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Here (2024)
Robert Zemeckis reteams with his Forrest Gump writer and leads to deliver an impressive technical showcase built on overly saccharine and sentimental material
Set primarily within the living room of a New England colonial house and the surrounding property, the film goes in non-linear fashion to various inhabitants of the house and surrounding property from indigenous peoples on the undeveloped land to the original and subsequent owners of the house.
Here is an adaptation of the 1989 six panel comic turned graphic novel by Richard McGuire that is based around the concept of focusing on a single area (in this case, a living room) and showing that area at different points in time. The rights to Here were acquired jointly by Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks with Eric Roth set to write the script with the three having previously been behind Forrest Gump. With an Autumnal release date and impressive talent in front of and behind the camera, Here seems like it has all the ingredients for a potentially great film....but the end result can't help but feel somewhat out of balance.
In terms of describing exactly what Here is, I guess it belongs to that category of films like Cloud Atlas and The Tree of Life that try to tell small scale human stories within a larger scale context. Simultaneously playing itself in very limited location while also spanning millennia, Here tries to play with themes like nostalgia, family, regret, or history repeating itself and to a degree there are some effective moments (such as covering both the Spanish Flu and Covid-19 pandemics), but there's often a contrived feeling to some of the family dynamics on display with certain sequences sometimes feeling like they're playing to melodrama or others feeling more in line with an old sitcom (not helped by the stationary camera adding to that feeling). It really feels like as a team Eric Roth and Robert Zemeckis are playing to a similar level that Forrest Gump did in the 90s and given the harsh realities experienced in real life situations portrayed in this film it has a similar feeling of detached reality like you'd get when comparing an episode of Leave it to Beaver with contemporary 50s life.
Here certainly has its heart in the right place and is bold in its unconventional style of filmmaking that ages and de-ages the actors in real time (to reasonable effect), but the material is less drama and more melodrama and has a rose tinted approach that just feels too detached from reality (even with scenes addressing Covid or a black family advising their teenage son to always keep his hands visible when getting pulled over by the police). The cast are all perfectly fine in their roles, but while I appreciate the experimental nature of Here I really don't see myself returning to it due to just how little I felt was there beneath the surface.
Absolution (2024)
Neeson's latest genre flick gives the actor slightly more meat to chew on, but it's also often meandering and unfocused
Set in Boston, the film follows a former boxer turned low level enforcer (Liam Neeson) working for local crime boss Charlie Connor (Ron Perlman). After he starts forgetting things, the enforcer goes to a doctor who informs him that a lifetime of taking continuous blows to the head has left him with CTE. With no treatment or medicine available and an unclear estimation of how much time he has left, the enforcer starts preparing to get his affairs in order including re-establishing contact with his estranged daughter Rosie (Frankie Shaw).
Absolution is the latest vehicle for Liam Neeson who in over the past 20 years has become synonymous with these mid budgeted thrillers and crime films that while not the blockbusters they were 20 years ago are still profitable thanks to "downstream revenues" (streaming rights, international sales, etc.). Thug sees Neeson reteaming with director Hans Petter Moland after the two collaborated on Cold Pursuit (remade from Moland's own In Order of Disappearance) and written by writer Joe Gayton. Despite being marketed as another Neeson fronted action film, absolution is really more of a noir tinged drama with some genre elements that while more ambitious than some films he's done isn't all that successful.
As per usual Neeson is playing a very standard "seasoned tough guy" as his career has taken a route previously taken by actors such as Charles Bronson, but there is at least an attempt to give him something as he plays a character slowly losing his cognitive faculties and now taking stock of his less than admirable life. The scenes where he's struggling to remember things like his dead son or what he actually intended to do are the highlights of the film and it honestly makes me wish the movie had just ditched the well worn thriller/noir trappings and been more of a character drama as it really wants to be. During the first two thirds Absolution juggles many different plot elements like his relationship with a woman played by Yolonda Ross (who disappears after the second act), the jobs he's running for Charlie Connor, or a recurring dream sequence involving his father and a boat that just feels really out of place. Once we're in the third act it basically just gives up and becomes a standard Neeson rampage but by that point those who came expecting it may feel it's too little too late while those invested in the character drama will be disappointed that it doesn't really payoff. If you want to see a movie like this that's a character study of a degenerative brain decease with crime thriller elements, you're really better off just watching Knox Goes Away from earlier this year as it did a better job of combing the two elements (with some minor missteps) and actually felt like a more fully formed vision.
Absolution tries to add a little something extra to the well worn conveyor of Liam Neeson led genre films but it's such a rough mixture of haphazard character drama and noir cliches without doing either well enough to warrant even a minimal recommendation. If you want this kind of movie but better, just watch Knox Goes Away.
Saturday Night (2024)
Jason Reitman's "fly on the wall" portrait of Saturday Night Live's debut night is a wonderfully acted origin of one of TVs most endearing staples
Set on October 11, 1975, producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) has been given the greenlight for a new variety show known as NBC's Saturday Night featuring a group of untested young comedians and writers. In the 90 minutes leading up to the premiere, Michaels must deal with temperamental writers, cut happy censors, actors with personal and professional grievances, and the very real possibility of NBC brass putting a rerun of The Tonight Show in their place.
Saturday Night is the latest film from director Jason Reitman and has been a passion project for the director for about two decades. Following his success on Ghostbusters: Afterlife, this gave Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan the momentum they needed to set the film up with Sony. Produced with an undeniable affinity for its subject matter, Saturday Night not only captures the cultural relevance of Saturday Night, but also the Herculean amounts of effort required to bring the show to air in the first place.
Gabriel Labelle is quickly becoming one of my favorite up and coming actors having given strong performances in the likes of The Fablemans and Snack Shack and he does well playing a wet behind the ears producer who is given his chance at a new show and is facing an uphill battle to get the pieces together from temperamental actors and belligerent writers to unreliable technical resources. Shot as if in real time following the 90 minutes leading up to Saturday Night's premiere, Reitman's "fly on the wall" style filmmaking is well utilized in capturing the behind the scenes chaos while also allowing for genuinely humorous deliveries from its talented cast as well as more tender human moments. The casting is on point from all involved with Matt Wood almost uncanny in his portrayal of John Belushi and Cory Michael Smith effortlessly channeling Chevy Chase's persona and comedic style to solid effect. Pretty much the entire cast does well channeling their real life counterparts like Kim Matula and Ella Hunt as Jane Curtin and Gilda Radner respectively and Nicholas Braun pulls double duty as both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson and nails both. Dylan O'Brien also disappears into his Dan Akyroyd portrayal.
Despite the movie clearly having an affinity for its subject matter, it's very much a "warts and all" portrayal as it does touch upon aspects such as Chevy Chase's prima donna behavior and even Belushi's drug usage (though thankfully in a more tasteful and less sensationalized way than Wired did it). The movie also touches aspects such as Garrett Morris' frustration with given very little apart from parts that require a token black actor which greatly under utilizes his background and ability. You get a strong sense of just how much of a "break from the mold" especially with a sequence that contrasts the material on Saturday Night against a fiction variety show called The Rumpus Hour that features Milton Berle (despicably played by J. K. Simmons with wonderful hatefulness) where it's vapid tackiness is nicely contrasted with the more guerilla authenticity of Saturday Night.
Saturday Night is one of the best times I've had at the movies this year and not only is it another winner for Jason Reitman, but it's also both an entertaining film as well as a near perfect time capsule of its subject matter and a pivotal moment in TV history.
Hysteria! (2024)
A compelling mystery with a nostalgia tinted ride through a moral panic offering sharp and satirical thrills
Set in the town of Happy Hollow, Michigan in 1989, teenager Dylan Campbell (Emjay Anthony) along with his best friends Jordy (Chiara Aurelia) and Spud (Kezii Curtis) are members of an aspiring heavy metal band named Dethkrunch which has yet to garner any attention. After popular quarterback Ryan Hudson (Brandon Campbell) disappears with an occult pentagram symbol the only clue to his disappearance, whispers of Satanic rituals and occult activity start permeating throughout the town as Sheriff Ben Dandridge (Bruce Campbell) tries to dispel while maintaining a proper investigation. Noting how publicized Hudson's death has become thanks to the occult connections, Dylan floats the idea to his band mates to capitalize on the rumors by rebranding their band with Satanic imagery which Jordy and Spud are hesitant to do before ultimately going forward with it. The rebrand gets the band their long sought after attention as well as winning Dylan the affection of his crush Judith (Jessica Treska), but when a moral crusade led by Christian activist Tracy Whitehead (Anna Camp) starts garnering support among the atmosphere of fear and paranoia, Ryan and his friends are placed in their crosshairs.
Hysteria! Is the newest series from NBC/Universal streaming service Peacock from creator Matthew Scott Kane. Kane first wrote the pilot script back in 2019 and having been inspired by prevalence of misinformation and reality distortion that had taken up much of real life discourse and wanted to explore that by paralleling it with the Satanic Panic of the 80s. Now premiering in time for Halloween, Hysteria! Proves to be a smart and entertaining good time with a sharp satirical edge with just a bit of nostalgia mixed in.
While undeniably cut from a similar cloth to Stranger Things (with that series having tackled Satanic Panic in season 4), Hysteria! Largely goes a different direction with the series possessing a more vaguely supernatural/psychological bent in contrast to the sci-fi trappings of Stranger Things. The main kids of Dylan, Jordy, and Spud are well played by Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Kezii Curtis respectively and the series does well playing the long game in playing with their characterizations. While Anthony's Dylan isn't all that likable for much of the series, the show is aware of it as it calls him out for putting his friends in danger in his exploitative pursuit of popularity and the superficial attention of his "dream girl" who as time goes on reveals herself to be less in line with his idealized romantic fantasies with her "girl next door" allure slowly eroded to reveal less Molly Ringwald and more Susan Atkins. Jordy is definitely something of a stealth protagonist as despite her goth exterior she's also the most rational and down to Earth member of the trio who also has painful history with former friend Faith Whitehead played by Nikki Hahn after a schism developed between them courtesy of Faith's mother Tracy wonderfully and despicably played by Anna Camp. Kezii Curtis also adds some nice bits of levity being the eccentric oddball of the group complete with him spouting insane conspiracy theories.
Outside of the primary cast, the supporting players are also quite good in their roles and help create an engaging ensemble. Julie Bowen plays Dylan's mother Linda and convincing plays a downward trajectory of a woman slowly unraveling in the face of fear and uncertainty that the literal devil may be among them. Nolan North (whom I know best for voicing Nathan Drake in the Uncharted games) is really good playing the anchor of the Campbell family who tries to keep things rooted in reality only for him to frustratingly possess a multitude of questions without answers. We also have the always welcome Garrett Dillahunt playing a slimey character who is effortlessly loathsome. Last but certainly not least is Bruce Campbell as the town's sheriff Ben Dandridge. While Campbell is always a welcome addition thanks to how much energy and passion he brings with him, more often than not he's usually called to play a winking self-awareness. Here however, Campbell feels like he's going for a more dramatic (though not without humor) route for his character, a frustrated lifelong lawman trying to keep his town sane, and it's probably the most "authentic" (for lack of a better word) role Campbell's done since The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. In the 90s.
I really quite enjoyed Hysteria!. While it does take a few episodes to really settle into a groove, there was a compelling atmosphere and story at play that kept me engaged even in instances where the characters made boneheaded (by design and with context) decisions. While the show doesn't overtly season bait, it does leave the door open for more while telling a complete story and assuming Universal and Peacock are inclined I'd love to see Matthew Scott Kane and co. Return to the compelling world created here.
Don't Move (2024)
Nicely crafted minimalist thriller that elevates its simple premise with a pair of engaging leads and tight film making
Iris (Kelsey Asbille) is a young woman mourning the death of her young son from an accidental fall on a family camping trip. Waking up early and without telling her husband, Iris makes her way to her son's memorial in the park intent on jumping off the same cliff only to be stopped by an engagement with a seemingly well-intentioned stranger named Richard (Finn Wittrock) who tells her his own experience of loss with his girlfriend Chloe causing the two of them to walk back to their cars together. However once there Richard reveals himself to be a serial killer and kidnaps Iris knocking her unconscious. Thanks to a Swiss Army knife Iris manages to make Richard crash the car and escape only to be informed by Richard he's injected her with a paralytic agent that will work its way through her system over the next 20 minutes rendering her completely immobile.
Don't Move is the new Netflix thriller produced by Sam Raimi and directed by Adam Schindler and Brian Netto who are no strangers to working with Raimi having directed Grey Cloud Island (Minnesota) for Raimi's Quibi anthology series 50 States of Fright as well as collaborating on their own solo projects like Netto's Delivery: The Beast Within or Schindler's Intruders. The film was announced in 2022 with a script by Schindler's Intruders scribes T. J. Cimfel and David White with shooting commencing in 2023 with Netflix acquiring distribution rights the following year. Don't Move doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to this kind of "cat and mouse" thriller, but it utilizes the format effectively to generate palpable tension thanks to brisk efficient direction and an engaging heroine and villain.
If I were to compare Don't Move to something, I'd probably say the best comparison is a serial killer version of the movie Red Eye from 2005. Much like how that film was built around the tension and chemistry generated between Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, a similar effect is achieved between Asbille and Wittrock. Kelsey Asbille does well playing a grieving mother who feels trapped by the world following the death of her son and it's incorporated well into her struggle for survival that gives her an arc for being able to live again. On the opposite side we have Finn Wittrock (who I mainly know from season 4 of American Horror Story before I stopped watching) who is very good as the man calling himself "Richard" whose good looks and charismatic charm are nicely contrasted with the darker nature that reveals itself and creates a terrifying character who can bend and twist reality on the fly to meet his ends. In terms of mining a feature length ride from the central premise of character being paralyzed I'll admit I was more than a little skeptical as while it's a terrifying idea it's incredibly difficult to stretch to feature length especially when purposefully limited (such as 2007's Awake which went to some inexplicable areas in its usage of Anesthesia awareness). Despite the challenges inherent in working with such a concept, Cimfel and White's screenplay does well in creating high concept scenario's that inhabit just enough believability (implausible as it may be) that we get some very memorable sequences in which Iris needs to communicate other than words to get help as it's out of reach only inches away. I also have to applaud cinematographer Zach Kuperstein who manages to take his largely wooded setting and keeps it looking interesting especially as it relates to POV shots from Iris making you feel her helplessness and desperation.
I liked Don't Move and felt it was a nicely done thrill ride perfect for either a Halloween viewing with friends or just by yourself. What it lacks in originality it more than makes up for in craft, acting, and follow through.
Canary Black (2024)
It's serviceable enough, but it doesn't do much to elevate itself much from a pack of prior films that have used the template.
Set in Zagreb, Croatia, Avery Graves (Kate Beckinsale) is an agent for the CIA unbeknownst to her husband David Brooks (Rupert Friend) who works logistics for Doctors without Borders. When Graves returns home and sees her apartment a mess and finds David missing, she is told by a mysterious voice on the phone that if she wants her husband back alive she will steal a file called "Canary Black". Driven to desperate measures Graves finds herself hunted by her mentor Jarvis Hedlund (Ray Stevenson) and Agent Maxfield (Jaz Hutchins) at the behest of Deputy Director Evans (Ben Miles) and must not only elude her own agency but also the shadowy forces of her husband's kidnappers all while trying to learn what Canary Black actually is.
Canary Black is the latest actioner from Pierre Morel who directs from a script by Matthew Kennedy. Canary Black has all the hallmarks of one of those international action co-productions with a mildly recognizable lead and budget and tax friendly location shooting that's designed for international film sales and festivals and film markets. Premiering on Amazon Prime as one of their originals, Canary Black does work well enough provided you can forgive its usage of a template mined many times before.
With a movie like Canary Black, the biggest stumbling point is inevitably going to be the feeling of "haven't I seen this movie before?" because these kinds of rogue CIA agent on the run movies are a dime a dozen (Aaron Eckhart's done three this year alone with The Bricklayer, Chief of Station, and Classified just a few days ago) not to mention the massive debt most female led assassin films owe to the framework established by Luc Besson's Le Femme Nikita. On occasion you do get something that's more bold or stylish with this concept (such as The Long Kiss Goodnight or Atomic Blonde) but more often than not you're going to get something that rigidly follows the templates of the genre to a "T" only maybe with some attempts at aping the Bourne franchise or paying lip service to a post-Snowden era espionage landscape. Kate Beckinsale is perfectly fine in the role and is more than capable of doing this kind of action role as her work in the Underworld series shows, but there's really nothing to her character that's particularly compelling as the opening half of the movie is basically True Lies only without the humor of the situation (though given Morel's prior attempts at comedy that's probably for the best).
I will say that once we get to the second half the action does become more engaging in contrast to the interchangeable scenes of Graves running through Zagreb by going for larger scale and more outlandish setpieces with one sequence involving Graves' usage of a large drone to infiltrate and then escape a secured facility being quite engaging, and once we get to the climax it does actually feel like there's some good world shattering stakes at play. The movie gets WAY too confident with itself at the end because it actually sets itself up for franchising (with Graves recruited for reasons that are dubious and confusing) and much like The 355 or Heart of Stone I doubt there's going to be much luring audiences or even producers for a second go around.
Canary Black is the definition of serviceable product because that's exactly what it's designed to be: something identifiable without being memorable and meant to be sold and exchanged internationally so it can be used as fodder for streaming services or rental kiosks. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's not much that makes it stand out from scores of similar films.
Strange Darling (2023)
An impressive game of cat and mouse with strong performances by Fitzgerald and Gallner that twists audience perceptions and expectations in a knot
Set in rural Oregon, the final rampage of a serial killer active between the years of 2018 and 2020 culminates in a game of cat and mouse between two characters known as the Demon (Kyle Gallner) and the Lady (Willa Fitzgerald).
Strange Darling is the sophomore directorial effort of JT Mollner (whose previous film was Outlaws & Angels) who also writes the screenplay. Mollner was inspired by the common horror trope of the "final girl" running through the woods and incorporating a non-linear chapter structure in order to throw the audience off guard. The project was picked up by Miramax where Mollner faced pushback from executives from filming through post production with the film actually shutting down briefly due to executives dissatisfaction with the dailies and demanding Fitzgerald be recast and even during post production there was pressure by the producers to drop non-linear structure until a successful test screening prompted them to apologize to Mollner and allow him final cut. Strange Darling covers well trodden ground, but the way in which Mollner plays with the material results in a thrilling and twisty ride that plays with audience expectations.
In terms of what Strange Darling is, the movie is essentially a battle of wits between Fitzgerald's The Lady and Gallner's The Demon with the film chronicling their initial meetup to its ultimate conclusion. On its own it would be considered a strong character based chase thriller, but Mollner's choices to tell the story are cleverly integrated which adds an extra layer of playing with the audience expectations as the movie starts off with The Lady running through the woods screaming and while audiences are sure to think they know where this goes, the story proves to be anything but ordinary as the structure's unveiling of key details coupled with a non-linear narrative keeps the audience on their toes and allows for some well placed shocks. Both Fitzgerald and Gallner give incredible performances conveying both intensity and vulnerability when the situation calls for it and you're never sure to what level the two are being authentic as it may be yet another opportunistic play. I should also mentioned Giovanni Ribisi's debut work as cinematographer (who serves as executive producer and used his own equipment for the production) as his usage of 35 mm film and staging gives the film a very 70s look complete with a voice over intro that evokes memories of John Larroquette's Texas Chainsaw Massacre narration.
I really enjoyed Strange Darling and my experience was definitely helped by going in blind. Not only does it convey strong tension throughout its runtime, but any time you feel certain you know where it's going it pulls the rug out from under you in a way that plays with your own expectations but still holding together internally.
La mesita del comedor (2022)
An exercise in dread and unpleasantness that's as captivating as it is ugly
Maria (Estefania de los Santos) and Jesus Barobia (David Pareja) are parents of a newborn baby boy named Cayetano. While shopping for a new coffee table, an argument erupts between Maria and Jesus over the one showcased by the salesman and motivated by pent up resentment Jesus buys the table which will serve as the impetus for a Hellish day.
The Coffee Table is a 2022 Spanish horror tragicomedy directed by Caye Casas who co-writes along with Cris Borobia. Casas stated in interviews that he'd had an idea for a horror film that would be more based around the cruelty of real life than the traditional avenues of horror like ghosts, killers or monsters, shooting the film over the course of 10 days at a friends house on a low budget. The movie is one of those that is truly horrific in its depiction of horror with an absolute dark as black sense of humor mixed in with the tragedy from which it's as impossible to look from as it is nausea inducing.
I can't tell you exactly what happens in the film because a big part of the experience is simply seeing how something as seemingly innocuous as a coffee table can lead to such a nightmarish sequence of events that snowballs into the worst possible scenario. Estefania de los Santos and David Pareja are really good as the main characters and the two do a good job of showing a couple who the more you get to know them probably shouldn't have gotten together. In many ways, the opening act is almost like watching a bomb's fuse slowly burn down to ignition with the second and third acts very much taking us through the fallout. This is a movie that will turn your stomach and while it certainly is bloody and ugly as the poster promises, the true horror comes in its implications that sometimes the worst horror isn't any malicious force but the inevitable end result of seemingly innocuous decisions leading to horrific conclusions that are beyond imagination until you see them first hand.
It'd probably be an inaccurate statement to say I liked The Coffee Table, but at the same time I've been unable to shake it from my mind these past few days because it shocked me in a way that reached the very core of my being. It's the kind of horror film that is less roller coaster exhilaration and more a key unlocking a Pandora's Box of existential dread that shakes you not only because you didn't know it was there, but also because it felt colder and darker than you could've imagined.
LaRoy, Texas (2023)
There's a certain level of charm from Shane Atkinson's debut film, even if its Coen Brothers inspired comic noir escapades lack the polish of their inspiration
Set in the town of LaRoy, Texas, Ray Jepperson (John Magaro) is a soft spoken pushover of a man working a menial job under his brother Junior (Matthew Del Negro) at their family hardware store and is told by his acquaintance Skip (Steve Zahn), a would-be private detective, that he has photos of Ray's wife, Stacy-Lynn (Megan Stevenson), coming from a rendezvous in a seedy motel. Feeling like there's nothing left for him, Ray purchases a pistol intent on ending his life only to be mistaken by a stranger (Brannon Cross) for a hit man he hired giving him bag of money with the address of the target. Ray goes along with the misunderstanding which drags him into a complicated mess of double crosses and blackmail and sets him on a collision course with the real hitman (Dylan Baker) who's none too thrilled at having his job and money taken.
LaRoy, Texas is the feature directorial debut of screenwriter Shane Atkinson. Inspired by his love of hardboiled novels, Atkinson wrote the screenplay in a little over three months and intended to start production in 2020 only to be delayed until 2022 due to the pandemic. Upon its premiere at various film festivals it was met with considerable acclaim and stylistically speaking it is true to form of its inspirations, even if I don't think it quite reaches that bar.
Atkinson definitely knows how to make the town of LaRoy, Texas a character in and of itself with the sparse landscapes beautifully photographed to create a portrait of a town that's very stagnant without much ambition or prospects. Dylan Baker is effortlessly creepy as the hit man, Harry, and due to his work both comedically as well as dramatically he has an unassuming quality to him that sets him up quite nicely in his introductory scene. Steve Zahn steals every scene he's in as the aspiring but inept private detective Skip whose loud cowboy inspired wardrobe and false swagger are wonderfully counter balanced by his actually lack of cases or respect. I also think John Magaro is quite good as Ray playing an absolutely milquetoast simpleton who even when confronted with the reality that his former beauty queen wife is cheating on him he's unwilling or unable to see the truth making a bad situation worse with every step. I guess that's probably where I differ a bit from others on LaRoy, Texas because I personally think it was a mistake to center the film on Ray as the protagonist. With a plot, setup, and style that feel very much inspired by that of the Coen Brothers, there's definitely some apt comparisons to be made between Ray and William H. Macy's Jerry Lundegaard from Fargo or Martin Freeman's Lester Nygaard from the first season of the Fargo TV show. Unlike those two projects, Ray is more at the forefront of the movie and serves as an anchor point (where Fargo was more an ensemble) and I feel like by anchoring the film around Ray it becomes a repetitive cycle of watching someone cartoonishly pathetic making the worst possible decisions and it feels a little monotonous. I also couldn't help but compare it to a similarly Coen inspired film with The Last Stop in Yuma County which felt much tighter and more novel with its take on the "money in a bag" format.
LaRoy, Texas is a good first impression from Shane Atkinson as a director even if I appreciated its style and craft more than I did the actual writing. If you're a fan of quirky small town noirs of this type there's definitely things to appreciate, even if I personally feel like it could've used some extra polish and tightening.
The Last Stop in Yuma County (2023)
A solid debut feature from Francis Galluppi that makes strong use of its limited location
At an isolated rest stop in Yuma County, Arizona in the 1970s, several characters are forced to wait at the nearby diner after the resupply truck for the gas station is running late including two bank robbers who stole $700,000.
The Last Stop in Yuma County is the feature debut of writer director Francis Galluppi who began his career in music before transitioning to film with short films High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. A passion project for Galluppi, he spent years trying to get the film made with a larger studio only for disagreements between the financiers and Galluppi over the direction of the material to stonewall progress. After that point Galluppi accepted the offer of his executive producer, James Claeys, who sold his home in order to acquire the film's estimated $1 million budget. Using a roster of smaller names and character actors to fill out the cast, the film was a true independent project with the cast mainly coming together through goodwill and shared passion. The film has received a lot of considerable acclaim with director Sam Raimi so impressed with the film he personally hired Galluppi to direct a film in the Evil Dead series. The Last Stop in Yuma County is a solid showcase of Galluppi's strengths as a writer director who creates an engaging thriller with a limited location, talented cast, and guerilla ingenuity.
The Last Stop in Yuma County's premise is simple in that it takes a bunch of different characters with big personalities and builds tension in a small location using the old standard of the "money in a bag". Galluppi does a nice job of establishing his characters who range from overworked waitresses and hard luck traveling salesman to bank robbers on a hair trigger or youthful crooks who fancy themselves as romanticized versions of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate while ignoring what happened to them. The cast made up mostly of smaller character actors do well with the mateiral including Jim Cummings' unnamed knife salesman who's very much a wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time or Richard Brake and Nicholas Logan as the bank robbing duo who start on simmer until building to an explosive release. The film stays great for 70 minutes but once it reaches its conclusion it does kind of feel like Galluppi struggled to wrap the film up in a way that was up to the level of its first two thirds. There's nothing really wrong with the film's ending as it's more or less the old ironic standard that's been the basis for this kind of story seen as far back as The Treasure of Sierra Madre, but it does feel like a case where it's kind of stretching itself in order to get to that point.
The Last Stop in Yuma County is an effective small scale thriller that uses its limited resources and location to strong effect using characters with strong personalities to create a tense thriller that works its way up from simmer to a boil. I personally wasn't a fan of the third act as I felt it paled in comparison to the first two thirds, but it's a strong and effective showcase of Galluppi's abilities as a writer and director.
Woman of the Hour (2023)
Anna Kendrick gives a great performance and solid directorial debut in this gripping true life inspired story.
Set in 1978, Cheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick) is an aspiring actress trying to make it in Hollywood to no avail. In order to get her name out there, Cheryl reluctantly accepts a spot on game show The Dating Game set up by her agent unaware that Bachelor #3 is serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto).
Woman of the Hour is based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala who during his estimated ten years of murders appeared as a contestant on The Dating Game in 1978. The Ian McDonald penned script, initially under the title of Rodney and Cheryl on the 2017 annual Black List of best unproduced screenplays. The project was initially picked up by Netflix in 2021 with Anna Kendrick set to star and Chloe Okuno only for Netflix to drop the project the following year where it was produced independently and with Kendrick now in the director's chair and ironically acquired for distribution by Netflix after it was completed. The movie respectfully covers its subject matter free of feeling exploitative and showcases not only Kendrick's prowess as an actress but also the start of a promising career as a director.
Much like 2022's serial killer film The Good Nurse, despite centering around a serial killer that's really only part of what the movie is about as it frames Rodney Alcala's actions within the context of social attitudes of the 70s as well as the world of show business. Anna Kendrick showcases strong likability as Bradshaw portraying her as someone with drive and humor who wants to get her foot in the door while also maintaining her self respect and refusing to stoop to the degrading demands made by casting directors or chauvinistic producers as Bradshaw's encounters are juxtaposed against sequences detailing Rodney Alcala's methodology for enticing his victims by playing up the promise of immortalizing their beauty only to exploit them to feed his depraved appetites. Daniel Zovatto is chillingly good as Alcala as he walks that fine line of being charming while also only barely able to conceal his dark side and it's an unnerving performance because the audience knows from the getgo what he is and how his charm is utilized in the same way a Venus Flytrap lures unsuspecting prey to its demise. While Alcala is legitimately creepy, he's not the only antagonistic force at play as the movie makes clear that elements like societal attitudes, procedural negligence by the network, and the apathetic and indifferent attitudes by law enforcement are as much to blame as Alcala himself because they failed to recognize and address the warning signs. Despite such heavy subject matter, the movie also manages to find opportunities for humor and catharsis especially during the scenes on The Dating Game where Bradshaw has frank and candid discussions with the make-up Department and also gets to take smug game show host Ed Burke (ably played by Tony Hale) down a peg by effortlessly upstaging him on his own show.
Woman of the Hour is a really strong showcase of Kendrick's skills as an actor and director while also documenting a stranger than fiction story and contextualizing it in a way that comments on everything from show business to society's attitudes towards women. The movie never becomes overwrought as there's some good bits of humor mixed in to keep from feeling overwrought and it's one I'm pleased to recommend.
The Silent Hour (2024)
It's a very familiar genre exercise, but Brad Anderson's tight direction along with good performances from Kinnaman and Frank make it engaging
Set in Boston, 11 months after suffering massive head trauma in the line of duty, Homicide Detective Frank Shaw (Joel Kinnaman) is struggling to adapt to his life with reduced hearing necessitating the usage of hearing aids and the prospect that within a year's time or less he may lose his hearing completely. An off duty Shaw is approached by his former partner Detective Doug Slater (Mark Strong) who is investigating the murder of two drug pushers and with the Department's interpreter unavailable, Slater enlists Shaw's help in interviewing deaf witness Ava Fremont (Sandra Mae Frank) as Shaw has been taking American Sign Language classes at the behest of his daughter Sam (Katrina Lupi). Shaw reluctantly accompanies Slater to a dilapidated apartment complex with only a few stray tenants as the owner is in the process of evicting the former tenants in favor of condos where the two confirm she has a video of the murder and take her official statement. As Shaw makes his way home, he realizes he left his phone at Ava's apartment prompting him to return where he finds Ava under attack by a team of corrupt cops who intend to stage her as an overdose and Shaw manages to save Ava briefly lose the cops. Without a gun or a phone, Shaw and Ava play a dangerous game of cat and mouse navigating the dilapidated apartment complex in search of either escape or help.
The Silent Hour is the latest from genre director Brad Anderson and is being released on VOD via Paramount's Republic Pictures label. Written by first time credited writer Dan Hall, the AGC Studios produced thriller on paper seems like the kind of film you often associate with VOD releases, modestly budgeted genre pieces that in this theatrical climate are considered "too small" for theaters and more often than not feature lower tier actors like Mel Gibson or Aaron Eckhart. I'm pleased to say that The Silent Hour is actually quite an entertaining experience, even if I attribute that more to the direction and acting than the script itself.
At its core, The Silent Hour is a mash-up of Die Hard by way of 16 Blocks with the added gimmick of hearing impairment of our two leads. While the genre side of things covers standard "protecting a witness" territory from the likes of Clint Eastwood's The Gauntlet or the minor 50s film-noir classic The Narrow Margin, it helps that Brad Anderson is in the director's chair because if you look at his filmography he excels in confined character based thrillers (Transiberian, The Machinist, Session 9, etc.) and not only brings out the best in good material, but can even make more middling material engaging like 2019's Fractured. The Silent Hour's script really doesn't do anything wrong but it's very much a standard genre template and while the gimmick of deafness is there it's not used as memorably as something like Mike Flanagan's Hush or The Quiet Place films used it and when it's used it's usually more for dramatic moments between our leads Joel Kinnaman and Sandra Mae Frank (who is deaf in real life) who are really good in the movie and have some good insights on people who were born deaf versus those who became deaf where Frank signs the line "a single missing piece doesn't make you less whole". The rest of the cast do well playing their roles such as Mekhi Phifer and Mark Strong, even if the familiar script doesn't leave them a lot of standout moments but they're servicable for what's required of them.
The Silent Hour is the definition of "solid rental" as it has an intriguing high concept while not quite having that extra layer of polish to the script that would demand it be shown theatrically. Thanks to a strong pair of leads in Kinnaman and Frank and the tight reliable direction of Brad Anderson, the Silent Hour makes for a quick, effective, and mostly entertaining 90 minutes.
Salem's Lot (2024)
Third time gives us....a mixed result
In the town of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine (also known as Salem's Lot), writer Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) has returned to his childhood home seeking to gain inspiration from the town and ominous and historied landmark The Marsten House only to find it has been purchased by the enigmatic Richard Straker (Pilou Asbaek) and his hereto unseen associate Kurt Barlow. In the course of wandering the town, Ben meets Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh), secretary for the local real estate office, and the two strike up a romance with Susan having been a fan of his books despite her meddling mother, Anne's (Debra Chrsitofferson) objections. Not long after Ben's arrival in town a series of tragic deaths of mysterious and often unexplainable circumstances suggests something evil has ensnared the town and may be related to Straker and Barlow.
Salem's Lot is the third (not counting the in name only sequel A Return to Salem's Lot) adaptation of Stephen King's 1975 novel of the same name following the 1979 and 2004 miniseries adaptations. The movie comes to us from writer and director Gary Dauberman who's no stranger to King adaptations having written the first and second parts of Andy Muschietti's It adaptation as well as having writing credits on a number of films in the Conjuring universe. Following its completion, the film spent a lengthy amount of time in post production limbo with Dauberman stating the film had been condensed from an initial three hour runtime with further concerns arising when it was removed from its initial 2023 release in favor of Evil Dead Rise with a lengthy period of silence leading to speculation the film would be written off similar to Batgirl or Coyote vs. Acme. Now having debuted on Max, Salem's Lot does have a lot to admire but also a lot of issues that come from cramming a novel as dense as Salem's Lot into an under two hour runtime.
To start things off on a positive note, Dauberman definitely gets the setting and initial atmosphere down quite nicely. Unlike either the 1979 or 2004 miniseries adaptations which were shot in California and Australia respectively, Salem's Lot was filmed in Massachusetts which definitely helps make the story's Maine setting the most fully realized and tangible out of the three adaptations. The movie per the book is also set in 1975 and the production does a nice job of capturing the aesthetics while also putting its own spins on the book's characters (such as Mark Petrie, Anne Norton, and Dr. Cody who still feel like they're key characterizations despite some changes). In terms of casting I felt like Lewis Pullman was a good choice for Ben Mears (a marked improvement from Rob Lowe from the 2004 version, but more or less on par with David Soul from the '79 version). I also thought Mackenzie Leigh was very good as Susan Norton and captured the spirit of the character very well in her performance. Jordan Preston Carter's performance as Mark Petrie was also quite good and he does well playing the role with a nice bit of humor and has a charming screen presence. I was a little mixed on Bill Camp as Matthew Burke, but he did grow on me especially in how Dauberman deviates from the book so he's not confined to a hospital bed for the latter half of his time in the story. The movie's villains on the other hand are a major misstep in my opinion. While Pilou Asbæk is a fine actor, I felt he was miscast as Straker and is unfortunately the weakest incarnation of the role (and that's even accounting for Donald Sutherland's take from the 2004 version with which I was underwhelmed) as he feels way too young for the role and doesn't capture the characters quiet and refined old world mannerisms masking his sinister intentions, and Kurt Barlow is only slightly more verbal than his 1979 counterpart.
I can definitely believe Salem's Lot was initially a longer movie because as a story it often feels like it's playing its delivery at 1.75x speed where the slow rot dread of the book is replaced in favor of much more bombast and more "in your face" sequences that take the film in what sometimes feels like more of an "action movie" direction. We really don't get to know Salem's Lot in the same way we did in the book or either of the prior miniseries and a lot of characters and characterization is either shrunk down or just jettisoned completely. There are still some references to certain characters from the book or prior adaptations, but unless you've read the book you're really not going to notice or care about them. For all the issues with condensing Salem's Lot into a two hour movie (an issue that caused the creation of the 1979 miniseries in the first place) I actually thought the first half did a good job being thematically and tonally faithful even if it had to condense or remove a lot of material, while the second half really felt like it was trying to be more along the lines of John Caprenter's Vampires or 30 Days of Night that while possessing some entertainment value (particularly the climax in a Drive-In) didn't feel like Salem's Lot.
If you can forgive some of the changes in the adaptation or the deviations taken in its second half, this new incarnation of Salem's Lot is entertaining even if it's nowhere near a "definitive" version of this story and carries many of the flaws of prior adaptations (as well as a few of its own). Okay for what it is and I probably liked it more than the 2004 version so take that for what it's worth.
Never Let Go (2024)
Halle Berry gives a committed performance in an all too familiar horror film with very little spin on well trodden ground.
Set in an isolated house in the woods, twin brothers Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) live with their momma (Halle Berry) in hiding from a force known as The Evil which has taken everyone else from the world including their father and grandparents. As Momma enforces a strict set of rules such as religious reverence to the house and only leaving the house with a rope attached to your person from the house, a schism develops between the more doubting Nolan and the more faithful Samuel.
Never Let Go is a 2024 horror thriller directed by Alexandre Aja and written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby. Originally written under the title Mother Land, the script was acquired by producer Shawn Levy's 21 Laps and Lionsgate Films during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in August of 2020, no doubt due to its limited location and small cast which would make filming easier, but it wouldn't be until June of 2023 that production would actually commence. Never Let Go isn't a poorly made or poorly acted movie, but it's one that feels like it's a victim of being "late to the party" after several other films of a similar nature beat it to release.
In the simplest terms, Never Let Go is basically what happens when you mix A Quiet Place with The Lodge as it has a similar "secluded hideaway with gimmick" premise like A Quiet Place (in this case always having a rope attached to the house) as well as the religious and parental distrust themes of The Lodge. Halle Berry is good playing momma and you can see why she was attracted to the part as it's a very hard edged role where the character is driven by love, fear, distrust and obsession. Despite both Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins feeling a little green in roles that require them to be front and center without much acting support from an extended cast, I think they do okay even if they don't quite meet the benchmarks seen in other comparable genre pieces. My primary sticking point when watching Never Let Go was an inescapable feeling of "haven't I seen this before?" as there's undeniable similarities to the likes of the A Quiet Place series, the Bird Box films, The Silence, Arcadian and several others that fit within this genre of limited location survival horror stories. While there's nothing wrong with revisiting a well traversed template, Never Let Go doesn't really feel like it has much of a spin on it that substantially differentiates it from any of the plethora of examples mentioned. Even with the nature of "The Evil", the movie takes a rather wishy washy approach to the antagonist not really committing to The Evil as a tangible presence or psychological one all the way through to a climax that just left me befuddled with how it decides to "resolve" the conflict. But aside from a rather disappointing payoff, Never Let Go often feels repetitive and like it's looking for reasons to spin its wheels to feature length as it's clear that this was a project written during Covid which is bending over itself to justify keeping itself as limited and small as possible without really having the substance to justify it.
Despite the producers voiced desires to make this a franchise this is most likely a one and done affair as it didn't do all that well at the box office and I doubt many are actually curious to see where this concept goes. This is a movie that definitely suffers from a glut of similar movies to it having preceded it, but it doesn't even really do anything all that good with its concept even when taken on its own and just settles for being well made mediocrity.
V/H/S/85 (2023)
V/H/S/85 features probably the strongest realization of the franchise since the second one
During a recording of a TV program called "Total Copy" which documents a tragic circumstance in which scientists studied a shapeshifting being known as "Rory", the footage is periodically interrupted by footage from five other stories dealing with the supernatural.
V/H/S/85 is the sixth installment in the V/H/S franchise and third overall made and released for horror based streaming service Shudder. Secretly filmed back to back with prior installment V/H/S/99 and featuring much of the same producing team, V/H/S/85 continues its run with an installment that I personally feel is the best since V/H/S/2.
The frame story, Total Copy directed by David Bruckner and written by David Bruckner, follows an episode of a television docuseries called Total Copy which details a group of scientists observing a shapeshifting entity known as "Rory" while hinting at a tragic fate that befell the team. A mixture of homages to the likes of Unsolved Mysteries with mixtures of E. T. inspired first contact films as well as John Carpenter's The Thing, the short does a good job of establishing the look and feel for its era nicely capturing the framing and aesthetics of an 80s VHS recording of a TV program. It doesn't break too far from its Thing-esque influences, but it does lead to a darkly humorous payoff.
The first short, No Wake written and directed by Mike P. Nelson follows a group of friends and siblings on a trip to a lake where an excursion of fun turns into a nightmare as they're shot at by an unseen shooter. Despite featuring the old standard of "friends off to the (blank) to party", Nelson knows how to make the characters more endearing than annoying as has been the sin of some who utilize the formula (even in prior V/H/S segments. While the segment starts as a relatively more grounded trip into fear than typical for a V/H/S, it keeps going after its conclusion in a unique way that segues nicely into a later segment.
The next segment, God of Death written and directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero, follows a Mexican news crew whose broadcast is interrupted during an Earthquake leaving only the cameraman alive in the studio who is escorted out by a rescue team while still recording. As the group are forced to travel further downward due to the quake having cut off above ground access points, they soon come across an ancient evil. The segment features a pretty convincing sense of scale with how big Guerrero manages to make the quake seem even as the action remains relatively confined and the sense of claustrophobia is nicely done. Once again it's pretty standard stuff as it plays like a shorter version of The Descent only with more cultural specific elements used in the payoff, but they're well constructed and feature some impressive work on display.
The third segment, TKNOGD (pronounced technogod) written by Zoe Cooper and directed by Natasha Kermani, follows a performance artist named Ada Lovelace putting on a performance detailing the death of the old gods by mankind in favor of the new god of technology utilizing a new VR system to summon this god into existence only to prove it to be very real. Playing like a mixture of Tron, Hellraiser, and a one woman stage show, I felt the short did an interesting job setting up tension and unease in a circumstance in which there's really only one active character and the incorporation of the VR gimmick was nicely done while still fitting within the 80s aesthetic.
The fourth segment, Ambrosia written and directed by Mike P. Nelson, follows what at first seems like a family celebration of their daughter's completion of some rite of passage only to be revealed to be something darker and inhuman. Playing as a payoff to No Wake the opening segment where it's staged like a graduation or birthday party with guests talking about acts of evil as casually as family reunion anecdotes is low key disturbing even if it's not as scary as No Wake by removing some of the mystique of the attack. It's more or less a form of comeuppance for the No Wake story complete with appropriate punishment, but it does have a memorable stinger at the end.
The final segment, Dreamkill directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Derrickson and collaborator C. Robert Cargill is definitely the standout of the group as it features the documenting of a police investigation where brutal murders recorded on VHS tapes are sent to the police station before the murders have even been committed. Taking elements of police procedural as well as more fantastical genre fare like Dreamscape or The Dead Zone, Derrickson and Cargill craft an engrossing mystery with a strong sense of dread. The two also manage to play with the VHS format in a really clever way by allowing more freedom by crafting an explanation for the tapes that was really very interesting and leads to a climax that's equal parts chilling and violent. This segment is honestly so good I kind of hope they consider giving it the feature treatment like other other VHS spin-offs Siren or Kids vs. Aliens.
V/H/S/85 is a really good entry in this anthology series and is probably the most I've liked an entry in this franchise since the second one as its definitely the most consistently good with none of the segments ever feeling like a drag on the overall quality. Definitely a high point for the series and leaves you wanting more.
V/H/S/99 (2022)
V/H/S/99 Continues to be a solid showcase even if it's a slight step down from the last entry
V/H/S/99 is the fifth entry in the found footage anthology series and second to be released by horror based streaming service Shudder. Following the impressive viewership numbers and critical response of V/H/S/94, the producers opted to move forward with another entry. As an anthology, V/H/S/99 features a (mostly) varied assortment of shorts with decent execution even if it's a slight step down from its predecessor in terms of overall quality.
The first short Shredding written and directed by Maggie Levin follows an aspiring punk rock group who record themselves playing music as well as pranks with a plan to shoot a video at the stage where group B*tch Cat was killed when a fired caused them to be stampeded by their fans only to learn they may not have left. This was honestly not a great start for me as it fell into a lot of tropes from V/H/S segments like Amateur Night and Bonestorm where we follow vapid and obnoxious characters who get their comeuppance from something supernatural. While not all the members of the group are annoying as there is one decent character (which is one more than Amateur Night or Bonestorm had), the first half did try my patience until an admittedly pretty good climax with some well integrated musical choices.
Suicide Bid written and directed by Johannes Roberts is a spin on the "hazing ritual gone wrong" horror setup from things like Hell Night or One Dark Night if you mixed it with Buried as we follow a college freshmen who is forced to spend the night buried in a coffin to gain admittance to a sorority after being told of a girl named Giltine who did the ritual only for an empty coffin to be found and her spirit left behind. It's pretty standard stuff but the limited location and a strong performance by Ally Ioannides makes for a pretty tense sitting especially if you've got claustrophobia.
Ozzy's Dungeon directed by musical artist Flying Lotus who co-writes alongside Zoe Cooper follows a former child contestant on a game show called Ozzy's Dungeon who nearly won the prize of having her wish granted only to lose thanks to a brutal compound fracture from a rival contestant. Years later, the former host is kidnapped by the contestant's family and forced to play the game that cost her the use of her leg. This is a real creative one and definitely the standout of the group as it plays on 90s nostalgia with particular influence taken from Nickelodeon game shows like Legends of the Hidden Temple or Double Dare. Divided into three sequences, the first section takes us through an episode of Ozzy's Dungeon which is a solid replication of the Nickelodeon format while also possessing a critique of the low key disturbing nature of some of those challenges amped up to a considerable degree. The second segment where the family force the host to go through a series of torturous exaggerations on the game show challenges was a little repetitive for my taste, but there's some solid wince inducing pain sequences if you're into that thing. The final segment where they return to the abandoned set goes where you expect, but it's a solid enough capper with a karmic punch.
The Gawkers directed by Tyler MacIntyre and writtten by MacIntyre alongside Chris Lee Hill a group of horny teenage boys who record themselves pulling pranks or scoping out women only to find their group's de facto leader has a "loser" brother who is on good terms with an attractive woman who moves in to their neighborhood, whom the group convince to place a spy cam in her home to see naked only to see more than they bargained for. This was probably my least favorite short in the movie as much like the first one it follows a group of asinine lunkheads, but unlike the first one there's not even that great of a payoff as it's basically Amateur Night only with some really bad effects on the reveal sequence.
The last sequence, To Hell and Back written and directed by Vanessa & Joseph Winter follows a pair of videographers hired by a coven of witches to record a ritual summoning a demon on New Year's only to be accidentally sent to Hell where they enlist the aid of a demon to escort them to a way out. Essentially a found footage take on Dante's Inferno by way of Blair Witch Project, the short does a nice job of showcasing a reasonably good looking Hell for what was most likely a limited budget. Featuring some fun demon designs (some admittedly better than others) and an entertaining performance by Melanie Stone as the demon guide, this is definitely a case where they saved the best for last.
V/H/S/99 doesn't quite have the same level of polish as its predecessor did and it has slightly more things that didn't work, but the things that work are undeniably good and make for a welcome if flawed entry to what's always been a flawed franchise.
V/H/S/94 (2021)
Doesn't reach the heights of the series, but it's a welcome return to form after Viral
As a SWAT team initiates a drug raid on a mysterious compound, the team members come across various TV and VCR setups that springboard into footage of supernatural occurrences.
After the negative critical and fan reaction to V/H/S: Viral, the franchise went into hibernation for a few years until in the Summer of 2020 it was announced a fourth entry, V/H/S/94 would be produced for horror streaming service Shudder and serve as a soft reboot of the franchise. While initially intended to have a reunion of prior contributors like David Bruckner and Radio Silence, they were busy with their contributions to Hellraiser and Scream leaving Simon Barrett and Timo Tjahjanto as the only alums to return. Upon release the film garnered critical praise and achieved the highest viewership ever for a Shudder original at that point and effectively reinvigorated the franchise. While still very much an uneven affair like prior entries, it's also a very entertaining one.
The frame story, Holy Hell written and directed by Jennifer Reeder, this time around involves a SWAT team raiding a compound believing it to be a drug bust only to find what looks like ritual suicide and TV sets strewn about the place. In terms of wraparound stories for the V/H/S series I liked it way more than either the first one or Viral's, but felt it fell short of V/H/S/2's frame story with the characterization being pretty flat on the SWAT members (with the exception of one who's supposed to be kind of abrasive) but it's nicely atmospheric and serves as a good springboard into the various segments.
The first segment, Storm Drain written and directed by Chloe Okuno, follows a news reporter and her cameraman as they report on sightings of a local urban legend called "Rat Man" and venture into the mouth of a storm drain hoping to find atmospheric footage for the report only to find something more terrifying. While it plays somewhat fast and loose with the "found footage" gimmick as it mixes a news broadcast with the recovered footage, it's stylish and scary enough that it earns the goodwill to make it work especially with its ending that's both scary and darkly humorous.
The second segment, The Empty Wake written and directed by Simon Barrett, follows a service at a funeral home hosted by attendant Hailey (Kyal Legend) who is trusted to host the event only for bad weather and no attendance leaving her with the casket which may or may not posses unnerving traits. Very much a "one man show" for much of the runtime, Legend does quite well playing a role requiring her to be in an empty room and there's a pretty impressive climax in the end even if a lack of clarity in the final moments makes it more confusing than scary.
The Subject, written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto, follows a deranged prosthetics specialist (Budi Ross) who is creating cybernetic abominations told from the point of view of one of his unwilling subjects who must fight for her life. Essentially Tetsuo: The Iron Man by way of Hardcore Henry, Budi Ross is delightfully insane as the scientist and the cyborg's are nicely unnerving and disturbing in their designs and the second half gives us some creative and visceral action beats that are nicely bloody and brutal.
The final segment, Terror written and directed by Ryan Prows follows a white supremacist militia documenting their plan to "take back America" through usage of a vampire they've managed to capture which of course gets out of hand. This was probably the segment I liked the least mainly because the militia group are all obnoxious (by intention) trigger happy simpletons who have no other character other than downing beer and shooting off guns until they get their comeuppance. It honestly reminded me of some of the shorts from the first V/H/S that had similar two dimensional jerks getting their comeuppance from something supernatural and much as I had issues with them, the same issues arise here. I think there's a good idea here, but it didn't come through for me personally even with its attempts to tie it to the wraparound narrative (which full disclosure: I actually missed on my first viewing).
V/H/S/94 is a not altogether unwelcome return of the franchise even if it still possesses some of the issues that have kept it from greatness. The shorts feature a nice variety even if some are better than others and there's a much clearer direction than Viral that's also more true to the tone that struck a chord with fans of the first two installments.
V/H/S Viral (2014)
V/H/S: Viral sees the series incinerate the goodwill of its predecessors and fall face first off a cliff
As the LAPD chase an ice cream truck through the city, Kevin (Patrick Lawrie) follows after hoping to capture the chaos and go viral online. When his girlfriend, Iris (Emilia Ares), disappears once the ice cream truck passes by Kevin documents his pursuit of the truck which is intercut with footage detailing other events of the supernatural.
V/H/S: Viral is the third installment of the Brad Miska produced found footage anthology series from Bloody Disgusting. While the second V/H/S entry saw a marked upturn in reception from critics and audiences, V/H/S: Viral saw that goodwill evaporate with both critics and audiences panning the film for its lack of scares as well as its stylistic and tonal departures from the prior installments and it effectively put the V/H/S series into hibernation for seven years until the series was given a soft reboot with V/H/S/94 in 2021. V/H/S: Viral has an occasional nugget of charm or an interesting idea only to be undercut by the obnoxiousness of its presentation and a tone that tries to be winking and self-aware.
Despite the bearing the V/H/S title, V/H/S: Viral has little to do with VHS other than the effects used on the footage for the wraparound story that feel like they're made by someone who's only been told how VHS works from a language they're only partially familiar with. While the thieves from the first V/H/S movie were kind of annoying they at least made some kind of sense in their own way, the Marcel Sarmiento directed Vicious Circles features Kevin and Iris who have no real purpose in the linking material (which has no reason why it's being interrupted by the other stories) and they're involved in the "plot" for no other reason than "what else am I gonna do?". I understand the movie is trying to comment on internet/youtube fame, but not only is it not scary with its overproduced delivery that carries a soundtrack (eschewing the aesthetics of found footage) but it's also massively obnoxious as well.
The Gregg Bishop directed Dante the Great isn't really found footage and is staged more like a mockumentary following magician Dante the Great (Justin Welborn) whose magic is supposedly real thanks to his cloak. There are some creative things done with the cloak, but there's also no real sense of tension or atmosphere especially since it keeps shifting formats between mockumentary, found footage, and conventional narrative with no commitment to a style.
The Nacho Vigalondo directed Parallel Monsters featuring scientist Alfonso (Gustavo Salmeron) making contact with a parallel version of himself who built the same machine leading them to switch places is probably the "best" by default, but after some good buildup and discomfort is let down by an ending so stupid my jaw was left agape at what I was seeing.
The final short, Bonestorm, made by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead is a lesser effort by the usually reliable filmmaking duo as it follows a group of skateboarders who run afoul of Satanists in Mexico in what's supposed to be kind of like Jackass meets Evil Dead only without the novelty or charm of either and featuring characters who are massively grating in scenes that go one way too long.
V/H/S: Viral is one of the greatest acts of self-sabotage I've seen a franchise do to itself destroying the tone, goodwill, and core concept of itself in a miscalculated act I'm desperate to know the motivation behind. I honestly can't imagine what caused the producers to decide this was the best way forward for the series and am legitimately curious. For V/H/S completionists only (if that), everyone else: stick to the good ones.
V/H/S/2 (2013)
V/H/S/2 refines the strengths of its predecessor while jettisoning most of its weaknesses
Private investigators Larry (Lawrence Michael Levine) and Ayesha (Kelsy Abbott) take on the case of investigating the disappearance of college student Kyle (L. C. Holt) and upon entering Kyle's home find a collection of VHS tapes with instances of supernatural occurrence.
After the first V/H/S film proved to be a modest hit, the producers rushed a sequel into production not long after its release. Featuring a return of Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett as well as a bevy of new creatives for the rest of the segments, V/H/S/2 irons out most of the rough spots even if carries over a few.
Tape 49 serves as our wraparound segment which is written and directed by Simon Barrett. Larry and Ayesh are way more likable characters than the thieves from the prior film (even if they dabble in morally questionable activities) and their function in taking us through the story holds a lot more stakes even if it's not altogether clear why they tie together with the segments.
Adam Wingard directs and stars in the first segment Phase I Clinical Trials written by Simon Barrett. Featuring the story of a man who lost his eye, Herman (Wingard), who's given an artificial eye by company KPG with the caveat they'll record its feed for research, what seems like a medical miracle soon turns terrifying as Herman begins seeing ghosts with the eye. It's a very conventional story with a man slowly losing his mind to supernatural occurrence before succumbing to them, but it's well done with a nice punch to the scare sequences.
Blair Witch Project alums Eduardo Sanchez and Gregg Hale co-direct A Ride in the Park from a script by Jamie Nash which follows a bicyclist (Jay Saunders) in the woods who is bitten by a zombie and becomes one and thanks to his GoPro helmet we follow a zombie attack from the POV of the zombie. It's a very basic zombie setup, but the Sanchez and Hale do play with the concept of following it from the POV of the zombies and exploring how much humanity remains once they turn into flesh eating ghouls. A simple concept but extremely well executed.
Timo Tjahjanto and Gareth Evans write and direct Safe Haven which follows a documentary crew interviewing a cult led by the enigmatic Father (Epy Kusnandar) which initially seems like an Indonesian Jonestown only for the cult's theology to reveal itself in terrifying ways. This is definitely the most brutal of the segments and features a lot of the same gritty and high impact style Tjahjanto and Evans have brought to their other projects and the carnage depicted both during the buildup and eventual reveal is truly something to behold.
The final segment Slumber Party Alien Abduction directed by Jason Eisener and written by John Davies & Eisener follows a group of siblings, their dog, and their friends engaging in various hijinks when aliens arrive and abduct them. This is probably the weakest of the shorts as the aliens are very standard and not all that interesting but it is well acted even if the material isn't all that interesting.
V/H/S/2 is a marked improvement from its predecessor especially thanks to a shorter runtime and less abrasive leads in the wraparound segment. The reason why this stuff is even on VHS still stains credibility and unlike its predecessor it ends on the weakest short (I personally would've ended on Safe Haven) but it's a solid enough collection of shorts from skilled teams.
V/H/S (2012)
V/H/S features a unique showcase of styles even if as a movie it doesn't coalesce into a neatly satisfying whole
A group of criminals who engage in the filming of illegal activities for profit are hired by an unknown client to break into a house and find a rare VHS tape, and watching the various tapes strewn about the floor of a dead man's room bear witness to footage of supernatural encounters.
V/H/S is a 2012 horror anthology that was the brainchild of horror website Bloody Disgusting founder Brad Miska. Through his work in horror journalism Miska had cultivated numerous relationships throughout the industry and created the central concept and invited several writers and filmmakers to submit their ideas to be part of the project. The film recieved mixed reviews with some praising the concept and format, while other criticized the film as being overlong with no noteworthy shorts. Despite mixed reception, V/H/S proved to be enough of a success that it would be the start of a low key cult horror franchise. V/H/S is more intriguing as a "proof of concept" than a horror film in its own right because most of the shorts are very standard with one or two standouts.
The wraparound segment titled Tape 56 directed by Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett (who'd go on to much better horror works) unfortunately doesn't make the best setup as despite the promising setup of going into a house to find a rare VHS tape, none of the actors are particularly engaging as they're all written to be loud and obnoxious jerks who are two dimensional fodder to be picked off one by one in the interludes between tape viewings. It's not a bad concept on paper, but the characters are so unlikable and shallow that you don't really care when they die.
Amateur Night (which was later adapted into a full feature Siren) written and directed by David Bruckner continues with the theme of annoying characters getting not undeserved comuppance as a trio of partying dude bros hitting the town with a hidden camera to document their sexcapades only to discover that one of their pick-ups is a literal "maneater". The acting isn't really the problem here and I applaud actors Hannah Fierman and Joe Sykes for showing comittment to the segment with doing full frontal nudity in the segment, but it features very shallow characters getting killed in a very shallow fashion.
Second Honeymoon written and directed by Ti West follows married couple Sam (Joe Swanberg) and Stephanie (Sophia Takal) on a cross country roadtrip where they've picked up a seemingly unknown passenger and there's maybe a little more character here than the prior segments, but the actual premise and reveal underwhelms with a feeling of "so what?". A real shame as I like Ti West as a filmmaker as seen with House of the Devil and The Innkeepers.
Glenn McQuaid writes and directs Tuesday the 17th which goes for the old standard of "slasher in the woods" (as you can guess from its name) and playing like a mixture of Blair Witch Project by way of Friday the 13th Part VI there's a real sense of fun with this one as it plays with formula as well as the found footage format. One particular standout is that the "killer" is always distorted by static and only appears as vaguely humanoid shape in the footage. Probably my second favorite of the anthology.
Joe Swanberg writes and directs The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger which features a serious of online video calls between medical student James (Daniel Kaufman) and his long distance girlfriend Emily (Helen Rogers) who comes to believe her apartment is haunted. While there's a massive leap as to why this is even on a VHS tape, there is decent buildup and scares with this situation until a nonsensical reveal ends up with a headscratching and frankly stupid explanation as to "why" this is happening.
The last segment 10/31/98 is made by the horror collective Radio Silence who write, direct, and star (more or less playing themselves) as partiers on Halloween night who go to a house party inadvertantly walking into a situation where the fear is very real. While it does focus on partiers wandering into a dangerous situation, the Radio Silence crew have good chemistry and make themselves likable enough that it works to its advantage and leads to a really fun climax where the crew gets to cut loose with what can only be described as Sam Raimi by way of Poltergeist. It's definitely a case of saving the best for last.
V/H/S is really better viewed as a proof of concept than a full movie. While segments Tuesday the 17th and 10/31/98 are quite fun, the wraparound segment and the other two segments are very bland and underwhelming not helped by the over long runtime at just under two hours. Marginally worth it for the two really good shorts mentioned, but as a whole it falls short of other anthologies.
Grimcutty (2022)
An interesting idea about moral panics and mass hysteria is suffocated by obnoxious characters and an idiot plot
Asha (Sara Wolfkind) is a teenage girl making ASMR videos as she deals with friction from her parents Amir (Usman Ally) and Melinda (Alona Tal) over her decision to quit the school's track team. Already ripe with concerns over technological creep and screentime, Amir and Melinda soon come across a viral news story about an internet challenge known as Grimcutty, accompanied with an image of a pale white monster, that is supposedly making children engage in either self-harm, assault, murder, or even suicide. After getting warned of the challenge by her parents, Asha soon begins seeing the Grimcutty monster in real life with no one believing her as the moral panic grows.
Grimcutty is a 2022 horror film written and directed by John William Ross that was produced by 20th Digital Studio for streaming service Hulu. The film takes inspiration from the 2018-19 hoax and moral panic known as the Momo Challenge where supposedly minors in online spaces were being directed by a user known as "Momo" to engage in acts of either violence or self harm which despite coming from dubious sources unable to be confirmed by law enforcement caused a global panic. There's definitely some good room for satire or provocative commentary for a premise like this, but unfortunately this ends up being less They Live or The Stuff and more "what if Reefer Madness was a horror film?".
While the initial setup for Grimcutty seems like it might be promising, those promises soon fly out the window as we're introduced to the family who all feel like broad caricatures rather than fully formed characters. While the idea of the monster using the moral panic to its benefit is an intriguing idea, the parents are such lunkheaded simpletons whose primary purpose is to serve as mechanisms designed to choose the worst decision possible simply so the plot can go in the direction the writer "needs" it to go. Not that Asha is much better as despite understanding how stupid and impulsive teenagers can be, the actions the character takes are so divorced from reality and she's so thinly written (doing ASMR videos is NOT a character) that she bears the same forced machinations other characters and becomes grating. The titular Grimcutty looks fine all things considered, it's reasonably well constructed but by making it look so much like Momo the actually design feels like it's trying too hard to be scary and conceptually speaking looks like if you tried to make The Crow a Disneyland mascot. There's definitely an idea at play here for something good or intelligent, but instead of exploiting it effectively it settles for becoming a really superficial and dumb teen flick.
Grimcutty isn't scary, funny, or smart despite its honest attempts, and instead just feels annoying and stupid to the point it entices that instinctive reflex of shouting things at the screen in the hopes the characters might make a rational and/or competent decision. Maybe a candidate for bad movie night, but only with a large (and preferably drunk) group.
Breeders (1986)
Schlocky and exploitative genre trash with a paper thin amount of plot to barely be above porn
Set in Manhattan, Dr. Gamble Pace (Teresa Yvon Farley) and NYPD Detective Dale Andriotti (Lance Lewman) see an appearance of several rape victims who are all virginal as well as having been burned with some kind of acid that soon suggests something not of this world.
Breeders is a 1986 erotic Sci-fi horror film that was part of a brief foray by pornographic director Tim Kincaid (better known by his pseudonym Joe Gage) to work inside the more conventional genre space. While Kincaid's work with gay pornography of the 70s has received some positive appraisal such as showing more diverse portrayals of homosexuality by eschewing more effeminate archetypal portrayals in favor of more rugged or blue collar portrayals, his brief run as a genre filmmaker shows ineptitude and just not understanding how these kind of movies should work making them prime fodder for bad movie fans.
While Breeders has an unapologetically trashy premise of an extraterrestrial serial rapist with a cop and doctor teaming up to investigate it (it's almost like a prototype of Species), Tim Kincaid shows himself to be completely alien to things like build-up, atmosphere or pacing and his incorporation of character or effects sequences often show his inexperience with genre filmmaking as he doesn't know how to frame effects sequences or dialogue sections to make them interesting. What Kincaid does know how to do however is fill the cast with an assortment of nubile women with an eagerness for disrobing (plot or context be damned like doing naked aerobics or cooking dinner naked) so he certainly knows how to capture attractive nudity which is where his skills as a porn director pay off. The movie has a pretty horrific setup with plentiful opportunities for body horror, but it's so ineptly directed and badly acted that it takes what should be horrific and makes it unintentionally funny until it's climax with a Jacuzzi filled with nude women in alien...."slime" just leaves your mouth agape. And that's to say nothing of the creature design itself that looks like a 50s b-movie era human fly.
Breeders has a nugget of a promising premise, but coming from a writer/director with no real experience outside of directing porn that promise evaporates like so much lubricant on a hot summer shoot. Maybe if someone like Larry Cohen or Gary Sherman had handled this premise something could've been done with it, but courtesy of Tim Kincaid what we have is the perfect trash film for bad movie night with some not too unwelcome excessive nudity.
Cutting Class (1989)
Of all the slasher movies of the 80s....this is certainly one of them
At Purley High School, the students see the return of Brian Woods (Donovan Leitch) who has recently been released from a mental institution as part of a sentence for killing his father. Brian soon turns his attention towards Paula Carson (Jill Schoelen) who is also the object of affection for his former friend Dwight Ingalls (Brad Pitt). Not long thereafter the school is plagued by death and disappearances.
Cutting Class is a 1989 slasher film (although filmed in 1987) that is notable for being an early starring role for Brad Pitt. Produced at a time when slashers were waning in popularity, Cutting Class made very little impact and aside from the curiosity factor of being produced by Highlander producers Peter S. Davis and William N. Panzer, being directed by John Boorman collaborator Rospo Pallenberg, or being written by creator of Salute Your Shorts' Steve Slavkin, Cutting Class is a very by the numbers slasher that just kind of goes through the motions without any real point to distinguish itself.
Aside from having some reliable character actors like Roddy McDowall or Martin Mull in the cast, most of the characterization is pretty flat and no one really stands out including Pitt who's just sort of there and attractive looking but doesn't really get to show off any standout acting moments. Due to being a low budget direct-to-video production, Cutting Class has the look and feel of being about 8 years older than it actually is and feels like it belongs to the same category of unexceptional slashers like Prom Night and Graduation Day. There is one standout kill involving a trampoline and a flag pole (which I suspect inspired Eli Roth for a similar scene in his own Thanksgiving) but aside from that one point and a climax set in a machine shop most of the kills feel pretty rote.
Cutting Class is the definition of "space filler" and in that regard it's probably marginally successful. It's not exceptionally well acted, directed, written, or even produced as those expecting over the top violence and nudity will feel it somewhat restrained, but it delivers what it promises to the barest minimum.
Salem's Lot (2004)
Salem's Lot is adapted to miniseries format once again in an adaptation that's slightly more faithful while also missing the atmosphere and style of its 1979 predecessor
In the town of Jerusalem's Lot (also know as Salem's Lot), writer Ben Mears (Rob Lowe) has returned to his childhood home seeking inspiration for his latest book from the Marsten House whose dark history and crumbling edifice casts a dark shadow over the town. Upon arrival, Ben learns that the house has been sold to enigmatic antique dealer Richard Straker (Donald Sutherland) and his unseen partner Kurt Barlow (Rutger Hauer). Upon meeting waitress and art student Susan Norton (Samantha Mathis) the two strike up a romance as a mysterious ailment strikes the town that may be tied to the Marsten House and its two occupants.
Salem's Lot is a 2004 television miniseries that aired on TNT and is the second adaptation of Stephen King's 1975 novel of the same name following the 1979 adaptation by Tobe Hooper. While the original series was a critical and commercial success in its day, it also made several deviations from its source material in order to streamline its dense source material or in Kurt Barlow's case extracted the personality of the character in favor of something more traditionally monstrous. While this 2004 adaptation of Salem's Lot didn't achieve the same critical reception as its predecessor (though it tended to lean positive) it was nonetheless a ratings success becoming the highest rated longform cable program of the year and would spur TNT to return to King adaptations with 2006's Nightmares & Dreamscapes. Salem's Lot is in some cases more faithful to the original book, but unfortunately what it gains in faithfulness from the 1979 miniseries, it loses in fear, style and tone.
To start off on a positive note, in terms of modernizing the source material from an era of post-Vietnam 70s cynicism to mid-2000s post 9/11 and War on Terror cynicism Peter Filardi's screenplay does well enough in translating its subject matter with its take on small town's harboring dark secrets. While the original book and miniseries sort of framed Salem's Lot as being a dying bastion of post-World War II prosperity and the American Dream, the 2004 version takes it a step further by saying it never really existed outside of a rose colored construct of nostalgia and expurgation. I also rather liked Rutger Hauer as Kurt Barlow but I did feel that Donald Sutherland was somewhat miscast as Richard Straker. While most of the casting choices are fine such as Andre Braugher playing an update on Matt Burke (with an effort to work in more enlightened takes on homosexuality from the book's contemporary leanings) or James Cromwell's Father Callahan and the various supporting characters, I felt that Rob Lowe and Samantha Mathis felt horribly miscast in their roles and also didn't show the chemistry David Soul and Bonnie Bedelia had in the original. I also felt that Mikael Salomon's direction paled in comparison to Hooper's style as the miniseries incorporates a lot of the worst trends of mid-2000s horror film making including overly flashy editing and in your face CGI that call attention to themselves rather than provide any atmosphere.
The 2004 adaptation of Salem's Lot isn't without some value, but despite trying to be more faithful to the book it pales in comparison to its 1979 counterpart. While it does well in not just copying the original beat for beat and successfully (mostly) updates the material to modern day, it doesn't have the level of style or lead actors that made the original work as well as it did.
A Return to Salem's Lot (1987)
A complete tonal and thematic 180 mean this couldn't have less to do with Salem's Lot, but in spite of the many issues it is kind of fascinating in its existence
Anthropologist Joe Weber (Michael Moriarty) has been summed back to the United States from documenting tribal sacrifices after his estranged son Jeremy (Ricky Addison Reed) has been having behavioral problems. With his ex-wife and her husband having dumped Jeremy in his care, the two head off to Jerusalem's Lot, Maine where his deceased aunt Clara (June Havoc) willed him a house. Upon entry into the town, the two find it to be sparsely populated with the house in question considerably more dilapidated than first thought. However the two soon discover the town is inhabited almost entirely by vampires and that they want Joe Weber to document their society using his expertise as his son Jeremy becomes more ingrained in their society.
A Return to Salem's Lot is a very loose sequel to the 1979 TV miniseries Salem's Lot which itself was adapted from the 1975 book of the same name by Stephen King. The project came about as the result of Warner Brothers' home media division asking Larry Cohen to produce a direct-to-video film for them with Cohen countering by asking to make two back to back with the two in question being It's Alive III: Island of the Alive and A Return to Salem's Lot. As both projects had sizable footprints in the home media space, Warner Bros. Agreed and allowed Cohen the resources and leeway he needed. Cohen himself had written a rejected draft of Salem's Lot back when Warner Bros. Was trying to adapt it to feature film, but Cohen stated that he's not a fan of vampire films as he finds them "tedious" and instead wanted to take a more satirical approach to vampire films mixed with the Thornton Wilder play Our Town. Critical reception tended to run negative with many lamenting the film's lack of scares and tenuous connections to its source material, but there was some praise of the film's satire. As a sequel to Salem's Lot it's a pretty sizable creative failure, but as a Larry Cohen project it does feature some of his noted quirks and eccentricities that make his film's interesting even if they're very eyebrow raising in this instance.
As seen with his work for Cohen in Q: The Winged Serpent and The Stuff, Michael Moriarty is a fine actor who can approach unapologetic schlocky silliness with committed gusto and is enjoyable as Joe Weber whose often acerbic and cynical attitude is tested against the revelation that vampires exist. As the film is more of a comedy, it goes about as far from the Tobe Hooper directed miniseries as you'd think not only in regards to content (like how the town shouldn't even exist after the ending) but also tone and atmosphere as it really isn't trying to be scary at any point. There honestly is some on point satire mixed with the high concept Shenanigans (a specialty of Cohen's) particularly when a Nazi Hunter played by Samuel Fuller enters the picture at the halfway point and serves as a satire of the beneath the surface level racism present in isolated wealthy hamlets but so many issues come back to framing this as a sequel to Salem's Lot and while the satire has promise it lacks some of the finer points of polish Cohen usually puts on his material even if you were to take it as a standalone project.
A Return to Salem's Lot is baffling in its existence not only because it's a complete tonal mismatch to its predecessor, but because it does have at least some interesting ideas you could see being expanded upon if given the leeway and freedom they needed. It's not a good movie, but because Cohen is writing and directing it, that makes the experience more interesting than it would be in lesser hands.