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Movie review – The Strays (2023)

25 Saturday Feb 2023

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There’s a lot to unpack from Nathaniel Martello-White’s psychological thriller The Strays, It’s a cyclical social commentary on racial discrimination and elitism that unfolds through a series of events. 

We begin with a prologue sequence where Neve (Ashley Madakwe) is in the throes of a mental breakdown, trapped in an as-yet-undisclosed world with only the thought of escape on her mind. So she packs some of her things and leaves her flat and whatever troubles that she can’t face behind her.

Cut to a title sequence informing the audience that its years later and Neve has now established herself a life of privilege as deputy principal of an elite school with a husband and two kids. The social ladder that she has climbed has seen her as a socialite within the small town community.

Try as she might to hide behind this facade, the mask soon slips as she questions whether she is losing her grip on reality or has her past come back to haunt her as two mysterious assailants appear to be creeping further into her new life threatening to rip it apart at the seams.

SPOILERS AHEAD

When we reach the third segment, we get to go back to find out the true identity of the two assailants, Marvin (Jordan Merle) and Abigail Bukky Bakray) are revealed to be her two children from a previous life. Naturally there is a lot of pent up aggression having been abandoned and to discover that their mother is now living a wealthy lifestyle.

The film’s climax entitled Family Reunion is a pot boiler of emotion all shot in one take to embody the natural performances from each of the characters. It’s nervy, unsettling and delicately poised as the audience is left ambling along with the characters to find a solution. What is presented is one that may leave audiences baffled or applauding its direction.

The Prognosis:

Martello-White delivers a stylised directorial piece that examines the cyclical behaviour that trauma has on society. The performances are solid, particularly from Madakwe and Bukray throwing powerful portrayals of their respective characters. 

The experiment and mode of delivery may irk, especially with its stylised execution but for a debut feature, there is enough punch to make one sit up and take notice.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Day Shift (2022)

19 Friday Aug 2022

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On face value, Day Shift should be one of those movies that could hook you in with its premise that is essentially a spin on the buddy cop movie, but with vampire hunters instead of cops. It also boasts an intriguing cast with Jamie Foxx and Dave Franco as its leads and with a notable supporting role from Snoop Dogg. The style would try to tap in worthy horror comedies from the 80s but the result is a strange mix of genres that never quite mesh together and seem right,

Down-on-his-luck Bud Jablonski (Foxx), has been serving as a vampire hunter for the last few years in San Fernando Valley. All this time his wife and 10 year old daughter have been led to believe that he is a pool cleaner, and that his odd behaviour has started to take its toll on their relationship. Having already been thrown out of the Guild of vampire hunters because of his unorthodox approach, Bud is forced to go back with his tail between his legs and beg for another chance. Thankfully he is aided by his friend and renowned hunter, Big John Elliot (Dogg) who holds some sway with the company, but there’s a catch. Jablonski must team up with wet-behind-the ears Seth (Franco), a desk clerk who plays everything by the book and is employed to catch Jablonski breaking the rules, so that he can get kicked out of the Guild for good.

The extra barrier and darker threat to Jablonski finding his feet is that he has upset one of the head vampires of the valley, Audrey, now intent on bringing him down and ruining him.

The action sequences throughout the movie are nicely played, so hats off to director J.J. Perry who has crafted his work as a stunt coordinator for a number of high profile flicks including John Wick 2. His knowledge in perfecting stunts on screen really paid off with his delivery for his debut feature in the directors chair. 

The issues arise in the lack of chemistry trying to be perfected by Foxx and Franco, but in their defence, the dialogue and screenplay lets them down a little and often misses the mark in the final product. Often it feels like it is all too content in resting on the sizzle of other movies, that it neglects to have a personality of its own.

The Prognosis:

This is a middle of the road action comedy horror, that offers plenty of bang, but not enough substance to really have any lasting impact on its audience.

  • Saul Muerte

Day Shift is currently streaming on Netflix

Movie review: Texas Chainsaw Massacre

18 Friday Feb 2022

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The problem with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is… Leatherface.

What? I hear you bellow and cry? Texas Chainsaw Massacre is Leatherface and that is precisely my point. Having Leatherface as the poster icon for these slasher, body torture flicks has dampened the menace that the original 1974 Tobe Hooper feature had. The torment doesn’t lie with just his heightened and physical presence but with his entire f@#$ed up family.

Family or some sense of family has been key amongst this franchise and to unsettle this dynamic leads to ruin for any who encounter it. This is evident in Hooper’s sequel, albeit through a dark comedy gaze. It’s following sequels tried to replicate this energy but somehow missed the mark and since then the franchise has had more jump starts than a shitbox car with a malfunctioning alternator.

Leatherface is iconic for a reason but without his family support network around (as dysfunctional as they all are) he will either do one of two things, become a hermit, isolated in his own filth and depravation, or become a loose cannon, destroying everything in his path. This latest feature aims for the latter and for good reason as it has become such a winning formula for David Gordon Green’s Halloween franchise revival.

There was some promise in this latest release with Directing Auteur Fede Alvarez behind the resurrection, serving as producer, and teaming up with the original writers Pat Cassidy, Ian and Kim Henkel only added to the integrity.

Legendary Pictures who had secured the rights to the franchise were putting their trust in relative newcomer David Blue Garcia with his sophomore outing in the directors chair for a feature length movie.

The focus for the film would have Leatherface holed up in a house for troubled youths, only now the only occupant along with a mother-like figure who ran what was the facility, played by the fantastic Alice Krige. The rest of the place has become a ghost town filled with dilapidated buildings and the vision of a group of influencers hoping to transform this Texas town into a bustling business venture. Cue potential victims for Leatherface to rip through as these gentrifiers get more than they bargained for.

The issue is that there’s a half-baked idea going on here, and it rests too highly on the success and brutality of Halloween (2018) to fuel Leatherface’s rage, thrusting him solely in the centre of the carnage. When the movie does go for barbarity, it often hits the right notes of repulsion but too often it falls foul of old horror tropes, having it’s leads either hiding in the closet and  under the bed or trying to kick ass against the monster.

TCM even tries to replicate the harshness that trauma has on our heroines, that featured so heavily in Halloween by having one of the leads, Lila (Elsie Fisher) a survivor of a school killing massacre. This is brought in double fold by bringing back Sally Hardesty, this time played by Olwen Fouere, to tap into the whole hardened survivor ala Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode.

Another example however that the filmmakers are content in playing familiar notes and resting on the laurels that the Texas Chainsaw Massacre name and that of its emblematic figure Leatherface brings.

The prognosis:

This latest version is aimed at a new generation of audience.

Too often though, it falls prey to the usual horror tropes and offers nothing new.

Leatherface does go full on with the kill count though going Michael Myers with some brutal deaths, especially with the bus scene which was highly satisfying.

It also had some moments of humour that didn’t necessarily hit the mark.

For veteran horror fans hoping to see some descent bloodshed will feel satiated, but ultimately let down by the lack in depth to the fold as the film struggles to add any flesh to it’s now frail bones.

The rust has truly taken hold in this franchise and it might be too hard to get that chainsaw whirring to satisfaction again without some bold new approach.

– Saul Muerte

Movie review: Army of the Dead

02 Wednesday Jun 2021

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By now Zack Snyder’s Netflix feature starring Dave Bautista is a massive streaming success which indicates that it was firmly on the pulse of the average punters celluloid palette.

You can see why as the trailer promises a jam-packed action feast billed as a cross between a comrade bank heist flick with elements of Oceans 11 (The Vegas element has a lot to do with this), with a post apocalyptic zombie infested world.
The films detailed prologue entails a zombie outbreak in the greed, glitz and glam of Las Vegas which is contained by huge storage containers that form a wall around the city.

Then we’re presented with the premise.
There’s money ripe for the picking in the vaults of the casinos and Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) employs Scott (Bautista) to form a crack guerilla team to infiltrate the quarantined city and retrieve the bounty. It’s a mad proposition but one Scott is willing to take up for a chance to rebuild his life and possibly reconnect with his daughter Kate (Ella Purnell), who he has become estranged with since the zombie outbreak occured.

Once the carrot has been dangled, the audience then sit back and eagerly wait for the carnage to begin. But first we must endure the Mission Impossible style formation of the team and our introduction to them and possible zombie fodder.
There’s two of Scott’s former associates, Maria Cruz (Ana de le Ruguera) and Vanderhoe (Omari Hardwick) the spiritual member of the group, helicopter pilot Marianne (Tig Notaro, who stepped into replace Chris D’Elia through CGI and green screens costing Snyder a fair packet of the production costs), German safecracker Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer), and Chicano sharpshooter Guzman (Raúl Castillo) to name but a few.

Once the set up is established Scott’s daughter Kate, Tanaka’s associate Martin, and with the help of Lily aka The Coyote, the team sneak into the quarantined walls to carry out their mission. The catch, The Government are planning on nuking the whole city in a couple of days, so there’s no time for messing around. Plus, you know, it amplifies the tension… And of course you know that that timeline is going to shorten once said Government decide to move the nuke strike up, meaning the team have even less time to complete their task.

Here’s the thing that gets my goat though.
With such a cool premise, there’s not much substance for the audience to chew on.
Some may counter that with me, stating that it does exactly what it says on the tin. But I like my movies served a little cooked, not raw.

There is some humour on display and some strangled attempts at deep and meaningful chats along the way, but it’s missing some zing to tantalise us with.

Since watching the film there’s been some online discussions about Scott’s team stuck in a time loop purgatory, and this idea I can get behind and if there is truth to this theory, all of a sudden this film gets elevated a little in my reception of it. With rumours of a follow up film on the horizon and with Netflix’s success story to couple it, I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t fleshed out in some way.
I just hope that they can work on the story a little more and give the characters more to work with now that they’ve been established and give the audience a more hefty and enjoyable experience.

The Diagnosis:

Snyder provides us with another gloriously shot,  stellar CGI, packed with some cracking action.
But it is a little half baked and rests on a small thread of an idea. Yes that’s a cool thread, but needs more time and energy spent on building up the storyline and characters to allow them to stand out more.
But I guess time is the real player here. And time will tell if this story will continue and we get more from Snyder’s world or not.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie Review: Run (2021)

08 Thursday Apr 2021

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You can pretty much guarantee that when Sarah Paulson is cast in a role then that movie is gonna come packed with substance and that she will bring a certain amount of gravitas and realism to her role.
Run is no exception where Paulson plays Diana, a mother to Chloe (Kiera Allen), a homeschooled teenager cursed with serious ailments including arrhythmia, hemochromatosis, asthma, diabetes, and paralysis.
Such is her condition that Chloe is completely reliant on Diana.

Our first impressions are that Diana is a dutiful and an understandably highly protective mother, a constant aide for the constant support that Chloe needs. Even moreso when we witness the premature birth of her daughter and the fear and anxiety etched on her face not knowing if her infant will survive.

It’s also apparent that Chloe is incredibly bright kid, always eager to adhere to her schooling needs and compelled to learn more from the world about her. It’s her intuition however that leads her into a discovery that all is not as it seems. Especially with Diana.

The Prognosis:

There’s some excellent performances on display here from the two leads, Paulson and Allen, who have to do the heavy work taking up the majority of the scenes throughout.

Director Aneesh Chaganty also does a superb job to craft as much tension as he can with a fairly basic narrative.
When these moments occur in the film, they are suitablly taut but it’s the moments in-between where the film struggles to lift a little but having said that, the choice to ground the film in reality and not stretch the boundaries that is a bold one that both strengthens and supports it.

Run ends up coasting at a steady pace but fails to show any flair or inability, and seems content to ride along as an average film resting on the actors performances to entertain.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Red Dot

12 Friday Feb 2021

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The latest original offering from streaming platform Netflix comes from the remote Swedish landscape to evoke fear into the hearts of its viewers.

Director Alain Darborg’s sophomore outing in the director’s chair for a feature film is built on a lot of potential and is strengthened by a solid cast, primarily its two leads Anastasios Soulis and Nanna Blondell who provide the heart and soul of the movie waiting to be ripped apart by the ordeal that they are subjected to.

Their characters David and Nadja hold all the promise at the beginning of the movie with David graduating into his ideal job and riding on the high, proposes to Nadja, who willingly agrees.

The road ahead soon dampens though as we are projected down the timeline to find out that the relationship is a rocky one. Nadja finds out that she is pregnant and is concerned about their prospects as parents, especially as David appears incapable of pulling his weight.
He does, however, try to rekindle their relationship by taking the pair away for a winter retreat, camping beneath the aurora borealis.

This is where their journey takes a drastic turn for the worse when they are hunted in the dead of night by a sniper, intent on killing them both.

The film has some interesting twists, turns and reveals along the way, some of it a little predictable and puts a spotlight on the misjudgements of character along the way.

The ending however is a powerful one and highlights the lengths that someone will go to for justice and righting the wrongs of the past. 

Despite some of its uniform approach to the thriller genre, Red Dot is still entertaining and keeps the upbeats up and the downbeats at a suitable low to take a breather from the action.

The Prognosis:

This Swedish horror thriller on Netflix packs plenty of promise but doesn’t quite hit its mark.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: The Platform

02 Saturday Jan 2021

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This Spanish horror flick that is currently streaming on Netflix Australia has garnered some buzz since its release early in 2020. A potential reason that it resonated so profoundly among viewers is its clear social commentary on class warfare. 

Our stage is set when the main protagonist, Goreng (Iván Massagué), awakens in a cell marked with the number 48. We soon learn primarily through his cellmate, Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor), that they are now part of the Vertical Self-Management Centre, a vertical tower where each floor has a hole that drives straight through its centre, in which a platform of food is lowered down to feed the inmates. The purpose is that those nearest the top are provided with the highest quality food and the further down the tower you are, the less likely you will be to reap the benefits of their status.

Each inmate is either sentenced or volunteers to serve a term inside the complex and must endure the time in order to survive. There is no knowing which floor you will be placed, and even then, one only remains for a total of 30 days before being moved on to a different floor. There is only a small amount of time to eat the allocated food too, before it is passed on down to the lower levels. Naturally with such a strict and measured regime, it brings out the worst in humanity, forced to fight tooth and nail for every last scrap or morsel of food. 

Despite the desperate and the barbaric,  bloody nature on show, there is a glimmer of hope in some of the inmates, and Goreng does his level best to turn this state of affairs around and search for a chance for salvation for all.

The Prognosis:

This movie may slather on the morals with a thick wedge of conspicuousness, but the manner in which it delivers is gloriously brutal, heart-rendering and painstakingly satisfying that it deserves high praise for the bold and accessible approach that director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia serves. 

The system may be broken, but it only takes a few to stand true and turn the table. 

A brave statement told through a dystopian lens.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: His House (2020)

18 Wednesday Nov 2020

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Is it possible that director Remi Weekes has just generated the most impactful horror film of 2020? And what’s more a debut feature film that has launched on streaming platform, Netflix.

With a refugee storyline front and centre, depicting a couple who have barely survived escaping from war-torn Sudan to settle in England. as they carry their scars in the decisions they make in order to fight for their freedom.
These choice moments wear them down both physically and mentally which is then projected into the walls of their new abode.
Are these ghosts of their past, a demonic presence, or maybe something far more sinister lurkin from the depths?

I’m a sucker for films that spend the time to create depth in their characters and here Weekes has carefully crafted a storyline with meticulous research and infusing his leads with a predicament based on real life situations to grind as much reality onto the screen, amplifying their turmoil further.
It’s this attention to detail that is even crafted through the production design and cinematography that cements the story and the sheer harrowing ordeal to the very core of humanity.
We continue to question our choices and the decisions we make through life and sometimes these fleeting moments are what haunt us the most, and we must choose to face up to them or continue to burden them upon our backs. It is these minute details and the dedication to the ground work in film making which casts Weekes with a promising career ahead of him. 

Weekes is quick to attest the success of His House to his lead performers, Sope Dirisu (Humans) as Bol and Wunmi Musaku (Lovecraft Country) as his wife, Rial.
Both of whom are beyond amazing with their performances and clearly emote every ounce of the weight that their characters embody, but I would argue that this is a result of what happens when a director allows their actors the space to breathe life into their roles and develop the profundity of their misery.
We the audience are all the better for it and shoulder the burden of every twist and turn along the way, which makes a certain reveal all the more gut-wrenching when it comes along.

The Prognosis:

For a first time running a feature length film, Weekes belies his film-making status, leading the audience to believe that he is a veteran of his craft.

The story is dark, disturbing and ultimately human.

His characters are a showcase in depth, fuelled with the emotion that his fantastic leads, Musaku and Dirisu embody in order to tell a tale that is rich and ultimately rewarding.

His House is an amazing film and has left a significant mark on this reviewers’ soul.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Eli

30 Saturday Nov 2019

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As we fast approach the last month of 2019, I realise that there’s a fair few movies that I need to watch in order to satiate my thirst for horror. Among these was the Netflix feature Eli, starring Kelly Reilly, Lili Taylor, and Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink. 

Directed by Ciaran Foy (Citadel, Sinister 2) struggles to make a deep impact despite the strong performances from the cast, and I can’t help but feel that this is a combination of Foy’s inability to shift away out of the generic, failing to provide something memorable, and a predictable storyline that is almost too afraid to deliver anything new to the audience, more than comfortable to sit in the middle of the road.

The premise begins with the titular character played by Charlie Shotwell, as a bubble boy, cocooned from the world due to a rare disease that causes a severe reaction if he is exposed to the outside world. When provided with the opportunity to cure him of his affliction, Eli’s parents (Reilly and Max Martini) head to a specialised clinic run by Dr Isabella Horn (Taylor). When things appear to be too good to be true, it’s often the case, and there’s something dark and sinister behind the great doctor and her practice. 

As Eli starts to uncover the mystery, he unearths a secret that once exposed will change everything forever. Dare he open Pandora’s Box and who exactly is the mysterious Hayley from next door? 

Prognosis:

Medical facilities, skin diseases and dark secrets that fuel this horror feature, should be the stuff of every genre fans dreams, but instead of offering up scares Eli remains trapped in formulaic territory and seems comfortable to sit in safe territory. 

As such, it’s a mediocre affair – watchable but never truly wets the appetite of any hardened horror enthusiast.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: In The Tall Grass

13 Wednesday Nov 2019

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It’s been over 20 years since Canadian director, Vicenzo Natali left a highly impressionable mark with his directorial debut, Cube.
It’s fair to say, that since then he has never quite had the same response from his movies, but always has a visual style that he draws upon to create his vision. 

With In The Tall Grass, Natali’s sixth feature length feature (excluding the cancelled Tremors TV movie last year) it may have proven to be a step too far in translating a novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill into a 1 hour 40 min running time, as he stretches his vision across a broad canvas and in doing so, loses its appeal.

The premise is a simple one. A heavily pregnant Becky and her brother Cal are travelling to San Diego to give up her baby for adoption, when they pull up alongside a field of tall grass.
It is here that the siblings hear the voice of a young boy calling for help. As soon as they enter the mysterious void, they fall into a labyrinth of despair that calls upon their wits to fight their way out. 

Laboured with strong theology throughout, Becky and Cal must weave their way through the strange and everlasting land, but are constantly confronted by their own inner inhibitions.
Doomed to repeat their actions with slight changes, the audience is treated to an insight into how often they try alternate methods, only to be lead back to the centre of the field and a mysterious rock that feeds on energy and life. 

Accompanying them in the field is another family (a father, mother, and their son, Tobin), equally lost in their myriad of emotions and history.
They are lead by an evangelical father figure, played by the magnificent Patrick Wilson, and his hammed up rampage is a much needed pulse to project the narrative forward. 

Also introduced into the fold is Travis (Australian Harrison Gilbertson) Becky’s ex and father of the unborn child to provide some depth and dynamic interaction, as their fervour reaches fever pitch and leads the audience on a twisted, convoluted journey of redemption.

Prognosis:

Natali seems to love project his protagonists into a tangled web of fear and resolution that shows the kernel of humanity at its core.
In The Tall Grass propels this theme further, but is constantly bogged down in a merky plot that draws on and feels repetitive and predictable as it draws to its conclusion.