Review by Sean Boelman

Catherine Breillat is a French filmmaker known for her provocative work, which focuses on themes like sexuality. Her latest movie (her first in a decade), Last Summer, seems on paper like it would be incredibly provocative. However, this drama takes such a unique, unexpectedly nuanced approach to its subject matter that it is impossible to ignore.

Last Summer is a remake of the Danish film Queen of Hearts, following a successful woman who finds her life thrown into disarray when she begins an affair with her stepson. Its subject matter seems destined to be incredibly controversial, especially considering the sexuality of many of Breillat’s past movies, but Last Summer is far less salacious than one might fear.

it never feels like Breillat is simply trying to instigate, much less titillate. Although there are sex scenes, they are shot with such coldness and near clinicality that they don’t feel passionate or even carnal. It’s the same type of feeling you would get from watching animals mate on the Discovery Channel — voyeuristic and unsettling — which prompts viewers to question their assumptions. 

However, Breillat is also careful not to give easy answers. She doesn’t simply point the finger at the stepmom as a predator or the teenager as opportunistic. It’s clearly not endorsing or fetishizing this relationship, but it also has empathy for its characters. Breillat understands that this is not just some fantasy. Although the film may be heightened, this type of manipulation can happen in real life, and it is careful not to look down on the victims.

A significant part of the movie’s success is its cast, especially the powerful leading turn by Léa Drucker. The acclaimed actress takes a role that could have easily been overly melodramatic and uses it to make your skin crawl in subtle ways. Young actor Samuel Kircher (who is the brother of equally talented young actor Paul Kircher, of Winter Boy fame) also impresses, showing unexpected vulnerability for someone who is in their first role.

Breillat also effectively utilizes tools like juxtaposition to convey the film’s message. The cinematography and settings are beautiful, contrasting with the upsetting action of the story. In many ways, Breillat uses the grammar typical of the summer romance/coming-of-age movie and spins it on its head in a way that catches the audience off-guard. This type of subversion isn’t exactly new, but it is refreshing in a genre that’s become increasingly prevalent since Call Me By Your Name.

Yet, although the approach does feel mostly rich and fresh, Breillat conveys her point pretty effectively in the first act of the movie. The runtime isn’t even an hour and forty-five minutes, but it struggles with its pacing because it feels like it’s treading narrative water — especially in the third act. The coupling of a film that feels slow and a story that’s very bleak is a difficult duo to work with.

Last Summer isn’t perfect, but it’s much more effective and nuanced than one would expect from a movie with this material. In different hands, this easily could have been a trainwreck, but strong performances and genuinely deep character development allow it to be consistently engaging and effective.

Last Summer is now playing in theaters.

​Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

Regardless of one’s opinion of the movie, nobody can deny that Adrien Beau’s debut feature, The Vourdalak, is anything less than an ambitious swing. Adapting a 19th century Aleksei Tolstoy novella, this is a vampire story that even predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This visually intriguing tale had its premiere last year at the Venice Film Festival. While the movie’s boasts gorgeous visuals, costumes, and production design, it isn’t always enough to compensate for the meandering pace and less than cohesive vision.
 
Marquis Jacques Antoine is an emissary of the King of France, and he finds himself stranded in the countryside after a robbery. He searches for refuge with a peculiar family who behave oddly as they await the return of the patriarch, Gorcha. What starts out as a simple tale of a man seeking shelter quickly devolves into a tense and puzzling vampire story. This is a rather interesting and culturally rich story that has the promise of exploring multiple genres while also getting a chance to adapt a seminal vampire story.
 
Written by Beau and Hadrien Bouvier, the movie’s writing is more or less passable. Expositional dialogue feels engaging enough, but the lore can sometimes be so intensive that it can stall the momentum of the movie. Even though it follows narrative beats closely, it sometimes feels like a story that might not be the best fit for a feature length film. As a result, scenes feel drawn out and overly long, and this can undermine the eeriness and tension the movie builds throughout.

The performances are decent but nothing remarkable. The movie is led by Kacey Mottet Klein as Jacques Antoine. Despite the meandering pace of the movie, he does a decent job of trying to infuse the movie with energy with his performance. It’s an interesting outsider role, and he’s able to play into this dynamic well. The rest of the ensemble plays well enough into the absurdity and creepiness of the premise. Ariane Labed, Yorgos Lanthimos’ strange actress of choice, has the most interesting role in the film as Sdenka. It’s an enigmatic role, but she also contributes heavily to the overall vibe of the movie. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it is paramount to the movie’s success.
 
While the writing and overall execution leaves something to be desired, this movie excels in all of its technical departments. Shot on Super 16mm film, this movie feels like an homage to older horror movies from a purely visual standpoint. In addition to this, the costumes and sets are all superb and there’s some puppet work in this movie that is this film’s highlight.
 
The Vourdalak has some impressive craft on display, but it doesn’t always work from a narrative standpoint. It’s an ambitious story to adapt for one’s feature debut, but it felt a little directionless at times. Fans of horror and especially fans of vampires should definitely give this a shot since this seems like a movie where mileage will vary greatly from person to person.
 
The Vourdalak is in theaters June 28.
 
Rating: 3/5

Review by Adam Donato

Kidman is as solid in the film as she can be. She has decent chemistry with Efron, but her soiled connection with her daughter is not given the dramatic weight to feel like there are any real stakes. Efron's comedic chops are the highlight of the film. His character is very funny as an exaggeratedly rude and out-of-touch celebrity, but his energy drops entirely once his relationship with Kidman starts. It's as if he turned into a whole new person, which makes it harder to feel for King's struggle to cope with their relationship. King is comedic enough, but mostly just annoying to follow. Her conflict is so unreasonable and predictable. Bates is good for some solid scenes of advice. Koshy's skillset is much more suited for the stage as she's so animated and overly expressive. She has social media fans, but some find her content to be cringe and annoying. She has a dramatic scene with King that comes out of nowhere, and she feels like a different person. 

There's definitely an audience for films like A Family Affair. With an endless combination of hot actors and actresses, this formula is a perpetual goldmine. It's got a good sense of humor but fails to connect on an emotional level. Even with the high pedigree of actors at play, this one definitely belongs on a streaming service. Netflix makes some of the best movies of the year on a regular basis, but this is not trying to be one of those. It's the same movie but with different actors in a different setting. Nicole Kidman was nominated for an Oscar two years ago. Don't lose sight of that, despite what this movie may have you believe. ​

A Family Affair streams on Netflix beginning June 28.

Rating: 2/5

Review by Cole Groth

It's nice to see the murder mystery make a comeback in the last few years because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good reveal of a killer and a crowd of ridiculous personalities with confusing baggage. Reunion doesn't come to the top of modern murder mysteries, but it's still a fun watch deserving of attention, especially for those who already love this genre.​

In this Chris Nelson-directed film, our cast is led by Lil Rel Howery and includes Billy Magnussen, Nina Dobrev, Jamie Chung, Jillian Bell, Chace Crawford, and Michael Hitchcock. The crew makes up a fairly funny group, each saddled with controversy. Most are funny, and all are awful people. That said, most of the cast doesn't stand out quite as much as you would hope. People like Howery and Bell are the same type of character you've seen them play for their last ten films, and the rest of the cast just isn't interesting enough to be noteworthy.
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Reunion has a tone problem. It often feels very cynical and annoying in how most of the characters are rude to each other. We've seen this trope play out — a bunch of assholes get together to collectively trash their experiences as teenagers and explain how much they hate each other. It seems like the film is desperate to achieve this sense of relatability that it never does. I'd like to see a high school reunion film where everybody's awkward but mostly friendly because that's how people actually interact. Although the murder mystery relies on character archetypes, everybody here feels like a mishmash of tired personalities with an overbearing sense of negativity about everything (although, given the circumstances, it's hard to blame everybody for being awful).

The mystery itself is pretty fun to watch unfold, and at a brisk 90-minute runtime, it doesn't feel like it drags very much. Without spoiling the killer, though, a few of the twists and turns and the eventual reveal of who did it will leave viewers disappointed. The film feels like it's leading up to a big conclusion, but instead, it takes a bizarre turn that undermines much of what it had going for it. The most critical part of these films is that the ending sticks the landing, and this one misses it.

Aesthetically, this is a miss. The cinematography is bland, the lighting flat, and the editing basic. Since this script isn't incredible, Chris Nelson should've focused on making it stand out visually because, without any eye-catching shots, the only way for this to leave an impression would've been to make it optically compelling. It's reminiscent of See How They Run ​in the opposite way, which was a fairly decent script elevated by a great crew behind it to make it look more interesting and much better as a result. On the other hand, this film loses any memorability due to an unappealing look.

Although this film has been done time and time again, Reunion is a somewhat comforting watch for fans of murder mysteries. It's easy to enjoy because the writing is simple, and there are a few laughs to be had. The cast is nice, the pacing is good, and overall, it's hard to really hate this. Although with a relatively strong cast, you might be left feeling that this was a film deserving of more than just fine. There's potential for something more interesting here, but the script and visuals don't unlock it fully. What's left is a just-decent installment into a very busy genre.
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Reunion releases on VOD starting June 28.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review by Tatiana Miranda

Because the show is comparable to plenty of other historical dramas available to viewers, it doesn't quite stand out beyond its somewhat out-of-the-blue supernatural element with the Ethians. Still, even that feels like a motive for characters and the plot rather than an actual element of the story that affects the genre. While it is wildly entertaining, with captivating characters and a well-developed romance, it does find itself as just another young adult-oriented period drama adaptation. The cringy covers of classic rock songs mixed with a snarky voiceover make it clear that the series is meant to be more entertaining than enlightening. Still, after similar shows like The Great found a way to mix humor, romance, and emotional beats effectively, My Lady Jane feels a bit lackluster.

Nevertheless, for fans of shows like Reign, Shadow and Bone, and Dickinson, My Lady Jane is sure to be a new favorite. With the series' unfinished business and hints at a continuation, it will likely leave fans excited for another season.

My Lady Jane premiers on Prime Video on June 27. All eight episodes reviewed. ​

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Produced by A24, the new Apple TV+ series Sunny has all the makings of prestige television: a killer premise, a strong cast, and a creator whose last work was acclaimed. However, despite having all of these pieces in place, Sunny’s success is quite mixed, with some excellent moments but others that fall entirely flat.

Based on the novel The Dark Manual by Colin O’Sullivan, Sunny follows a woman whose life is upended after her husband and young son disappear in a mysterious plane crash, leaving her a domesticated robot. As she unravels the truth behind her family’s disappearance, she uncovers some unexpected dark secrets.

Perhaps the biggest issue with Sunny is that it isn’t able to strike an effective balance between its dramatic and comedic elements. On the one hand, it’s a serious noir about a grieving widow, but on the other, it’s an odd-couple comedy following a human and her new robot sidekick. The result of these clashing tones is a wandering, aimless feel that is difficult to get invested in.

The biggest strength of the series is its cast, particularly Rashida Jones in the lead. We know Jones has the comedic chops to pull off the humor in a way that doesn’t feel forced, but what was more surprising was how well she navigated the emotional beats. However, the real emotional core of the show is Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car), whose supporting turn steals the scene every time he shows up.

Sunny is at its best when it takes ambitious stylistic swings, as these sequences allow the series to go in unique, genuinely interesting directions. For example, the show’s ninth episode is structured like a Japanese game show. This is not only the most narratively and aesthetically appealing half-hour of the series but also where it gets the opportunity to present the audience with some of its most intriguing questions. If the rest of the show had been able to match this bizarre energy, it would have been great.

Unfortunately, the rest of what we see is a rather bland neo-noir exploring the same themes we’ve seen in the genre dozens of times before. Sunny follows the grief storyline formula very closely, and while the characters are sympathetic, it very seldom actually moves the audience. The show also attempts to spice things up with commentary on AI, but as is the case with much of the media on this topic, the satire feels frustratingly timid and inert.

Visually, Sunny is disappointing, considering the potential of its premise and setting. Apart from strong design for the eponymous robot and a sleekly stylized title sequence that kicks each episode off with a kinetic bang, the series doesn’t feel very distinctive. This only reaffirms the fact that the show’s lack of identity is its greatest flaw.

It’s easy to see the potential that Sunny had, but this darkly comedic neo-noir doesn’t have enough laughs or tension to work in either genre. Although strong performances and a few ambitious swings are enough to keep viewers from losing interest entirely, there are much better entries into this genre to spend your time on. 

Sunny streams on Apple TV+ beginning July 10 with two episodes, with new episodes streaming subsequent Wednesdays. All ten episodes reviewed.

​Rating: 3/5

Review by Joseph Fayed

Don't you hate it when your work follows you home? A Sacrifice is a mystery thriller that follows an extreme example of that. This German-American production is action-packed, but its investigation into a new-age cult loses its footing in the latter half when it becomes nothing more than your typical search-and-rescue mission story. 

Ben Monroe (Eric Bana) is an American social psychologist on assignment in Germany. Ben investigates a series of unusual deaths that appear to be linked to a new-age cult. Aided by Nina (Sylvia Hoeks), he tries to get closer to the root cause. In the meantime, his teenage daughter Mazzy (Sadie Sink) arrives to spend time with her dad. Mazzy's parents have separated, and while father and daughter haven't been able to deal with that yet, that soon becomes the least of their worries. Martin (Jonas Dassler) befriends Mazzie, and as the two hit it off, it appears Martin may be one of the missing links to Ben's case. Ben's investigation and Martin's own agenda create life-or-death consequences for everyone involved. 

Lines such as "We are what we create" echo throughout the film and the psychology behind it. It is clear how this was the intended premise behind the film, which in turn was adapted from the novel Tokyo by Nicholas Hogg. Changing the setting and characters' names doesn't make it stand out from any other "foreigner in Europe" stories. Changing those details also doesn't show how this enigmatic cult came to be. The lack of depth and understanding of this cult, which acts as the primary antagonist here, is jarring because how vague the film is trying to be isn't executed very well due to the lack of suspense or mystery that leads to the conclusion. ​

If an academic perspective on cults is too boring for you, then you may appreciate the second act pivot towards kidnapping, murder, and suicide. One positive note is that the film never becomes dull, even if the story behind it is poorly told. There is never too long of a gap where something messed up doesn't happen to one of our four leads. Most of the plot points can be seen coming from a mile away, which makes their reveal unintentionally hilarious. For example, Nina receives a phone call with crucial information she must keep secret. Before that scene, her personality was extremely dry in all of her scenes, so it was funny to see a turnaround to make her more relevant somehow. 

Eric Bana has entered the mid-50s Liam Neeson dad era of his career. Australia must be so proud. His performance here is simply okay, but you definitely can tell which parts of the script he was comfortable acting. It's not the B-movie action flick jargon, but to his credit, he also doesn't overact his way through those scenes. Sadie Sink plays a bitchy teenager, and Sylvia Hoeks saves her energy until it is needed. Both were unremarkable but passable in their roles. Jonas Dassler is the one who got to display the most range because of how his character is written. He has a certain sad boy aura that European cinema tends to admire, so I expect him to appear in some Mubi original in the future if the right director/writer is willing to give him a chance. 

A Sacrifice is pretty mindless. Everything will be laid out in front of you, except for the whole cult aspect. But when you see glimpses of how bizarre a cult like that truly is, then at least you will be slightly more sympathetic towards our protagonists. Getting in and out of a cult is not as cut and dry as the film will make you believe, but I'm certain this fictional take on one will inspire the next wave of middle-aged dads to rescue their daughters in Western European countries. ​

A Sacrifice hits theaters on June 28.

Rating: 2/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Anthology horror is a notoriously hit-or-miss subgenre, but it has an incredibly passionate fanbase nonetheless. It’s clear that the Korean anthology horror flick Tastes of Horror is aimed at a younger audience with its tech-forward take on the horror genre.  While it doesn’t live up to the heights of the cyber-horror genre revitalized by properties like Black Mirror, Tastes of Horror has enough strong moments that it’s worth a watch for cinephiles who enjoy the macabre.

Tastes of Horror features six segments adapted from a webtoon series directed by five of Korea's most acclaimed horror directors. Anyone familiar with the anthology horror genre knows the drill: there’s some good and some bad. This one's success feels even more scattered than most.

From the first segment of Tastes of Horror, “Ding Dong Challenge,” viewers might be worried that it will get off to a rough start. The riff on The Ring for the TikTok era is as generic as it sounds, and while it’s never insufferable, it’s also not very entertaining. Thankfully, the anthology eventually picks up, but this opener does not set the pace well.

Other segments of the film verge on confusing.  “Four Legged Beast” feels like it doesn’t do enough — almost like it was destroyed in the editing room, with a final cut that feels rushed and doesn’t make much sense. “Rehabilitation” shows potential as a high-concept sci-fi horror, but it attempts to go too far into the world-building for what the runtime allows.

“Jackpot” is a lackluster mix of both of those tendencies. Its story is incredibly generic — a dull entry into the supernatural horror subgenre — yet it attempts to throw in an unnecessary number of twists and turns to subvert the audience’s expectations. This is the segment that is most likely to have viewers checking their watches.

However, where Tastes of Horror stands out from other anthology films is that its worst parts aren’t egregiously bad — just forgettable; and its best moments are anything but. “Residents-Only Gym,” while simple in premise and not entirely logical, contains some of the most effectively executed scares in any horror movie this year so far. And the mukbang body horror short “Gluttony” may not be scary, but it’s one hell of an unsettling note to end the collection on.

The commonality in all six segments — both the good and the bad ones — is impressive effects work. Admittedly, each short feels like it is built around one or two genuinely eerie images that the filmmakers wanted to pull off. However, those moments are so viscerally gruesome and impactful that horror fans will be satiated.

Tastes of Horror doesn’t defy expectations when it comes to the anthology horror genre — there are some strengths and some weaknesses. However, thanks to a focus on impressive visual effects and more than a few genuinely disturbing moments, Tastes of Horror is mostly a success. It probably won’t break out beyond its target audience that already appreciates anthology horror, but there are far worse horror movies to suffer.

Tastes of Horror is now available on VOD.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Cole Groth

The corny tagline of Arena Wars, "The only way to live… is to kill," nicely summarizes what to expect from this low-budget action/thriller: a fun concept, cheap effects, and a weak script. It won't check any boxes as a film with genuine merit, but it deserves praise for being a fun time.

In the dystopian world of Arena Wars, convicted criminals are offered a strange chance at redemption: a seven-tiered fight to the death. On each level, a trained killer, each more potent than the last. Most criminals are slaughtered almost immediately, meaning that ratings are down from the sickos who watch this type of program. It's up to our wrongly convicted hero, played by John Wells, to save the ratings, stand out above the bunch, and fight for his freedom. Violence and chaos ensue.​

The acting is a strange high point in the film. Most of it is pretty corny like you'd expect from the script, but many of the actors seemingly had a fun time behind the scenes, which radiates through the screen as the central group of fighters led their way through the Arena Wars. Most of the characters are douchey, but they're anchored by our lead, who brings a layer of sensitivity necessary to keep this film from not taking itself seriously enough.

Outside of bloody chaos and cheap thrills, Brandon Slagle's screenplay tries to elevate the premise through commentary on corporate greed and violence in the media. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't work very well. The dialogue is weak all across the board and entirely too on the nose. This film was meant for the action and not the story. Just because a movie has a low budget shouldn't mean that the script has to be so weak, though, so it can't be excused.

As far as the action goes, it's about what you'd expect — not great. It's mostly fun from its premise, but since the budget is so limited, the full vision of Slagle isn't matched. Most of the fighting consists of characters on a small stage engaging in hand-to-hand against a boring masked killer. That said, this maximizes its minimal budget, leading some of the action to work. The in-universe Arena Wars is a fascinating premise, and it would be pretty interesting to explore with a larger budget.

Given the clearly low budget, it's a little tricky to wage the same type of criticism on this film as you would on any other strange sci-fi film. Despite some bad line delivery, strange editing decisions, and a somewhat ugly look, this is pretty fun because of how ambitious it is. If you're a fan of ridiculous and campy sci-fi/horror, this is actually a somewhat worthwhile watch. You wouldn't expect the ending to be nearly as positive as it is, but it ties the film together very well and leaves everything off on a satisfying note. Arena Wars is a test of whether you can forget about most of the technical stuff in a movie if it's fun. This suffers in a lot of places, including writing, visual effects, and editing, but it's the type of corny action fun that works if you're not looking for something serious.

Arena Wars is now on VOD.
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Rating: 2.5/5

Review by Jonathan Berk

The characters in the film feel forced to use less than ethical means to get by.  In the opening sequence, Jax and Roki embrace nature and collect supplies. They come across an older man fishing, and Jax tries to distract him while Roki raids his tackle box. As they leave the woods, we see them steal the truck and take it to a shop where they sell what they've collected and stolen to get by. This scene initially plays with tone and is a bit of silly fun at first, but later, as other events unfold, it takes new meaning. 
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Jax's life is not easy, and it was apparently even more challenging for her sister. Interactions with other characters, especially the sisters' father, played excellently by Shea Whigham, and his new wife, played by Audrey Wasilewski, show the challenges put up against them. As the film progresses and Jax and Roki decide to head to the Powwow despite the warnings about it, it becomes clear that there isn't a great outcome for Jax in the world she's living in. 

Fancy Dance is beautiful and sorrowful and is another showcase for Gladstone. Tremblay has given audiences a movie that is heartfelt and informative. Hopeful and devastating. Movies like this embody Roger Ebert's words, allowing audiences to live in someone else's shoes. An opportunity to see problems through a lens we otherwise would have no access to knowing. ​

Fancy Dance is in theaters on June 21 and streaming on Apple TV+ on June 28.

Rating: 4/5