Nosferatu
2024
***½
Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, Daniel Malik, Aaron Monaghan
In 1838, newlywed German realtor Thomas Hutter must travel to Transylvania to seal a real estate deal with Count Orlok and leave behind his troubled wife Ellen, who appears to have a psychic bond to the Count. Robert Eggers' fourth film is a remake of F. W. Murnau's 1922 silent film, which itself was an unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. Like Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 adaptation of the novel, this is a stylised and visually sumptuous retelling of a very familiar story. There are some strong performances, but Aaron Taylor-Johnson feels totally out of place in the period setting.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
2021
**½
Director: Dean Fleischer-Camp
Cast: Jenny Slate, Dean Fleischer-Camp, Isabella Rossellini, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Nathan Fielder, Jessi Klein, Andy Richter, Conan O'Brien, Brian Williams
A documentary filmmaker discovers Marcel, a tiny anthropomorphic shell with one eye and shoes, who lives in an Airbnb with his grandmother. Marcel hopes to use his newfound fame to reunite with his long-lost family. Dean Fleischer-Camp's mockumentary is based on a stop motion character whose three shorts (2010-2014) went viral. Marcel is undoubtedly a cute creation and his adventures are probably good fun in small doses. However, going from 4 minutes to 90 minutes is a giant leap, and alas, I was bored with Marcel's episodic shenanigans and life lessons after the first fifteen minutes.
Les chambres rouges (Red Rooms)
2023
****½
Director: Pascal Plante
Cast: Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Élisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Natalie Tannous, Pierre Chagnon, Guy Thauvette, Charlotte Aubin, Sébastien Beaulac, Frédérick de Grandpré
In Montreal, a smart and beautiful fashion model Kelly-Anne is consumed by a high profile trial against a man accused of torturing and murdering three teenage girls and broadcasting their deaths on the dark web. Pascal Plante's unsettling and deliberately paced drama deals with voyeurism and our obsession with true crime and living our lives online. This cleverly directed film is horrid and gruesome, although it doesn't include any violence per se. Juliette Gariépy gives a wonderfully understated but intense lead performance and Dominique Plante's score is terrific.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
2023
***
Director: Sam Fell
Cast: Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, Jane Horrocks, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, Josie Sedgwick-Davies
After escaping Tweedy's farm, Ginger and Rocky (and the rest of the hens) live peacefully on an island. One day, their curious daughter Molly ventures out and is taken to a high-tech nugget factory. Aardman's Chicken Run (2000) was a hilarious and joyously inventive animation. 23 years later, we get this frustratingly formulaic and frankly unnecessary sequel, which has lost of most of what made the original so loveable, namely humour, originality, visual imagination, and most of the voice cast.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
2024
***
Director: Wes Ball
Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, Lydia Peckham, Travis Jeffery, Sara Wiseman, Neil Sandilands, Ras-Samuel Welda'abzgi
The underwhelming War for the Planet of the Apes wrapped up the initially intriguing Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy. This story, which is set some 300 years into the future, looks to be launching another trilogy. A young ape named Noa lives a sheltered life among his clan, who train eagles. When his home village is destroyed and his clan members abducted, Noa must venture out to the unknown to save them. This is the longest film so far, and it looks technically brilliant like the previous three, but I cannot find any reason for its existence. Instead of new and fresh ideas, it treads familiar ground and sets up another future clash between the apes and the humans. Some elements of this new world make no sense to me.
Searching
2018
***
Director: Aneesh Chaganty
Cast: John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La, Sara Sohn, Joseph Lee, Alex Jayne Go, Megan Liu, Ric Sarabia, Sean O'Bryan, Colin Woodell
When 16-year-old Margot goes missing, her recently widowed, overprotective father David delves into her digital life in an effort to assist the police to track her down. Aneesh Chaganty's gimmicky screenlife thriller tells a conventional story entirely through computer screens, smartphones, CCTV footage, news broadcast, and other digital media. It's an initially refreshing approach, but it eventually and somewhat inevitably becomes monotonous and implausible.
Women Talking
2022
***½
Director: Sarah Polley
Cast: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand, Ben Whishaw, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Kate Hallett, Liv McNeil, Michelle McLeod
After years of physical and sexual abuse by the men in their community, a group of Mennonite women gather in a hayloft to discuss whether to stay and fight or leave altogether. For her emotionally charged drama, Sarah Polley adapted Miriam Toews' 2018 novel, which was inspired by true events in Bolivia between 2005 and 2009. This moving and well-acted if not entirely believable film champions solidarity and female resilience. Like the title indicates, the women have a long and heated conversation about faith, forgiveness, and the cost of taking action, which also means that this is not a particularly cinematic experience. Polley won an Academy Award for her screenplay.
Beau is Afraid
2023
***
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Parker Posey, Richard Kind, Michael Gandolfini, Kylie Rogers, Zebedee Row
Beau Wassermann, an anxious and paranoid middle-aged man, sets out to visit his mother, who has apparently died at home. In his third feature, Ari Aster takes the audience on a surreal and bizarre journey through Beau's subconscious, which is rid with guilt, fears, and deep-seated mother issues. As Beau discovers troubling secrets about himself and his family, it is unclear if any of the events are actually happening for real or if the whole trip is playing out in his head. This skillfully constructed and darkly comic 3-hour drama starts and ends well, but the meandering two hours in the middle are frankly boring. Nevertheless, Joaquin Phoenix gives another dedicated lead performance.
Sorry We Missed You
2019
****
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Kris Hitchen, Debbie Honeywood, Rhys Stone, Katie Proctor, Ross Brewster, Charlie Richmond, Alfie Burke, Andrew Maclennan, David Fielder, Yaseen Khan
Ricky and Abby, both working on zero-hour contracts, have jobs as a delivery driver and a home care worker, respectively. They struggle to make ends meet, especially as the family's personal troubles begin to pile up. Ken Loach and his screenwriter Pauil Laverty follow-up I, Daniel Blake with another hard-hitting and heartfelt working-class drama, this time focused on the gig economy. As usual, the characters are wonderfully drawn and the performances are heartbreakingly believable.
Tuntematon Mestari (One Last Deal)
2018
***½
Director: Klaus Härö
Cast: Heikki Nousiainen, Pirjo Lonka, Amos Brotherus, Stefan Sauk, Pertti Sveholm, Jakob Öhrman, Eero Ritala, Kristofer Möller
An ageing art dealer discovers a potentially valuable painting by an unknown artist, but his last big deal could jeopardise his already strained relationship with his daughter and grandson. Klaus Härö's small-scale drama deals with legacy, in terms of art, knowledge, and family. This is not an earth-shattering film, but it features a very moving lead performance by Heikki Nousiainen.
Train to Busan
2016
****½
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Cast: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Su-an, Kim Eui-sung, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, Park Myung-sin, Jeong Seok-yong, Jang Hyuk-jin
The staff and passengers onboard a high-speed train to Busan are faced with a rampant zombie outbreak. These people include a workaholic father and his estranged daughter, a couple expecting a baby, and a high school baseball team. Yeon Sang-ho's supremely entertaining zombie movie makes the most of its confined setting, as the train becomes a microscosm of the best and worst aspects of humanity. These zombies are not slow, and the resulting events are funny, scary, gruesome, and surprisingly moving. Followed by an animated prequel Seoul Station (2016) and a sequel Peninsula (2020).
In a Valley of Violence
2016
**
Director: Ti West
Cast: Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, Taissa Farmiga, James Ransone, Karen Gillan, Toby Huss, Tommy Nohilly, Burn Gorman, Jumpy, Larry Fessende
A traumatized Civil War veteran and his dog aim to peacefully pass through the small town of Denton, but the entitled and antagonistic son of the marshal refuses to leave them alone. Ti West's second rate Western (version of John Wick) looks to be made exclusively for people who have never seen a Western before. The script includes every lazy genre cliché that you can imagine, and then some.
Anora
2024
****½
Director: Sean Baker
Cast: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov, Darya Ekamasova, Samantha Quan, Alex Coco, Drew Daniels
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, is charmed by Vanja, the son of a Russian oligarch, and his opulent lifestyle. When his powerful family learns of their relationship, her Cinderella story takes a harsh turn toward reality. Sean Baker's excellent film offers a unique mix of laughs, terror, decadence, and both outrageous and tender moments. Anora's story is long but it goes by in a flash. Mikey Madison gives a terrifically gutsy lead performance.
Saltburn
2023
***½
Director: Emerald Fennell
Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan, Paul Rhys, Lolly Adefope, Reece Shearsmith
At Oxford University, the socially awkward scholarship student Oliver becomes infatuated with the popular and aristocratic Felix. When the semester ends, he is invited to spend the summer at Felix's lavish family estate, Saltburn. Emerald Fennell's second film is another darkly comic thriller. While Promising Young Woman was sharp, clever, and original, Oliver's immersion into wealth and privilege is enjoyable but predictable after seeing The Talented Mr. Ripley, A Place in the Sun, and Brideshead Revisited. I could have lived without the few gratuitous gross-out scenes and the ending which doesn't leave anything to our imagination.
Broker
2022
****
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona, Lee Ji-eun (IU), Lee Joo-young, Park Ji-yong, Im Seung-soo, Kang Gil-woo, Song Sae-byeok, Choi Hee-jin
A group of disparate people come together after a troubled young woman leaves a newborn baby in a baby box, but then changes her mind. Hirokazu Kore-eda's Korea-set drama may not feature entirely loveable characters (Song Kang-ho and Gang Dong-won play men who sell babies on the black market), but like the brilliant Shoplifters, it tells a warm and moving story of a makeshift family.
Bob Marley: One Love
2024
**½
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, Michael Gandolfini, James Norton, Jesse Cilio, Anthony Welsh, Tosin Cole, Nadine Marshall, Michael Ward, Hope Olaide Wilson
In 1976, different factions fight for power in Jamaica and reggae musician Bob Marley finds himself in the middle with his message of peace. This biographical drama comes in the wake of the recent pop star biopics (Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman), and it captures a few years in the life, music, and legacy of Bob Marley, whose global stardom was cut short by cancer at the age of 36. The film is an authorised biography produced by the Marley family, so don't expect a layered portrayal of a complex character. The performances are good, but the film never grabbed me like it should have.
Columbus
2017
***
Director: Kogonada
Cast: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Rory Culkin, Michelle Forbes, Jim Dougherty, Erin Allegretti, Shani Salyers Stiles, Roshan Seth, Reen Vogel
A Korean-American man, who must reluctantly return to Columbus, IN, forms a connection with a young woman stuck caring for her mother. The two explore the city’s architectural landmarks and share their personal struggles. Kogonada's feature debut is a likeable and well-acted minimalist drama, which nevertheless failed to captivate me. The film includes some poignant moments, but, more often than not, it feels like watching paint dry on the wall of a beautiful building.
Queen & Slim
2019
**½
Director: Melina Matsoukas
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, Sturgill Simpson, Flea, Indya Moore, Kate Townsend, Jessie Usher, Mickalene Thomas
When Queen and Slim, two black persons on their first date, violently resist a racist police officer, they are forced to go on the run, and ultimately become symbols of resistance within the Black community. Melina Matsoukas' feature debut is a socially conscious romantic road movie that has a very promising set-up. However, things gradually fall apart when the two fugitives make needlessly dumb choices and still don't seem to face any real jeopardy on their flight across Southern states. The ending leaves a bad aftertaste.
John Wick: Chapter 4
2023
**½
Director: Chad Stahelski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rina Sawayama, Shamier Anderson, Scott Adkins
Following Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick plans to challenge the high-ranking Marquis de Gramont to a duel to finally free him of all obligations to the High Table. Chapter 4 is more than an hour longer than the original John Wick. Other than that, it offers nothing I haven't seen already. The same plot once again peppered with an endless series of endless one-on-one fights. This time the hero's kill count amounts to about 140. The silliest and stupidest scenes take place in a Berlin nightclub and the Arc de Triomphe roundabout, where the clubbers and commuters, respectively, seem completely oblivious to the massacre taking place in front of their eyes. Nevertheless, this is the best looking and probably the most entertaining episode in the series.
The Farewell
2019
***
Director: Lulu Wang
Cast: Awkwafina, Shuzhen Zhao, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Jim Liu, Han Chen, Yongbo Jiang, Aoi Mizuhara, X Mayo, Hong Lu
An aimless Chinese-American woman named Billi travels to China for a staged wedding in order to say goodbye to her beloved grandmother, who is unaware that she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Lulu Wang's autobiographical drama offers a warm portrayal of cross-generational relations and a fascinating fly-on-the-wall peak into Chinese culture. This well-acted film deals with cultural differences, but I failed to comprehend and accept the central deception that runs the plot.
The Nest
2020
****
Director: Sean Durkin
Cast: Jude Law, Carrie Coon, Charlie Shotwell, Oona Roche, Adeel Akhtar, Michael Culkin, Wendy Crewson, Anne Reid, Tanya Allen, Tattiawna Jones
A high-flying English trader relocates his wife and two kids from New York to an eery country manor in Surrey, where the fragile bonds holding the family together begin to unravel. Sean Durkin's follow-up to Martha Marcy May Marlene is a subtle and poignant psychological drama about a man who is desperate to project an image of success. The performances are great.
The House that Jack Built
2018
**
Director: Lars von Trier
Cast: Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Sofie Gråbøl, Riley Keough, Jeremy Davies, David Bailie, Ed Speleers, Marijana Jankovic
Jack, a wannabe architect, describes his life as a serial killer from the late 1970s into 1980s. He became known as Mr. Sophistifation, because he turned his victims into elaborate works of art. As Lars von Trier lives on controversy, I expected to be shocked and disgusted, but I completely failed to connect with this gruesome and intellectually empty 155-minute exercise. The epilogue is memorable, I must admit.
The Old Oak
2023
****
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Dave Turner, Ebla Mari, Debbie Honeywood, Chris McGlade, Trevor Fox, Reuben Bainbridge, Kane Robinson, Clare Holman, Colin McFarlane, Jacky Booth
When a group of Syrian refugees arrive in a struggling mining town in Northern England, The Old Oak pub becomes a focal point for tensions and solidarity. In his directorial swansong, Ken Loach and his regular writing partner Paul Laverty weave a believable contemporary drama that portrays challenging prejudices and unexpected bonds. As usual, the performances are wonderfully natural and the climax is very moving.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
2023
***
Director: Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, John Mulaney, Wagner Moura, Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Puss in Boots discovers that his reckless adventures have consumed eight of his nine lives. He embarks on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his lives. Puss in Boots, wonderfully voiced by Antonio Banderas, was a breakout character in Shrek 2, who got his own 2011 spin-off. In this formulaic sequel, Puss in Boots meets old friends and enemies, and discovers the value of life. This animation is liked by many, but I found it lacking laughs and truly memorable moments.
Luottomies-elokuva: All in
2024
**
Director: Kari Ketonen
Cast: Kari Ketonen, Antti Luusuaniemi, Maria Ylipää, Taneli Mäkelä, Lauri Tilkanen, Ilkka Villi, Lasse Karkjärvi, Eden Pentikäinen, Anne Ramsay, Matti Onnismaa, Matleena Kuusniemi
The popular Luottomies TV show revolves around Tommi and Juhis, friends and neighbours who repeatedly get themselves in awkward situations. Their shenigans are moderately amusing in 10-minute doses, but their big screen debut is nothing more than an overstretched episode of the show. Juhis stays in the background when Tommi bets everything on a dodgy investment scheme, which threatens to ruin his marriage and career. The resulting comedy is predictable and rarely funny.
Kikka!
2022
***
Director: Anna Paavilainen
Cast: Sara Melleri, Elena Leeve, Kai Vaine, Jakob Öhrman, Aku Hirviniemi, Martti Suosalo, Samuli Niittymäki, Tuomo Prättälä, Sanna-Kaisa Palo, Rea Mauranen, Ville Tiihonen
This biographical drama chronicles the rise and fall of Finnish pop icon Kikka (1964-2005), who became famous for her erotically charged songs and performances. However, behind the bubbly exterior, she is portrayed as a desparately lonely and insecure woman who gradually succumbs to alcoholism. Sara Melleri gives a strong performance in the lead, but the film itself is unfortunately just another biopic about a Finnish artist who died prematurely.
Madame Web
2024
**
Director: S.J. Clarkson
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Adam Scott, Emma Roberts, Zosia Mamet, Kerry Bishé
After a near-death experience, an NYFD paramedic Cassandra "Cassie" Webb discovers that she can see future events. This ability draws her to three young women who are targeted by the same man who killed Cassie's mother 30 years earlier. This female-powered Marvel movie is set in 2003, so the heroine's timeline would align with that of Spider-Man. However, there will most likely be no sequels to this massive critical and commercial flop. It's not a complete disaster, but it is a dumb movie with dumb characters, a boring villain whose voice is dubbed, clunky dialogue, and all of it edited to death by S.J. Clarkson.
Caddo Lake
2024
***½
Director: Celine Held, Logan George
Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Eliza Scanlen, Lauren Ambrose, Eric Lange, Sam Hennings, Diana Hopper, Caroline Falk, Roger Guenveur Smith, Emma Bercovici, Jayson Warner Smith
There seems to be a link between several past deaths and disappearances at Caddo Lake. While a young man is convinced that his mother's tragic drowning was not an accident, a young woman is desperately searching for her missing 8-year-old stepsister. This thriller has a gripping setup, but its midsection is very frustrating, as the two narratives never seem to come together and the main character in each story strand acts in a baffling manner. Their lives do eventually intertwine, but not quite the way you would expect. The end twist is very effective, although it is lifted wholesale from Dark, the brilliant German Netflix show. The performances are decent, but the creepy lake and bayou area is the main character.
Leave the World Behind
2023
****
Director: Sam Esmail
Cast: Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon, Myha’la Herrold, Charlie Evans, Farrah Mackenzie, Craig Henningsen, Marcia DeBonis, Reynaldo Piniella
Two families unfamilar to each other are forced to take shelter in a house when the world outside seems to fall apart. As the families lose communication, they are faced with rising tensions, fear, and paranoia. Sam Esmail's adaptation of Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel is a long but suspenseful psychological disaster movie that focuses on the individuals rather than the crisis itself. The gripping but derivative story delivers a mix of The Trigger Effect, Us, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and Civil War. The ambiguous ending will either make you laugh or cry.
Bastarden (The Promised Land)
2023
****
Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Gustav Lindh, Magnus Krepper, Tommy Kenter, Jakob Ulrik Lohmann, Laura Bro, Anders Brink Madsen
Nikolaj Arcel's gripping historical drama tells a fictionalised true story of Captain Ludvig Kahlen, a retired military officer of lowly origins, who in 1755 sets out to cultivate the barren Jutland heathlands in exchange for a noble title. However, he faces fierce opposition from the harsh landscape and the petty and entitled landowner. Mads Mikkelsen gives another commanding performance as a gruff and determined pioneer who has a big heart. The story is grim and believable, apart from the Hollywood ending that leaves nothing to our imagination. Adapted from Ida Jessen's 2020 book The Captain and Ann Barbara.
Challengers
2024
***
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist, A.J. Lister, Nada Despotovich, Naheem Garcia, Hailey Gates, Jake Jensen, Darnell Appling, Shane Harris
During the junior U.S. Open in 2006, Patrick and Art, best friends and youth tennis stars, both become obsessed with Tashi, a beautiful rising star of the game. The twists and turns of their complicated relationship unfold during the next two hours, which cover a 13-year time span. Luca Guadagnino's erotically charged sports drama failed to adequately thrill, captivate, or titillate me. It features three attractive but uninteresting and egotistical characters whose interconnected lives managed to hold my attention only because of the dynamic non-linear structure and tense tennis scenes.
The Iron Claw
2023
**½
Director: Sean Durkin
Cast: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons, Holt McCallany, Maura Tierney, Lily James, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), Brady Pierce, Aaron Dean Eisenberg
Sean Durkin's biographical drama chronicles the triumphs and tribulations of the Von Erich wrestling family in the 1980s and 1990s. The controlling and uncompromising Fritz Von Erich wants to establish a wrestling dynasty through his sons Kevin, David, Kerry, and Mike. The focus is on Kevin, the oldest brother who has the athleticism but not the showmanship, who becomes convinced that the family is cursed. Pro wrestling is a confounding mix of sport and performance that I will never understand, even less so when there's talk of winning a world championship. Needless to say, the wrestling scenes are uninteresting. The film is at its best when it allows the four brothers to hang around together and bond. In the second half, tragic events follow one another in quick succession, but they make little impact because the individual brothers are so superficially sketched, and each tragedy is given no time to sink in. In fact, the family suffered so much misfortune, that Durkin was compelled to leave out one of the brothers to make the story more palatable. Although the performances are good, the vertically challenged Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White hardly pass as heavyweight wrestlers.
Lapua 1976
2023
***½
Director: Toni Kurkimäki
Cast: Konsta Laakso, Linnea Leino, Hannu-Pekka Björkman, Leo Sjöman, Johanna Koivu, Jussi Lampi , Pirkko Uitto, Timo Teern, Sonja Halla-aho, Juha Uutela, Teemu Kettula
10 years ago, Matti and Kaisa were forcibly separated by her father. The young lovers rekindle their affair on the eve of the Lapua Cartridge Factory explosion in April, 1976. Toni Kurkimäki's directorial debut is a compelling romantic disaster movie. Like James Cameron's Titanic, it tells a fictional love story against the backdrop of a real-life disaster. The romance plot gets a bit soapy at times, but the disaster around it is wonderfully staged.
Thirteen Lives
2022
****
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton, Tom Bateman, Paul Gleeson, Pattrakorn Tungsupakul, Sukollawat Kanarot, Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Vithaya Pansringarm
In June, 2018, twelve boys and their football coach were trapped in the Tham Luang cave in Thailand, when the monsoon rain suddenly flooded the cave. While volunteers attempt to redirect the water masses away from the mountain above, a group of international rescue divers and Thai authorities orchestrate a daring salvage operation. Ron Howard's long but nailbiting no-nonsense thriller is based on these real events. William Nicholson's script streamlines the action and manages to keep the complicated operation clear and comprehensible at all times.
Rebel Ridge
2024
****
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Cast: Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen, Steve Zissis, Zsané Jhé, Dana Lee, James Cromwell, C.J. LeBlanc
Terry, a former Marine, is on the way to bail out his cousin when the Shelby Springs police stop him and seize his cash. Terry is determined to solve the issue amicably, but he is up against a deeply corrupt law enforcement system. Jeremy Saulnier's terrific crime thriller delivers a measured and level-headed 21st century version of First Blood. The film is tense but low-key, and the highly trained protagonist remains restrained and soft-spoken throughout his ordeal. Aaron Pierre gives a charismatic lead performance.
