At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Black Narcissus]

DUAL

Eh, it was ok.

Writer and director Riley Stearns clearly still feels some kind of way over MEW and it shows here and in his previous flick. His dark dry sense of humor/tone isn't clever as he think it is. Gillian is merely an ok actress. Not worth the rental.

 

[Kane52630]

Watcher

Maika Monroe returns in... It Watches

This was a phenomenal neonoir paranoia thriller that takes a page from Rear Window and It Follows and creates a atmospheric fish out of water style relationship drama out of it. Chloe Okuno, who directed my favorite segment from VHS94, did a wonderful job crafting this together where the story and the scenery match perfectly together. While this kind of slow paced thriller is probably not for everyone, it kept me invested the entire time and I really liked how they use the environment to their advantage. No hyperbole, I thought Maika Monroe gave an award worthy performance in this who pretty much carried this movie. I also really enjoyed Karl Glusman, Madalina Anea, and Burn Gorman in this. Overall, loved this and I can't wait to see what Chloe Okuno does next.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Crimes of the Future

Cronenberg finally returns to his body horror roots that kinda follows Videodrome and Existenz's path where the human body and technology are one in the same. It's one of these where the commentary and subtext far outweighs the plot of the movie and for that the movie kinda suffered a bit. A lot of the film hovers over the relationship between Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux which oddly reminds me of Phantom Thread. There's some meandering that takes the plotting aback and even when it's going somewhere they don't necessarily make a big deal about it. That being said, there are some really intense imaginary and body horror stuff that does work for what they're trying to showcase. I also thought Kristen Stewart and Scott Speedman were also pretty good in here. Overall, not necessarily a homerun as one would think, but there's plenty of stuff to admire about it.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Dashcam

Yeah, but why a Ariana Grande tattoo?

For an interesting concept for a found footage horror film, Rob Savage manage to make it as difficult as possible to get through. That is mostly because of the lead actress, who plays a MAGA troll content creator who's also a big anti-vaxxer that plays into the story. Making her completely vile and unsympathetic doesn't really work at all even if it was intentional. I will say I thought it did get better as it went along once it got into the supernatural horror part of the movie and I liked how it escalated really fast. That being said, even for 90 minutes, this overstays its welcome by the half way mark. I think this would work more if it was a 20 minute segment on one of the V/H/S movies. Overall, aside from some cool horror bits, pretty disappointed especially after seeing Host which was a far better found footage film from Rob Savage.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Jurassic World: Dominion

"Jurassic World? Not a fan." - Ian Malcolm

What should have been a movie about how man and dinosaurs attempt to live together or a giant culmination of all the Jurassic Park/World movies is essentially a simple Fast & Furious/James Bond popcorn rollercoaster ride which can be fun. It had some promise early on when it was focused on how society is dealing with all the dinosaurs roaming around, but it quickly shifts to a mega corporation conspiracy plot to take over the food supply through genetically enhanced locusts. The tone of this is pretty much a spy action adventure film which was a bit baffling at first, but it kinda worked as it went along. I will say I did think Colin Trevorrow's directing style and especially the cinematography by John Schwartzman (who's known for working with Michael Bay) was really good despite the bland story. There's a lot of nods to the original three films which was to be expected, but I did enjoy seeing Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum coming back together again even if all the jokes/bits were super obvious. Also I really enjoyed DeWanda Wise who could easily headline her own Indiana Jones style adventure film. All that being said, Bryce Dallas Howard & Chris Pratt kinda disappeared in the focus on the movie. Their story wasn't that interesting and they didn't give Isabella Sermon any favors by playing the annoying teenager. Overall, a mixed bag. It's a nothingburger of a popcorn film that has some interesting scenery shots and some nostalgia poured in. It's just a shame that the tone of Colin Trevorrow's JW short film wasn't reflected in this.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Found Footage Phenomenon

Derek Lee still wearing that camera vest from Afflicted is on point.

For the most part, it's a comprehensive documentary that looks at the found footage genre throughout the decades and the movies that inspired the technique from the 60s and 70s. It's a lot of surface level discussions with few and far between deep analysis. Probably the most interesting part is when they got Ruggero Deodato talking about how he made Cannibal Holocaust and what came out of it in the aftermath. And they gave Dean Alioto his much needed flowers as being the actual first director to do a found footage film back in 89 with the Mcpherson Tapes. Also, you can tell this got made or bought through Shudder because it ends with Rob Savage's Host as the end point of the found footage timeline, which I don't mind, but it was obvious. However, I did like they included the other found footage directors like André Øvredal, Derek Lee, Oren Peli, Stefan Avalos, and Eduardo Sánchez. Overall, it's a solid documentary, but it's more of a history lesson than anything else.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Hustle

Adam Sandler continues to show off he can be a great actor when he chooses to be. Here he finally gets to be in an underdog sports movie as an NBA scout that helps find and train new talent. It's got all the hallmarks and cliches of a sports movie but done well enough through the performances that it stands out from the rest. Jeremiah Zagar who did We The Animals (which was a really underrated indie film) and his documentary-like directing style are what really elevates the movie. This probably has more in common with Rocky and Creed than it does with any other basketball movie even down to the Phili connection. It's also got an insane cast from Robert Duvall to Queen Latifah to even Jaleel White that all work well together. Juancho Hernangomez is pretty much the stand-out star aside from Adam Sandler. Really dug all the various cameos of the NBA players and coaches old and new even though it's a bit weird that most of them are playing themselves, but some aren't like Anthony Edwards playing one of the main antagonists. Overall, dug it a lot. While it's the very definition of a safe feel-good sports movie, it doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It's well made enough that it still completely works.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Spiderhead

This was a clunker version of Ex Machina. This had a great first half, but a middling 3rd act that should have been way better. Joseph Kosinski presents this low level sci-fi thriller about testing emotion-controlling drugs with prisoners that feels like it was made by Netflix just because it was so covid friendly to make. It was nice having Kosinski, Claudio Miranda, and Joseph Trapanese all back together since Only the Brave because all three parts of the filmmaking were easily the best thing in this movie. Production design alone was so impressive which was expected. Chris Hemsworth pretty much plays a mad scientist and him being eccentric was great to see even if the writing kinda takes a nose dive in the 3rd act. Miles Teller pretty much plays Miles Teller who continues to look more and more like John Cusack with each movie. There wasn't enough of Jurnee Smollett which was a shame, but I thought she did well here. I don't think I've seen Mark Paguio and Tess Haubrich in anything else but they were great here. Overall, this could have been a great film but they made it pretty basic by the end with some uneven dialogue and plot points. Still enjoyed the other aspects of it a lot.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Memory

I have no memory of this place or this movie.

It's another Liam Neeson movie doing exactly what Liam Neeson does in these action thrillers. It's weird that you have Martin Campbell directing this, but you almost couldn't tell it was his film aside from a couple of James Bond moments with the silencer. Lots of paint-by-numbers plotting that don't really do anything new that deals with a number of things like sex trafficking and border policing. I will say it is somewhat better than Blacklight but not by much. You can tell they had to work with a very low budget and there's not enough in here to justify a 2hr runtime. Guy Pearce & Monica Bellucci are also in this and they don't really do anything special. I will say the only two people I did like were Harold Torres and Taj Atwal who tried their best out of some weak material. Overall, it's another dud.
1.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Jerry and Marge Go Large

If having a bowl of cereal while reading the back of the box on a lazy sunday while also thinking about buying a boat was a movie, it would be this.

It's a extremely hokey and sentimental comedy/drama that centers around an old couple getting into a lottery scheme. Between the plot, the board comedy, and the lightheartedness, it's almost geared exclusively to the boomer generation and middle America. They do some obvious callbacks to the Breaking Bad universe with Bryan Cranston even to the point of getting Michael McKean to play a guy named "Howard". The plot gets so stretched thin... there's a middle act where the movie is just floundering around trying to find time to waste. There are some good moments in between whenever Larry Wilmore and Rainn Wilson shows up. Overall, not bad not great. It's the very definition of a movie that you'd see play on tv at a dentist office.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Lightyear

You know, it's a hard premise to buy into where they want you to believe that a super polished and modernized $200+ million space action blockbuster made just for kids came out in 1995. Power Rangers: The Movie says hi.

As far as the movie goes, it's pretty much what you'd expect from PIXAR but done in a more Marvel superhero kind of way. They even got Chris Evans playing Captain America again as Buzz Lightyear who's also living with the fact he traveled decades into the future. Plot wise, the movie owes a lot to a lot of various scifi stories and even video games like Halo. I also really dug how tactile the technology is in this movie and there's a sense of physics to them. Keke Palmer & Taika Waititi were pretty good, but the scene stealer has to be Peter Sohn as a robot cat named Sox. Which also makes it even more questionable that Sox never showed up in the Toy Story movies. The action is pretty good enough to keep you interested and it ends pretty much the way you expect it. Overall, a solid mid-tier PIXAR movie.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Cha Cha Real Smooth

I like how they legit made you worried that they might not play the DJ Casper song at all.

It's a really well done indie drama about a guy in his early 20s being stuck in the middle of being an adult and a child. Cooper Raiff does a great job directing and writing this where it doesn't really fall in line with a lot of the typical coming of age dramas, it's center is something more laid back and free than anything else. It's another great performance by Dakota Johnson who does a great job playing yet another mother role. I feel like my only problem is the movie kinda hinges on the age gap between Cooper Raiff & Dakota Johnson, but you never buy that they're that old from each other. Other than that, it's pretty well done.
3.5/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

Watcher

I didn't see any trailers for this, just clicked on rent due to Maika Monroe. This is an old school paranoid thriller, which works on every damn level. Chloe Okuno does a hell of a great job directing this. I don't know if its cause I've been kinda burned out on most cinema flicks lately or this just hit me right, but had this been made in the 70s, it be seen as a classic today. In the hands of Okuno, she clearly shows how dangerous it is for women out there in every day situations, it doesn't feel heavy handed at all. This being shot in Romania only adds to the uncomfortable setting of it all. One of the best flicks of the year.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

I can't wait to see what Chloe Okuno does next. Between the VHS94 segment and Watcher, she's on my radar.

 

[Kane52630]

Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe

What's growth is having Beavis and Butt-Head travel in space without a single Uranus joke.

Solid return for Bevis and Butt-Head where they stay exactly the same despite the changing times. It's funny that this has yet another multiverse storyline in a year where we already have plenty of them. I really dug that the animation designs remain intact even if it's done digitally. While it's not the best thing out there, the dumb humor and the hilarious innuendos keep you invested and it overall still makes for an enjoyable show about two dumb idiots who are always horny.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Halftime

A pretty good documentary on Jennifer Lopez which follows her journey through the awards campaign for Hustlers while also creating and performing the halftime show for the Superbowl. It also does a serviceable job chronicling her life throughout the years and especially the early 00s years when she became Hollywood's punching bag. They do an interesting way of showcasing the footage where it feels almost dreamlike with the cinematography. While her dealing with the NFL and their political problems was interesting, it was even more interesting to see what it takes to get into the awards season circus especially if it's someone who's inexperienced in that area, but who is super famous. Overall, while most of it is pretty straightforward documentary stuff, there are some interesting moments throughout.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Black Phone

Without a doubt, the movie would have been 10 minutes long if Gwen was kidnapped instead of her brother.

For Scott Derrickson's return to Blumbhouse horror along with Cargill, this was pretty damn good. It does a good job realistically portraying a small town in America in the 70s where stranger danger was a thing that became a huge concern. And speaking of realistically portraying, this movie manages to accurately depict a whooping without sugarcoating it or painting the parent as an unforgivable villain. As for the movie as a whole, it really works on a very straightforward ghost story/abduction horror narrative. It's shot extremely well and I really enjoyed the flourish of them using 8mm film cameras whenever they use a dream sequence. Ethan Hawke was incredible and I thought Mason Thames was great, but who really stole the show was Madeleine McGraw as Gwen. I will say the ending might be pedestrian for most people, but I really liked how it was executed. Overall, a solid summer horror flick.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Elvis

Nothing new that we haven't seen from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, a true pinnacle of music biopics.

A pretty surface-level music biopic that gets elevated from Baz Luhrmann's insane "amusement park ride" style direction. It's more of a greatest hits album than an actual biopic that would have added more depth to the story. The sets, costumes, music, and cinematography is what really works here, but it's mainly Austin Butler's performance as Elvis that holds it together for me. As for the Tom Hanks situation... I don't know why he tried to talk like Arnim Zola but it didn't work. He plays Elvis's manager and they use his character as the frame of the movie which was odd. There's also the cultural appropriation part of the movie that does get shown but it doesn't get discussed, which is a shame. It also makes it weirder because they do showcase how he felt during the civil rights movement but they don't do anything else with it. They unsurprisingly brush off and overlook a lot of his later life in favor of some of the musical moments. Overall, it's more of a fun concert film than a sturdy music biopic that doesn't attempt to go deep.
3/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

Spiderhead

Chris Hemsworth looked exactly like that Arnold 'Simpsons' version. It was hilarious. I gotta give him credit tho! He was trying something, he went for it, his weak spots as an actor in certain scenes were shown here, but even still, he was a lot of fun and one can tell that he had fun here with this character. One can understand why this was dumped via studio onto netflix or whatever the reasons, this had like no promo from netflix either. This felt like someone watched Michael Bays' The Island and memorized some of the moments from Ex Machina and it was greenlit by either netflix or a big studio, I forget which came first. Miles Teller and his punchable face doesn't really work, but not enough to make you hate his performance. Some of the sprinkled in 'humor' was awful. I honestly don't know if there rewrites/reshoots, but the first hour of this flick is good and entertaining. The last half it just sinks the ship. Eh. Watch it for Hemsworth in 'genius' acting mode.

3/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Bad Guys

A fun animated heist comedy that takes a lot of inspirations from Ocean’s Eleven and Lupin the Third and even some Tex Avery cartoons like Slick Joe McWolf and mash them together. It's probably the strongest entry from DreamWorks Animation in a while and they manage to use a very distinct and manic animation style for this one for greater effect. With that being said, the plot is pretty straightforward enough to where you know where the emotional beats are gonna come from and it has a very safe resolve at the end. Still, the writing is strong enough to still make you care for the characters. Overall, a solid animated film that does exactly what it set out to do very well.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Cow

This prequel to First Cow was wild.

As simple as it might read on a wikipedia page, it's a phenomenal documentary about Luma the cow and it chronicles her life journey shot from exclusively her perspective in a very "fly on the wall" filmmaking style. The director Andrea Arnold manages to find a story within the cow's daily life being raised on a cattle farm with other cows. And they do it without any narration or in scene dialogue from the farmers, so it's all left to your interpretation of what's going on so it feels less like a NatGeo documentary. Because of how its shot, it manages to not give you a bias of what to think in regards to animals being treated as livestock. Overall, it's easily one of the better documentaries this year and while it might not be for everyone, it's worth checking out because its super fascinating.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Alice

For a plot that's filled with interesting potential about a black woman who's enslaved in Georgia to "travel" into the 1970s and experience the future, it's a shame that it turned out to be too safe and too simple that almost borders on parody. I thought the first 3rd where its set in the plantation had some interesting moments, but it's gets super cliched pretty fast. Once it got to the 1970s part of the movie, it was better but they don't really do much with it outside of her learning some history. I thought Keke Palmer was bringing it performance wise, but the writing wasn't all there for her. And Common was pretty one note yet again so there's not much going for that character. Overall, it's a mediocre meh which is a shame.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Lucy and Desi

A pretty well throughout but standard documentary by Amy Poehler about the history of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and their impact on television. It's exactly what you wanted to see instead of a badly done interpretation like Being the Ricardos. My favorite part was probably when they showed a ton of restored footage from their personal life and their work life and it was incredible to see. Overall, it's exactly what you thought a documentary about them would be.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Catwoman: Hunted

If only the opening credits was the whole movie.

This was pretty much a heavily early-anime inspired movie centered around Catwoman that ran out of gas mid way through. It's got a really well done opening credits that leads into a pretty decent heist plot with Catwoman but it sadly becomes one note really fast. You can kinda see some Cowboy Bebop and Speed Racer in this from the way it's constructed and I really dug the jazz score. Elizabeth Gillies does some really good voice work as a very campy Selina Kyle and while I love Stephanie Beatriz, her playing Batwoman just comes off as Rosa Diaz which was so odd. Jonathan Banks as Black Mask was not bad. Once it gets to the 2nd half of the movie it's nothing but action set pieces that got super repetitive and the writing gets worse as it goes along. Overall, it's a mostly mix bag with some highs and some late lows.
2.5/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

Everything Everywhere All At Once

I should've loved this, but ended up merely liking it. I don't see myself rewatching this. Michelle Yeoh deserves an acting nom tho. A few funny moments. My favorite moments were the 'In The Mood For Love' call backs. I'm happy to see Ke Huy Quan again, it was like seeing an old friend, just like I was happy to see the great James Hong. He will always be David Lo Pan to me. I was really impressed with Stephanie Hsu. Overall, The Daniels did their fun-weird thing and it mostly works, but I was looking at my watch far too often. A good flick to me, but not great and not in my top 10 of the year.

3/5