- The Invite
Typically, when someone is doing double duty as both a director and a star in a movie, one of the two roles struggles. In The Invite, Olivia Wilde manages to balance both responsibilities and somehow excels in each one. First off, the technical craft is a huge level up from Booksmart and Don't Worry Darling. The camerawork is phenomenal, with intentional angles and framing throughout. The way mirrors and windows are used not only to frame characters but as thematic motifs throughout the movie showcases how much care went into each scene. The trailer for the movie features some really clever cropping, and I initially was worried that this type of editing was only going to be used for the trailer. However, the movie also deploys this editing to further enhance both the character drama as well as the deeper ideas at play. In terms of acting, I think each member of the quartet does a great job. Seth Rogen is kind of playing himself, but it works within the context of the movie. Olivia Wilde is again the standout though, utilizing both her hands and her twitching eyes to great effect. I thought Edward Norton was also fantastic. Finally, the dialogue is extremely sharp. For a movie that features just four actors and a single location, the three core elements of directing, acting, and writing have to do the entirety of the work to keep the movie engaging. Because everything is paced so well and has a lot of thought put behind it, the movie never really slogs. It's also very funny, with multiple moments that made our theater break out into raucous laughter. With all of that said, this movie is really almost perfect. I say almost perfect because for some reason, I was underwhelmed by the ending. I've been trying to diagnose exactly why. I think part of it is that despite this incisive look into the relationship between Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde's characters, I felt the movie didn't fully close the loop on Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton's character dynamics. It hinted at more depth there but didn't explore it fully to go beyond being a foil to the other couple. The other part is that the movie sort of just ends without really mining something truly insightful out of what happened in the past two hours. It's not a bad ending, but it feels a bit predictable and anticlimactic. I compare it to something like The Drama where I felt every plot detail on the micro and macro scale was being used to reinforce the ending scene. Here, I felt it didn't have the same cohesive message. Still, there's something to be said about an ending that isn't exactly satisfactory and feels messy for a topic like this. Even with that minor gripe, I think The Invite is an incredibly well-made movie that is genuinely funny, expertly paced, and a keen exploration of couple dynamics.The Invite - The Furious
The fight choreography is really impressive, but honestly, there isn't much else to this movie beyond that. It is nonstop fight sequences, and after a while, they all start to blur together. I think this is caused by multiple issues. First, a lot of the fight scenes aren't paced super well. They go on for way too long. I am specifically thinking about a 30-minute fight scene at the end of the movie that already feels tacked on and starts to become numbing 5 minutes in. This also is related to another issue. A lot of recent kung-fu or gun-fu movies (John Wick) do a good job of changing up the dynamics in each set piece, introducing new elements that make the action feel distinctive and different. I think this movie relies a lot on hand-to-hand brawls. Some people might really appreciate that it isn't outrageous, but for me, it really made the latter fight scenes feel like a chore. The few times the movie introduces some new mechanic into the fights, e.g. by giving the kids some agency, it suddenly becomes way more engaging than the rest of the drawn-out moments. Finally, I just don't think the movie tries to do much else beyond the action choreography. I initially was really excited because the very first scene in the movie featured a rotating camera shot awash in green lighting. However, I wouldn't say the movie has good cinematography, or needle drops outside of the fight choreography. The characters are paper thin, and the plot has been done to death by now. There are so many other movies about a father or pseudo-father fighting hundreds of baddies to rescue his daughter. Given that, I personally started to get fairly bored in this movie. I do hate to give it such a low rating because clearly so much effort went into the fights and choreography, and those are clearly really well done. I can appreciate that. I am sure there is a wide audience of people who will be happy just getting that. But for me, I think there is a lot missing from this movie outside of it.The Furious - Evil Dead Burn
Evil Dead Burn reminds me a lot of the game Resident Evil 7. Both stories belong to franchises that became famous due to their campier entries but want to instead focus on the horror, specifically the horror of a nightmare family. In fact, a lot of the characters, the setting, and even some of the scenes seem to be directly inspired by RE7. I think Evil Dead Burn might be the most sadistic entry in the entire franchise, and it revels in its gore and brutality. I see a lot of critics complaining about this, but I don't think it is necessarily pure gore porn in the vein of some of the Saw movies. There are some jaw-dropping set pieces in this movie with some incredible camerawork and production. There is a single continuous take in this movie that is stunning filmmaking. The camera whirls around throughout, highlighting numerous objects that will be Chekhov's guns. I genuinely think this movie has some of the best cinematography in the entire franchise as well. However, there is none of the goofy humor that made Evil Dead so famous. There are some minor attempts at it, but they don't land and are clearly not the director's strength. That lack of comedy in of itself isn't a bad thing. The prior entry, Evil Dead Rise, wasn't exactly funny but it was fun. I think that's one thing this movie lacks. In its attempt to really amplify the Evil in Evil Dead, the atmosphere becomes oppressive and suffocating. It's bleak, and the nonstop intensity exacerbates that. I don't think that is a bad thing, but I can see fans of the franchise struggling with the change in tone. I think Souheila Yacoub is a pretty good main character, but I wish the family drama was a bit stronger. I think the concept of using the deadites to amplify the nightmare family dynamics is really good, but I felt like the movie was fairly superficial with it. I personally enjoyed this movie because of its inventive imagery and horror sequences that felt like a ride through hell, but I can see why a lot of people who watch this might feel it isn't a proper Evil Dead movie.Evil Dead Burn - Faces of Death
I went into Faces of Death not knowing that there was an older movie sharing the same title. With that said and taken on its own, I was kind of disappointed with the movie in multiple areas. First off, a lot of the critic reviews actually praised its thematic ideas. I think the concept itself is interesting, the idea of a serial killer motivated by content creation and getting views, the unhealthy obsession over views and social media presence, the way people consume dark content for entertainment, and content moderation. The problem is that all of these ideas are purely there as window dressing. The movie might every now and then touch on these in slightly more depth, but it isn't saying anything new or particularly insightful. It's mostly the setup for Barbie Ferreira and Dacre Montgomery's characters to interact. The second problem in the movie though is that these two actors are mostly just shouting. Quite literally at times. I don't think they did a bad job necessarily, but that really distracted from any positive work that they were doing in some of their solo scenes. I also have to mention that Charlie xcx has like 3 scenes in this movie, and she's terrible in all of them. Please stop casting her in movies just to fuel her ego, her role in this was extremely unnecessary. Finally, the tone of the movie. I started out fully immersed with the over-the-top and unique, almost Saw-esque executions. The lo-fi video footage added to a fairly creepy atmosphere. The movie short-circuits this though by veering into comedy at multiple places. Those attempts at comedic relief completely suffocate the horror. They did get a few chuckles out of my theater audience, but I think the movie would have been better served by trying to be more menacing than funny. Overall, I think this movie had the potential to be a surprise favorite had it amped up the intensity, but because it isn't nearly as funny as some other horror-comedies, it ends up just falling flat.Faces of Death - Jury Duty • Company Retreat
Jury Duty Company Retreat is a fascinating social experiment. When I was watching the first season of this show, I did not really know what to expect. It seemed like a show geared towards driving comedy from how a real person would interact with absurd scripted moments and improv without realizing they were in a TV show. By the end, I realized the show was trying to do something more. This time, I knew going into it that the showrunners were actually testing our hero, Anthony. Given that, it was really compelling to see if he would react in the right ways to situations that were meant to test him, not just personally but from a moral standpoint. Now, I have no idea how to untangle the ethical questions associated with this type of show. It is squarely in the realm of shows like The Rehearsal that can be questionable in what they are doing. However, it was incredibly moving and insightful to see Anthony navigate these absurd moments, and his emotional state always felt so sincere and genuine that it truly felt like he was behaving the way he normally would and not in a performative way. There are plenty of funny moments in the show, but I can't fault the comedy because everyone has to play off Anthony. Again, the purpose of this show is not for comedy, even if it results in comedic moments, but rather as a look into human behavior. In that sense, it is hard to really judge it as a show other than to say that their goal and the amount of effort required to structure this entire concept is really impressive. My one criticism is that it is clear the showrunners wanted a particular outcome, and so certain conflicts are manufactured in such a way where it is slightly manipulative and pushing Anthony towards certain decisions. I wish the showrunners were a bit more open, presenting Anthony some tougher choices and trusting that he would still end up making the right choices. Regardless, I think this is actually a very heartwarming and compelling examination of the way small businesses can become a family.Jury Duty • Company Retreat - Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat
Jury Duty Company Retreat is a fascinating social experiment. When I was watching the first season of this show, I did not really know what to expect. It seemed like a show geared towards driving comedy from how a real person would interact with absurd scripted moments and improv without realizing they were in a TV show. By the end, I realized the show was trying to do something more. This time, I knew going into it that the showrunners were actually testing our hero, Anthony. Given that, it was really compelling to see if he would react in the right ways to situations that were meant to test him, not just personally but from a moral standpoint. Now, I have no idea how to untangle the ethical questions associated with this type of show. It is squarely in the realm of shows like The Rehearsal that can be questionable in what they are doing. However, it was incredibly moving and insightful to see Anthony navigate these absurd moments, and his emotional state always felt so sincere and genuine that it truly felt like he was behaving the way he normally would and not in a performative way. There are plenty of funny moments in the show, but I can't fault the comedy because everyone has to play off Anthony. Again, the purpose of this show is not for comedy, even if it results in comedic moments, but rather as a look into human behavior. In that sense, it is hard to really judge it as a show other than to say that their goal and the amount of effort required to structure this entire concept is really impressive. My one criticism is that it is clear the showrunners wanted a particular outcome, and so certain conflicts are manufactured in such a way where it is slightly manipulative and pushing Anthony towards certain decisions. I wish the showrunners were a bit more open, presenting Anthony some tougher choices and trusting that he would still end up making the right choices. Regardless, I think this is actually a very heartwarming and compelling examination of the way small businesses can become a family.Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat - Leviticus
The premise of Leviticus is fascinating and extremely clever. The mechanics are actually fairly simple, and for a good chunk of the early movie, the rules are actually left for the viewer to uncover by noticing how the characters behave in certain scenarios. Because everything feels so intuitive, the movie can avoid awkward exposition in the early going even if it does have someone explain the mechanics later on. More impressively, the movie is so tightly written that every aspect of its concept is working on multiple levels to explore different themes. The movie has some fairly overt metaphors related to conversion therapy, but as I started thinking through it, I realized that it could be interpreted on deeper levels as well, acting as an allegory for coming out, loneliness, suicide, and romance. The movie is dripping with symbolism, with every small detail crafted with the intention to further its messaging. I think any movie that can go beyond some half-hearted gestures towards deeper topics and actually has thought out how to develop its allegory is incredibly commendable. That said, I do think Leviticus struggles when it comes to its horror. The movie is fantastic when viewed as an allegorical gay love story, but as a horror, I think it leaves a lot on the table. In fact, I would say it isn't even scary, more just psychologically tense at parts. The most frustrating part of that is that the movie has all the right ingredients to be much better at the horror than it actually is. One of its biggest flaws is that it does not utilize do enough to put the viewer in the same position as Naim. I think the movie should have really amplified the unreliability of whether or not Naim was seeing the demon or a real person much more, tricking them in key moments so that they themselves start to question whether or not they can trust the people that are talking to Naim. As it is, I think it is very obvious when the demon is the one on screen, and this significantly reduces the tension. Also, while Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen are fantastic actors, I think they don't have the same physicality to drive some of the scares. Specifically, if you compare them to Inde Navarrette in Obsession, you can see how acting can really amplify the uncanny valley nature of these characters. Given that, I think Leviticus is a really well-written queer romance with really thoughtful themes, but as a horror, I think it feels like missed potential.Leviticus - Backrooms
Backrooms was a pretty mixed bag for me. I could kind of tell from the trailers that I was not going to like this movie as much simply because it reminded me a lot of stories like Skinamarink, House of Leaves, and Piranesi, all movies/books that didn't work for me to varying degrees. For some reason, a lot of these stories about liminal spaces tend to be more atmospheric than substantive. Backrooms is no different, but it really suffers from pacing issues, especially in its first 60 minutes. A more experienced director could have easily condensed that into 20 minutes without losing anything. I do think some of the found footage moments are tense and genuinely creepy though, but there are like only 2-3 of them throughout the film. The idea of people having to run around these strange rooms to escape some ominous footsteps does work, and there is some effective technical filmmaking going on, but also, if you've ever played a first person horror video game, it is largely the same type of experience. The problem is that most of the movie outside of these chase sequences is just characters exploring surreal office rooms. I don't find that scary or tense or interesting, it is like watching paint dry. Sure, the set design is technically impressive, but again, that doesn't make a movie. All of this could have been excused had there been an interesting plot, story, character work, or themes. There isn't. There barely is a semblance of plot, and honestly, I would say it has no plot. Maybe if the ending of the movie was just the ending to Act 1, sure. But instead, it's mostly just people exploring this surreal space. The movie vaguely gestures at some themes and character motivations, but I really want to emphasize the word "vaguely" there. It's these nonverbal flashbacks that barely explain anything about Mary that particularly annoyed me. It wasn't the director trusting the audience; it was the director hoping the audience could write the story for him. Clark is slightly more fleshed out, but it really is very surface level. Again, most of the movie is stripped away from any plot, storytelling, character dynamics, character depth, character arcs...anything beyond just people exploring these strange rooms. If that sounds up your alley, great. It put me to sleep outside of like 3 sequences. Granted, it is impressive that a 19 year old director was able to make something like this, and there are some genuinely strong technical aspects of the movie. I'm glad that the movie has had such a buzzy opening as well. However, I think most people would appreciate Obsession which is also directed by an absurdly young director and has had a real success story simply because it is way better with its storytelling.Backrooms - Pantheon • Season 2
Ken Liu is one of my favorite authors of all time, so I was primed to like this from the get go. I didn’t even know Amazon had saved this show since AMC had tried very hard to kill it by airing it out of order and burying it on a streaming service that nobody used. Episodes are ordered properly, and the animation doesn't have the fuzzy lineart issue that plagued the first season. Voice acting is improved as well, and in general, needle drops and technicals are better. The first 6 episodes continue the main story where it left off in Season 1, and they build upon that narrative. There is plenty to like here, from an examination of the tech savior mindset to the unique blend of action and sci-fi creativity. And it seems to somehow connect incredibly well with real world events, including an absurdly prescient r4 conflict going on right now as well as discussing the pandemic in a way that doesn't seem cringey. But these last 2 episodes are something truly special. The story and narrative depart into new areas, and I'm sure that may confuse people who were not expecting such a dramatic change, but oh boy are these 2 episodes special. I really don't have ways to explain them without spoilers, and hell, I'm still trying to digest them. It becomes a philosophical playground that, as I said before, is probably some of the smartest sci-fi I've consumed. And it's all signature Ken Liu. Extremely forward looking, creative, grounded in reality, audacious and unique, and never losing sight of the emotional core. From a rumination on death and pain, the importance itself of death, the footprint humans leave behind, the desire for the unexpected versus the desire to control...I could go on and on. But just watch this criminally underrated sci-fi gem which deserves to be right up there at the top of the Pantheon of sci-fi TV showsPantheon • Season 2 - The Sheep Detectives
Sheep Detectives is a cute movie that is also fairly predictable. I think the mystery and culprit are not extremely unique or complex, and the cast of suspects is very limited and barebones. In fact, even the howdunit and murder itself are fairly simplistic, and the way the clues are pieced together elementary. Given all of that, I still found myself enjoying The Sheep Detectives a lot more than the glut of cozy murder mysteries that have become popularized since Knives Out. I think a large part of that is due to the fact that the main cast are all sheep. I wonder if I would have enjoyed this movie if they were humans, even with no other changes to the plot. There are lots of other murder mysteries where the detectives have some unique quirks or zany personalities. Yet, because they are sheep, the movie is able to give each of them more heart than your typical cardboard cutout murder mystery character. It helps that they are all voiced by a star-studded cast. I found myself being able to identify and distinguish each sheep and understanding their character conflicts independent of the murder. The movie itself has a very heartwarming message that is amplified by these creatures and their struggles. Even though I think the movie's mystery is a letdown, I still enjoyed my time with it because it has such a life-affirming message and such an adorable cast.The Sheep Detectives - Widow's Bay • Season 1
Widow's Bay starts out as this very unique blend of genres. The small island town setting of the show becomes a key character, serving as the backdrop to a mix of urban legends that drive the first half of the season in episodic fashion. Each of these episodes feels almost like a standalone, focusing on a diverse mix of creatures and frights. While the scares may vary by episodes, the humor is surprisingly consistent throughout. A lot of horror comedies struggle to balance both sides of the coin, but Widow's Bay somehow manages to both be legitimately creepy as well as downright hilarious, and it does it without having to resort to slapstick comedy which seems to be the humor style of so many other entries within the genre. A lot of that is due to Matthew Rhys and especially newcomer Kate O'Flynn, both of whom have such fantastic deadpan line delivery that really sells the excellent dialogue and writing. Unfortunately, around the halfway mark, the season shifts its structure, ditching the episodic mysteries in favor of a larger overarching central plot that overtakes everything else. I personally didn't love this shift because it got rid of so much of the variety that made each episode exciting to watch. To be honest, I actually predicted the key twists to this central plot before they occurred, so a lot of the suspense of not knowing what weird scenario Mayor Loftis would find himself was instead replaced with just waiting for the other shoe to drop. The other problem with this shift is that the show becomes a lot more focused on plot, to the determent of its humor and horror. Don't get me wrong, there are still moments of both throughout the second half, but it feels like a lot less compared to the first half. Most importantly, I think it also hampers the show's setting because it somehow ties all of these different and distinctive legends to a single one, making each of them feel a lot less potent on their own. With all of that said, I still think Widow's Bay is one of the most unique things I've seen recently on TV, and it can be extremely entertaining. I just think the first half of the season is a lot better than the second half. I hope future seasons go back to the magic formula of those early episodes.Widow's Bay • Season 1 - The Legend of Vox Machina • Season 4
Season 4 of Vox Machina suffers a lot from feeling like a transient season. Following the events of season 3, it needed to establish a new story arc and villain, and so it ends up having to do a lot of setup despite being four seasons into the show. I think it also means that the larger plot is kicked down the road for season 5, resulting in a weird season where at times the villain is significantly less menacing and present compared to the ones from earlier seasons. The stakes also feel a bit weird because the show has already done cataclysmic events and death doesn't seem to really stick, so the characters never really feel in danger. Most importantly, it seems to be doing a lot of work to maneuver characters into the right places, and this often feels at the expense of the characters themselves. Pike in particular has a very inorganic character arc this season that often feels forced purely in service of the plot. That said, the show definitely hits its groove in various moments such as the De Rolo's Eleven episode as well as the ending to the season where it utilizes its animation and music to create epic hype moments. When the show is rolling, it is highly entertaining. I wish this season had more of those moments, and I really wish it did better by its characters. That said, the ending got me very excited for Season 5, and I hope that is the climactic finale that this show really deserves.The Legend of Vox Machina • Season 4 - Succession • Season 4
This final season solidified Succession as the greatest TV show I have ever seen. The sharp writing where every line of dialogue feels like a crafted barb, the way the show reminded us that Event Television still existed (even mainstream news media were publishing frontpage stories the next day after one of the episodes), and the stellar acting from the entire ensemble. It has a completely unique look and sound to it, with the roving cameras and digital zooms and dialogue that is instantly recognizable. These characters are terrible people, and yet I cared about them. Bravo.Succession • Season 4 - The Bear • Season 2
The Bear returns for another frenetic season that one-ups season 1 in every way imaginable. While it keeps up its high intensity throughout the season, it is the one two punch of episode 6 and 7 that really got to me, both of which are among the best episodes of TV this year. Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are at the top of their game, and while the show may revolve around cooking, it is also really about trauma and how it manifests itself in so many destructive ways. It’s not a light show, but it’s a damn good one.The Bear • Season 2 - Blue Eye Samurai • Season 1
I am glad this show is getting so much love recently. The further away I get from it, the more I love it. The animation was a mixed bag. Sometimes it felt very poor and plasticky, but often, it would strike such a great cinematic balance where the background remained in constant motion and the perspective felt as if it was being shot on an actual camera, where the importance of framing and blocking was appreciated. Beyond that, I found Mizu’s character enthralling, and how her quest for revenge was more complex and intricate in other flashy action-driven revenge stories. In particular, one of the flashback episodes stuck with me. Even the side characters are given interesting arcs, and I am very excited to see where they go in season 2. It also serves as an interesting examination into gender identity during this time period.Blue Eye Samurai • Season 1
