At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

Monster

A phenomenal coming-of-age drama that takes a distinctive look inside an incident and takes its time showing you each one of their narratives. It's by Hirokazu Kore-eda who does a great job of giving pathos to a group of people that is often shunned by society and here it's no different. Thematically and structurally, it reminded me so much of Asghar Farhadi's A Hero, Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines, and Barry Jenkins's Moonlight. The performances were great, especially with Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, and Soya Kurokawa who each are given their own perspective. It's very layered storytelling and they do a good job not painting each character as simple as they may seem when each of them is introduced. Overall, one of the better movies of the year.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Madame Web

I would like to thank the Sony Corporation for bringing back that 2003 nostalgia.... even though the PSP didn't exist until 2005... but okay fine, I'll go with it.

You know what, I'm gonna zag where everyone else is zigging. Had a lot of fun with it despite its obvious and glaring problems. This very much feels like the pre-MCU Marvel movie that went out of fashion where it's got basic low stakes and a somewhat easy-to-understand premise with plenty of goofy broad comedic moments peppered in. But to be more exact, this is basically the Birds of Prey WB TV show from 2002 but for Spider-Man... even down to certain moments and obvious needle drops. I actually do like Dakota Johnson playing Cassie Web even though she's just playing herself. Isabela Merced and Celeste O'Connor were just okay but I thought it was wild that Sydney Sweeney managed to play that stereotypical "hot girl who doesn't know she's hot and who acts like a girl scout nerd" extremely well but she couldn't pull off playing a generic hot girl in Anyone but You. But anyway, there is a lot of clunky dialogue that sometimes works and sometimes it's unintentionally funny with the bad ADR, and a lot of that unfortunately goes to Tahar Rahim (who I normally like in most things) who plays Ezekiel Sims, and Zosia Mamet who plays the assistant. Despite how anyone feels about the Spider-Man canon, what they do with Adam Scott and Emma Roberts was interesting and bizarre at the same time. They tried to do as much as the MCU lets them and it shows because of how limiting the idea of this movie is. Because it's low stakes it's a movie not for those who just want to see a giant CGI mess on screen because it's not reliant on big CGI battles (until the very end) which I did like. It's also not for those who expect heroes in costumes even though they advertised the hell out of it. Overall, I unapologetically enjoyed it, flaws and all. As someone who's burnt out on the same kind of CGI-heavy superhero movie, I was kinda relieved this is just a movie that is mostly self-contained silliness that's just simple and dumb fun. Also, a big missed opportunity to not use Going Under by Evanescence on the big fight scene at the end.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

This Is Me…Now

I need a compilation of just Fat Joe doing a terrible job pretending to be a therapist because that's the comedy of the year so far.

This was essentially a big weird promotion of a movie for Jennifer Lopzez's new album much like Michael Jackson's Moonwalker or Beyonce's Lemonade. It's just a collection of big fantastical music video segments that feel like she's doing the sequel to The Cell. Some parts work better than others but the weakest parts were definitely the scenes that don't involve music because it's so unintentionally hilarious. The scenes with the cameos and the Zodiac council felt like a bad SNL sketch... they even got Neil Degrasse Tyson trying to explain how J LO is feeling at any given moment. Because it's a little over an hour long, this feels more like a proof of concept and less like a movie with a more refinding idea of what it's trying to convey with her music and her life. Overall, while the music video portion wasn't bad, the rest was.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Bob Marley: One Love

A pretty standard and safe music biopic with some really strong performances by Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch. I thought the directing by Reinaldo Marcus Green slightly elevated the film with how he was able to compose certain shots and how it was filmed. That being said, it's a procedural music biopic where it's trying to have its cake and eat it too by focusing on a certain event and time but also telling everything you want to know about Bob Marley. The movie doesn't spend enough time widening the scope of his impact and music so all you get that's worth anything interesting is the relationship between Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch and it's not enough. Because the film is produced by the family you don't get all the interesting flawed character moments or drama between anyone, so almost all of the edges have been sanded down. Overall, while it was great seeing the music on display, it's just another music biopic to put on the pile of other music biopics that decided to go safe and uninteresting as a vanity project.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Self Reliance

This is so believable that Jake Peralta would be apart of this. The only thing missing is Pimento being behind all of this.

Enjoyable for a high-concept mumblecore romcom. To me, it's like they took parts of Safety Not Guaranteed, Drinking Buddies, and Dual and put them together. Jake Johnson wrote, starred, and directed it and it was great to see what he did with it because the comedy worked on me. It felt like a missing Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode but with Jake Johnson. While the concept of the deadly reality game show part of the movie is enticing, the movie does focus more on the romcom element which I thought was smart. It kinda becomes a post-Covid movie regarding how they use the themes of loneliness and physical contact. I dug the cast, particularly Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, and Biff Wiff (the guy playing the homeless man). My only problem has to do with the ending and it's a shame because the movie was so well done up to that point. I felt like it ended pretty weak and it almost feels like Jake Johnson didn't know how to end it and hone in on the themes he set up. Overall, great film and it's sad it took me until February to find a truly good 2024 movie.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Miller’s Girl

What else did I expect from a movie that named their main protagonist "Cairo Sweet"

This was actually really awful and not even in the fun "Madame Web" kind of way. It's one of those movies where they think they're trying to say something deep while also trying to be provocative but it ends up being cringeworthy in the worst way possible. Every character doesn't feel or act like a real person and they don't even make sense in the context of the plot which is essentially a redo of Lolita but if it was written by a tumblr girl from 10 years ago after they took a semester in creative writing. The acting across the board is super cheesy and even when Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman get serious it falls completely flat. There are so many awful lines of dialogue that feel so pretentiously lazy and embarrassing. Overall, it's possibly one of the worst movies of the year so far.
1/5

 

[Kane52630]

Drive-Away Dolls

I honestly should have known better when they moved the release date to dumpuary.

Super disappointed especially coming from Ethan Coen who usually knows how to do a movie like this. It's basically an on-the-run road trip action comedy with two lesbian friends that ultimately don't deliver on the comedy or the action. It's like they were trying to go for that Looney Tunes/Raising Arizona level comedy but here the jokes almost never landed for me. I will say I thought it was pretty well shot and stylized and I did like how they were able to move the plot quickly and how they use certain moments with some characters. I usually love Margaret Qualley & Geraldine Viswanathan in virtually everything they've been in but this is probably their weakest film. In a lot of ways, this feels like one of those lesser indie directors from the 90s who wanted to make their own Coen Brothers movie but don't know how to not meander or write comedy. Overall, while it's got a few moments and it's not super terrible, it's a big swing and a miss for Ethan Coen.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Dune Part Two

Stilgar looking at Paul Atreides wormriding for the first time was exactly how I felt when Stoop Kid left his stoop in Hey Arnold.

Truly astonishing from Denis Villeneuve on almost every level from a filmmaking perspective to the story perspective. It fulfills the meticulously slow-paced introduction of the first movie and uses it to dig in a lot more than I was expecting. It does a great job of giving you the action that people want in a way that feels new and fresh but also a far more complex look into the story that integrates the white savior complex and uses the Western imperialism in Arab nations allegory which wasn't really present in the first film (for a reason I suppose)... although I still have a few nitpicks on that. I really like they were able to explore the Freemen fully in this movie in a way that didn't feel unanimous and monolithic and a lot of that heavy lifting is from the performances of Zendaya, Javier Bardem, and Souheila Yacoub who probably deserves a little more recognition. On top of that, the whole cast is pretty wonderful, especially Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler, and Rebecca Ferguson. Denis Villeneuve and Greig Fraser were on top of their game when it comes to the action and set pieces that feel otherworldly real yet down-to-earth tactical despite the CGI of it all with the sandworms. Overall, phenomenal movie. It surpassed my expectations by a mile mostly with how they were able to deliver on the complex story while giving us the action that (to some) was missing in the first film and I can't wait to see what they do with 3.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop

If they made Robocop today, Peter Weller would have said: "Robo wants an Oreo with the most stuff!"

An incredible behind-the-scenes doc on how a movie was made and the impact and legacy it left on cinema. It's exactly what you want out of the documentary where they go into incredible depth on the creation of the movie and go scene by scene and explain how they put Robocop together while also explaining it thematically within the story. Unlike some other movie docs, this is done with utmost care while getting honest interviews from the cast and crew without making them sound like they're doing a puff piece. I really dug how everyone was fine getting into the more on set drama and controversy that occurred while getting some entertainment out of it. Overall, this was a lot of fun. It's exactly how I wish more movie documentaries were done especially as something as iconic as Robocop like Terminator or Predator.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Imaginary

Imagine not seeing another Jeff Wadlow production. That would easily bring us world peace.

Yet another ridiculous Blumhouse "horror" that isn't even trying anymore even on a comedy level which they sort of attempt here. It's sadly obvious they're going for all the easy kid target demographics and its only mission is they want to go viral on tiktok with Chauncey. The plot is nothing but a blatant ripoff of better ideas and it doesn't even work on a cheap Goosebumps level. You don't really give a s**t about the family or their trauma and it's mostly a lot of played-out character beats that get super lazy aside from some of the unintentional comedy. The only positive I can say is I appreciate them using mostly practical effects for the creatures. Overall, a true trash fire of lazy studio horror.
1/5

 

[Kane52630]

Jodorowsky's Dune

Seeing Devin Faraci in this was rough. lol

A solid doc for its time about the infamous Jodoraosky's Dune and you can smell the old-fashioned film festival-ness in its production as a doc. They do a good job showcasing Alejandro Jodorowsky and his eccentricness and the artwork that became incredibly influential. I would have loved to see Alejandro Jodorowsky talk more about the fallout of the production but it was decent enough. Overall, it's great to finally go back and see where it all really started cinematically.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Mean Girls (2024)

This feels exactly like that one time when I was stuck in class with the theater kids for an hour and a half.

Pretty much what I expected, it's more or less a generic karaoke version of the original Mean Girls movie without the comedy and character moments. They made Renee Rapp's Regina George the focal point of the movie and left Angourie Rice struggling through as the lead. It very much felt like a streaming movie that they pushed up to theatrical where the musical stuff felt inspired but cheap at the same time. I thought almost everyone here was bearly trying to get through this movie except for Auliʻi Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey who were entertaining to watch plus they can actually sing. Aside from that, overall this doesn't really do anything new or exciting. You're better off watching the original which somehow still holds up.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Sometimes I Think About Dying

I'm pretty sure the director Rachel Lambert installed cameras in my office because the amount of extremely mundane moments in the office that went exactly like that was insane.

This was a fantastic quiet drama about a depressed and introverted office worker played by Daisy Ridley. They managed to do a great job highlighting all the various office job ticks, monotony, and conversations that people normally have set through the eyes of someone who at first desperately wants the least amount of interaction and later tries to come out of her shell. It's got great performances by Daisy Ridley, Dave Merheje, and Marcia DeBonis. While Daisy Ridley gets a couple of paragraphs of dialogue, she manages to put all her acting through body language. There's also some great use of cinematography with a lot of empty spaces. Overall I really loved it. While it's not for everyone, this was incredibly well done.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Ricky Stanicky

They had six writers and all they could come up with was a poorly done sitcom plot from the 90s.

Exhaustingly boring and overlong. It's one of these comedies that doesn't know how to sell the punchline and takes up so much of its time with the setup with nonsense that doesn't add up to much which is funny because this is by Peter Farrelly. It's overwritten with dialogue that isn't needed and each scene feels like 20 minutes too long. At first Zac Efron, Jermaine Fowler, and Andrew Santino weren't so bad but they quickly became secondary to John Cena who was the only one who was trying. Overall, it's pretty bad.
1.5/5

 

[Mysteryman]

Madame Web

I would like to thank the Sony Corporation for bringing back that 2003 nostalgia.... even though the PSP didn't exist until 2005... but okay fine, I'll go with it.

You know what, I'm gonna zag where everyone else is zigging. Had a lot of fun with it despite its obvious and glaring problems. This very much feels like the pre-MCU Marvel movie that went out of fashion where it's got basic low stakes and a somewhat easy-to-understand premise with plenty of goofy broad comedic moments peppered in. But to be more exact, this is basically the Birds of Prey WB TV show from 2002 but for Spider-Man... even down to certain moments and obvious needle drops. I actually do like Dakota Johnson playing Cassie Web even though she's just playing herself. Isabela Merced and Celeste O'Connor were just okay but I thought it was wild that Sydney Sweeney managed to play that stereotypical "hot girl who doesn't know she's hot and who acts like a girl scout nerd" extremely well but she couldn't pull off playing a generic hot girl in Anyone but You. But anyway, there is a lot of clunky dialogue that sometimes works and sometimes it's unintentionally funny with the bad ADR, and a lot of that unfortunately goes to Tahar Rahim (who I normally like in most things) who plays Ezekiel Sims, and Zosia Mamet who plays the assistant. Despite how anyone feels about the Spider-Man canon, what they do with Adam Scott and Emma Roberts was interesting and bizarre at the same time. They tried to do as much as the MCU lets them and it shows because of how limiting the idea of this movie is. Because it's low stakes it's a movie not for those who just want to see a giant CGI mess on screen because it's not reliant on big CGI battles (until the very end) which I did like. It's also not for those who expect heroes in costumes even though they advertised the hell out of it. Overall, I unapologetically enjoyed it, flaws and all. As someone who's burnt out on the same kind of CGI-heavy superhero movie, I was kinda relieved this is just a movie that is mostly self-contained silliness that's just simple and dumb fun. Also, a big missed opportunity to not use Going Under by Evanescence on the big fight scene at the end.
3/5

I had fun with it, too.

 

[Kane52630]

The Book of Clarence

Didn't know what to expect going in but man this was fantastic. It's an incredibly audacious and inspired take on the bible by Jeymes Samuel who manages to toe the line between full-on satire and full-on religious drama. Creatively, it feels like a cross between a 70s blaxploitation, a traditional sword-and-sandals epic, a Mel Brooks comedy, and a Spike Lee film. Since it's by Jeymes Samuel, there is some incredible cinematography, great direction, and a great soundtrack that helps to keep the movie going and interesting at all times. I thought the performances were fantastic as well and they did enough to not make it feel like they're doing a full SNL bit, they committed to the balancing act of the story. It's without question one of my favorite LaKeith Stanfield performances and I really liked Anna Diop, RJ Cyler, Micheal Ward, and Omar Sy in this. It's one of these movies like Darren Aronofsky's Noah where most people will have a strong negative reaction to it just solely based on the source material without giving it a chance to see what the movie is trying to go for. Overall, this definitely won't be for everyone but I really dug it.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Love Lies Bleeding

A24's She-Hulk if She-Hulk just got done watching a double feature of Thelma & Louise and Mandy.

I really enjoyed it, it's kinda what I wanted out of Drive-Away Dolls. Rose Glass with her cinematographer Ben Fordesman did a phenomenal job capturing the late 80s MTV generation look and putting her own spin on it with this neon-noir thriller. It definitely reminded me of movies like Mandy and Blood Simple with a bit more of a comedic and surreal edge to it. Kristen Stewart was decent enough, but I thought Katy O'Brian stole the show and made her presence as a real star through this movie. I also really dug Ed Harris in this and bizarre Nic Cage-level choices. It's a movie that isn't too complicated with its plot but it always keeps you on edge and they don't shy away from the gore. Overall, while I think Rose Glass's previous film Saint Maud was better, this was a solid fun movie with some great music.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Damsel

This is actually based on the true story of Kate Middleton (wherever she is).

Surprisingly decent for what it is. It's nothing more than a simple medieval action survival film with the damsel in distress being the lead but it's executed pretty well. Plot wise it's like a combination of Ready or Not and Snow White and the Huntsman. For a Netflix movie, the production value was actually not bad and the directing by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and the cinematography by Larry Fong did a lot of the work to make it feel interesting at all times. The majority of the movie is centered on Millie Bobby Brown and she carried it pretty well with the dragon that's voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo. A lot of the action and suspense feels like you're watching a cut scene from a video game but I mean that in a good way and they do give each scene some time to breathe. Overall, pretty good.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Road House

I thought I'd finally give this a go before I see the remake even though I've seen clips of this before. It's crazy that at the time this was being panned by critics because this is a true 80s neo-western that only Joel Silver can make. It's interesting how it is simultaneously a sleazy dude action movie with t&a with the sophistication of a self-knowing Western. What truly makes this movie work is the performance by Patrick Swayze who has Harrison Ford-level charisma and Sam Elliott who is unbelievably great with the limited amount of screentime he had, they both elevated the material. The fight scenes were typical for the 80s but I did appreciate Patrick Swayze mixing it up with the roundhouse kicks. I also dug the production work and the music, and I thought it was shot so well by Dean Cundey because it almost made me think I was watching a John Carpenter film at certain times. Overall, a great movie that only the 80s can produce.
4/5

 

[NDX]

I tend to revisit Road House every year for my November marathon. It's so gritty, so 80s and I can't get enough of it.

 

[Kane52630]

Road House (2024)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure all of Conor Mcgregor's acting training came from that one viral video of that buff black guy walking into a fast food joint and kicking the s**t of some dudes's order.

I thought this was surprisingly good for a remake. Doug Liman did a good job taking the original neo-western conceit and structure along with the camp vibe of the original and updating it to the modern day. While Jake Gyllenhaal is no Patrick Swayze in terms of old-school charisma, they were able to focus on what makes Gyllenhaal an interesting actor and use that for the character. I also like how they use the UFC background for the character. It was also great to see them set it in the Florida Keys and use every moment to showcase how beautiful it is without greenscreen or CG... which is a damn shame this didn't come out in theaters. I also like how they made this funnier than the original and I laughed every time Arturo Castro showed up on screen. While the original is known for its fights and one-liners, I thought they did it better here, especially with the fights where Doug Liman did an interesting way of shooting it and editing it because every punch and kick looked like it made contact. But I will say I thought this movie needed more fight scenes because they're pretty limited even though they're impressive. All that being said, I feel like this movie is intentionally campy and a self-knowing neo-western, but also don't think the acting was all that great and it looks to me like they only had one take for most of these scenes that don't revolve around the action. Billy Magnussen pretty much plays Billy Magnussen and Jessica Williams pretty much plays Jessica Williams but I thought Daniela Melchior and Lukas Gage were pretty good. Conor Mcgregor obviously can't act but he's probably the most preposterous character in the movie that feels like he came from another movie. Overall, it's a fun time for a remake of an 80s classic but on its own, it's a great junky action movie with some money behind it.
3.5/5

 

[antsman41]

Immaculate [2024 | 11th Watched Film]

It was a blast... I'd definitely let Sister Isebelle convert me into a religion. Surprised this was that actress' first role. Sydney was amazing too, those last ten minutes or so were splendid.

4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Stopmotion

It's Wallace and Gromit but for people who listen to Tool and Nine Inch Nails.

Incredible stuff. It's a deeply messed up indie horror film about a girl who has a desperate ambition as a stop-motion artist and the movie does a great job delivering on the quiet creep factor. It has yet another amazing performance by Aisling Franciosi who continues to be one of the most underrated actresses around. The stop-motion work in this is otherworldly and I love how the director Robert Morgan finds new meta ways of showcasing stop-motion animation as deeply disturbing as possible. Plot-wise and visually it did remind me of other horror films like Saint Maud with a little bit from Censor and The Babadook thrown in. Overall, it's worth checking out if you're even remotely a horror film or even just a stop-motion fan.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The villain in this movie definitely watched Arnold's Mr. Freeze plotting the same thing in Batman & Robin.

Too many cooks should be Sony's motto at this point. This was an overstuffed Ghostbusters sequel that doesn't give one plot line any time to marinate which is a shame because I thought they had something interesting early on with Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, and Mckenna Grace's characters. It unfortunately gets lost by pleasing their fandom and trying to do a cash grab on all the various Ghostbusters-related lore they want to expand as well as all the callbacks from the first two movies. I thought the Kumail Nanjiani section of the movie was probably at its funniest even though they don't give enough time to him either and where it ends was all sorts of silly. Visually I thought it looked nice and expensive looking so at least they didn't cheap out on that. It's a movie that ultimately wants to be the Stranger Things nostalgia dump that fans want Ghostbusters to be and not enough trying to be a movie that stands up on its own because I thought they had something there with the new characters they set up from the last movie. Overall, it's a safe and entertaining family movie and is also kinda forgettable.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Immaculate

Like I've been saying... We should normalize using old-fashioned yellow subtitles again.

Every time I get incredibly tired of the Catholic horror/Nunsploitation section of horror, something like Immaculate or Sister Death comes through. I thought this was a fantastic throwback to the old days of Giallo where it's incredibly well made, well shot, well scored, and well performed on a high and twisted level while also pushing the envelope. It reminded me of Sister Death and Suspiria for plenty of reasons. Sydney Sweeney does a great in this especially when they focus on her reaction to things but I thought Benedetta Porcaroli almost stole the show with her performance. It's also surprisingly gory and shocking where it leads with the ending is wild. The music and cinematography are where this really shines and helps elevate this movie into something more. Overall, had a lot of fun with this in the most twisted way possible.
4/5