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!
When a group of teens takes a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods, they unwittingly resurrect the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime. The undead killer soon embarks on a bloody rampage to retrieve the stolen locket, methodically slaughtering anyone who gets in his way.
In A Violent Nature is directed by Chris Nash which is his directorial debut.
In A Violent Nature is quite divisive and it’s very easy to see why, for awhile I had no idea what to exactly think of this film. When it was first announced I found the idea intriguing a slasher film but from the killer’s perspective, an idea that I think for the most part this film completely nails especially when it comes to the kills as well as the atmosphere of a slasher film only a bit more darker.
I’ll start with talking about the atmosphere as it’s a key factor in what makes the film work, it’s very clear they are going for the classic “slasher film villain in the woods” idea which will immediately remind you of the Friday The 13th series particularly the first several entries and that’s not a bad thing at all. It has this classic feel to it that works and as I said before the atmosphere works, there’s some quite gorgeous shots in this pretty brutal film that sort of makes you forget the brutality that’s going on. The lack of score with only nature sounds, leaves crumbling, crickets chirping really makes the film all the more thrilling as well, it adds this sense of realism that does hit you like a truck when the kills start to occur.
Speaking of which the kills are going to be the thing this film is going to be remembered for and rightfully so because they are shockingly brutal. There’s one in particular that will leave you shocked in your seat, it’s shocking to watch unfold and it’s still shocking after it happens. It has some incredibly impressive gore that I really can’t help but praise the team to make this come to life. The kills match the atmosphere quite perfectly and really do have this brutal nature to them that gives them personality.
Unfortunately the final 10-15 minutes is very questionable as to why it’s even here. Look I love a great monologue, I think monologues can be an excellent way of showing a performer’s ability and a great device to tell the story. With that being said the monologue during the final moments of the film feels very confused, it doesn’t exactly say anything, it doesn’t evolve the plot and it ends the film very awkwardly.
However I don’t think that’s enough to stop In A Violent Nature from being an incredibly solid film, I will say do not go in expecting a quick and usual slasher film ride. This film is a slow burn that requires patience from the viewer and for the most part rewards the viewer very well.
In A Violent Nature is available on all VOD platforms.
Professional killer Gary Johnson breaks protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive husband and finds himself falling for her.
Hit Man is directed by Richard Linklater director of Dazed and Confused (1993), The “Before Trilogy (Sunrise, Sunset and Midnight), Boyhood (2014), Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (2022) and many other films.
As of right now Hit Man is by far the best Netflix “original” film of 2024 and it’s not even really close. I use original loosely since this film was more so bought by Netflix. But that’s beside the point, what we have here is the very definition of an incredibly fun comedy that I really wish I got to experience with a crowd (especially from seeing the reactions of it on Twitter).
For starters believe it or not the film is actually based on a true story (well loosely some sections of the film are entirely made up), about a college professor who worked for the Houston police in the late 1980s and 1990s as a fake hitman. The true story is decently interesting but I would argue the film itself is definitely a much more interesting way of telling it.
The cast is quite great, Glen Powell is incredibly charismatic here and delivers such a fun and charming performance that will win the viewer over at any point during the film, his outrageous mannerisms combined with the film’s fun and snappy nature also really helps as well. Although the film can feel a bit dragged out at certain points there’s this electrifying energy that makes the film’s 115 minute runtime go by incredibly quickly.
Similarly Adria Arjona is quite excellent here and has great chemistry with Glen Powell, together the two have plenty of scenes where they can bounce off of each other really well. Whether it be from comedic moments that are genuinely funny, to some of the more dramatic ones that actually have a decent amount of character work to them.
The writing I really have to say might be one of my favorite parts about the film, it’s very sincere and there isn’t anything flashy going on here. Despite the film being quite bizarre towards the end there’s this sense of wanting to keep this story as grounded as it possibly can and Richard Linklater and Glen Powell (the screenplay is by them) accomplish this quite well.
Overall Hit Man is a film that has a little bit for everyone, it has comedy, it has some action and it has some romance. It all blends together to create an interesting genre blending film that I do recommend giving a look.
Singer Amy Winehouse’s tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil inspires her to write and record the groundbreaking album “Back to Black.”
Back To Black is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson director of Nowhere Boy (2009), Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015) and A Million Little Pieces (2018).
There’s a certain level of responsibility that a director takes when they decide to a biopic about someone, the bare minimum of it is to not flat out lie, distort facts or be completely disrespectful to the person your making the film about. I had my gripes with Bob Marley: One Love a biopic which came out earlier this year, mainly due to making Bob Marley come off as apolitical or a centrist when he most certainly was not. However at the very least the film kept the spirit of Bob Marley through the music. So while I would say it’s not the best way to tell Bob Marley’s story I would not call it offensive.
Back To Black a biopic about Amy Winehouse on the other hand is offensive in it’s messaging, portrayal of Amy Winehouse and what the movie expects the viewer to ultimately take away from this movie that can potentially lead to people actually believing what this movie is saying.
The movie wants the viewer to believe that writer Matt Greenhalgh and director Sam Taylor-Johnson genuinely care about Amy Winehouse and sympathize with her yet that’s nowhere to be shown throughout this film. Every single moment is Winehouse being depicting how the media at the time treated her. The film barely focuses on her accomplishments or her being such a powerhouse singer that has a once in a generation voice. Instead this film attempts to criticize the media at the time saying they were the reason she died, yet does the exact thing it’s supposedly against.
Any nuance of what led up to Amy Winehouse’s tragic passing is lost in this movie because Johnson is more focused on trying to make a terrible downfall story that has absolutely nothing to add to the conversation about Amy Winehouse or her struggles. While yes it is true the media was absolutely cruel to Amy Winehouse, repeating what they did and then acting like your saying anything new is not the point you think you are making. Especially when you have poor direction, writing and acting thrown into the mix.
Look I’m sure Marisa Abela is a nice person and she was really trying her best here, but Amy Winehouse’s voice is something that can’t be replicated. As I said earlier it’s a once in a generation type of voice, so I really can’t blame Abela, I really do hope her career moves on to better things because she absolutely deserved a far better film.
What baffles me the most is the script treats Winehouse’s struggles and even death as matters of fate, Blake is portrayed as this victim of Amy’s struggles which is just absolutely baffling and begs the question why are you even making a biopic on Amy Winehouse at this point and her father is depicted as some powerless and wishful supporter all three things I just described being absolutely not true, Amy’s death wasn’t a matter of fate, Blake was not a victim and her father wasn’t this powerless and wishful supporter. Neither of them are fully to blame for her death but they absolutely did treat Amy poorly.
Overall Back To Black is a dishonest movie and flat out disrespects Amy Winehouse’s legacy, if you want to watch a film that respects Amy and does her story justice watch Amy (2015) a documentary directed by Asif Kapadia.
When New York City comes under attack from an alien invasion, a woman and other survivors try to find a way to safety. They soon learn that they must remain absolutely silent as the mysterious creatures are drawn to the slightest sound.
A Quiet Place: Day One is directed by Michael Sarnoski who previously directed Pig (2021). A Quiet Place: Day One is the third installment to the Quiet Place series and serves as a spin-off and prequel to the first film.
The first two Quite Places films are quite excellent, some of my favorite modern horror films that I’m glad to see get a lot of love. When I heard Michael Sarnoski’s next film after Pig (2021) a film in which is one of my favorite films of the 2020s so far was going to be a new Quiet Place film I was very intrigued where he was going to take the series. Sarnoski definitely took the franchise in a much different direction that’s for sure, a direction that some fans may not like but I absolutely loved for sure.
To start out with the performances are fantastic, Lupita Nyong’o once again shows that she is one of the best actresses working today, a lot of this film really relies on her and Joseph Quinn (who I will get to in a second) and they both absolutely nail it. Nyong’o’s character Samira is a terminally ill cancer patient who is slowly but surely dying, she absolutely feels this and seems to just sort of accept that she’s dying. However there’s a lot of nuance to the performance especially in later scenes as we get to know Samira as a character that leads to some of the most beautiful moments in this series so far.
Nyong’o just interacting with the rest of the cast is captivating she brings so much emotion to this series and perfectly captures the atmosphere around her, there’s one scene in particular during the last half of the film that brought me to tears, it’s a moment that I strongly believe is the best scene of the series so far. Between the build up to the scene, the direction and the performances from Nyong’o and Quinn it’s truly beautiful that truly made me cry.
Joseph Quinn is the other half of this film, his character Eric sort of just decides to join Samira and honestly that’s a pretty real depiction if an alien invasion actually happened, right from the start the viewer can tell Eric has a ton of anxiety and is alone, he’s in shock, has tons of anxiety and does not want to go back to being alone. Eric’s introduction is some of the best character introduction I’ve seen in a film so far this year and just seeing Eric and Samira interact with one another, talking about their backstories is just truly beautiful. Combined together Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn give powerhouse performances that end up being some of the very best so far this year.
A performance I was not expecting to be this good was Frodo the cat who is actually played by two different cats Nico and Schnitzel. Frodo actually plays quite a lot of important parts to the story and I’m not exactly sure how they are able to get a cat to jump around, or climb that perfectly but it’s truly fascinating how great Nico and Schnitzel are. Frodo is Samira’s cat and throughout the film he’s a lookout for any danger and does quite a good job of doing so.
As I’ve hinted at from talking about the performances, Michael Sarnoski focuses much more on the human elements of the series rather than the monsters, sure there are some action and chase scenes that are still very effective. But that’s not the main focus here, much like when Pig (2021) was about Nicolas Cage and the people he interacts with. A Quiet Place: Day One is very similar only less characters, heck there’s this theme of life and death throughout the film. Samira wants to do one last thing before she dies, as she goes on this journey with Eric she tells the viewer a bit about her life every so often until we are eventually given that scene I mentioned earlier that made me cry (which I won’t spoil). Sarnoski does such a fantastic job of bringing such a fresh direction to the series and gives us such a powerful character filled moment story.
Overall A Quiet Place: Day One is one of the best films so far this year, never did I expect to cry my eyes out to a film in the Quiet Place series. But as they say life is full of surprises.
Stand-up comedian Sam struggles with PTSD, and considers joining the search for a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.
I Used To Be Funny is directed by Ally Pankiw which is her directorial debut.
If there’s one film so far this year that I really wish had more attention it would be I Used To Be Funny a film where on the surface it does look like it would be your usual indie film that combines drama and comedy together. But when you actually sit down and watch it…the film’s drama is far more heavier than you would have thought.
Rachel Sennott once again knocks it out of the park, this film only shows that she has even more range as an actress which always make her more exciting to see when she’s on screen in a film. This is such an effective performance here especially when combined with the film’s theme about PTSD, Rachel Sennott plays a comedian named Sam Cowell who is struggling with depression and has PTSD after a young girl named Brooke (played by Olga Pesta) who she used to be a nanny for goes missing.
As a character Sam is so beautifully written and really captures the struggles of depression and PTSD, she constantly blames herself for Brooke’s disappearance and her breaking down is all the more gut punching and at times sort of hard to watch in a impactful way. She quits her career as a comedian which is something depression can really make you do, push the things you really enjoy doing most. It’s such a grounded and respectful portrayal of depression that I can’t help but respect this film. As I said earlier Rachel Sennott’s performance only adds to this, she gives such a powerful performance that really shows she is one of the most exciting actresses working today.
The film is told through switching back in forth from the present where Sam Cowell is facing the aftermath of Brooke going missing and the past where we learn how Sam’s relationship with Brook and her family deteriorates. A lot of films tend to struggle when it comes to switching to two different periods in time, but here it’s done quite well and you can quite easily follow along. It’s a beautifully put together story that really brings in many emotions into the mix, there’s some comedic moments in the middle but you can tell Sam is even struggling then.
Overall I Used To Be Funny is a fantastic film that brings light to very heavy subject matter, the film does it in a way that’s respectful and very honest. If you haven’t seen this one yet I highly recommend checking this one out.
I Used To Be Funny is available on all VOD platforms.
Stranded at an Arizona rest stop, a travelling knife salesman gets thrust into a high-stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers who will stop at nothing to protect their ill-begotten fortune.
The Last Stop In Yuma County is directed by Francis Galluppi which is his directorial debut.
The Last Stop In Yuma County was definitely a surprise it’s one of those films that slightly blew up out of nowhere and quite honestly I couldn’t be more happy that it did. I like seeing films like this get some spotlight, there’s some really neat stuff here that really blends several genres together such as crime, western and noir into something quite exciting.
The performances are strong here, Jim Cummings and Jocelin Donahue in particular are quite excellent. Both really match the suspenseful atmosphere that’s in the air right at the start of the film. The script from Galluppi also reflects this quite well, right from the very first screen we the viewers feel the atmosphere right in our face. It’s sort of rare for a film to flat out start off with such as great atmosphere like this.
The setup isn’t anything new, it’s a classic hostage situation but the film puts it’s own twist and turns on it that make it worthwhile to watch unfold. The characters add more to the setup even if they are one dimensional but at the very least they are likable and actually quite fun characters to watch on screen, the film itself is just an overall delight to watch. The slow burn aspect of it helps keep the pacing nice and slow so that the atmosphere can keep getting more and more thrilling.
The location of the film is also such a great choice (a remote desert location in Yuma County Arizona) there’s very little to hide and to run so that adds a bit of stakes into the mix when it comes to the thrilling atmosphere. The buildup is also absolutely worth it in the end, as events unfold during the film you are left on the edge of your seat to see what’s going to exactly happen next.
Overall The Last Stop In Yuma County is quite great, it might not be doing anything exactly new. But it’s such a well acted, written and crafted film that I can’t help but give this one a recommendation.
The Last Stop In Yuma County is available on all VOD platforms.
Jerome Reviews... 