 There tends to be a fair share of names that are attached to movies that are bound to get my attention enough to be a sort of "Golden Ticket" to something that's, at the very least, objectively "good." One of those names is Leonardo DiCaprio, who, while perhaps seen as more of a teenage heartthrob back in the day, has since grown into a chameleon of an actor and can play anything from suave and intelligent to what he delivers here, as he portrays a far-left extremist who also happens to be a reclusive paranoid stoner.
Adding a little more draw to the film is director Paul Thomas Anderson, who has his own slightly more realistic, if a bit wacky, storytelling style, conjuring up some real classics like 'Boogie Nights,' 'Inherent Vice' and 'There Will Be Blood' to name a few. Here, he gives us a few more of his famously complex characters and gives the otherwise rather serious story a dark, comedic spin. The viewer isn't gonna be slapping their knees or anything. Still, the film isn't without a few much-needed moments to lighten things up, generally revolving around DiCaprio's performance. In this film, we hit the ground running as "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun (DiCaprio) meets up with the French 75, a far-left revolutionary group which includes Pat's lover, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). I'm still trying to work out how much of that is her real name, and how much is a nickname. Regardless, the group embarks on a mission to rescue immigrants from the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, CA. During the mission, Perfidia finds commanding officer Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) and, noticing how creepily he looks at her, sexually humiliates him, which he seems to have a bit of a fetish for. Once Perfidia detains Lockjaw, she and Pat escape after a job well done, and continue their acts of revolutionary terrorism, all while keeping an amorous sex life. On one such mission, Lockjaw catches Perfidia planting a bomb, agreeing only to release her for sexual favours. Perfidia soon ends up with a baby that Pat takes on as their daughter. Still, Perfidia's not finished fighting her war, and abandons them both, only to end up in witness protection while Pat and the baby, Charlene, take on aliases Bob and Willa Ferguson as they go off the grid to hide from authorities. Sixteen years pass, Lockjaw manages to move up the rankings to Colonel, and he gets invited to join the extreme far right secret society, The Christmas Adventurers Club, which is full of white supremicists who insist that their members steer clear of interracial relationships, which prompts Lockjaw to seek out Willa, who could be his daughter, in an effort to cover up his past. A distress signal is soon sent out to other members of the French 75, including Bob, who quickly realizes that authorities are after his daughter, whom he means to intercept with the help of his "Sensei" (Benicio Del Toro) before something extreme occurs. Everyone is good in this; it's a testament to Anderson's directorial skills. For as much as DiCaprio carries the film, though, I'd be hard-pressed not to point out Penn's performance as the villain here just the same. Penn plays a pathetic, sleazy creep so incredibly well that I'd say he makes my list of most memorable movie villains for the year. I must also mention the surprise performance of Regina Hall, who plays Deandra, there to help Willa hide from those after her. I know her best as the over-the-top Brenda in the 'Scary Movie' series, and here, she really manages to show her acting chops. At the end of the day, this is a political thriller with doses of comedy that tackles real-world issues, and it has been seen as "bold" for addressing some of the subject matter. I can basically agree with everything positive that the film has going for it, and on top of that, I tend not to enjoy political thrillers. This movie did things in a way that made it easier for me to empathize with the characters than I usually do, and it helps that the film goes to certain extremes to keep my attention. Speaking as a fan, I wouldn't say it's a favourite DiCaprio title, but it's certainly worth a sit-through if you have nearly 3 hours to kill. 4/5  Where to begin with 'F1?' Unfortunately, this ended up being one of those movies that leaves me with not a whole lot to say, review-wise, despite enjoying it for what it is, which is a racing movie that follows a particular formula (no pun intended). You can, in many ways, go into this knowing that you've seen something just like it before, as far as the overall story goes. With that, I couldn't say the film's overall story particularly blew me away, as I could anticipate most of what was about to happen at every turn.
Take my observations lightly, however. Just because I can see specific outcomes before they happen with this does not mean it's in any way bad, or that I wouldn't recommend it. On the contrary, that's my only complaint about the movie, and as I like to say, it's very much a "me" thing. Truth be told, everything about this movie that impresses is what's aside from the main story, and before you conclude that that makes for something "bad," remember it happened with 'Avatar.' The box office returns for that particular flick speak for themselves. Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is a former Formula One racer, working as a racer for hire, following a terrible accident that significantly injured him during the 1993 Spanish Grand Prix, which ended his F1 career. He's approached one day by his former teammate, Rubén Cervantes (Javier Bardem), who now owns the F1 team APXGP (Apex Grand Prix) and offers Sonny a test drive to fill their spare seat in the World Constructors' Championship. Knowing Sonny is the best at what he does, Rubén needs his skills to get his team to win one of the nine remaining Grand Prix that year, lest his investors sell Apex. Soon enough, Sonny reluctantly accepts the offer and heads to test at the Silverstone Circuit, where he meets Kaspar Smolinski (Kim Bodnia), the team principal; Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), the team's ambitious female technical director; and the cocky but driven-to-win F1 rookie, Joshua Pierce (Damson Idris). Long story short, Sonny is signed once Kaspar recognizes his unique skill set, and that he may be just what the team needs. However, this is much the shagrin of Joshua, who proves difficult for Sonny to work with - even if Sonny is kinda being a jerk most of the time. One thing I can certainly give the film is its characters. You gain insight into the perspectives of Sonny and Joshua, and discover that the more they differ, the more similar they become. While Sonny is an old-school racer and will push the envelope as a racing prodigy, doing whatever it takes to win, Joshua falls into the would-be celebrity category, threatened by Sonny's return. Both characters are cocky assholes in their ways, but somehow, both are still likable in their ways, especially in Joshua's case when we see his relationship with his Mother (Sarah Niles). As part of this aforementioned "formula," however, of course, part of it involves a blossoming love-interest portion between Sonny and Kate. Still, Kate was a fallible character, playing the role of perhaps the most important person on the Apex team, yet revealing her flaws when she's not on top of her game. And this is far from something like 'Top Gun' where the love story is a massive chunk of the movie. On the contrary, they maintain a professional demeanour throughout most of the film, and the moments that do occur between them are relatively subtle. The shiniest part of the movie, however, is the races themselves. Once they hit the track, and the adrenaline kicks in, you can constantly remind yourself, as you watch, that what you're seeing is real racing/driving, and not a whole whack of CG to make the impossible look possible. Combine a lot of the footage with a top-notch rock n' roll soundtrack that'll make you feel the need for speed, and even at the film's worst, it's a whole lot of fun, and a hell of a ride. Despite a bit of predictability, it's still well worth checking out. 4/5  Pixar consistently does an excellent job of storytelling, and lately, they've been back on top in terms of the quality of their movies. 'Elio' is just the next chapter of Pixar's unstoppable success. I will say, right off the bat, that this is one I feel caters a bit more to the kids. While it has its share of depth, I didn't feel that emotional punch that has impacted me with past Pixar movies. With that, I think my closest comparison is 'Coco,' which did a great deal more for me in the long run.
But that's not to say that this is anything to turn your nose up at. 'Elio' does manage to still carry the heart of Pixar with things like an opening that might hit one in the feels (like 'Up'), but remains lighthearted and fun the whole way through, to the point where even the big baddie in the film isn't as scary as he is over the top silly. And, of course, like most Pixar movies, there's a healthy dose of "cute" to it, and it's another solid title that will have you leaving with a smile. However, it's far from the personal favourite that I thought it might be. As the film opens, we learn that a young boy named Elio Solís (Yonas Kibreab) has been orphaned following the death of his parents. Here's where I take a moment to credit the writers for NOT detailing the parents' death (which is almost always a car accident). It allows the viewer to focus more on the outcome, as Elio is a very lonely boy, now forced to live with his aunt, Olga (Zoe Saldana), and an Air Force major who, to her credit, doesn't pursue a career as an astronaut so she can care for Elio. However, in turn, this causes Elio to consider himself a burden on her, and he has his share of insecurities. One day, Elio stumbles upon an exhibit about Voyager 1 and its Golden Record, becoming wonderstruck by the idea of other life being out there in the cosmos and trying to make contact. He works on his alien contact project for a while, which is eventually ruined by a couple of kids, Bryce (Young Dylan) and his jerk friend, Caleb (Jake Getman), which, in turn, causes Elio to lose his temper, and a fight ensues. He finds himself under the closer watchful eye of his Aunt Olga, who brings him to work with her, which... I don't know what's possible in reality as an Air Force major, but what do I know? Elio manages to sneak his way into an emergency meeting, overhears the possibility of an alien signal, and considers the idea that the airwaves may be open to sending another message and establishing some form of communication. It's dismissed, everyone leaves, but Elio stays behind to send a signal of his own, cause a power outage and nearly get Olga fired. He's then sent to a youth camp where, eventually, while dodging the same kids he fought with, Aliens find him, abduct him, and all of his dreams start coming true (hoping to be abducted and taken off this planet where he can begin anew). They even clone him to keep Olga fooled. Things start just about as he imagined, with kindly alien creatures of unique designs who welcome him into their society with open arms. However, also trying to infiltrate this society is the hot-tempered Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), who poses a threat to the entire civilization. When Elio volunteers to become an ambassador to negotiate with Grigon, simply so he can stay, is when the real adventure begins, as Elio finds himself in over his head, but also befriending a young "Hylurgian" named Glordon (Remy Edgerly) as pictured above. While the film has all the heart, charm, cuteness, and humour that Pixar typically offers, what it shines in is its unique look. Not just the worlds the alien creatures come from, but the creatures themselves, and not a single one of them is a typical "Grey" as we know them. It pops with colour and atmosphere, and manages to be a feast for the eyes. It just didn't hit me as hard emotionally as something like 'Soul' or 'Inside Out 2,' offering something lighter, like 'Luca' or 'Turning Red.' But it's nevertheless solid and worth checking out. 3/5  While Disney is taking the lead with their live-action remakes of animated classics, DreamWorks has come along with 'How to Train Your Dragon,' illustrating that other studios are also getting into this money-making idea. However, without being too cynical, unlike the Disney collection, this translates less as a simple cash-in remake and more as a revamping of the classic 2010 film, especially since the same writer and director, Dean DeBlois, is responsible for both the remake and the animated version.
While this film is doing well with audiences, who have been praising it, it remains average. This title isn't quite like 'Beauty and the Beast,' which had me wondering what made it so special, meaning I can see some of this movie's real positives. However, it still falls under the category of 'copy and paste,' which is the most significant criticism I have of the Disney live-action titles, with few exceptions. Besides adding a scene here or removing a scene there, it will still generally boil down to the same overall story with the same lessons, morals, and so on. For those who haven't seen the original animated movie (which is still probably better, surprising no one), in centres on a Viking boy named Hiccup (Mason Thames) who lives among seveal other rough and tumble Vikings, including such figures as his chieftain father, Stoick (Gerard Butler), and blacksmith, Gobber (Nick Frost), whom he's apprentice to. Unlike many villages whose pests are common, like mice or mosquitos, in their town of Berk, these Vikings have to deal with dragons constantly threatening their livestock and their homes. Hiccup has an overwhelming desire to down one of these ferocious dragons, as it would help make up for his stringbean-like strength and impress his father. During a dragon raid, Hiccup uses a bola launcher on the most elusive and cunning dragon species of them all, the Night Fury: a fast and furious dragon that cannot be seen under the cover of night, but Hiccup manages to take it down. In his attempt to prove himself, he heads out to finish the job, but upon seeing the creature's eyes, Hiccup cannot follow through with the kill. Out of compassion for the creature, Hiccup releases the Night Fury, befriends it, and names it "Toothless," due to its retractable teeth. As he goes back and forth from Toothless to his village, he teaches a lot of the other young Vikings; dragon geek, Fishlegs (Julian Dennison), cocky coward, Snotlout (Gabriel Howell), twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut (Bronwyn James and Harry Trevaldwyn, respectively), and Viking warrior to be, Astrid (Nico Parker) a thing or two about how perhaps violence against the dragons isn't the answer, and maybe they can be tamed. Beyond understanding the misunderstood, there are also themes of finding one's place while seeking acceptance and the desire to prove oneself, illustrated mainly by the relationship Hiccup has with his father. It may all be better done here, but it's not enough to say I prefer this one over the classic. However, I can appreciate the desire to enhance one's creation, not so much in a George Lucas way by overwriting what he's done, but by creating a separate product altogether. One might prefer DeBlois' animated version of the film, while others might prefer this version. There's a lot to enjoy about this version of the film, regardless of my opinions on it. Doing things like being able to offer some 3D, live-action dragon flying sequences makes things look good, but once it's out of theatres, it'll go 'Avatar' and the impact will be lost. I could take or leave this movie, which is not to say that it was bad or that I didn't enjoy it. But it always comes back to the same thing for me, knowing that a classic version of the film already exists, and that this is essentially the same thing, utilizing today's technologies to make something live-action look good. 3/5  A long time ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the original 'Lilo & Stitch,' which ended up being a movie I skipped, as at the time, I was pretty ignorant about the potential it would have to work its way into being among a personal favourite of the Disney animated library. I largely ignored it because we started getting instantly forgettable titles like 'Dinosaur' and 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire.' But then again, you had titles like 'The Emperor's New Groove,' which I also love. In other words, things were very hit-or-miss.
Upon watching the original film, however, I found myself charmed by it, and considering it surprisingly edgy with its sense of humour, i.e. Lilo practicing voodoo with dolls she made, telling someone "they need to be punished," or even some of the lighter parts of it, like when Stitch says "Meega, nala kweesta," and its meant to be taken as something we can't understand. Still, you know it's something terrible, as some characters even throw up after it's said. Upon a bit of digging, it supposedly means, "I want to destroy," but that's no fun. Let it be a dirty word - that's so much funnier. Back to the movie at hand, however, this was one of the live-action Disney remakes that came along, and I was willing to give it a proper chance. The reason was not so much that I already liked the animated movie and thought a live-action film would be a good idea, but more because 'Lilo & Stitch' was among the more fun-loving, good-time animated films in the Disney library. I'd place it alongside something like 'Emperor's New Groove,' where the comedy takes a front seat, and there's not a whole hell of a lot of seriousness to behold. Plot-wise, it is a copy-and-paste concept from the original film, with various additions and changes. Stitch, first known as "626" (voiced by Chris Sanders, who also portrayed the original Stitch), is the result of an experiment created by mad scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis) in the hopes of causing destruction and mayhem throughout the galaxy. After a trial, Jumba is sentenced to prison, and 626 is exiled. However, 626 manages to escape the planet by stealing a police vehicle, utilizing its hyperdrive, and eventually crash-landing on Earth, where he is found and brought to an animal shelter. Meanwhile, in Hawaii, two sisters, the young Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and the forced Mother figure, Nani (Sydney Agudong), have lost their parents and are doing their best to carry on. While Lilo gets bullied at Hula school and longs for a friend, Nani deals with grown-up issues, like keeping a steady job and struggling to pass social worker inspections performed by Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere, who voiced the original Nani) who is overseen by Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance), which is one of those weird changes that makes things not quite as fun, being that Cobra Bubbles was just a very intimidating social worker in the original. Anyway, to wrap things up, Lilo is taken to the aforementioned animal shelter where she meets the likes of 626, names him "Stitch," and the pair get into all sorts of mischief. But little does Lilo know that Stitch is being hunted by his creator and Earth expert, Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), who is sent to recapture Stitch and bring him back to the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham). Somewhat villainous at first, Stitch soon learns the meaning of 'ohana - "Family" and that there's more to life than destruction and mayhem. To no one's surprise, I prefer the original animated film. Like many other Disney live-action adaptations, people will argue about the changes made here and there or the inclusion of extra scenes that add more depth to the film. But from my perspective, it's simply a way for Disney to retell a story they already have in their library, introducing it to a new generation, because for some reason, they feel like they need to "George Lucas" everything by making it "better." This was fun, as I suspected it would be, but as it is with pretty much all of these, the original is still a classic that can't be made "better" just by giving it a live-action twist. 3/5  I have a personal trend regarding video game-adapted movies in that I haven't played the game in about nine cases out of ten, and 'Until Dawn' is no exception. So, while fans of these games can poke at everything wrong with these movies, I can approach them from the other side. In other words, I can watch these and ask, "Is it just a good movie?" So, I go in with an open mind, and in this case, I was looking for a good horror movie, and I got a pretty decent one overall, all considered.
As with any video game adaptation, however, this one has been criticized for being unfaithful to the source material and the idea that it's a story that takes place in the same universe to "expand" on the game's lore. Being none the wiser, however, this was conceptually pretty cool, taking the tired concept of a group of teens going up against something horrific and trying to survive. But this took things a step further, even though it's using something that is slowly becoming a trope - the idea of "extra lives," which has been portrayed in horror before with movies like 'Happy Death Day.' That said, however, it seems to also be a part of the game. Sometime before the film's events, a girl named Melanie goes missing, prompting her sister Clover (Ella Rubin), along with her ex, Max (Michael Cimino), and friends, Nina (Odessa A'zion), her boyfriend, Abe (Belmont Cameli) and apparent clairvoyant, Megan (Ji-young Yoo), to retrace Mel's steps and search for her in the surrounding area, which starts with a stop at a gas station, where they meet Dr. Hill (Peter Stormare) who directs them to the sleepy mining town of Glore Valley, where "a lot of people go missing." The group heads towards the town when a violent rainstorm forces them to take shelter at a nearby town visitor's centre, which, oddly, seems to exist in a strange, dry bubble out of the storm. Before long, the group explores the seemingly abandoned visitor's centre, stumbling on things like a guestbook with repeated signatures, a wall of missing person posters, and, most bizarrely, a big clock with an hourglass. As everyone does their separate thing, they don't realize that they've just become part of something sinister. Almost immediately, the group gets killed off, one by one, only to have the clock with the hourglass in it flip over, reset, and bring everyone back to their respective "starting points" to try again. However, with each attempt to survive the night, each person becomes increasingly wounded and deformed, slowly becoming a creature. If they don't get out of this, they'll fully transform into "Wendigos" and "become part of the night." I don't know what's accurate to the game and what isn't, but I had fun with it. In some ways, it reminded me of 'The Cabin in the Woods,' showing how your choices can ultimately lead to your doom. However, this brings it to the point of being afraid to do anything. I won't spoil it, but I will say that one particular night, the group does something incredibly mundane, leading to an almost hilarious kill sequence. I don't want to sound too sadistic, but I did laugh out loud. One thing that worked for me in this movie was that there was a sort of self-awareness that was funnier than I thought it might be. As a straightforward horror flick, this works out well, even if it recycles a trope or two that we've seen repeatedly and becomes somewhat predictable. Fans of the game should probably go in with lowered expectations because it seems the kind of adaptation that veers away from what the fans of the source material are used to, aside from some of the bare basics. I could give it more credit if I saw more positive reviews from the game's fans. As much fun as I may have had with it, accepting it for what it was, I still firmly believe that true fans should come first and keep demanding better. 3/5  While it could be said that the vampire thing has been done time and time again and is old news at this point, I think it could also be noted that this is an interesting and unique twist on the genre, once again showing that if only a bit of imagination is put behind these things, they don't have to come across as "typical." I suggest this isn't entirely a vampire movie, so much as some extension of blues lore. That's right. It's a music movie. And let's face it - music and horror are not realms often dabbled in together.
Let's start with a quick recap of Robert Johnson, a blues singer and songwriter. Legend has it that with his desire to become a great blues musician, he met up with the Devil himself at the crossroads near Dockery Plantation at midnight and sold his soul to succeed with a guitar. Although this story has no direct relation to that legend, it feels like a curt nod to it, as a LOT of it has to do with the combination of great music bringing in terrible evil. On top of that, we're talking about a similar time and place; 1930s Mississippi. Identical twins and war veterans, "Smoke" and "Stack" (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan) make their return to Clarksdale, Mississippi, after working in Chicago with hopes of opening a joke joint for the black community, using a generous sum of stolen money to purchase a sawmill. They also bring their cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton), into the mix, as he wishes to play for them and show off his incredible talent with a guitar, going against the wishes of his pastor Jedidiah (Saul Williams), who warns of the supernatural element of what music can do. After a recruitment process that involves bringing in pianist Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), singer Pearline (Jayme Lawson), Smoke's estranged wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) as a cook, shopkeepers Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo (Yao) as suppliers, and a big guy named "Cornbread" (Omar Benson Miller) as a bouncer, the opening night eventually gets underway. Stack also reunites with his ex lover, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who isn't here quite as much as one might expect by the trailers, but I will say that this is one of her better acting jobs, overall. The party goes into the night, and Sammie gets to perform, playing and singing his soul out. At this point, the film takes an incredible opportunity to show us a musical evolution as the camera pans through the sawmill, and we see a massive blend of music genres mashed up together. It's the best scene in the movie, contributing a sense of how, after all these years, music can bring together community in an almost supernatural way. That's what I got out of the scene. It's random, but it works incredibly well. Back to the story, briefly, Sammie's music breaks the supernatural barrier, drawing a band of hungry vampires towards them, led by Irish immigrant Remmick (Jack O'Connell). In many ways, the situation turns into 'From Dusk 'Til Dawn' as a group of survivors, after the vampires show up, lock themselves in the sawmill and do their best to survive until morning. That sounds simpler than it should be, though, as it's when the vampires show up that the film takes off. Until then, it's a slow burn. Any valid criticisms I have about the film are few and far between and, as usual, nit-picky. This is another one that will likely grow on me over time. Overall, I found it a little slow-moving, and when comparing it to 'Dusk 'Till Dawn,' it's the less action-packed of the two. However, I give the film full credit for trying something different with the vampire genre and entertaining me in many ways I didn't expect. So don't watch it just as a vampire movie because there's so much more to it regarding the music of the time and the characters involved. It was intriguing, to say the least. 4/5  The documentary of the same name from 2019 tells the harrowing story of a rescue mission within the rough, churning North Sea, highlighting one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet - one many of us, including myself, are sort of oblivious to until a story like this comes along. We realize how these people put their lives at risk to help the rest of the world. I didn't know about this story until this film started getting advertised, and it has given me a whole new respect for these brave people we take for granted daily.
Saturation diving is a technique of deep-sea diving that allows the divers to work at crushing depths of up to 1000 ft. to maintain things like off-shore oil rigs and underwater pipelines. To explain it in more detail, just as I did for the documentary review, here's a link to the Wiki article on the subject. Beyond the basics, it's a bit complicated for me, but it seems a complex process nonetheless. The kind of process where if you screw up one minute detail, it could be considerably dangerous or even life-threatening. According to diver Chris Lemons' (Finn Cole) then fiancee, Morag (Bobby Rainsbury), saturation diving is a lot like going to space but underwater. Things start as a business-as-usual scenario as Chris boards the ship he's to work from, greeting friend and fellow diver Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson) and eventually meeting a rather cold individual named David Yuasa (Simu Liu), who will be diving with them on a job to repair an underwater gas line manifold. While on the job, a storm starts brewing above, but they continue, as it's still "divable." The three divers use a diving bell that fits the three of them. While Chris and David go to work on the manifold, at eerie, pitch-black depths with just a little flashlight on their diving suits to help them, Duncan stays in the bell to monitor them and feed their umbilicals, which supply a combo of oxygen and helium (heliox), warmth and communication. While they set to work, the storm makes their vessel's Dynamic Positioning System glitch, causing the ship to drift, dragging the bell with Duncan inside and the umbilicals of David, who manages to scramble back to the bell, and Chris, who isn't quite so lucky. As the ship drifts, Chris' umbilical gets caught and eventually snaps, leaving him with just ten minutes of backup air in the pitch blackness of the depths of the North Sea. His only hope is to find the manifold and climb to its top to await Dave's rescue, which is much easier said than done, considering the circumstances. The entire team pulls together to get Chris back to his fiancee alive, brainstorming what to do with limited resources due to the ship's electric malfunction. Things get pretty intense. Of course, the film takes a few liberties, but it doesn't miss either. It does a good job of adapting the documentary into a Hollywood film, and whatever liberties they seem to take make sense to try to make things more exciting. But at least they don't have, like, some surprise shark attack that never happened or something. I'm talking more about making the storm look rougher than it may have been or dramatizing the characters who participated in the event a bit more. Nothing bad at all. So, points for that. One particular thing about the documentary and the feature film is that if you don't know the story yet and are interested, I recommend checking out the documentary first. It's easy to find online if you know where to look. But it'll give you a much better appreciation for the real people involved, as you can sense the camaraderie between the divers, namely Chris and Duncan, and you'll come to notice while watching the film here that they splice in some of the actual footage from the doc to make things a bit more authentic. I'm glad I checked this whole story out. As mentioned earlier, I now have a new appreciation for these workers. 4/5  I should start by pointing out one significant detail about this film: if you're anything like me and have ONLY gone by trailers, despite some elements within the film, it is by almost no means a horror movie, which is what I thought I was getting into. Often, when it comes to a trailer that feels like it leads me in a different direction, I'm disappointed with the results. I may be more forgiving than others, but it does suck to be excited about a movie, then get something completely unexpected handed to you instead.
In the case of 'Presence,' however, it's a film that didn't deliver what I expected, but in a much more positive and creative way. To be clear, this is one of the trailers I'm referring to, and that's ALL I went in with. Instead of a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller as one might expect, the film turns into more of a dysfunctional family drama, and it's all filmed from the ghost's perspective. It's very similar to 'A Ghost Story,' but filmed in POV rather than presenting us with the classic cartoon ghost design of some dude in a sheet. The opening brings you into the film nicely as the ghost looks out the window at what appears to be a very early dawn; the house is still dark as it roams around to a bit of haunting but lovely music. It's reminiscent of the opening to 'Halloween,' but without violence. It's more of a generous tour of the empty house, ending in a bedroom closet, where we can assume this "presence" resides, coming out occasionally to wander. That is until a family of four comes along and moves in. The key player here is daughter Chloe Payne (Callina Liang), who is still grieving over the tragic passing of her best friend, Nadia. While her Dad, Chris (Chris Sullivan), is fully supportive and perhaps the most likable character in the film, her Mom, Rebekah (Lucy Liu), is far too sidetracked by her swim-champ son, Tyler (Eddy Maday) and nurtures him much more. One can say that neither of these characters is likable, but buckle up because I haven't mentioned one particular douchebag yet. As Chloe mourns, she moves into the aforementioned room with the haunted closet and eventually feels the presence of a spirit she believes is Nadia. As the rest of the film unfolds, we see the family go through their motions: the fights, the heartfelt chats, etc. Essentially, the ghost also plays the audience. I've never seen anything like this before, and I was impressed with its overall execution. The trailer prepared me for some good, sharp terror, but I got something a little more heartfelt and relatable, which I appreciated. Back to the "douchebag," a character named Ryan (West Mulholland) eventually comes along, and he's easy to hate right off the bat. If I had beef with this movie, it had to be that character. You ARE supposed to dislike him, much like Rebekah and Tyler, and maybe it's just the kid's acting skills, but he made Anakin in 'Episode II' look like Darth Vader in 'Rogue One.' But I will be fair here enough to say that he was also given some of the cheesiest, dumbest, worst lines in the movie. If the goal was to make him awful, mission accomplished. The flip of genres from trailer to screen will bother some people and probably explains why the RT Audience Meter is significantly lower than the Critic Meter, but I have to side with the critics. I appreciated how this was something from the other side's perspective, allowing the viewer to feel everything the ghost felt while watching different scary, real-life scenarios with living people. That's the beauty of this movie. The scary parts have nothing to do with the supernatural. For me, this was an art piece more than just another movie about a haunting. 4/5 |
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