Giving Some Respect to Horror Films - Some New Ones You Might Enjoy!

[I review the horror films "The Substance," "Abigail," and "Night Swim"]

I think I have mentioned this before but in case you missed it, I enjoy the occasional horror film, and I don't feel that the horror film genre gets the respect it deserves. 

Did you know that only one horror film has ever won an Oscar for Best Picture and that was "The Silence of the Lambs," way back in 1992, and one could argue that is really not a horror film. Yes, some horrific scenes but not a horror film in the classic sense.  Likewise, few horror films have won awards for acting and only three for visual effects.  Even with wonderful visual effects, horror films are often written off as low art and second-rate, when in fact, they can be thought-provoking, cathartic, funny even, and often explore important themes such as mental health and racism and the sometimes scary thoughts that we have to deal with in our everyday lives, like what if you run into a zombie or your mother-in-law?  I kid.

But horror films fill a niche. Sometimes we just need a few jump scares to get us out of our comfort zones, shake us up a bit, and get us thinking.  Believe it or not, horror films often have a moral to the story that makes us go "Mmm."

So I am here to share with you some horror films that are worth watching for just those reasons.

The Substance (2024)

Not looking as youthful as you would like?  Well, why not make a younger version of yourself? Literally.

I think that Demi Moore has been one of our most underrated actresses.  Yes, she has starred in acclaimed movies like "Ghost" and "A Few Good Men," but no one has really raved about her acting.  And I don't think it helped that she was an early member of "The Brat Pack," a dismissive term coined by a journalist to put those upstart young actors in their place.

But now Demi gets her moment and what a moment it is, albeit a bit disturbing.

Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore) is an Oscar-winning actress with a star on Hollywood Boulevard.  Her acting career has waned and now she is the star of a long-running aerobics TV show (remind you of anyone?), but that star is also fading, and on her 50th birthday, she is unceremoniously fired from her show and Harvey (Dennis Quaid), her boss, makes no bones about the fact that he is firing her because she is OLD. 

While driving home, Elisabeth is in a major car crash. At the hospital, a young male nurse gives her a flash drive advertising "The Substance," a black market serum that generates a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of oneself. After some deliberation, Elisabeth orders "The Substance" and injects the single-use activator serum, resulting in a much younger version of herself that emerges from a slit in her back in what I would say was one of the most disturbing film moments since that little creature burst out of John Hurt's chest in "Alien."

So now there is Elisabeth and her younger version, Sue (Margaret Qualley).  For this to work, Elisabeth must transfer her consciousness between the bodies every seven days without exception, while the inactive body remains unconscious. The other self also requires daily injections of a "stabilizer" to prevent deterioration. 

Wouldn't you know, Elisabeth's "other self," Sue, gets Elisabeth's old aerobics TV show and the new TV show skyrockets her to fame, and she is eventually selected to host a major New Year's Eve show. Sue enjoys a confident and hedonistic lifestyle, while Elisabeth becomes more and more reclusive.

And Sue wants to continue her happy life so she is more and more reluctant to play by the rules and one night gives Elisabeth extra stabilizer fluid to keep her asleep longer.  When Elisabeth awakes, she finds that her finger has aged.  When she calls the supplier to complain, she is warned that staying as Sue longer than the seven days will result in rapid aging of her original self.  And even though the two entities are supposed to be one, both personas see themselves as separate and start to resent each other.  

You can see where this is going. All hell breaks loose in what could be described as gut wrenching - again, literally.  If you have a squeamish stomach, the blood and guts that ensue might upset you.  But, hey, it's a horror film.

All kinds of horror films are referenced here from Sue being a sort of Frankenstein's monster to a bloody moment reminiscent of "Carrie" to a long hallway that keeps showing up reminding us of "The Shining" to Elisabeth's body aging as Sue gets stronger, hints of "The Picture of Dorian Gray."

All of this and more is thanks to the gifts of Coralie Fargeat, who wrote the screenplay and directed this in-your-face reminder of how women are objectified and told "Pretty girls should always smile," and when they reach a certain age and are no longer considered "pretty," especially in the world of show business, they are often invisible and discarded. And when I say, in-your-face, the close-ups Fargeat chooses are mesmerizing and add to the horror.  More and more, this kind of camera work is being used to create tension in films and it works.  

As for Demi, I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking making this film as a no-longer-young movie star herself, dealing with the same issues as Elisabeth. Though she still looks great, she is no longer the young in-demand ingenue she once was as fewer and fewer roles are available to women of a certain age in Hollywood. She also lost her much younger husband to a much younger actress, so I couldn't help but wonder if playing this role was liberating or depressing?  But I give Demi credit for letting herself "age" in the film, and I would say her fantastic performance is her revenge, and I hope an Oscar nomination is in the cards for her. Margaret Qualley, the daughter of Andie MacDowell, is also wonderful in this.  She has never looked more beautiful.

I have to say that the film is a bit too long and the ending is horrifically over the top - kind of lost me - and I think I said out loud, "Oh my God!"  But hey, it's a horror film. And speaking of Oscars, the make-up people should get nominations.  When you watch the ending, you will know what I mean.

So what's the moral? There is an obsession with youth and beauty and women are held to a standard they can't live up to and trying to stave off aging by making a deal with the devil can be a horror story.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like psychological horror, this is for you because it will definitely get in your head (but brace yourself for some stomach-churning scenes). (For rent of purchase on Amazon Prime or Apple+)

Abigail (2024)

Be careful who you kidnap!

Young ballet dancer Abigail's (Alisha Weir) father is Kristof Lazaar (Matthew Goode), a powerful crime lord.  She is abducted by a band of baddies consisting of Joey (Melissa Barrera), a former Army medic and recovering drug addict; Frank (Dan Stevens), a former NYPD detective; Sammy (Kathryn Newton), a hacker born into money who is just into crime for the thrills; Rickles (William Catlett), a former Marine; the not-too-bright Peter (Kevin Durand); and psychopath, Dean (Angus Cloud).  They take Abigail to a creepy, secluded mansion where they meet Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), the mastermind behind the plan to ransom Abigail for $50 million.  You might make the connection between the baddies names. No one is supposed to know each other's real names so Lambert names each of them after members of Sinatra's Rat Pack.

Joey is chosen to watch over Abigail. She feels sorry for Abigail and bonds with her, promising Abigail that she will protect her. Abigail shares that her father doesn't really care about her and will not pay the ransom. Joey no longer likes the kidnapping plan because she didn't realize that Abigail was a child.  Uh-oh. There is also something else about Abigail she didn't realize.

When Dean is attacked and Sammy finds Dean's decapitated corpse (and it's not pretty), the group realizes that their hiding place has been discovered and they think that Lazaar's famed enforcer, Valdez, is inside the house (he was famous for mutilation and decapitation). Rickles decides he is outta there but when he tries to leave, they realize they are trapped.  

And then Abigail reveals her real self and her revenge plot.

Let the vampire violence and mutilation begin!

Alisha Weir's face is soulful and poignant until it's not. Each member of the ensemble cast has a different role that provides drama as well as comic relief and you mostly care as each one is killed off in a creative way a la Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" plot device.  Well, almost all of them are killed off.  It's fun to see Dan Stevens who was my favorite "Downton Abbey" character (he was Matthew Crawley). He seems to have made a career for himself playing villains and in this - geez - he is about as far from Matthew Crawley as one could get.

Written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the film is slow to get going by horror movie standards, but once it does get going, it's non-stop scary moments and over-the-top blood and gore for the next hour. Though the plot gets very convoluted, the ballet theme mixed in with the blood and guts is fun and the film provides tense moments and solid production values that make for a satisfying, if grisly, experience that fans of vampire horror films will enjoy. But it was intense. I actually put my hands over my face a couple of times and when the first body blew up into blood and guts, I said "Ick" and when the second one did the same thing I said, "Oh my God" out loud, and I was all by myself. But I definitely had a bit of catharsis!

So what's the moral?  Sometimes good deeds are rewarded and some exploding bodies can provide catharsis, especially in these challenging times.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like your horror with some blood and gore as well as funny banter, this is for you! (Peacock)

Night Swim (2024)

A new thing to worry about.  Murderous pools!

In 1992, a young girl, Rebecca Summers (Ayazhan), goes out to her family pool one night to retrieve a toy boat belonging to her sick little brother. While she tries to get the boat, something in the pool pulls her underwater.

Flash forward to the present day, the Waller family—Ray (Wyatt Russell), Eve (Kerry Condon), and children Izzy (Amelie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren)—move to a new neighborhood after Ray has been forced to retire from his baseball career due to MS. They decide to purchase a house with a swimming pool in the backyard, especially after hearing that the pool would be good for Ray’s condition. Gee. Do you think it's the same pool where little Rebecca was pulled under the water and died?

Duh.  

As he spends more time in the pool as part of his therapy, Ray seems to be getting better, but at the same time, Ray's personality is changing and he is acting strangely and there also seems to be something scary in the pool attacking the children. At this point, I would think Ray and Eve should have a conversation about moving. Instead, they have a pool party, that, well, doesn't go well. And then they learn about little Rebecca. 

Tracking down the Summers family, Eve meets with Lucy (Jodi Long), Rebecca's mother. Lucy reveals the pool's malevolent history.  

So what will happen? 

This is your typical "family in jeopardy" horror film, but it's also a sort of "Jaws" but for pools.  And I thought I was afraid of water because I couldn't swim. Never worried about murderous pools.

Written and directed by Bryce McGuire and produced by my favorite horror producer, Jason Blum and his crew at Blumhouse Productions, whose films run the gamut from glossy, high budget scary films starring big names ("Get Out") to comedy horror ("Happy Death Day") to low-budget films starring relative unknowns like this one (though Russell is Goldie Hawn's and Kurt Russell's son and Condon was an Oscar nominee for her performance in "The Banshees of Inisherin"), this one is 99 minutes of suspense, fun jump scare moments (you might never want to play Marco Polo again) and great underwater photography. Blum is a genius at producing films that turn the normal, everyday lives of people into horror stories.

So what's the moral?  Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for those you love...big ones.

Rosy the Reviewer says... if you can't stomach children in jeopardy, this one might be a difficult one for you, but hey...it's a horror film...you are supposed to be creeped out!  And now here is something new to be scared of.  Demon pools! (Amazon Prime)

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

 

"A Quiet Place: Day One" and the Month in Movie Reviews

[I review the movies "A Quiet Place: Day One," "Blink Twice" and "Will and Harper."]

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) 

They are BAAAACK!!!  - those creepy blind aliens with the ultra-sensitive hearing we got to know in the first two "Quiet Place" films.

I think you know how I feel about sequels.  I have griped about them here many times.  Now may I add prequels to that list of "Ick?" This is supposedly a prequel to the first two in the franchise.  I enjoy the occasional horror film and since I saw the first two and am a loyal movie watcher, I succumbed.  Sorry I did.

Sam (Lupita Nyong'o) is a terminally ill cancer patient living in a hospice outside New York City. She has a rather bad attitude but, hey, I get it.  She is dying.  She and her fellow patients are taken on a trip to the City to see a marionette show, but Sam insists that they also get pizza. Sam takes her cat, Frodo, along, too. Who takes her cat to a show?  Anyway, while there, it becomes apparent that something bad is happening.  Announcements are made from military helicopters warning civilians to stay silent and remain hidden.  An invasion of some nasty creatures has begun.

These creatures are bloodthirsty but blind.  However, they can hear the very slightest sound.  Thank goodness, they can't swim so people are being rescued onto boats.  Sam becomes separated from her group and even from Frodo but is eventually reunited with Frodo and meets Eric (Joseph Quinn), an English law student and the two, or three if you count Frodo, make their way to Harlem where, despite everything, Sam is determined to get some pizza. I mean she stays in the city despite it being full of bloodthirsty aliens, goes against the traffic heading to safety in the river and risks her life to get... PIZZA!  Huh?

Many encounters with the creatures ensue, with Sam and Eric trying to stay quiet.  There are the usual monster movie "gotcha moments" with some scary scenes but not enough to save this. 

I saw the first two installments and actually liked them, but this whole thing with sequels/prequels, has gotten out of hand. It seems that when a film is successful, the powers that be have to run the concept into the ground and wring it out for as much money as possible, and, in my humble opinion, that's what happened here.

With a screenplay by Michael Sarnoski and directed by him, there was an interesting premise - the dying young woman in a world where she is probably going to die - but I am also thinking this was supposed to be a blood-curdling adventure with some scary monsters.  It wasn't.  For me, it was a boring, irritating snooze fest with the same old monster horror tropes at play. Zzzzz.  Even the cat irritated me. And don't get me started on that whole need to get pizza no matter what. Usually in movies like this, the heroes and heroines stay in danger to save other people but...pizza? But then, there is a deeper meaning to the pizza, so I feel bad about bitching about it.   

But I have to ask...the title "Day One" implies there could be a "Day Two...or Three...or Four?"  God help us.

Rosy the Reviewer says...save your money.  However, if you don't believe me, are a big fan of this franchise and still want to see it, wait until it streams for free, unless you have Paramount+. (Available for free if you subscribe to Paramount+ and for rent on Prime and Apple+)

Blink Twice (2023)

When you are just a normal looking girl with a normal, boring life and a billionaire invites you to his private island, beware.

Frida (Naomi Ackie) is a nail artist (she likes animal themes) and a cocktail waitress but she is ready for a vacation. She is also a young woman who feels invisible and is star struck. She spends her time on Tik Tok envying the good life of tech mogul, Slater King (Channing Tatum).  However, he has fallen into disfavor and has had to say sorry and step down from his position with his company.  It is unclear what he has done, but he has stepped away from the spotlight and moved to his private island.

But wouldn't you know, he is trying to make amends by becoming a philanthropist and starting a foundation and it just so happens that Slater King's Foundation gala is at the restaurant where Frida works.  Frida and her friend, Jess (Alia Shawkat), insinuate themselves into the gala and meet Slater and he invites her and Jess to his private island.  Hey, Frida, here is your vacation.  Mmmm. 

The young girl who wants to live the dream is about to live a nightmare.

When the two arrive, there are others there: Slater's rather goofy assistant, Stacy (Geena Davis - where have you been?), who confiscates everyone's phones; photographer Vic (Christian Slater); private chef, Cody (Simon Rex); DJ, Tom (Haley Joel Osment); and young Lucas (Levon Hawke); as well as three other female guests: reality star, Sarah (Adria Anjona); app developer, Camilla (Liz Caribel); and lawyer, Heather (Trew Mullen).

All of the women are given lavish rooms, gift bags of perfume as well as food, drink and hallucinogenic drugs. Frida is dazzled by the first class treatment and the opulence.

So this is all well and good but nothing much happens in this movie for about 45 minutes until Jess is bitten by a snake and disappears and no one remembers her at all.  Then the maid seems to recognize Frida calling her "Red Rabbit" and all hell breaks loose and the twist is revealed. My favorite tag line is "Men are going to do what they're going to do.  Forgetting is a gift."

Written by Zoe Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum and directed by Kravitz, this is one of those movies about an invitation from a billionaire to go to a private island where bad things happen.  There are tons of these movies and TV series, such as the series "Murder at the End of the World" and the movie "The Menu," both of which I enjoyed. And even though it took forever for this one to get going, the reveal is revealing and a horrific ending ensues.  I enjoyed the last half, especially for the feminist theme and the female camaraderie, though the final scene was not believable. But I have to give props to Kravitz.  Female directors are hard to come by and this was a good directorial debut. I wish her great success.  

But Channing Tatum saved it for me. I have always been a big Channing Tatum fan, every since the early "Magic Mike."  I mean, ladies, he had some moves and is one handsome guy.  Here, he doesn't have a lot to do. Probably doing Zoe a favor.  She is his girlfriend, after all. But I enjoyed watching him. As for Ackie, she is not your usual leading lady but made a splash playing Whitney Houston in "Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

Okay, now a rant. The movie starts with a "Trigger Warning" - yes, that was the heading -  that the viewer is about to experience abuse and other "triggering" issues.  Is this now going to be a thing? Are we now so sensitive that we can't tell the difference between reality and a movie and need to be reminded...IT'S A MOVIE.  THIS ISN'T REAL!  When you see how this movie ends, it is difficult for me to get my head around anyone being triggered because they had a similar experience. Are we going to get "Trigger Warnings" now in horror films saying we are going to see horrible monsters ripping people's throats out because it might trigger us in case we have had that happen to us in the past?  Or even a Trigger Warning on a comedy that the movie might not be funny which might upset us because we have been disappointed in the past with comedies that weren't funny?  Geez. Give me a break. Not a fan.

Anyway, bottom line for this film...what my mother always used to say..."Don't wish for something. You just might get it."  "But you go, girls."  My mother didn't say that.  I did.   

Rosy the Reviewer says...and here is also what I say..."The evil that men do." (For rent on Prime and Apple+)

Will & Harper (2024)

Will Ferrell goes on a cross country road trip with his long-time friend, Harper, who has transitioned from a male to a female.  Harper has crossed the country by car many times as a male but now wants to see what it would be like as a female. Would she be accepted?

Will Ferrell met Harper Steele when she was Andrew Steele, a writer for "Saturday Night Live." Ferrell remembers him as a "lovable curmudgeon," with a crazy sense of humor.   One of the sketches Steele is known for is Ferrell as Robert Goulet.  They later co-wrote "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga."

Longtime friends, they lost touch when the Pandemic hit but then Steele reached out to inform Ferrell and other friends that he had decided to go through gender transition, something he felt he should have done 40 years ago. So what do you do when your best friend tells you he is going to transition to becoming a female?  Why, you go on a road trip and make a documentary about it!

Steele had fond memories of the many times she had traveled cross country as a male, stopping in small towns at dive bars, hanging with the locals.  But that was then, when she was a male.  What would it feel like now as a female?  Would she be accepted?  "Will I still be loved?"

Directed by Josh Greenbaum, this film documents a 17-day road trip that Ferrell and Steele made, starting at SNL in New York City where they say hi to fellow SNL cast members and alums and then heading out across the country, stopping in small towns, meeting the locals, visiting the town Steele grew up in, visiting her sister, attending a Pacers game, and Will attempting to eat a 72 ounce steak in Amarillo, Texas, to name just a few of their adventures. There are also visits with SNL alums  Kristin Wiig, Will Forte and Molly Shannon. 

But the heart of this documentary is just the two of them - Will and Harper - as they interact in the car, asking each other questions and Harper shedding light on her journey, wondering whether the country she has loved so much as a man will love her back now as a woman. 

The film is funny and poignant and very real. Harper shares the feelings she has had all of her life and the fears she has had over this huge change in her life.  It's a documentary, a road trip, a geography lesson but mostly it offers insight into transitioning, something that is important now with so much acrimony surrounding identity issues.  But the film also shows another side of Ferrell.  This is not the goofy comedian we know and love.  Yes, he is still funny, but here he lets his friend take center stage. I have renewed respect for him.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an important, heartfelt story of Harper's transition but also the story of the transition of a heartfelt, important friendship. A must see! (Netflix)

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

Movies Now Playing in a Living Room Near You! "Tarot," "Find Me Falling," and "Summer Camp."

[I review "Tarot (a current Top Ten Movie on Netflix)," "Find Me Falling," and "Summer Camp" - a little horror, a little romance and a little mess of a movie to avoid]

Tarot (2024)

While doing a tarot card reading, in classic horror movie mode, a group of friends unknowingly unleash evil and death.

A group of college friends - Haley (Harriet Slater), Grant (Adain Bradley), Paxton (Jacob Batalon), Paige (Avantika), Madeline (Humberly Gonzalez), Lucas (Wolfgang Novogratz), and Elise (Larsen Thompson) - rent a creepy mansion in the Catskills for Elise's birthday. Haley and Grant have recently broken up so the group distracts themselves from the tension by playing with a tarot card set they have found in the basement.

Haley does some astrological readings using the tarot cards. Elise is matched with "The High Priestess" card that predicts she will "climb the ladder of success." Well, that's good, right? Lucas gets "The Hermit." Paige is matched with "The Magician" and Paxton "The Fool." Okay, not sure what those mean.  But then Haley pulls "The Hanged Man" for Madeline and "The Devil" for Grant. Haley gets "Death." Oops.

So... this is a horror film. The typical young people in danger scenario.  I am sure you can figure out what is going to happen when these kids get back to campus. Yes, they start dying in the manner of their tarot card. If you like horror films, the fun here is who, how and when.  The "how" is particularly good.

When the kids figure out, uh, things are bad, they consult Alma (Olwen Fouere), a tarot expert they find online. I mean, when you are looking for an expert, you go online, right?  She is able to identify the cards as those belonging to an 18th century astrologer who worked for a Hungarian Count.  After telling the Count that his pregnant wife and child would die in childbirth and it came true, the Count ordered his men to kill the Astrologer's daughter which really pissed off the Astrologer, who in turn, doomed the Count and his friends to death and cursed the cards.  Oops.  Alma tells the kids they need to destroy those cards. 

So off they all go back to the mansion to destroy the tarot cards.  Not a good idea because there is more scary stuff to come, but for you squeamish folks, it's only mildly gory (I only had to put my hands over my eyes once).

Written and directed by Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg (based on the book "Horrorscope" by Nicholas Adams) and starring a cast of talented and attractive unknown actors, this is kind of silly but it is fast-moving, stylishly done and is currently in Netflix's Top Ten Movies.  

Rosy the Reviewer says...I enjoy the occasional "gotcha" and "Don't go up there, in there, out there!" moments that horror films provide, and this film is full of them.  If you like stylish horror films, and especially if you are into tarot and astrology, you might enjoy this too.  (Netflix)

Find Me Falling (2024)

Rock star, John Allman, is licking his wounds in Cypress after his latest album bombed, and it doesn't help matters when he discovers that his remote cliffside home attracts unwanted "visitors." 

Morose John Allman (Harry Connick Jr.) is not happy to discover that his new home high on a cliff in Cypress is also a hotspot for suicides.  But, oh well, that fits his gloomy mood.  He is a musician and his latest album tanked.  He has moved to Cypress to escape and to hope no one recognizes him. That ain't gonna happen because not only is he recognized, but he runs into Sia (Agni Scott), a woman he had met in Cypress many years ago.  It just so happens that John's most famous song is about a woman he once met on a beach. And it just so happens that Sia is a single mother with a daughter, Melina (Ali Fumiko Whitney), who is also a singer.  Mmmm.

Sia and John rekindle their romance, but it is not without bumps on the beach especially when John writes a possible hit and contemplates returning to New York. In the meantime, lots of people continue to try to throw themselves over John's cliff, John gets caught up in village life, and we find out why Sia and John broke up years ago. There is also a twist that I saw miles before it was revealed (and you probably will too), but those miles you see are all over the picturesque Mediterranean location so like I always say, "It's the journey."

Harry Connick Jr. is not much of an actor, but he is a handsome guy, well-supported here by a quirky plot and interesting (sometimes quirky) actors, especially Scott, who is interesting, not quirky. I just wish there had been a bit more sexual chemistry between our two lovebirds. But the film, written and directed by Stelana Kliris, is very, very sweet, like a cupcake with frosting and then some sugar on top of that and there's nothing wrong with a little sugar. It makes you feel good.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are a Harry Connick Jr. fan or a fan of Hallmark Movies, you will like this.  It's a feelgood 90 minute getaway to beautiful Cypress. (Netflix)

Summer Camp (2024)

Nora (Diane Keaton), Ginny (Kathy Bates), and Mary (Alfre Woodard) have been close friends since they were children, spending every summer together at summer camp.  But life has kept them apart so when an opportunity arises to attend a summer camp reunion, they jump at the chance.

God knows I love films that showcase female friendships, and I wanted to believe that's what this movie would be, but when these kinds of movies go wrong, they go very, very wrong, especially when they are about women of a certain age.

First of all, let me say...Diane, Diane, Diane...what happened to you?  You used to be a serious actress or at least take yourself seriously.  I remember you in "The Godfather," "Reds," "Looking for Mr. Goodbar." But then along came "Annie Hall," a perfectly wonderful film, but for some reason, you have decided to embrace your Annie Hall persona in your Golden Years.  You now play a Dingbat practically every chance you get.  And you do it in real life as well right down to the way you dress.  I have never gotten over your appearances on "Ellen," when you would flutter onto the set and drink wine and fiddle-dee-dee your head off.  And that's what we have here.

So anyway, Nora, Ginny and Mary have known each other since childhood and "promised to stay best friends forever..." and now 50 years later they are getting together for a reunion at summer camp.  Ginny is a best-selling self-help author, who can't seem to help herself; Mary is a nurse who had really wanted to be a doctor but gave up her dream to marry a bad husband; and Nora is a recluse scientist, who doesn't know how to have fun.  Naturally, they all find themselves and solve their life problems after going through some wacky, slapstick stuff at camp, none of which are funny.

Written and directed by Castille Landon, what could have been a funny but heartfelt exploration of long-term female friendships was actually an exercise in bad dialogue and over-acting and not one laugh to be had.  Case in point.  Eugene Levy plays Stevie D, who we are supposed to believe is a longtime object of Nora's lust.  Nothing against Eugene Levy but kind of a stretch. And then, of course, we had to have the sex-starved older woman stereotype at play.

Ginny and Mary do a makeover on Nora so she can seduce Stevie, and I kid you not, the outfit they put her in is...wait for it... an exact replica of an Annie Hall outfit, full-skirt, wide-cinched belt and even that dumb, I mean, signature hat that Diane wears all of the time. But no surprise, really, because Diane has been dressing like that for years in real life.

I know it is not easy for women of a certain age to find work in Hollywood and they are willing to put up with stereotypical and disrespectful roles to get work, but then think about 94-year-old June Squibb recently starring in the wonderful film "Thelma." She managed to find a film that didn't make her look like an idiot.

Rosy the Reviewer says...just awful.  Can someone please find these veteran actresses a vehicle worthy of their talents?  Until then, you can skip this one (for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime, but don't bother).

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

When There is Nothing Playing at the Movie Theatres That Makes You Want to Leave Home: Some Good Movies You Can Watch in Your PJ's, Part 3

[I review the movie "Leave the World Behind," which just dropped on Netflix today, as well as "May December," and "Quiz Lady"]

It's that time of year - busy, busy, busy.  And there is no time to get to the movie theatre, even if there were some good films out there (there kind of aren't). But here are some theatre worthy films you can watch at home.  Grab your favorite adult beverage and take a breather!  Enjoy!

Leave the World Behind (2023)

A vacation from hell.  Oh, and the end of the world as we know it.

Amanda Sanford (Julia Roberts) hates people, which is kind of funny since she manages customer relations for an advertising firm. She decides to take the family away from the city to a rental on Long Island for a little vacation to "leave the world behind." Her husband, Clay (Ethan Hawke), is a professor and has a bit more faith in people than Amanda. They have two children, Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) and Archie (Charlie Evans). 

The house is massive and gorgeous, but it's odd that there is no cell connectivity and the TV and wi-fi aren't working either, which is a real problem for Rose, who is obsessed with TV, especially the show "Friends." She just needs to see the last episode to see how it ends. 

Uh, oh - the vacation has not started out well. Being cut off from the outside world and that ominous music says some bad stuff is going to happen. And it does.

The next day the family goes to the beach and a huge tanker washes up onto the beach in a spectacular scene, and then, later that night, G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter, Ruth (Myha'la), show up at the house. Scott tells Amanda and Clay that he is the owner of the house and that a blackout in the city has forced them to return. They ask to spend the night. Amanda is skeptical but Clay is okay with it. 

With no Internet or TV, they are all isolated, so the next day, Clay goes into town to try to find out what is going on and G.H. goes next door, only to find the house destroyed. Then airplanes start falling from the sky, Clay has some strange experiences going into town and the deer on the property are acting menacingly (and let me tell you, I have had personal experience with aggressive deer. It's scary). When Amanda and Clay try to go back to the City and encounter a pile-up of self-driving cars blocking the road (another spectacular scene and not a very good advert for Tesla), they realize they can't get to the City and return to the house. What the heck is going on? Finally, G.H. shares that he thinks there is some kind of government conspiracy at foot...but, uh, it's way worse than that!

Welcome to the world of apocalyptic horror.

When a movie starts out with ominous music, you know you are in for some serious stuff and this is two-and-a-half hours of serious stuff.

Adapted from the book by Rumaan Alam by Sam Esmail and directed by Esmail, this is a taut thriller about people in jeopardy, stuck together in a house, and the crazy stuff that can happen while the world is going to hell around them.  It reminded me a bit of the recent film "Knock on the Cabin," though this film is more psychological in nature, examining family dynamics, prejudices, inhumanity and our dependence on technology. My only criticism is that the film didn't need to be so long, but you will want to see how it plays out. And since you are at home, you can always take a break (Thank you, Netflix, but can't avoid the irony).

It's a star-studded cast. 

I have been a fan of Julia Roberts since the get-go.  She is an accomplished actress who doesn't seem to have aged at all since "Pretty Woman."  Here she eschews the rom-com genre for the thriller genre, but there actually is some romance.  Well, sort of.  She and the handsome and talented Ali have a bit of a thing. Ethan Hawke has some juicy scenes and Kevin Bacon has a small, but pivotal role, as a survivalist. Also fun fact, Michelle and Barack Obama are two of the executive producers.

With all of the terrible things going on in the world right now, why would you want to watch a scary film about the end of the world?

Well, it's a riveting film, with first rate production values, and I for one, find it comforting to know that things in the world could be a lot worse!

Rosy the Reviewer says...a taut doomsday thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. What would YOU do if the end of the world was near? (Netflix)

May December (2023)

A speculation into what Mary Kay Letourneau's life and marriage might have looked like after the scandal?

Remember the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal?  If not, perhaps you were too young when it happened or living in Antarctica, so to bring you up to speed, it involved a married middle school teacher in her 30's who had an affair with her 12-year-old student, if you can call that an affair.  Actually, it was deemed child rape and she went to prison but got out early after agreeing to never see the kid again.  Wait.  There's more.  She was caught with him again, went back to prison where she gave birth! Wait, wait.  There's still more.  THEY EVENTUALLY GOT MARRIED!  If ever there was an instance of truth being stranger than fiction, this is it.

So this film is based on that story...but with some twists.

In this version, it's the same sort of scandal that Letourneau was involved in, but this time it's Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton), who are now married, living in Savannah and it's 20 years since le scandale. The two met when Gracie was working in a pet store and Joe worked there after school. She was 37 and he was 13.  They supposedly got it on in the stock room and were caught.  A film version is planned about their story and they are approached by Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman), an actress who is best known for playing a TV veterinarian.  Now she is going to play Gracie in a movie about Joe and Gracie.

Elizabeth wants to observe Gracie's life for research for her role and Gracie lets her, because she wants Elizabeth to "get it right." She also might want Elizabeth to see that they are just regular folks. After all, despite the age difference and the scandal, here she is, a wife, a mother and a baker and Joe raises Monarch butterflies. What's not to like? But there are cracks in the idyllic scenario.  Joe talks on FB to a mysterious person he seems to like and Gracie shows herself to perhaps not be completely stable.

It's a strange little tale that wonders what the everyday life of someone like Mary Kay Letourneau might have been like after a huge viral scandal and what regrets might a much younger husband seduced by an much older woman have? 

And then there is Elizabeth.  She has toiled in television, but now wants to prove herself as a serious actress in an indie film that is going to be made about Gracie and Joe. Elizabeth also turns out to have some issues. Elizabeth visits said stock room in the pet store and in a very cringey scene re-enacts what might have gone on in there. What an actor won't do for her craft!  Elizabeth also interviews other people involved, especially Gracie's ex-husband who still can't understand what a 37-year-old woman saw in a 7th grader. I'm with him.  And why did the 13 year-old get involved with Gracie?  "She saw me."

Though the film is about a tabloid scandal, the film, written by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, is also a commentary on such tabloid scandals, our fascination with sex, crime and celebrity. "Dateline," and "20/20" are perfect examples.  No one probably remembers that both started out as legit news shows like "60 Minutes," but changed course when it became apparent that true crime and scandal attracted more viewers. We are voracious consumers of that kind of content. The film also kind of makes fun of the lengths actors will go to inhabit their roles.

And that's what makes this an odd, but fascinating, little film. 

Despite the subject matter, it's actually kind of funny in a dark way and it makes no judgment. Yes, Gracie was convicted of child rape and went to prison, but she doesn't appear to regret any of it or feel bad about herself, and her life has gone on. She married Joe, they live in a nice house, they have children who are getting ready for college and it all just seems so...normal.  But it's not. It's a "Dateline" life.

Moore and Portman are serious actresses who have proven themselves. Both have Best Leading Actress Oscars under their belts, Portman for "Black Swan" and Moore for "Still Alice."  And to add to this movie's credentials, director Todd Haynes has an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for "Far From Heaven (also starring Moore)" and countless other nominations and awards over the years for directing and writing. I am a fan of his films. They embody time and place, mood and beauty.  And this is his fifth collaboration with Moore, which started in 1995 with "Safe." Melton, best known for the TV show "Riverdale," doesn't have a whole lot to do but I think that's the point.  As Gracie's husband, who married her before he was out of his teenage years, he has missed a lot in life and doesn't seem to have a whole lot to do either, raising Monarch butterflies, not withstanding. He is now a husband whose wife tells him what to do.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a strange but fascinating little film starring actresses at the top of their game. (Netflix)

Quiz Lady (2023)

Two estranged sisters - Anne (Awkwafina) and Jennie (Sandra Oh) - come together to help pay off their mother's gambling debt.

Yes, it's a comedy and a funny one with Sandra Oh as you have never seen her, hamming it up as a ne're do well and, Awkwafina, taking the lead as a smart but awkward reclusive woman hooked on a game show. Though comedian Awkwafina had been around for several years doing her stand-up and acting in some films, it was her comic star-turn in "Crazy Rich Asians" that gave her film career a boost and now she is a hot commodity.

Anne and Jennie grew up in a troubled household.  Jennie, ten years older than Anne, coped by being a bad girl; Anne coped by being a quiet good girl and by watching a nightly game show called "Can't Stop the Quiz" hosted by Terry McTeer (think "Jeopardy" and Alex Trebek except with Will Ferrell and a nutty charades component).

Now as adults, the sisters have each gone their own way.  Anne works as an accountant in a cubicle jungle and Jennie, well, not sure what Jennie has been up to, but it's not good. They come together when their mother goes missing from her nursing home and Jennie gloms onto Anne. Jennie appears to be living in her car and has been up to no good and needs a place to stay.  And when Anne's dog, Linguini, is kidnapped by some bad guys, the sisters also learn their mother owes the bad guys money and they are keeping the dog until Anne pays up.

Meanwhile, Jennie films Anne getting all of the answers right while watching "Can't Stop the Quiz" and posts it on social media.  It goes viral and Anne starts getting recognized as "The Quiz Lady."  And Jennie gets the idea that Anne needs to get on that show so they can make the money they need to pay their mother's debt.  But this is not an easy task as Anne has social anxiety. So Jennie kidnaps Anne by putting her in the trunk of her car and, well, it's all very funny as they make their way from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and try to get Anne on the show.

Jason Schwartzman plays a smarmy, self-important long-time winner on the show who is about to become the all-time champion and Anne would love to unseat him if she could just get over her fears.  Wait!  Jennie has the answer. Drugs! Just imagine "Jeopardy" contestants on the show doing psychedelics. Well, now you don't have to imagine.  You can see for yourself. 

I was never a huge Sandra Oh fan but now I am.  She is very funny here, and Will Ferrell brings a warmth to his character as game show host, McTeer, as he advises Anne to not worry about winning so much as savoring the experience and creating memories.

Written by Jen D'Angelo and directed by Jessica Yu, this is a sort of buddy movie but has the sweetness of the sister bond as flashbacks reveal what they went through together growing up and just what Jenny did to look out for her little sister.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a very funny but also sweet film about sisterly love. (Hulu)

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!