MOVIE REVIEW: CUCKOO

 

Seventeen-year-old Gretchen reluctantly leaves America to live with her father at a resort in the German Alps. Plagued by strange noises and bloody visions, she soon discovers a shocking secret that concerns her own family.

Director: Tilman Singer

Cast: Hunter Schafer, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Jessica Henwick, Dan Stevens

Release Date: August 9, 2024

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for violence, bloody images, language and brief teen drug use.

Runtime: 1h 43m

Review:

Tilman Singer's Cuckoo is unabashedly bonkers, almost to a nonsensical degree, but strong turns from Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens keeps the crazy train on track for large stretches of time.  Writer/Director Tilman Singer has an ability to craft a series of unsettling and disorientating sequences something he does with impressive aplomb throughout.  There's also a darkly, wry sense of humor at play throughout the film's narrative which keeps the whole thing from getting overly oppressively overbearing.  There's a tangible sense that Singer is having a good time twisting the screws on the audience even as the story details continue to make less and less sense.  It’s a fun, intriguing approach which might ultimately prove to be a frustrating experience since the story leaves a boatload of unanswered questions by the time the film ends.  Thankfully, the film is blessed with two strong turns from Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens who do their best to carry the film over its narrative shortcomings.  Schafer is perfectly suited to play the disaffected teen who immediately senses something is off about the whole situation.  It’s a role that mostly asks her to react to the increasingly dangerous predicament especially as she's beaten and bloodied as the film goes on. There are a few moments, particularly in the final act, that give Schafer an opportunity to give the character more emotional depth and a sense of the underlying trauma that she's been carrying.  Dan Stevens continues his recent string of strong character work with his sly turn as the mysterious doctor running the establishment.  It’s the kind of role that fits his talents perfectly as he gives his character a mischievous charm that's engaging but unnerving at the same time.  Schafer and Stevens are equally entertaining onscreen even after the story runs off the rails.   It only exemplifies the fact that Cuckoo could have been something truly special had it spent more time on a more coherent story with stronger internal logic to deliver a more satisfying experience overall.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: BLINK TWICE

When tech billionaire Slater King meets cocktail waitress Frida at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends for a dream vacation on his private island. Wild nights soon blend into sun-soaked days, but when strange things start to happen, Frida must uncover the truth if she hopes to make it out alive.

Director: Zoë Kravitz

Cast: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLachlan, Geena Davis, Alia Shawkat

Release Date: August 23, 2024

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language throughout, and some sexual references.

Runtime: 1h 42m

Review:

Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut, Blink Twice, displays some talent behind the camera, especially with its devilishly well-crafted first half before stumbling into an overly didactic and predictable back half that ditches any semblance of subtly.  Kravitz does strong work in those early sequences with well constructed shots and a wonderful use of sound to create a creeping sense of dread.  Its visually impactful enough to leave a noticeable impression especially as events become more fractured and discombobulating.  Its an impressive high wire act but once the story starts to falter the effect wears off quickly as the oh so obvious reveals come to head.  There is, at least, some dark humor in the film's back half as the revelations causes logic to fly out of the window and the characters scramble for survival.  Naomi Ackie is engaging enough for the majority of the film even if her character plays basic tropes we've seen multiple times before.  The film would have been better served if it had spent more screen time with Ackie and Alia Shawkat's characters to give the characters more depth and their plight more impactful. Channing Tatum delivers a strong turn as the charming tech billionaire.  Tatum is understated which keeps his character from falling into some of the tech bro pitfalls which makes it easy to understand why Ackie's Frida is so enraptured.  Unfortunately, much like Frida, there's very little depth to him leaving him as more of a type than a fully realized character.  The supporting cast is populated with familiar faces but aren't given much to work with outside of most basic stereotypes across the board.  Adria Arjona injects a bit of energy in the finale which makes you wish she'd been given more prominence early on.  It all makes Blink Twice feel like a missed opportunity especially on a thematic level since it could have been a more interesting and meaningful version of this story there. 

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: ALIEN: ROMULUS

 

Space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life-form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.

Director: Fede Álvarez

Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu

Release Date: August 16, 2024

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for bloody violent content and language.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus is a bloody love letter to the first two films in the long running series, bringing back the retro futuristic aesthetic, a bevy of Easter eggs and delivering some truly thrilling sequences.  Álvarez's love of the series is readily apparent from the opening sequence with the look and feel immediately echoing Ridley Scott's original with its grimy, lived in version of space travel that was missing from the last two prequels.  It plays like cinematic comfort food for long time fans who have been waiting for something like this since the late 80's as every subsequent sequel has veered further away from the feel of those original films.  Everything has a palpable sense of reality with CGI used sparingly throughout which is a welcome change of pace.  It’s an impressive bit of alchemy which leaves you wondering why other directors hadn't leaned into more in the past.  The story is straight forward even if does leave you asking a ton of questions if you think about it too much.  Logic isn't the biggest concern as it's mostly interested in placing the characters, some far more brain dead than others, into specific situations for the mayhem to begin.  It’s all easier to digest since the cast is totally onboard from the opening scene.  Cailee Spaeny does well in the lead in an understated turn that does well to avoid direct comparison to Sigourney Weaver's Ripley.  Her central relationship with David Jonsson's synthetic Andy is an interesting slant on the usual survivor trope that runs across these films.  Jonsson and Spaeny have a strong chemistry together which gives their characters some emotional weight to their relationship, something sorely missing from the supporting characters who are little more than meat for the grinder.  It’s a testament to Álvarez that it’s not a huge drawback since the construction of the big sequences are so well done that you don’t really care that the majority of characters are one note or make some truly stupid decisions.  Alien: Romulus works best when its creativity is on full display such as a fraught trek through a face hugger infested hallway or an anti gravity Alien battle which brings a renewed sense of energy to the creatures and franchise.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: BORDERLANDS

 

Returning to her home planet Pandora, an infamous bounty hunter forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits. Together, they battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to uncover one of Pandora's most explosive secrets.

Director: Eli Roth

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Édgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, Jamie Lee Curtis

Release Date: August 9, 2024

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material.

Runtime: 1h 42m

Review:

Borderlands isn't the worst film I've seen this year, but it is the most generic and tiring thing splashed onscreen thus far.  Everything about Eli Roth's film feels like a rehash of other far better films.  Its continuously loud and over the top to the point of exhaustion with the uneven special effects killing any campy fun that might be had.  The story is straightforward and simplistic, which should be more than enough for the top notch cast to deliver some semblance of fun onscreen.  Sadly, there are only a few fleeting moments of life and fun scattered throughout the film's brisk runtime.  Cate Blanchett swaggers onscreen with a self assured confidence that makes her the most interesting person onscreen at any given time due to the sheer fact that an actress of her caliber is trying to carry this shlocky, soulless film decked out in full anime cosplay.  She seems to have a good time as she recites clunky lines of dialogue with a devil may care detachment which shows she's more than game to go full camp throughout.  Unfortunately, everybody else onscreen is annoying or obnoxious, specifically Ariana Greenblatt and Jack Black being particularly grating.   Only Kevin Hart appears to be comfortable in this sphere, but his character is written as the straight man for some confounding reason.  Édgar Ramírez and Jamie Lee Curtis are both over the top but their characters, much like everyone else onscreen are so underwritten that they barely register.  Borderlands is the type of film that will end up in heavy rotation on TNT/TBS weekend loops serving as little more than background noise.   

D

MOVIE REVIEW: IT ENDS WITH US

 

Lily Bloom moves to Boston to chase her lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid soon sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, she begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents' relationship. When Lily's first love, Atlas Corrigan, suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle gets upended, leaving her with an impossible choice.

Director: Justin Baldoni

Cast: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj

Release Date: August 9, 2024

Genre: Drama, Romance

Rated PG-13 for domestic violence, sexual content and some strong language.

Runtime:  2h 10m

Review:

It Ends with Us is a glossy romantic drama that tries to broach the issue of domestic abuse and generational trauma with mixed results.  Justin Baldoni directs the film with a Nancy Meyers style sheen that gives everything a music video/perfume commercial look and feel.  A hefty amount of musical montages only add to the effect, giving everything an artificial sense of detachment from reality that is part in parcel in this genre.  This approach does make it difficult for the film to change gears once it starts to deal with the more grounded issues of domestic abuse that loom larger in the story's back half.  Baldoni never finds a real tonal balance between the storybook romance and harsh reality of abuse leaving the latter underserved as it tiptoes around some of the uglier elements at play.  Blake Lively, for her part, delivers an earnest heartfelt performance in the central role.  Its clear from the start that Lively has a deep affection for the material, she also a producer on the film, and character with a measured performance that tries desperately to give the character some real sense of depth outside of her chic bohemian exterior.  The issue is that the characters are generally thin across the board with each having one or two defining traits but little more.  Justin Baldoni and Brandon Sklenar's character are essentially two halves of one person with neither being able to bring something more to the role outside of smoldering looks. Jenny Slate does provide some much need energy when she pops up as Lily's best friend but the film never takes full advantage of her as the film never bothers to really establish their friendship and instant connection.  Its an issue across the board a series of contrivances brings characters together which kills any sense of authenticity.  The film's lackadaisical pacing paired with some incredibly clunky dialogue that probably reads better on the page than it does on screen keeps It Ends with Us from making the sort of impact it sets out to make. 

C

MOVIE REVIEW: TRAP

 

A man and his teenage daughter realize they're at the center of a dark and sinister event while watching a concert.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill

Release Date: August 2, 2024

Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for some violent content and brief strong language

Runtime: 1h 45m

Review:

M. Night Shyamalan's Trap is a collection of bad serial killer cliché paired with a ludicrous set up which might have been fun if everything wasn't so hackneyed.  The general conceit offers plenty of options to build tension and tighten the screws on the Josh Hartnett's central killer as the walls close in.  Shyamalan doesn't take advantage of any of this by delivering a series of bland situations and coincidences that barely register throughout the film's runtime.  The script is peppered with silly contrivances such as overly chatty arena employees and SWAT team members apparently have blinders on to people acting suspiciously.  Josh Hartnett desperately tries to deliver a chilling performance as a central killer but neither side of the character is believable since the "normal" is anything but and the killer side is just too full of goofy twitches and mommy issues.   It’s hard to place all the blame on Hartnett since the script lacks any sort of nuance or depth so it doesn't work on a serious level and its never campy enough to be enjoyed as a goof.  There is also a sense of cynicism that washes over once Shyamalan pops up on screen in one of the sillier coincidences that only ramps up the film's stupidity as it heads into its final act.  It doesn't help that the singer who's the lynchpin of the overall conceit is none other than his daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, in a shameless display of nepotism.  It would all be easier to forgive if any of the film was more entertaining but it’s a testament to Trap's quality that it feels far longer than its actual runtime.

D