MOVIE REVIEW: AFRAID

 

Curtis and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new device, a digital assistant called AIA, that takes smart homes to the next level. As AIA begins to learn everyone's behavior and anticipate their needs, it soon makes sure nothing and no one gets in the family's way.

Director: Chris Weitz

Cast: John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu, Lukita Maxwell, David Dastmalchian, Keith Carradine, Lukita Maxwell, Wyatt Lindner Isaac Bae

Release Date: August 30, 2024

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for sexual material, some strong violence, some strong language, and thematic material.

Runtime: 1h 25m

Review:

AfrAId has a capable director and solid cast but it’s so incredibly generic, predictable and silly that you might wonder if this movie about AI was actually written by AI.  Chris Weitz's film has a breezy pace that takes very little time establishing the premise and characters before moving to the main plot.  The pacing benefits the film since it moves at such a breakneck speed you barely have time to register how increasingly silly the whole thing is.  Every hot topic headline story seems to be integrated into the plot from the dangers of AI, deep fake porn and swatting.  There's plenty of room for discussion on all these topics but here they are all treated in the most ham-fisted, generic manner that the dialogue becomes unintentionally funny as the film goes on.  The cast is earnest enough to keep the whole thing from going entirely off the rails.  John Cho and Katherine Waterston play straight from start to finish and you have to appreciate their dedication because they clearly think they are in a much better movie.  Cho is steady and believably leery of the whole set up while Waterson does her best with the underappreciated wife/mother role.  They both display some real talent to keep these thinly written characters even mildly interesting.  Their characters’ kids don't fare quiet as well with Lukita Maxwell, Wyatt Lindner and Isaac Bae doing what they can with equally underwritten roles.  David Dastmalchian and Keith Carradine have small supporting roles which honestly could have been played by anyone as the film never utilizes their talents at all.  Making matters worse is the fact that AfrAId is supposed to be a horror film but there's very little to be found throughout with the unintentionally comedy serving as the most memorable part of the whole thing.

D+

MOVIE REVIEW: LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL

 

In 1977 a live television broadcast goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms.

Director: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes

Cast: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri

Release Date: March 22, 2024

Genre: Horror

Rated R for violent content, some gore, and language including a sexual reference.

Runtime:1h 26m

Review:

Late Night with The Devil is a wonderful mash up of Network and 70s era Satanic hysteria in the form of a found footage horror film.  Directors Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes love for every portion of the film's subject matter seeps through the screen from the 70s/80s late night talk shows nuttiness of that era’s fascination with the paranormal.  They manage to recreate the look and feel particularly those shows that lived outside of the mainstream and moved into more fringe subject matter.  The film works best during the "masters' portion” which is supposed to be the show as it aired during that fateful night.  An opening narration explains that there were recently recovered "behind the scenes" footage which is spliced in between show segments providing plenty of exposition for character motivations but its overly produced feel breaks up the main footage's overall vibe.  Personally, I would have preferred narration explaining some of the behind the scenes drama as things spiral out of control while doing a better job of keeping the found footage schtick slightly more plausible.  It’s a minor issue overall especially since the film moves at a rather brisk pace from start to finish aided by inspired performances from its cast, led by David Dastmalchian.  Dastmalchian has been a capable character actor for years but here he's able to shine with the central spotlight focused on him.  He's subtly able to balance the character's TV persona with a sense of his simmering sadness and desperation.  The supporting cast are given showier, more cartoonish roles but he manages to anchor the whole thing.  Ian Bliss and Fayssal Bazzi are clearly having a ball playing a skeptic and psychic respectively with Rhys Auteri making you feel for long suffering side kick Gus.  Ingrid Torelli delivers a memorable performance as the possessed girl with an appropriately creepy, unsettling turn which leaves you wishing they'd given her more screen time overall especially before the creature effects take over in the final act.  That last act does make the story stumble as it tries to stick the landing with the final sequence being a prime example of less is more.  Late hiccups aside, Late Night with The Devil seems destined to become a cult favorite with plenty of midnight screenings in its future. 

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER

 

Dracula's unholy presence dooms the crew of the merchant ship Demeter as it sails from Carpathia to London.

Director: André Øvredal

Cast: Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Javier Botet

Release Date: August 11, 2023

Genre: Horror

Rated R for bloody violence

Runtime: 1h 58m

There's a built in predictability ingrained in The Last Voyage of the Demeter due to the nature of the story. However, the cast and crew do an admirable job of delivering some tension and thrills.  André Øvredal film borrow heavily from Ridley Scott's original Alien in terms of set up and structure, so much so that's hard to tell if it’s an homage or just straight up plagiarism, an early discussion about bonuses kind of leans me toward the latter.  Either way, Øvredal's self-assured style delivers a glossy, well shot film that establishes the setting and mood early on by keeping the monster in the shadows until the midpoint of the film.  The monster itself uses Count Orlok's design from 1922's Nosferatu as its basis which gives him a more animalistic and menacing look.  It makes the character a tangible threat to the collected human chum assembled for his feeding.  Corey Hawkins and Liam Cunningham lead the cast with deadly serious turns as the ship’s doctor and doomed captain.  They both deliver stoic, committed performances that make the film far more watchable than it deserves to be since the script doesn't flesh them too much.  They still manage to make the characters interesting enough to make the audience care about their wellbeing.  Aisling Franciosi and David Dastmalchian don't fare quite as well in supporting roles as they struggle to make their characters come off as more than one dimensional.  They do the best they can with underwritten characters but your left with the sense that some depth would have added to the overall quality of the film.  Ultimately, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is the very definition of disposable entertainment which delivers just enough to keep you entertained during its runtime, but it'll be quickly forgotten shortly thereafter.  

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE BOOGEYMAN

 

High school student Sadie Harper and her younger sister, Sawyer, are still reeling from the recent death of their mother. They're not getting much support from their father, Will, a therapist who's dealing with his own intense pain. When a desperate patient unexpectedly shows up at their house seeking help, he leaves behind a terrifying supernatural entity that preys on families and feeds on the suffering of its victims.

Director: Rob Savage

Cast:  Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, David Dastmalchian, LisaGay Hamilton, Marin Ireland, Madison Hu

Release Date: June 2, 2023

Genre: Horror, Mystery,Thriller

Rated PG-13 for terror, violent content, teen drug use and some strong language

Runtime: 1h 38m

The Boogeyman is a solidly crafted, well acted horror film which never takes full advantage of either by leaning too much on old school tropes.  Rob Savage's direction is more than capable of establishing mood and setting up scares throughout.  Those looking for a direct adaptation of King's original short story will likely be disappointed since the film only uses a small bit of it as a jumping off point before turning into a fairly predictable monster film that's been done plenty of times beforehand.  It's a shame since the original story was effectively unnerving and delivered a memorable ending that would have made this film something special.  Instead, the script uses increasingly predictable tropes and beats ultimately wasting a pair of strong performances from Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair.  Thatcher's turn in particular is deeply committed that you just wish she had better material to work with.  The Boogeyman isn't a terrible film by any stretch of the imagination but its definitely a forgettable experience that never lives up to its potential.  

C+