Few movies have surprised me more than “Creed” and “Creed II”. The very idea of jump-starting the “Rocky” franchise by focusing on the son of Apollo Creed seemed like a stretch. As it turned out, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, and Sylvester Stallone had a great story to tell, and they followed it up with an exceptional sequel (Stallone was robbed of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar). Now the third chapter is on the way with Jordan not just starring, but making his feature directorial debut.
The first trailer has dropped giving us a good taste of what we can expect. This time around Adonis Creed (Jordan) finds himself on a collision course with Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), a close friend from his past who’s fresh out of prison following an 18 year sentence. While the two were once like brothers, Damien clearly has animosity towards his old friend and he intends to settle things in the ring. “I’m coming for everything”, Majors utters with a confident snarl. Gratuitous body-flexing aside, the trailer captures the same spirit as the previous two films. I’m all in.
Sexual assault, trauma, war, small town oppression – just some of the weighty themes woven into the very fabric of “The Road Dance”, a handsomely shot old-fashioned melodrama from writer-director Richie Adams. Based on the 2004 novel of the same name by John MacKay, “The Road Dance” handles its sensitive issues with the right amount of empathy and thoughtfulness. And though a touch soapy in spots, even those scenes are elevated by an eye-opening lead performance from Hermione Corfield.
Based on actual true events, the story is set in a small, tight-knit community in the Scottish Outer Hebrides. Kirsty McLeod (Corfield) has long been a dreamer, ever since the days of sitting on the beach with her late father, listening to him talk about the world beyond their shores. And while her father may be gone, she still dreams of more than planting potatoes on the same land farmed by her parents. She wants bigger things. She wants to go to America. But it’s a dream that seems so far out of reach.
As the outside world braces for the First World War, Kirsty lives in a tiny remote village with her hard-working mother, Mairi (Morven Christie) and her younger sister, Annie (Ali Fumiko Whitney). It’s an exquisitely realized setting, from the stone houses with grass covered rooftops to the collection of folks who make up the community. You have their priest, their constable, their doctor, and even an odd hermit named Skipper. They all bring such authenticity and character to the film.
Also among the locals is the well-mannered, book-loving Murdo (Will Fletcher) who returns to the village after a tour with the British military. He immediately takes a liking to Kirsty, and the two soon fall in love. But before they can begin their future together, Murdo and three other young men from the village are called to England where they’re to be sent to the Western Front. On the night before the four boys are sent off to war, the village honors them with a ‘road dance’. But for Kirsty, the already sad occasion takes a darker turn after she’s the victim of a horrific crime.
From there the bulk of the film deals with the aftermath, in one part playing like a mystery to uncover Kirsty’s assailant. But the more potent aspect of the story follows a young woman forced to hide her trauma from a small town’s judgement. It’s here that Adams does an especially good job peeling back the many complicated layers, revealing the idyllic storybook setting to be anything but. And it’s in the film’s second half that the intensely committed and throughly engaging Corfield shines brightest. She does most of the film’s heavy lifting, earning our empathy through her honesty and vulnerability.
The movie does feel a little hammy at times (a fault of the screenplay, more so than the acting), and some of the early proclamations of love aren’t particularly convincing. I’m also not sure about the abruptness of the final scene. But there’s an overall sincerity to the storytelling that makes “The Road Dance” more than a standard-issue weepie. And as the drama unfolds to the ruggedly gorgeous backdrop, it’s hard not be swept away. But we’re always brought back to earth, in large part thanks to the revelatory lead work from Hermione Corfield – a star in the making.
Stephen Lang plays a character simply credited as Old Man in the fittingly titled new psychological horror-ish thriller “Old Man”. Now for the sake of clarity, this isn’t the same old man he plays in the two “Don’t Breathe” movies although certain similarities are impossible to miss. Instead, here he plays an old man living in seclusion somewhere deep in the wilds of the Smokey Mountains.
“Old Man” is a wily two-hander led by Lang and Marc Senter. Directed by Lucky McKee from a script by Joel Veach, the movie does a nice job sucking you into its crude, one-location setting. At least for a while. Unfortunately it begins to lose its grip around the halfway mark, struggling to maintain the tension it builds so well early on. But Lang and Senter keep it afloat. They’re nice fits for Veach’s off-kilter story, and McKee smartly leans on his two actors and their weird yet fascinating chemistry.
Courtesy of RLJE films
Its no-frills setup begins with the camera panning around and snaking through a rustic wood cabin, stopping on an old man (Lang) in red longjohns asleep on a bed. He suddenly snaps awake as if jolted from a nightmare. He gathers himself (sort of) and gets up, his bones creaking as much as the tired bed springs and planked flooring. He starts rambling incoherently, calling for his dog Rascal who has apparently run off. “Nobody leaves me”, he grumbles with a tinge of anger in his voice.
Suddenly there’s a knock on his door. Startled, the old man grabs his double-barrel shotgun and opens it to find a polite yet nervous young man named Joe (Senter). The old man pulls him inside, sticking his gun to the terrified young man’s throat. What’s this guy doing at his cabin in the middle of nowhere? “My wife, she didn’t send you out here, did she?”, asks the suspicious old-timer, hinting at a backstory which will come more into focus a bit later.
Courtesy of RLJE films
Joe explains he got lost in the woods. He saw the smoke from the old man’s chimney so he came to the cabin for help. Should the old man believe his uninvited guest’s story? Should Joe be scared of the old man with gun? Nearly the entire movie is spent sorting these questions out as the unhinged codger and his jittery visitor simply talk – tense and genuinely frightening at first; deeper and more personal later. Yet we know from the start that things aren’t as they seem. It comes down to patiently waiting for McKee to reveal his hand.
As for that reveal, it’s fine. Nothing as twisted and gnarly as I hoped for (the film would had benefited from a final act burst of gonzo nuttiness). Instead it goes in another direction, adding a twist that’s reasonably clever but that won’t blow anyone’s socks off. Still, “Old Man” squeezes a lot out of its meager budget and single setting. And there are stretches where you’re so absorbed in the dialogue and the two central performances that the film’s constraints all but vanish. And while it sputters in the second half, it keeps your attention throughout – a testament to the talent both in front of and behind the camera. “Old Man” is out now in select theaters.
The end of Michael Myers and the “Halloween” franchise? Oh we’ve heard that before. Perhaps not as blatantly as the pointedly titled “Halloween Ends”, but it feels like we’ve been down this road before. I mean who actually believes that if this latest installment makes good money at the box office and has a high streaming rate on Peacock that we won’t eventually see the pale-masked slasher icon return to butcher a fresh new batch of Haddonfield fodder?
One thing that does seem to be coming to an end is Jamie Lee Curtis’ run with the franchise. This will be the seventh appearance in a “Halloween” film for the beloved scream queen, and going into it you get the sense that the 63-year-old Curtis is ready to step away. That alone makes “Halloween Ends” significant. It’s too bad she isn’t given a better movie to end with. Both she and her character, Laurie Strode deserve better.
Let’s not beat around the bush, “Halloween Ends” is a baffling misfire. It’s a movie plagued by bizarre choices and hampered by vain attempts at subverting our expectations. The movie should have been a slamdunk. Laurie Strode, Michael Myers, one final showdown. That’s an easy recipe for success. Perhaps not the most original idea, but it’s exactly what fans have been waiting and watching for. It’s what this trilogy has been building towards. But that seems like an afterthought for director David Gordon Greene and his trio of co-screenwriters.
Image Courtesy of Universal Studios
Rather than honing in on the two characters who were supposed to be the trilogy’s centerpiece, “Halloween Ends” goes an entirely different route, back-burnering Laurie and especially Michael in order to introduce a new (and uninteresting) angle revolving around a new (and uninteresting) character. Laurie is wedged in here and there, and other than a fleeting glance, we don’t see Michael at all for the first hour. It’s hard to imagine how this looked good on paper. It certainly didn’t turn out good on the screen.
The movie begins with a night of babysitting that goes terribly wrong. Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) is a kind-hearted 21-year-old Haddonfield boy who agrees to babysit a young brat on Halloween night so the parents can go to a costume party. But when a terrible accident leads to the kid’s death, Corey is charged with aggravated manslaughter and becomes pariah to the locals.
Jump ahead a couple of years where Laurie Strode (Curtis) is working hard to assimilate into the Haddonfield community. “It has been four years since I last saw my monster,” she notes. In that time, she has bought a house in the middle of town where she lives with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). She spends her time burning pies in the oven, flirting with Deputy Frank Hawkins (Will Patton) in the grocery store, and writing her memoir. Allyson works at the Haddonfield hospital and has taken a liking to Corey. He’s ridiculed by many of the townsfolk who call him “murderer” and “psycho”. But Allyson sees him as a kindred spirit – someone besides her who understands trauma and its effects.
Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures
I won’t pound out or spoil the details. But the movie misguidedly latches onto Corey and makes his story its centerpiece. He and Allyson grow closer, but the bullying and abuse from the citizens of Haddonfield, especially four entitled high school seniors, begin to take its toll. While all of that is playing out, Laurie gets lost in the background, pondering whether she likes Allyson dating Corey. Meanwhile a wearied and worn Michael Myers lives in a sewer drain waiting for the filmmakers to finally let him off his chain. Sadly they never really do. Michael ends up restricted to being a secondary character. Little about him makes sense in the film, and his lone big moment comes at the end, and feels tacked on rather than meaningful.
In once sense, it’s interesting to see David Gordon Green take some wild swings. And there are plenty of big ideas that might have been interesting if given room to develop. But at times it seems like Green forgets he’s making a “Halloween” movie, much less the final installment in a trilogy and a significant movie for the franchise. Making it worse, characters often act impulsively, and some of their motivations are woefully underdeveloped. And when the kills finally come, only a couple feel remotely memorable.
So what to do with “Halloween Ends”? Do we applaud it for going for something new or deride it for throwing out everything we expected (and was advertised)? Perhaps I could overlook some things if the new direction was compelling and didn’t feel pulled out of a hat. Perhaps I could get onboard if central characters still didn’t get pushed to the side. Perhaps it would be easier to digest if there weren’t so many nagging issues with the storytelling. As it is, “Halloween Ends” feels like a hodgepodge of ideas, some of them good (Haddonfield as a villain, society creating its monsters, the nature of evil, etc), but too many aren’t. Sometimes it’s best just to keep things simple. I wish this movie had. “Halloween Ends” is out now in theaters and streaming on Peacock.
The January 2023 movie calendar is taking shape, and horror fans already have something to look forward to. In many ways “Megan” looks very much like a January movie release. But it also looks like the kind of schlocky B-movie horror that I tend to have fun with. The film has several interesting names attached. It’s Blumhouse produced. James Wan gets a story credit. Akela Cooper (“Malignant”) wrote the screenplay. It stars Allison Williams (“Get Out”).
The story is undeniably goofy, but in a pretty entertaining way. Williams plays Gemma, a high-tech toy maker who uses artificial intelligence to create M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android), a life-like prototype doll programmed to be a child’s best friend and protector. When her niece suddenly loses her parents in a terrible accident, Gemma is given custody. Overwhelmed, she brings home M3GAN to help care for her niece. Guess how that goes. M3GAN evolves and bloodshed ensues. The trailer’s second half looks absolutely bonkers which is kinda what you want from a movie borrowing from so many others that came before it. We’ll see.
“Megan” hits theaters January 13th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Science-fiction fans who have been starving for something new, look no further. The directing duo of Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper have melded sci-fi with dystopian dark fantasy to give us “Vesper”. Don’t let its small indie status fool you. “Vesper” is a transporting experience and a masterclass on immersive world-building, showing that you don’t need the deep pockets of a major studio to create an absorbing setting.
Filmed in Lithuania, Buožytė and Samper vividly portray a dank and harsh planet Earth. They show us a tragically ravaged world, yet it’s one of spellbinding beauty. It’s much like the actual story itself which is somber-toned and melancholy yet warm-hearted and (in its own eventual way) hopeful. This creative balance is one of several things that set “Vesper” apart. And while its overall concept isn’t particularly new, the film carves its own identity by freshening up familiar ideas and shrewdly utilizing one of science-fiction’s biggest strengths – its ability to show us ourselves and our world from a number of enlightening perspectives.
Image Courtesy of IFC Films
In the world of “Vesper”, humanity tried and failed to dodge an impending ecological disaster by investing heavily in genetics. But as a result genetically engineered viruses and organisms escaped containment and wiped out most plant-based foods, animals, and a large portion of the human population. In this New Dark Age, those with power and status live in enclosed cities called Citadels. All those on the outside struggle to survive, dependent on seeds engineered and sold by the Citadels for food. It’s a social structure doomed by its very nature.
Outside the safety of the Citadels is a treacherous land filled with eerie mutated plant life and animated flora. Predatory plants with piercing tendrils or noxious gases pose a constant threat while others pulsate with a near fluorescent glow and react like an adoring pet to human touch. Such a complicated ecosystem may sound overwhelming, but not for 13-year-old Vesper (a very good Raffiella Chapman). Keen, resourceful, and with a knack for biohacking, Vesper has not only adapted to her surroundings, but she’s studied it and used what she has learned to engineer her own biological creations.
Vesper dreams of one day working in the labs of the nearest Citadel. But the reality of her situation offers no real hope. She lives in an old wood shack with her paralyzed and bed-ridden father Darius (Richard Blake). His brain is linked to a drone that he uses to communicate with Vesper and follow her when she goes out for supplies. Her mother left them a year earlier, joining a nomadic group of creepy scavengers called Pilgrims. So it’s left to Vesper to run the house, provide food, and take care of her father.
After their house is robbed, Vesper seeks help from her uncle Jonas (Eddie Marsan), a smart but ruthless leader of a small nearby town. Jonas is a cold and callous man who excuses his actions in the name of survival. Take his ghastly agreement with the closest Citadel. He trades bags of children’s blood for seeds. The Citadel’s scientists then use the blood to create synthetic humans called Jugs who are designed to do the work of laborers. “Jugs are designed to be loyal”, one character says. “It wouldn’t be so easy with humans.” Again, a social structure doomed to failure.
Image Courtesy of IFC Films
Vesper and Darius’ lives change dramatically after a Citadel glider crashes in the forest. Vesper discovers an injured woman named Camellia (Rosie McEwen) near the wreckage and nurses her back to health. The presence of a Citadel citizen excites Vesper but concerns Darius. And things only get worse once Jonas gets wind of the crash. The story takes some darker turns in its second half, especially as it digs deeper into the best and worst of humanity.
Despite their film’s overall bleakness, Buožytė and Samper don’t leave us without hope. Nothing in their world is certain, but they give us a reason to believe in Vesper, and they show a glimmer of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Chapman’s earnest and determined performance is key. But none of it works without the rich, captivating world which is brought to life through a remarkable mixture of digital and practical effects. It feels real and organic, yet full of mystery. Even more, it adds a harrowing layer to Vesper’s journey and ours as well. “Vesper” is now available on VOD.
Keith & the Movies 