At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

All of Us Strangers

I can't wait for Paul Mescal to hit the dancefloor in Gladiator 2.

Pretty good for a quiet drama. It's a worn-out phrase at this point but this truly is a well-done meditation on grief and loneliness. The director Andrew Haigh does a great job making the film feel zoned out like in a trance in the best way possible to reinforce the droning nature of the story and the cinematography is my favorite part of this movie.. While the Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal romance part of the movie was straightforward enough, the heart of the movie is the scenes with the parents, and I thought Jamie Bell and Claire Foy along with Andrew Scott were so great in this. The only thing holding this movie back for me is I wish it had more to say dialogue-wise and I wish it dug in deeper with the characters. Overall though, it's a solid indie drama that might not be for everyone. For Andrew Haigh, I thought Lean on Pete is still his best film and here it's a close second.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Zone of Interest

A great film by Jonathan Glazer that showcases the mundanity of horror and evil. It's mostly an auditory and visual experience that's centered around a Nazi family and their home that's placed outside of Auschwitz. I thought it was interesting how the movie meticulously shows you only the family and their life as they constantly avoid the horror that's outside of their home. There are a lot of subtle sounds and visual cues that add to the horror factor of the movie even when there's seemingly nothing going on on the screen. It might not be for people who are expecting to see something actually horrific because that's the point the movie is making. It's also hard to not think of other recent atrocities that are STILL happening and how most people on the outside either rationalize it or just look away and go on about their day. As for the film itself, I thought the movie does a great job making its point but I think they do stretch out the concept a bit too far but I think the movie brings it home with its ending that definitely makes you think on multiple levels. Overall, it's such a great and unorthodox way to tell a holocaust story that is still sadly relevant.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

I.S.S.

In space... no one can hear you snore.

Actually, this was just okay for a space thriller set in a post-Cold War era. It's a movie with a great concept and setup that flounders in its execution for something safe and generic, especially in the 3rd act. The best part of the movie is in the first half when they are setting up the characters and when it turns into a thriller the moment Russia and America go to war. Acting-wise, it was also just okay aside from Ariana DeBose and Maria Mashkova. It kinda felt like they were going through the motions when the writing dips down in the second half. I feel like on paper with a different director, writer, and studio this would have been a major blockbuster that's got action set pieces and tension that can carry through the entire film, instead you got a half-baked movie with some good ideas and a few good moments. Overall, it's just passable.
2.5/5

 

[Dr.]

I.S.S.

In space... no one can hear you snore.

Actually, this was just okay for a space thriller set in a post-Cold War era. It's a movie with a great concept and setup that flounders in its execution for something safe and generic, especially in the 3rd act. The best part of the movie is in the first half when they are setting up the characters and when it turns into a thriller the moment Russia and America go to war. Acting-wise, it was also just okay aside from Ariana DeBose and Maria Mashkova. It kinda felt like they were going through the motions when the writing dips down in the second half. I feel like on paper with a different director, writer, and studio this would have been a major blockbuster that's got action set pieces and tension that can carry through the entire film, instead you got a half-baked movie with some good ideas and a few good moments. Overall, it's just passable.
2.5/5

Not sure if true but… some reports say this movie was made on a fairly tiny budget (less than $15M after tax credits, etc.). So I was curious how it looked, vfx wise — especially the weightless “wire work” stuff.

 

[Kane52630]

Not sure if true but… some reports say this movie was made on a fairly tiny budget (less than $15M after tax credits, etc.). So I was curious how it looked, vfx wise — especially the weightless “wire work” stuff.

Yeah, it definitely has a low budget which is impressive considering what they did with it but you can still tell by watching it. It's not bad by any means but you wonder as you watch it what this movie could be under a different studio and a higher budget.

 

[Dr.]

Yeah, it definitely has a low budget which is impressive considering what they did with it but you can still tell by watching it. It's not bad by any means but you wonder as you watch it what this movie could be under a different studio and a higher budget.

I keep thinking about Tom Cruise wanting to shoot an expen$$$ive movie on the ISS — presumably because the weightless scenes will look amazingly realistic and authentic. But thanks to modern movie magic, the fake “weightlessness” in films like Gravity, Interstellar and The Martian looked (IMO) reasonably good. And now there’s I.S.S. Stay on Earth Tom and save money. :wink:

 

[Kane52630]

Society of the Snow

Shout out to that one person who will put this movie on while flying and be absolutely miserable.

An incredible survival thriller that only J. A. Bayona can deliver. It's a beautifully shot and rendered thriller that's based on the real events of a Uruguayan rugby team that crash-landed on the Andes mountains in 72 and they do such a great job showing it in a classic old school movie-making way. It very much reminded me of J. A. Bayona's previous film The Impossible along with Thirteen Lives with a little bit of The Grey and Cast Away thrown in. While structurally it's a pretty similar movie to a lot of other survival thrillers, they do a good job of keeping the movie earnest and true enough while also delivering some great character moments as they try to survive. I thought the cast was great and Enzo Vogrincic was the standout star. Overall, a great comeback for J. A. Bayona after doing a Jurassic World movie, and this proves why he's one of the best directors around.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Sound of Freedom

The most hilarious thing about this movie is they think they're making Schindler's List for child trafficking but ultimately made a lesser-known direct-to-video Liam Neeson/Nic Cage thriller by an ultra-Christian producer.

Taking aside the alt-right nutjobs who championed this movie and the discourse surrounding it, this movie was pretty odd to see on a filmmaking level even taking in the true story of it all. It tries to be self-serious on the issue of child trafficking with some extremely manipulative and cliche writing but then becomes an Oceans Eleven-style heist comedy at the weirdest times. Jim Caviezel could not act to save his life and actively makes this movie worse the more he's on-screen with his bland characterization. I thought Bill Camp was the only actor here who was good despite the tonal shifts and the little girl who was taken that they only focus on which was weird because they made it their objective by the end to just save that one girl. They have some interesting locations they shot on but a lot of the movie feels extremely cheap and basic. They also have a kind of boss battle at the end which also doesn't really work and feels very one-note. Overall, while not the worst movie I've seen in the past year, it's certainly a below-average and generic direct-to-video thriller with a conservative slant that would be forgotten if there wasn't talk and hype behind it.
1.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Huesera: The Bone Woman

I'm curious as to who else breaks open a chicken like that because that s**t was intense.

This was a solid body horror that was centered around a pregnant woman who was cursed. It's one of those horror films where I was more engaged with the marriage drama of the plot than I was with the horror stuff which was pretty well done and impressive. Natalia Solián carries this movie and I thought she elevates the drama and the horror and I'm curious to see what she's been in. I did like the horror imagery with the sound design and the cinematography was excellent, but I did think the movie itself goes in some predictable routes. Overall, I really dug it.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Migration

A true middle-of-the-road animated movie that had some really good moments in between. With the plot and concept, it almost reminds me of a lost Tiny Toons segment at times where they focus on a duck family trying to riff on National Lampoon's Vacation for a bit but at other times the movie feels like something they would have made 10-15 years ago failing to compete with Disney. I thought Kumail Nanjiani was great in this and so was Keegan-Michael Key who's doing the worst Jamaican accent ever. The animation was fine and pretty on par with the rest of Illumination's stuff which isn't really remarkable. Overall, a fun yet mostly forgettable animated movie.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Origin

Jon Bernthal playing a wholesome nice guy is a wild turn but he still couldn't shake his "lemme tell you somthin" scene even in this movie.

It's a great film and a great return for Ava DuVernay even if you don't think she managed the topic at hand as well enough. It's essentially adapting a book called Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents which tries to dig deeper into America's relationship with racism and the caste system but it's done in a way where you're watching someone's dissertation on these ideas and thoughts come to life in a cinematic way. There are a few sections of the movie that will be divisive for people no matter where you stand, especially regarding whether or not to use real-life tragedies in the forefront. It's a movie that tries to connect Nazi Germany with racism in America with the Dalits in India and while I personally don't think it got the entire picture right with centuries of history, it made an interesting attempt that's done really well with the direction and the cinematography. Performance-wise Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is fantastic in this and I really enjoyed seeing Jon Bernthal and Niecy Nash in this and I feel like they elevated the material as well even if they may be very speechified character moments. Overall, I think as a movie and on a technical level, this was a great film and it definitely leaves people wanting to discuss it.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Wish

After 100 years of stealing other literary stories, Disney tries to make its own... by making ChatGPT do it.

Very generic and sadly uninteresting even on an animated musical level. They intended to make a movie that encompasses all the animated movies we've done through the years and it feels like one big knockoff of Disney where it tries to appeal to everyone but ends up appealing to nboody. Ariana DeBose was not bad but not really remarkable... I will say there were a couple of songs that I thought were decent but the rest of the cast was kind of forgettable. I thought the animation itself was interesting because they try to mimic different styles and the 2D/3D mix was cool but I think Nimona did it better. Overall, while not the worst thing ever, it's pretty bland despite the Disney easter eggs which is not what you want when you're celebrating your company's legacy.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Attachment

Dybbuk probably saw the budget of this movie like an RSPV to a school function and went, nah I won't show up.

Pretty disappointing. It's a queer Jewish folk horror that spends most of its time in the relationship drama of the main leads and not enough in the horror section which was a bit lazy when they try to do anything. I did like the performances from Josephine Park and Ellie Kendrick and in a different movie this could be a well-done indie drama but the horror aspect does not mesh well. It's interesting how they bring up the Jewish folk horror aspect and they could have done something more with the David Dencik character but there's no real payoff as a horror film. Overall, I wished this was better. It's a cliched horror film that has a great premise and they sadly don't do anything with it.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

A Thousand and One

Absolutely soul-crushing and incredibly well done for an indie drama. It's essentially a stage-esque play set in 90s/00s Brooklyn and Harlem that centers around a mother who's been released from Rikers and kidnaps her son from foster care. The director A.V. Rockwell did a great job portraying how New York was in the '90s and the 00s even down to the little details and fashion that you can pick out if you remember that time period like Tommy Hilfiger and I really like how they were able to use real aerial footage of that time and make it all look convincing. They do a good job putting the social and economic factors that hang over the film like the policing of Giuliani's New York in the 90s and the gentrification of Bloomberg's New York in the 00s. The movie is built on the performances and I thought Teyana Taylor gave one of the best performances of 2023, she was phenomenal and so was Josiah Cross and Will Catlett. They also do a great job building up the tension and where this goes at the end is pretty incredible. Overall, a great film despite a few minor issues. It's a shame this isn't getting more recognition because this should be talked about in the awards race.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Freelance

Ah yes, my favorite and most trusted cable news source... News Channel.

Listen... is this John Cena movie good? no. Is this movie funny? not really. Does this movie have some weird creative moments that for some reason kept me interested? Sadly, yes. This is a bizarrely put-together meet cute action comedy that has shades of Commando and shades of The Lost City but not as well done obviously. It's by Pierre Morel who's got an extremely questionable resume ever since he directed Taken and here it's no different although there are moments that surprised me. John Cena and Alison Brie are kinda phoning it in and while there is action, the comedy is extremely basic to the point of almost no laughter. They also do a weird thing where they constantly reference other movies that feel out of place. There's also a whole plot of a dictator being overthrown that they explored maybe too much that it bogs the pacing down. The only thing keeping me away from really hating it is the action that feels like a throwback to the 80s... where it's got practical effects and pretty over-the-top helicopter action. Overall, I didn't hate it.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Fair Play

This would easily be a 5/5 film if they had someone taking a massive dump in that public restroom.

This was pretty well made for a pseudo-erotic thriller set in the hedge fund world in NYC. Chloe Domont does a great job of reviving the kind of corporate relationship dramas that were super popular in the 90s and keeping the pace well enough where it's interesting throughout no matter where you fall into the questions the movie raises. This is the first time I've seen Phoebe Dynevor in anything and I thought she knocked it out of the park with her performance. Alden Ehrenreich was great as well and he continues to show how great of an actor he is despite Star Wars fans saying otherwise. The movie does a great job of keeping the tension as they play with power dynamics that shift around I really like how it doesn't give you a clear justified answer to any of the issues and problems the movie goes into. I will say I thought the weak spot was probably right before the middle of the movie where you're kinda wondering where this is going. Overall, I really dug it.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Argylle

The national nightmare of this trailer playing at the beginning of EVERY movie I've seen in the theater for the last 4 months is finally over. (check my letterboxd, it's a f**kton of times).

This was pretty much what I expected it to be, another Matthew Vaughn project where he takes typical spy action thriller tropes and make em silly and cartoonish with a soundtrack that doesn't really fit the tone. With Argylle, it's trying to be meta in a literary sense similar to The Lost City and Stranger Than Fiction but with the spy genre and it doesn't really quite work. I did enjoy parts of the movie especially early on when they were trying to play up the concept and I thought it was nice seeing Bryce Dallas Howard get a bigger role than she normally does. It was also nice seeing Sam Rockwell back in something like this and I thought he wasn't bad despite whatever happened in the plot. Henry Cavill, John Cena, Ariana DeBose, and Dua Lipa aren't in it as much as you think and they only show up when they're playing up the fiction world of the books. Sam Jackson and especially Sofia Boutella were wasted in this. The biggest downfall of this movie for me is them trying to make Argylle character a mystery even though you know who exactly it is the moment the movie starts playing. When they revealed who is it, the movie kinda falls apart for me. As for the action scenes, while I didn't hate them, it was something that Matthew Vaughn was trying to outdo from his Kingsman movies and it doesn't really work and the CG is noticeable. Overall, despite all the problems it has, the movie ended up being just passable but forgettable.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

God Is a Bullet

Karl Glusman looks straight up like John Mayer with that wig on.

Didn't expect this movie by the guy who made The Notebook to be this shocking, nihilistic, and gory. This was an incredibly ultraviolent and ruthless neo-western that reminds me of other movies by Nicolas Winding Refn, S. Craig Zahler, and David Ayer with a little bit of Ana Lily Amirpour's The Bad Batch and A Clockwork Orange. It's got a pretty simple revenge/rescue plot about a satanic cult gang from Frank Miller's dream. The direction, cinematography, and performances really elevated this trashy exploitation from the 70s into something more a little more. While the movie seemingly is about Nikolaj Coster-Waldau trying to get his daughter back, the movie is really about Maika Monroe who plays an ex-cult member trying to help find his daughter and she was phenomenal in it. The movie simply won't work without Maika Monroe acting her ass off and chewing all the scenery in a movie where all the actors playing the cult members are competing to see who can overact the most. Jamie Foxx is also in it but not in it enough which was kinda disappointing. My only main complaint is this movie is a bit too long for its own good even though where it goes isn't necessarily boring. Overall, it's trashy yet really well done for an exploitation film. For 2023, this probably takes the cake for the most shocking gory action scenes.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Wildflower

It's a decent coming-of-age family drama centered around a girl with parents who have disabilities and her internal struggle after getting into an accident. It's got a lot of familiar tropes where it goes into the history of how she grew up and her extended family with a lot of self-narration. It has some similarities to CODA and even The Persian Version but is not as well done in my opinion. Kiernan Shipka continues to be great and here it's no different. I think the movie does a good job of showcasing her parents and the actors they got did a good job. Outside of that, there's not much to the movie and I thought a lot of the supporting cast like Jean Smart, Alexandra Daddario, Brad Garret, and Jacki Weaver weren't as well developed. Overall, for a semi-indie drama, it was just slightly above average.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Reptile

Me: "Oh wow I didn't expect Matilda Lutz to show up in this, I can't wait to see what she does here."
Me 5 minutes later: "Oh..."

An incredibly well-crafted slow-burn mystery crime thriller that without question wears its influences on its sleeves. Between the style, the pacing, and the story, this reminded me of films from Denis Villeneuve, David Fincher, Nic Pizzolatto, and James Mangold's Cop Land. In fact, this feels more like a movie-fied version of a True Detective season minus the supernatural tinge. The movie does a great job putting the darkness of a murder mystery with the mundanity of detective work. I thought the script was excellent and the dialogue felt really natural. Grant Singer who normally directs music videos does a great job for his first feature and I like where he chooses to focus on in the story. Benicio del Toro was fantastic in this and I enjoyed seeing Ato Essandoh and Alicia Silverstone. My only big complaint has to do with Justin Timberlake who isn't technically bad in his performance but he does not reach the heights from the rest of the cast. Overall, while maybe 15 minutes too long, I thought this was pretty fantastic.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Nowhere

Can't believe this was the most insane Snickers Superbowl commercial ever.

This was a very intense and emotional survival thriller from Spain that focuses on a refugee couple trying to escape a tyrannical government in Spain to Ireland and the wife becomes stranded in the ocean in a container. There are some obvious influences of Children of Men especially in the beginning where it shows how bad the government is and while it's effective, it felt too on the nose for me and also later on when it becomes Cast Away with a baby. They really try to go above and beyond in trying to deliver the emotions in a not subtle way especially with the music being so overbearing but I still think it works despite all of that. A lot of why this movie works is Anna Castillo's incredible performance who is fearless with what she has to do in this. They also do a good job keeping the pace going and making a lot of creative shots despite having one set for most of the movie. Overall, while I have a few problems with the plausibility and lack of subtlety, I thought it was a really well-made movie with a great performance in the middle of it.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Fallen Leaves

What do you mean this isn't just one long pre-show that they would show at Alamo Drafthouse?

It's a very odd and dry Finnish romantic drama set in the current day that tries to mimic the tone and look of a lot of 60s/70s European art-house dramas. While I totally get what they are trying to go for, it didn't completely click with me but I did enjoy watching it especially considering it's got a short runtime. Between the style and the content, it's definitely one of those that film hipsters will grab onto and say that it's one of their favorite movies of the year. All the characters got a monotone delivery to almost every scene like a Wes Anderson movie and I guess that's where some of the odd comedy comes into play, I thought sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. I did like Alma Pöysti in this and a lot of her scenes were pretty good and the subtext/subplot of the political drama that's going on. Overall, I really liked it but didn't love it.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

20 Days in Mariupol

An intense documentary that takes a look inside Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the city of Mariupol. It documents the 20 days where the AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov was pretty much trapped trying to deliver this story. The doc does a good job showing you the sanitized news version of the events that he shot with the mostly uncut version of that same footage. It's a gut-wrenching journey through Mariupol where it rapidly becomes dangerous to just walk around in the area or visit the hospitals. Overall, a hard watch but a really well made doc.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Anyone But You

Natasha Bedingfield just bought herself a new house from this movie alone.

It's just your blow-average romcom about rich white people that does everything you expect it to do even down to having a black best friend that you don't buy for a second. With this one, it's trying and failing to deliver on making you believe they hate each other because predictably you know they'll get together by the end. Glen Powell and especially Sydney Sweeney weren't convincing in this and the script is pretty generic. The rest of the cast weren't even memorable characters and the whole plot reminded me that the Palm Springs movie did an elite-level job compared to something like this. The only real positives I have is I like how it's shot and the real locations they went. But overall, didn't really hate it but it's forgettable despite the Sydney Sweeney of it all.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Dalíland

Didn't expect a Ezra Miller jumpscare...

Pretty boring. It's a semi-biopic on a budget about Salvador Dalí that is seen through an outsider's perspective and doesn't really do anything new or interesting. It's like they were trying to be Almost Famous with the Christopher Briney character and they clearly don't have enough time and resources to pull it off. It's a movie that on paper seems like it wants to be about art vs commerce in the 70s but the movie only cares about the nostalgia of having all these odd artists coming together. In a better movie, Ben Kingsley would be perfect playing Dalí and here they don't give enough time to him even though he's good in it. Suki Waterhouse isn't in it enough but I thought she was good with what she was given and she really matches the 70s aesthetic. Overall, it's forgettable.
1.5/5