MOVIE REVIEW: The Instigators

Consequently, The Insitigators comes off like an unbalanced buddy comedy trying to chirp jokes during a grizzled crime thriller. Sure enough, it’s wonderful seeing Casey Affleck shuck the morose persona he’s been leaning on for the last decade across films to play the loquacious rascal. Unfortunately, he’s all by himself. With known charisma and ability in either of those aforementioned subgenres, Matt Damon feels like a waste of talent to play the unlaughing and tame Rory next to Casey’s Cobby.

2 STARS, 2024, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanAugust 1, 2024The Instigators, Apple, Apple TV+, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong ChauComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Before Dawn

In Before Dawn “c’est la guerre” constitutes defeatism because, more often than not, war cannot be helped by the grunts in the dirt holding or pushing a line. These young men who are uttering the phrase halfway around the world from their homes and families have learned the futility of their actions. They say it knowing they are trapped in what they thought would be a heroic quest and a patriotic cause.

MOVIE REVIEW: Kinds of Kindness

Each chapter has their zany swerve at that magic 50-minute mark that throws viewers for a reflective loop while also grinding any earned momentum to a halt. The twists are so obscure, even by Lanthimos’ standards, that any salted suspension of disbelief strains credulity worth any investment in by the time the hammer falls for a mid-movie roll of credits and a hard transition. That kind of abruptness happens three times, sometimes right when a tangential storyline was hitting a grove, making the shifts to entire new settings and characters jarring and, worse, defeating.

MOVIE REVIEW: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

This new sequel promised the origin story of Mad Max: Fury Road’s scene-stealing and far-and-away best character. The enigmatic starlet Anya Taylor-Joy of The Queen’s Gambit walks into Charlize Theron’s past and shadow to take viewers into the campfire tale history that would forge cinema’s toughest broad this side of Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor. Fill up the gas tank and toss us the keys to the multiplex, right? Not so fast. Pump the brakes and skid across the sand to a stop.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Fall Guy

Through a cavalcade of creatively designed set pieces, Leitch and The Fall Guy put the bang in “the whole shebang” with this kinetic crowd pleaser positioned to open the 2024 summer movie season with that very sound effect. After years of development hell, Universal Pictures found their perfect stewards with David Leitch and Ryan Gosling and indulged their pyrotechnic and brawny dreams to bust every block in sight. The TV show’s awareness and appreciation for these behind-the-scenes champions has now become Leitch’s own.

MOVIE REVIEW: Sasquatch Sunset

It’s not that the movie or the actors don’t look the part in Sasquatch Sunset. That’s not the issue. It’s more about the purposes and examinations at hand. This film, which enjoyed praise during its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival earlier in the year, is one hell of a bizarre enigma poking and prodding any number of desires and intentions.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Absence of Eden

When it comes to the contentious social and political conflicts surrounding the immigration issues between Mexico and the United States, it’s very easy to create “us vs. them” measurements and scenarios. On many occasions, each side has called out opposing irregularities and hostilities to declare themselves in the right while labeling the other the enemy. The Absence of Eden, the debut directorial effort from Marco Perego, attempts to address this balance while carrying a burdensome “us vs. them” dual narrative.

MOVIE REVIEW: In the Land of Saints and Sinners

In the Land of Saints and Sinners earns a fair victory by slowing down and softening Liam Neeson from his signature gear of constant action ferocity. Even while playing a contract killer with imposing intimidation in his back pocket, the soon-to-be 72-year-old was granted a warmer character who exudes thoughtful wisdom first and brutality second. Clearly, the chance to give a little more of his best back to audiences on his home turf was irresistible and appreciated by Neeson.

MOVIE REVIEW: Free Time

For better or worse, Free Time operates like an audience tolerance test on the topic of the Millennial lifestyle. Little events and narrative turns occur that viewers will either identify with to a certain degree or downright disdain. The examinee for this inquest is Drew, played by emerging writer/actor Drew Burgess (who also headlines the indie Dad & Step-Dad this month), and the first exercise of this filmic inquest occurs in the opening five minutes of Free Time.

2 STARS, 2023, 2024, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanMarch 21, 2024Free Time, Drew Burgess, James WebbComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs is one of those murder mystery thrillers where motive construction and character placement is the whole kit and caboodle. Simply put, it’s one of those movies where every main and supporting character– and I mean everyone– looks guilty the majority of the time they are seen on-screen. To its credit, there’s a heightened mood created when there is such a deep pool of potential threats.

2024, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, 2 STARSDon ShanahanMarch 20, 2024Sleeping Dogs, Russell Crowe, Karen Gillan, Adam CooperComment

SHORT FILM REVIEW: Ghosted

It doesn’t take a long time to leave a first impression. That understanding statement can be said in the film world as well as in the universe of relationships. From tiny human stories to the biggest blockbusters, most often the first five minutes of a movie set its tone. You can feel if you’re going to like the time you’ve committed to spend. The same can be said for the real-life “Meet Cute” moment of a first date. The short film Ghosted from writer-director Keith Black presents a first impression in both those areas.

2024, 2 STARS, MOVIE REVIEW, SHORT FILMS, StreamingDon ShanahanFebruary 9, 2024Ghosted, Keith BlackComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Upgraded

Far too much of Upgraded is hampered by all of the pretentious insider business schemes sullying romantic potential. After fits and spurts, our two would-be lovebirds don’t get a proper date night adventure until the 75-minute mark and– for an R-rated movie rife with F-word slingers– it’s a lukewarm one at best in the sparks department.