REVIEW: “The Electric State” (2025)

March 13, 2025 by Keith Garlington

You can be certain that some will go into “The Electric State” with their knives already sharpened. Afterall, it’s a $320 million streaming blockbuster from Netflix which makes it an easy target. But this latest small screen creation (that would look amazing on the big screen) is nowhere near the trainwreck it has been tagged as. But it also doesn’t live up to its status as one of the most expensive movies ever made.

With “The Electric State”, the directing duo of Anthony and Joe Russo continue to find their post-Marvel footing, reteaming with frequent collaborators, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. This time they’re adapting Simon Stålenhag’s dystopian sci-fi graphic novel of the same name after acquiring the rights back in 2017. They’ve brought this massive undertaking together with a hefty backing from Netflix who apparently handed the brothers a blank check.

From the very start you’ll notice “The Electric State” sports a star-studded ensemble providing both live-action performances and voicework. The featured talent includes Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Stanley Tucci, Giancarlo Espositio, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Colman Domingo, Jenny Slate, Brian Cox, Alan Tudyk, Woody Norman, and Jason Alexander among others. Just listing the names gives you a good sense of where a lot of the money went.

As for its storytelling, “The Electric State” struggles to find its own voice. So much of its story follows a familiar and well-traveled trajectory. We feel three steps ahead of it the entire way. There’s also no nuance in the handling of its themes. They’re mostly plastered on the surface rather than thoughtfully explored through the characters and their journeys. So that leaves the movie leaning heavily on its star power and impressive visuals.

Its 90’s set story takes place in the aftermath of a war between humans and robots. We learn humans had made robots the backbone of the world’s workforce, shaping them to do whatever labor mankind desired. Eventually the robots, led by the noble Mr. Peanut (voiced by Harrelson), began pushing for freedom and equality. But a paranoid humanity resisted which led to a global war.

After much fighting, the humans finally gained the upper-hand with the invention of the neurocaster by a wealthy CEO, Ethan Skate (Tucci). While the technology empowered mankind to win the war, Slate turned it into a virtual reality network that connected the entire world. Soon humans became obsessed with neurocasters, losing themselves in the VR worlds it created. Meanwhile robots have been banished, either disassembled or sent off to the reservation styled Exclusion Zone.

It’s within this world that we meet Michelle (Brown), a ward of the state ever since she lost her parents and was separated from her brilliant but anxious kid brother, Christopher (Woody Norman). Late one evening Michelle is shocked when a small robot in the form of Christopher’s favorite cartoon character, Kid Cosmo (voiced by Alan Tudyk) sneaks into her room. Within the robot is a part of her brother’s consciousness (at least I think) who tells Michelle he desperately needs her help.

So Michelle sets out for the west coast to find, rescue, and reunite with her brother, guided by an illegal robot who draws all kinds of unwanted attention. But she finds help in an unexpected place – a smuggler named Keats (Chris Pratt in a hideously bad mop) and his robot sidekick, Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie). They agree to escort Michelle and her Cosmo-bot across the war-torn wasteland of the Midwest towards Seattle. But of course there are plenty of dangers along the way from rogue robots to Ethan Skate, the nefarious CEO who we quickly learn is the movie’s big baddie.

To its credit, “The Electric State” looks amazing thanks in large part to cinematography Stephen F. Windon and the VFX team led by supervisor Matthew Butler. There is an incredible amount of detail put into the world from the retrofuturistic cities to the rust and grime of old battlefields. There are also tons of cool and amusing robot designs. Similarly, the action scenes are well choreographed and shot, incorporating both style and humor into the sequences.

If only the story had more weight. If only it made us feel something for the characters. If only it made the stakes seem as high as we’re told they are. If only its themes of tech dependency, family, and human connection were more seriously treated. Instead we’re left with stunning visuals, a slew of needle drops, and a great cast (some of whom are woefully underused). That was enough to hold my attention and keep me mildly entertained. But it also left me frustrated. The Russos have created a fascinating world that feels like it’s still waiting to be discovered. And no matter how hard I tried, I never felt a connection to it.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Stream” (2024)

March 12, 2025 by Keith Garlington

“Blood on the ground means points on the board.” That is both a tagline and motto for the highly imaginative and gleefully gory “Stream” – a horror feature built by slasher enthusiasts for slasher enthusiasts. Without question, “Stream” is a true labor of love from many of the folks behind the Terrifier series. They were able to get their movie made thanks to a lot of dedication, a helpful crowdfunding campaign, and the gnarly vision of director, editor, co-writer, and co-producer Michael Leavy.

“Stream” is built upon a gonzo concept which (in vintage slasher form) seeks to maneuver us from one spectacularly gory kill to the next. It’s a hearty feast for genre lovers, serving up helpings of creative carnage impressively brought to screen through the practical makeup and effects wizardry of Terrifier’s Damien Leone. But its concept is wildly entertaining outside of the kills with its terrific setting, wacky premise, self-aware humor, and handful of killer cameos (which I won’t dare spoil).

Written for the screen by the tandem of Michael Leavy, Jason Leavy, Robert Privitera, and Steven Della Salla, the bulk of the story takes place in a newly renovated rural Pennsylvania hotel called The Pines. Roy Keenan (Charles Edwin Powell) and his wife Elaine (Danielle Harris) feel their family is in desperate need of a getaway. So along with their rebellious 17-year-old daughter Taylor (Sydney Malakeh) and tech-obsessed 11-year-old son Kevin (Wesley Holloway), they book themselves a fun weekend at The Pines.

But upon arrival it’s pretty obvious (at least to us) that something is off. There is no internet, no cell service, and no phones in the rooms. There’s also no Mrs. Spring (Dee Wallace), the hotel’s kindly owner who the Keenan family know from past stays. Instead they’re greeted by the antsy Mr. Lockwood (Jeffrey Combs). Among the colorful array of other guests are two hunky French twenty-somethings, a crusty retired cop, an obnoxious drunk and his frustrated wife, three partying frat kids, and a handsy newlywed couple.

Unfortunately for our hapless guests, their reservations aren’t for a relaxing stay at a nice country inn. Instead they’re fodder in a brutal game hosted by Mr. Lockwood. In this game, the guests find themselves locked inside the hotel as four masked psychopaths stalk and savagely slay them for points. The more stylish and creative the kill, the more points they score. As they do, Mr. Lockwood broadcasts the competition on the dark web for a worldwide audience who bet big money on their favorite killers. It’s warped, depraved, and slyly indicting.

Mr. Lockwood’s four maniacal “all-stars” are the methodical #1 (Jason Leavy), the sadistic siblings #2 and #3 (David Howard Thornton and Liana Pirraglia), and the brutish #4 (Mark Haynes). While none of them utter a word, Leavy finds a way to give each of them their own sickly twisted personalities. And those personalities inevitably leak over into their kills which run the gamut of grisly and deranged.

As you might expect, it can be comical how characters and their actions don’t always make sense. And it’s best not to think too hard at certain junctures in the story. Yet as any fan knows, slasher movies have a style and spirit all their own. And that’s a big reason so many of us enjoy them. But “Stream” doesn’t just settle for following formula. Leavy and company let their imaginations soar, taking some big original swings and having a blast doing it. Even better, slasher fans will have a blast as well.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

REVIEW: “The World Will Tremble” (2025)

March 11, 2025 by Keith Garlington

Writer and director Lior Geller explores the depths of human cruelty and the heights of human resiliency in “The World Will Tremble”, a historical drama that tells another heart-wrenching yet inspirational true story from the Holocaust. Deftly handled with accuracy and urgency, Geller’s film is both a powerful testimony and a harrowing indictment that doesn’t gaze directly upon the horror but it doesn’t hide from it either. The results are astonishing. “The World Will Tremble” is the first great movie of 2025.

With the help of historian Dr. Na’ama Shik, Geller spent ten years researching the horrifying history of the Chełmno extermination camp in west-central Poland. The rural Chełmno was the Nazi’s first killing center of its kind, over time resulting in the deaths of nearly 200,000 Jews. Much of Geller’s movie takes place in and around the camp, bringing to light just some of the atrocities that took the lives of so many.

But the film also tells the extraordinary true story of Michał Podchlebnik and Solomon Weiner, two prisoners who became the first to escape the Chełmno camp. Even more, they would go on to offer the outside world the very first eyewitness accounts of the mass murder taking place at the hands of the Germans. Their testimonies were smuggled to London and broadcast on BBC radio on June 26, 1942 and later in the New York Times on July 2, 1942. These stand as the first official reports on the Holocaust.

“The World Will Tremble” leans heavily on the deeply piercing performances from its cast, specifically from Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jeremy Neumark Jones, and Charlie MacGechan. At the Chełmno extermination camp, a select group of Jewish prisoners work at gunpoint, digging mass graves and filling them with dead bodies of Jews slaughtered inside large trucks serving as mobile gas chambers. Among the workers is Solomon Wiener (Jackson-Cohen) whose only focus is on surviving. Some prisoners, including Wolf (MacGechan) want to plan an escape. But Solomon resists, naively believing they’ll be okay as long as they follow orders.

Geller’s approach to the storytelling is noteworthy in that he puts a strong emphasis on faces. Entire scenes play out with the camera focusing on the faces of the prisoners as they’re forced to do the unimaginable. Geller conveys so much through the pained expressions of his characters – the terror, the trauma, the overwhelming sorrow. It’s a strategic choice that asks a lot from his actors but that pays off in powerful ways.

As the barbarism intensifies right before his eyes, Solomon finally faces the grim reality of their situation. At the right time and in a moment of courage and desperation, Solomon and Michael Podchlebnik (Jones) make their move. The two jump from a moving truck and flee into the Rzuchowski forest amid a hail of German bullets. The film’s second half follows their daring attempt to escape as they navigate rugged terrain, hunger, the cold, and Nazi patrols.

To no surprise Geller takes a few liberties with the historical account to help develop the drama. But he never loses his grip on the truth that lies at the heart of the real story. In fact, he goes to great lengths to represent events accurately and with startling clarity, whether it’s the sinister ruse used by the Nazis to lure groups of captured Jews to their deaths or Michael Podchlebnik’s devastating discovery concerning the fate of his family.

There’s also impressive craftsmanship on display, from the terrific use of locations to the artful camerawork. Geller works hand-in-hand with cinematographer Ivan Vatsov to add a strong visual component to the storytelling. The use of nature, the emotive color palette, the array of tracking shots and trucking shots – it all adds an enriching level of depth and detail.

Movies about the Holocaust are by nature difficult to watch and they understandably face the most scrutiny. But as memory has almost fully turned into history, I grow increasingly grateful that filmmakers are still telling stories from that indelibly dark time in human history. With “The World Will Tremble”, Lior Geller joins the talented chorus of cinematic voices who responsibly ensure the Holocaust is remembered for the evil that it was and for the generational pain it has inflicted. “The World Will Tremble” opens in select theaters March 14th.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Last Breath” (2025)

March 10, 2025 by Keith Garlington

The deep sea survival thriller “Last Breath” tells the harrowing and miraculous true story of Chris Lemons, a saturation diver who spent nearly half an hour without oxygen at the bottom of the North Sea and lived to tell about it. A number of medical professionals have studied his case and none of the experts have come up with an explanation for how Lemons survived. And not only that, he sustained no longterm mental or physical effects.

“Last Breath” is directed by Alex Parkinson and is a feature film adaptation of the 2019 documentary of the same name he made with Richard da Costa. Written by the trio of Parkinson, Mitchell LaFortune, and David Brooks, the film follows the incident and subsequent rescue attempt. Parkinson highlights the heroism of those on the ship and underwater in a high-stakes, race against the clock thriller that delivers with a near workmanlike precision.

Finn Cole plays Chris Lemons, a young diver from Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a loving fiancé (Bobby Rainsbury) and a bright future. He gets a call to join a team of saturation divers for some deep-water gas line maintenance. Excited for the opportunity, Chris joins team leader and 20-year veteran Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson) and the intense and hyper-focused David Yuasa (Simu Liu) aboard a state-of-the-art vessel destined for the tumultuous North Sea.

Parkinson’s earlier research for his documentary pays big dividends here as he pours a ton of effort into the details. Everything from Ian Seabrook’s stunning underwater photography to the cramped and claustrophobic metal interiors to the steady flow of nautical jargon adds to the movie’s overall realism. And it helps that Parkinson keeps his story simple and streamlined. The film is lean and compact but has a propulsive plot. Best of all, it avoids the temptation to artificially amplify the drama. Parkinson lets the story sell itself.

The tension comes to a boil after Chris, Duncan, and David take a diving bell 300 feet below the sea’s surface. From there Chris and David descend further down to a drilling structure known as a manifold which sits on the seafloor. As the pair begin to make repairs, Duncan monitors their progress from the bell while feeding them air, light, warmth, and communication through an umbilical. Meanwhile up above in the ship’s wheelhouse, Captain Andre Jenson (the always reliable Cliff Curtis) fights to keep the ship on location in the middle of a violent storm.

Without giving away the details, the storm causes the ship to drift following a major DPS system malfunction. As the ship is pulled away from the site so is the bell. While David is able to get free of the manifold to ascend to the bell, Chris’ umbilical gets caught and eventually snaps. It leaves him stuck on the seafloor with no communication, no light, and only a few minutes of air. In an instant their maintenance job turns into a rescue mission as everyone above water and below put their lives on the line to save Chris before it’s too late.

“Last Breath” might be a bit thin in places, and I can see it being too straightforward for some audiences. But the movie works because of its ability to earn our investment. We fully believe in its real-life scenario, no questions asked. And we care about the characters, even if we wish we knew a little more about them. There is a gritty realism in the performances that matches the story as the terrific ensemble capture the human spirit. Parkinson does the rest, delivering a gripping throwback thriller in what is his rock-solid narrative feature debut.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Mickey 17” (2025)

March 7, 2025 by Keith Garlington

Bong Joon-Ho follows his universally acclaimed 2019 Best Picture winner “Parasite” with the wildly ambitious yet wildly uneven “Mickey 17”, a science-fiction dark comedy based on Edward Ashton’s novel “Mickey7”. While nowhere near as absorbing and clever as the filmmaker’s heralded Oscar darling, Bong’s social critique wrapped in sci-fi dressing has a lot to say and has a lot of fun saying it. But that alone doesn’t equal a good movie.

“Mickey 17” is as wacky as it is unwieldy. As you might expect from a Bong Joon-Ho film, it has a wealth of big ideas swirling all around. But while it delivers a few well-packaged laughs here and there, it’s never as funny as it tries really hard to be. Similarly, the big budget world Bong creates never quite lives up to its promise. Worst of all, the story he’s telling drags on for an eternity and is hampered by pacing that ranges from erratic to lethargic. In a nutshell, “Mickey 17” is an extravagant mess.

**Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures**

To his credit, an endearing Robert Pattinson gives it his all playing Mickey Barnes (Pattinson). After their business venture goes belly-up, Mickey and his childhood friend Timo (Steven Yeun) find themselves on the run from a sadistic loan shark. In an impulsive act of desperation, the two sign up for a space expedition leaving Earth to colonize the distant planet of Nilfheim. Timo gets hired on as a pilot. Mickey signs up for the Expendable program without really knowing what it is. Not the best idea.

As an Expendable Mickey is assigned to an array of extremely dangerous missions that almost always result in his death. But here’s the catch – each time he dies his body is “reprinted” using a controversial cloning method that has been outlawed on Earth. The scientists then upload his mind from their database (quite literally a brick with a few flashing lights) into his new body and get him ready for his next mission.

Filling out the supporting players, Naomi Ackie plays Nasha, a security guard and Mickey’s supportive love interest. Her character is all over the map, but Ackie’s performance is solid. The same can’t be said for the comically bad Mark Ruffalo playing Kenneth Marshall, a failed politician and raving egomaniac who’s somehow leading the expedition. The deliberately exaggerated Ruffalo keeps his act cranked up to 10, gnawing the scenery whenever he’s in front of the camera. He’s exhausting and often smothers out the much funnier Toni Collette who plays Marshall’s devious wife, Ylfa.

The second half shakes things up after the 17th iteration of Mickey is believed to be dead after an encounter with a native species. So they “reprint” Mickey 18. But what they don’t realize is that Mickey 17 is still alive leading to a strictly forbidden case of “multiples”. From there the movie seems to take one wild swing after another. It lurches from point to point, leaving holes all throughout its story while stitching them up with handy voiceovers and vain attempts at humor. It results in a long-winded and surprising unfunny affair.

Bong’s track record may earn him a pass with the faithful, but it’s hard not to see “Mickey 17” as a disappointment. We do see some of his signatures including his unique use of visual language and his commentary-soaked storytelling. But much of what he is going for gets bogged down amid so-so digital effects and a lumbering (and at times incoherent) story. Even Bong’s sermons, hammered most through Ruffalo’s shrill authoritarian televangelist impersonation, pale in comparison to his more incisive and insightful past efforts.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

EDFF 2025 Rundown: Southern Made Short Films Block

March 6, 2025 by Keith Garlington

The El Dorado Film Festival saved one of its best short film blocks for last. As its name reveals, the Southern Made selections highlights a wonderfully curated assortment of short films that have a distinct Southern flavor to them. Together they make for a diverse and entertaining collection that once again promotes a wide arrange of styles and visions.

Here are a few impressions out of the nine films included in the block...

“Love is Neat.” takes the simplest of titles and the oldest of stories and turns it into a bittersweet tale of self-discovery. Director, writer, producer, and editor Taylor Deville attempts to add her own unique spin to the storybook romantic comedy. She starts by introducing us to James (Caleb Lemon) who genuinely hates his job as a barista at a small coffee shop. But he sticks with it because of Jessica (Anne Nichols Brown), a regular customer who won’t give him the time of day. He obliviously believes she is his dream girl, but over time reality sets in with the help of a straight-shooting bartender named Kate (Ivy McGrew). Deville’s romcom inspiration is hard to miss. But her film has a lot of charm and a good central message that comes together nicely by the end.

VERDICT – 3.5/5

________________________________________

Of the many films at the 2025 El Dorado Film Festival, there was nothing quite like “Fast”. This entertaining psychological horror and black comedy genre blend came from the mind of writer-director Clayton Henderson who puts a gonzo spin on his own personal experience with fasting. Desperate to lose weight, Jake (Samuel Bosh) is put on an extended fast by his maniacal personal trainer (Donnovan Roe). It’s an intense regiment consisting of seven days with no food. During that time, all he is allowed to drink is bone broth. He’s doing it for his girlfriend Sydney (Sara Patterson), but over time he begins to mentally unravel, culminating in a suitably bonkers finish that’s sure to get a reaction. Henderson has a blast dabbling in horror while making his audience laugh. At the same time, his themes of self-confidence and fulfillment really strike a chord.

VERDICT – 4/5

________________________________________

David Michael Long grabs your attention with his work in front of and behind the camera in “The Artiste”. Long directs, writes, and stars in this dark dramedy of sorts that follows his character Terrence, a frustrated and temperamental street mime who encounters a man named Ben (Paul Petersen) who starts as a nuisance and turns into an admirer before becoming a rival. “The Artiste” is equal parts funny and sobering with much of its energy coming from Long and Petersen’s well-tuned chemistry. But most of all it’s the themes at its core that gives the film its identity. Holding onto your legacy, art versus entertainment, fleeting fame in the viral era – just some of things on Long’s mind in this well-conceived and well-made short.

VERDICT – 4/5

________________________________________

Shirley Ford (Gail Cronauer) is an 83-year-old widow from East Texas who gains an unhealthy infatuation with a fellow she sees as the spitting image of the Marlboro Man in director Diffan Sina Norman’s shrewd and unpredictable film “Pasture Prime”. Shirley first lays eyes on Marvin Clope (Patrick Kirton) when he pays a visit to her church. The two have a friendly greeting which (for Shirley) turns into a wild obsession. Her son Dean (Chris Alan Evans) and daughter-in-law Debbie (Susan Kirton) plead for her to leave Marvin alone, but for Shirley that’s easier said than done. Norman and screenwriter Carolyn Purnell approach the story with an almost Hitchcockian verve. But sprinkled in with the eerie music and earnest narration are moments of well-timed humor which help give the film its form.

________________________________________

A seasoned but disillusioned magician prepares for his final performance in director and screenwriter Jeremy Enis’ “The Stage”. A terrific Lance E. Nichols plays Arthur, a classic magician who has owned and performed in his own theater for years. But just as he’s about to go onstage, he surprises his faithful and longtime assistant, Evelyn (Sherri Eakin) with the news that this will be his last performance. Even more, he’s determined that he doesn’t need her for his final show which he will end with a brand new trick. But as the two cut through their frustrations and begin pouring their hearts out, the film reveals a real beauty in tragedy. Enis puts a lot of heart into this well-written two-hander that is ultimately a showcase for Nichols and Eakin. The two beautifully convey the emotional stakes through an onscreen exchange so rooted in truth that you nearly forget you’re watching a screen.