At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

The Pale Blue Eye

Despite the lukewarm reviews, I thought this was pretty decent for a movie that is essentially a gothic costume mystery. Like a lot of Scott Cooper films, this was very cold and reserved with some flourishes of emotion in between. This is probably the quietest film he's made but I thought some parts really worked. I also thought the cinematography was excellent. While I thought Christian Bale did a good job, Harry Melling pretty much steals the movie as Edgar Allan Poe. Also thought it was a great surprise that they got Robert Duvall here for a couple of scenes. Overall, it's a slow mystery that had some good moments.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Brian and Charles

A very gentle and wholesome mockumentary comedy about a man and his robot. It's basically Mary Shelley's Frankenstein if it was directed by Taika Waititi pre-Marvel. David Earl does a great job playing up that eccentric lonely man who believes himself to be a great inventor who lives in rural Wales. Chris Hayward voicing Charles Petrescu was perfect and his scenes never fail to make you laugh. I will say it's one of these kinds of movies where you know where it's headed by act one. Overall, had a lot of fun with it even if it's just a simple quirky indie comedy from England.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

God's Creatures

When the banger of an end credits song was better than the actual movie.

It's a family drama that is filled with some great atmosphere, some great direction, and some solid performances, but it doesn't really move all that well. Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, and Aisling Franciosi are great when they need to be, but you don't really get invested with anyone. It's also one of these where the plot doesn't really get started until you're halfway in so what you get for the most part are some undercooked moments. It's a shame because this movie should have been better considering who they got here. Overall, aside from the song and the scene at the very end, it was just okay.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

You Are Not My Mother

It's a decent horror drama that uses themes of mental health as a gateway through this story. While it's got a couple of interesting scares, the movie doesn't rely heavily on them. I like how it takes place during Halloween but is set on Celtic land so there's some Irish folklore that they used that worked. Hazel Doupe's performance was great and I thought the mom was also really good here. While the story is something you've seen before, there are parts of the film that worked for me. Overall, it's solid even though it might be forgettable in the long run.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Wonder

For a good minute, I thought I accidentally clicked on Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal.

Such an interesting "period piece" that I don't think completely worked but it was really interesting to watch. The movie is basically an atmospheric mystery that revolves around a girl who doesn't eat and a nurse that tries to find a logical answer. Florence Pugh was great in it as usual, but I also thought Niamh Algar & Kíla Lord Cassidy was great as well. Also, it's got some of the best cinematography by the underrated Ari Wegner. Overall, really enjoyed this one even though it wasn't perfect.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Vesper

Part Cronenberg, part Tarkovsky, and part Cameron, this was a very interesting sci-fi dystopian drama that really puts its energy into the world-building and the designs. The movie goes into Cronenberg territory as it shows off how organic and fleshy the technology is and the body horror of it all. The directors Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper did a great job getting the tone right where it does feel like something out of Dune or a 70s scifi thriller. As for the story, it's a mostly simple coming-of-age film centered on Raffiella Chapman who is really good here. Overall, it's definitely one of the best indie sci-fi films that deserve your attention.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Holy Spider

An incredible and visceral crime drama about a real life serial killer who went after prostitutes in Mashhad, Iran and the female journalist who's covering the story. I thought Ali Abbasi did a great job directing this and making it feel like a crime drama in the same vein as Se7en and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The performances by Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Mehdi Bajestani was incredible and harrowing. The movie does a phenomenal job boarding the scope to show the systemic injustices that was happening while also having character development of the main two leads and it ends on a very haunting note. Overall, while hard to watch, it's a very well made movie that should be seen.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Run Sweetheart Run

A unique horror thriller that operates solely on the subtext and the occasional fourth wall break. It's one of these movies that I'm glad I knew nothing about going in because it does a great job keeping you guessing on what it's gonna do next. In a lot of ways, I see this movie similarly to Fresh and Barbarian in which they use a lot of creative direction and camera work to tell a horror story that is very much female driven. I like how it's got a lot of interesting influences from the 70s and 80s whether it is from Carpenter, Hooper, or Craven. This is the movie that really shows off how good of an actor Ella Balinska is and why she should be in more leading roles. Overall, while it's not perfect, I did enjoy this a whole lot.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Stand

It's an interesting documentary about the life and career of Mahmoud Abdul Rauf and the controversy that got him blackballed by the NBA. It's a very straightforward documentary and it doesn't really do anything special in terms of how it's presented, but it's definitely a worthy story to tell. Like they said in the doc, at his height he basically played Steph Curry before Steph Curry and with him not standing for the National Anthem for racial injustice, he was Colin Kaepernick before Colin Kaepernick. It was also interesting to see how they talked about his conversion to being a Muslim and what struggles he went through personally and nationally. Overall, while it's definitely not as grand as something like The Last Dance doc, this was still pretty good.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

A Knock at the Cabin

Disappointed yet again that Batista didn't perform his signature Batista Bomb on anybody.

A great mystery thriller that you can kinda see the reveal happening from a mile away, at least I did. It's once again a well-directed film by M Night, but I thought the performances were actually good this time primarily from Dave Bautista who kinda carries this film. I also thought Ben Aldridge was also really good here. It's similar to the other ultimatum movies that you've seen like The Box where it all falls on this moral dilemma decision. The movie mostly takes place at the cabin and they do a good job using and showing every section of the cabin so it doesn't get dull to watch. I thought the majority of the film did a great job keeping up the suspense, but I thought the ending was a bit anticlimactic (if you correctly guess what the movie is about). Overall, it's not one of M Nights best twists but it is a solid movie with really solid performances.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Plane

Turns out the laziest thing about this movie is the title.

For sky trash/stranded on hostile land movies, this was pretty entertaining. In many ways, this is probably the best adaptation of Far Cry you'll ever see. While it's another typical Gerard Butler role, he fits the part well as the captain and he works well with Mike Colter who's the inmate on the flight who eventually helps out. The villains were intimating but I never felt they were cartoon characters. I thought the action was really well choreographed especially for a dumpuaray movie. Overall, it's decent junk food cinema. It's exactly the kind of dad movie that would be played on cable on a random Saturday.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Do Revenge

Hey look it's my favorite trope: A bunch of 20+ year olds playing high school trust fund kids, and none of them actually go to class or do homework.

It's a movie that desperately wants to be Mean Girls or any number of MTV films from the late 90s/early 00s for the Gen Z crowd but clearly doesn't know how to do comedy. It seems like the filmmaker's only concern was playing a soundtrack every five minutes and constant wardrobe changes in this almost fantasy land of a movie. The movie centers on Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke's relationship and how they become friends and eventually hate each other for a revenge scheme they were plotting. There are maybe a few good scenes between all the backbiting and self-centered characters (which I get is the purpose of it all), but there's so much unnecessary fluff throughout this that drags the movie down. Overall, like so many of these Netflix teen films, it's a teen movie that clearly wasn't for me.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Empire of Light

While I kinda get why people didn't care for this, I thought it mostly worked for me. It's essentially a more meditative and less schmaltzy and old fashion version of The Majestic where it is somewhat about the power of film. A lot of it of why it worked for me has to do with Roger Deakins flawless cinematography that instantly transports you into this world. I thought the pacing was just fine and I liked how everything flowed together. The cast was great, Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward were the clear standouts. I will say I thought the ending was a bit rushed and certain subplots didn't really go anywhere or it never felt fully fleshed out like Micheal Ward's character. It felt like it was mainly about Olivia Colman's character and her mental health issues and it never really went anywhere. Overall, it's a great visual film with a subpar script.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Saint Omer

An incredible courtroom drama based on a real story about a Senegalese woman who's on trial for killing her own infant daughter in France. The director Alice Diop brings her experience as a documentary into a courtroom drama film that feels very much real and authentic. She also uses her upbringing as a first generation in this story which really works well. Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanda both deliver some incredible performances and I liked how both don't necessarily share a scene together. The story does a great job exploring themes of motherhood and making a strange case like this feel more complicated and deeper than it seems on the surface. Overall, it's a great film and I'm curious to see what Alice Diop makes next.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Final Cut (Coupez!)

Such a crazy turnaround for a movie that will make you say "This is really awful" to "This is kinda genius".

I thought this was a great little horror comedy that will test your patience for the first 30 minutes and reward you for the rest of the movie with revealing why first part happened. I never saw the original Japanese film this is based off from, but I imagine the concept being very similar. It's essentially a movie of battling egos on a movie set and the craziness that goes on with making a movie. Romain Duris and Bérénice Bejo were pretty good but I thought Finnegan Oldfield and Matilda Lutz were fantastic in this. Overall a lot of fun once you get past the first 30 minutes.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

You People

Jonah Hill did this movie better in 22 Jump Street.

Awkwardly all over the place. I feel like this was trying to be an earnest romcom about two people with different backgrounds coming together and at the same time it was also trying to be a lowbrow race comedy that came out in the early 00s. I thought the scenes early on that were just with Jonah Hill and Lauren London worked really well but it didn't last long enough for me to enjoy the rest of the movie. Eddie Murphy does have a couple of funny gags that did worked (the car scene in particular) but between him and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, it was nothing but lazy race commentary that has a phony resolution that feels like something out of Full House. The only real positive I have for this is the directing and the editing cuts that felt like you're either watching a GTA loading screen or a music video from Pretty Lights. Overall, it's sadly generic and stereotypical.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

When that goop thingy was talking about holes, he was talking about this script.

It's yet another Marvel movie where they rest on their laurels on what works and don't want to try anything different. For the Ant-Man series it's probably the only one that makes sense to be another goofy comedy, but I thought the writing here was really weak and it borrows heavily from all the other "exploring the new world" type movies like Atlantis and Strange World and even the two Tron movies. I will say I thought the opening section of the movie was really decent and it actually felt like an Ant-Man movie, but that's only because they were in the real world. Once they go into the Quantum Realm, it becomes sort of dull like a video game even with all the weird creature designs.

The character development for the main characters stops completely just for CG and action plot until they finally meet Kang. I thought Jonathan Majors does feel like he was trying here as Kang even if it means he was copying Darth Vader or Clu to do it. Michelle Pfeiffer gets more screentime and at times it almost feels like it was her movie with Kang. Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang was fine but they don't do much with her. I suppose some of the action towards the end was kinda fun and cool but they're what you expect from Marvel. Overall, it was just borderline okay, but it's not what you want to start off Phase 5. They want to introduce Kang as the next big bad, but they chose to make it feel like an extended episode of Rick and Morty.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Cocaine Bear

Imagine going back in time to Reagan's America and telling someone that we got a theatrical film about a bear high on cocaine.

Had a lot of fun with it, it does exactly what it says on the box and more. In a way, this goes back to the 70s and 80s killer animal movies like Grizzly or Dogs or even the Jaws sequels but done with a wink and a nod. It's way more gorier and gruesome than expected which was a nice surprise. Actually dug the actors they got who are just various 80s character types that just wandered into this situation. Christian Convery, Margo Martindale, and Isiah Whitlock were probably my favorites among the cast. It's one of these movies that is perfect with a large crowd and I'm glad I saw it that way. Overall, it's a super fun B movie that gets elevated with the gore moments and I wouldn't be surprised if there's a sequel.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Marlowe

It's an old fashion noir story set in 1930s Hollywood that does pretty much what you expect. The script is dull and predictable, but I thought Neil Jordan's direction was pretty well done and I liked how it stayed true to being nothing more than a noir story. The cast was hit or miss but I thought Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange did a decent job. Daniela Melchior was kinda wasted here and Diane Kruger could have been better. Overall, it's a half way decent pastiche that could have been so much better with a bigger budget and a better script.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

Man, this was a mostly soulless spy action comedy that kinda (not really) gets by on the incredible globe-trotting cinematography. Kinda shocked this is from Guy Ritchie who usually knows how to create eccentric characters come to life and let them be the focal point of the movie. You can tell this was shot during covid with the number of scenes taking place either outside or on a very noticeable closed set. The spy plot of this is so prepackaged and dull and they don't really do anything new with it and the action is more or less generic. Jason Statham, Hugh Grant, and Cary Elwes are practically sleepwalking in this. The only people with a personality in this movie are Aubrey Plaza (shoutout to her outfits) and Bugzy Malone who sadly don't get a whole lot of character development. Even for dry British humor, it still didn't work and you're left bored by them. Overall, it's a shocking dud from Guy Ritchie.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Creed III

Creed III or as I like to call it, Michael B. Jordan's proof of concept for a live-action DragonBall Z movie.

Had fun with it. It's a step above Creed II which was struggling between being a prestige drama about boxing like the original or being a crowd-pleaser that's only about the fights. This movie makes no bones about just wanting to be a crowd-pleaser where you wanna watch these two friends fight to squash the beef. I will say a lot of the drama isn't as polished or clever as I hoped, it's still got a lot of boring cliches that are throughout this. It felt like the writer didn't do anything out of ordinary to keep the momentum going especially between the Felix Chavez fight and the training montage. Also, I think this movie could have been so much better if our pov character was Jonathan Majors the entire time (who is incredible as always). The subplot of the daughter was nice but other than that, Michael B Jordan as Creed isn't doing a whole lot that was interesting. All that being said, the final fight delivers and it elevates this movie. The anime influences are apparent and it creates a unique dynamic that you don't see often. Overall, while it still doesn't touch the original Creed film, this was still fun to watch just like with the Rocky franchise.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

65

Alternative title: The First of Us

Despite the bad reception this is getting, I thought this was a fine and straightforward survival thriller that uses the Lone Wolf and Cub trope to a decent degree. I'm a big fan of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods's last film Haunt and with this, I thought they did a great job putting this together on a filmmaking level. The movie depends on Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt's performances and chemistry (which is very similar to The Last of Us) and I thought were pretty good even though I wish we had more character development. The effects and action were really good for a midrange dinosaur flick and it was honestly more thrilling to watch than the last Jurassic World movie. Overall, it's a solid dinosaur thriller that is really basic but it works to its advantage much more than so many other non IP action blockbusters.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Scream VI

Listen when a movie makes fun of film bros who uses letterboxd and then also show a clip from Jason Takes Manhattan, you know they were after my heart.

I thought this was a slightly better Scream movie than the last one where the themes are stronger and it takes advantage of the NYC environment. It also feels like the movie Radio Silence wanted to make from the get go where it's more akin to their previous films like Ready or Not and even 10/31/98 where your main characters are on the run. Loved the opening where there's a twist to the Scream cold opens and I thought it was funny how Samara Weaving played it. Melissa Barrera was great here but they also give Jenna Ortega more to do this time around. Also, I think you can put Josh Segarra in any role and I'll be still entertained. The movie's meta-commentary about franchises was decent even though I think they could have done better with it. The ending reveal works but it's also when they fully go into camp mode. Overall, I liked this better than the previous few films even though nothing has topped the original.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

That's one hell of an elaborate way to do a Skittles commercial

Enjoyable, but it's got some problems. Where the first one brilliantly puts character moments over plot and pretty much made DC's own Spider-Man, this does the opposite to a lesser effect. I thought the movie started off fine enough where we do get some character moments and you do get some time with the Shazam family a bit more, it slowly becomes every other superhero sequel that is running on autopilot. The best parts for me were the scenes with Rachel Zegler, Jack Grazer, Grace Currey, Helen Mirren, and surprisingly Djimon Hounsou who gets some of the funniest moments. Zachary Levi and Asher Angel were serviceable but not too terrible but I thought Lucy Liu was phoning it hard. Since the movie doesn't even care, the Wonder Woman cameo actually hurts the plot of the movie along with the stakes and it doesn't help that Gal Gadot still can not act to save her life. The special effects were so so but I did like a couple of the action set pieces. Overall, it's a steep decline from the first Shazam which I still find it to be one of the better DC movies in a long time. This had sequelitis but I still had fun with it despite all its problems because they never took it uber serious unlike Snyder's DC films.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Alice, Darling

A mostly solid indie character drama that centers around mental health, abuse, and toxic relationships. Storywise, it reminds me so much of Martha Marcy May Marlene where it's got the same sensibilities and mood throughout it only it's not as severe or good. It's pretty much Anna Kendrick delivering some real acting exercises along with Wunmi Mosaku and Kaniehtiio Horn who are also pretty good. There's a subplot about a missing girl that I thought they could have done more with. Overall, I thought it was good but they could have dug in deeper with the overall message.
3/5