Eddington (2025) Film Review

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbour is pitted against neighbour in Eddington, N.M.

Eddington is directed by Ari Aster director of Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019) and Beau Is Afraid (2023).

When the clock reached midnight on January 1st 2020, I don’t think anyone had any sort of clue of how insane, chaotic and disastrous 2020 as a year was going to be. Ari Aster’s Eddington isn’t the first film to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic but it is the first to perhaps show how it heavily affected several people in ways that aren’t so great. The film is not talking about being trapped inside your home for a number of days, it’s talking about the people grew this main character syndrome, the conspiracy theorists, the opportunists who take advantage of well meaning activism and absolutely insane politicians.

For starters the cast is incredibly well done here, Joaquin Phoenix plays Joe Cross which is quite possibly one of his best performances. He starts as this small-town sheriff and eventually a mayoral candidate who over the course of the film becomes more and more insane as paranoia and hostility start to occur. His turn to this maniac is both disturbing as well as hilarious, he’s able to capture the film’s black comedy atmosphere that truly makes certain scenes all the more memorable. Pedro Pascal is also fantastic here, he plays the mayor Ted Garcia who puts on this smile but in reality is a few steps away from having a meltdown, his character largely tackles a lot of the fake persona that a lot of politicians put on for the public and Pascal’s acting does such a good job of capturing that. There’s one particular scene with Phoenix and Pascal that captures this as well as a turning point in the story incredibly well, the way the scene is shot, edited and the use of Katy Perry’s song Fireworks is absolutely brilliant.

Emma Stone and Austin Butler are both fantastic here as well, while they don’t get the most amount of screen time (especially Butler) they still leave a lasting impression. Butler plays this cult leader Vernon Jefferson Peak, who may come off as rational to people who think exactly like him but to others he’s insane, Emma Stone who plays Louise Cross eventually joins Vernon, Stone’s performance is a bit more quiet than a lot of the rest of the cast but it’s still just as strong and important. Lastly there’s Deirdre O’Connell who plays Dawn, Louise’s mother an insane conspiracy theorist that is very reminiscent of someone who clicks on clearly made up Facebook news articles and takes their word for it. She’s the person who would say “plandemic” at the Thanksgiving dinner you are with your family, O’Connell nails every single scene she’s in and is one of the film’s best assets. This is largely where the conspiracy theorist part of the film comes in and it’s done so perfectly and really does capture all of the insanity behind it.

The cinematography combined with the setting and the atmosphere are all spectacular. Cinematographer Darius Khondjii is incredibly well detailed and captures the insanity of this film. The film does sort of feel like you stepped into a demented Wile E. Coyote cartoon especially when the film throws its comedy into the mix. The use of Albuquerque and Truth Or Consequences New Mexico is absolutely brilliant, the film puts you in these areas where it’s a bit smaller in scale but that truly makes the last half of the film all the more terrifying. Not to mention that the locations really match the film’s many themes and are genuinely beautiful as well.

Lastly there’s the film’s writing and many different ways of tackling certain kinds of people during the pandemic. I’ve already mentioned the conspiracy theorists so I’ll skip over that and talk about the opportunists, there’s a scene that tackles the BLM protests. While there are people there that genuinely want change, you have people who are simply there to either argue, be performative or want internet fame. The film shows this incredibly well, it shows that certain people will do anything to get fame and claim to be good people yet don’t do anything beyond being performative.

This is a portion of the film that tackles this theme of nobody in this film is talking about the same thing or having the same conversation, the ability to reach other is completely meaningless because either nobody WANTS to listen or flat out does not care. The film shares this as this nightmarish world that became more noticeable when 2020 happened, it’s something that to this day is still very present. Ari Aster does such a masterful job of portraying this in such a grim yet humorous way that when you do laugh you are quickly shifted back into this “oh wait a second this is actually happening” type of feel. Something in our way of communication broke and has not recovered and quite possibly may not recover.

Eddington captures how terrible and nightmarish 2020 was as a year, it’s done in both this dreamlike and nightmarish way to the point where you feel like you are in purgatory. It’s one of the best films of the year and truly shows why Ari Aster is such a master at his craft.

Eddington is available on all VOD platforms.

10/10 A+

Americana (2025) Film Review

A shy waitress and a lovelorn military veteran find themselves in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal as they try to retrieve a rare Native American artifact.

Americana is directed by Tony Tost which is his directorial debut.

Americana is the result of a film that mixes several different type of genres incredibly well, often times you see some films not very confidently attempt to do way too much in a limited amount of time. While there are the occasional script issues here and there with Americana, the film does a fantastic job of being this neo-western, crime and thriller ride that gets more chaotic and quite fun as it goes on.

The cast and its characters are what make the film and its world standout. Everyone here does a fantastic job even when they don’t get a whole lot to do, Sydney Sweeney hits it out of the park with her performance as Penny Jo Popplin. Even if her character isn’t really explored in great detail it’s Sweeney’s performance that makes the character work. She’s lovable and serves as the viewers POV in some areas of the film plus her interactions with the rest of the cast and their characters is more than enough to connect with her. Sweeney gives such a sweet performance that might be a bit more quiet than some of her other performances, it might not be this big powerhouse performance like her portrayal of Reality Winner in Reality (2023) but it shows range for Sweeney as an actress and she gets the job done incredibly well here.

Halsey who is a singer-songwriter surprised me, up until this point we have only seen Halsey either in a cameo (A Star is Born (2018) ) or an incredibly brief role (MaXXXine). The singer to actor pipeline can be difficult to pass through, however Halsey quite easily makes it through here. She gives a genuinely strong, touching and beautiful performance that quickly gets the attention from the viewer. She plays Mandy Starr who is quite important to the film’s plot and the other character we see this film’s world through, Halsey is able to match the film’s chaotic atmosphere with tons of dialogue thrown in between that make her standout as an actress. Her interactions with her family are some of the film’s best moments giving this look into Mandy Starr’s family and why she desperately wants to run and try to get a better life with her son.

Paul Walter Hauser, Eric Dane, Simon Rex and the rest of the cast are all fantastic, Hauser is hilarious, fun and has great chemistry with Sydney Sweeney which leads to some genuinely heartwarming interactions. Eric Dane is hilarious as well, he can switch from being threatening to downright humorous (whether it was intended or not.) Simon Rex makes for a great antagonist who is genuinely threatening and displays why he’s such a great actor. He might not get the most to do until towards the last act of the film, but it’s still quite a great performance.

The writing holds strong heavily due to the interactions between the characters, each of these characters have these bizarre and interesting traits to them as well as storylines that are genuinely well executed. There’s a heist which while is the main focus of the film still manages to be fun, there’s also these jabs at people who do cultural appropriation (a kid thinks he’s the reincarnation of a Native American and gets grilled for it.) Then there’s also Mandy Starr’s story which I have already said is quite well done and genuinely heartbreaking. Each of these storylines work because of the interactions between the cast, they feel raw at times and really compliment the film’s atmosphere and style it’s going for.

Speaking of which the atmosphere and style have Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino DNA in them that works incredibly well. The atmosphere has this old soul to it that strikes with some action filled moments that are very reminiscent to the classic western film. It’s a fast paced film that has much going on in each shot, the cinematography from Nigel Bluck is sharp and has this certain feel that captures the neo-western genre so beautifully. The last moments of the film and how they are wrapped up are complimented well due to the cinematography and the sharp tight camera angles.

Overall Americana is a fantastic film that not only captures the beauty of the western genre, but is striking in its own right. Excellent character interactions, acting and writing really make this one worth giving a go!

Americana releases in theaters Friday!

9/10 A

Kill ‘em Now (2025) Film Review

A Bounty Hunter must help a culturally stagnated and hysterical group of Town Folk muster whatever they have to defeat a band of dangerous thugs to earn an undisclosed payday of a lifetime. But will a hidden sibling rivalry stand in the way of the reward and jeopardize everyone’s lives?

Kill ‘em Now is directed by Ryan J. Serrano which is his directorial debut!

I am not typically into western films, but I do recognize them as being a stable for film as a whole. Kill ‘em Now takes that idea and mixes things up a bit.

For starters the film takes on a more self aware comedic approach something you do not often see in a whole lot in of westerns. It never feels like it’s too much, there’s tons of genuinely hilarious moments that are filled to the brim with charm and fun. The character’s behavior makes each scene all the more worth it, the low budget feel combined with the self aware nature helps the film bring out the film’s fun nature.

The acting is a lot of fun as well, Joan James plays No Name a character who is mostly silent but is able to communicate in words thanks to his appearance as well as actions, he captures this classic feel of those neat anti-hero characters who may not say a whole lot but their actions speak for themselves, James fits the western genre like a glove and as the film goes on you quickly invest into his character. Ryan J. Serrano also acts in the film and gives such an entertaining performance, he’s part of what makes the humor work as well as he does. He’s clearly having a blast while on screen which brings out a lot of the film’s charm.

Finally there’s the direction from Serrano who knows how to bring in so many hilarious scenes, he also knows how to get each character involved with the story. Not every character is incredibly important to the story being told, however it is still nice and refreshing to see everyone participate.

Overall Kill ‘em Now is a fun film that has quick and easy 54 minute running time, there’s always something going on with a majority of it being filled with charm and fun!

Serrano House Films will show Kill ‘em Now at Whittier Village Cinema July 19th!

7/10 B

Strange Way Of Life (2023)

After twenty-five years, Silva rides a horse across the desert to visit his friend Sheriff Jake; they celebrate the meeting, but the next morning Jake tells him that reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their friendship.

Strange Way Of Life is a short film directed by Pedro Almodóvar (director of Parallel Mothers, The Skin I Live In and many others). Typically I don’t really review short films, but between Almodóvar being in the director’s chair plus Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal being in the leading roles I decided to watch and talk a little bit about this one (although there isn’t a whole lot to say unfortunately)

Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal are both quite fantastic here and work incredibly well together on screen, the short itself is shot beautifully and does give a bit of a throwback to the classic western genre which is also welcomed. The many captivating shots and oozing with style is enough for the viewer to explore every shot of the short, there’s a lot of beautiful moments that really shine here as well as some great character moments between Pascal and Hawke.

The story being told here is quite interesting it’s just a shame that a lot of the potential was missed, the short is 31 minutes long and I don’t think it was enough to really paint the full picture. There’s aspects of the story and characters that are left underdeveloped and the short sort of abruptly ends, had the short been a full length feature or longer I definitely think it would have fixed a lot of the issues that were shown here.

Despite it’s flaws however I do think it’s a decent short that’s visually strong with some really solid performances.

Strange Way Of Life is available on VOD Platforms.

6/10 C+

Surrounded is a decent western with solid performances.

Set five years after the Civil War, this Western drama follows former Buffalo Soldier Moses “Mo” Washington (Letitia Wright) as she travels west to lay claim on a gold mine bequeathed by her late slaveowner father. It is a mean, dangerous world, so Mo travels into the deep frontier disguised as a man. After her stagecoach is ambushed, she is tasked with holding a dangerous outlaw captive and must survive the day when the bandit’s gang tries to free him.

Not a whole lot to say about Surrounded as it doesn’t really do anything very special, but it also does a decent amount of good.

Anthony Mandler who previously directed Monster (2018) is in the director’s chair and while Monster I found to be not very good at all, I definitely think Mandler has since improved with his directing. He’s mostly a music video director which is completely fine, but as I said in my review for Monster there’s a huge difference from directing a music video and movie. With that said I definitely think the direction is far better this time around even if the last half of Surrounded falls apart.

Letitia Wright is quite great here, she gives a very well acted performance that’s straight to the point and does a pretty good job of giving her character development even when the script didn’t really want to do that. Jamie Bell is quite great as well, the interactions between Bell and Wright are strong, investing and down to earth at times which I found a bit surprising. Finally there’s Michael K. Williams who if you didn’t know sadly passed away in 2021, according to IMDb Surrounded is his last film performance (his very last performance being a TV series called Vital Signs which is completed apparently.) Williams gives a very strong performance here and like Wright and Bell gives a very grounded and powerful performance that really strikes the viewer.

The filming is quite great and it combines well with the location, what’s ultimately lacking is the script that really doesn’t have a whole lot of character development and the last half of the movie really doesn’t know what it wants to be. It definitely comes off as little rushed and messily put together towards the end. However I will say the majority of the movie is quite great we get to see some strong interactions between the characters and their conversations, even if the script isn’t always great and could have been so much better. It’s still quite interesting in it’s own right.

Surrounded is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

The Old Way is a bland western revenge story.

Retired gunslinger Colton Briggs faces the consequences of his past when the son of a man he murdered arrives to take his revenge. Briggs must take up arms once more after his wife is killed, and is joined by his young daughter.

I’m not the biggest on the western genre but every once and while there’s a few that look like they could be a bit interesting, what mainly drew me to The Old Way was mostly Nicolas Cage but does he save this movie?

There is honestly not a whole lot to talk about here with The Old Way, outside of Nicolas Cage and Ryan Kiera Armstrong who give some really solid performances and actually have a strong father and daughter bond that’s genuinely sweet. This is just your very typical revenge western story that does not bring anything new to the table, the rest of the cast aren’t strong enough to standout and the writing is way too generic for it’s own good. The movie has some interesting ideas but doesn’t do a whole lot with them, they are presented, explored for about 10 minutes and then quickly abandoned. It’s serviceable when it comes to being a revenge western everything that you expect is here but those looking for something bigger are going to be disappointed.

Overall The Old Way isn’t horrible there’s parts here that do work well but those aren’t enough to save the movie from being overall forgettable.

The Old Way is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Quick Reviews: Dark Glasses, Dead For A Dollar, Jane and The Good House

Diana, a prostitute who was blinded by a serial killer in a botched attack, takes in a young Chinese boy named Chin, abruptly altering both of their lives forever.

Dark Glasses is Dario Argento’s first film since Dracula 3D (2012) and is yet again another one of his weaker films. Dark Glasses isn’t necessarily bad as it is just very very dull. There’s some ideas here that work and it’s actually decently crafted when it comes to filmmaking, the rest of the movie mainly the script is incredibly lacking and is essentially a very watered down Argento film, the opening is definitely decent and is very promising but everything after that is a mixed bag.

Dark Glasses is available on Shudder.

5/10 C

Veteran bounty hunter Max Borlund heads deep into Mexican territory to find and return Rachel Kidd, the wife of a wealthy businessman. After learning she actually fled from the abusive marriage, Max faces a choice: finish the job he’s been hired to do, or stand aside while ruthless mercenary outlaws and his longtime rival close in on a town that’s been his temporary sanctuary.

I really don’t know what to exactly say here, Dead For A Dollar is terribly put together western revenge movie that is the very definition of predictable. Outside of the cast who tries their hardest with such a dull script there really isn’t anything here that’s any different from other revenge western films, the script is just begging for some sort of substance but instead gets a very traditntal revenge plot that doesn’t do anything in the way of development or character moments. Willem Dafoe is by far the standout but even he is restricted to how much of his talent he can really put in, due to the script giving very little to work with.

Dead For A Dollar is available on all VOD platforms.

3/10 D-

Olivia is a teen struggling with a recent loss of a friend. After getting deferred from her dream school, she spirals out of control and launches a social media-fueled rampage against those who stand in the way of her success.

Madelaine Petsch and Chloe Bailey are both great here and completely hold this movie together from falling apart, however a lot of this movie really boils down to a PSA about bullying and why using your friend who died Facebook account to get back at people is not a good thing. There’s some fine enough moments here mostly because the atmosphere does have a few thrilling moments, but the movie really tries to shoehorn some psychological thriller elements that come off as goofy mainly due to them not fitting into the story being told. There’s been high school movies that have done a far better job of telling this exact type of story before and there will be plenty more in the future. So Jane really just comes off as something where after you finish watching it you will quickly forget about it.

Jane is available on Creator+

5/10 C

A New England realtor ignites long-buried emotions and family secrets when she rekindles a romance with her old high school flame.

The Good House has a really strong performance from Sigourney Weaver and there’s a few touching moments that have heart, however what seriously kills this movie is the many tonal shifts, often times it treats subjects such as alcoholism as some cute moments and then other times it treats it as a serious subject. It’s very baffling to say the least, there’s also some strange fourth wall jokes here that completely don’t fit into the story the movie is trying to tell. Outside of that it’s a very typical adult romance movie that really doesn’t have anything going for it outside of Sigourney Weaver. The rest of the cast are fine and the family elements aren’t too bad here, but this definitely needed a huge rewrite.

The Good House is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Terror On The Prairie is forgettable and lifeless.

A frontier woman fights for her life against a ruthless gang of outlaws on the plains of Montana.

Terror On The Prairie is another movie from The Daily Wire which earlier this year released Shut In, which I reviewed and to sum it up it’s the most nothing special about thriller you could watch. Terror On The Prairie is a step up from Shut In but that’s not saying much, the biggest problem with this movie is that it’s very soulless. The acting is all around pretty okay, but what bogs It down is the direction and writing. There’s no style to it at all they took what could have been an interesting setting to mix with the atmosphere and somehow made it very dull and forgettable, when you mix that with the script that is very bare bones and doesn’t say anything outside of a lot of western movie cliches. You get a movie that really doesn’t know what it wants to be, it most certainly doesn’t feel like a thriller as a lot of the scenes that are supposed to be suspenseful are very empty. Which again is mainly due to the direction being incredibly lifeless, the lack of a soundtrack while trying to be suspenseful also does not work here at all. In some other movies this actually works quite well but the difference is those movies have a far better directing style, while this movie doesn’t. Overall Terror On The Prairie much like Shut In does not have a whole to it, it’s a very unremarkable movie that’s added to the genre.

Terror On The Prairie is available on Daily Wire.

3/10 D-

Montana Story is a calmingly beautiful experience!

Two estranged siblings return home to the sprawling ranch they once knew and loved in order to care for their ailing father.

Montana Story is a film I wanted to like a lot more than I did, but from what’s presented it’s a very decent movie. For starters Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague are both fantastic in the leading roles, they have great chemistry between one another most of the heavy lifting comes from Richardson who’s always a powerhouse whenever she’s on screen in anything she’s in. The 35mm camera combined with the setting is beautiful and really captures a calming atmosphere that brings the viewer into the film, what hurts the movie a bit is mostly how the film wraps up. There’s definitely some powerful moments in there but it seemed like the movie was building up to something bigger and sort of just dumped it all in a very short span, plus the pacing is way too slow a lot of the time that could definitely take you out of the film. However Montana Story is a very well made film that I do recommend checking out.

Montana Story is available on all VOD Platforms.

7/10 B

The Power Of The Dog is a striking film with several interesting themes!

A domineering rancher responds with mocking cruelty when his brother brings home a new wife and her son, until the unexpected comes to pass.

The Power Of The Dog is another showcase of just incredible Jane Campion as a filmmaker, this is her first film in 12 years and the long wait was most definitely worth it. Benedict Cumberbatch has been in quite a few films this year but his performance in The Power Of The Dog has the most strength to it, he plays a character who has dealt with pain, there’s also agony and a lot of other emotions that help build his character. It’s a very interesting character study of him and he has this journey about his emotions. Kristen Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee are both fantastic, they each bring something truly special to the film, Dunst giving a very raw and classic western type feel performance that feels like it’s out of the classic black and white film era. And McPhee giving a performance that follows Cumberbatch’s character that is just as interesting and as powerful. The film itself has a old soul to it, it feels like it’s straight out of the classic film era with some darker twists, the style the film went for which was being violent without being violent was done in such a unique and interesting way. The film shows that violence can come in many different forms, most of it here is done psychologically which fits the film quite well. The cinematography compliments the whole theme as well with beautiful shots and a dark atmosphere that brings a ton suspense and mystery to the film. Jane Campion’s direction is brilliant she really hits it out of the park when it comes to bringing a sense of rawness to the film, she also makes every character as interesting as possible. Giving them a ton of development, with monologues, quiet scenes and heavy hitting moments that really capture the important parts of character development in film. Overall The Power Of The Dog is one of the best films of the year, it’s a slow burn with several haunting elements that gives the film a lot of power. It most definitely won’t be for everyone but if you do watch it be sure to go into the film knowing as little as possible!

The Power Of The Dog is available on Netflix!

10/10 A+