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

Kill (2024) Film Review

A train to New Delhi becomes a combat battleground as a pair of commandos faces off against an army of invading bandits.

Kill is directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat who previously directed Brji Mohan Amar Rahe (2018), Hurdang (2022) and Apurva (2023).

I knew very little about Kill going in, all that I knew before hand was that it was very violent and gory…which yes it definitely is. The film features some of the most brutal kills I’ve seen from any film so far this year.

Like many other people have said Kill is if you took The Raid (2011) and the John Wick series and put it on a train. However Kill does things differently in terms of story and the way it executes it’s dialogue and filming. Lakshya is an excellent leading man that we follow and the rest of the cast are just as exciting, the setup isn’t anything brand new but it’s just enough to really make you care about these characters.

Once the title card drops 40 minutes into the film things start kicking into high gear, while yes once the hijackers showed up is definitely when things start getting brutal. The title card drop opens a brutal door where violence is going to happen nonstop until the film ends. It ups the ante with so much blood and violence that compliments the film’s themes such as contextualizing violence the class divide between the heroes and villains, while we don’t get a whole lot of that in the dialogue. We definitely get that through the character’s emotions, actions and the spread of violence through the train. It’s quite interesting execution that really works well in this film’s favor.

Lastly you have just how well filmed the film really is, from the action scenes to how up in your face the brutality is Kill utilizes many different filming angles to make the film standout more. The atmosphere compliments the film well, incredibly suspenseful and has a brutal nature that never stops. There’s so much going on during the film’s final act that much like the train the characters are on, never stops moving until we reach the end.

Kill is available on all VOD platforms!

9/10 A

Fancy Dance (2024) Film Review

Since her sister’s disappearance, Jax has cared for her niece, Roki, by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow.

Fancy Dance is directed by Erica Tremblay which is her directorial debut.

Fancy Dance is perhaps one of the most underrated films of 2024, it’s such a shame this one isn’t really being talked about as much as some other favorites so far this year. Because this is quite a strong one!

Lily Gladstone as always is fantastic here, she gives one of the best performances of the year so far. It’s a truly touching, heartbreaking and beautiful performance that really compliments this story incredibly well. The story focusing on missing and murdered indigenous women who often get ignored which is sadly a very true thing that happens even today. The film itself really acts like a eulogy for those women and does it in such a heartbreaking way that it quickly gets to the viewer.

The film is also moving…a powerful celebration of cultural identity and resilience, it balances these topics fluently, the performances from Lily Gladstone (as mentioned before) and Isabel DeRoy-Olsen really bring these themes front and center. The two have excellent chemistry and the writing just makes their conversations all the more interesting, the direction from Erica Tremblay (who is also one of the writers) is very natural and really captures the heartbreaking nature of the story. It’s an incredibly sad film yet there are glimpses of celebration as I said before, it’s the perfect blend to really tell a story such as this.

As far as pacing goes the first 20 minutes or so are a bit slow but that’s nowhere near enough to stop Fancy Dance from being an incredibly engaging film, there’s a lot to this film that makes it standout especially with some of the places the film ends up going.

Overall Fancy Dance is quite excellent, I really hope this film finds more watchers over time because this is truly a great one!

Fancy Dance is available on Apple TV+

9/10 A

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die (2024) Film Review

When their late police captain gets linked to drug cartels, wisecracking Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett embark on a dangerous mission to clear his name.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah who previously directed Bad Boys For Life (2020), Gangsta (2018), Black (2015) and Image (2014). Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is the fourth installment in the Bad Boys series and is a sequel to Bad Boys For Life (2020).

The Bad Boys series has always been incredibly fun, you know what you are getting into when you go into one of these films and they always leave you with satisfaction. That’s just as much as the case with Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, a film that oozes with summer blockbuster charm but also adds a bit more to the mix to make this one memorable.

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are both excellent here, they are the best they have ever been here. Whats very interesting about this film is despite the previous film coming out only 4 years ago you still feel like this is a reunion not the characters feeling that way but the audiences. Maybe it’s the energy the film itself gives off or maybe it’s just me, but this is felt during the first moments of the film and it’s quite pleasing. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence once again work incredibly well together and really just nail down why this series works so well. It’s the classic action filled moments with humorous ones that the script offers, Smith and Lawerence effortlessly deliver their lines and make this into such a fun ride.

The action scenes continue to get bigger in these films along with the variety of different shots. You have your usual fun action scenes you would expect in a summer blockbuster, you have drone shots that are incredibly neat as well as filmed beautifully and you have your crazy stunts that are quite impressive that bring you to the edge of your seat. It’s very reminiscent of the energy that Bad Boys II (2003) had which is very welcoming and chaotic in the best ways possible.

The plot is honestly nothing to write home about it’s a story of being framed and probably goes about how you expect it to. But the film makes up for that with incredibly fun action scenes, strong performances from Will Smith and Martin Lawerence and just overall being a very likable film that knows what it is.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Thelma (2024) Film Review!

Thelma Post is a 93-year-old grandmother who loses $10,000 to a con artist on the phone. With help from a friend and his motorized scooter, she soon embarks on a treacherous journey across Los Angeles to reclaim what was taken from her.

Thelma is directed by Josh Margolin which is his directorial debut.

Thelma just might be one of the sweetest and endearing films of 2024, what seems like a silly revenge story on the surface actually ends up being a film that actually has a few themes here that work incredibly well.

Before we get to that let’s talk about the performances all of which are fantastic but the one who makes the film is June Squibb. Her performance as Thelma is so endearing, easily connects with the viewer and honestly an excellent portrayal of a grandmother. The chemistry she has with the cast feels incredibly natural and really does give off this cozy feel almost like you are listening to someone’s grandmother speak. It’s impossible to walk out of this film without a smile on your face and that’s mainly due to Squibb’s performance. Fred Hechinger’s performance as Daniel who plays Thelma’s grandson is also really excellent. A lot of the film’s best moments is with Thelma and Daniel just speaking to one another, catching up on each other or Daniel making sure Thelma is okay. It all feels very natural. Richard Roundtree is also quite great here, he has excellent chemistry with June Squibb that are easily some of the films best moments.

Which also lead into the film’s main theme…getting old. Hearing Thelma talk about being old with most of her friends who are either dead or have moved on with their lives is honestly some soul crushing stuff. I mean sure getting old is a part of life it’s going to happen to everyone, but when you hear this come from Thelma a character who is shown to be kind, doing anything she can to protect her family and tries to remain positive throughout the film. It really starts to get to you as a viewer, perhaps it’s because of the very well written script from Josh Margolin but this is actually very beautifully executed.

The humor combined with the film’s revenge story (which starts due to a scam) is quite excellent, I do love that the film makes sure to balance humor and the many touching moments. It helps the film be more natural in its execution and just results in a blast of fun. There’s a little bit here for everyone which is the best move this film could have possibly done.

Overall Thelma is excellent, it takes a regular revenge story and flips it on its head by including so many touching moments that really dive into getting old. Very endearing film be sure to give this one a watch!

Thelma is available on all VOD Platforms.

8/10 B+