Author Archives: Ron

About Ron

I like to watch movies and share my thoughts on them. I have been writing reviews and distributing them since 2013.

Minions & Monsters

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Minions & Monsters       4 ½ stars

I have mostly missed out on the Minions craze that has been delighting audiences over the last 16 years, having only seen one of the previous films that feature these small creators of mayhem. This week I took in the newest film in theaters, Minions & Monsters from Universal Studios. The filmmakers lose the villain Gru character altogether and concentrate solely on the yellow pill-shaped guys and their chaotic ways that confound anyone who makes their acquaintance. They seem to constantly give raspberries and hit each other over the head. The movie is divided into two halves with the first half giving us their origin story by means of a children’s field trip to a movie museum where a guide (Alison Janney) gives us their story throughout history. It seems they have wandered the planet since ancient times looking for the perfect villain for them to faithfully serve. Unfortunately, their antics always end in disaster for the chosen villain, mainly due to two of the Minions, James and Henry, forcing the Minions to repeatedly renew their search for another villain. This continues until they find a new prospect in the form of a wild west bandit being pursued by lawmen. To the Minions this seems perfect for them, so they join in the chase only to find that they are in the filming of a movie in old Hollywood. Here is where things really get fun. The Minions have arrived during the silent film era and meet the excitable director (Christoph Waltz) of the movie they have crashed. The director says he now must start over, but when the two studio heads (Jeff Bridges, voicing two parts) see the Minions on film, they think they have found a new star and the Minions are signed for many new movies. This part is interesting to film buffs as there are countless references to old Hollywood, like Modern Times, Singin’ in the Rain, The Maltese Falcon and Citizen Kane. George Lucas even makes a brief appearance. (There is even a globe that represents the globe from Charlie Chaplin playing Hitler in The Great Dictator.) (We even find out how the Minions got their familiar coveralls clothing.) But things go badly when talkies are introduced and people find out what Minion voices really sound like. So, it’s the end of the Minions’ movie career. But James has the idea to make a monster movie if he can only find the right monster! The second half of the movie begins with James and Henry conjuring a monster from an old spell book they saved from a long dead wizard, resulting in a tiny Cthulu monster (Trey Parker of South Park fame) who promises he can deliver a truly frightening monster for James’ dream. The antics continue through this portion of the film, but I didn’t find it quite as entertaining as the earlier portion. There is a new character introduced in the form of Dort (Jesse Eisenberg), a clumsy robot who lives in a rundown apartment and resembles the robot Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still. In a fitting ending it is up to the Minions to save Earth from the very invading monsters that they brought back. The director, Pierre Coffin, has made something that is equally entertaining to both young and older audiences. I’m sorry I haven’t seen more of these little nuisances in their earlier movies. So, check out Minions & Monsters. It should be around for a long while.

Scream

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Scream                 4 stars

Since I have seen all of the Scream franchise movies except one I had to go back and see the 2022 entry in the series, Scream. This is the fifth entry in the series and the first since Scream 4 in 2011. A Scream movie has certain rules that must be followed. They center around a fictional series of slasher movies called Stab in which the characters are hacked to death by the mysterious knife wielding character, Ghostface. They rely on the audience having a good knowledge of horror movies like Halloween and others. There is always a new killer in each Scream movie since the previous Ghostface has been killed off by the main characters. And there is always more than one killer that work together. All these rules are followed here, and the movie follows the same pattern we have seen since 1996 when the babysitter played by Drew Barrymore first got hacked to death in the town of Woodsboro. This time Ghostface strikes first, again in Woodsboro on teenager Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega (Death of a Unicorn and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice)) who is home alone. She manages to survive multiple stab wounds and ends up in the hospital. Her sister, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera (Scream VI and In the Heights)) comes back to town to take care of Tara, with the two having been previously estranged. It is up to her and a new assortment of teenagers to try to solve the riddle of who the new Ghostface killer is, but as we all know the killer or killers may be among them. Another rule is that the original Scream characters must return to take part in unravelling the mystery and that is fulfilled when the teens call on sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette of Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4 and Scream 7), who is now retired from law enforcement. He in turn gets our reliable heroes, the final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell of Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4 and Scream 7) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox of Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4, Scream VI and Scream 7) involved as well, all of whom have left Woodsboro for new lives. Weathers is now a well-known news anchor in New York City. One more previous character, Deputy Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton of Planet Terror) returns in this installment as well, but briefly. Two new characters are the sister and brother act, Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown of Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding of Booksmart). Mindy believes she has figured out the secret that the new killings are related to the release of the new movie Stab 8, and a revolt by the fans who object to the inauthenticity of the latest entry. These new killings are very similar to the original Ghostface spree. Mindy calls it a requel. (Since I already knew that Mindy and Chad are in the later Scream movies, they could not be the killers.) I can give you one spoiler here and that is that one original character may not make it out alive. Co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (who also brought us the Ready or Not movies) have returned to the roots of Scream and given the fans of this comedy horror franchise something to scream about. So far Scream has been followed with Scream VI and Scream 7 with perhaps more to come? Whatever happens, just remember, Shoot ‘em in the head!

Hala

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Hala       4 stars

One very relevant movie for young first generation immigrants is Hala. And especially suitable for young Muslims experiencing the clash of cultures in America.  The main character,  Hala is a seventeen year old girl, the only child to immigrant parents from Pakistan.  She is experiencing the usual thrills and challenges of being a teenager in high school with the added pressure of dealing with very traditional parents who believe in the practices of the old country.  And that includes their attitudes toward boys and dating.  Hala has a friendship with a white American boy that she is hiding from her parents while they are thinking of matching her with a boy from a Pakistani family for marriage.   This all leads to much pain and drama pitting parents against child and husband against wife.  This is a very engaging story and has good acting from the main cast.  The filmmaker was present for Q&A and said while the movie wasn’t her own story she knew of plenty of experiences to draw from. It was one of my favorites that I saw after hearing others talking about it.

Little Monsters

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Little Monsters.         4 stars

In the Q&A the director of this film from Australia was telling about his 5 year old son who he accompanied on a field trip with his class and his kindergarten teacher.  He said he was so impressed by how the teacher would look after all of the kids. While the vehicle was moving, it had to stop for some obstacle in the road so the situation had to be remedied.  He said then that it occurred to him what if that obstacle had been zombies.  Thus the idea for his new movie was born.  In Little Monsters, the main character, Dave, is challenged by his sister to take more responsibility so he volunteers to chaperone his 5 year old nephew’s kindergarten class on a field trip to a popular petting zoo. It doesn’t hurt that the teacher , Miss Caroline (Lupita N’yongo) is very charming and attractive. And so it just happens that the zombies being held captive at a nearby US Army base, manage to break out and head for the petting zoo!  It is up to Miss Caroline and Dave to see that no harm comes to the children in the ensuing zombie mayhem.  This movie is pure comedic fun with all that comes with disfigured slow walking zombies hungering for human flesh. It’s practically a laugh a minute. Also doing a great job is Josh Gad as a local children’s TV personality who is there to entertain the kiddies. I wouldn’t take any kids to the movie. It is filled with profanity and gore just like you would expect.

Them That Follow

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Them That Follow.       4 1/2 stars

Them That Follow is a first time feature by two new directors that takes place in the Appalachians of Kentucky.  It is about a young woman who is part of the snakehandling Pentacostal Church. The church is under the control of the pastor played by Walter Goggins who sets all the rules of the small mountain community.  He is aided by Sister Hope played remarkably by the incredible Olivia Coleman who keeps a watchful eye over the flock.  The church is often persecuted by the outside world because of their practices with handling poisonous snakes as part of their rituals. The real story starts when we see that the pastor’s daughter has a secret she is hiding that could impact many lives of this small fellowship.  The story was well put together and was aided by some top notch acting. Also in the cast was Jim Gaffigan the comedian in a very uncharacteristic role.  I warn you there are some very intense and graphic scenes. Some of it was too much for some audience members.  I especially liked this one which I picked because of the casting of Coleman in a key role.

Society of the Snow

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Society of the Snow        4 ½ stars

You have probably heard the story before. I know I have a few times. In 1972 a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team and friends and family crashed in the snow-covered Andes mountains while on their flight to Chile. The plane had 40 passengers. Several of the passengers survived the crash. Weeks later after the search was abandoned two members of the team crossed the Andes on foot and told the world that they were alive. 16 people were still alive having survived in part by resorting to cannibalism on the bodies of those who died. The incredible story was previously made into the English language movie Alive in 1993. Society of the Snow is a Spanish language telling, made by J. A. Bayona, who previously made The Impossible, the story of a family caught in the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. The new film depicts the events of the tragedy including acts of heroism performed by several of the young victims who were mostly young men in their twenties. It shows the initial crash that most of the passengers somehow survived, the hope for a rescue that didn’t come, and an avalanche hitting the fuselage taking more lives. The movie shows how they were forced to choose to use the dead as nourishment and how a select few had the task of retrieving the food so that the rest would not know who it was they were consuming. The film also focuses on the emotional aspects of the ordeal and the members’ devotion to one another. Bayona and the actors have made the film one about survivalist adventure but also about spirituality. At times it is a tough one to watch but is certainly worth it. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 2024. The film is available on Netflix. If you see it be sure to check out the How the movie was made, video. The roles were all filled with non-actors, and they had to do the scenes chronologically so they could lose weight progressively during the filming.

Backrooms

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Backrooms          2 ½ stars

I went to see the new horror film Backrooms after seeing the trailer and have to say it is one of the most unusual horror movies I remember seeing and maybe the most unsettling. It’s amazing how scenes of empty rooms or hallways with a few ordinary objects can cause terror but the maker of the movie, Kane Parsons somehow pulls it off. We meet Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)), the owner of a discount furniture store in 1990 who has a temper and is going through a difficult time after his wife has kicked him out of the house. He has sessions with his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value, The Worst Person in the World)), who is trying to help him through his anger issues. Clark has been having electrical problems with the lights in the store turning on and off. An electrician has found some mysterious switches in the store’s lower level that should not be there. One night while sleeping in the store Clark discovers a hidden doorway below ground level and falls through it. There he finds a lit-up room that contains a pile of various furniture that looks very haphazardly arranged. He ventures further and finds hallways and rooms that seem to stretch endlessly, some lit and others dark. The walls are constructed in a way that makes no sense and in places the floor is slanted up or down to a small opening that a person can only crawl through it. In places there is furniture and other objects embedded in the floor or walls. Some places appear clean while others appear to be decaying and dirty. At one point we get a view of a man monitoring Clark on a closed-circuit TV without explanation. Eventually, Clark makes his way back to the doorway and tells others about the mysterious discovery. Among them is Mary who only halfway believes Clark after he sketches out what he thinks he saw. (Now, Mary has had her own problems having grown up with an unfit mother who kept her from going outdoors, so she has issues herself.) Later, when Clark doesn’t show up, Mary goes looking for him at the furniture store only to discover the secret door herself and enter this strange world. I won’t go into what happens to both of them, but what follows can be described as equally troubling and terrifying. There are more than inanimate objects down there. There are beings that may not be entirely human. We never find out what this place is about, but it is described as a minimized version of what places are. The place is like having a dream where you can only halfway remember what is there. Don’t expect there to be any resolution to the situation. I think the point is to make something beyond creepy for the viewer. If that is the point, it succeeds, but the movie is short on plot at best. The director, 20-year-old Kane Parsons, has never made a movie before and is known for making creepy YouTube videos as a teenager. Somehow, he got the backing to make this movie with studio A24 using A-list stars. Given the lack of resolution, I can’t say I enjoyed it. It is more like an extended version of a Twilight Zone episode than a movie. I will say that the production design team must have had a ball designing the sets for it. They outdid themselves at every turn. There is talk of Parsons making this into a series of movies in the future. I am sure he is full of more ideas.

Selah and the Spades

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Selah and the Spades.      4 stars

One movie that was something of a surprise is Selah and the Spades. It was written and directed by a very young filmmaker named Tayarisha Poe who is probably all of 28. She was present for the Q&A afterwards. The story takes place is an exclusive boarding school where the students are self divided into 5 different factions that each perform their own illicit activity. Selah, a seventeen year old African American girl is the leader of the Spades, the faction that supplies the illegal drugs to students. Since she is a senior she needs to find her successor before graduation. She finds Paloma, a new student who has transferred into the school and believes she is good material for a Spade. There is plenty of mean girl activity and power plays and betrayals in the time that follows that culminates in a conflict at an unsponsored school prom that will test the characters` loyalty and trust to one another. For someone that is so young I was very impressed by the quality of the final product. The director had been working on the idea since she was in college. I only hope to hear more of her work in coming years.

Velvet Buzzsaw

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Velvet Buzzsaw.     4 stars

Of the films I saw today the one that probably has the widest audience appeal is Velvet Buzzsaw. This is a satire thriller that absolutely skewers the art world with its representation of the pretensions of artists, critics, buyers and museum curators and the greed infecting these people. The film seems like a big budget Hollywood movie with its A list stars and big sets in Los Angeles. Cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Billy Magnussen and John Malkovich. Since it is a satire, I am not sure how many people might like it. Some of the comedy is a bit high brow, but at the same time it’s also a silly comedy. I can’t go into detail on why it’s so silly without giving away the plot, but suffice it to say the greed of many of the characters gets the best of them in highly unusual ways. The satirical nature of the movie can be compared to The Death of Stalin and Vice, two recent movies that if you liked might mean you would like Velvet Buzzsaw. It was one of the better comedies I have seen at Sundance. I hope it will do well in theaters.

Give Me Liberty

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Give Me Liberty.      3 1/2 stars

Give Me Liberty is a comedy that I saw on the first night of Sundance. This film by a Russian-American follows a young Russian-American man through a single day as he drives a van for elderly and disabled people. His job has to be one of the toughest jobs there is as he personally has to move people, move obstacles and sometimes persuade his customers to cooperate. On top of that he has an impatient boss and there is a riot going on in his normal route. He faces many challenges that have a comedic quality and also has to deal with problems from his own family. At the same time that the story is unfolding, the film shows us issues of life including life for the disabled and the racial divisions that are the reality of urban living. It was filmed in Milwaukee and uses many untrained actors who are local residents of the area. It was not one that was on my must see list, but I am glad for having the chance to see it.