Category Archives: Doc’s Movie Reviews

The Life of Chuck

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This one was sensational.

Based on a novella by Stephen King, Mike Flanagan wrote this story about a man named Chuck, checking in on Chuck in three different time frames.

I was completely mesmerized with this movie.

It started off with Act 3, and then went backwards. A great storytelling tactic that I did not even realize until I saw Act 1 on the screen.

Chuck was played in Act 3 and 2 by Tom Hiddleston and he absolutely blew me away (especially with something that happened in Act 2. No spoilers, but it was absolutely brilliant).

In Act 1, three actors played the young Chuck. Cody Flanagan played 7-year old Chuck. Benjamin Pajak played 11-year old Chuck. Then Jacob Tremblay played 17-year old Chuck. All three of them were exceptional, but I thought Benjamin Pajak was the real standout as he seemed to have the most to do in this act. So while Jacob Tremblay was the biggest name of the three, Pajak did the best work for me.

The other wonderful performance of this movie, all in Act 1 was Mark Hamill, who played Albie Krantz, Chuck’s grandfather. Hamill got such a meaty role with this character that I sincerely think he has a strong case to get an Academy Award nomination for supporting actor. Hamill was brilliant as the grandfather with a bunch of secrets.

The narration over top of the movie was done by Nick Offerman and he provided such an amazing voice over. There was something about the way Offerman delivered his lines that made me feel as if everything was the way it was supposed to be.

The film is relatable, reflective and life-affirming. I loved The Life of Chuck. I did not know what it was going to be going in and I was absolutely thrilled coming out.

5 stars

Materialists

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What happens when Madame Webb is dating Reed Richards after breaking up with Captain America? I know that is not what is going on here, but I have to admit, I kept thinking about it as I watched this movie.

Since I was thinking about that more than I was thinking about what the story was or who these characters were, it tells you that this rom-com story did not grab my attention.

According to IMDB, “A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.”

I had some problems with this story. I liked every actor involved here, but I just did not form any interest in the characters they were playing. The biggest issue I had was that I just did not feel anything for the couple of Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans. We met them after their break up and then when we got flashbacks, we only got flashbacks to them fighting. I thought there was more chemistry between Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal, but the film did not want them together.

I think this movie was too long as well. I did enjoy a side storyline with one of Dakota Johnson’s clients from her matchmaking company, but it was not a major part.

Three likable actors but I was bored for much of the movie and I did not care about any of them.

2.5 stars

The Rule of Jenny Pen

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June 14

Boy, John Lithgow can be creepy.

The second film in the June Swoon today is The Rule of Jenny Pen from Shudder and it is a psychological thriller set in a care home.

According to IMDB, “Confined to a secluded rest home and trapped within his stroke-ridden body, a former Judge must stop an elderly psychopath who employs a child’s puppet to abuse the home’s residents with deadly consequences.”

John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush are both excellent in this film. Lithgow is absolutely terrifying as the abusive resident with the hand puppet named Jenny Pen. Rush started off as an unlikable character, but his torment at the hands of Lithgow really humanized him, and made him someone you wanted to root for.

The setting of the care home was a really effective one, building the sadness and loneliness of the situation into the horrors of what was happening. The angles of shots and the way the camera moves adds to the anxiety of the scenes.

The lead performances of this movie really bring this New Zealand film to its high points, and the psychological horror works because it is so beleivable.

4 stars

Queer

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June 14

I do love Daniel Craig. I think his Bond may be my favorite of all-time. I love Benoit Blanc from the Knives Out franchise. He is just a tremendous performer.

I do think he is the best part of Queer, the movie I watched for the June Swoon today. He received a Golden Globe nomination for the role.

Unfortunately, I just did could not get into Queer, despite the topline performance of its lead.

According to IMDB, “William Lee, an American expat and heroin addict in Mexico City, spends his days almost entirely alone, except for a few contacts with other members of the small American community he lives in. His encounter with Eugene Allerton, an expat former soldier, makes him believe it might finally be possible to establish an intimate connection with somebody.“

Part of the issue was that this felt too stream-of-consciousness-y to me. It is designed, at times, as a dreamlike film with an abstract story. As in some independent movies, the plot is not important, and that does feel like what Queer is. It is a character piece, and that is fine, but I just did not engage in the film.

Daniel Craig is great, as is his co-star Drew Starkey. I just lost interest in the film early and it never got me back.

Fear Street: Prom Queen

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June 13

In honor of Friday the 13th, I figured the second part of the June Swoon I would watch a good slasher film. Unfortunately, instead I watched Fear Street: Prom Queen.

I really enjoyed the previous installments of the Fear Street films. They came out in 2021, released once a week on Netflix. Based on R.L. Stein books, the Fear Street films were based in 1994, 1978 and 1666. They were connected and was a lot of fun.

It only made sense that they would return to the series. Prom Queen was lacking a lot of what made the first three films so great… namely a story, any interesting characters and fun.

According to IMDB, “Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

This was such a dumb movie. I mean, dumb even for a slasher movie. The story made no sense. The motives of the killer made no sense. The kills were uninspired and boring. It just had a whole list of horror/slasher tropes that were not fun at all.

The writing was so bad. The acting was over the top. What a waste of time.

I was sorry to see this because I really enjoyed the Fear Street films form 2021, but this was nowhere close to a worthy successor to those three movies. This felt like a high school production.

I wonder if I would have considered this so badly if it did not have the Fear Street name attached to it? The memory of the great movies that preceded this may have not allowed this one a fair shot. On the other hand, this was aggressively bad and if a better movie was made, perhaps it would have benefited from the previous films. Either way, don’t bother with this one.

1.2 stars

Small Things Like These

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June 13

Today’s entry in the June Swoon is a historical drama that was available on Hulu entitled Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy, hot off his Oscar win for Oppenheimer.

According to IMDB, “In 1985 devoted father Bill Furlong discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers shocking truths of his own.”

Cillian Murphy has placed himself square in the upper echelon of actors working today and this is one more outstanding and very subtle and sublime performance.

The movie deals with the concept of the Magdalene laundries, which according to Wikipedia, “were institutions usually run by Roman Catholic orders” which were “run ostensibly to house ‘fallen women’, an estimated 30,000 of whom were confined in these institutions in Ireland.”

“In 1993, unmarked graves of 155 women were uncovered in the convent grounds of one of the laundries. This led to media revelations about the operations of the secretive institutions.“

This was a bit of history that I did not know about and it was a truly harrowing tale. Cillian Murphy is remarkable with the backdrop of this history in the foreground of this movie. There are flashbacks used to Murphy’s character’s, Bill, childhood.

This is a small film but it carried a strong message about a terrible time in the world, including the potential questions that this could raise about religion and belief in such.

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

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Masterpiece.

I am typically negative on these live action remakes of classic animation. There have been some good ones, but there have been so many more that just does not hit the mark.

How to Train Your Dragon knocked it out of the park.

I loved this live action adaptation. My one criticism is that it is basically a shot-for-shot remake with little if anything new to add. However, I don’t care about that when the adaptation is this epic.

I knew the story. I knew the beats. I was still getting chills and I still had tears running down my face in the final act. This was so well done and affecting to me.

Mason Thames was perfectly cast as Hiccup. You had to get this casting correct if you wanted this movie to be successful, and Thames was masterful. He connected to the audience, he expressed the emotions of his conflict beautifully, and his hero’s journey was just spot on. Toothless was impeccable with the CGI. This felt like a real dragon on screen and you could sense the chemistry between Hiccup and Toothless.

Gerard Butler reprised the role that he voiced in the animated movie with Hiccup’s father Stoick. Butler played this over-the-top role to perfection. His feelings for Hiccup are so obvious, even when he was disappointed b his son’s choices.

Nico Parker was a standout as Astrid. She had a star quality every moment she was on the screen. I was really impressed with her in the role that I was not as fond of in the animated movie. The film also featured Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, and the incomparable Peter Serafinowicz.

The cinematography of this movie was just outstanding, especially the flying sequences. I constantly sat in the theater in awe over some of the shots I saw on the screen. It was a beautifully designed and laid out with such care.

Yes, this is basically an exact remake of the animated movie and I know there are some who will crap on the film because of that. I will not be one of those. This is my favorite movie of the year so far.

5 stars

Karen

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June 12

It is a busy day so I went looking for a short film to watch for the 2025 section of the June Swoon. I found a short film called Karen on YouTube. It was supposed to be a horror film and was just over 13 minutes long. That was going to be perfect for my needs on this Thursday.

Karen runs a cottage for weekend getaways. A married couple came to stay at the cottage, and Karen gave them a list of rules to follow. It might be considered a tad obsessive.

The film felt kind of like a present day version of Misery. Starring Anto Sharp, Angie Sutcliffe and Alice Lucy. Angie Sutcliffe did a great job as the titular character.

This is one of those shorts that could certainly be expanded into something more.

3.5 stars

Caddo Lake

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June 12

HBO Max is the home for this sci-fi/thriller called Caddo Lake. I had no real idea what this movie was about, but I was intrigued by the synopsis I read on HBO Max. It read: “When eight-year-old Anna vanishes, her family’s broken history is forever altered by a series of past deaths and disappearances.“

I did not expect what we wound up getting from this film.

It would be difficult to go into much detail on this without spoiling it, so I am going to just touch on some things. In fact, the biggest reason this is a compelling story is a huge spoiler, so this may be a bit of a thin review. I will say that I really liked that bit that I can’t talk about without spoiling it. It was extremely well done, in my opinion.

Dylan O’Brien leads the cast that included Eliza Scanlen, Lauren Ambrose, Eric Lange, Dave Maldonado, Caroline Falk, Diana Hopper, and Sam Hennings.

The story truly grips you immediately and you want to know what was going on. My first thought of what was happening was completely wrong and I wonder if they did a specific scene with a dead alligator for a reason, as a bit of a red herring.

I recommend you go into this movie without a lot of details and enjoy the ride it takes you on. I do believe that it will be worth it. Pay attention though.

Warfare

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June 11

This was brutal.

Warfare was written by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland based on Mendoza’s experiences during the Iraq war. It followed the events of a failed US Navy Seal mission from November 2006 after the Battle of Ramadi.

The script was created through testimony of the platoon members and is told only using their memories. The film is told in real time and is one of the most realistic war films that I have ever seen. This felt more like we had a window into this gunfight than anything that had been recreated by Hollywood magic.

I wish I had seen this on a bigger screen than on my home TV, because I feel as if this is more than a movie, it’s an experience. I can’t imagine what this experience would have been like in IMAX or on a bigger screen with a better sound system.

The sound of the movie was one of the most haunting aspects of it. Everything from the bombs and the bullets being used to the silence emphasizing the screams of pain from the injured. When the silence goes from all encompassing to visceral screams of the wounded, it is a powerful and suspenseful moment. The screams cut deep into the viewer and beginning with the silence makes it all the more impactful.

There is almost no plot and very little characterization. Despite that, the events that take place place a strain on the audience as it feels very real.

The ensemble cast included some of the best young actors around, but it is never apparent that these actors are doing anything but surviving a firefight. The actors include  D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai , Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, Noah Centineo, and Michael Gandolfini. 

The amazing technical work of this film is masterful. The realness of the film cannot be denied. This is one of those tough to watch films that you need to see, once at least. It may not be a film you revisit.

4.5 stars

My Dead Friend Zoe

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June 11

The film for today on the June Swoon is film I saw on Fandango called My Dead Friend Zoe. It was a film that I had never heard of before, but the timing fit for today so I gave it a chance.

The film deals with grief, loss, PTSD and the military as well as the challenges of a family dynamic between people who struggle to relate.

According to IMDB, “MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE is a dark comedy drama that follows the journey of Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran who is at odds with her family thanks to the presence of Zoe (Natalie Morales), her dead best friend from the Army. Despite the persistence of her VA group counselor (Morgan Freeman), the tough love of her mother (Gloria Reuben) and the levity of an unexpected love interest, Merit’s cozy-dysfunctional friendship with Zoe keeps the duo insulated from the world. That is until Merit’s estranged grandfather (Ed Harris) — holed up at the family’s ancestral lake house — begins to lose his way and needs the one thing he refuses… help. At its core, this is a buddy film about a complicated friendship, a divided family, and the complex ways in which we process grief.“

This is a very deep character study about life after loss and how individuals need help getting through the pain of life and loss. There is a bit of a twist at the end of the movie that recontextualizes the idea of the story, but the fact is that it is still dealing with the loss of an important person in your life.

There are strong performances in the film, especially that of Sonequa Martin-Green and Ed Harris. Two veterans, both with their own pain from loss, trying to get through their lives. Morgan Freeman is always a great addition to a cast, even if he may not have as much to do in this one.

My Dead Friend Zoe may be a touch long, but the character study of Merit, in particular, is full of important little steps and that is a realistic tale. This was based on a true story and it was a very powerful film that lets you think about other people in a different light.

28 Weeks Later (2007)

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Preparing for 20 Years Later which will be released later in the month of June, I wanted to rewatch the first two films of the franchise. I was up to 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to 28 Days Later.

28 Weeks Later was different than the first film, but it was still very intense and anxiety-filled. The second film listed Danny Boyle and Alex Garland as producers, but the direction was done by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.

Then, 28 Days Later featured a cast with not very many big stars, where as 28 Weeks Later would be considered an all-star cast. The cast of 28 Weeks Later included Jeremy Renner, Idris Elba, Robert Carlyle, Harold Perrineau, Rose Byrne, Imogene Poots, Catherine McCormack, Amanda Walker, and Mackintosh Muggleton.

According to IMDB, “Almost six months after London was decimated by the unstoppable Rage Virus in 28 Days Later (2002), the U.S. Army has restored peace and repopulated the quarantined city. However, the deadly epidemic reawakens when an unsuspecting carrier of the highly transmittable pathogen enters the dead capital with the first wave of returning refugees. This time, the horrible virus is more dangerous than ever. Has the next nightmare begun?“

This was a solid sequel to the first film and this brought a serious vibe to it. The desperate struggle to survive was even more in effect here as our protagonists faced so many more obstacles than just the return of the “Rage” virus. The military brought yet another level of threat to our characters.

Robert Carlyle, who played Rumpelstiltskin in Once Upon A Time, is amazing in this film. He kicked things off making a choice that gives us a glance at his character, but you can understand where he was coming from. It did not make him look any better even if you do understand. I loved Jeremy Renner in this movie, even if I had a hard time thinking about him as anyone other than Hawkeye.

There were some scenes that really stretched credibility here. These scenes add tension to the story, even if they are unbelievably unlikely to actually happen.

I do believe the first film was a tighter story and the second one is a little messier. Some of the scenes of the infected attacking others remind me of scenes when Killer Bob would attack someone on Twin Peaks Still, the shots did feel more artistic than just gory.

I do not expect any connection between these two films and 28 Years Later, outside of the “Rage” virus because of the length of time. I am still pleased that I was able to watch these two films before 28 Years Later comes out.

28 Days Later (2002)

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Later this month, 28 Years Later will be released in theaters. The trailers to that movie look sensational so I decided to look back on the previous two films in the franchise both of which I have only seen once before. First up was 28 Days Later.

Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, 28 Days Later sets up the world as we see a group of animal right activists free a group of monkeys that, according to the scientists, had been infected with the “Rage” virus. The activists ignored the warnings and immediately discovered that they had made a serious error. The virus spread across Great Britain leading to the collapse of society.

Jim (Cillian Murphy), a bicycle courier who had been involved in an accident prior to the outbreak, awoke from a coma to find the world a much different and more violent place. London seemed deserted as Jim walks through the city in search of anyone.

This beginning reminded me of the beginning of the Walking Dead, with Rick awakening in a deserted hospital only to find the world had changed while he was unconscious. Obviously Robert Kirkman took inspiration from this movie for the idea for the comic book.

Cillian Murphy was excellent as the desperate Jim, struggling to survive in this savage world. Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Alex Palmer, Toby Sedgwick, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Huntley, Christopher Dunne, and Megan Burns filled out the cast of the film.

The tension built through the film and, as we see in many of these films, the theme of man being the real monster comes through strong in this. The second half of the movie was as nerve-wracking as you are going to find.

Despite the horrendous world around them, the film ends with a great message of hope.

Next up… 28 Weeks Later!

Becoming Led Zeppelin

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June 10

This was another movie that I wanted to see in the theater, but it would just never fit into the schedule. I do enjoy Led Zeppelin, though I do not know if I would call myself a fan. I was happy to see this documentary pop up on Netflix.

Led Zeppelin was Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham. They came out of the sounds of the late sixties in Britain with powerful rock that helped inspire heavy metal of the 70s and 80s.

This documentary featured interviews from the members of the band, mixed with unseen concert footage.

Some of this documentary actually reminded me of This is Spinal Tap, the mockumentary of the fictional band Spinal Tap, particularly the concert they played early where the crowd was clearly not the target audience for Led Zeppelin: older people and kids holding their fingers in their ears.

You also saw footage of Jimmy Page using a violin bow on his electric guitar, which reminded me of solo scene from This is Spinal Tap where Nigel Tufnel used a violin to play his guitar. You can see where Spinal Tap had been inspired by Led Zeppelin.

The music truly is the star of this documentary. The doc spent a great deal of time with the band and the focus was on the first two albums. Looking at the music through the voices of the band is the strength of this movie.

I missed Stairway to Heaven, which I know is on the fourth album, but the doc was solid despite that.

3.9 stars

Y2K

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June 10

What did I do?

On HBO Max, I was looking at my watchlist and I chose to watch Y2K for today’s June Swoon.

As the Grail Knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade said…

“He chose poorly.”

Y2K is a movie. I regretted picking this movie five minutes into it.

According to IMDB, “Two high-school nobodies make the decision to crash a Y2K party. The night becomes even crazier than they could have ever dreamed when the clock strikes midnight.“

I do like Jaeden Martell (It) and Rachel Zegler (West Side Story and Snow White). They are so much better than this garbage.

You know that you are in trouble when the best moment of the film is Fred Durst singing George Michael’s “Faith.” Yeah, that happened.

I don’t want to waste any more time on this. What a terrible movie.