Category Archives: Thriller

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!

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.

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.

Touch of Evil

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Touch of Evil                       5 stars

I recently viewed Orson Welles’ classic film about an ethical lawman facing off against a corrupt police captain, Touch of Evil, starring Charton Heston as Mike Vargas, the Mexican drug enforcement officer, and Welles as Hank Quinlan, the corrupt American police captain. It is a film full of notable performances but is equally known for Welles’ inventive ways of filming shots and for its labyrinthine plot. It’s important to note that I saw the restored version that was made in 1998 based on the extensive notes that Welles wrote after his disappointment with the edited version that the studio released in 1958. The story takes place in and around a Mexican-American border town with rundown storefronts, hotels and brothels. In one of Hollywood’s best known long takes we follow a doomed car with a planted bomb driven by a wealthy American through the streets of the town for 3 minutes and 20 seconds before it finally explodes. (In the restored version we hear the sounds of the street and background music instead of the theme music the studio used.) The investigation is led by the very heavy and alcoholic Quinlan with bystander Vargas inconveniently inserting himself into the case. Vargas’ new American wife, Susan (Janet Leigh) is accompanying him and eventually finds herself the subject of attention of a local gang. The story becomes rather complicated but basically involves Quinlan trying to frame the car bomb crime on a local Mexican boy with Vargas getting in the way, then Quinlan getting revenge by setting up Vargas and his wife to take the blame for murder and drug crimes. With the longer restored version the plot becomes easier to follow than in the original studio version. As the plot progresses, the drunken Quinlan, who has a history of faking evidence, becomes more obsessed and reckless with a scheme to stop Vargas. Toward the end of the movie in a scene with a fortune-telling madam (Marlene Dietrich), Quinlan asks, “Come on, read my future for me.” She responds prophetically, “You haven’t got any.” Quinlan is racist and has contempt for the local Mexicans he encounters. My only criticism is that Heston does not make a convincing Mexican. He has only a couple of short lines spoken in Spanish. Otherwise, Touch of Evil is a masterpiece by Welles and his cinematographer, Russell Metty. They implement multiple tracking shots with a moving camera in Welles’ innovative style. Two other notable appearances are Zsa Zsa Gabor as a strip club owner and Dennis Weaver as a very odd night clerk at a seedy motel. The film was named the best picture at the 1958 Brussels World Fair, but got even more recognition much later from film critics in the late 1990’s. If you can find it be sure it is the 1998 restored version. You will be pleased.

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.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You                 4 stars

You might remember a movie from last year called Nightbitch, starring Amy Adams about a mother of a young child dealing with the stresses of motherhood. Well, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You by director Mary Bronstein and starring Rose Byrne (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the voice of Mother in “I Am Mother”) takes that premise and puts it on steroids. The movie appeared at the Sundance Film Festival last year and got a lot of attention. It comes from A24, the studio known for movies with darker themes and complex characters. Linda, played by Byrne, is dealing with many stresses in her life at the same time. She has an overly anxious daughter who has a mysterious illness requiring her to have a feeding tube, and she can’t seem to put on enough weight. She has a doctor (played by director Mary Bronstein) for the daughter who keeps insisting that she come in for a face-to-face meeting and that she should participate in a support group. (Here we see the feelings of guilt some mothers experience.) Linda’s husband (Christian Slater (True Romance)), who she has conversations with over the phone, is perpetually absent and is not at all helpful. She is a therapist who sees patients that are generally confused about life and are very self-centered. She herself is seeing a therapist (Conan O’Brien like you’ve never seen him before) who is hostile toward her and doesn’t seem to care about her problems. If that isn’t enough, the living room ceiling of her rented house has collapsed leaving a flood of water all over the floor, forcing her into a hotel room with her daughter until repairs can be made. All these events combine to make the audience feel a high level of stress. (If you have been a mother, you will probably be thinking “I never had things this bad!”) Although the agony that Linda goes through is exaggerated, the movie successfully portrays the stress that can go with being a mother, especially one who isn’t getting enough support. Her one source of relief comes from a neighbor in the hotel, a handyman named James (A$AP Rocky (Highest 2 Lowest)) who occasionally watches her daughter while Linda is out (as well as supplying recreational drugs). Much of the credit for the feel of the movie has to go to Byrne, who portrays a mother trying to find solutions to problems while nearly breaking down from all the pressure. At no time does any real relief come for Linda, even when she removes the feeding tube from her daughter in a particularly graphic scene. It’s definitely not a feel-good movie and there are times when it drifts into full blown horror (like when Linda is examining that awful hole in the ceiling). I have to agree with the choice of nominating Rose Byrne for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She expresses the overwhelming feeling of anxiety from being a mother and how one must set her own needs aside. After watching this movie, you might want to talk to your mother and apologize! For the curious, some other notable movies about motherhood are Minari, Parallel Mothers, The Lost Daughter, Tully and The Kids Are All Right. (Later this summer watch for Toy Story 5 when Conan O’Brien will appear as Smarty Pants.)

Obsession

Obsession           4 ½ stars

What is a guy to do when the girl he loves doesn’t quite feel the same way about him, but he really wants her to? This is the question that is asked and answered in Obsession, by second time feature film director Curry Barker who at age 26 has already been making short films for years. This film could also be called Be Careful What You Wish For. Poor Bear (or Baron) (Michael Johnston) is a nice guy who has a massive crush on longtime friend and co-worker Nicky (Inde Navarrette). But Nicky is comfortable with them being friends and working with him in a family-owned music store where they are also friends with co-workers Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless). Ian knows about Bear’s problem and gives him suggestions of things to try. Bear is still afraid but knows he has to do something. Then one night while in a novelty store looking for a necklace to give to Nicky, Bear finds a mysterious item called a One Wish Willow. The container says that if the user makes a wish and breaks the stick of willow wood, then his wish will come true. So, Bear figures why not. What could he lose? He buys the item and at an opportune time while with Nicky makes the wish that Nicky would love him back and breaks the stick. Almost immediately Nicky changes and is attracted to Bear but starts to exhibit strange behavior. Ian and Sarah notice that the two always seem to be hanging out together and become very concerned over the sudden change in behavior. Nicky becomes so obsessed with Bear that she can’t stand it if they are not together to the point that she becomes like a whimpering child or she lets out a piercing scream. When in the company of others Nicky even lashes out in a jealous rage when she perceives that someone else may be giving too much attention to Bear. It is like an inescapable force has taken over her and Bear’s lives. This is very upsetting to poor Bear, and he is once again in a quandary as to what to do. When he contacts the seller of the Willow, asking them to cancel the wish he is told that they don’t do that. He must live with his choice. Obsession starts out as pure psychological horror that slowly becomes increasingly extreme. Not everyone will survive the last night! What really makes the movie pay off is the performance of Navarrette as Nicky as she transforms herself from the lovable version of Nicky to the raging psycho that strikes terror in Bear and those around her. She doesn’t do much for women’s issues though. The movie is very similar in theme to 2001’s Wishcraft, with Obsession being the superior of the two. (In that earlier movie the special item was the penis of a bull, and it allowed three wishes!) I found Obsession to be entertaining, and I rank it among the top two horror movies I have seen so far this year (the other being Send Help). If you like bloody horror that is more than sudden gotchas, then I recommend it. Curry Barker’s next project is Anything But Ghosts which has a much bigger budget.