Horror Movies! Some Pretend Horror to Take Your Mind Off the Horror of Real Life!

[It's a potpourri of horror tropes: monsters, children in jeopardy, a diabolical house and... sports.  I review "The Bride!" "Bring Her Back," "The Deliverance" and "Him."]

The Bride! (2026)

A remake of  "The Bride of Frankenstein."

There is the Jessie Buckley who played Agnes, Shakespeare's wife, in "Hamnet" for which she won a Best Actress Academy Award, and then there is the Jessie Buckley as the Bride, in this new version of "The Bride of Frankenstein" and never the twain shall meet. Well, they do, because between those two roles, Buckley is able to show her acting range. And then there's Christian Bale.  His twain has been met so many times that's not actually a descriptive phrase for him because he has played many more than two divergent roles, playing every oddball character there is to play. But believe it or not, he is toned down here and plays second fiddle to Jessie who is as out there as an actress can get both as Ida, who becomes the Bride and as Mary Shelley herself, the author of "Frankenstein," who keeps popping up and wishing she had written "The Bride of Frankenstein."  Sorry, Mary, but at least it was a movie.

Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, this is a reworking of the original horror movie, an interesting film noir version but, as the movie progressed, the story and characters were so over-the-top that I suspected it was also a comic version, though very dark.  But I guess I could also say the original "Bride of Frankenstein" would probably come off today as a bit of a comedy. 

Anyway, the film begins with Mary Shelley (Buckley) speaking from the afterlife lamenting that she had died before she could write "The Bride of Frankenstein," so she comes back to life by possessing Ida (also played by Buckley), a woman living in 1936 Chicago, who drunkenly proceeds to discuss the criminal activities of crime boss Lupino while with a group in a bar. Lupino's henchmen Clyde (John Magaro) and James (Matthew Maher) are there and take her aside where she conveniently falls down a flight of stairs to her death. The Mary Shelley character keeps coming back throughout the film adding her two cents and possessing Ida and the proceedings, and that was a theatrical device I could have done without. I found it annoying.

Anyway, in the meantime, Frankenstein's monster, AKA "Frank (Bale)," arrives at the house of scientist Dr. Cornelia Euphronius (Annette Benning sporting some fake teeth to make her look more doctor-like, I guess). Having read about Euphronius' work on "reanimation," Frank begs her to create a companion for him because he has been alone for a century and is, well, lonely. He wants a mate, a relationship, okay...sex.  Euphronius and Frank just happen to dig up Ida's corpse and successfully revive her, but Ida loses her memory in the process. Frank takes advantage of this and states that she is his bride and lost her memory in an accident. Well, I guess falling down some stairs could be considered an accident.

So Frank and Ida get to know each other and go off to see a movie featuring Frank's favorite actor, Ronnie Reed. Frank is obsessed with Busby Berkeley-style movies and "The Dubious Detective" starring Ronnie Reed is his favorite (it's also an opportunity for Maggie's brother, Jake, to have a cameo as Reed). After the movie, they go dancing at a club. As they leave, two men attempt to assault Ida and Frank kills them as a monster is inclined to do. The two escape and stow away on a train to New York City. So now the police are after them and Detective Jake Wiles (Peter Sarsgaard) and his assistant Myrna Malloy (Penelope Cruz) are on the case and follow them to New York.

Since Ida can't remember anything from her past, Frank tells her that her name is Penelope Rogers (he wanted to call her Ginger Rogers in homage to his love of 30's musicals and dancing like Fred Astaire, but thought better of it, so he settled on Penelope). They crash a high class party where Ronnie Reed, Frank's idol, just happens to be a guest. Wanting to impress Reed, Frank begins to dance like Reed does in his films, with Penelope joining him, as well as the other party-goers, turning it into a dance very much like the Time Warp in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."  So you get the idea.  This is a very original take on the Frankenstein story.  

But then things fall apart again because Ida/Penelope just can't shut up and the two are recognized. Their crime spree becomes publicized, Ida becomes a bit of a feminist icon and Mob boss Lupino (Zlatko Buric) recognizes her in a newspaper article and dispatches his minions to kill her. So now it's like Bonnie and Clyde, or I should say, Frankie and the Bride, on the run, not just from the police but also from the Mob.  

Why does the Mob want Ida/Penelope dead? And will these crazy monsters manage to escape, get married and live happily ever after?  Duh. C'mon, this may be a dark comedy, but it's still horror.

The film has an all-star cast but this movie is all about Jessie. Yes, she is totally over-the-top, unhinged at times, but I can't help but be impressed by an actress who is so all in, no matter what.  And she is.  And Christian? He let's her have the spotlight, but he's still Christian Bale. He's always all in. But here he also shows his tender side because Frank clearly loves Ida.

And if I was still wondering if this was a comedy or not, "Monster Mash" plays at the end over the credits.  So, yes, it's a a sort of comedy, though a dark one and, yes, it's about monsters, but it is also a romantic story, in a monster kind of way. And speaking of the credits, be sure to keep watching the credits, because there is more.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like Monster Horror that is really wild and uninhibited with a feminist bent, you might like this, but I recommend that if you go for it, that you add a big glass of wine (or a cocktail) and an open mind because it's a wild ride. (For rent or purchase of Amazon Prime)

Bring Her Back (2025)

Seventeen-year-old Andy and his visually impaired sister, Piper, find their dad, Phil, dead in the shower, leaving them orphans.  And then things get worse.  They get the foster mother from hell.

When Andy (Billy Barratt) and his sister, Piper (Sora Wong), are orphaned, they are sent to live with eccentric former counselor Laura (Sally Hawkins), who is also fostering a pre-teen boy named Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). Laura claims Oliver has stopped talking since the death of Laura's daughter, Cathy, who was also visually impaired and drowned in their backyard pool. Oliver is a bit of a mystery. Let me just say that he is one creepy kid, especially when he tries to eat a kitchen knife.  Oliver clearly has issues. But then there is Laura, who seems to inappropriately favor Piper. How she ever became a counselor is beyond me. She steals a lock of Phil's hair at his funeral and kisses his corpse, which is strange enough, but then the kids discover a secret that Laura has been keeping and things go from bad to worse for these kids.

There is a whole very, very convoluted plot about Laura's plan and how Andy and Piper figure into that plan, but in the meantime, she wreacks havoc on Andy and Piper and tries to drive them apart.  And what's the deal with Oliver? It's not a pretty sight watching Oliver eating inanimate objects as well as parts of his own body, but, okay, like I said, he has issues. Who doesn't?  But who is this kid?  Well, we eventually find out his story too.

Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou and written by Danny and Bill Hinzman, this has your classic horror tropes of young people in jeopardy, a creepy child and a malevolent caretaker which makes for good creepy fun, er, horror, and the film does a good job of creating tension and suspense. Nothing really scary happens for the first 40 minutes but then it goes from zero to 100 very quickly.  The ending is horrific...but also sad. 

Sally Hawkins is always good in quirky, and sometimes, creepy roles. Here she shows what can happen to someone who is consumed by grief. There is horror in that alone.  If you are not sure who Hawkins is, she won an Academy Award nomination in 2018 for "The Shape of Water" where she fell in love with an amphibian. Like I said, some creepy roles. But by the way, that movie won the Best Picture Oscar. But kudos, too, to Barratt and Wong who are also wonderful in this.

Rosy the Reviewer says...there is some very quirky and over-the-top gross "children in jeopardy" horror here, but at the same time, this is also a poignant take on grief and the lengths someone might go to assuage that grief. (HBO Max) 

The Deliverance (2024)

Single mother Ebony Jackson has just recently moved into a new house with her three children, not realizing it is the portal to hell. 

This is the third move in a short time for single mother, Ebony Jackson (Andra Day) and her eldest teenage son Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), teenage daughter Shante (Demi Singleton), and youngest son Dre (Anthony B. Jenkins). They are joined by Ebony's recently-turned religious mother Alberta (Glenn Close), who has cancer. She struts around in various wigs and revealing clothes and has no problem criticizing Ebony, who is ironically struggling financially because she has been paying Alberta's medical costs. The two have a very contentious relationship.  It doesn't help that Ebony has a criminal past and issues with alcohol.  Child Protective Services has been involved and Ebony must work with caseworker, Cynthia Henry (Mo'Nique), and Ebony is not happy about that. Let's just say that Ebony and Cynthia also have a contentious relationship.

Shortly after moving, Dre begins speaking to and about an unseen presence he calls Tre, claiming it lives alternately in the basement and his bedroom closet. Dre gets catatonic from time to time especially after being down in that basement, and Nate and Shante also begin acting strangely. All three children experience unexplained psychiatric episodes at school and are hospitalized. However, doctors find no underlying issues, and they are discharged. 

Then there is the strange woman in the car watching the house.  She eventually approaches Ebony, introducing herself as Rev. Bernice James (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), a Pentecostal pastor who tells Ebony she had tried to stop a tragedy in Ebony's house 20 years prior.  A woman had killed her family before killing herself, because she was possessed by a demon and James insists that the demon is still in the house. Uh-oh. That certainly explains some things.

Well, you know how these possessed house stories go, right? And there is always a basement, right? That's so we can yell at the screen - "Don't go down there!"  But of course the characters always do. But I get that particular horror trope. In real life, dark basements scare me.  Growing up we had one with a basement door off the kitchen.  When that door was open, and I couldn't see down the stairs, I would sneak up on the door and quckly slam it shut, just in case there was something down there. Dark basements are a horror unto themselves. 

This film was actually inspired by the real story of Latoya Ammans who encountered strange happenings and disturbing behavior by her children in her house in Gary, Indiana in 2011 where a priest eventually performed an exorcism.  

So is there really a demon possessing Ebony's house and can these characters overcome it?

This is supernatural horror, but it's not your typical gotcha horror film, because it also explores the psychological horror of family dysfunction, and there is lots of that here too. It takes about an hour before the real horror begins, but director Lee Daniels, who won an Oscar for his film "Precious," creates tension early on in this beautifully and stylishing directed film written by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum. And Daniels makes you care about the characters. Even though Ebony has some big issues, you care about her.

And speaking of Ebony, Andra Day is excellent here, as are all of the actors, but the revelation is Glenn Close. We have always known Glenn Close is one of our great actresses, but this is Glenn Close as you have never seen her. In her wigs and tarty clothes and bitter mouth, she isn't your typical mom and grandmother. She is actually kind of a monster.  But then she goes from monstrous mom to a real monster. Prepare yourself for some epic teeth!

Rosy the Reviewer says...this film has a "Get Out" vibe with some of "The Exorcist" thrown in, so if you like supernatural horror featuring a classic diabolical house with a scary basement that will have you saying to the screen "Don't go down there," you will like this one. (Netflix)

Him (2025)

Rising football star, Cameron "Cam" Wade gets the chance to train with his idol, legendary quarterback Isaiah White - but things take a very dark turn.

The film begins with young Cameron "Cam" Cade watching his favorite football team, the San Antonio Saviors, win the league championship. But his joy turns to distress when his quarterback idol, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), suffers a violent, possibly career-ending injury while scoring the winning touchdown. Cam's father tells him that real men are willing to make such sacrifices. He says to young Cam, "Who are you?" And young Cam replies, "Him!"

Fast forward.  Now, Cam's father has died, and Cam (Tyriqu Withers) is himself a rising football star. Encouraged by his family and girlfriend Jasmine (Heather Lynn Harris), he trains for the league Combine, but while practicing late on an empty field, Cam is ambushed and assaulted by an unidentified figure in a goat costume, causing a head injury that endangers his career.

However, despite his brain injury and motivated by his agent, Tom (Tim Heidecker), Cam plans to still attend the Combine to pursue the Saviors' quarterback position, even though he risks permanent brain damage if he incurs another injury. Tom later reveals to Cam that Isaiah White is considering retirement and has offered to train Cam for a week at a remote desert compound. Cam accepts and travels there, encountering some crazed Isaiah fans, which sets the tone for the crazy stuff that is going to ensue ata Isaiah's compound. 

Of course, Isaiah's compound is out in the middle of nowhere "horror movie style," and looks more like a prison than a house. When Cam arrives, Isaiah says Cam is going to experience "radical detachment" - no phone, no porno, no Grinder, no Only Fans, just football. Is that what Cam was using his phone for? 

Cam is put through some disturbing challenges, such as a practice drill where a Jugs machine hits a player every time Cam misses a pass. Also, Cam secretly receives shots of Isaiah's blood, which he is led to believe is an energy booster, and he experiences frequent hallucinations of masked figures, which he attributes to the concussion. Isaiah's wife, Elsie (Julia Fox), is a nutter and tries to seduce Cam and that whole thing with Isaiah's blood?  It's part of Isaiah's evil plan.

Written by Skip Bronkie, Zack Akers, and Justin Tipping and directed by Tipping, the film is beautifully produced and very operatic, but isn't that just like most sports - beautiful, dramatic and often tragic? Sports fans might enjoy the football motif and drills and horror fans might enjoy the requisite blood and gore, which comes eventually, but though I got football as a metaphor for the drive to be the greatest no matter what and how professional sports can chew up and spit out players, the film is almost too symbolic, nutty, even, and much is unexplained. So despite an interesting idea, good acting and good production values, the film just lost its way.

But speaking of acting, this is the first big feature film role for Withers after toiling in several TV series, and I predict a long career for him. He is a good actor and a handsome film presence. And Marlon, the younger brother of Keenan Ivory and Damon Wayans, who appeared with them on their comedy show "In Living Color." has come a long way from those days and shows his ability as a dramatic actor. I just wish the film had a been a better showcase for them.

Rosy the Reviewer says...sports can be a horror for anyone who doesn't like sports - okay, now, now, I'm kidding - but this film actually uses football as a metaphor to highlight the horrors of wanting fame at all costs. However, I just wish the film had been better. (Netflix)

See You Next Time!

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Get Ready For The 2026 Golden Globes With These Golden Globe Nominated Films, Part 1

[I review the Golden Globe nominated films "Frankenstein (the new version), "One Battle After Another," "Nouvelle Vague," and "Sinners" - And I make my predictions. Who will win?]

Frankenstein (2025)

A boy with a tyrannical doctor father grows up with the desire to outdo him, to have command over life and death. He creates a "monster."

Director Guillermo del Toro, who won a Best Picture and a Best Directing Oscar for "The Shape of Water" in 2018, has adapted Mary Shelley's famous work into a story of compassion and forgiveness rather than adhering to the "science gone wrong" concept. This is a reimagining of a story that has been told many times. Though Del Toro has changed some of the plotlines from the original story, such as Victor Frankenstein's backstory, Elizabeth's role and the creature's motivations, he has still captured the heart of Mary Shelley's work.

The film is divided into three parts: Prelude, Victor's Tale and The Creature's Tale. 

In the Prelude, it's 1857, and the Horisont, a Royal Danish ship sailing for the North Pole, is trapped in the ice. Alerted to an explosion in the distance, Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen) and his men discover an injured Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac). After bringing him on board, they are attacked by a Creature (Jacob Elordi) who demands that they turn Victor over to him. Captain Anderson manages to shoot the Creature and sink him into the icy water after which Victor explains that he is the Creature's maker and tells his story

Part I: Victor's Tale

Victor's father (Charles Dance) is a renowned surgeon who abuses young Victor and favors his younger brother, William.  Victor grows up to also be a brilliant surgeon but an arrogant one, obsessed with wanting to be more powerful than his father by conquering death. It's the classic story of "I will show my Dad!"

When Victor is expelled from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh for trying to bring corpses back to life, arms merchant Henrich Harlander (played by a toned-down Christoph Waltz) offers Victor unlimited funding and an isolated tower to continue his experiments where Victor harvests body parts from hanged criminals. He enlists his brother, William (Felix Kammerer) as his assistant and becomes smitten with his fiancee, Elizabeth (Mia Goth). 

Victor eventually creates the Creature and is amazed at his strength but becomes frustrated that he can only teach it one word - "Victor."  So he starts to abuse the Creature, just as his father had done with him, which in turn doesn't go over well with the Creature, who is eventually able to escape.

So that's Victor's story. 

And then when the Creature is able to get out of the water and get onto the ship, he tells his story.

Part II: The Creature's Tale

After escaping from Victor, the Creature befriends a blind man (David Bradley) living in a cabin in the woods.  The man teaches the Creature to read and speak. The Creature also becomes sentient and when he eventually discovers the truth about his creation, self-loathing sets in. He feels he is an outsider, misunderstood, hated, and realizing he cannot die and will spend eternity alone, the Creature begs Victor to create a companion for him. The Creature is not happy when Victor refuses, thus why the Creature wants to kill Victor. 

The film asks the question: Who is the real monster here?

So that's the gist of the film's story but there is much more and Del Toro has created a different ending that is a tear-jerker.

The film is two-and-a-half hours long, and you know how I feel about overlong movies, but I have to say, this one did not feel overlong.  It flew by, because every scene meant something, every scene was filled with emotion, not to mention the moody beautiful set design and cinematography, the incredible Victorian costumes and the exquisite score. And the acting is extraordinary.  Both Isaac and Elordi are wonderful. Hard to believe Elordi once played Elvis. 

Both Isaac and Elordi are nominated for acting Golden Globes as is Del Toro for Best Directing and the film for Best Motion Picture-Drama (the score was also nominated). The film has already won 27 awards and has another 90 nominations from other film societies.

So will this film win the Golden Globe for "Best Picture-Drama?" Will Del Toro win Best Director?  Will Isaac and Elordi win?

Prediction: I feel it should win and so should Del Toro and the actors. I think the main competition in this category is "Hamnet (not seen at this writing)," but this was truly a wonderful film experience.  It should win.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Del Toro has said "I dream that I can make the greatest Frankenstein ever..."  And he has. This is the best movie I have seen all year. Not to be missed! (Netflix)

One Battle After Another (2025)

Can a movie about revolutionaries and white supremacists be funny?  Well, yes, kind of.

"Ghetto" Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) are members of a leftist revolutionary group called the French 75. While breaking out immigrants from a detention center at the U.S.-Mexico border, Perfidia comes across Capt. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), one of the commanding officers, and manages to sexually humiliate him in a very cringeworthy scene. However, didn't seem to bother him that much, because turns out our very white supremacist Steven J. Lockjaw has a thing for black women, and when he catches Perfidia planting a bomb, he releases her after she agrees to have sex with him, and such is the screw, pardon the pun, that turns this story. 

Later Pat and Perfidia become lovers, and then Perfidia gives birth to a girl named Charlene and they have a little family together. Mmmm, that little girl.  Who is the Baby Daddy?  One can't help but wonder. But Pat is all in and tries to persuade her to settle down, but Perfidia has postpartum depression, or maybe she is just bored, but anyway she abandons Pat and baby Charlene. She is caught after murdering a security guard in an armed bank robbery, but there is Lockjaw again, and he arranges for her to avoid prison in exchange for her to give him information on the whereabouts of the key French 75 members which she does. Perfidia enters witness protection and walks into Mexico (can you do that without a passport?). 

Pat and Charlene have been given protection by the French 75 and changed their names to Bob and Willa Ferguson and are living in the sanctuary town of Baktan Cross, Calfornia, a place that does not exist in real life, but fun to try to figure out where this was filmed. Turns out Eureka, Stockton and San Juan Bautista, all of those California locations were in this movie. 

Anyway, now it's sixteen years later, Willa (Chase Infiniti) is a free-spirited teen, and she has to be, because Bob has become a paranoid stoner. And through his vehement anti-immigration efforts, Lockjaw has become a colonel and a prominent figure within the US security agencies. When Lockjaw is invited to become a member of the Christmas Adventurers Club, a far-right white supremacist group, and they plan to do a deep dive into his personal life to see if he is lily white enough, he realizes he needs to find Willa and kill her to hide his past relationship with Perfidia. 

So now we have Bob and Willa, with the help of sensei Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio Del Toro) and Perfidia's former ally, Deandra (Regina Hall), trying to escape Lockjaw and his goons and Lockjaw trying to hide his past proclivities from the Christmas Adventurers. Lots of car chases and running around trying to avoid being killed ensues, and that is when the movie finally kicked in for me and it's description as a dark comedy resonated.

One of my criticisms of this movie is the title.  I can never remember it and not really sure how it figures in the movie. But my main problem was that it took me almost an hour to get into the film, and after some cringeworthy moments, such as when Perfidia first meets Lockjaw (not a fan of shock value moments - I actually said out loud "What the hell?"), I figured out it was supposed to be funny.

And did I say this movie is almost three hours long?  I have a problem with that too.  Directors these days seem to have a difficult time editing themselves.  And the soundtrack was really annoying at times.   

But despite my complaints, after the first hour, I was all in. 

Leonardo Di Caprio really shows his talent here.  He is really, really good.  I couldn't take my eyes off of him and Sean Penn?  Geez, that guy, whatever he does, he gives it his all and this movie is no exception.  I mean, just watch him walk.  That's acting! I see Oscar nods for both of them. And props to the other actors and to writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Boogie Nights," "Magnolia," "There Will Be Blood"), who based the film loosely on Thomas Pynchon's book "Vineland."  

Though I think this film didn't need to be so long, Anderson has made an important film that speaks to where we are now.  There are all kinds of nuances that those of us who are not happy with the current political climate in America can relate to, such as rounding up immigrants en masse, authoritarian police forces and rich white men creating secret societies.

So will this one win a "Best Picture - Musical or Comedy" Golden Globe? Will Leo and Sean win in their categories? 

Prediction: With nine Golden Globe nominations, another 100+ other nominations and 110 wins already from other film societies, I say the film will probably win in this category. And Leo and Sean are right up there also as contenders in their acting categories. I also think Mr. Oscar is knocking at the door.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a timely film that will take you on a wild ride. I still haven't gotten over Sean Penn's walk. (available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime)

Nouvelle Vague (2025)

The making of Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless (1960)," one of the first feature films of the French New Wave cinema.

Director Richard Linklater is on a roll.  He has two films nominated for a Golden Globe in the "Best Picture - Musical or Comedy" category - this one and "Blue Moon (which I reviewed in my last post on December 12)." Like "Blue Moon," which paid homage to classic Broadway musicals and the songwriting duo of Rodgers and Hart, this one celebrates filmmaking, paying homage to the French New Wave, which clearly was an influence on Linklater's own filmmaking.

In 1959, Jean-Luc Godard attends the film premier of "La Passe du diable" along with his fellow film critics at "Cahiers due Cinema" - François Truffaut (Adrien Rouyard), Suzanne Schiffman (Jodie Ruth-Forest) and Claude Chabrol (Antoine Besson), all of whom had already made movies. At the afterparty, Godard harshly criticizes the film and pledges to become a film director, as his other colleagues have. Later, Godard attends the Cannes Film Festival where Truffaut's film "The 400 Blows" becomes a resounding success, so Godard decides it is his time to direct a film, so he co-writes a short outline with Truffaut and off he goes to direct "Breathless.

The story of "Breathless" involves Michel Portail, a young, impulsive petty criminal in Paris who idolizes American movie gangsters, especially Humphrey Bogart. When he kills a motorcycle cop after stealing a car, Portail becomes a wanted man. Then he meets Patricia, an American student, and the two fall in love, but as Patricia learns of Portail's crimes, she questions their relationship and it all ends badly. Actress Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch) enjoying the success of her film "Bonjour Tristesse," plays Patricia and Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) is cast as Portail.  

So that's the gist of "Breathless," which became a classic of French cinema, but you would never know that would be the outcome because of the chaotic, impulsive and disjointed way that Godard directed the film, and that is what Linklater highlights in this movie. For example, there isn't a finished script, and on the first day of production, Godard films only one scene.  As production goes on, Godard wants spontaneity and improvisation rather than finishing the script.  There is no continuity and short shooting days.  Cast and crew, and especially the producer, Georges de Beauregard (Bruno Dreyfurst), become frustrated. After 23 days, Godard wraps production.  

When the film is shown, Truffaut, Chabrol and others dismiss the film, but we all know what happened. "Breathless" became one of the most daring and influential films ever made; Belmondo became an international heartthrob; Seberg went on to make 35 more films but sadly died from suicide at 40 (read her biography. Really sad what happened to her); and Godard went on to have a brilliant film career for over 60 years.

Many filmmakers have been influenced by the French New Wave and particularly by Godard.  And Linklater is clearly one of them. Written by Holly Gent, Vincent Palmo Jr. and Michele Petin, this is a little slice of French film life, a look into the early days of the French New Wave, but this film also seemed to be very niche.  

I wonder how many current filmgoers can relate to this part of film history, and who will recognize the famous names thrown around, because to enjoy the film, it helps to know the movers and shakers of the French New Wave. Famous names abound as well as famous quotes (Godard's most famous line - "All you need for a movie is a girl and a gun"), but that doesn't mean much if no one recognizes the names or the quotes. The film is black and white mostly in French with English subtitles, which is fine, but Linklater also chose to include closed captions like "chuckling" and "sound of car horn."  I found that very irritating.  Not sure what the purpose of that was. Linklater also seemed to be imitating Godard's style of filmmaking because the movie felt very disjointed and chaotic at times. But the actors were great and the production values captured the times and did mimic the filmmaking of that era, and, of course, there were lots and lots of cigarettes.

Linklater pays homage to French New Wave cinema and perhaps hoped that this little film would ignite interest in that part of film history.  Not sure that will happen.

Will it win a Golden Globe for "Best Picture - Musical or Comedy?"

Prediction: I say no, and it doesn't help that Linklater's "Blue Moon" is also nominated in this category.  They could cancel each other out.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an interesting little love letter from Linklater to Godard and French New Wave cinema, but I wonder if the general movie going public can relate (Netflix).

Sinners (2025)

What does a black community in the 1930's South have to do with vampires? Nothing really but it makes for an intriguing concept in this tale about twin brothers returning from their troubled lives in Chicago only to find more trouble.

Michael B. Jordan plays identical twins and World War I veterans Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore (get it?  Smoke-Stack? - lol) who return to Clarksdale, Mississippi, after spending seven years in Chicago. These guys are gangsters and they have returned to their small town to start a juke joint for the local Black community. They are accompanied by their young cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton), AKA Preacher Boy, who is a blues singer.

They reunite with Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), a blues harmonica player; Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo Chow (Yao), local Chinese shopkeepers; field worker Cornbread Omar Benson Miller); and Smoke's wife, Annie (Wunmi Mosaku).  Delta will perform in the joint, Grace and Bo will supply the food, Cornbread will be the bouncer and Annie will cook.

In the meantime, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), Stack's ex-girlfriend shows up. As an aside, Annie believes in Hoodoo and thinks that she has kept the twins safe over the years, but that is yet to be determined because there are vampires afoot. What? Vampires?

Anyway, on the joint's opening night, the music attracts Remmick (Jack O'Connell), who is a KKK guy and also a vampire (huge metaphor there) and his fellow vampires, and it all goes to hell after that.

Michael B. Jordan is nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe and it's well deserved as he played both brothers and each is distinctive. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, the film is nominated for another six Golden Globe awards and has already won 124 awards from other film societies, but this movie just didn't do it for me. It took too long to get going, and when the vampires finally showed up, I couldn't help but think, where did the vampires come from? What do they have to do with this? 

Despite the focus on the music, traditions, culture and the struggles of the black community in the 1930's South as well as the moody and sometimes beautiful cinematography, good acting, and, yes, vampires...sorry, I just didn't get it, much as I love vampires. If you are going to do black culture, do black culture, and if you are going to do vampires, do vampires, but mashing them together, didn't work for me.

So will this win "Best Picture - Drama?"  Will Michael B. Jordan win Best Actor-Drama?"

Prediction: I say, no. Despite the stylish presentation and the metaphor, I just could not get into this movie.  And I also think Michael B. Jordan has some stiff competition in the Best Actor-Drama category.

Rosy the Reviewer says...even though I kind of like vampires, I didn't find this a satisfying movie experience. It was a very bizarre vampire movie. The movie actually could have done without the vampires. (streaming on HBO Max and Hulu).

See You Next Time For More on the Golden Globes!

And Happy New Year!

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