Writer-director Kiah Roache-Turner surprises with “Beast of War”, a movie that slickly balances World War II and sharksploitation. Yep, “Beast of War” is indeed set during the Second World War. But at its core it’s a shark movie through and through. And a really good one at that. It’s all due to Roache-Turner’s firm grasp of his characters and the genres he’s working in. And he’s helped by strong, committed performances from an ensemble who know their assignment.

The first good sign comes in the film’s prologue. While it’s nothing profoundly original, Roache-Turner puts time into his characters, introducing them through their stint in boot camp. Set in 1942, a group of young and enthusiastic Australian soldiers are preparing to go to war. When not in weapons training or running drills, they crack jokes, get into scraps, play rugby, and flirt with the camp’s nurses. As we meet them, some dance a little close to caricature, but never enough to become an issue. Instead these early scenes add weight to the carnage to come.

Standing out in the ragtag unit is Leo (Mark Cole Smith), a strong and dutiful indigenous soldier who only gets one-third the pay the white soldiers get and endures constant jeering from the unit’s bigoted loudmouth Des (Sam Delich). But Leo quickly wins over the other troops with his humanity and fortitude. He has no problem taking up for himself, but his toughness is tempered with compassion that shows itself when he takes a struggling squadmate named Will (Joel Nankervis) under his wing.

Things ramp up once the soldiers are deployed. As they’re being transported across the Timor Sea, their battleship is suddenly attacked by Japanese planes and immediately sunk. Only eight soldiers survive, with three of them badly wounded. They end up floating on a small metal section of the ship’s hull, consumed by a dense fog bank. It’s here that the survival movie angle kicks into gear. But our eight soldiers soon learn they have more to worry about than food, water, and medical attention.

Led by Leo, the survivors begin putting together a plan. But they’re interrupted when a monstrous great white shark bursts from the water and chomps down on a soldier, pulling him into the water (a proudly obvious but effective tip of the hat to Spielberg’s “Jaws”). From there Roache-Turner leans into the sharksploitation, putting together one harrowing ‘man-vs-beast’ encounter after another.

To the film’s credit, it avoids turning into one vicious shark attack after another. In fact, despite being stranded on a piece of metal floating in the sea, Roache-Turner finds countless creative ways to off the soldiers. No two deaths happen the same way. And he doesn’t shy away from cranking up the B-movie gore. But it’s the practical effects that are so impressive, from the grisly carnage to the magnificent half-ton animatronic shark itself. It’s a choice that pays massive dividends.

The strikingly cinematic “Beast of War” delivers everything a genre-lover would want and expect. At the same time, Roache-Turner brings along his own playbook which keeps the movie from simply being more of the same. It’s strengthened by sturdy performances (especially from Smith), solid character work, and masterful practical effects. There are even bursts of unexpected humor, often from the most unexpected places. And it’s all packaged in a tight but fluid 87 minutes which keeps this lean, no-nonsense genre-bender focused and on point.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

The fact that Ethan Hawke has yet to win an Academy Award is nothing short of absurd. Throughout his remarkable 40-year career, the 55-year-old Austin, Texas native has delivered countless top-tier performances. Yet he’s only received two Oscar nominations for acting (and another two for screenwriting). And some of the snubs he has received still baffles me (nothing for “First Reformed”???).

Well 2025 could be his time as Hawke delivers a fascinating performance in “Blue Moon”. Reteaming with his old friend and frequent collaborator Richard Linklater, Hawke commits every ounce of himself into portraying lyricist and Broadway songwriter Lorenz Hart. He’s terrific, and to no surprise Linklater’s direction is focused and precise. But their film as a whole does too good of a job showing why Hart was ditched by his longtime musical partner, Richard Rodgers.

Rodgers and Hart collaborated for over 20 years, delivering a string of musical hits including “Blue Moon”, “Isn’t It Romantic”, “The Lady is a Tramp”, and many others. But Hart’s erratic behavior due to bouts with alcoholism and depression would lead Rodgers to partner with Oscar Hammerstein II. As a result, Rodgers and Hammerstein would become one of the most successful and celebrated creative duos in the history of stage and music.

“Blue Moon”, written by Robert Kaplow, takes place on the evening of March 31, 1943. Acclaimed lyricist Lorenz Hart (Hawke) sits in the balcony with his mother Frieda (Anne Brogan) watching the opening night performance of the soon-to-be Broadway hit “Oklahoma!”. Noticeably uncomfortable, Hart slips out of the theater and makes his way to Sardi’s restaurant and bar where an after-show celebration is set to be held.

Once at Sardi’s, the crass and cynical Hart (known as Larry by those who know him) spends the next fifteen minutes ranting about “Oklahoma!” to the amused bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) and the restaurant’s young piano player Morty (Jonah Lees). Deep down Larry may be hurt and even bitter, but he puts on a good show for his audience of two. From the start Hawke is fun to watch, impressively managing the dense dialogue despite some scenery chewing along the way. And Cannavale is a stabilizing force amid the verbal chaos.

Larry’s attention soon turns towards what’s really on his mind – a 20-year-old Yale student named Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley). The two have been corresponding for months and even spent an innocent weekend together. Larry is smitten with Elizabeth and has used his connections to get her an invite to the after-party where he has promised to introduce her to his former partner, Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott). But like so much in Larry’s life, their relationship is not what he believes it to be.

The rest of the film takes place over the course of the evening, never leaving Sardi’s. Larry has a lengthy and mostly one-sided conversation with author E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy). He has his reluctant face-to-faces with Richard and Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney). And he meets with Elizabeth, trying to muster the strength to share how he really feels. Between each exchange Larry retreats to the bar where Eddie listens, strokes his customer’s bruised ego, and attempts to keep Larry off the sauce.

“Blue Moon” is an interesting cocktail of drama, comedy, and biography. Despite being a fictionalized account, it will have a special appeal for the historically inclined. And the theater initiated will find nuggets buried all throughout that others might not recognize. But there are still things for the rest of us to appreciate, namely the uniformly strong performances led by Hawke. He energizes this talky bio that can sometimes be as obnoxious as its central character.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

In the opening moments of “The Beldham”, we read that the title refers to an old crone. More explicitly, a bird-like witch who feeds on the souls of infants. That description alone is enough to paint the film as a dark and unsettling chiller. But that turns out to be somewhat of a misdirection. It’s true that “The Beldham” has some classic horror ingredients. But in reality, writer and director Angela Gulner has a lot more on her mind which she conveys through this solid directorial debut.

The movie opens with an introduction to Harper (Katie Parker), a single mother to her infant daughter Christine (Lincoln Taylor). The story kicks off with the two arriving at the home of Harper’s mother, Sadie (Patricia Heaton). Sadie has recently retired and bought a suburban farmhouse to renovate. Harper has come to help, or so she thinks. We learn Harper has recently had an accident of some kind and her mother is intent on taking care of her and Christine.

It doesn’t take long for us to notice a simmering tension between mother and daughter. It’s obvious in Sadie’s poorly veiled disapproval of her daughter’s parenting and in Harper’s resistance to any advice her mother tries to give. Gulner doesn’t immediately reveal the root of their friction. But as her haunting story unfolds we get snippets of information meant to be cataloged in our minds. Meanwhile other characters play into the mystery. Namely Frank (Corbin Bernsen), Sadie’s partner and general peacemaker, and Bette (Emma Fitzpatrick), a young nurse and housemaid who connects with Harper.

The vast majority of the story is told through Harper’s eyes – a choice of perspective that Gulner uses to introduce the horror aspect of her movie. Harper begins having creepy encounters that blur the lines between what’s real and what’s in her mind. The eerie caws of black crows, an old tattered journal filled with the unsettling testimonies of the home’s former owner, dark visions of a witch living within the walls. It all gets under your skin while slyly informing the big reveal to come.

As for the film’s big reveal – it dramatically reshapes everything leading up to it. And it immediately transforms the movie from a psychological horror film to an unexpectedly poignant domestic drama. Getting to the big reveal can be challenging as a lot of the information doesn’t always make sense in the moment. But again, it’s best to take the information given and log it for later. And once we finally get clarity, the payoff is pretty satisfying.

“The Beldham” is the latest film to tackle the theme of motherhood from a uniquely specific perspective. The various phases of maternal drama add several interesting layers to the story while the turns towards genre creates a psychological tension that keeps us off-balance. Over time the movie can wear you down as you try to collect and connect its loose pieces. But it’s worth the effort thanks to an ending that packs an emotional jolt as it’s bringing everything into focus.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

Admittedly, I tend to enter a Yorgos Lanthimos film with a fair amount of caution. The tireless Greek filmmaker has gained a high standing among many critics and awards voters, releasing three features in three years, all to widespread acclaim. The first was “Poor Things”, an amalgamation of Lanthimos’s worst tendencies ramped up to 100. Last year we got the equally bad but even more forgettable “Kinds of Kindness”. Now this year it’s “Bugonia”,

Lanthimos brings back Emma Stone for their fourth consecutive collaboration. As Lanthimos’s muse, Stone takes the brunt of his vision, working within the punishing boundaries of the director’s harsh worldview. But unlike the exploitative carnality of something like “Poor Things”, Lanthimos only asks her to shave her head for “Bugonia” – a peculiar demand that only serves one reoccurring joke. But “Bugonia” gives us a lot more to talk about than peculiar hair choices.

As with every Lanthimos movie, you go into them expecting a bonkers story featuring off-kilter characters who at some point run the risk of mentally imploding to one degree or another. This is certainly true of “Bugonia”, a wacky adaptation of the 2003 South Korean genre mashup “Save the Green Planet!” from director Jang Joon-hwan. It’s penned by Will Tracy who also co-wrote 2022’s exceptional “The Menu”. And joining Stone is the film’s true star, Jesse Plemons along with Aidan Delbis, a terrific young actor on the autism spectrum. All three deliver in spades.

To be clear, “Bugonia” is bleak, cynical, and even nihilistic in its merciless critique of humankind. It’s a movie void of hope and with a grim outlook that fully manifests itself through gruesome and gory violence. Yet incredibly it’s simultaneously an absurdist comedy with pitch-black humor that surfaces throughout the movie. Somehow Lanthimos finds the balance between the two, and all while touching on such serious themes as alienation, dehumanization, societal collapse, and corporate duplicity.

Plemons plays Teddy Gatz a bee enthusiast and rabid conspiracy theorist who lives in his family’s old farmhouse with his neurodivergent cousin and only friend Don (Delbis). When not tending to his handful of bee houses, Teddy is filling Don’s head with a wild array of political, medical, biological, and social conspiracies. His biggest crackpot theory is that an alien race known as the Andromedans have infiltrated humanity, camouflaging themselves as people in power in an effort to take over Earth.

Elsewhere Michelle Fuller (Stone), the powerful CEO of the pharmaceutical company Auxolith, is going through the motions of polishing up her company’s public image. Amid shooting disingenuous HR videos about diversity and inclusion, she’s also deceitfully touting a new culture at Auxolith where the needs and wellbeing of workers is a new priority. But her facade of ‘benevolence’ shows cracks with such edicts as “Feel free to leave early,” followed with the qualifier, “Unless you have things to do.”

Teddy is convinced Michelle is an embedded Andromedan who is preparing things for the alien invasion. So he manipulates Don into helping him kidnap Michelle with plans of using her to negotiate a full retreat with the Andromedan Emperor. After snatching her, Teddy and Don sedate Michelle before taking her to the basement of their farmhouse. There they shave off her hair to keep her from communicating with her mothership and lube her down with antihistamine cream to keep her from being tracked. From there they must wait four days until the lunar eclipse which is when her mothership can arrive undetected.

It’s all so utterly absurd which Michelle is quick to explain to her captors. But Teddy is resolute in his warped convictions and pitiless in his responses to Michelle’s resistance. Interestingly though, while his life is marked by self-ruin, Teddy’s madness is rooted in tragedy which comes more into focus as Lanthimos steers him forward. It’s not enough to excuse his cruel and/or maniacal actions. But it gives meaning to his personal agenda while shaping Teddy into something more than an aimless head case.

As for Michelle, she’s no angel herself. The movie certainly urges us to root for her in her efforts to escape. But while it’s true she is a victim, Lanthimos frequently reminds us that Michelle is crafty and cutthroat to the bone. Her shady corporate savvy makes her a formidable opponent for Teddy, leading to a fascinating face-off between two iron wills. She’s just as ruthless with Don, aggressively manipulating him by shrewdly using her humanity as a weapon.

Things escalate quickly in the final 30 minutes as the violence ratchets up and the suspense builds to a boil. It leads to a gonzo ending that is utterly preposterous yet hits like a ton of bricks. It’s an emotional exclamation point that emphasizes the movie’s most urgent theme. There are some noticeable holes that are left unfilled which isn’t unusual for a Lanthimos film. But it’s still an issue that shortchanges both the audience and the story. Yet “Bugonia” overcomes its issues in ways most other Lanthimos movies have not, making it the director’s most satisfying effort to date.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Colin Farrell brings every bit of his charisma and charm to his latest film, “Ballad of a Small Player”, a perplexing psychological drama that has so much going for it starting with it’s fully committed star. It’s directed by Edward Berger who is coming off of back-to-back Best Picture Oscar nominations for “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “Conclave”. Those two names alone should be enough to pique any movie lover’s interest.

But Farrell’s wholehearted efforts and Berger’s sumptuous visual artistry can’t overcome the movie’s single biggest hurdle – its script. Adapting the 2014 Lawrence Osborne novel of the same name, screenwriter Rowan Joffé takes on the daunting challenge of untangling the already knotty original material. The film gets off to a good start, nicely setting the table both narratively and visually. But problems spring up alarmingly fast as the movie swings from stylishly intriguing to frustratingly convoluted.

Farrell plays Lord Doyle, a high-rolling gambling addict who has made his way to Macau, “the gambling capital of the universe”. We learn rather quickly that Doyle is in trouble. For starters, he fled to Macau after swindling over $900,000 from a wealthy elderly widow. But he gambled it all away in a run of bad luck. To complicate matters, he has ran up a debt of 352,000 Hong Kong dollars with a swanky Macau hotel and they’ve given him three days to pay up or they’re calling the police.

Doyle’s flawed addict’s logic tells him statistical probability is on his side and he’ll start winning soon. He’s convinced that he played his way into this mess and he can play his way out, with the right financial backing of course. But he’s having a difficult time finding a casino that will extend him credit. He finds hope in the enigmatic Dao Ming (Fala Chen), a casino hostess and loan shack who is in a pickle of her own. Doyle tries to persuade her to fund him, insisting that one big win would solve both of their problems.

As if that wasn’t enough, hot on Doyle’s heels is Cynthia Blythe (Tilda Swinton), a pesky private investigator who gives him 24 hours to come up with the widow’s money or she’ll have him deported back to London. Cynthia adds an interesting layer, but the story is more about Doyle’s mysterious relationship with Dao Ming who disappears, suddenly reappears, and then disappears again. Her presence and absence both play crucial roles in understanding Doyle’s arc. But the hazy storytelling makes getting to any deeper meaning a chore.

At its core, “Ballad of a Small Player” is a redemption story that offers an unorthodox representation of addiction. It boldly serves us its story with helpings of existentialism and tragedy. And its near purgatorial perspective keeps us questioning what we’re seeing. But all of those big ambitious lead to trappings that the movie can’t escape. Even worse, the lack of clarity leaves things murky to point that deciphering it all can be a headache.

“Ballad of a Small Player” is one of the most visually striking movies of the year. It’s also one of the year’s bigger disappointments. The movie is a visual feast, brimming with neon-bathed imagery and richly detailed compositions. And it’s anchored by a tremendous lead performance from Colin Farrell who deserved more fully realized material than he was given. But even with his eye-popping presentation, Berger can’t wrangle together the wealth of big ideas he clearly has. For that reason, his latest film falls well short of his previous two award winners.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS