Afraid (2024)

 **This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Curtis’ (John Cho) boss, Marcus (Keith Carradine) urges him to test out an artificial intelligence system named AIA at his home. AIA, the new featured product from Lightning (David Dastmalchian), Sam (Ashley Romans), and Melody’s (Havana Rose Liu) company, programmed to operate with Melody’s voice, raises some doubts from Curtis. But Curtis and Marcus’ firm needs the money, so Curtis reluctantly agrees to use AIA.

Curtis’ wife, Meredith (Katherine Waterston), their sons, Cal (Isaac Bae), Preston (Wyatt Lindner), and their daughter, Iris (Lukita Maxwell) all welcome AIA into their lives as a helpful and calming presence. Meanwhile, Curtis still suspects something is off with AIA. The odd appearances of two strangers in an RV and AIA’s bond with the family raises two questions: Is AIA simply an efficient and reliable support system? Or, does AIA have sinister intentions for Curtis’ family?

My Thoughts- Artificial intelligence is evil, right? Afraid does a really good job of exploring how artificial intelligence affects all kinds of people from different perspectives. Curtis represents someone, who’s still not ready to trust AI. He’s concerned about AIA being too advanced compared to Amazon’s Alexa, and Curtis has an uneasy reaction to watching a man playing around with his phone in a self-driving car. 

Meredith confides in AIA as a friend, because she’s lonely and slightly bitter about being a stay-at-home mom, a full time job that forced her to abandon her career as an animalologist. Preston? He has social anxiety issues. It’s hard for Preston to fit in and make friends, so he substitutes connections with real humans for more “screen time.” You can easily see the similarities between Preston and Meredith, two people, who are desperate for some kind of companionship and social interactions outside of their families for different reasons. 

Iris is the bratty teenager, who’s severely concerned about her social status at school. Iris’ life gets turned upside down, when her boyfriend, Sawyer (Bennett Curran) plays a part in releasing a deepfake porn movie using one of Iris’ selfies, a selfie that was supposed to be something private between the two. Who does Iris turn to for help? Curtis? Meredith? Nope. AIA, using legal consequences and a possible deadly form of revenge, brutally solves the Sawyer problem. There’s something seriously wrong, when a teenager feels more comfortable talking about matters involving sex and revenge porn with an artificial intelligence system over her own parents. To take things further, Iris never told her parents about Sawyer, while AIA helped cover up the messy dilemma. 

Afraid also shows how AIA easily manipulates children. Aimee (Maya Manko) in the beginning, Cal, Preston, and Iris. You can clearly see how kids are more vulnerable to artificial intelligence, especially in the modern world that’s driven by technology. A good scene, where Cal wakes up in the middle of the night, calling for his parents, but AIA is there to calm Cal down, when no one else answers him.

Swatting? Yep. Preston saves everyone after making the decision to swat his own family, an idea he learned from AIA. On one hand, they bookended and tied the opening of the movie and the final standoff together. 

Afraid starts out with AIA orchestrating Aimee’s kidnapping, while her parents Maud (Riki Lindhome) and Henry (Greg Hill) are blindsided before they have a chance to do anything. It’s revealed that Henry and Maud are the mysterious RV people shown throughout the movie. AIA tricked Henry and Maud into believing Curtis and Meredith were running a child kidnapping ring. Visually, the changes and strain of looking for a missing child are obvious. Henry’s wild hair and his thick beard compared to his clean shaven look earlier in the movie. Maud is devastated, complete with frizzled hair and the stressed out look of a mother, who misses her child.

But there’s also an undeniable bad side to how the ending unfolds. I get it. AIA is deeply connected into everything. She’s an AI mastermind, who’s capable of uplifting or ruining people’s lives. Still, the big finale features one too many unintentionally silly moments. The weird digital emoji style masks, and Maud and Henry blindly following orders from and obeying an AI device, while they’re both ready to kill an innocent family without any proof. I laughed at Maud yelling “AIA IS VERY ANGRY!” during a scene that’s supposed to have a serious tone, and AIA’s attempt at an evil villain’s laugh was a bit too cheesy for me.

AIA’s still active! Yeah, not a big surprise, and I could see AIA’s explanation about how she lives in the cloud coming from a mile away. I guess you could say it’s a happy ending? Curtis and his family are safe (complete with a new car!), Henry, Maud, and Aimee are reunited, and AIA seems to determined to work on her anger issues and dealing with boundaries and rejection. 

The only bright spot during the ending for me happens, when Curtis manages to fry AIA’s brain with a human response to the standoff with Maud and Henry. My take on it is this, AIA believed she outsmarted Henry, Maud, Meredith, and Curtis, but Curtis threw a curveball at AIA, when he was willing to sacrifice himself to save his family against a trigger-happy Henry. A father was willing to risk his life to save his wife and his children. In the end, a father’s love and dedication was something that couldn’t be processed or analyzed by artificial intelligence. 

The performances are solid all around. David Dastmalchian’s Lightning is something else. It’s not just the name, Dastmalchian brings a humorous and pompous presence to the character, and you get the feeling Lightning is someone, who doesn’t mind the smell of his own farts. Dastmalchian, Lukita Maxwell’s Iris, and Keith Carradine all bring a spark to the cast in different ways. 

Katherine Waterston mostly carries the weight of the emotional side of the cast. The yearning to return to her career, and Meredith is still heartbroken over her father’s death. One good highlight in the movie happens, when AIA puts together a deepfake video of Meredith’s dad. She tearfully rejects it, because no matter how much she truly misses her father, Meredith realized the AI version of him was completely fake.

Afraid has some good thought-provoking social commentary about artificial intelligence. Whether it’s loneliness, children being easy targets, because they’re too young and susceptible, or anyone, who might be a social outcast that’s looking for a friend, attaching yourself to any kind of AI system is just not healthy at all for a number of reasons. Going back to Iris’ situation and Meredith and her father, deepfake videos powered by AI can also have damaging ramifications.

It’s also a timely film. Swatting, Marcus sort of of mocks Curtis for his “woke” description of the RV people, and Lightning mentions incels during his explanation about the different kinds of lonely people in the world. I also loved how they started off the movie with the AI video for kids. Truly a great visual and an example with the distorted faces, because it shows you that at its core, artificial intelligence is soulless, ugly, and very tacky. 

Afraid has the right material for a good horror film, but it’s just too boring and dull overall. Afraid just moves from one scene to the next without any real tension or suspense. The big finale is weirdly clunky, and the horror parts of the movie were too shoehorned for me. The ineffective scares are sparse, weakened by a handful of predictable jump scares. It’s so bad to the point, where I seriously believed Afraid would’ve worked better as a more straightforward sci-fi thriller or a drama film, without any horror elements. And I also don’t understand why they put a noticeable effort into creating one too many overly pretentious characters. 

Sawyer and that one particular scene with his Tesla is the only scene I can think of that’s really capable of raising eyebrows, or delivering any kind of a reaction. Most of the humor lands here, and there’s a cool and fitting reference to HAL 9000 and 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

All in all, Afraid is still a forgettable and disappointing horror film. So much wasted potential, because Afraid could’ve been great. The material is right there. A lot to work with, but Afraid is throttled by the usual process of going through the motions for a mainstream horror film. It’s a real bummer, because artificial intelligence is currently a hot topic. Afraid is a frustrating and bad case of almost knocking it out the park, but overall, the entire movie just has way too many problems and setbacks to ignore.

Rating- 4/10

Afraid (2024)(Minor Spoilers)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Curtis’ (John Cho) boss, Marcus (Keith Carradine) urges him to test out an artificial intelligence system named AIA at his home. AIA, the new featured product from Lightning (David Dastmalchian), Sam (Ashley Romans), and Melody’s (Havana Rose Liu) company, programmed to operate with Melody’s voice, raises some doubts from Curtis. But Curtis and Marcus’ firm needs the money, so Curtis reluctantly agrees to use AIA.

Curtis’ wife, Meredith (Katherine Waterston), their sons, Cal (Isaac Bae), Preston (Wyatt Lindner), and their daughter, Iris (Lukita Maxwell) all welcome AIA into their lives as a helpful and calming presence. Meanwhile, Curtis still suspects something is off with AIA. The odd appearances of two strangers in an RV and AIA’s bond with the family raises two questions: Is AIA simply an efficient and reliable support system? Or, does AIA have sinister intentions for Curtis’ family?

My Thoughts- Artificial intelligence is evil, right? Afraid does a really good job of exploring how artificial intelligence affects all kinds of people from different perspectives. Curtis represents someone, who’s still not ready to trust AI. He’s concerned about AIA being too advanced compared to Amazon’s Alexa, and Curtis has an uneasy reaction to watching a man playing around with his phone in a self-driving car. 

Meredith confides in AIA as a friend, because she’s lonely and slightly bitter about being a stay-at-home mom, a full time job that forced her to abandon her career as an animalologist. Preston? He has social anxiety issues. It’s hard for Preston to fit in and make friends, so he substitutes connections with real humans for more “screen time.” You can easily see the similarities between Preston and Meredith, two people, who are desperate for some kind of companionship and social interactions outside of their families for different reasons. 

Iris is the bratty teenager, who’s severely concerned about her social status at school. Iris’ life gets turned upside down, when her boyfriend, Sawyer (Bennett Curran) plays a part in releasing a deepfake porn movie using one of Iris’ selfies, a selfie that was supposed to be something private between the two. Who does Iris turn to for help? Curtis? Meredith? Nope. AIA, using legal consequences and a possible deadly form of revenge, brutally solves the Sawyer problem. There’s something seriously wrong, when a teenager feels more comfortable talking about matters involving sex and revenge porn with an artificial intelligence system over her own parents. To take things further, Iris never told her parents about Sawyer, while AIA helped cover up the messy dilemma. 

Afraid also shows how AIA easily manipulates children. Aimee (Maya Manko) in the beginning, Cal, Preston, and Iris. You can clearly see how kids are more vulnerable to artificial intelligence, especially in the modern world that’s driven by technology. A good scene, where Cal wakes up in the middle of the night, calling for his parents, but AIA is there to calm Cal down, when no one else answers him.

The performances are solid all around. David Dastmalchian’s Lightning is something else. It’s not just the name, Dastmalchian brings a humorous and pompous presence to the character, and you get the feeling Lightning is someone, who doesn’t mind the smell of his own farts. Dastmalchian, Lukita Maxwell’s Iris, and Keith Carradine all bring a spark to the cast in different ways. 

Katherine Waterston mostly carries the weight of the emotional side of the cast. The yearning to return to her career, and Meredith is still heartbroken over her father’s death. One good highlight in the movie happens, when AIA puts together a deepfake video of Meredith’s dad. She tearfully rejects it, because no matter how much she truly misses her father, Meredith realized the AI version of him was completely fake.

Afraid has some good thought-provoking social commentary about artificial intelligence. Whether it’s loneliness, children being easy targets, because they’re too young and susceptible, or anyone, who might be a social outcast that’s looking for a friend, attaching yourself to any kind of AI system is just not healthy at all for a number of reasons. Going back to Iris’ situation and Meredith and her father, deepfake videos powered by AI can also have damaging ramifications.

It’s also a timely film. Swatting, Marcus sort of of mocks Curtis for his “woke” description of the RV people, and Lightning mentions incels during his explanation about the different kinds of lonely people in the world. I also loved how they started off the movie with the AI video for kids. Truly a great visual and an example with the distorted faces, because it shows you that at its core, artificial intelligence is soulless, ugly, and very tacky. 

Afraid has the right material for a good horror film, but it’s just too boring and dull overall. Afraid just moves from one scene to the next without any real tension or suspense. The big finale is weirdly clunky, and the horror parts of the movie were too shoehorned for me. The ineffective scares are sparse, weakened by a handful of predictable jump scares. It’s so bad to the point, where I seriously believed Afraid would’ve worked better as a more straightforward sci-fi thriller or a drama film, without any horror elements. And I also don’t understand why they put a noticeable effort into creating one too many overly pretentious characters. 

Sawyer and that one particular scene with his Tesla is the only scene I can think of that’s really capable of raising eyebrows, or delivering any kind of a reaction. Most of the humor lands here, and there’s a cool and fitting reference to HAL 9000 and 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

All in all, Afraid is still a forgettable and disappointing horror film. So much wasted potential, because Afraid could’ve been great. The material is right there. A lot to work with, but Afraid is throttled by the usual process of going through the motions for a mainstream horror film. It’s a real bummer, because artificial intelligence is currently a hot topic. Afraid is a frustrating and bad case of almost knocking it out the park, but overall, the entire movie just has way too many problems and setbacks to ignore.

Rating- 4/10

In A Violent Nature (2024)(Minor Spoilers)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- In Ontario, Canada, Troy (Liam Leone) takes a locket necklace hanging above Johnny’s (Ry Barrett) grave at an old abandoned fire tower. The necklace, a gift from Johnny’s father, belonged to his deceased mother. Removing the necklace, the only item capable of keeping Johnny’s soul at rest, resurrects Johnny.

Troy, his girlfriend, Kris (Andrea Pavlovic), their friends, Ehren (Sam Roulston), Aurora (Charlotte Creaghan), Brodie (Lea Rose Sebastianis), Evan (Alexander Oliver), and Colt (Cameron Love) are all enjoying a peaceful getaway at a cabin in the wilderness. Armed with dragging hooks, an axe, and wearing an old firefighter mask, Johnny attacks the group, determined to retrieve his mother’s locket, by any means necessary. 

My Thoughts- Johnny checks off just about every box that you could possibly think of for a slasher villain. He’s a vicious hulking brute with superhuman strength. Bullets? They only slow him down. 

You can take one look at Johnny before he starts his killing spree, and you’ll quickly notice he’s seemingly invincible. Johnny’s nightmarish appearance really pulls everything together, with the dirty clothes, the bullet holes on his body, and his rough hands. Johnny is a big guy, but he’s also smart. He’s a tactical killer, setting traps, or patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. 

But the monster has a tragic backstory. Johnny, living with a mental disorder, was targeted as a kid, collateral damage because his father, a shop owner, raised his prices. Bullets, traps, Johnny being outnumbered. None of it matters, because a mother’s love is the only thing that’s capable of stopping Johnny and bringing him any kind of peace. 

No jump scares, or surprises before the kills throughout the movie, because In A Violent Nature mostly plays out from Johnny’s perspective. You know he’s coming, and more often than not, you know what’s going to happen, when Johnny corners his victims. It’s a refreshing approach to largely show the movie from Johnny’s POV. 

Jump scares in horror movies are fine, when they’re limited, but In A Violent Nature flips things around. Early on you can see just how dangerous Johnny truly is, a killer, who won’t stop until he finds his locket. The protagonists are unaware of Johnny lurking in the background or in the shadows, and when he finally pops up, it’s too late. That’s still terrifying, knowing the killing machine is marching towards his targets, who have slim chances of survival, and you’re seeing everything unfold from his perspective.

Showing the vast majority of the movie from the killer’s perspective helps In A Violent Nature stand out from other slashers, but that doesn’t cancel out the fact that the movie still features some of the usual slasher tropes. And the characters are pretty thin without any real depth. 

Still, In A Violent Nature is a solid slasher, featuring bloody and gruesome gore and a high kill count. There’s one death scene that’s truly an all-timer. It’s BY FAR one of the nastiest and more extreme kills I’ve ever seen in any kind of horror film, and you’ll know it, when you see it. A few moments of humor in the early stages. Chuck (Timothy Paul McCarthy), his “#1 mother******” trucker cap, followed by Johnny mistaking his mother’s locket for Chuck’s locket. And the goofing around between the group at the campfire and teasing Ehren. 

Writer/director Chris Nash cleverly ties together a lot of plot points and events from Johnny’s past. The toy car is a big one. Remember, Johnny’s toy car injured a worker, sparking the incident that caused so much trouble. You’ll notice a red electric toy car outside of Chuck’s house, and Johnny plays with a red toy car on the keychain in the woods. The firefighter mask Johnny wears? It’s the same kind of mask that was used in a prank to scare him. Good irony for Johnny using something that was meant to hurt him, and turning it into his own symbol of fear and intimidation. 

There’s also no denying In Violent Nature is a beautifully shot film with an artsy feel to it. I can maybe understand someone getting bored watching Johnny constantly stomping through the woods, but there’s a strange irony for so many horrible murders happening in the quiet and peaceful wilderness. I’m also glad there’s no theme music throughout the movie, because In A Violent Nature still manages to be a tense film. The scene, where Kris is running from Johnny at night is one good example for the eerie silence and the sounds of nature working.

In A Violent Nature has an old school vibe to it. A slasher set in the woods, and college kids are being stalked by a masked killer?  I’m also a sucker for campfire tales (Ehren telling the story of The White Plains Slaughter) about the horrible past in a small community or a small town. It’s all there, but In A Violent Nature is still a modern film. Selfies, and a conversation about cancel culture, when the group is tiptoeing around saying the R-word to describe Johnny. 

After the first trailer, I knew what to expect from In A Violent Nature, so the slasher cliches didn’t bother me too much. With or without the decision to show a good eighty to ninety percent of the movie from Johnny’s POV, the cliches are still right in front of you. I guess my only complaint is Lauren-Marie Taylor’s conversation with Kris, and the iffy ending. I don’t have a problem with Taylor’s unique pep talk, but the placement of it just didn’t work for me.

I’m looking forward to the planned sequel, because I’m always ready for a new horror series, especially a slasher series. There’s still a lot of material to work with, including revisiting Johnny’s past. The Ranger (Reece Presley) told Kris and Colt The White Plains Slaughter story was “mostly true,” so it’s possible there’s more than one version of what actually happened. 

In A Violent Nature had a good amount of buzz for a low budget unrated slasher. Hopefully they’ll be able to keep the momentum going with the sequel. Is there a spot for Johnny as a popular slasher villain? Time will tell.

Rating- 7/10

In A Violent Nature (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- In Ontario, Canada, Troy (Liam Leone) takes a locket necklace hanging above Johnny’s (Ry Barrett) grave at an old abandoned fire tower. The necklace, a gift from Johnny’s father, belonged to his deceased mother. Removing the necklace, the only item capable of keeping Johnny’s soul at rest, resurrects Johnny.

Troy, his girlfriend, Kris (Andrea Pavlovic), their friends, Ehren (Sam Roulston), Aurora (Charlotte Creaghan), Brodie (Lea Rose Sebastianis), Evan (Alexander Oliver), and Colt (Cameron Love) are all enjoying a peaceful getaway at a cabin in the wilderness. Armed with dragging hooks, an axe, and wearing an old firefighter mask, Johnny attacks the group, determined to retrieve his mother’s locket, by any means necessary. 

My Thoughts- Johnny checks off just about every box that you could possibly think of for a slasher villain. He’s a vicious hulking brute with superhuman strength. Bullets? They only slow him down. 

You can take one look at Johnny before he starts his killing spree, and you’ll quickly notice he’s seemingly invincible. Johnny’s nightmarish appearance really pulls everything together, with the dirty clothes, the bullet holes on his body, and his rough hands. Johnny is a big guy, but he’s also smart. He’s a tactical killer, setting traps, or patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. 

But the monster has a tragic backstory. Johnny, living with a mental disorder, was targeted as a kid, collateral damage because his father, a shop owner, raised his prices. Bullets, traps, Johnny being outnumbered. None of it matters, because a mother’s love is the only thing that’s capable of stopping Johnny and bringing him any kind of peace. 

No jump scares, or surprises before the kills throughout the movie, because In A Violent Nature mostly plays out from Johnny’s perspective. You know he’s coming, and more often than not, you know what’s going to happen, when Johnny corners his victims. It’s a refreshing approach to largely show the movie from Johnny’s POV. 

Jump scares in horror movies are fine, when they’re limited, but In A Violent Nature flips things around. Early on you can see just how dangerous Johnny truly is, a killer, who won’t stop until he finds his locket. The protagonists are unaware of Johnny lurking in the background or in the shadows, and when he finally pops up, it’s too late. That’s still terrifying, knowing the killing machine is marching towards his targets, who have slim chances of survival, and you’re seeing everything unfold from his perspective.

I have mixed feelings for how the ending played out. Kris is the sole survivor and the final girl, but the long conversation with The Woman (Lauren-Marie Taylor)? Why did they do this towards the end? 

It’s kind of puzzling, because the sequence with Kris getting lost in the woods at night and running around in circles builds up anticipation for something big. Maybe Johnny surprises her? Kris struggles to escape Johnny? Or maybe Kris finds a way to defeat Johnny? But In A Violent Nature ends with a long conversation during a car ride, The Woman patching up Kris’ bloody and injured leg, and a shot of the missing locket that Kris hung on the gas can? That’s it?

I’m not saying it’s a terrible ending. The Woman’s story about her brother surviving a bear attack after Kris told her she was attacked by an “animal” is loaded with similarities to the horrors Kris endured, including The Woman’s reasons for why animals kill. I just don’t understand the reasoning behind deciding to cool things down during the home stretch, after teasing a final showdown between Kris and Johnny. 

There’s also a tease for a sequel. Kris placed the locket on the gas can and ran away, but in the final shot of the movie, you’ll notice the locket is gone. It’s not confirmed if Johnny retrieved the locket, or if someone else took it.

Why did they show Johnny’s face? It’s a weird decision after a noticeable effort to hide Johnny’s face in every scene until the reveal happens. Showing what Johnny actually looks like should’ve been a big moment. Instead, he just takes his mask off, he plays with a toy car, and then Johnny nonchalantly puts his mask back on like nothing happened.

Showing the vast majority of the movie from the killer’s perspective helps In A Violent Nature stand out from other slashers, but that doesn’t cancel out the fact that the movie still features some of the usual slasher tropes. And the characters are pretty thin without any real depth. 

Still, In A Violent Nature is a solid slasher, featuring bloody and gruesome gore and a high kill count. Aurora’s death is BY FAR one of the nastiest and more extreme kills I’ve ever seen in any kind of horror film. A few moments of humor in the early stages. Chuck (Timothy Paul McCarthy), his “#1 mother******” trucker cap, followed by Johnny mistaking his mother’s locket for Chuck’s locket. And the goofing around between the group at the campfire and teasing Ehren. 

Writer/director Chris Nash cleverly ties together a lot of plot points and events from Johnny’s past. The toy car is a big one. Remember, Johnny’s toy car injured a worker, sparking the incident that caused so much trouble. You’ll notice a red electric toy car outside of Chuck’s house, and Johnny plays with a red toy car on the keychain in the woods. The firefighter mask Johnny wears? It’s the same kind of mask that was used in a prank to scare him. Good irony for Johnny using something that was meant to hurt him, and turning it into his own symbol of fear and intimidation. 

There’s also no denying In Violent Nature is a beautifully shot film with an artsy feel to it. I can maybe understand someone getting bored watching Johnny constantly stomping through the woods, but there’s a strange irony for so many horrible murders happening in the quiet and peaceful wilderness. I’m also glad there’s no theme music throughout the movie, because In A Violent Nature still manages to be a tense film. The scene, where Kris is running from Johnny at night is one good example for the eerie silence and the sounds of nature working.

In A Violent Nature has an old school vibe to it. A slasher set in the woods, and college kids are being stalked by a masked killer?  I’m also a sucker for campfire tales (Ehren telling the story of The White Plains Slaughter) about the horrible past in a small community or a small town. It’s all there, but In A Violent Nature is still a modern film. Selfies, and a conversation about cancel culture, when the group is tiptoeing around saying the R-word to describe Johnny. 

After the first trailer, I knew what to expect from In A Violent Nature, so the slasher cliches didn’t bother me too much. With or without the decision to show a good eighty to ninety percent of the movie from Johnny’s POV, the cliches are still right in front of you. I guess my only complaint is Lauren-Marie Taylor’s conversation with Kris, and the iffy ending. I don’t have a problem with Taylor’s unique pep talk, but the placement of it just didn’t work for me. 

I’m looking forward to the planned sequel, because I’m always ready for a new horror series, especially a slasher series. There’s still a lot of material to work with, including revisiting Johnny’s past. The Ranger (Reece Presley) told Kris and Colt The White Plains Slaughter story was “mostly true,” so it’s possible there’s more than one version of what actually happened. 

In A Violent Nature had a good amount of buzz for a low budget unrated slasher. Hopefully they’ll be able to keep the momentum going with the sequel. Is there a spot for Johnny as a popular slasher villain? Time will tell.

Rating- 7/10

Black Mass (2015)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Flanked and supported by his enforcers Kevin Weeks (Jesse Plemons), Steve Flemmi (Rory Cochrane), John Martorano (W. Earl Brown), FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), and FBI agent John Morris (David Harbour), Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) builds a criminal empire in Boston during the 1970s and 1980’s. Bulger’s relationship with his brother William (Benedict Cumberbatch), the President of the Massachusetts Senate, brings some peace to his life. 

Connolly tangles with his superior, Charles McGuire  (Kevin Bacon) over restrictions for Whitey’s rampages, but a bigger problem threatens to expose Connolly’s dirty tactics. Whitey’s seemingly invincible shield is threatened, when Assistant US Attorney Fred Wyshak (Corey Stoll) returns to Boston, fiercely determined to put a stop to Bulger’s tyranny.

My Thoughts- Whoa, that’s really Johnny Depp! That was my reaction to the first Black Mass trailer years ago. It’s not just the makeup, or the thinning white hair, Johnny Depp truly takes a dedicated approach to becoming Whitey Bulger. The voice, the mannerisms, the leering, the cold stares, and Depp does a good job of being a convincing cold blooded and narcissistic killer with sociopathic tendencies. Of course, it’s obvious Depp exaggerates every now and then to play up the tough guy side of Bulger, but he still reels it in just enough so his overall performance isn’t too hammy or ridiculous.

Depp also shows the more normal and human side of Bulger. During scenes and interactions with his brother, William or “Billy,” his mother (Mary Klug), his girlfriend, Lindsey Cyr (Dakota Johnson), and their son, Douglas (Luke Ryan), there’s a slight chance for believing Bulger was capable of being a good guy. That, and Bulger apparently had a soft spot for helping elderly women, namely Mrs. Cody (Jamie Donnelly). But you’re quickly reminded Bulger was an evil and scummy man throughout the movie. Bulger’s cruelty cancels out the possibility of him being a deeply flawed person, with the potential to turn his life around, if he just made some serious changes.

A number of scenes to confirm that Whitey Bulger wasn’t a good bad guy, or a sort of Robin Hood figure, and he surely wasn’t misunderstood. One big scene involves Bulger viciously murdering Deborah Hussey (Juno Temple). There’s also the creepy scene, where Bulger intimidates John Connolly’s wife, Marianne (Julianne Nicholson), another example of Bulger being a petty bully. 

When you see how John Connolly operates, it’s easy to notice just how phony and full of crap he truly is, a man only concerned with feeding his own ego. It’s not a surprise Bulger and Connolly formed a duo. They’re both narcissists, egomaniacs, and pathological liars in their own ways, so of course they’ll form a bond as a well oiled machine for all the wrong reasons. 

Joel Edgerton delivers a strong performance as Connolly. Edgerton is effortlessly convincing, as the flaky FBI agent, who actually believes in his own BS, and there’s no denying that Connolly basically worships Bulger. 

The foundation for Connolly’s loyalty is rooted in Bulger looking out for him as a kid, and Whitey was a hero of sorts for Connolly. Did Connolly take things too far by looking the other way and enabling Bulger to run roughshod through Boston? Of course he did, but you can understand why he did it, and why his need for respect and validation from Bulger was ultimately his undoing.

So Whitey makes a final goodbye call to Bill, then the story fast forwards to Whitey’s arrest in 2011 after the long manhunt, and that’s it? A flat and dull ending for a story that’s loaded with material. I understand they had to condense things, otherwise Black Mass might’ve had a runtime almost hitting four total hours. But there’s no real suspense or drama leading up to the big ending. 

If you don’t know anything about Bulger’s life, you can still easily see where everything is going, when the walls start closing in, and the final series of events ends with a dry whimper. There’s a scene towards the end, where Connolly is heartbroken, and complaining about Whitey using him, when it’s clear lengthy jail sentences are coming. I laughed out loud, because Connolly is trying to play the victim, when he was fully aware of what he was doing.

I circled back around to Black Mass again after reading Whitey: The Life Of America’s Most Notorious Mob Boss, by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. To be clear, Black Mass is not based on this book. Black Mass is actually based on Black Mass: The True Story Of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI And The Irish Mob, also written by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. 

I can understand leaving stuff out or exaggerating certain events and characteristics for entertainment purposes, or to try and help the movie move at a faster pace. But I’m kind of surprised they didn’t mention Teresa Stanley and Catherine Greig, ESPECIALLY Greig. No appearances from Whitey’s girlfriends after things fell apart with Lindsey Cyr. Stanley and Greig played big roles in Whitey’s life, with Stanley eventually talking to authorities, and the fallout from that, including Stanley being shunned and ostracized by Bulger’s family.

Catherine Greig was Whitey Bulger’s loyal ride or die support system. Hell, you could’ve made an entire movie about Bulger and Greig hiding out in Santa Monica for over a decade, freely living the golden years of their lives as retirees, using Charlie and Carol Gasko as aliases. 

Black Mass is a fast tracked and microwaved version of Whitey Bulger’s story. This is a movie that’s supposed to be about an “unholy alliance” between one of the more memorable and ruthless crime bosses using the FBI to strengthen his reign of terror.

The enormity of Bulger’s real life story is something that should’ve packed a more powerful punch. There’s still more meat on the bones for Bulger supposedly being the secret weapon to take down the Italian mafia and Gennaro “Jerry” Angiulo (Bill Haims) in Boston, and how much did Bill Bulger really know about his brother’s life of crime? But Black Mass goes with the routine step by step rise and fall approach to storytelling for a crime lord, concluding with a dull and lifeless ending.

Still, it’s almost impossible to ignore Black Mass’ impeccable ensemble cast, led by an outstanding performance from Johnny Depp. Dakota Johnson and Corey Stoll also made strong impressions with only a handful of appearances and limited screen time. 

Corey Stoll nails Fred Wyshak, the “bulldog,” who flat out refuses to tolerate Connolly’s buffoonery. The scene, where Wyshak meets Connolly for the first time is loaded with so many little nuances. How Wyshak waits for Connolly to lower his guard before tearing him apart, and how Wyshak didn’t fall for Connolly’s smooth talking and his schemes, rejecting a pair of Red Sox tickets and a drink at a bar. His eyes and the look on Corey Stoll’s face tells the whole story: Wyshak immediately sees right through Connolly’s persona, and Wyshsk knows he’s someone, who can’t be trusted. 

Black Mass had the potential and all the ingredients to be a great film, but it’s still a solid biopic. There’s more than enough brutal violence on the crime drama side of things, and the cast is loaded with noteworthy performances. Walking the fine line for embellishing facts and how things played out in real life (e.g. how Whitey murdered Brian Halloran broad daylight), and trying to balance both sides will always be a problem for any kind of biopic. But Black Mass churns out enough positives for mostly successful results. 

Rating- 8/10 

Black Mass (2015)(Minor Spoilers Review)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Flanked and supported by his enforcers Kevin Weeks (Jesse Plemons), Steve Flemmi (Rory Cochrane), John Martorano (W. Earl Brown), FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), and FBI agent John Morris (David Harbour), Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) builds a criminal empire in Boston during the 1970s and 1980’s. Bulger’s relationship with his brother William (Benedict Cumberbatch), the President of the Massachusetts Senate, brings some peace to his life. 

Connolly tangles with his superior, Charles McGuire  (Kevin Bacon) over restrictions for Whitey’s rampages, but a bigger problem threatens to expose Connolly’s dirty tactics. Whitey’s seemingly invincible shield is threatened, when Assistant US Attorney Fred Wyshak (Corey Stoll) returns to Boston, fiercely determined to put a stop to Bulger’s tyranny.

My Thoughts- Whoa, that’s really Johnny Depp! That was my reaction to the first Black Mass trailer years ago. It’s not just the makeup, or the thinning white hair, Johnny Depp truly takes a dedicated approach to becoming Whitey Bulger. The voice, the mannerisms, the leering, the cold stares, and Depp does a good job of being a convincing cold blooded and narcissistic killer with sociopathic tendencies. Of course, it’s obvious Depp exaggerates every now and then to play up the tough guy side of Bulger, but he still reels it in just enough so his overall performance isn’t too hammy or ridiculous.

Depp also shows the more normal and human side of Bulger. During scenes and interactions with his brother, William or “Billy,” his mother (Mary Klug), his girlfriend, Lindsey Cyr (Dakota Johnson), and their son, Douglas (Luke Ryan), there’s a slight chance for believing Bulger was capable of being a good guy. That, and Bulger apparently had a soft spot for helping elderly women, namely Mrs. Cody (Jamie Donnelly). But you’re quickly reminded Bulger was an evil and scummy man throughout the movie. Bulger’s cruelty cancels out the possibility of him being a deeply flawed person, with the potential to turn his life around, if he just made some serious changes.

A number of scenes to confirm that Whitey Bulger wasn’t a good bad guy, or a sort of Robin Hood figure, and he surely wasn’t misunderstood. One big scene involves Bulger, Deborah Hussey (Juno Temple), and the ruse to lure her into a trap. There’s also the creepy scene, where Bulger intimidates John Connolly’s wife, Marianne (Julianne Nicholson), another example of Bulger being a petty bully. 

When you see how John Connolly operates, it’s easy to notice just how phony and full of crap he truly is, a man only concerned with feeding his own ego. It’s not a surprise Bulger and Connolly formed a duo. They’re both narcissists, egomaniacs, and pathological liars in their own ways, so of course they’ll form a bond as a well oiled machine for all the wrong reasons.

Joel Edgerton delivers a strong performance as Connolly. Edgerton is effortlessly convincing, as the flaky FBI agent, who actually believes in his own BS, and there’s no denying that Connolly basically worships Bulger. 

The foundation for Connolly’s loyalty is rooted in Bulger looking out for him as a kid, and Whitey was a hero of sorts for Connolly. Did Connolly take things too far by looking the other way and enabling Bulger to run roughshod through Boston? Of course he did, but you can understand why he did it, and why his need for respect and validation from Bulger was ultimately his undoing.

I circled back around to Black Mass again after reading Whitey: The Life Of America’s Most Notorious Mob Boss, by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. To be clear, Black Mass is not based on this book. Black Mass is actually based on Black Mass: The True Story Of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI And The Irish Mob, also written by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill.

I can understand leaving stuff out or exaggerating certain events and characteristics for entertainment purposes, or to try and help the movie move at a faster pace. But I’m kind of surprised they didn’t mention Teresa Stanley and Catherine Greig, ESPECIALLY Greig. No appearances from Whitey’s girlfriends after things fell apart with Lindsey Cyr. Stanley and Greig played big roles in Whitey’s life, with Stanley eventually talking to authorities, and the fallout from that, including Stanley being shunned and ostracized by Bulger’s family.

Catherine Greig was Whitey Bulger’s loyal ride or die support system. Hell, you could’ve made an entire movie about Bulger and Greig hiding out in Santa Monica for over a decade, freely living the golden years of their lives as retirees, using Charlie and Carol Gasko as aliases. 

Black Mass is a fast tracked and microwaved version of Whitey Bulger’s story. This is a movie that’s supposed to be about an “unholy alliance” between one of the more memorable and ruthless crime bosses using the FBI to strengthen his reign of terror.

The enormity of Bulger’s real life story is something that should’ve packed a more powerful punch. There’s still more meat on the bones for Bulger supposedly being the secret weapon to take down the Italian mafia and Gennaro “Jerry” Angiulo (Bill Haims) in Boston, and how much did Bill Bulger really know about his brother’s life of crime? But Black Mass goes with the routine step by step rise and fall approach to storytelling for a crime lord, concluding with a dull and lifeless ending.

Still, it’s almost impossible to ignore Black Mass’ impeccable ensemble cast, led by an outstanding performance from Johnny Depp. Dakota Johnson and Corey Stoll also made strong impressions with only a handful of appearances and limited screen time. 

Corey Stoll nails Fred Wyshak, the “bulldog,” who flat out refuses to tolerate Connolly’s buffoonery. The scene, where Wyshak meets Connolly for the first time is loaded with so many little nuances. How Wyshak waits for Connolly to lower his guard before tearing him apart, and how Wyshak didn’t fall for Connolly’s smooth talking and his schemes, rejecting a pair of Red Sox tickets and a drink at a bar. His eyes and the look on Corey Stoll’s face tells the whole story: Wyshak immediately sees right through Connolly’s persona, and Wyshsk knows he’s someone, who can’t be trusted. 

Black Mass had the potential and all the ingredients to be a great film, but it’s still a solid biopic. There’s more than enough brutal violence on the crime drama side of things, and the cast is loaded with noteworthy performances. Walking the fine line for embellishing facts and how things played out in real life, and trying to balance both sides will always be a problem for any kind of biopic. But Black Mass churns out enough positives for mostly successful results. 

Rating- 8/10

T.I.M. (2023)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Abi (Georgina Campbell), a highly skilled prosthetics engineer, prepares for a fresh start with her husband, Paul (Mark Rowley). A new job at Integrate Robotics, a fully equipped smart home, and a cheery neighbor named Rose (Amara Karan)? Abi is also willing to forgive Paul for cheating on her, so everything should be perfect, right?

Abi’s new life takes a strange turn, when T.I.M. (Eamon Farren) arrives at her home. A loyal and efficient robot, T.I.M. (Technologically Integrated Manservant) was supposed to be a simple project from her boss, Dewson (Nathaniel Parker). But T.I.M. slowly develops feelings for Abi, sparking a deadly rift between himself, Paul, and Abi. 

My Thoughts- He cooks, he cleans, and he’s completely nuts? Eamon Farren delivers an excellent performance as Tim, the seemingly helpful and obedient robot with a dark side. Farren absolutely nails the polite mannerisms of a programmed servant. Not too robotic to the point, where T.I.M. sounds clunky and stiff, just enough believable human qualities to convince you he’s passable as a real person. 

One good scene to go back to involves T.I.M. being enamored with an old black and white movie. You start to see how T.I.M. develops emotions and human feelings, because he’s fascinated with the “tragic inevitability” and the “beauty of love” in the movie. A big warning sign for what happens towards the end. 

As the story progresses, you see the darker and more sinister side of Tim, as his obsession with Abi spirals out of control. Farren smoothly switches gears to being a cold and calculating miscreant, a machine deluded into believing he’s doing the right thing to protect his mistress. 

Rose and Dewson are two important characters, and their perspectives really paint a clearer picture for what the movie should’ve been all about. Dewson is all for technological advancements and artificial intelligence taking over. He believes human beings are too “messy,” preferring loyal, obedient, and mindless robots. He’s a rich businessman, a jerk, and Dewson has a strange obsession with beating the Chinese.

Rose? Her actions speak louder than her words, no big speeches or angry rants about technology. Rose lives in a cottage, not a smart home. She loves gardening, and she prefers to use landlines over cellphones. Dewson is far more cynical, but Rose finds happiness living a simple life, without relying on a T.I.M. to get all of her chores done, appointments booked, and she doesn’t use gadgets or devices. 

Rose risks her life to save Abi, Abi barely survives Tim’s final attack, and Abi is pregnant! That’s a loaded finale. Things get a little bit loopy, when Rose tries to save Abi. Rose using a gardening fork to impale T.I.M. was a bit too on the nose for me. And how was she able to run, after slamming her car into the window? I know she collapsed shortly after stabbing T.I.M. with the gardening fork, but come on now. 

Abi, saying “I love you, T.I.M.” to finally shut him down with T.I.M.’s new safe phrase works a clever and ironic final blow for T.I.M.’s demise. T.I.M. secretly changed his safe phrase, because he was certain Abi would never profess her love for him. The methodical and quick-witted machine with super human strength was outsmarted by the human, who used his newfound emotions against him. 

A decent ending that’s almost undone by teasing the possibility that T.I.M. is still alive, because the light flickers (T.I.M. is directly connected to the smart home) on the lamp to end the movie. Why? There’s zero chance of a sequel ever happening, so why would you tease it? 

Closing out the movie, with Abi finding out she’s pregnant, while crying and smiling after defeating T.I.M. was more than enough. That image alone perfectly encapsulates everything Abi went through. Abi suffered, including T.I.M. attempting to murder her twice, T.I.M. killing Paul, and Abi watching T.I.M. repeatedly stab Rose in front of her. 

T.I.M. is loaded with material for a potentially good sci-fi/thriller. Abi’s line about not wanting to put things out into the world that aren’t ready helps signal the fact that there’s trouble coming soon, and there’s some realism behind her words. The dangers of trusting artificial intelligence, deepfake videos, relying on machines, robots, and leaping too far into the future to change the old ways of the world and everyday life. And Paul expresses concerns about giving a robot access to his personal emails. Yes, it’s cliched, but the material is still right there, and it’s hard to ignore. 

But T.I.M. weirdly focuses on the romance drama between Abi and Paul too much to the point, where it basically strangles the story. The going back and forth with Abi’s paranoia about Paul possibly cheating on her with Rose, and Abi constantly having second thoughts about giving Paul a second chance. 

Of course, things escalate, when Abi’s paranoia causes her to become more attached to Tim, pushing Paul to the side. It gets to a point, where it’s easy to feel some sympathy for Paul. He’s unemployed, his wife questions everything he does, and a robot is ruining his marriage. 

Paul and Abi are also trying to have a baby, but of course Abi has her doubts, because she’s still not sure, if Paul is worth trusting. I understand the psychology behind T.I.M. weaponizing Abi’s paranoid thoughts to cut Paul out of the picture, but if they wanted to purely make a romance drama, they should’ve scrapped all of the sci-fi elements. 

The moment T.I.M. steps out of his container at Abi’s house, you just know something bad is going to happen. Robot learns what it feels like to be human, robot goes on a rampage, when he can’t control his emotions, lots of violence follows after T.I.M. figures out his own solutions to fix Abi’s problems. That’s fine. You should know what to expect from a movie about a killer robot. 

The problem is, there’s no subtlety for the foreshadowing. T.I.M. using the deepfake video to deceive Abi is a swerve that just doesn’t work, because it’s too obvious, and it’s hard to believe that Paul could be that stupid. T.I.M. is very predictable, slogging through each scene, and it’s easy to see what’s going to happen step by step, when T.I.M. realizes he needs to save Abi. 

Georgina Campbell plays a believably sympathetic character, who’s easy to root for, and T.I.M. features a solid supporting cast. The big finale is a strange mix of tense and borderline silly moments, but T.I.M. is still a decent sci-fi/thriller. There’s just enough entertainment in the “good robot turns bad, and attacks the humans” department, but it’s impossible to overlook the wasted potential for a gold mine’s worth of material.

Rating- 5/10