After witnessing a grotesque murder at a party in her new town, a teenager starts having strange visions and bizarre desires.
I really don’t have a whole lot to say here unfortunately, I was definitely interested in Viking Wolf mainly due to it’s premise, but unfortunately with the exception of some ideas being explored but never really being touched further. The rest of the movie is filled to the brim with werewolf movie cliches that don’t bring anything new.
The movie itself looks nice enough, but the acting, writing and characters who have very poor development weigh this movie down badly. There’s some shots that are nice to look at and there’s a bit of gore that’s at least decent enough, but otherwise it’s just an overall very forgettable bad werewolf movie.
Love like in the movies. Three real women follow the script and write their own endings
Reality TV is a genre that of television that’s been around for awhile now and has grown in popularity, while I may not be a fan of it the genre has a very large following. Having that said Meet Me in Paris is quite awful.
The idea of reality tv in a film format isn’t necessarily a bad idea, it definitely was a choice that was made but I don’t think it’s a terrible idea. What is terrible is the execution, the movie takes the most generic elements from any reality tv show you have seen and combines it with the forgettable romantic comedy elements. The authenticity is just not there at all, with some other reality tv shows I mean sure they can jump the shark a lot of the time. But at least some of them remain believable, the same can’t be said with Meet Me in Paris which is mainly due to it feeling very scripted.
Heck the acting doesn’t help either, everyone involved really tries their best but the movie trying to balance reality tv and film just leads to some very sloppy performances and writing. The one thing I will say they captured pretty well is the camera shots and music, it does at least look like something you would expect from reality tv.
Meet Me in Paris was an attempt I can respect but unfortunately failed to hit the mark by a lot.
Guided by a seductive and mysterious woman, a couple on vacation venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism and untold horror. A tragic accident soon leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you’ll be executed, or, if you’re rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead.
Brandon Cronenberg is back once again with another disturbing film that takes you on a very unique nightmarish journey, this time it’s a vacation turned into hell.
Right off the bat as soon as the film starts you are hit with the tone almost immediately, with the score being quiet yet effective and the many shots it makes sure to tell the viewer what they are in for. The acting is quite fantastic here particularly from Alexander Skarsgård who really goes all out towards the second half of the movie in such an entertaining yet thrilling way, then you have Mia Goth who is one of the main reasons why this film works so well. Mia Goth gives a very unhinged performance that is downright terrifying, as the film goes on her performance gets more and more unhinged until becomes complete and total madness. The rest of the characters like Mia Goth’s character feel like they are from another planet, all completely disturbed in their own way especially with their actions.
The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous with tons of shots of the location combined with the overall atmosphere that’s incredibly suspenseful, plus the world building is truly great it mostly does it through the visuals and camera movement but it’s truly effective. The many creative ideas Brandon Cronenberg brings to the table and is able to execute them flawlessly is truly inspiring, it’s definitely not going to be for everyone but the film itself while being disturbing actually ends up being very entertaining as well.
It was a bit of a shock to me to see Infinity Pool also go the entertaining route, but I actually do think that it largely benefits the film. There’s some truly fun campy moments with gore that’s used effectively and really brings this whole nightmare type of atmosphere. Infinity Pool definitely feels like one of those weird nightmares you get every now and then, there’s this feel of abandonment where there isn’t a whole lot of people and the atmosphere is truly dark yet somehow inviting. Like the nightmare is telling you to stay longer even when you want to leave you end up staying.
Overall Infinity Pool is an unhinged nightmare that’s not only disturbing but a huge blast of fun, it’s so far my favorite film of 2023 and truly makes me excited to see what Brandon Cronenberg does next!
While vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand they make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. Confused, scared and with limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost.
M. Night Shyamalan is director that I’ve always rooted for, even if I don’t like some of his films (After Earth and Avatar The Last Airbender mostly) I always respect the work he puts out. In recent years starting with The Visit he has been self financing his own films which is really neat, to top that off Knock At The Cabin is truly one of his best!
Knock At The Cabin has a simple yet very effective setup that really shows the thrilling atmosphere Shyamalan is known for, what’s interesting is the film gets right to it. While yes there are a few flashbacks of Eric (played by Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (played by Ben Aldridge) relationship, them adopting Wen (played by Kristen Cui) and how they ended up vacationing to the cabin. Those are spread out pretty nicely so for the most part the film throws you right in which really works well, it’s a simple enough yet effective plot to understand what’s going on so it really doesn’t come off as confusing or does not end up being a mess.
The performances are truly great, everyone is given their moments Dave Bautista and Kristen Cui in particular really standout the most. Kristen Cui gives such a strong performance for a child actor and brings so much heart into her performance and love for her parents Eric and Andrew, especially during the ending when it’s truly devastating. Dave Bautista gives one of his best roles to date and shows just how strong he can be as an actor, his character while not coming off as threat immediately is very thrilling. What mostly works about Bautista’s character heck also Rupert Grint’s Abby Quinn’s and Nikki Amuka-Bird’s is that they are ordinary people with their own backgrounds and stories to tell.
The small cabin the film mostly takes in is one of the main elements that make Knock At The Cabin work, it’s a small space with thrilling atmosphere that quickly gets to the viewer and the camera shots especially the closeups bring you into the room. I know Shyamalan does these closeup shots a lot and while in some of his other films it doesn’t quite work, it most definitely works here mainly due to it complimenting the limited space. The ending is very devastating and while there are parts of it that didn’t completely work the film did wrap up quite nicely and leaves the viewer to interpret what actually happened.
The women of an isolated religious colony reveal a shocking secret about the colony’s men. For years, the men have occasionally drugged the women and then raped them. The truth comes out and the women talk about their new situation.
Women Talking was the final film from 2022 I wanted to see before I finalize and go over my Top 100 Best Films Of 2022 list and I honestly do not think anything could have prepared me for how incredible this film really was.
Women Talking right from the beginning establishes it’s themes, tone and overall feel and it’s incredibly hard hitting. The several shots that are just truly beautiful combined with the score is both atmospheric and beautiful, the performances completely match the tone of the film everyone here truly shines but Claire Foy, Jesse Buckley, Rooney Mara and Ben Whishsaw (more about him in a moment) truly deliver and give some of the most grounded and flat out best performances from 2022.
The writing truly shines during the many meetings of the film, almost immediately the viewer is able to understand each person’s personality, thoughts and goals. Each of which are unique and have a lot to contribute to the overall narrative of the film, the many decisions the women have to face is talked about at great length. Whether they stay or leave there’s always a deep discussion during the meetings of what the positives and negatives of the choice they make will be.
Sarah Polley does one hell of a job in the director’s chair, there’s truly something about her direction that is completely honest, raw and thought provoking. The close camera shots and tight space during the meetings really gives this film a more personal type feel, when you combine such a powerful narrative, with incredible acting and writing you can easily move the viewer to tears.
Lastly I want to quickly talk about Ben Whishsaw’s performance, something about his performance completely broke me especially during the final act which really made me shed a tear. His character August is truly phenomenally written, during the meetings he’s mostly in charge of the votes and to keep track what’s said in the meetings. It’s when during the final act his character development truly shines well, it’s heartbreaking yet so beautifully handled.
Women Talking is a phenomenal film and easily one of the best films of 2022, if you haven’t seen it yet I highly recommend doing so!
Pilot Brodie Torrance saves passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island — only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When dangerous rebels take most of the passengers hostage, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare, an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI
One thing I’m going to say right off the bat is I’m not a fan of Gerard Butler’s last handful of performances or movies, there’s definitely audience out there for them however I’m not one of them. Having that said Plane really surprised me not only is this Butler’s best performance in awhile but the film itself is very competently made.
Plane has a simple set up for an action thriller a plane crashes on a island that’s very war torn and the pilot has to protect the passengers, what separates this one from the other movies is mainly a lot of the technical elements. The film itself actually looks really neat, the use of the location plays a lot here especially combined with the atmosphere that really adds to the film especially during the action scenes. The acting all around is pretty great as well, there isn’t any groundbreaking performances but there really doesn’t need to be.
The first 20 or so minutes are a bit on the rough side, the writing is very noticeably weaker there than it is in the rest of the movie. But once the movie gets going it gets to it really nicely, the direction from Jean François Richet is also pretty solid as well, he mixes dramatic moments and thrilling moments very well to the point where it’s quite entertaining.
Overall Plane might not be anything new but I absolutely give it credit where credit is due, it was a blast of fun and a decent little action thriller.
The son of a Hasidic funeral director returns home with his pregnant wife in hopes of reconciling with his father. Little do they know that an ancient evil lurking inside a mysterious corpse has sinister plans for their unborn child.
There really isn’t a lot to be said about The Offering, it’s one of those horror movies that have a huge early 2000s vibe to it which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There is actually quite a bit to like here particularly the filming combined with the atmosphere combined together. There’s some genuine creepy moments that really do add to the setting and make it all the more thrilling.
Having that said however what completely holds The Offering back is the huge amount of jumpscares that appear one after another, it completely takes you out of the movie when it starts to become painfully predictable. The writing falls apart towards the end with a few bits during the last act that ultimately hurt the movie more than help it.
After a bad breakup, a young woman retreats to a remote cabin and continues modelling for an adults-only, livestreaming website. However, she soon discovers she’s not alone as a masked killer begins to stalk and terrorize her.
It’s very interesting to me that two horror films about the pandemic in the exact same month and are drastically different in terms of quality. Sick is more than just another COVID related movie, it uses the premise and actually makes it quite fun as well as just being an overall very well acted and written film (minus the villain)…the other movie is Alone At Night.
Alone At Night has quite an interesting cast which leads you to believe this might be something worthwhile, Ashley Benson, Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson and a few others, the nicest thing I can really say that at least the cast tried. They really tried their hardest with what they were given but it was nowhere near enough to save this, Ashley Benson is definitely the best of the bunch but that’s mainly due to her having much more to do than everyone else.
There’s certain scenes that attempt to parody those reality TV shows or those reality TV competition shows, that’s when Paris Hilton shows up and it’s honestly not very clever at all. It’s been done before in far better films or shows (pretty sure Robot Chicken tackled it quite well), the other parts of the movie is your typical terrible slasher movie elements. None of it is new or interesting enough to grab the viewer’s attention, the villain is incredibly predictable and doesn’t even attempt to try and pretend to be nice. Pamala Anderson is restricted to being a cop who appears every now and then and doesn’t offer much at all, it doesn’t help her performance is quite terrible as well.
Then there’s the ending which is somehow even worse than the rest of the movie, it attempts to try and connect the main plot to the reality TV show which is ridiculous especially when it comes to it’s execution. It’s such an eye rolling ending that completely comes out of nowhere and isn’t anywhere near as strong as they thought it was.
After her mother goes missing, a young woman tries to find her from home, using tools available to her online.
A little subgenre that has been growing slowly over the years is the screenlife genre, it’s often used in horror films as well as thrillers. Some very notable films to come out of this genre have been Unfriended and it’s sequel Dark Web, The Den, Spree, Host and Searching the film that eventually got it’s standalone sequel Missing.
Searching is a film that really brought a huge amount of attention to the genre mainly due to how masterfully it executed it’s premise and was overall an excellent film, when it was announced that Searching would be getting a sequel I was definitely interested to see how they were going to approach. Luckily they made the right choice of not doing a direct a sequel and instead bring in new characters.
Missing much like Searching has an incredibly strong opening, we are immediately shown the past of the main characters and about their family in this case June (played by Storm Reid) and her mother Grace (played by Nia Long), the first act really does a solid job of establishing the mother and daughter relationship they have. Sure it might not be anything new but it does feel mostly grounded, the screenlife style works just as well as it did and Searching while also feeling quite fresh as well. A bit later into the film we are introduced to Javier (played by Joaquim de Almedia) who is just such a fun character and Almedia’s performance just absolutely nails it. There’s something about his performance that’s both charming and exciting that ultimately becomes part of the heart of the film, he’s a side character that may not get a whole book of development but the viewer is able to know quite a lot about him to make him very effective.
The atmosphere is truly effective here just as it was in Searching, I know I’ve been saying that a lot but Missing does use a majority of what made Searching work and uses it to it’s full advantage while making it fresh. The third act is quite strong here as well, while it might not be as grounded as Searching that doesn’t stop it from being wildly entertaining and really brings the viewer to the edge of their seat. Storm Reid really shines throughout the whole film, her acting combined with the atmosphere is truly some thrilling moments that compliment the film really well, her conversations with Joaquim de Almedia are truly great as well. The film does a fantastic job of connecting the two characters and how their situations with family are both alike.
Overall Missing is such a huge blast that is also very thrilling and actually very well written especially when it comes to the mystery element and the characters!
A new couple and their families reckon with modern love amid culture clashes, societal expectations and generational differences.
Over the years I’ve been much more positive when it comes to bad movies especially in my reviews. I can recognize in a lot of cases there was at least some level of attempt to try and craft something interesting or good. You People is not one of those movies.
The only positive I can give this movie is Eddie Murphy, Nia Long and Julia Louis Dreyfus who honestly try their hardest with such an embarrassing script that wastes such a great cast. There’s so many issues here that really played into how terrible You People ended up being but if we are going to talk about the worst it’s two major things, the writing and the horrendous comedic timing.
I’ll start with the comedic timing mainly due to how flat out in your face it really is, something that you quickly notice about this movie is it builds a joke and doesn’t seem to know how to end it. So it continues the joke until the movie has no choice but to move on, there’s this one scene where Jonah Hill and Sam Jay are talking and they name drop Drake at least 9 to 11 times (yes I kept count) that whole joke was for one scene that ultimately didn’t add much to the plot. There’s so many other scenes like this that drag a joke on for far too long and each and every time it’s worse than the last.
Then there’s the writing that is just abysmal, as I said before some of the actors try to make it work but it just doesn’t work at all, there’s a lot of celebrity name drops, attempts at cringe humor that just end up being completely embarrassing and a first act that is very fast paced for some reason. Which doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense because the movie is 1 hour and 58 minutes, so why was there a need to completely brush through the first act? We don’t get to see Jonah Hill and Lauren London bond very well at all, so how is the viewer supposed to buy in their relationship?
You People is by far the worst movie I’ve seen so far this year, I know that’s not saying much since we are only a little bit in the year. But this just really baffled me to be quite honest.
Jerome Reviews... 