Babysitter was a major misfire for me. It raises a lot of questions about misogyny, male privilege, and the media, but it has little significant to say about any of these issues, and its commentary is clouded by obnoxious overdirection, overly absurdist acting, and erratic editing.
Fresh has a compelling concept and a daring Daisy Edgar-Jones in the lead role, but it wears out its welcome quickly and stretches its story far too thin, making for a rather toothless thriller in the end. Not sure what Sebastian Stan was doing either but it sure was… something?
A shoddy script, subpar style and characters who are little more than stock stereotypes (we’re still doing this “the only people of color in the movie are the savior sidekicks!” thing?). Total waste of time.
Fantastic Machine has some interesting insight on the power of a camera here-or-there - along with an impressive collection of archival footage - but the overall structure feels very scattered, and without a strong central thesis tying it all together, it’s hard to engage.
Landscape with Invisible Hand is an absurdist sci-fi comedy that doubles as a commentary on capitalism (among many other things), but it tries to shove too much into its short runtime to do any of these subjects justice. Too tonally inconsistent, and poorly paced.
Cassandro has its heart in the right place, but it plays it too safe to do its spirited subject justice. Still, even when it succumbs to basic biopic conventions, Gael García Bernal gives his all in the lead role, tapping into something tender and true.
Deep Rising takes an important and imperative issue - deep sea mining - and covers this conversation in the most plain and perfunctory manner possible. It sparks to life when Jason Momoa is narrating over vibrant visuals of our oceans, but dulls everywhere else.
Sharp Stick strives to be seen as more “complex” than the conventional cringe sex comedy it ultimately is, but it lacks the sharp screenwriting necessary to pull all its themes together. Kristine Froseth is a fine lead let down by the scattershot script. Needed more Jon Bernthal, Taylour Paige, and Jennifer Jason Leigh (as do most movies, tbh).
Birth/Rebirth plays it a little too safe to fully deliver on the promise of its “modern female Frankenstein” premise, but Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes are absolute aces here, making for a peculiar but profusely entertaining pairing. Still wish it had some more energy though.
The Pod Generation has a lot to say about all the ways we’re becoming overly dependent on technology - centering around artificial childbirth - but not all of it feels new. Still, solid worldbuilding and persuasive performances from Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor elevate it, even if remains too long and repetitive in the end.
Alice’s scrambled screenplay results in scattered storytelling that rushes its lead character’s progression, but Keke Palmer’s persistently persuasive performance (somewhat) steadies the ship.
Read my full review on Loud and Clear Reviews!
Dual presents us with a compelling sci-fi concept and has a solid start, but it sadly stumbles in the home stretch, despite the best efforts of star Karen Gillan.
Read my full review on Loud and Clear Reviews!
Keke Palmer gives Alice her all, but even she can’t save this underwhelming and underdeveloped story of a runaway slave who finds herself in 1973 after escaping plantation life. It’s too rushed to fully flesh out its themes, and it can’t blend historical drama with Blaxploitation. It may not be abysmal, but it’s far more mediocre than any film with this subject matter should’ve been.