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The Penguin (2024)
All time great comic book show
In an era where every franchise has to have spin offs that cross mediums, The Penguin proves that this level of corporate greed can be utilised to make damn good television. It's an epic crime saga which brings so much humanity to the criminals at the centre of its story without shying away from how dark their actions can get. It's clearly part of a greater universe but still able to confidently stand on its own two feet to the extent it almost becomes distracting as Batman isn't even referenced until the very end.
Colin Farrell was a scene stealer in The Batman and now that he's spent more time as this character than Robert Pattinson has been the caped crusader, his version of Oz has become a complex and layered character. He's funny, manipulative, vulnerable and emotionally cold across the season resulting in a character who's hard to pin down. It's a bold take for the show to go the opposite way to what others have done by having it centre on the worst character rather than the most likeable.
It brings it a lot closer to its main inspirations instead of the other spin offs about villains in franchise filmmaking. This is a world of mobsters with morals whereas Oz is willing to do anything to anyone to get ahead and it becomes increasingly clear as it goes along that there's no line he won't cross. It's never more clear than his relationship with Rhenzy Feliz as Victor, who is so likeable and given a satisfying arc that allows him to gain more confidence which only makes the resolution to their journey all the more devastating.
Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone is the other vital pillar of the show. She dominates every scene from the moment she appears, instilling fear in everyone around her through her calm yet threatening presence. However, like all the other characters here she is given so much depth thanks to a standout episode entirely dedicated to her backstory, imbuing her with a lot of empathy and it makes the central conflict between her and Oz conflicting as you want her to succeed more than Oz.
One of the greatest strengths of the show is its overall unpredictability. Just when you think it's about to get into a weekly rhythm, something big happens that flips everything again. Characters start off as enemies, become allies and then go back to being enemies in the span of a few episodes and big reveals that they could've held onto for longer are revealed quickly to keep the momentum going. To make it better it all comes full circle by the end.
Zootopia (2016)
Extremely mature yet still kid friendly
Zootopia is a masterpiece that's insanely impressive even within the top tier of animated films in which it comfortably sits. It takes the 48 hours premise of a cop and a perp working together to solve a case and transports it into a luscious modern day animal kingdom for an incredibly nuanced depiction of racism and stereotyping through the relationship between predator and prey. It's a prime example of a film aimed at children having important messages at its core whilst also being a really fun adventure.
Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are both perfectly cast. Goodwin has a near endless enthusiasm as she refuses to let society keep her down even when it comes close by always finding her own way to solve a problem and Bateman is effortlessly cool as he has an answer for everything, using that wit as a shield for his pain. It makes them a really strong pairing with so much chemistry and very investing to see them slowly open up to each other.
Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore do not waste a minute in a tightly paced film which packs so much into its shorter run time. Zootopia works as well as it possibly can structurally, finding lots of clever ways to play with perspective because of the various sizes of its inhabitants and that allows the gorgeous animation to render every possible location in stunning detail. There's only one song/musical number here but it's so good and memorable the film can use it at both ends.
The writing here is fantastic, it could and should be studied when it comes to setting up and paying off every little detail. It's all contained in a satisfying mystery and if it's not focusing on that, it's vital character depth unfolding or it's hammering the biggest themes home through the dialogue without it feeling clunky. The jokes are a mile a minute as they cover every possible joke about a society of animals on the page and on the screen and pretty much all of them land.
The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour Presents: Lochdown (2021)
Fun pandemic special
Lochdown finds Clarkson, Hammond and May not being able to travel far because of the pandemic and that doesn't massively hinder this special. There's still plenty of caravan chaos, misjudged car modifications and fun challenges all set against really beautiful locations, proving they don't have to travel too far from home to see some jaw droppingly epic scenery. It's a really good special even if it betrays its own format a bit too much.
The central idea of bringing massive American cars through Scotland is a lot of fun because of how ill equipped they are but the random offshoots in other vehicles, no matter how fun, just don't fit. The general idea of the specials is that they're stuck to their chosen cars and even though these segments change up the formula, they do bring it closer to a regular episode of The Grand Tour which kinda defeats the point.
Candy Cane Lane (2023)
Solid festive fun
Candy Cane Lane has no business being this long plus its laughs are few and far between but this festive spin on Jumanji always remains entertaining as it becomes a solid way to start the season. It's weird that Eddie Murphy stopped making films for a while because of the quality of some of them, only to return and make them at the same quality just without a theatrical release; however at least this is fun enough to avoid any major embarrassment.
Eddie Murphy doesn't feel like he's operating at full power again and yet what he gives the film is still plenty to keep it going with a solid amount of energy. Even when he's not getting to be as funny as he can be, he's generally likeable and it's just nice to have him back consistently. Jillian Bell is fully committed to a role which is both too generic and too broad and out of the rest of the cast, Madison Thomas shines because she's so adorable.
Reginald Hudlin's direction is further proof that no matter how much experience you have making theatrical releases, a film made for streaming will almost always look like one. It's generally vibrant, helped by the very flashy Christmas decorations and it's also massively over lit as usual. There's a lot of CGI and it's a mixed success since all the animals look rough as opposed to all the talking porcelain miniatures who look pretty good.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
Worthy reboot
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit feels like a throwback even within the time it was released. It's a well intentioned attempt to restart the franchise in the vein of Jason Bourne and Daniel Craig era Bond, allowing it to deliver some unexpectedly big action set pieces considering previous entries whilst also keeping his skills as an analyst intact and putting a surprisingly sweet romance front and centre. For a January release this is impressive stuff.
Chris Pine gives a great lead performance thanks to his natural likeability and how believable he is when it comes to feeling competent yet inexperienced in certain real world elements. Kevin Costner has the right amount of gravitas combined with mystery and Keira Knightley's American accent is so good it becomes distracting. Speaking of accents, Kenneth Branagh casts himself as the main villain and the vanity is warranted since he's so confident in his threatening nature.
Kenneth Branagh's direction shows he has a wider set of skills than it initially seems as he delivers a slick and energetic thriller with action which mimics the frenetic energy of a Bourne film in some of its camerawork without getting so erratic that it becomes incomprehensible. There's a solid bathroom fight worthy of Casino Royale and a couple of suitably tense, high stakes car chases. Patrick Doyle's score is exactly how you expect a modern day spy film to sound.
The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour Presents: A Massive Hunt (2020)
Minor stumble but still really entertaining
Apart from the aptly named Operation Desert Stumble, The Grand Tour hasn't really had an issue with its level of scriptedness until A Massive Hunt, where the main search for Pirate Treasure just feels contrived and the gags centred around it don't land like they should. However, this is still mainly a special in which Clarkson, Hammond and May modify their cars to traverse difficult terrain with varying degrees of success and that's always endlessly entertaining stuff.
Thanks to the central trio being so reliable in their ability to carry a special on their chemistry alone, this remains breezily entertaining and the way they rarely help each other out when something goes wrong only solidifies how strong their friendship is. In classic Top Gear/Grand Tour fashion, these cars are pushed to the limit and each of them suffers in their own way much to the delight of the others, especially James May in this one.
Paddington in Peru (2024)
Weakest of the three but still delightful
Paddington in Peru is comfortably the weakest of the trilogy with the absence of Paul King and Simon Farnaby definitely being felt but this is still a delightful third instalment that loses none of the heart and brings everything set up in the first act to a neat conclusion thanks to another satisfying third act. It's a consistently funny adventure which never forgets the immigrant story at the heart of this as Paddington struggles to balance his past and future.
Ben Whishaw remains endlessly precious with another pitch perfect vocal performance so Paddington continues to be a much needed cinematic balm. Hugh Bonneville is really funny as he tries to be more courageous and Emily Mortimer is a worthy replacement even if Sally Hawkins is missed. Antonio Banderas gets to do everything Dial of Destiny stopped him doing, having a ball whilst he does it and Olivia Colman as a suspicious singing nun is another big highlight.
Dougal Wilson's direction brings enough whimsy through carrying over ideas from the predecessors and some new inventive ones as well as a few well placed references to other films. There's a lot of slapstick here as usual and it always escalates in unexpected ways. The CGI is pushed like never before, making it all the more impressive that the effects that bring Paddington to life rarely falter despite the sheer amount of CG bears this time.
Red One (2024)
Possibly the worst Rockbuster
It's nice to see a big budget, original blockbuster which is wholeheartedly committed to its festive concept but Red One is a consistently ugly film where every idea is borrowed liberally from something better. The North Pole is Wakanda, The Rock has Ant-Man powers and Lucy Liu randomly turns into Black Widow at the end. The militarised version of Santa removes a lot of the magic and it's only through a few chuckles and a competent double act that it doesn't end up on the naughty list itself.
Dwayne Johnson is clearly comfortable in these kinds of leading man roles where he can be generically likeable without doing anything too demanding, plus he pairs well with Chris Evans, even if their chemistry is designed for literally any combination of actors. Evans himself continues to make weird choices thanks to another role well below his talents and J. K. Simmons as Santa Claus is great casting despite sleeping for most of the film.
This film may have been deemed good enough for a theatrical release by Amazon however Jake Kasdan's direction is standard streaming movie execution where the action combines incredibly poor CGI with messy editing and the few hints of that Jumanji energy are mostly contained within the big Krampus scene. Henry Jackman's score understands the assignment and tries its best to bring a sense of fun and festive cheer whilst being forgettable.
The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour Presents: Seamen (2019)
Best GT special so far
It makes perfect sense for the first special now that they only do those to do something bold and the boat focused antics of Seamen are a lot of fun and totally different to what came before. It does mean the car show isn't about cars for 91 minutes but it isn't an issue and was never the show's greatest strength anyway. This remains the best special since they started exclusively doing these.
The greatest strength has always been the endless bickering between the central trio and it shows absolutely no signs of running out of gas here. They're all great storytellers with distinct attitudes and personalities that are still beautifully reflected in the vehicles they choose no matter how impractical and their chosen boats are just perfect for each of them.
This show is so technically impressive in a way that's designed to go unnoticed and this is some of the most accomplished work they've ever done. The combination of archive footage, travel show worthy footage of the scenery and seamless editing which combines the voice overs with the corresponding footage is effortless as usual. It's just even more impressive here as it all takes place on water, making everything harder.
Prospect (2018)
Impressive low budget sci-fi
As far as low budget sci-fi films go, Prospect is a really impressive one. It's the classic coming of age story where someone has to grow up really quickly because of the harsh environment they've stumbled into, just transported into a sci-fi setting on an unforgiving alien moon to give it a simple yet effective premise and execution. It's another example of a well utilised 90 odd minute run time since everything is in the moment.
Sophie Thatcher gives a really good lead performance that balances the naivety and resourcefulness well. It's fun to see Pedro Pascal protecting another child as he guides them across a treacherous landscape since this archetype defines his career now. There's something unique for him here though as he starts off in charming but sinister fashion before gradually becoming an ally whilst keeping the charm.
Directors Zeek Earl & Christopher Caldwell extend the budget past what it probably cost thanks to some brief glimpses of the wider world at play here that are wisely kept at a distance, framed through small spaces and front-loaded. Using the Hoh Rainforest for the majority of the exterior shots which take up so much screen time works wonderfully to create a fully realised location that feels as practical as possible.
Brothers (2024)
Inoffensively unfunny
Brothers is barely a comedy. There's a handful of laughs interspersed throughout but that's nowhere enough to sustain it even at a mercifully brief 90 minutes. More than anything else it's just frustrating to see so many talented people waste their talents on something so utterly disposable and lifeless. It's at least inoffensively low quality and has a memorably gross scene worthy of the Farrelly brothers.
This cast is massively over qualified for what this is. Josh Brolin & Peter Dinklage can keep this going for as long as needed (just about) even if their rapport lacks the spark to make it truly memorable. Glenn Close proves she's willing to do anything however it's not a good thing in this case and Brendan Fraser is by far the best thing about this with a manic energy which briefly brings the film to life whenever he appears.
Max Barbakow's direction is thoroughly low energy to the extent it's hard to believe this is the same director who made the brilliant Palm Springs. It just goes through the motions without anything of merit apart from the one scene involving a fairly uncanny CGI Orangutan. The most noticeable set piece that misses the mark is the chase across a golf course which is deliberately slow and still lacks any spark.
Friday (1995)
So deservedly iconic
Friday is so iconic that it's likely you've seen some of the biggest moments many times before they appear here and it doesn't even remotely hinder their effectiveness. It's a great comedy where the biggest laughs are interspersed throughout and even though it has an aimless easy going nature, there's a clear narrative as well as some satisfying character arcs. It's very specific in everything it's doing and yet it's still got some universality.
Ice Cube gives a very natural lead performance thanks to his general likeability in the role, making it a pleasure to spend 90 minutes with him and it only gets better when he shares most of his scenes with Chris Tucker, who's boundless mischievous energy is in full effect. He gets a lot of good laughs but surprisingly it's John Witherspoon who gets the three biggest laughs pretty much back to back whilst also delivering a standout dramatic beat.
F. Gary Gray's direction brings a lot of style which merges naturally with all the comedy. Contrary to what the critic consensus on Rotten Tomatoes may say, there's actually a nice amount of unobtrusive directorial flair present from beginning to end. There's also a suitably breezy score from composers Simon Franglen, Chuck Wild, and Frank Fitzpatrick and an equally on point soundtrack that manage to strike a good balance.
Anora (2024)
Pretty Woman meets Uncut Gems
Anora is an early career magnum opus for Sean Baker that continues to destigmatize sex workers and offer some thoughtful class commentary as the uber rich mess around with the lives of others for a good time with no thought about the consequences for them. It's great when it acts like Pretty Woman and only gets better when it shifts gears into Uncut Gems territory with a highly tense second half that's also really funny throughout.
Mikey Madison is everything in a film that's built around her star making performance which confirms she only deserves more leading roles. She's so confident and refuses to back down whilst being endlessly likeable. It makes everything incredibly investing because you just want her to get the fairytale ending she's been promised, making you hold onto the slightest shred of hope even as reality sets in at every turn.
There's a strong cast of supporting characters too. Mark Eydelshteyn makes Ivan seem nice in spite of his obvious flaws before sadly revealing that he is just a spineless spoiled brat. Yura Borisov, Vache Tovmasyan, and Karren Karagulian are a delightful trio who just spend the majority of their screen time dealing with an awful job which quickly morphs into a spectacular comedy of errors so you just feel really bad for them.
Sean Baker's direction is amazing thanks to an air tight grasp of the tone, allowing it to do the big shift gracefully and the striking opening scene set to Take That sets the scene beautifully. His editing is a standout since this is 139 minutes without feeling overly long. The home invasion sequence goes on for a while and it's only a good thing since it keeps escalating and it definitely helps that the middle chunk is an in the moment search across town for Ivan.
Heretic (2024)
Tightly contained and smart horror
Heretic puts religion through the ringer in a thoroughly gripping slow burn that's got plenty of tricks up its sleeve. It presents its central argument with some unexpectedly funny metaphors and then pokes holes in its theories, pivots to a brief improvisation and finally reveals what this game has all been about in a satisfying fashion. It's a one location horror that doesn't delve as deep into the shifting areas as you'd expect but finds plenty of ways to make up for that.
Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are a really good pairing because they contrast each other so well. Sophie Thatcher is more world weary whereas Chloe East is more naive as it seems like she misses obvious traps. That contrast is shown in everything from their costumes to the media they reference and how they reference it. Plus the film cleverly plays with your expectations based on what it tells you about them and the actresses previous roles.
The main attraction is undoubtedly Hugh Grant continuing his winning villain streak with a delightfully evil performance as he revels in what he's doing and is effortlessly threatening whilst delivering cheesy jokes. He contorts his natural British charms into something more off putting so even when he's being warm there's still something uncomfortable about it and it's made more effective because he always retains some composure, even when things don't go to plan.
As writers and directors, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods sustain the longest scenes through the meaty dialogue and Chung Chung-hoon's excellent slow moving cinematography and the horror succeeds by keeping jump scares to an absolute minimum. The lengthy debates about religion and its many forms are so enthralling the length almost goes unnoticed and the cinematography employing a lot of close ups and gradually moving between whoevers speaking adds a sense of dynamism.
Relic (2020)
Affecting horror
Relic is an emotionally affecting drama about the effects of dementia whilst also being a really creepy horror film that builds slowly and effectively to a gnarly body horror climax. It's the epitome of 'elevated horror' and can balance both sides really well so it can have deeper themes and be about something important without skimping on the scares. The fact that the central metaphor is simple and bluntly stated doesn't massively hinder it.
Emily Mortimer and Bella Heathcote are amazing as they struggle with their inner turmoil. They genuinely want to help but at the same time they do look for the easy way out and then feel bad for considering it. Robyn Nevin is very convincing when she needs to be unsettling or threatening; however, her greatest strengths lie in how she's able to remain empathetic even when things have properly escalated at the end.
Natalie Erika James directs a strong debut film that's got a potent atmosphere enhanced by the rotting setting that contains all the scares, even if it's almost too dark at points. The scares weaponise some of the most potent fears with claustrophobia, fear of the dark and the uncomfortable possibility of something lurking under your bed all being employed for the strongest moments. Plus the drama interspersed between them is equally impactful.
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Fantastic original slow burn
Bone Tomahawk is a slow burn at its finest. It really takes its time to get things into motion which only makes it more engaging and actually enhances the growing sense of unease as it's held for an unrelentingly long time. It's always nice to see a western because they're so infrequent and it's especially satisfying to see such an original idea as well with the classic western trappings morphed into something more horrifying.
The longer run time and slower pace lets the cast really sink their teeth into the roles. For a large portion of the film it's just Kurt Russell, Richard Jenkins, Patrick Wilson, and Matthew Fox traversing the unforgiving landscape and it never comes close to being boring thanks to their dynamics. There's conflicting morals and ideologies between them that come through in the thoughtful yet strained conversations with resolutions occurring in a believable fashion.
S. Craig Zahler's direction gradually builds the horror, starting as stories then unsettling sounds as they approach the cannibal's territory and it culminates in some unforgettably horrific gore that is limited to one major scene to leave a real impression whilst brutally establishing the stakes for the third act. The music by S. Craig Zahler and Jeff Herriott has an air of sadness which perfectly compliments the final moments.
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Best one yet
Terrifier 3 proves this franchise only wants to improve by responding to the criticisms of the last one. It's thankfully closer to 2 hours this time and the kills only continue to feel more balanced. It really doesn't waste the potential of its festive setting and understands the appeal of these films, so it just escalates them to new heights. The only thing holding this one back a bit is the deeper exploration of the mythology, which just brings unnecessary baggage.
By this point, David Howard Thornton has cemented Art the Clown as a new all time great horror icon. His performance only dials up the dark humour to great effect as he relishes what he does, making every scene with him unforgettable. It helps the tension too because once that smile drops things always get intense. Equally as important to any of this working is returning final girl Lauren LaVera, who keeps the proceedings seriously investing thanks to her amazing performance.
Once again, there's a noticeable leap in budget working in its favour. Allowing everything to get bigger without losing its sense of identity. Damien Leone's direction starts things off beautifully thanks to an opening sequence that confirms exactly what this film is and isn't afraid to do and shows he still hasn't run out of fresh ways for Art to torture his victims. Paul Wiley's synth heavy score continues to be the ideal pairing for what this is going for.
47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019)
Inoffensively bad
47 Metres Down: Uncaged represents a marginal improvement over its predecessor thanks to a more interesting location that allows its characters to remain trapped without being stuck in one place. It's the right kind of stupid since fish scream and Sharks are blind but it's execution doesn't nail the so bad it's good tone it could have and it's certainly not good enough to be an actually engaging thriller.
Other than it being less than 90 minutes with credits, the strongest aspects are the impressive underwater sequences and some of the performances. All of the stuff underwater is an easy win because it sets a relatively atmospheric and claustrophobic scene. It's small cast, mostly made up of canon fodder in which Sophie Nélisse and Corinne Foxx anchor everything by making a very predictable arc investing enough.
Director Johannes Roberts crafts scares that almost exclusively result in a cheap jump scare, hindered further by the fact that every death is overly telegraphed to the extent any surprise has been completely removed. It's powered exclusively on tropes and the use of slow motion backfires in fun fashion. The CGI employed for the Sharks is noticeably cheap and pushed past its breaking point when they get way too close to the camera.
Gerald's Game (2017)
So good until the end
Monsters come in many forms in Gerald's Game, a really solid (mostly) single location thriller that goes beyond the sex game gone wrong to offer a thoughtful exploration of overcoming childhood trauma. Unfortunately, it does that through an extremely clunky exposition dump topped off with an ending that just takes a wild tangent and since it's come after a strong first two acts, it becomes a very fitting Stephen King adaptation.
Carla Gugino is incredible in a lead performance that does so much heavy lifting. She makes the final exposition dump work as well as it can and spends the majority of the film in a highly distressed state while having conversations with a more self-assured version of herself. Bruce Greenwood brings confidence as becomes the voice of doubt and Henry Thomas continues his Flanagan collaboration with a much more unsettling role.
Mike Flanagan's direction sustains the tension constantly and delivers thrills through disturbingly detailed injuries and haunting imagery enhanced by the darkness in which they manifest. Michael Fimognari's cinematography doesn't let being confined to one location for a large portion prevent it from being dynamic thanks to its understated movements and the way it blends multiple locations together at once.
Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Surprisingly emotional ending
Venom: The Last Dance is comfortably the weakest of the trilogy thanks to its nonsensical plot and a villain who's a complete non entity. However, by dialling up the goofiness and honing in on the central bond it can still be brainless entertainment, massively helped by an ending that actually commits to a genuine sense of finality. It makes the final moments unexpectedly emotional with some actual weight which is a godsend in a genre that never ends.
Tom Hardy is pretty much carrying this as usual. His bond with his symbiotic self has never been better as they're at a place in their relationship where they have no issues being vulnerable with each other and the constant bickering that gives this film its best jokes remains intact. It's essentially acts as a fun road trip movie for a large portion which only works because of him and the ending also relies solely on him.
It's impressive how many actors are given thankless roles here. Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor are given very one note characters and Stephen Graham has never been given a more thankless role that's just a colossal waste of his talents. There was absolutely zero point in bringing him back. Rhys Ifans on the other hand, plays to his strengths thanks to an easygoing hippie character allowing him to have a lot of fun.
Its never a good idea to start your directorial career with a $120 million comic book movie so the fact that Kelly Marcel's direction is able to make any of this coherent is a miracle. Plus, she does create a couple of challenging set pieces underwater and involving animals. Dan Deacon's score is utterly generic, compensated for by a larger selection of songs than previous entries had, including an oddly fitting Maroon 5 song for the end.
Woman of the Hour (2023)
Tense and real
Woman of the Hour is a thriller that's rife with tension and steeps all of it in something very real as it makes a connection between the horrific actions of a serial killer and the blatant misogyny present in everyday life. It's a strong showcase for Anna Kendrick's newfound skills as a director and is designed to leave you shocked because of the closing text so hopefully it doesn't end up getting buried in Netflix's back catalogue.
Anna Kendrick's performance has a stoicism since she is forced into a lot of uncomfortable scenarios without being able to show her discomfort. The only joy comes from her ability to control the game show and have a lot of fun doing so. Daniel Zovatto is almost too good at being unsettling. Every scene he's in has you on edge and the scenes that show how he can't cope with his own insecurities only makes him more dangerous.
Anna Kendrick's direction is really good. The 70s setting isn't recreated authentically and it definitely lacks the grain but the greatest strength is the tension crafted here which is so palpable and goes on for an unbearable amount of time. Zach Kuperstein's cinematography is impressive as it subtlety moves through scenes and then ends on a striking image whilst doing quite a bit with reflections.
Never Let Go (2024)
Solid Shyamalan style horror
Never Let Go is a Shyamalan inspired horror that burns slowly and has a clean structure. The central mystery is engaging enough to sustain it even if the answer disappointingly proves both answers are right at the same time. It's a story of a parent wanting to protect their children from the dangers of the outside world but holding on too tightly with a solid psychological aspect and a couple of surprises inside of the familiar narrative.
Halle Berry gives a very committed performance that's equal parts caring and intense throughout. Her performance is a big reason why this works as she sells the fear of the outside world whilst laying doubts about whether she's telling the truth. Anthony B. Jenkins and Percy Daggs IV are both really good, especially when the film heavily relies on them towards the end and Percy Daggs IV becomes an anchor for everything.
Alexandre Aja's direction brings a potent atmosphere to the proceedings and crafts some good jolts throughout, including one particularly memorable and unsettling creation during the third act. The atmosphere is enhanced by the sound design which distorts natural sounds to create unease that starts in the very first scene and the score by Robin Coudert has a fittingly dark fairytale quality to it.
Host (2020)
This generation's Blair Witch
In terms of perfectly timed releases, they don't get more on point than Host, a pandemic set horror film that uses the distance between its characters to ratchet up the terror as they're trapped, isolated and escape isn't an easy option. Every spike in the audio or image that's low quality without syncing up with the corresponding dialogue not only adds real authenticity but also increases the atmosphere in the same way The Blair Witch Project used its own imperfections to do.
The cast are all terrific. Everything they do feels genuine which makes their early banter a joy to watch and it honestly could have gone on for a lot longer on their rapport alone. However, this is an extremely efficient film so it doesn't take long for things to go horribly wrong and once they do everyone sells the fear beautifully and that is essential for one particular scare that only works because of them.
Director Rob Savage and the whole cast create a real technical marvel. The zoom setting works wonders when it comes to creating scares that are hidden in the backgrounds or masked by deliberate technical errors and there's so much to take in with the meeting offering multiple frames within frames. Each scare is all the better for being unrelenting in its outcome and the stunts are endlessly impressive.
The Apprentice (2024)
Standard biopic elevated by performances and craft
The Apprentice is a standard issue biopic that covers as much of Donald Trump's rise as possible. What makes it better than that sounds are the strong performances and stylish filmmaking, which elevate it into something more memorable. A supervillain origin story is an extremely fitting description for a film that's main ambition is to show how a monster was created and lost any shred of humanity that was there to begin with.
Sebastian Stan gives an amazing performance shortly after his phenomenal performance in A Different Man, proving he's the best actor currently working in and out of the MCU. He nails the look, mannerisms, and bullish personality of Trump and comes closer to looking like him as it goes along. Jeremy Strong was born to play roles like this due to his ability to convey a dominant and unflinching presence with ease, plus it's not his first time doing this either.
Ali Abbasi's direction has a strong grasp of the tone as Stan taking the final step into his Trump transformation is horrifying in more ways than one and uses Kasper Tuxen's frenetic documentary style cinematography to bring a lot of energy to the proceedings. The soundtrack contains some appropriately lively songs to keep that energy going and the score by Brian Irvine, Martin Dirkov and David Holmes doesn't sound how you'd expect, which works in its favour.
Smile 2 (2024)
A more psychological sequel
Whilst it's a very effective, if overly long, Voss water commercial, Smile 2 also happens to be a great horror sequel that doubles down on the gore and massively increases the goofiness for an unsettling psychological thriller that has more to say than the original thanks to its pop star protagonist and focus on the isolating nature of fame. Even when it commits to the same miserable conclusion there's more bite to it this time.
Naomi Scott proves she deserves to be a star with an incredible performance that requires her to be hysterical for such a large portion of the film and she's always able to escalate it even when it feels like it can't get anymore intense. She chugs water like a pro and brings the physicality of a pop star effortlessly. The people who do the sinister smiling are all really well chosen, especially Ray Nicholson who has an added uncanny quality because he looks so much like his father.
Parker Finn's direction can't create jump scares that are as scary as last time and compensates for it with a different set of skills as the ones here either try to be cringey, disturbing or creepy and they all excel at those. Charlie Sarroff's cinematography has only gotten more confident this time round and that starts instantly due to the really good one take, succeeded by a steady stream of canted angles and inverted cityscapes.