A recent graduate becomes entangled in a relationship with a man and a woman during the summer after college.
Chestnut is directed by Jac Cron which is her directorial debut.
I admire the attempt of this movie and what it was trying to do, but unfortunately the movie ultimately leaves the viewer asking the question “what am I supposed to take away from this movie?”
Natalia Dyer and Rachel Keller are really great here, this is definitely a case where you have really strong performances that deserved a much better script. A large problem here is the script is incredibly lacking in emotion. There are hints at genuine emotion at times that do help the movie get somewhat off the ground, only to completely fall back down during the next scene.
It’s a shame because in the technical department Chestnut delivers quite decently, it has some really nice neon lighting combined with the Philadelphia backdrop. There’s some genuinely beautiful moments here that really do shine, unfortunately the movie’s beauty can’t quite push it to the finish line especially when the movie fails to deliver a meaningful emotional punch.
The movie attempts to explore bisexuality which the approach it goes with isn’t necessarily bad it’s just not really saying anything, it’s a usual story about a love triangle and that’s really as far as it goes. There isn’t any meaningful discussion or nuances, which is frustrating because there were moments where you could see the movie almost making an interesting point only to abandon it.
Overall Chestnut is admirable attempt but falls short in the script category.
Ava’s husband, Dallas, leaves her heartbroken as he deserts their marriage. Dallas’ malicious actions unravel as Ava gets a chance to find true love with her destined soulmate.
Divorce In The Black is directed by Tyler Perry who has directed the Madea series, A Fall From Grace (2020), A Jazzman’s Blues (2022), Mea Culpa (2024), Acrimony (2018) and many others.
Two Tyler Perry films in one year? Well considering how fast he does this movies it’s honestly no surprise (I mean Perry claims that A Fall From Grace was done in 5 days). Mea Cupla was bad enough but what if I told you that Divorce In The Black could arguably be worse?
There’s a few scenes here that are unintentionally funny so I’ll start out with those. The first one being conveniently right at the opening with a 7 minute long funeral scene that goes from being typical to down right bizarre, I honestly don’t think anything could have prepared me for what actually unfolds. It’s absolutely ridiculous, there is little to no direction at all and it really seems everyone just decided to do their own thing in the worst ways possible. The only other hilarious moment is just a line that is very poorly delivered which it’s “Do you want to lose your job bitch?” in context it’s kind of whatever but the way it’s delivered and the dramatic finger pointing is what makes it funny.
Everything else about Divorce In The Black is very typical Tyler Perry garbage, a very drawn out (2 hours seriously?), uninteresting story that has a bunch of characters that are about as investing as watching paint dry. The editing is somehow the worst it’s ever been in any of these movies, the score is completely forgettable and fails to bring any sort of tension to the movie and the dialogue once again shows that Tyler Perry completely fails to make his characters compelling.
Honestly what else to say here? This movie is pretty much every single Tyler Perry movie combined into one terrible mess that luckily is quite forgettable. Definitely one of the worst of the year.
Divorce In The Black is available on Amazon Prime Video!
Well I’m happy to say that I’m finally caught up review wise. July was very beneficial for me so we are back on track (for the most part) I still do have a decent amount on my watchlist so I’ll be using August (since there really is not a whole lot coming out anyway) to pick off films from the watchlist (I just started Monday and yesterday) so expect some reviews tomorrow.
Anyway as for August there’s honestly not a whole lot here, outside of Alien Romulus, Cuckoo, Strange Darling, and Trap (all of which I’m very excited for) I mostly put some more films on this list simply because they sound interesting and could be fun, so everything after Trap could be a hit or miss
12. Incoming – August 23rd (Netflix)
11. Stream – August 21st (Theaters)
10. The Watchmen Chapter 1 – August 13th (VOD)
9. Girl You Know It’s True – August 9th (VOD)
8. Close To You – August 16th (Theaters)
7. Hell Hole – August 23rd (Shudder)
6. Mothers Instinct – August 13th (VOD) (Yes I know this is technically a July release but it came out in July at the very last second so I thought I would just throw it on here)
FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.
Longlegs is directed by Osgood Perkins director of The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016) and Gretel & Hansel (2020).
Do I think Longlegs is one of the scariest films of all time? No. Do I think it’s an excellent film that really goes all out? Absolutely!
Let’s get the obvious out of the way, the performances are all incredibly well done some of which are among some of the best performances so far this year. Maika Monroe is truly fascinating here and has really established herself as a modern scream queen, like many of her other performances she really gets into the character and matches the film’s tone. Her being surrounded by this brutal mystery that gets more and more bizarre as well as dark really makes the film standout so much more and elevates her performance.
Nicolas Cage is terrifying in this film, there’s no other way to put it. Right when he enters the film he absolutely haunts the viewer with his actions, speech and appearance. The atmosphere combined with Cage’s acting is really putting in the work to make this as terrifying as possible and truly makes the character of Longlegs all the more disturbing, I don’t want to say too much about his character as this is a type of performance that you must absolutely see for yourself but just know it’s a fantastic one that Cage absolutely nails.
Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt are both fantastic here as well, Underwood giving a very strong supporting performance that helps build the mystery and Witt giving one of the most terrifying performances of the year. The direction from Osgood Perkins is truly fascinating, going inside the buildings in this film is like entering a void of darkness. You have no idea what’s on the other side or what is in between but your curious gets the better of you. Perkins does such a fantastic job of showing this by having the last bit of the film go completely bizarre and it truly works in the film’s favor.
The atmosphere and score combined together really make Longlegs such a chilling ride from beginning to end, the film keeps building up every monument until you get some brutal scenes that do such a good job of wrapping up a scene. The film captures has this dark spirit to it that constantly haunts the viewer as they explore the location, at times it really does seem like you are in the mind of a serial killer. These scenes in particular are spread throughout the film and are very effective especially in execution.
I don’t want to say too much more about Longlegs it’s a film that you really should experience for yourself, it will definitely not be for everyone. But it absolutely did work for me! One of the years best that’s for sure.
Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe. As the two tyrants fight for dominance, Furiosa soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home.
Furiosa is directed by George Miller director of Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2 (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Babe: Pig In the City (1998), Happy Feet (2006), Mad Max Fury Road (2015), Three Thousand Years Of Longing (2022) and a few others. Furiosa is the fifth installment in the Mad Max series and serves as spin-off prequel to Mad Max Fury Road telling the origin story of Furiosa.
Furiosa is yet another homerun for George Miller the man who has been directing these films ever since the franchise started back in 1979, the Mad Max series is one of those rare series of films that I don’t think there’s a bad movie. Thunderdome is definitely the weakest but even that one has a ton of positives, when Fury Road came out in 2015 it admittedly placed itself among some of the best action blockbusters of the 2010s and depending who you ask of all time. It’s among one of my favorite films that I rewatch every now and then. Luckily Furiosa keeps a lot of what made Fury Road work incredibly well and adds a bit more to it.
First off the performances all around are incredible, one thing that George Miller absolutely excels at is directing his cast and that’s shown right from the start with Charlee Fraser who although is only here at the beginning gives such a fascinating performance that is a ton of fun. These beginning scenes already set the tone of the film, with a very suspenseful atmosphere as well as a bizarre one that matches the film’s villain Dementus played by Chris Hemsworth. Who so far this year gives one of the best performances as a villain, this is arguably Hemsworth’s best performance as it’s a performance that’s very different from what he usually plays and every single scene he’s in he’s terrifying. You never know when this bizarre man is going to snap and when does it’s quite brutal.
Of course we have Furiosa played by Anya Taylor-Joy which is definitely a career best worthy performance, some people’s fear was that she could not play the character as well as Charlize Theron did in Fury Road. Luckily Anya Taylor-Joy nails down the performance and brings her own touch to the character, throughout most of the film Furiosa is silent. Only listening to the other characters talk, it really matches the tone of the atmosphere which of course is apocalyptic but this film really touches on that incredibly well. Anya Taylor-Joy’s facial expressions and body movements do all the talking here and it’s just so investing to see her do all of this effortlessly, she delivers so many beautiful interactions without even speaking with the other characters it’s truly beautiful in it’s own way.
Tom Bruke is quite fantastic here, his interactions with Anya Taylor-Joy have such an excellent feel to them and the two have great chemistry. He serves as this slight mentor figure, but is written in a very raw way that gives the character more connection to the viewer. Lastly there’s Lachy Hulme who plays Immortan Joe the main villain from Fury Road we get a handful with scenes of him here, much like the rest of the world and it’s crazy characters he’s very well written and adds to Furiosa’s story.
The action scenes much like in Fury Road are incredibly well done and among some of the best I’ve seen so far this year, heck I would say some of the best of the 2020s so far. The amount of attention to detail, and the filming of these scenes really are put into high focus. There’s one scene in particular that definitely standouts among them that I definitely think is the best and that’s saying something considering how many beautiful action scenes there are here.
The worldbuilding is truly beautiful here, even moments we do not get a whole lot of dialogue the setting itself really tells the story as well as the many crazy looking characters. There’s so much to look at and so much to explore in each scene, one main difference from Furiosaand Fury Road is Furiosa is much more narratively driven. Fury Road had a simple get to point A to point B sort of situation which is not a bad thing and in context makes sense for the film. Furiosa goes for a much bigger story that explores around especially since it is quite huge when it comes to scale. Furiosa accomplishes this incredibly well by exploring it’s characters, themes and atmosphere that really kick it into high gear.
Overall Furiosa is one of the best films so far this year, it’s an incredibly well directed film that makes the Mad Max series all the more interesting!
After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father, a scruffy street cat, Garfield is forced to leave his perfectly pampered life in order to take part in a high-stakes heist. And an incredible outdoor adventure begins!
The Garfield Movie is directed by Mark Dindal director of Cat’s Don’t Dance (1997), The Emperor’s New Grove (2000) and Chicken Little (2005).
The Garfield Movie is not as bad as expected as there are some pretty solid moments, the problem is most of the movie just really loses what made Garfield so lovable in the first place.
The first 10 minutes are the movie’s best moments, we get a quick backstory that’s decently emotional. There’s some genuinely touching moments between the dialogue and the short but sweet interaction that John and Garfield have that grow into what we know today. After that is when the movie falls off a cliff and honestly doesn’t really feel like a Garfield movie. It would be hard to make a 101 minute movie of Garfield just lazily lying in bed all day, but turning this into a very typical heist mission with training montages, a cliched betrayal and dull dialogue is not an effective approach to Garfield.
Having that said the movie does have it’s positives, the voice cast is honestly not too bad here although Nicholas Hoult as John was very surprising and I’m still not sure if I was surprised in a good or bad way. Samuel L. Jackson was fine enough here and Chris Pratt gives a very middle of the road performance. It’s definitely not as bad as I was expecting, but it’s not exactly something I would great either. The best compliment I can say is that it gets the job done.
As for everything else this quite honestly just feels like a heist movie with Garfield slapped on to it, it’s a very odd approach like I said before and I’m not sure what exactly why they went with this decision. At times there’s a few funny gags but a lot of the time it’s very forgettable.
Overall The Garfield Movie just sort of exists, it’s ultimately a very harmless movie for kids but for everyone else it’s quite forgettable.
The Garfield Movie is available on all VOD platforms.
After a failed comeback album, a rock star retreats to a cliffside home on Cyprus, only to find his new life complicated by visitors, and an old flame.
Find Me Falling is directed by Stelana Kris director of Committed (2014).
I’ll give Find Me Falling this at least it’s not as bad as expected. As far as Netflix romantic comedies go at least this one is trying to say something given that the subject matter is suicide. The movie might not really say anything all that well but at the very least it’s there.
Outside of that there’s a lot of typical romantic comedy cliches, the characters are fine enough but don’t get enough development to really make them investing. Harry Connick Jr. gives a decent performance and there’s no denying that the filming combined with the location is where the movie shines the most. There’s some genuinely beautiful shots in this movie that I was absolutely not expecting, it’s definitely one of the better looking Netflix original movies.
With that being said the script is completely flat and shows glimpses of what could have been a decent movie but doesn’t turn those glimpses into something that ends up mattering.
Really don’t have much else to say here, this is basically Netflix romantic comedy of the week. Where you watch it and then forget it after a few days, not as bad as some of the others but that doesn’t mean all that much.
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. However, as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Los Angeles, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
Maxxxine is directed by Ti West who previously directed X (2022), Pearl (2022), The House Of The Devil (2009), The Sacrament (2013), In a Valley Of Violence and a few others! Maxxxine serves as the final installment in the X trilogy
Anybody who has seen me on Twitter, knows me personally or has read my reviews knows I loved X and Pearl two films that came out in 2022 the year where it was a goldmine for excellent horror films. Pearl in particular ended up being my favorite film in general from that year, so I was pretty excited to see Maxxxine and while I can see why this disappointed some I definitely thought a majority of the film worked incredibly well outside of a few things which I’ll get into.
But first let’s start with the positives and there’s a lot, the cast as usual is something that all three of these films do super well at and it’s no exception here. Mia Goth of course returns as Maxine Minx and she once again does a fantastic job, there might not be an incredible monologue this time around. But her performance makes up with tons of fun and well acted scenes that do make the viewer walk away remembering her. Plus some of the character stuff done here for Maxine is quite excellent as well. The rest of the cast are quite great such as Elizabeth Debicki who just really embodies a serious director wanting to succeed, Giancarlo Esposito’s character Teddy Knight is really neat. He isn’t given a whole lot to do but when he does do something he is quite entertaining.
Something I’ve always like about the X series is each film feels drastically different and goes for completely different styles and tones of filmmaking. In X (2022) we got a homage to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and other 70s slashers plus a film where Ti West tries to make it as if the film was done in the 70s. In Pearl (2022) we got a throwback to the technicolor era of film The Wizard Of Oz (1939) for example and we got this beautifully done nightmare film that was just so incredibly well done. Maxxxine goes for this 80s feel and a tribute to the whole straight to home video feel which definitely works, there’s a ton of easter eggs and references to the 80s that blend well with the film and don’t take away from the storytelling luckily.
The kills are quite great they aren’t anything too crazy but they get the job done and do have a lot of fun energy to them. Which leads to why the film mostly works….it’s a lot of fun, just looking around the screen at the many details and the interactions Maxine has with the other characters is just a whole lot of fun to explore.
The two main criticisms here are lot of the characters just not given a whole lot to do and some of the third act. A lot of the side characters are really neat on paper but are unfortunately not very used that much, it’s a shame because there was a lot of potential with some of these characters in the other two films despite how minor the characters were they were at least given a surprising amount to do. It’s just a shame Maxxxine did not continue that tradition.
As for the third act i definitely get what they were going for and I do think parts of it works, I like that they tried to reflect the 80s with a much more campy spirit. However I do think the reveal of the killer while not terrible was a bit underwhelming, especially compared to the final acts of both X and especially Pearl that did such a great job with the endings. I don’t think the ending was bad it was more so underwhelming and had this “that’s it?” energy to it.
Overall Maxxine is an incredibly fun film that I really loved, it might not be as good as X (2022) or Pearl (2022) but the film does still have a solid conclusion to the series and is a whole lot of fun.
Haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado, Kate Cooper gets lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi, to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. She soon crosses paths with Tyler Owens, a charming but reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures. As storm season intensifies, Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves in a fight for their lives as multiple systems converge over central Oklahoma.
Twisters is directed by Lee Isaac Chung who previously directed Munyurangabo (2007), Lucky Life (2010), Abigail Harm (2012) and Minari (2020). Twisters serves as a standalone sequel to Twister (1996).
Of all films to get a sequel many years later Twister (1996) was not one I expected, sure there’s been talks about it every now and then but nothing really concrete up until it was announced that Lee Isaac Chung after his success with Minari (2020) would be in the director’s chair and that’s what got me immediately interested. I’m not huge on Twister (1996) as some other people are but I like it for what it is and I’m happy to say that I quite like Twisters.
For starters the film has Glen Powell who continues to be very charismatic in his performances, I said this yesterday when I reviewed Hit Man but Glen Powell is so likable and is incredibly fun to watch on the big screen. The moment he enters the film he oozes with charm and delivers some quite humorous lines as well. Daisy Edgar-Jones is also quite great here, she has excellent chemistry with Glen Powell and the two’s personalities really work well together. Daisy Edgar-Jones actually has a decent amount of beautiful moments thrown in here that at times I completely forgot I was watching a film about chasing tornadoes. Anthony Ramos is definitely the weakest here, while not terrible he just sort of feels just there and doesn’t really have any good chemistry with the rest of the cast. Plus his character isn’t all that interesting, his character development is very much on the predictable side of things that anyone can see coming from a mile away.
The rest of the characters although have limited screen time are a ton of fun mostly thanks to the performances. Brandon Perea, Sasha Lane, Harry Hadden-Paton, Tunde Adebimpe and Katy O’Brian in particular are a ton of fun, they get some little moments that do show their characters are actually decently likable and a joy to watch to the point where you want these characters to survive and start to care about their team. Even little moments of them bonding do quite a lot to get the viewer to actually like them.
The visuals are pretty neat especially when combined with the booming sound that’s very fitting especially when it’s a film about tornados, the suspense is there with a giant scale of the tornados in this classic blockbuster feel that is both memorable and grand. Going inside the tornado feels like going inside the belly of the beast it’s very suspenseful, one wrong move could be the end for our main characters. It’s the classic blockbuster thrill ride that knows not to over do it with the tornados but uses them just enough to keep the viewer on board with the film.
Twisters is another example of a film released this year with such an excellent score, a mix of country songs and the traditional type of film score is such a nice blend that actually makes the film quite beautiful at times. There’s a nice balance during the character moments and the more action filled moments that really adds to the film’s charm. Which is probably why Twisters works so well as a film, it knows it’s a summer blockbuster that has a simple goal…entertain the audience but also go a bit beyond that and throw in some character moments into the mix, some dramatic moments that are set to some actually beautiful country songs (this is coming from someone who isn’t a fan of country).
Overall Twisters is a blast of fun, it’s a charming and quite likable ride that I am really glad exists. It’s definitely predictable at times but ultimately the film accomplishes what it’s sent out to do!
Three stories revolve around a man who tries to take control of his own life, a policeman whose wife seems like a different person, and a woman who searches for someone with a special ability.
Kinds Of Kindness is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos director of Dogtooth (2009), Alps (2011), The Lobster (2015), The Killing Of a Sacred Deer (2017), The Favourite (2018), Poor Things (2023) and a few others!
Less than a year after Poor Things and we already have another Lanthimos film (okay to be fair by the time Poor Things came out Kinds Of Kindness was pretty much done). While Poor Things is arguably Lanthimos’s most accessible film for casual audiences, Kinds Of Kindness is classic Lanthimos weirdness along with being somewhat disturbing (at least atmospherically but we will get to that). It’s very much a film that not everyone is going to love and when you watch all three stories in this film it’s very easy to see why.
I think the way I’m going to structure this review is talk a little about each story and then give my final thoughts, there might be some overlap such as the atmosphere being similar in certain stories but I’ll discuss those when they pop up.
The Death Of R.M.F.
Is our first segment and I do think it’s the best one, mostly due to the absurdity of it all and the performances. Willem Dafoe gives his best performance of the three segments, he’s creepy, intimidating and very much fits the atmosphere that Lanthimos is going for with this film. Jesse Plemons also does a fantastic job here, there’s some actually darkly funny scenes between him and Willem Dafoe here that actually gave me a few laughs. That’s actually something worth pointing out, the film is quite humorous in a dark way, there’s plenty of moments of these sprinkled through each of the stories which gives them a lot of personality.
As for what exactly happens in this first segment is truly bizarre and is pretty suspenseful, it gets the viewer automatically sucked in as the mystery of it all unfolds, on the surface it may seem like a story of control where Raymond (played by Willem Dafoe) controls every part of Robert’s (played by Jesse Plemons) life. But as the film starts to establish its own world which really feels reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode you start to get the disturbing feel of it all. Overall excellent start to the film and a perfect way to establish the feel of the film.
R.M.F. Is Flying
Our second segment ranks as my least favorite of the three but that’s only because of how excellent I found each segment, this segment being ranked last does not mean it’s bad (far from it). Of the standout performances in this segment I have to give it to Emma Stone who gives an intimidating performance that really builds up to an explosive disturbing ride of a performance during the segment’s final moments. Jesse Plemons again gives a strong performance here, his chemistry with Emma Stone is what makes the segment work incredibly. Their characters have completely different personalities which leads to tons of comedic moments. Finally there’s Mamoudou Athie who really does not get to do all that much during the other segments, so it’s nice to see him do something here and he does a pretty good job with what he’s given.
The story being told here is once again very interesting, it relies on the viewer to really piece together what is exactly going on here. What exactly is going on with Liz (played by Emma Stone) and why all of this is happening. Which leads to the quite explosive final moments of the segment that is quite disturbing and is very classic Lanthimos, especially with the performances.
I did not mention this earlier since it wasn’t as noticeable but the performances in all of the segments really do feel very play like, like your watching a very important Broadway show and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s something Lanthimos has always done in some of his films an example I always go back to is Killing Of A Sacred Deer (2017) a film that I found to be one of the best of the 2010s. It’s like Lanthimos is taking the concept of stage plays and putting a disturbing twist on them and it works incredibly well here. This segment really uses the theme incredibly well, while the first segment went for a much more natural tone mixed with the traditional Lanthimos style, this segment definitely goes for the bizarrely dark stage play feel that works so well.
Once again another incredible segment that compliments the first segment incredibly well which leads us to our final segment!
R.M.F. Eats a Sandwitch
Our third and final segment ends the film on an incredibly high note, to summarize this segment in a few words it’s Lanthimos doing what he does best. Make an incredibly bizarre scenario and keep adding on to it, it’s so out there that I truly love it. The standout performances this time around are Emma Stone who definitely gives the most comedic performance of the film, every moment of her on screen here is bizarre. You never know what exactly she’s going to do and that’s part of what makes her performance so excellent. Jesse Plemons is also pretty great here, he’s more of a sidekick for Emma Stone’s character but I actually do enjoy a lot of the scenes he’s in. Margaret Qualley who actually plays two characters this time is quite excellent, Hunter Schafer although given a single scene is great and sets the tone of the rest of the segment quite well.
As far as tones or themes go this one is very much going for the bizarre feel, the feeling of not knowing what to expect at the slightest. Which is yet another feel that Lanthimos loves to use in his work and much like in the other cases it works well here. The bizarre story of trying to find a woman to reanimate the dead is truly interesting already but Lanthimos makes it all the more intriguing by adding his style to the mix, the whole cult element of it all also adds to the segment’s bizarre world.
Overall Kinds Of Kindness is yet another incredible film from Lanthimos, it’s most definitely not going to be for everyone but if your a fan of is work I do recommend giving this a go. Definitely one of my favorite films so far this year!
Jerome Reviews... 