Science fiction and horror collide in the nightmarish new feature “Ash” from DJ, record producer, and filmmaker Flying Lotus. With its audacious visuals and masterfully managed tone, “Ash” sucks you into its forbidding far-away world, embracing several familiar conceits along the way while adding its own gnarly twists to them. The results may not redefine the sci-fi horror genre. But does every movie need to?

“Ash” takes a fairly conventional science fiction story and tells it through its own wickedly artful lens. It’s a movie that takes on numerous forms and blends elements from several horror sub-genres. It’s a deep-space chiller with a dark psychological edge. But there are also bites of survival horror all through it. At times it resembles a grisly midnight crowdpleaser yet it’s almost experimental in some of its techniques. What’s impresses most is how it all gels together – a testament to Flying Lotus’ keen vision and tight control.

Its backstory is pretty generic – Earth has become nearly uninhabitable resulting in crews being sent into space to find a planet capable of sustaining human life. While I admit to being a sucker for that tried-and-true setup, screenwriter Jonni Remmler doesn’t spend too much time on why the crew is there. Instead he goes straight to the present, submersing us into his protagonist’s terrifying scenario as both she and we try to piece together the mystery as it unfolds.

Originally set to star Tessa Thompson, the lead role eventually went to Eiza González who gives what deserves to be heralded as a breakout performance. Her physical and emotional commitment is essential to the film’s effect. González is superb playing Riya Ortiz, an astronaut who wakes up battered and bloodied in a space station on a distant planet designated KOI-442.

After she gathers herself, Riya discovers the station has been ravaged and her four fellow crew members killed in expressly gruesome fashion. Even worse, Riya has no idea who she is, where she’s from, or what happened. As she investigates the heavily damaged facility and examines the mangled bodies of her crew mates, Rya is shaken by the sudden appearance of a man named Brion (Aaron Paul) who claims to be responding to an SOS call sent from the station to the orbital he mans off planet.

Brion’s presence feeds into the greater mystery of what happened on planet KOI-442 (which the crew has nicknamed “Ash”). Flying Lotus drip-feeds us information, partially through Riya’s discoveries, but mostly via jolts of violent flashbacks. In them we see the fates of Adhi (Iko Uwais), Kevin (Beulah Koale), Catherine (Kate Elliott), and Shawn Davis (Flying Lotus) in gory detail. But as Riya’s memory returns, the flashbacks extend and offer more clarity.

While “Ash” may be light on plot, it’s enriched by savvy storytelling and world-building. Beginning in its earliest moments, the movie is all about creating and sustaining its dread-drenched atmosphere. It’s accomplished through some inspired craftsmanship that utilizes the impact of both sight and sound. DP Richard Bluck uses a range of shots from stunning widescreen to harrowing first-person perspectives. Add in the creepy interiors shaded in red and indigo and some killer gore effects that aren’t for the squeamish. And it’s all accompanied by the film’s menacing electronic score composed by Flying Lotus himself.

Those desperate for something groundbreaking that significantly moves the needle in the space-horror genre may leave “Ash” disappointed. But those who enjoy immersive experiences from visionary cinematic craftsmen will have a blast. Those with an affection for tense and moody sci-fi chillers will get all they want. And those who appreciate eye-opening performances will love what Eiza González brings to her role. “Ash” opens in theaters Friday, March 21st.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Director Wendy Lobel poured years of her life into making “Anxiety Club” and the end result is pretty terrific. This funny, truthful, and ultimately hopeful documentary focuses on a group of working standup comedians, all of whom suffer from some form of anxiety. Informed by her own experiences, Lobel tackles the subject through an open and honest lens, not only letting the comics share their struggles, but in some cases showing what they’re doing to get hold on their anxieties.

Full disclosure – I’ve never been a big standup comedy guy. But it’s a testament to the effectiveness of Lobel’s film that I found myself fully connected to the collection of comics who shared their stories. Among them are Tiffany Jenkins, Marc Maron, Joe List, Aparna Nancherla, Mark Normand, Baron Vaughn, and Eva Victor. All bring their own distinct humor to the film. But it’s when their barriers are down that they get real about their own bouts with anxiety.

Lobel does a good job developing trust and a comfort level with the comics. Many speak to their lack of self-confidence that in some cases leads to an expectation of failure. Others talk about the weight of depression. In the case of one comic, their anxiety stems from persistent worrying. Early on, the comics use jokes to poke fun at their conditions. But later we get a good sense of the near crippling effect these anxieties have on them.

“Anxiety Club” doesn’t just present the struggles these comedians endure. It also shows how they’re trying to overcome them. Some see their comedy as therapeutic with the stage being their outlet. Others went for more formal therapy which Lobel gets incredible access to. During several sessions her camera sits like a fly on the wall, allowing us to see the doctor/patient process firsthand. The exchanges are sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, and always enlightening.

Whether in comedy clubs or therapist offices, there is a truth and authenticity in Lobel’s approach that ultimately gives “Anxiety Club” its punch. In can be very funny in ways that sometimes feel like natural defenses. Other times it’s simply due to the inherently comical natures these comics share. But we never lose our grasp on the film’s more serious undertones. Lobel handles that balance incredibly well.

Again, I’ve never been big into stand-up comedy, but that instantly proved to be irrelevant. That’s because “Anxiety Club” is much more concerned with the people themselves. This is a richly human documentary that explores a subject nearly everyone can relate to. Honing in on people who make others laugh for a living poses its own compelling and thoughtful questions. But it’s their shared experiences with anxiety that extends beyond their work that will connect with people and earn our empathy and understanding.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Netflix has kicked off its 2025 movie year with “Ad Vitam”, a French action thriller from director Rodolphe Lauga. As with so many movies of its kind, the pieces are there for a fun early year reprieve from the end of the year awards seasons crunch. If you look at it that way I suppose “Ad Vitam” fits the bill. At the same time it’s easy to see where it could have been so much better.

“Ad Vitam” (translated “for life”) is both perplexing and frustrating. Within its lean 98 minutes is a potentially exciting movie that unfortunately bookends an overly long and energy-zapping extended flashback. The movie’s fast start quickly grinds to a halt as Lauga, along with his co-writer and star Guillaume Canet, attempt to build some kind of backstory. But it falls short both in substance and in execution.

Canet plays Franck, a former gendarme who was recently dismissed from duty following a tragedy under his command. When we first meet him he’s working as a building inspector, scaling the bell tour at the Sacre-Cœur Basilica in Paris. One afternoon he and his very pregnant wife Leo (Stéphane Caillard) return home to find their apartment broken into and ransacked – the second time in two weeks. Franck is hesitant to take any action which raises Leo’s suspicions.

The story takes a dramatic turn when a group of heavily armed assailants bust into their apartment and take Leo hostage. It turns out that Franck has been hiding incriminating evidence that implicates powerful people in a grand conspiracy. After taking a pretty bad beating, Franck is told by the lead henchman (Johan Heldenbergh) that he has four hours to retrieve and deliver the evidence if he ever wants to see his wife again.

But then the movie takes an abrupt turn as Lauga jumps back ten years into a lengthy flashback. It shows Franck’s acceptance into the gendarmerie where he meets and eventually falls for Leo. It also introduces his best friends and partners, Ben (Nassim Lyes) and Nico (Alexis Manenti). All of their relationships feel real enough, but they aren’t that compelling. At least not until we finally see the tragedy that led to Franck’s dismissal.

After a good 30-40 minutes the movie finally switches back to the present day as Franck races against the clock before ending with a fun yet admittedly absurd action set piece. It’s not the most satisfying ending and it does little to punctuate what unfortunately is a threadbare story. There are glimmers of chemistry and Canet, Caillard, and Lyes certainly have the needed physicality. If only they had more interesting material to work with.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

Michael Polish directs “Alarum”, a modestly budgeted action thriller that borrows so much from other movies that it has a tough time finding its own identity. But it’s helped out by Alexander Vesha’s script which features more pieces than a chess set. Not all of them fit together as they should or move the story forward as intended. But they keep things interesting and diverts our attention away from the film’s flaws.

Joe (Scott Eastwood) and Laura (Willa Fitzgerald) were high-value spies for their respected countries who met after she was assigned to kill him. But rather than carry out her mission, she fell in love with him. The two went off the grid, got married, and started a new secret life together. But as anyone who has watched a spy movie knows, you can’t just walk away from such a profession.

While vacationing at a mountain resort in Gdansk, Poland, Joe learns that Laura is working again. To make things even more complicated, a small plane crashes in the forest. While examining the wreckage, Joe discovers that the two pilots were both shot in the head. He also discovers a well hidden flash-drive which he secures before being interrupted by a mercenary named Orlin (Mike Colter). Orlin and his well-armed army are after the drive and immediately show they’ll do anything to retrieve it.

Elsewhere at a makeshift secret headquarters, the United States’ National Clandestine Service led by Director Robert Burbridge (D.W. Moffett) are alerted of the plane crash and surmise that the flash-drive is onboard. They also discover that Joe is in the area potentially working for a mysterious anti-intelligence organization called Alarum. It leads Burbridge to call on Chester (Sylvester Stallone), the agency’s lethal but messy assassin, to retrieve the drive and take out Joe.

Those are a lot of moving parts and Vesha’s script keeps the gears of his story turning at a fairly breakneck pace. Of course all of the players are destined to come together at some point. But before we do, Vesha treats us to some surprising alliances, just as many double-crosses, and a few reveals that are somewhat fun but not overall unexpected. It all culminates in a predictably violent climax topped with a tease for a sequel I’m not sure anyone will be in a hurry for.

While its story has enough kick to keep us moderately entertained, “Alarum” isn’t without its shortcomings, the biggest being with the action. There’s plenty of it, but too many of the scenes look cheap and inauthentic. And they aren’t helped by some hard-to-miss silliness along with a score that feels plucked from a 20-year-old video game (which admittedly has its charms but not for a movie like this). Meanwhile some of the dialogue will have you laughing for all the wrong reasons.

“Alarum” sports a notable cast, most of whom do their best to flesh out their fairly thin characters. The story leans on a number of familiar spy and action movie tropes, yet it twists and turns enough to keep us interested. But it hardly makes for anything memorable, especially when put alongside its room-temperature action which should be the backbone of a movie like this. Sadly it isn’t which is a key reason “Alarum” doesn’t quite hit its mark.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS