Author Archives: Keith Garlington

New to Home Video: “Project Wolf Hunting”

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Well Go USA Entertainment has announced the home video release of the action-fueled, insanely violent genre mashup “Project Wolf Hunting”. This wild and blood-drenched 2022 South Korean action film has horror, thriller, survival, and science-fiction elements baked in. Director Kim Hong-sun doesn’t hold back, and just when we think you know what you’re watching, he throws another surprise our way. It’s not for the squeamish, but genre fans will be delighted. Read my FULL REVIEW HERE.

This new Blu-ray, Digital, and DVD releases of “Project Wolf Hunting” hits shelves FEBRUARY 14, 2023. See below for a full synopsis and breakdown of the bonus features.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:

Year: 2022

Rating: NR

Runtime: 123 Minutes

Director: Kim Hong-Sun

Starring: Seo In-guk, Jang Dong-yoon, Choi Guy-hwa, Park Ho-san, Sung Dong-il, Jung So-min, Lim Ju-hwan, Hong, Ji-yoon, Jung Moon-sung, Jang Young-nam, Ko Chang-seok, Jung Sung II

PROJECT WOLF HUNTING, the “antes-raised, safety’s off, no-holds-barred action cocktail” that is “like an adrenaline shot between the eyes” (IGN), debuts on Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD on February 14 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

During transport, a group of hardened criminals stages a jailbreak that quickly escalates into a bloody, all-out riot. As the fugitives exact their brutal terror campaign onboard the ship, something even more terrifying emerges from below. The action-packed thriller from director Kim Hong-Sun (Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area) stars Seo In-guk (The Master’s Sun, Hello Monster), Jang Dong-yoon (Search, Mr. Sunshine), Choi Guy-hwa (Train to Busan, The Wailing), Sung Dong-il (The Cursed, The Great Battle), Park Ho-san (The Call, Prison Playbook) and Jung So-min (Alchemy of Souls).

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Features an all-new English dub
  • An original featurette “Behind the Scenes”
  • An original featurette “Making the Alpha”
  • Audio: DTS HDMA 5.1 / Stereo (Blu-ray)
  • Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital / 2.0 Stereo (DVD)

REVIEW: “Project Wolf Hunting” (2022)

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I’m guessing you’ve probably heard movies described as “genre mashups”, “genre stews”, or “genre blends”. Few fit the bill quite like “Project Wolf Hunting”. From writer-director Kim Hong-seon, this wild and kinetic South Korean romp has action, horror, thriller, science-fiction, and survival elements all rolled into one ultra-violent and blood-soaked experience.

Sometimes we may use words like “blood-soaked” simply to describe a really violent movie. But with “Project Wolf Hunting”, you can apply it in a near literal sense. Hong-seon drenches his film in the red stuff – sprays of blood, pools of blood, splatters of blood, you name it. Slashed jugulars, crushed skulls, and severed limbs come by the dozens. So needless to say, this isn’t a movie for the squeamish. But if bloody, gnarly, proudly over-the-top action is your thing, Hong-seon has you covered.

Image Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment

To give you a better idea of what you’re in for, “Project Wolf Hunting” is what you’d get if you took “The Raid”, mixed it with “Con-Air”, and sprinkled in a little “Predator”. Most of the film takes place aboard a massive cargo freighter called the Frontier Titan, where a group of hardened violent criminals are being transported from the Philippines to Busan, South Korea. But deep in the belly of the ship lies a gruesome secret. One that takes the story in a direction you’ll never expect.

Seok-woo (Park Ho-san) is the officer in charge of the prisoners, and he accompanies the slew of police detectives, including Da-yeon (Jung So-min) who volunteered for security detail during the transport. Among the inmates is Jong-du (Seo In-guk) a full-blown psychopath with a following and the quietly mysterious Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon) who keeps to himself but clearly has history. As the Frontier Titan leaves harbor, back home in Busan a government agency takes command of the control center tasked with monitoring the transport.

As you might expect, the freighter is doomed from the very start. Once the ship hits international waters, criminals posing as crew members let loose Jong-du who leads the inmates in a brutal revolt against the police officers. The cops versus cons scenes are intense, and for a while we feel like we know exactly the kind of movie we’re in for. And then Hong-seon wallops us with a unexpected right turn.

Image Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment

Below, on the ship’s bottom deck, lies something far more grisly and violent – a grotesque super-soldier-like experiment labeled Alpha (Choi Gwi-hwa). But trust me, it’s no Steve Rogers. And when the action on the top decks inadvertently awakens it, “Project Wolf Hunting” catapults into full-blown slasher territory. The blood increases by the gallons, the savagery intensifies, and the body count soars. It’s a wild and crazy twist that gives a jolt to a movie that was already pushing things to the edge.

It’s hard to believe, especially in a movie like this, but a few things are simply too gratuitous and it’s clear they’re thrown in solely to push the envelope and grab attention (one that has absolutely nothing to do with violence). They’re the only times the movie feels gimmicky and lazy. Otherwise “Project Wolf Hunting” sticks close to its rabid, uber-gory, and undeniably fun vision. It’s a veritable ballet of blood-drenched brutality, choreographed with an unbridled ferocity. I won’t be for everyone (just ask my wife), but fans of no-holds-barred action are going to have a blast.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

SUNDANCE REVIEW: “Run Rabbit Run” (2023)

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Creepy kids continue to be all the rave in modern horror. The latest to tap into them is “Run Rabbit Run”, a haunting psychological horror film from director Daina Reid that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The Australian made film stars Sarah Snook (“Succession”) as a mother dealing with the suddenly strange behavior of her 7-year-old daughter. In the process she’s taken back to deeply repressed memories from her childhood.

Written by Hannah Kent, “Run Rabbit Run” has a patience that sets it apart from the standard-issue horror fare we’ve grown accustomed to. It leans into the psychological aspect of its story as it examines a range of familiar themes, some better defined than others. And while you can’t help but recognize a few familiar horror movie tricks, Reid and Kent use them in a variety of ways that cleverly service their story.

After Elizabeth Moss dropped out due to a scheduling conflict, Sarah Snook was cast in the lead. She’s terrific playing a single mother named Sarah who’s still grieving the recent passing of her beloved father. She puts on a good show for her daughter Mia (Lily LaTorre), but deep down she still struggles with her loss. Her ex-husband Pete (Damon Herriman) and his new wife Denise (Naomi Rukavina) show concern, offering our first hint that something else might be going on with Sarah and Mia. It’s some really good table-setting from Reid and Kent.

Things take a wicked twist after a white rabbit suddenly shows up at their Melbourne home. Mia is intent on keeping it, but immediately begins acting peculiar upon its arrival. Her demeanor completely changes. She makes a crude bunny mask out of pink construction paper and wears it everywhere. She starts drawing ghoulish pictures on the back of her homework. Even stranger, Mia insists on being called “Alice” and demands to see Joan (Greta Scacchi), a grandmother she’s never met. “I miss people I’ve never met all the time,”she tells her concerned mom.

Several other things surface as the story unfolds, much of it to do with Sarah’s troubled past. We learn more about her broken relationship with her estranged mother Joan. And there’s a particularly painful loss from her past that resurfaces and begins chipping away at her psyche. Of course it’s all maneuvering towards several big final-act reveals, some of which become pretty obvious. But Reid holds enough of her cards close to the vest, and she doesn’t let her film get bogged down in genre routines.

Comparisons to Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook” seem all but inevitable. And a few of the movie’s tricks (such as the metaphorical use of a festering wound that won’t heal) may seem a tad too familiar. But “Run Rabbit Run” carves out its own identity through its meticulous pacing and its backstory mystery. Reid’s prowess with the camera gives the film an unnerving sensation, especially in the second half. And then you have Snook who’s able to sell every scene, even the ones we feel like we’ve seen before.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

SUNDANCE REVIEW: “Shortcomings” (2023)

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Randall Park makes his directorial debut with “Shortcomings”, a romantic(ish) comedy written by Adrian Tomine. In many ways the film bucks many of the trends that have become synonymous with the romcom genre. But in several other ways it falls right in line with what we’ve come to expect. Ultimately it’s that inconsistency, along with some pretty glaring box-checking, that keeps the movie from fully gelling.

At first, Ben (Justin H. Min) and Miko (Ally Maki) seem like a form-fitting couple. They have their different likes and unique perspectives. For example he’s obsessed with artsy cinema while she’s much more politically minded. Yet differences aside, they’ve been together for six years and seem to love each other. But we start seeing cracks in their relationship which comes to a head when Miko gets accepted to a three-month internship in New York City. They agree to take “some time off” and she goes to the Big Apple while he stays in California.

Ben is a mix of pitiful and insufferable, and his only release outlet is his best friend Alice (Sherry Cola). She’s your stereotypical romantic comedy comic relief. She risqué, eccentric, and faithful, but mainly there to fill in a role and get some quick laughs. Cola’s performance is good and she does hit us with a funny line or two. But she’s the prototypical romcom sidekick who stands by the lead character and drops nuggets of wisdom in between her crude gags and obvious observations.

After Miko doesn’t answer his calls, Ben quickly looks for a cure to his loneliness. He starts by hanging out with Autumn (Tavi Gevinson), a wacky new employee at the movie theater he manages. Later it’s an acquaintance of Alice’s named Sasha (Debby Ryan). But they only open his eyes to what he had with Miko. The question is, has he waited too late to finally realize what he had? And does he have it in him to put his own ego aside?

We get some really good performances from Min and Maki who both do well in bringing out their characters’ personalities. But best is how Park writes them. While Ben is tough to bear, Miko is no angel which leads to some fairly interesting second half tension. Jacob Batalon also pops up in a small but funny role (he has one particularly funny line that Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will definitely enjoy).

Yet as a whole “Shortcomings” doesn’t offer as much to its genre as it clearly hopes to. It shows signs of originality and even ends on a pretty satisfying note. But you can see it working hard to have a modern appeal, despite leaning on a few too many tropes. Ultimately nothing about it feels all that fresh. It’s certainly a solid debut for Park. But the inconsistencies of the script, are a little too much for the first-time director to overcome.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

SUNDANCE REVIEW: “Fair Play” (2023)

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The most talked about early acquisition at this year’s Sundance International Film Festival has been Netflix dropping $20 million for Chloe Domont’s semi-erotic workplace thriller “Fair Play”. It was quite a move for the streaming leader who gains the distribution rights for a film that has gotten a ton of buzz since premiering in Park City, Utah.

Written and directed by Domont, “Fair Play” is a gripping examination of gender dynamics, unbridled career ambition, male insecurity, and the pitfalls of intimate workplace romances. It explores them all through one increasingly toxic relationship. Domont’s shrewdly written script keeps us glued to the screen, and her keen direction shows an incredible ability to steadily ratchet up the tension. It’s only in the final act that the film stumbles and gets carried away in bringing everything to a close.

“Fair Play” is anchored by two captivating performances by Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich. They play Emily and Luke, a newly engaged couple who work as financial analysts for the same New York City hedge fund firm. It’s a competitive and cutthroat business; one that’s hardly conducive to romantic relationships. But Emily and Luke seem so in love when we first meet them. So much so that they’re willing to risk their jobs and break company policy that strictly prohibits workplace hanky-panky.

Domont does a great job immersing us into the financial realm without overwhelming us with office patter, investment gab, etc. She gives just enough for us to grasp its merciless high-stakes nature. She also emphasizes the bro-centric, male dominated office space culture which Emily comes up against. But this is no ordinary story of workplace misogyny, nor is Emily your run-of-the-mill movie victim. More on that later.

When Emily overhears whispers that the position of portfolio manager is opening up and Luke is in line for the promotion, she’s genuinely excited for him. But then Emily gets a late night call from their boss, Campbell (an outstanding Eddie Marsan) who informs her that she’s the one getting the “PM” promotion. Conflicted, she returns to their apartment to share the news with Luke. He takes the news well, mostly concealing his disappointment behind a shaky smile. In these moments there’s a subtlety to Ehrenreich’s performance that blew me away – an ability to convey everything we need to know through such well-measured touches.

But slowly over time their relationship begins to unravel as Luke struggles with his failures and Emily’s sudden success. Working directly under her offers its own set of challenges for their away-from-work relationship. But ultimately it’s Luke’s sense of entitlement and wobbly male ego that pushes him over the edge. But hats off to Domont for avoiding the trap of making this a predictable one-note treatise. While Luke’s fragile masculinity is the root of most of their problems, Emily is hardly exonerated from all wrongdoing. Some of her choices are more than suspect, as is her appetite for power within the ruthless and icky world of hedge-fund management.

Domont’s mix of riveting storytelling and smart direction ensures we’re always in her grip. She steers us through a crumbling relationship, ravaged by jealousy and ambition. And as the tension moves from a simmer to a boil, you can’t help but be absorbed in every self-serving choice and passive aggressive dig. But it does stumble in a final 15 minutes that’s a little too clever for its own good. Read one way, the ending is wickedly revealing. Read another way, it’s a somewhat over-the-top finish that leaves you with some rather obvious questions.

There are some things that feel tacked on and that needed more attention or to be cut altogether. Take Luke’s sudden preoccupation with some online self-help guru or Emily’s intrusive and overbearing mother. Yet Domont finds ways to make even filler interesting. It’s a testament to her instincts as a filmmaker and storyteller, even at such an early stage in her career. Chloe Domont proves to not only be an exciting new voice, but someone with a good grasp of her craft. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

SUNDANCE REVIEW: “A Little Prayer” (2023)

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The always terrific David Strathairn stars in the equally terrific “A Little Prayer”, a low-key Southern melodrama that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before being picked up by Sony Pictures Classics. This delightful and warm-hearted ensemble film is a beautifully sketched family portrait that doesn’t gloss over the imperfections that make us human. In fact, writer-director Angus MacLachlan (who penned 2005’s “Junebug”) embraces those imperfections and the results are honest and deeply affecting.

Set and shot in his hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, “A Little Prayer” is clearly a personal endeavor for MacLachlin. His affections, sensibilities, and experiences can be seen and felt in every frame, character, and story turn. His story revolves around a seemingly average Southern family who live in a cozy and quiet neighborhood accented by tweeting songbirds and tall oak trees. But once you get past the idyllic charms, MacLachlin reveals a troubled family and a patriarch’s well-meaning attempts to hold it together.

Strathairn plays Bill Brass, the owner of a local sheet metal company which he runs with his son David (Will Pullen). Both are war vets (Bill served in Vietnam; David in Afghanistan), a detail that subtly plays into the story later on. Bill finds himself more and more preoccupied with the problems of his two adult children. David is an alcoholic and all signs point to him having an affair with their company’s bookkeeper Narcedalia (Dascha Polanco). Bill’s crude deadbeat daughter Patti (Anna Camp) shows up unannounced with her daughter Hadley (Billie Roy) needing a place to stay after leaving her opioid-addicted boyfriend for the umpteenth time.

You can tell Bill’s concern for his kids is weighing on him. But a ray of light comes in his relationship with his daughter-in-law Tammy (a sublime Jane Levy). The two are kindred spirits from different generations, and there’s such warmth and trust in the connection they share. Like a father, Bill sees Tammy as one of his own and he relishes their closeness – something he doesn’t have with his own kids. For Tammy, Bill is a tender father figure – something she lacked in her abusive childhood household in Kentucky.

One of my favorite touches involves a mysterious reoccurring voice that pierces the otherwise peaceful morning air. It’s the voice of a woman singing old gospel hymns in the distance. Bill and Tammy find it soothing and are enchanted by it. They even go out one morning to see which neighborhood house it’s coming from. Certain others in the family mock the heartfelt spirituals and find it obnoxious. The different reactions tell us a lot, as does the voice’s sudden absence at very specific points in the film.

While Strathairn and Levy have an exquisite father-in-law and daughter-in-law chemistry, other characters add a richness to MacLachlin’s story. None are better than the endearing Celia Weston as Bill’s wife, Venida. Weston steals scene after scene playing a straight-shooting but tender-hearted Southern woman who will have you laughing out loud in one scene and breaking your heart in another. Polanco shines in a crucial scene that breaks her character out of the typical side-dish mold. And Camp nails Patti, a veritable whirlwind of irreverent and self-destructive chaos.

As individual secrets are brought into the light, Bill comes to the painful realization that he can’t mend every fence or control every outcome. And no matter how much it hurts, there’s a point where he may have to let go. Meanwhile, we learn that there’s a quiet strength underneath Tammy’s meek and modest exterior. She knows more than she shares, and she’s willing to make difficult choices – some that could weigh on her for the rest of her life.

While pulling back the many layers of family drama, MacLachlan keeps things fittingly understated throughout. Some of the reveals could have easily sent the film spiraling. But MacLachlan maintains a remarkable and steady control, never allowing his story to cross over into soapy sentiment. It’s obvious he trusts his script, and it doesn’t hurt to have such a top-to-bottom terrific ensemble led by David Strathairn. He could make combing his hair in front of a mirror compelling. And he brings that signature authenticity to a character and a movie that I was in tune with from its open frame to the closing credits.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS