Tag Archives: film

Strange Harvest

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This scared the hell out of me.

It has been a long time since I have been as disturbed by a film as I was by Strange Harvest, a film I rented on Fandango at Home (Vudu). This would have worked really well for the October 13, although I did not watch it until November.

This movie was filmed in the “True Crime” style documentary, though the story was fictional. I would call it a “mockumentary” though that term leads me to picture something funny like This is Spinal Tap, and there was nothing funny about Strange Harvest.

The film followed the story of the serial killer who became known as Mr. Shiny, and his multiple murders over several years. The main “talking heads” of the horror mockumentary were Detective Joe Kirby (Peter Zizzo) and Detective Lexi Taylor (Terri Apple). They provided most of the narrative for the fake documentary.

This feels like a real documentary, which I think is why it hit so hard. There is a “Blair Witch” tone to it which adds to the mood of this film. Up until the ending of the doc, this could be a true story.

Mr. Shiny is a combination of the Zodiac Killer and an H.P. Lovecraft character. When we learn of his identity as Leslie Sykes (Jesse J. Clarkson), the character becomes even more frightening than he did before. Jesse Clarkson does an amazing job of creating an eerie, creepy, sinister character who is more like a ghost than a human for much of the film.

This is definitely one of the most scary films I have seen in a long time. I am still feeling disconcerted and unquieted as I write this. I may go from here and jump into my bed and hide beneath my covers. Strange Harvest was an excellent experience.

4.75 stars

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #42

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#42

The Walking Dead

After the ending of LOST, I had a huge gap in my heart and I was not interested in replacing it with another TV show. I did not watch much TV after LOST left. I did not watch The Walking Dead’s first season because of that. I had heard some good word of mouth about the comic book adaptation, so I decided I would catch up on the first, short season.

It was so wonderful, it helped in the recovery from post-LOST life.

Few shows have generated the anguish that The Walking Dead has over its eleven seasons. I will be honest, I did not watch much of the last few years of the show. There was onlky so much pain one could take.

I remember the spot that began my end with this show. It was Glen. I am not sure that any TV death has ever been as emptying as when Negan smashed Lucille, his baseball bat, into Glen’s skull, as he did in the comics, it was horrific and left me feeling hollow. I knew it was done brilliantly well and created all kinds of story, but the fact was that Glen’s death was the slow end for me.

Before that though, The Walking Dead was so amazing. It had so many unbelievable moments. Shane and his craziness. Carol telling Lizzie to look at the flowers before shooting her in the head. Daryl Dixon and his overall awesomeness. Rick screaming for Carl.

One of the best additions in the later part of the show was Michonne, played by Danai Gurira. Michonne and her katana was so bad ass. I also enjoyed her eventual relationship with Rick, which I saw more of in the spin of featuring those two characters, The Ones Who Lived.

The Walking Dead took advantage of the resurgence of zombies, leading the way among pop culture in presenting some of the most frightening moments featuring the monsters. However, the show never justbecame about the zombies, or Walkers as they dubbed them. The show was about the relationships between and the choices made by the survivors, and proved consistently that the humans might be the real monsters in a zombie apocalypse.

The Devil’s Candy (2015)

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6 of The October 13

I had never heard of this movie before, but after seeing Dangerous Animals, directed by Sean Byrne, I saw on his IMDB page that he had done another horror film called The Devil’s Candy. I was impressed enough with the Dangerous Animals movie, that I looked into this movie. It had a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and was available on Shudder.

With the positives, I added it to the possible films for the October 13 this year. I just watched it and it was a frightening thriller with some solid performances.

According to IMDB, “Metal music, paint, and family are the passions of struggling painter, Jesse, who lives a happy life with his wife, and daughter. Things look brighter when Jesse finds a huge old house, in rural Texas, selling at a very low price, due to its mysterious past. They move in and Jesse converts the barn into a studio. But soon, his work starts taking on a new, darker flavour – and things get even more ominous when the hulking, unbalanced son of the former owners appears on the doorstep. Jesse’s family won’t be safe until they find a way to quiet the Devil himself.“

Pruitt Taylor Vince played Ray Smilie, who lived in the house before. His presence in the film was disturbing every second he was on screen. You felt for him at first, but that does not last long as he begins to do some horrendous things.

The tone of this movie was so uneasy, filled with tension that you were never really sure where the film was heading next and whether or not this was going to turn out to be a positive ending. I like that kind of film and the mood was truly ramped up.

Byrne does a great job directing this and you can see where his storytelling highlights the important details in the film. He is one of our new voices in horror with a couple huge successes under his belt.

Black Phone 2

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The first film, Black Phone, was such a surprise hit and was so great that you knew there would be a sequel at some point, despite the fact that the Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke, was killed.

Of course, Ethan Hawke returned to the film in a supernatural manner as Black Phone 2 dropped in theaters this weekend.

According to IMDB, “As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, his sister begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake.“

Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw returned as Finney and Gwen. Finney was the kid who the Grabber snatched in the last movie and his sister Gwen used her dreams to find where he was being held at. Gwen has had some issues with dreams still and it led them to a winter camp in the mountains.

The tone of this movie is so excellent. It is frightening and anxiety-fueling. There were multiple moments that were very disturbing and unsettling.

Ethan Hawke’s return as the Grabber was awesome. It was a creative way to bring him back. It was a Freddy Krueger type of situation and it was scary.

The performances of all the actors were fantastic. I thought they all did such a great job and helped create the suspense. This was especially the truth for Madeleine McGraw’s Gwen. She had to carry a lot of the real impact of the story.

However, I do think that some of the story became too convoluted and messy. I had some issues with the story that I will not spoil here. Still, the positives of this film overweighed the problems I found in the film.

Black Phone 2 was a solid sequel, though I did not like it as much as the original. It was a strong follow up.

3.6 stars

Roofman

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Channing Tatum showed just how charming of an actor he is by taking the role of Jeffery Manchester, a criminal who would rob McDonalds and other stores by cutting a hole in the ceiling.

This is a true story of Manchester, and it is astounding. I can tell you how much I was rooting for Tatum, even though I knew it was a true story. At one point in the theater, I thought to myself that there was no way this was going to turn out well for these characters.

According to IMDB, “Based on an unbelievable true story, Roofman follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), an Army veteran and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname: Roofman. After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.“

Of course, one could argue that Manchester was incredibly selfish, having insinuated himself into the lives of Leigh and her daughters, making himself a vital part of their lives despite knowing that one day he would have to break their hearts. If you stop and think about what was happening here, you can see Manchester as a rotten person. Still, Channing Tatum is such a charming and versatile actor that you can’t help but look past the bad behavior and hope for the best.

Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Uzo Aduba, Ben Mendelsohn, and Molly Price all had roles in the film. Dinklage was excellent as always, playing a jerk of a boss at the Toys R Us that Manchester hid out at.

The story moved quickly as the relationship between Manchester and Leigh developed. He was very skilled at inter-personal workings and he eventually won over her daughters.

I found this to be a very engaging and thoroughly beguiling film. Channing Tatum was the standout star and he carried the film on his shoulders.

4 stars

Tron: Ares

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So there was probably few major blockbusters this year that I was looking forward to less than Tron: Ares. I was not a fan of either of the previous films, Tron and Tron: Legacy, though, to be fair, I would be hard pressed to tell you much of anything about those previous movies because it has been a long time since I watched them. I did walk into the movie with as open of a mind as I could, but I was not anticipating it.

I disliked this movie a lot.

There were two things that I thought were really great. First, the soundtrack/score of the film, done by Nine Inch Nails, was sensational and worked so well for the world of this movie. I had questioned the choice of Nine Inch Nails, but they absolutely ruled here.

The second thing that I can say positively about Tron: Ares is the visual effects are amazing. It looks great, although perhaps there were some scenes when the visual effects were too much because it overpowered what was happening in the scene. For the most part, the action with these effects were top notch.

That is where I draw the line for my positives.

The story of the movie was so basic that it was as if it weren’t even there. Jared Leto was fine, but he did not have to do anything really challenging. The rest of the actors felt as if they were not necessary. So many of the other actors had virtually nothing to do, including Greta Lee and Even Peters, who I usually love. Peters, especially, felt like nothing more than a one note villain that could have been so much more.

There were nothing that really tied this movie to anything that happened in previous films, outside of a forced cameo from Jeff Bridges. That is fine, but it felt as if it went out of the way to avoid the previous films.

I was bored for much of the film and, if I did not have the score to entertain me, I may have fallen asleep. There were no characters worth my time and the story was nothing more than searching for the latest MacGuffin.

I was anxious for this movie to get over with for much of the two hour run time. I did not enjoy my time in the theater with Tron: Ares.

2 stars

Dangerous Animals (2025)

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3 of October 13

This is the first time that I used one of the October 13 to watch a movie from the same year. I have usually specified that the October 13 would be from prior years, but this was one of the movies that I was excited to see. Since it came free on streaming just recently, I thought this would be an excellent exception. And boy howdy, was it an excellent exception.

I do enjoy a good shark movie. However, there are rarely too many that could be defined as good. Obviously Jaws is the king of all shark movies. Jaws 2 does not get the love it should. There is Open Water (which is not as much of a shark movie as a lost at sea with sharks movie), and the epic Samuel L. Jackson death scene in Deep Blue Sea. Blake Lively’s The Shallows was good, and last year’s Under Paris was tense. After that, the pickings are rather slim.

You can add another winner to that list with Dangerous Animals. It was an awesome film that did not make the shark into the antagonist. There was a much worse antagonist on the ship.

According to IMDB, “When Zephyr, a savvy and free-spirited surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.“

This was extremely intense and suspenseful. Hassie Harrison played Zephyr, a loner whose one night stand with Moses (Josh Heuston) gave her a moment of joy. Unfortunately, she was grabbed by Tucker (Jai Courtney), who had his own plans for her.

Hassie Harrison was awesome as this bad ass. She fought with every ounce of energy she had to avoid being fed to the sharks and she was great. Jai Courtney was as slimy and horrendous of a character as I have seen on the screen in a long time. The war between Zephyr and Tucker kept me glued through every minute of the 98 minute run time.

I loved the ending, which was very satisfying and portrayed the shark in a wholly unusual light. The shots of the shark were great despite the low budget feel of this Australian/USA co-production. The score worked so well helping to build the tension. The overall look and design of this film was very strong and I enjoyed this one a lot.

I was able to stream this on Prime. I would absolutely recommend those who love the shark movie, give this one a try.

4.25 stars

The Lost Bus

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*Deep breath*

Apple TV + has had some great movies over the last few years, but I am not sure there has been one that was more intense or dramatic as the new Matthew McConaughey film, The Lost Bus.

The Lost Bus was based on the 2021 non-fiction novel, Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson. It chronicled the story of a bus driver and a bus load of kids who were trying to survive the 2018 Camp Fire, one of the deadliest and destructive wildfire in the history of California.

The film was unbelievable. The tension and horrifying moments throughout the film was breathtaking. There were stretches of the film where I would not breath because I was so invested.

I do not know how they filmed this because it sure felt as if this bus was traveling through a real fire. The special effects are utterly astounding and created amazing suspense.

This bus faced so many obstacles, I had to keep convincing myself that they would not make this movie if the ending was tragic, but I wondered how it was going to be possible for them to make it out. The final scene with the bus driving through the flames was as nerve-shaking as you are ever going to see.

Admittedly, the characters were not that deep. Outside of McConaughey’s Kevin McKay, there were not very many three dimensional characters. America Ferrera’s school teacher Mary Ludwig got some moments of character development and Ferrera brought a powerhouse performance with what she had. Both McConaughey and Ferrera were excellent with the action roles. I should also shout out to the kids on the bus, who did a great job of seeming traumatized.

The secondary story of Chief Martinez (Yul Vasquez) was nowhere near as personal or powerful as the tale of the bus, and most of the times they cut to him and the other firefighters felt like a break in the anxiety, even though Vasquez does bring a lot to the role.

Fun fact: In the movie, Kevin’s mother Sherry was played by Matthew McConaughey’s real life mother Kay, and Kevin’s son, Shaun, was played by his real life son, Levi.

The Lost Bus was an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed tale of survival and heroism that looked epic and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was squirming around and talking to the screen, gasping at some of the frightening things that were on display. This was an outstanding movie experience that would have been even better on the big screen.

4.6 stars

One Battle After Another

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It seemed as though everyone and their mother have been raving about the new film from Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another. I saw it today and I may have a differing opinion.

According to IMDB, “When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue one of their own’s daughter.” This is not the best synopsis that I have ever heard, because this is only somewhat accurate for the storyline.

Leonardo DiCaprio played Bob, the former revolutionary who met up with Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), a fellow revolutionary, and they made a powerful pair. However, when Perfidia got pregnant, it was not sure what was going to happen. She, in fact, left Bob and her daughter to continue her lifestyle of wildness.

Flash forward several years, Bob has become an alcoholic and an ample drug user, but when danger came once again, he had to spring back into action to protect his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti).

Col. Stephen J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) had returned from their past to once again pursue Bob and, specifically, Willa.

Sean Penn was absolutely unhinged in this film, and DiCaprio played the bumbling former revolutionary very well. They were the best part of this movie.

I have to say, I did not like the first half or so of this movie. I found it dull and downright disappointing. It is a long movie, so I was looking at my phone to see the time, hoping it would be over sooner than what the time said.

However, the film’s final part picked up and piqued my interest more, saving the film for me. I found that last hour or so much more compelling than the first part.

The performances were all solid. Some of the action was good too. It just felt as if the film spent too much time getting going before it finally grabbed my attention.

3.1 stars

The Long Walk

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I am all stiff and tired after driving for 100 miles. I can’t imagine having to walk it.

A ensemble of characters have to do just that (and more) in the latest film based on a Stephen King novella called The Long Walk, and it is absolutely tremendous.

My first feeling was that this was a combination of Squid Game and Hunger Games, which made sense considering Francis Lawrence directed it and he had directed several of the Hunger Games movies.

In this dystopian future, a group of young men volunteers win a lottery drawing for the right to participate in the “Long Walk,” an annual event where the group start to walk and must continue to walk at a brisque speed or else they would be eliminated. The last man standing would be declared the winner and would earn a wish and prize money.

I tell you, The Long Walk is one of the most difficult, heart-wrenching, hard-to-watch movies of the year. It keeps you, as an audience member, off balance and uneasy, if not outrightly disturbed. There were some scenes in this movie that were totally unsettling, and I do not just mean the scene of the execution of the walkers.

I was extremely emotional during this movie because they did such an amazing job of setting up and developing the characters that I cared for them in a limited amount of time and I found myself tearing up on more than one occasion and felt gut-punched more than once.

The film really was a character piece, as the driving force of much of the movie was the dialogue that was going on between the actors. It was so expertly written that there were characters who only received minimal attention that I cared about so much. The interaction between these actors drove the story and only helped serve the shocking violence that would follow. Nothing was held back. The violence was brutal, crushing and significant.

Our main two fixtures among the characters were Raymond Garraty and Peter McVries, played brilliantly by Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, respectfully. The performances of these two actors really created a bond between the characters that carried you through a film where you knew that only one of the ensemble would survive. They became brothers-like and gave the film real heart.

Mark Hamill played the Major, the head of this activity who would show up throughout the Long Walk to be an a-hole and continue to harass and remind the walkers of what was going on. Mark Hamill is awesome as a villain, but to be fair, this Major is not the most developed character in the film as he was a bit too mustache-twirly. Hamill played him extremely well though as I had sufficient feeling of resentment toward him as the film progressed.

This is not a fun watch by any means. It gives us a depressing world with an even worse premise that will lead only to violent death and loss. As an allegory to the Vietnam War, which is was back in the 1960s when Stephen King wrote this novella, it works well. As a character piece, introducing us to these sad people through dialogue and death, it works even more. The Long Walk is a powerfully compelling, hard to watch film that gave me a lot of feelings and things to think about.

4.6 stars

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

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I am a huge fan of This is Spinal Tap. It is not only a cult classic, but, for me, it is one of my all time favorite movies. So I was very excited when I saw that there would be a sequel bringing the boys back together.

Spinal Tap is David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls. These three, along with director of the film Marty Di Burgi, have been making the promotional rounds, talking about the movie. Of course, these characters are being portrayed in kayfabe by Michael McKeon, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and director Rob Reiner.

The new “mockumentary” follows the guys as they reunite after years to play one more contractually required concerts. The film is about Spinal Tap getting back together, dealing with their problems and rehearsing for the big show in New Orleans.

I love Spinal Tap and this was a lot of fun. It was great seeing these characters again, even if seeing them aged is a bit of a shock. The music is wonderful. The lines are funny. I assume they did the same kind of improv that they used in the first film.

I am going to say that there was no way this was going to match the first film. This is Spinal Tap is such a brilliant film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues was never going to be able to reach the levels of the first one. However, this was still a lot of enjoyment. There was something missing in the story. Perhaps it was the tension between the band that was causing that feeling, but there was something that brought the story down a touch.

It does tell you how iconic Spinal Tap is when you can get Paul McCartney and Elton John to come to your film and sing with the band. There were a couple of other cool cameos here including Questlove, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Chad Smith, and Lars Ulrich (of Metallica).

A lot of the jokes are recycled, including clips from the original movie. There are a bunch of new songs, but none of them received the full song version in the film. We do get full versions of “Cups and Cakes,” “Stonehenge,” and “(Listen to the) Flower People.” I would have liked to hear a few of the new songs extended outside of the slight usage in rehearsal footage or band discussion.

These critiques are minor for me as I laughed and enjoyed the reunion film. Fans of the original movie are going to have a lot of fun with this new sequel, which would make a great double feature with the original.

4.4 stars

The Conjuring: Last Rites

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What is supposed to be the final installment of the Conjuring franchise was released this weekend. This was the fourth Conjuring movie, but the Conjuring universe of movies included a total of nine when you add Annabelle and The Nun films.

According to IMDB, “Paranormal investigators, Ed & Lorraine Warren take on their most disturbing case to date. Jack & Janet Smurl and their family, move into a brand new home they’ve dreamed of, which turned into a nightmare as their home begins to show signs of demonic infestation.“

Ed & Lorraine Warren were real people and the films are listed as based on a true story. Of course, how much is “true” is anyone’s guess. This case with the Smurl family was apparently the final case for the Warrens.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have become extremely comfortable in these roles over the years and they are most likely the strongest part of this film. They have great chemistry with one another and they do all the heavy lifting.

The first half of the movie was a touch dull and the second half did pick things up. I thought the third act of the movie was satisfying and intense. The first half did drag a bit. I think there were parts of that first half of the movie that could have been trimmed to bring the run time of this movie down from its 135 minutes and would have helped the film overall.

There also felt as if there were too many things wrapped into the film. I’m not sure the overall tale of the haunted house needed to be as convoluted as it was.

The Conjuring movies have slipped in quality over the years, but it still does some things very well and it gives us a wrap up for the franchise that is satisfying.

3.2 stars

The Toxic Avenger (2023)

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The Toxic Avenger was a B-movie from 1984 that became a cult classic on cable. The character of Toxie has stuck around in different formats over the years. Now, we get a new version of The Toxic Avengers in 2025. Technically.

The film has been on the shelf for the last couple of years looking for studio to release it. Finally we get the film released.

Janitor Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage) discovered that he had a progressive brain cancer that would kill him in the next year. In desperation, Winston approached his company’s head, Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon), for help. Bob brushes him off. Winston gets shot and dumped into the ooze, and he is transformed into a freaky new creature, The Toxic Avenger.

The creators and actors in this new version of The Toxic Avenger know exactly what type of movie this is and they carry themselves as such. The original movie was a huge B-movie and this film echoes that as well. Everything about the film makes you think this is a low-budget, over-the-top, low level film with the exception of the cast.

This movie has a big time cast. Not only do we get Peter Dinklage as Winston and Kevin Bacon as Bob, but we also get Justin Tremblay as Wade, Winston’s step-son, Taylour Paige as J.J. Doherty, and Elijah Wood as Bob’s brother Fritz.

This movie could have easily just done a big budget film and make it more straightforward, but that would have lost the tone of the original, which this film was trying to emulate. The story was silly and a lot of the dialogue was just bad at times. However, the actors played into the story in a way that you could tell that it was part of the joke. It was one of those film that didn’t care that it had stupid moments because it was meant to be that way. This film embraced the silliness and stupidity.

A perfect example is Kevin Bacon’s performance. He is chewing the scenery so much that you can tell he is having the time of his life. I should also mention that when Winston is transformed into Toxie, Peter Dinklage only does voice over. British actress Luisa Guerreiro is doing the physical performance of Toxie in the makeup.

This is the type of movie that will divide the audience. You have to be able to watch this understanding that it is a B-movie (at best) and that they are playing into that. This is a lot of fun. Yes, it will never win any awards, but you can have a good time if you let yourself.

3.3 stars

Caught Stealing

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Darren Aronofsky, director of The Whale, Mother!, Requiem for a Dream, Noah, Black Swan and The Wrestler, released his newest film this weekend, Caught Stealing, starring up-and-coming star, Austin Butler.

I have been hit-and-miss with Aronofsky’s film over the years. I love The Wrestler and Black Swan, but did not like Mother! or Noah much at all. So I approached Caught Stealing with an uneasy feeling, especially since the trailers for this did not excite me.

I am happy to say that I enjoyed Caught Stealing quite a bit, and it would be near the top of my list of Aronofsky films.

I will say that it has a distinctly different feel than other Aronofsky films, feeling more like a crime film directed by Guy Ritchie.

According to IMDB, “Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.“

Austin Butler is exceptional as Hank Thompson. Hank suffered from plenty of trauma from his life, shown expertly in dreams and flashbacks. These scenes provide a lot of details and specific traits for our main character and show what a relatable character he is to the audience. Butler provided such a strong performance to help amplify these traits for Hank, giving no doubt about who the audience should root for.

I did love the character of Yvonne, played by Zoë Kravitz. She had some great chemistry with Austin Butler and she provided some of the most amazing moments of the film. I also found Regina King’s work as Detective Roman to be on point. Being honest, the rest of the cast had great actors, but their characters were not developed deeply. The cast included Matt Smith, Vincent D’Onofrio, Liev Schreiber, Chris Russo, Griffin Dunne, Bad Bunny, Tenoch Huerta and Carol Kane.

Perhaps the best performance in the film was given by the cat that Hank had to carry with him through most of the film. The cat was definitely one of the best characters in the film.

The tone of the film did bounce around too much. It would go from anxiousness to almost humor, and it did make it feel somewhat inconsistent. I would not call this a comedy, even a black one. This is more like a film that we might have gotten in the 1990s.

The film was set in 1998, with the San Francisco Giants’ pursuit of the Wild Card being a backdrop for the storyline. Hank was a super fan and he was constantly rooting for his team. The choice of using this as a backdrop is interesting as the Giants did make it to the World Series, only for the series to be disrupted by an earthquake.

I have to say that some of the things that Hank was able to overcome in this movie stretched credibility a touch, but since I was enjoying the movie as much as I was, these issues did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the movie. I will say that the first thing that happened to him probably would have taken me out of the action right away.

This film kept my interest and I enjoyed the work of the actors and the overall story. The tone was shaky at times, but any flaws that the film showed were not major problems. Austin Butler is a major star in the future of films and this is one more great example.

4 stars

The Roses

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The War of the Roses was a 1989 movie starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito about a married couple who have fallen out and go to desperate lengths over the ownership of the house in the divorce.

Now we have a rebooted version of the film, The Roses, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. It is difficult to review The Roses without thinking about the original film from the late 1980s.

According to IMDB, “Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch): successful careers, great kids, an enviable sex life. But underneath the façade of the perfect family is a tinderbox of competition and resentments that’s ignited when Theo’s professional dreams come crashing down.”

What made me the most excited about this remake was the lead actors. I really like Benedict Cumberbatch and I love Olivia Colman. I do not think that I have seen a bad performance from Colman in any films she had appeared in. Some of the films are not very good, but she always brings the goods. This is no exception and these two are easily the standout of the film.

The Roses spends a lot more time building the relationship between Theo and Ivy than the War of the Roses did with Oliver and Barbara. We see the tensions building between them and how it poisons their love slowly, over years. At first it seemed as if it was going to be mostly Theo who caused the rift, but the film definitely came back around to balance out the fault.

The only problem with the slow build in the movie was the finale felt more rushed and may have lacked some overall oomph, especially when compared to The War of the Roses.

I did like the way the film ended though some may not appreciate the manner in which the movie closes.

I thought the film was dark (though nowhere as dark as the first one) and it did have some funny moments that sprung out of character and, in particular, dialogue. I thought this was well written and worked with the tone it had been setitng.

I was not as much of a fan with some of the side characters, especially Kate McKinnon’s Amy. This joke seemed to be pushed too far in the film and was not as funny as it was at the first mention. Andy Samberg was basically the Danny DeVito role, but did not get much to do. It was fun to see The Doctor from Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa on the screen as one of Ivy’s employees at the restaurant (the name of which is one of the best jokes of the early part of the film).

I did enjoy The Roses, mainly because of Cumberbatch and Colman. It is not as good as the original film from 1989, but it is complimentary to it.

4 stars