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2018 Films, Drama, Musical, Musical Drama, Romantic Drama, Top 250 Films

A Star Is Born-2018

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A Star Is Born- 2018

Director Bradley Cooper

Starring Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga

Top 250 Films #245

Scott’s Review #819

Reviewed October 10, 2018

Grade: A

On paper, by the time a film reaches its fourth remake (think- superhero franchises), there is a risk of either utter redundancy or a lack of interest (or both!).

Months before A Star Is Born (2018) was released to theaters, a tremendous buzz emerged, particularly about the stars (Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga). Considering the latter had never starred in a film before, the word of mouth was surprising.

The hype can be believed as the film is a tremendous effort with something to offer everyone.

The story begins with a boozy country crooner, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), performing a sold-out show. He needs pills to take the stage and suffers from gradual hearing loss, but he is nonetheless a famous and popular star.

Following the concert, Jackson meets Ally (Lady Gaga), a waitress who moonlights singing French songs at a drag bar. They immediately bond as he encourages her to celebrate her talent despite her insecurities.

As events unfold, the pair dive into a passionate romance as her career skyrockets while he deteriorates from drug and alcohol abuse.

On the surface, a film such as A Star Is Born risks being hokey, formulaic, or otherwise generic. The premise dictates this: a successful star meets an insecure up-and-comer, romance ensues, and they face obstacles and internal conflict on the road to success.

Sounds like material custom-made for a Hallmark television movie or something lightweight, especially given the remake of a remake factor.

Instead, every element of A Star Is Born works perfectly.

Of enormous praise is how Bradley Cooper both directs this film and has the central male role. As a director, he incorporates some interesting camera shots, including a long shot of Ally walking down an alley, rehearsing a song for a performance.

Also, the numerous concert scenes are very well done. Impressive since this is Cooper’s directorial debut.

An enormous win for the film is the chemistry between Cooper and Gaga, which is evident in the first moments when the two appear on screen together. Their chemistry is purely electric, almost magical as they rapidly bond and connect.

Their connection is not only physical but also based on their love of music and the artistry associated with creating good music. This bond is slowly tested as Ally’s career takes off and her manager steers her in a more pop-oriented direction, infuriating Jackson.

Even through turmoil, the chemistry between the two actors is palpable in every scene.

My two favorite scenes include the one in which Jackson and Ally first meet in the drag bar. The lovely French tune (Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en rose”) that she performs is cultural and rife with talent. As Jackson gazes at her from the bar, his gleaming eyes are filled with amazement and pride. He is immediately smitten with her talent and poise, and this scene sets the tone for the film.

The second comes at the film’s conclusion, as Ally belts the heartfelt “I’ll Never Love Again”. Performing to a subdued audience, the song is performed as a close-up of Ally to the tremendous visual effect.

The musical numbers are heartfelt and emotional without being sappy. From treasures such as “Shallow” and “Maybe It’s Time” to the thunderous “Black Eyes” and pop-driven “Why Did You Do That?”, the soundtrack contains something for everyone.

Cooper, already an acting champ, astounds as he is so good, while Lady Gaga, a novice to film acting, looks like a pro. We believe in her struggles, doubting her star potential as she is deemed “too ugly” to make it in the music business.

Gaga successfully showcases her pain, doubt, and eventual bombast at her sudden success.

Mention must be given to Sam Elliott, the veteran actor who gives a dynamic supporting turn as Bobby Maine, Jackson’s older brother and manager. Elliott does not have a showy role or a big emotional scene—he doesn’t need to. In the actor’s quiet way, he infuses the character with pent-up anger but also with unconditional love and affection for his brother.

Harboring rage and turmoil for each other, the best scene between Elliott and Cooper comes towards the film’s end when Jackson admits his love for Bobby. The emotion on Elliott’s face is raw in this important scene.

A Star Is Born (2018) is a superlative remake and one for the ages. This fan favorite will easily go down in the record books.

With a memorable musical soundtrack, outstanding acting and directing, and characters audiences can relate to, a classic in the making is not too difficult to imagine.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Actor-Bradley Cooper, Best Actress-Lady Gaga, Best Supporting Actor-Sam Elliott, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song-“Shallow” (won), Best Sound Mixing, Best Cinematography

1975 Films, Thriller, Top 250 Films

Three Days of the Condor-1975

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Three Days of the Condor-1975

Director Sydney Pollack

Starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Max von Sydow

Top 250 Films #246

Scott’s Review #1,206

Reviewed December 11, 2021

Grade: B+

Three Days of the Condor (1975) is an edge-of-your-seat thriller starring Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway, two big stars of the 1970s.

The film is directed by the respected Sydney Pollack, most famous for Out of Africa (1985) and Tootsie (1982).

He knows how to entertain while providing a good, juicy romance.

The quick pace and frenetic editing make the film move along, and the frequent exteriors of Manhattan and Brooklyn are great. Good-looking stars and a dangerous European bad guy played by Max von Sydow certainly help.

My only criticism is that Three Days of the Condor is quite similar and familiar to other espionage or political thrillers like All the President’s Men (1976) or Chinatown (1974) that emerged during the 1970s.

This is small potatoes by comparison with the compelling and action-oriented theme, though.

On a seemingly ordinary day, Joe Turner (Redford), a bookish CIA codebreaker, is tasked with fetching lunch for his colleagues. When he returns, he finds that they have all been murdered. Horrified, Joe flees the scene and tries to tell his supervisors about the tragedy, but quickly learns that CIA higher-ups were involved in the murders.

With no one to trust and a determined hitman named Joubert (Max von Sydow) on his tail, Joe must somehow survive long enough to figure out why his agency wants him dead. He kidnaps Kathy Hale (Dunaway), who he hopes will assist him in his peril.

The opening segment is the best part of Three Days of the Condor. The massacre of the entire office is shocking and bloody, and Pollack infuses the necessary elements of suspense in this key scene.

The scolding, chainsmoking receptionist who keeps a gun in her desk drawer is the first to die and no match for her assassins. As they go about the office, kicking down doors and wreaking havoc, it’s a hope that someone is spared.

We also wonder about their motivation.

And the tense elevator scene involving Turner and Joubert is fabulous.

Particularly worth mentioning is the inclusion of a female Asian character, hinted at as a possible love interest of Turner’s. Tina Chen’s character, Janice, is intelligent and sexy.

Her flirtations with Turner, unfortunately, never go anywhere, as she is part of the lunchtime slaughter, but some Asian representation in mainstream film during this time is a positive.

I fell in love with Kathy’s cozy and stylish Brooklyn apartment. Assumed to be very close to the Lower Manhattan financial district, the set is beautifully dressed. It provides depth and texture to her character, whom we barely know at first.

She has good taste and sophistication and sees something in Turner, although he has just accosted her at random.

It was a stretch to buy Robert Redford as nerdy or anything other than a platinum blonde hunk, but the actor does a satisfactory job leading the film. I couldn’t stop comparing Redford and Brad Pitt at that age, as the two stars look similar.

The chemistry between Redford and Dunaway is palpable and key to the film. If little or none existed, it would have detracted from the believability when they become lovers, it feels natural, a satisfying culminating moment for the audience, and proper to the story.

Providing enough action to enthrall viewers in the thriller genre, Three Days of the Condor (1975) is slick yet believable. Capitalizing on the paranoia that the fresh Watergate scandal had resulted in when the film was made, it still holds up well as a film decades later.

Oscar Nominations: Best Film Editing

1960 Films, Adventure, Drama, Epic, Top 250 Films

Spartacus-1960

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Spartacus-1960

Director Stanley Kubrick

Starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons

Top 250 Films #247

Scott’s Review #1,250

Reviewed April 30, 2022

Grade: A

Typically, when influential director Stanley Kubrick’s name is uttered, films such as The Shining (1980), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and Barry Lyndon (1975) are immediately thought of, and for obvious reasons.

The haunting, moody musical score, the long camera shots, the dark humor, and the clever camera tricks are easy to pinpoint.

1960, the director was hired to direct the gorgeous epic Spartacus after Hollywood star Kirk Russell unceremoniously fired the first director.

None of the previously mentioned elements are easy for me to notice and are more or less absent, but a grand battle scene in a luscious green field is very reminiscent of Barry Lyndon. This is likely because Spartacus was not Kubrick’s film entirely; instead, it belonged to others with more clout.

Spartacus is a brilliant film for many reasons. Some epics suffer from a hokey, cliched feel and can be overwrought, predictable, and tired.

The rebellious Thracian Spartacus (Russell), born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus (Ustinov). After training to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion.

As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers increase as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they intend to cross the sea and return to their homes.

Spartacus is grand, sweeping, cinematically significant, and everything else you’d expect from a 1960s Hollywood epic with enormous stars of its day. Looking beneath the surface, the film is riddled with interesting tidbits like bisexuality, homoeroticism, and violence, more in tune with an art film or modern war film than the safety of a movie made during this time.

Particularly noteworthy is that Dalton Trumbo wrote the screenplay. One of the Hollywood Ten, he refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 during the committee’s investigation of alleged Communist influences in the motion picture industry.

After the release of Spartacus, it marked the beginning of the end of the Hollywood Blacklist for Trumbo and other affected screenwriters.

Thank goodness.

In a famous scene, recaptured slaves are asked to identify Spartacus in exchange for leniency; instead, each slave proclaims himself to be Spartacus, thus sharing his fate.

The suggestion is that this scene was meant to dramatize the solidarity of those accused of being Communist sympathizers during the McCarthy era.

Besides the political importance, Spartacus showcases a beautiful romance between Spartacus (Russell) and Varinia (Jean Simmons), a gorgeous slave girl. The tenderness and authenticity are palpable as many of their early scenes involve no dialogue but only longing and expression through both actors’ eyes.

I celebrated the connection between the actors at the forefront of much romance. Russell carries the film with calm masculinity, quickly making him heroic and likable.

He is the charismatic, good guy who has been wronged and ill-fated.

A sequence oozing with machismo and homoeroticism occurs when evil Crassus (Olivier) is bathed by his slave boy Antoninus (Tony Curtis). He seductively explains that while sometimes he prefers snails, he also likes oysters. The implication is that he is bisexual, brazenly so, and expects the youngster to become his sex slave.

The warmth of the bathtub and the luxurious atmosphere contrast with the proximity and touch of both male characters.

In 1960, this scene was way ahead of its time.

The conclusion of Spartacus is melancholy and surprising. Having bested Rome’s cruelty, one might have expected to see Spartacus and Varinia happily ride off into the sunset.

This doesn’t happen, and the film is more affluent in it. There is pain and despair as there were in real life. Wisely sparing complete doom and gloom, the ending is satisfying as one central character escapes a deadly demise and conjures ahead.

Spartacus (1960) is one of the greats. It has muscle and texture, and many below-the-surface nuances are ripe for discussion. For these reasons, it’s a must-see.

Oscar Nominations: 4 wins-Best Supporting Actor-Peter Ustinov (won), Best Art Direction-Color (won), Best Cinematography-Color (won), Best Costume Design-Color (won), Best Film Editing, Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

1971 Films, Drama, Historical Drama, International, International Drama, Italian, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ International, Top 250 Films

Death in Venice-1971

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Death in Venice-1971

Director Luchino Visconti

Starring Dirk Bogarde, Björn Andrésen

Top 250 Films #248

Scott’s Review #1,014

Reviewed April 22, 2020

Grade: A

Death in Venice (1971) is a haunting and tragic story of a depressed middle-aged man who becomes obsessed with a fourteen-year-old Polish boy while on holiday in Venice.

The story, on the surface, is dark and dour, not for the judgmental or the closed-minded. With a deeper dive and a haunting musical score, the film provides beauty and impressionism.

The film is based on the novella Death in Venice by German author Thomas Mann, published in 1912 as Der Tod in Venedig.

Gustav von Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde) is a lonely composer who travels to Venice for health reasons and a recipe for recovery. His maladies are unclear at the start, but are assumed to be sent to the picturesque city as a form of therapy.

While enjoying a tranquil holiday, he spots Tadzio (Björn Andrésen), a stunning, youthful beauty staying with his family at the luxurious Grand Hôtel des Bains, just as Gustav is.

Their encounters run rampant as they are viewed by the audience from afar, but never speak to each other.

This is the brilliance of Death in Venice. A more standard approach may have been to make the story more forceful.

If Gustav had approached, harassed, or even molested Tadzio, the direction of the film would have vastly changed, and he would have been deemed a pervert.

Suddenly, the film would have been about a pedophile preying on a youngster, rather than incorporating a beautiful subtext of longing and unfulfilled passion.

The masterful classical numbers that open and close the film help to achieve this mindset.

The controversial subject matter, still taboo by today’s progressive standards, is not gratuitous but is quite obsessive. Worthy of mention is that Gustav’s plight begins harmless enough as he appreciates a beautiful image, almost like gazing at a sculpture- think Michelangelo’s David- since we are in Italy.

But when he begins to follow Tadzio and see him more and more, his desperation increases as his health deteriorates. For a while, it is unclear whether the boy even realizes he is an object of affection. It is Gustav’s feelings and emotions that are most explored.

As a side story, the city of Venice is gripped by a cholera epidemic, and the city authorities do not inform the holiday-makers of the problem for fear that they will flee the vital city.

In 2020, amid the vicious COVID-19 pandemic gripping the world, this classic film takes on a whole new importance. As Venice officials downplay the epidemic while tourists increasingly fall ill, a modern realism is conjured for the audience.

Death in Venice, as the title should make clear, is not a love story; otherwise, it would be called Love in Venice. Gustav’s lust for Tadzio is unrequited. Neither is Gustav’s sexuality clear, though he is assumed to be bisexual.

In one of the film’s saddest scenes, also the finale, Gustav lounges on the sandy beach in ill health, dressed in an improper white suit. He sees Tadzio playfully frolicking with an older boy, and afterward walks away and turns back to look at Gustavo.

As Tadzio outstretched his arms toward the water, Gustav did the same as if he was enveloping the boy. The moment is breathtaking.

Many symbolic and meaningful scenes occur, like when Gustav visits a barber who insists he will return his customer to his youth. The results are ghastly.

Dyeing his grey hair black, whitening his face, and reddening his lips to make him look younger leaves a macabre, somber image of a man feebly attempting to turn back the hands of time, something we can all relate to. His heavily made-up face is meant to hide his insecurities.

Incorporating an ingenious mix of beauty, tragedy, obsession, and loneliness, Italian director Luchino Visconti crafts a brilliant and painful dissection of human emotion.

The subject matter of Death in Venice (1971) will not appeal to all viewers. Still, those brave enough to traverse the sometimes-rocky waters will find an underlying treasure and a meaningful cinematic experience.

Oscar Nominations: Best Costume Design

1977 Films, Horror, Independent, Independent Horror, Top 250 Films, Top 40 Horror Films

Eraserhead-1977

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Eraserhead-1977

Director David Lynch

Starring Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart

Top 250 Films #249

Top 40 Horror Films #38

Scott’s Review #541

Reviewed December 10, 2016

Grade: B+

Eraserhead is one of the oddest films that I have ever seen. The film is an early (1977) David Lynch film, shot entirely in black and white.

It is a surrealist horror film.

Entrancing is the locale of the film- a bleak wasteland, of sorts, in an even bleaker town. The name is unknown.

Factory worker Henry Spencer (Nance) is garish in appearance/with spiky hair and wild eyes; he is peculiar, to say the least.

He trods day after day, to and from his job, meeting interesting, yet grotesque characters. He has an inhuman child with a snake-like face.

Henry meets an odd woman while carrying groceries home, and his apartment is filled with rotting vegetation.

While not one of Lynch’s best works, since the “plot” is incomprehensible to follow or make very much sense of, still, Eraserhead is a blueprint for his later works, with odd visuals and even odder characters. It is to be revered for its imagination alone.

The film is fascinating in its weirdness, but I probably never need to see it again.

It’s a must-see for any David Lynch fan for the warped experience.

2018 Films, Documentary, Top 250 Films

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?-2018

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Won’t You Be My Neighbor? -2018

Director Morgan Neville

Starring Fred Rogers

Top 250 Films #250

Scott’s Review #783

Reviewed July 5, 2018

Grade: A

As much as I enjoy the documentary genre, it has never been close to the top of my favorites list. Many films of this ilk are very good, providing some relevant facts about a subject matter that may be taboo to me, but sometimes, it is somewhat interesting.

Few are great.

Along comes a documentary that is emotional, inspiring, and lovely. Won’t You Be My Neighbor (2018), based on the life of Fred Rogers, is simply outstanding.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Chronicles the life and rise to popularity of a kindly, mild-mannered man from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a simple message of kindness towards children.

Beginning as a local television personality, his show centered around children and produced positive messages for them.

Universally known as Mister Rogers, the documentary explains his determination, eventual fame, his ability to enrich lives, and his need to introduce heavy subject matters to children to expose them rather than shelter them from it.

In today’s tumultuous time, boy, is he missed!

I fondly remember watching the PBS television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a child. The program offered a feast of creativity every half hour.

Featuring the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, a magical trolley transports the viewer to a world of puppets (voiced by Rogers). Other poignant moments occur when Rogers sings the catchy theme song at the top of every show.

The episodes are filled with simple yet important messages of self-acceptance, diversity, and kindness toward others.

At the conclusion of each episode, Rogers sang the song “It’s Such a Good Feeling” in a way that made any child watching feel secure, loved, and embraced.

Rogers sadly died in 2003- his wife, grown children, and various former cast members relay cherished memories and inspirational stories about the creative genius. Rumored to have had an insecure childhood, he was a champion at ensuring children felt worthy and accepted for who they are.

The documentary also shows how Rogers fought in court for necessary funding via news flashbacks.

My emotional reaction surprised me quite frankly. I expected a nostalgic trip back to childhood with flashbacks from the show, some interviews, and a jovial good time. Instead, I was utterly blown away by how touching and humanistic the documentary was and the abovementioned expectations.

Sure, old clips (some black and white) brought back memories as puppets Daniel Striped Tiger, Madame, and King Friday XIII made appearances. Still, the flood of tears that accompanied the memories was unexpected.

Never preachy, the documentary holds the same level of genuine goodness as Rogers does. For audiences watching the film, the question of when someone will well up in tears is the wrong question—it’s how often?

Examples of the most touching scenes are when Rogers accepts a young, gay actor for who he is when his family members do not. A disabled child who uses a wheelchair sings a heart-wrenching duet with Rogers.

Finally, as Rogers gives a commencement speech at a college university, a teary graduate explains why he gave her a special preschool education.

Perhaps the most poignant moment occurs in the final moments of the documentary. When many of the film participants are asked to think for just a moment about someone who taught them kindness, whether alive or dead, the sequence is monumental in feeling.

A quick foray into the current political climate in the United States is only briefly skated around, carefully so as not to ruin the sweetness of the overall experience.

Director Morgan Neville perfectly paces his documentary so that it never drags.

The flow is perfectly structured at one hour and thirty-four minutes. The first half is a bit lighter and more fun, while the second half culminates with a more serious and introspective tone.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018) is a brilliant documentary film and one of the best I have ever seen.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Documentary Feature (won)

1981 Films, Horror, Slasher, Top 40 Horror Films

Happy Birthday to Me-1981

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Happy Birthday to Me-1981

Director J. Lee Thompson

Starring Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford

Top 40 Horror Films #39

Scott’s Review #621

Reviewed March 4, 2017

Grade: A-

Happy Birthday to Me is a 1981 slasher film that I fondly remember scaring the shit out of me as a little kid, too young to be watching a film of this nature, but sneaking into my parents’ bedroom with my brother to catch it on HBO.

Certain that the film helped shape my passion for the horror genre, I hold a fondness for it- critics be damned.

My opinion is that the film is a small treasure in the land of 1980s slasher films, containing a neat whodunit and a grotesque ending.

Melissa Sue Anderson, desiring to break out of her nice television persona, thanks to the wholesome Little House on the Prairie, is cast in the lead role.

Happy Birthday to Me also earns merit, as it is directed by acclaimed British director J. Lee Thompson (Cape Fear).

Anderson carries the film quite well in a challenging part, and Glenn Ford co-stars as a Doctor.

Virginia Wainwright is a pretty and popular senior at exclusive Crawford Academy- a school for elite, rich kids. She is part of the “Top Ten”, the most popular and richest kids in the school. The ten friends meet nightly at the local pub.

One night, Bernadette, one of the top ten, is murdered by an assailant on her way to meet her friends.

This murder sets the tone as, one by one, the others are subsequently killed off, sending the school and local townspeople into a frenzy of panic.

To thicken the plot, Virginia was involved in a horrible car accident four years earlier, which killed her mother and caused Virginia to have only sparse memories of the accident.

This piece is key to the film’s mystery.

There are many comparisons I can make to slasher classics that heavily influenced Happy Birthday to Me, but the most prominent must be 1978’s Halloween.

The character of Virginia is very similar to Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in their somewhat virginal, good-girl characters, and both have almost identical hairstyles!

Also, Happy Birthday to Me successfully uses the killer’s point of view, as the camera frequently serves as the perspective of either the killer or someone lurking, spying on others.

The film also “looks” similar to Halloween.

The whodunit aspect is the most effective among the film’s qualities. There are a multitude of likely suspects, and the film does not shy away from this, purposely casting doubt on several characters- could it be the creepy Alfred, who carries around a pet mouse and creates a fake head of the murdered Bernadette?

Or the suave French student, Etienne, who snoops in Virginia’s bedroom and steals a pair of her panties? Finally, could it be Head Mistress, Mrs. Patterson, a harsh, no-nonsense woman harboring resentment for the snobbish elitism that exists at her school?

When the killer is finally revealed, a measure of pure shock and confusion will undoubtedly transpire- how can this be? But by the time the ultimate finale is played out, all will make sense.

The conclusion does disappoint slightly in the implausibility factor, and the original ending is much more logical and compelling than what was actually in the final cut- rumors have run rampant that the screenplay of the film was rewritten numerous times well into the production, never a good thing.

So, the motivations of the actual killer are quite weak, but the buildup is amazing.

Not to be outdone by the whodunit, the kills themselves are superlative: a shish kabob to the throat, falling gym weights, a scarf caught in the spokes of a bike, and the traditional fireplace poker are done in macabre and fantastic fashion.

We always see the killer’s gloved hands, and we are aware that the victim is friendly with the killer, so we continually try to deduce who it could be.

The gruesome “Birthday party” finale is gruesome and gleeful at the same time. Each murder victim is propped up around a dining room table, each with a party hat on and all in various forms of dismemberment or blood-soaked from their murder wounds.

It is a grim and hilarious reveal. The murderer parades out of the kitchen, wielding an enormous birthday cake, cheerily singing “Happy Birthday to Me”.

This is one great finale.

Happy Birthday to Me (1981) is a wonderful trip down memory lane and still holds up as a key, perhaps overlooked part of the slasher genre that should be rediscovered by fans and followers everywhere.

1977 Films, Horror, Slasher, Top 40 Horror Films

Alice, Sweet Alice-1977

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Alice, Sweet Alice-1977

Director Alfred Sole

Starring Paula Sheppard, Linda Miller

Top 40 Horror Films #40

Scott’s Review #1,343

Reviewed February 12, 2023

Grade: A-

Originally titled ‘Communion’ and re-titled and re-released as Alice, Sweet Alice in 1977, the film can proudly tout it as the debut film of star Brooke Shields. Her role, while quite small, is essential to the story.

Any film that challenges, mocks, or showcases Catholicism, especially in the horror genre, has instant appeal to me. There is something so warped yet satisfying to me.

As The Exorcist did in 1973, Alice, Sweet Alice will leave Catholics and the otherwise religious squirming in their seats or scrambling for the ‘stop’ button on their remotes.

Director Alfred Sole, also a well-known production designer, was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s films and the 1973 masterpiece, Don’t Look Now. Does it ever show if one looks closely enough?

The story is sometimes muddled and confusing, to say nothing of implausible, but the overall tone and content are fascinating. The camera angles, production design, musical score, and overall style are exceptional, making the film a major success.

On her First Communion day, Karen (Brooke Shields) is viciously strangled and set afire in church after being stuffed in a wooden chest.

Her emotionally unstable and unattractive sister, Alice (Paula Sheppard), is immediately considered a suspect because of her jealousy and her possession of a translucent mask, Karen’s crucifix, and veil.

Alice is no saint, as she enjoys tormenting Karen and the obese landlord who lives in the apartment below her family’s.

Aunt Annie (Jane Lowry), a staunch catholic who hates Alice, is later stabbed on an apartment complex stairway by a childlike figure wearing a translucent mask and a yellow rain slicker. Annie insists her attacker was Alice.

In a subplot, the girls’ mother, Catherine, played by Linda Miller, embarks on a tender romance with her dashing ex-husband, now dating another woman, until he too is brutally murdered.

I was immediately struck and smitten by the haunting musical score, a clear homage to Hitchcock’s 1960 Psycho. The shrill violins and the palpable bass are familiar, bringing fond memories of that legendary masterpiece.

Instead of a direct copy, though, composer Stephen J. Lawrence superbly enhances the effects to fit a more modern-style horror film, and it works.

Mr. Hitchcock’s fascination with stairways is also mirrored many times, and he crafts many effective scenes using only shots of feet walking up or down the stairs.

And anytime a mask is used in a horror film, it’s scary.

In terms of the plot, while the events are compelling, they also don’t make much sense. It would be too predictable and unsatisfying if Alice were the killer (she isn’t). However, the terrific final sequence leaves room for a sequel as Alice maniacally studies a bloodied butcher knife.

However, there is a constant theme of hysterical religious judgment, punishment for sins, and sacrificing someone for the greater good. These align perfectly with the many hypocritical aspects of religion at a time when the catholic church was facing much criticism.

Characters like Aunt Annie and the wacky housekeeper, Mrs. Tredoni (Mildred Clinton), are played as over the top but work surprisingly well.

And it’s likely no accident that Sole cast the adorably handsome Rudolph Willrich as the much-sought-after Father Tom.

In 1977, Alice, Sweet Alice was quite timely and fits nicely with other 1970s horror films with a religious theme.

Paula Sheppard all but carries the film, though the supporting actors are all effective, too. Her facial expressions teeter between soft and angelic, and demonic and cagey. It’s an exceptional part of the film.

Alice, Sweet Alice (1977) is an underappreciated gem that needs to be dusted off and rediscovered by rabid horror fans seeking a superior watch.

1956 Films, Drama, Musical, Musical Drama

Carousel-1956

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Carousel-1956

Director Henry King

Starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones

Scott’s Review #1,486

Reviewed July 27, 2025

Grade: A-

Following the success of Oklahoma! in 1955, Carousel (1956) is similarly based on the lauded Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical. It is firmly nestled among the myriad musical productions that emerged in the 1940s, 1950s, and into the 1960s in cinema.

Darker in tone, the musical drama bears a strong resemblance to Oklahoma! It swaps the Midwest United States for Northeastern Maine. Clambakes and wattery harbors lend authenticity to the film.

Easily paired with Oklahoma! as a double feature, it even features the same stars—Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, who return to star in Carousel. As an aside, the filmmakers originally cast Frank Sinatra, who dropped out, so MacRae was a second choice.

As with the original stage production, the film features some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most famous songs, particularly ‘Carousel Waltz’ and the emotional ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

It also features arguably the most serious storyline of all their musicals, incorporating domestic abuse into the fray.

The story follows the romance of Billy Bigelow (MacRae), a charming carousel barker, and Julie Jordan (Shirley Jones), a pretty blue-collar worker from a nearby mill in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

When the attractive young couple abruptly and reactively gets married, they also both find themselves unemployed and broke, which puts a strain on their relationship.

When Billy finds out that Julie is pregnant, he resorts to extreme measures to get money, a decision that leads to tragedy.

Cleverly, the film is non-linear, as the first scene features Billy in what appears to be Purgatory (or the back door of Heaven), where he is told that he can return to Earth for one day to make amends.

We know that Billy has died after a tragic event, but we do not know the details.

To its credit, Carousel is not a cheery, bombastic musical fraught with over-the-top phoniness or too much glee. The characters are darker, which makes it feel unique to me.

Proof of this is evident in a comparison of MacRae’s and Jones’s characters in Oklahoma! to Carousel. While Laurey (Jones) is a respectable, virginal good girl, Julie plays with fire, assuredly spending time alone with Billy after being warned of the consequences.

Curly McLain (MacRae) is a good-natured cowboy who admires the beautiful morning while riding to see his wholesome crush, Laurey, whereas Billy is a rough-talking, macho brute.

Supporting characters like Carrie (Barbara Ruick), Jigger (Cameron Mitchell), and Cousin Nettie (Claramae Turner) are fantastic additions, especially Turner, as she brings down the house with ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

Still, I yearned for a bit more substance to their characters. What makes them tick? Are they fulfilled?

A final highlight is the amazing fantasy musical song and dance number that appears towards the finale. As Billy’s teenage daughter, Louise (Susan Luckey), dances amongst her classmates, she is mocked for her father’s reputation and shortcomings.

She writhes around them in a deliciously choreographed sequence that builds tension and kickstarts the action.

Unlike Curly, I found Billy difficult to like, though the character is softened considerably by the end of the film. He’s honestly a dick through most of the story, hitting Julie, and plotting ways to find fortune at the expense of others.

To make matters worse, he also slaps his own daughter’s hand when he comes down from Purgatory to see her. Are we expected to like him?

Despite the two aforementioned powerful musical numbers, the other songs don’t carry through as much or are nearly as memorable.

For much of the running time, until the great build with Louise’s musical number, there is a slowness to the events. Whereas Oklahoma! has it all, something is missing from Carousel, and the pacing isn’t as fine-tuned.

Nonetheless, I adore the summery New England setting with the authentic location sequences and attention to detail. The darkness and edgy religious-themed trimmings combined with two homerun hitting musical numbers are enough to make me a fan of Carousel (1956).

1977 Films, Crime Drama, Drama

Looking for Mr. Goodbar-1977

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Looking for Mr. Goodbar-1977

Director Richard Brooks

Starring Diane Keaton, Tuesday Weld, Richard Gere

Scott’s Review #1,485

Reviewed July 25, 2025

Grade: A-

Diane Keaton won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1977 for Annie Hall, an excellent film by Woody Allen, but as has happened in Oscar history, she won for the wrong role.

She delivers her best acting performance of her distinguished career in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), a raw crime drama in which she plays Theresa, a liberated and carefree young schoolteacher living in a metropolitan area.

The film, directed by Richard Brooks (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1967, and In Cold Blood, 1968), is based on Judith Rossner’s 1975 best-selling novel. The setting inexplicably shifts from New York City to San Francisco, but it feels exactly like the troubled urban metropolis of its late 1970s, crime-ridden period.

I nearly felt as if Theresa’s dingy, windowless apartment was a character in itself.

The musical soundtrack is a significant win, featuring disco anthems from the time, such as ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ by Thelma Houston and ‘Love Hangover’ by Diana Ross.

Film lovers familiar with Taxi Driver (1976) and Cruising (1980) (both set in New York City) will notice similarities and draw parallels.

Theresa (Diane Keaton) teaches deaf children during the day and cruises singles bars and discos at night. Despite being raised a devout catholic ‘good girl’, she favors quick nights of passion with random suitors, ignoring the advances of well-meaning but nerdy social worker James (William Atherton).

She pursues the likes of Tony (Richard Gere), whose threatening knife and swagger excite her. As the film progresses, Theresa becomes increasingly entangled in perilous encounters, putting her life in danger.

Despite a jarring shift in story direction towards the end of the film and the geographical change, I found more than enough to merit a superior rating, especially Keaton’s performance.

Keaton flawlessly carries the film as an unapologetic, progressive character. She lives life, enjoys life, and sees nothing wrong with her chosen lifestyle. Keaton is fearless, delivering a likable character we probably shouldn’t like.

She can be cutting, self-centered, and moody, but takes sheer delight in teaching deaf kids who have problems at home, almost fostering them as her own.

Richard Kiley and Priscilla Pointer play Theresa’s parents in rather one-note performances. They are devout Irish Catholics, but too much time is spent showcasing their traditional values.

Theresa’s sister, Katherine, played by Tuesday Weld, is more like Theresa but more needy, and clinging to any man she meets. The sisters are close, even living in the same building, and constantly have each other’s backs.

Looking for Mr. Goodbar perfectly depicts life in an inner city in the mid-1970s: booze, sex, parties, and drugs.

Rinse and repeat.

The male characters that Theresa interacts with are of different types. Her first fling is with her married professor, whom she fantasizes about living with. When this doesn’t work out, she has urges for more dangerous experiences.

Tony (Gere) is sexy, unreliable, and dangerous, and Theresa is titillated. It’s with him when she teeters over the brink.

The film transitions from a sexual thriller into a deadly final sequence, leaving my mouth hanging open with surprise. The ending will leave audiences on the edge of their seats and may not please those seeking a happily-ever-after story.

Is the audience supposed to learn a lesson? Does Theresa get what she deserves? How dare she live her life as she sees fit? These are questions well worth further discussion.

The introduction of Gary (Tom Berenger), a tortured gay man Theresa meets in a bar, comes so late in the film that there is barely time to get to know the character. But he doesn’t put the LGBTQ+ community in such a positive light.

Still, the gay men who yearn to be straight cannot be dismissed since this was commonplace when the story was created.

With a spot-on atmosphere filled with juicy late 1970s coolness and danger, and a brilliant starring turn by Diane Keaton, Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) has more than enough to warrant a watch and a follow-up chat.

2025 Films, Science Fiction

M3GAN 2.0-2025

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M3GAN 2.0-2025

Director Gerard Johnstone

Starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw

Scott’s Review #1,484

Reviewed July 6, 2025

Grade: C+

Shifting from science fiction/horror to science fiction/action, M3GAN 2.0 (2025) peppers in enough humor and witty quips from its barbie-like central robotic doll named M3GAN (Amie Donald/Jenna Davis) to keep things entertaining.

I expected more horror elements, which are sorely missing to its detriment. This is peculiar since the slasher elements of the first installment are what made it campy fun.

The story ultimately lost me due to erratic storytelling, preposterous moments, and events that were difficult to follow. Throw in some over-the-top acting, and, at best, M3GAN 2.0 delivers a popcorn summer entertainment classification.

M3GAN (2023) is much superior.

The second chapter follows M3GAN being reluctantly rebuilt by its roboticist and creator, Gemma (Allison Williams), to combat a humanoid military robot named AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), which was built using M3GAN’s technology and is attempting an AI takeover.

But, is M3GAN being manipulated?

Writer and director Gerard Johnstone swaps the original’s horror software for a more action-leaning approach that doesn’t prove to be an upgrade. Fight sequences and a car chase overtake any creepy moments.

However, he wisely keeps and even increases the number of quips delivered by the fiendish robot, and some are laugh-out-loud delightful with saucy expletives thrown around for good measure.

M3GAN primarily engages in banter with Gemma, easily pointing out her shortcomings while remaining a loyal friend and protector to Cady (Violet McGraw).

These are the fun moments, like when M3GAN admits that Gemma is reasonably attractive enough to lure a man to bed. Her sarcastic and slightly robotic voice worked perfectly, so I longed for more of these scenes.

The character of M3GAN is the main attraction. More mature and with a cute bob-like hairstyle, she is older and wiser but just as sinister. She has presumably progressed from a young adult ‘friend’ to a grown woman capable of superior thought process and calculating strategy.

The writing and motivations of the characters are overcomplicated and confusing.

Four different sets of potential villains are thrown into the complex mix. Christian Bradley, a cybersecurity expert whom Gemma meets on her book tour, Alton Appleton, a corrupt tech billionaire, the U.S. Army, and AMELIA.

It’s challenging to keep track of who the good guys are or who the bad guys are, and this includes the allegiance of M3GAN.

An attempt to highlight the dangers of AI to government and technology is a timely and vital message, and is weakly referenced.

Rather than making it a central part of the film, it is merely glossed over without anything to make that message resonate with the audience.

The hokey plot-driven story and kung-fu-like action sequences unfortunately outshine the more satisfying one-liners delivered by M3GAN.

Much of the acting is either alarmingly cartoonish or altogether wooden, mainly on the part of the villains (former) or young actor McGraw, who makes Cady too pouty and brooding.

Williams, most known for Get Out (2017), adequately carries the film while being upstaged by a robot.

M3GAN 2.0 (2025) is a ho-hum affair that may result in the termination of the young franchise unless Johnstone wises up and reverts to more comedy and more horror in a potential M3GAN 3.0 effort.

2020 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Independent, Independent Comedy

Butt Boy-2020

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Butt Boy-2020

Director Tyler Cornack

Starring Tyler Cornack, Tyler Rice

Scott’s Review #1,483

Reviewed June 28, 2025

Grade: B+

Despite the title, Butt Boy (2020) is not a film intended for adult entertainment during a seedy escapade to a cheap motel.

It’s better than that.

It’s a wacky, darkly humorous comedy played straight, without relying on easy gags.

With an experimental feel and co-written, directed by, and starring newcomer Tyler Cornack, it conveys a sense of creative freedom and an expressive nature.

To its resounding credit, Butt Boy is an independent film and hardly a studio production, where it undoubtedly would have been made more mainstream if not for the titillating title.

The film is a spinoff from a Tiny Cinema comedy sketch.

I am surprised I am awarding it a ‘B+’ rating because early on I wasn’t as enamored with it as I was when the credits rolled and I was able to ‘digest it’, pun intended.

The story doesn’t make complete sense, and has a fantasy edge where it’s not always clear what is happening or why.

Chip Gutchell (Cornack) is an IT specialist and married father trapped in a loveless marriage with his wife, Anne (Shelby Dash), who may be cheating on him.

He develops a compulsive behavior after a routine rectal exam, where anything he inserts into his anus provides intense pleasure and then mysteriously disappears. This fetish consists of objects, animals, and people.

Detective Fox (Tyler Rice) loves work and alcohol. After going to AA, his sponsor, Chip, becomes the main suspect in his investigation of a missing kid.

Fox also starts to believe that people are disappearing up Chip’s butt.

The audience immediately relates to Chip. He works in a sterile office with colleagues who engage in enthusiastic work chants to celebrate successes. He counts the minutes until the work day ends.

His home life is no better with a distant wife who chats on the phone and goes out with the girls. It’s revealed that Chip got her pregnant, causing them to forge a life of doldrums.

The story goes off course after Chip discovers the pleasures of anal stimulation. He kidnaps a baby, a young kid, and his dog to shove them up his butt where they are trapped inside his intestines.

Why he needs the stimulation to be a living being instead of an object is never revealed.

Bizarre sequences of Chip farting and inevitably having an explosion of diarrhea thus making his victims escape his anus covered in fecal material make no sense.

Nonetheless, I slowly became absorbed by Butt Boy mostly because it’s an idea in cinema that has never been done before. The film’s tone is awe-inspiring in its serious nature, opting not to rely on cheap laughs or easy comic points.

Deeper subjects like compulsion, addiction, and career emptiness are easy to correlate to the central premise.

I found myself intrigued by the character of Detective Russell Fox as well. Rice seems like a good actor and a poor man’s Christian Bale, with his slicked-back hair.

A revelation later in the film about Fox connects the dots better regarding his story and character motivations.

Butt Boy was recommended by John Waters, a left-of-center film director most known for gross-out indies like Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1974). I trust his warped appreciation for film implicitly.

The mood is comparable to that of other film gems, such as Under the Skin (2013) and Nightbitch (2024). The finale is reminiscent of The Substance (2024) in its absurdity even though Butt Boy was made several years prior.

I’m curious about Cornack and whether Butt Boy (2020) is a one-off novelty idea or if there’s more to come from his distinguished creative mind.

Time will tell.

1981 Films, Horror, Slasher

Graduation Day-1981

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Graduation Day-1981

Director Herb Freed

Starring Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie

Scott’s Review #1,482

Reviewed June 7, 2025

Grade: B

Essentially borrowing from Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and other slasher films of the genre’s original heyday, Graduation Day (1981) even adopts the gimmicky holiday/big-event model (prom night, Mother’s Day, etc.) made popular by them.

A whodunit mystery, killer-point-of-view camerawork, and a revenge motive come into play, making the film a standard entry in the slasher catalog.

Released in 1981, the film capitalizes on trends in the horror genre, much like many rock bands did during the grunge and Los Angeles hair metal movements.

There are red herring devices and comical, one-dimensional characters thrown in to soften the film. Making Graduation Day a second-tier slasher film, no more and no less.

Still, the film is fun, with the guessing of the killer’s identity being the most successful and compelling aspect. The murderer carefully marking a red X over each victim post murder is delightful.

A small role by aspiring actress Vanna White, who soon became a television game show legend on Wheel of Fortune, makes Graduation Day a fun relic from another time. Her acting isn’t good, so she lucked out with a continuing career in showbiz. The script does her no favors either.

A suburban high school track team is devastated when their star runner, Laura Ramstead, drops dead following a race, having been pressured relentlessly to win by aggressive coach George Michaels (Christopher George).

Months go by, and Laura’s older sister, Anne (Patch Mackenzie), a U.S. Navy Officer, returns home to attend graduation in Laura’s honor.

Conveniently, she leers at one of Laura’s fellow trackmates and wears an identical grey tracksuit and black gloves to the killer’s. Later, we see that the coach does as well.

Has Anne returned to town to avenge her sister’s death? Or does the coach blame the other track members for Laura’s death? Is Laura’s devastated boyfriend Kevin (E. Danny Murphy) out for revenge?

Herb Freed, a director I’m not familiar with, co-wrote and co-produced the venture, which is a positive. This means he undoubtedly had more creative freedom to make the project his own.

Many scenes take place along a deserted walking path, reportedly on the way to campus. Intended victims traverse the trail while someone watches them from the sidelines. It’s either the killer or someone else. One character laughably states that she is looking for the auditorium (on a trail?) and can’t find her way.

The editing team deserves praise for the opening sequence, a slow-motion ode to Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976), as Laura crosses the finish line, with adoring students and teachers chanting her name and offering words of encouragement.

Later, a cool roller-skating scene is shown during a performance by the new-wave rock band Felony.

The filler scenes between less critical characters, such as the principal (Michael Pataki) and the ditzy secretary, aptly named Blondie (E.J. Peaker), for example, play well.

What fans watching the film mostly want to see, though, are the kills, which are well done and clever. My favorite is when Tony (Billy Hufsey) is decapitated from behind while taking a leak.

Another track member attempts to pole vault, resulting in death when steel spikes have replaced the pads in the pole vault pit, and he is killed upon impact.

The screenplay is weak, and the killer’s motivations and reasons for the revenge are lightweight. The track members had no intention to or responsibility for Laura’s death, so the conclusion is unsatisfying.

Graduation Day (1981) is an ideal weekend movie, the kind of entertaining, low-budget horror film that will work best for audiences looking to unwind and have fun after a long, busy workweek.

That’s why I watched it, and it’s perfect for fans of the slasher genre who may not have heard of it.

1981 Films, Drama, Musical, Musical Drama, Romantic Drama

Pennies from Heaven-1981

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Pennies from Heaven-1981

Director Herbert Ross

Starring Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters

Scott’s Review #1,480

Reviewed May 10, 2025

Grade: A

Pennies from Heaven (1981) may be Steve Martin’s best film role and Bernadette Peters’s most excellent cinematic performance. Audiences did not receive the film well upon release, but many of the best movies are not.

Critics, however, applauded the film, which earned writer Dennis Potter an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Watching (for the first time) in 2025, the film doesn’t feel dated, as many 1980s films do. Furthermore, Pennies from Heaven doesn’t feel like a 1930s set film in the 1980s either.

The opening sequence features credits amid clouds, later dances on the tops of bars, and kids in a schoolhouse playing white pianos, which is fresh and authentic.

These aspects enhance the dazzling musical production numbers. The songs are lip-synced, which strangely works after a brief period of adjustment, given that they are popular songs of the 1920s–30s, such as ‘Let’s Misbehave,’ ‘Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries,’ ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance,’ and the terrific ‘Pennies from Heaven’.

Unconventional in film, sometimes the action in a scene suddenly stops, and a musical number begins. The songs reflect the times with an overpowering sadness.

The story follows Arthur Parker (Steve Martin), a Depression-era sheet-music salesman with dreams of becoming a big success. When Arthur faces relationship problems with his wife, Joan (Jessica Harper), he begins an affair with a shy and beautiful teacher, Eileen (Bernadette Peters).

Though Arthur and Eileen connect, societal and financial obstacles threaten their happiness.

The film is highly stylized and looks stunning. The darker lighting, especially during musical numbers, looks muted to reflect the bleak nature of the Depression period.

I was continually surprised by this film. Situations arose that threw me for a loop, especially Eileen’s pregnancy and subsequent journey into the world of prostitution. At first meek and virginal, she becomes a savvy and more demanding character as the film progresses.

Eileen is my favorite character.

Peters was robbed of an Oscar nomination, which is surprising because she is emotionally invested in the character. Although she expects to hate sleeping with men for money, she doesn’t find it so bad, and it’s an easy way to make money during a time when most had no resources.

I adore Peter’s facial expressions as she embarrassingly looks away or her eyes well with tears.

A shocking death devastated me towards the film’s end, even though the character was minor.

I wasn’t as enamored with Arthur’s character as with Martin’s performance. Arthur, horny and a bit of a cad, disappoints me when he is mean to troubled and struggling accordion player (played wonderfully by Vernal Bagneris). He also doesn’t treat his wife very well.

Nonetheless, his dramatic turn is refreshing compared with his typical slapstick roles, and he and Peters have great chemistry.

Christopher Walken, in a small role as Tom a stylish pimp, brings down the house with a wacky dance.

The rich and complex writing showcases an anti-hero with layers of complexities and supporting characters looking to survive. The 1930s setting is crucial as characters scramble like mice to find a bit of cheese and navigate a complex maze.

Pennies from Heaven (1981) is not a film for mainstream moviegoers. Instead, the film will be a surprising treat for those eager to peel back an onion and immerse themselves in good cinema.

Oscar Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay

2024 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Satire

Nightbitch-2024

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Nightbitch-2024

Director Marielle Heller

Starring Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy

Scott’s Review #1,479

Reviewed May 5, 2025

Grade: B+

A bizarre premise becomes a quality message as Amy Adams plays depressed and frumpy in Nitchbitch (2024), immersing the audience in her life and conflicting emotions about career and motherhood.

In 2024, the film jumped out of the gate with Oscar buzz but quickly and peculiarly fell by year’s end. It needed to be content with mere Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nominations.

Billed as a dark comedy/horror based on Rachel Yoder’s 2021 novel, it was undoubtedly too weird for many.

I didn’t recognize it as quite a horror film, but I appreciated the satirical and corny nature of the underlying message.

The standout is Adams, with Heller’s intelligent and witty script in second place.

Mother (Adams) is a woman who pauses her successful art career to be a stay-at-home mom seeking a new chapter in her life and encounters just that when her maternal routine takes a surreal turn.

Continually frustrated with stay-at-home life and the redundant story hour, she fantasizes about letting loose and speaking her mind. One day, she grows fur and a tail and experiences increased hearing. She also connects with wild dogs and other wildlife, causing her to believe she is turning into a dog.

When she begins to bark in public and eat without silverware, she begins to worry. But, is it all in her mind?

Adams, a legendary and terrific actor, goes full throttle in Nightbitch, appearing sans makeup, haggard, and plump. This is necessary for the role and, helped by close-ups, successfully makes the audience feel how exhausted and angry she is.

She never takes it out on her child, but her husband (Scoot McNairy) must tolerate her outbursts of frustration despite being well-intentioned. She tolerates three female acquaintances (also mothers) but desires something more stimulating.

Marielle Heller, who directs and writes the screenplay, challenges the norms of women expecting to have children and smiles while surviving two hours of sleep per night.

Sometimes, women with newborns or toddlers hate their lives and the world, and Heller/Adams proves this is okay.

When Mother finally gets a night out with her art colleagues she is aghast at their calousness having suddenly never realized what assholes they are.

She gleefully snarls and goes all rabid dog before realizing she has manners to follow. Still, the most fun is her fantasies.

Scoot McNairy is perfect as a husband, lovingly playing second fiddle to Adams. His character, blatantly named ‘husband’, tries to help but is usurped by his career and subconscious expectations that the mother does most of the childcare.

Sadly, most of the world still seems to agree.

Mother’s friends are comical but slightly one-note. They teeter between shock at Mother’s honesty and opening their eyes to what awaits them.

Conventionally, Nightbitch (2024) is an excellent watch for a mother/daughter outing for the progressive, thought-provoking crowd, though it’s not a mainstream film.

For others, it reflects societal norms, fantasies, and a metaphor of sacrificing one’s happiness for another.

While some may find it silly, the film dares to tell a unique story rarely told before. I didn’t take the plot literally and think Mother was turning into a dog.

I loved the satire, the one-two punch of Mother telling it like it is, and Adams looking deliciously homely.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Lead Performance, Amy Adams, Best Editing

2024 Films, Drama, Historical Drama

Nickel Boys-2024

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Nickel Boys-2024

Director RaMell Ross

Starring Ethan Cole Sharp, Brandon Wilson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Scott’s Review #1,478

Reviewed April 25, 2025

Grade: A-

Nickel Boys (2024) is a film adaptation of a 2019 novel called The Nickel Boys, written by Colson Whitehead, which won him the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction award.

The film is a unique experience in cinematography. Using a jarring but immersive point of view effectively makes the audience feel the weight of the subject matter and the peril that the characters face.

Since most of the events are shot from a first-person perspective, it takes some time to get used to it, and I can understand how it might turn off some viewers.

However, I admire the unconventional approach very much and champion any cinema that pushes boundaries. RaMell Ross, a director new to the scene, obviously made a splash, scoring a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination as well as a Best Picture nod.

Elwood Curtis’s (Ethan Herisse) college dreams are shattered one sunny afternoon when he unwittingly accepts a ride with a drug dealer in the deep Jim Crow American South in 1962.

Despite his innocence, he is sentenced to Nickel Academy, a segregated and brutal reformatory where young black males frequently disappear without a trace.

As the 1960s continue and the Civil Rights Movement and Reverend Martin Luther King’s influence spread, Elwood and his best friend, Turner (Brandon Wilson), plot a daring escape.

Ross incorporates short sequences of present-day activity where Elwood (Daveed Diggs) is now a successful businessman in New York City. He lives with his girlfriend and eventually reconnects with a fellow inmate.

During the first of these scenes, I breathed a sigh of relief, assured that Elwood not only survives Nickel Academy but also gets as far away from the racist South as possible. Successful in life, this aspect also satisfies.

Shot in swampy Louisiana, doubling as Tallahassee, Florida, the ambiance is sticky, sweaty, and suffocating, which serves the film perfectly.

As the black youngsters arrive at the facility with white youngsters who are let out of the car first, the different experiences are immediately apparent.  The black kids’ barracks are smaller, darker, and fraught with racism.

I immediately sympathized with Elwood. On a bright path along with his caregiver and grandmother, Hattie, beautifully played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, his incarceration is devastating and unfair.

Without a doubt, instances portrayed in the film happened in real life, and the number of lives ruined or lost is beyond comprehension.

Ellis-Taylor, whose Hattie does a lot of talking to the camera, either to Elwood or Turner, is rich with power, prowess, and guts, never losing hope amid dire circumstances.

The stylistic approach never detracts from the top-notch acting performances, especially by the teen actors playing Elwood and Turner (Ethan Cole Sharp and Wilson).

Nickel Boys (2024) doesn’t feel gimmicky; it’s instead a confirmation of what cinema can do, how it can speak to us, and how it can move us.

It serves as an argument for progressing and documenting fiction as something more than just a well-meaning film. My A-rating would have been a solid A, but it took a little while to fully capture it due to the film’s style, which I ultimately appreciate.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay

Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: Best Feature, Best Cinematography

2024 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama

Sing Sing-2024

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Sing Sing-2024

Director Greg Kwedar

Starring Colman Domingo, Clarence Macrin

Scott’s Review #1,477

Reviewed April 22, 2025

Grade: B+

Based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison in suburban New York, the film Sing Sing (2024) centers on a group of incarcerated men involved in creating theatrical stage shows through the program.

Inspiring, it successfully paints a positive picture of prison life instead of the tried-and-true prison dramas released over the years. The grit and violence are kept to a minimum, with rich character nuances added in their place.

If theater and prison sound like an unlikely pairing, the film works surprisingly well and provides a few emotional moments while just barely avoiding being labeled as wimpy.

Divine G, played by Colman Domingo, is imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit. He finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including a wary newcomer named Clarence Maclin (self-portrayed).

While Domingo is the standout from an acting lens, the most impressive aspect of the film is the use of not only non-actors but an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors.

This provides authenticity and realism to a film that also feels watered down and safe.

Sure, it’s based on real-life events, and the results are uplifting, with teachable moments of resilience showcased, but it’s not exactly edgy material either.

Divine G is a character with humanity and kindness, and this is the message director Greg Kwedar wants to instill in the audience. He doesn’t go for knife fights, drug cartels, or anything overly conflicting other than the theater moments.

In only one scene, when Divine Eye threatens another prisoner with payback if the owed money is not paid, it feels thrown in as a way to remind the audience that the characters are tough guys.

Otherwise, the theater is the main attraction. And this is fine with me.

Nuggets of Shakespearean knowledge are shared with the prisoners and subsequently with the audience.  The theater fellows debate Hamlet and the idiosyncrasies of owning a scene, and compelling the audience to believe in what a character is saying are featured.

Domingo is excellent in the role, receiving his second Best Actor nomination but coming up empty-handed. The delicate nature of the film may have a lot to do with this, and I yearned for more grit from this fine actor.

He is getting roles that Denzel Washington would have gotten ten or fifteen years ago.

His best scene comes when he breaks down in anger at his false imprisonment. Angry yet contained, he powerfully reveals how a wrongly accused man can reach his breaking point.

In satisfying form, the film closes with real-life footage from the RTA program at Sing Sing, featuring the real actors who portrayed themselves in the film, performing in past productions when they were still inmates at the facility.

A lovely reunion between rivals Divine G and Diving Eye wraps up Sing Sing (2024) like a perfect little bow.

Refreshingly different from many prison films, I still wanted more muscle from this otherwise pleasant film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor- Colman Domingo, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song-“Like a Bird”

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Feature, Best Lead Performance- Colman Domingo, Best Supporting Performance- Clarence Maclin

1981 Films, Horror, Slasher

Hell Night-1981

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Hell Night-1981

Starring Linda Blair, Peter Barton, Vincent Van Patten

Director Tom DeSimone

Scott’s Review #1,476

Reviewed April 6, 2025

Grade: B

Hell Night (1981) is a slasher/horror film that provides fun late-night entertainment. A creepy, deserted estate where a mass murder event happened amid a night of fraternity hazing offers the appropriate setting for a night of horror.

When four college pledges led by Marti (Linda Blair) are tasked with staying overnight after a costume party as a test of loyalty, what could go wrong?

Director Tom DeSimone knows what ingredients to pepper his film with for the most compelling and effectual result, essentially borrowing from other films. A dark, overnight, attempted pranks, ghosts, screams, good-looking young people, and lots of booze and drug paraphernalia.

He incorporates the standard slasher backstory of a year-old event and a vicious killer still on the loose. This gimmick resembles Friday the 13th (1980) or Halloween (1978).

Folklore tells us that Garth Manor is an abandoned mansion once owned by Raymond Garth, who murdered his wife and three deformed children, Morris, Margaret, and Suzanne.

Garth then hanged himself. While he had a fourth deformed child, Andrew, his body was never found, nor was the body of Morris.

Folklore states that Morris and Andrew still lurk within the mansion, hungrily waiting for prey.

This immediately makes the pledges frightened and happy to get through the six-hour overnight alive. It also builds interest for the audience.

What makes Hell Night particularly unique is its subplot involving social classes. Marti is an intelligent girl from a blue-collar/working-class family who is obviously attending university on a scholarship. At the same time, her love interest, Jeff (Peter Barton), comes from an affluent family.

This makes the audience invest in these characters as they bond with each other. We root for them to find some romance before they are potentially chopped to bits by a maniac.

The other central characters are Denise (Suki Goodwin), a promiscuous party girl from England, and Seth (Vincent Van Patten), a surfer from Southern California. These characters are the film’s comic relief and, indeed, the ones that will ‘get it’.

Van Patten is nice to look at as he frequently parades shirtless, while Denise often forgets his name.

Other stock characters are Peter, May, and Scott, who are responsible for ensuring the pledges don’t escape from the manor and scaring the wits out of them.

Naturally, the fun for the audience lies in knowing that most of the characters will be unceremoniously offed one by one, except for Marti, the film’s hero.

With pleasure, there is a decapitation, a body strung up on the roof, and a horrid scene where a character is hurled out the window.

Reminiscent of Black Christmas (1974), a film that heavily influenced 1980s slasher films, the police are ineffectual and dizzy, believing the pledges’ pleas for help are only part of a fraternity prank and nothing to investigate.

A macabre and terrific scene in which one of the pledges is arranged at a dining room table with the decaying corpses of the Garth family reminds me of Happy Birthday to Me (1981) or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

Blair is effective as the ‘final girl’ because she’s smart, sensible, and relatable. With a girl-next-door veneer, she is easy to root for to conquer the fiendish killer (s).

I wanted more explanation of the killers’ motivations. Yes, they were assumed to be abused and mistreated, but why kill helpless college kids? I guess they’d kill anyone who entered the estate, but how would they survive and get food?

There’s also no nudity (male or female) or excessive blood, which gives a softer, tamer feel.

Borrowing heavily from other genre films, Hell Night (1981) is a worthy entry in the slasher genre, mostly because it incorporates an intelligent ‘final girl’ and a bit about social class.

1984 Films, Satire, Thriller

Body Double-1984

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Body Double-1984

Director Brian De Palma

Starring Craig Wasson, Gregg Henry, Melanie Griffith

Scott’s Review #1,475

Reviewed April 5, 2025

Grade: A-

Brian De Palma is one of my favorite directors.

His stylistic body of work in the psychological thriller/horror genre is masterful, with treats such as Carrie (1976) and Dressed to Kill (1980) as my favorite films.

Body Double (1984) allowed De Palma much creative freedom, given the success of these films and the underwhelming yet successful Scarface (1983).

It is a fly-under-the-radar film that pays direct homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950s films, most notably Vertigo (1958) and Rear Window (1954).

I get triple pleasure from watching Body Double. I compare scenes to the above-mentioned Hitchcock films and scenes to De Palma’s own films, especially Dressed to Kill. Plus, it stars Melanie Griffith, the daughter of Hitchcock star Tippi Hedren.

The setting is Los Angeles, with B-movie film sets, posh Hollywood mansions, and hilly views of the vast City of Angels landscape. I am fascinated by the city and its mixture of glitzy glamour and dark subtext, which makes for a perfect setting for watching this film.

While not De Palma’s very best work, it is pretty damned good and somehow isn’t as revered as other films.

Craig Wasson plays Jake Scully, a struggling actor who loses his acting role and his girlfriend, Carol (Barbara Crampton), on the same day. While taking a method-acting class, his friend Sam (Gregg Henry) offers him a gig: house-sitting an ultra-modern home that overlooks mansions.

While peering through the beautiful home’s telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous blonde, Gloria (Deborah Shelton), dancing in her window. Becoming obsessed with her, it leads to a vicious crime and into the world of adult entertainment along with porn star Holly Body (Melanie Griffith).

Fans of De Palma will undoubtedly love Body Double because it feels like a De Palma film. At other times, he veered too far away from his brand for my tastes, but the sultry and glossy voyeurism is fully displayed.

Who won’t instantly think of the museum scene in Dressed to Kill during the mall scene in Body Double?

It’s a titillating cat-and-mouse chase scene with Jake following Gloria through a parking garage, a Fredericks of Hollywood-type store, and ultimately watching her try on panties, which he steals.

The panties serve as a version of the glove in Dressed to Kill, while the final shower scene in Body Double made me think of the steamy shower scene in Dressed to Kill.

I often thought of Rear Window and Vertigo, but De Palma honors them rather than stealing from their treasures. Jake is obsessed with Gloria yet knows nothing of her. Is she who she appears to be? Is she in danger? Is Jake being set up like Scottie was in Vertigo?

The telescope that Jake peers through is a modern version of the one from Rear Window. In both films, a murder is attempted while the protagonist helplessly watches from afar.

Anyone who enjoys acting will be satisfied with a dose of a method acting class being showcased, as well as nifty low-budget sets and set pieces reminiscent of a Hammer Horror set.

Finally, the overarching theme of a ‘body double’ frequently used in films when the ‘star’ is replaced by a stand-in, usually for nude scenes, is cleverly referenced in the final scene when a girl with perfect breasts is used while filming a shower scene.

The trickery of filmmaking is celebrated.

The camera work and musical score are a large part of the appeal. The eroticism smolders while Jake and the audience watch Gloria and Holly dance amid moody, electronic 1980s dance beats. The camera captures the moment perfectly.

The glossy, sensual elements forever link De Palma with Hitchcock, 1980s style.

1980s films are often dismissed as cheesy or mainstream, but Body Double’s look is 1980s in the best possible way.

The expensive cars, the big hair, the cocaine, and the L.A. porn world all mesh together fabulously. Incorporating the monster hit, ‘Relax’, and the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood is a significant win.

With Body Double (1984), De Palma provides slick entertainment and thrilling sensuality, helping launch the career of Melanie Griffith, a star of the 1980s and 1990s.

1980 Films, Comedy, Musical, Musical Comedy

Popeye-1980

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Popeye-1980

Director Robert Altman

Starring Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall

Scott’s Review #1,474

Reviewed March 31, 2025

Grade: C+

As a loyal fan of the legendary director Robert Altman, I had never seen his 1980 effort, Popeye, which starred his muse, Shelley Duvall, and then rising movie star Robin Williams.

My favorite Altman films, Nashville (1975), Short Cuts (1993), and Gosford Park (2001), are masterpieces sprinkling overlapping dialogue with enormous casts.

Qualities that I adore.

I hoped Popeye would follow the same formula, but strangely and disappointingly, it doesn’t. The end product feels nothing like an Altman film and is a wacky, jagged, attempted-comedy affair that leaves one disappointed.

Desperately, it regains some semblance of control in the midsection as sentimental, touching musical numbers surface, but this cannot save the film from mediocrity.

The entire affair seems rather pointless and overly messy.

When a muscled sailor named Popeye (Williams) journeys to the port town of Sweethaven, looking for the father (Ray Walston) who deserted him as a baby, he befriends an array of bumbling eccentrics.

He falls madly in love with dorky, sweet-natured Olive Oyl (Duvall).

Conflict erupts when it’s revealed that she already has a suitor, the jealous Bluto (Paul L. Smith). Popeye discovers an abandoned baby, Swee’Pea, whom he raises with Olive Oyl’s help, cementing their courtship. But when the spurned Bluto kidnaps Olive and the child, Popeye takes action with the help of his magic spinach.

Williams and Duvall are wonderfully cast and easily the best part of the otherwise ineffectual film.

The chemistry propels an investment in the couple despite the overreaching, zany dialogue. Williams dazzles with a cartoonish performance that befits the funnyman he played best during his career, despite turns towards more dramatic fare.

There is an infectious likeability factor that oozes from the screen. He’s also surprisingly cute.

Duvall nearly upstages Williams and everyone else with a maddeningly frenetic, manic, and excellent acting job. The actor was born to play Olive, even suffering from the nickname as a child.

Her constant and irritatingly grating ‘oohs’ are irresistible, and I mimicked her well before the credits rolled, much to my husband’s and my amusement.

The best moments occur midway through, with a combination of hits, such as ‘He Needs Me’ and ‘It’s Not Easy Being Me, which are performances by Duvall and Williams, respectively.

Both songs made me fall in love with the characters and made me thirst for more sentimentality over silliness.

You’d think I would have loved the film if for Williams and Duvall alone.

From the opening sequence, though, I found myself unamused and unenamored with the rest of the film.

Meant to be funny, the Taxman (Donald Moffat), Wimpy (Paul Dooley), and Bluto (Paul L. Smith) feel over-the-top and silly. They each lack any warmth or endearment and seem like caricatures of the cartoon.

The finale is meant to be edge-of-your-seat peril, with an octopus added to eat Olive Oyl and Swee’Pea, presumably. This is mixed with an uninspired performance by Ray Walston as Poopdeck Pappy (Popeye’s father).

Waiting for the spinach representation, but this comes too late in the game. Recognizing Popeye’s dislike for spinach, Bluto force-feeds it to him before throwing him into the water. The spinach revitalizes Popeye and boosts his strength, helping him defeat Bluto and Salty Sam.

Popeye celebrates his victory and his newfound appreciation of spinach.

If I made a list of Robert Altman films, I would rank Popeye (1980) toward the bottom. Reviled by critics at the time of release, the film has grown some appreciation over the years, but I’m not sure why.

2025 Films, Drama, Thriller

Black Bag-2025

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Black Bag-2025

Director Steven Soderbergh

Starring Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender

Scott’s Review #1,473

Reviewed March 30, 2025

Grade: B+

Steven Soderbergh offers Black Bag (2025), a taut spy thriller that is very slick and fast-paced. Wasting no time to lag or drag, he gets right down to the action in a quick one hour and thirty-four minute running time.

Stars Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender play British intelligence officers and husband and wife, George and Kathryn. His superior, Meacham (Gustaf Skarsgård), gives George one week to investigate the leak of a top-secret software program code-named Severus.

One of the five suspects is Kathryn.

Viewers familiar with Soderbergh’s films will recognize the familiarity of the tense electronic musical score by David Holmes, a frequent collaborator of Soderbergh. He scored the Oceans trilogy (2001-2007), which Black Bag resembles.

Those films, hits at the time, now feel less impactful, but Black Bag takes a similar style and envelops a modern, sophisticated London backdrop.

The immediate draw is Fassbender and Blanchett, who play exceptionally well opposite each other. Both stars light up the screen electrically, offering cat-and-mouse scenes that cackle with dry wit and sensuality.

George can always sense untruths and despises liars. As much as he loves Kathryn, he doubts her when he finds a movie ticket receipt in the trash for a film she claims never to have seen. But is she being set up?

The supporting characters are impressive, with Marisa Abela and Tom Burke as sparring partners and Clarissa and Freddie getting the meatier roles.

The best sequence is the riveting dinner sequence when George invites the four other suspects, all colleagues, to dinner. When he drugs their food to lower their inhibitions, he has them play a warped game of ‘Resolutions’ in which they make a resolution for the person to their right.

Since the other couples are each dating, this leads to revelations, squabbles, and a jealous stabbing.

Even in mainstream pictures, Soderbergh loves incorporating corporate work sequences and independent cinema/arthouse qualities. Propelled by the musical score, sometimes frenetic, there is a thrilling vibe even in quiet scenes.

He also loves closeup shots, which are especially important for Fassbender, Blanchett, and the dinner guests.

Nearly putting style over substance, the story, written by David Koepp, is complicated to follow. We assume that one of the dinner guests or Kathyrn’s boss, Arthur (Pierce Brosnan), is the rat, serving up a film whodunit.

Kathryn has access to a Zurich bank account containing ₤7 million in misdirected and unexplained funds, and there is something to do with a Russian operative who Kathryn flies to Zurich to meet.

The rest of the plot is gray, and after the film, I needed to read a synopsis to gain some understanding.

Small wonders that may have had little to do with the story impressed me. A simple scene in a crowded movie theater where Kathryn and George munch popcorn and flinch at scary scenes enhances the importance and joy one gets from watching a film in the movie theater.

The couple’s duplex London loft is pure magic to look at. As George prepares simmering food and quality wine in the vast kitchen with modern trimmings, their upstairs bedroom is equally enthralling with cosmopolitan furniture colors and just the right polish.

The couple is obviously worldly.

Black Bag (2025) is an entertaining film. Do not struggle to follow every nuance or story point, or you will be frustrated. Instead, sit back and enjoy the experience of a spy thriller with incredible music, sets, and stars.

2017 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ Romance, Romantic Drama

Anything-2017

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Anything-2017

Director Timothy McNeil

Starring John Carroll Lynch, Matt Bomer

Scott’s Review #1,472

Reviewed March 17, 2025

Grade: B

Anything (2017) is a sweet LGBTQ+ independent film written and directed by Timothy McNeil. It is based on a play that he performed in Los Angeles.

While it is nice to see longtime character actor John Carroll Lynch (Fargo, 1996, and Zodiac, 2007) in a starring role and Matt Bomer looking fabulous in drag, the film suffers from contrivances and treads lightly.

The stagey setups, cliched situations, and popcorn dialogue feel forced, and the ambiguous conclusion is unfulfilling.

However, McNeil and the cast deserve kudos for showcasing a story never told before and fraught with possibilities with a powerful ‘love is love’ message.

Deeply depressed after his wife’s death, Early Landry (Lynch) survives a suicide attempt and moves from a small town in Mississippi to flashy Los Angeles to live with his loving yet controlling sister, Laurette (Maura Tierney).

While there, he develops a complicated and tender relationship with a transgender sex worker named Freda (Matt Bomer). They bond over their shared loneliness and past traumas, sparking a friendship and gradually more.

Early immediately captured me. A hulking man, his kindness and gentleness ooze from him when he takes a run-down apartment in a shady section of L.A. Surrounded by drug addicts and questionable neighbors, he makes friends simply because he is lovely.

Because Lynch frequently plays villains, this was a nice change of pace to witness, and I suspect the actor also enjoyed it.

McNeil kindly writes the character as non-judgmental and savvy despite his Mississippi origins. Oftentimes, in cinema, a Deep South character is written as racist, stupid, or both.

Instead, Early is accepting of different lifestyles. Lynch effortlessly carries the film because he gives the character authenticity and sensitivity.

I wanted to be friends with him.

On the other hand, Freda’s character took most of the film to win me over. Her unpredictable, defensive, and cutting remarks imperfectly represent typical drag queen caricature behavior.

It also took me until the conclusion not to think of McNeil’s reason for casting Bomer as a vehicle to see the pretty actor in drag. Bomer is a great actor in anything he appears in and does his job effectively.

But when Freda callously insults Early when they first meet by nicknaming him ‘Havisham,’ a character from Charles Dicken’s novel Great Expectations, she seems cutting for the sake of being insulting.

I also wanted to know more about Freda. How did she wind up in Los Angeles as a streetwalker? What was her upbringing like? We can guess it wasn’t great, but not much is said.

My reaction improved to championing Freda after a fantastic, ill-fated dinner party scene. Early invites Laurette, her husband, and their son to his apartment for dinner to meet Freda. When Laurette quickly realizes Freda is transgender, she guzzles white wine and lets loose on Freda, fearing she is manipulating her brother.

Despite the story’s groundbreaking nature, the feeling is predictable. Of course, Laurette will object to the romance as much as Freda’s friends call her a dreamer for wanting a ‘9 to 5 life’.

Straight and narrow, Early shakes Freda’s drug dependency in only one night while enduring her venom, vomiting, and unbelievably quick recovery, almost in the snap of his fingers.

I wanted a more definitive conclusion and had questions left in my back pocket that were never answered. Will the couple move in together? What will Freda do for a living? Does Laurette even know Freda is a prostitute?

Unfortunately, Early and Freda never have a sex scene, so the sexual complexities of their assumed relationship feel swept under the rug.

Though sweet-natured and carefully plotted, Anything (2017) has so much more potential story to tell that the results feel lacking.

2025 Films, Camp, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Horror, Horror-Camp, Horror-Comedy

The Monkey-2025

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The Monkey-2025

Director Oz Perkins

Starring Theo James, Christian Convery

Scott’s Review #1,471

Reviewed March 14, 2025

Grade: B

The Monkey (2025) is a macabre horror/comedy film based on a 1980 Stephen King short story.

The film is directed by Oz Perkins, son of legendary actor Anthony Perkins, forever famous for portraying Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960).

He also wrote the screenplay proving that horror runs in his Hollywood royalty tinged blood.

Partnering with James Wan, who co-created the lethal Saw (2004-present) franchise, which The Monkey mostly resembles, adds experience and credibility to the project.

Deadly set pieces and dangling machinery just waiting to slice and dice willing victims to bits make the film a fun experience.

When twin brothers (Christian Convery/Theo James) find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart, leaving them to live with their kooky aunt and uncle and ultimately estranged.

Twenty-five years later, after lying dormant, the devious monkey begins a new killing spree, forcing the siblings to reunite and confront the cursed toy.

For horror fans, the best part of The Monkey is the gruesome death scenes. Wan, well versed in eye gouging, decapitations, and torn limbs, must have inspired Perkins during the final cut.

Wonderfully wicked kills include a gorgeous bikini-clad female pool goer blown to bits, a busload of cheery cheerleaders decapitated, a shop owner disemboweled with a harpoon gun, a bowling ball decapitating another victim, and an unlikable victim being killed by a swarm of wasps.

The uproarious deaths are applaud-worthy because most of the victims are annoying or unsympathetic in some way. The audience delights in witnessing their endings in such gory fashion.

As the adult Hal/Bill Shelburn, Theo James carries the film as the charismatic, bookworm, Hal and the egotistical Bill. James, ridiculously handsome, looks even more adorable in glasses and shy awkwardness.

Hal attempts to reconnect with his son, Petey (Colin O’Brien), with whom he only spends one week per year. Rather than being an absent father, he strives to protect him from the terrible monkey.

Many supporting characters are played over the top and wacky, making the film a goofy horror/comedy. Elijah Wood appears as Ted Hammerman, Hal’s ex-wife’s new husband, while Adam Scott plays Hal’s and Bill’s absent father, with whom the monkey originated after a trip abroad.

As gory delicious as the blood and guts are, the story isn’t much of a highlight. The brother Bill is written as so much of an asshole that one wonders why Hal is so tolerant towards him.

The ending is predictable, and there is not much closure with the monkey. A half-assed explanation of whomever turns the key in the monkey’s back is immune from being killed or some such explanation didn’t wow me.

The film could be a Twilight Zone or horror series episode over a full-length production, running out of gas towards the end.

Oz Perkins is a rising director who creates a cruelly delightful film that feels like an independent production. Choosing to propel viewers into a gore fest over a scary film, The Monkey (2025) is a modest success.

2024 Films, Horror, Independent, Independent Horror

Heretic-2024

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Heretic-2024

Director Scott Beck, Bryan Woods

Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East

Scott’s Review #1,470

Reviewed March 13, 2025

Grade: B+

Heretic (2024) is a terrifying and thoroughly compelling horror film co-directed and written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. The pair most notably wrote the story for and co-wrote A Quiet Place (2018).

The premise of Heretic is rich in scariness, and the screenplay questions and challenges religion and the expected thought process of organized religion, targeting Mormons. It’s a thinking man’s horror film and hardly superfluous, like many genre films over the years.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much meaning the film had in addition to fantastic, traditional horror elements.

Two young missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by an initially kindly but ultimately diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant).

They become ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Things get off to a perilous start when the pair embark on their bicycles for their next stop in a small town in the United States. They are mocked by a group of teenage girls while an impending snowstorm hovers in the sky.

What could go wrong when Mr. Reed offers the girls a warm living room and a wonderfully smelling blueberry pie his wife is baking in an unseen kitchen?

We, the audience, of course know that things will turn grim. It’s a question of when.

At first, Mr. Reed seems nice enough. Engaging the missionaries in innocent questions like their favorite fast food restaurants and stories of rock and roll makes the inquiries deeper and deeper, questioning their religious beliefs.

The most intriguing part of this process is that he makes good points. He educates the girls about the incarnation of the board game Monopoly and that religions are just recreations of other religions kept up to date.

Isn’t it all bullshit?

When he challenges them to choose between two luminous cellar doors things go batshit crazy.

I continue to be impressed when I see the ‘A24’ logo cross the screen. The independent production company specializes in high-caliber horror films with merit, and Heretic is no exception.

The winning formula is that the tension builds slowly and carefully. As the girls go deeper and deeper into the vast house, they have less chance to escape.

When Mr. Reed claims the locked front door cannot be unlocked until morning, the girls and the audience feel dread.

Once the poster boy for cute romantic comedies playing the hero, Hugh Grant has reached an age where he is willing to go full-throttle into character actor roles. His quick British charm and wit make Mr. Reed even more terrifying.

Playing against type, his cheery yet chilly demeanor is scarier than going for full-on crazy. His running tangents about theology scare, confuse, and challenge the girls.

Grant’s charm, gleaming blue eyes, and kind smile make him a creepy villain. He exudes trust, and we want to trust him, so seeing him play maniacal is a delight.

Thatcher and East are well cast as the Sisters, though I’m more partial to Thatcher’s character as she is the more non-believing and has more charisma than East. She’s also the stronger character more willing to stand up to Reed.

Like many horror films, the elements make the movie what it is. The first-hour setup is simply brilliant. The storm, the warm blueberry pie, and the intricately structured mouse maze-like house with creaks, dark stairways, and cellars all come into play.

Religious horror is creepy, and an attempted resurrection propels the story.

Like many horror films, the conclusion isn’t as good as the buildup. The logic involved in the more minor character’s motivations isn’t mainly explained or believable.

Beck and Woods, supported by A24, create a simple yet eccentric tale set in essentially one lonely house on one lonely night. They prove that a lavish budget or bells and whistles can’t replace a gripping, well-written story with intelligent dialogue.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Screenplay

1980 Films, Crime Thriller, LGBTQ+ Films, Thriller

Cruising-1980

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Cruising-1980

Director William Friedkin

Starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen

Scott’s Review #1,469

Reviewed March 9, 2025

Grade: B+

Cruising is a 1980 effort that brought the LGBTQ+ community into mainstream cinema at least for a brief moment shortly before HIV/AIDS changed its image and trajectory.

The film was derided by critics and gay rights protesters who believed it stigmatized them.

Decades later, Cruising has become more accepted and even admired by some, especially in the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a film most community members have heard of, which has made its mark in cinema history.

William Friedkin, famous for directing The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973), writes and directs the film, loosely adapting it from a novel by The New York Times reporter Gerald Walker.

The story is about a serial killer targeting gay men, particularly the men associated with the leather scene in the late 1970s. A psychopath is scouring New York City gay clubs and viciously torturing and stabbing gay men to death.

Resembling the victims physically, Detective Steve Burns (Al Pacino) is asked to wear leather attire and frequent the city’s hardcore clubs to lure the killer.

As Steve becomes immersed in club hopping, he begins to identify with the subculture more than expected. Meanwhile, he behaves distantly around his girlfriend, Nancy (Karen Allen), the police force’s homophobia becomes apparent, and the killer remains at large throughout one hot summer.

Initially, Richard Gere was slated to star, but Pacino ended up with the role.

Pacino, being Pacino, gives it his all in an uneven script and unclear character motivations. The ending is exceptionally muddled and peculiar, leaving an unsatisfying feeling, while I also somewhat admire its ambiguity.

Dusting off this relic was an absolute pleasure. It gave me a glimpse into the LGBTQ+ leather scene of long ago, with authentic New York City gay clubs and clubgoers.

Cruising also features a variety of exterior NYC locales, such as Columbia University, the Meatpacking District, and an opening view of the Manhattan skyline.

Though too young to remember the scene being showcased, I do remember traveling into Manhattan to go to work with my father as a very young boy, and the dangerous city I was always warned about.

Friedkin and cinematographer James Contner exceptionally depict New York City in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The gritty, crime-ridden streets capture the time, as in similar films Taxi Driver (1976) and Gloria (1980).

I also adore seeing the clubs and bars from an LGBTQ+ perspective, though I’m unsure if non-LGBTQ community members would appreciate this aspect of the film.

Nonetheless, fans of Pacino should add this to their list. While not on par with his most tremendous role as Michael Corleone in The Godfather series (1972-1995), he was in his prime before he started overacting and taking on inferior roles.

It’s also a damned good crime thriller!

Cruising reminds me of a Dirty Harry (1971) film, only set in NYC, particularly the killer. With a low and taunting voice and a fondness for teasing his victims before killing them, the similarities are apparent and work well.

The killer’s motivation is weakly explained in a flashback with his father.

Since we more or less see the killer’s identity early on, the film is not so much a whodunit until the final scene, when another character is found dead after the killer is apprehended.

Is the new killer Steve or the victim’s jealous boyfriend? Is Steve closeted? These questions are left unanswered.

The production is superior, and the glowing park scenes, with their shadows and insect sounds, only heighten the thrills and perils for the characters.

The film shows plenty of bare male asses, unusual for this time in American cinema, and dares to show plenty of simulated and apparent complete sex. Forty minutes of X-rated male-on-male action footage needed to be cut, in which Pacino may or may not have participated.

While the screenplay has gaping holes and the conclusion is less than satisfying, Cruising (1980) is a win in my book for showcasing an underrepresented group and taking me back to a fascinating time.