Category Archives: Mystery

First Reformed

Leave a reply

First Reformed                  4 stars

First Reformed has been described as a comeback for writer director Paul Schrader, who is known for writing Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ.  He has not produced any real notable films of late until First Reformed showed up earlier this year.  The film tells a dark story of Rev. Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke), an ill, alcoholic pastor of a small declining, but historic church who is facing a crisis of faith.  Toller is asked to counsel a troubled young man by the man’s wife (Amanda Seyfried) who happens to be pregnant with their first child.  The husband is an active environmentalist and is very troubled by the amount of pollution that the planet is seeing.  He may even be teetering on the edge of self destruction. Things take a dramatic turn for the worse and Toller sinks ever deeper into depression and his drinking.  This is all going on at the same time that a 250th anniversary of the church is being planned for the church which is subsidized by a nearby megachurch led by Rev. Jeffers (the comedian Cedric Kyles, aka Cedric the Entertainer).  These events serve as devices that drive the film to a very startling and intense conclusion.  The film has a very stark and slow moving style that is unlike most films from Hollywood.  One can see that the director’s religious background has a lot to do with the message being told.  Be forewarned.  Some parts of the film are disturbing, but it is certainly worth seeing if only as a means of discussing one’s own faith.  First Reformed is also greatly aided by the strong performances of all of its main stars, especially Ethan Hawke.  This is likely one of his best performances to date.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web

Leave a reply

The Girl in the Spider’s Web                        2 ½ stars

The Girl in the Spider’s Web is the new reboot of the “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” series of movies that first came from Sweden , then remade in the US.  It is the first based on a novel not written by author Stieg Larsson nor was it directed by David Fincher.  This movie continues the story of Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy), a brilliant cyber tech hacker and vigilante against men who hurt women.  The journalist she teamed up with before, Mikael Blomkvist is still here but has a much smaller role in this film, so the chemistry between the two has completely vanished this time around.  Also missing is the personal nature of the conflicts that are so unique to the earlier films.  Instead Salander has almost become a female James Bond who is seeking to protect the world from a nuclear threat posed by a sinister international terrorist organization called the Spiders.  There is plenty of action as Lisbeth makes many daring escapes and rescues the targets of these terrorists.  There is also a certain amount of intrigue as the intensions of many players are only slowly revealed, a trademark of any good international thriller.  The use of technological gadgetry leads to some amazing scenes that sometimes stretches the limits of believability.  I found that to be somewhat distracting at times.  Also, I found that there were a little too many references to the name Spider.  About the sixth time that a spider crawls out of a hole or crevice I wanted to scream “OK. I get it already. It’s about spiders!”  Hopefully, this will be the last of the Dragon Tattoo series.  This story has been pretty well spent.

The End of Oak Street

Leave a reply

The End of Oak Street    4 stars

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you happened to see a dinosaur outside your house one day? That is the question addressed by the filmmaker of It Follows and Under the Silver Lake, David Robert Mitchell. He takes his penchant for freakish happenings and applies it to the creatures run amok genre in The End of Oak Street. He starts us out by following the Pratt family at an outdoor block party in a 1984 suburb complete with sack races and hot dog roasting. This all-American family consists of husband Greg (Ewan McGregor of Star Wars and Moulin Rouge) and wife Denise (Anne Hathaway (who seems to be working non-stop this year. See Mother Mary and The Odyssey.)) and their children Audrey (Maisy Stella of My Old Ass) and Brian (Christian Convery). Although they appear to be normal from the outside there are hints that something is not right in this family. Greg is troubled and has been taking odd jobs to earn more money. Daughter Audrey is very interested in science and wants to attend Cornell. (She even mentions Carl Sagan.) Brian has taken an interest in a new girl who has moved into the neighborhood but is also avoiding contact with the local bully. Denise is the strong member of the family who is holding it together while working on her novel hoping to be published. She has a very direct way of dealing with a particularly irritating neighbor. But then after some strange happenings involving flashing lights at night and loud noises, things are profoundly different for the family and everyone else in the neighborhood when large dinosaurs, straight out of Jurassic Park appear and chase down the residents, occasionally turning them into a light snack. Some investigations of the surroundings reveal that the entire neighborhood has been transported back in time for hundreds of millions of years and now exists surrounded by jungle in a prehistoric era which is inhabited by dinosaurs of all varieties. Between episodes of being chased by these creatures and keeping the family alive, we see the fear on Denise’s face, but also the frustration of dealing with Greg’s inability to come to grips with the reality of their dire situation. The movie is really sold by the acting talents of Anne Hathaway who surely will get at least one Academy Award nomination this year. A great deal of the movie is devoted to the characters facing each new threat from a different creature and successfully handling it. (The same cannot be said about some of the neighbors who become dino food.) Things become more terrifying when the family members become separated from one another. In one notable scene, an enormous boa is seen wandering silently through the house until the moment it is about to strike. The End of Oak Street is obviously influenced by Steven Spielberg’s films, but it definitely has a sharper tone to it. There are some scenes you would not see in a Spielberg movie, such as the enormous piles of dinosaur excrement dotting the lawns and some of the graphic deaths. There are a few “Holy Shit” moments. It shares some aspects of certain Twilight Zone episodes as it shifts into another dimension. Without revealing anything about the ending I will say that the resolution of the whole situation feels rather convenient. Overall, I highly recommend seeing this one. David Robert Mitchell is reportedly working on a sequel to his hit horror movie, It Follows, which I will be watching for.

Scream

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!

Them That Follow

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.

Velvet Buzzsaw

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.

Disclosure Day

Disclosure Day                   4 ½ stars

We are not alone. Movies and TV have been exploring this subject for decades. On TV there were episodes of The Twilight Zone and The X-Files. In the movies we have seen Men in Black, Arrival and Cowboys and Aliens. Then there are the Steven Spielberg films of E.T: The Extraterrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and War of the Worlds. They consider what it would be like if we are visited by beings from another world. This weekend we saw that Mr. Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic World Rebirth and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) are still very much interested in this subject with the release of the much-anticipated Disclosure Day. Disclosure Day captures the current mood of the country with the backdrop of turmoil and distrust in the government. In the movie tensions start out high with the threat of a coming war. From the opening scenes we find out that there are government agents trying to prevent a closely guarded secret from getting out to the public. There is a not well-known private organization hired by the government called Wardex that is charged with hiding the fact that aliens have been visiting Earth ever since that first incident in Roswell back in 1947. (This organization is so secret that not even the President knows about it.) Wardex is led by the villainous Noah Scanlon (brilliantly played by Colin Firth) who will stop at nothing including murder to keep the secret from getting out. There is a pair of especially gifted individuals that Scanlon is after. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and Challengers)) is an ex-employee of Wardex who has joined a wider group of ex-Wardex folks led by Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo (The Color Purple and Drive-Away Dolls)). Hugo has entrusted Daniel with a backpack full of hard drives that contain decades worth of evidence about the truth, but Daniel is reluctant to take on this role. Then there is Margaret Fairchild (the extremely talented Emily Blunt in one of her best performances yet), the weather person at the local Kansas City TV station, who believes she belongs somewhere else. (Along the way she will discover talents she didn’t know she had, like the ability to speak and understand foreign languages and read minds.) Spielberg uses his established methods in storytelling by alternately allowing us to get to know the characters in personal conversations and then giving us an intense action sequence with lives on the line. The truth is an often-used term in the movie as some of the characters are determined that people must see the truth on what is referred to as Disclosure Day. The question of what the known presence of alien beings will do to the faith of the God-fearing public is raised, particularly by Daniel’s girlfriend, Jane (Eve Hewson). Will they still believe in a supreme being if they see that they are not alone? Unfortunately for Jane, at the hands of Scanlon she will experience a powerful alien technology that allows one person to invade the consciousness of another and influence their actions. Can she resist his evil intensions? Besides all the action and the fast-moving plot, the film delivers a message of empathy; that is, if we can just recognize the pain that others are going through, this will be a much better world. Spielberg has once again put together a communal experience that will blow our minds and open our thoughts to the possibilities that the future holds. Disclosure Day looks like the big movie of the summer. You should not miss it.

Destroyer

Destroyer                            4 stars

In the new crime drama, Destroyer by director Karyn Kusama, Nicole Kidman gives her most gritty and unusual performance of her career.  She is Erin Bell, a corrupt and substance abusing detective with an appearance to match.  Her look is absolutely unrecognizable with bad skin and sunken eyes and a stare that can nearly kill.  In the story she is on the path of a criminal from her past, Silas, a leader of a gang of bank robbers who has resurfaced after nearly twenty years.  On a past undercover assignment, she failed to stop the deaths of several people in a robbery that Silas masterminded.  Now she is on a personal mission to right past wrongs as if she was somehow responsible for the deaths herself.  Along the way she has to deal with a sixteen year old daughter who is becoming a juvenile delinquent.  The story is likely similar to past police/crime dramas featuring a tough anti-hero, the difference being that here the main character is a woman.  There is no modern technology used here like we see in police procedurals today.  Erin Bell uses good basic police work in tracking down her target.  There are some creditable supporting roles here including Sebastian Stan as Bell’s undercover partner and Toby Kebbell as the evil Silas.  It is Kidman that is the true heart of the film as she is in virtually every scene.  One can’t help get the feeling that she is stretching for awards glory is taking on such a difficult role.  She already has received a Golden Globe nomination for the film.  One warning for viewers is that you need to pay close attention to the plot as it is told in a nonlinear fashion.  All is not as it initially appears.

Greta

Greta                                    2 ½ stars

Greta by writer/director Neil Jordan brings a different twist to the stalker movie genre.  It stars Chloe Grace Moretz as young naïve Frances who having recently moved to New York City finds herself making friends with a French widow named Greta (Isabelle Hubbert) whom she has recently met.  The two met after Frances returned a lost handbag to the woman after finding it left on the subway.  The two seem like a good match since Frances has recently lost her mother.  Of course this is all too good to be true as we find out that Greta has some rather sinister motives that put poor Frances in peril.  Fortunately for her (and the movie) she has a very concerned roommate with good advice and a beautiful apartment in Manhattan who is played by Maika Monroe (from that great horror film It Follows).  The film follows much of the formula that goes along with your standard stalker movies including misfortunes befalling a pet (a dog in this case).  There was nothing especially noteworthy about this film other than the performance by Hubbert who is especially well-suited to the role of Greta.  Also present in the film is Zawe Ashton of Velvet Buzzsaw fame.

Laura

Laura                     5 stars

This well known mystery from 1944 has been on my wish list for a very long time and I finally got around to seeing it.  Known as one of the best made mysteries ever, it stars Gene Tierney as the murdered Laura, a young socialite who is sought after by a number of men and Dana Andrews as Detective McPherson who must solve the case.  The story introduces a number of suspects who are questioned by the detective who becomes obsessed with the subject, Laura, who then strangely appears at her own apartment very much alive.  The film is well constructed as each suspect appears to have a good story for why they are innocent while important clues about the actual events appear.  It is still a masterpiece that holds up to the test of time and packs plenty of style and drama in the short 90 minute run time.  The film was directed by Otto Preminger in what was only his second directorial effort.  Also present in the movie is a young Vincent Price as a weak willed admirer of the young Laura.