Movie Reviews
Hey folks I hope everyone is doing well!
I once again apologize for the lack of reviews, so much has happened at once. I got COVID a third time and my computer broke, both happening right after each other. I am luckily getting better, i definitely will have a lot to catch up on.
I’ll be returning with reviews soon, thank you for your patience!
Terrifier 3 is directed by Damien Leone director of All Hallows Eve (2013), Terrifier (2016), Terrifier 2 (2022) and a few others! Terrifier 3 is the sequel to Terrifier 2 (2022) and the third installment to the franchise.
After Terrifier 2 (2022) going viral and being a hit with critics, fans and box office wise Terrrifier 3 was confirmed. One question that was left on some people’s minds…how do you go a step up from here? Little did we know Damien Leone had a lot of tricks up his sleeve with Terrifier 3 which in every single category is a huge step up from the second film, this is coming from someone who loved the second film as well. But Terrifier 3 takes what was so excellent about the previous film and not only improves on it but adds in its own elements as well.
First and foremost Lauren LaVera returns as Sienna Shaw and she once again does a fantastic job, not only is she given more character moments to work with. But her performance that was already quite great in the previous film improved here, combine that with the survivors guilt sort of theme the film does with her character and you have yourself a very investing final girl. Speaking of which LaVera really makes for one of the most exciting final girls in the modern age, she has so much personality and goes through so much. Although the theme of trauma and survivors guilt isn’t done in a way that’s exactly new here, it fits the film incredibly well especially in the context of the story, we might not get a ton of these moments but they are there and helps the film be a lot more than just a gore fest (which there’s nothing wrong with being.)
Antonella Rose is also quite great here, almost immediately when entering the film she is incredibly lovable and the viewer quickly grows attached to her. The bond between her character Gabbie Shaw and Sienna Shaw is genuinely sweet and has the beautiful family bond we as viewers absolutely love to see in film and here is no exception. Side note she does look a lot like a young Jenna Ortega when she was in Stuck In The Middle (great show by the way.)
David Howard Thornton returns as Art the Clown and I have to say he somehow gets even better, from the facial acting that leads to some genuinely hilarious moments to being quite intimidating when he appears on screen. There’s so much that adds to the character, Art the Clown is also a lot more brutal this time around making it clear he does not mess around at all, sure there’s some comedic moments where he does some hilarious things or body language. But the film quickly reminds you that he can be just as brutal as he can be funny.
Then there is the gore and when I say there’s a lot of it there is a ton, to say it beats out the previous film would be an understatement. There’s two scenes in particular that I won’t spoil that alone beat everything from the previous film (yes even beating the bedroom scene that I’m sure you are familiar with.) the gore is very well done as usual with these films and fits with the grindhouse atmosphere the film is going for. I said in my review for the previous film that it went for the classic grindhouse and splatter film spirit, in the case of this film while it does go for that as well. It also sort of modernizes it a bit, it’s more of a what if scenario if these films were still at their prime while other subgenres weren’t as popular. It’s incredibly fitting for the film and is quite effective.
Lastly the film is just a huge amount of fun that you can really tell had so much effort and passion put into it. It’s wonderful we got more character development of Sienna Shaw and we got the gore plus the brutal nature of these films all in one package. It’s a film that knows what the audience came for while adding in a few extra elements to keep the film more focused and entertaining.
Overall Terrifier 3 is an excellent film and one of my favorites of the year, it’s a huge step up from the already excellent Terrifier 2 (2022). I’m very interested to see where the fourth film goes!
Terrifier 3 is currently in theaters!
10/10 A+
Daddy’s Head is directed by Benjamin Barfoot director of Double Date (2017).
Daddy’s Head was definitely a surprise, while it definitely could have used some work narratively. There’s so much here to like and the movie utilizing its location and atmosphere really helps this movie become a thrilling ride.
The performances are all pretty solid, the acting is what’s really doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. Rupert Turnbull gives a great child performance and at times does feel a bit raw, which only makes the scenes of him and the monster of the film interacting with one another that much more scary.
The atmosphere combined with the location is quite great, we get some scenes in the forest structure that are genuinely creepy and really bring the viewer close to the action. The creature covered in darkness is an added bonus as well, it’s almost like a void is talking and you can see the fear on Isaac’s (played by Turnbull) face. The creature being symbolic of loss, memories and how it affects loved ones when a person sadly passes away might not be anything new. But the film does a great job of tying it into the story and actually leads to some beautiful moments.
The main criticism here is the writing, while it’s not bad it most certainly isn’t anything new either. We have seen plenty of horror movies tackle grief and loss, Daddy’s Head just sort of adds to the pile although the creature at least brings something interesting to the table. Plus the movie does leave you with a lot more questions than answers and not in a way that will leave you thinking about it during the credits.
Having that being said, I do think Daddy’s Head is pretty solid film. It’s definitely not one of the most notable horror films of the year and might not exactly be something I’ll ever return to, but if your a fan of the genre you should get enough out of this.
Daddy’s Head is available on Shudder.
7/10 B
Caddo Lake is directed by Logan George and Celine Held directors of Topside (2020).
Caddo Lake has an interesting setup that ultimately does get quite convoluted, having that said what makes this one at the very least decent is mainly the acting and the atmosphere that’s captured.
The performances from Dylan O’Brien and Eliza Scanlen are both quite great, combine that with the thrilling atmosphere that slowly but surely develops throughout the movie and you got yourself a decent ride. The character development is missing sadly as we really don’t get to learn a whole lot about our characters, but luckily the performances are just enough to make up for it.
The twist is a bit too messy for the movie’s own good, it gets way too convoluted with a lot of story elements that seem to be missing. In these cases development in both the movie’s world and story were much needed.
Overall Caddo Lake is still decently fun just not a whole lot going on here and is held back from some serious plot holes.
Caddo Lake is available on MAX or HBO Max.
6/10 C+
Mr. Crocket is directed by Brandon Espy which is his directorial debut.
Mr. Crocket is if you took Freddy Kruger and he went after parents instead of children then added a Fred Rogers coat of paint on to it. This is a very interesting idea on paper that really hooked me in, but unfortunately Mr. Crocket is a prime example of a movie that doesn’t fully commit to it’s premise and falls short midway through the movie.
The performance from Elvis Nolasco as Mr. Crocket is a lot of fun, he goes from pretending to be friendly to intimidating quite quickly and does well in both categories. He’s by far one of the best parts of the movie and easily gives some of the most entertaining moments. Jerrika Hinton isn’t too bad here, although her character is very typical for the horror genre. She plays a convincing worrying mother well enough to make a lot of her scenes work.
The creature designs combined with the practical effects are admittedly very neat and fit wonderfully in the movie, it’s just such a shame the movie doesn’t go all out with them and instead focuses on this whole mystery element. Sure we get bits and pieces throughout the movie but it’s not until the end where we really get to see them on full display.
A lot of the main issues come from the writing, it’s tonally inconsistent at times it’s this campy movie that’s a lot of fun but then the very next scene will be Summer (played by Jerrika Hinton) looking for her son and the movie plays it like it wants you to take it seriously. Which leads into the third act which although the creature designs and practical effects are neat, it’s very much one of those third acts that throws so much at the wall to see what sticks with none of it sticking.
It’s a shame because the idea of Mr. Crocket is really neat but the execution leaves so much to be desired and is begging for another a look in the writers room.
Mr. Crocket is available on Hulu.
4/10 D+
Lonely Planet is directed by Susannah Grant director of Catch and Release (2006).
Lonely Planet is the third movie of 2024 about an age gap romance with an older woman and a much younger man. The previous two movies being The Idea Of You and A Family Affair, the former being a pretty decent movie mainly due to Anne Hathaway and the latter being a terrible movie that not even Zac Efron or Nicole Kidman could save. Unfortunately Lonely Planet falls in the latter category and suffers from a lot of the exact same problems as A Family Affair did.
The performances are about the same as they were in A Family Affair, Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth just have no chemistry with one another. Individually they aren’t terrible but this movie somehow made Laura Dern boring, which I have to say is incredibly hard to do even in bad movies she’s able to at least bring some sort of fun to the movie in question. But in this case she’s given such a dull role that’s been done countless times at this point, Liam Hemsworth is fine for the most part but much like Dern his character is dull and forgettable.
The scenery combined with the cinematography from Ben Smithard at the very least gives the viewer something beautiful to look at, but that’s not enough to really justify how forgettable and cliched this movie really is. It’s a giant mishmash of cliches that reaches very predictable conclusions, it plays out very similarly to how A Family Affair did both in its typical romance cliches (this one is going for more of a romantic drama) and its forgettable nature.
Overall this honestly just feels like Netflix tweaked A Family Affair a bit and sent out the exact same thing again. Not much else to say here..
Lonely Planet is available on Netflix.
3/10 D-
Anora is directed by Sean Baker director of Tangerine (2015), The Florida Project (2017), Red Rocket (2021) and many others.
Anora is yet another home run for Sean Baker, he’s a director that has shown over the years that he takes these stories he tells and shows them to the viewer in a very natural way. Letting them do the talking while you sit and watch, you get beautiful moments, upsetting moments and so on. Anora really feels like what Sean Baker’s career has been building up to, it’s very different from his previous work. It’s like he wanted to push himself further to see what he could create which the end result is arguably his best film yet.
Starting with the performances, Mikey Madison gives the performance of the year. Right from the beginning she gives such a raw and beautiful performance that immediately grabs your attention, Madison’s ability to constantly switch emotions during the roller coaster ride of a film is truly masterful and says something about her talent. Mikey Madison plays Anora/Ani so beautifully that really compliments this film’s absolutely bizarre nature, this is the type of performance where you can tell there’s a star being born. She lights up the film every single moment, even with the moments where she does not speak her body language and facial expressions tell everything she’s thinking. Madison does everything, kicking, screaming, punching, curses, pleads, cries, laughs it’s all there and each and every moment she gives one of the best performances of the 2020s so far, she works incredibly well with the rest of the cast which ultimately leads into chaos. Each and every scene Madison is commanding the scene masterfully, if Mikey Madison’s chaotic yet unforgettable performance is not a best actress nominating performance (or even winner) at the Oscars I’m not sure what is.
Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan are all fantastic, as I said before they work incredibly well with Mikey Madison. But they all also stand on their own very well, Eydelshteyn’s chemistry with Madison is a lot of fun. He is what sets up the roller coaster of the film and his character Ivan really matches the energy of what ends up unfolding. The moments we get to see Madison and Edyelshteyn together are truly fascinating, just the simple conversations they have between one another are truly investing and makes you but their chemistry.
Yura Borisov and Vache Tovmasyan play Igor (played by Borisov) and Garnick (played by Tovmasyan) two henchmen of Toros (played by Karagulian) what I love about these two is they have very different personalities and aren’t your typical movie henchmen. Garnick is a much more comedic character while Igor is much more quiet who does still have is comedic moments. But there’s one particular moment involving his character during the final moments of the film I’ll get to later. Combined together with the performance of Karagulian these three display some incredibly entertaining slapstick comedy, the three add to this film’s chaotic energy. The moment the three enter the film changes and does not hold back at all with its chaos. But between that chaos and slapstick comedy, these three are incredibly fun characters that do have development throughout the film.
As I’ve hinted at so far Anora is quite a chaotic film, but it’s truly fascinating in its execution. Characters talking over each other and constantly interrupting, the close up camera angles and such all combine to paint this bizarre picture that works in just about every single way possible. The 35mm cinematography from Drew Daniels captures this so well especially during the night scenes that are quite honestly some of the most beautiful shots from a film I’ve seen this year. The score is excellent and fits the tone of the film, there’s so many moments where the score does the talking and really lets the character’s actions speak for themselves. What I wasn’t expecting the film to be is funny, the film is actually quite hilarious. It balances flawlessly with the dramatic moments, powerful moments and the chaotic moments.
Finally there’s the ending of the film, which I won’t spoil but I will say before this the film was a roller coaster ride of emotions. As we come to the end of Ani’s journey the ending hits you like a truck it’s absolutely devastating to watch and will most certainly bring you to tears. Staying strong for that long only to be broken down when you think you can move on is one of the most powerful feelings that someone can feel and it’s portrayed flawlessly here. The acting from Yura Borisov and especially Mikey Madison is truly powerful and just one of the film’s many unforgettable moments.
Mikey Madison’s performance during these final moments of the film is something you are never going to forget, it’s a very realistic portrait of someone breaking down and showing vulnerability. This is a performance that broke me, made me immediately cry when I watch it. The camera remaining on Ani makes this all the more powerful and unforgettable.
Anora is the best film I’ve seen so far this year and quite honestly one of the best films of the decade. It’s a truly fascinating film that has everything and hits it out of the park with all of the different emotions the film uses. Sean Baker truly creates something special, something that’s going to be remembered for years to come.
Anora releases October 18th in select cities and goes wide in November!
10/10 A+
Red Rooms is directed by Pascal Plante director of Fake Tattoos (2017) and Nadia Butterfly (2020).
Red Rooms is a film that I went into not knowing a whole lot about, all I knew was that it was quite disturbing….and well that is indeed true. Granted it’s disturbing in a different sense of the word but still a very heavy film that the more you think about it the more terrifying it is.
The performances all across the board are incredible, Juliette Gariépy and Laurie Babin give some of the best performances of the year. Especially Gariépy who does a fantastic job of playing this woman who’s quite clearly successful and even does modeling on the side, but also has a deep obsession with a trial about the alleged Demon of Rosemont a serial killer who’s crimes described in the film is disgusting, brutal and horrifying. Kelly-Anne streams his horrific work on the dark web for Bitcoin, it’s a performance that is quite horrifying and incredibly disturbing but so well done at the same time.
Right from the beginning the film establishes its disturbing atmosphere, the score is booming and when the opening credits finish we are thrown into a courtroom where we learn about the horrific actions of the alleged Demon of Rosemont. It’s worth mentioning that we never see the brutal crimes, the film doesn’t rely on gore to be disturbing it relies heavily on the character’s actions and the atmosphere which both combined together works effectively.
As the film progresses it gets more and more dark, the film explores the dark net without being anywhere near over the top. There’s a sense of cleverness to exploring it, you feel the real horror in words that stays with you throughout the film. There’s also a helpless mother hoping justice is severed while you have this group who endlessly defends the alleged killer, all of these elements combined together makes for a realistic portrait that is quite terrifying.
There’s one scene in particular in the courtroom where have everyone and the viewer listen to the screams of the videos of the brutal killings. Nothing is shown as I said before, but the screams by themselves are incredibly terrifying and will leave you scared, it’s masterfully done with incredible sound design, tension and an already strong established atmosphere.
Overall Red Rooms is an experience, it’s a disturbing and powerful film that I highly recommend you check out as it is one of the best films of the year.
Red Rooms is available on all VOD platforms.
10/10 A+
It’s What’s Inside is directed by Greg Jardin which is directorial debut!
I honestly can’t remember the last time a film absolutely confused me in a good way, It’s What’s Inside starts out simple enough before evolving into this mind game that’s one hell of an experience. It takes a lot of swings that connect quite well throughout the film.
The performances are quite great and what help the premise work as well as it did, Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey and David W. Thompson are definitely the standouts as they play their characters incredibly well and combined with the surprisingly natural writing (despite the film being very out there) they all work together very well. What helps here is each of the characters have their flaws and throughout the film we learn a bit more about them, even details that could make the viewer change their view on certain characters, it’s cleverly done on the writers part to spread these details out over the course of the film so we aren’t bombarded with information at the beginning.
The atmosphere is also a key element that makes this whole movie work, right when the bizarre mind bending stuff occurs the atmosphere is set. It’s the type of atmosphere that makes it seem like you are in a completely different universe, where you have no idea how the rules work but you are along for the ride just to see what unfolds. The setting compliments this as well, the mansion like setting is the perfect place to pull off this bizarre idea of switching bodies and then unfolding into madness. It fits with the characters and their actions throughout the film, plus we get close up shots that really drag us in.
The idea of the film works especially due to the twists, they all are not shoved at the end. They are strategically placed and each and every time they are satisfying and shocking, they have the perfect amount of buildup, suspense and development to really work into the story being told. Many characters play this body swapping game which is where the confusion comes in, however that’s what makes the film so great it grabs your attention where you are constantly watching.
I won’t say much more about It’s What’s Inside as this is definitely a film that you should go watch with knowing as little as possible! I hope we get to see more of director Greg Jardin because this was excellent and so much fun!
It’s What’s Inside is available on Netflix!
9/10 A
Hellboy: The Crooked Man is directed by Brian Taylor director of Crank (2006), Crank: High Voltage (2009), Gamer (2009) and Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (2011). This film is the second reboot of the Hellboy film series and is the fourth live action movie.
Hellboy has had a weird history in film, the ones that are well regarded are Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) both of which are directed by Guillermo Del Toro. Both films were incredible especially visually for their time and still hold up quite well to this day, plus Del Toro put his own spin on them that was incredibly charming and captured the character. There were plans for a third movie but it never happened, instead we got Hellboy (2019) which was basically a copy and paste version of Deadpool it’s a movie that came and went. Now we have this movie, which admittedly is better than expect and actually surpasses the 2019 movie…that doesn’t mean this is good.
I will say that I do like that the movie was trying to do, the horror folklore elements combined with the locations was pretty interesting. There were some genuine atmospheric moments that actually surprised me, Jack Kesy who plays Hellboy is actually not bad here. He’s no Ron Perlman but he gets the job done and actually does have some lines here that are pretty neat. It’s not a performance that’s going to break any new ground for the character but it helps that one of the main concerns going into this movie was taken off the table.
Having that said the rest of the movie isn’t so great, I completely understand this movie was done on a low budget a $20 million dollar budget to be exact. Which when you compare that to the budgets of the previous movies that’s a very noticeable difference, the team absolutely did their best with the budget but unfortunately this is one of those movies where you can really tell the budget was holding them back.
Some of the visuals are very messy, there’s a lot of scenes that really scream “fan film” and the dialogue especially towards the end is quite terrible. The main villain The Crooked Man is a lot like the Leprechaun from The Leprechaun film series, from the actions to even the voice it’s almost identical which really makes it hard to take him seriously as a villain (somehow he comes off less threatening than the Leprechaun.)
As far as story goes it’s a bit of a mess, the plot revolves around these other characters who are pretty much your stock horror movie characters, Hellboy himself sometimes just wanders around in the background which admittedly does make for some unintentional hilarious moments.
Overall there really isn’t that much to Hellboy: The Crooked Man as you would expect, it goes by pretty quickly and is just mostly a blur. I will admit that going into this movie I thought this was going to be a whole lot worse and while I can absolutely respect the move to try and do a Hellboy movie with a $20 million dollar budget, as I said before the budget restraints are felt and ultimately hurts the movie.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man is available on all VOD platforms.
4/10 D+
Jerome Reviews... 