'The Line' Reviews: "Wolff gives a focused, attention-grabbing performance"

         On October 18, 2024, 'The Line' was released by Utopia to predominantly positive reviews, currently holding at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "Alex Wolff stars as Tom, a scholarship student desperate to break free from his working-class background who is charmed by the prestigious KNA fraternity's promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors. But upon beginning a romance with Annabelle (Halle Bailey), a classmate outside of his social circle, and the manipulative schemes of his fraternity president (Lewis Pullman) unfolding during the hazing of new members, Tom finds himself ensnared in a perilous game of ambition and loyalty." Read the full review round-up below.

       Taylor Gates of Collider says, "One of the biggest things The Line has going for it is the way it tackles heavy, complicated subject matter in a way that feels authentic. It’s easy to write off fraternity brothers as entitled bullies, and certainly, there are times many of them come off this way in the film. But The Line also showcases the vulnerabilities and insecurities bubbling under the surface of these young men driving a lot of the aggressive behavior. It also explores the different reasons why they want to be a part of this organization that stems beyond sex, booze, and campus clout." Adding, "The line (pun intended) between victim and villain is often blurred in this film, examining the various power dynamics and how possessing that power can simultaneously be a blessing and a curse. It doesn’t feel like it’s trying to make some big, grand proclamation, which ends up helping it get its message across in a more engaging, layered way. For example, Tom is relatively popular and revered among his fraternity brothers, but it’s clear he doesn’t come from the kind of money many of them do. He has to make his own connections instead of relying on his family name to get him a good job after college, and he often feels the pressure to hustle and stretch the truth when mingling with his friends’ affluent and influential parents. Wolff gives an excellent lead performance, inviting us to sympathize with him and his difficult choices without letting him off the hook for his mistakes."

       Lovia Gyarkye of Hollywood Reporter notes, "It would have been even more compelling, then, for Berger to have burrowed more deeply into Tom’s life — to explore his need to belong. His conversations with Annabelle are, initially, a way to do that, but they don’t go anywhere and her character ends up feeling inconsequential. As the film careens toward its predictable conclusion, questions about Tom’s desires and motivations keep cropping up. With no answers, The Line ends on a deflating, and strangely noncommittal note. The stakes are higher for this working-class kid chasing his version of the American Dream, and my mind wandered back to Richard at the end of The Secret History. Realizing just how much trouble he might be in, the novel’s protagonist starts to panic and consider his situation: “What did it matter, if they failed to graduate, if they had to go back home?” he wonders of his friends in the classics major cabal. “At least they had homes to go to. They had trust funds, allowances, dividend checks, doting grandmas, well-connected uncles, loving families. College for them was only a way station, a sort of youthful diversion. But this was my main chance, the only one.”

       Murtada Elfadl of Variety says, "Wolff gives a focused, attention-grabbing performance, working from the outside-in, with an affected long-voweled voice and measured, studied pose and walk. As Tom’s world crumbles, his performance becomes more raw, adding sensitivity and disillusionment."

       Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood Daily praises the film, stating, There have been plenty of movies detailing life in a fraternity — Animal House being the crown jewel of all, no matter how outrageously funny. The newest entry in the genre, The Line, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival this weekend, is not trying to amuse on any level; a deadly serious take on college frat houses, it looks like it was ripped straight from the many headlines about hazing deaths and horrific goings-on at these places. However, for at least its first half to first two thirds, this feature film debut for director Ethan Berger (who also co-wrote the script with Alex Russek) is aiming to entertain with a look at the fictional southern Kappa Nu Alpha fraternity in all its vile, sick, crass ugliness. If the goal was to make us hate these guys, the filmmakers succeed admirably. By the end I wanted see every last one of them expelled and the house shut down for good. What it seems to be saying, no matter how egregious the behavior, is that only the faces change over time, not the attitude. The deck is stacked in The Line, but the ultimate message (which is you are best to steer clear of the frat world at all costs) comes through loud and clear."

Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash

'Salem's Lot' Reviews: Stephen King Adaptation "should leave fans of vampire tales with enough to feel satisfied when the credits roll"

Photo Courtesy of New Line Cinema/Max

         On October 3, 2024, Max premiered 'Salem's Lot', which is based upon the iconic Stephen King novel of the same name that famously received the big screen treatment. In this newest adaptation, "Author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire." With a score of 56% on Rotten Tomatoes currently, the film has received a mixed reception from critics. The ensemble cast includes Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodard, Makenzie Leigh, John Benjamin Hickey, and Bill Camp. Read the full review round-up below.

        Alexander Harrison of Screen Rant says, "At this moment, it's hard to disconnect the new Salem's Lot from its nearly two-year release delay, during which many feared the film would never, ahem, see the light of day. That's an unfortunate situation. On the one hand, it clearly didn't deserve to sit on the shelf for so long, caught up in the leadership change at Warner Bros. On the other, it doesn't quite live up to the expectations that inevitably built as Stephen King pressured the studio to release it." Adding, "I hope, with time, it can exist on its own terms. But my viewing experience was shaped by this context, which seemed to make the movie's virtues and failings equally glaring. I can't speak to how well it adapts its source material; I've never read King's original book, nor have I seen either of the two miniseries versions. I can only say I found the script inconsistently effective, balanced out by an often strong sense for horror image-making that should leave fans of vampire tales with enough to feel satisfied when the credits roll."

        Bill Bria of Discussing Film notes, "Salem's Lot (2024) is far better than some Stephen King fans might be expecting thanks to how much fun it has with the source material." Continuing, "Tobe Hooper’s Salem’s Lot is generally regarded as the definitive screen version of the novel, given how its length allows for the majority of the book’s characters, subplots, and scenes to appear, as well as capturing Stephen King’s palpable sense of dread. This new feature film adaptation of Salem’s Lot, written and directed by Gary Dauberman (best known for his work on the Annabelle trilogy and Andy Muschietti’s It duology), cannot hope to contain as much material as either the ’79 or 2004 miniseries. Dauberman, however, doesn’t try to compete with the eerie, unsettling tone of Hooper’s version. What the filmmaker does do is make King’s story into the best kind of B-horror flick: a fun, spooky, engaging romp that has just enough of a heart and a brain to not be trashy."

       Emmanuel Noisette of The Movie Blog writes, "Salem’s Lot is a thrilling and entertaining ride that will satisfy horror fans, but with a slightly lighter touch than other horror films." Continuing, "From the get-go, one thing I really appreciated was how quickly the characters understand the seriousness of their situation. There’s no dragging things out or wasting time. By the end of the first act, you’re already neck-deep in the action, and it only gets more intense from there. By the time we hit the third act, the stakes are sky-high, and no one feels safe. When characters start meeting their ends, it’s genuinely shocking and not predictable in the least. The cast does a solid job, with Lewis Pullman delivering a strong performance, especially in his scenes with Makenzie Leigh. But for me, Jordan Preston Carter stole the show. As a young kid caught in a terrifying situation, his authenticity shines through. He steps up when needed but still maintains that childlike vulnerability, which makes his moments hit harder."

       Robert Taylor of Collider praises the film, stating, "There's nothing about the new feature-film adaptation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot that feels particularly fresh or novel — unless you count the fact that it has no interest in being anything other than an earnest, old-fashioned spookfest. That's going to be music to some horror fan's ears, but it might also explain why Warner Bros. chose to sit on this film for two full years, finally deciding to release it directly to Max (following a premiere at Beyond Fest). Sturdy and workmanlike without ever being exceptional, Salem's Lot doesn't feel like it would have been a surefire bet for movie theaters and suggests the possibility that maybe it's actually fine for some movies to head straight to streaming." Adding, "There are a few other small details to push Salem's Lot over the hump and make it a solid spooky-season watch. I like the way the crosses glow a bright white whenever they're utilized as a weapon, blasting the vampires backward like they'd just been hit with a shotgun blast. Salem's Lot has always been about the death of the small, American town, and enough of that metaphor makes it into this version. It's going to be tough for anyone to argue that this is the best version of this particular story, and the vampire tropes the movie so seriously deploys — crosses, holy water, etc. — are so long in the tooth (see what I did there?) that it definitely runs the risk of coming across as corny. (Vampire myths have been deconstructed, reconstructed, turned YA, and everything in between since King's book was published.) Yet Dauberman's film is competent enough that I think it will manage to find an audience who's into an overly traditional take on vampire lore, as well as win over King fans who have been onboard with this tale, in all its incarnations, since day one."