At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

Heretic

A true story of what all your philosophy professors were doing during the pandemic, worshiping Jar Jar Binks and playing Monopoly Ultimate Banking while listening to Lana Del Rey and lighting a blueberry pie-scented candle.

What a fantastic horror/thriller that is entirely built on the uneasy tension of conversations about certain topics like belief and religion. Scott Beck & Bryan Woods did a great job crafting a movie that uses the setup of a typical horror movie but expands on it and keeps you invested and guessing where it could lead. There are a lot of familiar horror elements that are definitely inspired by like Saw, Barbarian, Cube, The Descent, and even Martyrs to some extent but not as gory. The movie is entirely built around the clever script and the fantastic performances rather than the scares which there are very few. Hugh Grant was incredible in this and it was very much a movie that was made for him. I thought Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East were also fantastic in this who play two Mormon missionaries and I'm glad they didn't write them as typical socially inept "religious freaks" which works in the movie's favor for a more in-depth conversation about religion and its institutions. The movie does a great way of questioning belief but also not quite talking down to anyone who believes. I thought the first half works more than the second half but the second half is where you get a lot of the typical horror tropes but they still work in the context of the movie and I really like how it ends. Overall, it's yet another terrific horror film in a year of great horror films.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Don’t Move

In the age of "Don't" titled horror films, I think it's time to make Edgar Wright's Don't a real thing.

A pretty standard Netflix horror film that focuses on yet another serial killer with some great moments in between. This feels very derivative of the more recent stuff that has come out primarily like John Hyams's Alone and Yoko Okumura's Unseen where you follow the victim of a serial killer trying to escape through the woods. With this one, the main character is paralyzed for the majority of the film and can not move around so the filmmaking does try to do some interesting and creative things to keep the plot going forward. The center of the movie has a lot of stillness that probably won't work for most people who have a second-screen habit, but I thought Kelsey Asbille did a brilliant job doing some great movement and facial acting. I also thought it was well-produced, and well-shot, and the filmmakers did a great job using the mountain forest scenery. I will say I thought the weakest part of the movie is Finn Wittrock who is playing a serial killer pretty generically and it almost feels like watching Josh Hartnett in Trap minus the charm and humor. Overall, I dug it. For a streaming horror movie like this with a concept like that, it's above average but barely.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Despicable Me 4

When I tell people it's hard work watching all the movies every year, this is what I ****in meant.

The animation and that one Terminator joke was fun tho.
1.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Looking at his family tree, you’ll believe a man can have incredibly strong genes.

A wonderful and heartbreaking doc about the life and struggles of Christopher Reeve. It covers mostly from his early years in acting in the 70s to the height of his celebrity, his accident, and the late stages of his disability. As a doc, it's fairly straightforward and it shows mostly old footage mixed with talking heads and they throw in some interesting stone statue animation that symbolizes what he was going through at certain points in his life. I also thought it was interesting whoever composed the music tried to mix his Superman theme with the theme in Man of Steel. They do a good job highlighting his long-term friendship with Robin Williams and how playing Superman altered his life for better and for worse. They also do a good job highlighting what his children were going through, especially with Will Reeve, and what his relationship was with Dana and Gae. Overall, it's definitely worth checking out even if as a doc it's pretty standard.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Between the Temples

I don't think that door needs lube and WD40, it needs an exorcism.

A fun little dramedy about a cantor played by Jason Schwartzman trying to move on with his life after his wife died that captures a lot of that New York Jewish neuroticism. It kinda taps into the same kind of Woody Allen movies and even more recent stuff like Rachel Sennott in Shiva Baby. I thought they did a great job making it seem like it was shot in the early 70s with some weird avant-garde comedy that sometimes comes out of nowhere, it reminded me of the comedy from Pete & Pete for some reason. As much as I liked Jason Schwartzman in this, I thought Carol Kane stole the show, and their odd relationship was essentially the movie. The movie was sort of building to this big dinner scene and it's almost right up there with the Fishes episode in The Bear. It was fun to see Robert Smigel in this who is playing a normal person for once as the rabbi. I don't think I've seen Madeline Weinstein in anything else but I thought she was good and I wouldn't be surprised if she gets bigger roles in the future. Overall, I dug it. It's exactly the kind of indie drama that usually gets released around this time that is all about the low stakes and the awkward moments between people.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Emilia Pérez
All I can think about is the domino effect of releasing the movie Cats in theaters that led us to this year for musicals.

What a strange musical that takes you into places you weren't expecting especially if you go in blind. It's a movie that handles transgender issues with such confusing optics that you don't really get what the movie is trying to say without it looking pretty bad. Some parts do feel like an entertaining movie when it tries and I thought outside of that clinic scene there are some of the musical acts that felt well choreographed and well shot. Between the acting and the musical numbers, Zoe Saldana was pretty good in this despite what the script does to this movie. There's also a section where Karla Sofía Gascón was really good and in a better movie they could have explored more into that character as a trans woman with a better sense of complexity. As much as everyone loves Selena Gomez, I thought she was miscast and while her songs were good, her performance as the wife felt lacking. While there are a few well-written scenes that are actually interesting, the movie mostly pretty much becomes a goofy telenovela that has turns and twits that only exist in a fantasy world that does not make any sense. Overall, it's entertaining for sure but not in a good way. This oddly goes into that Megalopolis/Joker 2 level of confounding creative choices in a movie that could have easily been better. This was a mixed bag for sure.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Red One

I guess Kiernan Shipka really missed out on being in Agatha All Along. Tough beat.

Looks like The Rock is in his Jingle All The Way era and he still doesn't compare to Arnold Schwarzenegger. This was a convoluted mess of a Christmas movie that is trying to be somewhere between GI Joe or Aquaman and The Santa Clause with Tim Allen. It's split down into three characters who all wanted to share the main focus of the movie between The Rock, Chris Evans, and JK Simmons. As much as I loved Jake Kasdan's Jumanji, his movies have some diminishing returns on quality with each film. With Red One, it's a 2-hour movie that feels 3 hours long and has a middle that is essentially a road trip comedy that does not work. I will say there is a small section early on that I thought would have been a much better film if it stayed in that lane and it was between The Rock and JK Simmons. I thought some scenes with Lucy Liu were fun and some of the encounters like Krampus were entertaining enough. The CGI is pretty spotty at times but I thought the polar bear scenes were cool I suppose. Overall, it's bad but not totally awful like some of Rock's other recent stuff. It's one of these that just feels cold like a bad microwaved pizza.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

A Real Pain

If you never zone out while watching the hotel's own FYI TV channel during the middle of the night, then you haven't really stayed in one.

A hilarious travel dramedy that does a great job focusing on a couple of close cousins' journeys and personal struggles while also taking a tour through Poland and reconnecting with their Jewish heritage. For Jesse Eisenberg as a director and writer, it's a vastly big improvement over his directorial debut which I despise so much. Maybe it's the Kieran Culkin of it all who is so damn good in this and steals the movie, but this definitely has shades of John Hughes, particularly Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It's incredibly shot well by Michał Dymek and it reminds me of Past Lives in that way where it's so perfectly focused, framed, and vivid at all times. They do a great job balancing the humor with the dramatics and the haunting imagery. Overall, I loved it, it's exactly what you hope a movie like this can pull off.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

A Different Man

It's funny, I initially thought Ingrid was way too intrusive into Edward's life, but then you find out she's a theater kid and it all clicked for me.

This was a fantastic dark dramedy that takes a literal stab at social norms, beauty standards, and isolation in a comedic way that isn't trying to be dour about the commentary. It's a movie that feels like it has a Twilight Zone plot and a monkey's paw situation done in a way where it's fully metatextual about the things it wants to say about people with a distinct physical condition. I guess you can definitely put this alongside with The Substance for doing roughly the same thing, but they're both done in completely different styles of filmmaking. I also see this movie be more in line with something like last year's Dream Scenario with Nic Cage. Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson are incredible in this and they do a good job showcasing with their characters how both who had similar conditions lived their lives with completely different attitudes. I thought Renate Reinsve was also good in this who was great in her Norwegian films and I wouldn't be surprised if she starts showing up in more Hollywood projects. Overall, I really enjoyed it and I can definitely see some awards recognition for the main cast and the script.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Piece by Piece

Huge missed opportunity to show the Lego version of every kid in their high school cafeterias trying to match the beat to Grindin with a pen or pencil.

For what is ultimately a pretty standard and basic music doc, they do a good job on making it entertaining to watch through the eyes of LEGO animation about Pharrell's life. I'm actually surprised what they were able to get away with and who they got in this because they did it with LEGOs. It almost makes it less of a doc and more of a biopic with how they were able to tell these stories especially early on in his life and how he got into music. It's got some great moments highlighting all his achievements and his many collaborations like Jay Z, Nelly, and Gwen Stefani, and if it weren't for the Lego animation, it wouldn't feel as fun to watch. I also love that part where Pharrell doesn't even go into detail when he talks about his collaboration with Daft Punk and just lets the animation talk for itself. The main issue with this project overall is Pharrell's life is pretty normal despite the success and doesn't really go too deep into any part of his life that docs usually can capture and it's more meant to be entertaining than anything deeply meaningful even though there are moments where they attempt to dig in deeper. Overall, while I wish it had more details about his music process and his life, the doc is still fun to watch and it shows what you can still do with animation, especially with LEGOs.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

1992

I'm gonna assume we're getting another "Ray Liotta's last movie" for next year.

A pretty decent low-budget crime thriller with a solid premise about a group of guys trying to pull a heist during the Rodney King LA riots and crossed paths with a father and a son. It's a small-budget film so I can't really ask for a lot, but I thought they did a good job trying to make it look like the early 90s in some parts. However, you'll notice some things that stick out like a sore thumb that'll take you out. Probably the most shocking thing about this movie is that Tyrese Gibson was actually really good at this and was actually trying to be a real actor for once. For Ray Liotta's last film, I thought he was pretty good for the most part and plays a pretty menacing villain for the movie. With Scott Eastwood, I didn't think he was good and I think he was miscast just for having an "iphone face" who feels like he timetraveled to 1992... and that's on top of the character feeling forced into the script to make it feel less black & white. I thought the first half was much stronger than the second half but there are some good moments in that final act. Overall, it's a solid garbage crime thriller that could have been even better with a bigger budget. I also couldn't help but think this would have been an easy 5/5 movie if Michael Mann or Tony Scott directed this in the 90s or Ryan Coogler or the Hughes Brothers if they directed this today.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Outrun

The scene where Saoirse Ronan's character was going ham on that one EDM song is me with Koyaanisqatsi.

A pretty solid sobriety and mental health drama set in the islands of Scotland that's told in a nonlinear fashion. It's entirely a character study of a movie and Saoirse Ronan carries it throughout with her incredible performance. It does remind me of a lot of other similar sobriety/drug rehab dramas that star a young performer at the time like Mary Elizabeth Winstead with Smashed or Timothée Chalamet with Beautiful Boy or even Lucas Hedges with Ben is Back. It's got some incredible cinematography with the landscapes and the interior stuff and I thought the directing was also pretty good by Nora Fingscheidt. My only major complaint is the story is told in a more confusing way where it's constantly telling the story nonlinearly even though we're meant to keep up with how many days she's supposedly sober or the multiple times she relapsed. It just feels like the editing is always fighting with itself to keep you an arm's length away from where her journey was going. However, the scenes individually are so well done that it doesn't fully ruin the movie for me. Overall, I thought it was great despite its problems and I enjoyed it more than Nora Fingscheidt's previous film The Unforgivable.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Wicked: Part One
Glinda would have put up a black square on twitter and called it a day.

A solid musical that didn't completely work for me in certain areas. It's a movie where the story, the performances, and some of the music are stronger than the visuals and overall pacing. Of all the movies, this did remind me so much of The Hobbit 1 in that way where the performances carry over the visual flair where it looks somehow "expensively cheap" because of the digitalness and color grading of the movie. There's clearly an attention to detail with the massive production design with the sets and costumes in this movie, but they would look even greater if it was shot with a more filmic camera and better lighting. It's also The Hobbit 1 in the way that where this movie is expanded and broken up into parts despite its very long runtime.

All that being said, I did really enjoy Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's performance in this and their chemistry carried through the movie. It's the best showcase of Cynthia Erivo's talent as an actress and singer and the same goes for Ariana Grande who's also great with comic timing which isn't much of a surprise considering her Nickelodeon roots. As for the rest of the cast, I didn't really care too much other than maybe Marissa Bode who plays the sister.

There are maybe a couple of musical numbers that stood out more than the rest including the last song for obvious reasons, but I thought the movie worked better when it didn't have a musical number running through the plot. The plot itself couldn't be more timely and current and I think that has more going on than anything else in this movie. At the same time, I thought the middle had some pacing issues and you can tell they were stretching some parts of the movie. Overall, while I can see the love for it especially if they are fans of the original musical play, I thought it was pretty good but not great.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Gladiator II

That monkey who became a consul of Rome easily has a higher approval rating than most of Congress today.

Yet another Ridley Scott movie where he's more concerned about playing with action set pieces he wishes he had done early in his career than making a complete banger from start to finish. It's pretty much the Sicario Day of the Soldado to the original Sicario in that way because there's a stark difference in the script between both movies despite how similar they feel in the structure. The writer for II, David Scarpa isn't a playwright like John Logan & William Nicholson (along with David Franzoni) who wrote the first one and you see it play out in this movie. It feels like a dumb-down version of the first film where it's more focused on the action and the set pieces. That being said, those set pieces are incredibly well done and dense in scope and no one can quite pull it off anymore except for Ridley Scott. The CGI and scale are incredible except for some moments here in there that don't look too great (IE the CGI baboons).

As far as the performances go, I think they all mostly did a good job, but I think the movie had a problem of being too unfocused and not giving all the characters enough time to develop mainly Paul Mescal who kinda gets short shrift in this movie. Denzel Washington is obviously the best actor in this movie who gets his shine in the second half of the movie. Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and to some extent, Joseph Quinn were pretty decent even if they weren't given the best material to work with. Oddly enough I thought the best non-main actor in this was Alexander Karim who gets more screen time than you expect and has an interesting role that I wish was dug in more. And of course, it's a damn shame that May Calamawy's character gets mostly cut out of the movie almost entirely and is regulated as a background actor with no lines for a couple of scenes.

The movie also has a ton of historical inaccuracies which I don't really care about considering the vibe the movie was going for, but the one I got a chuckle out of me is having newspapers back then. Overall, it's an epic dumb-fied gladiator movie that I did somewhat have fun with.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Platform 2

Shout out to everyone who's ever taken AP calculus because you know that feeling.

Just okay and definitely a downgrade over the first. It's a prequel to the original that tries to answer more things that you never really thought of, but I feel like that was probably the weakest element in the movie. Just like playing a DLC, it's like watching a trimmed-down version of what the first movie was trying to say. The strongest part of the movie is Milena Smit's performance and the overall subtext of hunger and poverty. It also has a very political and socio-religious allegory to it that I thought worked but it showed up kinda late into the story. Overall, aside from Milena Smit, this was average.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Piano Lesson

After two hours I can safely say I still don't know how to play the piano.

A pretty solid drama that's based on a stage play by August Wilson centered around two siblings during the great depression fighting over the family piano that has a deep history. I think the biggest takeaway from this movie is it's an impressive directional debut by Malcolm Washington who manages to get something more out of what is ultimately a very stagy, long, and talky film. The moments when they were able to shoot outdoors were when the movie was at its best just from a filmmaking level. I thought the performances by John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Sam Jackson, Corey Hawkins, Michael Potts, and even Ray Fisher were pretty good. Erykah Badu is also in this who looks unrecognizable. Danielle Deadwyler probably gets the most the do storywise but John David Washington gets the more showy performance. This also becomes a supernatural/ghost movie at a certain point which I didn't expect but it does add a little more flair to the movie. Overall though, for the August Wilson adaptations, I don't think this personally reaches the levels of Fences or even Ma Rainy's Blackbottom, but it is still pretty well made. If anything else, I'm curious to see where Malcolm Washington goes next in his directing career.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Union

The craziest about this movie is convincing us Mark Wahlberg's character is from New Jersey.

Pretty bad. This is yet another congealed Netflix crap of an action movie that caters to the algorithm and tries to appeal to everybody. It's yet another one about a secret CIA-like organization that goes after people and recruits a new guy into the mix and it's also another one of these where it's a workplace relationship drama in the middle of it and it also does not work. Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje were all just sleepwalking through this movie and none of the fun moments were all that interesting to watch. The action itself is pretty tamed and generic while some of the comedy feels like it came from a first time writer who just learned how to work tiktok. Overall, pretty forgettable and pretty bad.
1.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

We Live in Time

Who knew Cooking with Flo had deep lore?

A really well-done relationship drama with some comedic moments in between and you essentially get pregnancy drama along with a cancer drama all in one. It's told as a nonlinear story and I think it was better executed than something else this year like The Outrun because of how it uses its time and energy on certain moments. The chemistry with Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield is incredible and their performances elevate the film by a lot. I really enjoyed the pacing of the film and they were able to cram in all the smaller moments in between. I think the best part of the movie is easily the entire gas station birthing scene because it does a great job balancing the drama with the comedy really well. Overall, I thought it was great and it's a fantastic character drama that works better than I expected.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Mr. Crocket

*holds on to my VHS tape* This is exactly what happened to Beakman's World.

I can see the vision even though as a full-length film, this fails the mark. This is pretty much an analog/supernatural horror that is definitely inspired by anywhere from Freddy Krueger to Candyman. I like the overall idea of this on paper and knowing this is from a short film, this could have been so much better than what it turned out to be. The overall vibe of the movie falls somewhere in between an Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode and a Creepshow segment. Elvis Nolasco as Mr. Crocket is probably the best thing about it and I like how he was able to keep things interesting whenever he's on screen. Outside of that, I think it was a mistake to focus so much on the parents instead of the kids, but I see why they did that for budgetary reasons. The movie also has a problem of explaining more than you need to which makes the conceit very silly. Overall, not the worst thing ever but I wished it was better. I also wish we had more anthology horror films so something like Mr. Crocket could be properly told in a much better way.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Monster Summer

Ah yes, what every 14-year-old girl was into in the late 90s, The French Connection.

Not bad but not super great. It's essentially a well-directed homage to Spielberg and Stephen King like Salem's Lot, Stand By Me, E.T., Goonies, IT, Monster Squad, and even more 90s-level stuff like The Sandlot and Eerie Indiana. David Henrie does a great job trying to imitate how Speilberg directs and how a movie like this comes together. The best parts of the movie are a lot of callbacks to other movies as well and the the overall threat is not bad even if it feels like you're watching an episode of Goosebumps. I thought Mason Thames, Lorraine Bracco, and Mel Gibson were good at times but I thought the rest of the cast was kinda weak by comparison. It definitely feels like they were able to show off as much as they could with a limited budget and some of it worked. Overall, I probably admire this more than how good the movie actually is just as an attempt to recapture that 80s magic.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Omni Loop

A pretty decent yet understated time-loop movie that is about losing someone and facing the ending. I thought the beginning did a pretty good job exploring the characters in a fast-paced way and I enjoyed the last 20 minutes but there's a large gap in the middle where it slows down a lot and it changes the pace of the movie. Mary-Louise Parker was great and Ayo Edebiri was also good and any time they're both on screen the movie works really well. The movie itself feels very light for the most part until it gets to the more emotional beats toward the end. I do wish it was better than it turned out to be but I thought there were moments when the movie shined. Overall, pretty good for a sci-fi drama, but not great.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Brothers

So that's where Raka went after Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

I guess this is what happens when you're an average screenwriter and fall asleep while watching Raising Arizona, Twins, and Talladega Nights. It's a goofball comedy that revolves around two white trash brothers who get into a scheme and heist road trip. On paper, it very much feels like a Coen Brothers comedy but I don't think it had any comedy that was working. There are a lot of half-assed comedic performances by Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage who both couldn't land a joke. There are maybe a few funny bits that worked when they're both on screen but not enough to keep the movie going. Taylour Paige was okay in it but she's not in it enough and Glenn Close felt like she was in a different movie half of the time. I think the only actor who knew what kind of movie they signed up for was Brendan Fraser who's pretty much the only funny character in the movie. Overall, it's mostly a dud with a couple of good moments.
2/5

 

[Mysteryman]

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Looking at his family tree, you’ll believe a man can have incredibly strong genes.

A wonderful and heartbreaking doc about the life and struggles of Christopher Reeve. It covers mostly from his early years in acting in the 70s to the height of his celebrity, his accident, and the late stages of his disability. As a doc, it's fairly straightforward and it shows mostly old footage mixed with talking heads and they throw in some interesting stone statue animation that symbolizes what he was going through at certain points in his life. I also thought it was interesting whoever composed the music tried to mix his Superman theme with the theme in Man of Steel. They do a good job highlighting his long-term friendship with Robin Williams and how playing Superman altered his life for better and for worse. They also do a good job highlighting what his children were going through, especially with Will Reeve, and what his relationship was with Dana and Gae. Overall, it's definitely worth checking out even if as a doc it's pretty standard.
3.5/5

LOVED THIS FILM!

 

[Kane52630]

Blitz

I just know there's some gamer out there watching this disappointed after thinking it's somehow connected to that map in Battlefield 1.

Clearly, I don't understand where the criticisms are coming from because I thought this was an incredible wartime epic by Steve McQueen. It's set during the Blitz of London in WWII and it's focused on a young mixed-race boy who escapes being evacuated to return with his mom played wonderfully by Saoirse Ronan. It's a movie that highlights the struggles that women and minorities were going through as this was happening in London and what a kid who's lost manages to find a way to avoid being caught by someone else. Elliott Heffernan's performance who plays the kid was what made the movie work for me and it's all done very much as a Dickensian tale as you see what he goes through. There are some incredible setpieces and for me, mainly the scene in the underground train station and the scene with Benjamin Clementine were my two favorite moments that elevate the movie for me. Saoirse Ronan and her backstory seemed secondary to the plot but I thought what they did with it was really interesting. Overall, I thought it was great and definitely knew what it was going for even if most people wanted something else.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Hot Frosty

This being canon to both Mean Girls and Brooklyn Nine-Nine is absolutely wild.

A Netflix algorithm of a movie that asks, "What if all of Edward Scissorhands was just like Jack Frost?" It's pretty much your standard Hallmark Channel Christmas movie that Netflix made this time and it's pretty bad obviously. Dustin Milligan was sort of trying as "hot frosty" but Lacey Chabert was giving him nothing to act off of. Their chemistry was so incredibly dull and uninteresting and she was awful in this. Even though it's Netflix, they still somehow gave them a super cheap studio lot budget with a lot of fake snow. The only thing that made this somewhat bearable is Craig Robinson & Joe Lo Truglio who are basically playing Doug Judy and Boyle again. Lauren Holly is also in this who was in Dumb and Dumber and was weirdly giving off "Martha Stewart thirst trap" energy. Overall, it's a movie that ends with a Coldplay song and that just tells you everything you need to know.
1.5/5