The current trend of bringing back movies from the 1980s continues. A steady diet of sequels, prequels, reboots, and remakes have been coming our way including TWO new trailers today. One of them is for none other than “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”, Tim Burton’s follow-up to his 1988 surprise hit “Beetlejuice”. I’m not sure there was a large number of faithful fans calling for a “Beetlejuice” sequel. Yet here we are 36 years later with me, a moderate fan of the original, surprisingly intrigued by this new installment.
I’m guessing many will go see “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” just to revisit Burton’s wacky supernatural world. For me, the biggest draw is the return of the great Michael Keaton. Even at the age of 72, Keaton still shows signs of that madcap energy that was such a big part of his early movies. I can’t wait to see that unleashed once again. The new trailer gives us a taste for what we can expect, including the returns of Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” hits theaters September 6th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
A man named Nathan wakes up to find himself lying in the middle of a winding mountain road. “I made it”, he utters after seeing what’s left of his wrecked car, “I’m not hurt”. But then he’s startled by a voice. “What a crash,” says a man standing in the ditch. His name is Daniel and he was riding the motorcycle that Nathan hit head-on. Now they both stand in the road having a conversation with no soreness, no wounds, and no signs of injury. “We didn’t make it,” Daniel says, informing Nathan and us that they are indeed dead.
That startling sequence opens “Pandemonium”, a chilling and enigmatic nightmare from the mind of French writer-director Quarxx. His latest film plays like an interconnected horror anthology – one built around a supernatural premise that uses elements of genre and theology in its examination of such subjects as death, grief, regret, and suffering. There’s almost a Poe-like quality as the movie cavorts with the macabre. But there’s also a strong human component leading to the film being surprisingly philosophical in addition to being frighteningly surreal.
Image Courtesy of Arrow Video
The story of Nathan (Hugo Dillon) and Daniel (Arben Bajraktaraj) takes up roughly one-third of the film and serves as a fascinating launching point. As the two interact the reality of their predicament takes hold and truths about their lives begin to surface. It’s made even more real with the sudden appearance of two doors, one gleaming like beautiful flawless crystal; the other made of cold and austere metal. The Heaven and Hell representation is obvious, but it’s Quarxx’s dialogue mixed with the ominous setting that makes the scene hauntingly effective.
Without giving away too many details, we end up following Nathan as he enters his door and descends into Hell. There he’s greeted by a dark and desolate sight – falling flakes of ash, the distance rumble of thunder, and corpses littering the dusty ground, each with their own horrifying story to tell. Among the bodies is that of a little girl named Jeanne (Manon Maindivide). A short distance away lies the body of a woman named Julia (Ophélia Kolb). From there Quarxx breaks off to tell each of their stories starting with Jeanne.
Jeanne’s segment is shown (mostly) from the little girl’s perspective and at times plays like some grim and twisted fairytale. But the truth behind what we see is far more sinister and deranged. We follow Jeanne as she gleefully tromps through her family mansion, the bloody bodies of her murdered parents laying in the study. Jeanne blames their deaths on her deformed friend Tony the Monster (Carl Laforêt) who lives deep down in their basement. But what really happened in the house proves to be much more ghastly.
From there we move to Julia (Ophélia Kolb), a mother who has snapped after discovering the lifeless body of her teenage daughter Chloé (Sidwell Weber) who has committed suicide. Quarxx gives us a handful of revealing flashbacks showing Chloé being relentlessly bullied by a group of girls at school and neglected at home by Julia who was too absorbed in her career to see that her daughter was in pain. Unable to bear her daughter’s death, the distraught Julia goes to some pretty dark and twisted places.
Image Courtesy of Arrow Video
The movie eventually returns to Nathan, putting a fantastical and gruesome cap on his story while attempting to provide an ever so slight glimmer of hope. The ending doesn’t answer many questions. In fact you could say it poses far more. But that’s part of what Quarxx is going for. With “Pandemonium” he wants to challenge our first impressions and push us to wrestle with what unfolds over time. He offers no easy interpretation or cut-and-dry solution. And he adds subtle yet distinctly different points-of-view which add layers to some of the deeper themes.
While the story itself is challenging and thought-provoking, just as much is conveyed through the striking visual presentation and sound design. Forbidding imagery, inspired practical effects, the disquieting score from composer Benjamin Leray – it all feeds into the eerily captivating vision of a filmmaker who wants us to think as well as squirm. “Pandemonium” opens May 27th in select theaters and on VOD.
Netflix’s “Hit Man” is almost here. This action rom-com from director Richard Linklater (a long time favorite of mine) made a big splash at Venice, Toronto, and Sundance. Now it’s coming to select theaters this weekend ahead of its upcoming release on the streaming platform June 7th. To get us ready, Netflix has dropped some hilarious new character posters featuring the many faces of the film’s star, Glen Powell.
Powell has been everywhere since appearing in the box office smash “Top Gun: Maverick”. In “Hit Man” he plays Gary Johnson, a college professor moonlighting as a tech guy who helps the police with sting operations. Through some unexpected circumstances he’s asked to fill in for a suspended cop and go undercover – a job he proves to be surprisingly good at. Linklater and Powell have worked together a few times before and their creative chemistry is undeniable. As for the posters, they give us just a taste of the wackiness we can expect in this fun and steamy thriller.
Aside from their hilariously clunky titles, the rebooted Planet of the Apes series has repeatedly delivered while surprising me in a number of ways. Going back to the first film, 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, the series has told thematically rich and emotionally impactful stories to go along with state-of-the-art motion capture and visual effects. So I was expecting more of the same with the long-awaited fourth installment, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”.
Directed by Wes Ball, “Kingdom” is a standalone sequel to 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes”. Its story takes place 300 years after “War”, but the DNA of the previous three films can be seen all throughout it. Unfortunately the execution doesn’t quite live up to its predecessors. To no surprise “Kingdom” looks great and it hits a few good emotional beats. But it struggles mightily to capture the vision and narrative breadth of the Caesar trilogy.
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
The issues with “Kingdom” grow more evident over time. First, it’s incredibly slow developing and it takes a long time for the story to gain any traction. That’s made worse by the fact that the movie is far longer than it needs to be. We tread a lot of familiar ground in the arduous 145 minutes which leads to another issue – “Kingdom” has a tough time distinguishing itself, not just from the other three Apes movies, but from other dystopian sci-fi adventures. It walks its own path but utilizes a few too many formulas to get where its going.
Set generations after the death of Caesar, apes have become the dominant species while humans are considered wild and untamed. A young chimpanzee named Noa (Owen Teague) is part of an ape clan devoted to nurturing and training eagles. While out collecting an eagle egg as part of his coming-of-age ritual, Noa witnesses a party of raiders, led by a foreboding gorilla named Sylva (Eka Danville), heading towards his village. Worried, Noa rushes home to find his village under siege.
Sylva attacks Noa and leaves him for the dead in the ashes of his village. But Noa survives and when he wakes he finds his father dead and his clan abducted. Heartbroken and driven, Noa sets out to find and rescue his clan. On his journey he crosses paths with Raka (Peter Macon), an erudite orangutan who is faithful to Caesar’s teachings. Raka begins to enlighten Noa on Caesar’s message of peaceful coexistence, especially after noticing they’re being watched by a human girl who they name Nova (Freya Allan).
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
After saving Nova from another roundup by Sylva, the girl reveals that she can speak. She tells them that Noa’s clan has been taken to a coastal settlement ran by an ape monarch named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). We learn Proximus is obsessed with a heavily sealed vault that he believes contains old human tech. His zeal has led him to abduct and enslave several ape clans, forcing them to work on opening the vault. As you can probably guess, Noa’s journey leads to a clash with Proximus which is both inevitable and surprisingly unremarkable.
Unremarkable best describes “Kingdom”. There’s nothing glaringly bad about the film. It just never comes close to the thrilling or emotional highs of its predecessors. Neither Noa or Nova are especially compelling, and (judging by the ending) the film seems too focused on setting up yet another Apes trilogy. But perhaps most discouraging is how dull the movie can be. There is plenty of fat that could have been trimmed to make this a tighter and more riveting experience. As it is, “Kingdom” will sit as a serviceable but rather prosaic early summer feature.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, it’s a bit amusing to have a third installment in a film franchise that’s titled “Chapter 1”. Yet here we are with “The Strangers: Chapter 1”, a prequel to the 2008 original film that was written and directed by Bryan Bertino. I really enjoyed the first Strangers movie for a number of reasons. It was a simple and straightforward psychological horror film yet soaked in atmosphere and tension. It was genuinely frightening and earned its status as a cult favorite. There was a sequel, 2018’s “Strangers: Prey at Night”, but that one is better left forgotten.
“The Strangers: Chapter 1” is set to be the first in a trilogy of films, all of which were shot together over a three-month stretch in late 2022. All three are directed by Renny Harlin who’s perhaps best known for helming the early 1990s action hits “Die Hard 2” and “Cliffhanger”. And all three are written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland working from a story by Bryan Bertino. It’s meant to be a relaunch of sorts, but it’s hard to say how much excitement it’ll generate. Especially considering how this one turned out.
Image Courtesy of Liongate
“Chapter 1″ pulls much of its inspiration from the 2008 original. In fact too much. You could say it’s a carbon copy but minus the thick tension and steady sense of dread. But the film’s biggest problem is that it’s barely half of a movie stretched out to feature length. There’s about 30 minutes of material which means we spend a lot of time spinning our wheels and going nowhere. It’s made worse by a flat “To be continued” ending that does nothing to entice us with what’s to come.
To its credit, the movie does a decent job setting up a story that takes place “somewhere in Oregon”. Lovebirds Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) are on a three-day cross-country roadtrip from New York to Portland where Maya is set for a big job interview. While passing through the tiny town of Venus, the couple stops at a diner to get some food. They’re greeted by your garden-variety backwoods locals – weird and a little creepy (as they’re often depicted in the movies).
As bad luck would have it, Ryan and Maya find themselves stranded after their car won’t start and the mechanic can’t get the part he needs until the next day. They’re able to find a rustic Airbnb deep in the woods just outside of town where they settle in for a quiet romantic night. That is until three masked psychos begin terrorizing them – first with annoying yet seemingly harmless harassment. But once they break out the axes and butcher knives things get much more serious.
Much like the 2008 film, the setup is pretty simple. But where “Chapter 1” flounders is in its lack of scares and in its inability to create and sustain suspense. Outside of a few lazy jump-scares, Harlin relies on a steady diet of frightened closeups and the psychos roaming around the house knocking on doors, peering through windows, and standing in the shadows. There are a couple of scenes of action but not nearly enough of it.
Image Courtesy of Lionsgate
Meanwhile Ryan and Maya prove they’re not the sharpest knives in the drawer. Some of their choices will have you shaking your head and shouting at the screen. This is especially true later in the movie where you won’t find a hint of good judgement. Yes I know this isn’t unusual for the horror genre. But here it felt especially maddening.
But that seems like a small gripe when compared to the more glaring issues. Namely that “Chapter 1” is just a stripped down version of 2008’s “The Strangers” that feels like a 30-minute pilot episode drawn out to feature length. We spend most of our time waiting for something to happen…anything. And when it finally does, the payoff isn’t worth the wait. Even worse, it struggles mightily to muster up any anticipation for the movies to come. “The Strangers: Chapter 1” is out now exclusively in theaters.
The great J.K. Simmons has slowly and steadily moved into that special category of actors who I will watch in anything. The Oscar-winning Simmons has appeared in nearly 250 productions that span movies, television, stage, and even video games. Perhaps most impressive is his ability to excel in any genre. Whether it’s superhero movies, dark comedies, adult dramas, gritty action films, or animated family features, you’re liable to see Simmons in anything. And you can guarantee that he’ll be good in it.
His latest film does a good job proving my point. From director (and Simmons’ real-life wife) Michelle Schumacher, “You Can’t Run Forever” sees the actor letting loose in a juicy role that may catch some people by surprise. He plays a mysterious serial killer who goes on a murderous rampage in rural Montana, eventually targeting and hunting a terrified young girl. Co-written by Schumacher and Carolyn Carpenter, the story makes good use of its Northwest setting and even better use of Simmons, who remains a chilling presence even as things start to go off the rails.
Image Courtesy of Lionsgate
“You Can’t Run Forever” opens with a bang (several of them actually). A man on a motorcycle (Simmons) pulls up to a country gas station to fill up his tank. There he guns down three people in a manner that almost indicates some warped moral code. He willingly leaves two witnesses and then rides away. It’s a shrewdly brutal cold open that immediately and firmly establishes Simmons’ character in our minds.
From there were introduced to Miranda (Isabelle Anaya), a young teen who suffers from panic attacks following a recent trauma. After her divorce, Miranda’s loving mother Jenny (Fernanda Urrejola) remarried to the kindhearted Eddie (Allen Leech). Both have daughters from previous marriages and are now expecting a child of their own. For Miranda, adjusting to this new family has been a struggle.
In an effort to spend some quality time together, Eddie takes Miranda with him on a day trip to pick up a new bassinet. While taking a bathroom break at a rest stop, they encounter the strange man from the opening scene. It only takes a few minutes for their encounter to turn violent. Miranda flees deep into the Montana forest with the unhinged killer stalking her like a predator does his prey. To survive she’ll need to conquer her anxiety and find an inner-strength she never knew she had.
The story unfolds on two fronts. While Miranda runs for her life in the woods, the news reaches Jenny and Eddie’s daughter Emily (Olivia Simmons) back home. Meanwhile two dutiful yet overwhelmed young deputies, Morgan (Andres Velez) and Dwyer (Graham Patrick Martin), feel their way through the investigation while waiting for the new sheriff to arrive. They’re well-meaning but at times shockingly incompetent to the point that they almost feel like a parody.
Image Courtesy of Lionsgate
Both sides of the story work together yet have their own weaknesses. For instance, some of the choices made by the deputies and Miranda’s family will have you shaking your head. And there are a couple of miscalculations later that don’t quite have their desired effect. Take Miranda’s encounter with mushrooms which leads to a drug trip sequence that doesn’t land as intended. These gripes don’t derail the movie, but they do take your attention away from what it does well.
As far as pacing, following a strong opening and a solid middle act, the film loses some steam in the final stretch. But it picks itself up and ends with a tense though conventional finish. Even with its hiccups, Schumacher makes some savvy choices that energize her movie. For example, we never learn much about the killer beyond vague hints at what might have pushed him over the edge. That may frustrate some, but I found it made him more unsettling. And a lot of credit goes to Simmons who gives us a cold-hearted yet cryptic antagonist. It’s yet another great performance from one of the most consistently good actors working today. “You Can’t Run Forever” opens May 17th in select theaters and on VOD.
Keith & the Movies 