Review by Camden Ferrell The Justice of Bunny King is a drama film that had its premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and has played several festivals leading up to its release in theaters and on demand. This movie also marks the feature directorial debut of Gaysorn Thavat with a screenplay by Sophie Henderson who most recently wrote the delightful comedy Baby Done. Even though this movie is made with the best intentions and features a great leading performance, it loses its way in its final act which ultimately leads this movie to being decent but not great. Bunny King is a woman with a sketchy past that led to her losing custody of her two children. A diamond in the rough, she works at traffic lights, cleaning people’s windshields as she tries to make money to get her life back on track. She is trying to get custody of her kids back, but she finds navigating the world as someone in her situation and dealing with child services are obstacles that are difficult to overcome. Accompanied by her niece, Bunny embarks on a journey to confront the system that keeps her children away. This story has a strong emotional core with a flawed yet empathetic character that we can root for as an audience. The script does a decent enough job at establishing its characters and making them relatable. Bunny may be a bit eccentric, but the movie doesn’t lose sight of her human qualities and traits. However, it does have a difficult time with crafting compelling and engaging dialogue outside of its few confrontational moments. This makes it difficult to be fully invested in her journey and the people who help or deter her along the way. Essie Davis gives a great lead performance as Bunny which brings a lot of life to the character while making up for some of its shortcomings. She knows how to play this flawed character in a way that is sad yet elicits sympathy from its audience. The character has made mistakes and does impulsively inappropriate things, but we know her heart is in the right place. She is joined by Thomasin McKenzie who plays her niece, and she is quite forgettable in this role and doesn’t really do much to elevate the scenes she is in.
The biggest flaw of the movie is the narrative leaps it makes in its final act. It no longer is an intimate and frustrating portrait of a mother in crisis; it evolves into something that feels beyond its reach. The final act might work with a different movie with higher stakes, but it feels out of place in a movie like this. Ultimately, the movie trades in its intimate stakes and heartbreaking conflict in exchange for some high stakes drama that don’t fit with the tone of the rest of the movie. The Justice of Bunny King is an empathetic movie that is certainly made with the best of intentions, but it doesn’t always hit the mark in terms of execution. Essie Davis is great, and it has a few great moments, but as a whole, it doesn’t work as well as it could have. The Justice of Bunny King is in theaters September 23 and on demand September 30. Rating: 3/5
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Review by Dan Skip Allen
On the Come Up is the second film that adapts one of Angie Thomas's young adult novels, the other being The Hate You Give, starring Amandla Stenberg, at the time, an up-and-coming actress. This film also stars a new young actress Jamilia Gray as Bri or "Lil Law," a young 16-year-old girl involved in rap battles. She dreams of becoming a rapper and getting her family and herself out of Garden Heights, also the fictional urban setting for The Hate U Give.
Gray's character of Bri, or as she's also affectionately known sometimes as "The Garden Princess," is an aspiring rapper like her father "Lawless." She goes to weekly rap battles to try and make money and a name for herself. When she battles a popular boy Mylez and wins, she gets noticed by his father, "Supreme" (Method Man). Her mother (Sanaa Lathan, also the director) and her handler Boo (Divine Joy Randolph) don't think this is a good idea. But she does it anyway and goes with him to the ATL along with her high school friends Sonny (Miles Gutierrez), Malick (Michael Cooper Jr.), and Mylez. This film is similar to The Hate U Give in the sense that it deals with a subject matter that is a hot-button topic in society. People target young African Americans and Latinos because of their skin color and the type of music they listen to or perform. The main character's involvement in rap music literally puts a target on her, her family, and her manager. This is the only way she knows how to make a better life for herself and her family. However, it causes unforeseen issues involving her school and the community at large.
The rap community has created some very powerful female artists like Nikki Manage, Cardi B, and Mary J Blige. These women represent a subsection of America that isn't heard from and is persecuted. Gray's character was trying to make a few bucks for her struggling family, which caused her to be targeted by the security at her school. Her life is what she uses to create her art, and also narrate this story, which is an interesting addition to the film. Hearing her words come out of her head as rhymes is a pretty cool way to show how she thinks.
I'm the last person that should be writing about rap music and how it has a message for a community who are underrepresented. It is a way to tell their stories, but it also has consequences for those who don't choose to use this kind of music to tell their stories. They are the ones that get caught in the crosshairs by the gangs that use this music as their anthem. There is just too much collateral damage when you write these violent lyrics. There has to be another way to get their message out to the public where people aren't getting killed by police or by rival gangs. The characters in the film are indicative of the world the film tries to create. They aren't over the top or exaggerated in any way or shape. They represent this fictional community to a tee, from the high school kids to the people involved in the rap battles to all the gang-related people. There isn't one story in this film that is intellectually wrong in my eyes. The filmmakers and writers get this story right from point A to Z. Teens and adults alike from this community the film depicts will resonate with this material. That is the ultimate win for this film, its cast, director, writers, and those that get to see it. On the Come Up hits theaters and Paramount+ on September 23. Rating: 4/5 Review by Adam Donato Sidney Poitier is an absolute icon of cinema. He really is a trailblazer as he was doing things that weren’t normal for the time. Reginald Hudlin, television director whose most notable feature is House Party, takes the viewer on a journey back through the history of one of the greatest actors of all time, from his early life up until his decision to retire from acting. Along for the ride are some of the most influential Black artists of recent time, most notably Oprah and Denzel Washington. Does Sidney do justice to the likeness of an esteemed artist? For the uninitiated, Sidney does a swell job of highlighting the life and career of Sidney Poitier. It helps that he was alive during the making of the movie to be interviewed. Seeing the man on screen in all his glory is pretty emotional. There’s a plethora of family members present throughout so the documentary does a great job of giving personal insight into not only the headlining events, but also first hand experience. Many of the interviewees involved get very emotional throughout which adds to the gravity of his impact on the people closest to him. The big stars that have significant roles go a long way to adding some gravitas to the presentation. One of the filmmaking aspects that stand out in the documentary is in the editing. The story is framed almost in chapters separated by the big movies in his career. It’s clear throughout where in his life the story currently is, complete with key footage from the movie being discussed. Obviously, Poitier was a big player in the Civil Rights movement and the most interesting part of the story is his impact on the movement, especially since there was some nuance in the way that the Black community perceived Poitier. It’s as heartbreaking to see people misinterpret the intentions of Poitier as it is joyous to see the positive and lasting impression he had on other people.
Sidney Poitier is an icon in front of the camera, behind the camera, and even when there is no camera. Sidney does a splendid job of showcasing who the man was to the public and to the people closest to him. There’s a great deal of hardship present as the time he lived in was a contentious one to say the least, but overall this is a feel good story that celebrates his life. This is an important story about an important man everyone should look up to. Make sure to check Sidney out on Apple TV+ for an integral history lesson. Sidney streams on Apple TV+ beginning September 23. Rating: 5/5 Review by Camden Ferrell Lou is a new thriller movie from Netflix from director Anna Foerster. She is a veteran television director, working on shows such as Westworld and Criminal Minds, and this movie marks her second feature film. The movie is written by Maggie Cohn and Jack Stanley and marks both of their feature writing debuts. Despite a cast full of talented actors, this thriller is more passable than anything, featuring predictable beats and less-than impressive action. Taking place decades ago, this movie follows Lou, a hardened and mysterious woman. While trying to confront her past, a storm rages and her neighbor, Hannah, seeks her help after her daughter gets kidnapped. From here, the two women embark on a journey to save her child while dealing with their own secrets and dark pasts. This premise is simple and familiar to other projects we’ve seen in the past, but these types of movies can still be subversive and exciting if done correctly. Cohn and Stanley’s script is decent enough. It has the foundation needed to tell a compelling story, but it doesn’t do anything to be memorable or avoid the tropes and pitfalls of this genre. The dialogue isn’t impressive, but it gets the job done. In addition to this, the movie is far too predictable and fails in trying to subvert expectations and catch the audience off guard. The acting is one of the better parts of this movie while also being one of the most disappointing parts. This movie is led by Allison Janney who is typically an extremely talented actress. Even though her leading performance is solid in this movie, it’s still underwhelming given what we know she’s capable of. She is joined by actors Jurnee Smollett and Logan Marshall-Green who are also good in this movie but not nearly as good as their previous roles.
The nature of this movie makes one think of a film like Nobody. The difference is that this movie doesn’t have the action-packed moments to compensate for its predictable and familiar narrative. There are some decent moments of action, but they’re fleeting. When action is lacking, narrative and execution must pick up the slack but as mentioned before, even that isn’t as great as it could have been. Lou is competent albeit familiar. There is a great movie hidden within, but due to some standard writing and safe execution, the movie is only just fine. With some more thrilling action or subversive twists, this could have been a great film that shows us a different side of Allison Janney. Unfortunately, we are left with a decent movie that will be forgotten about rather quickly. Lou is streaming on Netflix September 23. Rating: 3/5 Review by Cole Groth Time travel and romantic comedies combine to form one of the most delightfully enjoyable sub-genres. In 2020, Max Barbakow’s Palm Springs seemed to have perfected the genre by taking two affable leads with tons of chemistry and sticking them in a time loop. Alex Lehmann tackles this fun combination with a few tweaks in Peacock’s, Meet Cute. Starring a unique pairing of a never-better Kaley Cuoco and an occasionally miscast Pete Davidson, this 2022 film takes a more cynical approach to what it means to be living your best life. “It’s okay to be messy sometimes.” This quote appears several times throughout Meet Cute, representing Shiela’s (Kaley Cuoco) views on the world around her. We jump right into the action with a rather nervous Sheila approaching a blissfully unaware Gary (Pete Davidson). Their initial interaction is unpolished, but there’s a sense that not everything is as it seems. The first twenty minutes or so contain small hints at the premise of the film: that Sheila is a time traveler revisiting her first date with Gary to get away from her depressing existence in her regular life. Similar to the pessimistic tone that Palm Springs takes on being stuck in a time loop, Noga Pnueli’s script focuses on the sad reality of Sheila reliving this same day over and over again. Instead of being trapped in a loop, she’s constantly using a time machine she found in a nail salon (more on that later) to revisit this day. She isn't forced through the same day, but at the same time, she is. Pnueli and Lehmann wanted to tell a story about mental health in Meet Cute. Sheila is broken on the inside, which Kaley Cuoco’s excellent performance perfectly emphasizes. Rather than taking these two charming people with few flaws, we see two people who are incredibly flawed human beings. Neither one of them are very normal, which makes them so much more fun to explore. Sheila and Gary’s date is awkward at first, but that’s the reality of first dates. They’re weird, complicated, and awkward. Instead of going in for a kiss, Sheila hugs Gary. The first embrace of two rom-com leads almost always has a sloppy kiss, but this simple hug shows the more realistic side of dating. Small moments like these make their romance flow naturally and lead to an incredibly exciting journey. Every time loop movie provides its spin on the logic of time travel, and this one is no exception. Instead of using an enormously complicated machine, Lehmann presents us with a tanning bed in the back of a nail salon. Sheila professes her disdain for her current life to the owner, June (played by a hilarious Deborah S. Craig), and is presented with the opportunity to go back 24 hours to fix where her life went wrong. However, this presents her with an interesting challenge: what should she do with her past self? This movie gets uncomfortable at times, and the most uncomfortable moments come from Sheila routinely murdering her past self by running her over. Instead of leaving this as a short comedic beat, these moments get progressively longer and become more and more horrifying. Lehmann abandons tonal consistency to take sad or distressing turns. These might emphasize the brokenness of Sheila’s mental state, but it doesn’t help the film feel consistent.
Pnueli’s story and general ideas are great, but her dialogue is hit-or-miss at times. Pete Davidson is simply not a good enough actor to deliver occasionally clunky lines of dialogue without sounding completely distracting. After an expository moment where Sheila explains that she’s a time traveler, instead of a simple confused reaction, Gary says something to the effect of “Wait, being a time traveler is impossible, this doesn’t make sense!” These clunky lines of dialogue are almost laughably bad at times, which makes some scenes feel like an SNL parody. However, most of the weak scenes are preceded or followed by excellent scenes, which makes the bad writing feel negligible at times. Davidson’s weak delivery is made up for by Cuoco’s excellent delivery. In this way, the two have incredible chemistry. They’re one of the strangest pairings in recent rom-coms, and they work because of that. When Meet Cute tries to be dramatic, it’s surprisingly effective. Sheila’s mental health is written with so much care for the topic, making this one of the most effective portrayals of anxiety and depression that you’ll find in a romantic comedy. When it tries to be funny, it’s hilarious. Davidson’s natural talent for comedy shines in ad-libbed moments, which are emphasized by his chemistry with Cuoco. It’s an all-around great film that succeeds at both its emotional complexity and humor. Sure, Meet Cute is messy at times. However, life is just as messy as this film, and that’s what makes it so good. Davidson and Cuoco are an electric duo, and with a great premise, fun script, and excellent pacing, you’re in for a fun time. It’s hard to reinvent the rom-com, but Lehmann, who is admittedly not a fan of the genre, has managed to make a significant new film that’s worthy of a watch from any fan of the genre. Meet Cute will stream exclusively on Peacock starting September 21st. Rating: 4/5
Review by Dan Skip Allen
Star Wars films and television shows were usually contained to the Skywalker Saga before Disney bought Lucasfilm and vowed to do stand-alone movies set in different eras a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. One of those films was Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, set directly before A New Hope, starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor. The film was such a big hit with fans and critics alike. So Disney/Lucasfilm decided to spin Andor off into his own series. Andor has finally arrived, and it's worth the wait.
When we pick up Andor five years before the tragic events in Rogue One, he is trying to sell a piece of Empire Tech. He enlists the help of a woman he knows, Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), to help him facilitate the deal with a contact of hers who deals in black market goods, Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard). He has a different agenda for Cassian — one that has him making a decision he may regret for the rest of his life. He can decide to be a common run-of-the-mill thief or a member of something bigger than he can probably perceive. Andor might be the best show that Lucasfilm has released on Disney+ yet. I know that might be blasphemy to some die-hard Star Wars enthusiasts, especially since they've released two seasons of The Mandalorian with a third on the way and Obi-Wan Kenobi. But Andor is such a gritty, dirty, grounded look at this world. It's about time that Lucasfilm has finally delved deeper into the seedier side of the Star Wars Universe. We have seen glimpses of this in the original trilogy and the Boba Fett show, also on Disney+, but nothing to this extent. This is the Star Wars I've been waiting for since I saw The Empire Strikes Back as a kid. Tony Gilroy, who took over for Gareth Edwards midway through production on Rogue One, has returned to showrun this new production of Andor. He has grounded this series in a way that makes it authentic and raw as no other Star Wars project has been before. The main planet the series starts on has a workman life feel to it. All the supporting characters are like normal people going through their lives in the central city. They get up in the morning and work in factories, scrap yards, or whatever it may be. Andor travels through this world unbeknownst that even though he has friends, he also has enemies, and they are closing in on him.
This show has some of the best production design of any show I've seen all year, let alone the Star Wars projects. Setting this series in a normal world makes sense, especially when the show goes to other more familiar settings like Scarif and Coruscant, the Capital City World of the Galaxy. The show transitions from one grounded working world to two other planets where things are different: one where everything is big and industrialized, and the other is rural and more normalized. Both play an essential part in the series going forward. The show has a lot of characters to go along with all the different sets and locations. That makes it one of the more vast series there have been thus far from Lucasfilm and Disney. It's a sprawling adventure with intrigue around every corner.
Diego Luna is fantastic as this character in Rogue One, but in this series, he is still learning the ropes and who he can trust. Leaving friends behind isn't easy for him, but finding new ones like Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) will help determine where he goes from the beginning of the show. Like all the Star Wars films and shows, the Empire plays a huge part in determining the outcome. Andor has some nasty characters that make up the antagonists: a Corps Policeman called Syril (Kyle Soller), and Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) are a couple of pieces of work that are a nasty thorn in Cassian Andor's side. There is also a droid that is pretty cool called B2EMO, voiced by David Chapman. It's hard to keep up with all the moving parts of the show, but it's fun to follow along with nonetheless. When I first started watching Andor, I was instantly drawn back into the world of Star Wars. There is no other series of films or shows that looks exactly like Star Wars does. The characters are dressed like people you would see in these worlds as well. Andor was going to draw me in right away. It was just a matter of how much I would love this show. And I am here to say this is the best Star Wars I've seen in years. I loved the Cassian Andor character in Rogue One, but now I absolutely adore this character and the performance by Luna. Only seen four episodes so far, but the sky's the limit for this series. Andor streams on Disney+ beginning September 21, with new episodes airing subsequent Wednesdays. Four out of twelve episodes reviewed. Rating: 5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Kirill Serebrennikov is one of the most acclaimed Russian filmmakers working today, but his films are very unorthodox in nature. Petrov’s Flu is about as bizarre as they come, and while its inconsistent tone can be a bit much, the things that Serebrennikov does with the form is nothing short of fascinating.
The movie follows a family living in post-Soviet Russia as they get sick and begin drifting in and out of reality. It’s a very expressionist film, and for those who are willing to put up with some of the more abstract moments, it can be a rewarding glimpse into a society that is very different from our own. Serebrennikov’s movie is certainly very politically charged, which is ultimately the case with any of his films but is aggressively so here. While international audiences are unlikely to pick up on some of the more intricate references to the complexities of Russian politics, there are still messages in it that are quite universal. One of the biggest obstacles the movie faces in reaching beyond its core art house audience is its substantial length. At nearly two and a half hours long, asking most viewers to sit through that much of a Russian art film might be a serious ask — especially given its experimental nature. Although there are thematic and narrative through-lines, this is the type of movie you feel more than you watch it for the plot.
Serebrennikov certainly uses disturbing and haunting imagery to his advantage in the movie. Some moments are brutal and shocking in a way that you will have hardly seen anything quite like this on film before. However, at a certain point, one has to wonder whether these excessively graphic images actually justify their existence by serving the movie’s message, or if they go too far. Often, the answer is the latter.
On the opposite side of the coin, Serebrennikov infuses the film with stylistic flairs to give it an almost fantastical quality. Serebrennikov splits the difference between nightmarish and dreamlike, putting the viewer in a trancelike state. It manages to be alluring and unsettling at the same time, with results that are quite disorienting, but mostly in a good way. Semyon Serzin delivers an extraordinary performance in his leading role. It’s a role where he very easily could have ridden on the coattails of the strong messaging and imagery, but he brings an added layer of depth to the role. Although the movie is hardly subtle in anything it does, Serzin captures the complexities of the character well. Petrov’s Flu is certainly a very interesting formal experiment, even when its content doesn’t always work. Fans of weird art films are certainly going to enjoy the bizarre quirks and ambitious political messaging of the movie, but its unorthodox nature will be off-putting to others. Petrov’s Flu hits theaters and VOD on September 23. Rating: 3.5/5
Review by Dan Skip Allen
Olivia Wilde has had a successful acting career, but it wasn't until she directed the film Booksmart that she finally got the critical acclaim she deserved. Don't Worry Darling is the follow-up to that coming-of-age comedy. That movie was a fun look at modern teens in America. This is a vastly different film from that one, yet more important than anyone could imagine — one of the most important films I've seen this year.
Alice and Jack (Florence Pugh and Harry Styles) are a young couple living an idyllic life in a subdivision called Victory on a cul-de-sac in the middle of nowhere adjacent to a desert in California. They have a lovely house with a manicured lawn and a classic module car anyone would want. Their neighbors have the same thing with a few differences, like children or one of the wives might be pregnant. This is a life any young couple would dream of until something causes Pugh's character to question everything she thought she knew about her life and the perfect society she lives in. Don't Worry Darling is a mix of The Stepford Wives and The Village — two films with twists that make the movies better without knowing anything about them. This film is very similar in that regard. Not knowing anything about it will make the overall experience much more rewarding. Even an enigmatic leader, Frank (Chris Pine), of the community is straight out of science fiction. This film takes the physiological thriller to a new level. Sure it's a tried and true genre that has been overdone in the past, but not like this. This movie takes a subject of today's society and infuses it into this film which makes perfect sense. Mind manipulation is another trope in these kinds of films, but it is used to perfection to make the Pugh character come across as entirely crazy and unhinged. This way, she is more believable when the twist finally airs its ugly head. Pugh is fantastic in this role.
To make this world believable, the production value has to be perfect, and it is just that. The houses, cars, clothes, and hair and makeup are superb. The thing that drives this story forward is the score by John Powell is masterful in its subtlety and precise nature. It uses odd sounds to reflect the odd circumstances and the world these characters find themselves in. On top of that, the cinematography by Matthew Libatique combines with the production value to create a picturesque world these characters find themselves in.
This movie has so many important things that make it what it is but probably the most crucial thing that brings it full circle is the script by Katie Silberman, Carey, and Shane Van Dyke. They have created a story right out of the headlines. All the negative press behind Don't Worry Darling will only strengthen its resolve in my mind because this story needed to be told in this way, with these actors. Styles specifically stands out in his role, and Pugh gives a great performance, as always. Wilde's direction is very good as well. She puts all the pieces together to make a masterful film the world needs to see. Audiences should ignore their feelings toward the behind-the-scenes drama between her and Styles. It will probably benefit from all the drama, though, because people will want to see what all the hubbub is about. If that means they get to see this great film, all the better. Don't Worry Darling opens in theaters on September 23. Rating: 4.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Edgar Allan Poe is without a doubt one of the most acclaimed American horror authors of all time, hence why there has been so much media created about his life. Raven’s Hollow is the newest film about the author, trying to split the difference between a biopic and the type of story he would write himself and failing in the process.
The movie follows the famous poet and author as a fresh West Point cadet, as he and four other cadets discover a gruesome murder and set out to investigate in a local isolated community which may have some sinister secrets bubbling below the surface. We already got the “Poe as a detective” movie a decade ago in the unfairly maligned John Cusack film The Raven, and Raven’s Hollow isn’t an improvement. The central mystery of the story isn’t particularly entertaining, which is where the issues with the movie begin. There isn’t a whole lot of action in the film, with a few scares spread throughout, but most of the story takes the form of interrogations and conversations with residents of this mysterious village. It quickly starts to become boring. However, the most frustrating thing about the movie is its dialogue. Hatton’s script attempts to be poetic and needlessly dense. There are also an excessive amount of Poe references that come across more as pandering than substantial. It’s the type of movie that a middle schooler who is just discovering Poe’s work for the first time might find to be the coolest thing in the world, but for most viewers, it will simply be frustrating.
Although this is clearly an independent film that doesn’t have a considerable budget, it does a decent enough job with its periodization. The costuming and sets look much better than one would expect. Many indie period pieces have costumes that look like they are straight out of a high school theater production, but this movie does a good enough job of transporting the audience back to 19th century New England.
That said, Hatton struggles to create an atmosphere and scares that are sufficiently unsettling. Poe’s style is certainly very gothic and macabre, but this film goes too overboard with it in a way that is aesthetically unappealing. Rather than being dark and brooding, the movie primarily just feels gray and bland. Some of the imagery in the film can be quite striking, but the CGI suffers from the low budget. The opening scene of the movie is a good indicator of what the rest of the film offers: a series of images that don’t quite go together and aren’t exactly good, but are just well-done enough not to be forgettable. Raven’s Hollow struggles from figuring out whether it’s for casual audiences or those who already appreciate Poe’s work, and as a result, it ends up being largely unsatisfying. Somehow, it feels like it is both pandering to Poe fans and embarrassingly simplistic in its understanding of the writer’s work, making it worth skipping. Raven’s Hollow streams on Shudder beginning September 22. Rating: 2/5 [TIFF 2022] PROJECT WOLF HUNTING -- A Bloody Action-Horror Mashup That Overstays Its Welcome9/17/2022
Review by Alan French
Few countries embrace genre filmmaking like South Korea. Directors hailing from the small nation surprise on the biggest stages. Kim Hongsun becomes the latest prodigy of note, with Project Wolf Hunting placing his work front-and-center for Western audiences. This freight train styles itself after the Bruckheimer/Bay collaborations, with the gore of Resident Evil and Friday the 13th. A bloody but fun experience, Project Wolf Hunting struggles to maintain momentum thanks to overly long exposition that harpoons it from becoming an instant midnight classic.
During a prisoner transfer of convicts from the Philippines to Busan, a bomb goes off at an airport. The government resorts to putting its most dangerous criminals and crime lords on a ship. With the worst of the worst chained up, it would only be a matter of time until the dam breaks. As the convicts take control of the ship, an unexpected evil awakens from the depths. Much of Project Wolf Hunting thrives on its commitment to practical effects and actual gore. Once the first prisoners escape, Kim’s bloodlust cannot be satiated. The audience gets desensitized within minutes as Project Wolf Hunting establishes itself as one the goriest movies of the last twenty years. Leading the way as Jong-un, Seo In-guk has an absolute ball tearing into the meaty material. Tatted out and disrespectful of everyone he meets, Seo plays the sociopath with a giddiness that strikes a nerve. However, not all convicts are so quick to violence. Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon) attempts to quell the madness, even when confronted by members of the police and the criminal syndicate. He simply wants to serve his time, making him a perfect reluctant protagonist in the vein of Nic Cage’s Cameron Poe. Jang plays the straight man, providing the audience some stability as Project Wolf Hunting becomes a blood-soaked Under Siege with a monster lurking.
The effects work feels genuinely stunning. Blood spurts hit walls across the room while brain matter spews from the skulls of unfortunate fodder. Few horror flicks have one creative kill, let alone dozens of them. The slasher elements emerge during the film's second half, and once our monster creeps its way into the frame, we have to wonder which characters will make it to the end.
Early in Project Wolf Hunting, Kim spends the time to introduce and differentiate at least two dozen actors. At various points, the survivors and criminals swap allegiances. When you think you’ve found a rooting interest, that character becomes the victim of a throat rip. Kim’s ability to make you care about each character outshines the American slasher trope of introducing characters solely to see them die. Instead, Project Wolf Hunting feels like the kind of simulation that yields different results each time you run it. The characters are that fleshed out. However, this becomes a double-edged sword. The narrative overstays its welcome by spending so much time on the backstories of so many characters. We do not get into the meat of the story until an hour of its two-hour runtime. Additionally, more twists and turns are left in store for our audience. The amount of narration and exposition bogs us down, undermining the more unique elements of the film. While Kim may direct the heck out of kills and practical effects, he needs to work on his pacing. Project Wolf Hunting will certainly not be for everyone. Those who love Resident Evil, ship-takeovers, or a gore-fest have found your next screening. Keep an eye on Kim, who is poised to make a full-blown midnight classic. Unfortunately, pacing issues prevent Project Wolf Hunting from becoming that breakthrough. Project Wolf Hunting screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 8-18. Rating: 3/5 |
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