Crime
Film Review – Speak No Evil
I’ll admit to you, dear reader: When I heard that there would be an English language remake of the Danish film Speak No Evil (2022), I was not immediately bursting with anticipation. Don’t get me wrong, it is a tense and disturbing psychological thriller. I was left…
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Film Review – Strange Darling
***Warning: This Review Contains Major Spoilers*** Strange Darling (2023) might be one of the biggest surprises of the year. It’s a finely constructed, smart, and tense thriller. Writer/director JT Mollner has crafted a story that upends our preconceived notions about gender dynamics, the horror/thriller genre, and about storytelling…
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Film Review – The Killer (2024)
I’m not one to automatically disregard remakes of beloved movies. Sometimes a fresh new perspective on a familiar story can help us better appreciate the original. But there are instances where the very notion of a remake is preposterous. Case in point: The Killer (1989). John Woo’s…
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Film Review – Skincare
There are a lot of themes running throughout Skincare (2024), but I’m not so sure it examines any of them thoroughly. It has the tone of a satire, but what exactly is it satirizing? Is it about the shallowness of Hollywood? Is it about a female trying…
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Film Review – The Clean Up Crew
The Clean Up Crew (2024) has a lot of ingredients to make for an entertaining crime thriller. Big name actors, plenty of action, and sly dark humor are all at play. Unfortunately, the overall picture is not as good as the individual pieces. This is a…
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Film Review – Beverly Hill Cop: Axel F
Part of what made the first Beverly Hills Cop (1984) a success was the perfect blend between performer and character. On one hand, you had Axel Foley, a fast-talking Detroit detective getting dropped in the middle of Rodeo Dr. and causing a whole bunch of mischief. He…
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Film Review – Knox Goes Away
The title of Knox Goes Away (2024) contains a double meaning. The first involves an aging contract killer – John Knox (Michael Keaton) – realizing that he is near the end of his time “in the game.” Long term employment is not a standard expectation in his…
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Film Review – Trunk: Locked In
Deep within the vast confines of the streaming landscape is a German-language thriller that offers a bit more flair than we would suspect. Trunk: Locked In (2023) is a tense and visually flashy crime story. That’s saying a lot, given that it takes place almost exclusively within…
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