POSSESSOR
3.5 out of 5 stars
With his second feature, writer-director Cronenberg brilliantly constructs a psychologically screwy & eminently visceral sci-fi horror/thriller that will leave your head spinning. His undeniably unique story revolving around a high tech brain-implant device used by assassins to occupy others’ bodies to kill is staggering, striking, & suspenseful. And the two topflight performances from Riseborough & Abbott immerses us into a mind-blowing fight for their very existence. It’s wonderfully weird & cerebral w/ unflinching gore that shouldn’t be all that surprising. Like father, like son.
ALONE
3 out of 5 stars
Wilcox is gripping as a widow fighting for her life out in the sticks against an unmerciful serial killer in director Hyam’s survivalist thriller. It’s a simple premise that manages to escape some trope trappings to stay strong & steady in skill & suspense, keeping the cat-and-mouse game from becoming routine & boring.
THE OWNERS
2.5 out of 5 stars
Williams (from Game of Thrones) stars as Mary who’s dragged into a break-in that doesn’t go the way her boyfriend & the other pinchers anticipated. It’s a great lesson in respecting your elders & not the usual home invasion thriller. However, its plot is still short on suspense & surprises. The best thing going for this British horror is McCoy. As Dr. Huggins, while he’s savvy & psychotic, his love for his wife is just too precious.
CLASS ACTION PARK
3 out of 5 stars
Fun & fucked up is how Action Park is described in this wild ride of a doc & that about sums it up perfectly. We get a lay of the land from directors Scott & Porge by getting those who worked & went there to remember those fun summer times in Vernon, NJ when kids were unsupervised & adventurous &, ultimately, thankful to be alive. Split into Water World & Motor World, the treacherous amusement park offered a paradise where there were no rules, & no one hated rules more than its owner, Mulvihill.
There’s comedy found in the chaos of a danger zone that had no right being open to the public to begin with, where visitors literally became survivors. In its last twenty minutes or so, Scott & Porge attempt to switch up the tone from shocking to sincere by taking one family’s tragic story & tacking it on to make us aware of the seriousness of what happened at the infamous park. Why start now? It would be more meaningful if not for coming across as a last minute decision. Throw in a sudden accusation of Mulvihill having connections w/ the mob, & it’s a totally different kind of doc – one that’s confused on what it wants to be.
ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY
4 out of 5 stars
If you walk away w/ anything after seeing directors Cortes & Garbus’s purposeful, must-watch doc let it be this – voting is a right not a privilege & exercising that right is nothing short of consequential. Featuring a combative & active Abrams, it opens up with the 2018 Georgia Governor race between her & Kemp & is the launching pad to trace back the history of voter suppression in America & the terrible tactics still exploited today to keep all voices from being heard. It’s educational, enlightening, & will make you mad as hell. Considering how close we are to Election Day, this fight is as timely as it gets.
MULAN
3 OUT OF 5 STARS
There’s no capturing the spirit of the classic Disney animation w/ emotional heft & humor being cut out, giving off a vacantness that weakens it as a whole. Still, there’s signs of strength to combat it in this woman-warrior tale we know so well. As one of the more satisfying live-action outings, it benefits big time from the fantastic casting & beautiful action sequences. It’s storytelling on a gallant scale as director Caro keeps tradition alive while making modern, mystical acclimations w/ a splitting sword built of female empowerment & being true to oneself. And it’s all made possible by the star-making turn from Liu as the loyal daughter who emerges as a fearless fighter, carving out her own path in becoming what legends are made of.
RENT-A-PAL
3.5 out of 5 stars
Stevenson’s directorial debut is an unnerving portrait of an isolated guy named David who spends his days as his mother’s caregiver, but there’s an ugliness that lies underneath. His strong yearning for human connection has him using a dating app that is in the form of VHS tapes and it’s not going well. Then he meets Andy (an entrancing Wheaton) – a self-help host who has a sinister side. They become pals in the most unhealthiest way imaginable.
Stevenson’s story is dark & demented, though riveting & grimly funny as well. It does get wearisome in the middle, but Folkins is captivating throughout – physically & mentally dragging the audience w/ him into his descent into madness. His unraveling is meant to rattle, yet there’s still sympathy to be found among it. And the chemistry made through the TV between him & Wheaton is splendid as much as it is strange. It’s a twisted phycological horror of an individual who is pushed to the edge by childhood trauma & loneliness, & finding a best friend to give one last little nudge to trigger a maniacal meltdown.
THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY
3 out of 5 stars
A likable yet routine rom-com where the broken hearted put their reminders of past relationships on display to finally let go & move on. It’s more charming than it sounds, & while the entire cast is enjoyable – Viswanathan delivers a prizewinning performance that jazzes up everything the movie has to offer. For writer Krinsky’s directorial debut, she doesn’t reenergize the genre, yet when it has quirkiness, catching energy & wit on its side, the shortcomings are a little less annoying.
UNPREGNANT
2.5 out of 5 stars
Reproductive rights & repairing friendships is what kicks this road trip comedy into gear, but there are one too many negligible detours for this not to be a bumpy ride. For all of the thoughtfulness, humor & heart that’s provided by writer/director Goldenberg & the superb performance from Richardson, the journey that starts off genuine turns phony as it continuously swerves into silly scenarios that take the emotion out of it. Worse than that is it partly muffles its laudable message when it should be doing the exact opposite.
THE NEST
1.5 out of 5 stars
A family drama where you can cut the tension w/ a knife between Law & Coon, playing husband & wife who move their family every few years for a fresh go at the American Dream. Their move to a massive manor in London is where writer/director Durkin have their lives tearing at the seams while posing as something they are not. But just know when it comes to watching such an unraveling, it’s a grueling process that most moviegoers won’t want any part of. As the story builds & builds and emotions reach an all time high – it’s all for nothing as the film frustratingly flatlines. If it wasn’t for the two corking performances from Law & Coon, Durkin’s latest would be a full-fledged snooze fest.
OTTOLENGHI AND THE CAKES OF VERSAILLES
3 out of 5 stars
This delish doc educates & fascinates while making your sweet tooth ache. With a Versailles exhibit taking place at The Met, distinguished chef Ottolenghi gathers the most incredibly ingenious chefs from around the world to create exquisite treats inspired by the famous French palace. As director Gabbert parades through the preparation, execution, beauty & lavishness surrounding the culinary gala, there’s a slice of becoming better acquainted w/ the pastry inventors as well as the irony of Versailles & the abundance of food being savored that’s half-baked. Regardless, it remains a short & sweet baking championship where desserts, art, & history come together in grandeur fashion.
KAJILLIONAIRE
3.5 out of 5 stars
Writer/director July’s peculiar yet clever & adoring dramedy of a barely scraping by family of con artists goes in unlikely, interesting directions w/ quirky characters not willing to comply w/ rules set by society. This is unquestionably a singular film from a singular filmmaker, which makes it all the more prominent & refreshing to watch. Wood, Rodriguez, Jenkins, & Winger are all fantastic, they don’t just dabble in the story’s weirdness, they are covered from head-to-toe. But underneath July’s strange surface is a layer of humor & heartbreak when a lifetime of trickery leaves a daughter deprived of self-worth, love & acceptance from her parents until an unlikely relationship has her rethinking everything she’s ever known.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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