REVIEW: “Novocaine” (2025)

March 17, 2025 by Keith Garlington

Directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen team up for “Novocaine”, an outrageous action comedy that squeezes every ounce of humor it can out of its one joke. But lucky for them it’s a pretty good joke and they’re able to get a lot of mileage out of it. They’re even luckier to have Jack Quaid, whose performance is so impressively in-tune with his character that he’s able to keep the film on the road even as its wheels come off in the final act.

Written by Lars Jacobson, “Novocaine” starts by introducing us to Nathan “Nate” Caine, the kind-hearted assistant manager at San Diego Trust Credit Union. He’s a bit antsy and socially awkward with his lone friend being his online video gaming buddy Roscoe who he’s never actually met in person (he’s played by Jacob Batalon who’s doing a variation of the same character he plays in most of his movies). Nate doesn’t go out and he doesn’t date, but he does have a crush on Sherry (Amber Midthunder), a teller at his bank.

**Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures**

Here’s the thing – Nate is hiding one whopper of a secret. He has an extremely rare genetic disorder that makes him unable to feel pain. It may sound amazing, but it causes a number of problems that the movie has fun exploring. He opens up about his condition to Sherry after the two become romantically involved. Suddenly Nate’s life is looking up. That is until three heavily armed Santas bust into the bank, steal the money from the vault, and escape with Sherry as their hostage.

After a pretty great setup, the remainder of the movie follows Nate as he takes it upon himself to track down the robbers and rescue the newfound girl of he dreams. Meanwhile two detectives with the San Diego police department (Betty Gabriel and Matt Walsh) follow the trail of carnage while trying to determine if Nate is a hero or in on the heist. Of course Nate’s resistance to pain and natural timidity come into play in a number of wild and genuinely funny ways.

“Novocaine” does a decent job finding that elusive balance between action and comedy. The humor ranges from sweet and amusing to laugh-out-loud absurd. And there is no shortage of blood and gore in the action. It doesn’t all land the way it’s intended, but having Quaid at its center is invaluable. He does a little bit of everything including earning our empathy, thrilling us with hard-hitting violence, and making us chuckle at certain points along the way.

Unfortunately things unravel mightily near the end as the movie loses its humor and charm in its blaring action-driven finale. It leaves us feeling as numb as the film’s protagonist, despite our earlier investments. But while its ending may clang, “Novocaine” hits plenty of good notes. It earns enough goodwill along the way, both thrilling and amusing us with its blood-soaked action slapstick while disarming us with its surprisingly big heart. “Novocaine” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

First Glance: “F1” Official Trailer

March 15, 2025 by Keith Garlington

Only three years removed from making the $1.5 billion mega-hit “Top Gun: Maverick”, director Joseph Kosinski is back in a cockpit of a different kind. This time he’s entering the fuel-injected world of Formula One racing with the aptly titled “F1”. Joined by an all-star cast of actors and real-life drivers, Kosinski and company have made a movie with a broad appeal. Whether you’re a racing fan or not, “F1” looks terrific. Just check out the killer new trailer for proof.

Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a former F1 driver who retired following a devastating crash. He’s persuaded by his old friend and Formula One team owner Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) to come out of retirement and help mentor a young hotshot prodigy (Damson Idris). While the chance to race again is too good to pass up, the kid’s cockiness proves to be more than Sonny bargained for. The great Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Shea Whigham also star in what looks to be an exhilarating experience.

“F1” races into theaters on June 27th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Black Bag” (2025)

March 14, 2025 by Keith Garlington

Two Steven Soderbergh movies on the big screen in less than two months – we cinema lovers are eating good. And while it’s true that I didn’t fully go for his January release, “Presence”, Soderbergh always has something compelling to offer. And when he hits his mark the results can be pretty magical. Such is the case with “Black Bag”, a tight and taut spy thriller that has the flavor of an old school genre film yet a freshness all its own.

“Black Bag” could sell itself on its two brilliant leads alone – Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. Both are supremely talented and endlessly versatile while oozing charisma out of every pore. But then you add in Soderbergh whose signature style and precision energizes every facet of the storytelling, from his deft handling of the narrative to his striking visual approach. It all clicks into place with “Black Bag”.

Written for the screen by David Koepp, “Black Bag” follows Kathryn St. Jean (Blanchett) and George Woodhouse (Fassbender), a happily married and deeply devoted couple who both happen to be high-level intelligence agents. Soderbergh wastes no time getting the story underway, sucking us in with a killer opening tracking shot of George entering a night club to meet with a contact. We learn there is a traitor in their agency and George is given a list of five potential suspects, one of which is Kathryn.

From there the movie follows George’s investigation of the five suspects with most of his attention aimed at Kathryn, especially as clues implicating her begin to mount. As the mystery unfolds, two key questions emerge. Is Kathryn guilty of treason and where do George’s loyalties ultimately lie – to his marriage or to his country? Soderbergh and Koepp have us studying the screen, hanging on every word and measuring every reaction in hopes of finding answers.

One of the biggest treats in “Black Bag” is its heavy reliance on character over action. And it all starts with George and Kathryn. He is intensely focused, detail obsessed, and has a very specific disdain for lying. She is disarmingly suave, both captivating and beguiling, and impossible to read, even for an agent as seasoned as her husband. To no surprise Fassbender and Blanchett have an electric chemistry and Soderbergh smartly utilizes it to the nth degree.

The four other suspects within the agency all get their due as well. They’re introduced to us during a superbly executed dinner party scene at George and Kathryn’s home. James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris), Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), and Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) all think they have been invited over for a casual get-together. Instead they’re unknowingly a part of George’s investigation which turns the evening into something completely unexpected.

From there, all of the characters impact the story in interesting ways. Koepp’s sizzling dialogue and Soderbergh’s crisp pacing keep things gripping for the duration of the film’s compact 94 minutes. And while once again serving as his own cinematographer, Soderbergh surrounds this tightly plotted thriller with the kind of visual craftsmanship that has become a hallmark of his movies. Toss in the delectable Fassbender and Blanchett, and you have one of the best films of this young movie year.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

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.