Multiplex Madness
Dust Bunny
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Thriller, Comedy
Director: Brad Fuller
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sigourney Weaver, Sheila Atim, David Dastmalchian
An R-rated children's fantasy at first sounds like something that's made for no one. Then one remembers how Guillermo del Toro made everyone shut their goddamn mouths with Pan's Labyrinth, so let's just roll with the punches. In this whimsical fairy, a little girl is afraid of the monster under her bed, which escalates when the monster eats her parents, so that's how you know things have gotten serious. To kill a monster, one must hire someone who kills monsters. Luckily her next door neighbor does just such a thing. Only he's a hitman who kills human "monsters," and he humors her story in believing that the monster under her bed is actually an assassin out to find him. Wildly inventive and endearingly funny, Dust Bunny is an absolutely unforgettable collision of action movie thrills and the darkest depths of a child's imagination. It stands proudly in the wake of dark fantasy tales that defined early Tim Burton's filmography that has gotten more mundane over the years. Dust Bunny rediscovers that mojo and devours it whole, like the next logical evolution in fantasy movie chaos from 80's flicks like Beetlejuice and Gremlins. The movie has spunk and a relentless pace, only to lag in interest when it plays the "Oh no, there's actually a real monster here" card a few too many times, especially in the third act. One longs for characters to get wise and have a more substantial climax with the creature than they actually do, but it's not enough to fully hamper the fun. Dust Bunny is destined to start out as a movie barely anyone knows about, only to grow its audience slowly like an infection. One day it will accumulate enough love to be a cult classic but hopefully it moves past that to become a genuine classic.
Ella McCay
⭐️⭐️
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director: James L. Brooks
Starring: Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Spike Fearn, Woody Harrelson, Albert Brooks, Julie Kavner, Rebecca Hall, Ayo Edebiri
Most kids of my generation are likely to associate James L. Brooks with being one of the names you see in the producer credits on The Simpsons. Brooks never really had much creative input on the show, he was just very instrumental in getting it on the air. Brooks has his own shit to do, which includes his own film directing career that dates back to Best Picture Oscar winner Terms of Endearment, and other award season darlings like Broadcast News and As Good as It Gets. He hasn't directed a movie in a while but one hopes that when he does, it's going to be something special. Ella McCay isn't, though those who miss quaint comedies like it probably won't have a bad time watching it. Those who want this type of movie to be more enchanting might have a harder time swallowing it.
Not Without Hope
Somewhere in the last year or two, Zachary Levi decided he's not a comedian anymore and is trying to reinvent himself as an inspirational leading man. It was probably the one-two punch of Shazam 2 and that Harold and the Purple Crayon movie both tanking at the box office and defining him as being somewhat box office poison, and maybe Levi sees his career sinking and is throwing himself into the faith market and pitching himself as their next rising star. It worked for Kevin Sorbo, I guess. Kind of. God help anyone who stars in the movies Kevin Sorbo stars in these days. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, who might actually have a lot in common with Sorbo, now that I think of it. Zachary Levi might be best off with a career shift as a bartender if he's on that trajectory.
Silent Night, Deadly Night
The seventh film in the Silent Night, Deadly Night slasher film series is also the second reboot of it, following the sixth film, 2012's Silent Night. That film was more a loose reimagining rather than a full remake, however. Those wanting something that actually updates the original film are better served here. This film stars Halloween Ends star Rohan Campbell, who finds himself in yet another situation where the will to be a mass murderer spreads to him like some sort of weird contagion. After witnessing his parents slaughtered at a young age, Campbell grows up to be a killer himself every December, when he murders one "naughty" person every night leading up until Christmas, like a macabre Advent Callender. The idea behind Silent Night, Deadly Night is actually a really fun spin on the slasher genre and probably deserved more popularity with horror fans than it got, embracing the anti-hero masked killer idea more warmly than other franchises, which always treated ins popular personalities as full antagonists to be overcame. The good news about this movie is that its fully embraced being a rock opera of mayhem that we root for, providing a likable protagonist with warm personal relationships that make us want him to come home safe to. That being said, it can be sloppy in its presentation. It weilds it's carnage as a metaphor for traumatic rage but it's also not really effectively raging against anything. The movie is playful, but careless. Our anti-hero slasher is kind of incompetent and he's just lucky the world that he wants to see bleed is more incompetent than he is. I think this movie has convinced itself this is just flinging carnage in all directions and didn't notice. Silent Night, Deadly Night is a fun option for horror fans who want to skip the heartwarming family films of the holidays and put on a Christmas themes macabre offering. Convincing them that they should watch this instead of Terrifier 3 every year, on the other hand, that might take some work.
Influencers
Most kids of my generation are likely to associate James L. Brooks with being one of the names you see in the producer credits on The Simpsons. Brooks never really had much creative input on the show, he was just very instrumental in getting it on the air. Brooks has his own shit to do, which includes his own film directing career that dates back to Best Picture Oscar winner Terms of Endearment, and other award season darlings like Broadcast News and As Good as It Gets. He hasn't directed a movie in a while but one hopes that when he does, it's going to be something special. Ella McCay isn't, though those who miss quaint comedies like it probably won't have a bad time watching it. Those who want this type of movie to be more enchanting might have a harder time swallowing it.
The film features Emma Mackey as Ella McCay, a Lieutenant Governer who suddenly finds herself promoted to the big job when Governer Albert Brooks gets a Cabinet position in Washington D.C. In the aftermath, she juggles both scandal and personal family problems, and sometimes the two are intertwined. It's an okay concept that is probably too mundane in delivery to truly hit. Unfortunately, hyperbole has crashed into this movie from many of the critical reactions and is blowing its flaws out of preportion. Calling Ella McCay one of the worst movies of the year is either woefully naive or blissfully ignorant (a statement made by people who obviously didn't suffer through Juliet & Romeo). It's certainly not a great movie, but its flaws usually default to slow comedic timing and the plastic, hallow reality it seems to be dwelling in. However, if I were to dwell in the positive kiddie side of the swimming pool with little floaties around my arms, while the movie's punchlines are often misdelivered, a lot of them are genuinely amusing. The movie's heart is aimless and clueless, but it also clearly has a heart in general, which isn't true for several movies I can name this year (I'm looking at you, How to Train Your Dragon). The movie has an interesting moral message about knowing your value, the hurt of being wronged, and the acceptance of apologies, not because the other person needs it, but because you need it. These are all strong ideas. They're shuffled into a light mess of a dramedy, but they're present and hit to varying degrees. I wouldn't say this is a bad script, it's just written with stilted theatricality and filmed and performed as if it's quirky and off-the-cuff, which feels like an oxymoron. With some tweaks, Ella McCay would probably make a better overacted play or fluff novel than a movie. Do I recommend Ella McCay as is? Probably not. It's also not a good career capper for Brooks, if that was what he was hoping to gain from this. But who knows. Maybe he has another one in the tank.
Not Without Hope
⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Zachary Levi, Quentin Plair, Terrence Terrell, Marshall Cook, JoBeth Williams, Floriana Lima, Josh Duhamel
Somewhere in the last year or two, Zachary Levi decided he's not a comedian anymore and is trying to reinvent himself as an inspirational leading man. It was probably the one-two punch of Shazam 2 and that Harold and the Purple Crayon movie both tanking at the box office and defining him as being somewhat box office poison, and maybe Levi sees his career sinking and is throwing himself into the faith market and pitching himself as their next rising star. It worked for Kevin Sorbo, I guess. Kind of. God help anyone who stars in the movies Kevin Sorbo stars in these days. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, who might actually have a lot in common with Sorbo, now that I think of it. Zachary Levi might be best off with a career shift as a bartender if he's on that trajectory.
Based on a true story, Levi and a group of friends find themselves on a capsized boat far off the coast with crashing waves carrying them further out to sea. The group struggles to stay alive while the Coast Guard relentlessly searches for them. Of all of Levi's half-assed inspirational dramas this year, Not Without Hope is the least cringe, as he doesn't magically cure depression with his imaginary friend nor is he a white savior in a minority's story. Even clearing that low bar, it's actually pretty okay. The movie is somewhat excitingly filmed by Joe Carnahan, who has some experience with the survival genre following The Grey. The drama and dialogue scenes are less memorable and more lifeless than you would hope from a movie like this, but they also don't induce scoffing or mockery, which is a minor win for the movie seeing how that could be an easy trap for it. The movie is ultimately watchable but unimpressive and forgettable. Not Without Hope does absolutely nothing that similar movies haven't already done better, but it's targeting an audience that wants more of these, and it adequately provides them with more. Its only damning flaw is that it's hard to genuinely feel passionate about it, no matter how passionate it feels about itself.
Silent Night, Deadly Night
⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Director: Mike P. Nelson (NO, NOT THAT MIKE NELSON)
Starring: Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine, David Lawrence Brown, David Tomlinson, Mark Acheson
The seventh film in the Silent Night, Deadly Night slasher film series is also the second reboot of it, following the sixth film, 2012's Silent Night. That film was more a loose reimagining rather than a full remake, however. Those wanting something that actually updates the original film are better served here. This film stars Halloween Ends star Rohan Campbell, who finds himself in yet another situation where the will to be a mass murderer spreads to him like some sort of weird contagion. After witnessing his parents slaughtered at a young age, Campbell grows up to be a killer himself every December, when he murders one "naughty" person every night leading up until Christmas, like a macabre Advent Callender. The idea behind Silent Night, Deadly Night is actually a really fun spin on the slasher genre and probably deserved more popularity with horror fans than it got, embracing the anti-hero masked killer idea more warmly than other franchises, which always treated ins popular personalities as full antagonists to be overcame. The good news about this movie is that its fully embraced being a rock opera of mayhem that we root for, providing a likable protagonist with warm personal relationships that make us want him to come home safe to. That being said, it can be sloppy in its presentation. It weilds it's carnage as a metaphor for traumatic rage but it's also not really effectively raging against anything. The movie is playful, but careless. Our anti-hero slasher is kind of incompetent and he's just lucky the world that he wants to see bleed is more incompetent than he is. I think this movie has convinced itself this is just flinging carnage in all directions and didn't notice. Silent Night, Deadly Night is a fun option for horror fans who want to skip the heartwarming family films of the holidays and put on a Christmas themes macabre offering. Convincing them that they should watch this instead of Terrifier 3 every year, on the other hand, that might take some work.
Netflix & Chill
Influencers
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Streaming On: Shudder
Genre: Thriller
Director: Kurtis David Harder
Starring: Cassandra Naud, Emily Tennant, Georgina Campbell, Jonathan Whitesell, Lisa Delamar
Cassandra Naud is back as social media stalker C.W. in this sequel to one of the best movies on Shudder. Having escaped the island she was trapped on at the end of the first film, C.W. is now living happily in France with her girlfriend, who knows nothing of her bloody past. But Madison, the sole survivor of the previous movie, hunts C.W. down to prove that her story is true. Probably one of my most hotly anticipated streaming films of the year, up there with Frankenstein and Wake Up Dead Man, I wasn't sure where a sequel to a movie as contained as Influencer was going to go but I was eager to find out. Catching up with Naud's psychotic socialite was a treat, even if the transition between the two films feels lightly uneven. The movie never bothers to explain how she escaped the island, though it does address that it's seemingly absurd that she did so before changing the subject entirely, framing it as unimportant. I respect the effort it took to not answer this question so blatantly, so I'll give it a pass. The mind games on display aren't as savage and engrossing as the previous film, but that's mostly because we're already savvy to what's going on in Naud's head this time around. There are a few twists and turns, some are too extravagant for the film's own good, but Naud still owns the production like a queen. Her castmates always find their own screen presence murdered by her "it factor." This is especially true of her male target throughout most of the movie, whose toxic dudebro persona gets very tiresome very fast. This is part of the film's overall plot because we're not supposed to sympathize with him and feel he deserves some sort of comeuppance, but it's just a lot of time spent with someone who needs to be punched. I can't recommend the film over the original but it's a fun continuation for those who want to see what happens next.
Movies Still Playing At My Theater
100 Nights of Hero ⭐️⭐️
Eternity ⭐️⭐️1/2
Fackham Hall ⭐️⭐️1/2
Hamnet ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Now You See Me: Now You Don't ⭐️⭐️1/2
Nuremberg ⭐️⭐️⭐️
One Battle After Another ⭐️⭐️1/2
Predator: Badlands ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Running Man ⭐️⭐️1/2
Sarah's Oil ⭐️⭐️
Wicked: For Good ⭐️⭐️1/2
Zootopia 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
New To Digital
The Carpenter's Son ⭐️⭐️1/2
Christy ⭐️⭐️1/2
Die My Love ⭐️⭐️
Dogma ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Keeper ⭐️⭐️
New To Physicsl
Dead of Winter ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Soul on Fire ⭐️
I'm Still Here ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Coming Soon!
