Author Hardin Scott travels to Portugal in an attempt to make Natalie forgive him for what he did to her.
After Everything is the fifth and final installment of the “After” series, yes there was a prequel to the series and a sequel to this movie planned, however Voltage Pictures announced in 2023 that this would be the last movie in the franchise. Whether or not they actually mean this (studios and distributors do this all the time) remains to be seen.
I’m going to be completely honest here I genuinely don’t know what exactly happened in this movie, except that Tess (played by Josephine Langford) is barely in it and the movie revolves around Hardin (played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin) trying to work on himself in Portugal and to make amends with this girl he treated badly five years ago. The movie tries to frame itself as Hardin’s self improvement journey, which after seeing how horrible this character was towards others in the last four movies of this series how do you expect the viewer to sympathize with him?
A lot of this series tries to put in messaging about forgiveness and redemption, which is a completely valid theme and has been done incredibly well before. The problem is Hardin is a poorly written character who doesn’t really do all that much to make up for what he did, this movie tries to make it sound like he was pushed out of society because nobody likes him for no reason which if you have watched any of the previous movies you would know that’s just not true.
After Everything suffers from the exact same problems as the previous movies in the series, poor acting, terrible writing (we don’t even get any so bad it’s hilarious lines), horrendous storytelling that is a chore to sit through and tons of scenes that really don’t serve any purpose to drag the movie out as long as possible. Josephine Langford is largely absent and only shows up during the last moments of the movie, which I guess makes sense because Hardin is the focus but her missing is felt throughout the movie.
Honestly I have no idea what else to say here, it’s almost identical to the previous movies but except Hardin is the center focus. Let’s hope Voltage Pictures keeps their word that this is the last movie because we most certainly do not need another.
After Everything is available on all VOD platforms.
After hitting a breaking point, Hannah’s inner thoughts physicalize into a monstrous creature that threatens to upend her life.
Appendage is based off the 2021 short of the same name (which had Rachel Sennott and Eric Roberts in it) while at times Appendage can have a lot of tone shifts that can be distracting, there is still enough here to satisfy the viewer.
The movie is a body horror with a decent amount of gore that is genuinely fun at times, there’s this interesting theme of imposter syndrome that the film somewhat discusses which does give the movie some character too it. The movie itself is pretty well made and the performance from Hadley Robinson is quite solid as well.
I’m not entirely sure if the comedic aspect of Appendage fully worked as it does at times feel like a drastic tone shift that could take some viewers completely out of the movie. Having that said the effects are genuinely impressive and the movie itself is pretty enjoyable.
Henry Sugar, a wealthy man, decides to take on an extraordinary challenge – he wants to master an extraordinary skill in order to cheat at gambling games.
The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar is the first of four shorts based off stories from Roald Dahl which are directed by Wes Anderson, this isn’t Wes Anderson’s first time tackling Dahl’s work as he directed Fantastic Mr. Fox (excellent film!) I guess I will go in order of release with these shorts to make things easier.
The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar has the most going on out of the four shorts mainly due to being the longest with a run time of 41 minutes while the others are much shorter. With that said this short is quite fantastic, everyone here hits out of the park Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes and a few others capture the spirit of Roald Dahl’s story. When you combine the acting with Anderson’s style it’s truly fantastic and quite investing.
So many different techniques are used here from breaking the fourth wall, the narrators describe themselves in third-person, backstories are told briefly but done in such a clear way that the viewer can easily connect to the characters in just one minute and several others. The story itself is a redemption story as well as a human growth one, as the short moves along we see Henry Sugar grow into this moving and quite powerful character that’s genuinely charming.
Some people might have an issue with these shorts being more of just a reading of Dahl’s stories rather than traditional acting, in some cases that would be an issue but when you have Wes Anderson involved that’s not an issue at all. As Wes Anderson’s style completely fits this approach of storytelling especially here in Henry Sugar.
Overall The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar is the best of the four shorts! It’s well acted, fast paced and incredibly appealing to the eye!
The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar is available on Netflix.
9/10 A
A small brilliant boy is tormented by two large idiotic bullies.
The Swan is the second of the four Roald Dahl shorts directed by Wes Anderson. While I don’t think it’s as good as The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar it’s still quite a great one and actually surprised me with a few brutal moments that I did not see coming.
There’s a bit less going on here than there was in Henry Sugar, however the story having to do with bullying and how the short approaches the topic is quite interesting and actually leads to some dark moments that do feel authentic. The acting once again is phenomenal and everything I said about Henry Sugar can be applied here, it’s a fast paced short that’s only 17 minutes long.
The information the short is able to get out in just 17 minutes is quite incredible, Wes Anderson’s style of course helps with this fast paced speech that isn’t so fast that the viewer can’t understand. It’s at a speed where the short can move along and the viewer can understand, the short is also beautifully filmed and the atmosphere really matches the story being told.
The Swan is a powerful and at times brutal exploration of bullying that the viewer can easily get into.
The Swan is available on Netflix.
8/10 B+
A rat eradicator, who looks like a big rat, comes up with a cunning plan: gain the rats’ trust to better exterminate the rodents.
The Rat Catcher is the third of the four Roald Dahl shorts directed by Wes Anderson. The Rat Catcher follows a mechanic and a reporter who listen to a rat catcher explain his plan to outsmart the rats.
The Rat Catcher is definitely the most comedic out of the shorts, where as Henry Sugar was a redemption and human growth story and The Swan being a powerful story about bullying and how brutal it can really be. The Rat Catcher goes for a much more humorous idea and to it’s credit it is genuinely funny.
The stop-motion used on the rat that eventually appears makes the short pop and heavily reminds me of the alien from Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City (which came out earlier this year.) like with the previous shorts the acting is phenomenal Rupert Friend and Richard Ayoade and Ralph Fiennes all give phenomenal performances and easily compliment each other incredibly well, it’s such an experience see three actors display their talent and leave so many impressions in only 17 minutes.
Overall there might not be a whole lot going on thematically with The Rat Catcher but it’s a pretty hilarious ride that I can definitely see myself going back on.
The Rat Catcher is available on Netflix.
7/10 B
When a poisonous snake slithers onto an Englishman’s stomach in India, his associate and a doctor race to save him.
Poison is the fourth and final Roald Dahl short directed by Wes Anderson, the short follows a doctor and his associate who race to save a man who was bitten from a snake bite.
I’m actually quite surprised about the amount of tension this short had, it really brings you to the edge of your seat while also having this comedic tone that’s quite charming. The acting like in the other shorts is fantastic, Dev Patel, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ben Kingsley compliment each other quite well and once again this short displays some strong performances in just 17 minutes.
Once again there isn’t a whole lot thematically going on here, as it is essentially two men trying to save another from dying. However the rapid fire pace combined with the tension of the story really makes Poison standout from the shorts, it’s such a beautifully done short that has so much detail all over it. Especially when combined with Wes Anderson’s usual comedic style and tone.
Mona and Robby are a couple in love. Robby has just landed his dream job, and they’ve scored a spacious albeit run-down apartment. However, Mona is suddenly plagued by night terrors that grow more intense every time she falls asleep. Her problems spiral dangerously out of control when she becomes convinced that she’s being attacked by a demon.
Nightmare is a Norwegian horror film that’s first half is like Rosemary’s Baby while the rest of the movie has a lot of Wes Craven mixed in. That sounds interesting and the topic of sleep paralysis demons makes for a horrifying film. Unfortunately Nightmare has a lot of missteps that completely stop this movie from having a longer impact.
The acting is quite solid, while nobody really gives a standout performance there is a surprising amount of this grounded approach to the acting which fits in well with the story. The atmosphere is the other major positive that helps push this movie, it’s genuinely terrifying at times and actually has a handful of creepy moments that blend in nicely with the camerawork.
Nightmare unfortunately suffers from slow pacing particularly in the last half and mediocre writing, the last half is incredibly slow and is a bit more drama focused than it is horror. Which would not be a problem had the script offered a lot more than what’s shown, there is just not whole lot for the viewer to sink their teeth into and the movie itself just sort of ends suddenly. Leaving a lot of questions and few answers (again would not be a problem if the material was executed better.)
Nightmare isn’t a bad movie as it is very well acted and beautifully made in a lot of areas, it’s just incredibly lacking when it comes to writing.
Salem teens discover a cursed knife, unleashing a demon that forces them to play gruesome, deadly versions of childhood games where there can be no winners, only survivors.
All Fun and Games is very familiar territory among horror fans (such as myself) that wouldn’t necessarily be a problem if the movie was at least interesting and this one certainly isn’t.
Granted it’s not as bad as I expected it to be, Natalia Dyer and Asa Butterfield are by far the best parts of this movie. But that’s not nearly enough to save this movie from being very forgettable. It’s a basic premise a group of teens end up with a demon and they have to play games such as Hide and Seek, it’s a fine enough idea but nothing here is new especially the execution. If anything this reminds me of Blumhouse’s Truth Or Dare and a lot of those awful teen slasher movies that Blumhouse was coming out with for awhile.
This movie nearly had something when Asa Butterfield was possessed by the demon and started giving a very over the top performance that was so ridiculous it was genuinely hilarious. Some might consider it campy which is fair but the rest of the cast sure aren’t unfortunately.
Had this movie been full of campy moments and stayed in that sort of atmosphere this could have been a quite fun ride.
All Fun and Games is available on all VOD platforms.
Hey folks! Sorry this is a bit late and for the reviews coming slowly, I promise starting next week I’m going to get back into the swing of things. I have a lot of films that I watched last month that I haven’t reviewed it so you have that to look forward to! Also this month I will be posting my second Oscar predictions post, that’s going to be towards the end of the month when Killers Of The Flower Moon releases. With that out of the way here are some films I’m excited for this month.
15. Malibu Horror Story – October 20th (Theaters)
14. 15 Cameras – October 13th (VOD)
13. Hell House LLC: Origins: The Carmichael Manor – October 30th (Shudder)
12. She Came To Me – October 6th (Theaters) (This got delayed at the last minute for whatever reason)
11. Taylor Swift: The Era Tour – October 13th (Theaters)
10. When Evil Lurks – October 27th (Shudder)
9. Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match – October 17th (VOD)
8. Dicks: The Musical – October 6th (Theaters) (Yet another one that was originally suppose to come out last month but got delayed at the very last second. Plus now it’s only a theater release)
7. Totally Killer – October 6th (Amazon Prime Video)
6. Strange Way Of Life – October 6th (Theaters)
5. Foe – October 6th (Theaters)
4. V/H/S/85 – October 6th (Shudder)
3. The Royal Hotel – October 6th (Theaters)
2. Anatomy Of A Fall – October 13th (Theaters)
1. Killers Of The Flower Moon – October 20th (Theaters)
That’s my list now here’s a few films I already saw that I recommend watching!
Divinity – October 13th (VOD) : Divinity is a very strange one that I do recommend, the more I think about the film the more I like it. It’s going to be a completely hit or miss for some people but I recommend giving it a go
Fair Play – October 6th (Netflix): Fair Play is one of the best films of the year and if you are going to watch one of the many films coming out this weekend, make it be Fair Play! Phoebe Dynevor and Aiden Ehrenreich give some of the best performances of the year and it’s quite thrilling!
Well that’s it! Let me know what films you are excited for!
Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a seance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. He soons gets thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets when one of the guests is murdered.
A Haunting In Venice is the third Agatha Christine adaption (adapted from Hallowe’en Party) directed by Kenneth Branagh, Murder On The Orient Express and Death On The Nile being the other two. While both those movies were solid, I really have to say A Haunting In Venice is the best out of the three.
Kenneth Branagh returns as Hercule Point and like in the previous two movies he does a fantastic job in the role, he doesn’t do anything particularly different but given how strong he is in the role that’s really not a bad thing. Tina Fey is pretty solid here as well, I was actually a bit surprised of how much she was given to do here which she nailed quite well.
A Haunting In Venice goes for more of a horror theme and the movie succeeds quite well, the movie combines that old haunted house atmosphere with some beautiful shots that give the movie a lot of personality. It really does feel like it came right from the black and white haunted house movie era. Combining the mystery with classic haunted house tropes was also pretty well done, even if there isn’t really anything entirely new it’s still very well done due to Branagh and his crew’s presentation of the film.
A Haunting In Venice does struggle when it comes to the mystery itself as it is very predictable, especially if you are a fan of the mystery film genre. With that said that doesn’t stop the film from being incredibly engaging and keeps the viewer busy with the attention to detail on screen. It’s a straightforward mystery that doesn’t have a whole lot too it but sometimes that’s all you really need.
Desperate to fit in at school, Sam rejects her East Indian culture and family to be like everyone else. However, when a mythological demonic spirit latches onto her former best friend, she must come to terms with her heritage to defeat it.
I absolutely love seeing Indie horror films get a wide release, we have come a long way from having almost nonexistent releases, to having to wait 2 or 3 weeks before your theater gets them (yes I’m aware these sort of releases still do happen but they are not as bad as they were in the 2010s) to wide releases. Having that said It Lives Inside is sadly not a very good movie and it’s quite frustrating.
It Lives Inside does a undeniably great job when it comes to Hindu representation something we don’t often see in American horror films and Megan Suri who plays the leading role does a very solid job with her performance. Neeru Bajwa is pretty solid here as well, the mother and daughter dynamic between Bajwa and Suri is genuinely interesting when the movie focuses on it.
Unfortunately a majority of what the movie focuses on is a very bland horror urban legend story that doesn’t do anything new, if you have seen The Boogeyman which came out earlier this year. You are going to notice a lot of similarities between these two movies, I didn’t love The Boogeyman but at the very least it had the performances and atmosphere to push it to the finish line and make it a satisfying watch.
It Lives Inside has some decent performances but the atmosphere is completely missing, it’s a total mess that tries to throw in that odd PG-13 horror movie humor while making the story quite serious. It’s such an odd choice and I’m not entirely sure what was trying to be said here either.
What hurts It Lives Inside even more is the third act that went on for way too long, there were so many opportunities to tie the bow on the movie but it kept going adding way too much on to the point where the movie becomes unrecognizable from when it first started. It’s disappointing to see because there are some genuinely interesting ideas and I do like the perspective the movie is trying to go for, it’s just sadly not taken very far and ends up being a very below average PG-13 horror movie with a lot of the usual cliches.
Jaime Reyes suddenly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology called the Scarab. When the Scarab chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he’s bestowed with an incredible suit of armor that’s capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero Blue Beetle.
Blue Beetle is the third DCEU film to be released this year and I can at least give the movie this it was better than Shazam: Fury Of The Gods and The Flash…that is still not saying much because Blue Beetle isn’t much better.
What Blue Beetle’s whole concept of family themes is a really strong idea, it’s been done numerous times before in a lot of comic book movies but at least with a handful of scenes Blue Beetle attempts to make the idea it’s own. There’s some genuinely solid performances from Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine and George Lopez, the heartfelt moments between the members of the family are undeniably beautiful and have so much emotion too them. The film bringing out the heart and family dynamic from the film works so much stronger than the typical comic book movie parts of the film.
Which is unfortunately where the movie lands into generic territory, it doesn’t do anything really exciting with it’s action scenes despite having interesting framing, there’s some neat shots here with some neon lighting but the movie doesn’t do anything with it. They kind of just throw in a handful of generic action scenes and don’t do anything else, combine that with such dull villains that really don’t get any sort of character outside of one or two personality traits and you have a ton of action scenes that are hard for the viewer to cling on to.
I don’t think Blue Beetle is a bad movie it’s just a bit of a disappointment, with every interesting choice the movie makes and actually executes quite well (including some darker moments.) there’s a lot of playing too safe towards the end of the movie, where it starts to morph into the usual below average comic book movie.
Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is a two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old vampire. Now tired of his life, he wants to die at last after the disgrace and family crises he has caused.
El Conde is directed by Pablo Larraín director of Spencer (2021), Ema (2019), Jackie (2016) and a few others. One thing that I always loved about Larraín is he always tries to go for something completely different with his films. El Conde is no exception even if it’s nowhere near as good as his previous films.
El Conde is certainly not a bad movie, there’s a lot to appreciate here as well as a lot of impressive parts. The whole alternate history aspect of Augusto Pinochet being a vampire is quite interesting and you could read him sucking the blood from the working class as a conversation the film is trying to have. When you combine that with the black and white cinematography that’s just absolutely stunning with ever sense of the word, you get some really excellent moments that tell a story that seems like it’s going to be quite interesting.
The story unfortunately ends up being sort of a mess when the second and third act roll around, the convoluted story going on here brings up a lot of odd plot points that ultimately don’t support the main narrative being told here. I will say what does keep the movie going is the performance from Jamie Vadell who plays Augusto Pinochet, he absolutely knocks it out of the park and brings this gothic horror atmosphere to the film that is quite great.
El Conde definitely is not a bad movie, it’s just one that had a lot more potential and has the right ingredients to tell an interesting story. There’s just a lot missing, despite that however I do recommend giving it a watch if it sounds like your thing.
Jerome Reviews... 