MOVIE REVIEW: HALLOWEEN ENDS

 

Four years after her last encounter with masked killer Michael Myers, Laurie Strode is living with her granddaughter and trying to finish her memoir. Myers hasn't been seen since, and Laurie finally decides to liberate herself from rage and fear and embrace life. However, when a young man stands accused of murdering a boy that he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that forces Laurie to confront the evil she can't control.

Director: David Gordon Green

Cast:  Jamie Lee Curtis, James Jude Courtney, Rohan Campbell, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Kyle Richards

Release Date: October 14, 2022

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rated R for bloody horror violence and gore, language throughout and some sexual references.

Runtime: 1h 51m

Review:

Halloween Ends should have been a rousing finale for the revitalized franchise serving as a swan song for Jamie Lee Curtis's iconic role.  Instead, David Gordon Green delivers a cofounding misfire which decides to move the focus from the primary pair onto a new character.  Gordon's previous entry, Halloween Kills, made the mistake of sideline Curtis's Laurie for the better part of the that film, here he doubles down on that mistake by taking both Laurie and Myers off the table for large spans of time.  It would have been a daring gamble if the script provided an intriguing storyline and characters to make it worthwhile but it fails on both points.  The film's storyline is a nonsensical hodgepodge of a dollar store serial killer plot points paired with an utterly unbelievable "love story" between Andi Matichak's Allyson and Rohan Campbell's Corey.  Rohan Campbell is essentially the main character of the entire film and to his credit he does his best to deliver a layered and nuanced performance.  The film moves at a snail's pace in its early acts before moving into overdrive in the final act.  The film is kind of enough to finally deliver the big showdown between Laurie and Michael which is fun but almost feels like an afterthought when you consider the preceding hour and forty minutes of unrelated garbage.  Halloween Ends finishes the new trilogy with a definitive thud after such a promising start with 2018's Halloween refresh.  

D-

MOVIE REVIEW: HELLRAISER

 

A young woman must confront the sadistic, supernatural forces behind an enigmatic puzzle box responsible for her brother's disappearance.

Director: David Bruckner

Cast: Odessa A'zion, Jamie Clayton, Brandon Flynn, Goran Višnjić, Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, Aoife Hinds, Selina Lo, Hiam Abbass

Release Date: September 28, 2022

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual content and brief graphic nudity.

Runtime: 2h 1m

Review:

David Bruckner's, who directed the underseen 2020 horror gem The Night House, attempt at resurrecting the Hellraiser franchise is competent it’s not quite the home run long suffering fans were hoping for.  Bruckner captures a lot of the mood and looks of the first two film's albeit in a glossier veneer.  He's clearly a fan of the series and he delivers plenty of horrific skin tearing gore and visions that nails this very specific aesthetic.  The new Cenobites designs are familiar enough to keep fans happy along with some interesting new variations for some variety.  Unfortunately, they decided to drop the S&M black patent leather in favor of white which doesn't do the costuming any favors, leaving some close ups looking more like molded latex than the flayed flesh they are supposed to be which kills some of the effect.  Jamie Clayton does a solid job taking over Doug Bradley’s iconic Pinhead by giving a distinct but familiar performance.  She nails the creepiness but doesn't quite nail the subtle but ever present menace behind Bradley's delivery.  The script doesn't give her much help by making the primary human characters, lead by Odessa A'zion, utterly uninteresting and downright stupid in large portions of the film.  Goran Višnjić's Roland Voight is far more interesting for a variety of reasons, but the film decides to only use the character in the opening and final acts which seems like a waste.  As is, this reboot of the Hellraiser franchise checks enough boxes to make it passable but doesn't do anything special enough to make it memorable.

C

MOVIE REVIEW: AMSTERDAM

 

Set in the '30s, it follows three friends who witness a murder, become suspects themselves, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.

Director: David O. Russell

Cast: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldaña, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Taylor Swift, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola, Rami Malek, Robert De Niro

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Genre: Comedy, Drama, History

Rated R for brief violence and bloody images.

Runtime: 2h 14m

Review:

David O. Russell's star studded Amsterdam is a strange amalgam of a convoluted storyline that's nearly offset by energetic turns from its cast.  The film itself is impeccably shot with a glossy look that gives everything an air of Norman Rockwell nostalgia brought to life.  The visuals keep things interesting while the plot's expansive and overly busy story threads start unfurling.  This is the type of film that's in no hurry to get anywhere as it relishes in setting up scene and sequences which allow his cast to shine.   Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington make up the primary trio carrying the film and each of them brings a specific sort of energy to their characters.  Christian Bale's Burt is a collection of idiosyncrasies in a hunched over, emaciated, battle scarred body.  It’s a showy role, the type Bale loves sinking his teeth in and does so with his usual gusto.  John David Washington's character is the opposite side of the coin, and he delivers a turn that's confidently cool and authentic. Margot Robbie brings a nice mix of bohemian and manic energy which is an old hat to her by this point in her career.  All three make their characters incredibly likable which makes the film's unfocused story more palpable and enjoyable.  The supporting cast is a cavalcade of well known actors gleefully chewing up scenery as an assortment of quirky characters.  Amsterdam is the type of film that allows actors to dig into their characters, unfortunately the story doesn't meet the challenge leaving it an uneven experience where the performances are far better than the mystery laid out.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: BLONDE

 

A look at the rise to fame and the epic demise of actress Marilyn Monroe, one of the biggest stars in the world.

Director: Andrew Dominik

Cast: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel, Julianne Nicholson

Release Date: September 16, 2022

Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance

Rated NC-17 for some sexual content

Runtime: 2h 46m

Review:

Marilyn Monroe is one of those cultural icons whose story has been told ad nauseam by this point.  Tackling this subject matter requires that a director makes the well worn material feel fresh and interesting.  Andrew Dominik's film Blonde does this by delivering a glossy, visually impressive horror show that feels more like Passion of the Christ than Baz Luhrmann's Elvis.  Dominick's film relishes in delivering scene after scene of pain and torture to it's central subject.  There's nary a sequence that doesn't involve some sort of degradation, trauma or abuse piled on.  Its a disquieting and unsettling exploration of the starlets life which leaves the character with very little agency or depth outside of her PSTD as she's beat around like a platinum pinball.  Ana de Armas, for her part, is fully committed to the role and delivers an impressive performance even with the razor thin characterization she's given.  Armas captures the breathy woman child persona with relative ease even though her Cuban accent does manage to  peak thru a handful of times.  The script gives her painfully few moments for Armas to delve deeper into the character's inner turmoil much less any semblance of happiness.  The character is written and played as a gorgeous punching bag beaten to a bloody pulp on multiple levels by the time the film ends.  Blonde isn't the biopic for fans of the iconic actress, instead it's more like an arthouse horror show.  

D

MOVIE REVIEW: SMILE

 

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

Director: Parker Finn

Cast: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn, Rob Morgan

Release Date: September 30, 2022

Genre: Horror 

Rated R for strong violent content and grisly images, and language.

Runtime: 1h 55m

Review:

Parker Finn's debut film Smile, based on his 2020 short film Laura Hasn't Slept, is a capable and effective entry into the horror genre.  Smile is very much in the vein of recent horror films like It Follows and The Ring as an unseen terror tormenting our lead.  It's well worn territory even for the casual horror fan but Finn manages to deliver enough unsettling imagery and scares to make it work even if there aren't many surprises in store.  Thematically, the crux of the story deals with the trauma of loss in an interesting manner even if its more armchair psychiatry than any sort of deep dissection of the subject matter.  That being said it's an intriguing enough take to make it engaging for the better part of the film's runtime.  At the center of the film is Sosie Bacon who delivers a memorable performance which drives the story.  The plot doesn't take much time with Bacon's character before the curse takes hold as such we watch as her nerves and mental state disintegrate in rapid succession.  Outside of a few bits and pieces about the character's background, there isn't a ton of depth on the page but she makes the character engaging enough to maintain your attention.  The supporting characters are even more thinly drawn but the story doesn't really ask much them outside of being plot devices.  As Smile turns into its finale, it hard to ignore the fact that there are few moments that could have been excised to deliver a more efficient thriller and conclusion.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: PEARL

 

Trapped on her family's isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother. Lusting for a glamorous life like she's seen in the movies, Pearl finds her ambitions, temptations, and repressions all colliding in this origin story of X's iconic villain.

Director: Ti West

Cast: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro

Release Date: September 16, 2022

Genre: Horror 

Rated R for some strong violence, gore, strong sexual content and graphic nudity.

Runtime: 1h 42m

Review:

Ti West's X was one of the biggest and most welcome  surprises of the year.  It was the first modern film to truly capture the feel of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre before going on it's own path in the final act.  Incredibly, West and Mia Goth plotted out, wrote and shot a prequel right after finishing up X.  The speed of it all can make wonders if they would simply rehash the same material in a different time period but thankfully Pearl is very much it's own thing and stands on its own two feet.  This entry is more of a character study that allows us to witness the gradual decent into madness the central character goes through.  West's film is beautifully shot with plenty of nods and visual cues to classic filmmaking especially The Wizard of Oz even though I don't recall Dorothy dry humping the Scarecrow.  The film's aesthetics are wonderful and the story's slow burn approach gives the audience more time to appreciate it and a particularly impressive performance from it's central star.  Mia Goth turns in a simply amazing performance as the titular Pearl.  She drives the film from the opening sequence straight through an incredible 10 minute monologue in the final act that should be shown in acting schools.  Goth dominates the screen but she's aided by an equally impressive turn from Tandi Wright who plays Pearl's imposing and domineering mother.  Wright and Goth share a wonderful sequence together that just sizzles with incredible energy as it builds to a fiery finale.  West and Goth have truly delivered something special that somehow works with the original even though its very much something different and original.      

A