House Of Spoils (2024) Film Review!

It tells the story of a chef who opens her first restaurant where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor and self doubt, but the pressure heats up thanks to the spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her.

House Of Spoils is directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy who both previously directed Blow The Man Down (2019).

House Of Spoils is yet another misfire from Blumhouse, that really should not shock you given how bad of a year it’s been for them. While the movie isn’t as bad as Afraid, Imaginary or Nightswim that really does not say much at all.

Ariana DeBose is the only reason there’s positives here, without her the whole ship would sink. She gives the best performance she can really give with a script that is incredibly lacking in its own premise and even disinterested in doing something interesting as well.

The movie is close to doing something interesting with its premise but backs out at the last minute and goes for a much more safe and predictable route. A choice that heavily hurts this movie and makes a lot of scenes that previously happened feel incredibly pointless, which is a shame because the setup is decent but once the movie reaches its second half that’s when the movie just gives up and glosses over a lot of plot elements and characters that were established early on.

There’s no conflict with the characters, the horror is completely drained and the setup that had some creepy moments along with the atmosphere is replaced with jumpscares that anyone can see coming. At this point in the movie it truly makes you wonder why you even bothered in the first place as the movie renders itself as pointless.

Overall House Of Spoils is terrible, outside of the decent performance from Ariana DeBose and the occasional solid moments. This is a very wasted premise on a movie that doesn’t seem to care to grab the viewers attention.

House Of Spoils is available on Amazon Prime Video.

3/10 D-

Hold Your Breath (2024) Film Review!

In 1930s Oklahoma, a young mother haunted by the past becomes convinced that a mysterious presence in dust storms is threatening her family and takes extraordinary measures to protect them.

Hold Your Breath is directed by Karrie Crouse and Will Joines which is their directorial debut.

Hold Your Breath is what you think of when someone says “movies with great ideas but is incredibly lacking execution.” Because this one is incredibly empty and a mess as well.

Sarah Paulson gives a very strong performance that is both fantastic and very unhinged, it’s a performance that will definitely get you excited and may even interest you during the first half of the movie. The filming is also quite solid as well, there’s the occasional really neat shots that do fit the movie’s atmosphere which leads to some effective moments.

Unfortunately despite an interesting story it goes in very predictable directions and fails to find its own identity. The pacing doesn’t help this at all by moving at a snail’s pace, each of the acts have a much different tone than the last. By the end of the movie it’s a huge tangled mess that has no idea what it’s trying to do, a lot of what happens in this movie happens because the movie makes up stuff as it goes along and not in an interesting way.

There’s parts of this movie that tried to do a lot of what It Comes At Night (2017) did, It Comes At Night (2017) made sense and didn’t throw everything against the wall to see what sticks, Hold Your Breath does the direct opposite and ultimately loses the viewer in the process.

Overall Hold Your Breath isn’t horrendous, but it is very disappointing and unfortunately falls flat very quickly.

Hold Your Breath is available on Hulu.

4/10 D+

Most Anticipated Films Of October 2024!

September came and went, we had quite a lot of releases last month and if you think that was a lot wait until you see October! October has a lot to look forward to, each week brings in at least something that will interest anyone!

Before I begin I do want to note that I’ve already seen Anora! I saw it at the NYFF on September 29th, however I still have it placed at number 1 because I’m just that excited to watch it again! I’ll be posting my review for it more than likely tomorrow, it’s such an incredible film that I do highly recommend to check out when it releases! I’ll save the rest for the review but for now let’s get to the list!

30. Catnado – October 22nd (VOD)

29. House Of Spoils – October 3rd (Amazon Prime Video)

28. Carved – October 21st (Hulu)

27. Krazy House – October 4th (VOD)

26. Hold Your Breath – October 3rd (Hulu)

25. Daddy’s Head – October 11th (Shudder)

24. Don’t Move – October 25th (Netflix)

23. Time Cut – October 30th (Netflix)

22. The Platform 2 – October 4th (Netflix)

21. Olivia Rodrigo Guts World Tour Film – October 29th (Netflix)

20. Mr. Crocket – October 11th (Hulu)

19. Salems Lot – October 3rd (MAX or HBO Max)

18. Rumours – October 11th (Theaters)

17. V/H/S: Beyond – October 4th (Shudder)

16. Joker 2 – October 4th (Theaters)

15. Saturday Night – October 11th (Theaters)

14. Magpie – October 25th (Theaters)

13. Conclave – October 25th (Theaters)

12. Woman Of The Hour – October 18th (Netflix)

11. Smile 2 – October 18th (Theaters)

10. It’s What’s Inside – October 4th (Netflix)

9. We Live In Time – October 11th (Limited Theaters) and October 18th (Wide Theaters)

8. Nickel Boys – October 25th (Theaters)

7. Azrael – October 25th (Shudder)

6. The Shadow Strays – October 17th (Netflix)

5. Red Rooms – October 4th (VOD)

4. The Outrun – October 4th (Theaters)

3. Terrifier 3 – October 11th (Theaters)

2. Your Monster – October 25th (Theaters)

1. Anora – October 18th (Theaters)

The Substance (2024) Film Review!

Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for an aerobics show, faces a devastating blow on her 50th birthday as her boss fires her. Amid her distress, a laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself.

The Substance is directed by Coralie Fargeat director of Revenge (2017).

Ever since Fargeat’s directorial debut Revenge (2017) I have been excited to see where she goes next, Revenge (2017) was incredible film that really showed Fargeat knows her stuff and was a voice in the horror genre that was certainly coming. The Substance shows she is not messing around and is here to stay, this is a prime example of a film that I could go on about for ages.

Starting with the performances, all of which are phenomenal in their own way. Demi Moore gives one of the best performances of her career, the amount of passion that’s put into this performance is truly incredible. She plays the part of Elisabeth Sparkle an actress who is being replaced so flawlessly that it leads to some incredibly heartbreaking moments, there’s a lot of desperation and you really do feel the pain when she goes above and beyond to be young again. She wants to stay in the spotlight and all of this leads to the body horror elements as well as the film’s commentary on the beauty and modeling industry (which I’ll get to in a bit.) Demi Moore seriously captures this all effortlessly which leads to one of the best performances of the year.

Margaret Qualley much like Demi Moore delivers an incredible performance, her character Sue is the opposite of Elisabeth. A young star that makes it into the industry and as expected every single brand, tv show and so on want her. Qualley’s performance is just compelling and really compliments the film’s themes incredibly well. She also does a really fantastic job of fitting in with the film’s atmosphere and the world of the film, she has this standout look in her eyes that immediately take you into the film’s disturbing world. She’s a natural fit that really captures the feel of a rising star.

Although Dennis Quaid has limited screentime he really goes all out with his performance, this is by far his best performance in quite awhile and it really makes me wish he would do more performances like this. He plays a full on cartoon character but in a way that’s terrifying, surprisingly raw and campy, he plays Harvey a very typical money and fame hungry industry man but he plays the part so well that it works.

The body horror combined with the commentary on the beauty, modeling industry and such is quite brilliant, from the portrait of self-hatred that Elisabeth and Sue have towards one another as the film goes on. To Elisabeth being let go because she’s too old it’s all there. The film also focuses on doing its own thing as well, the body horror is absolutely some of the grossest in recent memory yet it’s truly meaningful. The final 20 minutes is something that you really have to see to be believed as the film does not hold back at all, everything that the film was building up to turns up to eleven and delivers one of the most memorable moments from a film this year.

The direction from Fargaet is flawless, she creates this cross between David Cronenberg and Stanley Kubrick like world while adding her own elements into it, she creates this disturbing and mysterious world where anything can happen. The absolutely stunning cinematography from Benjamin Kracun compliments this well which Fargaet uses especially in the beautiful apartment where a huge amount of the film takes place in, the little moments of Elisabeth or Sue looking out their giant window is so jaw dropping and meaningful that it makes the viewer digest each scene.

The score is also brilliant combined with this stylized look and feel that really matches what goes on in this industry it’s something that immediately pops to the viewer, the makeup is brilliant both in general and with the body horror. It’s terrifying and at the same time sad to watch the transformation happen, the way the make up does a lot of the storytelling is so fitting to the film’s overall theme and done in such a brilliant way is truly captivating.

Overall The Substance is one of the best films of the year, it’s an unforgettable experience from beginning to end and really is a disturbing yet actually pretty sad film. Go into this one as blind as possible you will not regret it!

The Substance is currently in Theaters!

10/10 A+

Will & Harper (2024) Film Review!

When Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years is coming out as a trans woman, the two decide to embark on a cross-country road trip to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship and transition.

Will & Harper is directed by Josh Greenbaum director of The Short Game (2013), Becoming Bond (2017), Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021) and Strays (2023).

Will & Harper is a tough one to review, it’s a documentary that is very much a personal story about Will Farrell and his life long friend Harper Steele who didn’t start her transition until her 60s. The two travel around the United States together on a 17 day road trip, this is a journey that’s both beautiful and incredibly compelling.

What’s noticeable almost immediately is how natural this feels, the movie acts a road trip buddy movie that doesn’t have a script and shows two friends who have known each other for years just having a good time and enjoying each others company. The conversations the two have are downright beautiful and show that they quite clearly care for each other, Farrell and Harper sharing their thoughts to each other in this natural way really keeps the film grounded and quickly gets to the viewer.

A lot of the film is Harper being on the path to finally live at peace, you can tell she’s on this journey throughout the film and even by the end really shows how far she has come. It’s truly a beautiful film that really captures this incredible bond and talks about trans issues in such a beautiful and touching way, Harper isn’t afraid to show vulnerability and honesty she shares her experiences so candidly that you really do feel like she’s having a conversation with you the viewer.

Even with the technical aspects such as the cinematography from Zoë White who does such a great job of capturing many beautiful shots across the country and the music in particular a song by Kristen Wiig called “Harper and Will Go West” although it’s at the end credits it’s a beautiful song that really does sum up this film as whole as well as their bond. I definitely think this is going to be a competitor for Best Song at the Oscars!

Overall Will & Harper is a really beautiful documentary that I’m happy exists. I’m glad Harper Steele got to share her story as well as Will Farrell for really being so supportive and pushing for this film. Definitely give this one a watch if you haven’t already.

Will & Harper is available on Netflix!

8/10 B+

Close To You (2024) Film Review!

A trans man revisits his hometown, facing family tensions. He reconnects with an old flame, rediscovering himself. His journey leads to self-acceptance and newfound strength.

Close To You is directed by Dominic Savage director of Love + Hate (2005) and The Escape (2017).

One thing that I absolutely love about film is the ability to share something personal through a screen, sharing experiences with your audience that they may have personally never went through but you can get them to understand what you went through and leave a very beautiful lasting impression.

Close To You has a lot of that here with Elliot Page who is the main lead, a producer and one of the people who came up with the story (the other being Dominic Savage). Page plays a trans man who revisits his hometown in which goes through family tensions, it’s ultimately a story about self-acceptance and self-actualization even when those who are in your circle or past who treat you like your small and not important.

The way this is told from Savage and Page is absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking, which mainly comes from the performances and script. Elliot Page gives such a phenomenal performance that truly is heartbreaking, even with the more quite moments when the camera stays on Page for a period of time you can really feel what he is going through and what his thoughts are in that moment. The rest of the cast really shines here as well, they all give very raw performances that mixed with Page’s performance and Savage’s direction lead to investing results.

I also do love that the film really makes this known that this is a personal story, you can tell by how up and close the camera is as well as being incredibly sharp. Cinematographer Catherine Lutes keeps things incredibly raw and never tries to overdo it, she keeps things at this very heavy and compelling look that really makes you feel you are right there in the house with the characters.

Overall Close To You is an incredibly strong film that really is touching, this is definitely one that I highly recommend!

Close To You is available on all VOD Platforms!

8/10 B+

Sleep (2024) Film Review!

How well do you really know the person sleeping next to you, for one young couple, this question becomes a twisted psychological nightmare when a husband’s increasingly bizarre nighttime behaviour takes a menacing turn.

Sleep is directed by Jason Yu which is his directorial debut!

Sleep is an interesting one, while I don’t think everything completely works here. The creativity with meshing genres together, the atmosphere (for the most part) and the performances really make this one shine through.

Jung Yu-mi and the late Lee Sun-kyun (this was his final performance before his passing in December 2023) both give phenomenal performances. A lot of the movie really relies on the two and the conversations they have and luckily it pays off, the two really push the movie to interesting territory and move the story along at a great pace.

The creativity with using the topic of sleep itself is very compelling, while there are some admittedly cliched moments a lot of the movie focuses on shifting its genre pieces around quite well. Horror, thriller, drama and even some dark comedy is mostly what’s played around with here and the movie does a solid job of experimenting with them.

At times there can be some odd overlap, the dark humor sometimes doesn’t mesh well with the horror elements which can become a bit distracting and can even potentially take viewer out of the film. Having that said the movie does make up for it with some very interesting dialogue and a pretty bold way to end the film, even if I wasn’t completely on board with how the movie decided to end there’s no denying that this was something unique. It could absolutely make or break the movie for some people, for me I think it mostly works due to the mix of genres throughout the film.

Overall Sleep is quite good, it might not be one of my favorites of the year. But it’s a very interesting one that I do think you should check out!

Sleep is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Rez Ball (2024) Film Review!

The Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team from New Mexico, must band together after losing their star player if they want to keep their quest for a state championship alive.

Rez Ball is directed by Sydney Freeland director of Drunktown’s Finest (2014) and Deidra & Laney Rob a Train (2017).

Rez Ball was definitely a nice surprise, while it does in a lot of ways follow most sports drama movies. Rez Ball manages to make itself standout a bit more due to the heart of the movie as well as the surprisingly raw direction from Sydney Freeland.

The performances all across the board are quite great, especially during the first act where tragedy strikes and to be quite honest I did not see coming. It really sets the mood for what’s to come for the rest of the movie and the performances really help sell that incredibly well.

The rest of the movie really isn’t a whole lot to write home about as it’s just a really good sports movie, which there is nothing really wrong about being just that. The movie isn’t trying to be anything more, it establishes why these characters are determined to win the championship title and how they got into the sport. I also do like that they talk a bit about the reservation in New Mexico the film takes place in, the movie doesn’t do anything incredibly deep with it but does share the character’s having their own problems.

Rez Ball is the type of sports drama that will hit all the right notes for sports movie fans, it might not be doing anything new and can feel a bit formulaic. But due to the acting, Freeland’s direction that really gives these characters the extra boost to connect with the viewer and finally the inspirational feel it makes for a solid watch!

Rez Ball is available on Netflix.

6/10 C+

Apartment 7A (2024) Film Review!

A struggling young dancer finds herself drawn in by dark forces when a peculiar, well-connected older couple promise her a shot at fame.

Apartment 7A is directed by Natalie Erika James who previously directed Relic (2020). Apartment 7A serves as a prequel to Rosemary’s Baby (1968).

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) is a film that needs no introduction, even if you don’t watch horror films that much you can easily recognize the name and for good reason. It’s considered one of the best horror films ever made so a prequel being made was never going to compare to it at all.

Having that said what did get my attention was director Natalie Erika James being attached a director who did an incredible job with her directorial debut Relic (2020) (a film I highly recommend if you haven’t watched yet). So while I didn’t think this would compare to Rosemary’s Baby (1968) I did go into this one hoping that it could still bring some great ideas…unfortunately that’s not what happened.

I will start off by saying I do think the performances were overall not bad, heck Julia Garner and Dianne West both give strong performances. Dianne West plays Minnie Castevet and does well at it, she goes from being a seemingly nice old lady to a creepy one fluently. Julia Garner plays Terry Gionoffrio and does a pretty solid job that’s mainly due to how great Garner is as an actress is rather than the movie itself, granted there really isn’t anything being added to the characters and they don’t compare to the original. But as the performances stand they are pretty solid and are easily the best part of this movie. Visually there’s a few interesting things going on here, I do think the final moments of the movie in particular is quite great.

As far as the rest of the movie goes, despite being called a prequel it almost feels like a remake. It does a whole lot of copying and pasting of what happened in the Rosemary’s Baby and it’s put in this movie only done worse. The built up drama combined with horror that was present in Rosemary’s Baby is just not here at all, instead it’s replaced with a lot of cheap scares that anyone can see coming. The characters aren’t nearly as explored well as they were in Rosemary’s Baby which is a bit baffling to see since you would think a prequel would offer some deeper exploration, heck we don’t even really get a huge exploration of the halls of Bramford.

Instead the movie is much more focused on rehashing beats from Rosemary’s Baby only not understanding why the film was so successful. To sum up Apartment 7A it really does seem like the writers wanted both a prequel and a remake but could not decide on which to exactly go with so they settled on this incredibly messy hybrid that easily falls apart.

Apartment 7A is available on Paramount+

3/10 D-

Wolfs (2024) Film Review!

Hired to cover up a high-profile crime, a fixer soon finds his night spiralling out of control when he’s forced to work with an unexpected counterpart.

Wolfs is directed by Jon Watts director of Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man Trilogy, Clown (2014) and Cop Car (2015).

Wolfs is sort of a return to form for Jon Watts and while there are parts of it that succeed, there’s a lot of things holding this movie back from being anything of note.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt are basically holding this movie on its feet, the two do as much as they can with a bland script. The dialogue between the two has its moments and they most certainly give decent performances, the later half of the movie actually gives Clooney and Pitt far better material to work with that actually end up leading to decent moments.

The main issues here are the dialogue and characterizations they are way too basic. Pitt and Clooney can only help the movie so much until it starts to become incredibly repetitive, plus there’s really nothing interesting going on here narratively. It’s ultimately a bland chase movie with the occasional intriguing conversations, it’s really about as formulaic as you can really get.

I will give the movie this, the cityscapes combined with the cinematography does give the movie a solid look. It at the very least captures the atmosphere of what it’s trying to go for, particularly the snowy environment at night on the streets. It blends well with the movie’s atmosphere and actually does lead to some strong moments.

Overall Wolfs is ultimately a bit forgettable and really does not have a whole lot going for it, granted I can see why someone would enjoy this movie. It’s just not for me.

Wolfs is available on Apple TV+

5/10 C