At the Movies with Kane and BN

Kane52630 · Oct 25, 2021

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Titane

This is exactly what Vin Diesel was talking about when he brings up family and cars.

Julia Ducournau's Titane is best described as a insane body horror drama that wears its Cronenberg influences on its sleeves. It also happens to be a French drama that deals with parental issues and gender roles. While I thought the film starts off pretty strong on the WTFness of the movie, it slowly transitions itself into a more traditional drama and while the 2nd act seems a bit slow and repetitive, it kinda pays off at the end. It's got a tremendous performance by Agathe Rousselle who literally bears it all on screen and went through so many different emotions. Overall, while I think her last film Raw was slightly better, this was a pretty solid art house horror flick that does something you definitively haven't seen before.
3.5/5

Kane52630 · Oct 26, 2021

The Loved Ones

Loved it. It's one of those movies that I can't believe took me this long to see. I love how this is pretty much Misery meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with some indie teen romance flare. I love the gory grindhouse approach Sean Byrne took this and I was already a fan of his work from The Devil's Candy. Robin McLeavy delivered an iconic villain performance and I'm so surprised her film career hasn't taken off since this. My only complaint is that I thought they were setting up the Jessica McNamee character to be more involved with the plot which didn't really happen... I wasn't sure if her plotline was there to fill up time. Overall, a great and fun horror flick and it's no wonder it got the praise it got.
4.5/5

Black Narcissus · Oct 26, 2021

Kane52630 said:
The Loved Ones

Loved it. It's one of those movies that I can't believe took me this long to see. I love how this is pretty much Misery meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with some indie teen romance flare. I love the gory grindhouse approach Sean Byrne took this and I was already a fan of his work from The Devil's Candy. Robin McLeavy delivered an iconic villain performance and I'm so surprised her film career hasn't taken off since this. My only complaint is that I thought they were setting up the Jessica McNamee character to be more involved with the plot which didn't really happen... I wasn't sure if her plotline was there to fill up time. Overall, a great and fun horror flick and it's no wonder it got the praise it got.
4.5/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2021
Day 1 | Malignant (4/5) (REWATCH)
Day 2 | Bingo Hell (3.5/5)
Day 3 | Black as Night (3/5)
Day 4 | Demonic (2021) (2/5)
Day 5 | A Classic Horror Story (4/5)
Day 6 | V/H/S/94 (4/5)
Day 7 | The Boy Behind the Door (3/5)
Day 8 | Madres (3/5)
Day 9 | Lamb (4/5)
Day 10 | The Manor (1.5/5)
Day 11 | Ghost of Mars (2/5)
Day 12 | Halloween (1978) (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 13 | Halloween (2018) (4/5) (REWATCH)
Day 14 | Halloween Kills (3.5/5)
Day 15 | Halloween III Season of the Witch (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 16 | Dracula (1931) (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 17 | Dracula (1931 Spanish version) (3.5/5)
Day 18 | Dracula's Daughter (1936) (4/5)
Day 19 | Son of Dracula (3/5)
Day 20 | Dead Silence (4.5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 21 | Season of the Witch (4/5)
Day 22 | Southbound (4/5)
Day 23 | The Mist (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 24 | Titane (3.5/5)
Day 25 | The Loved Ones 4.5/5

Yup. Watched this for the first time a few years back. Such a fun and great little flick. The lead actress deserves to get way better roles stateside after that performance, but even back in her country, she seems to be stuck at the middle, which is a damn shame. This director is bloody talented too.

I looked up the director to see what he was up to, and he hasn't directed anything since 'The Devil's Candy'.

Kane52630 · Oct 27, 2021

Black Narcissus said:
Yup. Watched this for the first time a few years back. Such a fun and great little flick. The lead actress deserves to get way better roles stateside after that performance, but even back in her country, she seems to be stuck at the middle, which is a damn shame. This director is bloody talented too.

I looked up the director to see what he was up to, and he hasn't directed anything since 'The Devil's Candy'.

I'll say that damn song has been stuck in my head all yesterday.

Kane52630 · Oct 27, 2021

Graveyard Shift

A pretty decent Stephen King horror flick that has some of his trademark characteristics even though it's probably the simplest adaptation of his stories. I kinda dug the lead actor who plays the drifter who isn't given a whole lot of backstory and the lead actress played by Kelly Wolf who's got chemistry between the two. Stephen Macht as Warwick is probably the best thing going for this movie who plays the evil mill supervisor and I can't tell if that was suppose to be an old New England accent, but he was definitely channeling Quint from Jaws. There's also a great Brad Dourif performance who plays the exterminator, but it's a shame he's not in it a whole lot. Overall, it's a mid horror flick that gives off big "I watched it on a lazy Saturday morning on a tv network with commercials" energy and for that, I dug it.
3/5

Kane52630 · Oct 29, 2021

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Absentia

A great example of what you can make with just scraps and a strong idea. This is the only Mike Flanagan film that I haven't seen and with this being his first film, you can see the potential and DNA of all the later projects he made after this and the same theme he hits of loss and love. Being so low budget with a high concept, it weirdly enough reminded me of Ink and The Frame by Jamin Winans which accomplish the same kind of filmmaking. Even the music score reminded me of Jamin Winans. While they're not particular the best actors, they do a very good job with what they were given. Courtney Bell was pretty good, but I really dug Katie Parker who feels like the prototype of Kate Siegel. Overall, it's a great first effort by Mike Flanagan of a mystery horror flick especially considering the budget.
3/5

Kane52630 · Oct 30, 2021

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The Thing

Rewatched this, but this time with the commentary by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell from Scream Factory.
5/5

Kane52630 · Oct 30, 2021

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Zombie (aka Zombi 2)

This might be my first Fulci film, but I thought this was pretty good in a giallo sense. Interesting to see that this script is supposed to be the sequel to Romero's Dawn of the Dead but later regarded. You can see some things that Fulci borrowed from Romero, but also he manage to show how zombies literally rise from the grave (which was a cool effect) and going back to the black and white era of horror by incorporating voodooism to explain why they've turned into zombies. Also I can't say I've seen a zombie flick where a zombie fight off a shark before... so that was fun to see. There's some really intense gore that worked really well especially with the scene with Olga Karlatos. Overall, solid stuff.
3.5/5

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Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin

I guess I'm easy to please because when I see found footage plus winter forest vibes, I'm totally in. The biggest complaint I have about this movie is the title... which is far removed and from and has nothing to do with any of the Paranormal Activity movies. It almost like it was slapped on by Paramount after William Eubank made it just so they can sell it with a brand name. That being said, as a found footage movie, I thought this had some great stuff that really worked in the set up and the middle, but it kinda gets lost in the sauce in the 3rd act and its wildly inconsistent. I really dug the main three actors that went into the Amish country and their chemistry between them was pretty good. Winter vibes is on point and there's a couple of jump scares that felt earned. Outside of that, this does a lot of things that's already been done in found footage, so there's not much that's new in here. Overall, I enjoyed it for personal reasons, but it's nothing that really stands out among the rest.
3.5/5

Kane52630 · Oct 30, 2021

The French Dispatch

Wes Anderson fell right into the anthology format seamlessly with what is essentially is a magazine turned into live action. Some parts I felt like they were better than others like the Artist segment with Benicio del Toro and some parts of the Manifesto segment with Timothée Chalamet. While the movie feels a bit more inline with the Grand Budapest Hotel in terms of specific style, it's also got in common with New York Stories. How all the scenes were constructed and shot was like Wes Anderson trying to outdo himself which was fascinating to watch. I'll say the only thing that keeps this from being a perfect movie is the pacing issues start to show itself once it got to the 3rd main story. Overall, definitely better than his last film, but it falls short of being his best.
4/5

Kane52630 · Oct 31, 2021

Antlers
Scott Cooper dips his toes into the horror genre and he uses themes of family poverty, drug abuse, real life trauma, and neglect as the basis for this monster flick. It immediately sucks you in with its incredible cinematography by Florian Hoffmeister that gets you into a dark, cold, and desolate mood by those shots of Oregon (which is really British Columbia). Solid performances by Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons, but the real star of this is Jeremy T. Thomas who steals the movie once it gets into the crux of the film. While they use the horror sparingly, the effects and the body horror itself are really well done. The only thing that brings the movie down is once it got to the reveal of it all, the movie shifts into a typical horror route that you've seen before and the subplots and themes doesn't really get utilized anymore. Overall, it's a better than average monster horror film that had the tools of being a little bit better.
3.5/5

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Last Night in Soho

An excellent supernatural horror flick by Edgar Wright that without question borrows from a lot of giallo and British mysteries from the 60s and 70s. Chung-hoon Chung did an incredible job shooting this and capturing a vivid city nightlife and also certain shots that gives off a dreamlike atmosphere. They also do a great job showcasing the music of that era without it being felt shoved in just because the music was good. It plays a part in the movie much like the outfits play a big part of the movie. Anya Taylor-Joy is pretty much reaching a early-Nicole Kidman like level with her performance and Thomasin McKenzie, who's been great in other things and is so good in here, officially becomes a movie star out of this. There's also a great performance by the late Diana Rigg who I wouldn't be surprise if she gets some awards recognition. The themes they go into here are pretty effective even if it's a bit heavy handed. The only thing that kinda takes this down a notch are the multiple twists in the 3rd act that was easy to guess and was kinda predictable. Overall, a really great horror mystery that could have been a bit more clever towards the end.
3.5/5

Kane52630 · Oct 31, 2021

Night of the Living Dead

Rewatched it but this time with the original commentary track of George Romero in 1994.
5/5

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Trick 'r Treat

I was planning on watching it with the commentary this time, but I decided just to play as it is. I still say this is the definitive horror movie to watch on Halloween.
5/5

Kane52630 · Nov 3, 2021

The Guilty

While I haven't seen the original, I thought this was a pretty good thriller by Antoine Fuqua despite a few things. It's essentially a bottle film about a 911 call center operator with Jake Gyllenhaal being in front of the camera for 99% of the movie while delivering a great, but over the top performance. It starts off pretty procedural, but it hooks you in immediately. Once the main plot kicks in, it kinda gets in over its head with how much they're juggling. I'll say unhinged Jake Gyllenhaal was fun to watch even if some of it was unnecessary in terms of the plot. Once it got to the end, it got really melodramatic which feels like it came from a network tv show. Overall, an okay movie with a great first half, but with a very mid 2nd half.
2.5/5

Kane52630 · Nov 3, 2021

Riders of Justice

A really well done deconstruction of a revenge thriller like Taken or Death Wish that oddly incorporates algorithms and statistics along with much needed therapy. Mads Mikkelsen plays a Punisher-like figure with some great nuance when he's dealing with what happened to him and how he's trying to reconcile with his daughter. There's also some heavy Oceans 11 comedic vibes that worked as he's putting together a team to find information about the gang who wronged him. There's some cleverness to the script that takes in a lot of the common revenge tropes that a lot of movies do and shake them up. It's a movie that comes up with an answer that isn't about shooting up the bad guy, but about finding catharsis through conversation. Overall, it's a solid danish revenge thriller with a lot of heart and compassion.
3.5/5

Kane52630 · Nov 3, 2021

Blue Bayou

An incredible character drama about a man who's slipped in between a broken immigration system and has to find a way to legitimatize his citizenship. Justin Chon who wrote, direct, and star in this did a phenomenal job capturing the legal system through his eyes as a character who's struggled in life with identity issues as a Korean man who grew up in New Orleans. I absolutely loved how this was shot on 16mm film and they do a great job capturing the life of New Orleans that almost feels like you're watching a documentary. There's some parts in here with the plot how it was shot that reminded me of Place Beyond the Pines and Out of the Furnace. Alicia Vikander was also really great in here and her scenes with Justin Chon also reminded me of Blue Valentine and Marriage Story.There's also a standout performance by Linh Dan Pham who got one of the more emotional subplots in the movie. The only thing that brings this down is the hammy performances by the two cops that feel like cartoon characters at times. Overall, it's an emotional journey that while might seem a bit heavy handed, it felt justified considering the real life horrors of the immigration system.
4.5/5

DKDetective · Nov 3, 2021

Kane52630 said:
Riders of Justice

A really well done deconstruction of a revenge thriller like Taken or Death Wish that oddly incorporates algorithms and statistics along with much needed therapy. Mads Mikkelsen plays a Punisher-like figure with some great nuance when he's dealing with what happened to him and how he's trying to reconcile with his daughter. There's also some heavy Oceans 11 comedic vibes that worked as he's putting together a team to find information about the gang who wronged him. There's some cleverness to the script that takes in a lot of the common revenge tropes that a lot of movies do and shake them up. It's a movie that comes up with an answer that isn't about shooting up the bad guy, but about finding catharsis through conversation. Overall, it's a solid danish revenge thriller with a lot of heart and compassion.
3.5/5

Sounds fun. Sorry to nitpick, but you've got the wrong poster. That is the German one. This is the original Danish:

Kane52630 · Nov 3, 2021

Oh I know it's the German poster, I guess I chose it because it weirdly fits the tone of the movie. lol

Kane52630 · Nov 5, 2021

Eternals

Probably Marvel's most ambitious film that tries to break the formula of superhero movies which might not be everyone's cup of chai. Chloé Zhao uses Jack Kirby's cosmic characters to tell a more grounded story that tackles several issues and themes such as morality, mortality, and even environmental issues in a operatic and multicultural lens. It's a movie that really has Chloé Zhao's sensibilities all over it and while most people will find it boring... I loved the smaller and personal scenes that didn't involve action. It has a slowbuilding "let's get the band back together" plotline that fills up most of the movie. With zero surprise, it's incredibly shot and having most of the scenes be in real environments greatly adds to the scope to this as well as some of the score towards the end. I really dug most of the cast here especially with Kumail Nanjiani, Angelina Jolie, Brian Tyree Henry, and Barry Keoghan. The comedy aspect is still present, but they don't overdo it like some Marvel movies. If I had any complaints, it would be the Deviants aren't that well developed, but with the nature of the movie, the plot makes it clear it's not the main focal point and I kinda wanted more from the Celestials. Overall, while this movie might be boring to some who wanted another MCU action comedy, this tries to do something different and it was executed well enough.
4/5

Kane52630 · Nov 10, 2021

The Last Duel

[a blonde Ben Affleck with a goatee swatting a bug in slow motion right at the climax of the movie] is definitely a choice.

Ridley Scott returns to the medieval genre in what is pretty much a three part story that centers around Marguerite de Carrouges's rape through three different perspectives written by three different writers. It makes for a good compare and contrast as the film goes back to the same events after each act all highlighting the issues of systemic misogyny that are still relevant today. Performance wise, while Matt Damon and Adam Driver are pretty good in here, it's clearly Jodie Comer's movie and she owns it and the third act is by far the more interesting part of the movie. The production is one of the big highlights because everything from costumes to the shooting locations were all incredibly well done and it reminds me of when Ridley Scott did Gladiator. While the action is lacking throughout, actual final battle is pretty well done. If I had any complaints, it would be the first two acts go on for a bit too long, but the biggest one is Ben Affleck who not only feels out of place here, he belongs in a Mel Brooks parody of a medieval times movie. Overall, it's another solid film by Ridley Scott.
4/5

Kane52630 · Nov 10, 2021

The Harder They Fall

This RDR2 expansion pack is simply incredible.

Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall is a well crafted and incredibly stylized western based on real cowboys and outlaws that takes inspirations of the exploitation era of the 70s and spaghetti westerns and put in a ton of money with an all black cast of big stars and a great contemporary soundtrack. It feels very much like a superhero western movie that you'd wish you saw when you were a kid watching tv. The cast is a great arrangement of old stars and new up and comers from Idris Elba and Regina King to Johnathan Majors and Zazie Beetz, it almost feels like a passing of the torch with how they were grouped together. I also really dug Delroy Lindo as Bass Reeves and I wish we get a spinoff movie because he killed it. The action was really well directed and they do some interesting creative camera movements that you don't see anywhere else. The movie almost feels like a direct response to movies like QT's Django Unchained and John Wayne movies. My only minor complaint is some pacing issues and I wonder how better this could have been as a Netflix series. Overall, I really dug it.
4/5

Kane52630 · Nov 13, 2021

Finch

When you got Tom Hanks, a dog, and a AI robot on a roadtrip... you would have to try extra hard to f**k this up. This was an incredibly well done scifi/post-apocalyptic drama that delivers more hope and heartfelt moments rather than despair and cynicism. It's essentially part Wall-E, part Cast Away, and to a lesser extent Chappie with a little bit of Moon and Iron Giant thrown in. While the main story isn't overly complicated, there are some deep moments that deal with life and death in a way that only Tom Hanks can bring. The direction by Miguel Sapochnik and cinematography by Jo Willems is top notch and at times you almost forget you're watching a scifi film... and instead you're watching a indie drama that uses a road trip trope to solve their problems. There's also a great Caleb Landry Jones performance under mocap of the robot Jeff that is remarkable and the CG is so photoreal that you don't guess it's fake for a second. My only complaints with it is there are some darker aspects of the story that they intentionally don't try to focus on which was disappointing. Overall, it's great crowd pleaser that works on almost all levels.
4/5

Kane52630 · Nov 13, 2021

Red Notice

What happens when three big stars who don't feel like they want to be there got a page long script and have to adlib their way out of a movie? They basically used a generic carbon copy action comedy/heist thriller plot as background music so they can have some pretty awful banter between the three stars for two long ass hours. I also don't think I've ever seen a $200 million budget blockbuster looking so cheap especially with the bad green screen. Between The Rock, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds, they all felt like doing a poor imitation of themselves as the thing that got them super well known (IE Hobbs, WW, and Deadpool). Aside from a couple jokes and action set pieces, most of the humor and action did not work and the chemistry between all three felt so artificial and alien. Overall, it's a action comedy that couldn't be lazier if it wanted to.
1/5

Kane52630 · Nov 14, 2021

Spencer

The most dramatic scene involving pearls since Martha Wanye.

It's a phenomenal psychological drama that takes a look inside Princess Diana's life during Christmas time in 1991. This obviously feels like a companion piece to Pablo Larraín's other film Jackie in terms of how it's shot and the subject matter. It's essentially a character study of someone who's going through bulimia and a family she can't trust or be conformable around in what seems to be a prison for her. What I really dug about it is they were able to showcase a relatively calm and quiet yet lavish environment with some gentle jazzy score, but through Diana's perspective, it feels like the walls are closing in and she's not able to gasp for air along with some supernatural elements. I will say I didn't totally bought Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana at first, but that quickly went away once she started interacting with the family and Timothy Spall who's also incredible in this along with Sean Harris and Sally Hawkins. With the amount of great costume changes, it's no question this will be nominated for best costume design. I also really dug how fluid and dreamlike the camera work was and it's almost as if Terrence Malick was given an actual script to one of his "movies". Overall, easily one of the best movies of the year.
4.5/5

Kane52630 · Nov 14, 2021

Belfast

*A kid who's obviously Kenneth Branagh reading a Thor comic*
Me: "I wonder if this is foreshadowing?"

Kenneth Branagh brings a semi-autobiographical coming of age story centered on Belfast set in the late 60s during the Ireland riots. From the black and white cinematography to the pov of a child, there's some obvious similarities to Alfonso Cuarón's Roma and while that might be true, Belfast is operating on a smaller scale with a more personal sentimentality. Jude Hill did a good job capturing that care free attitude of a child, but is still aware of environment that's happening around him even if he doesn't fully understand why. There's some really good performances from Jamie Dornan, Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, and Ciarán Hinds who plays a convincing family unit that care for each other even when things get rough. What keeps this from being really good for me is the structureless nature of the movie doesn't fully work as they wanted to and they don't necessary get too dark with the subject matter, but I suppose I get why they did that. Overall, a pretty good slice of life drama with some amazing performances.
4/5

Kane52630 · Nov 17, 2021

Home Sweet Home Alone

As someone who loves the first two Home Alone movies, I went in expecting the worst, but I shockingly didn't really get that. Now, this is still Disney and Fox cashing in on the Home Alone franchise which is something they have been doing when Home Alone 4 & 5 came out on tv (yeah, they apparently exist), but I did see some effort and self-awareness at the start that you can tell they were kinda trying. They do make it apparent from Buzz showing up that this is suppose to be in the same canon as the first two movies. I also thought Archie Yates, Rob Delaney, Ellie Kemper and rest were fine performance wise despite what they were given to work with. And I will say making the villains this time as a couple who's trying to get a doll back from the main kid is different and how that whole thing resolves was kinda interesting. That being said, it starts to become extremely generic and safe once it gets into the traps and the sight gags. With it being low budget, it very much feels like a Disney Channel movie where they have to make a lot of the more edgier stuff safe for the kids to watch. Overall, while I didn't think it was the worst film of the year, it's a movie that is probably best forgotten on a streaming service.
2/5

Kane52630 · Nov 19, 2021

King Richard

Will Smith is coming for that Oscar.

A phenomenal crowd pleasing sports biopic about the Williams family that goes the extra mile for nuanced storytelling about being a sports parent. While it definitely follows a typical formula for a sports drama, it uses performances by the cast (especially Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, and Saniyya Sidney) to elevate the material and Reinaldo Marcus Green's direction, who I loved when he directed Monsters and Men. Will Smith himself pretty much brought that same emotional energy from The Pursuit of Happyness on to this film and delivered one of the best performances of the year. The conflicts that happen inside and outside the family feels very natural and nuanced. And I also really loved the scenes where it's primarily focused on the just tennis and business side of things. Overall, I really loved it. It's one of the rare times where a sports biopic is this well made and well thought out without things being too hokey and artificial.
4.5/5

At the Movies with Kane and BN

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Elementary, Dear Robin (he/him)

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