Film At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

A House of Dynamite

You know, all of this could have been avoided if they had elected Lindor as President.

A fantastic nail-biting thriller by Kathryn Bigelow that examines the systems of the US government in response to an incoming nuclear attack in a Rashomon-style story structure. I thought it was interesting how they layered the movie into three sections. It starts off with the people who are the first line of defense, who know firsthand what is happening, and it ends with the President, who is the most important person but is the least qualified to deal with the technical side of a nuclear attack. I really did like how it moves from scene to scene in a way that Hollywood movies don't really make anymore. It very much feels like a movie made in the 90s in a good way, and also funny enough, the movie that reminded me the most was Miracle Mile, minus the 80s flair. I thought the cast did a phenomenal job making it feel very real and feel like you're in the room with them. I thought Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, Tracy Letts, and Gabriel Basso were the big standouts. I will say I think the biggest complaint I have is that they do not show you the conclusion of the attack or the aftermath, and while I get that it's not the point of the movie, it still feels lacking. Overall, a very interesting movie that is for people who love thrillers told in real time.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

The hamster scene is definitely a bit you'd see on Late Night with Conan.

A pretty excruciating drama about a mother going through a ton of stress and helping her daughter with her medical needs. I thought the movie was somewhat a better version of movies like Tully or Nightbitch where it's got a real and clear sense of problems that get worse and worse. It's got similar vibes to something like Uncut Gems, but it never goes overboard in the insanity. I thought Rose Byrne was fantastic in this and had to carry the movie through her entire performance. I thought some of the supporting cast was fine, like A$AP Rocky and Christian Slater, but I thought Conan O'Brien gave a solid performance and it's a role that is very unlike him. Overall, I dug it but didn't love it. It's a movie that I kept expecting to get better and better, but it mostly stays at a controlled, manic pace.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Bugonia

Teddy and Don's letterboxd top 4:
1) Bee Movie
2) The Beekeeper
3) They Live
4) Bee Movie

Another wild entry for Yorgos Lanthimos, who basically made his conspiracy anti-capitalist thriller in the only way he can make it. It's a movie with a seemingly straightforward premise that only goes sideways at every turn. It feels like someone combined Fargo with They Live and a little bit of Invasion of the Body Snatchers in a post Alex Jones conspiracy era world. Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone were fantastic in this and Aidan Delbis was kinda the glue that holds this movie together in an odd way. I thought the first hour or so felt a little too obvious, but the last 30 minutes made the movie for me. Overall, while it's probably not my favorite Yorgos Lanthimos film, it was still pretty entertaining.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Sister Midnight

Sometimes you just gotta dab your spouse up before doing it (or not).

A hilariously weird indie dark comedy about a woman in Mumbai going through an arranged marriage who may or may not be a witch or a vampire. I thought the filmmaking by Karan Kandhari is fantastic in a way that feels like you're watching a Wes Anderson film or an Ana Lily Amirpour film. It's also got vibes of Aki Kaurismäki, who made Fallen Leaves from a while back where it has that grit of 70s cinema. The cinematography and lighting are so well done that it makes every frame of this movie look like an art piece that you'd love to hang. I thought all the deadpan moments were pretty funny and kept you guessing what weird or bizarre scene would come next. Radhika Apte delivered a pretty solid performance and kept the movie on her shoulders the entire time. I will say I thought some of the pacing felt a little dragged out, but I thought where it ended was fantastic. Overall, I really enjoyed this.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Predator: Badlands

Genna is a weird way to spell Australia.

A super fun Predator movie by Dan Trachtenberg that feels like a Saturday morning cartoon come to life in the best possible way. It almost feels akin to something like the early season of The Mandalorian or the animated show Primal. I do like how different it feels from Prey or even the previous Predator installments, where it expands the world in a meaningful way and does make you curious to see what comes next. Even though he is drenched in CGI, I thought Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi was fantastic as Dek and managed to get his emotions through his character as the main Yautja. Elle Fanning brings the lighthearted comedy in a way that feels familiar in a Disney/Pixar kind of way, without being too irritating. There are some other characters that I thought were interesting, but also fascinated by how resistant they were to the Alien franchise that this is connecting to. Overall, while I still prefer the original Predator film and Prey, this was definitely the 3rd best in a mostly decent franchise.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Frankenstein

The way the Monster kept calling for Victor like he was about to cut one amazing promo for a random Monday Night Raw.

Weirdly didn't expect this movie to be great based on what the trailers made it seem. This is the Frankenstein adaptation that only Guillermo del Toro could conjure up, and I thought it was a brilliant job of adapting the Mary Shelley novel while also combining elements of the first two Frankenstein films. The movie moves with an old-fashioned pace that actually works and gives you a fully realized vision of the characters. While I'm still saddened del Toro didn't shoot this on film, it still looks gorgeous to look at, and there's plenty of del Toro-isms and shots that will remind you of his previous films like Crimson Peak, Hellboy, Nightmare Alley, and even Pan's Labyrinth. I thought Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth were fantastic in this, and to me, it might be one of my favorite performances by Isaac. Some others in here also give a solid performance, like Christoph Waltz and Charles Dance. Overall, definitely yet another del Toro classic.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Keeper

There's a high probability Oz Perkins made this movie solely because his spouse ate an entire cake in the middle of the night without telling him.

An oddly underbaked horror drama that feels misleading based on the trailer, which made it feel like a "who do you trust more" kind of mystery horror, where you don't know who's the villain. It's a movie that is definitely rooted in a relationship drama that turns into something else, but it does feel kinda conventional in a Rosemary's Baby meets Barbarian kind of way. I think the mood, the cinematography, and the acting from Tatiana Maslany were pretty fantastic, which sort of carries the movie, but the horror and jump scares do work even though they lead into something less shocking. The movie kinda moves at a snail's pace and it doesn't give you more than you expect from someone like Oz Perkins, but there were moments in the 3rd act that definitely did work, and the visuals were pretty creepy. Overall, decent enough, even though it's not the best from Oz Perkins, but there was something in this that could have been so much better.
3/5

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Keeper

There's a high probability Oz Perkins made this movie solely because his spouse ate an entire cake in the middle of the night without telling him.

An oddly underbaked horror drama that feels misleading based on the trailer, which made it feel like a "who do you trust more" kind of mystery horror, where you don't know who's the villain. It's a movie that is definitely rooted in a relationship drama that turns into something else, but it does feel kinda conventional in a Rosemary's Baby meets Barbarian kind of way. I think the mood, the cinematography, and the acting from Tatiana Maslany were pretty fantastic, which sort of carries the movie, but the horror and jump scares do work even though they lead into something less shocking. The movie kinda moves at a snail's pace and it doesn't give you more than you expect from someone like Oz Perkins, but there were moments in the 3rd act that definitely did work, and the visuals were pretty creepy. Overall, decent enough, even though it's not the best from Oz Perkins, but there was something in this that could have been so much better.
3/5

Sounds just like Longlegs.

 

[Kane52630]

Sounds just like Longlegs.

I was wondering how fast you'd come in and respond to my Oz Perkins review.

 

[Kane52630]

The Running Man

Those 10-minute video tapes would be me nerding out about Middle Earth lore until FreeVee gets tired of me.

For a more accurate adaptation of the novel, it was enjoyable for the most part. This definitely felt like the better "remake" than the other '80s sci-fi action remakes about social problems like Robocop (2014) and Total Recall (2012). While I don't think this feels like an Edgar Wright movie, I do think it feels more like a Gareth Edwards movie, and you can tell by the shots and the locations they used. I thought Glen Powell was pretty good in this by keeping it serious with a little bit of humor attached. The supporting cast was fine and surprisingly large, but they don't really give you much of them aside from maybe Michael Cera, Daniel Ezra, and Lee Pace. For as long as this movie is, I thought it moved pretty nicely, and it always moves you to the next big set piece right when you start thinking the scene might be a little too long. Overall, pretty fun.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t

Petition to have Rosmand Pike re-record her lines from Gone Girl as a special audio track, but with the crazy South African accent.

For a movie series that is basically Ocean's Eleven with magic, I thought this one felt like the most "Marvel" out of all of them, and it feels more fun to watch with how they were able to connect everything and introduce some new stars. Funny enough, between the location hopping, the outfits, and the elaborate puzzles, this movie feels more like an Uncharted movie than the actual Uncharted movie from a few years ago. There's a set piece in a house that is probably the best scene in the movie (and probably will be posted on a tiktok feed) where they all flex their magic in different rooms that do different things. I did like the new cast and the returning cast coming together, and this one definitely has more charm than the first two movies, even though, as a movie, it's pretty basic and obvious with its plot. Overall, it's mostly dumb fun.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Wicked For Good

Imagine being Dorothy, who is trapped in the castle, but then hearing Glinda and Elphaba start harmonizing like it was some Oz/Emerald City psyop from the start. I'd be pissed too.

A jumbled mess that feels like watching the worst parts of every two-parter in film history. The first half of this sequel feels incoherent and stretched to the point where almost nothing is going on, and the supporting characters from the first movie start disappearing in the background, so you are basically left with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo trying to carry the movie. Where the songs were a strength in the first movie, this sequel feels lackluster aside from maybe one song. When they start integrating the Wizard of Oz story, I thought it sort of worked, but it also feels like you're watching a bad Marvel movie that is solely relying on the easter eggs and cameos to get people excited. I will say I was more engaged with the second half of the movie, where it builds up some stakes, and the story did get more interesting until it becomes a true "cowardly lion" with certain character fates. I wasn't a huge fan of the first part, but it made me appreciate the level of work that had to be accomplished as opposed to this, where it was dragging its story to a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion. Overall, not the worst thing ever, but not a fan.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Good Boy

Owner: "Alright boy, guard the house." [leaves]
Dog (translated): "AYO WTF? COME BACK, I AIN'T BUILT FOR THIS SH*T!"

A mostly solid microbudget horror film with a unique perspective, but uses a lot of conventional horror tropes. Even though this has a short runtime, I think they could have made it a little shorter or made it a part of a horror anthology series. There's some great editing and dog acting to make a lot of the scenes seamless. I will say I thought the human actors they got weren't so good (or ADR wise), but they were smart enough not to show their faces. As far as the story goes, it's nothing too special that you haven't seen done before in every other demonic possession horror movie. Overall, for an extremely cheap horror movie with a great concept, it's not bad.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Train Dreams

[adds to list of movies that make you wanna replay RDR2 again]

A truly well-crafted, heartfelt, and poetic character drama set in the Old West that hits you right in the existentialist feels. It's a wonderfully done film by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, who made Jockey and Sing Sing and it has all the similar ideas about life baked into this film. This almost reminded me of other films that try to scratch this same itch, like First Cow, Slow West, Nickel Boys, Lean on Pete, and The Rider, but most importantly than anything else, this definitely reminded me of Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. I thought Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, and William H. Macy were fantastic in this, and I just love how they use the shots like a dreamscape and using the narration adds more layers to the story. My only minor criticism is a funny one, but I wish this movie were way longer (maybe 3 hours long). It definitely needed more to keep you locked inside of this guy's journey through life. That being said, overall, it's definitely one of my favorite movies of the year.
4.5/5