The Watchers (2024) Film Review

A 28-year-old artist gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. Finding shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are stalked by mysterious creatures every night.

The Watchers is directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan which is her directorial debut.

When I heard Ishana Night Shyamalan was going to direct a horror film I was definitely interested, even though I’m not huge on a lot of her father M.Night Shyamalan’s work I was still interested to see what she can do…and well The Watchers definitely exists.

The best way I can describe The Watchers is like an essay that starts out quite well written has all the right punctuation, has the right capitalization and then suddenly during the second half of the essay feels like it was written by a completely different person with bad grammar, terrible punctuation and is very nonsensical.

The Watchers has a solid setup with some interesting folklore attached to it that does get the viewer engaged with the movie, the performances are mostly pretty okay! Olwen Fouéré is definitely the best here she gives a genuinely creepy performance at times and while her character is on the cliched side of things, Fouéré really makes it work especially during the first half of the movie combined with the atmosphere. Her performance blends in with the atmosphere quite well which really helps. Georgina Campbell isn’t too bad here either, again not a whole lot to her character but she plays the part well and she is quite likable so I guess that’s something.

Dakota Fanning is fine enough, it’s nice to see her back in horror but unfortunately as the main lead she’s really held back with such a confused script (especially towards the end) we get very little about her character outside of a few flashbacks. The movie tries to connect the plot to her past but it really does not fully explore any of that at all, it’s much more slapped on than anything else and doesn’t take the time to actually connect the two together in a way that wouldn’t feel so clunky.

The first bit of the movie as I said before is pretty decent, the setup is solid and the atmosphere is genuinely creepy at times. Ishana Night Shyamalan definitely has an eye for a great setting, the because the forest is quite effective in bringing out thrills and some creepy moments. It almost feels like one of those indie horror games and I mean that in a positive way, where it feels like there is so much more to explore than meets the eye. Plus the rules of The Watchers themselves are pretty creepy as well, the sound of banging on the glass is effective and really does get you on the edge of your seat.

Unfortunately the second half of the movie is a complete and total mess, the movie suddenly feels the need to over explain itself plus the movie gets incredibly stupid and not in the good way. A lot of the creepy imagery that was present during the first half is traded in for incredibly goofy lines, nonsensical new rules about the lore of the watchers and just a completely forgettable second half that really does not compliment anything that came before it.

Overall The Watchers is definitely one of the more disappointing films of 2024 so far, there was a lot of potential here for a thrilling ride but a lot of pieces were missing to make this work.

The Watchers is available on all VOD Platforms!

4/10 D+

Ezra (2024) Film Review

Divorced stand-up comedian Max Bernal struggles to raise his autistic son, Ezra. Forced to confront difficult decisions about the boy’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both of their lives.

Ezra is directed by Tony Goldwyn who previously directed Conviction (2010).

Credit where credit is due they casted William Fitzgerald who actually is autistic to play an autistic character which does end up making the film a bit more grounded and can connect more with the viewer as well.

The performances are quite solid, William Fitzgerald is a lot of fun and delivers some quite humorous lines plus is overall incredibly charming as well. Although his character Ezra is admittedly used as a plot device to move things a long in the later half of the movie, which is quite unfortunate and does end up hurting the movie in the long run. Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro are both solid here as well, Cannavale has lot of moments where his character Max bonds with his son and those moments do end up being charming. De Niro as usual delivers a great performance that is quite raw, it’s not heavy performance that has a lot to it but it works in the context of the movie.

The writing is decent, there’s definitely some inspiration porn cliches thrown in there but it isn’t nearly enough to really take away from the movie. Although the subplot of Max landing a spot on Jimmy Kimmel is very out of place for a movie like this, it ended up feeling like a setup for a mid-credits joke which doesn’t work (the joke itself is not even worth it). Having that said I do think the performances truly make this film and really make the script come together. There’s this earnest feel to the performances that’s present throughout the movie you can’t help but love and that ends up being the case with the script as well.

Overall Ezra is a perfectly passable drama that I’m glad exists, although it’s heavily flawed I do appreciate the careful attempt by everyone involved!

Ezra is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

IF (2024) Film Review

After discovering she can see everyone’s imaginary friends, a girl embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten imaginary friends with their kids.

IF is directed by John Krasinski director of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009), The Hollars (2016), A Quiet Place (2018) and A Quiet Place Part II (2020).

I really do not have a whole lot to say about IF it’s a kids movie that is very well intentioned and even has some genuinely heartfelt moments, but is surrounded by some clunky execution especially during the last half of the movie.

Steve Carell is by far the standout here, while not every single joke lands and the character of Blue is sort of standard. Carell still manages to be entertaining as well as charming, it’s sort of hard to really mess up when it comes to Steve Carell (heck I don’t a lot of the Despicable Me movies but really like Gru) plus I do think he fits the charming imaginary friend feel the movie is going for. Cailey Fleming is also not bad here, while she isn’t perfect, much like Carell she gives a sweet and charming performance that is effective and matches the tone of what the movie is going for. Ryan Reynolds strangely feels miscast here, he sort of just exists and his character Cal is incredibly forgettable who while does have a few strong scenes really fails to connect with the viewer.

The idea of the movie surrounding the imaginary friends is solid and isn’t as much as a repeat of the Cartoon Network show Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends as the trailer made it out to be. Having that said the main problem with IF is a lot of the Imaginary friends being voiced by Hollywood celebrities, it takes away a lot of the whimsical and magical feeling of imaginary friends and becomes a cameo fest. A bunch of moments where you point at the screen and say “oh I know that person’s voice!” Had this been one or two times it would not be so much of a big deal, however this is a common occurrence throughout the movie and that sort of becomes the imaginary friends’s whole character that they are voiced by Hollywood stars.

It’s a shame too because there are some genuinely heartfelt moments here that do actually work, but are unfortunately not exactly the main focus. The movie works best when it focuses on the bond of Bea and Blue and the more human moments, which is incredibly surprising to say given that this movie is about the imaginary friends.

I think IF will do well for younger audiences since it does immediately have bright visuals and creature designs are admittedly quite fun, IF is not necessarily a terrible movie but this is a very forgettable one that could have been a lot more.

IF is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

A Family Affair (2024) Film Review

A surprising romance kicks off comic consequences for a young woman, her mother and her movie star boss as they face the complications of love, sex and identity.

A Family Affair is directed by Richard LaGravenese who has directed P.S. I Love You (2007), Beautiful Creatures (2013), The Last Five Years (2014) and a few others.

Yet another Netflix original film from this year that completely falls flat, you would think with a pretty solid cast there would be some attempt to try and make this work. Unfortunately that’s not really the case here, while I don’t think the movie is as bad as say Madame Web, Night Swim or Unfrosted that really is not saying all that much.

The cast is fine enough and really tries the best they can with such an unfunny script, Nicole Kidman and Kathy Bates are definitely the best of the bunch. Zac Efron is really trying but unfortunately the comedic timing really throws him under the bus and Joey King while actually not terrible here (this is one of her better performances) really does not have a whole lot going on with her character.

The first 20 minutes or so aren’t bad, the movie has a decent setup and actually some okay jokes in the mix. However after that things fall apart very quickly, the movie turns into a very typical bad Netflix romantic comedy movie that throws just about every cliche in the book it possibly can until the movie ends.

There’s bound to be comparisons to The Idea With You which came out a few months ago and while the two movies are different genres (Idea Of You being a drama while Family Affair being a comedy) A Family Affair really does feel like The Idea Of You but worse, The Idea Of You was not perfect (far from it) but at the very least the performances were incredibly solid, the writing was interesting and the characters were enjoyable. You really don’t get that from A Family Affair outside of the first 20 or so minutes. Instead you get a very repetitive 114 Netflix romantic comedy that feels like it should have ended ages ago.

A Family Affair is available on Netflix.

3/10 D-

Jim Henson Idea Man (2024) Review

A look at interviews of fans of Jim Henson, interspersed with footage from his works, including Wilkins and Wontkins Commercials that were previously lost.

Jim Henson Idea Man is directed by Ron Howard who has directed A Beautiful Mind (2001), Rush (2013), Apollo 13 (1995), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Cinderella Man (2005) and many others.

Jim Henson Idea Man is a documentary that talks about the career of Jim Henson the man who created The Muppets, Sesame Street, Dark Crystal and many other incredible pieces of work that have gone on to be beloved to this day. The documentary mostly focuses on Henson’s early career and does go over some works that aren’t as popular which is always nice to see.

Ron Howard’s style works quite well here with even some very nice experimental nods to Henson’s creative energy, the use of footage that was previously lost such as some of the Wilkins Coffee ads was a nice touch. The documentary also manages to capture the spirit of Jim Henson, what really makes this special is the editing incorporates the style and art that Henson really liked to use in his work, which really does give this documentary the extra push to standout.

The documentary isn’t really saying anything groundbreaking but it really does not need to, it focuses more on celebrating Jim Henson’s life, his impact on art in general and the many people interviewed (family members and collaborators) such as Frank Oz.

There really isn’t much else to be said, if your a fan of Jim Henson and his work you will definitely appreciate this very straight to the point documentary that isn’t trying to be complex it’s a tribute to such a beloved artist.

Jim Henson Idea Man is available on Disney+

7/10 B

Ultraman Rising (2024) Film Review

When Tokyo is threatened by giant monsters, an all-star athlete reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman, and become a legendary hero.

Ultraman Rising is directed by Shannon Tindle which is his directorial debut.

I don’t know much about Ultraman I’ve seen maybe one or two of the films, so I went into this one blindly. Luckily it does seem like (from what I’ve read from people who are fans) is that this movie takes place in a new timeline.

What sticks out immediately is the animation which is quite beautiful and incredibly fun to look at, there’s a lot of attention to detail with the character designs that add to the film’s characters. Plus the world the film takes place in has a lot of style, which only adds to the film’s already high level of charm. So when it comes to style Ultraman Rising nails it completely but what about script and character wise?

Well the characters and script are quite fun as well, there’s this whole parental/child story that’s quite charming. Ken (voiced by Christopher Sean) is quite an interesting character he juggles around being a father, a baseball player and Ultraman during the course of the film. Which ultimately leads into some quite touching moments.

The film is much more about parents and children than it is about fighting monsters, which was actually surprised about but it’s a very welcoming choice that while not every single viewer will get behind if you dig these types of stories and are looking for more than just fighting giant monsters you get that here.

While I don’t think the film is doing anything brand new with the parent and children plot line, it’s charming enough to grab the viewer’s attention and really invest into these characters.

Ultraman Rising is available on Netflix.

7/10 B

Boy Kills World (2024) Film Review

Boy is a mayhem machine who’s been training to assassinate the bloodthirsty Hilda Van Der Koy and avenge his family’s murder; guided by his sister’s mischievous spirit, Boy uncovers one stunning revelation after another as he barrels toward Hilda.

Boy Kills World is directed by Moritz Mohr which is his directorial debut.

It really pains me to say that Boy Kills World did not work for me, it’s by far one of the most disappointing films so far this year and is completely dismantled due to one glaring issue…the internal monologue.

The use of internal monologue isn’t necessarily bad (far from it) what is bad is that Bill Skarsgård’s character simply known as “The Boy” only speaks through it and after awhile it becomes incredibly obnoxious. H. Jon Benjamin is a great voice actor don’t get me wrong (I like a lot of his voice work) but he doesn’t really add anything funny with his delivery, it’s incredibly lacking and doesn’t have the punch he usually delivers.

The movie does have its positives such as the gore combined with the kills that do bring this excitement factor into the mix. The performances are overall pretty solid Bill Skarsgård, Isaiah Mustafa and Jessica Rothe are quite great, the rest of the cast are pretty solid as well. The characters themselves were interesting enough to follow plus the Scott Pilgrimesc style of action was pretty charming as well.

The other problems come in during the last half of the movie where there’s a ton of plot twists and the movie tries to go for this grand finale when it quite honestly did not need to, the action also sort of fell apart at the end. It was a lot more sloppy when you compare to what came before it. Gideon Van Der Koy (played by Brett Gelman) as a villain is really not as entertaining as the movie tries to make him out to be. There’s a couple lines he delivers that are somewhat humorous but a lot of his performance is about as basic as you can get when it comes to villains trying to be comedic.

Overall Boy Kills World definitely had a lot of potential but was held back due to so many issues that stick out like a sore thumb.

Boy Kills World is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Under Paris (2024) Film Review

To save Paris from a bloodbath, a grieving scientist is forced to face her tragic past when a giant shark appears in the Seine.

Under Paris is directed by Xavier Gens director of Frontier(s) (2007), Hitman (2007), The Divide (2011), The Crucifixion (2017), Cold Skin (2017) and Mayhem! (2023).

I honestly had no idea this was releasing until I saw a few people on Twitter talk about how campy it was, I decided to take a look and well if this review was judging the last 25 minutes or so only this movie would be a 7/10 due to how bizarre and quickly the chain of events are plus how they happen. Unfortunately for this movie the rest of it is attached.

The characters who the movie really wants you to connect with and the script share a very common problem…both are incredibly boring. I’ve said before how I hate using the word boring in my reviews, but there really is no other way to describe the movie’s characters or its script. A lot of it is cliched clutter such as stupid characters who are only stupid just to move the plot along, the movie desperately tries to take itself seriously a lot of the time which I do believe is why the last 25 minutes end up being so unintentionally hilarious. But that isn’t quite enough to give the rest of the movie a pass.

There’s just not a whole lot going on here and really does not offer anything really new to the already crowded shark movie genre, there’s some hints at tension but the movie never uses the tension in a way that is going to bring the viewer in more closely.

Under Paris is available on Netflix.

2/10 F

Summer Camp (2024) Film Review

Childhood best friends Nora, Ginny and Mary used to spend every summer at a sleepaway camp together. Years later, they seize the opportunity to return to the camp for a reunion filled with food fights, river rafting, and emotional revelations.

Summer Camp is directed by Castille Landon director of Fear Of Rain (2021), After We Fell (2021), After Ever Happy (2022), Perfect Addiction (2023) and After Everything (2023).

Summer Camp (2024) is one of those movies that for some reason managed to get quite a stacked cast Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, Dennis Haysbert, Eugene Levy, Josh Peck and a few others. Unfortunately despite having tons of talent the movie fails to utilize these actors and actresses talent in any meaningful way.

What really hurts this movie is the story and the pacing, it takes far too long for anything noteworthy to happen. What’s supposed to be a movie about three friend’s friendship as adults and wanting a reunion at a summer camp turns into such a chore to sit through. A lot of the jokes fall flat, granted there are hints at some good jokes but never reach the full punchline.

The direction from Castille Landon is a bit better here than a lot of her previous work but once again it’s filled to the brim with characters that are incredibly lacking in development, if anything is a positive here it’s Bates, Keaton and Woodard who really try their best to work with such a lacking script. They give fine enough performances that I’m sure fans of these three might get something out of their interactions, because to be absolutely fair the interactions between the three had some sort of promise. The final act shows this and there’s some decent enough dialogue towards the end, unfortunately it’s too little too late by then as the movie is basically over.

Overall there really is not a whole lot to discuss here, what you read in the plot synopsis is what you get a very bare bones comedy that has incredibly lacking execution.

Summer Camp is available on all VOD platforms.

3/10 D-

Most Anticipated Films Of July 2024!

So I still have quite a lot of reviews to catch up on (including a few from May) which is due to me having technical difficulties and so much going on. Which is why there was not a June list, luckily things are slowly picking up again. I’m definitely going to be using July and probably parts of August as a catch up month on reviews and working my way through my watchlist.

Anyways July seems like a very strong month (my birthday is July 5th let’s go!!)

12. Chestnut – July 2nd (VOD)

11. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F – July 3rd (Netflix)

10. Deadpool and Wolverine – July 26th (Theaters)

9. Mother Couch – July 5th (Theaters)

8. National Anthem – July 12th (Theaters)

7. Twisters – July 19th (Theaters)

6. Kill – July 4th (Theaters)

5. Didi – July 26th (Theaters)

4. Oddity – July 19th (Theaters)

3. Sing Sing – July 12th (Theaters)

2. Longlegs – July 12th (Theaters)

1. Maxxxine – July 12th (Theaters)