We are at the last stretch of the year, this month has a lot of interesting releases! The NYFF starts this month and I will be going so look out for early reactions and my reviews! There’s going to be a ton of reviews this month, I have so much catching up to do due to being sick and such. So this will be a busy but still fun month.
14. Pools – Released today (Theaters)
13. All Of You – September 26th (Apple TV+)
12. The Man In The Basement – September 12th (Theaters) and September 26th (Hulu)
11. Eleanor The Great – September 26th (Theaters)
10. Splitsville – Released today (Theaters)
9. American Sweatshop – September 19th (Theaters)
8. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues – September 12th (Theaters)
7. The History Of Sound – September 12th
6. Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie – September 12th (Theaters)
5. The Long Walk – September 12th (Theaters)
4. Him – September 19th (Theaters)
3. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey – September 19th (Theaters)
2. Highest 2 Lowest – Released today (Apple TV+)
1. One Battle After Another – September 26th (Theaters)
Two men who lost their respective twin brothers develop a growing friendship after meeting in a support group.
Twinless is directed by James Sweeney who previously directed Straight Up (2019).
Twinless was a huge surprise for me, all that I knew about this film is it got rave reactions at Sundance (I’m mad that I missed it there) and that Dylan O’Brien gave an incredible performance. I’m happy to say that I’m joining the choir on both of these, this is a dark comedy that hits a home run very early on and keeps going from there.
The performances all around are fantastic, the number one thing you are going to hear when someone talks about this film is Dylan O’Brien’s performance and that is completely justified. O’Brien gives not only one of the best performances of the year but the best performance of his career. How he’s able to balance the comedic moments with the dramatic ones is truly fascinating, his character Roman has this added character development that keeps him from the audience disliking him. We see him have this sense of confidence even when the words don’t really match said confidence. It’s a fantastic performance that shines the whole way through the film.
James Sweeney (who also wrote, directed and produced the film) as Dennis is also quite fantastic here as well. He perfectly captures someone who yearns for closeness without wanting to build a connection first, he wants it all there readily available to him as soon as he starts to talk with someone. Sweeney does a fantastic job of portraying this flawed character that the audience still has empathy for since it’s established early on both him and Roman lost their twins. It’s especially evident with Dennis we see the scenes of him yearning for a connection, it’s something we all want connection but that sort of thing takes time to build into something powerful. Sweeney does a fantastic job of showcasing how messy and sort of unhinged that rushing a connection can be.
The writing is incredibly well done, it flows very well and has this sort of electrifying energy to it that feels natural. There’s a lot of themes going on here some of which I already touched on, of course there’s the theme of losing your twin or someone in general. As I said before that’s established early on in the film and while it’s done pretty quickly it’s still very well done and explored. It’s what kickstarters Dennis’s whole yearning connection sort of deal, the sense of loneliness is also present which I’ve said before in some of my other reviews that has always fascinated me and that’s no exception here. The sense of loneliness comes from Dennis’s character you can tell through his actions of being desperate there’s this feel of loneliness following him and eating him up, it’s something that truly never goes away and only gets bigger as the film goes on.
Then there’s having empathy for messy and flawed characters which I’ve said James Sweeney does such a fantastic job of creating. He makes these characters feel incredibly real, he doesn’t make these characters cartoonishly unlikable or doesn’t make it feel forced. He does this in such a quiet yet strategically done manner that it ends up shocking the viewer at certain points.
Finally there’s the direction from James Sweeney which is beautifully done, he’s able to masterfully balance the dark comedy and the drama, mix all of the themes I just mentioned and create something unhinged yet beautiful in this strange sense. It helps that the directing is very exciting, Sweeney is quite clearly passionate about what he’s sharing to the viewer and that really shows as soon as the film begins.
Overall Twinless is one of the best films of the year that has excellent performances, clever writing and wonderful directing. James Sweeney is certainly a director to look out for, go see this one if you have the chance.
A group of disillusioned Europeans settles on a remote, uninhabited island in the Galápagos. They soon discover that their greatest threat isn’t the brutal climate or deadly wildlife, but one another. As tensions spiral and desperation takes hold, a twisted power struggle unfolds, leading to betrayal, violence and death.
Eden is directed by Ron Howard director of Apollo 13 (1995), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Cinderella Man (2005), Rush (2013), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Hillbilly Elegy (2020) and several others. The film is based on the true story of several European settlers who arrive on the Floreana Island in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, Pre-World War II hoping to start a life there.
I had my doubts on this one, there was a lot of mixed reactions about this one and that sort of lines up with Ron Howard’s films as of lately (although I will admit Thirteen Lives (2022) was solid enough) so I’m a bit surprised with Eden. The film does fall off a bit in some sections and the film does feel like it’s dragging out in some areas, however that doesn’t stop the film from being genuinely interesting!
The cast does a lot of the heavy lifting, Sydney Sweeney, Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby and Daniel Brühl are the standouts here. Sweeney has a scene where she gives birth (it’s just as crazy as the one in Immaculate (2024) ) that provides a lot of tension and is actually uncomfortable to watch at times. That scene aside, Sweeney absolutely nails the atmosphere of the film and works incredibly well with the rest of the cast. Jude Law and Daniel Brühl are just fun to watch and give their usual performances that ooze with confidence and Vanessa Kirby tackles her character Dora Strauch’s emotional transformation masterfully. A common positive among the cast is they all work together incredibly well, whether it be serious moments or small conversations they bring you right into the film and keep you the whole way through.
The cinematography from Mathias Herndl is beautifully done, it captures the atmosphere of the setting and at times lets location do all of the talking which is expertly executed. We constantly get this sense that the characters are alone and feel that way throughout the film, that’s one of the main reasons why the film works as well as it does. It captures the spirit of the true story quite well and the cinematography really shares a lot of that.
The writing is strong, it’s perhaps one of Ron Howard’s more darker films (it’s mean spirited at times which is effective) and showcases the type of true story that is absolutely insane. It’s the type of true story where if you went up and told someone about this they would look it up just to make sure you are not saying gibberish. There’s themes of survival and power struggles as we see the characters start to turn on each other, it’s not anything groundbreaking but it’s done decently well and makes for some great suspense and intrigues as to where the film is going to go.
Overall Eden is a really solid film, it’s insane that this is based on a true story and I’m glad Ron Howard managed to tell it in this pretty strong way that gets the viewer invested.
From childhood to adulthood, Charles “Chuck” Krantz experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.
The Life Of Chuck is directed by Mike Flanagan director of Oculus (2013), Hush (2016), Before I Wake (2016), Ouija: Origin Of Evil (2016), Gerald’s Game (2017) and Doctor Sleep (2019).
Mike Flanagan is a modern horror director who quickly made a name for himself throughout the years, whether it be his number of successful Netflix Series such as The Haunting Of Hill House (2018) or his mostly strong lineup of films he’s directed over the years. The Life Of Chuck is a different swing that Flanagan makes when it comes to his films and it absolutely lands. The amount of love, passion, power and thoughtfulness that is put into the film is evident by Flanagan’s writing which leads to some beautiful moments that leaves the viewer in tears.
The performances are absolutely beautiful, Tom Hiddleston plays Chuck a man whose life we follow through the various stages of his life. The whole idea of this film is never take life for granted and live every single moment. That is perfectly encapsulated through Hiddleston’s performance out of all the variations of Chuck, Hiddleston is the one who captures this the most. Hiddleston especially showcases this during a dance sequence that takes place during the middle portion of the film, its jaw dropping, full of life and is absolutely beautiful. Karen Gillan is fantastic as well, she gives a beautiful performance and works incredibly well with Chiwete Ejiofor who’s just as striking.
Finally there’s Mark Hamill who gives such a brilliant performance and might be one of the best of his career. Hamill plays Albie, Chuck’s paternal grandfather who is going through his own issues (alcoholism and depression) there’s a monologue in the film where Albie talks about the significance of math and the inherent goodness of people, it’s a striking moment of the film that when you finish watching you realize that is the core of what makes this film so fantastic, Albie is a character who captures the feel of heartbreak. You feel alone, don’t want to invest in anything and yet through it all he you feel excited to see the potential that someone has. Albie looks forward to the potential Chuck has even through all of his pain, Hamill is the film’s heart and such a powerful one.
The writing is absolutely beautiful, the theme of living every single moment like it’s your last might be a theme that’s been discussed numerous times. But there’s a reason why that’s the case, you never know what life has in store for you, lives are cut short due to various circumstances and this film perfectly captures celebrating life. It’s one of the major parts of why we are all connected even if we don’t know each other personally. Due to this, moments of seeing Chuck just have a quick chat with someone he doesn’t know or just waving feel all the more gut punching and meaningful, actions you would not really think about again have so much power in this case. While yes the usual Stephen King dialogue (I forgot to mention that this is a Stephen King adaption it’s from his compilation book If It Bleeds), does show up from time to time. That does not take away how powerful the writing remains throughout the film.
Lastly there’s Mike Flanagan’s direction which is quite raw, outside of a few moments there’s so much realness to the performances. It really does feel like you are sitting listening to someone’s life story and you were personally invited. I’ve mentioned before in my reviews that a theme I love that movies explore is looking at the daily lives of a certain person or groups of people. That’s done incredibly well here, it’s a different approach but a very welcomed one that feels just as real as many other times this has been done. That’s thanks to Flanagan’s direction who we see grow further as a filmmaker, it’s quite beautiful to see and shows how much passion he really put here.
The Life Of Chuck is a beautiful film, it’s inspiring and the type of film that feels like a warm hug. The film is a celebration of life and living in the moment something we all should do.
The Life Of Chuck is available on all VOD platforms.
A young and ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between a seemingly perfect match and her imperfect ex-boyfriend
Materialists is directed by Celine Song director of Past Lives (2023).
Following up such a beautiful film such as Past Lives was always going to be a tough task, it’s the sort of mindset of that you constantly ask yourself “where do I go from here?” While Materialists is not as good as Past Lives and might not be as subtle, there is still a lot here of what worked spectacularly well in Past Lives and once again Celine Song tackles various themes in compelling ways.
The acting all around is quite fantastic, Dakota Johnson gives yet another solid performance to add to her line of work, it’s a bit of a more quiet performance for her but that’s not a bad thing at all. She works incredibly well with Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans (has very strong chemistry with the latter) and the last half of the film is where she truly stands out and gives sort of a heart breaking performance when the film goes into some brutally honest conversations about modern dating and the unpredictability of connection.
Pedro Pascal is great here but he does not get as much screen time as Johnson or Evans, admittedly his character Harry Castillo isn’t as interesting as the rest of the characters around him. But Pascal’s performance is more than enough to make up for it, this might not be one of Pascal’s all time great performances but it’s a bit different from what he usually does.
Chris Evans is the standout of the film, as soon as he enters the film he steals every single scene he’s in. There’s something about the way his character John Pitts talks that makes the dialogue flow so well, he still has that great comedic impulse in him it’s due to him that some of the humor present in the film works at all. His chemistry with Johnson is excellent and there’s some genuinely touching moments between the two. Evans does a fantastic job of matching the atmosphere Celine Song is going for, he’s able to quickly adapted to the tone shift that appears in the later half of the film quite easily and from there goes all out with his performance.
While the writing does have its hiccups at times (some of the side characters could have used more development) and there are moments that could have absolutely used a bit more of a power push. I do think what Celine Song is telling the viewer is done very well. Yes the tone shift during the later half of the film is a bit bizarre, but it works in the film’s favor. The first bit of the film is a romantic comedy and quite a great one, but then the film hits you with this brutally honest conversation about modern dating and the horrifying unpredictability of connection. Some things are too good to be true, it’s a harsh reality that modern dating can easily go from sunshine and rainbows to downright evil behavior in an instant or even on the same night.
Celine Song’s direction is honest, careful and has this quiet power hit. Whether it be casual conversations between Evans and Johnson or the later half of the film that has tons of hard hitting scenes. Song is able to bring the viewer into the film and make sure they are digesting everything that is going on, in most circumstances tone shifts like what are present in this film would not work. But Celine Song is able to make it work due to how very real this conversation is and by painting a brutally honest picture of how connection can go south.
Materialists might not be as striking as Past Lives but I think the quiet approach that Celine Song takes with this film is more than enough to justify a viewing.
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.
Elio, an underdog with an active imagination, finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, he starts to form new bonds with eccentric aliens while discovering who he’s truly meant to be.
Elio is directed by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi which is the former’s directorial debut with the latter previously directing Turning Red (2022).
Elio is a pretty solid addition to the Pixar library, while there might not be anything new thematically or even story wise going on here, the huge amount of charm is undeniable and it all adds up to make an incredibly fun and adventurous experience for the viewer.
First and foremost the voice cast does a pretty solid job here, Yonas Kibreab plays Elio a character that the viewer can quickly relate to as soon as the film starts. Losing both his parents at a very young age, Elio’s imagination roams free which leads to some genuinely raw moments that, he’s obsessed with communicating with the outside world. Something a lot of kids did when I was growing up and I’m sure the viewer will have the same sort of feeling. The film portrays all of this in such a beautiful way that makes Elio feel like a very real character, yes the film does take liberties in throwing in fantasy elements when it gets to the aliens. But throughout the film the raw feeling of Elio as a character never goes away.
Zoe Saldaña as Olga Solís (Elio’s aunt) is a very important part in this story, there’s sort of an emotional separation between Olga and Elio. Olga gave up on her dreams of becoming an astronaut so she can raise her nephew. Elio’s obsession nearly costs Olga’s job which causes a distance between them. The film explores the pain of both sides incredibly well, it’s done in this thoughtful and genuinely touching way that really makes the viewer immediately care for Elio and Olga.
The animation is stunning, the use of color is very top notch, when the film reaches the space portion of the film it really does feel like you are in another world. While yes the space theme does feel a bit familiar in a lot of ways, what Sharafian and Shi are able to do with it is what makes it so fun, they are able to bring this fun aesthetic and a silly atmosphere that it’s enjoyable. You have your heartwarming moments as well to even things out. It’s some nice world building that while may not going into very deep territory, is still solid enough to capture the main mood of the film’s world.
The writing has many themes going on here such as feeling out of place, loss and loneliness all of which the film does a pretty solid job of exploring. The theme of feeling out of place in particular is beautifully done, combining it with the whole space theme is a smart move as well. Elio is in this spot where he doesn’t know where he belongs due to the loss of his parents, his connection to the outside world can only help him so much. This all leads to beautiful moments that are captured quite well and really are striking in their own ways.
The main criticism here comes from most of the aliens, outside of Gordon who does get quite a bit of development. The rest of the aliens don’t really get a huge amount of development, sure they have a few key differences from on another but there really is not anything that stands out. The antagonist Lord Grigon is just kind of there, he’s fine and he gets the job done but that’s really about it. I do find it interesting that the world itself has a lot more personality and gets more development than most of its inhabitants.
But as it stands Elio is a very strong addition to Pixar’s library, it’s touching, heartwarming and such a sweet film that you can’t help but smile after watching.
Reformed criminals Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula are trying very hard to be good. However, they soon find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes heist that’s masterminded by a new team of delinquents they never saw coming — the Bad Girls.
The Bad Guys 2 is directed by Pierre Perifel director of The Bad Guys (2022).
The Bad Guys (2022) was a surprise, it ended up being one of my favorite films of 2022 a year that was a filled with lots of fantastic releases. The Bad Guys 2 follows a lot of what made the first film so great, there are times where there is a bit of familiarity. However that does not outweigh the positives this film has to offer.
The voice cast is just as good as it was from the first film, Sam Rockwell does such a fantastic job as Mr. Wolf he brings this cool style that always feels fun and this relaxing vibe as well. Some new additions like Danielle Brooks as Kitty Kat, Natasha Lyonne as Doom/Susan and Maria Bakalova are also incredibly great here. They bring these characters their own fun personalities without feeling like almost identical to the main group, in fact I would go as far as to say that The Bad Girls were effective antagonists, while yes some get more development than others I do think for a film that attempted to go with an “opposite team or person” sort of idea this is one of the times where the film nails it.
The animation is just as stunning as it was in the first film, a lot of what I said about the animation from the first film can be applied here. Right at the beginning there’s tons of attention to detail, the colors all pop out incredibly well and the energetic vibe of it all really ties this whole film into a nice little package. The animation is so well done and even expands the film’s world even further from the first film.
The writing is also quite strong here as well, the dynamic between Mr. Wolf and Diane Foxington is genuinely interesting. Their little banter and bond is genuinely heartwarming at times and makes you root for them. The film definitely has a Mission Impossible sort of vibe especially towards the end when things get incredibly chaotic (I mean that in a good way), there really isn’t anything incredible here when it comes to themes. The film is mostly focused on entertaining the viewer which is not a bad thing at all, the film knows its goal and accomplishes it within a matter of seconds.
Overall The Bad Guys 2 is a worthy sequel to a fantastic predecessor, I don’t think this one is as good as the first film simply because it does feel a bit familiar in some areas. However that does not mean this is a bad film, it’s a strong sequel that if you loved the first film you will absolutely fall in love with this one.
Stitch, an extraterrestrial entity, comes to Earth after escaping prison, where he tries to impersonate a dog. Things take a turn when a lonely Hawaiian girl, Lilo, adopts him from an animal shelter and he helps mend her broken family.
Lilo & Stitch is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp who previously directed Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2021). The film serves as a remake to the 2002 film of the same name.
Lilo & Stitch might be the better than Snow White when it comes to Disney live action remakes that came out this year, but is that really worth celebrating? I will admit that there’s parts of Lilo & Stitch that work well enough, but much like a lot of these other live action remakes the end result is complete inferior versions of the original.
As far as the cast goes seeing Chris Sanders return as the voice for Stitch is great, he does a great job here and his connection with Maia Kealoha is easily some of the movie’s best moments. Speaking of which Maia Kealoha absolutely carries this movie, she captures the spirit of Lilo from the original and has a lot of sweet moments. You can easily tell there was so much charm that went into her performance and she was able to bring that to the viewer front and center, if it hadn’t been for Kealoha and Sanders this remake would fall flat almost immediately at the start. The rest of the cast are fine enough, Billy Magnussen as Pleakley has some good moments but that’s really about it, a lot of the other characters such as Jumba just don’t have the charm or energy of what made them so great in the original. A lot of the character writing here felt very half baked and severe lack of passion, which is incredibly unfortunate.
The writing is strange to say the least, this is an instance where the movie is at its best when it follows the original not when it brings new things into the mix. The character writing is especially noticeably dipped in quality the main offender being the choice to make Jumba a villain, it’s an out of nowhere decision that hurts the movie in the long run. Jumba being a villain takes away a lot of what made his character so great in the original, he doesn’t have that same connection with Stitch, while yes he was technically a “mad scientist” in the original but he was ultimately a goofy guy, the destruction he made was accidental because he was mostly insensitive and mean in this goofy way. Think about it this way, imagine if someone tried to make Dr. Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb into a very serious villain. That’s the equivalent of what this movie did here with Jumba. In this movie Jumba is evil for the sake of being evil, he hates everyone, takes away a lot of what made him such a great character.
As far as the ending is concerned it’s a very puzzling decision and really defeats the purpose of the original, not only that but it’s incredibly out of character for Nani. The original had this message of being Ohana which means no one gets left behind, to see a complete whiplash from this movie is bizarre to say the least.
Overall there really isn’t not much else to be said about the live action remake of Lilo & Stitch. It has its moments that capture the original decently well but then you have moments that completely miss what made the original so fun, adventurous and why people love it so much.
A reformed teenage getaway driver is dragged back into her unsavoury past when a former employer offers her an opportunity to save the life of her chronically unreliable ex-boyfriend.
Eenie Meanie is directed by Shawn Simmons which is his directorial debut.
Eenie Meanie is a movie I appreciate more than I like it, don’t get me wrong I still think it’s a fun time and it’s a decent movie to put on. But Simmons tackling a Baby Driver (2017) sort of approach with his directorial debut is an interesting move that partly works!
The acting is pretty solid here, Samara Weaving is always fun to see and here is no exception. This might not be one of my favorite performances of hers but she is so much fun here and it’s admittedly different from what she usually does. Karl Glusman, Steve Zahn and Marshawn Lynch are all pretty great here as well, they are fun in their own right even if their characters leave a lot to be desired in the character writing department.
The action scenes are what makes the film, incredibly high of energy and they capture the atmosphere the movie is going for. The car chase scenes are a whole lot of fun and give the film’s world more flavor, they aren’t anything we have not seen before but they are filled to the brim with style and capture this grindhouse movie feel that does make them standout a bit.
The atmosphere of the film has this 70s and classic B-movie feel, it’s something that remains consistent throughout the film and captures a lot of the fun nature that B-movies typically have.
The main problem comes in with most of the character writing, while there are some decently heartfelt scenes towards the end that are actually quite touching. A majority of the film does not have that and it becomes a bit of a too little too late sort of situation. I still recommend giving this one a go if you are just looking for a blast, just don’t expect any spectacular character work.
Jerome Reviews... 