My Very Own March Madness: Some Good Movies!

 [I review "It Ends With Us," "The Last Showgirl," "A Real Pain" and "Companion"]

It Ends With Us (2024)

The many faces of domestic abuse.

First of all, I need to address the elephant.  You know, that proverbial elephant in the room?  A pall seems to have fallen over this film because of the dispute between the stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (Baldoni also directed the film). Lively has sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and intimidation and Baldoni has countersued for defamation, civil extortion and invasion of privacy.  That all started back in December, and it is still ongoing with more and more accusations flying back and forth almost every day. And despite the fact we now know who Justin Baldoni is (I don't think very many people did before), it is too bad that this movie has been overshadowed by the real life sturm und drang between the two co-stars, because it is actually a really good movie with an important message about domestic violence and emotional abuse.  

So let me try to put the film back into the spotlight by giving it some props.

It's all about Lily Bloom (Lively).  She is living in Boston and is getting ready to open her first flower shop, to be called appropriately, Lily Blooms. One evening, when she is brooding atop a high rise, she meets a guy who is clearly having a bad day.  How do I know?  He is kicking furniture. Should be a sign that this guy has anger issues, but, you know, he's a handsome guy.  Let's give him a chance. Meet Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), a handsome neurosurgeon, and the two have an immediate connection.  But it doesn't get very far before he is called away and Lily thinks, that's that. But then Lily meets Allysa (Jenny Slate) who is looking for a job.  Lily hires her to work with her in her flower shop and wouldn't you know...guess who Allysa's brother is!  Bingo!  It's Ryle.

Lily and Ryle begin a relationship, but things get complicated when Lily runs into her old high school boyfriend, Atlas Corrigan played by Brandon Sklenar  (Atlas, Lily Bloom, Ryle - don't you just love the names in this movie?  Right out of a romance novel!).  Atlas just happens to be the owner and head chef at a restaurant where she has taken Ryle to meet her mother.

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Lily's father had been abusive to her mother and Atlas had run away from his home to escape his mother's abusive boyfriend.  The two teens bonded and fell in love.  However, when Lily's father discovered them in bed together, he beat Atlas so badly that he was hospitalized and he later joined the Marines and Lily and Atlas lost touch.

Now in the present day, Ryle and Lily marry but Ryle has some concerning anger issues that have followed him since childhood, and though he loves Lily, some manipulation and abusive incidents start to raise their ugly heads, and it doesn't help that Atlas is back in the picture. Then Lily discovers she is pregnant.

Will the cycle of abuse continue?

Based on the book by Colleen Hoover (adapted for the screen by Christy Hall) and directed by Baldoni, the film does a good job of showing the insidious way marital abuse begins.  We wonder, how could a woman get herself into an abusive relationship?  Well, it's not a black and white thing.  Relationships don't usually start with abuse, but if there is a history of abuse or anger issues, those can creep in and affect those we profess to love. 

And it's ironic that since the film, Justin and Blake are now locked in acrimonious lawsuits about those very issues which feels very strange watching the film, because Justin and Blake have real chemistry, so it is difficult to believe Blake could play this part while being sexually harassed on set but maybe she is just a really good actress.  

Rosy the Reviewer says...with all of the sensational news reports and accusations flying back and forth, it's difficult to know what really occurred between the two, but one thing I do know, this is a satisfying film experience. (Netflix)

The Last Showgirl (2024)

After 30 years as a showgirl, the show is closing.  What's a girl to do?

Shelly Gardner (Pamela Anderson) is a 57-year-old showgirl who has performed in Le Razzle Dazzle, a French-style revue at a Las Vegas casino for 30 years. Her younger co-stars, Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka), view Shelly as a mother figure and Shelly's older friend, Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), is a close friend and ex-showgirl, though she was ousted from the show and now works as a cocktail waitress. 

But now, the show is closing. Eddie (Dave Bautista), the producer of the show, breaks the news that the show will close in two weeks due to lack of ticket sales.  No one seems to care about showgirls anymore, and Le Razzle Dazzle is going to give way to a more contemporary circus show. Shelly is devastated by the news. Not only does she feel proud of the glamorous history of Las Vegas showgirls but she is not in favor of what is replacing it.  But she is also fearful about her future. With no means for retirement and few resources, what is she going to do?

Shelly reaches out to her daughter, Hannah (Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher's daughter), who is a student in Arizona.  The two have a strained relationship because Hannah had lived with family friends for most of her adolescence and harbors resentment because she feels that Shelly chose he career over her.  And in all fairness to Hannah, Shelly is a bit of a dingbat, forgetting her daughter's age and not showing she knows much about her own daughter.

Written by Kate Gersten and directed by Gia Coppola - yes, that Coppola family.  She is Francis Ford Coppola's granddaughter - the film explores Shelly's attempts to find a place for herself in Las Vegas, highlighting many poignant moments as she auditions unsuccessfully for another show, struggles to save her relationship with her daughter and keep a big secret about Hannah's parentage. This movie has a very low budget indie feel, but it beautifully captures a Las Vegas world that is no more. I had no idea that the classic showgirl disappeared from Las Vegas years ago. That's how much I know about Las Vegas these days  

This is a wonderful showcase for Pamela Anderson. Famous for her spreads in Playboy, her "Baywatch" bathing suit and her sometimes volatile marriage to Tommy Lee, she has rarely been given props for her acting but she did receive a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Shelly, though snubbed by the Academy. She has also gone through a major life change over the years, moving back to British Columbia, where she grew up,  starting a cooking show and eschewing make-up.  Though I get that last bit - yes, she wants to divorce herself from that world where beauty and make-up are everything and she is judged on her looks, but, sorry, I question going so far in the other direction.  Without any eye make-up, her coloring is such that her eyes disappear and she looks older than she is.  I get that she wants to get rid of that pin-up girl part of her life, but why make yourself look older? I know, I digress. 

And I reluctantly have to give a shout out to Jamie Lee Curtis. For some reason, I am not a fan.  I find her insufferably smug on talk shows and her little stints on reality TV, but I will say, she has been giving her recent acting roles her all. I admire how she is not afraid to go for it.  She magnificently chewed the scenery in "The Bear" and here has some small scenes where she makes you feel the pain of an aging woman in a world where youth and beauty is everything.  She was rewarded with a Best Supporting Actress Bafta nomination. So kudos to her.

And props to Dave Bautista who gets to show his dramatic acting chops.  He usually plays villains, odd sci/fi characters and lunkheads.

Rosy the Reviewer says...the film does a good job of capturing a world where youth and beauty are major commodities and what it would be like for a woman aging in that world. Pamela Anderson poignantly takes us there and you will want to be there with her. (for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

A Real Pain (2024)

Two polar opposite cousins take a trip to Poland to learn more about their family and honor their grandmother but there is some "pain" there.

Benji Kaplan (Kieran Culkin) is, shall I say? - an outspoken free spirit (more like a smart ass).  His cousin David (Jesse Eisenberg) is one of those closed up, reserved guys. Let's just say they don't get each other and had not been in touch for awhile. Using funds left by their late grandmother, they are embarking on a Jewish Heritage Tour through Poland and to also see their grandmother's home and reconnect with their family history. Same goal, two different personalities.  You know what they say about traveling.  It's a make or break when it comes to marriages and friendships. So expect some conflict.

In Warsaw, David and Benji meet their tour group members: Mark (Daniel Oreskes) and Diane (Liza Sadovy), a retired married couple from Shaker Heights, Ohio; Marcia (Jennifer Grey, who I never seem to recognize now since her nose job), a recent divorcee from California; and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who converted to Judaism. The tour is led by James (Will Sharpe), a mild-mannered, knowledgeable Englishman. On the first day, the tour visits the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Grzybów Square, and the Warsaw Uprising Monument, and Benji indulges in some shenanigans that embarrass David. 

Then the group travels to Lublin by train on the second day. Benji doesn't like traveling first class on a Holocaust Tour - I mean, their ancestors were shuttled onto cattle cars and then killed, right?.  Okay, he has a point but then Benji gets on James' case for his focus on facts and statistics and lack of emotion at the Old Jewish Cemetery furthering David's embarrassment. Benji continues to misbehave and make uncomfortable comments during a group dinner later that evening but you can't help but think that Benji is saying what others may be thinking. When Benji leaves the table, David opens up to the group about the complex nature of their relationship and his confusing feelings about his cousin.  

On the last day of the tour, the group visits Majdanek, a Nazi concentration and extermination camp where incredible pain was inflicted on other humans. Back at the hotel, David and Benji smoke a joint together on a hotel rooftop and Benji confronts David about his changed personality and asks why he never visits him. Truths and personal pain are shared.

As a personal aside, on one of our trips to Europe we visited Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Upper Austria and witnessing something like that is a painful moment to be sure.  When we walked by the ovens, our daughter was overcome and had to leave.

Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg (his screenplay was nominated for an Oscar), this is an original buddy picture with a lot of heart. Rumor has it that Jesse was going to play Benji, but after Kieran has picked up numerous awards for this role (Golden Globe, Oscar, etc.), it's difficult to imagine anyone else playing the part, though Jesse certainly could have done it. Jesse plays straight man to Kieran's out there character, and I have to say, before seeing the film, but after seeing countless acceptance speeches and interviews from Kieran, I thought he was just playing himself or his "Succession" character - both out there personas - and though my thoughts on that were mostly valid, he actually went much deeper into this role than I have seen him in the past. Kieran has gotten all of the praise for his performance but I have to say that Jesse's screenplay was wonderful and his direction sensitive and powerful at the same time.

Rosy the Reviewer says...part historical travelogue and part buddy picture, the film examines different kinds of pain, all with Chopin's beautifully painful music playing in the background. Highly recommended. (Hulu)

Companion (2025)

What if you could just put in an order your next love interest and program it?

The film begins with a young woman, Iris (Sophie Thatcher), strolling through a supermarket remembering meeting her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) for the first time. 

Flashback to Iris and Josh traveling to a remote lake house to meet friends Kat (Megan Suri), couple Eli (Harvey Guillen, who I just loved in "What We Do in the Shadows") and Patrick (Lukas Gage), and Sergey (Rupert Friend), Kat's boyfriend who owns the house.  I should have known it was going to turn into a weekend from hell. Whenever people travel to a remote lake house, that is often an ominous clue that some bad stuff is going to go down.  And it does. When Iris is assaulted by Sergey and retaliates, when she attempts to explain what happened, Josh tells her, "Iris, go to sleep," shutting her down.

What!!??

You see, Iris is a companion robot Josh is renting from the Empathix company.  Her emotions and intelligence are controlled by an app on Josh's phone.  News to her.  When she wakes up and Josh gives her this information, this is a shock to her.  And it also turns out that Josh wasn't just in this for a love/sex interest.  He has planned to use her in a nefarious plot.

But our Iris may be a robot but she's not a dummy.  She does a runner and all hell breaks loose as Josh and the others go looking for Iris to shut her down.  Josh is a very, very bad man. Will he get what's coming to him? There are lots and lots of enjoyable twists and turns to find out.

Sophie Thatcher is wonderful in this.  She made her mark in the Showtime series "Yellowjackets" and more recently starred in "Heretic," which I reviewed positively.  Jack Quaid is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan and should have a successful career as a leading man, but the entire ensemble were first rate, though Bill Murray playing a Russian came to mind listening to Sergey. 

Written and directed by Drew Hancock, this is a stylish sci/fi horror comedy reminiscent of the 2013 film "Her." It asks a lot of "what if" questions such as what if all of this online dating and love affairs with our phones lead us to have relationships with robots instead of humans? What if you could have a girlfriend you could program? What if the programmed girlfriend goes rogue?  

But this is also a cautionary tale about white male misogyny and supremacy.  You know, those guys who feel entitled but who feel overshadowed by the needs of others and live in their mother's basement talking to their computers?  Maybe those "what if" questions are no longer "what ifs."  What if we are already there. Scary.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an enjoyable sci/fi horror comedy but brace yourself for a very gross ending...but it's so gross it's funny. (for rent on 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)!

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)

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