The Beast (2024) Film Review

As artificial intelligence reigns, emotions have become a threat; to get rid of it, Gabrielle must purify her DNA by diving back into her past lives; she finds a great love there as well as a bad feeling.

The Beast is directed by Bertrand Bonello director of Nocturama (2016), Zombi Child (2019), Coma (2022), On War (2008) and a few others. 

The Beast is a powerful one, dealing with many themes such as loss, narcissism, loneliness and much more. 

To start off the performances are all fantastic here Léa Seydoux and George MacKay bounce off of each other during their conversations in a very natural way that’s quite beautiful and moves the story along at a beautiful pace. But it’s the performance by Seydoux that’s the standout and is honestly a career best worthy performance, she is able to adapt to the film’s many themes and time periods the film uses. Each new period we learn something new about her character Gabrielle which she gets more and more investing as the film goes on. 

Seydoux also blends incredibly well with the film’s mysterious atmosphere, I’ve talked before about the sense of the unknown in some other reviews, this film uses that cleverly. Each time period, each scene or even dialogue you never know what’s going to happen. The film challenges the viewer to look at the film closely and try to figure out what exactly is going on here, it takes a lot of turns that I most certainly wasn’t expecting but glad the film made the decisions it did. 

The script is incredibly well written, it tackles the themes of loss, loneliness and such incredibly well. Particularly loss, throughout these time periods there’s this sense of the characters losing parts of their lives, given what ends up happening in the film that does seem to be the case. It’s haunting yet beautiful portrayal of loss that is quite different from how other films portrayed it as. Loneliness mostly comes from the atmosphere and just the storytelling, it really seems abandoned especially towards the end that really hits you with the loneliness feel. It’s quite scary, raw but at the same time beautiful. 

Speaking of which the film itself is beautifully shot, it’s one of the best looking films so far this year and that really comes from just how fluently the film moves, how the story adds to the cinematography, the character’s movements and so much more. 

The Beast is definitely not going to be for everyone, as it does take a lot of time to get going. However if you are patient the film rewards the viewer greatly, it’s a fascinating film that I do highly recommend checking out.

The Beast is available on all VOD platforms.

10/10 A+

Inside Out 2 (2024) Film Review

Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have been running a successful operation by all accounts. However, when Anxiety shows up, they aren’t sure how to feel.

Inside Out 2 is directed by Kelsey Mann which is directorial debut. Inside Out 2 is the sequel to Inside Out (2015). 

Inside Out 2 was always going to happen at some point, the first film was met with immediate love both critically and financially. It’s become a huge favorite among Pixar fans and while it might not be one of my absolute favorites of Pixar I still really do like the film. I think the same can be really said for Inside Out 2. 

Inside Out 2 is quite similar to the first film and the plot is very similar which is not too much of a problem since the movie itself is very charming and endearing, however there are times where it’s a bit frustrating to see it keep things a bit too safe. Plus the movie doesn’t quite have the emotional punch that the first movie had. Having that said the positives really outweigh the negatives so let’s get into those.

The cast is great and the characters are just as fun as they were in the first film, Maya Hawke plays a new character Anxiety who steals the show. Maya Hawke absolutely nails it here and completely captures the character, Anxiety plays a lot like Joy did in the first film but luckily the chemistry between the two characters is quite fun so it doesn’t leave the viewer feeling bored or that they have seen this before. 

The animation is beautifully done and adds a lot of attention to detail, the scenes with Riley are touching and have the awkward situations you would expect, there’s some strong emotional moments here that makes the viewer fall in love with these characters all over again. I also do think it’s clever they added emotions mainly due to Riley going through puberty which is a theme in this film change and how to go through it or embrace it. Really nice messages here that are absolutely relatable to a lot of people.

Overall Inside Out 2 is quite great, i definitely think if they are going to continue with a third film they are definitely going to have to step it up and not make it another “Joy and other emotions get separated from the headquarters” but the film is charming, has a strong message and is crafted incredibly well. 

Inside Out 2 is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

National Anthem (2024) Film Review!

A construction worker joins a community of queer rodeo performers searching for their own version of the American dream. While working on a ranch in the Southwest, they contend with the undeniable forces of nature, family and love.

National Anthem is directed by Luke Gilford which is his directorial debut. 

Very sad to see National Anthem go very unnoticed because this is a really powerful one, it’s a beautifully told story about the queer community and figuring out your true self. 

Charlie Plummer does a lot of what he did in Lean On Pete (2017) here and that’s giving an incredibly touching performance that easily bounces off of the rest of the cast incredibly well, there’s a lot of moments where you the viewer feel like your traveling around the film’s world with him. He has this spark that activates as soon as he appears on screen that connects with the viewer. Eve Lindley is just as excellent Plummer, she gives a beautiful performance that’s incredibly raw, touching and her conversations with Plummer are truly fascinating. Both of them trying to figure out who they are is some of the film’s most incredibly compelling moments. It helps the film’s script compliments Plummer and Lindley, it gives their characters this natural feel like you may actually know them from somewhere. 

The western cowboy setting is absolutely beautiful and very cleverly used here, the way it compliments the story by being about the queer community in the American west something that is often not talked about at all. It’s clear that Gilford really wanted to make this as some sort of love letter to the queer community and he does such a such a good job of doing so. It’s a very touching story that really compliments its characters. 

The film is also quite confident in itself, it pours so much heart into the story and makes sure that viewer connects with these characters as soon as possible. There definitely is some cases of underdevelopment with some of the side characters, but that ultimately doesn’t hurt the movie when you have incredibly likable characters, a beautifully written script and a wonderful location to go along with it. 

National Anthem is available on all VOD Platforms.

9/10 A

Mothers’ Instinct (2024) Film Review

Housewives Alice and Celine are best friends and neighbours who seem to have it all. However, when a tragic accident shatters the harmony of their lives, guilt, suspicion and paranoia begin to unravel their sisterly bond.

Mother’s Instinct is directed by Benoît Delhomme which is his directorial debut. 

I typically don’t like using the phrase “style over substance” because I do feel it’s become quite overused the last couple years. However it’s very appropriate here as Mother’s Instinct tends to heavily focus more on looking beautiful rather than telling a story that will grab the viewer. 

Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain are by far the best parts of this film, they both give solid performances that do show their really fun screen presence. They both commit to their roles incredibly well Hathaway as Celine manages to use a lot of the character’s emotions and shifts between them effortlessly. While Chastain’s portrayal of Alice is more subdued but also compelling. 

The cinematography combined with the 1960s America suburbia backdrop is undeniably beautiful. It adds a lot of detail and for the most part captures the time period decently well. There was clearly a lot of attention to detail that went into the filming and it absolutely shows in a lot of the scenes throughout the movie. 

The main problem here is everything else in between, mostly the script is incredibly lacking in character and substance. The movie attempts to explore the darker sides of suburban life, but in the end doesn’t really say or do all that much. The movie  has a lot of very repetitive conversations about about motherhood and societal expectations, the third act doesn’t get much better it turns into a melodrama that just kind of comes out of left field and not in a good way. 

I really don’t know how else to describe Mother’s Instinct there’s definitely stuff to appreciate here but the overall package leaves so much more to be desired.

Mother’s Instinct is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

The Well (2024) Film Review

A budding art restorer travels to a small Italian village to bring a medieval painting back to its former glory. Little does she know she is placing her life in danger from an evil curse and a monster born of myth and brutal pain.

The Well is directed by Frederico Zampaglione director of A Dream House Nightmare (2007), Shadow (2009), Tulpa: Demon Of Desire (2012) and Morrison (2021)

Italian horror tends to be quite fun and interesting so I wanted to check this one out and unfortunately this was a bit of a disappointment. While the movie does have its moments and hints at something interesting. A lot of this movie is gratuitous violence, even if the practical effects are immediately really cool it starts to become way too much very quickly. Especially since it really doesn’t end up having anything to say or having a point to it at all.

Lauren LaVera is great here, ever since her performance in Terrifier 2 (2022) I’ve been really excited to see what she’s going to do next and admittedly she is the biggest reason why I checked this one out, she gives a decent enough performance that does make some scenes much more tolerable. The previously mentioned practical effects are great and I do admire the hard work that was clearly put into them, it’s just such a shame the movie goes way too over the top way too quickly with them. 

I  like a good disturbing film, I’ve mentioned that several times in my reviews. What I don’t like is a movie trying way too hard to be disturbing and that’s sadly the case here, The Well really tries to do a lot of what Eli Roth did with Hostel (2005) (a movie which I also did not like) but where as Hostel (2005) had some sort of goal and purpose in it’s depiction of violence. The Well is just mindless gore that tries to be disturbing and actually does the direct opposite of what it’s attempting to do, rather than disturb the viewer it sort of makes the viewer shrug their shoulders.

I also think the whole villains having mental disorders and making them as gross as possible cliche was incredibly not needed, I’m obviously not trying to say what a director can or can’t put into their film. I believe everyone should be allowed to share their art, it’s just especially used incredibly badly here once and another case of this movie just randomly having something there without any purpose. 

It’s a shame because there are makings of a good movie here, Lauren LaVera, the practical effects, the filming actually has some decent shots and the story is kind of interesting. It’s just a shame they went with something that’s shocking for the sake of being shocking. 

The Well releases September 3rd on all VOD platforms.

3/10 D-

Quick Review: Fly Me To The Moon (2024) Film Review

Sparks fly between a marketing executive and a NASA official as he makes preparations for the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Fly Me To The Moon is directed by Greg Berlanti director of The Broken Hearts Club (2000), Life as We Know It (2010) and Love Simon (2018). 

Definitely not as bad as I anticipated but still very forgettable and ends up not really amounting to all that much, it’s sort of a shame because I do think at least half of this movie is pretty alright. When it focuses on the space stuff it’s pretty decent, when it focuses on the romance it’s about as bland as you can really get with a romantic comedy. 

Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson are both great here, both incredibly charming and have the charisma to back it up. The chemistry can be a little mixed at times due to movie switching back and forth between drama and romance. However the two for the most part are able to adapt to the switch in tone which is mainly thanks to the two’s star power. 

The biggest problems with Fly Me To The Moon is the previously mentioned switching back and forth in tone and the pacing, the rest of the movie is unfortunately not able to adapt well to the tone switching which leads to a lot very messy scenes that just don’t grab the viewer’s attention. The running time being 132 minutes long is incredibly ridiculous and could have easily been trimmed down into a 90 or so minute movie that would not have over stayed it’s welcome. 

Overall there isn’t much to be said about Fly Me To The Moon, there’s a decent amount to like and maybe you will walk away getting something out of it. But unfortunately this one is a bit too much on the forgettable side to recommend.

Fly Me To The Moon is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

The Union (2024) Film Review

Mike, a down-to-earth construction worker, is thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school sweetheart, Roxanne, recruits him on a high-stakes US intelligence mission.

The Union is directed by Julian Farino director of The Last Yellow (1999) and The Oranges (2011). 

I’m not sure whether it was intentional or accidental but releasing three action comedy films that went on three different streaming services so closely together was an incredibly bad idea. The Instigators, Jackpot and now The Union, everything I said about the former two movies can be applied to The Union. 

The only real positive here is Halle Berry who tries her absolute best with the script she’s given, but unfortunately her performance can only do so much as the rest of the movie is so incredibly dull that it makes watching grass grow look more investing. Mark Wahlberg has no chemistry with Halle Berry, the movie tried but completely fails due to just how dull Wahlberg’s performance is here. At this point in his career Wahlberg is turning in performances that are very identical to each other that you could be forgiven if you mixed up his roles and that’s very much the case here in this movie. 

As far as the plot goes it’s a very typical spy action movie that is filled to the brim with cliches, it leans towards comedy for the first 20 minutes or so before giving up on that entirely and settling with a painfully cliched filled spy action movie. Everything that’s done here you have seen one hundred times elsewhere, none of the characters are interesting and the plot itself is lacking in so much substance. 

I’m not entirely sure what else you say here except that The Union is this week’s “you will forget about it by Monday morning” type of movie. 

The Union is available on Netflix.

3/10 D-

The Bikeriders (2024) Film Review

Over the course of a decade, a Midwestern motorcycle club evolves from a gathering place for local outsiders to a sinister gang, threatening the original group’s way of life.

The Bikeriders is directed by Jeff Nichols director of Shotgun Stories (2007), Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012), Midnight Special (2016) and Loving (2016). 

Jeff Nichols has always been a really strong director, his films being characterized by their Southern United States backdrop really helps the films standout and he always does such a fascinating job with his films. The Bikeriders once again shows Nichols hitting the ball out of the park, as there is a lot of themes going on here that you quite honestly would not expect. 

As always performances first, everyone here does a fantastic job when it comes to accents everyone nailed it and help gives the film a much more grounded feel. Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and Austin Butler are the three standouts however and really make this film work, from the interactions between one another, to their actions and how they affect the story being told is truly fascinating. Jodie Comer continues to show she is one of the best actresses right now, her performance has this beauty to it that really ties into the film’s themes. Having the film’s themes being about toxic masculinity, male friendships and why they are important plus belonging to a world and morality while having Comer tell the story from her perspective is incredibly clever and actually refreshing. 

Tom Hardy and Austin Butler as I said before give phenomenal performances much like Comer they both show they are some of the best working today, they absolutely nail the dialogue they are given and just go all out with their performances. They have beauty and so much care in their performances that compliment the film and its themes incredibly well, combined together Butler, Comer and Hardy really make this a showcase of talent and instantly grabs the viewer’s attention never letting go. 

The beautiful cinematography combined with the locations Cincinnati, Ohio and other areas of Ohio and Kentucky are absolutely gorgeous and really tell the story on their own. Just looking at some of the frames of the film such as Austin Butler and Jodie Comer just sitting down while the sun goes down tells you so much about the scene in question, it’s the very definition of attention to detail that really is pleasing to the eye. 

The authenticity of the world is also quite fascinating as well, the film itself is a fictional version of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club which you could very well walk away from this film thinking that the film was real. Because this is a prime example of a film that not only is written naturally but it also is made like it’s very convincing. It goes for that depicting the lives of a certain group of people in this case being the Vandals Motorcycle Club, which I’ve said before in other reviews how much I love when films do this and this film is no exception. Very well written and detailed we get to learn about the characters, what their thoughts are during certain conversations, their personalities and so much more. It’s an incredibly investing film that really connects you with these characters! 

Overall The Bikeriders is fantastic, it’s definitely one of the best films of the year and is a really beautiful film especially on the inside. 

The Bikeriders is available on all VOD Platforms.

9/10 A

Jackpot (2024) Film Review

In the near future, a ‘Grand Lottery’ has been newly established in California – the catch: kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot.

Jackpot is directed by Paul Feig director of Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Spy (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), A Simple Favor (2018), Last Christmas (2019) and a few others. 

Jackpot is basically a comedic version of The Purge franchise an interesting idea for sure and it’s executed fine enough but there’s really nothing incredibly strong going on here. 

John Cena is the one who’s carrying this movie and manages to push it to the finish line, while not every joke lands a lot of the humor from him is quite decent. None of the jokes are anything you are going to be quoting with your friends but at the very least he manages to make it fun for the most part. Awkwafina is actually not bad here, this is the first time in awhile where I haven’t felt incredibly annoyed by her character or her playing herself. Granted at times she does slip and feels like she’s playing the same type of role again, but for the most part she does a decent job. She actually has solid chemistry with John Cena which is what I think really benefited her this time around. 

The concept itself is pretty fun, there’s definitely some shining moments that show a lot of potential, but unfortunately the movie doesn’t really have the spark it needs to make this a really fun ride. The writing is what hurts this movie the most, the last half of the movie turns into your very typical action comedy that really does not do anything for the genre. It’s like they had a really good idea going with the first half of the movie and then did not know how to finish the movie so they threw anything at the wall to see what sticks. 

Overall there really isn’t much more to be said, Jackpot isn’t a bad movie as it definitely has its moments and the acting is actually not bad here. The movie itself is just a very below average action comedy, that will entertain you for a little bit before being quickly forgotten about.

Jackpot is available on Amazon Prime Video.

5/10 C

Ghostlight (2024) Film Review

When a construction worker joins a local theatre’s production of “Romeo and Juliet,” the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.

Ghostlight is directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, the film being the O’Sullivan’s directorial debut and Thompsons third film. Thompson previously directed Saint Frances (2019) and Rounding (2022). 

If there’s one film from this year thus far that should be talked about far more it would be Ghostlight, a story about healing through the power of art and theater. 

To start out with the performances are some of the best of the year Dolly de Leon, Katherine Mallen Kupferer and Tara Mallen are absolutely incredible here, each of them bringing heart to the film in their own ways. But the one who absolutely steals the show is the film’s lead Keith Kupferer who plays Dan Mueller a man who is trying to heal after his son Brian died by suicide. Kupferer playing a grieving father who ends up joining an upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet is truly fascinating to watch. The way the film carefully writes Dan Mueller as a character and makes his pain as raw as natural quickly gets to the viewer, there’s love, passion and heart put into it all. Kupferer’s performance is so incredibly touching that brings so much beauty, honesty and brings this beautiful atmosphere to the film. 

The film itself is of course very sad, but it also serves as a healing journey one that we often times make in situations such as the death of a loved one. It’s something that we as humans go through and it’s so perfectly portrayed here, that it almost feels like you are right there watching Mueller’s journey. There’s so many incredibly touching moments throughout that quickly grab at your heartstrings, as I said earlier the film uses art and theater as a way to show a path of healing. The film does this flawlessly, it shows how we can build a connection from art, how art can really help you move forward, how it can be so transformative and really help bring you on the path to healing. 

Ghostlight is an incredibly likable film which is what it uses to connect to the viewer almost immediately, the film makes the story as grounded as possible with so much love put into the story. The characters are incredibly well written and have their own stories to tell, the film’s heartwarming messaging is something that really resonates with so many people and the overall film is just absolutely stunning in every single way possible. 

Overall Ghostlight is one of the best films of the year, it’s incredibly touching and a powerful film that I really hope more people check out. 

Ghostlight is available on all VOD platforms.

10/10 A+