The reason “Strange Darling” gets a marginal pass is that the film seems to truly believe that its subversions are empowering. Its intentions—and its disruptions—are straightforward, and it seems unaware of the implications of the specific ways in which it turns the audience’s expectations upside down. It’s not that deep, in short, and there are … Read more
Nathalie Emmanuel (Ramsey from the later “Fast and the Furious” movies) plays the mysterious Zee, a stealthy assassin for a powerful organization run by the vicious Finn (Sam Worthington). The “Avatar” actor nails a certain kind of slimy power figure, the one who will pretend to have your best interests in mind but only as … Read more
Joined by his cabal of miscreants—Cody (Simon Rex), Vic (Christian Slater), and Tom (Haley Joel Osment), and their invitees, Sarah (Adria Arjona), Heather (Trew Mullen), and Camilla (Liz Caribel)—Slater boards a private jet for the supposed getaway of their dreams. With their cell phones collected by Slater’s nervous and neurotic personal assistant and sister (Geena Davis), … Read more
“Hell Hole” was obviously inspired by the master John Carpenter, owing a great deal to his version of “The Thing”—a remote outpost overtaken by a monster that can look like an ordinary person—and movies he made about people essentially stumbling into portals to Hell in films like “Prince of Darkness” and “In the Mouth of … Read more
Shot in greater Chicago, the movie throws you into the middle of its premise, and establishes right away that this is a science fiction movie that’s going to explore its ideas from the points-of-view of aliens rather than the humans who encounter them. The main characters are two lovers from a dying world who’ve come here … Read more
Liu also played a frustrated, but superhumanly gifted wallflower in “Detective Chinatown.” He was more convincing in those movies, partly because he was part of a winning buddy duo, but also because he wasn’t trying to capital-A act while wearing hairpieces, whose synthetic hairs thin at an alarming rate as his character ages. As Jinzhen, … Read more
But it has a low-key confidence about its identity and methods, including an entire metaphysical system supporting the plot, that’s unexpectedly persuasive by the end. This film is not, as reality show contestants like to say, here to make friends, but to be true to itself, and it walks a righteous path in that regard, all … Read more
Though “Mountains” spends most of its time grappling with the quiet worries of its immigrant characters, Sorelle eventually turns to their son Junior (Chris Renois), an aspiring standup comedian still living at home whose chosen career path doesn’t align with what Xavier envisioned for him. His perspective on his parents’ rigid mindset, and how it … Read more
This, we learn, was in 1990; the movie cuts ahead to 2012, and its director Miguel Garay (Manolo Solo, whose deep-set eyes convey universes of worry and sadness) is approached by a Spanish television series called “Unresolved Cases”—yes, the “Unsolved Mysteries” thing is worldwide—to discuss the movie and his missing friend. He’s not sure about … Read more
Beth’s a breast cancer survivor, and Jay doesn’t really know how to talk with her about what she went through. She’s also plagued by nightmarish, PTSD-style images of her body rebelling against her, either during or following a traumatic medical procedure. Jay clearly wants to make Beth feel seen and appreciated but doesn’t seem to … Read more