Black Phone 2 - Review: A Chilling Reception

 

In the world of horror sequels, there are two schools of thought on how to approach a follow-up film: doing everything virtually the exact same as before or mixing it up completely. After the smash-hit success of 2021’s “The Black Phone,” Blumhouse has reteamed with that film’s director Scott Derrickson (“Sinister,” “Doctor Strange”) and co-writers Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (“Sinister,” “Doctor Strange”) for a sequel that certainly sets itself apart from the original in setting and temperature.

Set four years after the events of the first film, this tale follows teenaged boy Finney, played by Mason Thames (“How to Train Your Dragon (2025),” “Regretting You”), the only known survivor of the serial killer known as the Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke (“Training Day,” “Before Sunset”), and his teenaged sister Gwen, played by Madeleine McGraw (“Outcast,” “Secrets of Sulphur Springs”). After Gwen begins to have dreams of communicating with her deceased mother at her old mountain Christian youth camp, Finney, Gwen, and Gwen’s crush Ernesto, played by Miguel Mora, venture to the camp. After arriving, Finney finds himself once again haunted by a disconnected ringing phone allowing him to talk to the spirits of the deceased with Gwen’s dreams becoming more violent as the Grabber attempts to kill her and Finney from the dream world and beyond the grave.

Derrickson’s experience with this world and set of characters leads to a particularly confident second outing. There’s little time spent winding things up or establishing characters. He and Cargill assume that you’re already up to speed, which means the film’s first act has very little fat on its bones. Things get creepy from the start, taking a much more supernatural turn than the first film’s comparatively grounded reality. The film is fantastically atmospheric, spending a lot of time establishing the vibes of Gwen’s dreams versus reality and the youth camp. Thick blankets of snow and a massive frozen lake allow for a completely different vibe than the dingy basement and suburban streets of the first film, setting it apart in the best way.

Thames is turning in a reliably good performance here, delving into the trauma of the first film’s events on him and his role as an overprotective big brother. Mora adds to the supporting cast well with a reliable bit of banter, but the side characters of Armando, the camp supervisor played by Demián Bichir (“The Hateful Eight,” “A Better Life”), and his niece Mustang, played by Arianna Rivas (“A Working Man”), are veritable scene stealers once they appear. The gruff warmth they bring to the film is welcomed and works as a character rebuff against Finney’s anger and Gwen’s supernatural fears.

Hawke is expectedly great, having a lot of fun with the menace of the role and playing up the Freddy Krueger-esque dream invasions. It’s more of a vocal role than a physical one this time around, but he’s still exceptionally terrifying and a highlight of the project. However, the biggest boon this time around is McGraw as Gwen. If the first film was Finney’s journey, this one is very much hers. She gets the most interesting character material to delve into, and her performance is exceptional. She’s easy to become attached to and her arc through the film, while it may be basic, is nevertheless effective and exciting.

Derrickson’s control of the scares feels different this time around, delving hard into flashback dream sequences thick with chunky film grain. It’s exceptionally unsettling the first time it happens, and even as the immediate unease wears away, it's a great calling card for when things are about to crank up the spooks. There are a handful of moments that even break conventional structure, with cinematographer Pär M. Ekberg (“Polar,” “Lords of Chaos”) smudging out the grain and purposefully obscuring the time and place. It’s a great little stylistic distinction that attempts to discomfort more than scare, coupled with a startling, squeaky electronic musical score from Atticus Derrickson (“V/H/S/85”).

Where the film does unfortunately falter is in its more serious dramatic moments. For as effective as the scares and atmosphere are, the drama just falls flat. It’s fairly routine familial strife, dealing with anger and fear and letting go. A monologue from McGraw in the third act sounds like every other speech given in other films with similar plots smushed together. Finney and Gwen’s father Terrence, played by Jeremy Davies (“Justified,” “Rescue Dawn”), also reappears here, but its almost as if Derrickson and Cargill forget about him for about half of the film. When the drama and these familial elements are tied into the scares, they really work. When they try to break out and have more “serious” conversations, they border on sleep inducing.

"Black Phone 2” definitely mixes things up from the first film, changing setting and tone to turn into something more brutally supernatural than quiet and grounded. It’s different for sure but still delivers on the scares and tension with Madeline McGraw commanding control of the film alongside Ethan Hawke. The stylized dreams and snow-covered locals lend it a differing visual identity as well, helping to overcome the less interesting dramatical elements. It’ll be a frightfully good time for anyone looking for a little snowfall with their spooks. 4/5 

Frankenstein (2025) - Review: Man Made Monster

 

If there was ever a director perfectly made to take on tales of monsters, it’s Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Shape of Water”). A long and illustrious career spanning horror and drama films to animated adventure flicks has led to this, an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel and the original science fiction tale. If del Toro’s own words are anything to go by, he’s been trying to get this film made in some fashion since 2007. Now, with a massive budget courtesy of Netflix and a completely game cast, del Toro’s tale of the monster and the man he created has finally arrived.

Set in the early 1800s, the film sees a bloodied and beaten Victor Frankenstein, played by Oscar Isaac (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Ex Machina”), telling his tale of monstrous creation to a ship captain, played by Lars Mikkelsen (“Star Wars: Rebels,” “Devils”). He recaps his expulsion from the Royal College of Surgeons and meeting of Henrich Harlander, played by Christoph Waltz (“Inglorious Bastards,” “Django Unchained”), a wealthy arms manufacturer and uncle to Elizabeth Harlander, played by Mia Goth (“Pearl,” “Infinity Pool”), the fiancé of Victor’s brother William, played by Felix Kammerer (“All Quiet on the Western Front (2022),” “All the Light We Cannot See”), which leads to the elder Harlander funding Victor’s research and eventual building of his once dead man, known as The Creature, played by Jacob Elordi (“euphoria,” “Saltburn”).

Del Toro has stated multiple times that Netflix was the only studio willing to fund the budget and scale he wanted for this tale, and he’s certainly made fantastic use of that $120 million budget. Towering laboratories and intricate manor houses, draped with all manner of gothic architecture and designs litter the film. It’s an exceptionally gorgeous looking film and cinematographer Dan Laustsen (“Crimson Peak,” “The Shape of Water”) makes fantastic use of this bend on 18th century life. Alexandre Desplat (“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Shape of Water”) brings a musical score that brings everything to life even further, resulting in a wholly excellent technical package that looks as gothically delightful as it feels.

Isaac’s performance really makes the titular mad scientist come alive in a way that feels far more fleshed out and conflicted than we’ve seen before. He’s a constantly maddening, infuriating, and complex individual that is easy to feel for as much as it is to rage against him. The surrounding supporting cast props up his crazed behavior and science well; Goth is a far more subdued twist of her darkly obsessed previous roles, Kammerer turns a possibly thankless brotherly role into a painful sibling relationship, Waltz chews up plenty of scenery without any of the baggage associated with that description, and the minor roles from Mikkelsen and David Bradley (“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “The Strain”) are delightfully done and a spotlight of pure warmth in the film's sometimes cruel humanity, only bitter in their brevity.

The lone actor not yet mentioned is Jacob Elordi, and that is for good reason. For what could initially seem like a thankless role, draped in prosthetics and heavy costuming for the entirety of the runtime, he turns in what is, without a doubt, the finest performance in the film. The way he’s able to delve into the most monstrous aspects of the character and his physicality, while also delivering on the most humanizing aspects is incredibly impressive. You’d almost be convinced that it was two different actors given the stark contrasts between the deliveries, but it’s Elordi through and through. This is a wholly impressive performance from an actor who, to put it bluntly, hasn’t had the most challenging filmography thus far. But this role and the skill, empathy, and depth on display showcase really bright things for Elordi going forward.

Bolstering the excellent cast and production design is the script, written by del Toro himself, which might just be the most interesting and book-accurate interpretation we’ve seen yet. Beyond that accuracy, del Toro is most interested in the pseudo-parental aspects between Victor and his Creature, as well as the internal questions that evolve from the idea of being human. While on paper they might be trite or played out, the structure of del Toro’s film allows for it to feel fresh and new. The amount of time we spend with the Creature is longer than one might expect, and it allows for some exceptionally emotionally cathartic events to play out.

As previously stated, the film looks exceptional, but the individual makeup and creature effects are positively phenomenal. Led by creature designer Mike Hill (“The Shape of Water,” “Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”), it's not only a different take on the creature’s construction, but a visually stunning interpretation as well. Forget the sewed-on head and neck bolts; this is a far more elegant and crafted version of Victor’s beast. There’s plenty of fantastic bits of beautiful bodies and gore peppered throughout, accompanied by excellent puppetry. It’s a seamless blend of practical and digital effects, and it results in a work of gorgeous gothic beauty.

The film might not officially be titled “Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein” but it might as well be. This is a deeply emotive, empathetic take on Mary Shelley’s novel in a way that only someone like del Toro could deliver. An exceptionally beautiful looking and sounding film, packed with a top-tier cast and a career defining performance from Jacob Elordi, this is a truly unique and excellent film. It’s hand crafted, man-made, and gloriously human. 5/5 

Good Fortune - Review: Touched By An Angel

 

Religion and movies have been going together like peanut butter and holy jelly since basically the very first moving images across a screen. There have been decades upon decades of comedic and serious takes on the concept, successful and otherwise. The last major comedic attempt was Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” in 1999 and this film, the feature film directorial debut for writer/director Aziz Ansari (“Master of None,” “Parks and Recreation”), has quite a bit in common with that. Another irreverent take on angels with some social commentary thrown in as well, “Good Fortune” is here and ready to grant your miracles.

The film stars Ansari as Arj, a down on his luck average joe who sleeps in his car and scrapes by doing odd jobs for other people, like the rich tech bro Jeff, played by Seth Rogen (“Superbad,” “The Studio”), via a Doordash like app. After a particularly rough night, Arj is visited by a low-rent guardian angel Gabriel, played by Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix,” “John Wick”), who wants to show him that money won’t solve all of his problems. He switches Jeff and Arj’s lives to do so, hoping to help Arj better his life. The problem is that Arj now doesn’t want to switch back, seeing that money has indeed solved virtually all of his problems.

Ansari leads the ensemble with a pretty good comedic performance that plays directly to his strengths. He’s built a career out of playing characters that straddle the line between being annoying and endearing, and he delivers a similar kind of work here. There’s a smidgen of more emotional material for him here, but it's nothing particularly groundbreaking. Rogen is also playing into more of his typical shtick, but there’s a bit more meanness and edge to his character, leading to him getting the more interesting material to work with. A large stretch of the film focuses on his character and it's when things are at their more satirically layered and interesting.

Reeves is the absolute standout. His portrayl of Gabriel blends a genuine heart with a layer of himbo naivate that plays excellently to his wide-eyed persona. It's the most interesting and comedically rich performance of the entire film, and his sequences with Rogen have the best chemistry of the film as well. The pair’s scenes are the standout of the entire project by far. Keke Palmer (“Nope,” “One of Them Days”) also appears as Elena, a hopeful employee trying to start a union at her hardware store and a romantic interest for Arj. Their chemistry is fine enough, but somewhat flat, and her material is fairly surface level stuff. Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Killing Eve”) pops up as Martha, Gabriel’s angel boss in a borderline cameo that allows her to inject her smooth, calm charms briefly into the project.

A film about struggling economically can be a bit of a tough sell in the modern economy, but Ansari’s script goes to great lengths to show the ins and outs of both halves of the L.A. economy with heart and laughs. Multiple moments that could have easily been just excuses for jokes are played with serious, actual care for the characters. It’s more sincerely portrayed than one might initially expect, and it allows the film to be far more than just a fluffy comedy. Even the ending commits to its grounded terms, working as a more character-driven, emotionally satisfying resolution rather than a fantastical “wish fulfilment” result.

The film’s cooler, darker aesthetic leans heavily into the nighttime dark corners and neon drenched streets of Los Angeles, with naturalistic lighting setting the “down on their luck” vibe for the overall project. It’s an interesting look and it allows the film to establish a specific “larger than life, smaller than life” vibe. For every moment in Jeff/Arj’s mansion, surrounded by excess and bright fake lights, there’s a casual, dirty backside of a restaurant where characters steal a few moments of peace for themselves. It’s a varied and interesting aesthetic, backed up by a great and equally varied musical score from Carter Burwell (“A Goofy Movie,” “The Banshees of Inisherin”).

“Good Fortune” could’ve used a slightly tighter script to turn it into something truly heavenly, but don’t let that downplay the film’s success. It’s a thoroughly entertaining and funny riff on some particularly tricky subject matter. The ensemble is great with some true standouts, and it allows the city of Los Angeles to breathe in a grounded way. “Good Fortune” might not be perfect, but there’s something to be said for a film that seeks to entertain as well as going for some heart without taking the easy way out. 4/5 

After the Hunt - Review: Yale-ing About Nothing

While he’s always had a stable career, Luca Guadagnino has gained a new level of attention in the public consciousness over the last few years. What kicked off with “Call Me by Your Name,” and further expanded with “Bones and All,” really came to a head with the double billing of 2024’s “Challengers” and “Queer.” Safe to say, any new film directed by him is now an event for more than hardcore film fans. Hence the fervor surrounding his latest, star-studded project “After the Hunt.”

Set in 2019, the film follows Yale philosophy professor Alma Imhoff, played by Julia Roberts (“Erin Brockovich,” “Pretty Woman”), as she works with her protégée Maggie Resnick, played by Ayo Edeberi (“The Bear,” “Bottoms”) and fights for tenure against her friend and fellow professor Hank Gibson, played by Andrew Garfield (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” “The Social Network”). One night, Maggie comes and tells her that after a party at Alma’s house a few days prior, Maggie invited Hank to her apartment where he then made advances and assaulted her. The film then follows the ensuing fallout, Hank’s termination, and the tenuous of Alma’s relationships with Maggie, Hank, and Alma’s husband Frederik, played by Michael Stuhlbarg (“Call Me by Your Name,” “The Shape of Water”).

Needless to say, regardless of the social climate, material like this is of a kind that should be handled with a deft hand. Luckily, Guadagnino is a director who knows how to work with his team and get the best out of his actors. Roberts and Garfield are completely magnetic, commanding attention every time they’re on screen. Roberts in particular is entrancing throughout the film, and the scenes she has opposite Edeberi are really something special. The pair have a back and forth that’s multilayered and engrossing to watch. Stuhlbarg’s role feels less consequential than the others, but he employs the same big smile and character actor charm that’s helped his career flourish across blockbuster cinema and independent film.

Given the setting of a school with as rich a history as Yale, it makes sense then that the film’s cinematography is as rich as the faculty. Shot by cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed (“Clockers,” “Belly”), the film plays with light and dark corners constantly. Numerous moments have characters half hiding in shadows, faces obscured, with varying degrees of cold, grey rooms and bright warm evenings. It’s a gorgeous looking film, with a decidedly more uneven musical score. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“Tron: Ares,” “The Social Network”) can craft a unique score, and their material here is certainly unique. It’s a more classical piece that fades into the background more often than not, before shattering the illusion with a bombastic motif or musical cue. The problem is that those cues sound closer to a Looney Tunes bit than a piece of dramatic musical technique. Regardless of any other elements of the film, the performances and gorgeous cinematography make it exceptionally watchable.

If that last sentence sounds like there’s a catch, it’s because there is. For as gorgeous as the film looks and as good as the performances are, the script from first-time writer Nora Garrett is, to put it bluntly, not good. It certainly sounds fancy, injecting a lot of flowery language and educational prose into its various monologues and discussions that allow the actors to run wild with the material. Given the talented people working with the material, they’re able to elevate it a good amount, making it seem better than it is. But anytime you stop and think for a moment about the words and logic being said, it mostly falls apart. This especially becomes apparent in the third act as everything comes to a head as the logic slowly begins to collapse in on itself.

A drama with this kind of subject matter, from a director like this, should be cause for acclaim and excitement. Instead, “After the Hunt” is a distractingly well-acted and good-looking film with virtually nothing of substance to say that slowly falls apart as things continue onward. It certainly is fun to watch a cast of actors play some deliciously messy characters, but the film overall is a lot like its prissy Yale students: gorgeous and talking with plenty of fancy language, but with nothing to truly say. 2.5/5 

Roofman - Review: Raise the Roof

People love an underdog. They love an antihero even more. And boy howdy do they love a “based on a true story” story. Mix all of those elements together and give it to a charismatic leading man, and you’ve got a film any studio would jump at the chance to greenlight. That’s the tale behind “Roofman,” the latest film from director Derek Cianfrance (“Blue Valentine,” “The Place Beyond the Pines”), which represents a bit of a tonal shift from his previous works, as well as a welcome return to the spotlight for Channing Tatum (“Magic Mike,” “21 Jump Street (2012)”).

The film tells the true story of Jeffrey Manchester, played by Tatum, a former military man turned robber known as the “Roofman,” named after his technique of breaking into fast food locations via their roofs. After escaping from prison after being arrested for robbing 45 different McDonald’s, Manchester hides in a local Toys R Us store run by the antagonistic Mitch, played by Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones,” “The Station Agent”). He slowly begins to involve himself in the local community, even starting a relationship with one of the Toys R Us employees Leigh Wainscott, played by Kristen Dunst (“The Power of the Dog,” “Spider-Man (2002)”), attending church with her and befriending her daughters, all while attempting to evade police attention.

If Cianfrance at any point during production felt uncomfortable with the lighter tone hee, you’d never know it from the final film. His directorial style here fits the material quite well, focusing on Manchester’s character and what kind of a man he is, rather than the “so crazy it must be true” aspects. It’s not the most technically complex film in the world, but its basic components instead allow ample room for Cianfrance’s actors to dig into the character work. It’s the sort of clear-eyed, adult drama we don’t see much of anymore.

Cianfrance and Kirt Gunn’s (“Lovely by Surprise”) script help exemplify the internal conflict stirring within Manchester, taken to its full potential by Tatum’s performance, while letting his character actors have fun room to play with their more minor roles. It’s the sort of film where you walk away remembering something about each character, even if they’re on screen for just a few moments. This especially makes the later melancholic moments hit much harder as well, but more on that in a moment. The musical score by Christopher Bear (“High Maintenance,” “Past Lives”) is exceptionally calm and melodic, playing up the somber notes throughout the film and hitting just a bit harder as things come to a close.

Tatum’s performance here seems simple, but it’s an incredible hat trick of a role. He weaponizes his everyman charms and ease of charisma to develop Manchester into more than a stereotypical “handsome thief” kind of persona. It's legitimately some of his most impressive work in recent memory, and a great showcase of his talents. Dunst’s performance is arguably even better, with a grounded emotional role that plays excellently off of Tatum. The pair have instant chemistry and are borderline charm factories whenever they’re opposite each other. Leigh’s daughters Lindsay and Dee, played by Lily Collias (“Good One”) and Kennedy Moyer (“Task”) respectively are scene stealers when they do appear, and just like Dunst, they play off Tatum’s warm sensibilities to great effect. Dinklage is clearly having fun playing the “bad guy” boss, but his role doesn’t have any real emotional material to play with.

Given the “true story” nature of the film as well as Manchester’s escapades, you can see where this story is going almost as soon as it gets underway. It’s not a bad thing; it’s just the nature of a tale like this and the way it’s being told. Instead, Cianfrance and Gunn use this to slowly twist the knife with the characters. Tatum and Dunst make you easily fall for Manchester and Leigh, leaving you sitting, gripping the armrests of the seat, practically screaming at the screen for characters to turn around, walk the other way, or stop what they’re doing. It's the kind of emotional investment and reactions normally reserved for horror films. It’s such an easy tale to get into though, that the intensely melancholic last thirty minutes are drenched in dread and exhaustion in the most cathartic way.

“Roofman” is a simple film with a simple premise and simple techniques that’s catapulted into excellence thanks to its immensely great performances and cast. Tatum and Dunst are turning in some work that’s at the top of their recent work at least. Backed up by a great musical score, it's a surprisingly somber treat for those looking for an emotionally rich melancholic adult drama. 4/5

TRON: Ares - Review: As Alive As You Need Me To Be

It's funny that, as iconic as the film's visuals and aesthetics are, “TRON” as a franchise has almost always been the black sheep of the Disney IP factory. The original film made some decent money at the box office, but it took almost thirty years for a sequel in the form of “TRON Legacy.” Despite the deluge of merchandise seeming to signal a new age for the franchise, the modest box-office success resulted in Disney putting the series on ice for yet another extended period. Which is why it’s taken fifteen years and quite the development hell to bring “TRON: Ares” to fruition.

Set years after the events of “Legacy,” the film follows Eve Kim, played by Greta Lee (“The Morning Show,” “Past Lives”), the CEO of ENCOM as she searches for the “permanence code,” a piece of code written by Kevin Flynn years prior. At the same time, rival CEO of Dillinger Systems Julian Dillinger, played by Evan Peters (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past”), is also after the code and has decided to bring his highly advanced security software Ares, played by Jared Leto (“Suicide Squad,” “Dallas Buyers Club”), into the real world. He sends Ares and Athena, played by Jodie-Turner Smith (“After Yang,” “Anne Boleyn”), in search of Kim and the code, allowing whoever gets it first to bring their creations from the virtual world known as The Grid to the real world, permanently.

For better or worse depending on who you ask, “Ares” has been a Jared Leto project from the jump. His face has been on almost all the marketing, and he even has a producer credit on the final project. His performance therefore seems like even more of a lynchpin than it otherwise would; he's not just the lead character, but the reason the film exists. It’s somewhat anticlimactic then to learn that his performance is just fine. It’s completely serviceable. He does a good job with the more mechanical, cold aspects of the character, but the moment the film tries to push for some kind of an evolved emotion from Ares, Leto is reduced to hammy, wooden community theater acting.

The rest of the cast fares far better though. Lee is doing the best she can with the material she’s given, and she manages to turn out a pretty good performance as a result. Peters is surprisingly great as the villainous little brat running Dillinger Systems, and Smith is fantastic, stealing virtually any scene she’s in with menace and a smirk. Beyond that, the supporting cast is unfortunately filled with pretty forgettable side characters who seem to exist to say a half-decent bit of comedic relief or have the plot up until that point explained to them. Jeff Bridges (“The Big Lebowski,” “True Grit (2010)”) is back to reprise his role as Kevin Flynn in a far more interesting way than one might initially expect, and he does provide the film with a welcome shot in the arm. But he’s a borderline cameo, not a major supporting player in the cast.

A large reason that the supporting cast is so forgettable and where a lot of the film’s problems come from is the incredibly hit-or-miss script. Co-writers David DiGilio (“Eight Below,” “The Terminal List”) and Jesse Wigutow (“It Runs in the Family,” “Daredevil: Born Again”) stuff the film with far too many supporting characters that do virtually nothing substantial for the overall plot, as well as numerous concepts and subplots that have been well explored in other science fiction media over the last thirty years. From Ares learning how to “be human” to the idea of a true directive, it's all hashed up and glued back together in ways that don’t add anything new to the conversation. It doesn’t help that, again, Leto’s performance makes the film’s big emotional moments fall flat, and there are even a handful of moments where he recaps the plot and what the central emotional theme is to the camera, as if he’s stating things after the film has come back from a commercial break.

Which makes it all the more confusing that one of the biggest ideas of the film itself, what to do with the permanence code, is one of its coolest and most fascinating. It’s by far the most interesting part of the film, and it's a lasso that director Joachim Rønning (“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Kon-Tiki”) uses to keep the audience’s attention. His direction excels in the numerous action sequences and effects heavy moments, while being simply serviceable in quieter moments. The crazy camerawork from cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth (“The Social Network,” “Gone Girl”) is a reason to see the film alone, and like the previous “TRON” films, it's been conceived of as a “style over substance” affair instead of accidentally ending up as one.

That style is excellent when it’s allowed to thrive, but the film seems almost self-conscious about its origins and franchise. While the sequences within the Grid are gorgeous and inventive, they take up a fraction of the film. Not only are the scenes outside of the Grid far less interesting as a whole, but it feels like the film is almost apologizing for what it is. As if it’s “too cool” to spend too much time in the science-fiction world it made its name on. It means that the film is likely the most general audience friendly TRON film thus far, but it also robs a large chunk of the film of its identity.

With each frame of black and pulsing red stretching across the seemingly endless Grid landscapes to the contrast of bright flashing lights and colors against the real-world environments, the film is an insanely gorgeous feast for the senses. It’ll likely be the kind of proejct used to demo 4K TVs and home stereos for at least the next decade, thanks to the visuals being matched with a pulsing, grinding, crunchy original score from Nine Inch Nails. It looks so cool and sounds so cool, so instantly transporting that it almost helps make up for the film’s cliched, routine, overstuffed story. Almost.

While getting a new “TRON” film made starring the likes of Greta Lee and Evan Peters, shot by Jeff Cronenworth, with a Nine Inch Nails score and all the visual sumptuousness that a $180 million budget can afford seems like a dream come true, when you then mix it with a wonky creative team and an actor as polarizing as Jared Leto, you start to see where the monkey’s paw has curled its finger. While certainly not a disaster, it's not hard to see a better version of this film somewhere in another Grid. As it stands, it’s the most audience friendly “TRON” film yet and die-hard fans will gladly eat it up. But waiting another fifteen years for something just “good” shouldn’t be seen as a victory. Like one of the tracks from the soundtrack states, Disney seems to have pushed this one out just to keep the franchise “as alive as you need me to be.” 3/5 

The Smashing Machine (2025) - Review: Rock Solid

 

It’s always fun to draw parallels between an actor and their latest projects. Tom Cruise starred in two films about real people doing real things against an automated way of doing things in the midst of the Hollywood vs. AI talks, and now Dwayne Johnson (“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “Black Adam”) is here in a role that he also shares some similarities with. It's not surprising that Johnson saw a biopic about a man wanting to be the best in the world, stumbling at the finish line early on, and spending years working his way back up to that shot once again. After all, this is the man who once tried and kind of failed to become the biggest movie star in the world. Why wouldn’t he see himself in a role like this?

The film follows Mark Kerr, played by Johnson, an MMA fighter participating in the early years of the sport’s mainstream success from 1997 to 2000. Mostly fighting in Japan, Kerr struggles to maintain his professional career alongside his opioid addiction and relationships with his on-and-off again girlfriend Dawn Staples, played by Emily Blunt (“Mary Poppins Returns,” “Edge of Tomorrow”), and his best friend and trainer, retired fighter Mark Coleman, played by real life UFC fighter Ryan Bader in his acting debut.

Given the involvement of writer/director Benny Safdie (“Uncut Gems,” “Good Time”), it’s safe to say that most moviegoers shouldn’t expect a typical biopic formula from this project. This isn’t the kind of director who seems like he’d make a film like “Bohemian Rhapsody” after all. So, it should come as no surprise that what “The Smashing Machine” is is far closer to a tone piece in the likes of the original “Rocky” or “Raging Bull.” It’s certainly not as violent as the latter, but it deals with Kerr’s internal struggle and ends up only loosely following the three-act structure of a typical dramatic biopic. Safdie’s film may be constructed in a more unconventional way, but his script can’t escape the cliches apparent within these sorts of stories.

It’s a good thing then that his central trio of actors are all giving their all with that material. Johnson is clearly putting in more effort than he’s given since his days of weirdo films like “Southland Tales” or arguably ever. It’s not the finest performance ever seen, but it’s the sort of role that is just nice to see him do. You can actively see him trying to improve his craft and he is inarguably compelling; if there was an Oscar for “Most Improved,” he’d be a shoe-in.

Blunt is excellent in a twisted, easily hate-able way. It’s a performance that’s hard to watch given the nature of the character and her back and forth toxic nature with Kerr. She’s great almost in spite of the character. Bader meanwhile is a calm, soft spoken portrait of a gentle giant. You truly believe he and Johnson’s friendship and chemistry from the start, and he gives the sort of performance that makes you wish he was in the film more often.

On the technical side, Safdie’s creative decisions are mostly for the better. The musical score, the first film score by electronica artist Nala Sinephro, is a really interesting textual mixture of jazz fusion and electronic droning, flowing with the mental state of Kerr as the film progresses. The cinematography from Maceo Bishop (“The Curse,” “Somewhere in Queens”) is the expected handheld shakiness seen in previous Safdie films and it works well here, putting you right in the fights. What works less so is the film’s editing and pacing. Edited by Safdie himself, the movement from scene to scene can be quite odd. For example, everything about the editing seems to imply that one scene takes place in the same location and time as the previous scene, until a character says it's a completely different day and place. The film’s pace also feels like it takes twice as long in the first half and then goes twice as quick in the second half.

While much of this film has been marketed as “Dwayne Johnson’s serious acting role,” there’s plenty to like here as well. He is great, as is Emily Blunt and a surprising debut turn from Ryan Bader, and the musical score and ambitions of the film are fantastic. You can see exactly what the film wants to be, and it almost gets there most of the time. It has a lot in common with Kerr in that way, and it makes for a tale that’s absolutely interesting if not particularly exceptional. 3.5/5 

One Battle After Another - Review: Viva la Revolución!

 

By his second film, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson had made a name for himself. Not only did he manage to land the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, and John C. Reilly for his first movie “Hard Eight,” but he decided to follow up a smaller scale gambling drama with a sprawling 1970s porn epic titled “Boogie Nights.” Since then, he’s made a name for himself with films that manage to capture his idiosyncrasies while also delivering a very specific portrait of human emotion and drama. Films like “Punch Drunk Love,” “Phantom Thread,” “Licorice Pizza,” “The Master,” and “There Will Be Blood” have captivated audiences across the board, with a few even being regarded as some of the greatest films of the 21st century.

Following up any stretch of films like that would be a seemingly monumental task, but with his biggest budget yet, Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood,” “Titanic”), in the starring role, his first film set in the modern day, and his most politically poignant film yet, PTA has jumped headfirst into a tale of “One Battle After Another.”

Bob Ferguson, played by DiCaprio, is a member of a revolutionary far-left group known as the French 75. The group focuses on freeing immigration detention camps and bombing abandoned banks and politician’s offices, among other actions, most commonly facing off against Colonel. Steve Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn (“Mystic River,” “Milk”). After their DeFacto leader and Bob’s lover Perfidia Beverly Hills, played by Teyana Taylor (“The Book of Clarence,” “Straw”), becomes pregnant, she vanishes, leaving the organization scrambling and Bob with their daughter. Now sixteen years later, Bob is washed up and paranoid, smoking and drinking while trying to parent his daughter Willa, played by Chase Infiniti in her film debut (“Presumed Innocent (2024)”).  He’s forced to snap into action though after Lockjaw reappears in his life looking for Bob and Willa, forcing the two to go on the run.

The film gets far more complex than that, and Anderson’s script, loosely adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” keeps everything taught and wonderfully absurdist. Make no mistake, there is plenty of harrowing material here that will likely drive many away from the film. But Anderson handles it all deftly. After an extended prologue sequence, things kick off and never let up, mixing action genre sensibilities with an almost satirically serious view of modern America. It’s a delightfully funny and unexpected tale, but it never shortchanges any emotion or character. For example, Perfidia might disappear from the film after the prologue, but her presence is intertwined with the entire rest of the film. She hangs over the events like a ghost, and Taylor’s brief but exceptionally impactful performance meshes with Anderson’s script to create that lingering effect.

DiCaprio’s performance, meanwhile, feels like an aged mixture of a wannabe action hero and Jeff Bridges’s performance in “The Big Lebowski.” He’s consistently stumbling and getting turned around, but his unshakeable determination and love for his daughter make for an intensely compelling lead role. At no point is anything ever certain for him and even as he repeatedly falls on his face, literally and metaphorically, you never doubt that he has the ability or drive to save the day. It also helps that the person he’s trying to save is exceptionally compelling herself. In a film full of incredible performances, Chase Infiniti might very well be the film’s greatest aspect. She’s completely magnetic, zeroing in on the complexity of this role, an already fiercely independent child being thrown headfirst into a world of actual danger, and becomes impossible to look away from. Numerous moments speak magnitudes without her even talking thanks to the physicality of her performance. One scene towards the end of the film showcases her silent physicality book ended with moments of loud ferociousness to borderline perfect results.

Penn meanwhile is an absolute menace. The most despicable kind of villain, one so sure of his own goodness, is played to terrifying effectiveness here. He never saps Lockjaw of any of his own absurdity though, delivering a performance for the kind of man so assured in his own self-confidence that it spills back around to being completely silly in numerous aspects. Like this film itself though, these moments of silliness never cheat you out of the pure evil he’s able to encapsulate throughout the film. While undoubtedly in smaller roles, Regina Hall (“Scary Movie,” “Support the Girls”) and Benecio Del Toro (“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “Sicario”) fill out this world with characters that make major impacts within even their first few moments of screen time. Hall has a haunted look to her character Deandra and manages to be a perfect microcosm of the “old way” of revolting. Del Toro is arguably more Zen than DiCaprio’s Bob, providing yet another interpretation of revolution in the modern day. He’s an instant scene-stealer, and his role would be a standout in any other film not already filled with standout performances.

It would be one thing if PTA and this film wanted to tell a story like this, as there have been plenty of big budget politically charged films in recent memory. But what sets this tale apart is not only the hope at the core of it, but the attitudes it has towards the older and younger generation of revolutionaries. He doesn’t hold the older folks up as infallible nor is the younger generation shown as incompetent or hot headed. It creates a more complex tale that refuses to paint either side of the resistance as the “correct” way of doing things and allows the performances to benefit from the additional dimensionality.

Completely separate from the film’s creative elements, the technical merits on display are absolutely exceptional. Jonny Greenwood’s (“There Will Be Blood,” “The Power of the Dog”) musical score is fantastic, plain and simple. It flows and chills each scene, moving from an already chaotic pace and vibe to something borderline cacophonous by the end of things. Likewise, Michael Bauman’s (“Licorice Pizza”) cinematography plays with numerous viewpoints and angles, flying across waves of long sun-soaked asphalt roads and nights lit with fireworks and the hazy smoke of tear gas. It’s a gorgeous film and ridiculously easy to become fully enveloped in as things exploded outward for Bob, Willa, and the rest.

Making a film with this kind of material, in this kind of climate, may just be an unwinnable task. “One Battle After Another” manages to be an exceptionally tight film in its focus without ever becoming oppressive. Anderson keeps things hopeful as well as just absurd enough to remind you that, even in times like this, things will eventually be toppled. The future generations will keep working just as much as the previous have to keep moving forward. By wrapping that narrative and idea in a film so completely thrilling and entertaining as this, he’s made what just might be the film of the moment, one that so perfectly encapsulates what we’re living through right now in feeling and action. It might also be the best movie of the year. 5/5

The Long Walk - Review: One Foot in Front of the Other

 

While most know him as a master of suspense and horrors, Steven King is also a writer easily known for tales that wrench guts with emotions as much as they do with... actual guts. While plenty know him for “Carrie,” “Cujo,” “It,”” or “Pet Semetary,” plenty also know him as the mind behind “The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Green Mile,” or “Stand by Me.” While not the first work of his published, the first work King ever wrote way back in 1966 was “The Long Walk,” a grueling work combining both his coming-of-age emotional pathos and his gruesome violent horror skills. And up until now, it was one of the few works of his to not have a film adaptation.

Set in a future after the second American Civil War, the film follows a group of boys, including Ray Garraty, played by Cooper Hoffman (“Licorice Pizza,” “Saturday Night”), Peter McVries, played by David Jonsson (“Rye Lane,” “Alien: Romulus”), Billy Stebbins, played by Garrett Wareing (“Ransom County,” “Manifest”), Arthur Baker, played by Tut Nyuot (“Dark Money,” “Steve”), Gary Barkovitch, played by Charlie Plummer (“All the Money in the World,” “Looking for Alaska”), and Hank Olson, played by Ben Wang (“American Born Chinese,” “Karate Kid: Legends”), as they participate in the yearly Long Walk, led by The Major, played by Mark Hamill (“Star Wars: A New Hope,” “Batman: The Animated Series”). The competition sees one boy from each state volunteer to walk until only one remains, with the winner receiving monetary riches and one wish of anything they desire. However, each must maintain a speed of 3 miles per hour at all times, receiving only three warnings for stopping or slowing. After the third warning, they are shot dead with no exception.

Regardless of your opinions on the material, Hoffman and Jonsson’s chemistry and performances are absolutely incredible. Hoffman’s everyman stylings mix wonderfully with his innate charm and selflessness to create a protagonist that feels unpredictable. Even as he’s telling us what he will or won’t do, his character’s evolution makes his journey a fascinating one to watch. Jonsson meanwhile has a calmer, wiser approach to his character, which makes him endlessly enjoyable to watch. When they bounce off each other, volleying lines and thoughts like ping-pong balls, it's a completely captivating experience. This chemistry extends to the rest of their castmates as well, as each boy manages to perfectly encapsulate their own archetypes while branching just enough outside of them to keep things interesting. It’s easy to fall in love with each of the walkers, and even those that feel too despicable to care for, they’re nevertheless completely engrossing.

Given director Francis Lawrence’s (“I Am Legend,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”) experience with other violent dystopian films centering around teens, it’s easy to imagine this material being a repeat of his previous works. However, his direction not only stands in stark difference to those previous works, but the script by JT Mollner (“Outlaws and Angels,” “Strange Darling”) works especially hard to ground this material in a believable feeling of reality. Despite their circumstances, these kids feel believably like they could’ve been plucked right out of any modern high school. They joke, they rib, they cry, they fight, and each passing mile draws you further into their plight. It’s a poisoned chalice of a film, as the very concept means only one kid will make it to the end, with Lawrence and Mollner using that slow dread to ample effect.

Lawrence’s experience with a pseudo-post apocalypse not only works with the script, but the visuals of the film as well. This is a low-budget affair, especially by modern Hollywood standards, and Lawrence and cinematographer Jo Willems (“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “His House”) both use the journey as a showcase for mid-western American landscapes. There are all manner of small towns put on display, for better or worse, and numerous sequences in the pouring nighttime rain, illuminated with mobile spotlights, are just breathtaking. It’s an almost impossible task to shoot a film like this, with nothing but walking, and make it something interesting to look at. Willems camerawork is a quiet and gorgeous portrait of some otherwise down-trodden American scenery, and the fantastic musical score by first time composer, and co-founder of the band The Lumineers, Jeremiah Fraites is the cherry on top.

Ironically, the basic concept of the film does lead into one of the film’s lesser aspects. Obviously, given the nature of the subject material, one should expect some gruesome visuals and uncomfortable violence. But there’s a stark shift halfway through the film. After the mid-point, the violence becomes more thoughtful and harrowing. Prior to that, there’s almost a sense of over-indulgence, as if the first elimination is meant to be a “woah look at how cool and gruesome this is” moment, which stands in stark difference to the film’s central themes. Likewise, the film pulls no punches in the grosser moments one might expect from a tale like this but that might be considered “unfilmable.” Given that these kids simply can’t stop, it shows the trials of that journey warts and all. Your mileage will definitely vary with those aspects.

“The Long Walk” might not be many’s first choice for a Stephen King adaptation. Hell, King himself even said he thought it would never be made given the subject matter. But with a writer and director committed to telling this tale in a deeply heartfelt and genuine way, with a game cast led by two powerhouse performances, they’ve turned it into something special. It’s certainly still a violent, unsettling, and grim tale. But they find that beauty and humanity in the core of it, putting it on display to great effect. 4.5/5 

Twinless - Review: Just the Two of Us

 

There’s something about grief that brings people together. Doubly so if it's someone particularly close. Losing a sibling is a difficult thing no matter the circumstances, but the idea of losing a twin is borderline unthinkable. That concept isn’t exactly what most would think to mine for dark comedy/light thriller material, but writer/director James Sweeney (“Straight Up”) has decided to do just that for his second feature film. It’s certainly an interesting concept, and it’ll absolutely go in a direction few will be expecting.

Dylan O’Brien (“The Maze Runner,” “Love and Monsters”) played Roman, a young man mourning the loss of his twin brother Rocky, also played by O’Brien. After he and his mother Lisa, played by Laura Graham (“Gilmore Girls,” “Parenthood (2010)”), clean out Rocky’s apartment, Roman decides to stay there and attend support group meetings for other “twinless” twins. This leads to him meeting Dennis, played by Sweeney, at one of those meetings and the pair hit it off. They go to hockey games and grocery shopping together, however something about Dennis is not what it seems.

Despite being a fairly low-stakes and low-tech independent film, Sweeney manages to wring a lot of dramatic tension from Dennis and his secrets. There’s a distinctive shift early on in the film that results in what came before being viewed in a completely different light. It’s a tricky tonal balance, mining comedy from this kind of tragedy, but it works, and Sweeney’s script is exceptionally sharp. He manages to set up each character remarkably well, showcasing their sadness without pity and giving them each little moments to shine before enveloping them within the others.

O’Brien is absolutely fantastic here, and while this is clearly a double bill opposite Sweeney, he completely steals the show. His few scenes as Rocky as perfect, working the character with broad swings to make a deep and specific impact. Because of that work, we get a great impression of who he was even without spending the whole film with him. His work as Roman is just as impactful. As we hear him describe his brother, the differences between the two become even more apparent as he and Sweeney mine the material for some excellent emotional growth. Roman is clearly not the sharpest bulb in the drawer, and O’Brien rides the line between being an oaf and stupid. At no point does he overplay things to the point of silliness, making him feel like a truly grounded character. It’s a stark and heart wrenching portrayal of sibling love, even outside of the twin concept, and it’s easily some of the finest work O’Brien has ever turned in.

Sweeney is just as excellent, and the tonal shifts the film makes allow for what could be a simple role to something far more interesting. His isn’t as nuanced of a performance as O’Brien’s, but it's nevertheless engrossing to watch. When the two of them as on screen, things are just absolutely fantastic. Graham is also excellent as a grieving mother figure, but she’s only on screen for mere minutes, lessening her impact. Aisling Franciosi (“The Nightingale,” “Black Narcissus”) appears as Dennis’s co-worker Marcie in what could have been a minor role that blossoms thanks to her performance and Sweeney’s script. They take the character and run with her into a twisty evolution that’s completely different from where she begins. She becomes one of the film’s central linchpins and is excellent the whole time.

Sweeney’s script would turn even the most boilerplate, plain film into something twisty and entertaining, but the tight camerawork and musical score help to push it above that. There’s a fantastic sense of depth with cinematographer Greg Cotten (“The Thinning: New World Order,” “Straight Up”) and he plays constantly with high angles and distant voyeuristic shots. A segment at a party in the middle of the film cements itself almost immediately with a fantastic usage of split screen that punctuates a turn in the film as a whole and in the individual scene. Meanwhile Jung Jae-il's (“Parasite,” “Squid Game”) musical score is far more inventive than one might expect for a movie like this, standing out in each scene and propping up the events as they unfold with an off-kilter electronic beat.

“Twinless” is a film that would likely skirt right underneath the radar of most audience members but absolutely shouldn’t. This sharply funny, dark comedy manages to kick itself into the zeitgeist thanks to its wonderful technical merits and performances, with O’Brien standing out as a highlight of the film and his entire career. It makes full use of an oddball premise and shows that Sweeney’s first film wasn’t a fluke. He’s a writer/director/actor talent that should be here to stay. 4.5/5