On a remote Greek island, twin brothers find themselves entangled in a tumultuous love triangle. A troubled detective known as ‘The Jealousy Man’ is brought in to investigate the case.
Killer Heat is directed by Philippe Lacôte director of Run (2014) and Night Of The Kings (2020).
Not a whole lot to say here as Killer Heat is the type of movie where once you watch about 10 minutes of it you know exactly where it’s going.
The cast is quite great here, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a lot of fun even if his character is a stereotypic private investigator with a rough past. He does what he can with the material and manages to get the job done mostly from his likability as an actor. Shailene Woodley isn’t too bad here either just not given anything really interesting to do, Richard Madden does play identical twins which is probably the movie’s most memorable part. Which to be fair to the movie Madden does a pretty great job with both performances as well, for the most part the performances all around are quite great just a shame the rest of the movie couldn’t seem to follow that up.
What hurts this movie is the writing, it’s very shallow in its execution and as I said before it is very predictable. The movie attempts to do this whole “but wait there’s more” sort of thing that’s really only here to drag the movie out further, there’s very little suspense or tension due to just how predictable everything is. I definitely think there’s ideas here that if better written the movie could have had something here.
Three distant sisters reunite in NYC to care for their sick father. Tensions rise as they confront past issues, aiming to heal family bonds amid laughter and tears.
His Three Daughters is directed by Azazel Jacobs director of Nobody Needs to Know (2003), The GoodTimesKid (2005), Momma’s Man (2008), Terri (2011), The Lovers (2017) and French Exit (2020).
His Three Daughters is one of those films where every single little detail makes the bigger picture that much more powerful. The film is essentially about family estrangement and death, how to deal with these circumstances and ultimately the bond between family. We follow our three main characters who are all sisters Katie (played by Carrie Coon), Rachel (played by Natasha Lyonne) and Christina (played by Elizabeth Olsen). Each of them have their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses and as well bringing something special to the film.
Rachel tends to try and not deal with what’s going on, trying to separate herself when in reality deep down she’s hurting, Natasha Lyonne portrays this spectacularly whether she’s smoking or sitting a bit further away from Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Olsen. Her body language really tells it all of what she’s going through, it’s such a heartbreaking yet beautiful way of coping with a loved one who is slowly dying. It’s a very realistic performance that has some of the very best scenes of the film.
Carrie Coon’s character Katie is the more controlling of the sisters and speaks bluntly to strangers which fits with the film, as far as performances go Coon hits out of the park. She’s already a fantastic actress but with the script and direction from Jacobs she gets to give such a powerhouse performance that immediately captures the viewer, the tension that builds between the sisters mostly has Katie involved which leads to some of Coon’s strongest moments in the film.
Finally there’s Elizabeth Olsen’s character Christina who tries to keep everyone together, sometimes not quite getting the gravity of the situation but ultimately is the beautiful bridge and I would argue the heart of the film. Olsen’s performance is absolutely beautiful, there’s one particular scene at the end where she sings “five little ducks” (which by the way you will never hear the same again after this film) not only is it a beautiful scene but it’s a beautiful way to end the film. Olsen gives one of the best performances of her career and truly leaves a mark on the viewer after viewing.
The film takes place in an apartment where all three sisters reunite, their father is in the other room in hospice care. The film taking place in this one apartment is both powerful and at the same time incredibly sad, its powerful in the sense that we get incredibly strong tension and as the viewer we have this closeness to the sisters. It’s like Jacobs wants us to be up close to what’s going on and bring this more personal look to them, it’s also incredibly sad in the sense that at any moment their father could pass away the film taking place in this apartment where just in the other room their father Vincent is slowly dying is incredibly sad and hits so much harder narratively.
The direction combined with the writing from Jacobs is truly beautiful, the bond between the sisters is incredibly well written and focused, the film’s focus on the emotional moments and little details the sisters share is spectacular and the grounded portrayal of family estrangement and death is perfectly captured. Jacobs wasted no time in capturing this beautiful picture that a lot of people have went through at some point in their life.
Overall His Three Daughters is a spectacular film that left me in tears, it’s a powerful film that masters its subject matter in such beautiful ways that are unforgettable. One of the year’s best!
Everything goes to hell for newly pregnant Belinda after her mother-in-law moves in. As the diabolical guest tries to get her claws on the child, Belinda must draw the line somewhere.
The Front Room is directed by Max Eggers and Sam Eggers which is their directorial debut.
When I heard that the brothers of Robert Eggers were going to make a horror film with Brandy Norwood I was immediately interested. Brandy Norwood returning to horror after I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) is just so neat, so I hoped The Front Room would be a recipe for something great….oh boy that’s not what happened here…not even close.
Despite the terrible script Brandy Norwood gives a decent performance, although her character Belinda is not exactly that investing. It’s the performance from Norwood that makes her character much more likable and at the very least somewhat interesting, there’s only so much you can really do with a baffling script. Kathryn Hunter is also decent here but for completely different reasons, where as Norwood plays a very traditional main character. Hunter plays a very out there Grandmother named Solange who basically hams it up the entire movie, there’s a lot of poop jokes, fart jokes and her just saying a whole lot of nonsense. I think for what they were going for Hunter executes this fine enough, most of it isn’t funny but she does try to bring this campy feel to it that almost works.
As you probably guessed what destroys this movie is the script, it never goes anywhere and takes some incredibly bizarre turns that don’t benefit the movie at all. While the atmosphere is set up fine enough, there’s no execution for said atmosphere. It heavily relies on this whole “old people am I right?” type of humor that might have been funny for the first 10 minutes before it quickly becomes repetitive, while Hunter tries to make it work it ends up being a bunch of rambling that ultimately doesn’t lead to anything.
Finally there’s the direction which starts with this bizarre feel but ends up ending on such a weak and forgettable note it almost feels like an entirely different movie. How this movie goes from being bizarre (not in a good way) to a movie where the ending is so forgettable that you forget about it 2 hours after viewing is a bit baffling.
Overall The Front Room is a mess of a movie, decent performances and some nice shots aren’t enough to save this movie.
Lily Bloom moves to Boston to chase her lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid soon sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, she begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship. When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan, suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle gets upended, leaving her with an impossible choice.
It Ends With Us is directed by Justin Baldoni director of Five Feet Apart (2019) and Clouds (2020).
Look I’m not going to beat around the bush It Ends With Us is horrible (I know what a shocker), everything you have heard about this movie with it’s shallow and terrible execution on an important topic is true. So many people have done deep dives as to why this movie fails on every single level. I won’t be doing that here since I would be basically repeating what everyone else is saying, plus I just don’t think movies like this are worth the time and energy however I will lay the basics out.
The performances are pretty terrible here, Blake Lively gives one of her weakest performances so far in her career. Normally I find her not to be too bad, I liked her in The Shallows (2016) and A Simple Favor (2018) in particular but this was just terrible, it doesn’t help that her character Lily Bloom is just not interesting especially when you are following this character for 2 hours and 11 minutes which is a whole other problem in itself that I’ll get to in a second. Justin Baldoni is also quite bad here as well, he’s not necessarily doing worse than Lively is they are about the same which is still not good. The two are just bland, not investing and don’t have a whole lot going on at all.
The only thing I can honestly praise here is some of the shots were at least decent, granted there’s nothing mind blowing going on here visually but at the very least every now and then you get some interesting shots. Having that said that quickly goes away when the script rears its head, the whole glamorizing domestic abuse stuff is what really takes this movie down almost immediately. Combine that with the movie being 2 hours long and you really have yourself such an unpleasant experience.
Plus the main problem here is this movie doesn’t seem to care how it depicts domestic abuse, this really does seem like money was the number one goal in mind. Which sure you can argue that every movie is made with money in mind and in a way you are correct, however a lot of excellent films made by great directors, writers ect don’t have this FEEL that they were clearly made for money. This is especially problematic when your move is about domestic abuse, it comes off as exploitation and not in an interesting way or a way that gets the viewer thinking.
It Ends With Us is available on all VOD Platforms.
When tech billionaire Slater King meets cocktail waitress Frida at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends for a dream vacation on his private island. Wild nights soon blend into sun-soaked days, but when strange things start to happen, Frida must uncover the truth if she hopes to make it out alive.
Blink Twice is directed by Zoë Kravitz which is her directorial debut.
Blink Twice is one of those films where I absolutely respect the swings it went for even if not all of them are successful, they are bold ones and I really have to give credit to Kravitz and everyone involved for going with the directions they did.
Before that I must say the cast is quite great, Channing Tatum plays a very different role than he usually does here and I can’t help but wanting to see more of him doing roles like this. He’s very unsettling and just keeps building that up as the film goes on, it’s by far one of his best performances. He really does make the atmosphere of the film work incredibly well especially combined with the setting that presents some interesting atmospheric moments. Naomi Ackie, Adria Arjona and the rest of the cast all do great here as well, they all add to the film’s mysterious feel and deliver great performances that compliment each other well!
When it comes to filmmaking Kravitz really captured something interesting here, you have this beautiful film filled to the brim with glamour yet at the same time you feel like something is just off throughout the film. The cinematography from Adam Newport-Berra and the production design from Roberto Bonelli also communicate this well, when you have all three combined together you get yourself a seemingly beautiful paradise yet under the surface a sinister one.
With that being said the movie does fumble the ball during the third act, it doesn’t quite match up with what the film was building up to previously and sort of just ends on this weak note that had the potential to be a lot better. There’s also some character development that was definitely needed for some of the characters as a lot of them are just sort of there even if they all work together well. But when you break them down individually that’s when you start to see the weakness of the movie.
Having that said I can’t deny the third act was an interesting move, as I said before it was a swing that I definitely think missed. However I don’t actually hate it, there’s a decent amount to still like and enjoy, it’s just a misstep of what is otherwise a really thrilling film. Blink Twice is available on all VOD platforms.
When an unspeakable evil takes over the world, the only protection for a mother and her twin sons is their house and strong bond. Needing to stay connected at all times — even tethering themselves with ropes — they must cling to one another and never let go. However, when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.
Never Let Go is directed by Alexandre Aja director of High Tension (2003), The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Mirrors (2008), Piranha 3D (2010), Horns (2013), Crawl (2019), Oxygen (2021) and a few others!
I like Alexandre Aja, not everything he directs is a home run but films like Oxygen or Crawl show he’s a talented director who is clearly passionate about the horror genre. Having that said Never Let Go is unfortunately a misfire which is a shame because there is a good movie here and it almost succeeds.
What mostly holds this movie together from not completely falling apart are the performances, Halle Berry is to nobodies surprise quite great here. She really is believable as a mother who is fighting for survival, at times her character can be a bit one note, but thanks to her acting the viewer could look pass it. Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins are both excellent here, the bond they share as brothers truly shines here and is easily the best part of the movie, the two really go all out with the emotional moments as well as some of the more quiet ones. They are given a lot to do and where as a lot of child actors would more than likely struggle, Daggs IV and Jenkins do an excellent job with working an admittedly weak script.
The one location setting is also another positive, it sets up the right amount of atmosphere that the story requires and almost seems like everything is about to fall into place…until it doesn’t. The main issue here is the script especially during the third act where the movie struggles to really find a place to wrap it up, the set up is decent enough with the whole idea of letting go of the rope leaves you vulnerable to monsters. We get some glimpses of this happening and admittedly are some of the highlights of the movie, however a lot of it is executed in such a way where you say to yourself “well that exists”
It’s really too bad because the way the film discusses the idea of “The Evil” is a lot more interesting than what is actually shown, there’s hints at this idea of it existing outside of the woods the movie takes place in. Although it doesn’t really get explored as to how or why it could exist outside of the woods all that much It’s still quite interesting to think about, I definitely can tell there was a layout for a great film here it just sadly never shows itself and instead really struggles to find it’s footing.
Overall Never Let Go is definitely not a bad movie, there was clearly a lot of effort put into it especially with the performances. But with a script that ultimately doesn’t really commit to its premise while having interesting ideas, it’s not enough to save this one unfortunately.
A quantum physicist finds herself stuck in a time loop with a black hole growing in her chest and only a week to live. When she meets a gifted student they team up to save her life and unlock the mysteries of time travel.
Omni Loop is directed by Bernardo Britto director of Jacqueline Argentine (2016).
Omni Loop in some ways is yet another Groundhog Day type of movie but I do think there’s a few things here the movie explores to just make itself a bit different and stand out a bit better.
For starters Mary-Louise Parker and Ayo Edebiri are both really solid here, they both bring this emotional touch to the movie that works in the movie’s favor. It’s definitely the central part of the movie and why it works so well, for a movie about a woman who has a black hole growing inside of her chest and has one week to live it oddly feels quite grounded at times. The interactions between Zoya Lowe (played by Mary-Louise Parker) and Paula (played by Ayo Edebiri) are genuinely touching and at times sad which is something i definitely wasn’t expecting.
Granted the middle portion of the movie is a bit on the rough side, the movie is 107 minutes long and due to the slow pacing it does feel a lot longer than it really is. There could have easily been a bit of trimming to help the movie keep its balance, however I don’t think that’s enough to completely take away from the movie as it is quite interesting and fun to watch the interactions between the characters.
As far as Groundhog Day like movies go Omni Loop is able to stand out mainly due to looking at the emotional side of things and how the characters feel, director, writer and editor Bernardo Britto does a solid job of giving these characters a more grounded feel, combine that with the performances from Parker and Edebiri and you have yourself a decent ride!
Examining how some of the most well-known former child stars, such as Lovato, deconstruct the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight and how their ascension to fame, riches, and power affects their futures.
Child Star is directed by Demi Lovato and Nicola Marsh, the documentary is the former’s directional debut.
Earlier this year we had Quiet On Set a documentary series about the dark side of Nickelodeon and the abuse that many of the child stars went through. Child Star follows the same sort of idea only it’s more broad you have Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, Raven Symoné, Alyson Stoner, Kenan Thompson, JoJo Siwa and of course Demi Lovato. You also have director Chris Columbus (director of Home Alone, the first two Harry Potter movies and a lot of others) in the conversation as well.
I think as a conversation starter Child Star does pretty okay, there’s a lot of information here that’s been common knowledge for years now particularly with Lovato and Barrymore, however it doesn’t hurt to really share these stories for people who are just hearing them for the first time. The topic is handled with care and it’s clear Lovato is passionate about it, I definitely think the documentary could have used a bit more focused. A little less on Lovato and more on the child stars, having that said Lovato does make some interesting connections between her story of when she nearly died to the child stars. I’m not entirely sure if all of those connections completely work but they are worth thinking about and there is something meaningful there.
As far as filmmaking goes it’s competently made, it’s not anything that’s going to blow your mind. It’s nothing stylish or is going to make it pop, but it really does not have to be. It’s a straightforward documentary about an important topic that all it really has to do is let everyone speak for themselves.
Speaking of which the interviews are interesting, I am glad the topic of kids getting mega popular on YouTube was mentioned even if it wasn’t for very long. It’s a topic that I definitely think needs to be talked about a lot more, I also do like that everyone connected with each other incredibly well, it makes the documentary much stronger and quite sad as well.
Overall Child Star might not blow you away, but it’s still a strong enough documentary about an important topic that definitely should be talked about.
The members of a dysfunctional family find themselves mysteriously trapped in an antiquated furniture store when their elderly matriarch suddenly refuses to get up from one of the display couches. Reluctantly assembled, her three estranged children must figure out how to escape this bizarre predicament.
Mother Couch is directed by Niclas Larsson which is his directorial debut.
The interesting premise combined with the cast is what drew me into watching this movie and unfortunately it’s really nothing of note despite the very weird premise.
The cast is quite good which is mostly what saves this movie from being a mess. Ewan McGregor, Taylor Russell and Ellen Burstyn all contribute to the movie in their own ways that are at times entertaining. There’s actually a few heart filled moments for McGregor that works well enough which almost helps the movie stick the landing.
The one location being a furniture store is an interesting one, it leads to this absurdist family drama that is promising at first but falls off the more it goes on. The metaphors are there but ultimately don’t mean all that much until the kicker of the movie shows up, but by then it’s a bit too late as the movie has run it’s course and starts to repeat itself.
Not a whole lot else to say here, there’s some great acting bits and I do like the concept but the lacking execution is really holding this one back.
Mercer is desperately trying to rebuild his life and his relationship with his son amid the turbulent Los Angeles riots in 1992. Across town, another father and son put their own strained relationship to the test as they plan a dangerous heist where Mercer works. As tensions continue to rise in the city, both families reach their boiling points when they collide.
1992 is directed by Ariel Vromen director of Rx (2005), Danika (2006), The Iceman (2012), Criminal (2016) and The Angel (2018).
1992 is a movie that actually had some great ideas down but unfortunately is incredibly lacking in execution, the film combines the 1992 Los Angeles riots with a very forgettable heist type of plot which ultimately leaves the viewer wanting more.
The performances are decent, Tyrese Gibson in particular is a solid lead and works with what he has with the script. Scott Eastwood is also pretty solid here as well, the two do the best they can by trying to elevate this movie from being just another heist movie. Which in some areas they do that well enough, but when the third act comes around and turns this into a generic cat and mouse game that’s when it really sinks.
Using the 1992 Los Angeles riots as a backdrop opens the door for many opportunities that the movie could have used to it’s advantage, when the movie does focus on the riots it’s actually not too bad. The problem is the center focus is the heist plot which is nowhere near as interesting as the riots, it’s very clear that Vromen really struggled with finding a way to connect the two plots together as the movie seems like it gives up and doesn’t attempt to do anything with the riots later in the movie.
Which is very disappointing because I do think Vromen had the right material to make it work, the writing was just all over the place and the choice to focus on a very by the numbers heist plot was an incredibly poor one.
Jerome Reviews... 