REVIEW: “Skincare” (2024)

August 15, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Elizabeth Banks kills it in “Skincare”, a sleek and savvy crime thriller and black comedy hybrid from director Austin Peters. Banks (who also serves as a producer) is the film’s centerpiece and she gets some juicy material to work with from the screenwriting trio of Peters, Sam Freilich, and Deering Regan. The tonal gymnastics aren’t always seamless, but Peters manages with enough verve to make those things easy to look past.

Framed as as fictional story inspired by true events, “Skincare” is loosely based on celebrity facialist Dawn DaLuise. In 2014 DaLuise was wrongly arrested and charged with ordering a hit on competitor Gabriel Suarez who she (also wrongly) believed was behind a plot to sabotage her business. Unable to afford the $1 million bail, DaLuise was forced to spend ten months in jail while awaiting trial. When her trial finally began, she was acquitted in under one hour.

“Skincare” borrows a lot from the true account while adding its own incisive spin. Set in 2013, Banks plays Hope Goldman, a celebrity aesthetician and the owner and namesake of a Hollywood skincare studio. Hope is in full promotional mode as she’s only days away from launching her own line of skincare products. But underneath the glamorous facade, a cash-strapped Hope struggles to maintain her high-end salon while dodging her landlord Jeff (John Billingsley) and his attempts to collect past-due rent.

Things take a more dire turn after an up-and-coming facialist named Angel (Luis Gerardo Méndez) opens a boutique across the plaza. It doesn’t take long for Angel to become the talk of Tinseltown and soon Hope starts losing high-profile clients to her new rival. She even loses her guest spot on a popular daytime television talk show hosted by a schmoozing and appropriately slimy Nathan Fillion.

But what really turns Hope’s world upside down is when her email is hacked and a humiliating fake message is sent out to all of her clients. Shortly after, vulgar and aggressively explicit posts start popping up online in her name. The harassment turns even more menacing after she discovers her tires slashed. Hope immediately suspects Angel, but without any evidence the police won’t act. In the meantime she steadily hemorrhages customers while Angel’s business booms.

Hope has a chance encounter with a peppy Hollywood newbie named Jordan (Lewis Pullman). He’s a self-proclaimed life coach and wellness guru who agrees to help her counteract the intensifying attacks and rebuild her image. But things only get worse from there as Hope’s obsession with success is only rivaled by her fixation on Angel. It spins the knotty yet comical yarn into a pulpy cautionary tale about the lengths people will go to get what they want and how an out-of-control desire for notoriety can have damaging consequences.

As the story unwinds Peters shrewdly immerses us in the upscale Hollywood milieu while also dipping our toes in the city’s seedier side. A variety of supporting characters fill it all out with the best being an underused Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as Hope’s assistant and head of PR. But the movie works thanks to a committed and perfectly tuned Elizabeth Banks whose textured performance is the glue that holds it all together.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

First Glance: “Kraven the Hunter”

August 14, 2024 by Keith Garlington

It’s common knowledge that Sony’s run of non-MCU Marvel movies has been rocky at best. There have been some big box office hits and some major flops. Meanwhile the quality of the films has been mostly disappointing leaving people wondering what to expect from their upcoming offerings. Chief among them is “Kraven the Hunter”. After a series of strategic reshoots, the film was pushed to December. Now we have a new trailer and director J. C. Chandor says his movie is going to surprise a lot of people.

This R-rated Spider-Man spinoff sees Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing Sergei Kravinoff, aka Kraven. His complicated relationship with his father, Nikolai Kravinoff (played by Russell Crowe) puts him on a violent and bloody path to becoming on of Spider-Man’s most noteworthy adversaries. The movie also features Ariana DeBose, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Fred Hechinger. The trailer looks fittingly brutal and Taylor-Johnson definitely has the grit for this kind of role. Hopefully it delivers.

“Kraven the Hunter” is set to release December 13th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Cuckoo” (2024)

August 14, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Rarely has a title fit a movie quite as well as “Cuckoo”. This bizarre yet original horror-thriller comes from the imagination of its writer and director, Tilman Singer. Reactions to this crazy concoction will probably be all over the map and understandably so. It’s undeniably fun and bonkers in ways that only horror movies can be. But narratively it’s a bit of a mess, and almost undone by an unsatisfying ending that leaves far too many unanswered questions and dangling loose ends.

Hunter Schafer plays Gretchen, a 17-year-old still grieving the recent death of her mother. As a result, she leaves America and moves to the Bavarian Alps to live with her father, Luis (Marton Csokas), his new wife Beth (Jessica Henwick), and their mute daughter Alma (Mila Lieu). With little in terms of explanation, Luis moves them to a vaguely defined mountain resort that’s ran by the enigmatic Herr König (Dan Stevens). But the change of scenery doesn’t help Gretchen. The only thing that offers her solace is leaving voicemails on her late mother’s answering machine.

As the family settles into their new home, König offers Gretchen a job as a receptionist at his hotel in an effort to help her adapt. But then weird things start to happen. There are the eerie screeches coming from the nearby forest. There are the unresponsive guests seen vomiting around the hotel. And what’s with the weird time loops (a question I’m still asking myself). Most concerning of all are Alma’s sudden seizures. Of course we learn quick that there is more going on at König’s “resort”.

From there the movie hits us with one deliriously demented turn after another. There are several gnarly pieces to Singer’s twisted puzzle including König himself, whose slipperiness makes it clear that he’s hiding something. You have the terrifying blonde-haired woman in a long trench coat, with glowing red eyes that she hides behind large gaudy sunglasses. And then there’s the appearance of Henry (Jan Bluthardt), a police investigator who knows more than he’s letting on. He convinces Gretchen to join his secret investigation to stop whatever König is up to.

While the gonzo and sometimes grisly horror elements are a lot of fun, not everything in the story gets as much attention. For example, Gretchen makes several knee-jerk choices that seem out of the blue. None are bigger than her seemingly random attraction to a free-spirited guest named Ed (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey). Their actions that follow have no weight because their connection is too thinly drawn. It’s the same with Luis and Beth and some of their unexplained motivations.

But where the movie disappoints most is in its ending. Singer begins pulling back the veil on his twisted and macabre mystery leading to a bloody final showdown that attempts to put a cap on all he has revealed. Interestingly, it’s the resort’s crazy cryptic mystery with all of its deranged moving parts that comes together best (not seamlessly, but best). But outside of it, too much is left unresolved from character arcs to plot logic.

“Cuckoo” succeeds at luring you in and keeping you anticipating the next wacky turn it takes. But by the time the end credits roll, it’s hard to shake the feeling of being shortchanged. Still that doesn’t disqualify Tilman Singer as being an exciting emerging voice. Dan Stevens delivers another deliciously creepy and slyly hilarious performance (I dare you not to laugh when he pulls out his wooden flute). Meanwhile Schafer is a sturdy enough lead to guide us through the film’s big ideas and its hole-riddled storytelling. “Cuckoo” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

New on Home Video: “The Bikeriders” Collector’s Edition 4K Uktra HD + Blu-ray + Digital

August 13, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is bringing “The Bikeriders” to home video via a fabulous new collector’s edition. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, “The Bikeriders” is a gritty period biker drama inspired by Danny Lyon’s 1968 photo-book of the same name. In the film, Nichols tells the story of the Vandals Motorcycle Club, putting a special focus on two close-knit brothers. Incredible performances by the trio of Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Jodie Comer drive this fascinating feature.

This special collector’s edition of “The Bikeriders” features the film on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and Digital. It will be available to purchase on August 13th. See below for a full synopsis and release information including special features.

About the Film:

Year: 2023

Runtime: 116 Minutes

Director: Jeff Nichols

Screenwriter: Jeff Nichols

Cast: Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Norman Reedus, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen, Karl Glusman, Toby Wallace, Happy Anderson, Paul Sparks, Will Oldham

Rating: R

“The Bikeriders” captures a rebellious time in America when the culture and people were changing. After a chance encounter at a local bar, strong-willed Kathy (Comer) is inextricably drawn to Benny (Butler), the newest member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals, led by the enigmatic Johnny (Hardy). Much like the country around it, the club begins to evolve, transforming from a gathering place for local outsiders into a dangerous underworld of violence, forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

Written and directed by Jeff Nichols (“Mud”, “Take Shelter”), “The Bikeriders” boasts a power-house ensemble cast including Emmy, BAFTA, and Tony Award winner Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”, “The Last Duel”) alongside Academy Award nominee Austin Butler (“Elvis”, “Dune: Part Two”) and Academy Award nominee Tom Hardy (“The Revenant”, “Dunkirk”, “Inception”). Other impressive cast members include two-time Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon, Boyd Holbrook (“Logan”, “The Predator”), Mike Faist (“Challengers”, “West Side Story”), and Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”, “Triple 9”).

Special Features:

Bonus Content for “The Bikeriders” includes:

FEATURETTE: Johnny, Benny, & Kathy

From the accents to the attitude, get to know the lead characters of “THE BIKERIDERS”. Hear from the cast and producing team on how they took the personalities and environments from a book of photographs and brought a narrative to the big screen.

FEATURETTE: The Era of “THE BIKERIDERS“

Grab your leather jacket and gear up for a ride as we enter the era of “THE BIKERIDERS”. This piece focuses on the authenticity that was captured by the brilliant production team who nailed the look, feel, and sound of the late 1960s Midwest.

FEATURETTE: The Filmmaker’s Eye: Jeff Nichols

Go behind the lens with director Jeff Nichols as he shared his overall vision for the film, stylistic choices, and how he works with talent. Members of the ensemble cast along with producers chime in on the significance of working on a Jeff Nichols film.

Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Jeff Nichols

REVIEW: “Borderlands” (2024)

August 12, 2024 by Keith Garlington

With “Deadpool & Wolverine” still sucking up most of the oxygen in theaters, it was going to be an uphill climb for “Borderlands”, the big screen adaptation of the popular Gearbox Software video game series. But what has been most concerning is the complete lack of buzz leading up to its release. And when some opening weekend box office projections came in as low as $8 million, let’s just say there are plenty of reasons for the studio to worry.

I’ve played most (if not all) of the “Borderlands” video games. For the most part, the movie gets a lot right which is both good and not so good. The world of “Borderlands” is like a Wild West wasteland. It’s vast, violent, and full of chaotic comic energy. That also describes the crazy collection of colorful characters and creatures who exist in it. All of these things come alive in the movie.

But for me the games could be exhausting. The action could turn repetitive; some characters grew obnoxious; the humor wore thin. Those very same things are true about “Borderlands” the movie. Directed and co-written by Eli Roth, this $120 million sci-fi action-comedy attracted a terrific and overqualified cast that includes two Oscar winners, Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Gina Gershon, Ariana Greenblatt, Edgar Ramirez, Haley Bennett, and Florian Munteanu. They keep the film watchable but can’t cover its blemishes.

The story, penned by Roth and Joe Crombie, follows a ragtag group of misfits brought together through some convenient circumstances. A rogue soldier named Roland (Hart) infiltrates a space station to kidnap Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), the young daughter of megacorporation magnate Atlas (Ramirez). With the help of the hulking “Psycho” Krieg (Munteanu), Roland snatches the girl and heads to the treacherous planet of Pandora.

Atlas hires a bounty hunter named Lilith (Blanchett) to travel back to her home planet of Pandora and retrieve his daughter. Aided by a chatty one-wheeled robot named Claptrap (Black), Lilith eventually tracks down and confronts Roland only to learn a not-so-surprising secret. Atlas doesn’t actually care for his daughter’s safety. Tina is key to opening a hidden vault believed to house powerful ancient tech that could have cataclysmic consequences if in the wrong hands. Atlas wants her back so he can open the vault and claim the tech for himself.

So Lilith, Roland, Tina, Krieg, and Claptrap employee the help of Pandora expert Dr. Patricia Tannis (Curtis) and set out to find the vault first. But hot on their heels is the dogged Commander Knoxx (Janina Gavankar), armed with Atlas’ private army and one hideous haircut. They also encounter a gang of deranged subterranean psychos, giant titan-sized monsters, and eventually Atlas himself. It leads to a number of action sequences that range from outrageously fun to glaringly unremarkable.

Roth and company do manage to create a visually exciting Pandora. It’s covered in sand and rust, with jagged canyons and grimy cities. It’s dirty and unwelcoming yet richly detailed both practically and digitally. If only it was filled with compelling inhabitants. As fans will attest, the “Borderlands” games have been known for their wacky array of personalities. But despite adding characters like Mad Moxxi (Gershon) and Marcus Kincaid (Benjamin Byron Davis), we’re never given a sense of what makes them fan favorites.

But the film’s problems extend further. For starters, Hart’s casting is puzzling. He doesn’t have the grit to be a good tough guy and he isn’t given the lines to be a funny guy. Meanwhile an insufferable Jack Black stays cranked up to ten and is really hard to endure. And it doesn’t help that Atlas is just another bland corporate villain. Add in the cobbled together and mostly empty story, and you have a movie that captures the look of the video games more than the spirit that made them so successful.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

REVIEW: “It Ends with Us” (2024)

August 10, 2024 by Keith Garlington

As her husband continues his never-ending whirlwind promotional tour for his latest superhero jaunt, Blake Lively has her own movie out that will likely appeal to a much different audience. “It Ends with Us” is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel of the same name. The book was an intensely personal endeavor for Hoover who was inspired by the real-life relationship between her own mother and father.

The film is directed by Justin Baldoni who works from Christy Hall’s script. Baldoni also co-stars opposite of Lively who plays Lily Bloom. The movie opens with Lily arriving in the small Northeast town of Plethora, Maine where she is to give the eulogy at her father’s funeral. He was a highly regarded man in the small community. But for Lily and her mother Jenny (Amy Morton), life with her father was its own violent hell.

**Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing**

The funeral doesn’t go well and Lily hurries back home to Boston. She’s there to fulfill a life-long dream of opening her own flower shop. She has the perfect location and a supportive best friend Allysa (Jenny Slate) to help her get it on its feet. But her life really takes a turn when she meets Allysa’s brother, a hunky neurosurgeon named Ryle (Baldoni). The two had a chance meeting several months earlier, but soon after meeting again they both fall in love.

While that storyline is playing out, Baldoni and Hall frequently transport us back in time to Lily’s teen years. There we get a second storyline that follows a young Lily (played by really good Isabela Ferrer) who helps and eventually falls in love with a struggling neighborhood boy named Atlas (Alexander Neustaedter). It takes a while before we’re given any real context for the flashback story. It isn’t until later that we understand why it’s relevant.

Lily’s life gets complicated after she runs into Atlas (now played by Brandon Sklenar) for the first time since they went their separate ways as teens. Old feelings are instantly rekindled yet she remains committed to Ryle. At least until their relationship takes a sudden and deeply troubling turn that stirs up painful memories of her abusive father. It’s here that the movie takes a dramatic twist, moving from soapy melodrama into something considerably more substantial.

From the very start, Lively is the movie’s lifeblood. She gives a heartfelt performance that conveys both confidence and vulnerability while remaining authentic, even on the occasions when the material turns syrupy. She’s carries the bulk of the load, appearing in nearly every non-flashback scene, and in many ways saves the movie from its own unevenness. Lively brings emotional layers that prove to be critical to the story’s impact. Without them (and her) it’s hard to imagine the film staying afloat.

While “It Ends with Us” has its moments, the film has a tough time balancing its crowd-pleasing romance with its heavier subject matter. Themes of domestic violence and generational trauma play big parts, but they’re often undercut by the love story angles. But Baldoni deserves credit. Whenever his movie turns sudsy and saccharine, he eventually steers it back on track. And overall he offers a unique yet honest perspective on abuse. Some may find it too tidy, but I’m guessing it will hit home with the enthusiastic target audience. “It Ends with Us” is in theaters now.