The Film Print

  Respect for trying something new but all they did was take an average tech paranoia slasher flick and morph it into a subpar sci-fi actioner that is absurdly heavy on plot and exposition for how stupid it is. Not without its moments that I had fun with (the reoccurring Steven Seagal bit got me!) but by the time it hit the reveal of *who the villain really is* I felt a strong urge to yell "Who cares?!" at the screen. Doesn't have the stones (or MPAA rating) to take this further nor the directional sauce to make the action hit in the heightened stylized manner it so badly wants to. Oh well! C-

  Extremely solid classic big brash entertainment with genuine practical thrills. Had a blast but this never breaks through with anything meaningful though it's certainly reaching for it. Damson Idris is by far giving the most fun and lively performance in this but Kosinski and co. give him the THINNEST characterization and it frustrated me so deeply with a run time that's damn near three hours. Ultimately it isn't able to rise above feeling like a piece of corporate synergy with all this tech and brand fetishization. Rocked on a big screen and had my heart racing but I can't imagine this translates positively to any other formatting. Brad Pitt said he was more interested in the racing than in the acting this time and boy does it show! C

Incredible to see Boyle and Garland almost 30 years into their collaborations working with more money than they've ever had and coming out with their boldest swing for the fences yet and it's potentially the best both of them have ever been. They reframe the visual language of this franchise into something bigger, lusher and clearer than ever before. It's both a horror film picking at the remains of life amid cultural rot AND, most unexpectedly, a tender folktale about a boy (an astonishing debut performance from Alfie Williams) who wants to save his mom and the humane lessons of death and life that he will learn. It builds to a sequences that is conceptually grotesque yet undeniably and starkly ethereal and moving. Reader, I cried pretty hard at this thing. It reminds me of when I was a kid and my biggest fear was losing one of my parents. I would have nightmares about it constantly and would think "when I'm an adult, I'm going to do whatever I can to protect ...

Much weirder than I expected and delightfully so. Less Nancy Meyers than it is Mike Nichols. Was pitched to me as “Moneyball for romance” and that is still the most honest way I can describe it. A very patient yet straightforward story about people getting past their own logistical cynicism to be vulnerable and actually accept their self-worth. Song’s writing is much more theatrical this time around and characters are all pretty transparently ciphers but the actors are able to imbue it with an engaging lovable lyricism. This might be my favorite performance of Dakota Johnson’s thus far (at least in a film not directed by Guadagnino). B+

Made almost exclusively for people who love the sweaty rules-heavy world building of the John Wick franchise which, thankfully, I very much am. Ana De Armas is a full fucking movie star in this; she's able to lift this thing all the way with steely showmanship whilst also delivering with some golden physical comedy and disarming vulnerability - she is just so goddamn watchable. Love the way this thing escalates too. It already starts off in a pretty crazy place but it ending up with Eve in a village comprised entirely of people whose entire purpose is to fucking kill her is such pulpy gonzo catnip for me and it makes for a truly face-melting final set-piece. I'll watch three more of these as well! B

Feels minor in comparison to Asteroid City but let's be totally real, everything does. Genuinely kind of astonished by how much new stuff Wes is going after in this one. Bold new stylings, characterization and formal tricks set against a back drop of all of his curiosities dialed up to their maximum and beyond. Using broad thrills and moments of intense violence to get at the brutality and hollowness of uber capitalism and somehow finding ways to make it exciting, harrowing, moving, and fucking hilarious. It's also one of his most finely cast outings; Benicio is such a commanding lead and Cera is given some all-timer material. The almost wordless epilogue of this film is one of Wes' finest - it gets at a sense of peace and honesty that feels lovely and rewarding and yet still with a slight edge of unease to keep it interesting. It's an incredible time to be a fan of this guy. B+