Multiplex Madness
Night Swim
⭐️
Genre: Horror
Director: Bryce McGuire
Starring: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren
Budget horror maestros James Wan and Jason Blum opened 2023 with a bang with the horror hit M3GAN, now they're hoping to do it again with Night Swim, which sees a family move into a home with a demonic force living in their swimming pool. They probably weren't using enough chlorine in their pool. That would kill off an evil spectre real good, I think. The thing about a movie like this that is just a horror movie with a mundane object that's haunted is that "a basic haunting" approach isn't going to fly; you need to hook your audience with an approach that makes the idea entertaining or investing. For example, I thought the movie Smile was going to be stupid, but it actually told a heavy and articulate tale of living with trauma. Or you can just do something like M3GAN did, embrace the goofiness of the concept and just do something silly and entertaining. Night Swim has the idea of swimming pool possession and applies the basic horror outline of "family haunted, searches mysterious past of haunting, tries to escape." There's even a Amityville Horror style "possessed family member" thrown in for good measure. I kept waiting for Night Swim to do something interesting, engaging, or fun, but it never left they safety of its box. It's scares are never bold, often going for PG-13 safe splashes followed by a quick cut. The movie has no style to speak of, though I think it's funny that the pool is often framed like Roy Schieder should be watching attentively off to the side waiting for a shark to appear. The movie's only interesting setpiece was pretty much played out in the trailers, as a teenage girl plays Marco Polo with a ghost. The movie doesn't even have an interesting backstory for the pool, opting to brush it off as a "wishing well." I mean, okay? That's not nothing, but it's definitely not something, either. It's a shame. I like a quirky horror movie and I like the two leads. The film stars Wyatt Russell, who has fought both Captain America and Godzilla, and Kerry Condon, who for some reason thought the best follow-up to a critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated performance was to do a low budget horror movie about a killer swimming pool. There is the possibility that you could have made something with this, but it's more interesting elements (which are admittedly few) are never leaned into, opting to instead play in the shallow end of genre tropes.
Some Other Woman
Weak Layers
Budget horror maestros James Wan and Jason Blum opened 2023 with a bang with the horror hit M3GAN, now they're hoping to do it again with Night Swim, which sees a family move into a home with a demonic force living in their swimming pool. They probably weren't using enough chlorine in their pool. That would kill off an evil spectre real good, I think. The thing about a movie like this that is just a horror movie with a mundane object that's haunted is that "a basic haunting" approach isn't going to fly; you need to hook your audience with an approach that makes the idea entertaining or investing. For example, I thought the movie Smile was going to be stupid, but it actually told a heavy and articulate tale of living with trauma. Or you can just do something like M3GAN did, embrace the goofiness of the concept and just do something silly and entertaining. Night Swim has the idea of swimming pool possession and applies the basic horror outline of "family haunted, searches mysterious past of haunting, tries to escape." There's even a Amityville Horror style "possessed family member" thrown in for good measure. I kept waiting for Night Swim to do something interesting, engaging, or fun, but it never left they safety of its box. It's scares are never bold, often going for PG-13 safe splashes followed by a quick cut. The movie has no style to speak of, though I think it's funny that the pool is often framed like Roy Schieder should be watching attentively off to the side waiting for a shark to appear. The movie's only interesting setpiece was pretty much played out in the trailers, as a teenage girl plays Marco Polo with a ghost. The movie doesn't even have an interesting backstory for the pool, opting to brush it off as a "wishing well." I mean, okay? That's not nothing, but it's definitely not something, either. It's a shame. I like a quirky horror movie and I like the two leads. The film stars Wyatt Russell, who has fought both Captain America and Godzilla, and Kerry Condon, who for some reason thought the best follow-up to a critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated performance was to do a low budget horror movie about a killer swimming pool. There is the possibility that you could have made something with this, but it's more interesting elements (which are admittedly few) are never leaned into, opting to instead play in the shallow end of genre tropes.
Some Other Woman
⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Director: Joel David Moore
Starring: Amanda Crew, Tom Felton, Ashley Greene Khoury
It's the crossover that young adult novel fans of the 2000's have been anticipating for decades, as Harry Potter star Tom Felton and Twilight star Ashley Greene star in this psychological thriller, which has a woman who finds her life slowly changing around her while being followed by a strange woman who seems to be slowly taking over her life. Elements are present that make me wish this movie was something worth watching. There's a basic airport novel appeal to the movie, albeit choked with heavy melodrama and a script that feels frustratingly incomplete. The latter point is a bigger problem than the former, because it feels like it was written as a concept but not fleshed out into an actual story. There's a difference between being ambiguous and being opaque, and Some Other Woman can't seem to see it. The movie wants to be such a surreal mindbender that when it comes time to introduce its own logic, it stutters and panics. There are promising aspects on display: it's has a fair amount of well-played spookiness in its best moments and Amanda Crew is really good in it as the lead. I respect that the filmmakers jumped in and tried a thing. Unfortunately, you can't neglect the faults of your foundation and not look ignorant while the whole structure collapses around you.
Weak Layers
⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Comedy
Director: Katie Burrell
Starring: Katie Burrell, Jadyn Wong, Chelsea Conwright, Evan Jonigkeit, Neal Bledsoe
Those who love indie comedies that seem to center around the filmmakers personal interests/hobbies while also coming off as a hangout session with their best friends might want to see if Weak Layers is playing near them. The film centers on an amateur filmmaker who enters to win a documentary film competition that revolves around a ski town, so she and her devil-may-care friends can afford to find a new place to live. The movie is rambunctious, if nothing else. I can just picture it being a work of love by writer/director/star Katie Burrell to just make a movie about the part of the country that she calls home, while also commenting on how outsider creative ambitions can be suffocated by the intimidating professional competitors. I admire this movie's spirit, and it has interesting themes of imposter syndrome and creative uncertainty. It's even possible Burrell isn't quite sure what she's doing with this movie creatively either and is just putting something together and seeing what happens. That might just be projecting a reason behind the film not entirely come together, because it almost has a dysfunctional defeatist attitude about it, but it's conclusion ultimately comes down to waiving off trying to impress the elites and finding joy whatever your stature may be. It's a casually funny watch for a snowed in weekend.
Movies Still Playing At My Theater
Anyone But You ⭐️1/2
The Boy and the Heron ⭐⭐⭐1/2
The Color Purple ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Ferarri ⭐⭐⭐
Godzilla Minus One ⭐⭐⭐1/2
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (no)
The Iron Claw ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Migration⭐️⭐️1/2
Napoleon ⭐⭐1/2
Poor Things ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trolls Band Together ⭐⭐1/2
Wish ⭐⭐1/2
Wonka ⭐⭐⭐
New To Digital
Eileen ⭐⭐⭐1/2
New To Physical
The Holdovers ⭐⭐⭐
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