MOVIE REVIEW: COMPANION

 

A weekend getaway turns bloody and violent when a subservient android that's built for human companionship goes haywire.

Director: Drew Hancock

Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend

Release Date: January 31, 2025

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for strong violence, sexual content, and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 37m

Review:

Companion is a fun, dark dramady that puts a techno twist on the lifecycle of an abusive relationship led by a stellar turn from Sophie Thatcher.  Sleekly shot and well-paced, the film quickly lays out the set up and players before moving into the meat of the action.  Drew Hancock's debut feature shows off an ability to turn on a dime from tense to darkly funny.  It gives the entire film a breezy feel even as the body count continue to increase.  Through it all he never loses focus on Sophie Thatcher's Iris and her "awaking" as the human collection of dullards attempt to complete their master plan.  There aren't many surprises to be had since the story plays out like you'd expect but that doesn't detract much since the cast is strong across the board.  Sophie Thatcher leads the entire thing by naturally cycling through a wide range of emotions as the film goes on.  She's got the kind of screen presence that makes it easy to root for her character as she tries to break free on multiple levels.  Jack Quaid is a fun counterpart since he's able to project his goofy energy along with incel infused anger as he slowly loses control.  Thatcher and Quaid have solid chemistry together that gives their scenes together a sort of rom-com vibe before things turn more twisted.  Harvey Guillén brings his fun and likable persona to his supporting role with his onscreen partner Lukas Gage making for a fun counter point to Quaid and Thatcher's relationship.  Rupert Friend is clearly having a blast, hamming it up as Megan Suri's well-off Russian boyfriend which is a shame since he's got the least screentime of the ensemble.  It all adds up to making Companion the perfect anti Rom-Com for those that like their love stories with a bit more blood and viscera.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: SMILE 2

 

About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins to experience increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and pressures of fame, she must face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.

Director: Parker Finn

Cast: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, Ray Nicholson, Kyle Gallner

Release Date: October 18, 2024

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violent content, grisly images, language throughout and drug use.

Runtime: 2h 12m

Review:

Parker Finn's Smile 2 is gorier and devilishly funnier than its predecessor as focus shifts to a damaged pop star played by a stellar Naomi Scott.  Finn's second turn, immediately feels more confident and elegantly eerie as we follow Skye Riley's decent into madness.  He still relies on jump scares a tad too much for my taste but its hard to hate it too much when he sets up those moments up so effectively.  A handful of sequences are anxiety inducing and set up with impressive visual panache such as a gloriously nightmarish where Skye's smiling back up dancers chasing her around her apartment.  There are a handful of moments like that which leaves a noticeable impact with each leaving you wonder what's real and what's not as things get increasingly out of control.  This all doesn't work nearly as well as it does if not for a instantly engaging turn from Naomi Scott.  Scott is fully committed from the start by bringing a believable sense of mental fraying from the onset.  Her Skye is damaged and isolated before the madness begins due to a horrific event that's left her traumatized beforehand.  Scott conveys that sense of isolation and self hate with a natural ease that's incredibly impressive.  As things get more dire and her character starts to fall apart at the seams there's an exasperated terror to her as she starts to lose her grip on reality and she becomes an increasingly unreliable narrator.  Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley and Dylan Gelula are solid in supporting roles but this is Scott's showcase and she is the most fascinating performer onscreen throughout the entire film.  Given the amount of celebrities we've seen go off the rails there's something that feels slightly more realistic about this setup than the original which makes it one of the few horror films to earn its two hour runtime.  Smile 2 proves to be one of the rare horror sequels that improves on the original by taking in a slightly different sphere to deliver a mash up of The Ring and Nightmare on Elm Street which leaves me eager to see where the series goes next.

A-