A father faces a childhood threat that resurfaces. He battles his deepest fear, not for himself, but to protect his family from the sinister danger.
Bagman is directed by Colm McCarthy director of Outcast (2010) and The Girl With All The Gifts (2016).
2024 has been another very strong year for the horror genre, having that said there’s one subsection of the genre that’s been having it quite rough…the PG-13 section. Nightswim, Tarot and Bagman are the main three when it comes to this. All three have pretty good ideas on paper but lack the execution they need to really stand.
Bagman is basically if you took The Bye Bye Man (2017) and took out anything that was so bad it’s funny about it and then proceeded to replace those moments with serious ones. Combine that with the most empty take on folklore and the end result is one of the worst movies of the year.
Sam Claflin gives the best performance of the movie but that’s really not saying much considering how even he can’t really save this movie. A large majority of this movie is forgettable and does not really do anything with the monster, the backstory is fine enough but there’s never any real attempt to bring the viewer along the ride. Instead you are given a brief backstory and are sort of expected to fill in the blanks even though there’s really nothing to fill in. It’s just poor quality writing that feels like someone copied many other horror films that have folklore elements.
Say what you will about The Bye Bye Man (2017) at the very least it had moments where you can burst out laughing due to how idiotic the whole movie was. Bagman on the other hand wants to be taken seriously, it’s not scary enough to warrant a watch from people who are just getting into the genre (there’s many better options) and it’s not campy in a good or bad way. It’s stuck in this category that pretty much makes it immediately forgettable after viewing.
Two young missionaries become ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse when they knock on the door of the diabolical Mr. Reed. Trapped in his home, they must turn to their faith if they want to make it out alive.
Heretic is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods both of which previously directed Nightlight (2015), Haunt (2019), 65 (2023) and a few others.
I knew very little going into Heretic, it looked intriguing and the cast which consists of Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East really drew me in. While not every single swing this movie goes for connects, I really appreciate the direction the film goes for and it has a lot of display of acting talent from the cast.
The performances all around are excellent, Hugh Grant is both intimidating and uncomfortably charming. It’s not often we get to see Grant in a horror film in fact correct me if I’m wrong but the only times he was in a horror film was in 1988’s The Lair Of The White Worm and 1993’s Night Train to Venice. You would think by seeing his performance in Heretic that he had to have been in a lot of them due to just how natural and easily he pulls off this performance. He really leans into the chaotic and thrilling nature of the film and combines that with some goofiness (A Jar Jar Binks impression occurs) that does not take away from the film and instead makes his character Mr. Reed all the more terrifying.
Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher are both excellent here as well, they work well together and have great chemistry. The back and forth between each other really shows their bond in great detail that’s very easily digestible for the viewer, Chloe East gives a nice balance of believing her faith while also harboring some doubts. While Sophie Thatcher tears down the concept almost immediately, the very interesting moments spark when the two sort of have this back and forth debate. It keeps these two characters Sister Barnes (played by Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (played by Chloe East) all the more interesting especially when the second half of the movie rolls around. The two give excellent performances that display their talent as actresses incredibly well.
The atmosphere combined with the one location setting is absolutely well done, directors Beck and Woods do a phenomenal job of creating a suspenseful atmosphere where almost anything can happen. Even if things do get a bit repetitive towards the finish line, the mysterious atmosphere is always in the background waiting for the right moment to surprise the viewer. The movie is a puzzle that fits together very well, the film gives the viewer some clues throughout the film as to what is exactly going on here and the reveal is pretty satisfying.
Honestly the biggest mark against Heretic is as I said before does get a bit repetitive as it goes on, there’s definitely some elements during the third act that don’t exactly land. The ending does seem a bit rushed and could have had a bit more development put into it as it does end up being a very traditional ending that you would expect, where as the film leads you to believe that something bigger is coming.
However that doesn’t stop Heretic from being a very interesting film that is a solid time, it’s best to go into this one knowing as little as possible to really get the full experience.
A Mexican lawyer is offered an unusual job to help a notorious cartel boss retire and transition into living as a woman, fulfilling a long-held desire.
Emilia Perez is directed by Jacques Audiard director of A Self-Made Hero (1996), Read My Lips (2001), A Prophet (2009), Rust and Bone (2012), Dheepan (2015), The Sisters Brothers (2018) and Paris, 13th District (2021).
I’m not even sure where to exactly start with Emilia Perez, what mostly got me interested in the film was the cast and Jacques Audiard a director who’s work I usually really like, he’s done some incredibly strong work in the past….however Emilia Perez is hands down worst film by a large margin. This movie is one of those “what the hell happened?” moments that you ask yourself as you watch it.
There are positives but very few of them, Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofia Gascon both give strong performances. Gascon in particular has a nice singing voice and does bring some much needed emotion to some of the songs even if it’s not nearly enough for a lot of these songs to stick out. Saldaña carries a lot of scenes on her back without her the movie would collapse far faster than it did, the conversations between Gascon and Saldaña show that even with such a terrible script they really try to bring at least something out of it. I do think the two do give strong performances but unfortunately can’t exactly go all out due to the script.
The other positive is Paul Guilhaume’s cinematography which captures a lot of beautiful shots that are quite interesting to look at, there’s this certain spectacle it has that at the very least makes parts of the movie look grand. It’s sort of a whiplash to see such beautiful shots and then soon after be thrown terrible music numbers and terrible dialogue that is baffling.
Everything else about Emilia Perez is terrible and truly baffling, there’s one song number in particular that has song lyrics consisting of “Man to woman, or woman to man? From penis to vagina! Rhinoplasty! Vaginoplasty!” It’s absolutely baffling and something that I genuinely couldn’t believe I was hearing, combine that with it being horribly sung and you got yourself a torturous moment. The rest of the song numbers while not nearly as baffling aren’t good, most of them are quite forgettable and don’t really leave an impression.
Selena Gomez is the weakest here which is a shame, I don’t even dislike Gomez as an actress I think she gave a very strong performance in Spring Breakers (2013) and Only Murders in The Building. But she leaves such little impression here that she might as well not be in the movie. There’s an attempt to try and make her character into something but it does not work due to just how piss poor the writing really is.
Speaking of which the writing is a complete and total mess. There’s themes about regret and wanting to do better which is all well and good but presenting tone deaf elements at the beginning and portraying Emilia Perez (played by Karla Sofia Gascon) herself as a cartel leader (also at the beginning) who’s responsible for so many deaths makes it so much harder to really feel any sort of sympathy towards Perez. The film doesn’t really bring anything striking as to why the viewer should feel bad for her, it just sort of expects you to feel sorry because it says so.
Overall Emilia Perez is a trainwreck, it’s not even a so bad it’s good type of movie. It’s a movie that really makes you question what exactly happened here?
Soft-spoken actress Laura Franco’s life crumbles. She regains her voice after encountering a terrifying but oddly charming Monster living in her closet.
Your Monster is directed by Caroline Lindy which is her directorial debut.
What happens when you blend Old Hollywood and Broadway elements together? You get Your Monster a film before going in I heard was really great but honestly i definitely think that’s a huge understatement, I think this is quite honestly one of the best films of the year for quite a number of reasons from the performances, to Caroline Lindy blending so many genres perfectly together it’s all there.
Starting with the performances Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey are some of the best of the year. Melissa Barrera as Laura Franco is her best performance of her career so far, I think this role gave Melissa exactly what she needed to really put it out there and say “hey I’m here to stay” her character is hilarious, actually quite relatable and actually quite raw. The scenes of her letting all her anger out are filled to the brim with passion, you can absolutely tell Barrera went all in and absolutely nailed it. Melissa Barrera’s singing voice continues to impress here, it was already impressive with In The Heights (2021) but I would argue it’s displayed so much better here. Her singing “My Stranger” alone is just beautiful and is such a beautiful way to close the film as well. Melissa Barrera is able to adapt to the change of tone when needed, whether it’s a humorous, dramatic or even a musical one she’s able to turn every single scene into a blast. Something that a talented performance is able to do!
What I said about Melissa Barrera can easily be applied to Tommy Dewey, his character simply known as Monster is a ton of fun. The chemistry between Barrera and Dewey is honestly heartfelt and actually quite beautiful, the little moments of the two looking at each other in the eyes is truly mesmerizing and makes the viewer all the more invested in both of them. On his on Dewey plays a lot like The Beast from Beauty and The Beast (1991) but at the same time is a very different character and his character development goes on a different path as well. We learn about Monster over the course of the film and what his goals are, he bonds with Laura Franco over music, general talk and so on. Dewey just gives a phenomenal performance all around while doing this.
As I said at the beginning Your Monster combines Old Hollywood elements with Broadway elements. The Broadway elements are given, the music moments really capture the Broadway feel especially when Melissa Barrera sings “My Stranger” she has this powerful and clear voice that switches different moods that screams Broadway. The character’s mannerisms especially Laura Franco and Monster really do have Old Hollywood touches to them, the romantic scenes especially you get a lot of the mannerisms, speech and even character moments. Cinematography Will Stone is able to capture all of this perfectly especially when combined with the investing atmosphere throughout the film.
Finally director Caroline Lindy does such a masterful job in the director’s chair. She has an eye for engaging shots that really tell the viewer a little more about each of the scenes, there’s one scene in particular that really stands out that has both Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey just go all out. They both have a range of emotions during this moment that Lindy captures so well and brings so much passion as well. Combining all of this makes for a fascinating picture that you never want to stop looking at.
Overall Your Monster is one of the best films of the year. It’s hilarious, heartfelt and a ton of fun, Caroline Lindy is definitely a director to keep an eye on because this was incredible. If you haven’t checked this one out please do so.
Your Monster is in theaters and will be on VOD platforms tomorrow!
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins to experience increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and pressures of fame, she must face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.
Smile 2 is directed by Parker Finn who previously directed Smile (2022). The film serves as a sequel to Smile (2022).
Smile (2022) was a huge surprise for many people (myself included) what could have easily been a forgettable and bad studio horror movie, ended up being a pretty strong film that had some great performances, atmosphere and camerawork to back it up. Smile 2 just about tops the first film in every single category and you can really tell director Parker Finn went all in this time. The first film felt like he was testing the waters of what he can do as a director, Smile 2 is Finn showing his real ability as a filmmaker.
The performances all around are quite excellent however Naomi Scott in the leading role easily steals the show, there’s been a ton of fantastic performances from horror films this year. There’s so many you could make an entire list out of it, Naomi Scott is one of those performances where it’s jaw dropping and just satisfying to watch. Her performance as Sky Riley is both raw and quite sad in some cases, it’s a descent into madness that slowly but surely happens over the course of the film. It’s both horrifying and intriguing to watch Scott’s performance only amplifies this and really makes the whole experience that much more terrifying especially when combined with the atmosphere. Naomi Scott’s performance alone really shows how hard Parker Finn went with the direction, it’s something you instantly notice when Scott enters the film.
The atmosphere is just as terrifying as it was with the first film, although I would say it’s built a bit better. The very first scene already brings you into the terrifying atmosphere with some nasty kills. Kyle Gallner for the short amount of time he’s in the film really does a great job at establishing how terrifying the rest of the film is going to be, the first scene is filled with tension, raw camera movements and just this nasty energy to it that hits you in the face. Which easily matches the film’s tone.
The practical effects combined with the kills and style of the film is truly well done, the effects are nasty but incredibly satisfying to look at. They eventually lead to a very bizarre ending that may not work for everyone but for me it works so incredibly well, It does a really great job of wrapping around its main theme which is commentary on the music industry plus ignoring the singer’s mental health when they are in need. Many of the careful camera movements that focus on Sky Riley do such a great job of telling you this, these movements also begin to blur the line of what’s actually happening and what isn’t. It’s as if we are in Sky’s head truly fascinating camera techniques that I haven’t seen in quite awhile.
Overall Smile 2 is incredibly solid sequel, it does everything a good sequel should do…improve from it’s predecessor, I absolutely cannot wait to see more of what Parker Finn as a director has in store. I also hope from this point forward Naomi Scott is given performances like this because this is easily the best of her career.
Smile 2 is currently in theaters and will be on VOD platforms November 19th!
In 1970s Los Angeles, as a wave of murders makes headlines, a young woman aspiring to become an actress and a serial killer cross paths during an episode of a dating show.
Woman Of The Hour is directed by Anna Kendrick which is her directorial debut! The film is based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala and his 1978 appearance on The Dating Game in the midst of his murder spree.
It’s no secret that the true crime subgenre has been a bit of a mixed bag over the years, there’s been so many debates on whether or not a certain TV show or movie is exploitive, does said film or TV show do justice to the story, what does or does not count as being exploitive?Those are questions that I’m not sure anyone can give a definitive answer to, however what is noticeable is the quality of said films and TV shows. While there are exceptions, a lot of them really do seem like they are sent out to cash in on a certain case. That’s why Anna Kendrick’s Woman Of The Hour feels incredibly refreshing, there is clearly a lot of passion and skill put into this film.
For starters the performances all around are quite fantastic Anna Kendrick delivers one of her best performances of her career, she’s able to adapt to each scene she’s in and fit in with the atmosphere. When she needs to be funny she’s able to tell some jokes that fit with the atmosphere, when she needs to be in distress especially in uncomfortable situations she’s able to do that quite easily. She captures this raw portrayal of a woman who’s very much victim of being stalked and targeted, these moments are incredibly terrifying due to just how real Anna Kendrick and Daniel Zovatto’s performances really are.
Speaking of which Daniel Zovatto as Rodney Alcala is one of the most terrifying and at times disturbing performances of the year, the way he’s able to switch from being somewhat charming to a cold blooded killer that stalks his victim in a matter of seconds is unbelievable and leaves the viewer with fear. Every time he’s on screen you can absolutely feel the tension in the air, it’s closing in on the viewer with no way out until the scenes ends with there horrifying results.
Autumn Beast is also quite fantastic here as well, much like Kendrick she captures what it’s like to be stalked and targeted. Every scene of her trying to find a way to run from Alcala and call for help is tense and completely drags you into the film. The interactions between Beast and Zovatto are also some of the film’s most suspenseful, as one sudden move from Alcala could be horrible for Amy (played by Autumn Beast).
Anna Kendrick as far as a director is truly wonderful, she’s able to capture a balance of suspense and humor. The humorous moments mostly occur in The Dating Game portion of the film, even though these moments are humorous there’s moments during the show such as when Sheryl Bradshaw (played by Anna Kendrick) asks questions such as “Which one of you will hurt me?” This is definitely one of Kendrick’s best moments in the film both as a director and as an actress, its heavy reminder that not everything in this game show is laughing.
The suspenseful moments Anna Kendrick handles just as well, as I said before they capture such a raw feel that completely takes the viewer into the film, what’s great about these moments is they do not rely on gore to be disturbing, it’s purely atmosphere, actions of the actors and actresses and tension. This is something a lot of these true crime films and tv shows seem to be missing, they want to disturb the view by showing gore and other disturbing elements. Which while yes sometimes it does work, a lot of the time it comes off as very exploitative and shows that focus is going into the wrong priority. Anna Kendrick clearly understands this and uses classic atmosphere tools to tackle a disturbing case which in turn creates a horrifying picture without needing to be over the top.
Overall Woman Of The Hour is a breath of fresh air for the true crime genre, I really hope we get to see more of Anna Kendrick’s directing career because this was incredibly interesting!
At a sold-out concert in her hometown of LA, Olivia Rodrigo pours her heart into an electrifying night of chart-topping hits and pop-rock power ballads.
Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour is directed by James B. Merryman who previously directed Shakira in Concert: El Dorado World Tour (2019).
Olivia Rodrigo is only 21 years old and she’s already had two very successful albums Sour (2021) and Guts (2023). She’s one of the biggest names in music currently and this concert film really shows why that is. While there isn’t a whole lot to comment on here, as this is a pretty straightforward concert film that’s song after song. There’s still so much to look at and really appreciate here especially Rodrigo’s talent.
I actually do like the straightforward approach this film goes for with the concert movie genre (if you want to call it that), some concert films opt to tell a story in between songs which can sometimes work (depending on the artist) but what Olivia does here is she’s able to communicate through her songs. Take for instance my second favorite song of the film “Enough For You” even though Olivia does explain a bit before starting how she was thinking about her grandfather while singing it, she’s able express that and share the emotion through her performance. It’s one of those moments that made me cry simply due to how well Olivia is able to connect with the viewer.
As far as the filming, choreography and Olivia’s singing goes they are all excellent. This film is a reminder of just how talented Olivia really is, she’s moving around, jumping, dancing ect while singing something that isn’t exactly very easy to do. The filming is not anything special but perhaps it does not need to be, it gives off a much more natural feel like the viewer is actually there in concert. While it is nice to have stylized filming in concert films, sometimes it can take you out of the experience which wasn’t the case here. The film relied on Olivia’s show to bring some exciting visuals which in turn the show delivered especially when you combine it with the choreography.
Overall Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour is filled to the brim with energy, satisfying and will make any fan of Olivia Rodrigo excited!
Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour is available on Netflix.
When a killer injects her with a paralytic agent, a woman must run, fight and hide before her body completely shuts down.
Don’t Move is directed by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler. Netto being the director of Delivery: The Beast Within (2013) and Schindler being the director of Intruders (2015).
Admittedly you kind of figure out where Don’t Move is going, but that doesn’t stop the movie from being decently fun and one of the better Netflix thrillers to come out this year.
What helps this movie is the performances from Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock, Asbille does incredibly well as Iris who uses everything she can to survive. She matches the atmosphere the movie is going for and her facial acting where she goes a long time without speaking easily tells the viewer what she’s trying to say. These are the moments where the movie’s atmosphere really shines and it helps that Wittrock being intimidating throughout the film, he can easily switch from being a seemingly nice person to someone downright terrible with a flip of a switch. Together the two really help push the movie to the finish line and bring a lot of thrills to their performances.
The one location setting combined with the cinematography is also quite great, it sets the atmosphere very well and makes the cat and mouse game elements all the more interesting, the forest setting combined with the cabin always makes for a suspenseful ride in thrillers like this and here is no exception. The writing while not anything to write home about, keeps the movie at a steady pace and actually does lead into some interesting back and forth between Iris (played by Kelsey Asbille) and Richard (played by Finn Wittrock).
As I said before you do kind of figure out where the movie is going early on, the plot and the conclusion isn’t anything crazy and not really something we haven’t seen before. But at the very least the movie is a decent amount of fun with some quite strong acting, it might not be something I will ever come back to but it’s a good time killer.
A teen in 2024 accidentally time-travels to 2003, days before a masked killer murders his sister.
Time Cut is directed by Hannah Macpherson director of Sickhouse (2016).
Despite popular belief (being generous with the word popular) Time Cut was actually written before Nahnatchka Khan’s Totally Killer (2023) a film that I quite liked. Both have very similar ideas but go about executing said ideas very differently. While Totally Killer does have its flaws, it has the spirit of the slasher genre and actually does have a decent amount of heart. Plus it helps that the acting is quite solid. Time Cut however gets so much of this wrong that starts to become a confused mess.
Right from the start you are greeted with this terrible Lifetime movie and made for TV feel, I understand that this was on the lower budget side of things but it’s very hard to ignore just how cheaply made this feels. The acting is terrible Madison Bailey and Antonia Gentry are the best of the cast but even they struggle with the movie’s shallow script, there’s a few cute moments between the two as much like Totally Killer this movie does have heart in it except this time it’s sisterhood. It doesn’t work nearly as well here due to Lucy and Summer just not being interesting characters or even well written ones, it’s a shame because I think with a far better script there could have been something here.
For a slasher movie this movie doesn’t really do a lot of slashing, that might have not really been a problem if the kills that do happen were good…that’s not the case here at all, parts like this really do feel like this is as if the Lifetime channel attempt to make a sci-fi horror movie. It’s incredibly watered down for no real reason, I get that it’s rated PG-13 but there has been some quite gory PG-13 films in the past that use the rating as much as they can. Time Cut just seems like it’s focusing on watering down its own horror elements and doing the bare minimum with its sci-fi ones.
The film attempts to capture the spirit of 2003 which it fails at, sure you might have songs like Complicated by Avril Lavigne and A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton but the use of these songs is shockingly dull. It really does seem like they threw in some popular songs at the time and called it a day, not even trying to do anything clever with these songs. Plus with the ugly filming, costumes and even the dialogue this does not feel like 2003, this feels like someone’s idea of what 2003 was.
Finally there’s the final act of the movie where everything combusts, sure the rest of the movie was terrible but at the very least there was some sort of logic. But the third act takes it a step too far and relies on plot conveniences to justify its stupidity in the final act, I wasn’t expecting a masterfully written sci-fi horror movie but breaking so many of your own rules that you establish early on with laughably bad reasons is where you lose the viewer.
Overall I think it’s fair to say that Time Cut really does act like a watered down version of Totally Killer. Although Time Cut was written first, there’s a clear indication of which of the two films pushed harder with its premise.
Happy Halloween everyone! I hope everyone has a good one, October flew by and now tomorrow is November. A few things before the films.
I am now feeling a lot better (was sick with COVID), my still computer is still broken but I do have a few reviews from October that I will be posting some time this weekend.
November is going to be heavily used as a catch up month, there’s still a decent amount coming out on VOD and streaming platforms this month. But not an overwhelming amount, as there was this month.
Finally I do have Anora on the list even though I saw it already, I plan on seeing it again and writing about the characters and the world around them, it’s a film I haven’t stopped thinking about since I saw it at the NYFF and I’m hyped to see it again. So stay tuned for that.
13. The Piano Lesson – November 8th (Theaters) and November 22nd (Netflix)
12. Blitz – November 1st (Theaters) and November 22nd (Apple TV+
11. Wicked – November 22nd (Theaters)
10. Juror No. 2 – November 1st (Theaters)
9. Queer – November 27th (Theaters)
8. All We Imagine Is Light – November 15th (Theaters)
7. The Seed Of The Sacred Fig – November 27th (Theaters)
6. Gladiator II – November 22nd (Theaters)
5. A Real Pain – November 1st (Limited) and November 15th (Wide)
Jerome Reviews... 