At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Black Narcissus]

Censor

It's a fantastic film that explores the seedy underbelly of indie horror filmmaking that centers on a woman who works on censoring those films coming into the UK during the early 80s. It's also got a slow burning mystery that revolves around a missing person that becomes more of a character drama. Really dug the themes they present in here. In a way, this does feel like a combination of Videodrome, Mandy, 8MM with a little bit of Argento thrown in which really works. This has a standout performance by Niamh Algar, who I can't wait to see what she does next as well as the director Prano Bailey-Bond who does a phenomenal job as a first time feature length director. Overall, it's a worthy indie horror flick that does have something to say and its worth watching.
4/5

I knew you would dig it! Prano Bailey Bond has huge potential to be great. The way I feel about her is the way some nerds hype up and talk up Ari Aster.

 

[Kane52630]

She weirdly reminded me of Trey Edward Shults in how they were able to capture that dream like environment and how the both mess with aspect ratios.

 

[Kane52630]

The Forever Purge

A surprising and refreshing entry in the Purge series that has one of my favorite one-liners in recent years. It smartly moves away from the city to a small town in Texas and suddenly the film becomes a timely western that uses a lot of tropes that westerns uses, but with a different perspective. They do a good job centering the story on a Mexican couple trying to get by on life after they've boarder cross. It's a lot of obvious immigration commentary that you'd expect, but I thought they did a better job executing it than most movies and it's got some twists and turns that I didn't expect. The action is actually well done and because they dropped the big city neon aesthetic of the past two Purge movies, the look of it feels more grounded. But more importantly, the movie did a good job making you care for the main characters more than last two movies. Overall, it's my favorite of the Purge movies since Purge Anarchy.
3.5/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

Till Death

Emma (Fox) wakes up the next morning to find she is left handcuffed to her dead husband as part of a sick revenge plot.

I've always felt like Megan Fox was very under used as an actress. She isn't just a pretty face, but she just needs the right projects and directors to sorta guide her along and get the best out of her. She does so very much here. She kinda reminds of a disney princess gone rogue, if that makes any sense. Fox has comedic timing when given the material too, that comedic timing comes out here when it requires it, but this is a horror/ thriller. They've kept the plot simple and the locations to a minimum and it bloody works, and that is mostly due to the director and Fox. You can tell their budget was limited. A few cliche moments aside, this mostly plays very good, it isn't trying to be anything more. Our heroine needs to cut herself loose from her dead psycho husband and some unwanted guests show up. I hope Fox keeps doing more genre type flicks, she'd be great in a sexy- female assassin type role.

This was real solid 7/10

 

[Kane52630]

The Tomorrow War

Betty Gilpin deserved better. On paper this is pretty much Independence Day meets Aliens meets Edge of Tomorrow with a little bit of Starship Troopers thrown in which sounds amazing, but the execution was so far off. The concept has a lot of flaws that gets swept under the rug for the action set pieces and they don't really good you a reason for why this was a good idea in the first place. Also in between the action, the movie feels very empty in scope especially since you can feel the 2 and a half hour length. They borrow from the Happening playbook and have the most unbelievable person to play a highschool science teacher and in this case it's Chris Pratt. He's probably the weakest part in the whole movie which is shocking. Betty Gilpin is regulated to the mom role which was egregious and Yvonne Strahovski is acting her ass off in this role that ultimately meaningless. I will say I kinda dig J. K. Simmons and Sam Richardson here (along with maybe Yvonne Strahovski) and they're the only ones that kept this bull**** train going in terms of performances. The other good part about this was the action at times and I especially dug the alien design and how menacing they were even if they're xenomorph clones. Overall, it's a scifi action flick that acts like a bad video game that is way too long for its own good with concepts that weren't clearly worked out... and performances and tone that were all over the place.
2/5

 

[NDX]

I've been referring to The Tomorrow War as Edge of Timeline Troopers when describing it to people. Felt appropriate.

 

[Kane52630]

Zola

Zola Will Return in The A24 Florida Cinematic Universe

This was a chaotic and darkly comedic thriller that takes you on a unforgettable ride. Zola is pretty much what you get if you took elements from Spring Breakers, Good Time, and The Florida Project and wrap it with a messed up bow. The style and chaotic energy is what keeps you invested throughout it and the direction is unbelievably good. For a movie based on a twitter thread, the director Janicza Bravo did an amazing job incorporating social media elements into the movie where it enhances the viewing of the film and the immediate plot changes. Award winning performances by Taylour Paige and especially Riley Keough who is channeling her inner Bhad Bhabie/Woah Vicky so effectively. I also really dug Colman Domingo who threw me off with his on and off Jamaican accent and Nicholas Braun was so good playing the dumb boyfriend. Overall, it's easily one of the best films of the year.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Black Widow

[Insert Vin Diesel Family Meme Here]

It's a solid return of Marvel on the big screen that finally uses Black Widow as a stepping off point into Phase 4 in what is probably their most stand alone movie to date. It was interesting where they place most of the movie and how the past and future connect with each other. The first half is phenomenal and has elements of the later Mission Impossible movies, Winter Soldier, The Americans, and oddly enough Cate Shortland's previous film Berlin Syndrome. They did the smart thing and not have the movie be plot driven and instead it's almost entirely character driven with some ties that will set up future Marvel projects. The action and cinematography is pretty well done and for the most part stays away from that glossy/fake look to it which I appreciated... it helps when they shoot on location for a lot of the movie. What sells this movie is the family bond and chemistry between Scarltett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz. Florence Pugh and David Harbour probably stand out the most performance wise and they do an amazing job selling the comedy and drama when needed. As for the villain, while they give you enough for the plot, it's nothing too memorable and only serves as a plot device. Taskmaster is probably going to be the one thing about this movie that will have fans argue about because of the changes they made. For me I thought Taskmaster was fine in relation to the movie and the fight scenes was really well choreographed. Overall, I had fun with it. While it's not perfect, this has a lot that kept me invested throughout like the smaller scenes where it's just people in a room talking or cracking jokes.
4/5

 

[Mysteryman]

Black Widow

[Insert Vin Diesel Family Meme Here]

It's a solid return of Marvel on the big screen that finally uses Black Widow as a stepping off point into Phase 4 in what is probably their most stand alone movie to date. It was interesting where they place most of the movie and how the past and future connect with each other. The first half is phenomenal and has elements of the later Mission Impossible movies, Winter Soldier, The Americans, and oddly enough Cate Shortland's previous film Berlin Syndrome. They did the smart thing and not have the movie be plot driven and instead it's almost entirely character driven with some ties that will set up future Marvel projects. The action and cinematography is pretty well done and for the most part stays away from that glossy/fake look to it which I appreciated... it helps when they shoot on location for a lot of the movie. What sells this movie is the family bond and chemistry between Scarltett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz. Florence Pugh and David Harbour probably stand out the most performance wise and they do an amazing job selling the comedy and drama when needed. As for the villain, while they give you enough for the plot, it's nothing too memorable and only serves as a plot device. Taskmaster is probably going to be the one thing about this movie that will have fans argue about because of the changes they made. For me I thought Taskmaster was fine in relation to the movie and the fight scenes was really well choreographed. Overall, I had fun with it. While it's not perfect, this has a lot that kept me invested throughout like the smaller scenes where it's just people in a room talking or cracking jokes.
4/5

Sounds Pretty Good.
Thanks for that.

 

[Kane52630]

No Sudden Move

A very soothing period drama heist film that has Steven Soderbergh's name all over it. Like with most heist films, they all feature a moment where things go wrong in the plan and in this movie, the thing going wrong is the main course of the film. It's got a distinctive domino effect nature to the storytelling that keeps you wanting to know what comes next in the grand scheme of things and how everything is connected. It's also extremely funny at times with awkward situations becoming even more awkward. The stacked cast is what really sells the movie and it's got some of Soderbergh's go-tos like Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro, but it also features some new ones that really work in his style like David Harbour and Julia Fox. There's also a weirdly menacing Brendan Fraser performance that I did not expect and some casting surprises that are really good. The only downside I have with this movie is I wish the budget was bigger. While it's not really cheap, I wish it had larger scope on the production side. Overall, it's hard to say where this falls in with Steven Soderbergh's other films, but I really enjoyed it.
4/5

 

[NDX]

I would have liked No Sudden Move more if it wasn't recorded with that constant fisheye lense. The slight warping to the edges of the screen just became too much in the some scenes.

 

[Black Narcissus]

The Hellbenders

Directed by Sergio Corbucci.
Score by Ennio Morricone

A rewatch.

One thing I've always enjoyed about Corbucci is that he gets straight to the point and keeps it simple. An old Col. Jonas (Joseph Cotten) has a plan to revive the Confederacy. He raids a Union Army detail and walks away with valuable treasure that he intends to put to use raising another rebel army. Jonas needs to keep the treasure safe during shipment, so he places it in a coffin and forces saloon girl Claire (Norma Bengell) to play widow. Claire is unwilling to do her part, however, and puts herself in danger by opposing the dangerous Jonas. One can easily see how this has influenced Tarantino. In Italy Sergio COrbucci was known as simply 'the other Sergio', which is unfortunate, as he was a master in his own right.

One who has seen plenty of spaghetti westerns will recognize the character actor Al Mulock. Most will recognize him from the opening of 'Once Upon A Time In The West'. He killed himself after shooting that scene soon after, and rumor has it that Leone was only concerned about the wardrobe that he was still wearing. There are more than few dozen american/canadian actors who went to italy during that time to act for long periods of time and ended up dying tragically. I don't want to be a bummer, but those character actors deserved better.

This is a must watch for any spaghetti western aficionado!

@C. Lee

 

[Kane52630]

I would have liked No Sudden Move more if it wasn't recorded with that constant fisheye lense. The slight warping to the edges of the screen just became too much in the some scenes.

Yeah it threw me off early on, but I got used to it I guess.

 

[Kane52630]

Fear Street Part One: 1994

The Boys Meets World Halloween episode did it better. Based on RL Stine series, this both pays homage to the books and the subversive slasher era of the 90s, mainly Scream. The cold open in the mall is probably the best scene in the whole movie and while it's predictable of where that was headed, they don't shy away from the violence which sets the tone for the rest of the film(s) as they get gorier with it. They do a good enough job setting up the lore of the towns and what is to come in the later movies. Along with the neon aesthetic, the overwhelming needle drops are exciting even if some of them are anachronistic to 1994. What ultimately brings this movie down are the main characters who are pretty two dimensional and vapid. Even though they do a good job in making minority and gay characters the lead, they don't give enough to care for any of them when most of their dialogue and subplot sounds like it came off from a bad CW pilot. Overall, pretty disappointed despite their well executed set up and opening.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Fear Street Part Two: 1978

A big improvement over the previous film. I can't tell if they brought in a better script writer or had better actors, but they were able deliver on what is a big homage to Friday the 13th with a little bit of The Burning and Sleepaway Camp thrown in set 1978. Sadie Sink, who is basically playing her Stranger Things character, is great here as the lead and I enjoyed the others like Gillian Jacobs, Emily Rudd, and Ryan Simpkins who are also pretty good in here. The needle drops continue to be one of the best parts of the movie along with the kills and they have characters you care for that are a far more complex than the last one even if it's been played before. While the bulk of the film plays as a flashback, this really could have been its own single film with no attachments to the other films. Overall, really dug this one and I look forward to what they do in 1666.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Fear Street Part Three: 1666

A really fun finish to the trilogy that weirdly combines the Crucible with Stranger Things season 3. The first hour of this does a great job getting into the Crucible side of the story by making Kiana Madeira play Sarah Fier and go through the origins of what happened in that town. It's probably the strongest portion directing wise of all three films and the it's best acted. They do a great job interweaving real history with the fictional lore that feels fresh and they had more emotional stakes that brought it up a notch... and they did it all without relying on a needle drop. The kills aren't as inventively gory as the previous films, but there are some intense imagery that I dug. Once it leaves that story and go back to the main plot, it becomes more or less Stranger Things, particularly the end of season 3 where they're at the mall. It's not as great as the 1666 scenes but it's enjoyable. Overall, it seemed each film got better as they got along and 1966 is easily the best one of the bunch. It'll be interesting to see where this goes.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Werewolves Within

Shockingly enjoyable. It's a werewolf flick that takes massive inspirations from Edgar Wright (mainly Hot Fuzz) with a classic whodunit that's more inline with The Thing if everyone had comedic timing...as well as some other werewolf flicks. What's even more shocking is on a technical level, this might be the best video game movie because it's based on the game that I never even heard of by Ubisoft. The performances from the cast and the various personalities that clash with each other is what sells the film and a lot of that reminded me of Spielberg's early work, but with a more comedic tone like an Edgar Wright film.The film also reminds me of a more complete and more well produced version of The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Sam Richardson does a great job playing the lead and has great chemistry with Milana Vayntrub who can do no wrong. Loved the twists and turns the movie makes and while I kinda guessed who was the werewolf, they do a good job following through with it. Overall, definitely worth seeing if you love comedy in your horror.
4/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

An American bar room pianist and his prostitute girlfriend go on a trip through the Mexican underworld to collect a bounty on the head of a dead gigolo.

Sam Peckinpah is God!

@weezerspider

First viewing.

I'll never get over that feeling of chills that creeps up on you from the opening shot, to quickly realize I was about to watch a classic.


From Roger Ebert: I think I can feel Sam Peckinpah's heart beating and head pounding in every frame in ''Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'' (1974), a film he made during a period of alcoholic fear and trembling. I believe its hero, Bennie, completes his task with the same dogged courage as Peckinpah used to complete the movie, and that Bennie's exhaustion, disgust and despair at the end might mirror Peckinpah's own. I sense that the emotional weather on the set seeped onto the screen, haunting it with a buried level of passion. If there is anything to the auteur theory, then ''Alfredo Garcia'' is the most autobiographical film Peckinpah ever made.


@C. Lee you ever seen this? If so, I'd like to know what you thought.

 

[weezerspider]

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

An American bar room pianist and his prostitute girlfriend go on a trip through the Mexican underworld to collect a bounty on the head of a dead gigolo.

Sam Peckinpah is God!

@weezerspider

First viewing.

I'll never get over that feeling of chills that creeps up on you from the opening shot, to quickly realize I was about to watch a classic.


From Roger Ebert: I think I can feel Sam Peckinpah's heart beating and head pounding in every frame in ''Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'' (1974), a film he made during a period of alcoholic fear and trembling. I believe its hero, Bennie, completes his task with the same dogged courage as Peckinpah used to complete the movie, and that Bennie's exhaustion, disgust and despair at the end might mirror Peckinpah's own. I sense that the emotional weather on the set seeped onto the screen, haunting it with a buried level of passion. If there is anything to the auteur theory, then ''Alfredo Garcia'' is the most autobiographical film Peckinpah ever made.

Love this film. The thing that jumped out at me after my most recent viewing was how romantic the first half is. Makes you really root for Oates to get his revenge. As always with Peckinpah, the violence is beautiful. Poetry in slow motion.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Love this film. The thing that jumped out at me after my most recent viewing was how romantic the first half is. Makes you really root for Oates to get his revenge. As always with Peckinpah, the violence is beautiful. Poetry in slow motion.

I rewatched 'The Wild Bunch' last weekend, it was just as great. Also, I'm going to assume you own it already, but if you haven't read: "If They Move ... Kill 'Em!" Tis' a must own!

 

[weezerspider]

I rewatched 'The Wild Bunch' last weekend, it was just as great. Also, I'm going to assume you own it already, but if you haven't read: "If They Move ... Kill 'Em!" Tis' a must own!

I read this in lockdown last year! Great stuff.

Yeah, I think the climax in The Wild Bunch is probably the greatest action sequence ever.

 

[Kane52630]

Pig

Nic Cage is about to get his 2nd Oscar. This was a phenomenal slow burn indie drama that takes the structure of a typical "revenge" film (in this case something like John Wick), but it really is a quiet and emotional character study of someone trying to get back someone that means so much to him and Nicolas Cage delivers... and peppered in some comedy. Some folks have compared it to Kelly Reichardt's First Cow which is pretty accurate, but I also feel like it's more in tune with something like Blue Ruin or even Joe, but with even less flashy action. The cinematography is brilliantly well done and it compliments the stillness of the film. The chemistry between Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff was really interesting and I dug how it evolves. Not going to spoil what happens but the scene in the restaurant is easily the best part of the movie and it's without a doubt going to be in the highlight reel for Nic Cage. Overall, it's a fascinating indie film about finding the meaning in the meaningless that just washes over you and it's yet another film that proves to everyone, Nic Cage still got it.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions

Pretty much what you'd expect from a horror sequel. It continues where the last film left off and it immediately thrust you back into the escape room world with little to no explanation... even more than the last film. This one is even more of a collection of traps/rooms stringed together with a thin plot, but it somewhat works to its advantage. The rooms are even more elaborate than before and more even implausible, much like the Saw series, you want to see how they get out of it and who gets killed off. Taylor Russell is back as the main lead and she does a good job making you root for her and because the other cast are playing characters that already won, there's no scenes of confusion of what they are in for. I also thought Holland Roden was also good here. Like the last one, because it's PG-13, you don't really get any real violence which kinda takes the teeth out of the whole scenario. Overall, it's enjoyable on a basic junk food level.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Space Jam: A New Legacy

It's easy to knock this film for being a mindless commercial of a corporation m*****bating to itself, so I'm not gonna go there. I will say this sequel(?) is more of a vanity project for LeBron James even more so than Michael Jordon in the original. And while LeBron has better acting chops than MJ, it doesn't really equate it to charm and charisma which I think the original had even if I remove my nostalgia from it. The main plot centers on LeBron's life and family and they use WB's web servers as the entry point into this world instead of some magic backdoor into Looney Tunes. It's more Ready Player One meets Tron which can sound cool on paper, but they don't really do much with it aside from a few gags. Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang don't really have a purpose in this... it's as if they're in the movie by accident. As for the massive Warner Bros IP easter eggs, aside from the animated ones, the live action easter eggs comes off more like some bad cosplay or costume party at Six Flags. The jokes don't really work all that much, but for me, the humor only really works when Ernie Johnson and Lil Rel shows up as commentators on the game. Also you can tell it's a vanity project for LeBron when the other popular basketball players they have here like AD and Clay don't even get room to be more involved with the plot. Overall, it's more boring and lifeless than anything else which is something I could never say about the original despite its quality.
1.5/5

 

[NDX]

Pig
...

4.5/5

I'm not reading this because I want to see this movie going in almost completely blind next week. This one I have high hopes for.