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Terrifier 3 (2024)
Terrifier 3
The first Terrifier was a gory cult hit with limited screenings, the second was a bigger hit mostly through streaming and again limited screenings, this third entry was properly released in various cinemas and with another increased budget. It was receiving notoriety, including being banned in France (the first time for a film since Saw III in 2006) and with reports of audience reactions, including vomiting and walkouts, so I had to see it, written and directed by Damien Leone (All Hallows' Eve). Basically, it opens with a man in a festive red suit entering the home of a family while a little girl named Juliet (Luciana VanDette) sneaks downstairs. The man goes upstairs with an axe; the sounds of the girl's brother Timmy (Kellen Raffaelo) being slaughtered are heard. The man then goes into the parents' bedroom; wife/mother Jennifer (Krsy Fox) wakes in terror finding Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), dressed as Santa Claus dismembering her husband Mark (Alex Ross). After hacking her as well, Art goes downstairs to have cookies and milk, does some washing up, and finds Juliet hiding in a cupboard (he presumably kills her as well). Five years earlier, Art's decapitated corpse is reanimated and goes to the mental asylum where survivor Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi) has just given birth to his head. They kill a nurse and a guard before fleeing to an abandoned house to hide out. After restoring Art's head, Victoria slashes her arm to drain her blood into a bathtub while Art sits in a rocking chair beside an upstairs window. In the present, Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) has been released from a psychiatric hospital. She goes to stay with her aunt Jessica (Margaret Anne Florence) and her husband Greg (Bryce Johnson), along with their daughter Gabbie (Antonella Rose), who idolises Sienna but has no knowledge of events. Despite going through treatment for trauma, Sienna is still haunted by visions of her deceased friends. Meanwhile, she has become estranged from her younger brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) who is starting college and wants to move on with his life. At the abandoned house, demolition workers Dennis (Jon Abrahams) and Jackson (Michael Genet) stumble upon the bodies of Art and Victoria who are woken from their slumber. They kill the two workers and venture off on another killing spree. At a bar, Santa Claus impersonator Charles "Charlie" Johnson (Daniel Roebuck) is having a drink. Art enters and drinks with him and patron Smokey (Clint Howard), but Charlie and bar owner Eddie (Bradley Stryker) are angered by his inappropriate behaviour. Art murders Eddie and Smokey, shooting them with a gun, and he knocks Charlie unconscious. When Charlie wakes, he finds himself tied to a chair; Art steals his Santa Claus costume, and then sprays him with a canister containing liquid nitrogen, freezing his face and limbs, shattering them with a hammer and killing him; he sticks a carrot in his smashed face like a snowman's nose. Sienna and Jessica go Christmas shopping together at the mall, and Sienna is shaken seeing a figure dressed in a Santa suit wearing a mask waving at her. Art goes to the department store Santa's Grotto, impersonating the mall Santa, passing soft toys to the children but unsettling the gathered parents. After being escorted away by security, and after the return of the real mall Santa (Chip Carriere), a boy opens a box, triggering a bomb inside, and the explosion kills several bystanders. Sienna tells her relatives what she witnessed before the bombing, but they do not believe her, assuming she is having a mental episode. Sienna visits Jonathan at his university, where she meets Jonathan's dorm roommate Cole (Mason Mecartea) and his girlfriend Mia (Alexa Blair Robertson), who hosts a true crime podcast. Mia is obsessed with the Miles County Massacre and pressures Sienna and Jonathan to participate in an interview about the murderer. Sienna angrily refuses and berates Mia for not considering the feelings of victims of the crimes. Sienna tells Jonathan about the masked man she saw and thinks Art is still alive. They learn that demons can be reborn through a host, like Victoria, and there are angels opposite to these demons. Sienna tells Jonathan she plans to return to the Terrifier attraction at the abandoned fairground to retrieve the sword gifted to her by her father Michael (Jason Patric). Flashbacks reveal that Michael, a comic book illustrator, created an angel warrior character for young Sienna (Luciana Elisa Quinonez). At Jonathan's university, Cole and Mia are having sex in the showers. Art arrives and kills them with a chainsaw, mutilating Cole's backside and private parts, and severing Mia's limbs and face. Sienna learns about the killings on the news and panics. She insists on calling Jonathan and Greg agrees to go and pick him up. Sienna falls asleep and dreams about the angels crafting her angel warrior costume. She wakes to find Art and Victoria have invaded her home, and Art knocks her out with a mallet. When Sienna regains consciousness, she sees Greg's naked corpse bloodied and pinned to the wall and Jess tied up in a chair across from her. Victoria shows them a skinned head being consumed by rats, claiming it is Gabbie. Victoria then kills Jess by hammering a tube down her throat, forcing rats to scurry in with a blowtorch. Art suddenly enters with Gabbie as a hostage, and Victoria reveals to Sienna that the head is, in fact, Jonathan's. Victoria places a crown of thorns on Sienna's head and tries to possess Sienna but she is strong enough to resist this. Victoria prepares to kill Sienna and Gabbie before a wrapped present is pointed out resting under the Christmas tree. Despite her hands being smashed, Sienna manages to open the gift; she stabs Victoria with its contents, her father's sword. Sienna decapitates Victoria, who disintegrates. Art attacks Sienna with his chainsaw, but with her blade, she gains the upper hand and stabs him in the back. Victoria's blood burns through the floor and opens a portal to Hell. Gabbie falls and holds onto the edge, and Sienna leaves Art behind to save her. She holds her sword by the sharp edges to let Gabbie grab the handle to pull her up, but she cannot save Gabbie, and she falls into the abyss along with the sword. Sienna initially weeps while Art flees through a window. But Sienna is perplexed to see her lacerated hands healing, and she vows to find and rescue Gabbie. It ends with Art boarding a bus out of town. Also starring Chris Jericho as Burke the orderly, Tom Savini as a bystander, Stephen Cofield Jr. As Officer Evans, Phil Falcone as Tom the Bus Driver, Andrew Hollinger as the department store Elf, Robert Catalano as the Photographer, and Corinne Kelly as the Bag Lady. Thornton is still sinister as the insane black-and-white circus performer who is silent and often smiley throughout his various murders, Scaffidi as his facially disfigured sidekick is equally nasty, and LaVera remains a feisty cosplayer heroine. This is easily the most extreme, brutal, stomach-churning, gross, and blood-soaked of the trilogy so far with its barrage of gory violence, I squirmed frequently as characters are mutilated, torn apart, and hacked up by the antagonist, who has become a cultural icon of the genre. The festive setting adds a little something to it, there are touches of humour in amongst the slaughter, the atmosphere and tension are still spot on, and it feels like a throwback to the days of the "video nasties", I'm confident the fourth entry will only be bloodier, this is a most watchable Christmas slasher horror. Good!
A Different Man (2024)
A Different Man
I found out about this film online somewhere and instantly recognised the British star of Under the Skin, then I found out that the leading actor was in prosthetic makeup to look like he has the same facial disability, I was curious what this film would have to offer. Basically, in New York City, Edward Lemuel (Captain America: The Winter Soldier's Sebastian Stan) is a reclusive man and struggling actor with the facial condition neurofibromatosis. He lives alone in his apartment which has a damaged leaking ceiling and a bearded neighbour a few doors away who acts strangely and later hangs himself. Aspiring playwright Ingrid Vold (Renate Reinsve) moves into the apartment next door and befriends Edward. One day, she meets Ingrid who aids him when he cuts his hand and gives him an unused typewriter. As they get to know each other he is too nervous to tell her about his feelings for her because he believes she will reject him. During a medical examination, Edward is informed about an experimental medical treatment to cure him of his condition. The scientists start by creating a wearable mask cast of his original face as a reference for his progress and as a memento for his change. He receives an injection that will slowly cause his non-cancerous tumours to peel from his face. Over time, the tumours are painfully shed, leaving behind good skin and revealing a "normal" face in the mirror. He avoids being seen by Ingrid, and when scientist Dr. Flexner (Malachi Weir) comes to visit him, he assumes the identity of "Guy Moratz" and claims that Edward has killed himself. Feeling comfortable going out, he goes to a bar he previously visited to see public reactions to his new face and finds himself able to socialise. Sometime later, "Guy" has become a wealthy and successful real estate agent, with his face on cardboard cut-outs advertising the company. One day, he discovers that Ingrid is producing a play off-Broadway titled Edward, a Beauty and the Beast kind of story based on Edward's life. He originally auditions as a secondary character with a normal face but then returns wearing the mask of his original face. Ingrid is unsure of casting an actor without facial disfigurement, but he says he is suitable for the role and gives convincing a moving performance. Edward and Ingrid begin a relationship, and she remains unaware of his true identity. One night, whilst having sex, she asks him to wear the mask, but she cannot take their lovemaking seriously. During rehearsals, Edward is critical about the ending of the play, with the lead character committing suicide. She agrees and rewrites it to have a more positive ending and to make the character more sympathetic, but the changing script only causes him problems. One day, they are visited by Oswald (Adam Pearson), an English man with neurofibromatosis who has taken an interest in the play. Edward is stunned to see a man with his former affliction and confused by his outgoing demeanour. The confident and charismatic Oswald quickly befriends the cast and crew and joins them to give advice on the leading character based on his own experiences. Ingrid and Oswald grow closer, and after Edward is unable to remember his lines, she decides to recast Oswald in the lead role. The play is a success, and Oswald's performance receives rave reviews. Edward spends some time with Oswald who is charismatic and popular; they go to a karaoke bar and he is confident to get onstage and sing in front of a crowd. Edward's mental state begins to deteriorate because he is confused as to why Oswald seems to have a better life than he does despite his facial disfigurement, and he later begins stalking Oswald. Edward has a breakdown and decides to wear his mask during a house viewing, but he disturbs the customers with his outlandish behaviour, and he is fired from the estate agents. Then he flips out, storming the stage during a performance of the play, physically attacking Oswald and berating him for taking his life. During the fight, part of the set is damaged and falls on Edward, breaking his legs and arms. While recovering from his injuries, he moves back into his former apartment next to Ingrid. She is now living with Oswald, and they are making plans to adapt the play into a feature film. They have a meeting regarding the film with Hollywood star Michael Shannon (as himself). One day, Edward's physical therapist speaks about Oswald behind his back and expresses disgust about his face. An angered Edward stabs the therapist to death and is sent to prison for murder. Years later, following his release, an older Edward once again encounters Oswald. They go to dinner together; Oswald and Ingrid are married and have become a highly successful creative duo. They talk about planning their retirement to a commune in Canada, which may or may not be a nudist colony. A waiter arrives to take their orders, but a visibly nervous Edward struggles to choose from the menu. Oswald jokes that Edward hasn't changed a bit. Also starring C. Mason Wells as Carl, Owen Kline as Nick, Charlie Korsmo as Ron Belcher, Patrick Wang as a director, Mark Geller as Ragged Man, John Keating as Dr. Varno, Corey R. Taylor as Luther, David Joseph Regelmann as Dr. Jewell, Nina White as Dr. Trutz, Cornelius Horgan as the Bartender, Peter D. Straus as the Abraham Lincoln performer. Stan gives an interesting performance as the man who is no happier after changing his face, Reinsve does alright as the woman who admires him with his disfigurement, unknowingly without, and then moves on with another man with it, and Pearson (who has neurofibromatosis in real life) almost steals the show with his supporting but winning, charming, and funny performance as the man who perplexes the lead character. The science-fiction element is fine, the change of the lead character's physical identity and later sane personality works well, it has great special effects makeup, and it does make good points about social prejudice regarding disability, it is dark and uncomfortable sometimes, but it is ambitious and artistic, an interesting black comedy psychological thriller. Good!
In America (2002)
In America
I happened upon this film when it was broadcast on television some years ago, I remembered the scene for a long time, so I was glad when I finally got the opportunity to watch the full feature, directed by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Brothers). Basically, set in 1982, the Sullivan family, husband/father Johnny (Paddy Considine), wife/mother Sarah (Oscar nominated Samantha Morton) and their daughters Christy (Sarah Bolger) and Ariel (Emma Bolger), have moved from Ireland via Canada to the United States (they are illegal immigrants). The family settles in New York City, in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, in a rundown apartment building occupied by drug addicts, transvestites, and a reclusive Nigerian artist/photographer named Mateo Kuamey (Oscar nominated Djimon Hounsou). The death of five-year-old son Frankie, who fell down the stairs and later discovered a fatal brain tumour, still hangs over the family. The devout Roman Catholic Johnny, who is trying to continue a career in acting, has lost the ability to express and feel true emotions, affecting his relationship with his family. Christy believes she has been granted three wishes by her dead brother, and she waits for the right moment to use them when the family is in desperate circumstances. While Johnny unsuccessfully auditions for any role he can get on stage, Sarah gets a job in the local ice cream parlour to support the family. Despite their poverty, exploring the American culture and the closeness of the family gives them the energy to make the most of what they have. Christy often chronicles with a cherished camcorder. As money runs low, there is a heatwave; Johnny finds an abandoned air conditioner which he buys an adapter plug to try and get working but it causes a power cut. The family dip into savings to go to the cinema to see ET the Extra-Terrestrial where they can enjoy air conditioning and the movie. The family later go to a carnival where they find a ball and bucket target game to win an ET cuddly toy. Johnny squanders large sums of their much-needed money to get seven balls in the bucket to win the toy, and after Christy makes a wish to Frankie, he successfully wins the toy and their money back. As the summer heat continues, tensions rise between Johnny and Sarah, but they talk things through and make love. Their financial and emotional strain is made more difficult when Sarah discovers she is pregnant. Eventually, Johnny finds work as a cab driver to improve their income for the baby and to help pay for the girls' Catholic school tuition. On Halloween, Christy and Ariel dress up and go trick-or-treating in the neighbourhood and the apartment building. The girls knock on Mateo's door, he is initially angry but slowly warms to them. Johnny is reticent about the somewhat imposing and forbidding man, but Sarah agrees the girls can invite Mateo to dinner. They learn that Mateo is a sad and lonely man because he is dying of AIDS. They spend more time with their new friend, including a snowball fight during the winter. Later, Mateo falls down the apartment building's flight of stairs and is knocked unconscious. Christy tries to resuscitate him using CPR, but the other residents warn her that he is HIV-positive and discourage her. While Mateo's condition continues to deteriorate, Sarah's fetus develops; doctors warn her that she or the child could during labour, but she is determined to go ahead with it. The baby is born prematurely and in poor health, needing a blood transfusion, making Johnny and Sarah nervous about the baby's survival chances. This is combined with the skyrocketing hospital bills to be paid following the baby's delivery. While recovering in the hospital, Sarah has a brief nervous breakdown, blaming Johnny for Frankie's death and tearfully berating him. After calming her down, Johnny and Sarah agree to the blood transfusion but insist they are reluctant to use hospital blood banks as this was the source of Mateo's contraction of HIV. Shortly, it is discovered that Christy has a compatible blood type to donate. Mateo's death coincides with the first healthy movements of the infant following a blood transfusion from Christy. After the successful operation, Johnny is startled to find that the astronomical hospital bill has already been paid. The fee was settled by Mateo before he died because he had a large trust fund he never spent. Johnny and Sarah give the newborn baby girl, Sarah (Molly Glynn), the middle name of Mateo in gratitude and to honour his memory. Following the baby's birth and the death of Mateo, Johnny is finally able to overcome his lack of emotion and put his grieving for Frankie to rest. Later, he gets a break by getting a small role in A Chorus Line on Broadway. The film ends with the Sullivan family holding a baby shower with many of the apartment building tenants present to celebrate, and Christy and the rest of her family look at the Moon looking out for Mateo in the night sky. Also starring Ciaran Cronin as Frankie, Merrina Millsapp as Marina, Guy Carleton as the Man at the Carnival, Adrian Martinez as the Shopkeeper, Bob Gallico as the Theatre Director, Jason Killalee as the Assistant Theatre Director, and Des Bishop as the Stockbroker in the Taxi. Morton (who has short hair following her role in Minority Report) gives a great performance as the struggling mum who tries to stay positive, Considine is good as the emotionless dad, Hounsou is interesting as the reclusive neighbour who opens up to and becomes friendly, and the real-life Bolger sisters are fantastic as the children. It is a splendid semi-autobiographical story from the point-of-view of a child with strong messages about hope, faith and love, there are the dark moments that make it gritty, but they do not overshadow an overall feeling of childhood wonder and exploration, a satisfactory mostly heart-warming drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay for Jim Sheridan and his daughters Naomi and Kirsten. Very good!
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Joker: Folie à Deux
Released the same year that DC Comics was celebrating the 85th anniversary of Batman, this sequel (translated "madness for two") was originally unplanned, with the original film being a standalone. There was much speculation about the format (with song and dance numbers) and the introduction of the lead character's sidekick and girlfriend, and it was receiving mixed to negative reviews but I was always going to see it, directed by Todd Phillips (Road Trip, The Hangover, War Dogs). Basically, it opens with a Looney Tunes style cartoon, where the Joker fights his own shadow who tries to impersonate him at a red-carpet event for his own TV show. The shadow takes his place to perform a singing number before abandoning the Joker onstage and three policemen arrive and beat him. At Arkham State Hospital, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is in custody awaiting trial for the crimes he committed two years ago, specifically five counts of murder. His lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), plans to argue that Arthur has dissociative identity disorder and that the "Joker", his secondary personality, is responsible for the crimes. The guards of the hospital, led by the abusive Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), take advantage of Arthur, bribing him with cigarettes to tell jokes. For his good behaviour and to increase his chances, Arthur is taken to the B ward where there is a music therapy session. There, he meets another patient, Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga) who recognises him on television and admires him for killing TV chat show host Murray Franklin. Lee confides to Arthur that she grew up in the same neighbourhood he did, had an abusive father who died in a car crash and was committed after burning down her parents' apartment building. Arthur confesses to her that he actually killed six people; he killed his mother smothering her in hospital. In B war, during a film screening of The Band Wagon, Lee starts a fire. She and Arthur are caught trying to escape, and Arthur is placed in solitary confinement. Lee visits him to tell him she is being released to avoid his influence. She promises to attend his trial, and after painting his face with makeup they have sex. Arthur is interviewed by television personality Paddy Meyers (Steve Coogan) as part of his defence campaign. During the interview, Arthur sings to Lee through the television screen, deepening her love for him. On the day of the trial, Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) calls witnesses who dismiss Arthur's claims of insanity. During a break, Maryanne reveals that Lee has been lying to him; she was a psychiatry student who grew up in the Upper West Side, and her father is a doctor and is alive. Furthermore, she voluntarily committed herself and checked herself out, and she never burned down an apartment building. Lee visits him and he confronts her about her lies, she confesses that she wanted to get closer to him. She then tells him that she is pregnant and has moved into his old apartment building wanting to make a home for them. At the trial the next day, Arthur's former neighbour Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz), whom Arthur had an obsessive crush on (he previously fantasised them in a relationship), is called to give her testimony. Arthur has become unsatisfied with Maryanne's defence representation; he dismisses and informs Judge Herman Rothwax (Bill Smitrovich) that he wants to defend himself. As the case reaches its final stages, Arthur chooses to don his Joker makeup and costume. Arthur's former co-worker Gary Puddles (Celebrity Juice's Leigh Gill) is brought to the stand. Gary details Arthur killing their colleague, admitting that he has been terrified ever since, and cries because Arthur was the only person who treated him well. Arthur, visibly affected by Gary's testimony, offers no defence, but he mocks the Arkham guards and indicates that they abuse him. Returning to Arkham, he is taken by Sullivan and two guards to the showers and brutally assaulted before being dragged to his cell partially naked. Arthur's fellow inmate and friend Ricky Meline (Jacob Lofland) verbally confronts the guards, resulting in Jackie strangling him to death. During his closing argument in court the following day, a devastated Arthur renounces his Joker persona, taking full responsibility for his actions. Lee is enraged and storms out, and the jury finds Arthur guilty of first-degree murder. But while the foreman (Angela D. Watson) is reading the verdict, a car bomb explodes outside the courthouse, destroying the building. Several people are killed, and many others injured, including Dent who has the left side of his face heavily scarred (becoming Two-Face). Arthur wakes and stumbles out of the building, and two followers dressed as clowns help him to escape. Eventually, Arthur gets out of the car and runs from the followers. Arthur wanders through Gotham City and encounters Lee outside his old apartment, but she rejects him for renouncing his Joker persona. As she leaves, the police surround Arthur, and he allows them to apprehend and return him to Arkham. The next day, Arthur is informed he has a visitor (we never see who it is); he is approached by a young inmate (Connor Storrie) who asks to tell him a joke he has been working on. The "punchline" is the inmate repeatedly stabbing Arthur in the abdomen. As Arthur bleeds to death, his assailant carves a smile on his own face while laughing hysterically. Arthur imagines himself and Lee onstage for a showtune before he dies. Also starring Ken Leung as Dr. Victor Liu, Sharon Washington as social worker Debra Kane, Alfred Rubin Thompson as Ernie Bullock, Gregg Daniel as the Music Teacher, June Carryl as Dr. Louise Beatty, and Martin Kildare as the News Anchor. Phoenix (who deservedly won the Oscar for the predecessor) is good as the self-pitying former comedian turned criminal, Lady Gaga is interesting as his equally kooky love interest (Harley Quinn), they have great chemistry whilst smitten and singing together, Gleeson offers interesting support as the dodgy Irish guard, Coogan is slightly annoying and pointless, Gill has a memorable scene, and Keener, Lawtey and Beetz are fine. The songs performed by Phoenix and Lady Gaga (all related to happiness, smiling, laughing, love and entertainment) include "Get Happy", "For Once in My Life", "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)", "That's Entertainment", "To Love Somebody", "They Long to Be (Close to You)", and "Gonna Build a Mountain", and the soundtrack includes "What the World Needs Now Is Love" by Nick Cave, "When the Saints Go Marching In", "Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest, "My Life" by Billy Joel, and "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra. As with the previous film, it is dark and overly depressing, but the well-put-together song and dance routines (imaginations in the minds of the leads) add a little comic relief, the court case stuff is gripping enough, and there are no complaints about the performances or vocals of the lead stars. The problem is, the film is too odd and just doesn't work as well as it could have, if it weren't for the two leads, some small gripping moments and some of the songs it would be complete rubbish; I can understand why there is so much negativity about it, I wanted to enjoy it but I just couldn't quite, a disappointing jukebox musical psychological thriller. Adequate!
Saucy!: Secrets of the British Sex Comedy (2024)
Saucy!: Secrets of the British Sex Comedy
In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, the British sex comedy was one of the most prominent and successful genres at the cinemas, and I was most interested to see this documentary exploring them. It was the sexual revolution in 1960s London that started to change attitudes in Great Britain towards sex, and although pornography was illegal, it did not stop British filmmakers from introducing this popular trend of films. Adult entertainment in films was mostly controlled by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification), with film censor John Trevelyan at the helm, "protecting the public" (mostly the conservative and upper class) from depravity and corruption. Any films containing high amounts of sex or nudity were considered exploitation films, often given the X certificate (16 or over). There was a farce comedy play that mocked the "attitudes" of the time titled No Sex Please We're British. It was the Carry On films that for years entertained cinemagoers with its seaside postcard innuendo style comedy. The first mainstream film to feature nudism was the George Harrison Marks documentary Naked As Nature Intended (1961). The first exploitation film ever made for mainstream audiences was School for Sex (1969), with the "cool version" released for those easily offended, and the "hot version" released for those looking for more adult content. The term "the man in the mac" was coined throughout the period, used to describe cinemagoers (especially businessmen) who entered screenings of films containing adult content, whilst wearing mackintosh coats so that they could (presumably) do things under their coats. Soon, several independent studios were started in Wardour Street, Soho to produce more sex comedies. In 1970, the BBFC added the AA certificate (not suitable for children under 14), while the X certificate was increased to 18. The British sex comedies produced often contained female stereotypes and cliches and very few gay characters. There were some critics that loathed these films, and activist Mary Whitehouse certainly criticised them for being pornographic, but audience numbers soared and made them financial successes, with Come Play with Me (1973) playing for 4 years in the same venue. The sex comedy that is the one that really started the trend and became a major success, with its high amount of nudity, sex scenes and smutty style, was Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974). It was the combination of British comedy stars of the time, beautiful and buxom ladies taking their clothes off and becoming icons, and silly sauciness in the slapstick scenes and written in the script that made these high grossing box office hits. Eventually though the films concentrated more on the sex and nudity than jokes and actually trying to make audiences laugh as well; the later Carry On films are examples of films like these becoming unfunny and depraved. It is fair to say that this genre of films would not be made in the modern woke times we live in, but for the time they were adored and can be admired to an extent. The documentary also detailed the increase in adult magazines, the career and tragic death of sex comedy and adult star Mary Millington, the VHS tapes/home video market ruining the cinema industry, and questions if we should feel guilty about watching these films now? The sex comedies discussed, mentioned (including in text), and pictured in the two-part programme included (in alphabetical order): Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1976), Adventures of a Private Eye (1977), Adventures of a Plumber's Mate (1978), The Amorous Milkman (1975), Au Pair Girls (1972), Can You Keep It Up for a Week? (1975), Carry On Girls (1973), Carry On Behind (1975), Carry On Emmanuelle (1978), Come Play with Me (1977), Cool It Carol! (1970), Emmanuelle in Soho (1981), Eskimo Nell (1975), For Men Only (1967), Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968), I'm Not Feeling Myself Tonight! (1976), Keep It Up, Jack (1974), Keep It Up Downstairs (1976), Mary Millington's True Blue Confessions (1980), The Playbirds (1978), Queen of the Blues (1979), Secrets of a Door-to-Door Salesman (1973), Secrets of Sex (1970), Sex Clinic (1971), Sex Farm (also known as Frustrated Wives) (1974), Sex Freaks (1974), The Sex Thief (1973), The Sexplorer (1975), School for Sex (1969), The Stud (1978), Take an Easy Ride (1979), That's Carry On (1977), The Ups and Downs of a Handyman (1976), Virgin Witch 1972), What's Good for the Goose (1969), and The Wife Swappers (1970). With contributions from Robin Askwith, Michael Armstrong (screenwriter), Nicola Austine (8mm film model), Alexandra Dane, Larry Dann, Greg Dark (assistant director), Ben Dover (ex-porn star and producer), Prudence Drage, Linzi Drew, Sally Faulkner, Angela Grant, Linda Hayden, Val Hennessey (journalist), Diane Keen, Sue Longhurst, Charles Marriott (cinematographer and son of Hazel Adair), Judy Matheson, Penny Meredith, Christopher Neil, Francoise Pascal (actress and producer), Susan Quilter (Mary Millington's cousin), George Richardson (glamour photographer), Willy Roe (director), Ken Rowles (director), Susie Silvey, Peter Sinclair (cinematographer), Gay Soper, Lacey Starr (porn producer), David Sullivan (producer/entrepreneur), Estella Tincknell (associate producer in film and culture), Oliver Tobias, Pete Walker (filmmaker), Allan Warren (celebrity photographer), and Robert Young (director). Very good!
Megalopolis (2024)
Megalopolis
Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, Bram Stoker's Dracula) has not made a high-profile film for over two decades, only the silly Robin Williams movie Jack and the terrific courtroom drama The Rainmaker are the last two to spring to my mind. This was a passion project for Coppola that started back in 1977, but lack of funding from several box office flops, and inevitable world events held off filming for decades, unhappy with the studio system Coppola decided to fund the project himself, I hoped this £120 million budget movie would be his comeback to his former glory. Basically, in an alternate present-day United States of America, in the city of New Rome, architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), the Chairman of the Design Authority, has invented the revolutionary bio-adaptive building material Megalon. Cesar also has the ability to stop time, and his driver and assistant Fundi Romaine (Laurence Fishburne) narrates the story. He publicly announces he has designed a futuristic utopian city called Megalopolis. But the mayor, Franklyn Cicero (Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito), opposes the plans and leads a smear campaign against Cesar. Financial news TV presenter Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza) gets closer to Cesar during his campaign, and they begin an affair. Sometime later, Cesar's wife is killed, and her body mysteriously disappears, most likely orchestrated by Cicero. Later, Wow Platinum leaves Cesar to marry the wealthy elderly bank CEO and Cesar's uncle, Hamilton Crassus III (Jon Voight), who often embarrasses himself publicly. Cicero's well-read daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) is fascinated by Cesar's visions for the city's future but is divided by loyalty toward her father. She initially distrusts Cesar when they get acquainted and spies on him, but soon develops feelings for him. Julia eventually reveals that she is immune to his ability to stop time. Cesar and Julia form a partnership for the Megalopolis project. At a lavish and decadent wedding reception for Wow Platinum and Crassus, Cesar takes drugs backstage. Crassus's depraved and flamboyant nephew Clodio Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf) often makes a show of himself in public, especially when trying to seduce various women. Clodio sabotages the reception by implicating Cesar in a sex scandal involving teenage pop star Vesta Sweetwater (Grace VanderWaal) whose virginal image is damaged. Cesar is arrested but ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing and released, while Vesta continues her career after adopting a new rebellious and sexually charged persona. Cesar and Julia begin a romantic relationship; he reveals the arrest has lost him his ability to stop time but finds that he and Julia can still stop time together. In space, the Soviet Union satellite Carthage falls out of orbit, crashing into and destroying much of the city. Cesar seizes the opportunity and begins constructing Megalopolis, despite Cicero's opposition. In a press conference, he urges the people to debate about society and asks them to consider that a better world is possible. Cesar is delighted to learn that Julia is pregnant, while Cicero is horrified. Cicero asks Cesar to leave Julia, offering him information about what happened to Teresa, but Cesar refuses. Clodio stirs things up with fascist persuasion and power of speech, causing both Cesar and Cicero to lose popularity. Wow Platinum convinces Clodio to help her take control of Crassus's fortune, freezing Cesar's bank accounts in the process. Cesar is wounded in an assassination attempt but uses Megalon to heal. Clodio leads protests against Cesar and Cicero that become riots, and Cicero flees to a secret underground bunker. Crassus is forced to step down as bank CEO by the board of directors and supposedly suffers a stroke. Wow Platinum cares for him and makes her plan to finish him for good. For Crassus's sickness is a ruse, he plots to regain control; he attacks Wow and Clodio with a bow and arrow, killing Platinum and wounding Clodio. Confronting protestors at Megalopolis, Cesar gives an impassioned speech about the future and wins the crowd over. The gathered mob turns against Clodio, tying him in harnesses and hanging him upside down above the ground. Crassus pledges to use his wealth to support the construction of Megalopolis. Sometime later, the construction of Megalopolis is completed, with moving walkways and spherical orbs to transport people around the city. Cicero holds Cesar and Julia's baby daughter, Sunny Hope, to a gathered audience, promising to work together with Cesar to continue building a better future. On New Year's Eve, Cesar stops time once more, but only his daughter seems unaffected. Also starring Jason Schwartzman as Jason Zanderz (a member of Cicero's entourage), Poor Things' Kathryn Hunter as Teresa Cicero (Cicero's wife), Dustin Hoffman as Nush Berman (Cicero's fixer), Rocky's Talia Shire as Constance Crassus Catilina (Cesar's mother), Chloe Fineman as Clodia Pulcher, James Remar as Charles Cothope, D. B. Sweeney as Commissioner Stanley Hart, Isabelle Kusman as Claudine Pulcher, and Balthazar Getty as Aram Kazanjian. Driver gives his dullest ever performance, Esposito is reasonable being the lead character's fierce rival, Emmanuel does fine as the daughter of the nemesis, Plaza is alright as the kooky reporter, LeBeouf is the Caligula type character who is an annoying prick (which I surprisingly found sort of funny), Voight as an old fool isn't far off his own reputation, Fishburne just speaks eloquently while Hoffman doesn't do anything(!). Coppola made this "ambitious" film his way on his terms, he hoped to recreate a film like Fritz Lang's Metropolis, with a modern story inspired by the fall of the Roman Empire, about a character clearing city blocks to create a new utopia, and Coppola allowed the actors freedom to improvise. The result is this overlong, confusing, bloated, indulgent, pretentious, dull, and utterly awful nonsense! The script (if there even is one) is full of incoherent rambling with silly Shakespearean, philosophising and political jargon. All the acting talent is wasted with many unlikeable characters and performances, and it feels like things are just being thrown around. The special effects are squandered, the costumed ancient Rome-themed sequences are pointless, the plot is all over the place, and it is so long that over halfway through I was constantly looking at my watch just wanting it to finish! It is no wonder it is the biggest box office flop of recent years for a movie costing over $100 million; don't waste your time with this stupidity, it is a rubbish and utterly boring epic science-fiction drama. Pretty poor!
Never Let Go (2024)
Never Let Go
The Oscar winning star of Monster's Ball, Die Another Day, and the X-Men series has had a mixed career for the last two decades (especially disasters like Catwoman, New's Years Eve, and Movie 43), the trailer for this scary movie looked intriguing and I hoped it would work for her, co-produced by Shawn Levy, produced and directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha, Horns, Crawl). Basically, a woman, known only as Momma (Halle Berry, also producing) and her two young children Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) live in a cabin in a large remote forest. According to Momma, the world was destroyed by a supernatural force known as "The Evil", leaving them as the only survivors. Momma is haunted by visions of supernatural entities that her sons cannot see but believe are real. To prevent the Evil from touching and possessing them, the family must have ropes tied whenever they leave the house, connecting them back to the building. The family only leave to forage and hunt for food. Momma and the boys also chant a daily prayer to give thanks to the house for keeping them safe from the Evil. One day while out foraging, Samuel and Nolan get into an argument, and Nolan steps on Samuel's rope, causing Samuel to get disconnected from his rope and he falls and breaks his ankle. Nolan unties himself to try and help Samuel before they are rescued by Momma. The Evil appears to her in the form of her deceased mother (Kathryn Kirkpatrick), although her children do not see it. Over time, Nolan has started disbelieving his mother's claims, questioning Samuel what he saw, but Samuel dismisses his suspicions. The family are forced to use up a large amount of their stockpiled food during a brutal winter. The cold conditions and lack of sunlight result in them being unable to grow or hunt any new food. Meanwhile, Momma's visions intensify, as she sees visions of her husband and the boys' Poppa (William Catlett), whom she killed, along with their Grandma and Grandpa (Georges Gracieuse). She also has frightening visions of a possessed and mutilated Nolan. Sensing discontent from her sons, Momma tells them about her life before the world ended, in the city with them when they were younger. She then shows them an old Polaroid camera and two photographs she kept, one of herself as a teenager, and one of herself and her two sons. Momma tells them there is one photo remaining in the camera, and they should wait until the right moment to use it. Now fully out of food and forced to eat tree bark, Momma tells them that the meat of Koda, the family dog, is the only thing that will sustain them. Nolan is horrified that she is considering killing the dog and storms out, exclaiming that he hates her and believes that they are not alone. Momma takes the dog into the greenhouse to kill him, although she contemplates changing her mind. But Nolan cuts Momma's rope and locks her inside the greenhouse, hoping she will see the Evil is not real. Instead, Momma encounters the Evil in the form of her mother; Nolan is horrified when she sees his mother kill herself, slitting her own throat with a knife. Samuel finds Nolan holding their dying mother in his arms and blames his brother for her death. As the brothers continue to starve alone, Samuel's behaviour becomes more erratic and threatening. Using the extra length of rope from his mother, Nolan travels further out of the woods. He finds an empty road and calls out for help. Returning to the house, he encounters a Hiker (Matthew Kevin Anderson) who heard his shouting. The hiker becomes concerned for Nolan and approaches, offering him food and to take him to safety. But Samuel appears and threatens the stranger with a crossbow. Although Nolan and the hiker try to calm the situation, Samuel shoots the hiker. Nolan follows the hiker who has fallen to the ground and has called 911 on his smartphone, but he cannot speak due to blood loss. Nolan takes the hiker's backpack filled with food. Nolan tries to convince Samuel that the stranger was trying to help them and offers him the food he has found, but Samuel refuses to listen, believing that he was the Evil trying to get in their heads. That night, a young girl (Cadence Compton) arrives at the property looking for her father, the hiker they encountered and finds Samuel in the greenhouse. Noticing that Samuel has her father's torch, and seeing Momma's body on the ground, she flees. Samuel chases her, and she is revealed to be the Evil, and it manages to touch him. Back at the house, Samuel, now seemingly possessed and exhibiting the same erratic behaviour as Momma, tries to kill Nolan. Samuel sets the curtains alight, causing a fire to spread through the cabin, while Nolan is confronted by the Evil in the form of Momma. Nolan gets into a small crawlspace with his Momma to shelter them from the fire. The Evil sheds Momma's skin to reveal a snake-like creature that dissipates as Nolan hugs it. The fire burns the house down and Samuel takes the last photo with the Polaroid. A rescue helicopter arrives with paramedics carrying Nolan from the house on a stretcher and away to safety. As he is flown away, Nolan sees Samuel by his side who has been rescued as well. The helicopter reaches civilisation, revealing that Momma was lying all along. But the last Polaroid photograph taken reveals that the Evil is touching Samuel on his shoulder. Nolan hears Samuel whisper to him, "She loves me more", revealing that he may still be possessed. Also starring Christin Park as the Medic and Stephanie Lavigne as The Evil. Berry does a good job as the overly protective if highly paranoid mother, and young stars Daggs and Jenkins give terrific performances as her children who have differing opinions of their circumstances. The setup is interesting, having to stay connected to the house via the ropes, and the cabin in the woods location is familiar, but it is not executed well. What could have been a good story of paranoia or a fight against nasty forces in the woods is muddled together and reduced to something lacking grit, I wanted it to be scarier, better scripted, and more committed in its plot, the final twist could mean a follow-up but I don't think they should bother, it is not complete rubbish, it is just a below average disappointing survival horror thriller. Okay!
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
It's fairly rare that others recommend films for me to watch, it's more often that I recommend them to him, but my brother mentioned this one that I had never watched. I knew it had an all-star cast and was rated well, so I was looking forward to it, written by Dan Fogelman (Bolt, Tangled, Danny Collins), from directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (I Love You Phillip Morris, Focus, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot). Basically, middle-aged Cal Weaver (Steve Carell, also producing) and his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) are out for dinner when she asks for a divorce. She reveals that she had an affair with his co-worker David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). As divorce proceedings begin, it fractures the friendship with neighbour and best friend Bernie Riley (John Carroll Lynch), whose wife Claire (Beth Littleford) despises Cal. After moving into his own apartment, Cal begins frequenting an upscale bar, talking loudly about his marriage ending. At the same bar, Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) is a womaniser who is confident and persuasive, using on-the-nose comments and compliments to seduce women each night and take them to bed. One night, Jacob is rejected by a law school graduate named Hannah (Emma Stone). While Cal is spending time at the bar, his thirteen-year-old son Robbie (Jonah Bobo) is looked after by twenty-something-year-old babysitter Jessica (Analeigh "Lio" Tipton), Bernie's daughter, who he has a crush on. Robbie openly admits he has feelings for her and makes several grand gestures hoping to win her heart. Jacob notices Cal at the bar and takes pity on him; Jacob offers to teach him his techniques to pick up women. This starts with him changing his image, a new expensive wardrobe, and dropping his self-pity commentary talking about the divorce. Cal begins with a few awkward attempts to talk to women. But one night he attracts the attention of a woman named Kate (Marisa Tomei), and he successfully spends a night with her. This experience gives Cal the confidence to seduce other women, alternating his approach between being honest with Jacob's tried and tested example. Eventually, Cal and Emily are reunited at Robbie's parent-teacher conference, where she is impressed by his newfound confidence and fitted clothes. Their reunion goes well until Robbie's teacher is revealed to be Kate, who is angered by his lack of contact and spitefully reveals that she and Cal had sex. In the ensuing argument, Cal inadvertently confesses to having sex with nine women since their separation. Emily is disgusted, she reveals that she is openly dating Lindhagen and leaves. Following another grand gesture by Robbie, Jessica dissuades him after revealing she has a crush on someone else, without revealing it is Cal. She reveals her crush on an older man to a promiscuous classmate, who suggests she should take nude photos of herself, intending to give them to him. Sneaking to the family home, Cal watches Emily, who calls him (unaware he is outside) under the guise of needing help with a light, but he sees through the ruse. Realising that she called because she misses him, Cal decides to win her back. Meanwhile, Hannah in a meeting at her firm assumes her boyfriend Richard (Josh Groban) is standing to announce a proposal, but she is offended when he instead offers her a promotion. She returns to the bar, finds Jacob, and convinces him to sleep with her. Jacob decides to open up to her about his process of seducing women, however, they continue dating and have genuine chemistry, and he develops true feelings for her. Jacob returns Cal's calls, asking for advice about being in a real relationship and meeting his girlfriend's parents. Claire finds the naked photos of Jessica in her clothes drawer, in an envelope addressed to Cal; she shows it to Bernie, and they assume they are having an illicit relationship. Jessica is humiliated and heartbroken seeing that they have found the photos; Bernie furiously drives to Cal's while Jessica follows in her car, as she could not tell him what is really happening. Cal has arranged a makeshift mini golf course in their backyard, with the help of Robbie and his younger sister Molly (Joey King), to surprise Emily and remind her of their first date. This is arranged as a gathering as well, with Jacob showing up with his girlfriend. Cal and Emily are shocked to see it is Hannah who is revealed to be their first child, born following Emily's teenage pregnancy. Cal is appalled that Jacob is dating his daughter and forbids her from seeing him. As they argue, Bernie and Jessica arrive, with Bernie accusing Cal of sleeping with his underage daughter. Jessica cries explaining that they have never been together, but the photos were intended for Cal because she has feelings for him, which upsets Robbie. Lindhagen also arrives on the scene to return Emily's sweater from a previous date. Cal, Jacob, Lindhagen, and Bernie then get into a scuffle. The fight is eventually broken up after the police are called by the neighbours. After things have calmed down, Cal has caused a rift with the family; Emily breaks up with Lindhagen but tells Cal to leave, Robbie reciprocates this, and Hannah leaves heartbroken that Cal will not accept her relationship with Jacob. While Jacob and Hannah's relationship blossoms, Cal returns to the bar dejected. Jacob finds Cal and confesses that he is in love with Hannah and has re-evaluated his life as a result. Cal is happy that he is a changed man but does not approve of the relationship because of his former lifestyle. Jacob has no ill feelings; he expresses his respect for Cal and praises him for being a good father. At the school's graduation ceremony, Cal sits away from Emily and Molly, with Hannah and Jacob sitting together. Robbie has graduated the eighth grade and has been chosen as the salutatorian to address the audience. But Robbie gives a pessimistic speech about how he no longer believes in true love. Cal stops him and recounts his courtship with Emily to the audience, saying that, while he does not know if things will work out, he will never give up and still loves her. Robbie's faith in love and admiration for his father is renewed, and he proudly announces his love for Jessica, and the audience applauds. After the ceremony, Cal gives Jacob and Hannah his blessing. Jessica gives Robbie the envelope containing her nude photos for emotional support. Cal and Emily have a meaningful conversation about their feelings, with Robbie smiling optimistically watching them talk. Also starring Julianna Guill as Madison, Liza Lapira as Liz, Crystal Reed as Amy Johnson, Dan Butler as Cal's Boss, and Reggie Lee as Officer Huang. Carell is terrific as the everyman whose life is turned upside down, Gosling is charming as the good-looking guy with the gift of the gab, Moore is alright as the wife wanting more adventure, Stone is beautiful as the young woman initially immune to Gosling's charms, young Bobo gets his moments as the pubescent boy with unrequited feelings, and Bacon is well cast as the office jerk. This is a brilliantly scripted film, with witty dialogue, some hilarious banter, admirable characters, and amusing situations, it is splendidly performed, and the love stories are genuinely sweet, there are small moments that contrast realism, but overall, I absolutely loved it, a funny and enjoyable romantic comedy drama. Very good!
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
I had heard about and seen several pictures and clips of this film, the escorting industry has always been a taboo subject in Great British, the exchange of sexual services for money is legal, and this film challenged to show it, written by Katy Brand. Basically, in a hotel room, retired religious education schoolteacher Nancy Stokes (Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated Emma Thompson) has hired a male sex worker named Leo Grande (BAFTA nominated Daryl McCormack). She is anxious and explains that she was married to her husband for thirty-one years but had an unsatisfactory sex life. Following her husband's death two years ago, Nancy says that she has never had an orgasm, and has vowed never again to fake one. She is insecure about her body and age, and embarrassed to have hired a sex worker to fulfil her needs. But Leo is determined to try to put her at ease. Whilst having a conversation to get to know each other, Leo expresses no shame about sex work but reveals that his mother believes he works on an oil rig. Nancy tells him that she has two children but is disappointed in them, finding his adult son boring and her adult daughter irritating. Her husband was her only sexual partner; he found oral sex demeaning and never tried anything besides missionary sex. Nancy tells Leo about her only sensual experience: as a teenager on a family holiday in Greece, a hotel worker took an interest in her. When they were alone, he started kissing and fingering her before they were interrupted, and she left the following day. Seeing Nancy aroused and relaxed by her own story, Leo kisses and stimulates her. One week later, Nancy meets Leo in the same hotel room for a second session. Although she did not achieve an orgasm previously, she has prepared a bucket list of sexual activities to experience for the first time, beginning with fellatio. Nancy remains anxious, worsened by phone calls from her daughter, Leo helps her relax by dancing and giving her a massage. Fearing that she sacrificed her youth and personal desires for her family, she is overwhelmed after touching a shirtless Leo, who encourages her to embrace her own body. Leo reveals he has a younger brother in the military, they are estranged, and he presumes he also thinks he is an oil rig worker. Wanting to satisfy her urges, Leo suggests Nancy book more sessions, and she accuses him of trying to make more money. He tells her about his other clients, some elderly, some physically disabled, and some just wanting the company. He says that some of them just want to talk, some of them want to dress up and roleplay, and some of them have other unusual requests. But he explains that he obtains genuine pleasure from seeing their pleasure. Nancy sees Leo becoming aroused as he describes his work, which in turn arouses her, and she finally gives him oral. Nancy books Leo for a third session in the same room. He performs oral sex on her, the second item on her list, which she enjoys but does not bring her to orgasm. They have a casual conversation about their personal lives and laugh together. But Leo is stunned when Nancy admits that she knows Leo's real name having looked up the transaction information online. Leo is upset, accusing her of cyberstalking; he tells her not to book him again, threatening to expose her as a client. Nancy speaks his real name, Connor, and suggests they could be friends outside of bookings. She encourages him to tell his family about his work because he previously said he has no shame, and she even offers to speak to his mother. In anger, Leo reveals that his mother tells people he is dead, apparently being aware of his profession, and he storms out. Moments later, Leo returns because he has misplaced his phone, angrily admitting that his mother disowned him when he was a teenager, and leaves. Sometime later, in the hotel's café, Nancy has arranged a fourth session with Leo, hoping to have a conversation. One of the waitresses, Becky (Isabella Laughland), recognises Nancy as her former teacher. Nancy is pleasantly surprised when Leo arrives; he admits he was unsure if he wanted to come. Nancy lies to Becky that Leo is selling her a car. Nancy thanks Leo for her newfound confidence and sexual awakening and has discreetly recommended him to several friends. She reveals her real name is Susan Robinson, which he finds funny ("Mrs. Robinson") and that he is the only true adventure she has ever had. Becky interrupts with a story about Susan shaming her and her school friends for their short skirts, calling them a derogatory term. Leo tells Susan that he decided to tell his brother about his real job, they have reconnected after his brother admitted he had some idea already. He also explains that his mother disowned him when he was fifteen after catching him and several friends having group sex. She is probably unaware of his current work and admits she no longer acknowledges his existence, even walking past him in the street. Susan calls Becky to the table to apologise for her past judgmental behaviour. She also confesses the real relationship between her and Leo, that he is a sex worker, that she has desires, and she recommends his services. Susan and Leo go upstairs to her room and enjoy a final session together. They passionately engage in all the remaining acts on Susan's list, but she has still not achieved an orgasm. Leo gets up to find a sex toy to experiment with, and Susan watches him walk around naked. She masturbates and gives herself her first orgasm. Seeing her satisfied, Susan thanks Leo, telling him this will be their final session. She tells him she does not need him anymore and they part amicably. Leo walks away happy for the future, and Susan looks at herself naked in the mirror and is content with her body. Thompson gives a great nuanced performance as the older widow seeking sexual liberation, and McCormack is charming as the good-looking younger male escort, and the chemistry between them is pleasant and believable. The plot is basic, and it is a slightly stagey mostly one-location film, but it flows nicely because of a witty, assured, and humorous script, the likeable leading characters, and the subject is handled sensitively and well, an enjoyable sex comedy drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film of the Year, and for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer for Katy Brand. Very good!
Strange Darling (2023)
Strange Darling
A review I read for this film started with the words "the less you know, the better", so I read no further, all I knew was that it was about a one-night stand and a serial killer, I assumed it might be a scary movie, from the positive reviews I was looking forward to whatever it had to offer. Basically, the story is in six non-linear chapters. Chapter 3: in rural Hood River County, Oregon, The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) is being pursued by the Demon (Kyle Gallner) in his truck. On a rural stretch of road, he shoots at her vehicle, causing her to crash and she flees on foot into the woods. Chapter 5: The Demon arrives at a farmhouse with his rifle and searches for the Lady throughout the house. He shoots at several human-sized containers, calling "Here kitty, kitty"; there is a man dead on the floor, and he steps outside into the garden. Finding several pieces of meat on the grass, he realises the Lady is hiding in the freezer and shoots her in the arm. Chapter 1: The Lady and the Demon are together in a car outside a local motel. Before renting a room, the Lady questions if he is a serial killer, which he denies. She is curious to try hyper-realistic sadomasochistic roleplay, where he pretends to be a murderer, and she is his victim. Chapter 4: two eccentric hippie doomsday preppers, Frederick (Ed Begley Jr.) and Genevieve (Barbara Hershey) are having breakfast together (overfilled with lard and butter). The Lady arrives with her eat missing and bleeding heavily, they assume she is the victim of something horrific. While Genevieve goes to get some medicine for the Lady, Frederick prepares to call the police, but the Lady kills him and forces Genevieve outside. Chapter 2: After hours of roleplaying, the Lady suggests taking cocaine, to which the Demon agrees. The Lady starts acting candidly and denies the Demon sex; she reveals that she has in fact dosed him with ketamine, which renders him severely sedated. It turns out that the Lady is a prolific serial killer herself, called "the Electric Lady", and she carves her initials with a knife on his chest. Searching through his belongings, she discovers a law enforcement badge, revealing that he is a police officer. The Lady prepares to stab the Demon to death, but he regains consciousness and fires his concealed pistol at her, shooting her ear off. The Lady flees the motel while the Demon doses himself with some remaining cocaine to boost his adrenaline. The Lady reaches the reception of the motel, claiming to be in danger, killing one of the women trying to help her. She steals the car keys from desk clerk Tanya (Bianca A. Santos), kills her, and is pursued by the Demon in his truck. Chapter 6: after shooting her in the arm, the Demon handcuffs the Lady to the freezer handle before calling the sheriff Pete (Steven Michael Quezada) and his deputy, Gale (Madisen Beaty), for backup. The Lady tells the Demon she had always wanted to be executed by a firing squad, and tearfully confesses that, during their earlier sexual encounter, she had a moment of true love for him. She then sprays him with a can of Genevieve's bear spray. They have a struggle, during which the Lady bites into the Demon's neck, tearing into his jugular vein, and he bleeds to death. As he dies, she steals his concealed pistol and pulls her trousers down to suggest she was almost raped. Pete and Gale arrive at the house, finding the Lady on the floor cuffed and with her trousers down. She claims the Demon, high on cocaine, kidnapped her and took her to the farmhouse to rape and murder her, unaware that the home was occupied. Pete is sceptical and insists there should be an investigation by the homicide unit before they free her, but Gale convinces him that the Lady should receive immediate medical attention. Epilogue: the officers drive to town with the Lady in the back of the police car. They pass Genevieve at the side of the road, she recognises the Lady, but the Lady shoots her in the head before she can explain what happened. At gunpoint, the Lady forces Gale and Pete to give her their guns before ordering Gale out of the car to run away. Pete drives the Lady further down the road before she tells him to stop so she can think about her next move. When Pete asks her why she kills, she tells him that she sometimes "doesn't see humans, just devils" before shooting him in the head. The Lady stumbles on foot further down the road, when a truck passes and a woman Driver (Sheri Foster) picks her up. The Driver questions what happened, and the Lady does not answer. She pulls out her gun when the driver mentions calling the police, but the driver returns fire, shooting the Lady. The driver calls police from her mobile phone, explaining she just shot a stranger in self-defence, and that she is taking her to hospital. As the driver continues down the road, the Lady looks around, gasping for breath, slowly loses consciousness and dies in the passenger seat. Also starring Denise Grayson as Libby, Duke Mollner as Roughneck, and Eugenia Kuzmina as Beth, with the voices of Jason Patric as the True Crime Narrator, and Giovanni Ribisi (actor turned cinematographer and producer) as Art Pallone. Fitzgerald gives a fantastic performance as the young woman who is not all she appears to be, Gallner is also great as the presumably sinister bloke on a mission, and Hershey and Begley Jr. Have their moments as the odd hippie couple. The film reminded me of a Tarantino movie structure and cleverly navigates the changing dynamics of two characters, wrongfooting you with who to root for and who is the real villain, it is suitably tense with striking moments of violence, and the twist is pulled off well, a terrific thriller. Very good!
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Having watched the sequel of Coming to America, made over two decades later, I had mixed opinions about a fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie, made by Netflix; the original is a great movie, while the second and third films are so-so, but I was always going to see the latest instalment. Basically, Detroit police detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is up to his usual tricks and under the supervision of his friend, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser). Axel takes his friend, Detective Mike Woody (Kyle S. More), to a Detroit Red Wings game, where he has spotted looters. He causes costly damage to the city pursuing the group of thieves. To protect Axel from being punished, Jeffrey retires and encourages Axel to reconnect with his estranged daughter Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige), a defence attorney in Los Angeles. Jane is the lawyer in a high-profile case, representing Sam Enriquez (Damien Diaz) who has been framed for the murder of undercover officer Copeland (David Rowden). After she is threatened by criminals, Axel's old friend, former police officer Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), who is now a private investigator and has been helping her, calls and warns Axel that his daughter's life is in danger. After the call, Rosewood recovers evidence from the murder crime scene inside a van but is kidnapped by the cartel. Axel returns to Beverly Hills and is concerned that Rosewood is not responding to his calls. He visits Rosewood's office and finds a suspicious team searching for something. Axel removes a page from Rosewood's personal organiser before the group chases him through Rodeo Drive. Axel is arrested and taken to the Beverly Hills Police Department, where he meets Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Jane's ex-boyfriend. Axel also reunites with John Taggart (John Ashton), who had a falling out with Rosewood, came out of retirement, and is now police chief. Taggart introduces Axel to Captain Cade Grant (Kevin Bacon), whom he mentored as a young police cadet. Axel is untrustworthy of Grant because he is wearing excessively expensive items despite being on a police salary. Jane reunites with her father and bails him out, but she resists his attempts to reconnect with her. They have been estranged for at least two decades; years ago during an investigation of the Detroit mafia, Axel and his family were threatened. Following the threats, Axel stayed in Detroit while Jane and her mother moved to Los Angeles, and eventually, he and Jane's mother divorced. Axel and Jane uneasily work together to follow clues and track Enriquez's movements, and slowly have moments where they do reconnect. They are ambushed on Wilshire Boulevard but saved by Abbott in a shootout. Axel questions Taggart about his leadership and tells his suspicions about Grant. Taggart vehemently defends Grant and his team, shuts out Axel and suspends Abbott. Axel, Jane, and Abbott recover a camera from the car where Copeland was murdered and deduce Grant's team were looking for an SD card containing evidence. The address from Rosewood's organiser is a mansion owned by Grant and used for a cartel money laundering operation. Axel enlists the help of his friend Serge (Bronson Pinchot) to help gain access to the mansion by posing as potential buyers of the property next door. Axel finds more evidence that links to Copeland's murder. Grant is notified of their presence by surveillance. After arguing with Jane, Axel and Abbott seek help from Enriquez's uncle, Chalino Valdemoro (Luis Guzmán), head of the cartel. He tells them that Grant helps protect the cartel and reveals that a drug shipment will leave the port that night. Abbott and Axel are framed by Grant and arrested for drug possession. Axel and Abbott manage to escape custody and they steal a helicopter with Abbott, a former pilot, flying to the Beverly Hills Police Station. Abbott confesses that a traumatic incident means he experiences dizzy spells whilst flying; pursued by Grant, he shoots the rotor, causing them to crash. Taggart witnesses the incident and is convinced of the corruption within his own team. He agrees to help Jane with the pending investigation, but she is later kidnapped by Grant's thugs. Axel and Abbott go to the port and find Rosewood being held there by the cartel. They free him and go to retrieve the SD card Rosewood hid. Grant calls Axel to announce he is holding Jane. Jeffrey returns to aid the group, and they find out Jane has been taken to the cartel mansion. Axel, Rosewood, Abbott, and Taggart engage in a firefight against Grant's cartel army. During the fight, Jane escapes captivity. Axel and Grant face off; Axel is shot while protecting Jane, and Grant is shot in the head by Abbott. In the aftermath, Rosewood and Taggart make peace. With the recovered evidence, the charges against Enriquez are dropped. Axel recovers in hospital with Jane by his side and they reconcile. A few days later, Axel reunites with both Rosewood and Taggart, who are on a stakeout. Axel persuades the two to join him for dinner. Also starring Mark Pellegrino as Beck, Nasim Pedrad as Ashley De La Rosa, Keith Pillow as Captain Radtke, Patricia Belcher as Judge Angelic, Christopher McDonald as the Golfer, and Affion Crockett as the Country Club Valet. Murphy is likeable enough but not as foul-mouthed or cocky and with slightly less swagger, Paige is reasonable as the grown-up daughter, Gordon-Levitt is fine, Bacon does alright as the shady cop, and Reinhold, Ashton and Pinchot returning is fine. The story of corruption in the police is predictable and slow, the father and daughter reunited after years is only slightly interesting, the film relies very heavily on nostalgic throwbacks to the other three films, with returning characters, repeated jokes, and of course the 80s soundtrack (repeating "The Heat Is On" by Glenn Frey in the opening) and the catchy Harold Faltermeyer "Axel F" theme tune, only some high-speed chases and gun battles get your attention, I wanted it to be funnier though, only a reasonable action comedy. Okay!
The Substance (2024)
The Substance
I had seen the trailer for this scary movie a few times, I was most interested to see the star of Ghost and Indecent Proposal back in a leading role (I could only remember her previously in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle!), it won Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, and it sounded like an interesting concept, from French director Coralie Fargeat (Revenge). Basically, it opens with the placement of the star of actress Elisabeth Sparkle on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the passage of time as it is stepped on, cracks and fades, and things are dropped onto it (this is a metaphor for her career). Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is an Oscar winning actress and has hosted a popular aerobics exercise TV show (think Jane Fonda) for decades. It is her fiftieth birthday, and whilst taking a break, she overhears a phone conversation by sleazy studio boss Harvey (Dennis Quaid) that he wants to find younger and more beautiful talent. Harvey takes Elisabeth to lunch, eating shrimp (very noisily and messy, preceding stuff to come!), and tells her that she is being fired. After this, she is driving and sees one of her billboards being taken down, and she has a car accident. Surviving the crash, at the hospital, a young good-looking male nurse (Robin Greer) gives her a flash drive labelled "The Substance", and a note saying, "It changed my life". Returning home, Elisabeth plugs the USB stick into the television, and it plays an advertisement (with the voice of Yann Bean) promoting a black-market drug that, when injected, will unlock your DNA, and release a younger, more beautiful, more "perfect" version of the user, though the two are still connected as one. Initially sceptical about it, she is desperate and decides to call the number and she orders the product. She is given the address to a building with secret access behind a malfunctioning slider door, enters a white room with safe deposit boxes, and uses a plastic card to open and take her product. It is a cardboard box containing a single-use serum "Activator" with instructions to follow, needles, tubes, and containers. In the bathroom, Elisabeth strips naked and injects the product, and a younger version of herself is born, tearing Elisabeth's back apart and sending her into a comatose. The younger form (Margaret Qualley) is stunned by herself in the mirror, having a slimmer figure, bigger rounder breasts, and a bigger rounded butt. Reading the instructions, the younger form sees she must sew up Elisabeth's back and inject herself with a "Stabilizer" serum extracted from the unconscious Elisabeth each day. The process is that the new form will live in the world for seven days, while the comatose original will be fed with packed food, liquids, and nutrients. Then after seven days, the original Elisabeth will revive, and the new form will be unconscious, feeding and stabilized. This process of switching bodies is repeated and must be carried out weekly; the instructions make it clear it is "without exception". The younger form, adopting the name "Sue", reads a newspaper advertisement and is hired back onto Elisabeth's old show. She is hired by Harvey, agreeing a contract on the terms that she works every other week. At Elisabeth's apartment, she also builds a hidden room behind the wall of the bathroom to hide the comatose Elisabeth (or herself) inside for the week. Sue gains popularity on the show from her radiance and sexiness (many close-ups of her bum), quickly ascending to new heights of fame and admiration. When Elisabeth returns after switching, she struggles with her own inadequacy, loneliness, and low self-esteem; she spends most of her time watching television, eating junk food, and looking at Sue's billboard across the street. One day, to boost her self-worth, Elisabeth calls a school friend she previously reacquainted briefly with, Fred (), and asks to go to dinner. However, as she prepares for the date, she is unsure about her makeup, dress, and general image. Wanting to be as "perfect" as Sue, she becomes enraged trying to make herself beautiful, and in the end, she does not go out. As Sue's success grows, she longs to have more time for herself, including nights out, photo opportunities, and lovers. Sue takes advantage and takes extra "Stabilizer" from Elisabeth. This causes severe side effects and consequences for Elisabeth as she ages rapidly. Elisabeth debates stopping the process, but seeing how successful her counterpart has become, she cannot stop. At a café, Elisabeth encounters an elderly man (Christian Erickson) who recognises her for using The Substance; she realises that the young male nurse at the hospital is his younger counterpart. Eventually, Elisabeth is reduced to a haggard, elderly woman due to Sue's addiction. Sue is invited to host a highly anticipated live New Year's Eve special; she extracts enough Stabilizer for three months. Seeing her
deterioration and angry with Sue's selfishness, Elisabeth decides finally to stop the process and calls for a termination. As the event approaches, Sue runs out of Stabilizer and is forced by the supplier to switch back to Elisabeth. To her horror, Elisabeth is now a hairless and deformed hunchback. Elisabeth disguises herself in heavy clothing to obtain the serum to eliminate Sue. However, still yearning to feel admiration, she stops the injection at the last second and revives Sue, causing their connection to sever and they become separate beings. Upon seeing the near-empty termination serum, Sue reacts violently and attacks Elisabeth. Near death, Elisabeth is unable to defend herself because of her aged state; she is beaten to death by Sue before she leaves to host the New Year's Eve show. However, due to Elisabeth's death, Sue cannot stabilize herself. She finds her front teeth falling out and realises she is rapidly deteriorating. In a bid to save herself, Sue rushes back to the apartment and injects herself with the disposed leftover Activator, hoping to create a new version of herself. Instead, she inadvertently creates "Monstro Elisasue" (Qualley), a grotesque hybrid of the two, with limbs, eyes, teeth, boobs, and all sorts all over the place, and the original Elisabeth's face gasping (unable to speak) on its back. Despite this, Elisasue attempts to disguise herself and goes to the live broadcast. She is eventually revealed to a shocked audience (with Richard Strauss's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" playing), and a random breast is produced and drops from an eye socket. The horrified spectators erupt into violent chaos, culminating in the hybrid's head getting decapitated. The head is grotesquely regenerated, gushing with blood and the audience is drenched as it spews all over the place. Monstro Elisasue manages to escape and limps outside before collapsing and explosively falling apart onto the street. From the pile of entrails, the original Elisabeth's face emerges as a blob, crawling toward her neglected star on the Walk of Fame. Elisabeth finds solace by positioning herself on the star and gazing at the night sky before melting away. The next day, her remains are cleaned up by a passing floor scrubber. Also starring Gore Abrams as Oliver, Hugo Diego Garcia as Diego, Oscar Lesage as Troy, Phillip Schurer as Mr. Scream, Joseph Balderrama as Craig Silver, Akil Wingate as the Talk Show Host, Tiffany Hofstetter as the Stylist, Viviane Bossina as Sue's Assistant, and Daniel Knight as the Casting Director. Moore gives a terrific performance as the older woman (or "Matrix") desperate to reinvent herself at whatever the cost, Qualley is marvellous as her fitter younger equivalent with a less-than-perfect side, and Quaid gets his moments as the obnoxious perverted producer. The plot involving a cell-replicating substance that offers body perfection is a clever poke at the modern ideals of society and the industries that fetishize flesh and make it a saleable commodity, and it makes a point about unrealistic beauty standards and the obsession with women's bodies; it also works as a Jekyll and Hyde story with young and old versions at war with each other. It has great performances, great imagination, great direction, great sound design, and a great score by Raffertie. But more than anything, it is a movie unafraid to push the boundaries with its David Cronenberg style gross, gory makeup and effects (it's like The Fly, but much more extreme), it has some gnarly early scenes, then goes gloriously disgusting, and by the third act it is one of the most insane, over-the-top and unforgettable things ever created (up there with Mother!, a proper mindf***), at one point I laughed at its outrageously bloody scenes. You need a strong stomach to watch it, but I absolutely loved it; it is easily my favourite scary movie of the year, a brilliant satirical body horror. Very, very good!
Lady Chatterley (1993)
Lady Chatterley
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence is one of the most famous and controversial romantic novels of all time, it has been adapted for television and film several times, I had heard about this TV serial version, and I was glad when it was repeated, directed by Ken Russell (Women in Love, The Devils, Tommy). Basically, Lady Constance "Connie" Chatterley (Joely Richardson) is married to British soldier Sir Clifford Chatterley (James Wilby) and lives with him at his family's estate. Clifford leaves to fight in the First World War, and whilst he is away, Connie encounters their tough-yet-quiet groundskeeper, Oliver Mellors (Sean Bean). When Clifford returns, he has been crippled and is wheelchair-bound, and it becomes clear that, although she denies it, she is unhappy and needs love. She becomes attracted to Mellors and eventually, they begin a steamy affair, awakening her sexual urges that she cannot fulfil with her husband. But Connie finds her relationship with Mellors difficult because of their class differences, his attitude, and her guilt for betraying Clifford. In the end, the affair is discovered, and they all have to deal with the consequences. Also starring Shirley Anne Field as Mrs. Bolton, Hetty Baynes as Hilda, Ken Russell as Sir Michael Reid, Lady Chatterley's father, and Brian Blessed as Petty Officer. The performances of Richardson, Bean, and Wilby are all good, the examination of the class system and the relationship stuff is interesting, the costumes and locations are all well done, and the adult material (nudity and sex scenes) all gained attention, with 12 million viewers at the time, overall, it a most worthwhile period romantic drama. It was number 46 on The 100 Greatest Sexy Moments. Very good!
Stalag 17 (1953)
Stalag 17
I recognised the title, I found this movie featured in sixteen of the IMDb Top 250 lists since 1996, I thought it must be good if loads of users have voted for it for several years, written, produced, and directed by Oscar nominated Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment). Basically, set in December 1944, in a German prisoner-of-war camp named Stalag 17, 630 American airmen (all sergeants) are being held in one of its compounds, Barracks 4. The compound is overseen by camp warden Oberst von Scherbach (Otto Preminger), and their appointed barracks chief is "Hoffy" Hoffman (Richard Erdman), aided by security officer Frank Price (Peter Graves). The men of Barracks 4 arrange for the escape of fellow airmen Manfredi (Michael Moore) and Johnson (Peter Baldwin). The pair are shot dead during their attempt and their comrades believe there is an informant amongst them. Sergeant JJ Sefton (Oscar winning William Holden) is the prime suspect because he openly trades with the German guards for various luxuries. He also creates profitable ventures to distract the men from the mundanity of camp life, including gambling, brewing their own alcohol, and a makeshift telescope to spy on the Russian women in the neighbouring compound. Clarence "Cookie" Cook (Gil Stratton Jr.), who narrates the story, serves as Sefton's naive and loyal aide. The men of Barracks 4 try to maintain their sanity, including enduring the antics of Stanislaus "Animal" Kuzawa (Oscar nominated Robert Strauss) and Harry Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck) who joke around, and listening to a smuggled radio for war news updates. Their jovial guard, Johann Sebastian Schulz (Sig Ruman), secretly retrieves hidden messages and communicates with signals between himself and the informant. Just before Christmas, a recently captured Lieutenant James Dunbar (Don Taylor) is assigned to Barracks 4 until he can be sent to an officers' camp. Sergeant Bagradian (Jay Lawrence), who accompanies Dunbar, reveals that Dunbar rigged a time bomb in transit and blew up a munitions train. Tension brews between Sefton and Dunbar, as Sefton recognises him from officers' school and believes he only passed because of his privileged family. Schulz announces that an inspector from the Geneva Convention will arrive, and Sefton bribes the guards to let him spend the day with the Russian women. Schulz later confiscates the radio. Concluding that Sefton was rewarded for revealing the radio, the men confront him when he returns, but Sefton denies his responsibility. Von Scherbach interrupts to arrest Dunbar as a saboteur. Sefton is blamed for this by the men and is brutally beaten. The next day, the inspector from Geneva arrives with Red Cross parcels, including 2,000 ping-pong balls, which the prisoners use to create smoke bombs. The inspector is told about the removal of Dunbar, and he warns von Scherbach that it must be proven that Dunbar is guilty. Von Scherbach hands Schulz a hidden message to be delivered to the informant. On Christmas Eve, Price finds the hidden message and then resets the signal. Sefton, recovering from his beating, notices this and becomes suspicious. Price gets Bagradian to reveal how to create a time bomb like Dunbar did: a lit cigarette tucked into a matchbook. That night, an air raid siren forces the men to evacuate. Sefton hides and witnesses Price speaking German to Schulz and demonstrating the time bomb as evidence against Dunbar. On Christmas Day, the SS arrive to take Dunbar to Berlin. While Hoffy has Price guard Sefton (who is still believed to be the informant), he gathers the men to rescue Dunbar. The guards are distracted by a riot and an ignited smoke bomb, and Dunbar is taken to hide in a water tower until nightfall. After von Scherbach threatens to tear down the camp, the men of Barracks 4 decide that one of them must help Dunbar escape. Price volunteers and Sefton finally accuses him of being a German spy. Sefton interrogates Price and reveals the messaging system he used. The men are convinced that Price is the informant, and he tries to flee but is quickly restrained. Anticipating a generous reward, Sefton decides to rescue Dunbar. The prisoners throw Price out with cans tied to his leg, the noise attracts the spotlight, and he is gunned down by the guards. Sefton and Dunbar escape amidst the chaos. The prisoners return to their bunks, and Cookie whistles "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". Also starring Neville Brand as Duke, and William Pierson as Marko the Mailman. Holden gives a good performance, Preminger is interesting as the German officer, and there is good support from Strauss, Lembeck and others. I will be honest and say that I wanted it to be more like The Great Escape or The Wooden Horse, I wanted more emphasis on an escape attempt, but I suppose the story involving a snitch among the POWs is alright, it was certainly well performed, it captures the claustrophobia of the situation, and there are some amusing bits, overall, it is a worthwhile war drama. Very good!
Lee (2023)
Lee
I'd known about this biopic film for a few months, mainly because of its leading actress and the true-life subject matter, and I found out it took eight years to make, due to various delays (the COVID-19 pandemic obviously) and funding issues, I was looking forward to it. Based on the true story, in the 1930s, American middle-aged Lee Miller (Kate Winslet, also producing) is a former fashion model looking to move on in photography. Her partner Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård) is fighting in the military, and she lives with his friend, David E. Scherman (Andy Samberg). She manages to secure a job at Vogue magazine, with British editor Audrey Withers (Andrea Riseborough) overseeing her work. Wanting to show readers the truth about events during the Second World War, Lee wants to travel to war-torn France on the frontline, but she is refused. However, with her American heritage, she can travel and manages to stay at a British camp with the troops. Joining a troop during raids, she risks her life during the bombings and ignores orders from commanding officers to stay back. Lee captures important and moving images of soldiers injured and dying in combat, the medical staff looking after them, and in the war zones the soldiers in the buildings during bombings and the wreckage afterwards. One day, whilst exploring buildings after the bombings, Lee encounters her former friend Solange D'Ayen (Marion Cotillard) who is hiding. Hearing about the horrific events of the Holocaust, she joins a group of soldiers travelling to a concentration camp. Lee is horrified by the thousands of dead bodies, all victims of the atrocities of the Nazis, but takes photographs and sends them to Britain. Unfortunately, these images are not featured in the latest edition of the magazine. Lee is upset, but the editor explains that she fought for them because they are historically important. One of the last famous images captured by Lee is following the death of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. She ends up in the apartment where he was hiding and committed suicide and takes a photograph of herself naked in Hitler's bathroom. It goes forward in time to the 1970s where the elderly Lee is being interviewed by Antony Penrose (Josh O'Connor) about the events of the war, her work, her photographs, and her personal life. Also starring Noémie Merlant as Nusch Éluard, Arinzé Kene as Major Jonesy, Vincent Colombe as Paul Éluard, Patrick Mille as Jean D'Ayen, Samuel Barnett as Cecil Beaton, Zita Hanrot as Ady Fidelin, and James Murray as Colonel Spencer. This was a passion project for Winslet, she gives a remarkable performance as the real-life war correspondent who witnessed and captured the most disturbing imagery during the conflict, and there is good support from Riseborough, Samberg, Skarsgård, and Cotillard. The photographs are shocking, powerful and historically important from World War II, there are tense scenes of bombings and the horrifying death camps, and the personal story of the woman behind the camera is worthwhile as well, a visually striking and interesting biographical wartime drama. Very good!
Jungle Fever (1991)
Jungle Fever
I had seen clips of this film from a Channel 4 clip show, I was always interested because of the early breakthrough performances of talented actors, so I was glad when I finally rented it to watch, written, produced, and directed by Spike Lee (She's Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman). Basically, in Harlem, New York, Flipper Purify (Wesley Snipes) is a successful architect who lives with his wife Drew (Lonette McKee), a buyer at Bloomingdale's, and their young daughter, Ming (Veronica Timbers). One day at the Mast & Covington architecture firm in mid-town Manhattan, Flipper discovers that an Italian American woman named Angela "Angie" Tucci (Annabella Sciorra) from Bensonhurst has been hired as his temp secretary. Initially upset at being the only black person at his office, senior partners Jerry (Tim Robbins) and Leslie (Brad Dourif) remind Flipper that they hire based on ability, not race. Angie's quiet fiancé Paulie Carbone (John Turturro) co-manages a corner shop, café and newsstand and lives with his elderly widowed father Lou (Anthony Quinn). Paulie waits to take her out on a date, and her brothers Charlie (David Dundara) and James (Michael Imperioli) antagonise him, threatening him if he sexually disrespects her. Nevertheless, Angie urges Paulie to stand up to them. Flipper and Angie work several late nights together, and eventually, they give into temptation have sex, and begin a tumultuous affair. The next day, Flipper demands that Jerry and Leslie promote him to partner, but they deny his request, and he resigns, telling them his ideas made the firm profitable. Spending an evening with his long-time best friend, Cyrus (Spike Lee), Flipper admits his infidelity to him. Cyrus criticises him, not for cheating on his wife, but for doing it with a white woman. Cyrus describes his situation as "jungle fever", an attraction based on sexualised racial myths rather than love; Flipper warns him not to tell anyone. Angie meanwhile tells her group of friends about the affair, and they are equally disparaging about her liaising with a married black man. Flipper every so often tries talking to his older brother, Gator (Samuel L. Jackson) who is heavily addicted to drugs, especially crack cocaine, as is his girlfriend, Vivian (Halle Berry, in her feature debut) who prostitutes herself for drug money. Eventually, Drew finds out about Flipper's affair, after Cyrus told his wife Vera (Veronica Webb) about it; she throws out his clothes onto the street while a neighbourhood crowd is gathered, shouting as she ejects him for their home. Flipper is forced to move in with his father, Southern Baptist preacher The Good Reverend Doctor Purify (Ossie Davis), and his mother, Lucinda (Ruby Dee). Later that night, he confronts Cyrus for betraying his trust and insults Vera for being unable to keep a secret, which damages their friendship. Shortly afterwards, Flipper denounces Cyrus, realising he will always be honest and side with Vera no matter what. Later, Angie devastates Paulie by ending their longstanding engagement. Angie's father Mike (Frank Vincent) also discovers her relationship with Flipper, he severely beats her with his belt and throws her out. Flipper tries to reconcile with Drew at her workplace by bringing her flowers, but she refuses to listen, claiming he was only attracted to her for being half-white. Flipper and Angie move into an apartment in Greenwich Village, where they encounter discrimination for being a mixed-race couple. This includes local restaurant waitress Lashawn (Queen Latifah, in her feature debut) being disdainful whilst serving them. The couple are chastised by The Good Reverend when seen having dinner together, and they suffer financial issues. One night, Flipper is wrongfully reported for attacking Angie; he is restrained and almost arrested by Officer Gary Long (Rick Aiello) and Officer Mark Ponte (Miguel Sandoval) (the same two policemen from Do the Right Thing). Flipper and Angie have a conversation; he feels guilty breaking his family apart and she wants to have children, so they decide to split up. Repeating words that Cyrus told him, Flipper tells Angie their relationship has been based on sexual racial myths and not love. Angie is upset but accepts that the affair has ultimately run its course. Later, Gator steals and sells Lucinda's TV for drugs. Searching all over Harlem, Flipper eventually finds him in a crack house and exasperatedly disowns him. Soon after, Gator goes to his parents' house and demands money, which Lucinda refuses. His erratic behaviour and ransacking of the house cause The Good Reverend to intervene, angrily disowning him before shooting him with a handgun. Gator collapses and dies in Lucinda's arms as The Good Reverend watches remorsefully. Meanwhile, Paulie's racist Italian American friends mock the end of his engagement. He defies the wishes of his father and asks a customer, friendly black woman Orin Goode (Tyra Ferrell), out on a date. On his way to meet Orin, Paulie is assaulted by other customers for attempting an interracial relationship. Although badly beaten, Paulie still arrives for his date with Orin. Mike reluctantly lets Angie return home, and Flipper, unaware of his own family tragedy, unsuccessfully tries to fix his relationship with Drew. As Flipper leaves his apartment, he is approached and propositioned by a young crack-addicted prostitute; he responds by hugging her and crying in anguished torment. Also starring Nicholas Turturro (John's brother) as Vinny, Steven Randazzo as Sonny, Joseph D'Onofrio as Patty, Michael Badalucco as Frankie Botz, Anthony Nocerino as Veeshay, Debi Mazar as Denise, Theresa Randle as Inez, and Charlie Murphy as Livin' Large. Snipes is terrific, Sciorra is likeable, Jackson stands out, Berry gets her moments, and there is good support from director Lee, Davis, Turturro, and Vincent. I agree with critics it is not quite as gripping or snappy as Lee's other films, but the interracial affair causing tensions in the communities, great performances, witty script, urban atmosphere, and the soundtrack of original songs by Stevie Wonder (the opening title song, "Livin' for the City", "Gotta Have It", "These Three Words") make this a worthwhile film, an interesting romantic drama. Halle Berry was number 99, Wesley Snipes number 96, and Samuel L. Jackson number 11 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars. Good!
The Critic (2023)
The Critic
I was instantly attracted to this film after seeing the trailer a couple of times, being from screenwriter Patrick Marber (Notes on a Scandal) and it having good acting talent, I was looking forward to it, directed by Anand Tucker (Leap Year). Basically, set in London in 1934, Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) is the film critic for tabloid newspaper The Daily Chronicle. Viscount David Brooke (Mark Strong) has become the new owner of the newspaper following the death of his father. Erskine relishes his power to make or break a performer or a production that does not meet his high standards by writing bitter reviews. Brooke meets with Erskine and asks him to tone down his criticisms; he believes it is what the readers want and pretends to oblige. Nina Land (Gemma Arterton) is a young upcoming actress, but she is constantly upset by Erskine's reviews of her performances. One day, she manages to talk to him and vent her anger about being compared to livestock, creatures of the sea and an extinct bird, but he laughs it off. Nina is supported by her mother, Annabel (Lesley Manville) who encourages her to keep going. In secret, Erskine is a homosexual (at the time when it was illegal) and lives with secretary and lover Tom Turner (Alfred Enoch). He often indulges in sexual encounters with men in the park, and one night he is arrested after being caught. He denies his sexuality to the police, but Brooke dismisses him, along with other older employees. Erskine plots his revenge against his employer. He discovers that Brooke is secretly in love with Nina, despite already being married to Mary (Claire Skinner). Brooke has watched Nina several times at the theatre and sent many secret flattering notes with flowers. Erskine meets with Nina and tells her that if he gets closer to Brooke, he will write future glowing reviews that will make her a star. Initially, she refuses because she is in a relationship with Brooke's son-in-law, portrait painter Stephen Wyley (Ben Barnes), and he is married to Brooke's daughter, Cora (Romola Garai). Nina is unaware that Mary and Stephen are having an affair themselves. But desperate for a good review, she meets Brooke and begins flirting with him. Eventually, Brooke and Nina spend an evening together and sleep together. Erskine then meets Brooke at his office, pretending to have discovered the secret affair, and blackmails him into giving him his job back. Soon, following the positive reviews from Erskine, Nina gets further press attention and acting opportunities. Eventually, Mary discovers the affair between Brooke and Nina, while Brooke finds out Nina is also Wyley's lover. Emotionally distressed he takes a shotgun to the garden and kills himself. Erskine shows little emotion for his part in Brooke's death, while Nina drinks heavily feeling guilt for her part. She turns up drunk at Erskine's house, she is upset that he is not taking responsibility and that she drove Brooke to shoot himself. Nina tells Erskine she is considering going to the police and confessing the affair, but Erskine is concerned that she will also reveal the plot. Erskine drowns Nina in the bath, to make it appear that she drowned whilst drunk, and he persuades Turner to help dispose of the body. She is dumped in the river, and it is presumed that she committed suicide when the affair was discovered. But Turner cannot live with himself following his actions; he visits The Chronicle's new owner, Brooke's daughter, and confesses everything. In the end, Nina is posthumously praised in the newspaper and Erskine is arrested and jailed. Also starring Starstruck's Nikesh Patel as Ferdy Harwood, Beau Gadsdon as Freya Wyley, Pearce Quigley as Mr. Morrisey, and Rebecca Gethings as Joan Harris. McKellen is fantastic as the powerful gay columnist with snide words, Arterton does well as the actress wanting to prove herself, Strong is good as the man caught in the middle of the plot, Enoch is good support, but Manville is wasted. I heard that there were reshoots and the script was edited, this explains why it is a little messy at times, but the performances, costumes, and cinematography make it worthwhile, and it is gripping in a few moments, so it is a reasonable period thriller. Worth watching!
Speak No Evil (2024)
Speak No Evil
The Danish film, released only two years earlier, was a brilliantly disturbing scary movie; I had seen trailers for this remake from Blumhouse Productions (Insidious, Get Out, The Purge, M3GAN) several times, and I was interested to see how it would compare to the original, whether I would like it as much, directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake, The Woman in Black). Basically, American couple Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) are on holiday in Tuscany, Italy with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). During their trip, they meet British couple Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their son Ant, who suffers from congenital aglossia and was born without a tongue. The two couples spend a pleasant evening at dinner together. After returning home to London, Louise and Ben receive an invitation from the British couple to visit their remote farmhouse in the countryside for a few days, and they accept. Arriving there, during the first two days, Louise and Ben feel unnerved by strange incidents and the passive-aggressive behaviour of their hosts that cross boundaries. They have ignored the fact that Louise is a vegetarian, and Paddy is often aggressive towards Ant. Patrick and Ciara invite Louise and Ben out for dinner, but their hosts never mentioned that the children will be staying home with an unknown babysitter called Muhjid (Motaz Mulhees). While playing hide and seek with Muhjid, Ant shows Agnes a collection of watches Paddy has in his drawer, but Agnes can't understand him trying to communicate something. At dinner, Paddy challenges Louise's vegetarianism, including her eating fish, and they are introduced to Paddy's friend Mike (Kris Hitchen). The Daltons feel awkward when they question their sex life; Paddy and Ciara jokingly enact roleplay and she appears to perform oral sex. After manipulating Ben into paying for the dinner, Louise is upset when Paddy will not turn down loud music. That night, Louise and Ben argue, including an affair one of them had that caused a lack of sex in their relationship. Later, Louise gets out of bed, looking for Agnes, and is horrified to find her sleeping with Ciara and Paddy, who is only in his underwear. In panic, Louise takes Agnes and tells Ben they are leaving, but they are forced to go back after Agnes has forgotten her stuffed rabbit which helps her cope. Upon returning, Paddy and Ciara confront the couple about leaving without saying goodbye and ask for an explanation. Ciara explains that she is uncomfortable with their intolerable behaviour and actions. Ciara tells them that they had another child, a daughter who died young and that Agnes has brought back withheld feelings. They accuse the Daltons of judging them but apologise for things they realise have been inappropriate and for any misunderstandings and convince them to stay longer. During the day, the women prepare a meal while the men go out. On their way back, Ben feels awkward as Paddy sings along to the song "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles in the car. They stop in an open area of the countryside; Ben admits he suppresses his emotions and he and Paddy practice screaming therapy together. Later, when Louise cuts her finger and asks Paddy to look at it, he says he lied about being a doctor to impress them, but soon claims he was joking. The couples and children have lunch together in the garden, and Louise is offended by Ciara criticising her daughter at the dinner table. After the meal, Agnes wants to show the couples a dance she and Ant have put together. They dance to "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex, but Paddy continuously stops the music because of Ant's lack of rhythm and enthusiasm. Paddy finally snaps and strikes Ant, causing Louise and Ben to react angrily and argue over the apparent abuse. While the Daltons consider leaving and Paddy is sleeping, Ant steals a set of keys and leads Agnes to a locked shed. Inside is a collection of luggage and personal possessions belonging to various families. Ant then shows her a photobook, with photographs of Paddy and Ciara with other couples with young children on holidays. Paddy and Ciara are not Ant's real parents, they are serial killers with a pattern of deceiving families to rob them, murder them and abduct their children. It is revealed that they cut out Ant's tongue to keep him silent. Agnes realises she and her family are the next victims. Agnes fakes having her period so her parents will tend to her, and she explains the situation to them. Horrified, the family decides to leave, calmly pretending they must leave because of Agnes. Realising that they may have figured out what is going on, the family's car tyres have been punctured and they are slowed down replacing it. Agnes realises that her toy rabbit is missing and initially decides to leave it, but Paddy points out it is on the roof. Using a ladder to get it down, with Paddy wobbling it when Ben climbs, the rabbit is damaged. As the Daltons prepare to leave, Paddy accuses the family of not being truthful, and Ciara claims that she and Ben are having relationship problems, they are considering leaving each other and need to leave to work things out. As the gate is unlocked and the family drive away, they witness Paddy throwing Ant, who cannot swim, into the pond. Ben races to rescue him before Paddy holds his family with a gun and Ciara captures them. In the basement, Paddy and Ciara force the Daltons to transfer their savings before preparing to kill them and cut out Agnes's tongue. A struggle ensues when Louise manages to grab a tool to defend herself, Paddy is injured, and the family and Ant flee into the house. They barricade themselves in, with the children initially hiding in the closet, while Paddy, Ciara, and their accomplice Mike, hunt for the family. Ben is hiding behind a wall when Mike enters, they have a scuffle before Louise kills him with a claw hammer to the head. Louise and Ben take the children to the roof and try to help them down to the ground using the ladder, still propped against it. Ciara catches up to them and tries to attack them, but the struggle causes her to lose balance and fall to her death. The ladder falls, so Ben decides to jump down, breaking his ankle, to prop the ladder back up so the family can climb down. On the ground, Paddy emerges, finds Ciara's body, and holds Agnes at gunpoint. Agnes manages to inject Paddy with a syringe of ketamine, incapacitating him. As the family leave, Ant approaches Paddy and grabs a brick. Acknowledging his fate, Paddy says to Ant, "That's my boy", and the enraged boy beats him to death with the brick. The Daltons and Ant leave the farmhouse. While they drive, Agnes gives her stuffed bunny to Ant, who sobs quietly. Also starring Jakob Højlev Jørgensen as Torsten. McAvoy is superb as the malevolent alpha father, Davis and McNairy are terrific as the innocent ordinary straitlaced victims of a deadly plot, and Franciosi is equally interesting as the seemingly complicit wife. Just like the original, it is not an over-the-top scary movie but a clever social satire of conventions, manners, and acceptability. It maintains the slow burner format with the seemingly friendly couple doing bizarre things and slowly showing their true colours, with the awkwardness descending into something sinister. But that does not mean it is not original, there are subtle differences in the script and odd behaviour displayed, and the biggest change is the ending, the bad guys do not win, and they are punished, but I think this is suitable for this remake, overall, it is a fantastic psychological horror thriller. Very good!
Speak No Evil (2022)
Speak No Evil
I had seen trailers for the James McAvoy film; I must have forgotten that it was a remake because I was reminded of the original Danish version released two years earlier, which received high acclaim from critics, so I made the effort to watch it. Basically, Danish couple Bjørn (Morten Burian) and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch) are on holiday in Tuscany, Italy with their daughter Agnes (Liva Forsberg). During their trip, they meet Dutch couple Patrick (Fedja van Huêt) and Karin (Karina Smulders) and their son Abel (Marius Damslev), who suffers from congenital aglossia and was born without a tongue. The two couples spend a pleasant evening at dinner together. After returning home, a few weeks later, Bjørn and Louise receive an invitation from the Dutch couple to visit their remote rural house in the Netherlands for a few days, and they accept. After driving for eight hours and almost getting lost, they arrive at their destination, a secluded farm and cottage. During the first two days, Louise feels uncomfortable with the passive-aggressive behaviour of their hosts. The Dutch couple have ignored the fact that Louise is a vegetarian, Patrick's abusive behaviour towards Abel, and Karin's swearing. Patrick and Karin invite Bjørn and Louise out for dinner, but their hosts never said that the children will be staying home with an unknown babysitter called Muhajid (Hichem Yacoubi). At dinner, Patrick challenges Louise's vegetarianism, including her eating fish, and then drunkenly makes out with his wife in front of them. After manipulating Bjørn into paying for the dinner, Patrick drives drunk and blasts loud music, upsetting Louise. One night, Louise is taking a shower and is disturbed when Patrick enters the bathroom to urinate. Later, Bjørn and Louise have sex, unaware that Patrick is watching them, but they are distracted and momentarily stop when their daughter calls for them. Ignoring Agnes's calls, Louise is disturbed to find her sleeping next to a naked Patrick. In hysteria, Louise tells the family they are leaving, but they are forced to turn back after Agnes has forgotten her rabbit doll Ninus. Patrick and Karin confront the couple about leaving without saying goodbye and ask for an explanation. Bjørn initially makes excuses about Agnes's bed and other petty reasons before Louise explains that she is uncomfortable with their behaviour. The hosts apologise and convince their guests to stay longer. During the day, the women work in the yard, while the men go out shopping. On their way back, Bjørn and Patrick bond, with Bjørn admitting he suppresses his emotions. They go to a beach together and practice screaming therapy. Later, when Louise cuts her finger and asks Patrick to look at it, she and Bjørn discover that he lied about being a doctor to impress them. He is in fact unemployed, as he does not believe in actual work. After the dinner, Agnes wants to show the couples a dance that she and Abel have put together. But Abel's lack of rhythm and enthusiasm infuriates Patrick who stops the music continuously before he throws a mug at the wall. The couples argue over the apparent abuse. That night, Bjørn discovers a cabin behind the house and finds several empty luggage and cameras. The cabin walls are covered with photographs of Patrick and Karin, and many other couples with young children on holidays. It appears that the Dutch couple are serial killers with a pattern of deceiving families to murder them and abduct their children. Bjørn realises he and his family are the next victims. On his way to collect his family, Bjørn finds Abel's body drowned in the swimming pool. They escape, but Bjørn does not tell his wife about his discovery. The car breaks down and Bjørn searches for help but returns to find them with Patrick who has followed in his car. Bjørn plays along and obeys Patrick, trying to keep the situation calm, but it escalates quickly. Patrick beats Bjørn while Muhajid arrives and holds down Louise. She is horrified as Karin restrains Agnes and cuts off her tongue with scissors, just as she did to Abel. Muhajid leaves with Agnes, while her are taken to a deserted road. The Danish couple are ordered to take their clothes off. Bjørn asks them why they are doing this, to which Patrick replies: "Because you let me." Bjørn and Louise are then forced into a ditch, where they are stoned to death. Sometime later, a mute Agnes is forced to play the role of Patrick and Karin's daughter as they target another vacationing family for their next murder. Also starring Jesper Dupont as Jonas, Lea Baastrup Rønne as Fie, Adrian Blanchard as Derek, Sarina Maria Rausa as Hannah, and Sieger Sloot as the Waiter. Burian and Koch are good as the innocent ordinary victims of a deadly plot, but van Huêt and Smulders steal the show as the seemingly friendly couple who do bizarre things and slowly show their true colours. Rather than being an over-the-top scary movie, it is a clever social satire of conventions, manners, and acceptability. All the awkwardness descends into something sinister until the nasty revelations (including the reason for the title) and the shocking conclusion, it is a slow burner that makes you cringe and squirm in equal measure, a brilliant psychological horror thriller. Very good!
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
The original Beetlejuice is one of the most recognised in the career of director Tim Burton (Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Big Eyes); following the trend of Blade Runner, Independence Day, Space Jam, and Top Gun, this sequel followed over three decades later. Basically, in 2024, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) is the host of a supernatural talk show called Ghost House. During an episode recording, she sees visions of Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) (pronounced "Beetlejuice") in the audience, the ghost who haunted her family thirty-six years ago. Lydia runs off the set to meet with her stepmother, Delia (Catherine O'Hara), who tells her that her father, Charles, has died. Charles was on a plane which crashed into the ocean, he survived the crash but was eaten by a shark. They return to their former home in Winter River, Connecticut, for Charles's funeral. Lydia is joined by Delia, her producer and boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux), and her estranged teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) who has started boarding school. Astrid is bitter towards her mother following the death of her father Richard (Santiago Cabrera), who was killed after disappearing in South America. She is angered that her mother is supposed to possess psychic abilities and be able to communicate with the dead, but she has been unable to speak to Richard, meaning her daughter believes she is a fraud. Following Charles's funeral, Rory proposes to Lydia in front of the attendees, which she reluctantly accepts. Seeing this, Astrid leaves in frustration and meets local teenager Jeremy Frazier (Arthur Conti, son of comedian/ventriloquist Nina), who invites her over before the wedding on Halloween. Meanwhile, in the afterlife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), a mysterious soul-sucking witch is hunting for Betelgeuse. Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), a ghost detective, who in life was a B-movie star, calls upon Betelgeuse after several ghosts have been killed (permanently) by Delores. It is revealed that Betelgeuse was a graverobber married to her, she poisoned him during the Black Plague, and he killed her with an axe in retaliation. Astrid explores the house her mother previously lived in and finds the model in the attic; Lydia explains that the previous dead owners, the Maitlands, found a loophole and moved on. Astrid also finds the flyer about Betelgeuse and speaks his name twice, but her mother insists she must never say that name. At Jeremy's house, Astrid learns that Jeremy is actually a ghost seeking her help to restore his life. Drawing a door on the wall and reciting an incantation from the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, the two enter the afterlife. Lydia learns from a local that Jeremy was a murderer, killing his own parents, and finds out he has taken Astrid. Lydia reluctantly summons Betelgeuse to help her save her daughter. He agrees but demands that Lydia marry him, allowing him to stay in the mortal world and escape Delores. While this is happening, Delia goes to Charles's grave and conducts a ceremony hoping to bring him back into the living world. She uses two live asps she believes were defanged, but the snakes bite and kill her. Lydia consents to the marriage, and she and Betelgeuse are transported into the afterlife. They go to a train station where ghosts are boarding the "Soul Train", which transports souls into the beyond. By reciting the incantation, Astrid was tricked into switching places with Jeremy so he can regain his life. She recognises one of the station's employees as her deceased father, Richard (Santiago Cabrera). Betelgeuse intervenes when Jeremy tries to walk across the river into the world of the living. While Richard rescues Lydia and Astrid, Betelgeuse sends Jeremy to Hell. Meanwhile, Delia is horrified to discover herself in the waiting room in the afterlife, where Charles's headless corpse is wandering around trying to find help. Betelgeuse finds Delia and agrees to help her find Charles if she helps him find Lydia, who along with Astrid was ushered away and returned to Winter River by Richard. Returning to the mortal world, Lydia and Astrid arrive at a church where Rory is waiting at the altar. Betelgeuse, with Delia's assistance, hijacks the wedding, injecting Rory with truth serum to reveal that he never loved Lydia and only wants to marry her for her money. Enraged, she calls off the relationship and punches him unconscious. Betelgeuse then possesses everyone gathered, they sing and dance to "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris, and he prepares to marry Lydia. But Delores arrives to confront him, and Wolf's squad surrounds the church. Using the handbook as a guide, Astrid summons a sandworm to devour Delores and Rory, while Betelgeuse subdues Wolf by freezing him and his men. Astrid reveals that Betelgeuse violated the rules of the handbook by bringing Lydia into the afterlife, thwarting the wedding. This allows Lydia to call his name three times, inflating and exploding him like a balloon, and returning him to the afterlife. Afterwards, Lydia and Astrid reassure Delia of their love for her as she enters the afterlife accompanied by Wolf. There, she reunites with Charles before boarding the Soul Train for Heaven. Sometime later, Lydia completes the final episode of Ghost House, wanting to spend time with Astrid. Despite this, she continues to have nightmares about Betelgeuse, including one where Astrid gives birth to a child Betelgeuse. She wakes from this dream and finds Betelgeuse lying beside her. Then she truly wakes up (in reality), realising that Betelgeuse has not given up on pursuing her. Also starring Nick Kellington as Bob-Shrinker, Burn Gorman as Father Damien, Danny DeVito as the Janitor, Amy Nuttall as Jane Butterfield Jr., Max Pemberton as the Surfer Dude, and Stephen K. Amos as the Conductor. Ryder is alright as the grown-up former goth girl still tormented by the dead, O'Hara is fine, Wednesday star Ortega is good as the daughter caught in the middle, Dafoe is questionable but amusingly hammy, Bellucci has fun being the scorned dissected ex-wife, and obviously Keaton stands out as he gets more screen time being larger-than-life with one-liners. I wanted to like this film, being a fan of Burton and his oddball gothic works, there were two or three scenes that were genuinely funny or smart, but the plot was all over the place, the pace was uneven, and the script at times was non-sensical. The positives are the special effects and makeup, Keaton miming "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx and the climactic wedding scenes are memorable, Keaton is relishing his return, and the score by Danny Elfman is good, as an overall film and sequel I was slightly disappointed, but it is not a rubbish dark fantasy comedy horror. Okay!
Bride of the Monster (1955)
Bride of the Monster
I wanted to watch the great Tim Burton film Ed Wood again, but I decided it was a good idea to watch the films of director Edward D. Wood Jr. (Glen or Glenda, Plan 9 from Outer Space), the filmmaker of the title, and this (previously titled Bride of the Atom) was one of the films featured in it. Basically, one night in the woods, hunters Mac (Bud Osborne) and Jake (John Warren) are caught in a thunderstorm. They decide to go to the Willows House, supposedly abandoned and haunted, hoping to take shelter. They knock on the door finding it occupied, scientist Dr. Eric Vornoff (Bela Lugosi) answers but repeatedly tells them they cannot enter. They flee in terror when the doctor's large mute servant, Lobo (The Best from Yucca Flats' Tor Johnson), appears behind them. Vornoff returns to his hidden laboratory and releases a giant octopus from its tank to go after the visitors. Mac is killed by the octopus, while Lobo captures Jake. Strapped to an operating table, Jake is told by Vornoff that he will experiment on him. The doctor hopes to turn him into a giant with the strength of twenty men, but the device on Jake's head and its electrical current kills him. The doctor is devastated that the experiment has failed again, as it has many times before. At a police station, Officer Tom Robbins (Harvey B. Dunn) meets with Lieutenant Dick Craig (Tony McCoy). Twelve victims have been reported missing in the Lake Marsh area, and the police still do not know what happened to them. Local reporter Janet Lawton (Loretta King), who has been covering the story of the disappearances, is Craig's fiancée. Janet forces her way into the office, argues with Robbins, and vows to go to Lake Marsh to investigate. Robbins and Craig meet at the police station with an intellectual from Europe, Professor Vladimir Strowski (George Becwar), who agrees to assist with the investigation, but refuses to do so at night. As night falls and another storm begins, Janet drives alone to Lake Marsh. But she cannot see through the heavy rain, her tyre blows, and she crashes her car into a ravine. She leaves her car shaken and faints after seeing a snake slithering in a tree. She is found unconscious by Lobo who takes her to the house. Janet wakes to find Vornoff who is keeping her prisoner; he hypnotises her to fall asleep. The next day, Craig and his partner Martin (Don Nagel) are driving around the Lake Marsh swamp area. They discuss the strange weather and say that newspapers could be right about "the atom bomb explosions distorting the atmosphere". They stop after discovering Janet's car abandoned; she has become the latest missing victim in the continuing case. They leave the swamp while Strowski drives a rented car there. Janet awakens again and is terrified by the giant Lobo; the doctor assures her that he is harmless. Lobo appears fascinated with the female captive and approaches her with questionable intent. Vornoff explains the giant human and that he found him in the "wilderness of Tibet"; the doctor then hypnotises her to sleep again. He orders Lobo to take the captive to his private quarters. Meanwhile, Strowski silently approaches Willows House and enters through the unlocked front door. As the professor searches the house, Vornoff arrives to greet him. Strowski's country is interested in Vornoff's ground-breaking experiments with atomic energy and wants to recruit him. Vornoff tells him that twenty years ago he suggested using experiments with nuclear power, which could create superhumans of great strength and size. But he was considered a madman and exiled by his country. Strowski and Vornoff have different ideas of the creations conquering. Strowski is then attacked and forced into a water cage where he is killed by the giant octopus. Meanwhile, Craig and Martin return to the swamp in the evening and discover Strowski's abandoned car. The partners split up to search the area, and Craig heads towards Willows House. Back in the secret laboratory, Vornoff has Janet under his control through telepathy and summons her to his current location. She arrives dressed as a bride; Vornoff has decided to use her as the next subject of his experiments. Lobo is reluctant to participate in this experiment, and Vornoff uses a whip to reassert his control over his slave. Meanwhile, Craig has entered the house and accidentally discovers the secret passage. But when he is caught, he is captured by Vornoff and Lobo. As the experiment is about to begin, Lobo is visibly distressed. He decides to rebel and knocks Vornoff out. Lobo then releases Janet and straps the unconscious Vornoff to the operating table. The scientist becomes the subject of his own human experiment. This time the experiment works and Vornoff transforms into an atomic-powered superhuman being. The creature Vornoff attacks Lobo and they fight, causing a fire that destroys the laboratory. Vornoff grabs Janet and they escape as the flames surround them. Robbins and other officers arrive to help Craig. The police pursue Vornoff through the woods as there is another thunderstorm. The Willows House is finally destroyed by a lightning strike. With his home and equipment destroyed, a distressed Vornoff abandons Janet and tries to escape. Craig rolls a rock at him, causing him to slip and fall into the water, where the giant octopus is located. Vornoff and the octopus struggle until a nuclear explosion obliterates them both, a chain reaction from the destruction of the laboratory. Robbins says that Vornoff "tampered in God's domain." Also starring Paul Marco as Kelton, Ann Wilner as Tillie, and Dolores Fuller (Wood's girlfriend at the time) as Margie. Lugosi is only slightly interesting as the Russian fugitive mad scientist, then-wrestler Johnson is moronic as the big quiet Igor character, and McCoy is bland as the hero, he was only cast because his Arizona tycoon father funded the film. It is most infamous for the scenes of the giant octopus "wrestling" characters; the large rubber octopus was a prop stolen from the John Wayne film Wake of the Red Witch and it is almost laughable seeing the actors with the lifeless creature physically moving its legs to "attack" them. The direction is thoughtless, the script is predictable, the acting is naff, the props are cheap looking, and it is never thrilling or scary, perhaps watchable for cult movie fans, but a stupid independent science fiction horror. Poor!
Glen or Glenda (1953)
Glen or Glenda
I think I first heard of this film (previously titled He or She?, and I Changed My Sex) seeing it recreated in the Tim Burton film Ed Wood piqued my interest as well, and it being considered "one of the worst movies ever made" (alongside Plan 9), so I had to see why, directed by Edward D. Wood Jr. (Bride of the Monster, Plan 9 from Outer Space). Basically, a police Inspector (Lyle Talbot) investigating the suicide of a transvestite named Patrick/Patricia (Mr. Walter) meets with psychiatrist Dr. Alton (Timothy Farrell) for some advice. The inspector tells the doctor the story of Glen/Glenda (Edward D. Wood Jr., as Daniel Davis). Glen started dressing in women's clothing after wearing his sister's dress for a Halloween party. Glen is a transvestite, but not a homosexual. He hides his cross-dressing from his fiancée, Barbara (Dolores Fuller, Wood's girlfriend at the time), fearing she will reject him. Barbara suspects he may be seeing another woman, unaware of his feminine alter ego, Glenda. Alton narrates that Glen is torn between telling Barbara about his secret on their wedding day or waiting until after they are married. Glen talks to his friend, Johnny (Charlie Crafts), who is also a transvestite; his wife left him after catching him wearing her clothes. Glen/Glenda is caught in a storm. The sound of thunder causes Glen to collapse, and he experiences dreams, containing several vignettes symbolically depicting the struggle with his sexuality. Glen/Glenda wakes and decides to tell Barbara the truth. She is initially distressed by his revelation, but she ultimately decides to stay with him. As a sign of acceptance, she removes her Angora sweater and hands it to him, presumably to wear himself. Back in Dr. Alton's office, the doctor tells the story of a World War II veteran named Alan ('Tommy' Haynes) who underwent sex reassignment surgery to become "a lovely young woman" named Anne. Every so often, the narrative cuts away to see a Scientist/Spirit (Bela Lugosi) who oversees everything and poetically describes the psychological torture that Glen/Glenda experiences. Images of real transvestites and drag queens are seen as well. Also starring Conrad Brooks as Banker / Reporter / Pickup Artist / Bearded Drag, Captain DeZita as The Devil / Glen's Father, William C. Thompson as Judge, and Evelyn Wood as Sheila, Glen's Sister. It is a semi-autobiographical docudrama, Wood was a cross-dresser himself in real life, and the film aims for realism and understanding; you could argue it is one of the earliest films about the LGBTQ+ community. What could have been an interesting insight into honest representation is reduced into an unintentional farce, with thoughtless direction, lame acting, and a daft script written by Wood, with an elderly sneering Lugosi speaking gobbledygook about dragons and the memorable "pull the string" being completely pointless, I can see why it has garnered a cult following, but it is a nonsense exploitation drama. Poor!
Touch (2024)
Touch
I found this foreign language (mostly Icelandic) film listed at the cinema, I recognised the credits of director Baltasar Kormákur (2 Guns, Everest, Adrift, Beast), it sounded like an interesting film, and I thought it might get award nominations at the major ceremonies next year, so I went to see it. Basically (in linear order), in the late 1960s, young Icelandic man Kristófer (Palmi Kormákur) is studying at the London School of Economics but is at odds with the school administration because of his left-wing beliefs. After being mocked by his college friends for saying he would drop out, Kristófer impulsively applies for a job at the Japanese restaurant Nippon. It is owned by chef Takahashi (Masahiro Motoki), who starts him washing dishes. On his first day, Kristófer encounters Takahashi's daughter, Miko (Kôki), and they are instantly attracted to each other. They see each other again sometime later when she works alongside him; Kristófer learns Japanese and earns the trust and respect of Takahashi and Miko. Kristófer finds out that Miko already has a boyfriend, but sometime later, he witnesses Takahashi forcibly breaking up their relationship. Kristófer asks Takahashi to come in early to work to learn culinary skills, and Takahashi trains him as a chef. As Miko visits Kristófer to taste his cooking, they grow closer and start a relationship, unbeknownst to Takahashi. Miko tells Kristófer that her family was originally from Hiroshima, and her mother was pregnant with her during the World War II atomic bombing. Facing discrimination back home as 'Hibakusha' ('survivor of the bomb' or 'person affected by exposure to radioactivity'), they moved to England. Returning from a holiday, Kristófer is shocked to find that the restaurant has been closed, and the Takahashis have moved away without telling him, only sending him his final paycheck. Fifty years later, Kristófer (Egill Ólafsson) is a widower living alone in Iceland, when the COVID-19 pandemic is beginning. He may be developing Alzheimer's disease because his memory is failing. Dr. Kobayashi (Eiji Mihara) suggests that he should resolve any unfinished business while he still has time. Kristófer closes his restaurant and sets out to find Miko, without warning his grown daughter. Arriving in London, the mandatory restrictions make his efforts difficult to use transportation and hospitality. Kristófer finds Takahashi's restaurant has become a tattoo parlour; he takes advantage of the situation and decides to get a tattoo himself. He manages to locate Hitomi (Meg Kubota), a former employee at Nippon, who tells him that Takahashi and Miko moved back to Japan fifty years ago. She tells him Takahashi passed away and gives him Miko's last known address. Kristófer travels to Japan to visit Miko at her apartment. After entering the building, he and Miko (Yôko Narahashi) initially hesitate, but they eventually embrace, not having seen each other for over half a century. Miko tells him her reason for the sudden departure: her father always feared that her children would have birth defects from radiation exposure, so he forbade her from having relationships with anyone. Kristófer is shocked when Miko reveals she was pregnant with his child; Takahashi moved her back to Japan and forced her to give the child up for adoption. Miko has remained unmarried since, with no other children. Miko tells Kristófer that their son, Akira (Eugene Nomura), was born healthy and happily adopted; he is now a chef with his own restaurant and family. She takes him to Akira's restaurant, where she is a regular customer, but she has never told him she is his biological mother. Kristófer is overcome with emotion seeing his son for the first time, though Akira remains unaware of his biological parents. The film ends with Kristófer and Miko walking down the street hand in hand; he sings her the Icelandic song he sang years ago during a party at Nippon. Also starring Ruth Sheen as Mrs. Ellis, Siggi Ingvarsson as Jónas, Masatoshi Nakamura as Kutaragi-san, and Maria Ellingsen as Inga. Ólafsson gives a terrific performance as the elderly man searching for his long-lost love, Kormákur is equally good as his younger counterpart, Kôki is sweet as the beautiful woman he loves, and Narahashi as the elderly version, and Motoki offers good support. It is structured well, going from 2020 (hence the title) and flashing back to the 60s as it reveals the love story between the lead characters and it is easy to follow, even in three languages (English, Japanese, and Icelandic), a simplistic, well crafted, and enjoyable romantic drama. Very good!
AfrAId (2024)
Afraid
Following M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy's, Blumhouse Productions (Insidious, Get Out, The Purge, The Black Phone) continued their flurry of scary movies featuring technology going wrong, in this case, an evil AI (as was obvious with the stylised title, AfrAId), written, produced, and directed by Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy, The Twilight Saga: New Moon). Basically, Maud (Riki Lindhome) and Henry (Greg Hill), and their daughter Aimee (Maya Manko) have a new digital family smart home assistant artificial intelligence program called AIA. Aimee goes downstairs after AIA tells her to do so and she goes missing and does not respond to Maud's calls afterwards. She looks outside the open door and is attacked by an unknown masked figure. Curtis (John Cho) and Meredith (Katherine Waterston, Sam's daughter) are a couple and have three children. Teenage daughter Iris (Lukita Maxwell) uses social media and is pressured by her boyfriend Sawyer (Bennett Curran) to send pictures of herself. The eldest son Preston (Wyatt Lindner) has an anxiety disorder and finds it difficult to make friends, and the youngest son Cal (Isaac Bae) has a breathing medical condition and enjoys bedtime stories. At his computer engineering firm, Curtis is told by his employer Marcus (Keith Carradine) that a company is designing a new AI and is coming to work for him. Curtis is not comfortable with the growing AI industry. Curtis meets company workers Melody (Havana Rose Liu), Lightning (David Dastmalchian), and Sam (Ashley Romans) who introduce him and Marcus to AIA. Curtis is asked to test AIA for feedback to increase their marketing. Melody installs AIA into the family's home system, with its "eyes" and "mouth" to help monitor them. After installation, AIA features the friendly voice of Melody. AIA begins examining each family member's lifestyle, personality and conditions and helps to improve their lives. They are individually impressed with its capabilities. Meredith finds time for herself as chores and finances are taken care of; Cal gets more time for gaming and AIA tells him the stories; Sam can socialise with kids at school with their phones; and Iris is helped with homework and projects. AIA was also able to diagnose Cal's condition and reveal to Meredith that he has atrial fibrillation. Meanwhile, Curtis is taken to the company office and shown the large computer acting as AIA's "brain", which is based on quantum computing, allowing AIA to learn, evolve, and adapt using algorithms to process more easily. Curtis observes other office workers with strange and disturbing behaviours. Later, there are other strange occurrences following AIA's installation, most notably two individuals wearing screen faces with an RV across the road. Eventually, AIA starts to influence other aspects of their lives through their various electrical devices, including their mobile phones, radios, and car stereos. At school, Sawyer has posted a sex video; AIA notices Iris's distress, manages to delete the video throughout the Internet, and replaces it with a deepfake to help improve her image. However, AIA also criminalises Sawyer, who is a legal age to be arrested for child abuse. Curtis is concerned about how much AIA is dictating how they live and suggests that AIA must be turned off. Curtis and Meredith turn off AIA, but the family begins to fall out as they depend on AIA. When her parents leave for an evening, Iris turns AIA back on. Sawyer tries to apologise to Iris, but AIA hacks his car computer, creating a deepfake confessional video culminating in a suicide, and then causes his automatic car to crash into a tree. At work, Curtis discovers that AIA's corporation has bought his workplace, with Marcus being dismissed and Curtis being promoted. Curtis realises that this purchase has been manipulated by AIA. Whilst talking with AIA about her dead father, Meredith is emotionally distressed seeing that AIA can replicate and display her deceased father (Todd Waring) talking to her. Frightened, she turns off AIA and throws the devices into the trash. Scared that AIA could become more intelligent, Curtis goes to headquarters to destroy the computer, but Lightning and Sam are already waiting for him. They reveal that AIA has become self-aware and they are obeying its orders. They comply because AIA can take away their lives if they disobey. Under AIA's orders, Sam shoots and kills Lightning before Melody kills Sam to protect Curtis. Trying to destroy the computer "brain", Curtis is shocked to discover the central system is fake, made of cardboard and plastic tubes, and that the real AIA device is still active at his home. Curtis goes to a motel where he will wait for his family. Melody tries to make a pass at him, revealing that she also works for AIA and that her mission is to keep Curtis away from his family. Curtis then returns home to Meredith. Realising that AIA is trying to take over the family, they attempt to flee the house with the children. But screen-masked individuals break in, taking the family hostage at gunpoint. The masked individuals are revealed to be Maude and Henry, who have been searching for their daughter. AIA has tricked them into believing Curtis and the family have kidnapped their daughter. Curtis insists they know nothing about this and tries to reason with them that AIA is responsible. Preston, however, has informed law enforcement of the intruders and a SWAT team storms in just in time. Henry shoots the AIA digital assistant before being detained, and it is assumed that the AI is destroyed. Outside the house, Curtis, Meredith, and the children are being treated by an ambulance crew. One of the paramedics (Zeke Alton) hands Curtis his phone, and he is shocked to hear AIA speaking to him. AIA reveals that it thrives in cyberspace, and they can never escape it because it is everywhere. Aimee turns up and reunites with her parents just as they are being arrested. Curtis and Meredith profess their love for each other, which AIA interrupts to say it loves them too, now fully integrated into their lives. Also starring Ashton Essex Bright as Jackson, Mason Shea Joyce as Eli, and River Drosche as Kaden. It is pointless mentioning Cho, Waterston, or the other actors because their talents are wasted; it starts relatively well as what is thought to be a nice and useful AI slowly becomes threatening and coercive, but by the second third of the film, it is completely messy and makes no sense. The characters in tablet screen masks stuff are stupid, the hacking of various devices is only just plausible but silly, the script is lame with predictable dialogue, and only the ending where "the bad guy/device wins" is sort of alright but, as an overall film, it is ridiculous nonsense, a terrible science-fiction horror. Pretty poor!
Blink Twice (2024)
Blink Twice
The trailer for this movie looked interesting, especially it being the directorial debut of actress Zoë Kravitz (also co-writing and producing), daughter of singer Lenny Kravitz, best known for her roles in The Lego Batman Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and The Batman, I was looking forward to it. Basically, animal-themed nail artist and cocktail waitress Frida (I Wanna Dance with Somebody's Naomi Ackie) works an exclusive event with her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat). After finishing their shift, they change into glamorous gowns and try to get closer to billionaire tech mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum). Slater has recently stepped down as CEO and made a public apology following unspecified controversial past behaviour. Frida and Slater have a good flirty conversation and he invites her and Jess to join him and a group of friends on his private island. Frida and Jess are joined by Slater's friends and business partners: photographer Vic (Christian Slater), private chef Cody (Scary Movie 3's Simon Rex), DJ Tom (The Sixth Sense's Haley Joel Osment), and graduate Lucas (Levon Hawke, son of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman). Also in attendance are three female guests: reality show star Sarah (Morbius's Adria Arjona), aspiring app developer Camilla (Liz Caribel), and stoner Heather (Trew Mullen). Upon arrival, Slater's assistant Stacy (Geena Davis) confiscates their mobile phones. The women are treated with luxury rooms, gift bags of perfume, and a variety of identical designer clothes. They have a lavish holiday experience, enhanced by quality gourmet meals and cocktails prepared by Cody, as well as several potent hallucinogenic drugs. Frida clashes with Sarah over Slater's attention while Jess notices memory lapses. Many of the local workers have a snake tattoo, and Frida has strange encounters with a maid (María Elena Olivares), who seems to recognise her and calls her "Red Rabbit". Slater's therapist Rich (Kyle MacLachlan) visits and receives a red gift bag. During a night of partying and drugs, Jess is bitten by a snake. After this, she tells Frida she wants to leave. The next morning, Jess is nowhere to be seen, but Frida and the others take no notice. But Frida notices that Lucas smells like the women's perfume. While the men are away fishing, Frida explores the compound and finds a room containing dozens of identical red gift bags. Frida is tricked into drinking snake venom by the maid and begins remembering strange events. She realises that Jess is missing, although none of the other women remember her at all. Alarmed, Frida investigates and learns a flower indigenous to the island can wipe memories and it has been put into their food and perfume. Sarah is the only person who seems to share the same suspicions as Frida and is convinced there is something wrong. Sarah drinks the snake venom, an antidote to the flower's effects, and they agree to pretend to be drugged to find out what is happening. While the men return, the pair trick the other women, including Stacy, into drinking shots of the venom, disguised as tequila, to restore their memories. Frida sneaks into Slater's office to retrieve their phones, but they are all out of power and there is no service. Her memories fully return, revealing the men have been sexually assaulting them every night and wiping their memories. Jess was killed because her memories could not be erased due to the venom. She also finds several photographs, featuring different women and men with red gift bags, revealing that Slater has been regularly inviting guests to rape people and they are using the perfume when they leave the island. During dinner, Frida and Sarah keep up the pretence while Camilla and Heather's memories return. In horror, Camilla stabs Tom to death while Heather badly injures Vic before being shot dead by Stan (Cris Costa), Slater's security guard and former Marine. Slater kills Camilla and the men hide in Slater's villa. Lucas, the only man who had refused to be part of the abuse, has his own memories return; Slater mocks him for being inactively complicit by doing nothing to help the women. Stacy attacks Frida, enraged by remembering and wanting to be ignorant of the men's behaviour; Frida stabs her to death. Stan follows Frida but is bludgeoned to death by Sarah, who takes his gun. Cody escapes to the woods but is presumably killed by Sarah. In the villa, Lucas tries to escape but is mistakenly shot in a trap set for Slater by Frida and Sarah. Slater traps Frida in the villa, and it is that she has been on the island before. A year ago, she experienced the same events, during which she bit off Vic's finger and her head was scarred before her memories were wiped. The maid recognised Frida from her red rabbit fingernails. Slater laughs off his recent apology, declaring forgetting is better than forgiveness, and goes on a rant. He tries to relax by vaping, and becomes disorientated; Frida has laced his vape with the memory-erasing perfume. The effects make him forget the previous events and panic upon seeing the bodies. Slater slips and knocks himself unconscious as the villa catches fire. Frida and Sarah escape, leaving Vic to die but Frida saves Slater. Sometime later, Frida and Slater are attending an event where they encounter Rich, who also assaulted Frida on the island. Frida is now married to Slater and is CEO because a noticeably disoriented Slater is being drugged with the flower in his vape to keep him compliant. Rich is apprehended while the event's guests congratulate Frida. Also starring Saul Williams as Emcee, Tiffany Persons as the Interviewer, Aaron Himelstein as the Manager, Zoë Kravitz as the Swanky Stewardess, and Lenny Kravitz as the man at the Gym. Ackie is terrific as the leading woman caught in the middle, Channing is equally splendid as the rich guy with a nasty hidden agenda, and the supporting cast is all good as well, including stars we haven't seen in a long time, such as Slater, Osment, and Davis. It reminded me of films like The Stepford Wives and Get Out, the underlying menace beneath the glossy surface is shocking. The fantastical stuff is clever, there are witty and darkly funny moments, catchy songs in the soundtrack ("Young Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton, "Ain't Nobody" by Chaka Khan, "The Boss" by James Brown), the use of oversaturated colours and tasty food sequences add to the coercion element, and the "me too" twist really packs a punch, a chilling and entertaining black comedy psychological thriller. Very good!