When a construction worker joins a local theatre’s production of “Romeo and Juliet,” the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.
Ghostlight is directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, the film being the O’Sullivan’s directorial debut and Thompsons third film. Thompson previously directed Saint Frances (2019) and Rounding (2022).
If there’s one film from this year thus far that should be talked about far more it would be Ghostlight, a story about healing through the power of art and theater.
To start out with the performances are some of the best of the year Dolly de Leon, Katherine Mallen Kupferer and Tara Mallen are absolutely incredible here, each of them bringing heart to the film in their own ways. But the one who absolutely steals the show is the film’s lead Keith Kupferer who plays Dan Mueller a man who is trying to heal after his son Brian died by suicide. Kupferer playing a grieving father who ends up joining an upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet is truly fascinating to watch. The way the film carefully writes Dan Mueller as a character and makes his pain as raw as natural quickly gets to the viewer, there’s love, passion and heart put into it all. Kupferer’s performance is so incredibly touching that brings so much beauty, honesty and brings this beautiful atmosphere to the film.
The film itself is of course very sad, but it also serves as a healing journey one that we often times make in situations such as the death of a loved one. It’s something that we as humans go through and it’s so perfectly portrayed here, that it almost feels like you are right there watching Mueller’s journey. There’s so many incredibly touching moments throughout that quickly grab at your heartstrings, as I said earlier the film uses art and theater as a way to show a path of healing. The film does this flawlessly, it shows how we can build a connection from art, how art can really help you move forward, how it can be so transformative and really help bring you on the path to healing.
Ghostlight is an incredibly likable film which is what it uses to connect to the viewer almost immediately, the film makes the story as grounded as possible with so much love put into the story. The characters are incredibly well written and have their own stories to tell, the film’s heartwarming messaging is something that really resonates with so many people and the overall film is just absolutely stunning in every single way possible.
Overall Ghostlight is one of the best films of the year, it’s incredibly touching and a powerful film that I really hope more people check out.
A law-breaking comedian who is grappling with her gender identity forms a new anti-comedy troupe with a friend and finds herself battling a fascistic caped crusader.
The People’s Joker is directed by Vera Drew which is her directorial debut.
The People’s Joker has been on my radar for awhile, ever since the planned screenings at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival were cancelled due to “rights issues.” Luckily the film got officially released this year and it’s quite a fun ride! While yes The People’s Joker is a parody of Joker (2019) and other DC films such as Suicide Squad (2016) it’s much more than that it’s a personal coming out and coming of age story that quite clearly is personal to Vera Drew.
The performances are so much fun, everyone involved just seems like they are having a blast and that really reflects with the film’s charm. Vera Drew in particular who plays Joker the Harlequin is such a blast to watch, she absolutely knows how to quickly draw the viewer’s attention and has some really strong screen presence. The conversations she has with the rest of the cast throughout the film are incredibly entertaining and filled with all sorts of hilarious jokes that make this film’s comedic moments standout that much more.
The film is low budget but has this style to it that absolutely works, it’s like if you took the energy and atmosphere of an Adult Swim (a late night block on Cartoon Network) commercial or even show and mixed it with a bit of Sin City (2005). You get some quite out there results which is so much fun and the entertainment is through the roof, the look of the film will not be for everyone and I can completely see why. But there’s this certain level of charm that really works here that I really just can’t help but love.
As I said earlier Vera Drew is also a coming out and coming of age story that’s very personal to her, she does an incredibly job of fitting her story into the plot of Joker (2019) we get bits a pieces about her discovering who she is throughout the film and it’s quite touching, Drew also does a really great job of moving the story along at a nice and steady pace. She focuses on bringing the viewer along for the ride while also throwing in some bizarre moments that are the definition of fun.
Overall The People’s Joker is absolutely going to go on to be a midnight film. It’s a super entertaining ride that I’m really happy Vera Drew took everyone on.
The People’s Joker is available on all VOD platforms.
Rory and Cobby are unlikely partners thrown together for a heist. However, when it goes awry, they team up to outrun police, backward bureaucrats, and a vengeful crime boss.
The Instigators is directed by Doug Liman who directed Edge Of Tomorrow (2014), American Made (2017), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), The Bourne Identity (2002), The Wall (2017), Chaos Walking (2021), Road House (2024) and a few others.
Going to try and keep this short because I quite honestly have no idea what to exactly say here. While The Instigators isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be, the movie itself is devoid of any originality and really struggles to make itself stand out from the other films in the heist movie genre.
Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are fine enough here, they manage to crack a few jokes that are chuckle worthy and at times they do work well together. The rest of the cast such as Hong Chau, Paul Walter Hauser, Alfred Molina, Ron Perlman and a few others are fine. Some are given much more to do than others, but they do their part fine. If anything this really comes off as showcase of someone saying “how many recognizable names can we fit into a very forgettable movie?”
The plot is about what you expect, what you see is what you get and there really isn’t anything shocking, interesting or investing going on here. Every once and awhile there’s a few moments of entertainment but those are almost immediately followed by dull scene after dull scene. The movie itself lacks identity and charm, actors who are usually exciting to see such as Matt Damon really don’t have a whole lot to their character.
The Instigators is a prime example of a streaming movie that you are going to forget almost immediately when it’s over. The movie isn’t necessarily horrendous as the writing has it’s moments, the acting is okay at best and there’s fun to be had. But that all doesn’t add up into something worth watching.
When their late police captain gets linked to drug cartels, wisecracking Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett embark on a dangerous mission to clear his name.
Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah who previously directed Bad Boys For Life (2020), Gangsta (2018), Black (2015) and Image (2014). Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is the fourth installment in the Bad Boys series and is a sequel to Bad Boys For Life (2020).
The Bad Boys series has always been incredibly fun, you know what you are getting into when you go into one of these films and they always leave you with satisfaction. That’s just as much as the case with Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, a film that oozes with summer blockbuster charm but also adds a bit more to the mix to make this one memorable.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are both excellent here, they are the best they have ever been here. Whats very interesting about this film is despite the previous film coming out only 4 years ago you still feel like this is a reunion not the characters feeling that way but the audiences. Maybe it’s the energy the film itself gives off or maybe it’s just me, but this is felt during the first moments of the film and it’s quite pleasing. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence once again work incredibly well together and really just nail down why this series works so well. It’s the classic action filled moments with humorous ones that the script offers, Smith and Lawerence effortlessly deliver their lines and make this into such a fun ride.
The action scenes continue to get bigger in these films along with the variety of different shots. You have your usual fun action scenes you would expect in a summer blockbuster, you have drone shots that are incredibly neat as well as filmed beautifully and you have your crazy stunts that are quite impressive that bring you to the edge of your seat. It’s very reminiscent of the energy that Bad Boys II (2003) had which is very welcoming and chaotic in the best ways possible.
The plot is honestly nothing to write home about it’s a story of being framed and probably goes about how you expect it to. But the film makes up for that with incredibly fun action scenes, strong performances from Will Smith and Martin Lawerence and just overall being a very likable film that knows what it is.
Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is available on all VOD platforms.
Thelma Post is a 93-year-old grandmother who loses $10,000 to a con artist on the phone. With help from a friend and his motorized scooter, she soon embarks on a treacherous journey across Los Angeles to reclaim what was taken from her.
Thelma is directed by Josh Margolin which is his directorial debut.
Thelma just might be one of the sweetest and endearing films of 2024, what seems like a silly revenge story on the surface actually ends up being a film that actually has a few themes here that work incredibly well.
Before we get to that let’s talk about the performances all of which are fantastic but the one who makes the film is June Squibb. Her performance as Thelma is so endearing, easily connects with the viewer and honestly an excellent portrayal of a grandmother. The chemistry she has with the cast feels incredibly natural and really does give off this cozy feel almost like you are listening to someone’s grandmother speak. It’s impossible to walk out of this film without a smile on your face and that’s mainly due to Squibb’s performance. Fred Hechinger’s performance as Daniel who plays Thelma’s grandson is also really excellent. A lot of the film’s best moments is with Thelma and Daniel just speaking to one another, catching up on each other or Daniel making sure Thelma is okay. It all feels very natural. Richard Roundtree is also quite great here, he has excellent chemistry with June Squibb that are easily some of the films best moments.
Which also lead into the film’s main theme…getting old. Hearing Thelma talk about being old with most of her friends who are either dead or have moved on with their lives is honestly some soul crushing stuff. I mean sure getting old is a part of life it’s going to happen to everyone, but when you hear this come from Thelma a character who is shown to be kind, doing anything she can to protect her family and tries to remain positive throughout the film. It really starts to get to you as a viewer, perhaps it’s because of the very well written script from Josh Margolin but this is actually very beautifully executed.
The humor combined with the film’s revenge story (which starts due to a scam) is quite excellent, I do love that the film makes sure to balance humor and the many touching moments. It helps the film be more natural in its execution and just results in a blast of fun. There’s a little bit here for everyone which is the best move this film could have possibly done.
Overall Thelma is excellent, it takes a regular revenge story and flips it on its head by including so many touching moments that really dive into getting old. Very endearing film be sure to give this one a watch!
JJ, a veteran CIA agent, reunites with his protégé Sophie, in order to prevent a catastrophic nuclear scheme aimed at the Vatican, which disrupts a high school choir trip to Italy.
My Spy: The Eternal City is directed by Peter Seagal director of Anger Management (2003), Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), 50 First Dates (2004), My Spy (2020), Grudge Match (2013) and a few others.
Out of any movie to get a sequel I’m willing to put good money down that My Spy wasn’t one that people were demanding. The first My Spy was a fun little action comedy that went to VOD platforms during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a fine enough movie that while forgettable got the job done. So it’s very interesting to me that Peter Seagal who directed the previous movie returns and does a worse job than before.
Dave Bautista is once again pretty okay here, he’s by far the best part of the movie much like he was in the previous movie. The rest of the cast are fine enough they just don’t bring anything exciting to the table, the jokes this time around are slightly worse than the last movie. Very forgettable and at most result in a chuckle, granted none of the jokes are painful just very cobbled together.
Speaking of cobbled together what really kills this movie is the plot and the many plot lines that follow, for some reason they decided to take a simple bonding story from the first movie and turn it into a whole plot heavy movie with an espionage action plot that oddly gets very convoluted. It’s the type of movie where you really scratch your head and say “who was this for?” It wants to go for the same family type feel the first movie did. But every now and then you get jokes here that aren’t exactly family friendly. It’s a very confused mess that never really figures itself out.
Finally the characters especially the new ones don’t really add much, Craig Robinson and Anna Faris are trying their best but with such a limited script that gives very little to work with they sort of have no choice but to be sitting ducks.
Overall My Spy: The Eternal City is very typical streaming movie shovelware, it exists solely on the chance that some people who liked My Spy (2020) may watch it, definitely not one of the worst movies of the year but it’s one you are going to forget almost immediately after watching.
My Spy: The Eternal City is available on Amazon Prime Video.
After a failed comeback album, a rock star retreats to a cliffside home on Cyprus, only to find his new life complicated by visitors, and an old flame.
Find Me Falling is directed by Stelana Kris director of Committed (2014).
I’ll give Find Me Falling this at least it’s not as bad as expected. As far as Netflix romantic comedies go at least this one is trying to say something given that the subject matter is suicide. The movie might not really say anything all that well but at the very least it’s there.
Outside of that there’s a lot of typical romantic comedy cliches, the characters are fine enough but don’t get enough development to really make them investing. Harry Connick Jr. gives a decent performance and there’s no denying that the filming combined with the location is where the movie shines the most. There’s some genuinely beautiful shots in this movie that I was absolutely not expecting, it’s definitely one of the better looking Netflix original movies.
With that being said the script is completely flat and shows glimpses of what could have been a decent movie but doesn’t turn those glimpses into something that ends up mattering.
Really don’t have much else to say here, this is basically Netflix romantic comedy of the week. Where you watch it and then forget it after a few days, not as bad as some of the others but that doesn’t mean all that much.
Three stories revolve around a man who tries to take control of his own life, a policeman whose wife seems like a different person, and a woman who searches for someone with a special ability.
Kinds Of Kindness is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos director of Dogtooth (2009), Alps (2011), The Lobster (2015), The Killing Of a Sacred Deer (2017), The Favourite (2018), Poor Things (2023) and a few others!
Less than a year after Poor Things and we already have another Lanthimos film (okay to be fair by the time Poor Things came out Kinds Of Kindness was pretty much done). While Poor Things is arguably Lanthimos’s most accessible film for casual audiences, Kinds Of Kindness is classic Lanthimos weirdness along with being somewhat disturbing (at least atmospherically but we will get to that). It’s very much a film that not everyone is going to love and when you watch all three stories in this film it’s very easy to see why.
I think the way I’m going to structure this review is talk a little about each story and then give my final thoughts, there might be some overlap such as the atmosphere being similar in certain stories but I’ll discuss those when they pop up.
The Death Of R.M.F.
Is our first segment and I do think it’s the best one, mostly due to the absurdity of it all and the performances. Willem Dafoe gives his best performance of the three segments, he’s creepy, intimidating and very much fits the atmosphere that Lanthimos is going for with this film. Jesse Plemons also does a fantastic job here, there’s some actually darkly funny scenes between him and Willem Dafoe here that actually gave me a few laughs. That’s actually something worth pointing out, the film is quite humorous in a dark way, there’s plenty of moments of these sprinkled through each of the stories which gives them a lot of personality.
As for what exactly happens in this first segment is truly bizarre and is pretty suspenseful, it gets the viewer automatically sucked in as the mystery of it all unfolds, on the surface it may seem like a story of control where Raymond (played by Willem Dafoe) controls every part of Robert’s (played by Jesse Plemons) life. But as the film starts to establish its own world which really feels reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode you start to get the disturbing feel of it all. Overall excellent start to the film and a perfect way to establish the feel of the film.
R.M.F. Is Flying
Our second segment ranks as my least favorite of the three but that’s only because of how excellent I found each segment, this segment being ranked last does not mean it’s bad (far from it). Of the standout performances in this segment I have to give it to Emma Stone who gives an intimidating performance that really builds up to an explosive disturbing ride of a performance during the segment’s final moments. Jesse Plemons again gives a strong performance here, his chemistry with Emma Stone is what makes the segment work incredibly. Their characters have completely different personalities which leads to tons of comedic moments. Finally there’s Mamoudou Athie who really does not get to do all that much during the other segments, so it’s nice to see him do something here and he does a pretty good job with what he’s given.
The story being told here is once again very interesting, it relies on the viewer to really piece together what is exactly going on here. What exactly is going on with Liz (played by Emma Stone) and why all of this is happening. Which leads to the quite explosive final moments of the segment that is quite disturbing and is very classic Lanthimos, especially with the performances.
I did not mention this earlier since it wasn’t as noticeable but the performances in all of the segments really do feel very play like, like your watching a very important Broadway show and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s something Lanthimos has always done in some of his films an example I always go back to is Killing Of A Sacred Deer (2017) a film that I found to be one of the best of the 2010s. It’s like Lanthimos is taking the concept of stage plays and putting a disturbing twist on them and it works incredibly well here. This segment really uses the theme incredibly well, while the first segment went for a much more natural tone mixed with the traditional Lanthimos style, this segment definitely goes for the bizarrely dark stage play feel that works so well.
Once again another incredible segment that compliments the first segment incredibly well which leads us to our final segment!
R.M.F. Eats a Sandwitch
Our third and final segment ends the film on an incredibly high note, to summarize this segment in a few words it’s Lanthimos doing what he does best. Make an incredibly bizarre scenario and keep adding on to it, it’s so out there that I truly love it. The standout performances this time around are Emma Stone who definitely gives the most comedic performance of the film, every moment of her on screen here is bizarre. You never know what exactly she’s going to do and that’s part of what makes her performance so excellent. Jesse Plemons is also pretty great here, he’s more of a sidekick for Emma Stone’s character but I actually do enjoy a lot of the scenes he’s in. Margaret Qualley who actually plays two characters this time is quite excellent, Hunter Schafer although given a single scene is great and sets the tone of the rest of the segment quite well.
As far as tones or themes go this one is very much going for the bizarre feel, the feeling of not knowing what to expect at the slightest. Which is yet another feel that Lanthimos loves to use in his work and much like in the other cases it works well here. The bizarre story of trying to find a woman to reanimate the dead is truly interesting already but Lanthimos makes it all the more intriguing by adding his style to the mix, the whole cult element of it all also adds to the segment’s bizarre world.
Overall Kinds Of Kindness is yet another incredible film from Lanthimos, it’s most definitely not going to be for everyone but if your a fan of is work I do recommend giving this a go. Definitely one of my favorite films so far this year!
Professional killer Gary Johnson breaks protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive husband and finds himself falling for her.
Hit Man is directed by Richard Linklater director of Dazed and Confused (1993), The “Before Trilogy (Sunrise, Sunset and Midnight), Boyhood (2014), Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (2022) and many other films.
As of right now Hit Man is by far the best Netflix “original” film of 2024 and it’s not even really close. I use original loosely since this film was more so bought by Netflix. But that’s beside the point, what we have here is the very definition of an incredibly fun comedy that I really wish I got to experience with a crowd (especially from seeing the reactions of it on Twitter).
For starters believe it or not the film is actually based on a true story (well loosely some sections of the film are entirely made up), about a college professor who worked for the Houston police in the late 1980s and 1990s as a fake hitman. The true story is decently interesting but I would argue the film itself is definitely a much more interesting way of telling it.
The cast is quite great, Glen Powell is incredibly charismatic here and delivers such a fun and charming performance that will win the viewer over at any point during the film, his outrageous mannerisms combined with the film’s fun and snappy nature also really helps as well. Although the film can feel a bit dragged out at certain points there’s this electrifying energy that makes the film’s 115 minute runtime go by incredibly quickly.
Similarly Adria Arjona is quite excellent here and has great chemistry with Glen Powell, together the two have plenty of scenes where they can bounce off of each other really well. Whether it be from comedic moments that are genuinely funny, to some of the more dramatic ones that actually have a decent amount of character work to them.
The writing I really have to say might be one of my favorite parts about the film, it’s very sincere and there isn’t anything flashy going on here. Despite the film being quite bizarre towards the end there’s this sense of wanting to keep this story as grounded as it possibly can and Richard Linklater and Glen Powell (the screenplay is by them) accomplish this quite well.
Overall Hit Man is a film that has a little bit for everyone, it has comedy, it has some action and it has some romance. It all blends together to create an interesting genre blending film that I do recommend giving a look.
Stand-up comedian Sam struggles with PTSD, and considers joining the search for a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.
I Used To Be Funny is directed by Ally Pankiw which is her directorial debut.
If there’s one film so far this year that I really wish had more attention it would be I Used To Be Funny a film where on the surface it does look like it would be your usual indie film that combines drama and comedy together. But when you actually sit down and watch it…the film’s drama is far more heavier than you would have thought.
Rachel Sennott once again knocks it out of the park, this film only shows that she has even more range as an actress which always make her more exciting to see when she’s on screen in a film. This is such an effective performance here especially when combined with the film’s theme about PTSD, Rachel Sennott plays a comedian named Sam Cowell who is struggling with depression and has PTSD after a young girl named Brooke (played by Olga Pesta) who she used to be a nanny for goes missing.
As a character Sam is so beautifully written and really captures the struggles of depression and PTSD, she constantly blames herself for Brooke’s disappearance and her breaking down is all the more gut punching and at times sort of hard to watch in a impactful way. She quits her career as a comedian which is something depression can really make you do, push the things you really enjoy doing most. It’s such a grounded and respectful portrayal of depression that I can’t help but respect this film. As I said earlier Rachel Sennott’s performance only adds to this, she gives such a powerful performance that really shows she is one of the most exciting actresses working today.
The film is told through switching back in forth from the present where Sam Cowell is facing the aftermath of Brooke going missing and the past where we learn how Sam’s relationship with Brook and her family deteriorates. A lot of films tend to struggle when it comes to switching to two different periods in time, but here it’s done quite well and you can quite easily follow along. It’s a beautifully put together story that really brings in many emotions into the mix, there’s some comedic moments in the middle but you can tell Sam is even struggling then.
Overall I Used To Be Funny is a fantastic film that brings light to very heavy subject matter, the film does it in a way that’s respectful and very honest. If you haven’t seen this one yet I highly recommend checking this one out.
I Used To Be Funny is available on all VOD platforms.
Jerome Reviews... 