At Cannes last week, Nicolas Winding Refn was there with his newest film Her Private Hell. In an interview, he brought up that he would love to direct a Batgirl film. Now, I know this would never happen, but let’s pretend and go over a couple problems if this were to actually happen. One, Refn’s filmography doesn’t really scream “superhero movie”. He is best known for the films Drive and The Neon Demon. Two films that aren’t exactly four quadrant films like WB would want Batgirl to be. The second, and more pressing issue, is that WB already had a Batgirl film reportedly ready to go, and they killed it for the tax write off. It would be just hilarious to watch them make this second one, and then kill that one too. However, again, Refn is never making a DC film, and Batgirl stays on the sidelines.
As for this final week of May, I had a Memorial Day doubleheader, and a Saturday triple header. I haven’t pulled off a 3 film day at the theater in a few years. Was it a long day at the AMC? On to the reviews!
A group of shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven by stealing her clothes and reselling them at a lower price, what they call “fashion-forward philanthropy.”
Boots Riley’s follow-up to 2018’s wild Sorry to Bother You had some serious hype behind it. Premiering at South by Southwest this past March, word from the festival was excellent. Having not seen the film, it’s kind of a mix bag for me. The film kind of comes off in parts is an adult live action cartoon, and I don’t mean that really in a bad way. It’s a fun film for the most part, however, what kind of loses me is kind of what made Sorry To Bother You such a inventive movie. That story in the third act kind of goes wild, and I won’t spoil what happens in that film, but it really takes a film in a new direction. For Riley’s follow up here, he does the same thing, and what he does here I think just does not work. It is just a step too far the wrong direction in my mind. We were already in a really weird interesting place with the main concept, and I don’t think we needed this extra flourish. The cast is all very good here, and they all know what kind of film they are in. A stand-out for me was Naomi Ackie, but also of note for me was Keke Palmer, Demi Moore, Poppy Liu, and Will Poulter. LaKeith Stanfield is back in this after STBY, and his character is certainly another example of this film being all over the place story-wise. There is a film somewhere in this almost two hours that I think really would have worked for me, but there were just a couple too many offshoots for me to fully be on board.
After a young couple witnesses a gruesome highway accident, they soon realize they did not leave the crash scene alone, as a demonic presence called the Passenger won’t stop until it claims them both.
This film did have an interesting premise where, after a couple stops to check on a car accident, a ghost/demon that haunts the freeway follows them wherever they go. The film does provide some very interesting and sometimes tense moments (there is a very creative campsite sequence) and some creative ways to move the plot along. At no point in the film was I bored, but one problem I did have was the very beginning, but that because I see a lot of films. I’ve seen this trailer so many times, and what we see in the trailer is basically the first five minutes of the movie. There’s some added moments to the scene throughout to make it more robust, but it basically is all there, and the trailer ends where the scene ends. We hit the title card, and then we’re into the main plot. I think the opening of this film would’ve worked a lot stronger had we not seen it well in advance. I mean, the main scare is in the trailer, and in the scene that’s supposed to set the tone of the film, it doesn’t really work because they spoiled it for us. Lou Llobell and Jacob Scipio are pretty good as our main couple, and the film does do a good job of giving us both the storyline involving the Passenger, but also a side plot where a recent revelation between the couple makes for an interesting issue that becomes part of the main plot. Trying to be vague can make things sound weird, but when you watch the film, you will get what I’m trying to say here. Melissa Leo does check in here as a fellow camper-life enthusiast, but she is only here as a plot point, and doesn’t get a whole lot to do. I think this has a good chance of catching on more once it hits streaming, as it really is a nice compact ghost film, and if you are like me, it might make you check the back seat of your car once in awhile after watching it. Finally, don’t let the film scare you from stopping if you see a car accident and it looks like someone needs help. There isn’t really a demon ready to attach itself to your car next. Well, I think there isn’t at least…….
In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg face an impossible choice–launch the most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.
There have been a lot of films about World War 2, and quite a few of D-Day itself. In 2014, David Haig wrote a stage play that added a different view of the lead up to that day, and that play is what this film is adapted from. To start off with, Andrew Scott is great as James Stagg, as was Kerry Condon (playing Kay Summersby) and Damien Lewis (playing Bernard Montgomery). Brendan Fraser was ok as General Eisenhower, but I had a difficult time believing him as Eisenhower at first. This is a film with a pretty tight time frame, and we never really leave the compound, or the inside two or three different rooms. The best scenes in the film take place in the officer meetings where Stagg has to be the one to give the news none of them want to hear. Adding the wrinkle to the proceedings is Chris Messina’s Colonel Krick, who is basing his forecast on historical data. That data shows it will be a prefect day for the operation, which Stagg (and us the viewer knowing history) know will not be the case. I don’t recall them saying where the allies were landing in the scene we say on D-Day, but I’ll guess it was Utah Beach based on the relative ease it took in the film to take control. Historically, that was an easier path than Omaha, and I’m sure the filmmakers here wouldn’t want to simplify such a momentous day. As for the storming, for a PG-13 film, this was a pretty effective sequence. It gives you a bit of the sense of how tough that day was, and how important it was to turn the war for the Allies. If you wanted more, Saving Private Ryan is still there for you if you want it. In the pantheon of World War 2 films, I don’t think this stands apart from too many. What is does, however, is give us a look into what made the most important part of the campaign not become another Exercise Tiger. I don’t force this being in theaters for too much longer as we get into the teeth of blockbuster season, so this should certainly be something for you to seek out when it hits streaming if you can’t find a showing for it.
A supermom lands a Shark Tank deal, switching roles with her breadwinner husband. He struggles to adapt as a stay-at-home dad to their three daughters.
I will preface this with I think Nate Bargatze is hilarious. His specials are always great, and he is one my favorite stand up comedians. That being said, I really didn’t like this, There isn’t too much you can do with this type of film, but holy cow, do they make Nate the dumbest and most clueless person. This was a painfully unfunny film, and that isn’t me not liking these kind of movies. I do, but this is a different monster. For this to work, the three daughters bring something to the table. Instead, it’s like he is a stranger and they barely can stand him. I just couldn’t wait until the film was over, but the bad thing is this about 20 minutes too long. There are better kids movies to see in the next month or so, and Baragtze’s specials are on Netflix and Hulu. Let that be your path, and let this film pass you by.
After a therapist’s patient disappears into a dimension beyond reality, she must venture into the unknown to save him.
Back in 2022, Ken Parsons created the Backrooms series those short films on YouTube gained so much success, it led Parsons to turn it into a feature film. When I heard this film was coming out last year, I originally planned to go back and watch the series. I instead decided to keep all of that unknown and go into the film blind. I think that was a good idea because I am not familiar with the lore that this web series has. That probably would’ve changed how I viewed this film. I think what we see in the film give us an idea of what the backroom might be, but to the film’s credit, it never tells us what they are. It never gives us a backstory for them, as it’s just this mysterious area that no one really knows what it is. They just know it exists. The cast for this is pretty small as we follow a furniture salesman/architect named Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) as he discovers a portal to a dimension of seemingly never ending rooms. When he and his employees at the store go missing, his therapist Mary (Renate Reinsve) goes in to try and find him. What she discovers is something terrifying. For the production, the built 30,000 square feet of rooms that covered 4 sound stages. They had to fit rooms together ala Tetris, and the layout reportedly caused people to get lost, which fits the film’s story. the use of practical effects is really such a good move here by parsons, and while I will not give away the game, I will say the noteworthy part you might be sure is a cgi creation is really 7’7 former basketball player Robert Bobroczkyi. We are in a new exciting time in film. The YouTubers are here in full force, and what they are bringing with them are new, interesting ideas. The Box Office is showing it is working. Parsons at 20 is way ahead of the game, but now is where we find out if he can follow it up. The success of this film almost forces him to make a Backrooms 2, but much like Cregger and Barker, it will be his next idea that so many like me are really looking forward to.
Two real options for the top spot, and it’s either the R rated comedy that is aimed at people who loved a series last really popular 20 years ago, or the cgi fest for a cartoon series even older than that.
- Masters of the Universe
- Scary Movie
- Backrooms
- Power Ballad
- Obsession
There is a new Tournament this week! That will begin on Wednesday over on the socials. Review schedule wise, it’s a true Mystery Monday, Obsession on Thursday, and a possible double header on Saturday depending on what the Monday film is.
Mitten Film Nerd 
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