Tag Archives: movie review

REVIEW: “The Plague” (2025)

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There’s so much to admire about Charlie Polinger’s gripping directorial debut, “The Plague”. It may also be one of the toughest films you watch due to its uncomfortably honest treatment of its serious subject matter – preteen bullying. This psychological drama pulls no punches in its depiction of cruelty masked as horseplay. And it doesn’t shun from showing the consequences. It can be bleak, but urgent and enlightening as well.

Polinger writes and directs the film which takes place in the summer of 2003 at the Tom Lerner Water Polo Camp for Boys. Ben (Everett Blunck) is a sensitive twelve-year-old who recently moved to the area from Boston. Ben’s home life isn’t the best, which is why he doesn’t mind going away to summer camp. But not knowing anyone has its challenges, especially for the anxious and awkward Ben. He finds support with his coach (Joel Edgerton), but fitting in with the other boys proves difficult.

Image Courtesy of Independent Film Company

Among the many compelling elements to Polinger’s story is his recognition of social structures, even among preteens. Here it’s a tight-knit group of six boys, who by shallow external measures might be considered the “cool kids”. Ben desperately wants to join their ranks, even enduring mockery from the pack’s alpha, Jake (Kayo Martin) in order to be accepted into their circle.

But deep down, Ben is a good kid, which is why he’s alarmed when witnessing some of the group’s antics. They’re openly loud and rowdy. But Ben learns they’re also crude and vulgar. Much worse is their cruelty which is seen most in their targeting of Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), an eccentric and introverted outcast. Jake claims Eli is the carrier of a highly contagious “plague” which the group uses to mock and ostracize him. As for Ben, his desire to win the group’s approval ends up blinding him to his own complicity.

Yet Ben’s conscience weighs on him which keeps him from being as cold and callous as the others. But his internal conflict seeps through to the surface after he dares to show compassion to Eli, even befriending him when no one else is looking. It immediately puts him in Jake’s crosshairs. Suddenly the group Ben desperately wanted to join has made him their prime target. It all makes for a heartbreaking chain of events that moves towards a finish that is as inevitable as it is troubling.

Polinger’s stylish and confident direction is helped by some truly standout performances from the mostly young cast. Blunck and Martin are especially strong, with each being fully convincing in dramatically different roles. Blunck conveys as much through observations as interactions, expressing Ben’s insecurities and anxiety despite his character working hard to conceal them. It can be a quietly devastating performance, but not without nuance. Martin is surprisingly sinister, hiding his ruthlessness behind a seemingly harmless smirk and curly mop of blonde hair. He’s both infuriating and terrifying.

Image Courtesy of Independent Film Company

As the film plays its hand, any obviousness is discarded in the final act. What begins as a unique spin on the coming-of-age formula turns darker, using dashes of shock and body horror to make us squirm. But Polinger never loses his grip on the material. And the final shot offers a ray of hope, depending on your interpretation. DP Steven Breckon shines, especially with his otherworldly underwater photography, while Johan Lenox’s score offers an unnerving mix of experimental and orchestral.

“The Plague” can feel a bit too broad at times, both with its handling of certain characters and anything resembling their motivations. It will also leave you with a handful of questions, none bigger than wondering where is the adult supervision? It can also be tough distinguishing between the real and metaphorical. But Polinger shows himself to have a remarkable vision, using the various arms of cinema to open our senses to a profoundly serious topic. Overall, “The Plague” is a remarkable and significant big screen debut.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Anaconda” (2025)

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I’m not sure anyone in 1997 expected us to still be talking about “Anaconda” nearly thirty years later. The original feature was an adventure horror film with Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, and Owen Wilson making up its cast. Certainly to my surprise, the film became a cult classic, spawning three sequels and a wacky 2015 crossover with “Lake Placid”.

And now here we are with a new film, also titled “Anaconda”. This one is an action comedy that can be best described as a meta reboot of the original 1997 film. Director Tom Gormican (who also co-wrote the script with Kevin Etten) attempts to tap into the nostalgia that some people apparently have for “Anaconda”. But he does so through a movie that lacks the laughs necessary for good comedy and the thrills you look for in good action.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

Growing up as best buddies in Buffalo, Griff (Paul Rudd) and Doug (Jack Black) dreamed of making movies together. When they got older, Griff moved to California to pursue acting, but his career never took off. Doug stayed behind where he ended up getting a job making wedding videos. Neither are happy with how their lives have turned out. But that has a chance to change when Griff shows up back in Buffalo with an outrageous idea.

Griff informs Doug and their childhood friends Claire (Thandiwe Newton) and Kenny (Steve Zahn) that he has acquired the rights to their favorite movie, “Anaconda”. Even more, it has inspired him to reboot the 1997 film with him starring, Doug directing, Claire co-starring and securing funding, and Kenny shooting it. It takes some convincing, but his friends eventually get onboard. And after Doug pens the script, the four head off to the Amazon rainforest.

Once in Brazil, our filmmaking foursome meet their eccentric snake handler, Santiago (Selton Mello) who accompanies them into the jungle to begin shooting. But things come to a halt after Griff panics and accidentally kills Santiago’s snake. While searching the jungle for a replacement, the group is suddenly attacked by an enormous anaconda, putting them in the same predicament as the characters in the movie they’re rebooting.

The sheer absurdity of it all isn’t really an issue, mainly due to the film’s obvious self-awareness. Instead the problems lie in the half-baked storytelling which is sloppy at best and incoherent at worst. The script takes numerous shortcuts leading to moments that make no sense at all. Adding to the messiness is an entire side story(ish) about a young woman named Ana (Daniela Melchior) on the run from some illegal gold miners. You could cut it out entirely and the movie wouldn’t be impacted at all.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

But worse than anything else is sitting through a “comedy” that is woefully unfunny. It tries really hard, but its attempts generated mostly silence rather than laughter at the screening I attended. We do get the occasionally amusing inside gag that’s having fun at Hollywood’s expense. But too much of the humor never registers, often ranging from bland parody to more embarrassingly juvenile bits.

As for the stars, Rudd is dealt an especially shallow hand. Black does his usual thing but to no avail. Zahn’s character is nothing more than a pill-popping moron. And Newton feels like a tag-along who’s given nothing to do. Together, the cast’s efforts can’t save a movie that runs out of gas early before having to be dragged across the finish line. Even needle-drops from Credence Clearwater Revival, Motley Crue, and AC/DC feel weird and out of place in this unfortunate misfire.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “Regretting You” (2025)

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We’re not far from being able to christen Colleen Hoover and the new Nicholas Sparks. Like Sparks, the Texas-born Hoover has made it big as a novelist with a very passionate fanbase. And like Sparks, Hoover’s novels have become a favorite in Hollywood. She’s still a ways away from Sparks’ eleven film adaptations. But Hoover is making up ground quick with a movie last year, one this year, and two scheduled to release in 2026.

“Regretting You” is an adaptation of Hoover’s 2019 novel of the same name. It’s from director Josh Boone who previously helmed the solid romantic drama “The Fault in Our Stars” and the disastrous dead-on-arrival superhero movie “The New Mutants”. Here he works with screenwriter Susan McMartin to try and unpack Hoover’s soapy story. Admittedly I haven’t read the book. But it’s hard to imagine it’s as melodramatically messy as its big screen offspring.

It doesn’t help that the movie is built upon an eye-rolling premise that the mostly capable cast can’t save. They certainly put in the effort, each fully committing to the material no matter how schmaltzy or even strange it gets. But McMartin’s script doesn’t make it easy for them. The story often feels at odds with itself as it ushers its characters through scenes of devastating grief and cheesy teen romance. It’s a tsunami of clashing tones with streaming tears and out-of-tune humor often occupying the same space.

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Sisters Morgan (Allison Williams) and Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald) are polar opposites. Since they were kids, Morgan was the stable and reliable one while Jenny was all about having a good time. Their lives took a turn in high school following Morgan’s unexpected pregnancy with her boyfriend Chris (Scott Eastwood). The two end up getting married while Jenny splits with her geeky boyfriend Jonah (Dave Franco) who actually had the hots for Morgan but left town once she and Chris got married. But now Jonah’s back, just long enough to have a baby with Jenny and get engaged. Did you get all that?

While Jonah and Jenny have their newborn, Morgan and Chris have 17-year-old Clara (Mckenna Grace), a bright and sweet senior in high school with big plans to attend drama school. Even more, Clara has a crush on “the coolest guy in school“, Miller Adams (Mason Thames). Miller is a good kid who loves movies while living with and taking care of his ailing grandfather (Clancy Brown). To no surprise the two start to connect in ways that utilize most teen romance tropes.

But movies like this feed on tragedy and it’s no different in “Regretting You”. Morgan and Jonah get the shocking news that Jenny and Chris were killed in a car accident while secretly together. Naturally this prompts some troubling questions while leading to some predictable fallout. As Morgan and Jonah learn some heartbreaking truths, they make a pact not to tell Claire the truth knowing it would devastate her. But that seems like an impossible secret to hide from a 17-year-old, especially for anyone not living off the grid. Nonetheless…

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

From there the story becomes a swirl of emotional breakdowns, heated arguments, and cutesy puppy love. The actors navigate the tonal chaos the best they can, but their characters are the biggest victims. They’re also hurt by some baffling creative choices. Take the decision to digitally de-age Morgan, Jenny, Chris, and Jonah in a brief prologue and a wonky flashback scene. Not only is the airbrushed effect noticeable, it’s comically distracting.

As for the characters themselves, they’re trapped in a movie where the adults often act like children and the kids like adults. But Clara (who is the centerpiece of the story) has her moments of petulance as well. She also makes some bizarrely rash decisions that don’t do her any favors. Yet Grace overcomes much of it with a mostly charming performance that earns our empathy. Williams finds some good beats in the slightly frustrating Morgan. Fitzgerald is the most in-sync with her character. Eastwood is stuck in a character type while a bespectacled Dave Franco seems miscast and struggles to find chemistry with Williams.

Somewhere inside of “Regretting You” is a thoughtful story about a mother and daughter trying to navigate their grief. The movie is filled with sincerity and good intentions. But the erratic script, uneven characters, and overall wobbly execution keep the story perpetually off-balance. Sadly it doesn’t work as weepy tearjerker or a cheesy YA romance. “Regretting You” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “Eddington” (2025)

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Ari Aster’s short but attention-getting feature film career has been a fascinating rollercoaster. It began with a bang with his exceptional 2018 supernatural/psychological horror gem “Hereditary”. He followed it up with 2019’s “Midsommar” – a movie with a first half that is every bit as brilliant as his debut film and an unfortunate second half that goes completely off the rails. Things only got worse with 2023’s disastrous “Beau Is Afraid”.

Now Aster is back with his fourth film and with it we see his career pendulum swinging back mightily the other way. Aster takes a bold and provocative swing with “Eddington”, shrewdly straddling the line between satirical black comedy and a Neo-Western thriller. His story is set in 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. He takes an unvarnished look at the heightened paranoia and anxieties that swept through communities while spotlighting the political opportunism and obstinance that only made things more complicated.

Adding to the already tumultuous landscape were the growing tensions following the killing of George Floyd. Impassioned protests swept across the country. But several were overthrown by aggressive rioters, sometimes prompted by well-funded outside agitators eager to plunge the country into violence. Aster’s willingness to take on such fresh wounds speaks to his audacity. But what’s amazing is how well he pulls this crazy thing off.

Image Courtesy of A24

While some may try hard to put “Eddington” in their political corner, the film openly fillets the political left, right, and most everyone in between. It should be stated that Aster isn’t fence-straddling. He offers frank and truthful observations through a fable that is as thematically chaotic as the times it represents (and fittingly so). Most will remember the events with alarming clarity which may make this a difficult watch. Yet Aster mines so many darkly funny moments out of the pointed, pathetic, and preposterous scenes that unfold before us.

The story plays out in Eddington, a small dried-up New Mexico town with a population of 2,435. It’s where we meet Sheriff Joe Cross (an exceptionally pitiful Joaquin Phoenix), a by-the-books rural conservative who keeps the law in his quiet town with the help of his two deputies, Guy (Luke Grimes) and Michael (Michael Ward). The only thing more frustrating to Joe than mask mandates and government imposed lockdowns is his live-in mother-in-law, Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell) who rarely misses a chance to scrutinize how he handles his dissociative wife Louise (an underused Emma Stone).

Joe doesn’t see the coronavirus or the growing unrest as Eddington problems. This puts him at odds with Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), Eddington’s incumbent mayor who is up for reelection. Ted stands for nearly everything Joe is against. He’s a good-looking and good-talking politician who is intent on protecting his political career by staying on his liberal governor’s good side. That means imposing and enforcing mandates and policies that don’t always apply to him. Far shadier is his involvement in a massive AI data center set to be constructed on Native American land outside of Eddington.

Image Courtesy of A24

As the tensions fester between Joe and Ted, a small but growing BLM-inspired protest breaks out on Main Street. They’re spearheaded by the impressionable Sarah (Amélie Hoeferle) whose verbiage and sloganizing sounds plucked from TikTok videos rather than out of organic conviction. She’s supported by Brian (Cameron Mann) who is more smitten with her than their cause. Joe is ill-equipped to either control the crowd or empathize with their cause which only makes things worse.

Aster throws in so many other things, all ripe for critique. Conspiracy theories, misinformation, social media dependency, cult leaders (a shaggy but captivating Austin Butler is a brief delight), white middle-class radicalism, etc. With so much laid out, the budding question became how would Aster wrangle it all together? The answer – with an insanely violent Tarantino flavored exclamation point at the end. It’s a wildly entertaining finish that speaks to where our intensifying divisions could eventually lead us.

“Eddington” feels like a movie some will need to wrestle with, not just for days but perhaps years. It’s a feature that demands a level of honesty and introspection. Those unwilling will likely contort the movie to fit their political dogmas or simply dismiss it altogether. But those willing to look deeper will find a well-conceived and well-crafted satire that is both ruthlessly funny and daringly insightful. Top it off with a terrific cast (none better than Phoenix), and you have Aster’s best film since his stellar debut. “Eddington” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “A Knight’s War” (2025)

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Matthew Ninaber directs, writes, produces, and stars in “A Knight’s War”, a gritty and imaginative creation that embraces medieval action, dark fantasy, and horror. It even adds a few dashes of black comedy to lighten up what is a mostly grim and dread-driven story. Ancient prophecies, jealous gods, soulless demons, bloodthirsty witches – they all play into this twisted and forbidding world.

For an 80s kid like me, “A Knight’s War” calls back to a number of fun fantasy adventure films I grew up watching. Throughout its entertaining 104 minutes, it brought to mind such movies as “Krull”, “Conan the Barbarian”, “Beastmaster”, and “Dragonslayer” just to name a few. But what impresses most is the way Ninaber and company do so much with so little. “A Knight’s War” didn’t have the benefits of a big studio budget but it often looks like it does. The production design, costumes, makeup, visual effects – it’s all a striking testament to the vision, vehemence, and virtuosity that drives the filmmaking.

Image Courtesy of Epic Pictures

Co-written by Ninaber and his brother Jeremy, the story is soaked in original mythology that’s relayed through a healthy balance of visual and expository world-building. It begins with two brothers, Bhodie (Jeremy Ninaber) and William (Matthew Ninaber), both knights on a mission to rescue a young woman being sacrificed in a demonic ritual. The woman’s name is Avalon (Kristen Kaster) and the brothers believe her to be the key to a dark mystical prophecy.

But their rescue efforts are thwarted and Avalon is transported to a hellish realm populated by all manner of evil. Desperately clinging to the prophecy, Bhodie follows Avalon through a forbidden gate while William attempts to fend off a horde of demons. Once in the realm, Bhodie is greeted by a mysterious gatekeeper (Shane Nicely) who informs him that three evil lords possess three magical stones. If he wants to return home with Avalon he will need to defeat the lords and retrieve the stones.

To help Bhodie on his journey, the gatekeeper offers him a magical talisman that gives him one hundred lives. All he asks in return is that Bhodie brings him along when he returns to our realm. Bhodie accepts and then sets out to find Avalon. It doesn’t take him long, but convincing her to come back with him proves difficult. That’s because she’s on a mission of her own – one fueled by her own lust for revenge.

Image Courtesy of Epic Pictures

From there, the action picks up as Bhodie and Avalon, each with their own levels of distrust, face-off against forces of evil and sometimes each other. Along the way, Ninaber treats us to a strikingly creative array of sinister enemies and a series of encounters infused with deliciously gory combat. And it all plays out against a fittingly fantastical backdrop. Things can get a little too exposition-heavy in spots and the mythology doesn’t always make sense. But the film steadily moves forward, delivering one skillfully crafted sequence after another.

Admittedly there are occasions where the budget limitations can be hard to miss. You see it in a handful of stagy backgrounds and in moments where the story confusingly lurches forward to get to its next point. But those things can’t minimize what the filmmakers are able to accomplish in this well-made, incredibly efficient, and wildly entertaining fantasy adventure. “A Knight’s War” opens in select theaters on February 7th and is available on VOD February 11th.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Heart Eyes” (2025)

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For those moviegoers worried that we’re running short of psychopathic masked serial killers, fear not. “Heart Eyes” is here, a wild genre hybrid that mixes ingredients from sappy romantic comedies and blood-saturated slasher movies. It’s a gleefully self-aware date night cocktail that derives much of its enjoyment through its giddy embrace of numerous genre tropes. To put it simply, director Josh Ruben knows and delivers on his assignment.

Ruben, along with screenwriters Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy, fashion a movie so in tune with its own silliness that you can’t help but get onboard. You’ll laugh at the goofy gags and abject absurdity as much as you’ll recoil at the jolting violence and gruesome gore. But most surprising is how a movie that is both a romcom parody and a shameless splatterfest can be this shrewdly scripted and devilishly charming.

Olivia Holt is sturdy and committed playing Ally, a twenty-something former med student who now works as a Seattle marketing executive. Things aren’t going well at work following a bad ad pitch and now her tyrannical boss (Michaela Watkins) is threatening to fire her. Meanwhile her love life isn’t much better. Ally recently broke up with her boyfriend, but she can’t quite stalking his social media accounts.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

Elsewhere, news reports tell of a bloodthirsting maniac on the loose in Seattle. The media has dubbed him the “Heart Eyes Killer” and for obvious reasons – he wears a crude leather mask with two hearts for eyeholes. He targets random cities for his annual Valentine’s Day killing sprees, hunting and slaughtering romantic couples for reasons that (of course) will eventually come to light in the final act. First it was Boston, then Philly, and now it’s Seattle.

Ally’s boss demands she redo her ad campaign and pairs her with a hunky hotshot named Jay (Mason Gooding). Following a rather unpleasant working dinner, Ally spots her former beau outside of the restaurant with his new girlfriend. In an impulsive move, she plants a kiss on Jay in hopes of making her ex jealous. But she inadvertently gets the attention of Heart Eyes who’s watching from the bushes.

The killer mistakes Ally and Jay for a couple and makes them the focus of his Valentine’s evening festivities, chasing the two around the city and butchering anyone who happens to get in his way. One of my favorite running gags involve the two repeatedly trying to convince Heart Eyes that they are not together. Yet in classic romcom fashion, that changes over the course of the night as Ally and Jay get a little closer with every near-death encounter.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

As you watch “Heart Eyes”, romcom and slasher tropes are scattered like Easter eggs and spotting them is a big part of the fun. The swell of sappy love songs, the aggressively awkward meet-cute, the jabbering best friend (Gigi Zumbado). On the other side you get the slow walking but always present killer, an array of hapless victims, bumbling police officers (played by Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa) who are no help at all. This just scratches the surface of what you’ll find.

“Heart Eyes” is a mashup in its truest form. It artfully combines the well established frameworks of romantic comedies and slasher movies into one wildly entertaining confection. To no surprise its story is a little shallow, and the end reveal isn’t all that satisfying. But Holt and Gooding make for a likable and root-worthy duo while Heart Eyes is an especially brutal killer, using a variety of weaponry to deliver some truly creative carnage.

Again, the filmmakers know what kind of movie they’re making. Ruben and company have clearly watched a number of romcoms and they possess an obvious love the slasher genre. Now sprinkle in an assortment of well-timed and genuinely funny jokes and you have “Heart Eyes”, a movie that knows its target audience and is happy to feed them exactly what they’re hungry for. “Heart Eyes” opens in theaters today.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS