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Review by Sean Boelman
Clock is the second film to debut on the festival circuit that is adapted from a short on Hulu — the other being Appendage — and it suffers from many of the same issues. Underdeveloped and flawed, but still intriguing thanks to a solid concept, Clock may be satisfying enough to please some genre cinephiles.
The movie follows a woman who agrees to participate in a clinical trial in a desperate attempt to restore her biological clock, only to find that there may be a more substantial cost than she thought. It’s a concept that shows a ton of potential, but it’s developed in a way that leaves something to be desired. It feels like it’s an expansion of a short film — with a bunch of ideas that feel stretched way too thin. For the most part, the themes in the movie are aggravatingly conventional. It’s another horror movie about motherhood and femininity, and while these topics often make for interesting genre pictures, this one frustratingly feels content with the bare minimum. The things that the film has to say about conformity are more interesting, but feel underdeveloped. Yet despite having an undeniably interesting concept, this does not amount to much in terms of compelling characters. The protagonist is unfortunately rather generic, and while her internal journey is authentic, these same themes have been explored in other movies much better before. It also doesn’t help that her relationships with supporting characters are also underdeveloped, eliminating that as a method of characterization. 
That being said, although the character she is given is somewhat thin, Dianna Agron’s performance is extremely strong. She brings a lot of empathy and emotion to a role that we’ve seen dozens of times before. No one in the supporting cast is given a particularly meaty role either, but Melora Hardin and Saul Rubinek do a good enough job for what is asked of them.
One of the more frustrating things about the film is that it lacks consistency in its level of severity. For the most part, the movie is made up of PG13-level scary images, and then — all of a sudden — there is a full-on shot of a mutilated d*ck. Because the film is such a slow burn for much of it, the shocking moments like this aren’t all that effective. It’s also disappointing that the movie struggles to find a balance between its different subgenres of horror. There’s obviously a lot of body horror in the premise, but it also has psychological aspects in that the protagonist is questioning her own reality. It’s a dynamic that should go together very naturally, but doesn’t add up here. Clock is yet another horror film that shows a ton of potential but doesn’t fully deliver. Alexis Jacknow is certainly an interesting new voice in filmmaking, and it will be exciting to see what she does with a more fleshed-out script. Clock is screening at the 2023 Overlook Film Festival, which runs March 30-April 2 in New Orleans, LA. Rating: 2.5/5
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Review by Joseph Fayed  Cinematic depictions of the Devil that revolve around Devil worshipers trying to perform a ritual are a tale as old Satan himself. Malum is the latest example of that, and without any real suspense or interesting gore, it stands out in a negative light compared to its predecessors. The plot follows Jessica, a rookie police officer working the night shift alone at an unoccupied police station. Her father worked there a year prior, and before his tragic death, he had exposed the brutality of a local Devil-worshiping cult. Over the course of one night, Jessica learns more about the cult her father had investigated, and discovers that she only knew the surface of the story behind what happened to her father. This film is a remake of the director's previous film, Last Shift, from 2014. I have not seen that, but I can't imagine the story has anything else to say that would prompt a retelling of it — especially when it comes to the protagonist Jessica, who is given very little to do in the first half of the film. A remake like this should be welcoming to more shock and awe than the original, but it seemed like it relied too much on what may have scared fans of the original in 2014 without adding anything of value.  The idea that Jessica's father may have kept a secret from his daughter is not as fleshed out as it should be. Her father's background proves key to the story, but dialogue alluding to a dark secret her father kept is mostly ignored. I could see this working had there been a big third act reveal meant to shock the audience, but from what we are told, the writing is on the wall.
The performances of the cast tend to be below average all around. Our lead Jessica puts emphasis on panic in satanic panic, but her character seems too claustrophobic to her surroundings to be a standout. The supporting actors may have read one chapter of “Helter Skelter” as inspiration for their roles, and just ran with it. Malum has Satan worshiped by many characters. Its biggest flaw is that it doesn't bother to answer why or how many of them worshiped Satan. It also doesn't bring together the worshipers with the story's protagonist effectively. Lame kills can't even save this film from being anything other than a bloody mess. Malum is now playing in theaters. Rating: 1/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Recent years have seen more experimental horror and genre-adjacent films receive a large platform and wide theatrical releases. Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men has the backing of cinephile-favorite indie studio NEON, and while it is too experimental for most audiences, its niche will certainly enjoy its unique
The film follows a wildlife volunteer who observes a rare flower daily on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast, only for her daily routine to begin to affect her psyche. There are a lot of comparisons that could be made as to the vibes that Jenkin is going for, and yet the film still feels entirely idiosyncratic. It’s hard to even describe the film as a slow burn, because it is so experimental and ambiguous that it barely moves along. Although the film has been billed as “art horror,” doing so seems unfair because someone will see the nautical setting and immediately expect something akin to The Lighthouse. Instead, what we get is something much more eerie and psychological. Undoubtedly the most impressive part of the film is its use of imagery. Although there aren’t any individual images that stand out or linger particularly long, the entire film’s atmosphere — brought about primarily by the imagery — is quite effective. Jenkin’s cinematography is stunning, both in its ability to capture the beauty of the landscapes of the eponymous island and in its capability to unsettle. 
The use of sound in the film is also quite effective, which is important given that there is so little dialogue in the movie. The score — also by Jenkin, who seems to be a jack of all trades, and surprisingly, a master of quite a few of them — does a great job of creating tension, even when the action on screen may not demand it.
Similarly, much of the film’s success hinges on the lead performance of Mary Woodvine, who is absolutely fantastic. Although there are some additional actors who come and go throughout the runtime, a majority of the film’s length is Woodvine by herself, wandering around the idea, interacting with its flora and making observations. She is surprisingly captivating in doing that. If there is one thing that is frustrating about the film, it’s that it is extraordinarily ambiguous. It’s really hard to pick a message out of the film’s thin narrative. For better or worse, Enys Men is the type of movie where a group of people could sit and watch the movie together and each come out with a different interpretation. Enys Men is not a particularly rewarding cinematic experience because it is so ambiguous, but it’s also hard to deny how well it is made. Cinephiles will certainly find themselves in awe of the film’s pure technicality, even if they aren’t as impressed by the narrative. Enys Men opens in theaters on March 31. Rating: 3.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
A scene from IN VIAGGIO: THE TRAVELS OF POPE FRANCIS, a Magnolia Pictures release. ©Archivo Vatican Media. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Documentaries about religious figures are often approached with wariness out of the fear that they could end up being little more than propaganda, but the fact that In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis was made by acclaimed documentarian Gianfranco Rosi (Fire at Sea) was encouraging. Although In Viaggio isn’t quite propaganda, it is also frustratingly shallow.
In the film, we follow Pope Francis in the first nine years of his pontificate, as he travels to 53 countries on 37 different trips. Throughout this journey, Pope Francis encounters and speaks on some of the most important issues facing the world today, from poverty to migration and even the environment and war. The movie is almost entirely made up of archive footage compiled from Pope Francis’s travels across the world, visiting and addressing the citizens of countries all over the place. Considering that it is directed by Rosi — who is known for his visually stunning documentaries — it’s a bit disappointing that the film is almost all archive footage (and close-ups of the Pope’s face, at that). Even at a mere eighty minutes in length, the movie starts to grow monotonous after a while. This is especially true since the speeches he gives are somewhat similar in nature and message. It’s interesting to see the slight differences in what he says based on where he is speaking, but the novelty of this wears off quite quickly. 
A scene from IN VIAGGIO: THE TRAVELS OF POPE FRANCIS, a Magnolia Pictures release. ©Archivo Vatican Media. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
The message of the film is undeniably good — one of hope, love, peace, and acceptance — but it also feels very heavy-handed. Ultimately, it’s understandable that the movie feels like it is preaching to the viewer because it effectively is. Pope Francis is speaking to his followers in a way that is clearly meant to be teaching, and the film can’t shake the feeling of subjecting the audience to that.
Some of the more interesting portions of the movie follow Pope Francis as he rides through the streets of his destinations in the Popemobile. Although these seem like throwaway shots at first, they are indicative of the message of the film — perhaps even more so than the speeches themselves. The one thing that the movie does succeed at doing is giving the viewer an ample amount of respect for Pope Francis. Even though the film doesn’t offer a particularly deep glance into his life or work, it’s easy to see the commitment he has to his followers through these speeches he delivers and the love he shows for them. In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis is ultimately disappointing considering that it is made by a filmmaker who has the talent to make so much more than this. Although it’s hardly a bad film — and it has good intentions — there is frustratingly little to it. In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis is now in theaters and on VOD. Rating: 2.5/5
Review by Dan Skip Allen
Climate change is a real thing in this country and the world. The problem is convincing people that it actually exists and that they need to do something about it. What they need to do is the big question. The Ants and the Grasshopper is a documentary film by Raj Patel dealing with these problems and facing them head-on, focusing on those affected most by this worldwide crisis.
The film starts in Malawi, Africa, where Anita, Winston, and Esther all live and work — some farm, and others just sit around and watch. These people live a difficult life where everything is hard, because they don't have enough water to water their crops, which is one of the only forms of sustaining their lives and their children's lives. When the filmmaker suggests they go to America to talk about climate change, two of them jump at the opportunity to spread the word about their struggles and why American farmers affect them. Typical documentary fare this one has talking heads, but the way it uses the talking heads is different from other documentaries. It makes the main characters visit various farms in Wisconsin, Iowa, California, and Maryland to sit down to break bread with all the said farmers featured in the film. This showed these people's ways of living and their ideas about climate change, and how their ways of farming could affect other people. 
An aspect the film doesn't go into as much is again a topic that isn't talked about enough: the Green New Deal, which Senator Jeff Betkley of Oregon co-sponsored. Everything else in the documentary leads up to this part of the film, but doesn't hammer home how important it truly is to get people behind this deal. What we eat and where it comes from isn't something we normally think of, but maybe we should. It's an important thing in our lives going forward.
An aspect I rather enjoyed about the documentary was the fish out of water part of it. These women came over to this country to try to spread their agenda about climate control, but what they sometimes find is strange ways of doing things that are hard to get their heads around. Like tractors, segregated neighborhoods, and how one farmer could use deviated rainwater to make his crops grow in different areas even when rain is scarce. This was surprising to these women who live such menial lives. The title of the film hit me hard once it was used in conjunction with the story being discussed in the documentary. Ants have a reputation for moving large amounts of weight, but it's because they work together. That's why a handful of ants were able to carry a grasshopper. If a few people were able to convince many people about how important climate change is, then more and more change can happen here and abroad. This was an important film in that regard. The Ants and the Grasshopper hits theaters on March 31. Rating: 3.5/5 |