MOVIE REVIEW: BUGONIA

 

Two conspiracy-obsessed men kidnap the CEO of a major company when they become convinced that she's an alien who wants to destroy Earth.

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone

Release Date: October 31, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi

Rated R for bloody violent content including a suicide, grisly images and language.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s fourth film together continues their fascinating collaboration which continues to delve into stranger territory with each film Bugonia continuing that trend to great effect.  Lanthimos’ remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! boast his self-assured style with his vision clearly established from the onset.  His film is visually engaging throughout that gives the proceeding a sense of urgency and immediacy that works in the story’s favor.  The story runs through a slew of timely themes such as corporate greed and its human cost which can result in extreme radicalism fermented on the internet.  Emma Stone is given the task of being the worst kind of self-absorbed, corporate leader whose measured speech barely hides the insincere callousness simmering underneath.  Stone delivers a fantastic performance as the kidnapped CEO that uses every bit of her intellect to try and escape from Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis conspiracy obsessed cousins.  Plemons has corned the market on playing slightly off kilter characters who carry an air of danger with this role being tailor made for his talents.  His character is ragged both emotionally and physically as he struggles to cope with his mother’s illness, something he blames Stone’s company and her personally.   Their interchanges prove to be the highlights of the film as both performers bounce off each other effortlessly which just demands your attention as both are more than capable of turning from one emotional extreme to another in an instant.  They make for a fascinating onscreen adversary especially as the script starts to toy with expectations especially in the film’s final act which veers into absurdist nihilism which is sure to turn off some viewers.  Those who enjoyed the twisted Twilight Zone storytelling from Lanthimos, Stone and Plemons previous film, Kinds of Kindness, will find plenty to enjoy in the equally well-crafted and strange Bugonia. 

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: Y2K

 

On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Year's Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives when Y2K becomes a reality.

Director: Kyle Mooney

Cast: Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison, Rachel Zegler, Fred Durst, Alicia Silverstone, Kyle Mooney

Release Date: December 6, 2024

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

Rated R for bloody violence, strong sexual content/nudity, pervasive language, and teen drug and alcohol use.

Runtime: 1h 31m

Review:

Y2K has its moments as a Superbad meets This is the End meets Maximum Overdrive mash up but a shoddy script and inconsistent tone keep it from hitting the mark.  Writer, director and actor, Kyle Mooney, throws every late 90's cliché he can think of at the screen with some working better than others as he sets up the basic premise.  The nostalgia is fun for a bit but the story rush past basic characterization from the get go which leaves us with a cast of terribly generic characters that don't connect the way they are supposed to.  There's a herky-jerky feel to the whole thing as it hits a handful of inspired comedic bits before grinding to a halt with randomly emotional moments.  Its makes for a very strange flow that leaves you wishing Mooney had just gone all in on goofiness of the concept and fully embraced it.  It's a shame since his cast is game for assorted wackiness thrown at them led by Jaeden Martell and Rachel Zegler.  Martell brings a Crispin Glover's George McFly energy to his performance which is sort of fun but you wish the script had given him a bit more to work with.  Zegler deals with a similar situation since she's not asked to do much outside of look the part of your typical high school IT girl.  Martell and Zegler have some fun energy together onscreen too which the film never takes full advantage of.  Julian Dennison is also good fun as Martell's character longtime friend but he's inexplicably taken off screen fairly early on.  There is a rather fun sequence in the back end once a certain singer pops up onscreen which ends Y2K on a high note but that doesn't keep the whole thing from feeling like a missed opportunity.  

C

MOVIE REVIEW: THE LODGE

During a family retreat to a remote winter cabin over the holidays, the father is forced to abruptly depart for work, leaving his two children in the care of his new girlfriend, Grace. Isolated and alone, a blizzard traps them inside the lodge as terrifying events summon specters from Grace's dark past.

Director: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala

Cast: Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh, Alicia Silverstone, Richard Armitage

Release Date: February 7, 2020

Genres: Fantasy, Drama, Horror, Thriller

Rated R for disturbing violence, some bloody images, language and brief nudity

Runtime: 1h 48min

Review:

The Lodge is the kind of horror film that constantly reminds you of other better films while it struggles to find its own identity.  Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala mines films like The Shining, The Others and even bits of Hereditary.  The film is visually impressive with several shots leaving a lasting impression.  The mood and general feel is ominous and oppressive, the fact that they maintain it for the better part of the film’s runtime is fairly impressive.  The performances are all strong across the board.  Alicia Silverstone kicks of the film with a strong performance that leaves an impression and definitely sets the mood for the rest of the film.  That being said this is truly Riley Keough’s film.  Her performance here is avsubtle but measured decent into madness.  Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh turn in solid supporting performances with neither ever breaking into annoying child actors syndrome.  If the film has an issue it’s that the air of mystery that’s prevalent during the first two thirds of the film should have been maintained longer into the final act since the reveal takes a bit of a steam out of the film.  A bit more ambiguity would have served the better and made it a truly special entry into the horror genre.

B