At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

The Wolf of Snow Hollow

A pretty unique horror comedy about a murderous werewolf that bounces around its tones and yet it somewhat works. It's hard to describe, but there's a little bit of Fargo with a little bit of Brooklyn Nine Nine under a horror lens and even that couldn't quite pin it down. Jim Cummings who put this movie together and stars in it does a great job playing a unhinged yet hilarious cop trying to find the killer werewolf. It's honestly a role that felt like it was made for Nic Cage. Really dug the rest of the cast like Riki Lindhome and the late Robert Forster. The cinematography and directing is surprisingly well done and creative. Overall, for a werewolf movie, it's wildly creative even if the tone doesn't fully work.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

One Night in Miami

A phenomenal film that is taken from a stage play that has four legendary black figures in a room together where they exchange ideas and thought in a crucial point in history. Regina King did an amazing job with this and while it takes a little while to get to the meat of the movie, it's well put together. As the movie goes along they do get the mannerisms of each person right on the nose and the performances from Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X, Eli Goree as Muhammad Ali, Aldis Hodge as Jim Brown, & Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke do take over the movie fully in the 2nd half. It's also wonderfully written by Kemp Powers who don't put too much sentiment on the characters and wrote more like real 4 real friends talking to one another. Overall, it's by far one of best movies of the past year and it's certainly going for Oscar gold.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

News of the World

It's a movie very much in the wheelhouse of Tom Hanks even in the western genre. It's pretty much comfort food for folks who want a easy to follow journey where Tom Hanks, who travels around the south reading news from around the country, has to return a lost girl to her family. It's very much sentimental in tone, but it still works because of Tom Hanks. There is some action and tense moments in the middle of the film that is really well done thanks to Paul Greengrass. Helena Zengel who plays the little girl does a pretty good job and they wrote her with some more depth and not just have her cause more trouble. Overall, it's pretty much a decent dad movie.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Promising Young Woman

Not what I thought it was gonna be, but it's really good nonetheless. I was expecting this to be a bit more cerebral and deep in the vein of Gone Girl or Prisoners, but this is essentially structured as an old school rape and revenge exploitation film with some candy coated dark comedy. You notice the dark comedy immediately with the cast they got here (Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Jennifer Coolidge, Sam Richardson, Chris Lowell, Clancy Brown, and McLovin) who all are really good, but it's Carey Mulligan who is really going all in as the lead. She's what keeps the movie elevated throughout most of it and she keeps you second guessing her morality with her questionable acts. My only issue might be the bow-tie ending that felt kinda cheap. Overall, solid movie with a really solid lead.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

The War with Grandpa

This is some straight up 90s Nickelodeon/Disney Channel movie bullsh** that reuses the same sitcom tropes and gags everybody has seen countless times. While I will say this shockingly didn't annoy me as much as I was expecting, it's the very definition of fast food movies. It's the movie that gets picked at Redbox for a family movie night and everyone ends up looking on their phones the entire time. It's weirdly got a big name cast for this (Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour, Rob Riggle, & Cheech Marin). What's really strange is Robert De Niro is actually kinda trying in this whenever they go for that serious heart to heart Full House moment. Overall, for someone who's seen this kind of kids movie several times back in the day, it's not the worst thing out there, but it's very much forgettable.
1.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Skylines

Who knew that sh**ty Skyline movie would produce two of the most entertaining scifi sequels? This one follows after the events of Beyond Skyline where Rose grew up to become a captain of an alien ship. And just like the last one, it's the low budget ambitious nature of the movie that keeps you interested even though this has a scifi plot you've seen several times on film and on tv. Where the last one is a mixture of several different genres, Skylines is purely a space action flick much like Aliens and Battlestar Galactica. There are even direct homages to Aliens which I dug and they film it in an unironic and unpretentious way that feels genuine. The cast is somewhat decent but Lindsey Morgan is phenomenal in it and she can easily become a huge action star. I would love to see what the director (Liam O’Donnell) does with a Hollywood budget. Overall, a solid end to a wild and crazy scifi trilogy that I admire a whole lot.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Empty Man

By far one of the most surprising movies of 2020. It's one of those times where the trailers didn't do it justice. On the surface and based on the trailers, it might look like it's another cheap Slender Man/Candyman ripoff, but it's actually a lot more going on than that. This film surprisingly has more in common with David Fincher's Seven and Ben Wheatley's Kill List when it comes to tone, subject matter and cinematography. And it comes to no surprise that the director David Prior has worked with David Fincher on his documentaries of his films. They do such a great job building tension and fill you with dread that you kinda don't know where it's taking you. Really dug the performances by James Badge Dale who's channeling Brad Pitt from Seven, Marin Ireland who I wish had more to do in here, and Stephen Root who was electric here. My only issue with this is probably the pacing and the typical supernatural horror cliches even though it's more effective here than in most movies. Overall, a true gem that is worth seeing.
4/5

 

[Doctor Jones]

The War with Grandpa

This is some straight up 90s Nickelodeon/Disney Channel movie bullsh** that reuses the same sitcom tropes and gags everybody has seen countless times. While I will say this shockingly didn't annoy me as much as I was expecting, it's the very definition of fast food movies. It's the movie that gets picked at Redbox for a family movie night and everyone ends up looking on their phones the entire time. It's weirdly got a big name cast for this (Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour, Rob Riggle, & Cheech Marin). What's really strange is Robert De Niro is actually kinda trying in this whenever they go for that serious heart to heart Full House moment. Overall, for someone who's seen this kind of kids movie several times back in the day, it's not the worst thing out there, but it's very much forgettable.
1.5/5

This used to be a Weinstein movie. He had pull to get a cast like that.

 

[Kane52630]

PG: Psycho Goreman

A movie that asks you what if the Power Rangers showed up in Deadpool. It's a phenomenal love letter to the Roger Corman era of b-movies in the 80s by the guys who made The Void. It centers on two extremely goofy siblings uncovering an alien that they would later name him Psycho Goreman and they found a way to control him. It's as if James Gunn made a low budget movie about Taserface where he was sent to earth where two kids just roast him for 90 minutes. I thought the little girl (Nita-Josee Hanna) who plays Mimi was really good and absolutely terrifying at the same time. The low budget sfx was extremely well done and they were able to use it to great effect. They really go for the fences here and they make it as weird and strange as possible. Overall, this was a lot of fun with a lot of hilarious comedy.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Peninsula

Not as bad as I thought, but it's a disappointing sequel to Train to Busan. Where the first one genuinely feels like an authentic and ambitious take on zombies and where characters are at the heart of the story, this sequel takes the wrong steps and it ends up being a Hollywoodized blockbuster where action and CG matter more. As for the action, it kinda takes the World War Z (film) approach where they are pretty much using video game logic and physics. I will say there are some emotional beats, but sadly they're sporadic and too far in between (mainly at the start and the end of the film). Overall, it's a mindless action zombie movie that has some interesting moments.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Chick Fight

Truly a bargain bin movie. It's got all the signs of a direct to video movie, it's got a low budget, some washed stars with some up and coming comedians looking for a break and a elevator pitch script about a woman getting into a fight club. This movie proves why just having colorful cinematography doesn't equal being a good movie. It's got a copy and paste script that doesn't have an inch of originality. It's somewhere between trying to be like The Karate Kid to Bloodsport to even Glow and it mostly fails. Also, one thing that really bothered me... this never established what kind of fight match it is, it seems like it is trying to be like MMA, but it ends up being more like pro wrestling. Overall, a big time waster of a movie that tries to cash in on the girl power movement.
1/5

 

[Kane52630]

Ammonite

It's unfortunate and it's no fault on the movie, but this was essentially the British and dull version of Portrait of a Lady on Fire where instead of paintings, you're dealing with fossils. On it's own, it's a very paint by numbers romantic drama period piece with a decent performance by Kate Winslet. Saoirse Ronan had some decent moments, but not enough to go crazy over. I will say I enjoyed the direction by Francis Lee and cinematography by Stephane Fontaine as drab as it may look at times. The plot goes exactly how you think it does which is a shame because I wish it focused more on the paleontology side that Kate Winslet's character goes into. Overall, it's a overwrought and typical bio pic/rom drama that the BAFTAs or the Oscars would probably go crazy for.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Saint Maud

A brisk art-house horror flick that combines 70s centric horror films like Carrie and The Exorcist with a little bit from First Reformed, yet it feels different. It's essentially a character piece of a young woman experiencing mental illness through her obsession of Christianity specifically Jesus. I really liked Jennifer Ehle here, but Morfydd Clark takes the cake. She's absolutely incredible and horrifying as Maud. The director Rose Glass does a phenomenal job for her first feature length film and does some very interesting stuff in the 2nd half that keeps you on your feet. My only issue with the movie is it's too short. The plot is a bit too lean for its own good and they could've easily explored this story more with some more depth and complexity much like First Reformed. That being said, that last shot will stick with you. Overall, definitely worth checking out even though they could've done more.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Wolfwalkers

Cartoon Saloon knocks it out of the park again. It's a phenomenal animated movie that takes a page of traditional animation with the look of a children's storybook that comes to life. Much like The Breadwinner (which I highly recommend), they aren't afraid to get a little dark and emotional for a kids movie and playing up themes that adults can identity and understand. It uses a lot of old traditional Celtic mythology in the story with playful sensibilities that it created something that feels original. Really enjoyed the music and the voice cast even if Sean Bean is practically playing Ned Stark again. Overall, it's by far one of the best animated movies of the year.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Malcolm & Marie

Gaslighting: The Movie. It's a pseudointellectual arthouse movie about a couple who are filmmakers that engage in one long toxic fight. It's one of those movies where it can either easily entertain you or annoy the hell out of you and I kinda fall in the entertain side... just because of the performances by John David Washington & Zendaya who are really throwing themselves into the role. And to be honest, I could watch John David Washington go off on critics for 5 hours. It's a movie that tries to be deep and meta (and French New Wave) and while I didn't hate it, I did saw past it. Also while you can tell it's a movie shot during Covid, they do enough to make you forget that as you're watching it. Overall, I enjoyed it on a superficial level that has some tremendous performances.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Little Things

All sizzle and almost no steak. This had all the potential of being a classic like Seven or Prisoners, but it ends up being more like a made for tv serial killer movie from the 90s that tried to bank on the success of Seven. It's got a decent but slow set up that you'd expect to see build up to something explosive, but it doesn't. The movie has some good moments, but it starts to stumbles around and when it does get to that big moment, it becomes extremely anti-climatic. I thought Denzel was decent here performance wise and I liked Jared Leto here even though he's clearly overdoing it. That being said, Rami Malek feels so miscast and out of place... it's like he's in a completely different movie. Overall, it's a thriller that should've been so much better.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Judas and the Black Messiah

Really phenomenal stuff. Shaka King does a great job on not making it a standard bio pic of Fred Hampton, but the events that lead to his assassination by the FBI... and more importantly the informant that helped them. With the tone and style, it reminded me of movies like The Departed and American Gangster where it's grand ensemble. Daniel Kaluuya is electric as Fred Hampton it makes for an interesting match up with LaKeith Stanfield as Bill O'Neal who kinda steals the movie as it's more centered on him. Also, I really dug Jesse Plemons here as the FBI agent that orchestrated the whole thing. If I had any complaints, it's that I kinda wish this was a little longer that covered more events during that period. Overall, it's a solid historical drama/thriller that is for sure gonna be talked about during Oscar time.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

MLK/FBI

A well produced documentary that serves as a inside look at the FBI's attack on Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights movement. It does a good job reminding you how MLK was viewed by the government and most of white America during that time and how much pressure he was dealing with from all sides. It's also a commentary on surveillance during that time and obviously how that has continued to today. I also did like how they were able to use pop culture footage of that time about FBI agents to help illustrate their point and how that propaganda machine was used by J Edgar Hoover. Overall, 2020 has been a solid year for documentaries and this is well worth checking out.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Willy's Wonderland

Just as advertised, it's a fun Five Nights at Freddy's knockoff that features Nic Cage doing his thing while being completely silent where he murders a bunch of Chuck E. Cheese characters from hell. I thought Nic Cage was doing his best "main guy in a video game from the 90s where he doesn't talk" routine and it completely works. I did like how they tried with the cinematography where it's flashy neon all over. Probably the best thing to come out of the movie is the soundtrack by Émoi and it's got full of songs that will undoubtedly get stuck in your head. That being said, it follows a typical slasher formula where it's got incompetent cops, greedy cooperate guys, and a bunch of stupid teenagers. And almost all the teenagers can not act to save their life. Overall, aside from the bad acting and the familiar formula, I had a lot of fun with it.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Our Friend

A really well put together cancer drama that really doesn't ham up the details of love and lost with some melancholy. I really enjoyed that all the natural dialogue and incredible performances by Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, & Jason Segel. They do a great job on being subtle and realer to real life even if some plot points feel cliche. It almost feels like it was made by the people who did This is Us, but with the writer of Manchester by the Sea. Overall, highly recommend.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Fatale

Good god... Deon Taylor really wants to bring back the post-Fatal Attraction era of crappy erotic thrillers from the 90s and early 2000s. It's essentially a b movie that kinda all the ingredients of making a fun bad movie, but it never quite comes together. It ends up pretty dull (not to mention predictable) even when things get crazy towards the end. Hilary Swank & Michael Ealy are pretty much phoning it in and I will say I like Mike Coulter almost continuing to play Luke Cage in this lol. I probably would've liked it more it if it actually reached "The Intruder" levels of insanity which he also directed. Overall, a boring mess.
1/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Broken Hearts Gallery

A surprising well made young adult romcom that would've probably been a hit if it weren't for Covid19. While it doesn't do anything new in the romcom game, it manages to be pretty witty, charming, and whimsical while having some snarky humor. Geraldine Viswanathan & Dacre Montgomery really work well together and they got that John Hughes type chemistry. My only problems might stem from it trying too hard at certain times to be topical and edgy or when it becomes overwhelmingly sappy. Overall, I enjoyed it more than I expected.
3/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

Beasts Clawing At Straws



Korean crime dramas just hit different.

What a film debut by this first time director!

Sweet lord. This felt like an early Tarantino mixed with Mann but still very Korean. I suggest not watching any trailers or reading anything before watching this, go in blind. I predict this will get some kind of American type remake soon as well.

9/10

 

[Kane52630]

Music

This is what happens when an artist have the best intentions for something, but have zero awareness on achieving it. The movie being "cringe" and misguided is kinda putting it lightly. What Sia essentially did is pull a Simple Jack as a musical on screen without irony with Maddie Ziegler (who's neurotypical) playing a teen with extreme autism. The approach is completely tone deaf and they do almost nothing to give Maddie Ziegler's character any agency or development. On top of all of that there's some extremely cliche plot points and character motivations from the rest of the cast that has been done better so many times before like. To nobody's surprise, the only thing that kinda works here are the music video vignettes... which are pretty creative even if they seem annoying in context of everything else. Overall, it's by far one of the most baffling films in recent years let alone 2020 (2021?) and it leaves you feeling sorry for everyone involved with this not named Sia.
0.5/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

Saint Maud

A brisk art-house horror flick that combines 70s centric horror films like Carrie and The Exorcist with a little bit from First Reformed, yet it feels different. It's essentially a character piece of a young woman experiencing mental illness through her obsession of Christianity specifically Jesus. I really liked Jennifer Ehle here, but Morfydd Clark takes the cake. She's absolutely incredible and horrifying as Maud. The director Rose Glass does a phenomenal job for her first feature length film and does some very interesting stuff in the 2nd half that keeps you on your feet. My only issue with the movie is it's too short. The plot is a bit too lean for its own good and they could've easily explored this story more with some more depth and complexity much like First Reformed. That being said, that last shot will stick with you. Overall, definitely worth checking out even though they could've done more.
4/5

Yup. Agreed with pretty much everything you’ve said. Felt like this could’ve been longer. I could've easily watched another hour or so. I also feel like it makes a great double feature with First Reformed, but that sounds kinda depressing. Also, was surprised by how hnnngh Morfydd is, I dont think that was the intention in certain scenes, but her nurse outfit fooled me. Always look for hnngh even in the darkness!