The People’s Joker (2024) Film Reviews

A law-breaking comedian who is grappling with her gender identity forms a new anti-comedy troupe with a friend and finds herself battling a fascistic caped crusader.

The People’s Joker is directed by Vera Drew which is her directorial debut. 

The People’s Joker has been on my radar for awhile, ever since the planned screenings at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival were cancelled due to “rights issues.” Luckily the film got officially released this year and it’s quite a fun ride! While yes The People’s Joker is a parody of Joker (2019) and other DC films such as Suicide Squad (2016) it’s much more than that it’s a personal coming out and coming of age story that quite clearly is personal to Vera Drew. 

The performances are so much fun, everyone involved just seems like they are having a blast and that really reflects with the film’s charm. Vera Drew in particular who plays Joker the Harlequin is such a blast to watch, she absolutely knows how to quickly draw the viewer’s attention and has some really strong screen presence. The conversations she has with the rest of the cast throughout the film are incredibly entertaining and filled with all sorts of hilarious jokes that make this film’s comedic moments standout that much more. 

The film is low budget but has this style to it that absolutely works, it’s like if you took the energy and atmosphere of an Adult Swim (a late night block on Cartoon Network) commercial or even show and mixed it with a bit of Sin City (2005). You get some quite out there results which is so much fun and the entertainment is through the roof, the look of the film will not be for everyone and I can completely see why. But there’s this certain level of charm that really works here that I really just can’t help but love. 

As I said earlier Vera Drew is also a coming out and coming of age story that’s very personal to her, she does an incredibly job of fitting her story into the plot of Joker (2019) we get bits a pieces about her discovering who she is throughout the film and it’s quite touching, Drew also does a really great job of moving the story along at a nice and steady pace. She focuses on bringing the viewer along for the ride while also throwing in some bizarre moments that are the definition of fun. 

Overall The People’s Joker is absolutely going to go on to be a midnight film. It’s a super entertaining ride that I’m really happy Vera Drew took everyone on.

The People’s Joker is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

The Devil’s Bath (2024) Film Review

1750. Agnes doesn’t feel at home in her husband’s world. A shocking act seems to be the only way out. A profound and disturbing psychogram of a woman, based on historical records.

The Devil’s Bath is directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala who both directed Goodnight Mommy (2014) and The Lodge (2019). 

I must say I am really liking what Veronika Franz and Serverin Fiala are bringing to the table when it comes to the horror genre. Although I found The Devil’s Bath to be their weakest outing thus far, that really does not matter at all because this is still an incredibly strong film. 

The film is quite bleak and you feel that almost immediately during the film’s first moments. It’s heavily felt through the characters and the incredibly detailed depiction of the 1700s, the way the film goes about depicting the 1700s, the setting and characters make it very authentic in a very dark way that quickly gets to the viewer. The acting is really strong here as well, Anja Plaschg gives a haunting performance especially towards the later half of the film. 

Throughout the film there’s a dark cloud looming over the film, it’s slowly but surely felt over the course of the film. Once a particular scene involving a neck appears (which is quite hard to watch) the film’s much darker elements show up, it turns into a completely different beast and goes all out as much as it can until the film is over. 

The Devil’s Bath is a very slow film it’s probably what you think of when you hear the term “slow burn horror films” but much like other slow burn horror films it rewards the viewer’s patience quite well and delivers many striking scenes that will leave fans of the genre incredibly satisfied. 

Overall The Devil’s Bath is another really solid horror film from Franz and Fiala, it’s a bleak film that really masters its atmosphere and character work. Check this one out. 

The Devil’s Bath is available on Shudder 

8/10 B+

Satranic Panic (2024) Film Review

After the brutal murder of their friend by a demonic cult, Jay and Aria travel through the outback to avenge Max and kill the evil behind his death.

Satranic Panic is directed by Alice Maio Mackay who previously directed So Vam (2021), Bad Girl Boogey (2022) and T Blockers (2023). 

Something that I have said in a lot of reviews is that I love when you can tell that the cast had a blast making the film. That’s absolutely the case here with Satranic Panic, I haven’t seen any of Mackay’s previous work (I’ll be sure to fix that soon) but I’m quite impressed with what was delivered here. 

Satranic Panic is a film that is not afraid to be as bizarre as it can and I can’t help but respect the film for it, it has the classic low budget feel but you can tell almost immediately everyone is putting their heart into this film. The performances from Cassie Hamilton and Zarif in particular show this in the best way possible, their characters are a joy to watch just interacting with everyone especially during the road trip comedy sections of the film. Cassie Hamilton and Zarif play off of each other incredibly well and deliver some genuinely hilarious moments that make you quickly grow attached to their characters. 

The gore is quite well done and heavily reminds me of the classic Troma Entertainment films especially with the atmosphere which is off the walls insanity I couldn’t help but laugh. Finally there’s the musical numbers which are incredibly well done, Cassie Hamilton has such a gorgeous voice that really brings it all together, there’s three music numbers in total (my personal favorite being the second one!) they all tie into the story quite well and the last music number wraps up the story very nicely. 

I do have to admire Alice Maio Mackay here she’s only 19 years old and already has four films under her belt, while yes they are low budget. Making a film especially at the age of 19 is incredibly difficult, it’s incredibly fun to see people make art and I feel like that’s what I took away from this film. It has much love, heart and joy poured into it that I can’t help but love it for that. 

Overall Satranic Panic is a blast of fun, has solid gore, great and fun characters and a bizarre story that you will be invested in from beginning to end! 

Satranic Panic is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Watchmen: Chapter 1 (2024) Film Review

In an alternate world, the murder of a government sponsored superhero draws his outlawed colleagues out of retirement, into a mystery that threatens their lives and the world itself.

Watchmen: Chapter 1 is directed by Brandon Vietti director of Superman: Doomsday (2007), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery (2014) and Batman: Death in the Family (2020). 

Not a real lot to say here, Watchmen: Chapter 1 is a very competent adaption to the comics. What the movie has going for it is mostly the animation which really fits for Watchmen there are some quite beautiful moments that really do bring this story to life and it’s incredibly nice to see this story being told with this animation. It keeps things a bit fresh since we have already seen Watchmen be done before twice now in live action. 

Having that said the movie itself when it comes to the writing is just fine, there really isn’t anything here mind blowing. It’s a very basic retelling of the story that fans know and love, for newcomers this isn’t necessarily a bad way to have your first exposure to Watchmen in fact I would go as far as to say that it’s actually a solid way. It’s short, simple and doesn’t complicate things at all. 

Some of the action scenes are a bit off and the movie does have it’s hiccups with some of the animation at certain points, but for the most part the movie does a good job and works with what’s given. The voice cast does a decent job and the pacing is just right, the movie is a very quick 83 minutes long and wraps up as much as it needs to. 

Having that said this is chapter 1 of a two chapter story (Chapter 2 coming next year). So we don’t quite have the full picture as of yet, but for now it’s decent enough! 

Watchmen: Chapter 1 is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

The Instigators (2024) Film Review

Rory and Cobby are unlikely partners thrown together for a heist. However, when it goes awry, they team up to outrun police, backward bureaucrats, and a vengeful crime boss.

The Instigators is directed by Doug Liman who directed Edge Of Tomorrow (2014), American Made (2017), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), The Bourne Identity (2002), The Wall (2017), Chaos Walking (2021), Road House (2024) and a few others. 

Going to try and keep this short because I quite honestly have no idea what to exactly say here. While The Instigators isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be, the movie itself is devoid of any originality and really struggles to make itself stand out from the other films in the heist movie genre. 

Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are fine enough here, they manage to crack a few jokes that are chuckle worthy and at times they do work well together. The rest of the cast such as Hong Chau, Paul Walter Hauser, Alfred Molina, Ron Perlman and a few others are fine. Some are given much more to do than others, but they do their part fine. If anything this really comes off as showcase of someone saying “how many recognizable names can we fit into a very forgettable movie?” 

The plot is about what you expect, what you see is what you get and there really isn’t anything shocking, interesting or investing going on here. Every once and awhile there’s a few moments of entertainment but those are almost immediately followed by dull scene after dull scene. The movie itself lacks identity and charm, actors who are usually exciting to see such as Matt Damon really don’t have a whole lot to their character.

The Instigators is a prime example of a streaming movie that you are going to forget almost immediately when it’s over. The movie isn’t necessarily horrendous as the writing has it’s moments, the acting is okay at best and there’s fun to be had. But that all doesn’t add up into something worth watching.

The Instigators is available on Apple TV+ 

4/10 D+

The Beast Within (2024) Film Review

Ten-year-old Willow follows her parents on one of their secret late-night treks to the heart of an ancient forest. After witnessing her father undergo a terrible transformation, she too becomes ensnared by the dark ancestral secret that they’ve so desperately tried to conceal.

The Beast Within is directed by Alexander J. Farrell who previously directed Refugee (2018). 

A movie that attempts to blend your typical werewolf movie with the theme of domestic abuse…and it goes  about as well as you would expect. 

The saving grace of this movie is Kit Harrington’s performance the way he’s able to play both a gentle father and terrifying beast works incredibly well and is about the only thing this film manages to really offer in terms of good quality. 

The rest of the movie is nothing but a huge mess of cheap allegories that aren’t nearly as clever as the movie thinks they are. Very cliched werewolf tropes that have been seen one hundred times before and one particular allegory that treats domestic abuse with the same care as a cheesy horror movie. I’m not exactly sure how anyone in the writers room thought this was a good idea especially with the execution they went with, because this really shows a lack of care or knowledge about domestic abuse as a topic. 

Sure some of the blueprints are there and I can kind of see the connection with this whole “we have a beast inside of us” type of deal, but the movie is so poorly executed and just a huge chore to watch that it doesn’t even matter. 

The Beast Within is available on all VOD platforms.

1/10 F

Oddity (2024) Film Review

After the brutal murder of her twin sister, Darcy goes after those responsible by using haunted items as her tools for revenge.

Oddity is directed by Damian Mc Carthy director of Caveat (2020) 

All that I knew about Oddity going in was the reactions from SXSW film festival earlier this year saying it was a terrifying film. I’m happy to say that it is indeed terrifying and also one of the best films of the year. 

The film immediately opens with a very powerful and quite suspenseful overhead shot that really compliments what you are about to see for the rest of the film. If I had to say what is one of the best looking films so far this year I would say Oddity, the way this film is shot is absolutely beautiful and compliments the mysterious atmosphere that creeps on the viewer constantly throughout the film. The long focus on certain subjects with the camera works so incredibly well with this film especially when you combine it with the location…in Ireland at an old dark house, we get all sorts of camera tricks that slowly but surely get under the viewer’s skin due to just how terrifying the atmosphere can be. 

The performances are excellent here, particularly Carolyn Bracken who plays a double role Dani and Darcy two sisters on both ends of a crazy murder mystery. Her performance is incredibly raw and captures the atmosphere the film is going for, Bracken just exploring the house is enough to give you chills with the camera focused on her movements combined with the atmosphere. The writing compliments that as well, it’s very carefully written to be as fitting to the atmosphere as possible as well as the performances. The writing really does a fantastic job of moving the story along at the absolute perfect pace it possibly could have, due to this the film is able to keep building up to the final moments of the film which absolutely leave the viewer terrified. 

Oddity heavily reminds of the some of the very first haunted house films in the horror genre, it has a slow start but rewarding much like those film. It heavily relies on the atmosphere and keeps building it which works in the film’s favor, the mystery of it all is also incredibly investing making the viewer look around for clues as to what is exactly going on here. Entering the house in Oddity is like entering a void of darkness or fog on the street, you have absolutely no idea what’s around the corner or the other side but your curiosity is telling you to take a look. It’s wonderful technique that works perfectly for this film which ends up leading to some very horrifying results. 

I won’t say much more since Oddity is at it’s best when you know absolutely nothing going in, it’s a terrifying film that rewards the viewer with tons of scares, clever shots, very strong acting and writing! 

Oddity is currently in theaters and will release on VOD Platforms August 20th! 

10/10 A+

Young Woman and the Sea (2024) Film Review

Through the steadfast support of her older sister and trainers, Trudy Ederle overcomes adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete a 21-mile trek from France to England.

Young Woman and the Sea is directed by Joachim Rønning director of Bandidas (2006), Max Manus: Man Of War (2008), Kon-Tiki (2012), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) and Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2019). 

Young Woman and the Sea actually caught me by surprise, going into it I was expecting a very typical biopic that I would forget about as soon as I finished watching it. While the film does have its bumps in the road and some parts are undeniably typical biopic elements, most of the film works quite well and is admittedly a very strong crowd pleaser. 

Daisy Ridley is the one who makes this film work, her performance as Gertrude Ederle an American competitive swimmer who became the first woman to swim across the English Channel is a very inspiring one. Ridley balances some humor and dramatic moments to even her performance out which very quickly connects her to the viewer. Her interactions with the rest of the cast is also very touching as well Stephen Graham, Sian Clifford and Tilda Cobham-Hervey are all excellent here and give such beautiful performances that have this raw feel. 

A theme in this film is sisterhood, some of the film’s best moments is the bond between Trudy and Margaret (played by Tilda Cobham-Hervey) we get to see a beautiful bond between sisters and how much they mean towards one another, it’s something that any viewer can easily connect with especially if you have siblings and I do think this film does show the importance of siblings bonding with one another. 

One thing that is very quickly noticeable here is Joachim Rønning’s direction being so much better than the couple films. His direction here is easily the best of his Disney outings which in turn makes this film feel very reminiscent of those sports films Disney used to release years ago, which is very welcoming I must say. The filming and score are also quite beautiful as well, there’s some really beautiful shots here that honestly took me by surprise. 

Overall Young Woman and the Sea is a classic crowd pleaser, it runs for a bit too long and does have some of the typical biopic elements. But that doesn’t stop the film from being incredibly solid, it’s a very inspirational film that definitely had a lot of heart put into it. 

Young Woman and the Sea is available on Disney+

8/10 B+

Daddio (2024) Film Review

A woman gets into a taxi at New York airport and gradually tells the driver about her unfortunate decisions that led to an affair with a married man; the driver also reveals more and more about his life.

Daddio is directed by Christy Hall which is her directorial debut. 

Daddio is has a simple premise and it stays that way throughout the film. It’s pretty much a conversation between a woman who takes a cab back to her apartment in Manhattan and the cab driver. The entire film is a conversation all be it a very interesting conversation that is quite grounded (for the most part). 

The performances is what makes the film work, a duo that I never expected to have strong chemistry and bounce off of each other quite well is Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn. Which works to the film’s benefit since the film is indeed about two strangers having a conversation that is pretty touching. The two really put in the work with their performances and really do leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Sean Penn does a really great job of being this everyman who’s seen many people go about their day, it’s quite honestly pretty authentic to what a cab driver might see. Dakota Johnson is quite great at moving the conversation along at a nice pace, especially during the third act where she shows a lot of emotions. It’s some really investing acting between the two that without them I don’t think this film would have worked nearly as well. 

The writing is pretty great, there’s definitely some weak spots that I will admit could take the viewer out of the film. Having that said the conversations being had such as relationships, loss, cheating, how computers work and how that relates to human nature as we grow and more are a lot of fun. Even if the film itself isn’t exactly saying anything new about these topics, it’s still quite investing to see Clark (played by Sean Penn) and Girlie (played by Dakota Johnson) take turns sharing their views on the topics. 

The film is ultimately about the connection between two strangers, how you can have a lengthy conversation with someone who you did not even know 10 or however minutes ago. It’s something that brings humans closely together, it’s a very beautiful look at two strangers connecting. Even if the film does have some missteps with the screenplay, for the most part this film nails down the theme.

Daddio is almost certainly not going to be for everyone, it’s a very talky film but if you are into that sort of thing then i do recommend giving this one a look.

Daddio is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Tuesday (2024) Film Review

A mother and her daughter must confront Death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing talking bird.

Tuesday is directed by Daina O. Pusić which is her directorial debut. 

Tuesday is a very strange case where the trailer is completely misleading on what the film actually it is. It’s not this slow and steady take on grief that is going to completely break the viewer down. It’s much more fairytale like and has quite a lot of bizarre moments that while I do admire and think it was a very bold move, don’t always work in the film’s favor. 

To start out with I do think the performances are overall quite great Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Lola Petticrew are both really solid here. The two work incredibly well together and some very beautiful bonding moments, there’s some talk about grief here that’s done in a much different way…that’s through Arinzé Kene who voices Death in the form of a parrot. This is just one of the many bizarre ideas this film uses and it’s the one which works best, Kane really does such a great job at voicing the bird and actually bringing some powerful moments. It’s very similar to Paul Dano’s performance from Spaceman (2024) which had him voice a spider and while I do think Dano’s performance is more successful. Kane’s performance is still very great and does bring you into the film’s world.

As far as the narrative goes that’s when the film has missteps, the first half of the film being about a mismatched pair that has interesting conversations about loneliness, loss and grief all of a sudden goes to this fantasy like world that the film unfortunately doesn’t build up all that well. Which is in large part due to how much the pacing really throws the viewer off, it honestly feels like two completely different films were written and then at the last second meshed together. 

But in the end I still think Tuesday is an interesting little film that while is heavily flawed, still has its charm and the performances to back it up. 

Tuesday is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B