Love Lies Bleeding (Minor Spoilers)(2024)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Working as the manager at a local gym in New Mexico, Lou (Kristen Stewart) meets Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an aspiring bodybuilder. Lou finds happiness with Jackie during a rocky romantic relationship, but the sudden appearance of FBI agent O’Riley (Orion C. Carrington) disrupts Lou’s quiet lifestyle. Lou struggles to juggle murder, dead bodies, and tumultuous relationships with her father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris), her sister Beth (Jena Malone), her husband, JJ (Dave Franco), and a kooky woman named Daisy (Anna Baryshinkov).

My Thoughts- Kristen Stewart believably plays a quirky and awkward young woman, who’s dealing with a lot. You can tell she wants to distance herself from her family, but she loves Beth too much to ignore her abusive relationship with JJ. Stewart also brings an emotional side to Lou. The weight of working a dead end job in a small and hopeless town is clearly crushing Lou’s spirit. But Lou is still willing to help others, while she navigates a lot of tricky paths in her own life. The big test? Lou has to choose between her family, standing up to her father, and her relationship with Jackie. 

Jackie appears, and we’re not exactly sure what’s going on with her. Is she just a drifter and a shameless opportunist? Does she actually love Jackie? All the questions surrounding Jackie are definitively answered as the story progresses. Jackie is tough, she’s strong, and she doesn’t put up with bullshit. But you can also see someone, who’s hurting inside, because Jackie has a few vulnerable and emotional moments.

Katy O’Brian does an excellent job of portraying Jackie. She starts out as this happy and positive lady, who’s determined to chase her dreams. But she gets sucked into a whirlwind of chaos, as she struggles to hold herself together before she completely cracks. 

Jackie and Lou together? Well, there’s no denying it’s a toxic relationship. Jackie ran away from her hometown, chasing a new life. Lou is miserable. She hates her father, she misses her mother, and Lou knows there’s a low ceiling for her future, if she doesn’t leave New Mexico.

It’s love at first sight, when Jackie walks into the gym, but things go downhill quickly, when Lou gives Jackie steroids. Jackie quickly spirals out of control, but Lou NEVER gives up on her. The romance between Lou and Jackie is truly one of Love Lies Bleeding’s greatest strengths, filled with turbulent ups and downs. And kudos to Katy O’Brian for shifting gears to a more frazzled and angry version of Jackie during the ‘roid rage fits.

Ed Harris does it again with another good performance. Lou Sr. is a mean and crusty old bastard, a devious manipulator, who won’t stop until he gets what he wants. On top of all that, Lou Sr. is oddly fascinated with bugs. Harris plays a powerful man, but it’s hard to ignore the truth: Lou Sr. is a relic of the past. He’s an old man, who’s desperately clinging on to the power of being a big fish in a small pond, because without his status as a scary big shot, his life is empty. It’s kind of sad and pathetic, when you step back and look at the big picture.

Hats off to Dave Franco for his performance. JJ is scum. He’s a cheater, he beats his wife, and JJ is a sniveling coward. Franco does a fantastic job with JJ’s body language, his demeanor, and some good facial expressions. You can take one look at JJ, and you’ll instantly know this guy is a bad dude, with a cold and nasty mean streak.

It’s almost impossible to not feel any sympathy for Jena Malone’s Beth, a caring mother and a dedicated wife. She takes care of everything around the house, but she’s married to a monster. They don’t actually show JJ beating Beth, but the aftermath is equally horrifying. The scars, the bumps, the bruises, and Beth lying in a hospital bed with that huge knot on her face is an unpleasant sight. Also, the dinner date scene with JJ, Beth, Lou, and Jackie is genuinely uncomfortable to watch. You can feel the awkward tension at the table, and the situation reaches a boiling point, when JJ overreacts after Beth accidentally drops food on his lap.

Anna Baryshinkov could’ve stole the show here with more screen time. Daisy is a nutty and obsessive stalker. The lovey-dovey feelings she has for Lou are not reciprocated. She loves Lou, she’s willing to do anything to have a relationship with her, but Lou can’t stand Daisy. The mere sight of Daisy annoys Lou to the point, where it’s easy to believe she disgusts Lou. To top it off, Daisy’s story has an unfortunate ending before the credits start rolling.

Rose Glass’ work behind the camera is just phenomenal. Love Lies Bleeding looks and feels like a hypnotic fever dream. So many shots with great details, and the small New Mexico town is a perfect setting for this one. Lou’s hometown is a desolate and quiet hellhole out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a dreary and depressing place that kills any hopes and dreams. Escape is the only way to make it, because it’s a town that’s populated by too many people, who are stubbornly stuck in their own ways, and the bad guys hold too much power.

I’m also glad they didn’t lean into 80’s nostalgia too much. It’s a more subtle approach with the wardrobes, the hairstyles, the cars, and the phones. I can clearly see the movie is set in the 80’s, without constant in-your-face reminders in every scene, or every other scene. That’s enough for me.

Love Lies Bleeding fires on all cylinders. It works as a crime drama, it works as a thriller, and there’s some good black humor during the final moments of the movie. The overall cast is excellent. Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian share great chemistry as two people, who are willing to do anything for each other, no matter how risky the consequences are after the smoke clears. 

A bloody and strange fairy tale filled with violence and some gruesome gore, Love Lies Bleeding lives up to its title by delivering a wild and chaotic love story. Lots of bumpy ups and downs for Lou and Jackie, setbacks that should’ve marked the point of no return for both women. 

Going with the happy ending was the right move. Why? Because after all the bloodshed, the betrayals, and dealing with messy family drama, it’s safe to say Lou and Jackie truly earned their freedom from Lou Sr., a man who’s clearly hell-bent on being a tyrant and a nasty control freak. And there’s always a chance Jackie will get another shot at entering a different bodybuilding competition! 

Rating- 9/10

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Working as the manager at a local gym in New Mexico, Lou (Kristen Stewart) meets Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an aspiring bodybuilder. Lou finds happiness with Jackie during a rocky romantic relationship, but the sudden appearance of FBI agent O’Riley (Orion C. Carrington) disrupts Lou’s quiet lifestyle. Lou struggles to juggle murder, dead bodies, and tumultuous relationships with her father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris), her sister Beth (Jena Malone), her husband, JJ (Dave Franco), and a kooky woman named Daisy (Anna Baryshinkov).

My Thoughts- Kristen Stewart believably plays a quirky and awkward young woman, who’s dealing with a lot. You can tell she wants to distance herself from her family, but she loves Beth too much to ignore her abusive relationship with JJ. Stewart also brings an emotional side to Lou. The weight of working a dead end job in a small and hopeless town is clearly crushing Lou’s spirit. But Lou is still willing to help others, while she navigates a lot of tricky paths in her own life. The big test? Lou has to choose between her family, standing up to her father, and her relationship with Jackie. 

Jackie appears, and we’re not exactly sure what’s going on with her. Is she just a drifter and a shameless opportunist? Does she actually love Jackie? All the questions surrounding Jackie are definitively answered as the story progresses. Jackie is tough, she’s strong, and she doesn’t put up with bullshit. But you can also see someone, who’s hurting inside, because Jackie has a few vulnerable and emotional moments.

Katy O’Brian does an excellent job of portraying Jackie. She starts out as this happy and positive lady, who’s determined to chase her dreams. But she gets sucked into a whirlwind of chaos, as she struggles to hold herself together before she completely cracks. 

Jackie and Lou together? Well, there’s no denying it’s a toxic relationship. Jackie ran away from her hometown, chasing a new life. Lou is miserable. She hates her father, she misses her mother, and Lou knows there’s a low ceiling for her future, if she doesn’t leave New Mexico.

It’s love at first sight, when Jackie walks into the gym, but things go downhill quickly, when Lou gives Jackie steroids. Jackie quickly spirals out of control, but Lou NEVER gives up on her. The romance between Lou and Jackie is truly one of Love Lies Bleeding’s greatest strengths, filled with turbulent ups and downs. And kudos to Katy O’Brian for shifting gears to a more frazzled and angry version of Jackie during the ‘roid rage fits.

Ed Harris does it again with another good performance. Lou Sr. is a mean and crusty old bastard, a devious manipulator, who won’t stop until he gets what he wants. On top of all that, Lou Sr. is oddly fascinated with bugs. Harris plays a powerful man, but it’s hard to ignore the truth: Lou Sr. is a relic of the past. He’s an old man, who’s desperately clinging on to the power of being a big fish in a small pond, because without his status as a scary big shot, his life is empty. It’s kind of sad and pathetic, when you step back and look at the big picture.

Hats off to Dave Franco for his performance. JJ is scum. He’s a cheater, he beats his wife, JJ is a sniveling coward, AND it’s revealed he’s an informant for the FBI. Franco does a fantastic job with JJ’s body language, his demeanor, and some good facial expressions. You can take one look at JJ, and you’ll instantly know this guy is a bad dude, with a cold and nasty mean streak.

It’s almost impossible to not feel any sympathy for Jena Malone’s Beth, a caring mother and a dedicated wife. She takes care of everything around the house, but she’s married to a monster. They don’t actually show JJ beating Beth, but the aftermath is equally horrifying. The scars, the bumps, the bruises, and Beth lying in a hospital bed with that huge knot on her face is an unpleasant sight. Also, the dinner date scene with JJ, Beth, Lou, and Jackie is genuinely uncomfortable to watch. You can feel the awkward tension at the table, and the situation reaches a boiling point, when JJ overreacts after Beth accidentally drops food on his lap.

Anna Baryshinkov could’ve stole the show here with more screen time. Daisy is a nutty and obsessive stalker. The lovey-dovey feelings she has for Lou are not reciprocated. She loves Lou, she’s willing to do anything to have a relationship with her, but Lou can’t stand Daisy. The mere sight of Daisy annoys Lou to the point, where it’s easy to believe she disgusts Lou. To top it off, Daisy’s story has an unfortunate ending before the credits start rolling.

Jackie, as a GIANT, pulverizes Lou Sr.! It’s a bizarre ending. Yes, Lou Sr. got what he deserved, and I’m glad Lou didn’t pull the trigger. She obviously wanted her father to rot in prison, because killing him would’ve been too easy. A small part of me was hoping for a more serious tone during Lou Sr.’s beat down. Lou Sr. was truly an evil man. He deserved to suffer, but Giant Jackie playing around with Lou Sr., while Lou watches with a smile on her face crossed the line for being too silly for me. 

Although, I guess you have to look at the ending through Lou’s eyes. She deeply loves Jackie, and it’s obvious Lou admires her. For Lou, Jackie is someone, who’s larger than life itself, so it makes sense that she sees Jackie as a giant, who’s beating the crap out of her father, a man, who’s directly responsible for a lot of heartache in Lou’s life. 

To add to that, I have to believe steroids played a big part in Jackie’s hallucinogenic transformations. Going back to the scene, where Jackie brutally murders JJ, you’ll notice Jackie is taller, towering over JJ’s mangled corpse.

Rose Glass’ work behind the camera is just phenomenal. Love Lies Bleeding looks and feels like a hypnotic fever dream. So many shots with great details, and the small New Mexico town is a perfect setting for this one. Lou’s hometown is a desolate and quiet hellhole out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a dreary and depressing place that kills any hopes and dreams. Escape is the only way to make it, because it’s a town that’s populated by too many people, who are stubbornly stuck in their own ways, and the bad guys hold too much power.

I’m also glad they didn’t lean into 80’s nostalgia too much. It’s a more subtle approach with the wardrobes, the hairstyles, the cars, and the phones. I can clearly see the movie is set in the 80’s, without constant in-your-face reminders in every scene, or every other scene. That’s enough for me.

Love Lies Bleeding fires on all cylinders. It works as a crime drama, it works as a thriller, and there’s some good black humor during the final moments of the movie. The overall cast is excellent. Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian share great chemistry as two people, who are willing to do anything for each other, no matter how risky the consequences are after the smoke clears. 

A bloody and strange fairy tale filled with violence and some gruesome gore, Love Lies Bleeding lives up to its title by delivering a wild and chaotic love story. Lots of bumpy ups and downs for Lou and Jackie, setbacks that should’ve marked the point of no return for both women. 

Going with the happy ending was the right move. Why? Because after all the bloodshed, the betrayals, and dealing with messy family drama, it’s safe to say Lou and Jackie truly earned their freedom from Lou Sr., a man who’s clearly hell-bent on being a tyrant and a nasty control freak. And there’s always a chance Jackie will get another shot at entering a different bodybuilding competition! 

Rating- 9/10

Coming Attractions- We Bury The Dead

 

Release Date- January 2, 2026

There’s no denying the post-apocalyptic landscape for We Bury The Dead looks great in the trailer. Usually, I prefer zombie films with a more serious tone. Daisy Ridley’s Ava searching for her husband? It’s a simple and effective storyline. Of course, I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’m already hoping she’ll find him alive and well, knowing Ava will have to fight through a mess of vicious attacks from zombies and other dangerous obstacles. 

The story will obviously go one of two ways: Ava finds her husband, alert (or alert enough) and normal, and the movie concludes with a triumphant and teary reunion. The second possible route? Ava’s husband is infected, and she’ll be the one, who’s forced to murder him, saving herself, while also delivering a gut-wrenching mercy killing. Either way, I’m looking forward to We Bury The Dead, and there’s a chance it could be one of the early sleeper hits for horror movies next year.

Coming Attractions- Psycho Killer

 

Release Date- February 20, 2026

A creepy and unnerving trailer for Psycho Killer. Georgina Campbell’s Jane is obviously way in over her head. She’s chasing a sadistic killer, but she’s motivated by vengeance to catch the man, who murdered her husband in front of her.

The big question is, how far is Jane willing to go to stop the killer? She’ll have to go down a rabbit hole filled with evil and satanism, and I’m wondering if Jane has some kind of personal connection to the killer. Maybe there’s a specific reason why he chose her? Psycho Killer’s first trailer is fantastic. If we’re comparing vibes and similarities, it’s easy to point to Longlegs and Se7en for this one, and Gavin Polone’s directorial debut has all the makings of being something special. 

Coming Attractions- The Long Walk

 

Director- Francis Lawrence

Release Date- September 12, 2025

It’s a Stephen King adaptation, so that’ll be enough to generate a decent amount of buzz. I haven’t read the novel, but the trailer is promising. Mark Hamill and David Jonsson are easily the standouts, and I’m usually a fan of Francis Lawrence’s films (I Am Legend and Red Sparrow are two of my top picks).

It’ll be interesting to see how they present a movie in a dystopian future that’s about a long marathon, and the deadly consequences, if you can’t keep up. On paper, it sounds like a boring premise, but the trailer does a good of teasing a tense and emotional film, packed with brutal violence. 

Amber Alert (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Charlotte (Ducky Branson) is kidnapped on a playground in broad daylight in front of her mother, Monica (Katie McClellan) and her grandmother, Gail (Claire Slemmer), lured into a car by a man and a doll. Elsewhere in the same area, Jaq (Hayden Panettiere) misses her rideshare car. Jaq convinces Shane (Tyler James Williams), another rideshare driver, to accept a large tip for a ride.

Eventually, Jaq spots a Toyota Camry that matches the description for Charlotte’s Amber Alert. Jaq, Shane, Monica, Sergeant Phil Casey (Kevin Dunn), and an emergency dispatcher named Cici (Saidah Arrika Ekulona) all work together to rescue Charlotte. Aaron (Kurt Oberhaus), the driver of the Camry, claims he’s innocent, but Jaq realizes something is off, when she learns the truth about the license plate number. 

My Thoughts- The remake for Amber Alert is a good example for why it’s not so easy to make a found-footage film. Amber Alert 2012 took the found-footage approach, and when you compare that film to the 2024 remake, the problems for the 2012 original are more obvious. The big one? Recording when there’s no real reason to record anything during long stretches of the movie. I’ll even go as far as saying the car chase scenes, or the scenes, where Jaq and Shane are following Aaron are easily more exciting. There’s a more uneasy and believable feeling that anything could happen at any moment. A big difference compared to the found-footage film, where the main idea basically is, let’s keep following Muller, while we wait to see what he does next. 

The 2024 remake is a more polished and refined film by a long shot. The story has structure, the characters have more depth, and all the other loose screws are tightened up, including smoother storytelling, better pacing, and it’s a more consistently tense film. I could actually buy into Jaq and Shane’s reasons for wanting to save Charlotte, if we’re comparing the two to Samantha and Nate (mainly Samantha) from the original. Shane is a father, and you can tell he loves and cares about his son. Jaq is still heartbroken about the tragedy involving her baby boy, so it’s easy to go along with a thought process, where she probably believes she couldn’t save her son, but there’s a chance she can save Charlotte.

There’s some callbacks and similarities to the original. The gas station, Jaq dropping her earbud in the backseat, so she can hear what’s going on inside the car, and the confrontation with Aaron in the open field. A few tweaks and some minor changes, but it’s still easy to see some connections to the 2012 film.

So Aaron is the bad guy. Okay. Not a big surprise, and they made things more obvious for the big reveal in the remake. Going back to that scene in the open field, where Jaq and Shane faked having car troubles, you can clearly see Aaron was ready to kill them, while their backs were turned. That, and his story about Charlotte being his daughter was completely phony. Also, it doesn’t help that you can actually see Charlotte in the backseat, when Aaron drives away. 

Still, Amber Alert manages to deliver a satisfying finale. Aaron’s house of horrors? Some genuinely creepy stuff. It’s not just limited to keeping Charlotte in a cage. The video camera, the room decorated to resemble a little girl’s room, the shoes from all the girls he kidnapped outside, the scrapbooks, and Aaron’s bizarre obsession with dolls and dressing his deceased victims as dolls. You really get to see how Aaron is a disgusting and vile creep, a man with a disturbing dark side.

Jaq and Shane survive with some help from Sergeant Casey, Casey kills Aaron, and Charlotte is reunited with Monica. Comparing the two films, the remake decided to go with the happy ending. Yes, certain events were a little bit too convenient. Casey shows up at the exact moment, when Aaron was seconds away from killing Jaq? But that final shot with Charlotte and Monica embracing, while Jaq, still wounded on a stretcher, has a smile on her face, when she sees both of them together really works as a feel good moment. 

The chemistry between Hayden Panettiere and Tyler James Williams is excellent. They did a good job of playing off of each other, with a bold and somewhat reckless Jaq pushing a reluctant Shane to continue the pursuit. Williams and Panettiere are convincing as two ordinary people, who stumbled into a dangerous problem, and there’s a handful of funny moments from Jaq and Shane during the chase.

Is Amber Alert perfect? No. The story mainly goes through the motions step by step. The twists and the attempted swerves were easy enough to predict, but Amber Alert is still an effective mystery/thriller. The reveal for the house of horrors and the unpleasantness behind the villain’s dolls completely changes the mood towards the end, taking a dark turn just when you believe things couldn’t possibly get any worse. 

As the story unfolds, you also realize it’s not so easy to put out a successful Amber Alert. The accuracy, crucial details, including a license plate number, are all important factors. Add in the fact that dispatchers will be flooded with calls that might or might not help, AND if the perpetrator is driving a common or popular car (e.g. the Toyota Camry here), the odds of saving a kidnapped victim could swing in either direction. And what’s going to happen, when the suspect realizes they’re on the radar and the clock is ticking?

A big upgrade over the 2012 original, featuring solid performances from Hayden Panettiere and Tyler James Williams, and of course, Kevin Dunn delivers with the strong presence of a veteran actor. And kudos to Saidah Arrika Ekulona for playing her role well, as the concerned dispatcher, who’s trying to help Monica and Charlotte. The 2012 original’s ending was bleak and shocking. But the remake takes a more joyous and upbeat approach to close out the movie, and overall, it’s a rare case, where the remake definitely outshines the original. 

Rating- 6/10

Amber Alert (2012)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- In 2009, Samantha Green (Summer Bellessa) and Nathan Riley’s (Chris Hill) audition tapes for a reality show are interrupted in Arizona, when Nate notices a grey Honda Accord that fits the description for a recent Amber Alert involving a kidnapped young girl. Samantha’s little brother, Caleb (Caleb Thompson) records everything, while Samantha urges Nate to follow the car. 

The driver, Michael Randolph Muller (Jasen Wade), tries to reassure the trio the Amber Alert is nothing more than one big misunderstanding. Brooke Layton (Brooke Thompson) is supposedly his daughter. Muller, dealing with custody problems and his ex-wife, apparently wanted more time with Brooke, but Samantha suspects something is fishy. Is Muller telling the truth? Or, is it possible he’s hiding dark secrets? 

My Thoughts- I have a lot of mixed feelings for Caleb recording. On one hand, yeah, you could say they need to document everything for proof, BUT when a police officer finally gets involved, the footage is basically useless. What’s the point of recording, if law enforcement already has the necessary information (the description of the car, license plate number), and on top of that, Samantha is giving out details for Muller’s exact location?

It’s strange, because you could possibly make an argument for Nate and Samantha really needing the camera during the finale for definitive proof, and the light as a guide to see through the darkness. Still, more often than not, it’s hard to come up with legitimate reasons for Caleb recording. Why? So we can see Nate and Samantha constantly arguing, and Samantha giving Nate stern lectures about morality? Outside of the need to show the viewers what’s going on, you can point to more than one scene, where’s there no need for recording. That’s a problem, because the logic behind found-footage just falls apart during long stretches of the movie.

The police? I have to believe they were aiming for some kind of social commentary about how law enforcement responds and reacts to Amber Alerts. When Officer Murray (Tom Murray) makes an appearance, there’s a sense of relief. FINALLY! Someone, who’s in a position to help, to actually do something, is here. But guess what? Nothing happens. Officer Murray gives instructions to go to a police station. He drives off, and that’s it?

I sincerely hope a message about cops and how they handle Amber Alerts was the main goal here. Otherwise, Amber Alert is basically about two friends and a young kid becoming vigilantes and risking their lives, because the police are too slow and too inept to help and do their jobs. 

The ending completely caught me off guard. I’m not talking about the reveal for Muller being a disgusting and sadistic creep, who lied to Nate and Samantha on the side of the road. It was obvious Muller was lying. Too many holes in the story about his “ex-wife.” And Nate wanted to do everything he possibly could to avoid a confrontation or a fight with Muller, so they just accepted his story.

The truly shocking parts for me happened, when the insides of Muller’s house were revealed. It’s dark, the guns on the counter, everything is covered up, the house looks like a dungeon, and Muller keeps personal items as trophies from his victims. Sexual abuse is a topic that comes up a lot throughout the movie, but when you actually see what Muller’s been up to, and what he plans to do to Brooke Layton (his latest victim), it’s enough to bring a grossed out reaction out of you. And to make matters worse, Muller keeps Brooke locked in a cage.

Caleb is wounded, Muller kills Samantha and Nate, and Nate dies in a shootout against Muller, but Brooke survives. A truly tense finale and a bleak ending. Some good horror elements, featuring Nate, Samantha, and Brooke quietly sneaking around in the dark, hoping to escape, while Muller waits in the shadows. And the screams for help from Brooke before the scene ends are truly horrifying, when you realize there’s a kid alone in a house with three dead bodies.

Amber Alert puts a lot of effort into a dedicated approach for realism. Blurred out license plates, bleeping out phone numbers and addresses, and at some point, everyone has experienced an Amber Alert, when you get that notification on your phone. It’s an unsettling feeling to have, if the alert is close enough.

The home stretch takes a dark and disturbing turn, leading to a finale that’s a real nail-biter. But the problems for Amber Alert are hard to ignore. Yes, you could say they needed the camera and they needed to record in the house, but everything else? There’s still no reason Caleb should’ve been recording. 

Samantha and Nate’s constant bickering? Oh, boy. Way too much of the tiresome and continuous shouting matches between Samantha and Nate, and it gets worse, when you realize all the yelling eats up a good sixty to seventy percent of the movie. It’s also easy to notice a tedious and repetitive pattern for storytelling. Slow down! Don’t get too close to Muller! No, no speed up, you’re gonna lose him! Or, let’s keep a safe distance, so we can see what he’s going to do next. 

Amber Alert is another one of those films, where they have great material to work with, especially if you’re doing a found-footage film, and you want to make things feel more realistic. A strong effort for a low budget film using limited resources, with a spirited cast. Good horror elements mixed in with the ending, but the overall execution just didn’t work for me.

Rating- 3/10 

Amber Alert (2012)(Minor Spoilers)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- In 2009, Samantha Green (Summer Bellessa) and Nathan Riley’s (Chris Hill) audition tapes for a reality show are interrupted in Arizona, when Nate notices a grey Honda Accord that fits the description for a recent Amber Alert involving a kidnapped young girl. Samantha’s little brother, Caleb (Caleb Thompson) records everything, while Samantha urges Nate to follow the car. 

The driver, Michael Randolph Muller (Jasen Wade), tries to reassure the trio the Amber Alert is nothing more than one big misunderstanding. Brooke Layton (Brooke Thompson) is supposedly his daughter. Muller, dealing with custody problems and his ex-wife, apparently wanted more time with Brooke, but Samantha suspects something is fishy. Is Muller telling the truth? Or, is it possible he’s hiding dark secrets? 

My Thoughts- I have a lot of mixed feelings for Caleb recording. On one hand, yeah, you could say they need to document everything for proof, BUT when a police officer finally gets involved, the footage is basically useless. What’s the point of recording, if law enforcement already has the necessary information (the description of the car, license plate number), and on top of that, Samantha is giving out details for Muller’s exact location?

It’s strange, because you could possibly make an argument for Nate and Samantha really needing the camera during the finale for definitive proof, and the light as a guide to see through the darkness. Still, more often than not, it’s hard to come up with legitimate reasons for Caleb recording. Why? So we can see Nate and Samantha constantly arguing, and Samantha giving Nate stern lectures about morality? Outside of the need to show the viewers what’s going on, you can point to more than one scene, where’s there no need for recording. That’s a problem, because the logic behind found-footage just falls apart during long stretches of the movie.

The police? I have to believe they were aiming for some kind of social commentary about how law enforcement responds and reacts to Amber Alerts. When Officer Murray (Tom Murray) makes an appearance, there’s a sense of relief. FINALLY! Someone, who’s in a position to help, to actually do something, is here. But guess what? Nothing happens. Officer Murray gives instructions to go to a police station. He drives off, and that’s it?

I sincerely hope a message about cops and how they handle Amber Alerts was the main goal here. Otherwise, Amber Alert is basically about two friends and a young kid becoming vigilantes and risking their lives, because the police are too slow and too inept to help and do their jobs. 

Amber Alert puts a lot of effort into a dedicated approach for realism. Blurred out license plates, bleeping out phone numbers and addresses, and at some point, everyone has experienced an Amber Alert, when you get that notification on your phone. It’s an unsettling feeling to have, if the alert is close enough.

The home stretch takes a dark and disturbing turn, leading to a finale that’s a real nail-biter. But the problems for Amber Alert are hard to ignore. Yes, you could say they needed the camera and they needed to record in the house, but everything else? There’s still no reason Caleb should’ve been recording. 

Samantha and Nate’s constant bickering? Oh, boy. Way too much of the tiresome and continuous shouting matches between Samantha and Nate, and it gets worse, when you realize all the yelling eats up a good sixty to seventy percent of the movie. It’s also easy to notice a tedious and repetitive pattern for storytelling. Slow down! Don’t get too close to Muller! No, no speed up, you’re gonna lose him! Or, let’s keep a safe distance, so we can see what he’s going to do next. 

Amber Alert is another one of those films, where they have great material to work with, especially if you’re doing a found-footage film, and you want to make things feel more realistic. A strong effort for a low budget film using limited resources, with a spirited cast. Good horror elements mixed in with the ending, but the overall execution just didn’t work for me.

Rating- 3/10 

Coming Attractions- Drop

 

Director- Christopher Landon

Release Date- April 11, 2025

Christopher Landon is easily one of my favorite filmmakers. He does a good of blending horror and comedy together for energetic movies, including both Happy Death films and Freaky. And for me, Landon wrote and directed the best Paranormal Activity (The Marked Ones) film.

Drop obviously has a more serious tone. Going by the trailer, it’s not too easy to see or to guess the identity of the puppet master, who’s pulling the strings and causing so much trouble for Meghann Fahy’s Violet, and that’s a good thing. A promising trailer with an intriguing premise, featuring a story about a single mother, who’s clearly trying to get out in the world again, and find some normalcy in her life. All signs point to a big twist, and hopefully Drop delivers a good payoff ending.

Coming Attractions- Opus

 

Director- Mark Anthony Green

Release Date- March 14, 2025

Picking up on some strong similarities to The Menu with this one. Ayo Edebiri’s Ariel receives an invitation to a secluded place, an invitation that feels odd, because maybe she’s not supposed to be there, and she just doesn’t fit with all the other guests. And it’s an event, where a famous and eccentric egomaniac (John Malkovich) takes center stage. A lot of strange cultish vibes surrounding Malkovich’s Moretti. It’s clear there’s something sinister going on, and Moretti is hiding secrets.

Opus could be a sleeper hit. Anything that comes from A24 usually receives a good amount of buzz, and John Malkovich is still capable of delivering great performances. 

Coming Attractions- Locked

 

Director- David Yarovesky

Release Date- March 21, 2025

Based on 4x4 (2019), the trailer for Locked shows a lot of promise. One thing that’s noticeable is, Bill Skarsgard’s character might be a thief, but he’s also not portrayed as a devious or scummy person. You get the feeling he’s someone, who’s either going through something, or he’s fallen on hard times for one reason or another. Giving the dog water, and his horrified reaction to the car possibly hitting the little girl shows he’s someone with a moral compass, and he’s currently suffering from the consequences of a big mistake.

Lots of teases for tense scenes and close calls, and Anthony Hopkins looks like a good fit for his role. I’m guessing Locked will feature one of those topsy-turvy revelations. Just looking at the trailer, Hopkins is a rich and morally bankrupt madman, who gets off on punishing sinners, or people, who are beneath him. 

Coming Attractions- Ash

 

Director- Flying Lotus

Release Date- March 21, 2025

A trippy and completely bonkers trailer for Ash. Loving the strong vibrant colors and the psychedelic vibes here, but I’m also kind of worried Ash won’t stick the landing for the big twist. There’s a lot going on in the trailer, some puzzling questions, and I’m just hoping the twist is not something so ridiculous and over the top to the point, where it’s too silly to buy into. 

Good action in the trailer, and there’s a few teases for bloody and extreme violence. High hopes for Ash, easily one of my must-see picks for 2025.

Trap (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert headlined by Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan), a popular pop singer. Unbeknownst to Riley, his wife, Rachel (Alison Pill), and his son, Logan (Lochlan Miller), Cooper lives a secret double life as The Butcher, a smart and calculating serial killer.

Cooper runs into an unexpected dilemma, when a merchandise stand worker named Jamie (Jonathan Langdon) reveals the concert is actually an elaborate trap designed to catch The Butcher. With Lady Raven’s help and guidance from FBI profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), the seemingly air tight trap complicates Cooper’s plans to escape.

Cooper devises a series of schemes and distractions, but the walls are closing in. Lady Raven has a chance to save Spencer (Mark Bacolcol), The Butcher’s latest victim, but Cooper comes up with a plan to escape with Riley….

My Thoughts- He’s a husband, a father, a firefighter, and a serial killer! Cooper is a man of many faces. Josh Hartnett delivers an amazing performance, playing a dangerous chameleon, who’s capable of switching personalities at the right time to fit whatever the situation calls for. Cooper is a devious and persistent tactician, who won’t be denied. The details and the little nuances for Cooper really pulls everything together. Whether it’s calmly cleaning or neatly folding a shirt in highly stressful situations, you can clearly see Cooper is a man with a lot of loose screws.

The narcissism, his massive ego, the constant lies, the phony good guy persona, and the fact that Cooper’s troubling problems are all rooted in serious mommy issues is noticeable. But you can also tell Cooper is a man, who truly loves his family. 

Yes, he’s a cold-hearted egomaniac, who doesn’t hesitate to step on anyone to get what he wants. But Cooper wants to be around for his children. Notice how excited Cooper is, while he’s basically playing the “cool dad” with Riley at the concert. Hartnett does a good job of being convincing as someone, who’s torn between the sadistic lifestyle of a serial killer and a family man, especially towards the end. Cooper wants it all, to have his cake and eat it too, and he becomes furious, when he realizes he’ll probably lose everything.

Saleka Night Shyamalan’s character is carefully crafted for Trap. She’s already a pop star in real life, so it’s not surprising that she’s noticeably comfortable playing Lady Raven, including the performances. It’s a role that suits her, and well, you have to believe she’s just being herself, or a more exaggerated version of herself. 

Lady Raven is a likable character, someone, who’s humble and compassionate. The final stretch gets a little weird, when Lady Raven tries to play mind games with Cooper (specifically that scene in the car). I’m not saying it’s bad acting, but certain parts are kind of awkward, and they do feel a bit forced. 

M. Night Shyamalan completely lost me with the ending. So let me see if I have this right. You pull out all the stops to catch The Butcher. Hordes of cops, tactical teams, and you set a trap for him during a concert. EVERYTHING except for the National Guard and the Navy Seals to stop this guy. And for some reason, when he’s completely surrounded by cops you let him touch a bike, giving him the opportunity to grab a spoke off of the wheel? On top of that, Cooper uses that spoke to unlock his handcuffs, so now there’s a chance to escape? Again?

It’s a bummer for me, because I was completely hooked in for everything leading up to the ending. The tense moments between Cooper and Rachel in the kitchen, the cat and mouse games between Lady Raven and Cooper, including Raven racing against the clock to save Spencer, and knowing Cooper was so close to completely losing it and killing Rachel. And Cooper finally giving in to visions of his deceased mother (Marcia Bennett), after trying so hard to ignore her throughout the movie.

But if you’re going the route of capturing The Butcher, then he should’ve been caught with no shenanigans. It just defies all kinds of logic after all the careful planning, having an expert FBI profiler on the case, and numerous strong walls of security. Why? Because he’s that good? Sorry, I just didn’t buy the whole idea that The Butcher is supposed to be Houdini, when he’s surrounded by a group of armed officers. 

The close calls are tight and there’s a few good nail-biters, while Cooper improvises his possible escape routes. But for me most of it is undone with the ending, because there’s just too much ridiculous BS in the final moments. 

Hartnett is fantastic. There’s no denying that, but it’s a case, where Shyamalan gets a bit too enamored with Cooper/The Butcher. There’s absolutely no reason why what happened should’ve happened during the ending, considering the circumstances, and knowing how dangerous Cooper is and what he’s capable of.

Still, Trap is an entertaining psychological thriller. Good methodical pacing, the concert scenes have a strong sense of realism, and there’s one brutal scene involving a deep fryer. There’s also something genuinely creepy about Cooper explaining why he goes after his victims. The Butcher believes no human being is truly whole, and that mindset plays a big role for him, when he decides to literally cut his victims into pieces. Really the kind of stuff that makes your skin crawl. 

This is The Josh Hartnett Show. Hartnett’s tour de force performance is impressive, but there’s also some noteworthy performances from the supporting cast. Ariel Donoghue playing the exuberant teenage girl, or Alison Pill showing believable emotions for a conflicted Rachel, because she still wants to believe Cooper is a good person. Also, Hayley Mills is appropriately cast as the wise old veteran character, who’s smart  and knows how to keep her composure. 

There’s also some good humor here. Jonathan Langdon has his moments (I genuinely laughed at Jamie’s reaction during the mid-credits scene, when he finds out Cooper is The Butcher.) as the upbeat and enthusiastic vendor. Kid Cudi is good for a few laughs as Thinker, an egotistical diva with a bad attitude. Marine McPhail-Diamond is hilarious as Jody’s (Riley’s ex-friend) mother, the sort of unhinged Pollyanna, with a “dark side.” 

And of course it wouldn’t be an M. Night Shyamalan without a cameo from the man himself! As usual, I don’t mind Shyamalan’s cameos. It’s a brief appearance, and his character (he plays Lady Raven’s uncle) moves the story forward without unnecessarily taking anything away from the developments during the home stretch. 

The story of the firefighter living in the suburbs, moonlighting as an infamous serial killer was loaded with potential. I had high hopes for Trap, but it’s not a complete misfire. Shyamalan’s still capable of delivering wild and thought-provoking stories, and Trap proves he doesn’t need to rely on a big shocking twist. I was waiting for the swerve, because it’s Shyamalan, but I’m glad he decided to go with a more straightforward style of storytelling.

Rating- 6/10

Coming Attractions- Companion

 

Director- Drew Hancock

Cast- Sophie Thatcher, Rupert Friend, Megan Suri, Jack Quaid, Harvey Guillen, Lukas Gage

Release Date- January 31, 2025

Truly a completely bonkers trailer that shows a lot, but there’s still some unanswered questions to think about. You can tell there’s A LOT more to the story than the usual “robot gains self-awareness and humanity, and bad things happen” storyline.

Companion shows signs of being a well-rounded film. Bloody violence, Sophie Thatcher is great in the trailer, and a few hilarious moments. High hopes for this one, easily one of my top must-see picks this year.

Coming Attractions- A Working Man

 

Director- David Ayer

Cast- Jason Statham, Noemi Gonzalez, Jason Flemying, David Harbour, Emmet J. Scanlan, Michael Pena, Arianna Rivas, Eve Mauro, Maximilian Osinski, Kristina Poli, Isla Gie, Andrej Kaminsky

Release Date- March 28, 2025

The trailer shows way too much. Still, there’s a good chance The Working Man will deliver, and Statham, no matter what role he’s playing, is always reliable. 

It’s easy to see a lot similarities to The Beekeeper for a recent example. Statham, a man with a lethal set of skills, who decides to come out of retirement from his previous job as a Royal Marine to help a friend, after living a peaceful and quiet life. I’m not that excited about the story, but it’s Statham, so you can always expect a fast paced and hard-hitting old school action flick. And David Harbour should be a riot, playing the blind man, who doesn’t know he’s blind.

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

T.I.M. (2023)(Minor Spoilers)

 

**This post contains MINOR 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. 

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

Deja Vu (2006)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- ATF Special Agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) risks his career and his life to stop a ferry bombing on Fat Tuesday, while simultaneously attempting to rescue Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton). Under the false pretenses of buying her car, a terrorist named Carroll Oerstadt (Jim Caviezel) kidnaps Claire and plans to use her vehicle to house a bomb intended to destroy the ferry.

After the tragic explosion on the ferry and Claire’s death, FBI Special Agent Paul Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer) recruits Doug to join his team. Doug receives help from Paul, Dr. Alexander Denny (Adam Goldberg), Gunnars (Elden Henson), and Shanti (Erika Alexander) through Snow White, a complex surveillance system that’s capable of capturing past events and time travel.

Defying stern orders from  FBI Special Agent Jack McCready (Bruce Greenwood), Doug travels to the past with Denny’s help to stop the ferry bombing and save Claire. But a few unexpected developments complicates Doug’s plans.

My Thoughts- Doug Carlin is a rebel with a big heart. His partner, Larry Minuti (Matt Craven), Claire, Claire’s father (Enrique Castillo), and everyone on the ferry boat. There’s no denying that Carlin has fierce levels of compassion for helping others. 

Denzel brings the intensity to Carlin, when it’s necessary or the genuine emotional reactions for Claire and Larry. It’s heavily implied Larry would still be alive, if he didn’t chase after Oerstadt as a direct result of Doug sending a note to the past. Doug is someone, who comes off as a down to earth guy, with some unusual methods and habits, and Denzel easily delivers another good performance in the leading role here.

Jim Caviezel’s Carroll Oerstadt is everything a villain is supposed to be. I’ve always loved the interrogation scene with Denzel. That cold blank stare on Caviezel’s face, and the cocky smirk, when he tells Doug he’s determined to win. And notice how Oerstadt pulls the tape recorder closer to him, when he details how he murdered Claire. Oerstadt realized Doug deeply cared about Claire and the victims. He wanted to twist the knife by moving the tape recorder closer, while making sure to maintain eye contact with Doug. 

What’s scary about Oerstadt is, he truly believes he’s doing the right thing, motivated by “destiny.”  Oerstadt is obviously still bitter about being rejected by the Army and the Marines. He believes he’s a patriot, but in reality, he’s a coward and a hypocrite, who doesn’t have the guts to make the sacrifices he rambles on about. Carroll is completely nuts and delusional, but he’s also a cerebral antagonist. Truly a good performance from Jim Caviezel, because it’s easy to believe Carroll Oerstadt is a sadistic and deeply disturbed man.

Time travel films are tricky. You’ll always run the risk of the story becoming too wonky, if you constantly jump back and forth between timelines too much, but Deja Vu only has ONE time travel scene. 

Deja Vu is one of the few films I can think of, where time travel is presented as something that could be realistic. It’s not as simple as just punching in numbers on a computer, and bam! You’re almost instantly transported to your destination in time. Denny stresses the risks and dangers of time travel, including the possibility of death. Time travel also requires a lot of power, whether it’s just a note, or an actual human being (Doug) in the machine, so the scenes showing an entire grid losing power helps to add a tad bit of realism to the movie.

Deja vu and time travel are two elements that go hand in hand. Deja vu would explain why Doug has an obsession with saving Claire. You have to believe Doug traveled through time more than once to try and save Claire and foil Oerstadt’s plans. The evidence is all over Claire’s apartment, and Doug just can’t shake the feeling of knowing or having a connection with Claire in the past. 

The clever chase scene, where Doug is trying to track down Oerstadt’s hideout and hopefully save Larry is one of the big highlights of the movie. Weaving in and out of the past and present, while Doug follows Oerstadt using the Goggle Rig works as a unique chase sequence, and a refreshing spin on how time travel can be used with different methods.

The ending? I have to admit I’ve never been too crazy about Doug emerging to ride off with Claire after the bomb explodes underwater. I can understand why they wanted to go for the big happy ending, and it ties in with the deja vu theme throughout the movie. But Doug from the previous timeline dying without the appearance of another Doug would’ve had a stronger emotional impact. Doug successfully saved Claire, everyone on the ferry, and he killed Oerstadt, so mission accomplished, right?

But this is a time travel movie, so of course that means more opportunities for a number of scenarios and possibilities. I’m not a big fan of the ending, but I also wouldn’t call it a plot hole. Just going off of Denny’s explanations about time travel, it’s possible Doug finally closed some kind of loop, when he killed Oerstadt and saved the ferry. Everything reset to normal, so that would explain why the final version of Doug during the closing moments of the movie wasn’t familiar with Claire, and he genuinely had no idea who she was.

Certain events and moments in Deja Vu are a bit too convenient. After he travels to the past, Doug lands in a hospital right next to a group of surgeons, who are seemingly in the middle of open heart surgery? And Doug arrives in the ambulance moments before Oerstadt is about to cut off Claire’s fingers. 

Deja Vu is predictable, but it’s still an entertaining sci-fi action film. It’s heavy on the action, and Deja Vu delivers its fare share of thrills. Denzel Washington brings his usual commanding presence to this one. A solid supporting cast with noteworthy performances from Val Kilmer, Bruce Greenwood, and Adam Goldberg. There’s also some good humor here, especially the banter between Golderg, Henson, Alexander, Doug, and Doug’s K-Y Jelly line and Oerstadt’s reaction to it. And she’s basically limited to a damsel in distress role, but Paula Patton still manages to make the most of her appearances throughout the movie. 

Deja Vu is set during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There’s a nice encouraging message for the people of New Orleans before the credits start rolling. There’s also a noticeable effort to showcase the customs and lifestyle in New Orleans. Doug riding a streetcar as a means of helping with his process to solve crimes, and Claire’s jazz inspired funeral are two good examples.

The opening scene of the movie does a great job of building sympathy for the ferry victims. The little girl dropping her doll in the water, the happy Navy sailors enjoying themselves, and it’s easy to see and feel the overall joyous mood on the ferry. It’s all snatched away from them in an instant, when the explosion happens. No time to react, no time to run for safety, or say any goodbyes.

Rating- 7/10

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- Speak No Evil (2024)

 

Director- James Watkins

Cast- James McAvoy, Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Dan Hough, Alix West Lefler, Aisling Franciosi

Release Date- September 13, 2024

I can understand marketing and the need to sell the movie, but this trailer for Speak No Evil basically spoils everything. To make matters worse, it looks like the remake is going to go the route of pulling a copy and paste job for a lot of scenes from the 2022 original.

If I had to pick out some positive moments from the trailer, I’m glad Scoot Mcnairy and Mackenzie Davis have the guts to fight back. Something that drove me nuts about Speak No Evil 2022, is how Bjorn and Louise were frozen with fear during the finale. I can understand being in a state of shock, but to just stand there and allow Patrick and Karin to do what they did? Sorry, I just didn’t buy it. 

James McAvoy looks great so far, as a creepy and intense madman. The original Speak No Evil worked as a thought-provoking horror film about the dangers of not setting boundaries and allowing others to take advantage of misguided politeness. There’s realism behind being in situations, where you might be afraid to speak the truth, or foolishly sticking to your manners, because you’re afraid of how certain people might react.

If Speak No Evil 2024 sticks to the ideas and the dilemmas featured in the original, I’m sure it’ll be a decent remake. Fingers crossed for a different ending, because it’s just one mind numbing series of events after another during the 2022 film’s homestretch.