TheEcuadorian

Things Will Be Different (2024)

Sibling Timecrimes

Wow. What a strong directorial debut! I am really impressed with Michael Felker's efforts here and am excited to see where he goes as a filmmaker. He has an obvious love for science fiction, and after watching this I have a sneaking suspicion he will go on to become a rising and strong voice in genre filmmaking.

The script and concept are really strong here, but for whatever reason this honestly just didn't connect with me as much as I hoped it would. I feel similarly about many of the low-budget efforts of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, both of whom serve as Executive Producers here (fantastic voices in genre filmmaking as well). If, however, you ARE a fan of any Benson and Moorhead films, I'm confident you'll feel right at home here; even if THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT doesn't end up fully connecting with you like it didn't for me.

You'll find some interesting ideas here for sure though. The hook is a strong one and there are a couple fun additions thanks to some twists and turns throughout the story. The pacing can a bit slow though and the sibling dynamic pitched as the heart of tale ultimately fell flat for me. I hate saying that, as I know it came from a personal place from the filmmaker, but I do have to admit it left me feeling cold once the credits rolled. Will that be the case for everyone though? Absolutely not. As with all art, reactions to this will vary, but it's still a film I'd ultimately recommend (unless you've seen TIMECRIMES which this film may or may not borrow too heavily from).

My issues aside, I do stand by this being a strong piece of science fiction (with a dash of horror) and I'd encourage those with interest to check it out and decide for themselves.

RANDOM PRAISE +

• S/O to Carissa Dorson for some excellent cinematography. I'm not sure what the budget was for this but she really made the best of what she had.

• This may be a Midwest thing, so forgive my cultural ignorance, but both of our leads casually walk around a parking lot and diner with their rifles, which-if you live in a city like me, may be a VERY jarring visual and reality to accept.

• Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

The Moor (2023)

Atmospheric Squander

"Out there, we are all lost." Where exactly, you wonder? Why, that'd be on the moors, a place surrounded in fog, myths, and loss. With Chris Cronin's feature-length directorial debut, these mysterious lands take center stage as a grieving father and haunted podcaster search for answers and closure.

The results? Very mixed, but I'm confident Mr. Cronin has a solid career ahead of him. THE MOOR features a wonderful sense of atmosphere and benefits greatly from cinematographer Sam Cronin's depiction of the moody and aforementioned moors.

There are some fun frights to be had here too (a scene in a gully stands out as a highlight), but unless one is a rabid horror fan chomping at the bit for anything new, this one is hard to recommend with much enthusiasm. The film consistently cuts away to documentary-style interviews which, while helpful in the exposition camp, feel tonally and visually out of place with the rest of the film. Similarly, the "true ending" of the film feels incredibly jarring (you'll know what I mean if you watch it). I'm not sure if that was simply by design or if some scenes had to be cut due to budget restraints, but in the end it ultimately weakens the film's overall impact. That overall feeling isn't helped much by our lead "Claire" who is an wildly boring protagonist or the variety of moments where she and other characters fail to react to something cray cray in a realistic way. I've never seen a floating tent before...have you?

Still, there is some good stuff here for those who seek it; Elizabeth Dormer-Phillip in particular is a standout as "Eleanor," who not only breathes life into the film but gives it some much needed heart as well. Definitely a talent to watch. Whether or not the same could be said of Mr. Cronin by viewers after watching this debut, I ultimately believe will vary amongst genre fans. I, however, am curious to see what he does next.

Go get 'em, Chris.

RANDOM PRAISE +

• I will never tire of an ominous-looking animal or statue.

• If a woman has a panic attack while hiking across the moors and starts losing it, maybe-I don't know, check in on her? Just a thought.

• The likelihood of getting kidnapped while shoplifting are low but NEVER zero.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Hot & Cold

While Part 1 to Denis Villeneuve's DUNE was undoubtably a cinematic feat and a technical wonder to behold, I admit I had a hard time latching onto much emotionally, which ultimately left me feeling cold and indifferent to future offerings.

This time around, I'm pleased to report that there is lot more to chew on; both emotionally and narratively. With the world building from Part 1 established and the players set, Part 2 helps the series find its legs and transcend mere visual splendor, successfully paving multiple paths forward towards emotional and spiritual resonance.

The main facilitator of this is the romance between Paul and Chani, which not only gives humanity to the beautiful, yet often dense world of Frank Herbert's novel but also serves to illustrate the central conflict at the heart of this grand, science fiction narrative. Heroes, messiahs, prophesies, and ultimately-their consequences, are explored here with awe-inspiring wonder and, more often, terror. While the visual effects, score, and overall production help facilitate much of this, the true MVP is Zendaya and the effortless depth present in the longing or wrath found in her gaze. She broke my heart. Truly.

Despite the improvements and merit present in what feels like a Hollywood epic of the past, I regrettably still found Part 2 to be a bit too opaque at times. This will obviously vary between viewers but there's still something unapproachable throughout the whole thing for me that I can't quite place my finger on. Regardless, I left the film satisfied (mostly) and am MUCH more interested to see where things go from here than I was last time.

Lead me to paradise, Denis. I'm ready.

RANDOM PRAISE +

-What was up with those creepy, jester banderilleros things? So cool! And where's the gimp spider from the first one? Bring that guy/girl/thing back! Yeah...I like the weird stuff.

RANDOM CRITIQUE -

-There's a character who gets captured that I...didn't know was in danger? Very odd and jarring moment. Feels like a deleted scene sort of situation but knowing Denis we'll probably never see it. Bummer!

TAKEAWAY ?

-Javier Bardem makes for a wonderful hype man. Poor Paul.

The Creator (2023)

Gorgeous & Empty

Can't say too much more about this one than the many others who have already said it better. The film has incredible visuals and a wonderful aesthetic but the storytelling is weak and the world-building is uninspired; praise and critique mirrored in the film's main AI / robot subjects themselves, which look incredible yet whose abilities, worldviews, and "biology" are disappointedly shallow. Still, the visual spectacle is impressive and other studios should take note at what Gareth Edwards was able to accomplish with his meager (for Hollywood) $80 million dollar budget.

RANDOM PRAISE +

-The film features a character who was WAY too eager and willing to carve off someone's face after being met with a locked security door. "Woah, woah-we can press his face against the scanner, Dan! Put the knife away!"

RANDOM CRITIQUE -

-Grenades with questionable detonation delays. Convenient for the protagonist? Yes. Distracting as a viewer? Also yes. Bad news for the antagonists? 100%.

TAKEAWAY ?

-If you're in a movie and you're part of the U. S. Military, just know it's highly likely that one of your soldiers WILL fall in love with and or join the enemy.

Doctor Jekyll (2023)

Fun & Messy

Thanks to director Joe Stephenson and Hammer Studios, we have DOCTOR JEKYLL, a modern "re-imagining" of the famous 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. There have been a number of these over the years, but Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide are such classic characters from the horror and weird fiction canon that my genre-loving ass was more than happy to experience another outing.

The consensus? Mixed. I found plenty to love here but your enjoyment will ultimately come from your disposition and patience towards the horror genre itself and, specifically, the low-budget-veering on camp-gothic horror that Hammer is best known for.

Positives? The leads. They shine individually, but it's really their scenes together that are the true stars. Eddie Izzard was an absolute delight on screen and I'd love to see her in more stuff. Scott Chambers was quite good too, the charm and innocence of Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates (early Psycho) highly present throughout this particular performance; whether this was intentional or not I do not know but I very much enjoyed it.

Negatives? This has a very low-budget feel and a MESSY plot. Nothing felt very thoroughly thought out and I believe a few head-scratches and eye-rolls could have been avoided with just a few more passes on the script.

RANDOM PRAISE +

-In this universe, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide can't have cereal and I find that very, very funny.

RANDOM CRITIQUE -

• A character chooses to dismiss the danger and implications of a bloody phone. What a silly goose.