MOVIE REVIEW: NOVOCAINE

 

When the girl of his dreams gets kidnapped, a man turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected advantage as he fights a bunch of thugs to get her back.

Director: Robert Olsen, Dan Berk

Cast: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh

Release Date: March 14, 2025

Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 50m

Review:

Novocaine is fun, over the top, gimmick driven action film that stays afloat thanks to its gonzo approach and likable turns from Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder.  Directors Robert Olsen and Dan Berk deliver a quirky blend of rom-com moments offset by a series of increasingly gory violence throughout the film.  There are echoes of 2006's frenetic Crank even though this film can't maintain that sort of unbridled manic energy consistently.  There are plenty of high points scattered throughout the film's nearly two-hour runtime which makes for a choppy experience that screams for some judicious editing especially for this kind of film.  When it works it does so because of the well acclimated set pieces that make great use of our living crash test dummy as he pursues his kidnapped love interest.  Jack Quaid brings what's quickly becoming a trademark goofy charm to the role that fits this incredibly sheltered character perfectly.  Quaid makes it easy to root for this character that's totally out of his depth who's more than willing to risk life and limb to rescue the girl that's taken his heart.   Amber Midthunder works well as the love interest here as she's clearly more than just a damsel in distress.  Midthunder gives her character a bit more depth than you'd expect from this sort of role and the film is better for it overall.  The supporting players aren't so lucky as we get a handful of generic police and thug types played by Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh and Ray Nicholson with only Walsh leaving noticeable mark.  This film also serves as a perfect example of the film's marketing killing most of the surprises and fun it has to offer as the trailer provide a nearly step by step run of the film's best parts leaving very little unseen.  It’s a shame because if you've seen any of the trailers for Novocaine, you've likely seen the best parts of the film as nearly every moment is given away beforehand.   

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: MICKEY 17

 

A disposable employee is sent on a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo

Release Date: March 7, 2025

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated R for violent content, language throughout, sexual content and drug material.

Runtime: 2h 17m

Review:

Mickey 17 is another darkly funny but thematically packed sci-fi feature from Bong Joon-ho powered by a fun dual performance from Robert Pattinson.  Fans of Bong Joon-ho will find plenty to enjoy here as there are traces of Snowpiercer, The Host and Parasite scattered throughout this entry.  He still manages to create a distinctively quirky world for his characters to inhabit with plenty of not so subtle allusions to current day issues.  It’s decidedly lighter in tone than his previous efforts but there's plenty of darker themes at play simmering underneath such as socioeconomic disparity, demagoguery along with many more.  It’s a film that's far denser once you start digging deeper into what's going on screen.  There are a few choppy spots here and there which would have benefited from some tighter editing to make the film more effective overall.  At the center of it all is Robert Pattinson who clearly feels in his element playing the dim "expendable" worker.  Pattinson's turn is fun from the start as we watch his human guinea pig live, die in rinse and repeat fashion.  He takes it to another level once his much darker and angrier "multiple" appears on screen which gives him a wonderful berth of emotional range to work through to give us two distinctive versions of the same character.  It makes him the most interesting performer onscreen for a variety of reason even though the supporting cast is made up of talented performers who aren't given as much to work with as Pattinson.   Naomi Ackie and Steven Yeun are solid, but the script leaves them underserved with neither leaving the sort of impression they should since they are integral parts of Mickey's story.  Likewise, Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette's oversized characters are fun but there's not a ton of depth to them since they written in such a cartoonish manner, Ruffalo's oversized capped teeth notwithstanding.  It’s not a horrible misstep but it does leave you wishing that for a film that's over 2 hours long it would have given these characters a bit more depth.  Small issues aside Mickey 17 is the kind of darkly funny satire we've come to expect Bong Joon-ho and another solid entry in his filmography.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: LAST BREATH

 

The true story of seasoned deep-sea divers who battle the raging elements to rescue a crewmate who's trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface.

Director: Alex Parkinson

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis

Release Date: February 28, 2025

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Runtime: 1h 33m

Review:

Last Breath is a sleek, efficient thriller that sets you firmly in the moment of this dramatic retelling of a real-life deep-sea rescue.  Alex Parkinson, who directed the documentary of the same, takes the reins for this cinematic recreation and displays an impressive eye for realism.  Parkinson delivers some impressive underwater sequences that make you feel the enormity of the ocean and dire nature of the situation which echoes other survival thrillers like 2013’s Gravity and 1995’s Apollo 13.  He moves his film at such a brisk space that we’re given only the smallest bit of characterization for each of the principles.  Parkinson’s laser focus on the rescue and extenuating circumstances are admirable but you are left wishing he'd spent a bit more time fleshing out each character to create a stronger emotional connection.  Luckily, he’s blessed with a strong collection of actors who squeeze every bit of emotional resonance from their scenes.  Woody Harrelson is perfectly suited portraying the grizzled veteran/mentor for the group.  His natural, everyman persona fits perfectly here even though the script doesn’t give him a ton to work with.  He has believable chemistry with Finn Cole who plays the youngest member of the trio.  Cole brings a wide-eyed innocence to his character that informs his eagerness to do well on the job.  Simu Liu is solid but understated for most of the film as he struggles to make his underwritten character more three dimensional than its written.  All three deliver workmanlike performances that keeps the film engaging despite its incredibly thin script.  If anything, the cinematic version of Last Breath is strong enough to make you search out the Netflix’s documentary about the real event.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: HEART EYES

 
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A masked maniac with glowing, red eyes returns every Valentine's Day to slaughter unsuspecting couples. When a cynical ad executive and her hopelessly romantic colleague become the next target, they decide to fight back and end the reign of terror.

Director: Josh Ruben

Cast: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster

Release Date: February 7, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Mystery

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

Runtime: 1h 37m

Review:

Heart Eyes is a fun slasher/rom com mash up that works more often than not thanks in large part to its tongue in cheek tone and strong chemistry from Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding.  Josh Ruben shows off his ability to balance the horror and rom-com elements with general ease much like he did in his 2021 sleeper, Werewolves Within, which hit some similar notes.  He leans into the general silliness of both genres by playing up the clichés by peppering the film with elements of each throughout.  Outside of a few clunky moments here and there it mostly works in the film's favor which makes it surprisingly likable even with its occasional stumbles.  There's a fun, playful spirit running through the film that should make it readily apparent that this whole endeavor is more of a lark than a straightforward slasher which may leave a few people wanting for more straight up scares to go along with the blood and guts.  The rom-com elements work more organically thanks to the film's two leads who clearly understood the assignment.  Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding share some strong chemistry onscreen with both showing off some impressive comedic timing during the mayhem.  They both fully buy into what Ruben is trying to do with the film, and both are clearly having a ball onscreen which makes them a likable pair that's easy to root for.  The supporting players are equally locked with Gigi Zumbado and Michaela Watkins leaving the biggest impressions with their limited screentime.  Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster's detectives are fun but underutilized even though both are more than ready to ham it up.  It makes for a slightly uneven final act especially once the predictable reveal occurs.  It ultimately doesn't keep Heart Eyes from being an enjoyable endeavor especially for anyone who's sat through one too many slashers or rom coms in their time.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: THE MONKEY

 

When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree, forcing the estranged siblings to confront the cursed toy.

Director: Osgood Perkins

Cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy

Release Date: February 21, 2025

Genre: Horror

Rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout and some sexual references.

Runtime: 1h 38m

Review:

The Monkey is a devilishly dark, horror comedy that delivers a gory collection of kills that never gels into an entirely cohesive film.  Osgood Perkins' adaptation of Stephen King's short story takes the most basic parts of that story to create an anarchic tale of death and destruction that only expands in scope as the story goes on.  Perkins takes a gleeful approach to each kill with each one taking full advantage of gooey blood and gore to a cartoonish degree.  There's nihilistic undercurrent that pervades throughout the film's runtime that might be off putting to some as Perkins offers no clear answers to what's happening or why.  It’s a demented joyride that leans into the silliness of the haunted toy conceit paired with the kind of adolescent trauma that peppered early era King.  It’s a different approach for Perkins, especially after last year's Longlegs was far more self-serious than this blissfully, bleak jaunt.  Theo James is tasked with carrying the lion's share of the load here in dual roles.  James delivers a fun, tongue-in-cheek performance that puts his level of commitment to the material on display, especially once his twin character takes center stage.  He's clearly open to anything that Perkins throws at him as he and his characters roll with the increasingly outrageous splatter fest thrown onscreen.  He shares the majority of his screentime with Colin O'Brien who plays Petey, his estranged son, with both sharing some solid chemistry together.  Tatiana Maslany is given painfully little screentime in flashback as the twin’s single mother.  Maslany manages to leave an impression in her limited screentime which leaves you wishing Perkins had made better use of her and the character as opposed to all the extended voiceovers from James.   It might have given the story and central character a better-defined emotional core which would have made some of the reveals more impactful.  There's plenty to enjoy, especially if you enjoy gratuitously gory deaths, The Monkey feels a bit too emotionally untethered to leave the kind of impact intended.   

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD

 

Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with President Thaddeus Ross. He must soon discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.

Director: Julius Onah

Cast: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford

Release Date: February 14, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

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

Runtime: 1h 58m

Review:

Captain America: Brave New World tries its best to be bring a level of intrigue to its comic story but there's something decidedly bland about the whole thing that never connects the way it should.  Julius Onah does a serviceable job in delivering a glossy but exposition heavy, political thriller.  There are plenty of characters and moving parts at play from the start to keep the action rolling.  It should make for an engrossing mystery, but it never engages the audience the way it should with the reveals coming off as more perfunctory than revelatory.  The main issue is that the central mystery isn't all that interesting or shocking, especially since the previews gave away the biggest reveal in the film.  The action sequences are decent but slightly uninspired with none of them giving the film the sort of pop that would liven up most of these films.  Anthony Mackie takes up the Captain America mantle with an earnest air that fits the role, but he struggles to find the real meat of his character.  He does his best with the script he's given as he's clearly searching for an emotional center to this new iteration of the character throughout.  A few quick moments in the final act do touch upon the weight of his new mantle, something the story would have been wise to use to greater effect.  Instead, he almost feels lost in his own film that should have served as his big spotlight.  Harrison Ford joins the fray here, taking over for the late William Hurt, as Thaddeus Ross who has just been elected president.  Ford brings some of the old school Air Force One energy to the role, but he suffers a similar fate to Mackie with an underwhelming script that paints his character in the most generic terms possible.  There's supposed to be an air of antagonism between the two that never comes through the screen the way it should, which kills a lot of conflict that's written on the page.  It doesn't help that the main reveal was given away months ago thanks to the film's advertising which kills most of his character's story arch.   The supporting players are all serviceable even if they don't leave much of an impression with Danny Ramirez and Shira Haas making the most of their limited screentime.  Carl Lumbly brings some gravitas to the screen, but the film never takes full advantage of his presence or his character, especially in relation to Mackie's Sam Wilson.  Giancarlo Esposito shows up for a cup of coffee as a hired mercenary that there mostly to connect the plot to Tim Blake Nelson's Leader from 2008's The Incredible Hulk.  It's a strange choice to connect so much of this film that, mostly forgotten Marvel entry and 2021's Eternals but ultimately Captain America: Brave New World main purpose seems to bring a certain element to the universe and everything that entails.  

C