IT'S A WONDERFUL KNIFE

A horror take on the Christmas classic IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, finds young Winnie Carruthers (Jane Widdop) who stops the Angel Killer of Angel Falls, Henry Waters (Justin Long) during his murderous rampage. One year later, having been rejected by her dream college, her best friend was murdered a year prior, and her family seemingly favoring her brother over her, Winnie wishes she never existed. Once granted her wish, she attempts to again stop the Angel Killer in her parallel universe that she finds herself in. Shudder checks all the boxes here as all of their DEI requirements are met within the first 15-20 minutes of the film but once those loud voices are snuffed with their virtue signaling, the story can finally get down to brass tacks. A decent, yet predictable retelling of the timeless classic. The only shining star is Justin Long, who regrettable, at this stage in his career, is recently relegated to these types of roles. He's the main take away from this with his totally fake, overly compassionate, false teeth wearing a$$ business developer/mayor of the town. The rest of the crew and story is struggling with the finite pieces of story their left to scrounge over. Not a bad way to spend 2 hours if you have nothing else you're in the mood to watch of if you want to try something new this Christmas season. 5/10

LADY BALLERS

Former 3-time men's state basketball champion head coach Rob Gibson (Jeremy Boreing), 15-years later reenlists his championship team to regather to form the first ever 5 "woman" transgender team to compete in international competition. The Daily Wire has another hit on their hands with the release of their latest film that pokes fun at transathletes. Yes, this is most definitely going to enrage the feminist and leftists but please keep in mind that it's art and satire. The entire Daily Wire team is here in some form or fashion but the stars for me are both Matt Walsh (Kris Dilby) and Michael Knowles (Drake Diamond). I applaud the Daily Wire for having the only stones to call out the toxic culture we live in today, to put their money where their mouth is, and to call it out: both literally and figuratively. It's nice to have balance in entertainment rather than only one sides perspective (right Hollywood?). I know many who have never even seen the film will condemn it but for those with an open-enough mind, I implore you to view it for yourself and reach your own conclusion, rather than having someone's faux thoughts and feelings spoon fed to you. 6/10

. I enjoyed it. Reminded me of those early 2000’s comedies. Obviously I stay away from the political aspect I’ll just put it this way I wasn’t offended at all and enjoy a different perspective rather than hollywood.

WONKA

A prequel to WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, Timothée Chalamet stars as the young, down on his luck Wonka. Having been a seaman for the previous 7-years, Willy docks in an undisclosed location (although by the signage it appears to be either Germany, Austria, or some other German speaking country) to make his dreams come true of opening his own chocolate shop. However, he's soon tricked into a 10-year servitude that he attempts to free himself (and his fellow captures) from sooner-rather-than later by selling his chocolate as a street vendor. However, the local "chocolate cartel" (made up of 3 companies) is not in favor of Willy disrupting their market and try to prevent him from selling chocolate in their town. To begin with, I'll answer the question many probably have: yes, Chalamet is a passable Wonka and doesn't sully the image Gene Wilder so fondly left behind. My expectations for this were in the "meh" range and this still disappointed. The film starts out with promise, sucking the viewer in early but by the second and most definitely by the third act, the story and pacing of the film lost most of the steam it had built up. Keeping in step with the previous films, this is a musical but the number of tunes is kept to a minimum. Even though he got some backlash from the trailer Hugh Grant is delightful as the Oompa-Loompa. Overall, the film begins decent enough but about midway through, strays off pace and never recovers. Not a great entry into the Roald Dahl/Willy Wonka franchise and most definitely something you can wait to stream. 5/10

FERRARI

Set during the 1957 Mille Miglia (a 1,000 mile race across Italy), the story unfolds between Enzo Ferrari's (Adam Driver) crumbling empire, his strained relationship with his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz), and his mistress Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley) who shares a child with Ferrari. Ferrari needs to win the Mille Miglia to help his company remain solvent while also balancing out his personal life between the 2 aforementioned ladies. The film took a little bit for me to get into and I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest Michael Mann fan (he's hit-or-miss for my tastes) and this was average. The racing scenes were probably my favorite for the sheer noise of the machines as well as the cinematography. However, the story does slow down in parts (no pun intended) when he's with Laura or Lina. A couple of casting choices I question too are Woodley as Ferrari's mistress as well as Patrick Dempsey who plays Piero Taruffi, a driver on Ferrari's team. They unfortunately stand out but not for the right reasons. 6/10

THE IRON CLAW

Based on the true events of the Von Erich family, the story follows brothers Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and Michael (Stanley Simons) following in the footsteps of their father Fritz (Holt McCallany) into the world of professional wrestling. The film follows the boys wrestling out of the Sportatorium in Dallas during the early-to-mid 1980's. Other famous wrestlers are briefly shown as well such as Harley Race, The Fabulous Freebirds, and of course "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Being a wrestling fan, I knew some of the backstory about the family but even those who aren't familiar with the story can still appreciate this as it's a very solid, respectful, and ultimately tragic tale for what happened to this family. Efron gives the best and strongest performance of his career and while I'd personally give him a vote for an Oscar nomination and the film as a whole as well as director Sean Durkin, I'm sure it'll be overlooked for most if not all nominations unfortunately. This isn't the type of film the Academy typically votes for, which is a shame because it's a great film. I'll also mention McCallany gives one of his best performances as well as the domineering father Fritz. I look forward to seeing this again and hopefully soon! 7.5/10

AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM

5 years after the success of AQUAMAN, most of the cast returns for round 2 such as Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Dolph Lundren amongst others. This time Black Manta (Abdul-Mateen II) is searching for ancient technology that could make him more powerful than Aquaman (Mamoa). In order to stop him, Aquaman enlists the help of his brother King Orm (Wilson) and must break him out of prison in order to do so. Believe the negative press and reviews you've heard about this film as they're true. The film, story, and editing are all a mess. Scenes appear to be spliced together to hurry along the story. Heard's part is obviously severely reduced as she's seen more than heard from. Even Mamoa who seemed to have more fun the first time around, doesn't appear to have the same level of energy or intensity. About halfway through I was done with the film and it became a chore to sit through the rest of it. I recommend wholeheartedly to pass on this in the theaters and perhaps even doing so once it's available on Max. 5/10

ANYONE BUT YOU

After a brief and spontaneous meeting that turned sour the following morning Ben (Glen Powell) and Bea (Sydney Sweeney) run into each other again at a destination wedding in Australia. Both are still bitter about how their initial first date ended and while they attempt not to ruin the wedding, their animosity towards each other is too much and they wind up doing just that. However, Ben's old fling Margaret (Charlee Fraser) is also at the wedding as well as Bea's ex-fiance Jonathan (Darren Barnet). In order to get Bea's parents off of her back about rekindling her relationship with Jonathan as well as assist Ben in making Margaret jealous of what she no longer has, the two agree to fake a romantic relationship during the trip. However, being a romantic comedy, I'm sure you can guess how it ends. In saying that, I'm not a fan of romantic comedies at all (they're just not my genre). But this is enjoyable as it's not overly sappy or mushy, has quite a few laughs throughout, and Powell/Sweeney make a good onscreen couple. I wasn't expecting much going into this, figured I'd give it a shot before another movie I was seeing, and I'm glad I caught it as it exceeded my expectations. 6/10

POOR THINGS

A loosely based tale of Frankenstein by director Yorgos Lanthimos, Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) creates Bella (Emma Stone), in his words "an experiment." Bella committed suicide and Godwin brings her back to life. Bella then ventures out on her own with the aid of lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) to experience the world before coming back home to marry Godwin's assistant and student Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef). If you're a fan of Yorgos, this is more of the same of his previous work and it's quite enjoyable. A little dark comedy but still a film with one of his most powerful messages. The main theme of the film is misogyny and a woman's place within "polite society" during this time period. It's obvious Godwin and Duncan both want to control Bella for different reasons. Godwin for scientific purposes while Duncan wants her for her physical attributes solely. Beautiful set designs, an awkward score, and an absolute powerful performance by Emma Stone (one of the finest of her career I daresay) this is a very enjoyable film. However, by the end it did seem to run a bit long and I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping going in to it. Still worth seeking out if for nothing more than to see Stone and Ruffalo onscreen together as they are dynamic! 6.5/10

SALTBURN

Barry Keoghan stars as Oxford scholarship student Oliver Quick, an outcast who barely has one friend at school before befriending the wealthy and popular Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). Oliver tells Felix he wishes not to go home for the summer as his parents both battle with mental issues (his mother) and addiction (his father). As a friendly gesture, Felix invites Oliver to his family's estate (Saltburn) for the summer. Once there, Oliver quickly gets a taste of high society and it becomes his addiction that leads to dire consequences for everyone else. Director Emerald Fennell follows up her still underrated IMO 2020 film PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN with another fantastic film! The trailer looked decent enough to me and once it dropped on Amazon Prime, I decided to give it a whirl and I'm glad I did. Keoghan strings together a masterful performance as Oliver with an outstanding supporting cast the likes of Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, and Carey Mulligan. The film takes a dark twist before it's all said and done and while most of what's revealed isn't a huge surprise, it's still a nice touch and I appreciated the story having the balls to see it through. Historically I've never been impressed with Prime movies but this is one I recommend seeing. 7/10

MAESTRO (2023)

I don't know what to make of this Netflix movie. It's mostly about bisexual Leonard Bernstein"s (Bradley Cooper) tumultuous marriage to long-suffering actress Felicia Montealegre (Corey Mulligan)--and not much about his music. Cooper, who directed and was co-writer and producer, is incredibly intense and almost wildly joyous. His conducting scenes are mesmerizing. But much of the first part of the film (shot in B&W) is boring--a struggle to stay with it. What kept me going was Corey Mulligan as Felicia, a superb combination of tension, patience and frustration. She's memorable. The rest of the movie isn't. Watch it for the performances and the color filming. But don't expect a convincing storyline.

Very interesting review Irish. Thank you. I want to see this now

I'm also a big fan of Rosamund Pike

Let me know what you think if you watch it.

REBEL MOON: PART ONE - A CHILD OF FIRE

A story director Zack Snyder pitched to Lucasfilm as a possible Star Wars project takes its inspiration from the original Star Wars film (A NEW HOPE), which finds a poor colony whose economy is built solely on farming and crops. They're soon threatened with starvation in order to feed the soldiers of the government. In an attempt to save her people Kora (Sofia Boutella) travels to other planets in order to round up fighters to fight back against the government. The story's been seen before and while it's predictable, Snyder continues to build out lavish and beautiful worlds and this is no exception. Much like my review of THE CREATOR, I enjoyed this film more for it's aesthetic and visual features than I did for it's story or acting. Like most Snyder films, I'll be looking forward to a director's cut or at least the R-rated version of the film as well as Part Two that'll drop in April of 2024. 7/10

MAESTRO

Set between the 1940's and 1970's, the film follows conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and his relationship with his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan). However, the film also explores Bernsteins other sexual appetites with men, during a period where such indiscretions were considered "scandalous." A little noise was made before the films release about Cooper's makeup as Bernstein but after seeing photos of the real Bernstein and his own family giving the film (and makeup) their blessing, the "story" was much to do about nothing. Cooper and Mulligan give terrific performances and both could be rewarded by the Academy with nominations (Cooper with a possible win and Mulligan who I still believe to be an underrated actress). Although, when all's said and done, outside of the performances of the two lead actors, the film is rather a bore. Looking past their performances, there isn't much here. 6.5/10

I wish you had enjoyed this one a little more. To me, it was beautiful in so many different ways. The homage to '70s films was done just right, but I feel they captured the authenticity of the era just as well. It felt as though Alexander Payne had built a time machine for us. Maybe I am a little biased, but I've been a big fan of Payne since Sideways. I think he makes the most human movies. That stuff is not for everyone, but as someone who has both struggled and achieved great success, I can relate to a lot of the elements Payne likes to explore. 8/10 from me

EILEEN

Set during the 1960s in Massachusetts, Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) is a young and quiet 24-year-old who works at the local juvenile detention center for young boys. She soon becomes infatuated with the center's new psychologist Rebecca (Anne Hathaway), who recently moved from New York. Rebecca is everything Eileen is not but hopes to be: attractive, confident, and pleasurable to be around. The two soon hit it off and are even social outside of work, going to the local bar for dancing and drinks. However, I thought I knew where the story was headed until the midway point when the story takes a very interesting and harsh turn when a bombshell realization is revealed to the audience. From then on, it almost seems like a different film and has hints of a noir from that point forward. McKenzie and Hathaway are dynamic together as a ying-and-yang tag team and after finishing, I really enjoyed the split in the movie and again, the different feels the two parts have. This had a quiet release but I enjoyed this more than expected and I'd enjoy a second viewing again soon. 7.5/10

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW

Based on the true story of the Uruguayan rugby team that crashed in the Andes and their story of survival. First, I'll start by saying it's a better film than the Hollywood version we got 30 years ago (ALIVE). Secondly, I appreciated the film was in Spanish as opposed to English as I feel it gives the film more authenticity to hear the native language than was spoken. Third, the film was more grounded, gritter, and paid more respect to the individuals who both died and survived than its predecessor. However, and not at all to belittle the trauma and tragedy those people went through, but speaking purely in terms as a film, I struggled to get through it. The film seemed at times to move at a snails pace and at times, I found it difficult to stay engaged (it just wasn't my cup of tea). I don't believe much more can be said without being disrespectful. 5.5/10

THE BEEKEEPER

Jason Statham stars as Adam Clay, a beekeeper who befriends Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad); however, one day Eloise is scammed out of her life savings by unknowingly downloading malware onto her computer. The guilt of her mistake is too much for her and she takes her own life. Adam takes it upon himself to find those responsible to take revenge and for all of the other victims this organization has scammed. I personally enjoy Statham's films and there's only a few people who could have stared in this that I would have taken them up on to see in theaters as the trailer left me feeling mid about it. However, I did enjoy it more than I thought I would and if the box office numbers are favorable, I could see at least a sequel come out of this. A few strange additions in the cast came along for the ride in Jeremy Irons and Josh Hutcherson. Both are enjoyable with Hutcherson having more freedom with his rich, spoiled brat character. Not necessarily a film that needs to be seen in theaters but for fans of Statham, it's worth a shot at some point. 6/10

THE SNIPER (1952)

Edward Miller (Arthur Franz), abused by his mother, hates women, and takes it out on women by stalking and killing them with a folding sniper rifle he keeps in a briefcase. Pretty soon he's terrorizing San Francisco--when he's not terrorizing himself with guilt.The cops, led by Lt. Frank Kafka (Adolphe Menjou) are baffled, but they get help from a police psychiatrist (Richard Kiley), who susses out the killer's motives, impressing Kafka enough to stop the usual dragnets and focus on the killer's mental makeup. This gets a bit preachy at times, but it's still a taut film noir, with generally crisp dialog and outstanding photography on San Francisco streets and excellent deep-focus shots on the interiors. Menjou, usually an effete type, is very good as a hard-boiled detective open to listening to new ideas. (Menjou, a rabid anti-communist, when asked why he agreed to work with communist director Edward Dymytryk, replied: "I'm a whore.") Marie Windsor, my Favorite Femme Fatale of the Fabulous Fifties, stands out again but, briefly, alas--she's the first victim. Very good.

Thanks I'm a big Mann fan and grew up adoring Ferrari and other Italian supercars.

You seen it yet H or no?

Only some clips on a dutch program tonight. From Sunday January 21 in 51 cinemas in Netherlands. We are always a little behind you guys.

Be curious what you think once you see it.

I love Mann, but I felt Ferrari was way too slow for my taste. I was a bit surprised because the story is pretty good, but Mann somehow managed to disappoint me

FOUNDERS DAY

Set in an unknown small town with a mayoral race quickly approaching, a masked killer goes on a killing spree, seemingly with no pattern to which victims are chosen. A film that as far as I'm concerned received next to no marketing push. I'd never even heard of the film or seen a trailer until I stumbled onto the AMC app to see what was playing and watched the trailer there. For a low budget film, it doesn't come across as such. I wasn't familiar with any of the actors but that's not always a bad thing. I chose to roll the dice on this since nothing else looked interesting to me that opened this weekend and for the most part, I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the film for the first three-quarters until the final reveal, which was predictable about halfway through. Up to that point, I thought it was a pretty solid independent horror film but then there was a "second ending" that tried to outsmart the audience and it soured the ending of the story for me. It tried to be too smart for its own good and I wasn't buying into it. Other than that, average all around and if you can get past the fact the killer uses a gavel (which is typically a small instrument) as a murder weapon, you'll still have a fun time. 5.5/10

NIGHT SWIM

Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell) is a former MLB player, rehabbing from an undisclosed injury when he and his family: wife Eve (Kerry Condon) and children Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and Gavin (Gavin Warren), move into a home in the Twin Cities. Having moved around so much due to Ray's playing career and constantly being traded, he and Eve finally want to lay down roots somewhere and settle on a house that's a steal at the asking price and comes with an inground swimming pool. However, the pool holds a deadly secret the Waller's must attempt to solve before it's too late. The film opened in theaters a couple of weeks ago and already received a VOD drop, which is not a good sign. After watching the film, the lackluster box office receipts are justified. The film is neither scary or even suspenseful for that matter. The premise is original and while I applaud the efforts, the execution, let alone building an entire film around the pool and its backstory come across as dull. Nothing exceptional from the cast or crew. Blumhouse and Atomic Monster are very streaky and hit-and-miss. This is most definitely a miss but again, I do continue to appreciate the effort and originality they continue to put out, rather than lazily reboot or give an existing IP another unasked for sequel. 5/10

MILLER'S GIRL

At a small Tennessee high school, 18-year-old student Cairo (Jenna Ortega) takes an English class taught by Johnathan Miller (Martin Freeman) at the behest of her friend Winnie (Gideon Adlon). Cairo is an exceedingly bright student, far outpacing her contemporaries as Mr. Miller takes a shine to her: both for her intellect as well as her passion for reading, even reading his first and only book which was panned by reviewers and has shaken his confidence so that he hasn't written anything since. Meanwhile, it appears his alcoholic wife is the bread winner of the family, constantly with a glass in her hand while she's always working in practically ever scene she's in. Perhaps feeling a bit ignored by her as well as a promising and seductive student who happens to seriously be into him, the two begin an inappropriate relationship filled with sexual tension, until Miller breaks it off after a mid-term Cairo writes and submits to Miller, who deems it too inappropriate and requests she write another. Cairo, feeling rejected and vengeful, seeks to ruin Mr. Miller's life both professionally as well as personally. This film didn't receive a huge marketing push behind it but I did come across the trailer and felt it looked interesting enough to take a gamble on and I'm somewhat glad I did. Going into it I was reminded of Alicia Silverstone and THE CRUSH from 30 years ago, however, Cairo's and Mr. Miller's relationship is more consensual as opposed to having a young, psychotic neighbor obsess over you. Ortega is the star here as she gives a wonderful and empowering performance as the at times vulnerable yet wise beyond her years Cairo. Her and Freeman play well together as despite the age gap, they have chemistry onscreen. A decent enough movie to catch if you come across it outside of theaters with an somewhat intellectually stimulating script. 6/10

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT

The true story about the University of Washington's junior varsity rowing team who defied the odds by not only beating their counterpart collegiate athletes but also went to Berlin during the 1936 Olympics to compete for a gold medal. For the time period, the film shows the socioeconomic struggles the team has to endure to survive, both on and off the water. Rowing is considered more of an East Coast sport where the likes of Yale and Harvard not only have monetary advantages but have also been engaged in the sport longer, as it's part of that cultural more than it is on the West Coast. The film follows Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, a college student studying engineering who was orphaned at the age of 14 and lives in an abandoned and dilapidated car off campus. In need of money to continue his education as he's behind on his tuition, he and his best friend Roger Morris (Sam Strike) join the team in hopes of making it but not for the reasons you'd think. They're promised housing and a job upon selection. The film simultaneously features a love story between Joe and Joyce Simdars (Hadley Robinson), who Joe has had a crush on since the 4th grade. Overall, this is a play-it-safe, paint-by-numbers sports underdog story we've seen numerous times. Nothing new or exceptional stands out except Robinson's Joyce, who has a lot of spunk and chases Joe around more than he does her. I will also applaud director George Clooney and MGM for resisting the urge to cater to the small but vocal crowd who were trashing this film from the trailer alone due to a lack of "diversity." Clooney obviously went with historical accuracy and facts over feelings and I wish more in Hollywood would follow that example. 5.5/10

ARGYLLE

Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the very successful author of the spy genre Argylle series. She's written four books and while finalizing her fifth, she's unexpectedly swept up into a real life espionage plot to kidnap her for fear of giving away a secret organization known as The Division, which is run by Director Ritter (Bryan Cranston). Spy Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell) is her trusted ally, who assists her in gathering evidence to expose this clandestine operation. Personally, director Matthew Vaughn had a solid start out of the gate on his resume (including such films as KICK-ASS, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, and KINGSMAN: SECRET SERVICE) but now his last 3 outings (KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, THE KING'S MAN, and now ARGYLLE) have been mid to less than satisfying. He's able to round up an impressive cast and I appreciate the soundtrack to the film, but my biggest gripe with the movie was the constant twist and turns. At first it's surprising and an a-ha moment for the audience. However, by the end of the film, it's relied upon too often and I'm beginning to question anything for the duration as who knows how many more of these moments I'll have to endure? The fight scenes are well choreographed and entertaining (who knew both Howard and Rockwell had the chops to pull them off?). The hair and costume design for Argylle (Henry Cavill) was awful (an Ivan Drago haircut with a stiff, velvet sports coat), but Cavill has enough bravado to still pull it off. Toss in roles by John Cena as Argylle's right hand man Wyatt and Dua Lipa as Lagrange (another spy Argylle is tracking down) who play out Elly's fictional Argylle novel characters and gives the audience a more balanced onscreen chemistry than the Conway/Wilde relationship. And yes, I'm fully aware that's supposed to be the basis of their relationship (doesn't mean it was enjoyable though). 5.5/10