Coming Attractions- Joker: Folie A Deux (2024)

 

Director- Todd Phillips

Cast- Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Harry Lawtey, Zazie Beetz, Brendan  Gleeson, Leigh Gill, Ken Leung, Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan, Jacob Lofland, Sharon Washington

Release Date- October 4, 2024

Joker 2019 really worked as a more serious and dark origin story about Joker, and Joaquin Phoenix was fantastic. Going by the trailer, Lady Gaga’s version of Harley Quinn probably won’t be too over the top, but you can already see signs of loyalty to Mr. J. It looks like we’ll finally get a more fleshed out version of Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship in a live action film, especially if we’re comparing Folie A Deux to Jared Leto and Margot Robbie’s limited interactions.

I’m also wondering how much of everything we’re shown throughout the trailer is actually happening. Arthur daydreaming and imagining scenarios was a frequent occurrence in the 2019 film, including his relationship with Zazie Beetz and a joyous appearance on Murray Franklin’s show. 

However things play out, I’m glad they’re keeping Phoenix’s Joker in his own world for now. Introducing Batman would brings tons of hype and anticipation, but it’s not necessary. Tod Phillips and Phoenix have proven they’re more than capable of operating in a universe, that can firmly stand on its own two legs without The Caped Crusader. 

Coming Attractions- Strange Darling (2024)

 

Director- JT Mollner

Cast- Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, Bianca Santos, Willa Fitzgerald, Giovanni Ribisi, Ed Begley Jr., Madisen Beaty, Steven Michael Quezada

Release Date- August 23, 2024

The opening moments of the trailer leads you to believe Strange Darling is an offbeat romance story, but the complete 360 hits, when it’s revealed Kyle Gallner might be a sadistic killer. A good and mysterious trailer that shows a decent amount of footage without spoiling any major plot points, because we’re still not entirely sure about what’s going on here. They’re obviously setting up a big twist. Is Gallner actually a killer? Why is Willa Fitzgerald wearing a prison jumpsuit? Whatever the big twist is, I just hope it’s not something too far-fetched or silly. 

Strange Darling has some promise as a brutal cat and mouse horror thriller, and Kyle Gallner shows signs of delivering a memorable performance in the trailer. Gallner is one of those actors, who can fit into just about any role. Colin in Jennifer’s Body, and his performance was one of the few bright spots in the Elm Street remake. 

Coming Attractions- Afraid (2024)

 

Director- Chris Weitz

Cast- John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Riki Lindhome, Keith Carradine, Havana Rose Liu, David Dastmalchian, Lukita Maxwell, Isaac Bae, Greg Hill, Ben Youcef, Wyatt Lindner

Release Date- August 30, 2024

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic for many reasons, so Afraid already has some potential as a timely film. They revealed a bit too much here, but it’s still a good trailer that teases a suspenseful sci-fi horror movie. 

John Cho and Katherine Waterston are always reliable for solid and good performances, but I have concerns about AIA as a threat. I’m just hoping they don’t drag out the obvious “we need to get out of the house” calamity. The family is obviously in danger. Staying in the house after clear warning signs usually doesn’t end well, but it also looks like they’re going with a storyline, where the boy gets too attached to AIA to cover any plot holes. 

Tarot (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- During Elise’s (Larsen Thompson) birthday party, Haley (Harriet Slater) reluctantly does tarot card readings for Elise, Paxton (Jacob Batalon), Paige (Avantika Vandanapu), Madeline (Humberly Gonzalez), Lucas (Wolfgang Novogratz), and her ex-boyfriend, Grant (Adain Bradley). Haley’s concerns are justified after a series of strange occurrences and attacks directly connected to the tarot cards, sparking a panic amongst the group.

After a failed meeting with police detectives, Haley seeks out Alma (Olwen Fouere), a veteran tarot card reader and a specialist on dark forces. Haley is determined to save her friends from certain death, and Alma is willing to help. Will Haley succeed in cheating fate before it’s too late?

My Thoughts- Harriet Slater delivers a solid performance as the voice of reason and the leader in the group. Jacob Batalon, playing the paranoid goofball, who’s obsessed with true crime podcasts, provides most of the laughs as the entertaining comedic relief character. 

Olwen Fouere perfectly fills the role of the old and wise storyteller, the harbinger of doom in a horror film, who’s also willing to lend a helping hand. It’s a big turning point, when Alma is introduced, because she stresses the seriousness and the seemingly inescapable dangers surrounding the curse. Alma is haunted and broken from the curse that killed her friends, but she still has a fighting spirit. A good performance from Fouere, bringing the essential presence of a veteran actress, who’s also a crucial lynchpin for the story. 

One of my bigger problems with Tarot is, they felt the need to shackle Haley’s friends with their zodiac signs. Yeah, I get it. Everyone’s astrological sign is supposed to be directly tied into their fates. That’s a big theme in Tarot, and they actually did a good job connecting the horoscope readings with the deaths throughout the movie. 

But on the flip side of that, you’re severely limiting the other performances to stay within the confines of their zodiac signs. Too many thin characters to round out the cast. Alma, Hayley, and Paxton were really the only ones, who had anything resembling unique personalities that truly stood out. On top of that, there’s some noticeable effort for Alma and Hayley’s backstories, including Hayley turning to tarot cards to help her cope with her mother’s illness. You can’t say that for the rest of the cast.

One too many stupid decisions throughout Tarot. You probably shouldn’t ignore a sign that says keep out, leading to the basement full of creepy items that includes the tarot cards. Hayley knows something isn’t right before she does the reading, but she still decides to do the reading, basically ignoring clear warning signs to please Elise, because it’s her birthday. Madeline, ignoring the warnings from her friends, runs out of the car, and guess what happens? The Hanged Man demon kills her. I know everything goes back to each character’s zodiac sign playing a role in their motivations and the decisions they make, but there’s no denying Madeline would’ve had a better chance to survive, if she stayed in the car. 

Why are the police detectives so useless here? The group meets with the detectives, and their response to the situation is to basically tell everyone, well, we’re sorry your friends are dead, but there’s nothing we can do, so just go home and sleep it off? The police wouldn’t have been able to stop the supernatural forces. I get that, but at least put more effort into the detectives trying to do something, ANYTHING to help. Instead, the detectives only appear in one scene and they’re gone after that. 

Tarot makes a noticeable push to slightly step over the line for what you might expect from the usual tamed PG-13 horror film. Haley drops an F- bomb (“f*** fate!”) towards the end. The brutal, creative, and ironic death scenes connected to the zodiac signs and the tarot cards, complete with splatters of blood for Elise and Lucas’ deaths caught me off guard a little bit, especially Elise’s death. 

Paige’s death at the hands of The Magician is savage and cruel. The crowd of ghoulish spectators gleefully watching as Paige suffers, while she’s literally cut in half inside the box is something else. Just watching everything happen is a slow and agonizing experience, including the The Magician’s sadistic enthusiasm and shots of the blood stained saw.

Tarot delivers a tense and suspenseful finale, with Haley and Grant trying to escape Death and The Devil. Haley, turning the tables on the evil Hungarian astrologer by doing a tarot card reading for her, ends the curse and Haley defeats the astrologer. A mostly happy ending for the surviving trio of Haley, Grant, and Paxton, while Haley finally finds closure for her mother’s death. 

Tarot had a lot of potential. The sequence where The Fool stalks and toys with Paxton is excellent, and Tarot features some spooky moments and scenes. The dark backstory for the Hungarian astrologer and the reasons behind her decision to seek vengeance by placing a curse on the cards was terrific. An emotional story about the Hungarian Count refusing to accept the fate of his wife and unborn child, leading to The Count sending a lynch mob to search for the astrologer, which resulted in her daughter’s death. 

Tarot had a solid foundation to work with, a story about the fears of not being able to escape the inevitability of death and fate, mixed with plausible supernatural elements involving tarot cards and zodiac signs. The big problem is, Tarot is hampered by referring to the mainstream horror movie playbook too much. A lot of familiar horror movie cliches, and too many unnecessary and forced jump scares. The ominous figures standing in the shadows or the background scare tactic was repetitive, because they relied on it too much. And it’s a close call at the end, but I never truly believed Haley was in any real danger, or that she wouldn’t survive the attacks.

Rating- 4/10

Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)

 

**This post contains spoilers, including thoughts on all three alternate endings**

The Story- Matias (Colin Woodell) receives strange messages on Facebook from a user named Norah. C and others, after he steals a laptop from the lost and found bin at his job. During a Skype group video chat with his friends, AJ (Connor Del Rio), Damon (Andrew Lees), Lexx (Savira Windyani), Nari (Betty Gabriel), and Serena (Rebecca Rittenhouse), Norah becomes more persistent, flooding his messages with demands to return the laptop. 

Eventually, Norah. C reveals himself as Charon IV. Charon IV is a member of The Circle, an insidious and secretive group that records and sells videos, where girls are tortured and murdered. Game night is interrupted between Matias and the others, as Matias struggles to figure out a plan to outsmart The Circle. But things take a dark turn, when Charon IV threatens to kill Matias’ deaf girlfriend, Amaya (Stephanie Nogueras), if he doesn’t return the laptop.

Matias takes a bold risk to ensure Amaya’s safety, but another problem emerges, when Matias learns about the disappearance of Erica Dunne (Alexa Mansour), a young girl kidnapped by The Circle. Can Matias save Amaya and Erica before it’s too late? 

My Thoughts- “You’re all terrible people.” Those were Laura Barns’ words for Blaire and the others in the original Unfriended. The selfishness, the lies, and all the backstabbing. Things quickly descended into a race to see who could save their own asses in Unfriended 2014, when the group finally realized Laura was deadly serious about seeking revenge.

Teamwork, tight friendship bonds, and loyalty are big differences in the sequel. Matias is caught lying TWICE, but the group still sticks together to hopefully find a solution to save everyone, including Erica Dunne. Sure, AJ freaks out and panics, but overall, the group stays on the same page to try and help Matias and Amaya, while making a strong effort to watch each other’s backs.

Likable characters! Matias is actually a good guy, who made a stupid mistake. You can see he deeply cares about Amaya to the point, where he’s tirelessly working on an app for sign language to smoothly communicate with her. Nari and Serena are a loving couple, preparing for marriage, and Serena’s carrying around a heavy emotional weight, because her mother has cancer. As far as Amaya goes, she’s undeniably wholesome, so it’s easy to see why Matias is dedicated to their relationship.

Dark Web does a good job building sympathy for the main cast of characters. While it’s true everything could’ve been avoided, if Matias never stole the laptop, you really can’t make an argument for anyone deserving death here. Matias was ready to do the right thing and return the laptop. Matias’ friends, Amaya, and Erica are all innocent, so that’s why it stings more, when they’re all picked off by the Charons. 

The 2014 original showed how the internet and social media is unfortunately used as a vehicle for bullying and harassment. Dark Web takes a different approach with a creepy voyage into the vile shadows of the digital world. The snuff films are genuinely disturbing. Watching the Charons gleefully torture all the innocent girls is more than enough to make your skin crawl. On top of that, Charon I was way too comfortable casually discussing his preferred methods of torture for Erica Dunne.

There’s more realism with the eerie voyeurism connected to the security camera footage, access to random videos, and how Matias made things easy for The Circle to quickly gain full access to his life by simply entering his Wi-Fi password. Facebook, Skype, other forms of social media, and well, just using the internet in general? We live in a world, where it’s too easy for the wrong kinds of people to have nearly unrestricted access to our lives, fiendish human beings like the Charons with the worst intentions. That’s actually far more terrifying than Laura’s ghost and the supernatural elements in the original Unfriended.

Dark Web decides to go the simple and brutal route for killing off Matias and his friends. Whether it’s Nari being pushed into the subway train by a Charon, a Charon shoving Lexx off of the roof, or a speeding van hitting Matias, the deaths are brutal and effective for a reaction. If we’re talking about gore, there’s only one scene. Erica removing the cover to reveal a hole on her forehead, complete with running blood, and that horrified scream. Truly a nasty sight, and a shocker for the final moments of the movie. 

They used the countdown on Skype again here, but it’s only in one scene. The Circle forces Serena to choose between saving her mother’s life or Nari at the subway station. The countdown was exhausted in the original. Saving it for Serena’s big decision had a stronger less is more impact, because it’s an emotional and impossible choice to make, your mother over the love your life or vice versa, knowing one of them will certainly die. 

The Circle was smart to cover their tracks with AJ and Damon’s deaths. AJ was an unhinged conspiracy theorist, so you could believe there’s a chance he’d just snap one day, and decide to go down to the mall and “have some fun” with weapons to make a statement about corruption. Poor Damon was set up to make it look like he committed suicide by hanging himself, because he couldn’t live with the guilt of being a monster. 

The Circle was playing a game? That’s right. Everything was an elaborate hoax cooked up by The Circle. Charon IV was hoping someone would find the laptop, and Matias was the unlucky winner. It was all a set up, or “game night” for The Circle to use Matias and Damon as fall guys, including pinning Erica’s kidnapping on Matias.

A decent twist. They tightly covered any potential logical plot  holes, and Charon IV tricking Amaya with a different address to meet Matias was a good shocker. But there’s a big clue that something was off during the opening moments of the movie, when Matias is trying to login into the laptop. A question mark, right in front him, is also the password? Looking back, you could say everything was too convenient and easy, including someone “losing” a MACBOOK and letting it sit in a lost and found bin for too long.

Also, is there a chance Charon IV was bluffing about following Amaya to Matias’ house? The Circle is made up of smart and calculating guys, who are extremely careful about not making any mistakes. Charon IV never showed any proof that he was actually following Amaya during his video chat with Matias. 

Connecting the Charons to Greek mythology adds a spooky layer to Dark Web. In greek mythology, Charon carries souls across the rivers Acheron and Styx. The Charons communicate through The River on the dark web. A good tie-in, and another example that shows The Circle is full of some deeply disturbed people. 

They decided to use the screencast POV again. My thoughts on it didn’t really change, because it’s still kind of annoying keeping track of all the windows and screens Matias opens and closes, the messages popping up, and whatever he types or decides to delete. But you have to pay close attention to everything. Every move Matias or The Charons makes plays a crucial role for the next step. Dark Web also takes a while to shift out of first gear. I’m talking about a real slow start to this one, almost excruciatingly slow. 

Alternate endings! First up, Matias actually makes it to the warehouse, after Amaya gives him directions. The problem? Matias finds her purse and her phone, but Amaya is already gone. The Circle puts a poll to determine whether Matias will commit suicide or not, and the final shot shows Matias sobbing and holding a gun.

Matias actually lives in this ending, and it’s a good cliffhanger, because it’s easy to believe in the possibility of Matias taking his own life. His girlfriend and all of his friends are gone, and The Circle set him up to take the fall for Erica’s kidnapping and the other horrible crimes. That’s more than enough to crush anyone’s spirit and their will to live. 

In another alternate ending, Matias makes it to the park, but he’s buried alive by a Charon. Amaya arrives, but Matias’ attempts to contact her are thwarted by The Circle. The closing moments of this ending shows Matias begging for help, while an oblivious Amaya continues to wait for him. Some extra footage and slight changes reveals Damon witnessing Erica crawling out of the closet, not Matias. You’ll see everything leading up to Damon’s death here, and Amaya survives.

Truly a good ending that fits with the story. Matias, stuck in the coffin and hopelessly pleading (“I can’t breathe!”) for Amya’s help, is a chilling finale, especially knowing Amaya is literally standing right on top of Matias’ eventual grave.

There’s an ending, where Matias AND Amaya live? Yep. Matias manages to find Amaya at the park. The Charon’s emerge to restrain them before they have a chance to enjoy a happy moment. A poll goes up to determine if Matias and Amaya should live, and the final vote concludes with a yes! Amaya and Matias reunite. The closing shot shows Erica screaming into the camera, concluding with Charon I ending the stream and the game. 

Sorry, but this ending didn’t work for me. It completely craps on everything that happened throughout the movie. Members of The Circle voted for Amaya and Matias to live. The Charons are scumbags, but we’re also supposed to believe certain members of The Circle weirdly have a moral compass?And where’s the logic for letting Matias live? Yeah, they framed him, but he knows all of The Circle’s dark secrets. It’s an illogical decision for a tightly efficient group, that’s careful about tying up all the loose ends. 

A happy ending for Dark Web feels out of place. Maybe I would’ve bought into it more, if there was some kind of real struggle or a chase showing Matias and Amaya escaping The Charons. Or Matias coming up with another plan to outsmart The Circle, but they just let both of them go. No questions, no threats, or promises for consequences? Nope. It’s just too absurd. 

With all that said, Dark Web is still a clever sequel that outshines the original. A bleak and darker film, featuring a solid cast and a story that’s loaded with a raw sense of realism. 

Unfriended’s premise has so many possibilities, using the internet and social media as the foundation for different stories. That, and all of the main characters were killed off in the original. The only other option they could’ve possibly went with was using Laura Barns as some kind of boogeyman, who punished cyber bullies? The standalone route for a sequel with a fresh set of a characters, and a new story worked as the right choice.

A lot of haunting visuals throughout Dark Web, but watching a Charon capture Amaya really sticks out. She was completely innocent in all of this. Amaya wanted to make things right with Matias. She was tricked into going to the warehouse. She couldn’t hear the Charon walking towards her. Alone in that dark warehouse, while she obviously had no idea how or why everything happened. A cold ending for Amaya. 

Rating- 8/10

Unfriended (2014)(2024 Redo)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- A harmless Skype group video chat between Blaire (Shelley Hennig), her boyfriend, Mitch (Moses Storm), Adam (Will Peltz), Val (Courtney Halverson), Ken (Jacob Wysocki), and Jess (Renee Olstead) is interrupted by billie227. Billie227 oddly uses Laura Barns’ (Heather Sossaman) username and her account for the chat. Laura, Blaire’s longtime childhood friend, committed suicide at a park one year ago, after an embarrassing video was posted online. 

After numerous failed attempts to remove billie227 from the chat, billie forces everyone to play a game of Never Have I Ever. The consequences? Refuse to play, and certain death is the penalty. Secrets are exposed, and a series of strange occurrences leads to one troubling question: Has Laura Barns returned from the dead to seek revenge?

My Thoughts- Realism! There’s an upside for sticking to a screencast POV for the vast majority of the movie. Unfriended’s story plays out in real time. You’re witnessing the chaos unfold step by step, without any cuts, theme music, or big flashy special effects. If we’re talking about the overall presentation of the movie, Unfriended definitely has a raw, rough cut feel to it that benefits its style of storytelling. They ran with the simple idea of a group of friends getting together to hangout and have fun online, but when things go south, you can see the panicky sense of hopelessness, while everyone is scrambling to figure out what’s going on.

The downside? Unfriended’s screencast POV loses its wow factor pretty quickly. You REALLY have to pay close attention to everything Blaire is doing, every little detail. The messages, her research, what she decides to type or not type, the windows she opens and closes, or you might miss a crucial development that’s connected to her mindset and her true intentions during the madness. It’s a situation, where your eyes are basically forced to dart all over the screen to keep track of Blaire’s speedy actions. 

Sticking with Unfriended’s realism, using Live Leak, You Tube, Facebook, Chatroulette, and Skype worked as perfect tie-in platforms for the movie. The internet and social media were catalysts for Laura’s suicide. Laura was shamed, hurt, and alone, when the video of her drunk and laying passed out on the ground surfaced. Unfriended delivers social commentary about suicide, growing pains as a teenager, and bullying. Social media can be harmless, but there’s also a dark side to it, when thousands or millions of people can see your worst moments in an instant. 

There’s not too much I can say about the acting. Angry yelling and hurling deeply personal insults at each other eats up a lot of the screen time in Unfriended. It’s the usual group of high school personalities you’d expect. Blaire is the innocent one (well, maybe not that innocent), Mitch tries to be the levelheaded nice guy, Adam is the angry cool kid rebel, and Ken is the goofball jokester. Jess and Val clearly don’t like each other, so it’s another feud between friends here. Shelley Hennig carries most of the emotional weight with her performance, making it easy to buy into Blaire as a character, because she’s going through an unexpected emotional crisis. 

Betrayal is a big theme here. Blaire was the one who recorded and posted the video of a drunken Laura, and she lied to Mitch about saving her virginity for prom night. Blaire slept with Adam, and there’s more revelations amongst the group, including Jess starting a rumor about Blaire having an eating disorder. 

Did Laura go too far with her quest for vengeance? Well, yes. There’s no doubts about that. But we’re lead to believe Laura was an outcast, and Blaire was her only true friend in the world. So it’s gotta hurt, when someone, who you shared a trusted bond with laughs at you, while you’re passed out on the ground, and your rear is covered in feces.

Laura’s ghost is responsible for all the mayhem! That’s right, it’s confirmed during the final moments of the movie that Laura is the puppet master terrorizing Blaire and everyone else. 

Halfway through the movie, it’s more obvious that all the deaths are not purely the end result of an elaborate troll job or a prank. There’s a big clue early on for Laura’s ghost being the culprit. On Facebook, Blaire accuses Val of being the one behind the personal attacks. Notice how Blaire received a response denying Val’s involvement before she had a chance to hit the reply button. Laura’s ghost was always watching. 

All things considered, it’s a brutal ending. Laura saved Blaire for last, because she wanted her to suffer. She wanted Blaire to watch all of her friends die agonizing deaths. And we don’t actually see Laura until the final moments of the movie, because it’s supposed to be a big deal, when Laura finally appears to confront her ex-best friend. 

Unfriended has its problems. They harped on the petty teen drama bs too much, with all the constant bickering and childish name calling.

Still, there’s a serious and admirable effort to put a refreshing spin on the found-footage sub-genre with the screencast POV. You’ll see all the glitches, including the Universal logo intro, the lagging issues, and how long it takes to connect a call. 

There’s more realism with Laura’s suicide posted on Live Leak, because it’s a website that was known for grisly and disturbing unedited videos. The idea of Laura possessing each member of the group and forcing them to commit suicide is truly terrifying. Blaire, Mitch, Adam, Jess, Ken, and Val can’t run, hide, or rely on the police for help. No one can save them from Laura.

A handful of gory deaths, including Ken being mangled by a blender, Jess choking to death on a hot curling iron, and Mitch stabbing himself in the forehead. Only ONE jump scare, and it’s an appropriate jump scare, when they finally show Laura as a ghost during the final shot of the movie. There’s also some good dark humor. Laura chooses an ironic song (I Hurt Too, by Katie Herzig) after Mitch’s death, and she immediately turns Jess’ death into a meme. Unfriended isn’t a complete swing and a miss, but there’s no denying the loaded potential for a home run. 

Rating- 6/10