Review Category: Movie

“Please, no more singing,” says Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, slapping his hand over Lee’s (Lady Gaga) mouth in the last few moments of Todd Phillips’ interminable Joker: Folie à Deux. It’s unclear whether the groans of agreement that thundered at his pleading were from our fellow cinemagoers or a figment of our own folie, but the truth remains: despite our love of 2019’s Joker and enthusiasm for the bold promise of a musical sequel, this feature is joyless, resentful of its existence, and – most unforgivably – boring.

Folie à Deux picks up shortly after the first film, with Arthur now locked up in Gotham City’s isolated fortress, Arkham Asylum. He is pitiable, further emaciated and medicated into little more than a joke-teller performing for the casually cruel guards (Brendan Gleeson among them, greatly underutilised). The question of whether he is mentally fit enough to stand trial is the plot’s axis: ambitious district attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) wants him prosecuted to the full extent of the law, while Arthur’s gentle, solicitous lawyer (Catherine Keener) argues Arthur and Joker are two distinct personalities, and one should not be punished for the crimes of the other.

Among it all is Lady Gaga in the much-heralded role of Harleen Quinzel — known in DC comics as our beloved Harley Quinn. Here, however, the iconic character is pillaged for parts and left bare as “Lee”, a character as devoid of personality, agency, and presence as her new, stripped-down name suggests. A pyromaniac and compulsive liar who meets Arthur at a music rehabilitation class, she’s little more than a device to destabilise Arthur once more, and to lend Gaga’s voice to a few mumbly musical interludes. And to be clear, this isn’t the film making a point about thinly drawn female characters being used as narrative devices for men’s stories. It’s simply an utter waste of a talented and charismatic performer.

Joker: Folie à Deux also suffers from apparent disconcertment as to its own existence. Firstly, because Phillips is seemingly confused in his intentions: does he have in view to subvert the incels that so uncritically embraced Fleck as a hero in the first movie, by deconstructing the image of ‘Joker’ to its unremarkable, unmythologised parts? Or is Folie à Deux doubling down on the premise of the white, outcast male as a victim of society, of women (in Lee’s manipulation and dismissal of him), and of the structures of power (also note that not a single victim of Gotham’s police force is Black)? It does both, which negates either and results in a mess we’re uninterested in detangling.

Second to the film’s problem-filled relationship to its subject, is that Phillips walks back his promise of a ballsy, bombastic musical film. Making the movie a surreal, fantastical musical would have been audacious, original, and would have played well with the very idea of a ‘folie à deux’ – unfortunately, Folie à Deux is a musical ashamed of being a musical. There’s no commitment to the music aspects, no major set pieces nor appreciation or apparent love for the genre, and thus no justification as to why it would sell itself as such. In fact, it reminds us of a teenager’s performance in a compulsory Music class, hoping to scrape a passing grade and never think on the song again. And after boarding Lady Gaga in a lead role? That’s worth an insanity plea.

And for the record, it’s also a bad courtroom drama. At the end of the day (and by day, we mean the painfully long, 138-minute runtime), Joker: Folie à Deux has nothing interesting or relevant to say, seems to resent its creation – there’s a reason 2019’s Joker was only ever intended as a standalone, you greedy studio bastards –, and wastes its performers. Phoenix doesn’t even look like he wants to be there. And frankly, we have to agree.

If you thought Samara Weaving took a battering in 2019’s Ready or Not, then she and the makers of Azrael may have taken that as a challenge. The brutalities poor Azrael (Weaving) suffers here make the wedding night of Grace (Weaving) look like a walk in the park.

Punching bag Azrael is a denizen of a world in which no-one speaks, having adopted mutism to atone for the sins of humanity. On the run from a particularly devout sect of survivors, Azrael and her lover (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) are captured and served up as sacrifice to the charred zombie-like creatures who reside in the forest. Surviving this attempt on her life and breaking free of her bonds, Azrael embarks on a perilous quest to re-unite with her man – when not being bound, battered and brutalised every five minutes, that is.

It’s only apt that Weaving’s journey to horror icon should have started out with a bit part in Ash vs Evil Dead (where, needless to say, she had the shit kicked out of her), with the star quickly turning into this generation’s Bruce Campbell. Being the one and only Samara Weaving is accomplishment enough though, and Azrael makes full use of her talents, both as human piñata and fierce (if particularly luckless) survivor.

There isn’t a great deal of meat on these bones otherwise, and neither director E.L. Katz nor screenwriter Simon Barrett stop to explore Azrael’s world beyond the pressing action. There’s a damsel in distress, a cult of gun-toting lunatics and some bloodthirsty zombies, and they all live in the woods together; what more do you need to know? The rest of it is revealed along the way, a byproduct of the explosive action and shocking gore. The final act may frustrate as much as it satiates, but it’s delivered with gusto, and full of bloody surprises.

Azrael: Angel of Death is a vicious post-apocalyptic action thriller and another string to the bow of one of modern horror’s most ferocious new warriors.

AZRAEL: ANGEL OF DEATH premiered at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on August 25th, 2024.

While filming a new fitness video, former army ranger Wyatt (Peter Jae), his heavily pregnant wife Becca (Galadriel Stineman), and gym co-owner Levi (Josh Kelly) come under attack from a group of heavies. Thinking it’s a robbery, Wyatt attempts to defend the place, with Becca shot in the ruckus. Before Becca dies, doctors are able to save the child, who a distraught Wyatt names Becca. Vowing vengeance, Wyatt and Levi set out to track down those responsible, the trail leading them to the depths of the underworld, all while documenting their fight for Becca to understand when she’s older.

The latest from prolific director James Cullen Bressack (To Jennifer) is presented in the found-footage style, with footage shot on bodycams and phones. Of course, he’s no stranger to the format, but despite this lo-fi direction, there’s no shortage of action. Jae, in particular, excels when it comes to striking the moves to pull off a convincing fight scene.

There’s more to the story as it goes along, which it does at a great pace, with the inevitable twists and turns. The first-person shots during the well-choreographed fight scenes allow for an immersiveness not usually present in action movies.

While some of the acting is a bit melodramatic, it’s a solid thriller that won’t disappoint fans of martial arts and full-on fist-fight movies.

THE WORKOUT screened at Fantastic Fest 2024

 

Writer/director FC Rabbath has impressed us in the past with low-budget indie horrors like The Waiting and A Brilliant Monster. The Final Pact, his latest effort, is something rather different, dancing playfully on the edges of the genre but taking a swerve into something more faith-based. In fact, the whole story is about loss of faith. Three young novice priests discover that they must take a final exam before they can graduate. Deciding to enjoy a night of celebration before finding out what the actual test is, they encounter a woman on the road at the side of a broken-down car. She tells them that she needs to get home urgently to tend to her daughter, who, as luck would have it, requires an exorcism as she’s possessed. The fresh-faced priests – Paul (Austin Freeman), Mark (Sam Sneary) and John (Charlie Prince) – take her back to her impressive, stately, white-walled home (a house that locals say wasn’t there a few days earlier). The woman quickly wanders off, and the three are left to deal with the teasing and taunting Lucy (Julia Vasi). They soon realise that they’ve been lured into their final examination, and they find themselves navigating the twists, turns, and temptations of the seven deadly sins in a house that’s clearly more than it appears. Unfortunately, John has already been questioning his own faith, and now he’s forced to question everything he’s been taught and everything he should believe in if he and his friends are to survive their final examination…

The Final Pact is, if nothing else, a startling change of pace for Rabbath. This is very much a character study, focusing especially on John, whose faltering faith is at the very core of the movie and nicely depicted by Austin Freeman. Paul is the most complex of the three would-be priests as we discover that the death of his beloved father and the disappearance of his sisters are the engines that have driven him to the edge of his faith. Julia pushes him even further as it quickly becomes apparent that she’s something rather more than a girl suffering from a possession delusion. Ultimately, The Final Pact isn’t in any real sense a horror movie but a film that asks us to invest in the dilemma of a man who feels let down by his faith and yet needs it like never before in a time of strange adversity. Compelling performances are supported by Rabbath’s assured, subtle direction that belies the film’s tiny budget and whilst The Final Pact won’t appeal to everyone, it’s an interesting, well-crafted and highly-moral fable that’s actually a refreshing change of pace, not only for Rabbath but also for indie genre filmmaking.

THE FINAL PACT is currently screening at festivals in the US and is due to receive a wider release in December.

Ozzie Gray (Asya Meadows) suffered a traumatic event in her childhood that involved her grandmother, Dorothy Bell (Arlene Arnone Bibbs). Now, years later, she documents her attempt to find out what happened and uncovers more than she bargained for.

Presented with a mixture of handheld video, screen life (used particularly well for Ozzie’s therapy sessions), and CCTV, writer/director Danny Villanueva Jr’s film delves deep into a troubled past and disturbed present. Being allowed out-of-hours entry to the library where her grandmother worked – and hanged herself – gives plenty of scope for creepy goings-on, and it succeeds in delivering some decent chills. Flashback sections reveal Dorothy as an attentive gran, reading her stories until a dark force apparently takes her over, mirroring the power of the written word. Utilising the home-shot format (it’s not really ‘found footage’) gives the story an immediacy as we live with Ozzie and discover more about her own fragile mental state. Meadows is impressive as Ozzie, embodying the character flaws and all.

While we are growing more weary of the found footage (for want of a better word) trope, when it’s done well – like it is here – it still has the power to engage and impress.

 

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? screened at Fantastic Fest 2024

Following on from STARBURST favourites The Greasy Strangler (2016) and An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn (2018) and criminally underseen [adult swim] series Tropical Cop Tales, writer/director Jim Hosking gives us a mythical slant on the meeting of two music legends.

Arriving on the Mull of Kintyre on his own in a row boat, Stevie (Gil Gex) is met on the beach by Paul (Sky Elobar) to stay at his “Scottish cottage”. The pair plan to perform a duet on record, but first, they must get to know each other. Partaking in some of Paul’s ‘doobie woobie’ and eating ready meals created ‘by the wife’, they argue, visit sheep, and skinny dip in the sea – however, Stevie’s lack of swimming skills adds another level of ‘drama’.

Fans of Hosking’s work will not be disappointed here with the extended dialogue exchanges (often infuriatingly fantastic) and deliberate enunciation. It’s these elements we love about the director’s work, and Ebony and Ivory delivers in abundance. It’s an almost theatrical two-hander that gives both actors their time to shine. Following his penile humiliation in The Greasy Strangler, it’s comforting to see Elobar is rewarded with a huge, pendulous appendage here. His attempt at a Liverpudlian accent is also brilliantly terrible, but accuracy isn’t the point.

Anyone coming into this expecting a gripping biopic will be left scratching their heads (or giving up), but there’s so much to unpick and enjoy that it deserves the fanatical audience his feature debut has accrued. Once again, composer Andrew Hung provides musical accompaniment in his own inimitable style.

With each new project, Hosking cements himself as the closest thing we have to the likes of Spike Milligan these days. His absurdist humour, bizarre scenarios, and surreal dialogue exchanges are to be cherished. Of course, one man’s dream is another’s nightmare, and Ebony and Ivory is likely to leave those not attuned to his wavelength cold. Us? We’re happy to live in Hosking’s world for as long as possible.

EBONY AND IVORY screened at Fantastic Fest 2024. 

Attempting to revive their love life, Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi) are travelling across the country, renting a series of Airbnbs. Sage has recently taken on a job as an editor to support Diego, who has quit his teaching role to work on a novel. Their latest rental is a sprawling luxury mansion, which they can’t believe their luck to have secured. His plans to have a sexy time and propose to Sage are foiled when another couple, Cin (Andra Nechita) and Will (Alex Roe), arrive, claiming to have also booked there. Deciding to bite the bullet for the weekend and share the space, Diego and Sage soon find that Will and Cin have a much more playful nature than they do.

The scenario for Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s film may seem familiar, but it goes on some radically different tangents. It’s well acted, even though there’s not a really likeable character between the four players. The film succeeds in constantly keeping the viewer on edge as to which direction things will go. While some are predictable initially, there are some startling surprises as things progress. Morgan isn’t afraid to push the envelope sexually, with her characters being a mix of frustrated and hedonistic, each having their own issues to deal with. The results are often very sensual and deliberately awkward.

It plays in the same ballpark as Speak No Evil, with the alpha couple exerting a powerful influence over the uncertain, struggling pair. Like that film, social etiquette is questioned, exploited and manipulated in a truly uncomfortable manner. Joshua Friedlander’s script fleshes things out, giving the actors and Morgan plenty to work with. The story continually reveals more layers that, while some are not wholly original, keep things interesting.

BONE LAKE screened at Fantastic Fest. 

‘Splat Pack’ member Alexandre Aja steps out of his B-movie, thrill and violence-filled comfort zone for a film that, though a solidly claustrophobic and fun horror blockbuster watch, is ultimately missing the Crawl and Piranha 3D filmmaker’s signature splash of pulpy horror. Never Let Go will likely draw comparisons to A Quiet Place and Bird Box, even as it fails to rise to the excellence of the former, nor does it stoop so low as to warrant any parallels being drawn with the latter.

The Halle Berry vehicle doesn’t attempt to reinvent a classic horror premise: an isolated house in the woods, a family unit trying to survive, and a vague sense of evil lurking in the periphery. In a world where civilisation has crumbled to the torment of a nondescript, malicious spirit, a mother (Berry), her twin sons (Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins in their screen debuts), and their loyal mutt continue life in their remote home, living off the land and only able to leave the security of the house if they remain tethered to it by ropes. However, when one of the boys starts to doubt the existence of the evil only their mother can see, their relative safety is compromised and their fragile peace reaches a tipping point.

Aja and screenwriters KC Coughlin and Ryan Grassby deliver an intriguing premise, clean and anxiety-inducing scenes (one in particular will have you white-knuckling your seat), rounded out by solid performances from the leads—the child actors unfalteringly balancing the story’s emotional weight opposite a committed, near-feral Berry. It’s later that the narrative falters, as it becomes repetitive or stalls entirely. The question of whether the evil is real or a figment of ‘Mamma”s imagination can only provide Never Let Go with so much mileage, even as it opens the door for some truly frightening scenes of domestic strain. It’s unfortunate, too, that as a dramatic development occurs a little over the halfway mark and Aja amps up the pyrotechnics, action, and body horror for the film’s last act, Never Let Go fails to retain the tension it’d been building so effectively, and completely loses its ability to scare its audience.

It is a feature packed with contradictions: complicated even as it lacks substance, incredibly tense even as it falters, with an ending that’s borderline silly despite the film taking itself seriously. And still, the performances are committed, the cinematography is attractive and atmospheric, and the soundscape is wielded with great skill. While this reviewer can’t quite decide whether Never Let Go would have been better as an ultra-serious, Gothic chamber piece or as an all-pulp, jump-scare extravaganza, and if it fails to make a lasting impact, Aja’s latest is nonetheless an entertaining, polished horror for both horror junkies and the more casual cinemagoers looking for some spooky-season viewing.

NEVER LET GO releases in cinemas from September 27th. Watch the trailer here.