REVIEW: “Demonic” (2021)

August 26, 2021 by Keith Garlington

(Click here to read my full review from Friday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp made quite the memorable splash with his 2009 debut film “District 9”. The heady and perceptive sci-fi thriller set itself in an alternate 1982 and explored themes of xenophobia, class and income inequality. In addition to being a box office success, “District 9” was well-received by critics and it went on to earn four Academy Award nominations. His next two films weren’t quite as engaging, but both had big ideas to explore.

Now Blomkamp is back with “Demonic”, his first feature film in six years and one that sees him dipping his toes into a new genre. This low-budget and self-financed horror project was written in two months and shot over 24 days in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. You have to appreciate the filmmaker’s ambition in crafting his own unique vision and bringing it to life on screen.

Unfortunately “Demonic” ends up being a dry and toothless horror experience; one that’s never as captivating as it could be or as chilling as it needs to be. The mostly scare-free story introduces plenty of fun and crazy ideas, but it never fully embraces the sheer nuttiness that it teases. So we end up with a movie that can’t quite muster the frights and that isn’t willing to let loose and go full gonzo.

The story centers around Carly (Carly Pope), a woman haunted by nightmares of her incarcerated mother Angela (Nathalie Boltt) who she hasn’t spoken to in nearly two decades. Out of the blue, Carly is contacted by her former best friend Martin (Chris William Martin) who wants to meet up. Martin is a bit of a crackpot; the kind of guy who pushes all kinds of nutty conspiracies. He reveals to Carly that her estranged mother is in a coma and is part of an experimental study ran by a medical company called Therapol. Carly visits the company where an ambiguous “physician” named Michael (Micheal J. Rogers) and the head researcher Daniel (Terry Chen) let her in on the cutting-edge work they’re doing.

It turns out Therapol has developed a technology that allows them to enter a comatose person’s subconscious and communicate with them. During their recent simulations, Angela has been calling for her daughter. So they convince Carly to let them send her into Angela’s mind where she quickly learns that it may not be her tortured mom doing the calling. It might be something demonic.

The film’s budget constraints are hard to miss both inside and outside of the simulation. It’s especially noticeable in the final act. Aside from some clever lighting, we’re ushered through the surprisingly unremarkable finale without a single eye-catching visual touches to speak of. It’s much the same with the fizzling story as Blomkamp tries to bring everything to an exciting crescendo but instead lands it with an uneventful thud.

So what we’re left with is a bewildering movie – one with demons and possessions but not a scare to be found. One with goofy stuff like militarized Catholic exorcism squads and an ancient weapon called “The Holy Lance” yet it can’t squeeze out a single laugh. It’s really a shame because “Demonic” is the kind of movie you want to root for – a small independent film made outside of the big studio machine. But there is only so much you can look past and “Demonic” never delivers on its early promises. “Demonic” is in select theaters now.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

Movie Poster Spotlight: “Spencer”

August 25, 2021 by Keith Garlington

You’ve probably seen the shots of Kristen Stewart as Diana, Princess of Wales from the upcoming bio-drama “Spencer”. The resemblance in those images is uncanny. Now the Pablo Larraín directed film has dropped an amazing poster. Check it out and tell me what you think.

DIRECTOR – Pablo Larraín

WRITER – Steven Knight

STARRING – Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Jack Farthing, Olga Hellsing, Thomas Douglas, Ann Manson,

RELEASE – November 5, 2021

REVIEW: “Candyman” (2021)

August 25, 2021 by Keith Garlington

The original 1992 “Candyman” came out as the VHS era was booming. DVDs were still four years away so VHS cassettes were the way millions of people consumed their movies. When “Candyman” came out it wasn’t some genre-changing masterpiece, yet critics recognized not only its gory violence but its surprisingly rich social commentary. But for many, “Candyman” was just another VHS tape stuck in the horror section at their local video store.

As prep for my review of the new “Candyman” sequel, I rewatched Bernard Rose’s ‘92 original for the first time in decades. It turns out the critics’ favorable appraisal still holds up. I only wish I felt as strong about Nia DaCosta’s fascinating yet frustrating 2021 follow-up.

**Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures**

“Candyman” the 2021 edition is an entertaining mess; a film that grabs your attention and keeps it till the very end. At the same it’s a movie that teases far more than it delivers. It’s one that alludes to thought-provoking issues rather than exploring them in a challenging way. Even worse, its shaky storytelling skips over too many details leaving us with too many questions. Oh, and it wraps up with a hilariously on-the-nose ending that undercuts any suspense the film had mustered so far.

Written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, the film follows Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a hot-shot visual artist who’s struggling to find inspiration. He lives rent-free with his girlfriend Brianna (Teyonah Parris) in her swanky new Chicago apartment. She’s a well-connected art gallery director who has always encouraged Anthony. But he’s in a funk and needs something to spark his creativity.

Anthony finds that elusive inspiration while researching the local urban legend of Candyman. See the 1992 movie for more details, but Candyman is said to be a supernatural killer in a trench-coat and with a meat-hook for a hand. Legend has it if you say his name five times in the mirror Candyman will appear in the reflection and kill whoever summoned him. (I’ve never fully understood those rules, but that’s fine).

Anthony visits the abandoned Cabrini Green projects which was terrorized by Candyman decades earlier. He runs into a neighborhood old-timer named William (the always good Colman Domingo) who shares his first-hand account with Candyman. Before you know it an obsessed Anthony is chanting Candyman’s name in the mirror, a fresh bee sting on his hand is festering, and gruesome deaths start popping up across the city.

From the film’s earliest scenes DaCosta shows off her knack for framing shots. She does some unique and clever things with the camera that does more to add tension than anything written into the story itself. At the same time, she seems to have an aversion to blood and gore. I mean we do get a chopped hand, there’s a particularly gnarly slit throat, and Anthony’s infected hand gets pretty nasty. But far too often DaCosta cuts away or zooms out from the action, even relying solely on sound in a couple of scenes. It will be a welcomed choice for weak stomachs and a disappointment for some genre fans.

Meanwhile the mostly fright-free story zips along, infusing the lore of first film with its own current-day perspective. It’s a great idea on the surface, but the story ends up needlessly convoluted and with gaping holes in its logic. And while it seems interested in meaningful topics such as race and gentrification, just referencing them isn’t the same as dealing with them. It’s one of several areas where “Candyman” shows promise but fails to deliver. “Candyman” opens in theaters Friday, August 27th.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

First Glance: “Spider-Man: No Way Home”

August 24, 2021 by Keith Garlington

For months social media has been begging for Marvel Studios to finally drop a trailer for “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. Last night they finally obliged and gave MCU fans a glimpse into one of the most highly anticipated movies on the studio’s docket. Of course Tom Holland reprises his role as the iconic webslinger, but this time the universe has changed in ways that will have a wide-reaching impact.

The trailer is packed with stuff to take in, but for me it managed to be both exciting and perplexing. It looks like Doctor Strange is set to play a big part, but what we see makes him seem (dare I say it) kinda dumb. I’ll let you watch it for yourself, but he allows something to happen that I would never imagine from someone of his power and knowledge. And while the trailer was filled with great images, it was a bit convoluted. But then we get the end shot, and boy is it a good one. That alone gets me going!

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” opens in theaters December 17th . Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Reminiscence” (2021)

August 24, 2021 by Keith Garlington

In one respect the new film “Reminiscence” shines on its star power wattage alone. Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson are a handsome pair and each possess their own uniquely magnetic acting styles. “Reminiscence” also sports an intriguing premise that melds together science-fiction, classic romance and hard-boiled 1940s film noir. If only all of those tantalizing pieces came together as they should.

“Reminiscence” is written and directed by Lisa Joy, the sister-in-law of filmmaker Christopher Nolan. In her ambitious first feature, Joy shows off some of the same imagination as her famous brother-in-law. Her high concept story has all the ingredients of a cool vintage noir – the gloomy narration, the sultry femme fatale, a tortured detective-like protagonist. Also its not-to-distant sci-fi dystopia makes for an interesting setting.

But despite its promise, “Reminiscence” is more of a sampler platter of numerous better films. There’s a touch of “Inception”, a pinch of “The Maltese Falcon”, a dash of “Blade Runner”, and a smidgen of “Minority Report”. It’s also a movie rich with intriguing concepts that are never explored in a satisfying way. That’s because too much time is put into an undercooked romance that has the spark but not the sizzle it needs.

Jackman and Ferguson appeared together in 2017’s “The Greatest Showman” but this is a MUCH different movie. It takes place mostly in Miami where rising water levels have left it (and presumably every other major city) standing in water. In fact, rather than cars, boats are now the most efficient means of transportation. Also, the city is mostly nocturnal with businesses opening up at night so people can avoid the unbearable heat of the day.

Jackman plays Nick Bannister, who has a rather peculiar business that he runs out of an old abandoned bank. With the world so bleak people with nothing to look forward to have started looking back and Nick helps them. In one of many bits of narration he explains his work like this: “Memory is the boat that sails against its current. And I’m the oarsman.” Clear as mud, right?

Basically people come in for sessions in a casket-shaped device Nick calls “the tank”. It was once an interrogation tool during a fairly ambiguous “war” that’s mentioned often but never really explained. Now the machine is used to reconnect people to their favorite memories. And as they do, Nick and his hard-drinking assistant Watts (Thandiwe Newton) watch a three-dimensional holographic projection of what’s going on in their clients’ minds.

One day right at closing time, in walks Mae (Ferguson), a beautiful yet mysterious nightclub singer. Literally within seconds, without much buildup or explanation, Nick is infatuated with her. The two begin a brief love affair until Mae suddenly vanishes. Obsessed with finding her, Nick becomes what the press notes describe as a “private investigator of the mind”, tossing aside his work and even his friendship with Watts to find Mae.

As you can probably guess, his lovesick search for answers steers him down some dangerous paths, and it takes the story in all sorts of directions. And unfortunately the more it branches out the more convoluted it all gets. Both Jackman and Ferguson do their best to keep things interesting while a really good performance from Newton is wasted. Her character’s biggest contributions are nagging Nick to stay out of the tank, downing whiskey, and providing the spark in her one action scene. After that she essentially disappears.

Also the movie teases a captivating world full of corruption, oppression and suffering that’s just begging to be explored. There’s all of this stuff about ruthless land barons buying up all the dry land and the above-mentioned war that left society in shambles. But most of what we learn about it comes through passing mentions in conversations or vague references during some narration. It’s a shame because in many ways the world is more compelling than the story’s central mystery.

In the end, “Reminiscence” ends up being a movie with lots on its mind but no sure way of unpacking it all. Its attractive cast and cool genre blending definitely works in the movie’s favor. But Joy is never able to rev up the kind of excitement a movie like this needs. It just hums along at one temperature, teasing us with a better movie and never quite delivering on what it promises. “Reminiscence” is now showing in theaters and on HBO Max.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

REVIEW: “The Night House” (2021)

August 23, 2021 by Keith Garlington

(Click here to read my full review from Friday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

After taking in the trailers for the psychological horror film “The Night House” I was left with some rather obvious expectations: a haunted house story, a malevolent apparition, some spooky atmosphere, and (if we’re lucky) some genuine chills. What I didn’t expect to find was a meaningful character study nestled snugly within an entertaining genre film and anchored by one of my favorite performances of the year from Rebecca Hall.

Hall plays Beth, a school teacher in upstate New York who we first meet only days after her husband Owen inexplicably took his own life. The couple had been happily married for 14 years, but now Beth finds herself abandoned, haunted by a houseful of memories and a cryptic suicide note that leaves her with more questions than answers.

**Image Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures**

Beth’s well-meaning friends try to take her mind of things, but she mostly keeps to herself, alone with her grief, anger and perplexity, inside of the large double-decker lake house Owen built for her. But eerie disturbances in the night make Beth (and us) question whether she’s really alone. Maybe it’s just too much wine. Is it her frayed psyche playing tricks on her? Or has Owen returned from the grave?

“The Night House” is directed by David Bruckner who has shown himself to be a smart and savvy genre filmmaker. Here he takes some familiar tricks and uses them to great effect – a stereo suddenly blasting on its own, loud knocks on the door in the middle of the night, creepy silhouettes vanishing into the shadows. With the help of DP Elisha Christian’s crafty camerawork and Ben Lovett’s uneasy score, Bruckner amps up the dread each evening when Beth falls asleep.

While Bruckner and company clearly have a good time making us squirm, the movie works well because it never strays from its chief focus – Beth’s state of mind. The script (co-written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski) fills us in on a her past struggles with depression and “dark thoughts” and how it was Owen “who kept them at bay.”

Collins and Piotrowski do a good job keeping things under wraps while leaving a clue-filled trail of breadcrumbs (along with a few diversions) for our minds to follow. At the same time, Bruckner makes superb use of his location to feed our apprehension. The opening shots tease something idyllic, but any notion of tranquility quickly evaporates, overtaken by feelings of isolation and despair which Bruckner squeezes out of his picturesque setting.

“The Night House” is an immensely satisfying horror thriller that fully embraces its genre elements while also shrewdly dealing with some heavy topics such as mortality, depression, grief, and suicide. A few of the story’s details can get a little muddy in the final act and the ending may be a little too tidy. But the deeper the filmmakers go into the main character’s crumbling psychology the more I appreciated what they were going for. And any opportunity to see Rebecca Hall take on a meaty role like this is a treat in and of itself.