When a loving husband and father is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he’s presented with a controversial alternative solution to shield his family from his loss – replace himself with a carbon copy clone.
Swan Song was definitely a surprise, it’s a different type of Sci-Fi film than the genre is use to. It’s a film that explores the inner thoughts of humans as well as emotions, Mahershala Ali continues to show that he knows how to lead a movie. Ali in the leading role gives this film so much strength and character, It’s a very deep and almost feels personal type of performance that really sticks with you. The writing is really strong here, this is the type of writing where things could have easily gone horribly wrong and we would have been left with a very mediocre movie, luckily that’s not the case here because the writing Is very emotional and sticks with you. It examines how we feel or what we feel during situations it’s a special type of study about yourself. I do feel some of the other performances such as Awkwafina are on the weaker side, they most certainly aren’t bad at all, just nowhere near the level of Mahershala Ali. But really that’s not much of a huge issue because Swan Song is an incredibly solid film that I highly recommend giving a go!
Georgia and Sam flee their country as the world battles artificial intelligence.
Mother/Android sounded really interesting on paper but execution wise…what happened here? I’m not exactly sure how you can make a robot apocalypse movie uninteresting and dull but somehow they did managed to do it here. Chloe Grace Moretz does a decent job in her role, the filming is actually not too bad and has some decent shots. The atmosphere is definitely there it’s just the use of it is not good, a lot of it falls into predictable territory combined with a very messy third act that is ridiculous in the worst way possible. The pacing is a drag as well, it doesn’t help that the movie focuses on scenes where it explains way too much to the audience. Which already makes the terrible twist even worse, the movie pretty much gives it away to you when Raúl Castillo’s character shows up. The writing outside of the third act was fine enough but it needed to be a lot stronger. Especially with trying to make audiences feel for the characters, because that just didn’t happen here unfortunately. Overall Mother/Android has it’s moments but is a huge misfire in the end.
In a world where monsters are tame and monster wrestling is a popular sport, Winnie seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps as a manager by turning an inexperienced monster into a contender.
Rumble is exactly what you think it is, another beat by beat story of the main character wanting to be just as good as their parent, I feel like the release history of Rumble is far more interesting than the movie itself. Rumble was supposed to come out this year but then got switched to February of next year and finally at the last second got switched back to this year and released a few days ago. As far as the movie itself as I said earlier it’s very generic, if you watch the first 15-20 minutes of it you are going to know exactly what happens. I guess the movie has a nice message and the animation is not bad as there were a few moments I found to be quite solid. And for a movie that WWE Studios was involved in this is definitely one of the better ones. Will Arnett is easily the best part of this movie and it’s really not even close, he brings a lot of character and energy to his role and actually works pretty well with what he’s given. Writing wise Rumble is once again exactly what you expect, there’s a few jokes that are okay but a lot of it is just very standard kids movie type of writing. Overall there really isn’t much else to say about Rumble, it’s a completely harmless kids movie that’s entertaining at times by way too generic and predictable to recommend. It truly feels like a case where Paramount wanted to put something on their streaming service around the holiday season so they settled with this movie.
Love at first sight strikes when young Tony spots Maria at a high school dance in 1957 New York City. Their burgeoning romance helps to fuel the fire between the warring Jets and Sharks — two rival gangs vying for control of the streets.
If someone told me at the beginning of 2021 that West Side Story was going to end up being one of my favorite films of the year, I would not believe them at all. The trailers really did not do much for me at all, what I was very interested in was Spielberg directing and Rachel Zegler plus Ariana DeBose. West Side Story sets the tone of it’s music with the opening, it’s fast paced, very well filmed and very strong music wise. The whole film makes sure to tell the audience how massive it is, it’s a type of technique that I haven’t seen in a film in quite awhile. It’s mostly thanks to Spielberg’s direction which creates a beautiful picture along with the cinematography, which works perfectly with the choreography from everyone involved. Rachel Zegler gives a fantastic first time performance, she absolutely shines like a star and is definitely someone who’s going to have a nice long career, Ariana DeBose gives a fantastic performance as well, between the choreography and her singing voice she absolutely nails it. There’s one scene in particular with both Zegler and DeBose that truly show how powerful their voices are together, Rita Moreno brings more of the quite moments to life and does a spectacular job of doing just that, finally there’s Mike Faist who delivers some quite amazing choreography and brings so much emotion to his role. Ansel Elgort is definitely the weakest of the bunch there are moments where he’s not too bad, but Elgort isn’t enough to bring this film down. Mainly because the film isn’t the Elgort show it explores the different characters and how they feel about the current situations, plus everyone else involved completely out shines Elgort to the point where you completely forgot he was even there. Spielberg’s direction is truly perfection and a huge breath of fresh air after his last couple films, his direction in West Side Story really reminds you of why he’s one of the most celebrated directors working today. As I said in my Tick Tick Boom review there’s been a lot of musical films this year, West Side Story manages to be one of them that feels like you are at the show itself. From the acting, lighting and choreography it’s truly beautiful to see. As I said earlier the film feels massive which gives you a lot to explore during each music number or scene, West Side Story is truly one of the best films of the year and a huge accomplishment from Spielberg and a lot of the cast! Be sure to check this one out!
A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from a mysterious threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.
Encounter is a very nice surprise, it’s a Sci-Fi film that tweaks the genre a bit to make things interesting! Riz Ahmed as usual gives a really strong performance, Ahmed does such a fantastic job of giving his character a lot of depth and strength. The filming is beautifully done and captures a ton of jaw dropping moments that compliment the film well, the only main criticism I have with Encounter is I do wish the movie spent a little more time building up for the third act, as some scenes do feel a bit out of place and the third act does feel like something is missing. But outside of that Encounter is a very solid Sci-Fi movie that does a very solid job of giving the genre some new life.
Ruth Slater, a woman released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime and attempts to re-enter society. She must try to put her life back together again in a world that refuses to forgive her past.
It really pains me to say that I really don’t have much to say about The Unforgivable, I will say that Sandra Bullock gives a really solid performance that at least makes the movie stand on it’s legs (somewhat), Viola Davis isn’t given much but when she’s on screen she’s pretty fantastic and like Sandra Bullock is one of the strongest parts of the movie, with all that said what seals this movie’s fate is the writing. There’s a lot of messy and very predictable plot twists that don’t add to much at all, the movie also presents a bunch of interesting ideas but doesn’t bother to explore them at all. The movie ends up being a collection of scenes that don’t do much for the viewer and at times make little to no sense, which ends up losing the viewer pretty quickly. The Unforgivable definitely tried to say something but it was buried by a ton of flaws that prevented the movie from being anything more than it is.
With the American economy in collapse and the nation under martial law, a family seeks shelter in their neighbour’s bunker, where the danger inside is potentially greater than the danger outside.
American Refugee is the third EPIX and Blumhouse collaboration and just like the last two movies this one is terrible. It’s clear that the actors are trying their absolute hardest, but with a script that is begging to be looked over there really isn’t much they can do. The main problem with this movie is it sets up an interesting idea but does barely anything with it, it mainly comes down to how poorly written the movie is. With every genuinely okay moments that seem like they are about to go somewhere, you get moments that feel very cartoonish and very over the top. Outside of that there really isn’t anything else about this movie worth mentioning, it’s a terrible horror/thriller movie that screams release date filler.
Johnny is an emotionally stunted and softspoken radio journalist who travels the country interviewing a variety of kids about their thoughts concerning their world and their future. Then Johnny’s saddled with caring for his young nephew Jesse. Jesse brings a new perspective and, as they travel from state to state, effectively turns the emotional tables on Johnny.
Mike Mills continues to be a director who truly captures the human emotion, family relationships and what makes us human. C’mon C’mon sets up a simple story Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) looks after his nephew Jesse (Woody Norman) while Viv (Gaby Hoffmann) is away to help Paul (Scoot McNairy). But the film evolves from much more than that, it tackles several subjects such as how much Adulthood can put a dent in how we understand childhood, showing how children are very complex and how they’re still figuring out who they are, how curious about the world they are and a lot more. The performances are truly special Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman on screen together is truly beautiful, friendship the two build over the course of the film feels very organic something you would see from a uncle and nephew who are trying to understand one another. Both of which show each other new things, talk about their personal issues to one another and share there thoughts about the future. Speaking of which the interview scenes of Johnny interviewing kids and teens about what they think about the future and how it can effect all of us is truly beautiful. It explores how these kids are thinking and feeling, how they want change the world for the better it really shows how complex children can really be. Gaby Hoffman is truly fantastic here as well, like Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman she gives a very powerful and beautiful performance that truly captures motherhood and how hard it can really be, finally there’s this human element to the film. C‘mon C’mon is a very human film it understands our relationships with our families can be/are as well as how meaningful they can be/are, combining those moments with black and white plus gorgeous cinematography captures moments with a family almost like looking through old family photos. Looking back and sharing memories about a aunt, uncle, grandpa, grandma ect is truly some of most fun moments you could have. The black and white cinematography compliments that real well and makes it all the more meaningful. Overall C’mon C’mon is a brilliant film from Mike Mills, it’s a powerful film that truly gets to you and captures family relationships. Please be sure to watch this one!
Erik Blake gathers three generations of his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter’s apartment in lower Manhattan. As darkness falls and eerie things go bump in the night, the group’s deepest fears are laid bare.
The Humans is directed by Stephen Karam which the film is an adaption of his one act play of the same name that came out in 2014. The Humans is the definition of a film that hits you like a truck when you least expect it, what starts out as a film about just a family coming over Thanksgiving quickly turns into a very psychological nightmare that’s filled with sadness, eeriness and so much more. The characters are what make the film experience, not only is each character given a very realistic personality but they are given their own identity and truly feel like some family members you may have. Plus with the cast’s fantastic performances (some of the best of the year) you truly get something special. Richard Jenkins for example shows his character is going through a ton of emotions and he makes sure to let it be known. Sadness, paranoia and detachment there’s a scene in particular during the last 15 minutes or so that truly highlight this in quite frankly a horrifying way (more on that in a bit.) Beanie Feldstein plays a sweet and endearing yet weary and sometimes annoyed daughter, she does such a great job here and truly hits out of the park. Amy Schumer gives perhaps her best performance of her career, I’ve said in the past that I’m not a fan of Schumer at all. But here she gives a very honest and raw performance. Steven Yuen while having the least to do out of the cast still manages to feel like he has a lot to do. He prevents tensions from being high with jokes that feel like something anyone who’s watching this film would actually to say. The filming combined with the one location setting is another key factor to The Humans due to it’s small space you constantly see several characters on screen together at all times, what’s very interesting is each and every scene a character is given something to do. Even if a certain character isn’t the main focus of the scene they will still be interacting with the characters just from a distance or close enough angle. This has been done before in other films but I can’t help but feel that The Humans does this in the best way possible and really fits the story that’s being told. Finally there’s the writing which gives this film it’s own identity, as the film goes on it gets more and more relatable, then comes the final 15-20 minutes. A true gut punch that sums this whole film up, the film itself was already nightmarish enough but adding in the last scene gave the film that much more power. Overall The Humans is truly an incredible film that is a huge standout of the year, it’s another one of those films where after you finish watching you say “you can’t convince me that this is not a horror film!” Be sure to check this one out!
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!
Jerome Reviews... 