Tag: movies

Film Review: A Housemaid Cleans House And Discovers The Secrets

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Housemaid is a pretty average adaptation of a bestselling novel by Freida McFadden, directed by Paul Feig. Rebecca Sonnenshine is the screenwriter who came up with the script that was helped by a pretty talented cast.

Sydney Sweeney stars as the seemingly hapless maid, Millie Calloway. Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Elizabeth Perkins, and Michele Marrone are also included in the cast.

I had just read the novel a few days ago, so my impressions of the film are probably somewhat influenced. Spoiler alert…the book is better.

Millie Calloway is recently paroled after serving a decade in prison for manslaughter. She has unbelievable luck when she lands a job as a live-in maid at the Winchester household. The luck seems to be a false flag when Mrs. Winchester seems to be quite mentally unstable. Millie seems to have an ally in the husband, but that gets complicated as well. Not only that, Mr. Winchester has his own agenda. Of course, neither knows that Millie is not exactly as mild-mannered as she appears either.

The film is mostly faithful to the source material. It does gloss over some important background information a bit more than necessary. This is another film where I question the editing. Also, certain details were altered a bit that I thought was unnecessary.

I will acknowledge that the cast was well-chosen. Sweeney is a very beautiful woman who also happens to have some talent and charisma. Seyfried does quite well as the seemingly erratic housewife. The two women work well together in their antagonistic roles.

Anyway, the talent of the cast does make it a watchable film, but it still falls short of great cinematic ingenuity.

I guess it’s just the risk I take when I read the novel just a day or so before seeing the movie. At least, it was not a terrible film.

Film Review: The Knives Are Not As Sharp This Time

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the unimpressive third film in the franchise that stars Daniel Craig as private detective Benoit Blanc. Rian Johnson wrote and directed this somewhat lackluster sequel. Daniel Craig returns as the enigmatic Benoit Blanc.

More big Hollywood names are in this case. Josh Brolin is the one who gets knifed in the back as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, a rather fiery and ferocious church leader with a not so holy agenda. Josh O’ Conner, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Adam Scott, and Jeffrey Wright are also included in the cast. So, there is a lot of talented and prominent names here whose talents are just wasted.

Benoit Blanc is asked to help out in investigating the murder of a monsignor who was stabbed in a storage near the pulpit of a church while services were being done. Blanc finds a peculiar group of suspects and is assisted by a young priest who was once a boxer. Suspicion falls on the young priest, and Blanc is not so sure he will be able to solve the case.

First of all, Johnson lets his political preferences shine throughout here in the writing of his script. He just couldn’t stay neutral on matters of religion or much else. That’s to be expected with most of the sludge coming out of Hollywood these days.

The story was not that interesting, and the film ran too long for the genre. Only a few of the cast members had interesting roles. Benoit Blanc had nothing new to show his audience. Daniel Craig was fine in the role, I suppose, but he was not as compelling as usual.

Adam Scott, who is best known as Jim Moriarty in Sherlock, was sort of fun to watch. A few other cast members had enough talent to sometimes be interesting.

Overall, the mystery itself was not that interesting. I didn’t really care about the murder of this monsignor. The film was obviously just a venting session against religion or any conservative viewpoint, which is to be expected these days from Hollywood, but Johnson just failed when it came to clever subtlety in the writing.

The movie still isn’t what I call terrible because the cast is just good enough to keep it within the range of mediocre. There was enough to represent basically my genre where I can’t say that I absolutely hate this film, but there were facets that were just annoying and unnecessary.

I will acknowledge there was some redeeming qualities toward the end. Johnson didn’t quite veer off into some overly heretical road, but he did enough limit my enjoyment of what could have been a compelling murder mystery.

Unfortunately, aspects of my personality will likely compel me to keep an eye out to see if another installment is forthcoming, and I do find the lead character Benoit Blanc to still be somewhat interesting. Better luck next time, guys!

Film Review: The Wizard May Not Be So Wonderful

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Wicked: For Good is a reasonably enjoyable film that brings the curtain down on the cinematic adaptation directed by John M. Chu. Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox are the scriptwriters, which is ultimately inspired by Gregory Maguire’s novel. The stage play was written by Holzman and Steven Schwartz.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo continue to do well in carrying as the lead roles of Glinda and Elphaba, who are more familiar in L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. Jeff Goldblum gives his usual distinctive, offbeat performance as the Wizard himself. Michele Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, and Marissa Bode are also included in this extravagant cinematic feast for the senses.

This piece of the story picks up a year after Elphaba has defied the Wizard and fights for the rights of the animals of Oz. The famous Yellow Brick Road is about to open. Glinda is about to be married. A lot is going on as Glinda and Elphie’s friendship is tested to its limits. Meanwhile, a young girl has crashed into the mystical land when a storm brings a house hurling through the sky. This young girl and her little dog become unwitting key figures in the tumultuous destiny of Oz.

So, I finally saw this conclusion to this latest attempt at an epic cinematic experience. It does fall short of being a mind-blowing theatrical experience, but there are quite a few bright spots that keep me from regret.

Erivo and Grande do have a pretty distinct chemistry. Ariana herself seems to have surprisingly astute comedic instincts. I was also impressed with Erivo’s singing during her musical moments. Goldblum remains to be an interesting presence whenever he appears. There is no shortage of real talent in this cast.

The artistry in the sets, which makes heavy use of CGI, is also quite visually appealing. I am not sure how much was actually physically built, but I think I would have loved to hang out on the set if I were a part of this project.

The performances were pretty good on the whole. The writing was not great but not outrageously bad either when compared to much of what Hollywood has been peddling lately.

The film still felt a little too padded at times with scenes that droned on longer than needed. I am not sure that talking animals really needed to represent the oppressed populations when one could come up with the notion of using a group of people.

The idea of making traditionally villainous characters as being merely misunderstood is getting a little stale.

The film still left me with the sense of it lacking in real originality in many ways. I saw it and had my curiosity satisfied, and now I can shrug it off and go on to the next one…after I complete this blog of course.

I will grant it with one admission though. I am now a bit more intrigued enough to read the book by Gregory Maguire at some point and may actually follow through on that.

Film Review: Missing Children And A Strange Visitor

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Weapons is one of the few recent horror films that contains some semblance of creativity from writer and director, Zach Cregger. The cast includes Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan.

This film takes a somewhat non-linear path in its laying out of the story as it shifts perspectives among the characters. Very early one morning, seventeen children suddenly flee from their homes into the darkness running in a most unusual manner. They are classmates in a particular elementary school, and only one child named Alex is accounted for. The teacher, Justine Gandy, is suspected to be somehow behind the mysterious disappearances. An aggrieved father, played by Brolin, is the main accuser. Alex’s aunt, Gladys, has also been visiting and turns out to be a practitioner of witchcraft. Justine has to endure a particularly savage attack as she and Alex’s father come together to discover the truth behind the frightening and supernatural intrusion into their community.

First of all, Brolin remains as compelling as ever as Archer, the grieving and angry father of one of the missing children. Garner and the rest of the cast are also well selected for their roles. Amy Madigan as Gladys does well with making such an outlandish presence creepy and menacing as well.

There were also some pretty sly moments of dark humor that I found to be cleverly planted throughout the script.

There is quite a bit of brutality in this movie that makes it a little hard to watch. I am not normally a squeamish movie-watcher, but some of the scenes tested by nerve a bit.

Some of the characters feel a little cliche at times, but the strong performances help me find some forgiveness there.

It’s an effectively disturbing film, as it was intended. Although I doubt it will achieve any sort of iconic cinematic status, this film is one of a rare breed in today’s cinema in that it was actually pretty compelling.

Classic Film Review: The Strange Women of Limmeridge House

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Woman in White is a mystery drama film that was released in 1948 and is actually quite impressive in regard to the look but is a little slow on the plot development. Peter Godfrey is the director of the film while the screenplay was written by Stephen Morehouse Avery. The film was based on a well-known novel by Wilkie Collins, which was written in 1860. That could explain why the film feels a little slow at times.

Included in the cast are Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet, Gig Young, Agnes Moorehead, and John Abbott.

A man hired to tutor a woman on drawing walks from a train station to an estate known as Limmeridge encounters a woman in white in the night. The woman vanishes when a carriage approaches. The man, Walter Hartright, is told of an asylum nearby, and that a woman had just escaped. Hartright makes it to the house and meets the residents. He then meets Laura Fairlie, who bears a striking resemblance to the woman he encountered during his late-night walk. Hartright begins to learn some strange secrets of the house, including a cousin who disappeared some years before. There is a fortune at stake, and Hartright finds that he may have to free a woman wrongly imprisoned within the asylum and figure out which member of the house is capable of murder to protect their secrets.

Okay, this is a pretty strange and convoluted plot. The acting was pretty good though. I also was impressed with the set design considering the time when this film was produced.

It feels a bit of a slog to sit through this thing at times because I had a hard time staying focused on the gist of the story.

It is a film that take some concentration at times.

The costuming and set design were remarkably well done. It’s a very pretty movie to watch in spite of it being in black and white. That alone may be enough reason to give this another viewing.

Anyway, there are some challenges when it comes to understanding the motivations of the characters and some elements of the story, but it’s still a film worthy of some time.

Big Finish Audio Review: The Doors To Dark Gallifrey Should Remain Closed, But Where’s The Fun In That?

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions begins a new trilogy of Dark Gallifrey audio plays with The War Master: Part One with David Warner and Lisa Bowerman an alternative Unbound Doctor and Professor Bernice Summerfield. James Goss is the writer with Scott Handcock serving as director.

The supporting cast is comprised of Jason Forbes, Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Tariye Peterside, and Homer Todiwala.

Bernice Summerfield is traveling with a Doctor from another reality. Warner has previously played this version in a series called Doctor Who Unbound. Benny is intrigued by the prospect of unlocking the secrets of something known as Dark Gallifrey, however she and the Doctor have yet to discover a familiar adversary also has his eyes on the same prize.

This play is somewhat interesting, but it’s a little confusing on the first listen since it basically unfolds backwards. Bowerman and Warner are a good match since they are both so experienced as actors. Bowerman has been around Big Finish pretty much since its kickoff in 1999. Warner is just British acting royalty at this point. This was apparently one of his last projects since he died in 2022.

The performances were solid, but it’s hard to really understand what is going on due to the method of experimenting with basic storytelling. Trying to tell a story backwards just seems to work a little better on a more visual medium.

Derek Jacobi has yet to make an appearance in this first installment of the trilogy, but I am looking forward to his entrance.

I found this to be an underwhelming start. but not because of the caliber of performances. I just don’t like too many mental gymnastics going on in just trying to follow a plot.

Anyway, the sound effects are fine. The other actors seem to be well-considered in their casting. The technical demands are admirably met.

Hopefully, the next installment will have more Jacobi, and Warner’s take on the Doctor will become more engaging for me.

Film Review: An Exorcism For The Road

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Conjuring: Last Rites is a decent enough send-off to this branch of the horror franchise that starred Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. The film is directed by Michael Chaves, and the screenplay is written by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick with James Wan sharing story credit.

Wilson and Farmiga reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren, the reputed paranormal investigators who allegedly conducted several exorcisms over the years. Mia Tomlinson plays their only daughter, Judy Warren. Ben Hardy, Elliot Cowan, Rebecca Calder, and Steve Coulter are also included in the cast.

The Warrens have largely stepped away from exorcisms and major investigations in favor of writing and lecturing due to Ed’s heart issues. Their daughter gets drawn into the supernatural plight of the Smurl family, who have been dealing with various ghostly manifestations for several months that seen to be centered around a strange-looking mirror that was gifted to one of the daughters. Judy is also recently engaged, and the young man is pulled into this last dance with the demonic.

This film is actually pretty good. It is somewhat predictable, but I have come to enjoy the chemistry between the two lead actors here. I am not sure that I really believe in the legend of the Warrens, but I like the portrayal put forth by Wilson and Farmiga. The film also strangely seems to promote the benefits of a loving, committed marriage and even manages to not bash the Christian faith.

The jump scares are pretty standard but well done. The background of the spirits menacing the Smurls is pretty standard. Not much is done here to break new cinematic ground, but I didn’t necessarily mind that.

The performances were solid enough, and I felt sympathy for the people involved. It’s pretty obvious that quite a bit of artistic license was used, but the film worked well enough to shrug that off.

This film is not really any sort of masterpiece of the horror genre, but it gets the job done as far as being a reasonable diversion from the daily stressors of life. That’s just fine with me. Go see it with my blessing, for all that is worth.

Film Review: Meet The Thursday Murder Club

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Thursday Murder Club is a charming mystery film that manages to stay pretty faithful to the novel written by Richard Osman. The screenplay is written by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote. Chris Columbus is the director of this piece which stars Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie as a group of retired residents in a village who meet on Thursdays to review cold murder cases. David Tennant, Tom Ellis, Naomis Ackie, and Daniel Mays are also included in the cast.

A small group of residents in a rather swanky retirement village meet once a week to review cold cases. Mirren plays Elizabeth, who once worked for MI6. Brosnan plays a rather brash former union leader named Ron. Kingsley is the empathic psychiatrist, Ben, and Celia Imrie rounds out the group as the recently recruited retired nurse named Joyce.

They are examining a case from 1973 in which a woman was apparently shoved out the window. While the small club is searching for new information, one of the owners of Coopers Chase is murdered nearby. The Thursday Murder Club have their first fresh case; however, they also learn that there are plans to redevelop their village into more luxurious apartments. Not only is there a killer lurking; the club has to find a way to save their new homes.

It’s hard to go wrong with the main cast. I am less familiar with Imrie, but she did great alongside the more familiar names such as Mirren, Brosnan, and Kingsley. Imrie may not have quite the same name recognition as her costars, but she is certainly no slouch when it comes to her charisma and ability. She certainly does have a lengthy filmography herself, so she should have no problem continuing her career.

I had read the book fairly recently, and the movie does follow it fairly closely.

Brosnan and Mirren are as reliably charismatic as ever, while Kingsley still maintains that quiet, yet powerful dignity that also makes him compelling.

In spite of some of this being somewhat of a comedy, there are plenty of somewhat poignant moments that are handled quite well.

Even though I knew the solution to the crime, the film may be worth a rewatch to just admire a group of long-time actors who can still appear to be at the top of their game.

I was just pleased that there were not enough alterations from the source material to evoke real annoyance.

Film Review: If Only It Was Just An Affair…

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Holland is a psychological thriller that has a few moments of almost being interesting but just couldn’t quite get there. Mimi Cave is the director of this mediocre cinematic effort, which was written by Andrew Sodroski. Nicole Kidman has the lead role and is accompanied by a cast which includes Matthew Macfadyen, Gael Garcia Bernal, Jude Hill, and Rachel Sennott.

Nancy Vandergroot is a teacher in the small town of Holland, Michigan, which is rather proud of its Dutch American roots. She is quite happy with her family until she starts to wonder if her husband, who travels a lot for work, is having an affair. She enlists the help of a friend and colleague to help her confirm her suspicions; however, the truth is something that is far worse.

The film does have some elements that are somewhat interesting, but somehow the end result is still rather hollow. The exploration of Dutch American roots is something not commonly displayed in movies, so I thought that was a decent start. I think that I had a hard time really caring about any of the main characters. Kidman is usually a solid casting choice, and she does fine with this role, but there is nothing all compelling about her character. I had a hard time being all that interested in her plight that starts to unfold.

The plot of a seemingly dutiful husband’s double life is somewhat overdone even if the setting in this film was a little eccentric and unique.

The performances were not terrible, which was helpful, but also nothing was all that memorable. The town did seem to have some charm.

Although it’s hard to have any real criticism of the film’s technical elements, I just found that it was missing something that should have made it more gripping.

Film Review: A Step In The Right Direction

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a somewhat encouraging addition to the Marvel Studios’ cinematic output and is directed by Matt Shakman. It took four screenwriters to come up with a reasonably enjoyable film, but they got there. Josh Friedman, Eric Pierson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer wrote the script with someone named Kat Wood sharing the story credit.

Pedro Pascal portrays Reed Richards also known as Mr. Fantastic alongside Vanessa Kirby as the Invisible Woman, Sue Storm. Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays Ben Grimm or the Thing. Finally, Joseph Quinn plays the Human Torch, Johnny Storm. Other cast members include Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, and Ralph Ineson.

This story takes place in some parallel Earth in 1964. It has been four years since the space accident which transformed this family of astronauts and scientists into superheroes. Reed Richards and Sue Storm have discovered that they are about to welcome a new addition to the family. They are also warned by a Silver Surfer that a planet eater named Galactus is on his way to consume the entire planet. When the Fantastic Four take another space trip to find out what this guy’s problem was, they find an absurdly powerful being who is willing to spare the Earth in exchange for the child. Obviously, the Fantastic Four have some understandable objections to this plan and make a harrowing escape back to Earth to come up with a plan to defeat the oncoming. During the escape, the baby is born after Galactus induces Sue to go into labor. The Fantastic Four also have to contend with a growing panic among the people they have been protecting for the past few years. They have to unite the people and come up with a plan to send Galactus on his way with an unfulfilled appetite and without the new child.

This franchise has really struggled in the past couple of decades to gain a reliable cinematic audience. This iteration actually manages to be quite suspenseful and entertaining. The cast is more likeable somehow. The chemistry between Pascal and Kirby was also quite endearing. Johnny Storm was actually kind of funny at times.

The film seemed to have a pretty good mix of humor and heart in the performances. The 1960’s setting worked pretty well. I also appreciated that there was not much time spent on another origin story.

Obviously, there was some ridiculousness to forgive since it is a comic book movie, but it wasn’t quite as hard as it has been in recent contributions from Marvel.

Anyway, I am not generally a Fantastic Four fan, but I can still appreciate some success from the producers and studios when they come up with a reasonably entertaining product.