(CLICK HERE for my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

It’s hard to argue with the Foo Fighters’ sensational music career. Now the freshly minted rock and roll hall of famers take a brief detour from music to try their hand at movies with their first feature film “Studio 666”. While the group has been the subject of two documentaries, this is their first foray into drama. It’s a gallant effort. But after sitting through this baffling and at times astonishingly bad rock and roll horror comedy, I think the Foo Fighters might be better served sticking to their strength.

Just judging from the trailer, “Studio 666” looked outrageous and that’s a big part of what drew me to it. My impression was that the film would be a crazy mix of grisly grindhouse horror, absurd black comedy, and an assortment of old (and possible new) Foo Fighters tunes. Well, I got the grisly grindhouse horror part right. This thing goes all-out when it comes to gore – exploding heads, sprays of blood, entrails galore. It’s all present in unbridled over-the-top grindhouse glory. Even the title “Studio 666” resembles something you would see on a cheap mid-70s downtown marquee.

The black comedy part doesn’t work nearly as well. We get a few moments where the movie has fun with its more twisted elements, but not nearly enough of them. Instead of going full gonzo, the film often tries to be a straight comedy. But the numbingly bad gags rarely land – a problem that’s exacerbated by some horrible deliveries. To be fair, performances were never going to be a strongpoint here, and at times the band intentionally overplays certain scenes. But at other times it’s plain old bad acting and it becomes a distraction.

As for the music, don’t expect to hear any new Foo Fighters songs or to sing along to any of the band’s classics. Strangely there are none to be found. We get a couple of short jam sessions and a brief drum track or two, but that’s all. It’s an odd omission, and there were several times when I would have loved a Foo Fighters musical interlude to break up the growing monotony, especially in the first two acts (the third act isn’t great either, but it turns into a full-on splatter film which proves to be a welcomed distraction from all the other nonsense).

The film (directed by B. J. McDonnell, written by Jeff Bulher and Rebecca Hughes) is based on a story written by the band’s charismatic high-energy frontman Dave Grohl. It begins with the Foo Fighters butting heads with their manager (Jeff Garlin) over the group’s next record. It’ll be their tenth album so Grohl and bandmates Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee want to do something epic.

Their manager hooks them up with what seems like the perfect recording location – a mansion in Encino with a “rock and roll pedigree” (fun fact – it’s the same house where the band recorded their 2021 album “Medicine at Midnight”). Unfortunately for the Foo Fighters, that “pedigree” happens to include demonic possession, a gateway to Hell, and an unholy flesh-bound book ripped straight out of “The Evil Dead”.

Rather than finding his creative energy in the spacious Encino estate, Dave suddenly loses his songwriting mojo. But just as his writer’s block (or as the movie so eloquently puts it, “songwriter’s constipation”) threatens to derail their much anticipated album, let’s just say Dave finds his much-needed “inspiration“ from a dark supernatural source. Horror hijinks ensue as the half-baked truth behind the house comes to light. Meanwhile several ‘friends of the family’ pop up in small roles or cameos including Lionel Ritchie, Will Forte, Whitney Cummings, Jenna Ortega, and Kerry King.

Ultimately the whole thing plays like one big running joke – one that might work if this were a 30-minute special on Netflix. But as a 100-plus minute feature-length movie, it’s tough to endure. The over-the-top gore-soaked final 20 minutes make it all a little more bearable, but not much. And while it’s true that without the Foo Fighters this movie would have never been made, it’s also true that without the Foo Fighters name stamped on it “Studio 666” would have never seen a movie theater screen. That’s because quality-wise it’s the kind of movie that drops unceremoniously on VOD only to end up in the digital bargain bin a few weeks later. And to be honest, they’re a dime-a-dozen. “Studio 666” is now showing in theaters.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

(CLICK HERE to read my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

“Sundown” from writer-director Michel Franco opens with a shot of several fish on the deck of a boat. As they make their last gasps for oxygen, a man stares down at them with a solemn melancholy gaze. It’s a scene rich with meaning that over time will become clearer and clearer. And while the metaphor is easy to grasp, the details surrounding it are far more opaque.

With “Sundown”, Franco has crafted a shrewd and methodical story that’s as much of a puzzle as it is a drama. Information does come, but slowly and only when Franco sees fit to share it. That gives him plenty of room to challenge his audience. As things begin to happen, we’re lured into jumping to our own conclusions and making our own judgments. And that’s when Franco has us where he wants us.

The man in the opening scene is Neil Bennett and he’s played by a perfectly calibrated Tim Roth. Neil, a woman named Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and two college-aged kids, Colin (Samuel Bottomley) and Alexa (Albertine Kotting McMillan), are vacating at a posh high-end resort in Acapulco. Franco deliberately holds back details, allowing us to piece together what we can through the characters and their interactions. They’re clearly wealthy as evident by their luxury accommodations, servers at every turn, and steak dinners costing a car payment apiece. 

Another thing is clear – Neil is troubled. Despite the swims in the beautiful turquoise waters, the sunbathing on a private beach, and being treated to the best cuisine, Neil seems detached, often lost in his thoughts and staring into oblivion. What’s wrong with him? Do Alice and the kids know? Is it due to something we’ve yet to learn or is it just a mark of their relationship? Franco eventually sheds light on it all, but only after his story takes some unexpected turns.

Their vacation abruptly ends after Alice gets a call from London that her mother is being rushed to a hospital. The four immediately pack and head to the airport, but once there, Neil informs his family he forgot his passport at the resort. He sends a distraught Alice and the kids ahead insisting he’ll catch the next flight. But rather than going back to the resort, Neil takes a cab to a cheap beachside hotel.

While Alice thinks he’s working with the consulate to get back to London, Neil actually spends the next several days slouched in a plastic chair on a crowded beach surrounded by locals, downing buckets of beer and staring up into the sun. His behavior becomes even more revolting once we learn Alice’s mother has died and she needs his help with with funeral arrangements. Instead of heading to London, Neil stops taking Alice’s calls altogether.

So what’s going on with this guy? Is it a midlife crisis? Is it deep depression or existential dread? Is he a bad person or is it something deeper than that? Franco’s deliberate and calculated approach to answering to those questions are what make Neil’s story so brutally compelling. And Roth, with his droopy oversized shirts, long shorts and sandals, gives a brilliantly cryptic performance that keeps his character’s emotions so tightly locked inside that he’s nearly impossible to read.

The only glimpses of potential happiness in Neil comes when he meets a local shop owner Berenice (Iazua Larios). The two hit it off and begin a relationship which raises even more concerns about this man. Everything seems to be careening towards a not-so-happy ending, but to get there Franco takes his story places you’ll never expect. Along the way he explores themes often found in his films – class, family dysfunction, violence, etc.

“Sundown” had its world premiere last September at Venice and it’s finally set for its US release (via Bleeker Street). It packs a lot into its lean 83 minutes. The story is bleak and at times appalling, but Franco never casts judgement on Neil or his actions. He leaves that to us. But he does so in such a crafty way that figuring things out and reaching our own conclusions is much of what makes the film so effective. “Sundown” is now showing in select cities.

VERDICT – 4 STARS