Turtles All The Way Down (2024) Film Review

When a 16-year-old struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder reconnects with her childhood crush, she faces the potential of finding love and happiness despite her mental condition.

Turtles All The Way Down is directed by Hannah Marks director of After Everything (2018), Mark, Mary & Some Other People (2021) and Don’t Make Me Go (2022).

When I saw that a new John Green film adaptation was being released I was very skeptical, even though I really liked The Fault In Our Stars (2014) and thought Paper Towns (2015) was fine enough. The era of John Green’s peak popularity is well passed now combined with the fact that this was releasing on MAX (previously known as HBO Max) really came off as some sort of cash grab….as I have said in the past I like to be proven wrong and I definitely was here.

Hannah Marks is a director who has really shown through her work that she can make the characters and audiences connect incredibly easily. With a story like Turtles All The Way Down that is incredibly necessary and she really does an excellent job of doing so. The performances are very grounded here especially the performance from Isabela Merced who truly gives such a touching performance combine that with some actually effective filmmaking that’s able to communicate what Merced’s character Aza is feeling and going through and you have yourself something pretty meaningful.

We follow Aza throughout the film and see what she is going through with her OCD, there’s some quite effective moments that easily connect the viewer with Aza something a lot of other films in the young adult adaption genre tend to struggle with. Isabela Merced is able to bring this grounded performance center stage and make each and every scene that much more believable, Cree who plays Daisy is also quite great here as well. She isn’t exactly the most developed character but her bond with Aza is completely buyable and well grounded.

Outside of a very underdeveloped subplot about a missing billionaire that really feels a bit tacked on, the film does a pretty solid job with its storytelling. It moves at a nice pace that keeps the story moving along and never feels rushed, the movie definitely could have went a bit deeper with Aza and her OCD but what’s presented is very sweet and absolutely works in the context of the story.

Turtles All The Way Down is available on MAX

8/10 B+

Mother Of The Bride (2024) Film Review

Stunned by her daughter’s bombshell wedding announcement, Lana soon faces another shock: the groom’s father is the man who broke her heart years ago.

Mother Of The Bride is directed by Mark Waters the director of Mean Girls (2004), Freaky Friday (2003), The Spiderwick Chronicles (2007), Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011), Vampire Academy (2014), Bad Santa 2 (2016), Magic Camp (2020), He’s All That (2021) and a few others.

Well here we go again for the fiftieth time so far this year…another horrendous Netflix original that doesn’t even try. Think of the most cliched romantic comedy movie you can and now add a huge lack of charm, humor, interest and fun. You get Mother Of The Bride a complete and total mess of a movie that I’m not even quite sure if the movie itself knows what it’s trying to do.

The only kind of decent part here is seeing Miranda Cosgrove in another role, it’s too bad she’s stuck with such a terrible script that does very little for the viewer to actually care about the characters or the story being told here. The script attempts to try and bring in this examination on social media culture, which might have worked if this was any other movie. There’s also a few characters here who are nothing more but to serve as narrative devices mainly Scott (played by Wilson Cruz) and Clay (played by Michael McDonald) a gay couple. Almost every single line that comes from the two is exposition, it starts to become slightly comical at one point (not in a good way).

Acting wise the performances are fine enough, but there’s nothing here that really grabs you at all. Which again is due to the script and how much load of bunk there is in it. None of the characters are given any meaningful arcs or interesting personalities, the story itself is about as predictable as a lot of these other Netflix romantic comedies and the direction from Waters much like his last several movies lack so much passion that he once had.

Mother Of The Bride is available on Netflix.

1/10 F

Música (2024) Film Review

A young man with synesthesia faces an uncertain future while navigating the pressures of love, family and his Brazilian culture in Newark, N.J.

Música is directed by Rudy Mancuso which is his directorial debut.

Música is yet another pretty huge surprise so far this year, much like The Greatest Hits I was quite honestly not expecting all that much. To say that I’m kind of impressed with what the end result is would be an understatement.

Rudy Mancuso creates a coming of age story as well as a romantic comedy that blends in music in quite creative ways, while there are some familiar story beats and the third act doesn’t work quite as well as what came before it. There is so much to appreciate here, including Mancuso’s direction that captures a lot of genuine moments between the cast.

Camila Mendes is an actress I’ve quickly become a fan of, I haven’t seen Riverdale so I was largely unfamiliar with her before Palm Springs (2020). But ever since then she’s done a pretty solid job between Do Revenge (2022), Upgraded (2024) which came out in February and now her performance in this film, which could be argued that it’s her strongest. Her performance as Isabella feels incredibly genuine and the chemistry between her and Rudy Mancuso’s character Rudy is filled to the brim with charm. The script by Mancuso and Dan Lagana truly captures the film’s heart and the character’s bond between one another. It really makes these character’s seem like actual people that the viewer can grow attached to.

Maria Mancuso who is the mother of Rudy Mancauso and is his mother in this film as well just adds to the film’s heart, her performance isn’t anything groundbreaking but it’s still incredibly sweet and she brings her own charm that only adds to the film’s strength.

The music portions I think are quite fun, there’s definitely arguments to be made that they could have been a bit stronger and I definitely agree in some areas. But I do think for the most part the film does a great job of combining music with the story and doing something a bit different than other films.

Overall Música definitely surprised me, there’s so much to really like here that I actually do recommend giving this one a look.

Música is available on Amazon Prime Video!

8/10 B+

The Greatest Hits (2024) Film Review

Harriet discovers certain songs can transport her back in time. While she relives the past through romantic memories with her former boyfriend, her time travelling interferes with a burgeoning new love interest in the present.

The Greatest Hits is directed by Ned Benson who previously directed Four Lean Hounds (2003), The Westerner (2010), Yes (2010) and The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby (2014).

The Greatest Hits was definitely a surprise, while the movie does follow some very familiar beats and does end up being very unnecessarily convoluted during its final moments. The film itself has a lot of charm and some surprisingly strong performances that really keep it afloat.

Lucy Boynton and Justin H. Min have great chemistry between one another and actually build a quite grounded bond over the course of the film. The film’s main theme is overcoming grief and how love can actually overcome it, this has been done in so many other films but the execution here for the most part is what helps this movie.

The little moments of Harriet’s (played by Lucy Boynton) and David’s (played by Justin H. Min) conversations truly come off as genuine and almost seems very therapeutic, there’s truly some strong acting here and really makes the viewer that much more connected to Harriet and David. The soundtrack also helps quite well, it matches the film’s quiet and slow tone that the film is going for.

The time travel stuff is definitely the weakest parts of the film, I absolutely get what’s being said here. There’s this other theme of considering changing the past to save someone you loved, on paper it seems like a good idea but in execution it’s a bit sloppily put together. It sort of just feels there and when you compare it to everything else in the movie it really sticks out like a sore thumb.

Overall The Greatest Hits is not going to break any new ground especially in terms of story, however it’s a charming enough film with some great performances with a lot of touching moments that I do recommend giving this one a look.

The Greatest Hits is available on Hulu.

7/10 B

Love Lies Bleeding (2024) Film Review

Lou is a reclusive gym manager who falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder who’s heading to Las Vegas to pursue her dream. Their love soon leads to violence as they get pulled deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.

Love Lies Bleeding is directed by Rose Glass who previously directed Saint Maud (2021)

After being incredibly impressed with Rose Glass’s previously film Saint Maud I was very excited to see what she had in store next….and wow she did not disappoint. She uses some of the same techniques she used in Saint Maud but ends up implementing them in drastically different ways, much like Saint Maud the film’s world here is small yet incredibly mysterious which only fits the Neo-noir style Glass is going for.

What especially helps is the characters of the film as well as the performances. Kristen Stewart plays Lou who Rose Glass clearly wants the viewer to really invest in to the point where we the viewer start to feel what Lou feels. Part of this is because of how well acted Kristen Stewart is here, she gives yet another fantastic performance that she is easily able to compliment the film’s tone. Her performance as Lou is truly some of her best work and really captures why she’s one of the most exciting actresses working today. Stewart just interacting with the rest of the cast and even the small talk moments are truly felt which gives her performance that much more power.

Katy O’Brian much like Kristen Stewart is truly brilliant here, a lot of what I just said about Stewart can be applied to O’Brian. Katy O’Brian plays Jackie a character who is incredibly easy to get invested in, lovable and is an incredibly fun character. Rose Glass also wants the viewer to get invested in Jackie much like Lou, the two really help build this film’s incredibly strange world. O’Brian and Stewart are absolutely incredible on screen together, the chemistry feels very natural and especially when the two first meet. It’s a very natural start to a bond that we see build throughout the film, granted we don’t see every single moment but we see quite enough to really get the full picture.

Ed Harris, Anna Baryshnikov, Jena Malone and Dave Franco are all quite great here, they all bring something different to the film especially Ed Harris who is downright intimidating and really fits the film’s Neo-noir type of style. The score is absolutely phenomenal Clint Marshall once again hits it out of the park. It heavily reminds me of the score he did for Requiem For A Dream (2001) which completely fits here, its electrifying, fast paced and suspenseful as well especially when you get to some of the film’s more action moments.

All of this combines into one beautifully haunting picture that Rose Glass very carefully creates, the ending might be a bit outlandish for some but I do think putting in such out there ending with everything else coming before it more grounded makes the film standout that much more, there is definitely a blend of horror here as well such as some slight body horror that really makes me want to see Rose Glass tackle a full on body horror film.

I won’t say too much else here since I do believe that this is a film that you have to go in knowing as little as possible. I highly recommend checking this one out if you haven’t already!

Love Lies Bleeding is available in theaters.

10/10 A+

French Girl (2024) Film Review

Gordon is a hopeless romantic whose proposal plans are put in jeopardy when his girlfriend gets swept away to Canada by a job offer from her ex. Determined to keep their love alive, he leaves Brooklyn, N.Y., for her hometown, only to find himself out of his depth while trying to charm her hard-to-impress, French-speaking family.

French Girl is directed by James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright which is both their directorial debut.

The only reason why I know French Girl exists is because I saw a few people on Twitter poking fun of the trailer and trust me the trailer makes the movie look like one of those movies where you watch it just to see how much of a disaster it is. Unfortunately this movie is very forgettable and is basically another meeting the parents type of romantic comedy.

Performance wise Zach Braff, Evelyne Brochu and Vanessa Hudgens are all okay. They do what they can with such a very dull script there’s a couple moments where there is a bit of comedic potential but unfortunately a majority of this movie is filled to the brim with cliches.

If you have seen any movie where someone is meeting the person they are dating parents and then trying to impress them, then you have already seen French Girl. You could probably take a good guess what ends up happening in this movie and you would probably be correct.

Honestly if it hadn’t been for the cast I definitely feel like French Girl would not be talked about at all, it’s a very stale romantic comedy that really has nothing going for it.

French Girl is available on all VOD Platforms.

3/10 D-

Irish Wish (2024) Film Review

When the love of her life gets engaged to her friend, Maddie puts her feelings aside to be a bridesmaid at their wedding in Ireland. Days before the wedding, Maddie makes a spontaneous wish for true love, only to wake up as the bride-to-be.

Irish Wish is directed by Janeen Damian who previously directed Falling For Christmas (2022).

While I was watching Irish Wish I kept thinking to myself “was I too soft on Falling For Christmas?” The real Lindsay Lohan comeback movie (not Among The Shadows) but then when the credits rolled….I realized I wasn’t soft Irish Wish is just somehow worse.

At the very least Falling For Christmas was a very cheesy Christmas movie that you can put on during the holidays and have a decent time with it. Irish Wish is if you took every single romantic comedy element, blended it into one movie and somehow made each one more forgettable than the last. It’s the equivalent of a Hallmark movie that has nothing new to say or add to the romantic comedy genre.

Lindsay Lohan turns in a fine enough performance as does everyone else, but there’s nothing about their characters that invests the viewer at all. I’m not expecting deep and rich character development from a Netflix romantic comedy, but at the very least make your characters more than walking talking cliches because that’s all they really are here.

Despite my issues I will say you could do a lot worse than Irish Wish, there are some cute moments and the movie itself isn’t necessarily horrendous it’s just very predictable and cliched. The exact same thing I’ve said about other Netflix romantic comedies in the past can be applied here with Irish Wish.

Irish Wish is available on Netflix.

4/10 D+

Players (2024) Film Review

New York sportswriter Mack devises successful hookup techniques with friend Adam and their crew, but when she unexpectedly falls head over heels for one of her targets, they all must learn what it takes to go from simply scoring to playing for keeps.

Players is directed by Trish Sie director of Step Up: All In (2014), Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), The Sleepover (2020) and Sitting In Bars With Cake (2023).

Players is a typical Netflix romantic comedy affair meaning there is very little to comment on. The only couple of highlights here are Gina Rodriguez who gives a much better performance than this movie deserves. I also do like the friend dynamics of the friend group in the movie, when the movie is focused on the friends discussing their plans or them just cheering on for one another it’s actually not that bad. Even if we don’t learn a whole lot about Mack’s (played by Gina Rodriguez) friends you still buy their friendship and the group as a whole are charming.

It’s a shame the movie trades that in for incredibly dull romantic comedy cliches, Tom Ellis’s character Nick is not interesting at the slightest and is unfortunately a major focus of the movie. Ellis does a fine enough job but his character ultimately becomes another forgettable asshole character who Mack learns isn’t such a nice guy. If you watch at least 20 minutes of Players you know exactly what’s going to end up happening.

Overall Players has parts of it that could have actually been quite great if they were expanded upon. Instead this is nothing more than streaming movie fodder that will get forgotten about after Valentine’s Day.

Players is available on Netflix.

3/10 D-

Upgraded (2024) Film Review

An aspiring art intern is invited on a last-minute work trip to London, where she meets a handsome stranger.

Upgraded is directed by Carlson Young who previously directed The Blazing World (2021).

I’m one of maybe like thirty people who saw The Blazing World (2021) and ended up really liking it so I was excited to see what Carlson Young would do next and I’m glad to see her explore a different genre. While yes when you really get down to it Upgraded is a weaker The Devil Wears Prada there’s a level of charm here that actually works quite well in the movie’s favor.

Camila Mendes gives a solid performance that actually shows a lot of her talent, I’m glad to see she’s given another script that actually gives her a lot to work with. It helps that Mendes’s character Ana is genuinely fun to watch, Mendes’s chemistry with Archie Renaux is also quite great and the two work quite well together. Marisa Tomei just seems like she’s having a blast in her performance which is genuinely funny whether it was unintentional or not.

The third act does stumble a bit with a lot of the usual cliches that ultimately make the movie feel a lot longer than it really is and the huge lie of this movie can be a bit too much for some people to really buy. But the movie is a silly romantic comedy that isn’t trying to take itself too seriously, there’s a decent amount of fun moments that make the movie work.

Overall Upgraded isn’t really anything new to the genre but it’s a fun time that works just enough to recommend to fans of the genre. This is probably something I’m never going to go back to but I can’t say I did not have fun with this movie.

Upgraded is available on Amazon Prime Video.

6/10 C+

Float (2024) Film Review

After she nearly drowns, a young woman unexpectedly falls for the small-town lifeguard who rescued her. Based on the novel by Kate Marchant.

Float is directed by Sherren Lee which is her directorial debut.

Is this Wattpad Studios’s best movie thus far? I think so, granted that’s not exactly saying a whole lot but yes Float is an adaption of a Wattpad story by Kate Marchant. If the Wattpad studios logo didn’t show up I probably would have never figured out it was an adaption because honestly this really plays out exactly like a generic romantic drama.

Andrea Bang and Robbie Amell give decent performances and the chemistry between the two is actually quite charming. There’s plenty of cute moments that are just enough to make you actually care about their characters Waverly and Blake. The filming combined with the location ends up giving tons of beautiful shots that compliment the movie quite well and the direction from Sherren Lee is honestly not that bad as there are a few emotional moments between the two leads that are effective.

Everything else unfortunately is very middle of the road, the side characters are really not that interesting and the attempts of humor from them flat out miss. The writing as I said before is very generic romantic drama elements that never get through the “seen it and it’s been done better” atmosphere.

There really isn’t much else to be said here, I definitely think as far as a Wattpad adaption it’s a masterpiece considering the other adaptions (After series, Kissing Booth, Perfect Addiction ect) but as far as a movie in general? It’s on the very bland side of things.

Float is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C