Review Category: Movie

The Ghostbusters franchise, brought to its knees by Paul Feig’s witless Answer the Call in 2016, was brought back from the brink by Jason Reitman’s likeable 2021 ‘reboot’ Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The film introduced a new generation of slime-fighters. It paid respectful homage to the crew who made the 1984 original a well-regarded classic, offering cameos from Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, Annie Potts, and even Sigourney Weaver. It even had a slightly mawkish (and, some might say, borderline tasteless) tribute to the late Harold Ramis. The film did decent box office and paved the way for this new iteration of the team to carry the torch forward in a more family-friendly 21st-century Ghostbusters (the original being a lot spikier than many may remember). This new sequel, however, now co-written by Reitman and new director Gil Kenan, suggests that this franchise is either not ready or not quite confident enough to let go of its past…

The Spengler family (Carrie Coon as Mom Callie, Finn Wolfhard as Trevor and Mckenna Grace as the intense Phoebe) and Callie’s boyfriend Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd in Scott Lang/AntMan mode throughout) have moved away from Oklahoma and relocated to New York where they are effectively the ‘new’ Ghostbusters, still operating out of the iconic NYC firehouse. A spectacular and witty ghost chase around the streets of New York sets out the film’s initial conflicts – at 15, Phoebe is still too young to be a ‘proper’ Ghostbuster and Mayor Peck (William Atherton) is determined to close the Ghostbusters down due to the carnage that generally follows in their wake. So far, so reasonable. The film then loses its direction for a while, focusing on family dynamics to the detriment of any actual plot development until Kumail Nanjiani’s Nadeem produces the film’s MacGuffin – an ancient artefact that houses a powerful demon-creature with the power to turn everything it touches to ice – and brings the original Ghostbusters back into action alongside the newbies. There are a couple of side distractions: the introduction of a secret paranormal research laboratory housed in an old aquarium (whose staff include, randomly, British stand-up comedian James Acaster as a not-quite-dotty-enough boffin) and some more coy hints at Phoebe’s sexuality when she seems to forge a friendship with the ghostly Melody (Emily Alyn Lind). It all drifts rather aimlessly until the last act when the Big Bad (admittedly quite formidable-looking for a determinedly child-friendly movie) is released and starts causing the ice-based carnage promised in the trailers.

It’s hardly a spoiler to reveal that the Ghostbusters (both generations) are triumphant, and the stage is set, yet again, for more colourful, spooky hi-jinks in an almost-inevitable second sequel. But it’s time to let go of the past now – there are far too many callbacks to the first film here – and let this new team do its own thing away from the nostalgia fest that’s constantly pulling it back to an era it can’t help but sit uncomfortably alongside. Frozen Empire is a perfectly serviceable slice of bright and breezy low-intensity horror. Busting will indeed make you feel good, if only for the length of the film – but there’s the nagging undercurrent here of a series that, despite its injection of new blood, is a little bit tired and just past its spook-by date.

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE is on general release now

Dune: Part Two is a doozy. Director Denis Villeneuve follows up his phenomenal Part One with a staggering interpretation of Dune‘s most interesting bits, and he does so with the verve and tact of a Frank Herbert admirer and committed filmmaker.

Paul Atreides’ (Timothée Chalamet) transformation from earnest outsider to emotionally removed idol is a critical element of this story. Rightfully, most of Part Two‘s success hinges on whether or not this specific development works (thankfully, it does). With Part Two, Villeneuve and co-writer Jon Spaihts again do justice to Herbert’s toothsome novel, bringing care, scale, and moral murk to a complex epic. Villeneuve wrangles the material with the thoroughness of a diehard; everything from Fremen customs to Harkonnen ideologies feel fleshed-out and he has been open about Dune‘s importance to him, so it stands to reason that he’d put enormous care into making his adaptation the absolute best version of itself.

Of all it gets right, though, Part Two‘s most impressive feat is its artful relegation of its many villains. The Emperor and the Harkonnens are present and felt throughout, but they all play second fiddle to the ramifications of Paul’s ascension. Prophecy and deification are the big bads here. Villeneuve, eager to honour the story that helped shape him as an artist, spends most of Part Two digging deep into what makes Paul’s evolution so complicated and devastating.

Granted, a number of character arcs and subplots are resolved perfunctorily, and a handful of defining moments get zero time to breathe. The rest of it, though? The rest of it is impressively close to perfect.

DUNE: PART TWO is in cinemas starting March 1st.

This is an account of the final broadcast of the ’70s chat show Night Owls, featuring late-night telly sensation Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) – who, in a bid to beat out Carson, unwittingly unleashed Hell on the airwaves. It’s a chilling nightmare in the annals of American TV, sure, but still preferable to Carpool Karaoke.

Chasing flagging ratings, beleaguered Jack Delroy attempts to spice things up with an occult-themed episode of his show, first hosting questionable medium Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), and then introducing a woman (Laura Gordon) and her creepy young charge (Lilly, played by Ingrid Torelli) – who she claims is possessed by a demonic entity. As an ill-advised demonstration unfolds, Delroy ushers demonic forces far beyond his control… you know, like Jimmy Fallon’s 2016 interview with the Trump, except less gross.

This found-footage film by Cameron and Colin Cairnes does terrific work copying the look and feel of a ’70s-era American talk show, from the in-house band to the chintzy suits, cheesy jokes, and put-upon producer (Rhys Auteri). This was the decade of The Exorcist, Vietnam, and Jimmy Carter, when a shocked nation was still reeling from the murder of Sharon Tate by the cult of Manson, and a time when Johnny Carson ruled late-night TV.

Harnessing this moment in time and pop culture, the writer-directorial duo let Night Owls do its thing, airing as normal aside from a brief introduction by the narrator (a gravelly, well-cast Michael Ironside) and behind-the-scenes footage during ad breaks (think This Time With Alan Partridge). Otherwise, Late Night With the Devil never breaks character, recalling the recent Inside No. 9 episode 3 by 3 or a Documentary Now! entry in its admirable commitment to the bit.

The unique structure lends itself well to the story being told, with the tension gradually building throughout. Dastmalchian makes the most of a rare leading role, a man clearly struggling with deep grief, resentment and a hidden darkness behind the warm and cuddly TV host demeanour. You know, similar to James Corden, except we actually like Jack Delroy.

Meanwhile, young Torelli makes a deliciously unsettling host to the devil inside and is well-antagonised by scenery-chewing sceptic Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss). While it takes a moment to attune, the uncanny valley fake-it-till-you-make-it performances ultimately work for the characters (in which everyone is faking a smile, for various intents and purposes) and for the chilly tone of Late Night With the Devil.

To the credit of the conceit, both the movie and TV show within the movie are utterly compelling. A great number of demonic possession films have followed The Exorcist, but Late Night With the Devil deviously stomps its own path, forgoing the usual pea soup and pre-teen swearing in favour of its own shocking take on the mythos. Its various plot twists are too good to spoil, but do feature some delightfully Cronenbergian body horror and a series of visual effects quite unlike anything seen in an exorcism/teen possession movie ever before.

A bold, fresh and thoroughly unpredictable take on the demonic possession film, and a bloody good episode of TV too. 

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL is out in UK cinemas on March 22nd, 2024.

Kung Fu Panda 4 needs to be this franchise’s swan song. So much of what made the first two entries great – the emotional resonance, the convincing villainy, the Furious Five – is missing from the get-go. The bottom line? Mining the Kung Fu Panda conceit for entertainment value has become increasingly fruitless, further necessitating a shift away from pre-existing IP.

Kung fu prodigy Po (a returning Jack Black) and franchise newcomer Zhen (Awkwafina) form the film’s core dynamic, but their connection feels neither earned nor organic. As far as villains go, the Chameleon (a bored-sounding Viola Davis) is about as one-note as you can get. Her presence rarely, if ever, carries the intended weight, and her motivations (copied and pasted from other, better baddies) start and stop at: I want all of the power. Shallow motivations would have sufficed if her villainy didn’t feel so innocuous, but she isn’t threatening, and she isn’t interesting in how she’s threatening.

An underwritten side quest with main adventure stakes, Kung Fu Panda 4 is far and away the weakest entry in the franchise. The movie is gorgeous – easily one of DreamWorks’ most dazzling animated efforts to date – and there are many moments where its narrative shortcomings are forgotten amidst a These, at least, are somewhat pleasant distractions, but as soon as we’re ripped back into the story, we’re reminded of how just much polish this turd needs to be watchable.

KUNG FU PANDA 4 is released in UK cinemas on March 28th.

Things are changing in Nancy’s (Jessica Belkin) life. Not only has she been made manager of her father’s diner, but she’s just taken a positive pregnancy test. She’s left on the night shift with Jake (Taylor Kowalski), the rough, mouthy chef. After a group of youths cause a scene, she loses her temper and fires Jake, meaning she has to do the shift on her own. In the midst of the night, it’s no surprise that a masked gang terrorises her.

Despite what might seem like a familiar set-up, Alan Scott Neal’s Last Straw has a few surprises to stop genre fans from rolling their eyes too much. It also boasts a fantastic turn from Belkin, who runs the full gauntlet of emotions in her role. Although she doesn’t behave in the nicest of ways (she’s unsure who the father of her ‘accident’ is and often takes her frustration at life out on her colleagues), she’s resilient when things go west. Likewise, Kowalski shows plenty of range in what could have been a one-dimensional character.

Neal uses the isolated diner location well, with its large windows leaving Nancy exposed throughout the night. He ramps up the tension and gets the most out of the mostly young cast and shocking action.

LAST STRAW screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest.

Avant-garde artists Jasper (Rowan Polonski) and Harriet (Abigail Hardingham) embark on a collaboration selling custom kinky video clips to people. One day, Jasper is offered 10K for some specific scenes. There are some snags: the footage must be shot on a specific vintage video camera, and they must not watch the tapes themselves. Jasper is troubled, however, when he has no recollection of what they did on camera for the mysterious punter and is too tempted to see what’s been recorded. As things progress, each video takes its toll on the pair.

Written and directed by Tiago Teixeira, Custom delves into a murky, ritualistic world that wouldn’t be out of place in a David Cronenberg movie. Being full of familiar genre references, it messes with the audiences’ heads as much as it does with the characters on screen. The oppressive sound design envelopes everything and is as important as any dialogue, particularly towards the conclusion. Polonski and Hardingham are impressive in their roles, albeit playing fairly unlikable characters. Their descent into psychotropic madness is handled well and offers a few surprises along the way.

Trying to be enigmatic, Teixeira fills the screen with haunting, Lynchian visuals, including one sequence that almost fetishises videotape itself. Custom almost achieves the status of being the British equivalent of Videodrome with its depiction of nightmarish scenarios. It can be heavy going, though.

CUSTOM screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow.

Meredith (Emily Hampshire) and her husband Jared (François Arnaud) have just come home with their new son, Alex. As they attempt to get into a routine, Meredith finds the constant need for attention too much, and her collapsing mental state results in a horrific tragedy. With her family and friends all but deserting her, she descends further into madness.

A disturbing psychological study, Mom is a compelling and difficult film and one that sticks with you long after you’ve seen it. It opens with the camera exploring a dilapidated house accompanied by an oppressive drone, a fleeting glimpse of a young child, and a shocking reveal. It’s a gut-punch moment that puts the viewer on edge from the start. The sound design and visuals amplify the postpartum depression and anxiety Meredith is experiencing. Hampshire is brilliantly disturbing in the lead role, expressing emotions that are not often spoken about. The baby’s incessant screaming brings to mind the child from Eraserhead, while Mom’s first third builds up a disorienting atmosphere in which Meredith questions her reality, if the house is haunted, and even if she is capable of being a mother.

Director Adam O’Brien builds up a terrifying picture of a mother’s struggle to cope with the changes childbirth brings, although we hope the rest is not a familiar situation for people.

 

MOM screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow.

Dakota (Paige Gilmore) is desperate to break up with her boyfriend, Axel (Shane Quigley-Murphy). Through a series of flashbacks, we see how she was once an edgy, individualistic wild child who played in a rock band, Final Girls. Over the few years they’ve been together, Axel has moulded Dakota into what he wants as the perfect girlfriend and her resentment has grown too much. However, on the day she has vowed to break it to him, he returns home with a strange ailment that has him throwing up and growing progressive markings on his skin, making his touch acidic. Despite the ailment, Axel won’t let her go without a fight.

A spot-on reflection and allegory of toxic relationships, directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert’s debut feature is both powerful and disturbing. The leads – relative newcomers – are superb, with Quigley-Murphy being particularly effective as the possessive Axel. Coming across as cool and pleasant in their earlier meetings, his manipulative nature will undoubtedly ring alarm bells to many and would likely be very triggering. Shot in one apartment, we feel as trapped as Dakota, particularly when things become fraught between the pair. Kill Your Lover is a well-made, claustrophobic horror film if you can stomach everything – and things get particularly horrific towards the final act.

KILL YOUR LOVER was screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow.

 

 

A group of activists hides out in an IKEA-like DIY store in the hopes of spending the night causing some mayhem to further their cause and spread the message about the destruction of the rainforest. Unfortunately for them, Jack (Aidan O’Hare) and his hulking brother Kevin (Turlough Convery), a hardcore primitive hunting nut who’s been pushed one step too far, are on security duty.

The filmmaking collective RKSS (comprising François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell), is best known for Turbo Kid and Summer of 84. Here, they take the generic fight-for-survival formula but with an accidental psychopath as the antagonist. None of the activists are particularly likeable, so it’s not hard to end up rooting for killer who’s picking them off in inventive ways (using his hunting know-how to fabricate traps from the everyday objects in the store. Even with the lack of empathy with the youngsters, there’s still plenty of tension built and some very brutal deaths. While the teens are less fleshed-out than the ‘adults’, the cast shows some admirable acting chops in what is essentially a trailer park version of The Most Dangerous Game.

While it may not have the crowd-pleasing qualities of the collective’s other films, it’s very well-made and boasts a gloriously cruel but satisfactory payoff.

WAKE UP screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow on March 8th.