While Conan was born in 1932 on the pulpy pages of “Weird Tales” magazine, for many of us it was the 1982 film “Conan the Barbarian” that gave us our proper introduction to the character. Directed by John Milius, this sword-and-sorcery epic was a commercial success and over time it gained a sizable cult following. Perhaps most notable, “Conan the Barbarian” put its star, a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, on the cinematic map.

Bringing Robert E. Howard’s creation to the big screen had been attempted for years, but licensing and funding issues repeatedly got in the way. But it wasn’t until Dino De Laurentiis came onboard that the movie received its proper green light. Milius was to direct and co-write the script along with Oliver Stone. Filming began in October, 1980 with the majority of the production shot in Spain. And Spain provides some truly epic landscapes which helps give the film its grand and epic scale.

In a harrowing prelude, we watch as a young Conan (Jorge Sanz) witnesses his Cimmerian village being ravaged and his people being slaughtered by a violent band of marauders led by a ruthless sorcerer and cult leader named Thulsa Doom (James Earl Doom). Among the massacred dead are Conan’s father and his mother, who was beheaded as she held her son’s hand. Conan and the other children are then taken south and sold into labor.

Years pass for the enslaved Conan, who is forced to work in a grueling mill until adulthood. Now played by Schwarzenegger, the rugged and muscled Conan is forced into brutal pit fighting where he battles to the death for the pleasures of bloodthirsty crowds. He eventually earns his freedom. But with no place to call home, he roams the land, having a number of fantastical encounters (and a few hedonistic ones) along the way.

But Conan’s course changes after he meets and teams up with a fierce warrior and bandit, Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) and a skilled thief named Subotai (Gerry Lopez). The trio loot, waste their riches, and then steal some more until they are captured and brought before King Osric the Usurper (played by the late, great Max von Sydow). But rather than imprison them, the king hires them to retrieve his daughter Yasimina (Valérie Quennessen) who has been lured away by none other than Thulsa Doom.

Seeing his chance for revenge, Conan readily accepts, setting the stakes for the rest of the story which plays out similarly to so many other sword-and-sorcery adventures. But to its credit, “Conan the Barbarian” has long stood out as one of the blueprints for a movie genre that thrived for over a decade before dying off amid the waves of new genre trends. And for many of us, there is an appreciation for it (and other films like it) that goes beyond mere nostalgia.

Perhaps you could pick apart some of the performances. Maybe certain elements haven’t aged as well as others. It’s possible that the film’s serious tone is too much for more modern expectations. Regardless, “Conan the Barbarian” remains a pillar among the 1980s fantasy adventure films while setting Arnold Schwarzenegger on a path to motion picture stardom. It’s true that it’s a movie of its time. But that does nothing to take away its impact or appeal.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Perhaps more than any other horror subgenre, it’s possession movies that too often find themselves treading the same ground. A prime example is “The Containment”, another possession chiller that hits so many familiar beats that you’ll immediately recognize the tune. It features all the normal tropes that we’ve seen a million times which numbs us to most of its attempts to scare. Yet to its credit, the film throws us an unexpected curveball in the third act that almost saves the day…almost.

From co-directors Jack and Yossy Zagha Kababie, “The Containment” tells a fairly simple story, although it’s one that seems to be missing some key narrative pieces. It’s set in Fayetteville, Arkansas and focuses on a grieving family still reeling after a horrible tragedy. Jules (Charlotte Hunter) is trying to keep things together after her quadriplegic husband kills himself. Their two children are coping in their own ways. The older Caroline (Gia Hunter) has turned rebellious and defiant while her kid brother Don (Gabriel Bonilla) hasn’t spoken since the incident.

The family dynamic is set up early on and there is no real variation to it for the vast majority of the movie. Instead the three family members remain stuck in the same gear, even when the abovementioned possession comes. Rather than exploring the layers of emotional strain between the characters, we instead watch as the snotty Caroline get snottier, as Jules sorts out an out-of-the-blue and woefully underdeveloped relationship, and as Don remains quiet.

But things do change when a large bug resembling an ancient Egyptian scarab crawls into Caroline’s mouth and down her throat as she sleeps. As bad luck would have it, the scarab thingie is carrying a malicious demonic force that possesses Caroline whenever it feels like it. When it does, we end up getting the whole bit – blacked out eyes, vomiting, levitation, bone-cracking body contortions, speaking in other voices. It’s all there.

The hospital can’t find anything wrong. A YouTubing demonology expert is a bust. Even the local priest refuses to perform an exorcism. The family’s lone help comes from a lowly nun named Sister Esperanza (Fernanda Romero) who seems to be in way over her head. The story sputters along from there, teasing us with moments that never really deliver the tension or scares we’re looking for. It isn’t until the very end that we get our first surprise – a sinister jolt that broadsides our expectations.

“The Containment” hits us with some stylish visual flourishes and some fairly creepy imagery. But it struggles mightily in distinguishing itself from the countless possession movies that have done the same thing better. The film isn’t helped by the shaky pacing, the lack of scares, and a noticeably dry lead performance. But its the copy-and-paste adherence to the possession movie formula that drags everything down. And even an unexpected kick at the end isn’t enough to bring it to life.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

There’s a throwback quality to writer-director Bart Layton’s “Crime 101” that you start to notice in its earliest moments. It’s hard to avoid comparisons to Michael Mann classics like “Thief” and “Heat” or Willian Friedkin’s “To Live and Die in L.A”. You can even see the DNA of some the great paranoia thrillers of the 1970s. Layton’s movie may not reach those lofty heights, but you can feel the pulse of those crime genre gems racing all through his latest.

“Crime 101” is based on a 2020 novella by crime novelist Don Winslow. It follows a Los Angeles jewel thief named Mike (Chris Hemsworth) who has successfully executed a string of high-end heists along the busy 101 freeway. After every completed robbery, Mike turns over the haul to his fence (Nick Nolte) who finds a buyer before helping Mike organize his next job.

Much like De Niro’s Neil McCauley from “Heat”, Mike keeps a low profile and intentionally has no personal attachments. And when working, he operates by a very strict set of rules. It’s what has made him a seasoned professional. But also like Neil, Mike breaks his own rules when he becomes involved with a charming young woman (wonderfully played here by Monica Barbaro) who has him second-guessing the life he lives.

Staying with the “Heat” similarities, Mark is furiously pursued by a police detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) who instantly calls back to Al Pacino’s Vincent Hanna. Like Vincent, Lou’s fixation with his job has wrecked his home life. But he’s a good cop, and he’s hellbent on learning Mike’s identity and stopping his crime spree, no matter how much his lone-wolf obsession puts him at odds with his department.

But Layton tosses in several key characters of his own who add some interesting layers to his story. Tops among them is Sharon Combs (Halle Berry), a broker for a prominent insurance company who finds herself stuck in a VP position while her colleagues are being made partners. Then there’s Ormon (Barry Keoghan), a violently unhinged dirt bike-riding ruffian who begins stepping in on Mike’s action. Both end up playing significant roles in Layton crime movie web.

As its name so clearly implies, “Crime 101” is a straightforward crime thriller – the kind we don’t get as often as we used to. And much like those past crime thrillers, it’s stringently character-driven. Yet despite their similarities, “Crime 101” is no copy-and-paste of “Heat”. It takes its characters in its own distinct directions. It also dabbles in a range of themes involving class, corruption, greed, wealth gaps, childhood trauma, workplace inequality, etc. Not every character thread or thematic interest gets the time it needs, but it does open up some compelling paths for Layton to explore.

Layton’s script finds a healthy balance between action, drama, and suspense. He confidently crafts a compelling story that sustains tension on its way to an inevitable big finish. It has a few too many moving parts, but (for the most part) Layton keeps them corralled and working in unison. And it doesn’t hurt to have such a talent-rich cast that includes six Academy Award nominees. A grounded and restrained Hemsworth gives one his best performances while Berry, Ruffalo, Barbaro, and Keoghan are perfect fits for their roles.

“Crime 101” is a sleek, impeccably crafted, and thoroughly entertaining heist thriller that proudly embraces its ancestors while feeling surprisingly fresh at the same time. The action is exhilarating, characters are given plenty of room to bloom, and Los Angeles is brilliantly rendered through DP Erik Wilson’s evocative lensing. But it’s the script that anchors it all, with its high stakes, gripping suspense, and moral quandaries that push the story into some unexpected territory.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

When a highly contagious, mutating microorganism with world-ending capabilities threatens to escape a decommissioned military facility, the unlikely trio of Joe Keery, Georgina Campbell, and Liam Neeson are the only thing standing between our planet and total annihilation. If that sounds crazy to you, then you get the vibe of “Cold Storage”, a comedy horror film that is utterly bonkers in the best ways imaginable.

You would never know it, but “Cold Storage” is only the second feature film from director Jonny Campbell and his first since 2006’s “Alien Autopsy”. Here he gets some terrific material to work with from screenwriter David Koepp, who is adapting his own 2019 novel of the same name. Just as good is the all-in cast who fully embraces the film’s horror and comedy elements. Keery, Campbell, and Neeson take center stage. But they’re surrounded by great pieces including Leslie Manville, Vanessa Redgrave, and Sosie Bacon.

Some opening script tells us the government once stored top-secret scientific experiments on the Skylab space station. When it fell out of orbit in 1979, some of its debris crashed to earth. Most fell in the Indian Ocean, but other parts hit land, including an oxygen tank near the small village of Kiwirrkurra in Western Australia. When all contact with the village is lost, bioterror agent Major Robert Quinn (Neeson) and his partner Trini (Manville) accompany Dr. Hero Martins (Bacon) to investigate. The trio discovers a rapidly mutating parasitic fungus that is highly contagious and lethal to its carrier.

Jump ahead eighteen years to the remote Atchison Mines in Missouri River Bluffs, Kansas. It was once the home to a high security top-secret facility ran by the U. S. Department of Defense. But years passed and the DOD decommissioned the facility. After remaining abandoned for years, it was finally purchased and turned into a 24-hour self-storage business.

Enter the chatty and slightly neurotic Teacake (Keery) and his new co-worker Naomi (Campbell). They work the night shift at the storage company which usually consists of long boring evenings where nothing happens. But that quickly changes after the overly curious pair track a mysterious beep to an old console behind the walls. It leads to the duo discovering the once sealed military base and more specifically its lower sublevel where the parasitic fungus had been isolated for decades.

As you can probably guess, the deadly fungus spreads and wrecks havoc throughout the complex. Meanwhile, alarms secretly go out to the Department of Defense who immediately contact the retired Major Quinn. He’s sent to the Kansas location to contain the fungus before it escapes the facility. But he’ll need some specialized equipment, and maybe a little help from some old and new friends if he’s going to head off a potential apocalypse.

“Cold Storage” manages to surprise in so many different ways. First is the effortlessly playful chemistry between Keery and Campbell. Together they mine as many laughs as scares from Koepp’s gleefully outrageous script. Then there’s the lights-out supporting characters. In addition to Neeson and Manville’s special agents, we get Teacake and Naomi’s slimeball boss (Gavin Spokes), Naomi’s obsessive ex (Aaron Heffernan), a stubborn DOD Colonel (Robert Brake), Quinn’s inside ally (Ellora Torchia), and the elderly Mrs. Rooney (Redgrave) who comes to check her storage unit at the worst possible time.

Just as fun are the film’s visuals which feature a healthy helping of practical effects with some well incorporated digital enhancement. I don’t know if decaying flesh or bursting bodies ever looked so good. So as you can tell, “Cold Storage” has a little something for everyone. It doesn’t lean too far one way or another – striking that pitch-perfect balance between straight comedy and gory horror. And as a proud genre film lover, it delivered on its potential in ways that I ever expected.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

If you’re familiar with director Josephine Decker’s past work, you might have a hard time believing she’s at the helm of the Sundance comedy “Chasing Summer”. It’s such a dramatic turn from what she’s done previously. And while it’s always commendable to see a filmmaker extending themselves in new directions, the messy misfire that is “Chasing Summer” proves that good results are never guaranteed.

While Decker’s struggles are noticeable, just as much (if not more) of the blame goes to the script, written by the film’s charismatic star, Iliza Shlesinger. Decker never seems to have a firm grasp on the material which starts off strong, but quickly begins to lose its way. It eventually craters thanks to a ludicrous late twist that leaves a plot hole the size of the Grand Canyon. It completely cuts the already wobbly legs out from under the story and its premise.

As mentioned, the film starts out strong by introducing us to Jamie (Shlesinger), a forty-something relief worker who is providing aide to tornado victims in Mississippi. While there, she’s informed by her boyfriend and co-worker that he’s breaking up with her after five years together. Forced to move out and with nowhere else to go, Jamie returns to her small hometown in Texas to stay with her parents over the summer.

The problem is Jamie doesn’t have the fondest memories of her hometown. She hasn’t been back in twenty years, which is when she left after an ugly breakup with her old boyfriend Chase (Tom Welling) led to vicious rumors that ruined her reputation all across their town. But now she’s back and forced to reconnect with her former life which includes old family, old friends, and her old fling.

The movie’s central theme of confronting your former life and re-evaluating your current one plays out in Jamie’s awkward reunions with the people from her past. The best of the lot are her parents, Layanne (Megan Mullally) and Randall (Jeff Perry) who perfectly fit the small town mold while delivering some great laughs. There’s also Jamie’s crass older sister Marissa (Cassidy Freeman) who owns a local roller skating rink. And her three gossipy classmates (Aimee Garcia, Lauren Aboulafia, Lindsey Moore), all married with children. And of course the hunky Chase who is still beloved around town.

But what begins as a screwball comedy throwback turns into something messy, generic, and in some cases utterly baffling. The kink in the storytelling comes when Jamie starts a steamy romance with a local named Colby (Garrett Wareing). He’s some twenty years younger and fresh out of high school, but that doesn’t stop them hooking up and making no real effort to hide it. Age-gap romances are nothing new. But here it’s handled like a clunky teen comedy. Even worse is the preposterous plot twist it leads to which gashes any chance of taking things seriously.

“Chasing Summer” is a head-scratching misfire that consistently seems at odds with itself. It’s a movie marked by early highs, late lows, and a flop of a finish that ends up being its death knell. Decker and Shlesinger’s collaboration begins as the kind of zany comedy anchored enough in the real world to resonate. It ends up being an indistinct and forgettable letdown that seems custom made for streaming. And it’s not the kind of reinvention you hope to see from a filmmaker like Decker.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

Horror and comedy collide with somewhat mixed results in director Colin Minihan’s “Coyotes”. This often silly and rarely scary feature kicks off with a lot of promise. But it’s not long until the whole endeavor turns into one big missed opportunity. It’s a movie that has its moments, mostly from its cheeky swings at humor. But it’s hampered by a lack of thrills and a reheated family story that we’ve seen time and time again.

The film stars real-life couple Justin Long and Kate Bosworth. They play Scott and Liv, a well-to-do couple living comfortably in their affluent Hollywood Hills neighborhood with their moody teenage daughter Chloe (Mila Harris). Local newscasts report that surrounding wildfires have pushed ravenous coyotes deeper into Los Angeles resulting in several attacks. But that barely registers with this privileged family who feel perfectly safe in their swanky house on a hill.

But that changes when an overnight Santa Ana windstorm blows down a tree that crushes their car and cuts a power line, leaving them without electricity or phone service. It’s obviously very inconvenient for the family but it’s very convenient for the story which needs them trapped and isolated for the coyote carnage that’s to come. And that carnage comes in a hurry.

Before long the snarling menaces are terrorizing Scott, Liv and Chloe. But not in a way that feels remotely harrowing (as intended). Instead, their encounters with the beasts routinely come across as cartoonish rather than actually frightening. Contributing to that is the often obvious CGI which not only makes the coyotes look digitally rendered but act like it too. In many ways they’re smarter than the humans, which is humorous in itself. But it’s hard to be too scared when they look this computer generated.

As for the family drama, it’s nothing especially new. A workaholic father reconnecting with his neglected family and reprioritizing his life in the face of imminent danger – we’ve seen it before. Meanwhile we get a colorful assortment of side characters including a spacey call girl, Julie (Brittany Allen), their weirdo next-door neighbor, Trip (Norbert Leo Butz), Scott’s beer-swigging buddy, Tony (Kevin Glynn), and the overly dramatic pest control guy, Devon (Keir O’Donnell). They’re mainly around for comic relief and most exist solely to be coyote fodder.

There may not be much tension and its story may not be the most original, but “Coyotes” does land several good laughs. Minihan knows his premise is preposterous, and he (smartly) never takes things too seriously. He also lets loose with a handful of gleefully gory death scenes that will entertain those who appreciate a good on-screen kill. But the gags and guts can only carry the movie so far. And latching onto anything beyond that is a lot harder than it should be. “Coyotes” is in select theaters now.

VERDICT – 2 STARS