Anyway, there's only one computer in the house and everyone here is using it- normally I would only have to worry about one person using mine, but here, it's four or more, depending on what's going on and who's in the house at the moment. So, yeah, I probably won't be writing much until I get back to Birmingham. Sorry for the inconvenience- it is what it is- but hang in there, I'll be back with updates as soon I can.
Until then, here's one last article to tide you over...
This was one of those films I had mixed feelings about going in, mostly because I'm a huge Guillermo Del Toro fan, and neither he or star Ron Perlman were going to be involved, despite having done a great job with the first two Hellboy films and the last one having perfectly set up a third film. It wasn't a matter of economics, either, as Hellboy II grossed over $160 million on a $85 million budget, which is perfectly fine for a genre film of its nature.
Even more unfathomable is why they wouldn't want a newly-minted Oscar winner (for The Shape of Water) to do the film, even if he did want to both write and direct the third one. Yeah, and? What's the issue? He wrote and directed the first two as well. I just don't get it. Well, with Del Toro out, so went Perlman, and the role ended up being recast with Stranger Things star David Harbour and the director's chair went to Neil Marshall, of The Descent and Dog Soldiers semi-fame.
Now, I do like Harbour, and I loved both of the Marshall movies I mentioned, but his work since has been a bit spotty. Both Doomsday and Centurion tanked big time at the box office, basically causing Marshall to mostly take refuge in television work in the meantime, save a segment of the horror anthology flick Tales of Halloween.
Fortunately for him, said TV work included the likes of Game of Thrones, Westworld, Hannibal and Black Sails, all of which were well-received enough that he got another shot at the brass ring. Unfortunately, Hellboy died a miserable death at the box office, grossing a mere $40 million on a $50 million budget, all but ensuring it'll be back to TV for him. (Note also how he didn't participate in the requisite behind the scenes bonuses on the Blu-Ray/DVD, and is, in fact, barely even mentioned at all- clearly this was not a happy shoot for him all around.)
Well, the good news is that it isn't THAT bad. Creator Mike Mignola was more involved, and many of the visuals were directly inspired by the comic, as were certain aspects of the storyline, which derived primarily from the three comic book limited series plotlines for Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, and The Storm and the Fury, as well as a bit of Hellboy in Mexico in the beginning of the film.
The cast also includes a bunch of new faces, including the always-welcome Ian McShane as Hellboy's adoptive father and CGI horror pro Milla Jovovich as The Blood Queen, Hellboy's primary foe; Sasha Lane (American Honey) as Alice Monaghan; Thomas Hayden Church as Lobster Johnson and Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) as Daimio.
The latter role was the subject of some controversy, as it was intended for an Asian, but was cast with a British actor instead, leading to calls of white-washing. The actor, to his credit, stepped down, and suggested the filmmakers stick with the character's original heritage, which they ultimately did, albeit under some pressure from various online groups and activists to do so. Still, points for following through where many have not.
The end result is enjoyable enough, and fans of the comic will probably dig it, even if they resent the fact that Del Toro wasn't allowed to complete his vision, which will sadly probably never be realized after the abject failure of this film, Oscar winner or not. I didn't hate it, and I liked the cast and despite all the CGI, it did feature some pretty cool effects here and there, and a much darker tone than the other films, clearly going for more of a horror movie vibe.
Unfortunately, the film is ultimately kind of hollow, with a going-through-the-motions vibe that doesn't do it any favors. Harbour is good, but everyone else is just there, doing their job, but not adding much else to the proceedings. You can tell it was just a paycheck for most involved, though the FX artists at least show some enthusiasm in the making of docs. Beyond that, though, it's just kind of meh, so I can only give it a mild recommendation at best, and only for hardcore fans of the character.
Miss Bala is a remake of the Mexican film of the same name, directed by Twilight helmer Catherine Hardwicke, who I've always been a fan of in spite of that, lol. Her debut film Thirteen was one of the very first films I was paid to review, and I probably would have never seen it otherwise. It's just fantastic and I can't recommend it enough, and it basically made me enough of a fan that I've seen everything she's ever done since, notably Lords of Dogtown, Red Riding Hood and Plush, all of which I enjoyed quite a bit.
Hardwicke famously got the shaft on Twilight, as the film was a massive success and the studio, Summit, wanted to rush out the sequel ASAP, and she wanted to take her time on it. They balked and she walked away from the franchise that made her name as the most successful female director ever at that time. Sadly, none of her subsequent projects have hit it even nearly as big as Twilight, which sucks, as that film is far and away her worst, IMHO.
Anyway, this one is a lot of fun, and kind of a mix between Taken and Narcos. Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez is wonderful as Gloria, a Mexican immigrant that lives in LA and works as a makeup artist. When her best friend from her Mexico days decides to enter into a beauty pageant, she travels there to help out. Alas, when gunmen attack a nightclub the girls are at, Gloria's friend disappears, and she fears the girl might have been kidnapped. Adding to the drama is that she saw the face of one of the gunmen- and he knows it.
When she tries to go to the police to check on her friend, a corrupt officer informs the gunman in question and he, in turn, kidnaps Gloria, and tells her if she doesn't do something for him, he'll kill her, but if she does, he'll help her find her friend. But might he be the one who kidnapped her? Or is it the nefarious Chief of Police, who the gunmen were trying to assassinate during the nightclub attack?
Making matters worse, Gloria eventually escapes, when she is promptly picked up by the DEA, who then force her to work for them or go directly to jail, don't not pass go, because of the "favor" the gunman asked her to do, which got some of said DEA agents killed, though she had no idea what she was doing at the time. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Gloria does her best to play the various forces working against her against each other while she tracks down her friend.
Granted, it's nothing you haven't seen before, but Rodriguez is great, and it's admittedly a blast seeing Jane the Virgin go rogue, lol. The action is fairly plentiful, and the cast is great across the board, though I wasn't familiar with most of them, save Anthony Mackie, who has a small role as gangster that may be more on her side that he seems at first.
I'm always up for a movie revolving around a woman taking the law into her own hands, so I enjoyed it, even if it was pretty by-the-numbers. So, yeah, it's not Hardwicke's best work, but it shows she can still do a mainstream-friendly film with a strong female protagonist with the best of them, so there's that. As such, it's a mild recommendation from me at best.
Speaking of films with strong female protagonists, there's the much more experimental and interesting A Vigilante, another revenge flick directed by a female filmmaker- in this case, first-time writer/director Sarah Daggar-Nickson. It revolves around an abused woman (Olivia Wilde) that decides to take matters into her own hands and becomes a literal vigilante-for-hire, typically working on the behalf of fellow abused women, though she does help some abused kids at one point.
However, her main goal is to seek revenge on her ex-husband, who killed their son in a fit of rage when she attempted to flee him after he abused her one too many times. Unfortunately, she can't prove her husband's dead- namely because he isn't- which means she can't collect insurance on him until he is confirmed as such- and she aims to have her revenge and collect that money, by any means necessary.
So, in between helping others for whatever they can afford to pay, she attempts to track him down in her spare time, having some idea where he might be, on account of their having camped in the area once before. It's a large area, though, and it takes time to search him out- and he may not even be there in the first place. Perhaps needless to say, she eventually finds him- though it may be more accurate to say that it's vice versa.
This is not at all your typical revenge flick- it's way artsy and more of a mood piece than anything else. By which I mean a film that sustains a very specific mood for the entirety of its running time- think stuff like Eraserhead, Natural Born Killers or Spring Breakers, only less out there. Basically, it's kind of a meditation of what it means to be a victim of abuse, and the toll it takes on a woman's psyche.
Interestingly, some of the cast shown at the meetings Wilde's character attends are actual victims of such trauma themselves, so if their stories seem real, that's because they are. This gives the film a sense of reality that most films of this type don't have- this isn't so much a revenge fantasy, as it is a film in which the filmmakers are trying to replicate the often troubled mindset of those who have been abused- the revenge part is only a small part of the film, and it's intentionally downplayed in a very specific way that might disappoint some viewers who want to see a blood bath.
Instead, it's more of a psychological drama that focuses on the trauma of the women involved, not the revenge aspect. Think of it as a sort of arthouse revenge flick, like one of those Dragon Tattoo movies minus all the flash. Wilde's character is just a smart woman that knows how to deal with scumbags and isn't afraid to beat the crap out of them, if necessary.
As I said, the film's climax is dealt with in a subtle way, which may disappoint some, but I liked the new way the film approached a subject many have in a non-exploitative, more dramatic way. It won't be for everyone's taste as a direct result of that approach, and the way it was marketed and described on the DVD/Blu-Ray back cover is misleading AF, but those who dig it, will really love it.
Either way, it's definitely one of the better films I've seen over the last month or so, and I'm definitely recommending it to those who like this sort of thing- just know that it's sort of slow-moving at times, and more of a drama than an action flick and you'll be fine.
Speaking of mood pieces, this is a doozy of one that I can't for the life of me figure out why I'm just getting around to now, not in the least since I've had it in my possession for at least a couple of years. I guess some movies end up falling by the wayside when you watch as many movies and TV shows as I do. Be that as it may, I'm even more surprised I put it off as long as I did, being as it stars two of my favorite current actresses, Emma Roberts (American Horror Story, Scream Queens) and Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina).
Well, better late than never. This is one of those movies you really need to see more than once to truly appreciate, not in the least in that you won't be entirely sure what is going on the first time around, but once you do figure it out, it makes a second viewing an entirely different experience altogether. I love films like that, especially since you almost always catch things you missed the first time around, and this film was no exception.
I don't want to give too much away, except to say that it deals with three women: Kat (Shipka), a loner Freshman struggling to fit in at a Catholic all-girls school; Rose (Lucy Boynton, of Bohemian Rhapsody, who I didn't even recognize at the time, her typically being a blonde), one of the popular girls, who suspects she might be pregnant, and stays behind a day after vacation in order to tell her boyfriend; and Joan (Roberts), another loner that has a mysterious hidden agenda that involves traveling to the vicinity of the aforementioned school.
The film is told in a non-linear fashion, going back and forth in time like a Tarantino film or an episode of Lost, filling in the blanks of certain scenes by repeating them later on from different perspectives and giving us information that we didn't previously have the first time around. It's also kind of like a horror movie as directed by David Lynch, being very stylized and moody and generally weird.
The horror elements drift in very slowly- perhaps too slowly for some- and reveal themselves very gradually, only coming together in earnest at the very end. Even then, some may be very confused by some elements of it. I must admit, it wasn't until I watched a video about it on YouTube that everything clicked together completely, and even then, I was compelled to watch it again, right away. How often can you say that about a modern horror film- or a modern film in general, honestly?
This remarkable effort was written and directed by Osgood "Oz" Perkins, who comes by his penchant for horror with good genes for it- he's the son of none other than Anthony Perkins, aka Norman Bates of the Psycho film series. His subtle approach here, much like A Vigilante, may bore some people to tears, but I found it hypnotic and engaging. It was also fun to think of it as a particularly dark chapter in Sabrina's story, given Shipka's character here, lol. (That's not to say she's necessarily playing a witch here- remember, no spoilers!)
This is the film I would recommend the most of the movies I'm reviewing today- I thought it was just fantastic. It might not be for all tastes- is anything, really?- but if you like your horror dark and moody, with a particular emphasis on prominent female protagonists, a la Rosemary's Baby or Martyrs, then you'll probably dig it.
Just know that it's purposefully slow-moving, and the emphasis isn't on horror until later on in the film- it's really more a film about sadness and loneliness and the toll it can take on a person, which can lead them down some VERY dark paths. Still, it's one of the best horror films I've seen in many a moon, at least since I saw Hereditary. By all means, check this one out.
If you've been reading my work here for some time, then you already know about my major crush on up-and-coming actress Florence Pugh, who knocked me for a loop in Lady Macbeth (decidedly not anything to do with Shakespeare), then solidified my fandom with her role in AMC's The Little Drummer Girl miniseries and as wrestler Paige in the recent Fighting with My Family.
At this point, it's become a must for me to see everything she does, and I couldn't be looking more forward to her going the super-heroine route with a role in the forthcoming Black Widow movie. Anyway, that's what led me to this film, a Netflix movie that ticks all my boxes and then some. It's got Pugh, of course, but it's also a horror movie, and it's a haunted house movie besides, a sub-genre I really love as a horror fan. As such, it was the first of her films that I haven't seen yet that I really wanted to see.
Malevolent is the story of a group of faux Ghostbuster-types that are actually scammers looking to bilk people- typically those still grieving a recently lost loved one- out of their cash. Or are they? It seems that one of them, Angela (Pugh), does, in fact, possess some psychic powers, likely the direct results of her mother, who considered herself a medium able to communicate with spirits, but who went crazy as a result of her powers and took her own life. But are Angela's powers real, or is she going crazy just like her mother?
After their latest "cleaning" results in some very real spiritual activity on Angela's end, she decides to err on the side of caution and quit, so, at the very least, not to expedite the process. But her brother, who is also one of her partners in the scam, gets in trouble with local loan sharks who threaten his life, so she begrudgingly agrees to one last gig to get him out of trouble- which naturally, leads them all to trouble of the paranormal kind when the house they visit proves to actually be haunted after all.
The end result is nothing well-studied fans of the ghost story sub-genre won't be familiar with, though there are a few twists along the way, I suppose. It does get a bit gorier than one might expect in a haunted house movie, but, once again, nothing that will knock hardened horror fans for a loop, but perhaps neophytes might be a little taken aback, if you weren't expecting gore in a movie like this.
That said, it's not enough all around to give the film a ringing endorsement, just a mild one for horror fans and fans of ghost stories. Really, I would say it's kind of skippable unless, like me, you're a Pugh completist, or a fan of Ben Lloyd-Hughes, of Skins and Divergent fame, who plays Angela's ne'er-do-well brother. I didn't hate it, and it didn't overstay its welcome, but it was nothing earth-shattering, either. In other words, it's another meh for me.
Last, and probably least, is the latest from John Travolta, this time featuring a small role for his daughter, Ella Bleu. It sees him going back into pseudo-Pulp Fiction territory, playing an alcoholic/degenerate gambler/private investigator hired to look into the well-being of a woman's grandmother, ostensibly in Galveston, Texas, but looking more like New Orleans. (It's actually Savannah, Georgia.)
While there, PI Carson Phillips, who is from the town in question, reconnects with old friends and frenemies, including Famke Janssen (the X-Men movies) as his old flame, the recently widowed Jayne; and Morgan Freeman, in an atypical bad guy role, as Doc, who owns a casino- and a good half of the town- and isn't as happy as he lets on about his former friend being back in town. When Phillips discovers that Jayne's daughter has been accused of murdering her football star boyfriend, he sticks around to try and solve that case as well and exonerate her, much to Doc's chagrin.
If you know your way around an old school Film Noir (think Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels and the movies based on them) and neo-noirs like Chinatown, you probably won't be that fooled about the underlying plot going on here, but it is kind of fun seeing Freeman as a bad guy, as well as a portly Brendan Fraser hamming it up as a Southern-fried genteel doctor.
Oddball character actor Peter Stormare (Fargo, American Gods) and Robert Patrick (T2: Judgment Day) also crop up, respectively, as a drunken old pal of Phillips and the local Sheriff, who used to be a fellow rabble-rouser like Phillips- and may still be corrupt and in the pocket of Doc. And if you were a Vampire Diaries fan, it's cool seeing perennial goody-two-shoes Kat Graham- who played good witch Bonnie on that show- play a trampy torch singer that sings at Doc's casino- and who just so happens to be his daughter to boot.
Alas, this firmly falls into the general vicinity of camp, thanks to some poor writing and iffy acting throughout. Travolta and Freeman generally emerge unscathed, and Ella Bleu is just fine as the accused daughter of Jansen's character, but one can't help but wonder if Travolta is gunning for Nicholas Cage's career, given his choices as of late. One problem with that- Cage has actually been making some solid choices recently (i.e. Mom & Dad, Mandy), so it may be more of a Freaky Friday switcheroo instead, with Travolta decidedly on the losing end of that particular trade.
At only around a hundred minutes, it's not that much of a suck on your time if you like any of the folks involved, but it's certainly nothing Film Noir fans haven't seen before, and there are definitely some plot holes in the general solution of the crimes at hand that will trouble fans of this sort of thing. Still, it's relatively entertaining, I suppose- though that may depend on your idea of entertaining, I suppose. Personally, I enjoyed it for its camp value, especially on Fraser's end, though Travolta comes awfully close to parody in places his own damn self.
Once again, I can't really recommend this one in good faith- it was basically the kind of thing I watched, then almost immediately forgot about a week later- I even had to remind myself of the title when writing this, mistakenly labeling it The Poison Heart- which isn't exactly a good sign of a quality movie. It's not quite embarrassing for all concerned, but neither is it campy enough to recommend for the opposite reasons, i.e. it being so bad, it's kind of good. So, yeah, yet another meh inducer. 😕
Well, that about does it for now. Like I said, it may be a hot minute before I do another article, on account of family business, but hang in there, I'll be back as soon as I can! 😉
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