'Queer' Reviews: "Craig gives us a pinch of that glowering Burroughs DNA, but the trick of his performance, which is bold and funny and alive, is that he's playing the younger Burroughs, before he'd passed through the looking glass of cultivated insanity"

         At the 2024 Venice Film Festival, 'Queer' quickly garnered predominantly positive reviews from critics, not only establishing itself as an early award season contender but a score of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "In 1950s Mexico City, WILLIAM LEE, an American ex-pat in his late forties, leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival in town of EUGENE ALLERTON, a young student, stirs William into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone." The ensemble cast includes Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, and Henry Zaga. But what did the critics say?

       Owen Gleiberman of Variety says, "Craig gives us a pinch of that glowering Burroughs DNA, but the trick of his performance, which is bold and funny and alive, is that he's playing the younger Burroughs, before he'd passed through the looking glass of cultivated insanity." Adding, "The last third of “Queer” may prove to be a challenge for audiences — much more so than the film’s explicit eroticism. Yet Luca Guadagino is telling a version of the same compelling story that he told in “Call Me by Your Name”: that of a queer love that, instead of delivering the salvation it promises, withers under the gaze of the real world. The film’s final shot is stunning. It shows that you after all the drugs, the warped crusades, the queerness he owned, the one thing William Burroughs could never figure out was how to heal his broken heart."

Photo by Christina DelliSante on Unsplash

         Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair writes, "Queer is meant to be prickly, withholding, enigmatic. To want anything more from it might simply be repeating Lee’s mistake, grasping for something that could never be ours." Continuing, "Queer is offbeat, abstract, erratic in mood and tempo—befitting an adaptation of Burroughs’s work. It can be a mean and off-putting film, though some of our revulsion is born of the horror of self recognition. To liven the mood, Guadagnino stages a few sex scenes that—when stripped of context, maybe—certainly qualify as hot. He uses anachronistic songs—there are two Nirvana covers, for example—to score scenes, alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s pulsing, mechanical original compositions. The film is a riot of style and technique, growing ever more surreal as Lee chases after Gene, and after a validation that will never come."

       Ryan Lattanzio of indieWire notes, "Guadagnino wants not only to expand your consciousness as a moviegoer, but to cut you open and rearrange all the parts of you that see and feel things when you watch a film at all."

       Zhuo-Ning Su of Awards Daily praises the film, stating, "By turns sexy, heartbreaking, and extraordinarily trippy, the film mutates in front of our eyes in its exploration of this strange, strange thing called love... Queer is a triumph."

'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval' Misses the Mark with Critics

         On September 24, 2024, Netflix released 'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval', which has received predominantly negative reviews from critics, currently holding at 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. "In the final comedy special of her historic career, Ellen gets candid about fame, parallel parking and life since getting "kicked out of show business." But what did the critics say?

       Sean L. McCarthy of Decider notes, "STREAM IT. DeGeneres says she had no intentions of doing anything after leaving her TV show, but it’s for the best for us and for her that she decided to take a victory lap with this last stand-up tour. Every entertainer who is beloved should take such a lap while they can still enjoy it. As DeGeneres said: “I’m so glad I got to say goodbye on my terms.” 

       Fran Hoepfner of The Atlantic says, "The comedian may joke about her expulsion from Hollywood, but it’s clear how hurt she feels. And when it comes to owning her mistakes, DeGeneres struggles to find the humor."

       Mark Feeney of Boston Globe writes, "If you like DeGeneres, and it’s hard not to (unless you worked for her, apparently), all this is enjoyable viewing."

Photo by Oscar Nord on Unsplash

        Matthew Creith of The Wrap was more impressed, stating, "After 19 seasons on the air, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” ceased to exist after the namesake host said her final goodbyes in 2022. Her oft-repeated tagline at the end of every episode of the daytime talk show was “Be kind to one another,” a sentiment DeGeneres seemingly meant every time she uttered the words. However, after a series of stories involving the host and fellow producers leaked detailing a toxic work environment towards her employees, DeGeneres exited the entertainment business. More than two years later, the comic returns to the standup stage seemingly for the last time, with a Netflix special called “Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval.” No stranger to Netflix’s comedy slate with her previous 2018 special, “Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable,” the comedian returns to her roots by explaining where she’s been the past couple of years and the aftermath of her talk show’s demise." Adding, "At this point in “Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval,” the comic doesn’t hold back how she feels about the accusations of a toxic work environment on her daytime talk show. She explains that she never considered herself qualified for a leadership position and that she always viewed her role on the show as a front-facing one rather than a boss behind the scenes. She takes responsibility for her role in the accusations while deflecting the idea that she is a mean person. At the same time, DeGeneres makes it clear to her audience that she has zero f—s left to give but still cares if she is beloved. She goes on to discuss her undiagnosed OCD and tackling aging as she approaches her late 60s."

'Wolfs' Divides the Critics

         On September 20, 2024, Columbia Pictures releases 'Wolfs', which has divided the critics, currently holding at 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "Global superstars George Clooney and Brad Pitt team up for the action comedy Wolfs. Clooney plays a professional fixer hired to cover up a high profile crime. But when a second fixer (Pitt) shows up and the two "lone wolves" are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways that neither one of them expected." The ensemble cast includes Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Poorna Jagannathan. Read the full review round-up below.

       Dallas King of Flick Feast says, "Brad Pitt and George Clooney’s star power supercharges Jon Watts’ entertaining Wolfs. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, this is a love story disguised as an action comedy thriller. The film is slick, well-polished and most importantly fun." Adding, he dialogue and interplay between the two fixers is whipsmart, and would play very well with a Friday night crowd at the cinema. Based on the evidence at the press and industry screening at least, who are typically a tougher nut to crack. That is why it does feel like a slight waste that after a minimal week long run in “select” cinemas (whatever that means), it will be discovered by audiences on Apple TV, if the algorithm allows of course. Clooney and Pitt reportedly got paid $35 million EACH, and it feels like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Just 23 years ago, the notion of seeing these two actors star opposite each other would guarantee a huge box office return, as evidenced by the success of the Ocean’s trilogy."

Photo by Mark Wieder on Unsplash

        Luke Hicks of The Film Stage was less impressed, stating, "Pitt and Clooney are exactly what you want them to be, landing dry jabs and maneuvering sly acting chops, playing their chemistry to a T, but Watts’ script gives them so little to play with. There is a distinct sharpness to the dialogue of the Ocean’s trilogy that the two absolutely tear through with the right direction. Likewise, the singular, amoral comic-tragedy embedded in Burn After Reading makes for previously unimagined characterization and a genuine weight of anxiety, be it devastating or hilarious, heaved onto every scene. The duo has proven perfect when a narrative and thematic stage that rich is set. Wolfs doesn’t hold a candle to that complexity. Much like its unclever title, the film is a stilted, cornering work that keeps its performers from shining in any element, cinematography included––it’s a rather unpleasant movie to look at, notwithstanding the glowy, riveting chase through a snowy Chinatown. Pitt and Clooney, as developers and producers, are as much to blame as Watts."    

        Ema Sasic of Next Best Picture notes, "So what if there are silly and not thoroughly thought out plot points in “Wolfs?” Sometimes, all you need is star power and a lot of laughs to have a good time. That’s precisely what you get with this easy, breezy comedy."

       Siddhant Adlakha of IGN Movies writes, "Jon Watts' crime-comedy Wolfs gets caught halfway between humor and meaning without fully creating either one. It spotlights the charming talents of Brad Pitt and George Clooney, but it rests on its laurels, offering them half-baked material with which they can't even conjure an ounce of their Ocean's chemistry. The film is, at a glance, inoffensive – its assembly seems mostly competent – but makes all the wrong aesthetic decisions for a bouncy, farcical film about two criminal "cleaners" forced onto the same job."

'You Gotta Believe' Divides he Critics

         On August 30, 2024, Well Go USA Entertainment released 'You Gotta Believe', which has earned a mixed reception from critics, currently holding at 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "After dedicating the season to a teammate's ailing father, a group of underdog youth baseball players makes it all the way to the 2002 Little League World Series, culminating in a record-breaking showdown." The ensemble cast includes Luke Wilson, Greg Kinnear, Sarah Gordon, and Lew Temple. Read the full review round-up below.

Photo by Frankie Lopez on Unsplash

       Mary Kassel of Screen Rant writes, "Despite the touching true story You Gotta Believe is based on, the new sports drama is scattered & fails to appeal to its audience when it counts." Adding, "With choppy pacing and a weak connection between the dual narratives, it's hard to care about the characters. The dichotomy of joy and tragedy is an essential part of life. However, You Gotta Believe can't find a tonal balance that doesn't make the jumps between training montages and melancholic moments in a hospital quite jarring. Incorporating hardship and loss into a sports narrative is possible. You Gotta Believe is similar to the underdog tale, The Long Game. But while The Long Game is also based on a true story, it has a concrete payoff and is easy to follow."

        Douglas Davidson of Elements of Madness praises the film, stating, "There are two hard lessons to learn when it comes to parenting: you only get one chance to take care of someone’s childhood and what’s a random day to you contains a critical memory for a child. Becoming a parent means becoming a custodian for someone’s joy and pain, through their best days and their worst, as you do what you can to raise and guide a new life. This is what folks mean when they talk about the sacrifices they make for their kids because the moment that child arrives, their needs (emotional, psychological, nutritional) all take precedence over your own. Sometimes that means making the hard choices between what’s comfortable for yourself and what’s detrimental for them. This is only half of the true story that makes up the tale of Bobby Ratliff and his sons Robert and John which is the basis for the new Ty Roberts (12 Mighty Orphans) film You Gotta Believe, in select theaters August 30th. A story of little miracles, You Gotta Believe incorporates all that audiences love about baseball with a heartwarming and often hilarious story of underdogs refusing to quit despite the odds, balanced against a tale of loss that resonates whether you’ve been touched by terminal illness or not."

       Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com says, "Guess there is critical cryin' in baseball. Anyway, It was a decent family pic that didn't take itself too seriously, even in the Luke Wilson BRIAN'S SONG-type coach. I also dug the way dir Ty used creative camera moves in the baseball scenes. NOT CRYIN'!"

       Todd Jorgenson of Cinemalogue notes, "The kids are charming enough and the story is inherently inspirational, although this cheesy throwback relies on cliches while yanking aggressively at the heartstrings."

'Out Come the Wolves' Reviews: Film "offers a fraught thriller that will satisfy fans of the genre, as well as a complicated character study about what we're willing to do (and stab) for the ones we love"

            On August 30, 2024, IFC Films released 'Out Come the Wolves', which has received predominantly positive reviews from critics, currently holding at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "At a remote cabin deep in the wilderness, a weekend of hunting turns to mayhem and a fight for survival when a pack of wolves attack a man, his female best friend, and her fiancé." The ensemble cast consists of Missy Peregrym, Joris Jarsky, and Damon Runyan. But what did the critics say?

        Avi Offer of NYC Movie Guru was less impressed, stating, "The screenplay by Enuka Okuma is just as bland and on-the-nose as its unimaginative title. Okuma and director Adam MacDonald deserve credit for keeping the plot somewhat tight and lean, for the most part, with very little padding, except for a love triangle between Sophie, Nolan and Kyle, who has a crush on Sophie. That love triangle, unsurprisingly, causes friction between the three of them. Their friction moves to the backburner when the story takes a darker turn once the wolves start to terrorize them. It takes too long to get to that point, though, and once the plot arrives there, the film becomes nothing more than a tedious, uninspired and forgettable B-movie. It's too bad that there's a lot of physical grit and unflinching gore, but very little emotional grit or anything else to enliven or to ground the film. The filmmakers know where to take ideas from, but not quite where to take them to. They also don't include enough much-needed levity. At a running time of 1 hour and 28 minutes, Out Come the Wolves opens at IFC Center and on VOD via IFC Films.        

        Matt Oakes of Silver Screen Riot says, "This lupine venture into the outdoors, despite a solid setup, fails to turn meager scraps into a full-fledged tale. In the end, there just isn’t enough to sink your teeth into." Adding, "Economically cast, the film features just three actors. It’s impressive what MacDonald is able to wring out of this tight trio, all of whom offer solid performances. But it’s the writing that lets them down, doing an effective job of setting up the drama and tension but then failing to explore that in any meaningful way."

Photo by Hans Veth on Unsplash

        Shaina Weatherhead of Collider notes, "Out Come the Wolves offers a fraught thriller that will satisfy fans of the genre, as well as a complicated character study about what we're willing to do (and stab) for the ones we love."

        Robert Kojder of Flickering Myth praises the film, stating, "Out Come the Wolves is a story of two halves satisfying for different reasons; compelling relationship dynamics transition into full-blown survival horror with vicious, grisly wounds and broken bones." Continuing, "Daringly, the filmmakers have also opted to use real animals here (with several notices in the ending credits that it was safe for the actors and creatures involved), elevating that white-knuckle adrenaline."

'AfrAId' Reviews: "Viewers might think cheap A.I. could've made a better movie"

         On August 30. 2024, Columbia Pictures released 'AfrAId', which has earned a mixed reception from critics, currently holding at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "Curtis (John Cho) and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new home device: a digital family assistant called AIA. Taking smart home to the next level, once the unit and all its sensors and cameras are installed in their home, AIA seems able to do it all. She learns the family's behaviors and begins to anticipate their needs. And she can make sure nothing -- and no one -- gets in her family's way." The ensemble cast includes Havana Rose Liu, River Drosche, Lukita Maxwell, and Katherine Waterston. But what did the critics say?

Photo by Chase Yi on Unsplash

        Carla Hay of Culture Mix writes, "The muddled and not-very-scary horror film Afraid has a dimwitted plot (about an A.I. device taking over people's lives) that falls apart by the time it stumbles to a very weak ending. Viewers might think cheap A.I. could've made a better movie." Adding, "Afraid” makes a very unconvincing attempt to get some empathy for AIA by making it look like AIA was programmed to protect her owners by any means necessary. There are mentions of AIA being able to “learn” human emotions. According to the movie, all she wants is to find a home where she is loved and wanted—because don’t you know that A.I. devices need love too?"

       Avi Offer of NYC Movie Guru praises the film, stating, "Curtis (John Cho), a marketing executive, agrees to test a new smart home AI device with his wife, Meredith (Katherine Waterston),  son, Cal (Isaac Bae), and daughter, Preston (Wyatt Lindner), the device, called AIA (voice of Havana Rose Liu), takes control over their lives in AfrAId. The screenplay by writer/director Chris Weitz doesn't earn any points for originality, plausibility or imagination, but it does take its concept to dark territory while allowing the film to serve as a thrilling, timely and eye-opening cautionary tale about the dangers of AI. A subplot involving Preston dealing with a deepfaked image of her face transposed onto someone in a porn clip feels undercooked. However, it does raise awareness about the terrifying existence of deepfake. Although the dialogue lacks nuance, it does have a few instances of wit, i.e. when Meredith references HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey when Curtis brings AIA home. There's also a surprisingly moving scene where Meredith interacts with an AI version of her late father on the TV screen. AIA is clearly a double edged sword. If it were human, she'd be a classic narcissist who showers her victims with gifts to take control over them and makes their lives difficult when her victims want to end their relationship. Although the film's title is AfrAId, it's not a palpably scary horror film like T.I.M. nor a dark comedy like Meagan. The modicum of scares are more psychological in the sense that AIA has seemingly unlimited power and control. How far will she go? Fortunately, the third act, which won't be spoiled here, has an refreshingly unconventional twist up its sleeve which ends the film on an effectively chilling note. Katherine Waterston gives a heartfelt performance that breathes life into her role. John Cho is also well-cast here and gives a solid performance."

       Natalia Keogan of Paste Magazine says, "Making such an insubstantial film about one of our era’s greatest technological shifts isn’t just annoying. It feels downright irresponsible." Continuing, "It goes without saying that AIA is no HAL, and another irksome decision by Weitz rests in the machine’s inherent programming as either infantilized entity or matronly caretaker. Why should a synthetic organism subscribe to gender roles? (Again, questioning why so many of these “assistants” are personified as women could have asserted some sort of narrative integrity). The terrifying whims of a cold, calculated machine would have worked much better for the flimsy genre parameters of AfrAId, which in turn wouldn’t have the burden of engaging with the social influence that shapes modern AI initiatives."

       Leigh Monson of AV Club notes, "Almost entirely bloodless and with half a handful of kills, there just isn’t enough visceral terror to make up for the disparate, thematically muddied nonsense that’s been cobbled together into the shape of a movie. If a more fleshed-out version of this film did exist at some point, it was almost certainly deemed enough of a failure that the shorter runtime was the mercenary compromise necessary to eke out any hope of a return on investment. As much as we may wish to call this a monstrosity of artificial intelligence, its failures are unmistakably human."

       Benjamin Lee of Guardian was less impressed, stating, "There’s undeservedly good work here from Cho and Waterston, who work hard to make us believe them as a credible couple going through a heightened scenario but there’s so little time here for even partly fleshed out characters that they quickly become useless pawns, secondary to Weitz’s muddled theories on digital culture. As with so many tech thrillers that have come before, AfrAId is more concerned with being relevant than being entertaining."

'Terminator Zero' Reviews: Series "looks to both the past and future in an exhilarating anime spinoff that pays homage to the classic films while still forging its own path"

         On August 29, 2024, Netflix released 'Terminator Zero' was released to predominantly positive reviews, currently holding fresh at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a Critics Consensus that reads, "Shedding the skin of past Terminator incarnations to tell a sophisticated sci-fi saga of its own, this visceral anime proves its mettle." In the series, "A warrior from a post-apocalyptic future travels to 1997 to protect an AI scientist being hunted by an unfeeling — and indestructible — cyborg." But what did the critics say?

       David Opie of Total Film writes, "Terminator Zero looks to both the past and future in an exhilarating anime spinoff that pays homage to the classic films while still forging its own path." Adding, "Terminator Zero wastes no time in establishing this horror. Via a cold open set in an apocalyptic 2022, Eiko watches the Terminator casually crush a person's head underfoot in search of her hiding place. Dead bodies are stacked up everywhere and the body count doesn't let up once we reach the 90s either. Necks snap, limbs tear, and skin melts away throughout all eight episodes of Terminator Zero, channeling the original's R rating when it comes to both gore and tension."

         Ron Hilliard of Discussing Film says, "Terminator Zero isn't just the best thing the franchise has released in years, but it's also one of the most stylish Netflix original animes to date." Continuing, "Long-time fans of the Terminator franchise can let out a massive sigh of relief if they thought Terminator Zero would disappoint. It is utterly fantastic and worthy of comparison to the brilliance of James Cameron’s original films. Not only are the action and horror elements well done, but the Netflix anime series and its creators also have something meaningful to say about humanity, our resilience, our faults, and how we treat the planet and each other. Moreover, Terminator Zero touches on the nature of the soul and the belief that the future is worth fighting for, even if you don’t get to see it for yourself. Terminator Zero is definitely one of the strongest original releases to come out of Netflix this year, and hopefully, viewership will be there so this team can come back and knock it out of the park again."

Photo by Thierry K on Unsplash

        Kenneth Seward Jr. of GameSpot praises the series, stating, "Terminator Zero is an entertaining animated series that shines brightest when it leans into new areas. It features a talented cast, an engaging plot, and solid animation that occasionally dips in quality."

       BJ Colangelo of Slashfilm notes, "Here's hoping Netflix allows the series to continue for more seasons because it's not only one of the best anime the streamer has put out, but "Terminator Zero" is the new direction the franchise needs to pursue." Concluding, "Terminator Zero" gets to shine in the ways it is not like the other installments. Eiko's goal of protecting Malcolm is not because he's going to become the savior of the people like John Connor, but because she needs to keep him alive long enough to convince him Kokoro isn't going to achieve what he thinks it will. As we in 2024 see the increasingly horrifying ways AI has already begun to infiltrate our world, the thought of a "Good, Actually, I Promise" AI being the only way to stop Skynet is the thing of nightmares."