie sticks to its roots, focuses mostly on practical effects and coherent tactile action, there's minimal CG and what there is is integrated smoothly and effectively. With a bigger budget they're able to use more locations and the flagship Freddy's location is expanded allowing more animatronics, more elaborate kills, and more visual flare. The soundtrack is catchy and fun, if there's a flaw it's that the plot is a bit convoluted and it ends on a cliffhanger(presumably setting up a third in the series). Still, it's fun, funny, well paced, and above all entertains.

A solid B-movie horror sequel, great counter programing to the season's Oscar hopeful glut.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to Peacock.

Rent It.

Life on life's terms

I don't understand
the fear of death

I don't wish it

or welcome it

I relish each day's

pleasures

I'm grateful

for each day's

challenges

I accept

my responsibilities

with an open

and eager heart

most days

I am filled

with love

but

when it's time to go

whether tomorrow

or in 50 years

I will be ready to depart