New York Film Festival Review: Anora (2024)

Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.

Anora is directed by Sean Baker director of Tangerine (2015), The Florida Project (2017), Red Rocket (2021) and many others.

Anora is yet another home run for Sean Baker, he’s a director that has shown over the years that he takes these stories he tells and shows them to the viewer in a very natural way. Letting them do the talking while you sit and watch, you get beautiful moments, upsetting moments and so on. Anora really feels like what Sean Baker’s career has been building up to, it’s very different from his previous work. It’s like he wanted to push himself further to see what he could create which the end result is arguably his best film yet.

Starting with the performances, Mikey Madison gives the performance of the year. Right from the beginning she gives such a raw and beautiful performance that immediately grabs your attention, Madison’s ability to constantly switch emotions during the roller coaster ride of a film is truly masterful and says something about her talent. Mikey Madison plays Anora/Ani so beautifully that really compliments this film’s absolutely bizarre nature, this is the type of performance where you can tell there’s a star being born. She lights up the film every single moment, even with the moments where she does not speak her body language and facial expressions tell everything she’s thinking. Madison does everything, kicking, screaming, punching, curses, pleads, cries, laughs it’s all there and each and every moment she gives one of the best performances of the 2020s so far, she works incredibly well with the rest of the cast which ultimately leads into chaos. Each and every scene Madison is commanding the scene masterfully, if Mikey Madison’s chaotic yet unforgettable performance is not a best actress nominating performance (or even winner) at the Oscars I’m not sure what is.

Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan are all fantastic, as I said before they work incredibly well with Mikey Madison. But they all also stand on their own very well, Eydelshteyn’s chemistry with Madison is a lot of fun. He is what sets up the roller coaster of the film and his character Ivan really matches the energy of what ends up unfolding. The moments we get to see Madison and Edyelshteyn together are truly fascinating, just the simple conversations they have between one another are truly investing and makes you but their chemistry.

Yura Borisov and Vache Tovmasyan play Igor (played by Borisov) and Garnick (played by Tovmasyan) two henchmen of Toros (played by Karagulian) what I love about these two is they have very different personalities and aren’t your typical movie henchmen. Garnick is a much more comedic character while Igor is much more quiet who does still have is comedic moments. But there’s one particular moment involving his character during the final moments of the film I’ll get to later. Combined together with the performance of Karagulian these three display some incredibly entertaining slapstick comedy, the three add to this film’s chaotic energy. The moment the three enter the film changes and does not hold back at all with its chaos. But between that chaos and slapstick comedy, these three are incredibly fun characters that do have development throughout the film.

As I’ve hinted at so far Anora is quite a chaotic film, but it’s truly fascinating in its execution. Characters talking over each other and constantly interrupting, the close up camera angles and such all combine to paint this bizarre picture that works in just about every single way possible. The 35mm cinematography from Drew Daniels captures this so well especially during the night scenes that are quite honestly some of the most beautiful shots from a film I’ve seen this year. The score is excellent and fits the tone of the film, there’s so many moments where the score does the talking and really lets the character’s actions speak for themselves. What I wasn’t expecting the film to be is funny, the film is actually quite hilarious. It balances flawlessly with the dramatic moments, powerful moments and the chaotic moments.

Finally there’s the ending of the film, which I won’t spoil but I will say before this the film was a roller coaster ride of emotions. As we come to the end of Ani’s journey the ending hits you like a truck it’s absolutely devastating to watch and will most certainly bring you to tears. Staying strong for that long only to be broken down when you think you can move on is one of the most powerful feelings that someone can feel and it’s portrayed flawlessly here. The acting from Yura Borisov and especially Mikey Madison is truly powerful and just one of the film’s many unforgettable moments.

Mikey Madison’s performance during these final moments of the film is something you are never going to forget, it’s a very realistic portrait of someone breaking down and showing vulnerability. This is a performance that broke me, made me immediately cry when I watch it. The camera remaining on Ani makes this all the more powerful and unforgettable.

Anora is the best film I’ve seen so far this year and quite honestly one of the best films of the decade. It’s a truly fascinating film that has everything and hits it out of the park with all of the different emotions the film uses. Sean Baker truly creates something special, something that’s going to be remembered for years to come.

Anora releases October 18th in select cities and goes wide in November!

10/10 A+

It’s What’s Inside (2024) Film Review!

A group of friends gather for a pre-wedding party that descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend arrives with a mysterious game that awakens long-hidden secrets, desires, and grudges.

It’s What’s Inside is directed by Greg Jardin which is directorial debut!

I honestly can’t remember the last time a film absolutely confused me in a good way, It’s What’s Inside starts out simple enough before evolving into this mind game that’s one hell of an experience. It takes a lot of swings that connect quite well throughout the film.

The performances are quite great and what help the premise work as well as it did, Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey and David W. Thompson are definitely the standouts as they play their characters incredibly well and combined with the surprisingly natural writing (despite the film being very out there) they all work together very well. What helps here is each of the characters have their flaws and throughout the film we learn a bit more about them, even details that could make the viewer change their view on certain characters, it’s cleverly done on the writers part to spread these details out over the course of the film so we aren’t bombarded with information at the beginning.

The atmosphere is also a key element that makes this whole movie work, right when the bizarre mind bending stuff occurs the atmosphere is set. It’s the type of atmosphere that makes it seem like you are in a completely different universe, where you have no idea how the rules work but you are along for the ride just to see what unfolds. The setting compliments this as well, the mansion like setting is the perfect place to pull off this bizarre idea of switching bodies and then unfolding into madness. It fits with the characters and their actions throughout the film, plus we get close up shots that really drag us in.

The idea of the film works especially due to the twists, they all are not shoved at the end. They are strategically placed and each and every time they are satisfying and shocking, they have the perfect amount of buildup, suspense and development to really work into the story being told. Many characters play this body swapping game which is where the confusion comes in, however that’s what makes the film so great it grabs your attention where you are constantly watching.

I won’t say much more about It’s What’s Inside as this is definitely a film that you should go watch with knowing as little as possible! I hope we get to see more of director Greg Jardin because this was excellent and so much fun!

It’s What’s Inside is available on Netflix!

9/10 A

The 4:30 Movie (2024) Film Review!

A group of teens in the 1980s spend the day theater-hopping.

The 4:30 Movie is directed by Kevin Smith director of the Clerks trilogy, Mallrats (1995), Dogma (1999), the Jay & Silent Bob movies, Tusk (2014), Yoga Hosers (2016) and many others.

The 4:30 Movie is clearly a personal film for Kevin Smith and it’s hard to not be charmed by it, the whole idea of the movie being loosely based on Smith’s experiences sneaking into movie theaters as a teenager and his earliest romantic endeavors is really neat and for the most part works well.

The cast is quite fun, there aren’t really any stand out performances that really make this movie. But the cast still does a solid job with the material and even deliver some beautiful moments that are bound to bring the viewer into the movie. The earnestness and humor work well in the movie’s favor, while the meta jokes don’t work as well. The jokes from the fake trailers and the characters just interacting are a nice touch.

Despite only being 88 minutes long the pacing does feel a bit sluggish at times, particularly the middle of the movie where it hits a few bumps in the road from the writing not being quite up to par of what came before it. Having that said the movie does ultimately recover and sticks the landing decently well.

Overall The 4:30 Movie is pretty straightforward and it’s like a friend telling you this memory they had as a teenager, in this case Kevin Smith telling the viewer his memory as teenager. It’s a sweet and fun little movie that’s solid enough!

The 4:30 Movie is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

The Killer’s Game (2024) Film Review!

When a hitman is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take a hit out on himself. But when the very hitmen he hired also target his ex-girlfriend, he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues.

The Killer’s Game is directed by J.J. Perry director of Day Shift (2022).

The Killer’s Game is a bit more interesting than a lot of other terrible action comedies, however it still runs into some of the exact same problems.

Dave Bautista is at the very least pretty fun here, Ben Kingsley is always good, Terry Crews actually has some decent character work and charisma here that works. There’s some stylized action scenes that are admittedly a lot of fun, they might not do a whole lot for the movie narratively but they are entertaining enough to make the movie move smoothly.

Having that said, when you real boil down to it this is just another action comedy movie. The comedic elements are very weak in this case and quite honestly could have went without using, the movie clearly wants you to feel towards Joe Flood (played by Dave Bautista) who is diagnosed with a fatal disease. At some points it works and there’s some genuine moments, only to get slammed with some unfunny writing bits that try to be jokes.

The CGI blood does not help at all, it ruins what otherwise are some really neat kills. The mix of stylized action scenes and the CGI is incredibly distracting and noticeable, it attempts to go for this campy feel but never reaches the mark. Especially when the movie at certain points wants you to take it seriously.

Overall The Killer’s Game is ultimately forgettable, you can absolutely do far worse when it comes to action comedies. But it’s still a bit unfortunate this one did not deliver.

The Killer’s Game is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

The Radleys (2024) Film Review!

It follows a seemingly ordinary family with a dark secret: they are vampires. They choose not to drink blood despite their natural cravings, but their truth is revealed one day.

The Radleys is directed by Euros Lyn director of The Library Suicides (2016), Dream Horse (2020) and a lot of TV movies.

I really don’t have a whole lot to comment on about The Radleys. It’s a movie that attempts to mix in many genres such as comedy and horror but doesn’t do it all that well.

The performances from Damian Lewis and Kelly Macdonald are solid and give the movie it’s best moments, the blood is actually not too bad here especially for a movie that really has the look and feel of a made for TV movie. The set up I will say is decent enough, it has an interesting idea going and manages to grab your attention for the first 30 minutes or so.

However the movie quickly loses you from constantly switching tones that really don’t do much for the movie at all, it also does feel like a pilot for a TV show which isn’t a surprise considering a majority of director Euros Lyn’s work is TV work.

As far as a vampire story goes this is just okay, the lore behind it is definitely more interesting than the idea itself especially in execution. Despite that however there are moments where the acting does sell a few scenes decently well.

Overall The Radleys just sort of exists, it’s definitely not the worst vampire movie out there but it is one of the most forgettable.

The Radleys is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Wolfs (2024) Film Review!

Hired to cover up a high-profile crime, a fixer soon finds his night spiralling out of control when he’s forced to work with an unexpected counterpart.

Wolfs is directed by Jon Watts director of Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man Trilogy, Clown (2014) and Cop Car (2015).

Wolfs is sort of a return to form for Jon Watts and while there are parts of it that succeed, there’s a lot of things holding this movie back from being anything of note.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt are basically holding this movie on its feet, the two do as much as they can with a bland script. The dialogue between the two has its moments and they most certainly give decent performances, the later half of the movie actually gives Clooney and Pitt far better material to work with that actually end up leading to decent moments.

The main issues here are the dialogue and characterizations they are way too basic. Pitt and Clooney can only help the movie so much until it starts to become incredibly repetitive, plus there’s really nothing interesting going on here narratively. It’s ultimately a bland chase movie with the occasional intriguing conversations, it’s really about as formulaic as you can really get.

I will give the movie this, the cityscapes combined with the cinematography does give the movie a solid look. It at the very least captures the atmosphere of what it’s trying to go for, particularly the snowy environment at night on the streets. It blends well with the movie’s atmosphere and actually does lead to some strong moments.

Overall Wolfs is ultimately a bit forgettable and really does not have a whole lot going for it, granted I can see why someone would enjoy this movie. It’s just not for me.

Wolfs is available on Apple TV+

5/10 C

Mother Couch (2024) Film Review!

The members of a dysfunctional family find themselves mysteriously trapped in an antiquated furniture store when their elderly matriarch suddenly refuses to get up from one of the display couches. Reluctantly assembled, her three estranged children must figure out how to escape this bizarre predicament.

Mother Couch is directed by Niclas Larsson which is his directorial debut.

The interesting premise combined with the cast is what drew me into watching this movie and unfortunately it’s really nothing of note despite the very weird premise.

The cast is quite good which is mostly what saves this movie from being a mess. Ewan McGregor, Taylor Russell and Ellen Burstyn all contribute to the movie in their own ways that are at times entertaining. There’s actually a few heart filled moments for McGregor that works well enough which almost helps the movie stick the landing.

The one location being a furniture store is an interesting one, it leads to this absurdist family drama that is promising at first but falls off the more it goes on. The metaphors are there but ultimately don’t mean all that much until the kicker of the movie shows up, but by then it’s a bit too late as the movie has run it’s course and starts to repeat itself.

Not a whole lot else to say here, there’s some great acting bits and I do like the concept but the lacking execution is really holding this one back.

Mother Couch is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

Booger (2024) Film Review!

After the death of her best friend Izzy, Anna focuses all her attention on Booger, the stray cat which she and Izzy took in. When Booger bites her, she begins to undergo a strange transformation.

Booger is directed by Mary Dauterman which is her directorial debut.

A body horror film in which a cat bites a woman and she slowly goes through a transformation. A very straightforward premise that while doesn’t really do all that much, is still fun to watch unfold.

Grace Glowicki gives a decent performance, it’s not anything mind blowing or anything but you do feel the emotion of her grieving the loss of her best friend. Which is the center focus of the movie, the movie itself doesn’t really go into too much depth. But from the quick snippets on Glowicki’s character Anna’s phone of her best friend we can gather the information we need.

The body horror elements are fun, they don’t go incredibly far with them and instead opt to use it more as symbolism for trauma or grief. Which at times works but could have went a lot further, the twist at the end is pretty fun and does leave the viewer with questions in a good way.

Overall Booger may not have a whole lot going on, but it is a decently fun body horror movie that I do recommend and of course Booger the cat is cute!

Booger is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

Winner (2024) Film Review!

A brilliant young misfit from Texas finds her morals challenged while serving in the U.S. Air Force and working as an NSA contractor.

Winner is directed by Susanna Fogel director of Life Partners (2014), The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) and Cat Person (2023).

Despite already getting an incredibly strong film about Reality Winner last year called Reality which was directed by Tina Satter and Sydney Sweeney playing Reality Winner which was a fantastic film and performance. I had some sort of hope Winner would still be solid, the cast intrigued me and I was interested to see what the movie had to say about the topic. Unfortunately this is one of those movies where you are better off reading a Wikipedia page or other articles you find online.

The performances are decent enough, Kathryn Newton although not given a whole lot to do is great in her performance. Connie Britton and Zach Galifianakis definitely bring some emotional moments to the movie that were actually quite touching, especially during the last half of the movie where it does admittedly get a lot better and more focused. There’s a few interesting aspects of Winner’s life before her arrest and for what it’s worth the movie does do well with those moments.

Unfortunately the rest of the movie is incredibly forgettable, Emilia Jones is miscasted as Reality Winner, combine that with the movie’s strange comedic drama tone that it goes for and you have a performance that just does not land with nowhere near enough power as it should. Sydney Sweeney’s performance had atmosphere, tension, focus and attention to detail. While I do understand Jones and Sweeney’s performances were going for two completely different things it really comes down to if they fully worked or not. Obviously that’s going to be up to the viewer but Jones’s performance just doesn’t come off as sincere especially when it’s telling the story of a woman who was called a traitor and arrested, the comedic tone just doesn’t match with the story being told here at all.

We do get some very genuine moments towards the end when Winner is arrested, Britton and Galifianakis throughout the film give very touching performances but this is not enough to really save this movie from being very forgettable unfortunately.

Winner is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Film Review!

Three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River after an unexpected family tragedy. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life soon gets turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter discovers a mysterious portal to the afterlife. When someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times, the mischievous demon gleefully returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is directed by Tim Burton director of Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Mars Attacks! (1996), Beetlejuice (1988), Corpse Bride (2005), Frankenweenie (2012) and many others! Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a sequel to Beetlejuice (1988).

A Beetlejuice (1988) sequel was inevitable, the first film became so popular incredibly fast over the years that there just had to be one. Especially when it hit the video market, the original film is still talked about to this day and is among many people’s favorites (myself included.) on the other hand Tim Burton a once excellent director who was quite consistent wasn’t doing so well, his last couple films such as Dumbo (2019), Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) and a few others were not so great and just felt like Burton did not have the magic he once had. But then Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was born and showed he still has it!

There’s so much to talk about here and how this film is just incredibly exciting but as always I’ll start with the performances, which is important since I do think the performances and characters really bring this film together.

I’ll start off by saying everyone here does a fantastic job, they each bring something to the film even if their screentime is limited. Starting with Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice his performance is just incredible to see again after all these years, he completely matches the same tone, humor and actions as he did in the first film. There’s so many great line deliveries here that are genuinely hilarious, he also does seem like he’s having the time of his life and you just can’t help but smile at that. Much like in the first movie he doesn’t appear until a bit later but also like the first film that works incredibly well and sets up for some incredibly entertaining moments, jokes and other plots. As the film goes on he amps it up with Beetlejuice and the more he amps it up the more entertaining the character really gets.

Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz is fantastic and it’s great to see Ryder on the big screen again, her bond with the cast is absolutely beautiful and quite humorous as well. But some of Ryder’s best moments is her bond with Jenna Ortega who plays Astrid Deetz the daughter of Lydia, the heart of the film comes from these two’s mother and daughter bond that really builds their characters incredibly well. Seeing their bond build over the course of the film is incredibly heartwarming and truly touching, even the little moments with the two not really saying anything to each other is meaningful.

Catherine O’Hara and Willem Dafoe are both excellent here and make for so many fantastic comedic moments. Although Dafoe gets limited screentime he makes the most of it and really goes all out with his character Wolf Jackson, there isn’t exactly a whole to his character but I’m still glad he’s here. Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz delivers the film’s funniest moments, she’s also incredibly fantastic with tons of excellent moments with Ryder and Ortega, as well her having moments where she stands on her own.

Lastly Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz is a fantastic performance, I’ve said this about Jenna in the past but she is one of the best actresses of her generation, an actress who even competes with veteran actresses. Her performance here is so well done and her passion for the role can easily be seen here. Her facial acting and body language truly shine here, it’s something Jenna Ortega has always been absolutely great at as an actress but it’s especially shown here front and center. She’s a natural fit to the world of Beetlejuice and easily connects with the rest of the cast, as I said before her bond with Winona Ryder is the heart of the film and is so beautiful to watch. Astrid Deetz on the surface might seem like a familiar sort of character at first, however that quickly changes over the course of the film as we learn more and more about her.

The writing is so much fun, there’s so many clever jokes, touching moments and it’s done in a fun way to wrap the story together. While there are some subplots that aren’t as interesting as others I do think that leads to the incredibly bizarre final moments of the film, the dance scene is truly a lot of fun and really sums up this film’s energy in a nutshell. A chaotic ride that you really do not want to ever get off of!

The practical effects are absolutely stunning especially combined with the absolutely stunning look at the afterlife and you have yourself such a beautiful looking film which is quite refreshing to see after so many blockbusters seemed to have had this issue. The film’s use of guts and blood is both exciting and hilarious, it’s obviously not anything brutal but it’s such a fun way to work these things into the film, Tim Burton really did not hold back at all with the designs and his direction. This is absolutely a return to form for him and it’s incredibly fitting.

Lastly the film itself is just a ton of film, you can absolutely tell there was so much passion and heart poured into this film, watching interviews of Tim Burton and the cast (particularly Jenna, Winona, Catherine and Michael) you can easily tell they are proud of this film and how much heart they really put into the film. Sometimes that can really make a film and that’s most certainly a case here, without their passion for the film I don’t think Beetlejuice Beetlejuice would have been nearly as good as it is.

Overall Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a very worthy sequel to the original film, it’s some of the most fun I’ve had in a theater this year and is one of the very best of the year as well! Give this one a watch, especially if you’re a fan of the first film!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is currently in theaters!

10/10 A+