There is a new documentary on Netflix called The Perfect Neighbor and it was a tough and sad story.

According to IMDB, “A minor disagreement between neighbors in Florida takes a lethal turn, with police body camera footage and interviews probing the aftermath of the state’s controversial “stand your ground” laws.”

The shots of the doc were mostly from police bodycam recordings. It made for a fascinating narrative for both the people involved in the case as well as the way that the police handled the situation.

Some of the scenes were very tough. When the news arrived at the scene that the woman had died, watching the pain of the family was very difficult.

The film does not go into the “Stand Your Ground” laws very much. It could have been more time spent on that, though it did not necessarily fit with the format of the doc.

The Perfect Neighbor is a warning sign for the division we have in our country. It was a shame that we can’t be more understanding in our world.

4 stars

The third film in the franchise of magicians involved in more than just stage magic arrived this weekend. Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is the next film featuring the Four Horsemen of Magic.

The first two movies were fine, but nothing that really jumped out. It was not a film franchise that I expected would have three films, and, this one definitely left some hints at the end that made you think that there might be more coming. I’m not sure if why needed #3, let alone any more.

I mean, Now You See Me, Now You Don’t was okay. I wasn’t offended by anything they gave us. There are some good actors with charisma that are fun to watch and some of the magic is fun.

However, the film’s story was lacking. The film’s dialogue was not clever or must hear. It was very much let’s put engaging actors into certain situations and let them magic out of them. If you are going for anything deeper than that, you haven’t been paying attention to the franchise.

Rosamund Pike was our main villain and she was, at least, fun to watch. There was not much more to the character than that, but she did seem like she was having fun chewing up the scenery. The new magician characters, the new generation of Horsemen, were also fine, though nothing truly original or new.

I don’t think that there is anything in this movie that is going to stick with you for more than a day or two, but I did not hate watching it in the theater. Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is an average time at the movies.

2.8 stars

Yorgos Lanthimos has been hit and miss for me recently. I hated his last film Kinds of Kindness, but I was a big fan of The Lobster, Poor Things and The Favourite. So I was hoping Bugonia would be more like the other ones.

This is also the third team up between Lanthimos and Emma Stone.

Lanthimos’s films have a tendency to be bizarre and this film is not the exception. However, it felt fairly down to earth (pardon the pun). However, the third act really became a wild trip.

According to IMDB, “Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.”

I thought this one was solid. I enjoyed the performances by both Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, who share most of the screen time.

There is a lot of violence here, especially with Plemons’ character Teddy, but it fit well with the character. The writing is excellent and keeps the uncertainty about what is happening. It looks like it is just about mental illness, but you can tell there is more beneath the surface.

In the end, I really liked this film and I was engaged in everything. Even the wild ending worked for me.

4 stars

Nuremberg was a historical drama film featuring the trial of the Nazis at Nuremberg. After the end of World War II, the US government, along with France, USSR and Great Britain, placed the remaining Nazi leaders on trial.

This was based on the 2013 book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai.

The basis of the movie was when psychiatrist Dr. Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) was brought in to make sure that the Nazis were not able to commit suicide. Kelley immediately went to speak with the big prize of the Nazis, Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), who was Hitler’s second in command.

Russell Crowe and Rami Malek were on fire here. Crowe gave a sensational performance and the scene nearing the end here the two characters were in a throw down in Göring’s cell was just amazing.

The performances were the standout part of this movie. There was also a horrendously horrific video they showed during the trial about the concentration camps and the monstrosities done to the Jewish people, It was tough to watch, but remarkably powerful.

Other actors in the film included John Slattery, Colin Hanks, Michael Shannon, Leo Woodall, Richard E. Grant, and Mark O’Brien.

It was a long film and it took its time, I was engaged most of the entire time. I was impressed with the performances and the look of the film. There were some moments of humor that did not necessarily feel like it worked, but there was not a lot of it in the film.

4 stars

The Senior was a film that I had wanted to see in the theater when its run was happening, but I just could not get it to fit into the schedule. There were too many other films in its way. So now that it is on Fandango at Home (aka Vudu), I went ahead and rented the film to watch.

The movie is the true story of 59-year old linebacker Mike Flynt, who returned to college for his senior year several decades after being kicked out of school for fighting. He tried out for the football team as well, making the cut.

The real life story is inspiring and the film does a nice job of detailing it. Mike is played by Michael Chiklis, and he does a great job in the role. He is a very easy guy to cheer for and the film plays into that desire. I actually thought Mary Stuart Masterson, who played Mike’s wife Eileen, was an even more interesting character that I would have liked to have developed more.

Now, the movie definitely shares many of the typical sport movie tropes and it does not break a lot of new ground. There are some flaws in the storytelling and some moments of the story that does not work very well. However, the comeback Mike goes through and the on field football stuff works very well and leaves you feeling inspired and entertained. A better script could have made this an even better movie though.

The Senior is authentic and worth a watch. If you enjoy a typical sports redemption tale, The Senior is a good choice for you.

3.5 stars

I was interested in seeing Good Boy for awhile now. It came available to rent on Fandango at Home so I gave it a try. You know what I discovered… this was a horror movie.

I knew the film starred the director’s dog, Indy, and that they did the dog scenes all with practical effects. I knew the film was from the point of view of the dog.

But I had no idea it was a horror film. That was why when the title card for SHUDDER came up, I paused and wondered to myself… SHUDDER?

Turned out, Good Boy was a supernatural horror film that put that poor dog into plenty of stressful and suspenseful situations.

According to IMDB, “A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.”

It was basically a haunted house film with the main protagonist being a dog. The dog does a remarkable job of making this movie. Indy clearly worked hard to get these shots. According to the film’s Wikipedia page, the film was shot over 400 days.

Indy made a very easy protagonist to support as he was everything good about dogs on display and the film looked great, including the creepy as heck mud creature in the house.

Good Boy is a quick 72 minute film with some really clever ideas and a loveable lead character. You can currently rent the film, but I would expect it to become available sooner rather than later on Shudder.

4 stars

Hulu has a new remake of the 1992 psychological thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. I do not think that I ever saw the original although the plot is well known enough.

According to IMDB, “An upscale suburban mom brings a new nanny, Polly Murphy, into her home, only to discover she is not the person she claims to be.“

Mary Elizabeth Winstead does a good job as Caitlin Morales, the mother who has had her share of emotional troubles and who brings Polly into the lives of her family. Winstead is easily the best part of the film.

There is not too much more here that is worth the time. Even without seeing the original, I can tell that this is subpar in comparison. There is no way that this movie will be remembered some thirty plus years later.

The writing is low level. The contrivances are scattered throughout the film. The twist at the end was dumb and underdeveloped. The final scenes did not look good at all and took away from the intended power it wanted to have.

The characters were supposed to have lots of back issues, but none of them are developed enough to be anything more than just info that we are told about them. Because of that, I never felt the connection to either character as I was meant to.

I should watch the original some time, but I do think that if you are going to want to watch a film entitled “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle,” I would recommend you choose the original, sight unseen.

2.5 stars

Kathryn Bigelow won an Academy Award for the Hurt Locker. Her new thriller dropped on Netflix this weekend. It was a film called A House of Dynamite and it told its story through multiple POVs of different characters.

A normal day goes into chaos when a nuclear missile has been launched and is on its way to the United States. No one is sure where the missile came from or if it even is one, but the responses are tense and difficult.

We see this stretch of period from several different perspectives, each one revealing some new details.

The cast is exceptional. It included Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, Jared Harris, Gabriel Basso, Jason Clarke, Anthony Ramos, Greta Lee, Tracy Letts, Jonah Hauer-King, and Kaitlyn Dever.

I really thought this was a strong film. I was engaged and enthralled with the story and the performances. Seeing the same scenes played out in another POV is completely amazing.

I do not want to spoil the ending, but it was a shocking thing and I am not sure how I feel about it. I understand it though.

This was a really strong film that I am glad that I watched. It is on Netflix.

4.3 stars

I was excited to see the horror film Shelby Oaks because the director/writer of the movie was YouTube movie reviewer Chris Stuckmann, who I have liked for many years. I know this was a passion project that he raised funds for with Kickstarter and I like seeing someone accomplish a goal.

According to IMDB, “A woman’s desperate search for her long-lost sister falls into obsession upon realizing that the imaginary demon from their childhood may have been real.”

The movie started off like it was a documentary, talking about Riley (Sarah Durn) and her crew at the YouTube channel, Paranoid Paranormal, had disappeared after arriving in the town of Shelby Oaks. Riley’s sister Mia (Camille Sullivan) investigated the disappearance, which was eventually tied to something from the sister’s past.

The chunk of the movie was engaging. There music cues were very successful in creating some tension where necessary. I really enjoyed the documentary style that started the film off. It was quite a chunk of time in this format before the title card came along. I thought that the documentary format was mor compelling than the middle section of the movie, though I did enjoy most of it.

I will say that I was fairly disappointed with the ending of the film. I did not feel a satisfaction with how things were resolved and it weakened a solid effort prior to it.

I was impressed with Stuckmann’s directorial debut as there were several good scenes and shots through the film. The film looked really good too.

Overall, I think it was a good debut from Stuckmann and it is something that he can always be proud of completing. I do think there are better movies in his future, but Shelby Oaks was wacthable.

3.5 stars