REVIEW: “Night of the Harvest” (2024)

September 24, 2024 by Keith Garlington

I’m pretty sure I’ve shared my treasured memories of the video rental era. My memories of going to the video store every Saturday with my parents and renting four or five VHS movies to watch over the weekend. During those many video store visits there’s no telling how much time I spent perusing the horror section. The shelves were loaded with cheap B-movie chillers that I couldn’t get enough of.

The new movie “Night of the Harvest” is yet another slasher flick that would feel right at home on those video store shelves (that may sound like an insult but it’s not). It’s undoubtedly a project made with a shoestring budget and by a small crew, many of whom work in front of and behind the camera. In a way that makes these kinds of movies tough to review. The production is undoubtedly affected by its limitations. But at the same time you can’t help but appreciate the passionate creators who are trying to make every penny count.

“Night of the Harvest” comes from co-directors Christopher M. Carter and Jessica Morgan. The script was written by Carter from a story he conceived with Morgan. Adding to her duties, Morgan also stars in the film alongside Brittany Isabell. Carter, Morgan, and Isabell all serve as producers. The cinematography was handled by Carter while Isbell headed stunt choreography. As I said, it’s a small crew wearing several hats.

It was one year ago that Madison (Isabell) barely survived a horrific murder attempt. Still suffering from the trauma, she recently moved in with her protective older sister, Audrey (Morgan). On October 31st, Audrey and her friends gather together to set up their annual Halloween night party. Audrey believes it would do her sister some good so she convinces Madison to come along.

Among the partygoers is Audrey’s boyfriend Dane (Jim Cirner), his chatterbox best friend Will (Aeric Azana), the ebullient Joyce (Autumn Gubersky), and the bubbly couple Riley (Taylor Falshaw) and Jacob (Ashton Jordaan Ruiz). But things turn bloody real quick when an axe-wielding psycho in a hideous scarecrow mask starts hacking up the group of Halloween loving friends.

So far everything seems par for the course – a masked murderous maniac, a gaggle of hapless victims, and an assortment of brutal kills. But Carter and Morgan waste no time adding a twist that provides a jolt of energy to the story. I won’t dare spoil it, but it’s an unexpected turn that puts a fun spin on things and gives “Night of the Harvest” a grisly edge that helps steer the movie from the more conventional slasher movie path.

Sadly not everything works. There’s a whole angle about an ancient evil demanding a bloody harvest that’s too underdeveloped. It comes across as silly rather than chilling. And despite our best efforts, it’s hard to look past some of the performances, specifically the overacting and stilted line deliveries. But I still can’t help but admire the passion and effort behind this low-budget indie slasher. Its issues make it hard to give a ringing recommendation. But die-hard horror lovers will have a good time, as will anyone who appreciates resourceful genre filmmaking. “Night of the Harvest” releases September 24th on VOD.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

First Glance: “Thunderbolts”

September 23, 2024 by Keith Garlington

The idea of the Thunderbolts has always been an intriguing one. Stories revolving around a group of reformed supervillains working for the United States government is ripe with potential. It’s Marvel’s execution of that idea that has often been suspect. Now the Marvel Cinematic Universe is preparing to release their big screen version of the antihero supergroup and so far it hasn’t looked encouraging. The lineup hasn’t sparked much enthusiasm and neither does the newly released first trailer.

The trailer for “Thunderbolts” puts most of its emphasis on Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova who finds herself lured into a web with several other antiheroes including her father, Red Guardian (David Harbour), Bucky Barnes (Sebastain Stan), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Sentry (Lewis Pullman). Through circumstances that somehow aren’t revealed in the nearly three-and-a-half minute trailer, the group of not-so-bad seeds are forced to work together against some global threat. A few other familiar faces return in what has been and remains an underwhelming new MCU installment.

“Thunderbolts” hit theaters May 2, 2025. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Subservience” (2024)

September 23, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Artificial Intelligence thrillers are popping up left and right, and with the current A.I. discussions intensifying, there’s no reason to believe they’ll be slowing down anytime soon. Case in point – “Subservience”, the latest film to explore the subject in genre form. Its story is built around a simple and well-worn premise (mankind creates A.I. only for A.I. to turn on mankind). But it’s the fun it has within that premise that makes “Subservience” an entertaining time-passer.

“Subservience” is directed by S.K. Dale and written by the duo of Will Honley and April Maguire. It stars Megan Fox who recently worked with Dale on 2021’s “Till Death”. Here they take on an especially hot topic, throwing in some fairly insightful commentary, while mostly sticking close to a familiar genre formula. But Dale’s crisp pacing and keen execution along with Fox’s shrewdly modulated performance gives the film a chance to become a bonafide cult classic.

Michele Morrone plays Nick, a construction worker, happily married husband, and father of two. His world is turned upside down after his wife Maggie (a very good Madeline Zima) suffers a heart attack. As she remains hospitalized and in need of a transplant, Nick works hard to care for their young daughter Isla (Matilda Firth) and toddler son Max (Jude Allen Greenstein). And all while keeping the house, working a full-time job, and being supportive to his ailing wife. It doesn’t take long before he’s overwhelmed.

Needing help, Nick and the kids visit a showroom belonging to Kobol Tec, a company that manufactures and sells state-of-the-art humanoid robots. Isla picks out a home model they name Alice (Fox) who specializes in cooking, cleaning and childcare while possessing the ability to mimic human emotion. She quickly becomes an asset at home, fixing meals, cleaning, reading bedtime stories to Isla, and even making household repairs.

But things take a turn when the beautiful but creepy Alice begins bypassing certain protocols in her effort to make Nick’s life “easier”. As a result of her newly developed jealousy, Alice takes on a more maternal role with the kids in Maggie’s absence and even tries to fill her place as Nick’s wife. To no surprise this leads to some discomforting tension, especially after Maggie receives her transplant and is finally able to come home.

As Alice goes from concerning to a full-blown menace, the movie’s messaging is pretty clear. But the film throws in a few other nuggets to emphasize its point. We get a storyline involving Nick’s job where his entire crew is replaced by more “cost-effective” sims. Nick is left on as their foreman but it’s a conflict he can’t get past. We also see where sims have taken other human jobs from bartending to licensed surgeons. I wish there was more world-building to potentially enhanced the commentary, but what we get is pretty effective.

I don’t want to make the mistake of overselling it. There is a lot in “Subservience” that we have seen before and its predictability kills any suspense. And much of what we see is pretty silly, nothing more than the ending which evolves into a Terminator knock-off. Yet the movie never loses your attention and remains entertaining throughout. It’s an economic and focused thriller that has just enough of a human pulse mixed in with its genre dressing. And honestly, that was a lot more than I was expecting. “Subservience” is now available on VOD.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

REVIEW: “Never Let Go” (2024)

September 20, 2024 by Keith Garlington

French filmmaker Alexandre Aja steps back into the genre he cut his teeth on with “Never Let Go”, a lean and atmospheric survival horror thriller energized by the star power of its lead, Halle Berry. It’s a film that doesn’t see the need in soaking its audience in blood or jolting them with cheap jump scares (with one lone exception). Instead “Never Let Go” is more of an old-fashioned chiller. It plays like a creepy bedtime story that grabs your attention and your imagination.

“Never Let Go” is built upon a fairly simple premise yet it’s surprisingly cerebral. Aja and the film’s screenwriters Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby take a very deliberate approach to their storytelling. They hint at and tease the threat of something sinister. But more of their time is spent developing a secluded and tight-knit family, laying out their complex relationships, and setting up their eventual fight for survival against a malicious Evil and themselves.

Berry gives an intensely heartfelt performance playing Joan, the mother of two young boys, Samual (Anthony B. Jenkins) and Nolan (Percy Daggs IV). Along with their dog Koda, the three live in an old house deep in the woods. We listen in as Joan tells her sons that the world has ended and now an ominous Evil lurks in the woods. She remains vague, sparing Samuel and Nolan the disturbing details and leaving an air of mystery for the audience to ponder.

Joan has taught her sons that their house is their only safe haven and they can’t be harmed as long as they remain connected to it. And not just figuratively but literally. Whenever they leave their home to scavenge for food, they tie heavy ropes around their waists that are bound to the house. “That rope is your lifeline,” Joan fervently preaches to her boys.

Little is ever revealed about the Evil, even by the time the closing credits begin to crawl. What we do learn is that it feeds on fears and insecurities and takes hideous forms for those who can see it. Joan is tormented by the Evil but has managed to shield Samuel and Nolan from it. But the boys soon find themselves at a crossroads. Do they keep putting faith in their mother’s claims? The more inquisitive Nolan begins to doubt the Evil’s existence which adds tension to an already stressful household.

Aja does a terrific job immersing us into his mostly single setting. He uses the house and the gnarled forest surrounding it to generate feelings of isolation and unease. He also uses his technical savvy to produce some real edge-of-your-seat chills (go see it in a theater with quality surround sound). And of course Aja knows what he has in Halle Berry who anchors a big part of the story.

While “Never Let Go” has a lot to love, it also seems to be holding back on us. There are rich themes galore woven into story (mental illness, maternal bonds, the existence of evil, just to name a few) but they’re present more than considered. And by the end not everything revealed makes sense. But the movie still clutches you and (pardon the pun) never lets you go. After seeing it you may want to leave an extra light on for a couple of nights, and it may have you second guessing going outside after dark. And that’s the kind of response that makes the film so much fun. “Never Let Go” opens in theaters today.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

REVIEW: “The Substance” (2024)

September 19, 2024 by Keith Garlington

The buzz has been off the charts for “The Substance” following its May world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best Screenplay. Since then it has only gained momentum, recently showing at the Toronto Independent Film Festival where it took home one of the People’s Choice awards. Now the film heads towards its full release with many considering it a serious Oscar night contender.

“The Substance” is certainly a movie that inspires conversation. It’s a biting satire turned phantasmagorical fever dream with a heavy reliance on grisly body horror and two all-in performances. The film pours every ounce of itself into being provocative and incendiary – something it succeeds and fails at in equal measure. But it remains as fascinating as it is stomach-churning in large part thanks to and in spite of director, writer, co-producer, and co-editor Coralie Fargeat.

An absorbing Demi Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an acclaimed actress who now stars in her own popular television aerobics show called “Sparkle Your Life”. On her 50th birthday she is abruptly fired by her slimeball producer, Harvey (a cartoonish yet appropriately detestable Dennis Quaid). The network wants someone “new”, “young” and “hot”, preferably in the 18-30 age bracket. So Harvey sends out a casting call for Elisabeth’s replacement.

The unexpected move leaves Elisabeth dejected and defeated. Adding to her anxiety, she’s involved in a violent car accident but miraculously escapes unscathed. While getting checked out at the hospital, she’s approached by a young nurse who tells her she is a perfect candidate for a revolutionary secret product. He slips her a flash drive containing information on “The Substance”, a serum from an unknown inventor that claims to empower its user to create “a better version of yourself”.

With little hesitation and even less caution, Elisabeth calls the number and follows the address she’s given to a grimy warehouse district where she picks up her starter kit from a drop-off box. Back in her apartment she opens up the kit that’s full of elixirs, syringes, needles, and tubes. There’s hardly any instructions but Elisabeth somehow knows exactly what to do. She strips naked and injects herself with a green “Activator” serum. What follows is a grotesque sequence that sees Elisabeth writhing in pain on her bathroom floor as her back splits open and a twenty-something version of herself pops out.

Here’s the thing, similar to Joe Dante’s “Gremlins”, there are some very important rules that must be followed. The biggest is that only one version of Elisabeth can be conscious at any given time. Each version is given seven days after which they must switch places with the other version. Failure to follow the rules leads to some pretty gnarly side effects which Fargeat puts on full display in the film’s twisted viscera-filled (and undeniably funny) second half.

Elisabeth’s younger “perfect” self (fiercely played by Margaret Qualley) calls herself Sue and wins the audition to be Elisabeth’s new replacement. Her show “Pump It Up with Sue” becomes a big hit leading an opportunistic Harvey to see dollar signs. He wants to push her even further and Sue quickly grows to love the limelight. But Elisabeth finds herself still alone and resenting her much different other self. Over time animosity forms between Elisabeth and Sue leading to rules being broken with horrific consequences.

The messages of “The Substance” are impossible to miss largely because they’re repeatedly hammered home in nearly every facet of the film. The culture’s warped beauty standards and Hollywood’s patriarchal hierarchy are tops among Fargeat’s interests. But you could also say the movie speaks to the lust for fame, the shallowness of celebrity, and the obsessive pursuit of recapturing youth. Just don’t expect anything beyond what you see on the surface.

Moore and Qualley help elevate the material. They both work hard to overcome a lack of character depth and keep the movie engaging. Their performances have been called “bold” and “daring” – descriptions too often associated with a woman’s willingness to take her clothes off (funny how men aren’t held to the same standard). I prefer to call them “committed” and it’s a good thing they are. They hold our attention and make it easier to look past the film’s lack of interest in making sense of its story. Glaring questions never get answers. Who created the serum? Is it free or experimental? Do they monitor the results? How do they keep something so outrageous a secret? Who knows?

Fargeat’s all-caps direction finds ways to both help and hurt her film. While she and her effects team do some gloriously gruesome things with the body horror, it overwhelms the final act which sees the movie’s thematic edge dulled by its descent into B-movie schlock. But worse, Fargeat commits some of the very same sins she seems to be condemning. Despite her themes, she seems as fascinated with the male gaze as repelled by it. While every man in her film is a leering, predatorial deviant, her camera isn’t much better, often crossing the line into objectification. It’s one of several missteps that undermine what “The Substance” is ultimately going for. “The Substance” hits theaters Friday, September 20th.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

RETRO REVIEW: “The Rock” (1996)

September 18, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Through the 1980s and 1990s Jerry Bruckheimer solidified himself as one of Hollywood’s biggest producers. Along with his partner Don Simpson, he produced many box office successes such as “Top Gun”, “Beverly Hills Cop”, “Flashdance”, “Crimson Tide”, and “Bad Boys”. Simpson would pass away in 1996, but Bruckheimer’s success only grew. He went on to produce massive hits like ”Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Armageddon”, “National Treasure”, “Black Hawk Down”, and most recently “Top Gun: Maverick”.

Simpson’s troubling lifestyle led to Bruckheimer ending their partnership. But before going their separate ways, the two agreed to finish their final project together. That project was 1996’s “The Rock”, a pure 90s action extravaganza. It was the sophomore effort from a young director named Michael Bay who had previously worked with Bruckheimer and Simpson on his debut feature, “Bad Boys”. “The Rock” was a hit with critics and with audiences with many still considering it to be Bay’s best film.

“The Rock” is fueled by big action scenes and thrilling set pieces. But it’s true bread-and-butter is found in burgeoning action star Nicolas Cage and the ground-shaking charisma of Sean Connery. Cage plays Special Agent Stanley Goodspeed, a biochemist and chemical weapons specialist for the FBI. Rather than field work, Stanley spends his days in a laboratory. Meanwhile at home, he gets news that his girlfriend Carla (Vanessa Marcil) is pregnant. She wants to get married but he’s got cold feet – a side of the story that never feels as relevant as it should.

Enter Brigadier General Francis Hummel (Ed Harris). Frustrated with the government’s continued mistreatment of soldiers who died under his command, he and a his disillusioned yet loyal squad of Marines break into a military weapons base and steal fifteen rockets armed with warheads carrying VX poison gas. They then take over the notorious island prison of Alcatraz, once the home of America’s worst criminals; now a tourist spot. Hummel and his men take 81 hostages, set up missile launchers around the island, and aim their rockets at nearby San Francisco.

Upon receiving Hummel’s list of demands, the U.S. government and the FBI hatch a plan to stop the rogue general. They will send a Navy SEAL team to infiltrate and retake the island. They call in Stanley to accompany the team in order to deactivate the missiles on site. But how do you secretly infiltrate a prison known as impenetrable and inescapable? For that they’re forced to seek the help of John Mason (a scene-owning Connery), a former British SAS agent and the only person to successfully escape from Alcatraz. He’s been imprisoned for three decades – disavowed by his own government and his identity wiped by the FBI.

His offenses are revealed later, but with a promise of a full pardon, the shrewd and sophisticated Mason agrees to help. So he, a team of highly-trained SEALS, and a nervous, out-of-his-element Stanley set out break into Alcatraz before Hummel carries out his twisted plan. It’s a bonkers premise, yet at the same time it sets up the kind of wildly entertaining action that was a signature of the 1990s and that we (unfortunately) don’t get much of these days.

Aside from Connery, Cage, and Harris, “The Rock” is lined top-to-bottom with fantastic familiar faces. Among them is David Morse, William Forsythe, Michael Biehn, John Spencer, John C. McGinley, Tony Todd, and Bokeem Woodbine among others. They all gel nicely with Bay’s high-energy 1990s bombast. What makes it even better is that it’s a great movie to revisit. It’s still just as fun, wacky, and thrilling as it was in the theater nearly 30 years ago.