MOVIE REVIEW: THE UGLY STEPSISTER

 

Elvira dreams of the weak-kneed virgin, Prince Julian, and is willing to go to great lengths to conform to the kingdom's ideals of beauty. A surprising and raw twist on the fairy tale `Cinderella', seen from her stepsister's point of view.

Director: Emilie Blichfeldt

Cast: Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli

Release Date: April 18, 2025/UK Cinemas April 25, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

Unrated 

Runtime: 1h 50m

Review:

Emilie Blichfeldt's debut film, The Ugly Stepsister, is a lavishly demented and darkly funny take on the Cinderella story from the Stepsister's point of view full of body horror and subtext.  Blichfeldt's film has a dreamlike fairy tale feel to it juxtaposed with varying moments of increasingly intense body horror as we follow the eldest stepsister's, Elvira played with wide eyed earnestness by Lea Myren, a quest to achieve nearly impossible beauty standards to save her family.  The script avoids the usual depictions of the stepmother and daughter as outright evil and more as products of their unfortunate circumstances as they attempt to survive an intensely patriarchal society.  This approach gives Elvira and her family a much more sympathetic feeling as we follow her to do pretty much anything to give her a chance to marry the prince who isn't as charming as he is on paper.  Lea Myren delivers a stellar performance in the central role that's makes her increasing desire to achieve her goal which drives her to a series of extreme measures.  It’s a fascinating performance that always makes her the most interesting performer on screen even as the character slowly starts to tear apart at the seams, quite literally at certain points.  She's able to make the audience feel every moment, especially those wince inducing moments that's sure to turn more than a few stomachs.  There's a thematic echo of last year's The Substance but here there's still a sliver of redemption for our central character thanks to her more sensible younger sister played by Flo Fagerli who makes the most of her limited screentime.  Ane Dahl Torp and Thea Sofie Loch Naess play the stepmother and Cinderella respectively with an air of sadness throughout as opposite sides of the same coin where fortune shines on one but not the other.  The Ugly Stepsister's more extreme moments will be its calling card for years to come but there's so much shimmer under the surface that you must appreciate the level of talent behind its creation.  

A

MOVIE REVIEW: WARFARE

 

A surveillance mission goes wrong for a platoon of American Navy SEALs in insurgent territory in Iraq.

Director: Ray Mendoza; Alex Garland

Cast: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henry Zaga, Charles Melton

Release Date: April 11, 2025

Genre: Action, Drama, War

Rated R for intense war violence and bloody/grisly images, and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 35m

Review:

Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland's Warfare is an intense, nerve-racking retelling of an engagement gone wrong which puts the audience on ground with the platoon.  The film plays out in real time with the script based on testimonial from those involved back on November 19, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq.  As a result, the plot is about as barebones as they come with the mission and subsequent rescue being the main propulsive force for the narrative.  We are given only the slightest tidbits of information on the respective members of the platoon as we watch them fight for their lives when things go off the rails.  This isn't the type of film that gives you the traditional tropes found in most war films so those looking for deep character exploration might be left wanting to know more about each person.  Mendoza and Garland are much more focused on bringing the chaos and its effect on these mostly 20 something soldiers as they struggle to survive and cope with deeply disturbing situations.  The ensemble cast is made up of a bevy of familiar faces with each delivering excellent work by delivering realistically raw reactions to the traumatic events on display.  There are still displays of heroism, but the film avoids overt jingoism with both sides presented as apolitically as possible.  The action sequences are technically impressive across the board, some of which give you the disorienting sense of shell shock the characters feel. There's an intentionality to everything Mendoza and Garland throw onscreen in Warfare with their aim being to give the audience a small sense of what these people went through for that hour and half and hopefully release some of the pent-up trauma along the way.   

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE AMATEUR

 

Charlie Heller is a brilliant CIA decoder whose world comes crashing down when his wife dies in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, his intelligence becomes the ultimate weapon as he embarks on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible.

Director: James Hawes

Cast: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Adrian Martinez, Danny Sapani, Laurence Fishburne

Release Date: April 11, 2025

Genre: Action, Thriller

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

Runtime: 2h 3m

Review:

The Amateur is a solid, albeit predictable, revenge thriller elevated by a nuanced, tortured turn from Rami Malek who channels some old Mr. Robot energy.  James Hawes directs the film with a steady hand, giving it a polished look and feel that harkens back to old school spy thrillers.  He moves the film at a steady pace which makes for a breezy two hours taking full advantage of its European locales.  The set up is decidedly simple and there's a steady sense of tension built up throughout even though you never get the sense that Malek's Charlie Heller won't achieve his ultimate goals.  Malek though manages to add so much more depth and pathos to his character that makes his quest more intriguing.  It goes without saying that Malek doesn't look like an action star and the film smartly avoids trying to make him into one instead leaning into his introverted intellect.  Even as the kills get more grandiose and ridiculous, Malek manages to keep his character's motivation grounded through his haunting desire to avenge his wife, an underused Rachel Brosnahan.  While Malek delivers strong work throughout the film doesn't take full advantage of its supporting cast's talents.  Laurence Fishburne gets most screentime proving to be more than capable of pulling off an experienced black bag agent even in his 60's but your left wishing the script had given him a bit more to do.  It’s a similar story with Caitríona Balfe, sporting a spotty Russian accent, who's a dark web contact that assist Heller and shares the loss of a spouse.  Their relationship seems ripe for exploration, but the script never delves too deeply into it before moving on.  Holt McCallany, Jon Bernthal and Michael Stuhlbarg all have small supporting roles that feel like they should be more impactful than they are, but the script gives them such thin characterization that you kind of wonder why they bothered casting such capable performers only not to use them.  These missed opportunities keep The Amateur from becoming something truly special as opposed to the enjoyable but forgettable thriller it is.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: DROP

 

Violet is a widowed mother who goes to an upscale restaurant to meet Henry, her charming and handsome date. However, her pleasant evening soon turns into a living nightmare when she receives phone messages from a mysterious, hooded figure who threatens to kill her young son and sister unless she kills Henry.

Director: Christopher Landon

Cast: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Reed Diamond, Ben Pelletier, Gabrielle Ryan, Jeffery Self, Ed Weeks, Travis Nelson

Release Date: April 11, 2025

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for strong violent content, suicide, some strong language and sexual references.

Runtime: 1h 40m

Review:

Christopher Landon's Drop is admittedly ludicrous at various points during its runtime but that doesn't keep his well-crafted pseudo Hitchcockian thriller from being an entertaining experience.  Landon’s direction is confident and efficient as he wastes little time getting the general premise and setting established with general ease.  He adds a handful of visual flourishes that work well to make sequences pop and put us in the mind of Meghann Fahy, Violet, as she's being taunted by her unseen assailant.  The script does give Landon a more complex female lead to work with than he has in his previous films, and he proves more than capable of handling her tragic backstory in a meaningful way which gives the character a solid story arc.  Impressively, Landon still manages to bring the same type of comedic sensibilities that he's known from his previous films, like Happy Death Day and Freaky, while balancing some of the heftier themes at play here.  It might not work as well if Meghann Fahy didn't deliver such a well-balanced performance that keeps her character likable even though she might be the worst first date ever through no fault of her own.  Her and Brandon Sklenar share some strong screen chemistry which helps keep the whole thing watchable even as things get increasingly more outlandishly detached from reality and logic.  Sklenar is perfectly suited as the dream date with a nearly unlimited sense of patience and goodwill paired with good looks.  They make for a believable pair even amongst the clandestine madness going on in the background.  The supporting players are given generic, one note, characters but Gabrielle Ryan and Jeffery Self make the most of their screentime as an attentive bartender and overly excited waiter.  There's a strong verve to most of Drop, thanks to its cast and direction, but the wheels do start to fly off the narrative once the central mystery is revealed which makes the film's finale choppier than everything that came before it.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: FREAKY TALES

 

An NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teenage punks, neo-Nazis and a debt collector embark on a collision course in 1987 Oakland, Calif.

Director: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normanit, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud

Release Date: April 4, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout including slurs, sexual content and drug use.

Runtime: 1h 47m

Review:

Freaky Tales is a quirky, Interconnected Tarantinoesque anthology that delivers a hefty dose of 80's Bay area nostalgia with increasingly off the wall chapters that benefit from a strong vibe and cast.  Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden borrow elements from a variety of sources for the four chapters that make up the story with noticeable nods to Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill being readily evident and even some sprinkles of Scott Pilgrim in the opening.  The pairs deep love and affection for this time and space seeps through the screen as they touch on everything from the punk and hip-hop scene to dirty cops, Nazis and basketball ninjas.  Some chapters are far more grounded than others with the filmmakers asking you to roll with the punches especially as events get nuttier in the final act.  Like most anthologies, some chapters work better than others with the first two really nailing down the vibe of each setting before stalling out in a more straightforward crime drama with the Pedro Pascal focused third chapter.  That's not to say the third chapter is bad, it just marks a notice shift in the film's tone to establish the connective tissue that brings everything together in its final act.  It’s a minor hiccup but it does have a fun cameo that makes the tonal change easier to deal.  The ensemble cast turns in solid work across the board with Jack Champion and Ji-young Yoo sharing some believable romantic chemistry in the opening act with Normanit and Dominique Thorne bringing a similar authenticity to their friendship in the rap battle portion.  Pedro Pascal is given the least showy role in the whole thing but delivers a solid turn as usual.  Ben Mendelsohn and Jay Ellis are given more fun roles as a sleazy detective and rather lethal point guard.   It all makes Freaky Tales a rather unexpected surprise of a film that's sure to become a cult classic in the years to come.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: A WORKING MAN

 

Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life of working construction. However, when human traffickers kidnap his boss's daughter, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Jason Statham, Michael Peña, David Harbour, Jason Flemyng, Arianna Rivas, Noemi Gonzalez

Release Date: March 28, 2025

Genre: Action, Thriller

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

Runtime: 1h 56m

Review:

A Working Man, David Ayer's second collaboration with Jason Statham, is self-serious but entertainingly over the top at the same time which makes it feel like an old school, 80's actioneers likely due to the influence of Sylvester Stallone who co-wrote the script.  Ayer brings his usual grim style to the proceedings while lifting bits and pieces from the John Wick franchise in the form of garishly, cartoonish villains that populate the vast underworld that Statham is tasked with annihilating in steady succession.  The script does try to humanize Levon Cade with relationship to daughter, but it never lands the way it should since Cade is pretty much an invincible killing machine with a singular mission.  Statham has made a career of playing these sorts of characters with his steely gaze even as he unleashes increasingly violent and extreme forms of violence on whoever stands in his way.  Michael Peña and David Harbour have small supporting roles with each popping up sporadically throughout, but neither is given much to work with outside of the most generic characteristics.  Harbour's character in particular seems to be screaming for a bit more depth which the script never offers.  The villains are equally forgettable with each serving as paper thin versions of countless clichéd bad guys we've seen before.  The final act starts to border on Schwarzenegger's Commando territory without the one liner as we watch Statham's Cade mows down wave after wave of bad guys.  A Working Man will make people of certain age feel like they've been transported back to the 80's where action films weren't terribly concerned with logic as much as it was with kicking ass.  

C+