Review by Sean Boelman
There are some films whose message is so important that it is easy to overlook some of their flaws with regards to their delivery. Lilah Hallah’s debut Power Alley — known as “Levante” in its native Portuguese — is an often unsettling exploration of timely themes, even if its power is sometimes undermined by an uneven tone.
The movie follows a teenage volleyball prodigy who finds her future at threat when, on the eve of a massive championship that could change her life for the better, she is faced with an unwanted pregnancy. This is the type of movie that is clearly meant to be provocative, and while it deals with controversial themes, it doesn’t always challenge the audience as much as it clearly hopes to. This is an extremely political film, and while it is focused on Latin American politics — particularly in Brazil — many of its themes will resonate worldwide. The infringement of womens’ rights is an issue that has been a hot topic of debate for many years in many countries, so it seems that (unfortunately) this movie will not lose its timeliness anytime soon. The tone of the film is somewhat off-putting, failing to capture the balance that so many other pro-choice movies have recently. We’ve seen different approaches to these themes — from road trip comedies to melodramas and intense thrillers. What we get here is a mix of high school comedy and race-against-the-clock thriller, and the tonal whiplash is jarring.
Obviously, viewers will immediately sympathize with the protagonist for her struggles. However, the other characters leave something to be desired. For example, her teammates on the volleyball team are all archetypal and the conflict they cause is rather generic. And her father, while a welcomed supportive figure, is also underdeveloped.
Ayomi Domenica Dias is absolutely astounding in her leading role. Obviously, the role she is playing is asking a lot of her, with plenty of harrowing, emotionally draining scenes. Yet something that really sets Dias’s performance apart is its confidence. Whereas most films about these themes require hesitation, there is absolutely none of that here, and Dias does an exceptional job of rendering that absoluteness. The movie is also extremely accomplished on a technical level, with the soundtrack, cinematography, and editing being a highlight. The use of pop music in most films usually creates an upbeat tone, but here, it creates a feeling of pulse-pounding suspense that heightens tension and makes the stakes feel even higher. Power Alley doesn’t always work, but when its pieces are all working together properly, it’s a powerful, harrowing film. Although the movie doesn’t necessarily say anything that we don’t know about its themes, it still serves as an important reminder of the suffering that governments are putting their citizens through. Power Alley is screening at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Semaine de la Critique sidebar. Rating: 3.5/5
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THE LITTLE MERMAID -- Halle Bailey is a Perfect Ariel in Another Unnecessary Disney Remake5/22/2023 Review by Camden Ferrell Rob Marshall is no stranger to musicals and definitely no stranger to Disney musicals. Some of his previous work as a director includes 2002’s Chicago and most recently the surprisingly delightful Mary Poppins Returns. His newest movie is attempting to adapt one of the most beloved Disney film’s to live action. The Little Mermaid, despite being about fifty minutes longer than the original, fails to add anything new or fresh to the story, barely being saved by a standout performance by Halle Bailey. In this remake of the classic story, Ariel is a young mermaid with aspirations to experience life above water. Against the wishes of her protective and prejudiced father, she sells her beautiful voice to an evil witch, so she has a chance to live among humans and fall in love with a handsome Prince. It’s the same story everybody knows and loves, and it remains relatively faithful in its premise. However, faith does not equate to quality, and even fans of the original might have a hard time justifying this movie’s existence. Written by David Magee, it follows the original pretty closely while adding a few additional moments and indulgent scenes of visual effects work. It’s not bad by any means, but it feels wholly derivative of the source material. It doesn’t seem like there’s an attempt to put his own spin on this story, merely following the path of what came before. This creates a shaky foundation for the movie to be built upon. It was never going to outdo the original by copying the same ideas. It might have been risky, but there would have been more favor to be won if he had taken some creative risks and liberties with the story to make it feel fresh and original. Likely the only amazing aspect of this movie is its lead performance. Halle Bailey stuns as Ariel from the second she appears on screen and begins singing. It’s hard to imagine anybody else pulling off this role as well as her, and she is the undisputed saving grace of this movie. The ensemble that has been assembled is decent but nothing spectacular. Some might enjoy Melissa McCarthy’s performance as Ursula or Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, but they aren’t able to match Bailey’s impact. Other cast members like Javier Bardem and Jonah Hauer-King fail to make an impression and deliver forgettable performances of iconic characters.
Audiences are going to likely feel the lengthiness of this adaptation. Clocking in at over two hours, it clearly overstays its welcome. New scenes and songs don’t add much in terms of enjoyment, and it only serves to bloat the movie. These problems, combined with some awkward and somewhat questionable visual effects, leave much to be desired from this adaptation. Despite the harsh criticisms I’m giving, I do recognize that on a superficial level, this is a passable Disney movie that some people might truly enjoy. There are certainly much worse ways to spend time at a movie theater right now, but with such an iconic story, one should expect more from this remake. The Little Mermaid won’t win over any new fans, and it won’t impress fans of the original, but there might still be some decent entertainment for audiences. Bailey’s performance might be worth the price of admission alone. Regardless, it’s easy to write this off as yet another unnecessary Disney remake, but it certainly could have been worse. The Little Mermaid is in theaters May 26. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
In the modern age of social media, we have already seen numerous films capitalize on our increasingly online personas. Don’t let the Shudder release of Kurtis David Harder’s Influencer fool you — this isn’t really a horror movie, but rather, a thriller that tries (and only sometimes succeeds at) challenging our preconceived notions of social media personalities.
The film follows a social media influencer who, while beginning to grow disillusioned on a solo backpacking trip in Thailand, meets a free-spirited young woman who seems to encourage her to live her best life. However, it soon becomes clear that the apparently kind stranger might have more sinister intentions than it seems. The first thirty minutes of the movie set up what seems like it will be a relatively traditional stalker thriller, albeit with an angle that is fundamentally modern. It’s somewhat hard to get into this influencer spin on Fatal Attraction because the characters are, quite frankly, a nuisance — although that is part of the point. However, around the twenty-five minute mark, there is a twist that takes the film in a radically different direction from where it seemed to be heading in the first act. Although the delayed title card isn’t entirely earned, the second half of the movie is infinitely more compelling than the relatively weak setup. Unfortunately, the film fails to use its intriguing premise to deliver much in the way of meaningful commentary on its themes. The movie’s themes are pretty standard questions about the price of fame, and the only substantial statement it offers as an answer is that once one gets a taste of it, it can be difficult to let it go. The film is absolutely elevated by a strong performance by Cassandra Naud, who is wonderfully sinister. Emily Tennant, Sara Canning, and Rory J. Saper are all exaggeratedly awful as the influencers, but Naud consistently steals the show. Naud opts for a grounded take on the role when she easily could have gone hammy. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the movie is that director Kurtis David Harder doesn’t succeed at building suspense. We’re not necessarily rooting for Naud’s character — but we aren’t rooting against her either. The result is a feeling that we are watching this situation voyeuristically, and it feels somewhat cold. Influencer is a pretty intriguing film, and while it’s a struggle to get through a somewhat obnoxious setup, the back half is rewarding in a way that makes it worth watching. Hopefully Cassandra Naud gets more substantial roles after this, because she is pretty phenomenal here. Influencer streams on Shudder beginning May 26. Rating: 3/5 Review by Joseph Fayed European cinema tends to be very upfront with their openness towards erotica. The same can be applied to Europe in general, and it's why the erotic thriller genre is so much more common overseas. The few American attempts worth acknowledging don't seem to leverage the balance between lust and control very well. The new film Sanctuary tries to bridge that gap with a focus on more than just promiscuity. The film follows Hal, a hotel heir who wants to end his longstanding relationship with his dominatrix, Rebecca. Hal breaks the news during one of their sessions. The two struggle to end things their own way for the first time since they met. Ulterior motives to their relationship are unearthed as the two realize neither of them will leave the other without being unscathed. Many viewers may be surprised to discover that the film has very few sex scenes, and none of them are very explicit. That may hinder one's arousal, but the leads still have more to do than just each other. As the only two characters, Hal and Rebecca have our full attention. Their dominance they each think they have gained over each other is established early on. It just isn't seen through an opening montage of steamy sex scenes. But that doesn't mean there is a delay in finding out what arouses Hal or Rebecca and how it's acted upon. Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley make their characters and their egos come to life. All around their performances is depicted what clients and sex workers usually experience: dread. That doesn't make the film anti-sex work, but it does mean that the tension that develops between the two of them quickly spirals out of control inside the penthouse suite. Ending a longstanding business relationship is never straightforward, even if it involves foreplay. Both Hal and Rebecca are uptight people despite their different class upbringings. Their characterization makes that very apparent, and it doesn't stem from any sexual desires.
Sanctuary shows us how two adults may react when sex no longer becomes gratifying. The best part about the film is that it presents sex for what it ultimately is: a two-way street. We learn what the two gave up to reach this point, without diving too far into either of their pasts at the expense of the other protagonist. It becomes more of a thriller with less erotic elements, and manages to reach a satisfying conclusion for the back and forth nature of this cat and mouse game. What's sexier than that? Not Margaret Qualley's blonde wig, that's for sure. Sanctuary is now playing in theaters. Rating: 4/5 Review by Cole Groth As distrust in the police rapidly grows, documentaries about the failures of the people we’re supposed to trust are becoming more critical than ever before. Victim/Suspect, Netflix’s latest documentary, shows how false reports of rape — which are so actively broadcast throughout the nation — are frequently the result of rampant abuse by police officers. It’s a film that will make your blood boil, and although it sometimes misses its own point, audiences of all kinds would do well to educate themselves by watching this. Victim/Suspect is led by reporter Rae de Leon, who is seeking to uncover the truth of why many women who were raped and went to the police about it were instead arrested for making false accusations. Her journey starts with Emma Mannion, a woman berated by Investigator Jared Akridge into recanting her case. Jared Akridge is one of the many despicable police officers responsible for ruining women’s lives. Throughout the documentary, we’re painted a picture of the rampant abuse police officers take and how they so frequently let the accused rapists off. We’re also shown many people who help these women when they have no other options. One of the most significant issues with this documentary is that it dramatizes the investigative process too heavily. There are moments when de Leon makes the film more about her journey than the women’s. I can’t blame deLeon, for her story took years of her attention to uncover, but it sometimes distracts from the overall story. As a piece of investigative media, there are times when the documentary doesn’t go deep enough or force the audience to ask tough questions. It could be much more of an indictment than it chooses to be. At one point, de Leon gets a very fortunate interview with Detective Walberto Cotto Jr. Like Akridge, his abuses of power are exposed throughout the documentary. Unlike Akridge, however, he’s foolish enough to give an interview. He’s grilled on his failures as a police officer, and his conversation with de Leon reveals that although he went after the woman who accused another man of assault, he overlooked that he was accused of another assault just a month prior. His mix of confusion and fluster is a fantastic moment of entertainment and shows top-notch reporting skills from de Leon.
Victim/Suspect shines when it reveals the uncomfortable truths of sexual assault survivors. The most tragic story is that of University of Alabama student Megan Rondini, who took her life after being charged with false reporting of sexual assault. The documentary powerfully showcases the combination of incompetence, aggression, and laziness that many police officers show to victims of assault and can hopefully shift the conversation in the right direction. Make no mistake — this documentary is not easy viewing. It is, however, a powerful combination of important storytelling and gripping narrative focus. Change needs to be made in the accountability of police officers, and films like this must put a blazing focus on many of the specific people involved. Officers like Jared Akridge and Walbert Cotto Jr. are just two cogs in a machine of injustice. They will hopefully face consequences for their actions after the publication of their cases. Victim/Suspect releases on Netflix on May 23. Rating: 4/5 Reviewed by Jonathan Berk The song that made Donna Summer famous is also where this documentary begins and gets its title. A close up on the lips of the iconic singer as the moan and words that start the song are all the audience is privy to when directors Brooklyn Sudano — daughter of Donna Summer — and Roger Ross Williams (Life Animated and HBO’s The Apollo) start Love to Love You, Donna Summer. It’s about as risqué as the film will get, which suggests the image the film will attempt to paint of Summer’s celebrity persona and her much more wholesome private life. The film never manages to go deep enough into any of the themes or topics, feeling more like a family presentation of their matriarch. Sudano and Williams use lots of home movies to help depict Summer’s private world cut between archival interviews, music videos, and live performances. We almost never see the people being interviewed, as the filmmakers opt for a voice-over that was likely from a digital conversation based on one shot of Sudano crying after a difficult revelation. In other words, the visual presentation of the film is very standard, and the lack of originally shot footage makes it feel slightly more clinical than it should consider, considering it is a documentary made by the daughter of the subject. While the home movies allow us to dive into an aspect of Summer’s life that was private, the content of those videos is very much performative. There isn’t a candid look into who she was throughout the film, and the filmmakers never really tackle that head-on. It's part of the narrative the film explores, but it is very surface-level exploration. Despite the film taking a safe approach to the subject, especially some more controversial times, there is still a lot to appreciate. Summer had a tremendous career that feels like it is not discussed as much as some of her contemporaries. Her hit songs include “Hot Stuff,” “Bad Girls,” and “She Works Hard for the Money,” to name a few. These are songs that many have heard, but may not be aware are by her. It’s the moments when the movie focuses on the music it is easy to get lost in, as the songs are undeniably good. If the filmmakers had decided to make the case that Summer was a musical pioneer who doesn’t get the credit she deserves, and then ponder why that is, it would have been more impactful.
It is the film’s inconsistencies with its structure and uncertain focus on why they’re making it that are frustrating. The movie mostly moves chronologically and seems to be primarily concerned with the time after “Love To Love You” became the smash hit — though it does jump back and explore Summer’s youth a little bit. There is a passing section that discusses her being molested by a pastor, a moment where Donna Summer is quoted in a magazine as homophobic, and talks about domestic violence. None of it is explored as much as it is mentioned, and ultimately feeling unfocused. If Sudano had a goal when she decided to make this film, it is unclear what that goal was when the credits rolled. Ultimately, it feels like a stream-of-consciousness rumination on who her mother may have been. By the conclusion of Love to Love You, Donna Summer, there is nothing particularly wrong with the film. Those unfamiliar with Summer will at least have a better idea of who she was as a person and celebrity. In that way, the film is a success. Those familiar with music documentaries may feel a little letdown and disoriented by the unwillingness to truly commit to a premise or dive deeper into those there. Love to Love You, Donna Summer will be streaming on HBO Max starting May 20. Rating: 2.5/5 Review by Camden Ferrell “Each year, the French police open more than 800 murder investigations. Nearly 20% remain unsolved.” These words are included in the opening of Dominik Moll’s newest film The Night of the 12th. Based on the book, 18.3 – Une année à la PJ, the film had its premiere in 2022 at the Cannes Film Festival. Successful due to how disciplined and grounded it is, this is a crime movie that is compelling even if it’s content to stay within the pre-established lanes of the genre. Clara is a young woman that is randomly assaulted one night and dies as a result. Yohan is the investigator assigned to this case. With the help of his colleagues, he hopes to solve this brutal murder before it can haunt him anymore. It may not be breaking new ground for the crime drama genre, but it has a chilling case at its core inspired by real events. Fans of true crime movies will easily find this an interesting and tragic story worth telling. The screenplay by Moll and Gilles Marchand is relatively tight and safe. More times than not, it follows the same structure of most crime movies. It makes sure to hit all the narrative points that occur in police investigations, and its beats are familiar. However, there are a handful of choices that the script makes to go beneath the surface to understand how a case as brutal as this one can crawl under the skin of the people investigating it. One of the more interesting reasons that this movie works well is that there’s no real stand out performance. Clearly, a lot of credit must be given to Bastien Bouillon for his leading performance, but he never tries to show off his acting with any flashy moments. Nobody in the ensemble is trying to act out the other. As a result, nobody stands apart from the rest, but with a story like this, the more reserved and somber approach makes the film more realistic and troubling to watch at times. It also allows the actors, specifically Bouillon, to be more subtle with the way they express the wide range of emotions associated with a murder investigation.
From the start, we know this case goes unsolved. The movie honors the tragedy of a life taken too soon while also coming face to face with the futility of this case. We know that nothing will be resolved, and justice will not be served, and it makes the movie all the more tragic. Despite knowing how it ends, one can’t help but still watch in suspense, hoping for the best from a bad situation. The movie may not take any risks to elevate itself overall, but it is all around good filmmaking from start to finish. The Night of the 12th might fly under the radar for most, but it ‘s a great crime drama that is worth checking out for fans of this type of film. As mentioned before, it won’t blow anyone’s minds or expand the limits of the genre, but it’s a solid entry that sees great work from everyone involved. Far from perfect, this is still an emotional and suspenseful story that is inspired by true events. The Night of the 12th is in select theaters starting May 19. Rating: 4/5 Review by Tatiana Miranda Anna Cathcart first made her appearance as Kitty Covey, the protagonist’s younger, scheming sister, in the 2018 Netflix original To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which is inspired by Jenny Han’s YA novel of the same name. Since then, Jenny Han's work has inspired two more To All the Boys movies and the Amazon Prime Video series The Summer I Turned Pretty. Now she returns with XO, Kitty, a spin-off of To All the Boys that focuses on Kitty as she attends a prestigious boarding school in Korea. While To All the Boys is more of a rom-com and The Summer I Turned Pretty is more teen drama and romance, XO, Kitty takes inspiration from its setting and watches more like a stereotypical K-drama, complete with shocking plot twists and all. Kitty, now seventeen and entering her junior year of high school, decides to attend KISS, a boarding school located in Seoul that her mom attended in the 90's. KISS also just so happens to be where Kitty’s long-term, long-distance boyfriend Dae goes to school. In an attempt to learn more about her late mother and surprise her boyfriend, Kitty arrives in Korea unaware of all the drama yet to unfold. Much like her younger self in To All the Boys, Kitty sees herself as a matchmaker, yet she has problems figuring out her own love life. Her romance with Dae began in To All the Boys: Always and Forever, when her family took a trip to Korea to reconnect with their culture. In XO, Kitty, she plans to see him for the first time since then, now that they have been dating for about four years. When trying to surprise him of her arrival at KISS, she is caught off-guard by a dramatic change in their relationship brought on by classmate and principal’s daughter, Yuri. While some of the tropes may feel similar to To All the Boys and The Summer I Turned Pretty, such as fake relationships and love triangles, XO, Kitty is wholly different in terms of its tone. Although some of the drama revolves around Kitty’s love life, the majority of it centers around Kitty’s discovery of her mom’s experiences at KISS. From secret romances to teenage pregnancies, XO, Kitty feels more like a K-drama than your average Netflix teen series.
XO, Kitty’s K-drama inspiration and representation of Korean culture is well-done, especially considering the recent critiques of Jenny Han’s tendency to give her characters predominantly non-Asian love interests. Past the overabundance of petty teenage drama, XO, Kitty is a unique look at the experiences of a half-White Asian-American as she tries to learn more about her deceased mother and her culture. It is also a subtle critique on how many non-Western cultures perceive the LGBT community, especially how it is treated generationally in Korea. XO, Kitty is by no means a perfect series, as it seems to overdo it with the dramatic elements, often giving viewers whiplash as multiple relationships move from enemies to crushes then back to enemies again. Still, its characters are intensely likable and the series is full of equally comedic and heartwarming moments. With the final episode’s cliffhanger, one can hope that Netflix will renew the series for a second season. XO, Kitty releases on Netflix on May 18. All ten episodes reviewed. Rating: 3/5 Review by Adam Donato Jack Harlow is having himself a little moment in the music industry as of late. What a time it is to capitalize on this fame with some exposure in other entertainment industries. Harlow is clearly a basketball fan, even having a song named after Miami Heat star Tyler Herro. Thanks to Disney buying Fox and all their intellectual properties included, Harlow was able to remake nineties sports classic White Men Can’t Jump. While the original sported big name actors like Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes, Harlow stands out next to Sinqua Walls in terms of name brand recognition. Over thirty years after the original, does this remake justify its own existence? This remake is rated R just like the original. Not to give Disney credit, but one wouldn’t put it past them to water this story down to a PG-13 rating to get more eyes on their content. That being said, White Men Can’t Jump loses all of the balls the original movie stands out for. Indoor basketball courts are much more accessible today, but it takes away from the grit of the original. Isn’t it a large part of the story that these two men are struggling with money? This update just makes the story that much less relatable. Not to mention, the ending is softened up Without spoiling anything, the original movie impresses by not letting our protagonists easily off the hook. Here, we take the easy way out for a more standard feel good movie. It’s just sad to see a movie remade to be “safer." Harlow’s big difference here compared to the same character Harrelson plays in the original is his focus on passivity in conflict. His character is also a big-talking hustler, but his whole goal seems to be not only stealing their money, but pissing them off in the process. He’s also a trainer who is constantly pushing his weird health supplements. His relationship with Laura Harrier of Spider-Man: Homecoming fame seems to be an afterthought, whereas the original goes out of its way to flesh that relationship out. Still, Harlow is cool enough and looks the part of a hooper. It’s a far cry from what Harrelson brought us, but it's clear the goal wasn’t to elevate the original, but to inflate the ego of a famous musician.
It’s interesting the direction they go with Walls's character. Not much of his backstory is explored in the original, but here, it’s the focus from the jump. To any basketball fan in the last decade, it’s clear they’re trying to draw comparisons to LaVar Ball — an overbearing basketball dad, who seems to enjoy the media attention just a bit too much and overdoes it with unwavering confidence in his son’s ability. Walls’s character lost his serious basketball opportunity due to his inability to keep composure when goaded. This aspect of his personality conflicts with Harlow’s character nicely. However, their arguments about race feel nowhere near as genuine as the original and therefore are hollow. The rap on White Men Can’t Jump is similar to most high profile remakes. It’s completely unnecessary and does nothing to improve upon the original. It’s extremely disappointing to fail to adequately address the racial discussions at the heart of this story seeing as racism is very topical these days. This performance may not garner Harlow any future opportunities in acting, but may add to his street cred and Spotify subscribers. No need to check this one out, but definitely check out the original if you haven’t seen it. White Men Can't Jump streams on Hulu beginning May 18. Rating: 2/5 Review by Cole Groth Outpost tells a familiar story: a woman with a troubled past tries to escape the demons of her past, only to find them boiling over as her sanity drifts away. With snappy production and a solid first hour, it’s a huge letdown when the already generic premise gets wasted in an unusually mean-spirited series of twists and an ending that’ll leave a sour taste in your mouth. Writer/Director Joe Lo Truglio’s screenplay tells the tale of Kate (Beth Dover), an abused woman who seeks solitude by volunteering for the local fire watch job. She’s recently left her husband and is supported by her friend Nickie (Ta’Rea Campbell), whose brother, Earl (Ato Essandoh), gets Kate the job. While the first few weeks provide the solace that Kate was looking for, her sanity begins to slip away after uncomfortable interactions with her peers, hallucinations, and her inner demons coming back for her. Lo Truglio’s script does an excellent job of exploring the grief of Kate’s character. Instead of taking a dramatic approach, though, he turns the film into a psychological thriller that undermines the character development of Kate. While some good scares and creepy moments will keep horror fans intrigued, he leans too heavily into the thrills and turns a fascinating character study into an over-the-top mess. The biggest disappointment is the last twenty minutes. To stray away from spoilers, I won’t discuss any of the specifics, but it’s important to note that many viewers will tune out after a final twist turns the film into an intense slasher. On the technical side of things, Outpost succeeds. Beth Dover is excellent and perfectly balances the wide array of Kate’s emotions. The rest of the cast does a great job in their respective roles, as well, with Becky Ann Baker’s performance as Bertha being a standout. Frank Barrera’s cinematography is excellent, showcasing both the beauty and horrors of nature with ease. The pacing is solid, and while the last 20 minutes are unpleasant, they at least don’t feel very long.
As far as horror goes, Lo Truglio has directed a genuinely horrific film. Many moments will send chills down the spines of viewers, and each moment of gore is as shocking as the last. Lo Truglio does a great job of disarming the viewer, only to jolt them back into a state of disgust. Those squeamish to gore will want to look away. It’s a shame that a lackluster third act ruins Outpost because the rest of the film is a solidly entertaining thriller with good emotional undertones. Fans of psychological thrillers won’t find anything too new in this, but as somebody who doesn’t enjoy films about people losing their sanity, this one felt like more of the same unpleasant experience. Outpost releases on VOD May 19. Rating: 2/5 |
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