Diego and Sage’s romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate gets upended when they’re forced to share a mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple. Their dream getaway soon spirals into a nightmarish maze of sex, lies and manipulation as terrifying secrets come to light, triggering a bloody battle for survival.
Bone Lake is directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan director of Fixation (2022) and Spoonful of Sugar (2022).
Bone Lake has some great ideas at play here, but unfortunately does not quite have the firepower to last very long especially when it comes to its script.
The performances are decent here but there really isn’t any particular moment that stands out. Maddie Hasson definitely gets the bigger end of the stick when it comes to the rest of the cast, but even her performance is left with more of a need to explore.
The movie attempts to touch on modern relationship dynamics and expectations which is all well and good, but the major issue here is the characters lack any sort of development to turn these themes into something investing for the viewer. The characters are very much what you would expect from this type of horror movie and just have very little going on in the development department.
Lastly there’s the writing which plays it very safe, even under the erotica genre this is not as crazy or explicit as much as the movie tries to make itself out to be. There are suggestions and glimpses of more hardcore elements but never anything shocking or daring, there are moments of fun to be had but those are very far and few in between.
Overall Bone Lake is very forgettable, outside of a few decent scenes and some okay performances this is one you will almost immediately forget about after watching.
Married couple Daphne and Darcy Davenport are two musicians who moved from London to a cottage in Wales to complete their new album. By accident they record a mystical sound never heard before and gradually disconnect from reality.
Rabbit Trap is directed by Bryn Chainey which is his directorial debut.
Rabbit Trap is one of those movies that has a lot of the right ingredients to make for an interesting little movie, but unfortunately drops the ball when it comes to adding detail to the story. Especially with its heavy use of being way too cryptic with the story.
The performances are all strong here, Dev Patel has a lot of charisma as an actor and here is no different. It might not be one of his absolute best performances, but he does capture the mysterious atmosphere the movie is going for and does a really solid job with his chemistry with the rest of the cast. Rosy McEwen offers great support for Patel (although I really do wish the movie went a bit more into her character), even if she is given the least amount to work with. Finally there’s Jade Croot who gives a quite terrifying performance, as soon as Croot enters the movie you feel the atmosphere completely change into something haunting. That’s present throughout the entire experience and is by far the movie’s best asset, it’s a mesmerizing performance that gets under the viewers skin very quickly.
When it comes to technical aspects, Rabbit Trap is quite strong. Sound designer Graham Reznick hits it out of the park, he takes the simple concept of sound and made it quite terrifying. There’s a mix of folklore here as well which does bring in some interesting moments. Cinematographer Andreas Johannessen and production designer Lucie Red give the movie this hauntingly beautiful feel and look that helps it standout a bit more. There’s this atmosphere that captures this feel of mystery where anything can happen or appear out of nowhere, the folklore like feel is also there something a lot of movies who try to go for this feel often miss.
Unfortunately Rabbit Trap suffers from a lot of writing issues. As great as the acting is, there’s just not a lot of strong character writing here and the lack of development really shrinks the impact the movie attempts to go for. The story’s cryptic and confused results lead to the viewer getting completely taken out of the movie.
Rabbit Trap falls short in what could have been a hidden gem that’s an atmospheric ride, but ultimately becomes quite forgettable.
Rabbit Trap is available on all VOD platforms.
5/10 C
Haunted by visions and recurring nightmares years after a near-death experience, Vanessa Shepherd finds herself living in the town of Abaddon, unable to break free from its unexplainable hold on her. When people around her suddenly and inexplicably begin to die, she soon uncovers her terrifying connection to the Abaddon Hotel, the Carmichael Manor, and the mysterious murders that have been occurring for decades.
Hell House LLC: Lineage is directed by Stephen Cognetti director of every installment in the Hell House LLC franchise (2015-2025) and 825 Forest Road (2025). Hell House LLC: Lineage serves as the fifth and final installment to the franchise.
Dropping the found footage element of your series with its supposed final installment is an incredibly questionable move. I’m not going to sit here and act like the Hell House LLC franchise are these masterfully written movies, they are flawed but outside of Lake Of Fire (2019) they are at the very least fun and capture this Halloween (not the film) type of feel that works in the series’s favor. The documentary style combined with the found footage element made this series more interesting and enjoyable as the viewer tried to unravel what exactly is happening in these movies. Lineage unfortunately strips all of this a settles for a dull, boring (I hate using that word but it’s very accurate here) and mixed with poor acting, direction along with terrible pacing.
The performances are terrible, everyone here is trying their best but with such an empty script and lifeless direction you can only do so much. The one who looks best walking out of this movie is Elizabeth Vermilyea (that’s not exactly saying much.) Lineage is incredibly lore heavy and attempts to expand the mythology of the franchise, but by this point it’s way too late. We get so many long a drawn scenes of incredibly dull dialogue that fails to bring the viewer into the movie.
I do think the movie’s attempts at trying to breathe new life into the franchise are somewhat admirable but ultimately end up being incredibly misguided. While there are some great shots thanks to cinematographer Brian Keenan, that does not end up meaning all that much when the rest of the movie is a complete and total mess. The direction just does not have the same charm or excitement that the rest of the series had in the past, say what you will about Lake Of Fire (2019) but at the very least the charm was still there. With Lineage it feels like the energy of the franchise is gone, the atmosphere that made the previous movies fun is just not present here.
Overall Hell House LLC: Lineage is easily the worst of the franchise, it’s a very confused and closing ending to the series that offers incredibly little to fans or casual watchers of the series.
Hell House LLC: Lineage is available on Shudder.
1/10 F
An upscale suburban mom brings a new nanny, Polly Murphy, into her home, only to discover she is not the person she claims to be.
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is directed by Michelle Garza Cervera director of Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022). The movie serves as a loose remake of the 1992 film of the same name.
I had some sort of hope for this one considering Michelle Garza Cervera impressed with Husera: The Bone Woman (2022) a few years ago, unfortunately this feels like it was directed by an entirely different person. It’s also one of those remakes that completely fails to add anything interesting or try to tackle the story with a different approach.
Maika Monroe and Elizabeth Winstead are great here, but unfortunately the Lifetime Channel like script bogs down any sort of power that the two’s performances could have brought to the movie. There are moments here where you even wonder “how did this not end up on the LifeTime Channel?” the thinly layered script gives the movie absolutely no room for any sort of suspense or atmospheric moments, it’s all just one implausible situation after another.
The 1992 version is not a film I would say is one of my favorites, but it had the script, firepower and the atmosphere to back it up. All of that combined made it into a thrilling little ride that does not overstay its welcome. The remake however is dull and just does not have anything interesting going for it.
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is available on Hulu.
We are in the home stretch folks! November is going to be a pretty busy month, for starters there are A LOT of reviews I have to do so expect a lot more quicker reviews. Luckily November is not THAT crazy when it comes to streaming releases (I’m going to be skipping a lot of the Christmas Netflix movies and some others this year…sorry), my watchlist is incredibly thin right now which is also great (October really helped knocking so many of them out).
Finally I left Frankenstein, Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent off the list since I saw all three already, funnily enough Frankenstein and Sentimental Value come out on Friday so expect reviews them this week!
Anyway let’s get to the list!
15. Christy – November 7th (Theaters)
14. Sisu: Road To Revenge – November 21st (Theaters)
13. Rental Family – November 21st (Theaters)
12. Rebuilding – November 14th (Theaters)
11. Eternity – November 14th (Limited) and November 26th (Wide)
10. Left-Handed Girl – November 28th (Netflix)
9. Keeper – November 14th (Theaters)
8. The Running Man – November 14th (Theaters)
7. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery – November 26th (Theaters)
6. Wicked: For Good – November 21st (Theaters)
5. Train Dreams – November 7th (Theaters) and November 21st (Netflix)
This is something I’m going to experiment with, the “Lightning Round” will be for films that I will give quick reviews due to not having a whole lot to say about them.
Desperate to reclaim her career, once-beloved actress Samantha Lake is drawn into the glamorous world of wellness mogul Zoe Shannon -only to uncover a monstrous truth beneath its flawless surface.
Shell is directed by Max Minghella who previously directed Teen Spirit (2018).
I was considering on giving Shell a full review but then I realized I would just be echoing what the hundreds of other reviews are saying…that it’s a clone of The Substance (2024) and there’s just no way around that.
The positives here mainly come from the performances and the visuals, Kate Hudson is clearly having a blast throughout the movie and Elisabeth Moss as usual delivers a solid performance. The visuals are striking with this retro futuristic style which ends up giving the movie at least some legroom to standout. The cinematography from Drew Daniels compliments this very well with sharp and detailed touches.
Unfortunately the writing is where Shell struggles, halfway through the movie the pacing becomes incredibly uneven, the humor in the writing is a complete hit or miss (with most of it missing), plot threads are either not explored anywhere near enough to leave an impact or are just left dangling. The character motivations are also completely muddled and do not give the movie’s satire-like atmosphere any meaningful strength.
The final act switches gears and becomes a B-grade monster movie that might have worked if the buildup was far stronger and actually matched the tone of the movie. Instead it feels completely out of place and leaves the viewer with a giant question mark over their head.
Shell is a worse version of The Substance (2024) and you can easily spot this within the first 10 minutes of watching.
Shell is available on all VOD platforms.
4/10 D+
Alice returns home after her mother’s death to find the house unchanged-and haunted by a dark presence. As fear builds, buried trauma resurfaces, and a terrifying truth is revealed.
I was pretty excited to see that David Moreau who previously directed MadS (2024) had another film releasing this year, sadly this was a misfire that I left more confused and not in the intriguing sort of way.
Other strangely likes to withhold information from the viewer and treats that like it’s crafting a mystery when in reality it’s only making the viewer quickly lose interest. There’s the repeated point of Alice (played by Olga Kurylenko) still dealing with childhood trauma, but the movie never elaborates on that or does not even explore it either, it’s like a pop up that is constantly telling you the same thing over and over again.
Kurylenko’s face is the only we see clearly throughout the movie, which in theory sounds like a neat stylistic choice. However the way the movie goes about with the execution is incredibly dull, the other characters who are supposed to leave this impact on the viewer do not end up doing so. Olga Kurylenko gives a fine enough performance but it’s not enough to make up for the botched execution.
Lastly there’s the writing which does not have any of the creepiness or thrills that MadS had, it’s a very confused mess that is way too cryptic for its own good and has nowhere near the amount of disturbing or engaging material to connect the viewer to the experience.
Other is available on Shudder.
4/10 D+
A woman spends the night fighting for her existence as she slips down a rabbit hole contained inside a gift from a late-night visitor.
Bryan Bertino director of The Strangers (2008), Mockingbird (2014), The Monster (2016) and The Dark and the Wicked (2020) is back with Vicious and the best way to describe this movie is it feels like this horribly put together Frankenstein’s Monster combination of all of his previous films.
First off there’s the nonconsensual premise of Mockingjay (2014) which at first is a bit interesting before Vicious starts to run into a wall with incredibly stupid decision making on Polly’s (played by Dakota Fanning) part. Next we have the claustrophobic feel of The Strangers (2008), there is a few moments here that do capture that feel decently well. But for the most part it comes off as a desperate attempt to aim for something that worked because it felt far more grounded, constantly trying to reach for it throughout the movie takes away from the writing and ultimately makes the movie suffer for it.
There’s also the supernatural violence and dark atmosphere of The Dark and the Wicked (2020), Kathryn Hunter tries her best to bring this sort of energy into the movie but the script flat out refuses to give any meaningful story or interesting developments with the supernatural parts of it to work with. It’s a very basic haunting type of movie that attempts to throw in a bit of Saw (2004) which quickly ends up being more ridiculous than anything else.
Finally there’s the anxieties and the thrills of The Monster (2016) something that once again this movie does not capture at all, there’s one or two jumpscares that are somewhat effective but a large majority of the movie is forgettable and has no investing way to bring the viewer into the movie.
Dakota Fanning and Kathryn Hunter give solid performances but they are nowhere near enough to save this movie from ultimately being forgettable, I can absolutely see why the plans to release this in theaters was changed.
Vicious is available on Paramount+
3/10 D-
A ruthless thief and his expert crew stumble onto the heist of a lifetime.
Play Dirty fails to capture the charm of Shane Black’s earlier crime films. While LaKeith Stanfield and Rosa Salazar do what they can with such a shallow script, the rest of the movie is yet again another terrible straight to streaming action thriller movie that offers very little to the genre.
There’s a few entertaining action scenes that somewhat attempt to bring back what made Shane Black a solid crime film director in the first place, but those are quickly overshadowed by Mark Wahlberg giving yet another phoned in performance that leads no depth to his character. This is yet another case of the supporting characters being more interesting than the protagonist and where you wish the movie was about them.
Whatever Shane Black had with The Nice Guys (2016) is long gone.
In modern Transylvania, vampire hunts and labor strikes mix with sci-fi, romance, and AI tales. Multiple storylines blend folklore, horror and contemporary elements for a fresh take on Dracula’s legend.
Dracula is directed by Radu Jude director of Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023), Sacred Hearts (2016), Everybody in Our Family (2012) and many others.
To say that Radu Jude’s Dracula is a very odd film would be the understatement of the year, the very first moments of the film is a bunch of AI-generated renditions of Dracula saying a variation of “suck my dick” the film is a take on how AI is sucking the life out of filmmaking and even how people think. It’s an excellent satire that although a bit too long is still incredibly effective.
The performances are all quite fascinating, each of the cast goes all out with what the script requires and are not afraid to add their own flavor into the mix. They also capture the satirical atmosphere well and bring the viewer into the film quickly due to just how bizarre they act. There are some genuinely meaningful moments during the film’s final moments which lead to some of the best acting of the film.
The main part of what makes Dracula successful is the themes and how they are executed, as mentioned before there’s the theme of AI and how it’s ruining filmmaking. This is not a case where the movie just ends up saying “AI bad” the film points out how ridiculous AI is in this humorous way, people’s line of thinking is lost since they do not have that special connection of filmmaking especially when relying on ChatGPT and OpenAI.
This is made clear with the character simply known as “The Director” (played by Adonis Tanta) who talks to the camera about using generative AI which creates a bunch of subplots that are nonsensical, the director is used as a vehicle for Radu Jude to explore the themes of technology and society, such as how modern society or AI is bloodsucking and taking away from human connection and filmmaking. Adonis Tanta does such a fantastic job with his performance as the director, he’s unhinged and completely matches the film’s overall atmosphere.
Then there’s the film’s final moments which says that the nature of being human is starting to feel less human each day, which is an incredibly scary thought to think about and explore. But it’s done in this way that is truly meaningful and while it can feel like a whiplash after you have sat through the majority of the film’s bizarre nature, you still feel impacted and it’s a genuinely clever place to end on.
Do not go in expecting a faithful adaption to Bram Stoker’s material, you are just not going to get that here. However if you are looking for something completely different this is definitely the film for you!
In 1977, Marcelo, a technology teacher, moves from São Paulo to Recife during Carnival to escape his violent past and start over. He finds the city full of chaos, and his neighbors begin to spy on him.
New York Film Festival Review
The Secret Agent is directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho director of Neighboring Sounds (2012), Aquarius (2016) and Barcurau (2019).
Much like last year’s I’m Still Here (2024), The Secret Agent also takes place during the Brazilian military dictatorship. The main difference here however are I’m Still Here (2024) took place early on during the dictatorship and it’s based on a true story, The Secret Agent takes place during the final years of the dictatorship and it’s not based on a true story. Just like I’m Still Here (2024), The Secret Agent is an incredibly powerful film that has much love, human feel, importance and even celebration of the Brazilian people poured into it. Which gives us some absolutely beautiful final results.
The performances are all fantastic, every single cast member of the film gives this honest and beautiful performance that truly never leaves your mind. There’s so much attention to detail with the body language of each of the cast and their natural conversations that it almost feels like you are right there sitting with them. Tânia Maria as Dona Sebastiana is perhaps my favorite of the supporting cast simply because of her entrance to the film, confident performance and the moments towards the end of the film where we hear about her experiences.
Wagner Moura being the best example of this, he plays Armando/Marcelo Alves, a former teacher who is caught in political turmoil. To say Moura knocks it out of the park would be the understatement of the year, his performance captures everything that’s needed to make a performance like this work. He captures the atmosphere the film is going for masterfully, he gives this subtle and powerful performance that leads to some gut punching raw moments that can only be described as masterful. Even before Armando/Marcelo’s backstory is fully revealed we can already see moments where he conveys this deep sense of pain and mystery, once we do get the full backstory we see how clever and brilliantly written the buildup really was. Moura is also just incredibly captivating to watch, effortlessly commands the screen and completely captures the many different type of moods the film’s atmosphere goes for, all of this combined together gives us one of the very best performances of the year.
The writing is absolutely outstanding, Filho does such an incredible job of giving all of these characters unique personalities and show how all of these characters connect. There is this theme of oppression constantly chasing them, it chases Armando/Marcelo constantly throughout the film. Even in the film’s happier moments that are supposed to be for celebration you can feel the characters still on edge because at any given moment their lives (which have already been put into a difficult situation) could get even worse.
The technical aspects of the film are jaw dropping. The absolutely gorgeous cinematography from cinematographer Evgenia Alexandrova captures this raw and almost 70s and 80s style of neo noir that is incredibly appealing to the eye. The score from Tomaz Alves Souza and Mateus Alves combined with the editing from editors Eduardo Serrano and Matheus Farias give us one of the film’s very best scenes. It’s a tense scene that constantly goes back and forth between the characters involved, the editing is fast and sharp, the score is this quiet yet striking piece that builds the tension as it goes on and the atmosphere is top notch. There’s a lot of striking shots throughout the film that leave you in a sense of surprise and thought, there’s so much attention to detail here that really makes you engage with the film and its story.
Finally there’s the many other themes, I’ve already said before that there’s the theme of oppression but there’s also one of celebration of the Brazilian people. A celebration of how all of these people who were going through some of the most evil and disturbing actions stood by each other and celebrated the tiny moments, there’s this sense of togetherness and support that is genuinely beautiful. Lastly there’s the theme of how Brazil has changed over the years, the film at times goes back and forth from the past and the present day where two students are researching the events of the film. We do see the changes over the years but we also see how the oppression impacted the later generations. The film does have this hopeful end note, which brings this beauty yet sadness to the film that ends up making The Secret Agent one of the most important films of 2025.
Overall The Secret Agent is a powerhouse film that is truly one of the year’s best. It’s an incredibly impactful film that explores oppression, celebration and memories.
The Secret Agent releases November 26th in theaters.
On the cusp of global superstardom, New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past as he records the album “Nebraska” in the early 1980s.
New York Film Festival Review
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is directed by Scott Cooper director of Crazy Heart (2009), Out Of The Furnace (2013), Black Mass (2015), Hostiles (2017), Antlers (2021) and The Pale Blue Eye (2022).
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is very different from the usual music biopic, for one thing the film mainly focuses on the conception of Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska and the struggles he went through making it. There are some flashbacks to his childhood as well but those are more so sprinkled in between and help paint the picture of what the film is telling us. All of this combined with the feel of being in Springsteen’s mind, the excellent performances and the film tackling mental health helps the film feel incredibly striking.
First and foremost we have the performances that are all very well done. Jeremy Allen White completely disappears in the role of Bruce Springsteen, not only does he capture Bruce’s voice incredibly well but he delivers this vulnerable and balance performance of striking depth and power. The quiet moments of him just staring tell so much without uttering a word, he bounces off of the rest of the cast masterfully and with his performance truly paints this beautiful picture of Bruce and what he was going through during this period of time. Jeremy Allen White really shows how excellent he is as an actor here and goes all out with playing Springsteen, during the later half of the film we see the vulnerability and the pain he’s going through which easily brings the viewer into the film. With this, Jeremy Allen White gives one of the most raw and beautiful performances of the year.
Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau Bruce’s manager is just as fantastic, Strong really ties into the whole mental health part of the film where he is a honest friend to Bruce during his roughest moments. The conversations between the two not only show how incredible Jeremy Strong is as an actor, but shows some of the film’s most beautiful and honest moments. I would be lying if I said that some of these moments almost made me cry, they depict the action and feel of friends letting you know that they are always there and will do the best they possibly can to help you. That’s something Jeremy Strong’s performance truly gives off and it works so incredibly well, while yes he does typical manager stuff during some parts of the film. He still absolutely cares for Bruce and the bond between the two truly is one of the film’s strongest assets.
Paul Walter Hauser gives a solid comedic performance, the comedy does not overstay its welcome which is a smart move considering the themes the film tackles. Odessa Young is solid here, while she is not in the film all that much Bruce’s mental health does impact the two’s relationship and does tie into the whole theme of mental health. It’s one of those “your mind is destroying things you are most looking forward to” sort of moments that feel all to real for anyone who’s dealt with these sort of moments before. Finally there’s Stephen Graham who plays Bruce’s father, Bruce has a complicated relationship with him due to a number of factors and over the course of the film we see said reasons. But we also see that slowly but surely there’s some semblance of reconstructing a bond, Graham gives a very strong performance.
The writing is beautifully done, while it may feel a bit simple at times there truly is something powerful underneath it all. The film shows us the positives and negatives of being a music artist, while yes it’s wonderful it also comes with drawbacks such as the producers wanting what THEY think will be successful rather than letting said artist do what they want. This clearly upsets Springsteen as he wants the authentic version of his music, this is an issue in the music industry that is still quite present today especially with younger artists.
I have brought this up a lot of times now but the way the film tackles mental health is truly powerful, honest and quite beautiful. The film’s main theme here is sometimes you just need someone in your corner and to never be afraid to ask for help, seeing the scenes of Bruce being incredibly happy with Faye Romano (played by Odessa Young) one moment and then seeing their torn apart relationship due to Bruce’s struggles is heartbreaking and as I said before feels all to real. There’s one particular scene where Odessa Young’s dialogue is honest and truly captures a lot of the film’s themes incredibly well.
Luckily the film does end on a hopeful note, one that is an important message for many who struggle with these issues, it’s a truly beautiful film that shows the vulnerability of man and what he was going through at the time.
Overall Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is a fantastic film that you should check out whether you are a Bruce Springsteen fan, a music biopic fan or are interested in general! It’s a raw and beautiful watch.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere releases in theaters Friday.
When all but one child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
Weapons is directed by Zach Cregger director of Miss March (2009), The Civil War on Drugs (2011) and Barbarian (2022). Barbarian (2022) was one of many excellent horror films that came out in 2022. That year is widely considered to be one of the best years for the horror genre in recent memory due to the number of incredibly well received films by critics and fans. Barbarian (2022) was one of the most surprising of the bunch and put Zach Cregger on the map and many asked the question “what will he do next and how is he going to top this?”
Cregger answers with Weapons a film that is just as bizarre as Barbarian (2022) and even keeps a lot of the elements of what made Barbarian (2022) so thrilling and fascinating in the first place. The character writing is strong, the atmosphere is tense right from the beginning and the ending is truly insane and completely captures the world of this film.
The performances all around are fantastic, each of the cast brings something special to the film and their respective characters. The film is told in a nonlinear narrative with the film showing various characters perspectives. Julia Garner plays Justine an elementary who’s being blamed for the missing children, Garner gives a strong performance here and fits well with the rest of the cast especially with Josh Brolin. Garner definitely plays the most straightforward character out of the cast but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, she displays her acting talent incredibly well and during the more quiet moments she matches the film’s tense atmosphere.
Josh Brolin plays Archer the father of Matthew, one of the missing children. Brolin gives one of the best performances of the film, he delivers this strong balance of a worried parent and someone who is angry and looking for answers. We see some of that anger get released towards the end of the film where one scene in particular is genuinely hilarious, he works incredibly well with Julia Garner and the films atmosphere. There’s moments of where the film plays with Archer’s concern for Matthew and combines that with the darkness of the atmosphere, it makes for some genuinely terrifying moments that help build the film’s world. Plus it adds a lot of character to Archer with strong attention to detail.
Aiden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong and Austin Abrams are all fantastic in their roles, while they are not exactly given long and lengthy character arcs they are still written in this fun and raw way. Austin Abrams plays this homeless drug addict who just so happens to get caught up in the events going on, the main comedic moments come from Abrams’s performance. Abrams has well executed comedic timing and the tone is still thrilling, whenever he is on screen there is never a dull moment. Aiden Ehrenreich plays Paul who is a police officer and Justine’s ex-boyfriend, admittedly Ehrenreich’s character is the one who is given the short end of the stick when it comes to character writing. But still there are some solid moments with Austin Abrams. Benedict Wong plays Marcus, the school principal who gives one of the film’s most bizarre moments.
Finally there’s Amy Madigan who plays Gladys, as soon as she appears on screen there is this intimidation factor that sets in. Her performance is truly horrifying, strangely comedic and fits like a glove when it comes to the film’s atmosphere. It’s the type of performance where even when she is not on screen you still feel her presence looming over the film, its world and the other characters. The build up to her character is simple yet fascinating, the character building of Gladys is carefully put together with no lazy reveals just thrilling moment after thrilling moment. Madigan gives this performance an incredibly haunting feel that immediately brings the viewer into the film’s world.
The writing is incredibly well done, between the film’s several thrilling moments and the more humorous ones. They all combine together to create something truly terrifying, the void like atmosphere where sure the film’s world may seem gigantic but as you explore the film you get that feel of how contained it is. This all builds up for the final act where every turning every corner is terrifying in it’s own way, the writing allows all of this thanks to just how down to earth a lot of these moments are. Which only make later scenes all the more horrifying and powerful.
The cinematography from Larkin Seiple is incredibly well detailed and captured the film’s world perfectly, the score has this nice blend of quiet and booming moments and finally the film brings this entertainment campy factor into the mix that does not take away from the more serious moments of the film. The film’s final moments are flat out insane and is what the film was ultimately building up to, the chaos and atmosphere are in full force. It’s so much to the point where it starts to become genuinely funny which is not a bad thing at all, it perfectly captures all of the elements of the film incredibly well.
Overall Weapons is a fantastic experience that delivers in all fronts, Cregger captures so much in this film and makes you want to explore the film’s world even more.
Lorenz Hart struggles with alcoholism and mental health issues. He attempts to maintain his composure during the premiere of “Oklahoma!”.
Blue Moon is directed by Richard Linklater director of Dazed And Confused (1993), The Before Trilogy (1995-2013), Boyhood (2014), Hit Man (2023) and many others.
Blue Moon is yet another fantastic film from director Richard Linklater, I really do appreciate how with each of his films he gives the viewer a much different experience. This film is an example of Linklater at his most humorous combined with some genuinely strong filmmaking that’s able to keep this beautiful balance to the end.
The performances are all fantastic here, even when certain members of the cast are not asked to do all that much they still land some quite memorable and often hilarious performances. Ethan Hawke plays Lorenz Hart and to cut to the chase, he gives one of the best performances of the year and quite honestly one of the best of his career. Everything that needed to be captured with his performance was and it’s absolutely glorious to watch unfold. Hawke captures the perfect amount of humor and drama needed to really make this all work, he plays off member of the cast masterfully. One moment in particular with Margaret Qualley towards the end of the film is one of the film’s very best moments and is a perfect example of why Hawke’s performance is so great. It’s a comedic yet focused performance that brings some of the best elements of a dramatic performance, this is one of those performances where the actor completely disappears into the role and just keeps getting better and better with every second. Ethan Hawke captures this comedic yet tragic portrayal of Lorenz Hart and absolutely nails it.
Andrew Scott who plays Richard Rogers has plenty of great scenes with Ethan Hawke, the conversations between the two are investing and have this nice balance of seriousness and humor. Bobby Canavale is a scene stealer with his brilliant and glove fitting like comedic timing that is bound to make the viewer laugh. Finally there’s Margaret Qualley who may not get the most screen time, but she still ends up giving such a beautiful and strong performance. She captures the film’s atmosphere with confidence and the previously mentioned scene between her and Ethan Hawke highlights the amount of fun and strength she brings to the film.
The writing is both humorous and sharp, the comedic timing from everyone involved is well done and the writing has a ton of musical theater references that any fan of musical theater will adore. The references themselves are cleverly used and do not overcrowd the film, there’s plenty of other types of humor that everyone can enjoy. The film has its vulgar moments but it’s to the point where it’s endearing and charming, in almost any other circumstance these moments could come off as out of place or they just fall flat. But due to the atmosphere that Linklater goes for and the clever and witty script by writer Robert Kaplow, everything fits together like a jigsaw puzzle.
The jazzy vibe combined with the film taking place in a singular bar is another part that really gives this film its identity. It especially works since hearing Lorenz Hart’s conversations with Eddie (played by Bobby Canavale) or any of the other customers at the bar actually feels like an unhinged night out at the bar, Linklater’s direction does such a fascinating job of showcasing all of these conversations no matter how big or small. You easily get the “life of the party” sense from Lorenz Hart and that shows almost immediately. His unhealthy fascination with Elizabeth Weiland (played by Margaret Qualley) leads to some hilarious back and forths between Hart, Eddie and the rest of the customers it’s all so brilliantly put together.
Overall Blue Moon is one of my favorite films of the year, it’s an absolute joy to watch and is backed by incredibly strong performances especially from Ethan Hawke.
As supervisor Horn is welcoming his partner Léone into the hut he shares with engineer Cal, a man called Alboury appears outside. He is determined to stay there until they return the body of his brother to him, who was killed on the site.
New York Film Festival Review
The Fence is directed by Claire Denis director of The City (1999), Let The Sunshine In (2017), High Life (2018), Both Sides Of The Blade (2022), Stars At Noon (2022) and many others.
Claire Denis is a director I have so much respect for, she takes risks and sometimes they land and sometimes they don’t. Even when one of her films do not land they still have a decent amount to like, that’s absolutely the case with The Fence. A film in which it’s very clear that Denis has respect for the source material, but unfortunately due to the repetitive dialogue and the movie taking way too long to get going it ultimately does not have enough firepower to reach the finish line.
The main part holding this movie on its feet are the performances, each members of the cast brought something to the table and they all play their parts very well. Isaach de Bankolé plays this quiet yet determined man whose goal is to simply retrieve a body of a man who was killed due to another person’s outburst. He carries the emotional weight of the movie and although the dialogue between him and Matt Dillon does get repetitive, he still makes the most of the material he is given. Speaking of which Matt Dillon does pretty well here, there’s times where it does feel like some of the dialogue comes off as a cartoonish villain type of way, however his arguments with Tom Blyth and the repetitive yet somewhat thrilling negotiations with Bankolé is more than enough to make up for the weaker parts.
Mia McKenna-Bruce’s character Leonie unfortunately does not get a whole lot of development outside of being Horn’s (played by Matt Dillon) new wife, still she does give a pretty strong performance and even manages to take a not very interesting character and turn her into someone the viewer is at least intrigued by. Finally there’s Tom Blyth who plays Cal a character who goes from being calm to this drunken rage as well as being unhinged, Blyth does a really great job here and brings some thrilling atmosphere into the movie and is somewhat intimidating. Over the course of the movie we do get to see just how evil Cal is as a character and what led up to the innocent man’s death, Blyth plays this part incredibly well and really shows just how much of a great actor he really is.
As with most Claire Denis films the filming is quite beautiful, the location being in Senegal specifically in this site that was actually being converted into an industrial area. It creates this tension and atmosphere that are genuinely thrilling, the cinematography from Éric Gautier is very stage like (which does make sense due to the movie being based on Black Battles with Dogs) and I mean this in a good way, the use of shadows is beautiful and the movie itself just has this haunting yet kind beautiful filming feel going on.
The main things holding The Fence back are the dialogue, the pacing and taking way too long to get going. As I said before the dialogue ultimately becomes incredibly repetitive, there’s only so many times you can have Horn tell Alboury (played by Isaach de Bankolé) to “leave or come back tomorrow” before it starts getting incredibly old.
The pacing is incredibly sluggish and does not really result into anything fascinating, It’s a huge slow burn without the power results. The movie attempts to discuss the theme of neocolonialism but only barely explores it, sure there’s the whole evading responsibility part of it with Horn trying to sweep the “accident” under the rug. But unfortunately that’s all we really get out of it, none of these characters are given any major development at all and we are just kind of stuck with the little we are given.
Overall The Fence is not a bad movie, it’s just a very underwhelming one that does not have the power it needs to really stand on its own. I would say this should be looked at simply because of the performances.
Jerome Reviews... 