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26.2 to Life is a heartfelt and illuminating documentary about the 1000 Mile Club, a group of inmates at San Quentin State Prison who train for an annual 26.2-mile marathon. Director Christine Yoo interviews the inmates, their families and their coach, Frank Ruona which will help you to learn what makes the 1000 Mile Club such an integral part of the inmates' lives and how it impacts them emotionally, spiritually and psychologically. Yoo doesn't dwell on the inmates' criminal past not does she judge them for it. She shows great empathy toward them which will allow you to empathize with them as well. They're human beings, after all, so this doc's major strength is how it humanizes the inmates. Even though they're inside a prison with bars, they're no longer in an emotional prison---a prison without bars---thanks to the 1000 Mile Club that keeps them motivated and teaches them how to overcome pain as well as any other kind of obstacles. 26.2 to Life is limited in scope, though, because it doesn't look at the bigger picture to look at other forms of prison activities that help inmates to heal at other prisons, i.e. a form of meditation called Vipassana that prisoners Tihar Jail in India, nor does it broaden the scope to explore what politicians think about the 1000 Mile Club which would have provided it with more balanced perspectives. At a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, 26.2 to Life opens via HOKA at IFC Center. 
The Storms of Jeremy Thomas is essentially a reader's digest version of Jeremy Thomas' filmography. In case you're unfamiliar with him, he's the producer of The Last Emperor, Young Adam, Croneberg's Crash, The Sheltering Sky, and Naked Lunch, among many others not mentioned in the film. To call this a documentary biopic would be a misnomer because director Mark Cousins focuses on Thomas' work, not on his life. What ensues is a mostly hagiographic and dull documentary that's separated into themes, i.e. Sex, while showing select clips from Thomas' films and interviews with some actresses from those films, i.e. Debra Winger and Tilda Swinton, and interviews with Jeremy Thomas himself on his way to Cannes for the premiere of a film he produced, First Love. It's hard to watch The Storms of Jeremy Thomas without asking, "When is the exam???" because it's so dry and academic. The documentary feels limited in scope, shallow and incomplete---and even less insightful than most biographies on Wikipedia. The editing, though, is decent and keeps it moving at a fast enough pace, so it's not a chore to sit through. Perhaps The Storms of Jeremy Thomas would be more fitting as a DVD extra in a boxed set of Jeremy Thomas' films. It would pair well with the recent equally bland documentary about Stephen King, Kings on Screen. At a running time of 1 hour and 34, The Storms of Jeremy Thomas opens at Quad Cinema via Cohen Media Group. Altered Perceptions  Alex (Oran Stainbrook) works for Ted DeMarcos (Danny Fehsenfeld), a Senator from Texas. Ted hires Alex's father, Dr. Joseph Feretti (Matt Fling), a neurologist, to investigate why a new pandemic is causes people 60 and older to suffer from dementia, to kill others and to commit suicide. John (Eric Roberts) wakes up in a hospital with a head wound and can't recognize his wife, Theresa (Sally Kirkland). He thinks that he's 30 years old. Meanwhile, Alex meets Gary (Joseph DeMatteo), a man who claims that he's from the future and warns him that Senator Ted DeMarcos has hidden motives. So, it's up to Alex to figure out the truth and to stop him from going through with his nefarious plans before it's too late. The screenplay by Wayne C. Dees combines political thriller, satire, sci-fi, horror and mystery in a way that's audacious, enthralling and gripping. It's palpably terrifying because it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the controversial COVID vaccines, while shedding light on a corrupt government who have no shame in deceiving, controlling, gaslighting and harming the public. Dees does a terrific job of "world-building" while still leaving some room for interpretation and taking risks without spoon-feeding the audience. It's more imaginative and bold than most Hollywood films these days. Why does the government arrest Dr. Joseph Feretti's husband, Peter (Vincent Giovanni)? That's a subplot that adds even more tension and intrigue. What ensues becomes an increasingly suspenseful mindfuck that blurs the line between reality and fiction while asking the audience to think critically, something that's discouraged too often these days. The dystopia depicted in Altered Perceptions isn't that far from our current dystopia. There are differences, but also many similarities that are razor-sharp and chilling. It's up to you, as an intelligent audience member, to discern those similarities and differences on your own. Fortunately, the film isn't afraid to go to dark territory without sugar-coating anything, so it's refreshingly un-Hollywood. Director Jorge Ameer and screenwriter Wayne C. Dees not only know where to take ideas from, but where to take ideas to. They also know how to find the perfect balance between Truth and Spectacle. It's just as powerful and thought-provoking as some of the classic sci-fi satires like They Live and Soylent Green with shades of The Parallax View. Oran Stainbrook gives a convincingly moving performance. He handles the complexities in the role of Alex with aplomb while concurrently finding his humanity which makes it easier to root for Alex and care about him as a human being. Eric Roberts and Sally Kirkland are also superb. It's also worth mentioning the terrific, crisp editing and cinematography that creates a visceral cinematic experience. There's no dull moment to be found from start to finish, and, most importantly, you don't feel the weight of the lengthy running time. At 2 hour and 2 minutes, Altered Perceptions is spellbinding. It's one of the most provocative sci-fi thrillers since Donnie Darko. It deserves to become a cult classic like They Live. Prepare to have your mind blown.
 Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms  Prince Yin Zhou (Kris Phillips) must find a way to save his kingdom from a curse by using a scroll called Fengshen Bang, but the process to lift the curse becomes very challenging for him. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms is yet another film with a weak screenplay despite many screenwriters. The screenplay by writer/director Wuershan and his co-writers, Ping Ran, Jianan Ran, and Cao Sheng is a convoluted, unfocused mess that has too many characters, too many subplots and lazy exposition. The film takes too long to gain narrative momentum as it spends a lot of time introducing the characters, none of which are particularly engaging or worth rooting for. The plot feels needlessly complicated which takes the fun out of it, especially during the action scenes that are supposed to be rousing. There's too much "world-building", none of which feels remotely engaging. It's hard to watch Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms without thinking about much exhilarating fantasy movies like The Lord of the Rings. The visual effects are superb, but nothing more than that. The filmmakers fail to grasp the concept that less is more. The action scenes eventually feel tedious and go on for too long which leads to lethargy. Perhaps this would've been more entertaining as a video game. As a feature length film at a bloated running time of 2 hours and 28 minutes, it's an overlong, overproduced and exhausting spectacle.  Expend4bles  Marsh (Andy Garcia) sends Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) Lash (Levy Tran), Galan (Jacob Scipio), Easy Day (50 Cent), Gina (Megan Fox), Gunner (Dolph Lundgren) and Toll Road (Randy Couture), on a mission to stop Suarto (Iko Uwais) from gaining access to nuclear weapons before it's too late. The screenplay has three writers, namely, Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart and Max Adams, but none of them have anything new or exciting to contribute. The plot just goes through the motions starting with the opening scene that introduces the villain, Suarto, with an action scene set in Libya. Then it cuts to an expositional scene where Marsh gathers the Expendables to explain to them their mission. The dialogue lacks wit and there's not nearly enough banter between the team of Expendables. Two major twists in the third act insult the audience's intelligence, especially one of them because it makes no sense while the other twist can be seen from a mile away. Perhaps if the action scenes were entertaining or the plot had a morsel of imagination, Expend4bles could've been a mindless entertaining B-movie and a guilty pleasure. The production values are subpar and unremarkable with some very shoddy CGI effects. Prepare for many gun battles and explosions. It all comes with diminishing returns, though, and will make you feel like you're watching what's essentially a long, dull video game. None of the cast members, not even the charismatic Jason Statham and Andy Garcia, elevate the film. The choppy editing doesn't help matters, either. There is, though, plenty of violence and bloody kills that leave very little to the imagination. At a running time of 1 hour and 43 minutes, Expend4ables is an inane, tedious and exhausting action thriller that's heavy on action, but light on the suspense and palpable thrills.
 Flora and Son  Flora (Eve Hewson), a single mom, lives in Dublin with her delinquent son, Max (Orén Kinlan). When she repairs a guitar that she finds in a dumpster, he plans to give it to Max backfire, so she keeps it instead. She hires Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an online guitar instructor based in Los Angeles, to teach her how to play the guitar. The screenplay by writer/director John Carney begins as a bittersweet story about a lonely mother who struggles to raise her rebellious son while sharing custody with Max's father, Ian (Jack Reynor). In a more contrived subplot, she falls in love with her guitar instructor without even meeting him. He charms her, she charms him and thinks that he's sexy, but beyond that he just seems too good to be true like a fairy tale. He lies to her about a song that he falsely claimed he wrote, but when he confesses to her about the lie, she forgives him too quickly. The acerbic dialogue, for at least the first hour, is funny, witty and razor-sharp. Flora comes across as a hot mess. She's blunt, hot-tempered and vulgar, so she's like a whirlwind and not easy to get used to being around, especially the way she treats her ex and a stranger who's riding his bike and nearly crashes into her while she crosses the street. She's not a great role model for Max, but she does love him and wants him to be happy. When she pairs up with him to make a music video to impress his crush and, eventually, become a music duo together, that's when the film becomes too sugar-coated and tries too hard to please the audience while sidelining the underdeveloped romance between Flora and her guitar teacher. It also has a very implausible, preachy scene in a courtroom that also suffers from on-the-nose dialogue. In turn, Max and Flora's character arcs feel contrived, so it's a shame that Flora and Son cops out with a cheesy ending that doesn't earn its uplift and neglects to explore its darker themes like loneliness more unflinchingly, honestly and profoundly. Flora and Son is lucky to have Eve Hewson, the daughter of U2's Bono, in the lead role because she shines in a moving, charismatic performance while finding the emotional truth of her role. She helps tremendously to keep the film emotionally engrossing because you can sense that there's an inner life inside of Flora. It's too bad, then, that the screenplay doesn't delve into that inner life more often because it's too busy trying to make the audience feel great. Then there's the pretentious, over-used gimmick where Flora sees Jeff magically show up right in front of her during their guitar lessons. When it happens the first time, it's cute and even a little clever, but then it happens a few more times and gets annoying. More restraint would;ve been welcome. That said, the music is lively and among the film's highlights, although it's not as memorable as the music in Once and Begin Again.  It Lives Inside  Samidha (Megan Suri), an Indian-American high school student, rebels against her Hindu family traditions which displeases her mother, Poorna (Neeru Bajwa), but her father, Inesh (Vik Sahay), doesn't mind it. One day, her best friend, Tamira (Mohana Krishnan), shows up with a mysterious jar which Samidha breaks and unleashes a demon that holds Tamira hostage. Samidha gets questioned about her disappearance because she's the last person to see her alive. The screenplay by writer/director Bishal Dutta and co-writer Ashish Mehta suffers from an uninspired plot that's low on scares, thrills and imagination while biting off more than it could chew. There's a lot going on within the first half hour including tensions between Samidha and her mother and between her and best friend, Tamira. Samidha also goes through a coming-of-age as she's breaking free from her religion and family traditions to explore her own individuality. It Lives Inside chooses not to focus on those themes though when it suddenly veers into the genre of supernatural/horror. Unfortunately, it quickly runs out of ideas and turns into a repetitive experience with too many jumpscares and not enough palpably terrifying scenes. The filmmakers' systemic issue, though, is that they reveal what the demon actually looks like too early. Up until that point, there are some psychological suspense because more is left to the audience's imagination, but once it's revealed, the suspense wanes. There's also not enough exposition about the evil entity which happens to be the same issue that ails Talk to Me. If only It Lives Inside not only knew where to take ideas from, but where to take them to and took more narrative risks, it would've been a much more elevated horror film instead of a mediocre one. The production values are the film's greatest strengths, so at least it's visually stylish thanks to the production design, lighting, make-up and CGI effects. The impressive sound design is also worth mentioning. However, beyond aesthetics, there's nothing about It Lives Inside that makes it stand-out nor does the film's visual style compensate for its lack of substance. Even The Nun II has cinematography that's more gritty and eerie. The performances are fine, but they're undermined by the shallow and dull screenplay. At a running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes, It Lives Inside is visually stylish, but lackluster, unimaginative and undercooked while too low on scares, suspense and thrills.
 My Sailor, My Love  Howard (James Cosmo), a retired sea captain, sparks a romance with his new housekeeper, Annie (Brid Brennan), whom his daughter, Grace (Catherine Walker), hires for him. The screenplay by co-writers Jimmy Karlsson and Kirsi Vikman has no surprises nor does it chart any new territory, but it's not fundamentally about its wafer-thin plot; it's about how the characters feel and innately grow. When Howard first meets Annie, they're like oil and vinegar---he's the vinegar because he's rude and cantankerous, and she's the oil. He instantly dismisses her and wants to be left alone, but the next day, he visits her to apologize. Of course, despite his bitterness, he has a heart of gold. Of course, they'll end up in a romance together. What complicates matters, though, is that Howard has a rocky relationship with his daughter, Grace, so they both examine their relationship and pent-up feelings that rise to the surface. Annie has a life of her own that she wants to live with her husband. There's more to Annie than meets the eye: she's a widow who's dealing with her own emotional pain. So, just as expected, she and Howard discover that they have more in common than they thought they'd have. It's poignant and fascinating to watch how their relationship evolves and blooms. Howard has a lot of hatred both toward himself as well as for others. Annie helps him to embrace love and, more importantly, to have compassion and love for himself. The film's most powerful, yet unpreachy message is that it's never too late to grow up and to learn to love yourself. In a way, Howard's fundamental romance in My Sailor, My Love is with himself. James Cosmo and Brid Brennan both give tender, genuinely heartfelt performances. Cosmo is very reminiscent of Brian Cox physically and in his acting talent as well as his charisma. He has palpable chemistry with Brid Brennan even when Howard and Annie bicker---they're initially like two characters who are opposites in a screwball comedy. You know that they'll end up together, but it's the journey to that moment that counts. The cinematography and scenery of Ireland are often breathtaking and poetic, although the filmmakers overuse the bird-eye view shots of a car winding down a road and there are other shots, like the ones of the sea, that last too long. The pace moves leisurely---not too fast or too slow---which allows the audience to absorb the scenes more fully, so the filmmakers trust the audience's patience without going overboard by trusting it too much. At a running time of 1 hour and 43 minutes, My Sailor, My Love is a charming, tender and heartfelt love story.  Nightsiren 
 The Origin of Evil 
 Relax, I'm From the Future  Casper (Rhys Darby) claims that he's from the future and wants to save the world. He meets Holly (Gabrielle Graham) and helps her to become rich while trying to avoid Doris (Janine Theriault) who's trying to make him disappear with her vaporizer gun. Writer/director Luke Higginson deserves credit for an compelling premise that sounds like it could be a wildly entertaining, zany and funny sci-fi comedy. However, it doesn't quite live up to its potential because the comedic attempts fall flat and the plot doesn't take enough risks. If it were campy, perhaps it would be at least mindlessly fun. There's too much clunky exposition during the first hour as the screenplay does a lazy job of introducing Casper to the audience and takes a while to answer basic questions like what his true purpose is. During those expositional scenes, the narrative momentum comes to a near standstill. You'll learn the rules about time travel, but very little about what he was like in the future that he lived in before he got stuck in the past. Why does Doris (Janine Theriault) want to vaporize him? Is Casper hiding any secrets? Eventually, those questions, and more get answered, but by then it's easy to lose interest in both the plot and Casper. His relationship with Holly isn't very interesting, moving or well-developed. A lot goes on during the third act, but very little of it sticks. Moreover, the film doesn't make the most out of its "fish out of water," comedy-of-error or outrageous humor, so it's especially disappointing as a comedy. Despite Rhys Darby's spirited performance, he lacks the comedic timing to turn Casper into a memorably funny character. To be fair, though, at least he's not as awkwardly wooden and bland as Charlie Day is in Fool's Paradise, another comedic misfire. He and Gabrielle Graham lack chemistry although they do have a few amusing scenes together, but they're far and few between. There's nothing exceptional about the production values, editing or anything else that would've added some much-needed oomph to the film. Fortunately, it's only 1 hour and 32 minutes, so it's not a chore to sit through like the recent Outlaw Johnny Black that clocks past the 2 hour mark. Ultimately, Relax, I'm From the Future is a harmless, but mostly unfunny, witless and dull sci-fi-comedy.
 The Origin of Evil
The Sixth Reel  Jimmy (Charles Busch), a movie collector, discovers that his friend, Gerald, had died when he visits his apartment. He finds the sixth reel of a long-lost Lon Chaney film, London After Midnight, but his attempts to sell it with the help of Helen (Julie Halston), Gerald's niece, becomes a lot more complicated than he could've imagined. The screenplay by co-writers/directors Carl Andress and Charles Busch is campy and intermittently funny, but also clunky and tonally uneven. It starts like most comedies do: with tragedies. Jimmy is struggling to make ends meet and could be evicted soon. He learns about the death of his friend, Gerald, within the first ten minutes. Interestingly, you never got to meet Gerald or learn what kind of a friendship he had with Jimmy, so Gerald and his death merely seems like a plot device. All of the characters, for that matter, are mostly over-the-top caricatures which is fine because it makes the film feel light and breezy. However, it also becomes increasingly preposterous and silly, especially during the very rushed third act. Some of the dialogue is funny while some tries too hard to be funny and falls flat or just feels awkward. So, not all of the beats land, but when they do, the film sparkles with wit, zaniness and screwball comedy. Charles Busch gives an amusing, lively performance that's effectively campy at times. Julie Halston is also superb, but some of the supporting actors are mediocre at best and lack comedic timing, so the ensemble cast is a mixed bag when it comes to their performances. At least everyone on screen seems to be having a lot of fun in their role, especially the charismatic Patrick Page. The editing feels occasionally choppy and there are pacing issues with some scenes overstaying their welcome. Also, the filmmakers should be commended for keeping the running time down to 1 hour and 34 minutes which is ideal for a comedy. The Sixth Reel doesn't come close to being cult classic material, but it's harmless and mildly engaging.
 Something You Said Last Night  Renata (Carmen Madonia), an unemployed trans woman, joins her mother, Mona (Ramona Milano), father, Guido (Joe Parro), and younger sister, Sienna (Paige Evans), for a vacation at a lakeside resort. Another week, another "slice-of-life" where very little happens. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't while other times it lands somewhere in between. It all depends on to what extent the filmmakers are able to find Spectacle within the Truth. The screenplay by writer/director Luis De Filippis falls right in the middle because she doesn't always find the Spectacle. She paints a portrait of a family who, as it turns out, is somewhat dysfunctional. Tensions and conflicts arise when they spend time together during their vacation, but they're understated without being unflinching, dark or profound. Renata has just lost her job and issues with being insecure while her sister isn't happy being around the family and prefers to party. Is Renata depressed? How introspective is she? It's hard to tell because the screenplay doesn't do an adequate job of providing a window into her heart, mind and soul. There's not enough comic relief, surprises or memorable scenes, but at least it's not as lethargic and meandering as Waiting for the Lights to Change. What helps to keep the movie afloat are the tender performances which feel natural, especially Carmen Madonia and Ramona Milano who are radiant. It's too bad that they're undermined by a screenplay that doesn't breathe enough life into their roles, so their characters remain at somewhat of a cold distance from the audience despite the terrific performances. The use of music enlivens the film a little, but beyond that there's nothing about the film's production values that stand out to add style. Writer/director Luis De Filippis makes good use of quieter moments, though, and grasps the concept that silence can often speak louder than words. At a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes, which feels more like 2 hours, Something You Said Last Night is mildly engaging and understated, but somewhat shallow and underwhelming. It's just as bland as its title.
 What Doesn't Float  What Doesn't Float is an anthology film about New Yorkers in various stages of struggle. The screenplay by Shauna Fitzgerald has eight short stories with characters who aren't interconnected. Each story is dark, albeit some are more dark than others, and could have easily been turned into longer films. Fitzgerald introduces the characters and their conflicts before moving on to the next short story. So, the film feels like a snapshot of New Yorkers even though it's not a documentary. The characters aren't always pleasant to be around and some stories, like the one about the drug addict, are more engaging than other stories, but there are also some surprising moments of poignancy and tenderness that won't be revealed here. Unlike the recent Satanic Hispanics, What Doesn't Float doesn't even have a wrap-around story to provide a clear-cut purpose to the eight stories. In other words, the filmmakers trust the audience's imagination and intelligence to piece it all together on their own and make their own connections and come up with their own conclusions. Even the resolutions are left to your imagination because none of the short stories has one, much like some things in life. Perhaps What Doesn't Float would've benefited from fewer and longer short stories. Otherwise, they each feel incomplete and unimaginative. The performances are decent with no one really standing out because the screenplay doesn't give the characters much time on screen for the audience to get to truly get to know them. So, there are too many characters and not enough character development or emotional depth, but there are some snippets of heartfelt moments. The city becomes like a character in and of itself, and the filmmakers should be commended for showing a grittier side of New York; this doesn't even come close to Woody Allen's romantic perspective of the city. The cinematograph is fine and maintains the film's sense of naturalism and grit without excessive visual style. That said, the editing between the short stories does feel a little abrupt at times while making you feel like there should've been lengthier scenes. At least What Doesn't Float is gritty and doesn't overstay its welcome at a running time of 1 hour and 10 minutes, but it's ultimately less than the sum of its parts.
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