Alphabetical Menu
Chronological Menu

Reviews for December 6th, 2024

 

        Irish Mike (Michael Pitt), a professional boxer fresh out of prison, has 24 hours until a major boxing fight at Madison Square Garden in Day of the Fight. He meets with his trainer, Stevie (Ron Perlman), his father (Joe Pesci), his friend, Patrick (John Magaro), his ex-girlfriend, Jessica (Nicolette Robinson) and his uncle (Steve Buscemi). The screenplay by writer/director Jack is overstuffed, meandering and undercooked, but it does have a few heartfelt moments, especially when Irish Mike wrestles with the emotional pain of his traumatic past and his rocky relationship with his father who now has dementia. He also struggles with guilt and shame about a car accident that sent him to prison in the first place for vehicular homicide. If only the film were to show more of his introspective moments, it would've been much more engrossing, unflinching and profound character study. Instead, it barely scratches Irish Mike's surface and only provides the audience glimpses of his emotional journey. Michael Pitt gives a solid performance, but the actors in supporting roles don't have enough material to work with because their characters remain underdeveloped. That said, the stunning, exquisite black-and-white cinematography is the film's major strength, although it will probably cause the audience to find it hard to not compare Day of the Fight to Raging Bull from start to finish. Kudos to Huston for incorporating Sixto Rodriguez's song "I Wonder" in one of the most powerful scenes very early in the film. At a running time of 1 hour and 48 minutes, it opens in select theaters nationwide via Falling Forward Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2







      In Devils Stay, a cardiologist, Seong-do (Park Shin-yang), believes that his daughter, So-mi (Lee Re), might be possessed by a demon after she undergoes a heart transplant and gets pronounced dead. A priest, Hae-shin (Lee Min Ki, agrees to perform an exorcism which doesn't go as planned. Hae-shin's belief is put to the test when bizarre events to the daughter's corpse that point to the supernatural. Devils Stay is yet another exorcism movie that pales compared to The Exorcist. Director Hyun Moon-seop doesn't take any risks with a pedestrian screenplay that just goes through the motions with clunky exposition and poorly integrated flashbacks. It's ok that Devils Stay offers nothing new to the exorcism genre as long as it were entertaining and/or scary. Unfortunately, the plot becomes tedious and unfocused while the characters just seem like they're merely plot devices. Devils Stay does have some stylish visuals which add some atmosphere, but it's ultimately dull and forgettable while remaining too light on scares and surprises. At a thankfully brief running time of 1 hour and 35 minutes, it opens in select theaters nationwide via Well Go USA.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3







      Forgetting the Many: The Royal Pardon of Alan Turing, narrated by Ben Whishaw, is an insightful, well-edited, heartfelt and captivating documentary about the history of anti-gay laws in the UK, its impact on the lives of those who were arrested, including Alan Turing in 1952, and their thoughts on the pardons years later. Director Rosemarie Reed does an effective job of covering a lot of ground without making the film feel overstuffed or exhausting. She interviews 6 men whose lives have been impacted by the arrest. One of them was arrested while working as a schoolteacher and talks candidly about how he felt shame and embarrassment as his colleagues looked down on him. He was no longer able to be a teacher which affected his well-being and livelihood. In 2017, the Alan Turing law opened the door to pardon those who were convicted of homosexual acts. There's a catch to the pardoning: no one who got caught in a homosexual act inside a restroom can't be pardoned. That's unfair and unjust, to say the least. Interestingly, one of the men admits very astutely that everyone who was arrested should've been pardoned. Another claims that he wouldn't accept a pardon because it implies that he did something wrong. Why does he need to be pardoned for something that's not wrong? That's among the questions throughout this documentary that makes it very thought-provoking as well as somewhat enraging. Forgetting the Many: The Royal Pardon of Alan Turing ultimately finds just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them emotionally as well as intellectually. It's one of the best documentaries of the year. At a running time of 1 hour and 23 minutes, it opens at Cinema Village.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1







      Freediver is an exhilarating, well-edited and heartfelt documentary about Alexey Molchanov, a freediver who challenged himself to set five world records in under four months. Director Michael John Warren combines interviews with Alexey himself and his wife along with archival footage and stunning underwater footage. You'll learn about the risks involved in freediving and the breathing techniques that freedivers use to survive deep underwater. What elevates the film tremendously is that it delves into how freediving affects Alexey emotionally and psychologically, and how his relationship with his late mother, Natalia Molchanova, who was also a freediver, has shaped him as a human being and as a freediver. Alexey comes across as brave, emotionally mature, candid, intelligent, strong and, like every ordinary person, vulnerable. You don't have to be familiar with freediving to enjoy this wonderful documentary. At a running time of 2 hours, Freediver, opens at Regal Union Square before hitting VOD on December 7th, 2024 via Paramount Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

      Richard (Nick Frost) takes his wife, Susan (Aisling Bea), and two children, Jessie (Maisie Ayres) and Sam (Sebastian Croft), on family vacation on Svälta, an island in Sweden, but they get more than they bargained for when they reach their destination in Get Away. The screenplay by Nick Frost is a bold and irreverent dark comedy that's uninspired while too low on laughs and wit. A major twist, which won't be spoiled here, takes the film into a very different direction and throws logic right out the window. That would've been fine if it were to reach the comedic heights of Shaun of the Dead or the brilliantly bonkers, tongue-in-cheek Come to Daddy. Unfortunately, it doesn't. Once Get Away reveals its big twist, that's around the time it stretches its concept too thinly and begins to become a tedious experience with either annoying characters or underdeveloped ones, none of whom are worth rooting for. Moreover, the gratuitous violence gets less and less shocking. At a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, Get Away, directed by Steffen Haars, opens in select theaters nationwide via IFC Midnight and Shudder. It would be the inferior B-movie in a double feature with the vastly superior Shaun of the Dead.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3





 

       After her husband, Peter (Besir Zeciri), gets her pregnant and disappears, Karoline (Carmen Sonne) befriends Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), a shopkeeper who secretly runs an adoption agency for unwanted babies in The Girl with the Needle. Writer/director Magnus von Horn and co-writer Line Langebek have made a suspenseful, unflinchingly grim and provocative psychological thriller. There are even some shades of horror. The filmmakers leave much of the visceral horror elements to the audience's imagination which makes it all the more powerful. They do a great job of humanizing Karoline and Dagmar, warts and all, and allowing the audience to empathize with them, even if Dagmar isn't particularly likable by the time the end credits roll.  There's little to no levity, though, so if you like your coffee served black with no cream or no sugar, look no further than The Girl with the Needle. It's a tough film to sit through because of a disturbing twist that Karoline discovers about Dagmar that changes the dynamics of their relationship while taking the film into very, very dark and territory. Prepare to be a little squeemish and uncomfortable. The black-and-white cinematography, which includes a few surreal sequences, enhances the foreboding and creepy atmosphere while adding some visual poetry. Trine Dyrholm shines, as usual, in a raw, tender and bravura performance. At a running time of 2 hours and 3 minutes, The Girl with the Needle opens at IFC Center via MUBI.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

       Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), an grumpy and impertinent woman, lives with her husband, Curtley (David Webber) and adult son, Moses (Tuwaine Bennett), in Hard Truths. She occasionally spends time with her much more polite sister, Chantelle (Michele Austin) who works as a hairdresser. Writer/director Mike Leigh spends a lot of time showing how Pansy has no shame in displaying her rudeness at everyone around her including strangers and family. She's a hot-tempered, narcissistic bully whose bitterness and anger runs deep. Where does her rage come from? That's the elephant in the room that Leigh saves for a brief hint at later on when Pany and her sister visit their mother's grave. The screenplay doesn't provide much exposition or backstory, though, so it's unclear how and why Pansy's husband fell in love with her and for how long she's been so angry. Pansy is consistently mean, even to her dentist. Her quips and snaps are initially funny, but gradually grow more and more disturbing. As the saying goes, if you don't master your rage, your rage becomes your master. Back in the early 90's, there was a film called Tatie Danielle with a tagline that would fit Hard Truths as well: "She doesn't know you, and already she doesn't like you." How introspective is Pansy? She doesn't show many signs of introspection, sadly, but Leigh does allow the audience to observe her in her private, quieter moments. If only there were more of those kinds of moments in the film, it would've been a much more powerful and profound experience. Fortunately, Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives a bravura, mesmerizing and Oscar-worthy performance that finds the emotional truth of her role while breathing life into the film even when it starts to become repetitive. At a running time of 1 hour and 37 minutes, Hard Truths opens for a one-week Oscar-qualifying release before officially opening on January 10th, 2024 via Bleecker Street.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2





 

       After struggling financially as a wedding planner because of the pandemic, Dominic (Dayo Wong) takes over the funeral parlour of his girlfriend's (Catherine Chau) uncle (Paul Chun) who's about to retire in The Last Dance. Man (Michael Hui), a Taoist priest nicknamed "Hello Man", co-owns the funeral parlour with him. Writer/director Anselm Chan and co-writer Cheng Wai-kei have woven a tender, honest and wise exploration of life, death and the importance of self worth. Dominic and Hello Man initially clash with each other because of their business approach and personalities. Hello Man is more traditional while Dominic is more innovative. Case-in-point, he decides to use a dead man's favorite car as the casket---a car that, as it turns out, the man died in. So Dominic's boldness backfires on him, but he means well and tries his best. It's moving to observe how he and Hello Man bond with each other despite their differences. Meanwhile, Hello Man's daughter, Yuet (Michelle Wei), has an affair with a married man. He and his son, Ben (Chu Pak Hong), hae a rocky relationship. Although the plot does seem overstuffed, it doesn't feel that way because the filmmakers see and treat the characters as complex human beings, so even the subplots feel organic. The Last Dance also eschews melodrama, schmaltz and preachiness. Moreover, it's refreshing to watch a movie about a funeral business that doesn't veer into supernatural territory and that remains grounded in humanism, a truly special effect. At a running time of 2 hours and 6 minutes, The Last Dance opens at AMC 34th St via Emperor Motion Pictures. It would be a great double feature with the equally powerful movie Departures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

       Leonard Fife (Richard Gere), an acclaimed documentary filmmaker suffering from terminal cancer, looks back on his life as Malcom (Michael Imperioli) and Diana (Victoria Hill), his former students, film him for a documentary in Oh, Canada. Meanwhile, his wife, Emma (Uma Thurman), remains by his side. Based on the novel Foregone by Russell Banks, the screenplay by writer/director Paul Shraeder is a dull, clunky and meandering non-linear portrait of a dying man and his painful memories that have shaped his life and work. Told through clunky flashbacks, Leonard's past isn't very interesting and the same can be said about the scenes that take place in the present day. In an underdeveloped subplot, his estranged son confronts him in hope of reuniting, but Leonard refuses to even acknowledge that he's his son. What does Emma even see in him? She's a strong woman for putting up with him for so many years. Unfortunately, she's an underdeveloped character who never comes to life. Oh, Canada just seems to be going through the motions and barely has any narrative momentum which would've been fine if it were engrossing, but it's not. It's often cold, monotonous and while lacking wit, levity and depth before the ending that fails to pack an emotional punch. None of the performances, even those of Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi, who plays younger Leonard, manages to rise above the vapid screenplay nor does the cinematography add any visual style to compensate for the lack of substance. At a running time of 1 hour and 35 minutes, which feels more like 2 hours, Oh, Canada opens in select theaters via Kino Lorber.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3





 

      Obsessed With Light is a captivating, well-edited and illuminating albeit often hagiographic documentary biopic on Loïe Fuller, an American dancer who revolutionized the art of modern dance and stage lighting. Co-directors Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum blend archival footage, interviews and excerpts from Fuller's autobiography, Fifteen years of a dancer's life: with some account of her distinguished friends. They do a fine job of introducing Loïe Fuller to audiences who aren't very familiar with her. You'll learn what made her so innovative, brilliant, talented, brave, influential and iconic as an artist. In terms of its structure and content, it's a somewhat dry and academic documentary that's informative without being exceptional, transcendent or very moving. The breathtaking footage of Fuller dancing ultimately speaks louder than words and are the highlights of an otherwise conventional and mediocre documentary that's lucky to have such a fascinating subject. If you're not a fan of dance or stage lighting, you'll probably won't be as captivated. Cherry Jones serves as the voice of Loïe Fuller. LAt a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, Obsessed With Light opens at Quad Cinema via Film Movement.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2





 

       Terry (Jude Law), an FBI agent, teams up with Jamie (Tye Sheridan), a police officer, to investigate a series of bank robberies and armored car heists that might be linked to a white supremacist group led by Bob (Nicholas Hoult) and Richard (Victor Slezak) in The Order. Based on a true story and on the novel The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, screenwriter Zach Baylin and director Justin Kurzel have made a spellbinding, taut and gritty crime thriller.

      The filmmakers do an impeccable job of grabbing the audience's attention within the first ten minutes and, more importantly, maintaining the suspense as Terry begins to suspect the existence of a domestic terrorist group. Others downplay his concerns, but he sticks to his guns with the help of Jamie. Although the story takes place back in 1983, it feels very timely because of the current rise of white supremacists. That makes the film all the more terrifying, especially when the plot changes to the perspective of the terrorists. Bob, like Oliver Lang in Arlington Road, has a wife, Debbie (Alison Oliver) and son, Clinton (Huxley Fisher). He also has a mistress, Zillah (Odessa Young ), so he leads a double or even triple life and wears many different masks, so-to-speak. What's his true self life beneath all of his hatred? How introspective is he? He doesn't seem like he has any introspection at all. How did he end up so cruel? Perhaps he has some self-hatred. Either way, the screenplay avoids the pitfall of turning him into a one-dimensional villain. He's complex and in some ways he's even ordinary.

       There's a particularly nerve-wracking scene where Bob and Terry cross paths by a lake during which the audience can feel the palpable tension and psychological thrills because something dark and disturbing could happen at any given moment if Bob were to suddenly snap. Imagination is quite a powerful tool. The Order does some action sequences and chases, but not too many and they're well-shot. The pace moves at a medium-burning speed, so it's not too fast nor too slow nor do any scenes drag or feel like unnecessary filler. The filmmakers should also be commended for handling exposition effectively without over-explaining or confusing the audience. Jude Law, Nicholas and Tye Sheridan are all well cast and give terrific performances as does Jurnee Smollett in a supporting role as an FBI agent. At a running time of 1 hour and 54 minutes, The Order opens nationwide via Vertical. It's the most exhilarating crime thrillers since Hell or High Water, and the most chilling and provocative one since Arlington Road.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

      In Power Alley, Sofia (Ayomi Domenica Dias), a 17-year volleyball player in Brazil, gets pregnant and desperately seeks an abortion. She also a lesbian and has to deal with an anti-gay group of religious fundamentalists. Part sports drama, part coming-of-age story, the screenplay by writer/director Lillah Halla is heartfelt, but unfocused, overstuffed and undercooked. There are at least 3 different movies within the disjointed plot that jumps from one subplot to another without letting the audience become fully absorbed. Is there not enough dramatic tension involving Sofia's struggles to get an abortion? Why pad the film with the other subplots? The cinematography is pretty great, and Ayomi Domenica Dias gives a tender performance, so it's disappointing that she's undermined by the weak and clunky screenplay. At a running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes, Power Alley opens at Cinema Village via ArtMattan Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2





 

       In Regarding Us, Veronica (Alexandra Grey), a trans woman, spirals into a state of depression and feels suicidal after getting fired from her job as a Catholic school teacher. When she meets Denny (David Beck) and befriends his young daughter, Isabel (Andrea Rosa Guzman), while babysitting her, they both impact each other's lives. Isabel suspects that her new classmate, Kyle (Hudson Paul), might be trans, so she encourages him to feel comfortable about crossdressing and putting on makeup which angers his mother, Constance (Abigail Hawk), and his abusive, transphobic older brother, Matt (Jacob Moran). Meanwhile, Denny has broken up with his boyfriend, Adrian (Eliud Garcia), and lies to Isabel that he's currently overseas in France for work.

      The premise sounds like it could lead to yet another overstuffed and undercooked drama because of so many characters and subplots. However, the screenplay by writers/directors David Beck and Jennifer Bobbi assembles the characters and subplots in a way that feels honest, captivating and genuinely heartfelt without making the audience feel the wheels of the screenplay turning. Veronica comes across as a smart, compassionate and strong trans woman who has clearly experienced a lot of emotional pain and trauma. She had a rocky relationship with her recently deceased estranged father which means that she's grieving him as well as the father that she never had concurrently. She gradually heals from her own trauma while bonding with Isabel, Denny and Kyle each of whom is going through his or her own struggles as well.

      Kudos to Beck and Bobbi for seeing and treating everyone as complex human beings which makes them more relatable. Most importantly, they should be commended for finding the right balance between Truth and Spectacle while finding plenty of Spectacle within the film's many Truths. Movies don't need car chases, explosions, gun fights or an abundance of CGI effects to be entertaining. There are no villains, melodrama or schmaltz, so Regarding Us remains refreshingly un-Hollywood. It's sweet without being cloying, poignant without being emotionally devastating or maudlin, uplifting without being cheesy, and wise without being preachy or heavy-handed.

      Within despair, there's always hope. As poet Pablo Neruda once wrote, "They can cut all of the flowers, but they can't stop the spring from coming." It's inspiring to watch how Veronica changes innately as the garden of her soul starts to blossom throughout the film. She experiences epiphanies that make her stronger because she's learning to love true herself, warts-and-all. In a way, Regarding Us can be seen as a love story about a trans woman who learns how to romance herself. Her full character arc feels truly earned. Moreover, the performances by the ensemble cast are all superb, especially Alexandra Grey and the child actors, Andrea Rosa Guzman, Hudson Paul and Jacob Moran. At a running time of 1 hour and 38 minutes, Regarding Us opens at Cinema Village via Gravitas Ventures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1







      In The Return, Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) returns to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. His wife, the queen, Penelope (Juliette Binoche), must choose a new husband among many willing suitors, but her son, who has never met Odysseus, doesn't want her to get married any time soon. Mistaken for a beggar, Odysseus must regain his strength and prove that he's her long-lost husband. Writer/director Uberto Pasolini and his co-writers, John Collee and Edward Bond, have made a riveting, poignant and well-acted adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey. A lot happens during the first 10 minutes as the filmmakers jump right into the meat of the story. They begin when Odysseus washes up on the shore of Ithaca around the time when Penelope searches for a new husband. Looking disheveled and weak, no one recognized him---not even Penelope. How will anyone believe him if he tells them the truth? How might his son react? The Return remains captivating from start to finish while focusing on both Penelope and Odysseus' anguish. Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche are very well-cast and give heartfelt performances that breathe life into the often on-the-nose screenplay. The set designs, lighting and costume designs are superb while grounding the film in authenticity. At a running time of 1 hour and 56 minutes, The Return opens nationwide via Bleecker Street.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

       Sung Jinwoo (Taito Ban), who's considered to be the world's weakest hunter, reawakens and harnesses his superpowers to win fights and go up to higher levels in Solo Leveling: ReAwakening. Director Shunsuke Nakashige and screenwriter Noboru Kimura have made an exhausting, shallow, overlong and tedious sci-fi anime action thriller. Like the recent Dan Da Dan, it's not really a complete movie, but a re-edited and condensed version of Season 1 of the series and a glimpse at the first two episodes of Series 2. Anyone who isn't familiar with the anime series will probably feel lost because of the rushed exposition. Perhaps this would've worked better as a video game, but as a movie, it falls flat even on a visceral level. At a running time of 2 hours and 1 minute, Solo Leveling: ReAwakening, opens in theaters nationwide via Crunchyroll.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4





 

       Bubbles (Mike Smith) hits the road for a European tour with his band "The Shitrockers" in Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties. After getting kicked off the tour, he, his roadie, Randy (Patrick Roach), Ricky (Robb Wells) and Julian (John Paul Tremblay) come together to try to get out of the band's predicament. The screenplay by Mike Smith is occasionally amusing, but often unfunny and dull with annoying characters. Perhaps the film would work better as a short, but with a running time that nearly approaches 2 hours, it starts dragging around the hour mark and overstays its welcome. If you're not an avid Trailer Park Boys fan already, Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties won't convince you to become one. At a running time of 1 hour and 51 minutes, Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties, directed by Charlie Lightening, opens in select theaters via Blue Fox Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4





 

       The Taste of Mango is a brave and emotionally engrossing documentary portrait of a dysfunctional family. Director Chloe Abrahams sheds light on how the abuse that her mother and grandmother suffer from has affected their relationship through the years. It's a tough subject matter that anyone who has experience physical and/or sexual abuse will find tough to watch because it would be triggering. However, emotionally mature audiences and those who have healed from abuse will probably feel empowered by The Taste of Mango because it highlights the importance of introspection and facing trauma head-on. If we don't learn from the past, we're bound to repeat it. Abrahams doesn't just take a look at the past, she examines it by asking thoughtful questions to her mother and  grandmother. She doesn't become like their therapist because she doesn't try to cure their trauma. That's not her responsibility. What happened to them isn't her fault, and she's aware of that. She's just trying to get to the bottom of what's ailing her mother and grandmother that has had a ripple effect on three generations. The details of the abuse that they endured isn't mentioned which is fine because this documentary isn't about that; it's ultimately about the aftermath and consequences of abuse as well as the consequences of repressing it. After all, we're only as sick as the secrets that we keep. Abrahams should be commended for displaying compassion, emotional maturity, emotional generosity and pure, unconditional love toward her mother and grandmother. Hopefully they can find further healing from Pablo Neruda's poem: "They can cut all of the flowers, but they can't stop the spring from coming." At a running time of 1 hour and 15 minutes, The Taste of Mango opens Wednesday, October 4th, 2004 at DCTV's Firehouse Cinema via Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2





 

      A young math whiz (Thamela Mpumlwana) from a small village in Kenya finds an algorithm that makes him millions on the Wall Street stock market in The Wall Street Boy. The screenplay by Joel Richardson is mildly engaging, but often clunky, cheesy, toothless and contrived. The villains, a group of mysterious men who work for one of the financial firms, are underwritten and cartoonish while the league suffers from stiltedness and the ending feels rushed. The only glue holding the film together is Thamela Mpumlwana's heartfelt performance. At a running time of 1 hour and 23 minutes, The Wall Street Boy, directed by Charles Uwagbai, opens at Cinema Village via ArtMattan Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2







      Wesley (Frank Grillo) and Dr. Aranda (Lou Diamond Phillips) desperately try to prevent a mutation that turns people into werewolves when there's a supermoon in Werewolves. They hope that a new substance called "moonscreen" will help to accomplish that. The screenplay by Matthew Kennedy is uninspired, inane and unimaginative. Even as a B-movie, the plot still disappoints because there are too few palpable thrills, very little suspense, no surprises and barely any scares. There's plenty of action and some gore albeit nothing that pushes the envelope. The dialogue ranges from stilted to unintentionally funny while trying too hard to be quotable. A subplot involving Wesley's sister-in-law, Lucy (Ilfenesh Hadera) and Emma (Kamdynn Gary), his niece, feels tacked-on and underwritten. You can feel the wheels of the screenplay turning every step of the way which is never a good sign. Perhaps if the Werewolves didn't take itself so seriously and included some campiness, it would've been a guilty pleasure instead of a bland and forgettable misfire. At a running time of 1 hour and 34 minutes, Werewolves, directed by Steven C. Miller, opens nationwide via Briarcliff Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4







      Eli (Jaeden Martell) and his best friend, Danny (Julian Dennison), crash a New Years Eve 1999 party with his crush, Laura (Rachel Zegler), when the Y2K bug causes computers to go haywire and attack humans in Y2K. The screenplay by writer/director Kyle Mooney and co-writer Evan Winter has an interesting concept that sounds like it could be a fun horror satire, but, unfortunately, it leaves a lot to be desired in its lazy execution. The dialogue lacks wit, laughs and anything else that would make it sparkle, so most of the attempts at dark comedy fall flat. There's more than a fair share of references to the 90's, like a video rental store and 90's music, that provide some nostalgia, but nothing more than that. If only Y2K were bolder, zanier, funnier and campier, it could've been a mindless guilty pleasure. Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison and Rachel Zegler deserve better material. Alicia Silverstone is wasted in a small role as Eli's mother. At a thankfully brief running time of 1 hour and 31 minutes, Y2K is a mildly engaging and harmless, but lackluster, witless and unfunny horror comedy. It opens in theaters nationwide via A24.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3





 

       Aitana (Roser Tapias) and her wife, Gabi (Yapoena Silva), get more than they bargained for when they visit the home of their parents, Dori (Pilar Almería), Justo (Alfred Picó) and brother, Saúl (Jorge Motos), for Christmas in  You Are Not Me. The less you know about the plot beforehand, the better because co-writers/directors Marisa Crespo and Moisés Romera have woven a taut, unnerving and provocative psychological thriller with plenty of surprises. Are Aitana's suspicions justified regarding Nadia (Anna Kurikka), a mysterious woman who somehow convinced her parents to move into her room and treat her as though she were their daughter? How well can the audience trust Nadia? How well can the audience trust Aitana for that matter? The first hour of the film plays around with the audience's imagination and leaves some ambiguity, especially given key information about Aitana's past and why she left her parents a few years earlier. The filmmakers have a great handle on exposition because they gradually inform the audience of important information at just the right time while keeping them at the edge of their seats without resorting to flashbacks. Moreover, they're not afraid to confuse the audience, either. What's wrong with being confused?

      The last thirty minutes is when You Are Not Me veers into a different direction that won't be spoiled here, but it's worth noting that it doesn't go too far over-the-top into bonkers territory nor does the narrative derail. There are some shades of Polanski and Argento along with interesting uses of visual metaphors. The pace moves slowly at first before gradually moving faster until the shocking ending that leaves just enough room for interpretation. At a running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes, You Are Not Me opens at Alamo Drafthouse Manhattan and on VOD via Doppelgänger Releasing.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1