Blink Twice

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Blink Twice is a psychological thriller directed by Zoë Kravitz in her directorial debut. In this feature a waitress, Frida, gets noticed by tech billionaire, Slater King at a function she is working at. After a sudden invitation to go to Slater's private island, Frida and her best friend, Jess, find themselves in a world unlike anything they've ever known. However, a life of luxury can't hide the darker secrets that exist on this island forever...

 

I really just tumbled into the story of this film, it is so inviting at first. The sheer opulence we slowly stumble into after seeing the dilapidated work and accommodation of Frida is a marvel. The island Slater owns feels unreal, it is a fantasy of the highest order. Everything is available, and there is a cornucopia of abundance laid out before our cast of characters. Yet, Kravitz's film does a great job of making us feel unsettled steadily, from bizarre housekeepers, to the snakes littering the island, right down to the gift bag room. I love that this movie really works to keep you guessing, you wonder if what is going on at the island is even supernatural at times, it can be tough to pin down exactly where the threat is coming from. I also adored the character of Slater King as an antagonist. The Jeffrey Epstein island parallel is easy enough to grasp, but I also really found something in his fragile fake apologies and pleading. This is the sort of male celebrity persona who tries to dominate others with no remorse and is more scared of losing their lifestyle than their own decency, it made for a compelling adversary. The film steadily ramps up a bit throughout, the final act has this incredible act of both solidarity, cunning and retaliation that I found satisfying as an audience member. Blink Twice builds some interesting twists and a tense atmosphere, while holding you in the clutches of a quite colourful and eclectic cast of characters.

 

Kravitz has set out to make something really visually amazing here. The shots are these expansive wides that will leave you stunned, the whole film feels like it captures the splendour of wealth very well. I also loved the gentle pans and tracking shots that added fuel to the tension of a horrific reveal. The editing is sharp and moves at a deliberate pace, setting something steady or frantic depending on the moment. The score is seriously chilling and will have you on edge, I also couldn't get enough of the soundtrack. The soundtrack had some grooving tracks that added to the party atmosphere of the island.

 

Naomi Ackie, who played Frida, is a wonderful protagonist who certainly gives Tatum a run for his money; Ackie's way of portraying fear while simultaneously trying to hide is an arresting performance to watch. Alia Shawkat, who played Jess, is such a fun-spirited best friend persona to pair against Ackie; seeing Shawkat steadily become the one easing out of the fun and frivolities was a very compelling point of the film. Christian Slater, who played Vic, felt like he was made for this film; Slater's unsettling and controlling demeanour worked well for the corporate CFO type. Adria Arjona, who played Sarah, feels like a celebrity powerhouse in the first half of the film; Arjona goes on to be the classic kick-ass horror flick heroine by film end. Trew Mullen, who played Heather, is absolutely hilarious as the film's primary stoner role; Mullen really is the heart of a lot of the party scenes, and she sets the energy levels constantly. Geena Davis, who played Stacy, has found herself a really quirky and comedic role in this; Davis is a lot of fun as Tatum's eccentric assistant/manager. Kyle MacLachlan, who played Rich, might not be in this film very much but is a scene stealer for what little he has; MacLachlan breezes through scenes with a significant amount of charismatic presence.

 

However, the best performance came from Channing Tatum, who played Slater. When first he appears on the screen, we see Tatum delivering something very familiar to us: a celebrity apology. Slater King is a man reformed, once a celebrity who took things too far, now he has found therapy and seclusion and is healing as a man. Indeed, when he first appears to Ackie's Frida, this seems a very chivalrous individual; he's courteous and larger than life. Tatum presents a man who knows how to work a room, holds a kind wit and invites you into his way of the world. On the island he continues to hold this easy chemistry with Ackie, they're drawn together and the way he works in with his inner circle is nice too. But there is a clear power structure here, and he holds it firmly, with others entirely subservient to Slater or fearful of him. There is something fragile in him that is already broken, the sharp pieces of that break is all we get to see, but it fuels a phenomenal third act breakdown. Tatum's reveal of just how insincere his character's apologies go is demented and my favourite scene of the whole thing. I miss seeing Channing Tatum in frequent leading roles, that just proves how much we need a comeback.

Blink Twice starts fast, and it wants to get moving at a rapid pace, we tread through introductions and the inciting incident so that we may get to the island very quickly. From that point we settle into a gentler rhythm that contrasts greatly with that rushed, if not exhilarating start. I also felt like this film struggles with perspective issues, this film is made by Zoë Kravitz, so it isn't always the most grounded affair. The poor vs. rich themes in the first two acts are somewhat shallow, and the way the wealthier characters talk are very particular and far removed from what an audience would realistically relate to. The tilt in theme between the second and third acts was really sudden. Blink Twice feels like a division of poor and rich sort of film for a significant portion of the runtime. However, the move to it being about the abuse of women and men wielding power irresponsibly felt quite sudden. The theme itself is excellent and once the film works itself out this really lands, but until that point there is a real stark shift. The way characters talk no longer holds much subtlety in terms of theme, and it just feels like a bit of weight has been taken out of that tense tone at first. The final reveal/outcome of the film is very justified, but it is harsh, I wasn't sure the darker message at the end fit the otherwise empowering moment of escape. It was an end scene that jumped the shark and went a little over the top.

Simon Rex, who played Cody, was a bit of an oddball but never really made much of a mark on a scene; Rex always appears abruptly into a scene, but sadly you forget about him not long after arrival. Haley Joel Osment, who played Tom, feels like the odd man out at times; Osment is a bit of a side player who is here to seem aloof and like a comedic presence in the wider group. Liz Caribel, who played Camilla, is one of the core actresses who struggles to make an impression; Caribel's big turn into righteous anger feels a bit two-dimensional in the moment. Levon Hawke, who played Lucas, has a significant role that just seems to sit there and look pretty; Hawke doesn't lend himself to a scene and just seems more happy to be there than anything else. Cris Costa, who played Stan, is a very generic gruff security guard type; Costa's work as a stoic henchman doesn't result in a significantly interesting performance.

 

Zoë Kravitz has made one of the better thrillers of 2024 in what is an absolutely stunning directorial debut. I would give Blink Twice a 7.5/10.

Alien: Romulus

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Alien: Romulus is the seventh Alien film (ninth if you count the vs Predator films) and is set in between Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens. Within this feature, Rain, a young colonist on a Weyland-Yutani mining world, seeks her escape to an independent planet free of corporate control. When her salvager friends unveil a spaceship and a plan to harvest cryo-pods from a nearby wreck, there seems to be hope. But none of the crew are prepared for the horrors awaiting them on the abandoned space station.

This is a film that is for horror fans, it's for science-fiction fans and it's an incredibly sincere love letter to the fans of the Alien franchise. What this film understands is that the series isn't about explaining the monster as the last two entries have stumbled through, rather this is about building an atmosphere, a building tension that something dark and terrible is impending. From the moment we entered the space station Romulus, the whole tone shifted. There was a colder quality to the setting, and the emptiness of those halls left a sense of foreboding in the air. Steadily this film blends in that monstrous other, the Xenomorph through every stage of evolution, placing our heroes in peril that leaves us questioning who will actually make it out of this mess. The main brother/sister dynamic of Rain and her adopted android brother, Andy, is perhaps the most charming part about the film. These two lean on one another, even if Rain can be indifferent or if Andy is faulty. This is a relationship built on trust and even love, like you'd see in siblings. Watching this relationship become corrupted over the course of the film is an emotional sucker punch, and one of those deft narrative moments that send this film sailing leagues ahead of past instalments. The rest of the salvagers are a fascinating crew as well, they aren't all likeable people, but they aren't inherently bad. They are desperate and come from bad lives, now finding themselves in a life and death situation that is consuming them whole. The film also positions the megacorporation of Weyland-Yutani as a central antagonist, even in a decaying android husk the vicious qualities of the company are being dished out to our heroes. This is a quintessential Alien film that honours what has come before while building a thrilling new experience for a brand-new audience.

This is visually the most impressive Alien has looked since 1986. The cinematography is really special, playing with tight corners, focus slightly off-centre and extreme close-ups to evoke powerful scares; action is also caught in a thrilling manner that showcases movement well. The visual effects are next level; the design of the creatures, the space station and especially the spacecraft flight had my jaw dropped. Benjamin Wallfisch does the score for this film, and it rocks, the music sets in and leaves you feeling frozen with the chill of a scene.

 

Cailee Spaeny, who played Rain, finds a great protagonist in her desperate horror heroine; her scene work with Jonsson is phenomenal and my top reason to see this film. Archie Renaux, who played Tyler, feels like the level-headed and charismatic leader type; Renaux does a good job in maintaining a refreshing moral presence that leaves us feeling hope. Isabela Merced, who played Kay, is the more charming and innocent type of character in this; Merced gets to revel in playing the 'scream queen' who often finds herself in the most perilous situations. Spike Fearn, who played Bjorn, feels like the token jerk with a heavy chip on his shoulder; his antagonistic attitude makes him one you will love to hate. Daniel Betts, who played Rook, managed to provide a great performance underneath an ugly visual effect; Betts' has an unsettling cold delivery that feels in pace with Holm's brilliant original portrayal.

However, the best performance came from David Jonsson, who played Andy. There must be something about the android roles I feel, a great actor can evoke some powerful stuff while appearing emotionless at times. Jonsson in this is so sweet with his dorky Dad jokes and moments of affection for his adopted sister Rain. Jonsson does a lot of work making his character non-confrontational and very passive, he's vulnerable at first. This is not the bold android with peak performance and an ulterior motive like Fassbender or Holm. This is a figure you really root for and hope to see a bright new day with his sister. Watching the switch flick in Jonsson as his role becomes more calculating and cold is fascinating. It shows an incredible range in his ability to perform, and it makes the ultimate reunion scene all the sweeter. Andy is a character who functions in the world of protagonist and antagonist, with Jonsson being more than capable for either.

The things I disliked in Alien: Romulus are more things I felt as being very tired film tropes or negative signs in terms of the direction of Hollywood. The final act of the film had a terrible final fifteen to twenty minutes, in which a monstrous pregnancy trope makes a real beast out of a woman carrying a child. This was everywhere in the 70s/80s horror scene and seriously feels like a played out plot point. It's a bit misogynistic and goes beyond the realms of pushing the body horror envelope. The fact Fede Alvarez has done this here and in Don't Breathe feels a bit uncomfortable and makes me wonder how much studios leash his scripts in. I also really disliked Ian Holm's Rook being digitally reconstructed and puppeteered around. Rook was well written and well performed in this, don't get me wrong, but he was in almost the whole film as a poor CGI effect. The only poor CGI effect of the film. Ian Holm is dead, and it was like watching a corpse do ballet, unsettling and more than a little wrong. I also thought the zero gravity moment in which Rain spiral and dances through acid blood was a bit of a corny end to a major confrontation.

Aileen Wu, who played Navarro, feels the least experienced of the cast and seems set up just to go out; her stoic nature meant her role didn't feel like it had too many facets to it.

One of the best entries we have had in the series since the first two, a must-watch for Alien fans. I would give Alien: Romulus an 8/10.

Borderlands

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Borderlands is an adaptation of the video game series of the same name. In this film, we follow Lilith, a bounty hunter who is tasked by a weapons mogul to recover his daughter. This young girl is widely sought after, as it is said she holds the key to unlocking the mysterious vault located on the planet Pandora.

There is something very surface level here available for fans of the games. There's a light aesthetic that evokes the world and takes you to settings, characters or weapons you can visually recognise and appreciate.

 

Cate Blanchett, who played Lilith, makes for a fine protagonist for this film; Blanchett's experienced hand turns this old bounty hunter with a chip on her shoulder into something worth watching. Benjamin Byron Davis, who played Marcus, brings something that feels authentic from the games to life; Davis really has fun with this gun merchant and his light background presence was a joy.

However, the best performance came from Jack Black, who voiced Claptrap. This is the sort of performance work where it felt like Black was having fun in the recording booth. He only had to commit to the role on the page in front of him and not the rest of this wider production. For this reason and because of Black's own frequent bursts of exuberance, alongside his history of voice acting, we get one of the better roles in the film. Claptrap is the strongest source of humour, often with a very dry type of wit and a bemoaning approach to line delivery. Black really gets the wild range of emotional outcry Claptrap has and really toys with that throughout. Claptrap might not be the biggest pull for this film, but Jack Black makes this one of the most source accurate and fun roles in the line-up.

I struggle to see any good intention behind the making of this film, it is the most soulless blockbuster I have seen in a long time. It has no sense of audience, I don't really understand who the creators expected to be watching this. The film is often led by heavy helpings of exposition, first through narration, then delivered by performers within a multitude of scenes and then finally in a late-stage third act flashback sequence. The film references the characters and their histories with one another almost as soon as the film kicks off; this made me wonder if the hope was to appeal more to the video game fan base. Yet the characters and the world are written extremely different to what one has experienced in the video game world so that audience isn't being reached either. The whole film is a loose romp around the planet finding secret keys and then open the secret vault type of story, so it is very bare and plain storytelling. Our protagonists are a terrible mix of personalities, with barely a charismatic player in the bunch. There also seems to be a real "I'm getting too old for this shit" slant on the film, with a number of protagonists being aged up for no real added value to the plot. Lilith as a protagonist is played well by Blanchett, but her arc towards hero isn't very earned and just seems to happen because the film pushes it to happen. The antagonist for the film is so boring; Atlas postulates and gives long explanations, but he doesn't feel like a heavy presence within the film. There are no points within the film where it feels like the story is moving with purpose, even all the way up to the final scene.

The visual style of the film is really poor, the filming often pushes too close or sits in a way that you feel like you're in a sound stage and not within the world of the film. I thought the visual effects were frightfully bad, be that CGI tentacles, Siren powers or the imposition of Atlas' head over another performer. The score for this movie was boring and evoked no strong emotion, even in an action scene. The soundtrack was the real surprise, something that the Borderlands series has always excelled at falls flat here. They even used a song by The Heavy, but in a way that felt like it had no reverence or understanding on how to place music.

Kevin Hart, who played Roland, really doesn't have the leading man presence required of this heroic soldier role; more than that, Hart just doesn't have the physicality to portray a soldier. Edgar Ramírez, who played Atlas, gives some incredibly flat line delivery; he doesn't even really grandstand or ham it up as the villain, resulting in something quite dull. Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Tannis, really feels off the mark as this quirky scientist; Curtis really takes to playing a neurodiverse role like a blunt tool and seems to barely have an understanding of what she's portraying. Ariana Greenblatt, who played Tiny Tina, is a fine up-and-coming actress who clearly would have done well with better direction; Greenblatt just plays at crazy here, which results in a very over the top performance. Florian Munteanu, who played Krieg, just feels too restrained in what should be the wildest role of the film; Munteanu is just here to be a physical role and struggles to find a character. Janina Gavankar, who played Knoxx, is just here to play at the stereotypical henchman; Gavankar's third act change of heart is really corny and entirely out of left field. Gina Gershon, who played Moxxi, just doesn't feel like the glamorous and sexy bar proprietor she is portraying; Gershon falls victim to a role that comes off as dull due to the line work being clogged with exposition. Haley Bennett, who played Lilith's Mum, is a third act role that is meant to surprise but actually lends nothing to the film; Bennett fails to lend an emotional beat to Lilith's backstory through her role.

We're right back to making lifeless husks for video game to film adaptations. I would give Borderlands a 0.5/10.

Trap

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Trap follows Cooper, your typical family man suburban Dad who takes his daughter to a concert of her favourite artist, Lady Raven. However, almost immediately things feel off as the concert is steadily revealed to be a trap for the notorious serial killer: The Butcher.

I have to say the first act of this film is M. Night Shyamalan at his absolute best, the set-up is sweet and you genuinely enjoy the father/daughter bond on display. This feels like a very everyday situation, a father chaperoning his child to a big event and as an audience we're led in nicely. At the same time, a concert is a unique setting for a film, and it's where the action happens for half of the plot, so all the unique qualities of being placed in this pop star adrenaline-fuelled venue really gets to be explored. Even watching all the slight odd points as Cooper realises the extent of police presence and then later the trap itself is a nice way to introduce the storyline.

M. Night Shyamalan has a fun camera style at play here that works quite well for his film. The whole thing is pushed to the max with these unsettling close ups. Long hanging moments where you are held in place by the range of subtle facial expressions and long intense stares lends a very disarming quality to the whole thing. The soundtrack to the film is also quite good, M. Night's daughter Saleka performs as the headlining pop star throughout and it places you in the setting remarkably well.

Ariel Donoghue, who played Riley, really feels like this young girl who is entirely caught up in the concert thrill; I loved the genuine connection built up between her and Hartnett. Jonathan Langdon, who played Jamie, is a bit of a sleeper hit for this film; Langdon is incredibly funny and lends a levity the film really benefits from. 

However, the best performance came from Josh Hartnett, who played Cooper. This is the real triumph of the film I kinda feel; Hartnett has been playing roles that haven't really been commanding of his full range for a while now. But this was a very impressive protagonist role in which he got to lead well. His turn as the charismatic Dad who only wants the best for his daughter is the sort of thing that wins us over while we wait for the turn. Even the bits where it feels like he's just casually wearing this persona to get ahead makes for some hilarious scenes. Yet when he is finally allowed to drop the mask, when the desperation breaks him you get to see Hartnett go entirely unhinged. His turn at being cold and calculating, but also rageful and vengeful is extremely well realised. Trap might not be the best film ever but it shows how well Hartnett can do with a dull script.

The thing this film cannot escape is that it is made by M. Night Shyamalan and I wish that didn't necessarily mean a bad thing. As a director he tends to land on these films that are built to ultimately surprise you, but the twist is kind of baked into this one: we know Cooper is the bad guy trying not to get caught while maintaining his good guy Dad persona. While I loved the first act we wandered into some strange side characters that really lead to conversations and moments that have no weight on anything at all. The entire second half fails in which Cooper's world unravels and we get strange apparitions of his mother, a pretty poor OCD representation and the longest and dullest cat and mouse sequence of the year. The worst part of Trap is how paper thin the nepotism at the heart of it all is. M. Night pushes his daughter as this pop star character into frame, which works when she's functioning in that role. But suddenly she is fed more and more screen time as things progress, including a pretty rough Instagram Live scene that felt poorly scripted. The whole film felt distracted and like it was more predominantly motivated to promote Saleka and not the story it was trying to tell.

Saleka Shyamalan, who played Lady Raven, might have had a good singing voice but she couldn't act to save herself; Shyamalan really struggled her way through dialogue intensive scenes. Alison Pill, who played Rachel, felt like a pretty stereotypical suburban housewife role with little for pill to engage with; I was especially disappointed by the complete lack of chemistry between her and Hartnett. Hayley Mills, who played Dr. Josephine Grant, looked like a strong breeze would knock her down; Mills certainly didn't feel like she had the presence of an FBI psychiatric external aide. Marnie McPhail, who played Jody's Mum, is weirdly intense from the go; McPhail just tries to hard to push herself into a scene and it feels a bit forced.

I actually am tired of these M. Night Shyamalan movies being so poorly written, cast and directed. I would give Trap a 4/10.

Deadpool And Wolverine

This review may contain spoilers!

Deadpool and Wolverine serves as a direct sequel to Deadpool 2 (2018) and is the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this story, Deadpool is yanked out of his universe and told that it will die due to the death of an anchor being perishing. An anchor being is a figure who keeps a universe alive, in this case Wolverine from the Logan film/the Fox universe. Determined to save those he cares about, Deadpool goes on a multiversal mission to find a new Wolverine to replace his universe's deceased one.

This film really gets to take any shackles that were on Deadpool and turn them loose, I haven't seen the character like this in media for ages. The jokes he gets to make are wild, in fact, as a whole the film has a strong sense of humour that plays to effect well. Even characters who aren't inherently comedic become funny because they're going against the grain when it comes to the merc with a mouth. I loved the adventure elements of the feature, it made the whole thing move quite quickly, sending Deadpool rocketing through the multiverse at speed as he tries to fix a high stakes problem: his very world/timeline being obliterated. Seeing Deadpool get to tumble into different worlds, meet different characters, and throw his wit up against everything Marvel has or hasn't done felt like something straight out of a comic book. I loved the point in the story where the power got taken away from Deadpool and Wolvie, leaving them stranded in the Void. Not only did it result in some crazy returning roles, but it made for a compelling setting where two very different characters had to team up to face against one of the more impressive antagonists I've seen in the MCU. This film delivers fun, laughs, gory action, surprises and an experience that will have you tuned in from start to finish.

Shawn Levy, the director of this film, is one of the absolute best in the business when it comes to making spectacular blockbusters. The way this film is shot draws stunning set pieces out, highlights visceral action, and even feels like whole comic panes come to life on the big screen. The effects are phenomenal; Alioth looks even better than it did in Loki, in general many of the powers and characters within the Void are impressive, certainly it was where the effects budget comes to life. The score is a thrill, but better than that is a soundtrack that feels like it might have been cultivated from the mad mind of Deadpool himself. If you weren't an NSYNC fan before Deadpool and Wolverine, you sure will be after.

 

Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine, is the meanest we have ever seen him; Jackman plays a washed up and jaded version of Logan nicely, and it was immensely fun to watch him turn a character like that on Reynolds. Emma Corrin, who played Cassandra Nova, is one of the finer recent Marvel antagonists; Corrin had wild and unpredictable manners throughout her scene that resulted in bursts of violence or mercy alike. Matthew MacFadyen, who played Mr. Paradox, was having a lot of fun drawing on his Succession days to play this foppish TVA agent; MacFadyen feels like a businessman with a petty streak and too much power to wield. Dafne Keen, who played X-23, felt like Wolverine's conscience in this film; she was hardened but had matured into her own independent hero. Jon Favreau, who played Happy Hogan, is one of the first cameo roles we get in this film, and it is a blast; watching Favreau spar with Reynolds in a job interview/battle of the wits was excellent. Morena Baccarin, who played Vanessa, might not have had as much to do in this film, but she still feels so emotionally connected to our protagonist; watching Baccarin and Reynolds play their characters as separated trying to find their way back to one another was quite sweet. Leslie Uggams, who played Blind Al, is a real nice comedic scene partner to Reynolds; Uggams has a scathing and sharp delivery that really lands with the grittier jokes her character falls into. Wesley Snipes, who played Blade, was one of my favourite performances in this film; Snipes feels as badass playing this character as he did over twenty years ago. Channing Tatum, who played Gambit; gets to really have fun finding the manner and impressive qualities of this role; I also really got a great laugh out of Tatum's 'accent work' and humour around him not ever actually playing the role before. Chris Evans, who played Johnny Storm, was one of the best surprise appearances we got; Evans donned that cocky self-sure persona from all those years ago like he had never let the role go.

However, the best performance came from Ryan Reynolds, who played Deadpool. There is no doubt in my mind that Reynolds just understands this character, inside out and front to back. There is a real soft-natured quality to the character, where he loves working with Peter or holds love for those close to him. But it is phenomenal watching him ramp up from this more mundane point into an adrenaline soaked, silly, violent goofball who flirts with the camera at every turn. Seriously, this is the best the fourth wall breaking gags have ever been. I loved the chemistry between Reynolds and Jackman, the love/hate relationship is everything fans have been waiting years for. There is no one who does Deadpool better, I don't think there's an actor out there who could have delivered us everything this movie was.

Deadpool and Wolverine doesn't always have its eye on the ball, the stakes don't always race, and we need a bit of reminding about the ticking clock at times. But more than that, this film suffers like past films do due to the multiverse. The multiverse does yield some great plot points and characters, but it also comes with long scenes brimming with exposition around timelines, anchor point beings, pruned timelines and the way the Void functions; I enjoy this movie but listening to the fake science ramble drags a movie that otherwise has good pace. I also recognise this as a great Deadpool sequel, but it feels a bit empty for the trajectory of the MCU. I reached the end of the movie feeling like I watched a character I loved go on an adventure, but the grander story hasn't really advanced at all.

Rob Delaney, who played Peter, is a gag that feels a little overused in this sequel; Delaney just feels like he pushes the envelope a bit too hard to draw out a laugh. Jennifer Garner, who played Elektra, is probably the most underwhelming of the surprise returning roles; she barely seems to be trying to portray the character in her whole appearance. Wunmi Mosaku, who played B-15, feels awkwardly shuffled into this to give some TVA exposition; the infatuated with Delaney gag felt extremely forced as well. Aaron Stanford, who played Pyro, is not a performance I ever thought was good, and it hasn't matured with time; Stanford stumbles through his minor antagonist performance. Tyler Mane, who played Sabertooth, must feel very squandered; Mane's Sabertooth is present, but he should have just been left back in the early 2000s. Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Stefan Kapicic and Lewis Tan, who played Dopinder, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio, Colossus and Shatterstar respectively, are the old Deadpool ensemble who feel really squandered in this; the movie barely has anything for them and they wind up turning into set dressing.

Truly my favourite performance from the two leads in their superhero roles; this is a brilliant sequel made with love for Marvel fans. I would give Deadpool and Wolverine a 9/10.

Longlegs

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Longlegs follows FBI agent Lee Harker as she joins a cold case investigation into the mysterious circumstances surrounding multiple family murders. The only consistent thread in all cases is a mysterious note in code, all signed with the word: 'Longlegs'.

 

Longlegs is an interesting film because you walk in ready for a horror film, and those elements are certainly present. But what it actually does really well is craft quite an off the wall psychological thriller about the case work at play. Watching Harker first establish herself as an officer by correctly identifying a perpetrator's hideout and then promptly watching her partner's brains blown out sets the stakes incredibly high. The intrigue of all this is that the investigation doesn't feel like it's necessarily being solved by a super sleuth, though Harker is exceptionally gifted. No, what makes this case so interesting to watch is that it feels like watching a hand run across until it finds a stray thread and pulls, and then you watch in morbid horror as it all just unravels. I also really commend Oz Perkins' work on crafting atmosphere, the tension in the first half of the film is palpable. The opening scene really sets the hooks into you and moments like Harker in her home alone at night feel nightmarish. The chilling moments set in early, leaving you nice intense for it all to come to a head.

I found the cinematography very fresh and creative, there are some shots that feel very washed out and lost in a phantasmal world. Yet, other parts of the film hold crisp bold imagery that feel extremely detailed, really drawing out the crime procedural look in a neat way. The way this film moves from aspect ratio in past or dream sequences to the present feels like an incredibly neat feature. I loved how well-timed the editing felt; it really moved to a considered pace. The score was haunting, and it got under my skin, my nails and wriggled deep into my brain. If there was anything that worked well, it was the haunting instrumentals that aided that atmosphere work.

 

Shafin Karim, who played the Clinical Doctor, is a one scene role that really makes a strong impression on the film; Karim relishes in his lines and draws an energy into his scenes that you just don't find anywhere else.

However, the best performance came from Blair Underwood, who played Agent Carter. There was a real hard edge to Agent Carter from the moment he arrived onscreen, a pensive wall of a man. Yet, what I liked about Underwood was that he really made his character connect with Harker, learn from her and see the potential. Carter comes to place his chips in one very specific basket, he sees an individual who is gifted and that he can trust and lends her power. Underwood starts to let his character become warm, charismatic and opens his family home to his partner in the case. I also loved watching Underwood work those investigative scenes, he felt like a real figure exploring one of the most disturbing criminal cases you have ever heard of. Even down to little bodily moments, moving to grow nauseous from a crime scene or staggering home slightly drunk, Underwood has a real mastery of self and how he moves. The end of the film doesn't serve him well, but he serves this movie very well.

This is possibly the most thoroughly marketed horror film of 2024 thus far, it has certainly been right at the forefront of horror fans' orbit. So leaving expectations at the door was initially a difficult one, but after a killer opening scene, you really get plugged right in and ready to go. Yet, I couldn't shake a weird feeling about why I wasn't loving the feature as we delved deeper into the first act. But as we started branching into the second, it became apparent: the characters and personal relationships felt devoid of genuine human connection. Harker feels completely drained of personal emotion until she needs to display fear, those involved in the case talk the case but struggle when the scene turns beyond that. Watching characters try to talk to one another in this is grating because you are waiting for a line to come that just feels like something someone would actually say. It doesn't help that Longlegs is a pretty unworthy antagonist, acting odd and bizarre to fit an actor's nature than really to build a unique role. There are whole moments where Longlegs feels like the director just leaving in something the actor did rather than capturing character or scene work. The final act of this film is a bit of a knife twist. A film that has felt like a real crime thriller yo-yos into a supernatural horror. But it just all shunts that way too far and too fast. If the Devil just made 'em all do it, then should I not just tune my brain off and go watch The Conjuring franchise? At least there, poorly concocted supernatural elements are the status quo. Here they are a poorly imagined attempt at saying "AHA!" to the audience. What you imagined there was some sense to the mystery before you? No, in American horror when we can't explain the evil in a satisfying way we always hide in the Devil. He's an easy antagonist to write, and better yet, Americans don't think too hard about him.

The grungy soundtrack felt like the film had awoken in a cold Rob Zombie-like sweat at times, and while Zombie's style holds appeal to some, I couldn't think of anything worse reflecting upon a piece of horror cinema.

Maika Monroe, who played Agent Lee Harker, just feels devoid of an emotional range and is a bland protagonist to follow; I struggled to believe in Harker as a character but very specifically as an FBI agent. Nicolas Cage, who played Longlegs, has been an eccentric figure for some time and that either makes or breaks a role and often a film; when I watched the character of Longlegs I only saw Cage and that is probably one of the biggest failures of the film. Alicia Witt, who played Ruth Harker, is too quick to lean into the psychotic mother shtick that the later turn loses its edge; Witt and Monroe seem entirely alien to each other and there's no semblance of mother/daughter at all. Michelle Choi-Lee, who played Agent Browning, feels like a background role with too much screen time; Choi-Lee is just too stoic in her scenes and fails to draw more from a moment of dialogue than what is on paper. Kiernan Shipka, who played Carrie Ann Camera, is a bit listless and off beat in this; Shipka wants to play a little crazy and that's transparent.

This is a film that feels like it's trying to do two very different things, while achieving neither particularly well. I would give Longlegs a 5.5/10.

Kinds Of Kindness

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Kinds of Kindness is a triptych drama, three stories that all have interconnecting themes of love and power, with the same cast members appearing in each narrative. The first story followed Robert, a successful businessman who was engaged in a relationship with his boss, who also dictated all of Robert's daily actions. The second story followed Daniel, a police officer whose wife went missing at sea. When she is rescued, he doesn't believe the woman who has returned is really his wife. The final story follows Emily, a member of a sex cult who is venturing across America to find the messiah figure of the cult.

 

These are very creative contemporary tales layered in a way that make us think of their connection. What is the thread that holds this triptych together? Yorgos Lanthimos has always been a master when it comes to dissecting relationships, particularly the importance we place within them and the power that is held in a relationship. In each of these stories, power is wielded over another to dire ends; with one partner compromising the other entirely. I loved the first narrative for this especially. Seeing Robert mindlessly bend to Raymond's influence was transfixing, that whole world felt so alien and yet entirely real to the capitalist Western lifestyle. As Robert resists Raymond, struggling from the extremes of control and ownership, we see every part of Robert's life fall apart. Only when Robert compromises his last shred of human morality is he folded back into Raymond's embrace and restored in the eyes of his master. The film drives this sense of theme well over the course of the film, but it delivers its first punch the strongest.

 

Something that I'll always expect from a Yorgos Lanthimos film is an incredible sense of style, visually this film continues to hold strong to that. The film is filled with sharp angles that feel claustrophobic, or incredible unsettling and puzzling wide shots. Yet all of his shots feel very styled and hold a sense of ownership to his signature aesthetic.

 

Margaret Qualley, who played Vivian/Martha/Rebecca/Ruth, is an upcoming actress with a developing sense of range I find fascinating; Qualley played a meek housewife worst, which made sense when her other roles gave her so much more to bite into. Willem Dafoe, who played Raymond/George/Omi, feels so natural to Lanthimos' style of character; Dafoe inhabits these roles but also the eccentric setting of a Lanthimos mindscape. Emma Stone, who played Rita/Liz/Emily, really shows her ability to inhabit such a varied range of roles; Stone leaps from someone soft and caring to a role that is frantic and desperate for a certain kind of satisfaction.

 

However, the best performance came from Jesse Plemons, who played Robert/Daniel/Andrew. Plemons plays some very interesting figures who wield insecurity at the forefront of their being. These were roles defined by their commitment to others, in two cases their desire for the other consumed them in uniquely unsettling ways. Plemons could break your heart in one storyline, while feeling like an abhorrent force of abuse in another. His character work as Robert and Daniel was some of the best character acting of the film. He delivered dialogue with a disarming distance that is trademark Lanthimos; yet within that he found room to define those roles all his own.

 

 I watch a lot of cinema, but I'm not always the best at judging a feature with surrealist or even absurdist elements. The truth is, I feel these aspects have to be really well worked on to craft something artistic and purposeful. Lanthimos is a director I have always gone back and forth on, The Lobster puzzled and lost me at times, while The Favourite was one of the finest films I had seen that year. Kinds Of Kindness is that hazy middle ground for me, it tells some masterful themes but the narratives are heavy-handed, perverse and a little exploitative at times. I thought the second narrative lost all sense of trajectory for the film, telling a story that contributed the least. However, the final story had something interesting to say, but it delivered those themes like a blunt force impact; slogging through sexual violence, suicide and perverse displays of eroticism to gather those meanings. I wondered if those extremes found their way to being art? The first story held tough elements such as these, but their work within the narrative was far more deliberate. The triptych quality of the film also meant the pacing fell flat if you every hit a narrative you weren't invested in, though this is more of a flaw in the medium.

 

I found the editing entirely roguish, bouncing around and really running rough shod over the flow of a scene. While the film looked impressive, the way a scene was held together often felt confusing and aimless. I also thought the disconcerting score was abominable, a simplistic device to convey discord. The soundtrack was extremely random and rarely paired nicely with the scenes in which these tracks were used.

Hong Chau, who played Sarah/Sharon/Aka, felt very bland within this film; her time spent as a spouse on the side felt like it gave little to play with. Mamoudou Athie, who played Will/Neil/Morgue Nurse, really just felt like he was rattling through the script; Athie delivers dialogue in a mild disinterested tone that makes his roles hard to care about. Joe Alwyn, who played Collectibles Appraiser/Passenger/Joseph, felt like he really struggled the most in this style of role; his roles all felt quite two-dimensionally reprehensible too. Hunter Schafer, who played Anna, didn't really give much to her scene; Schafer found like a bigger name dropping in to a film she didn't necessarily blend in nicely with.

Yorgos Lanthimos' latest feature has all of his traditional wondrous strange style but often strays in its trajectory. I would give Kinds Of Kindness a 6/10.