Review by Sean Boelman

There has been a relatively recent trend in the horror genre to capitalize on goodwill from a once-popular property by connecting a series’s title to an otherwise unrelated film. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin is the latest attempt to do so, and it’s about as bland of a found footage flick as one expects.

The movie follows a woman who, investigating her family’s past in a secluded Amish community, begins to experience some strange and disturbing occurrences. Ultimately, the film shares more in common with The Blair Witch Project than Paranormal Activity, both in terms of its particular found footage style and its story

Like most found footage movies, the first hour or so of this is extremely slow, only for the last thirty minutes to get much more intense. However, Christopher Landon’s script fails to do much in the way of building tension in that early portion, resulting in an experience that is ultimately rather boring. There are a couple eerie sequences in the final act, but not enough to make it worth watching.

One of the most disappointing things about the film is that it does not have a very interesting setting. The movie is set in a generic Amish community, and not much is done to make it feel distinctive. It’s a bunch of religious people doing weird and occasionally mildly creepy things, which is not an original set-up at all.

The character development in the film is also extremely underwhelming. The audience is expected to connect with the protagonist’s desire to reconnect with her long lost mother, but this arc is so generic that it doesn’t leave much of an impact. And all of the antagonists are all entirely forgettable.

As is the case with the rest of the series, the cast is primarily composed of no-name actors. These are the type of roles that can be as much or as little as the actors make of them, and this cast leans towards the latter. Emily Bader’s performance feels derivative of every other found footage leading performance.

From a technical standpoint, the movie is very standard found footage material. Apart from some solid make-up work in the final third, there isn’t much here that will leave viewers impressed. Instead, most will be left largely unaffected by its plainly cold atmosphere and predictable overuse of shaky cam.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin is about as lackluster as one would expect from a very loosely-related standalone film in an already unimpressive series. It’s a shame, because with the talent involved, this had the potential to be a true chiller.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin hits Paramount+ on October 29.

Rating: 2/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

Bulletproof is the newest film from documentary filmmaker Todd Chandler. It is his second feature length film and has been playing festivals around the world for over the last year. The film tackles a timely subject and uses some clever storytelling, but it can’t always make up for it being less than the sum of its parts at times.
 
This movie tackles the topic of gun violence in American schools. It attempts to analyze the complexities and nuances of the topic through an examination of the industries and training that have emerged due to this rising issue. This is an interesting premise that is obviously timely to the country’s current climate, and there’s a lot of room for biting commentary and exploration.
 
From the start, Chandler’s editing of the film is unique if nothing else. Instead of telling a clear-cut story, he opts to use the juxtaposition of school rituals to tell a story of modern-day American schools. We see typical school activities like marching bands, school announcements, and basketball games. However, this is contrasted by the number of scenes involving school shooter drills, firearm training, and other teacher-attended seminars on the topic. 

​While Chandler’s means of storytelling is ambitious and should be commended, it is prone to feeling repetitive and monotonous at times throughout the movie. As the film progresses, it doesn’t always go deeper into its topic or its analysis of its phenomenon. This can lead the film to feel like it’s doing a lot without saying as much. This is especially disappointing considering how important and interesting the topic of gun violence in schools is.
 
The documentary also doesn’t ever seem to have a consistent style. Most parts feel like an observational documentary but will be interrupted by a talking head interview that throws off the pace of the film. In addition to those minor flaws, the film merely points out the state of American schools without ever analyzing truly analyzing the factors that cause it. With this approach, the film doesn’t have a strong call to action; it just presents its topic the way it currently is with no solution or opinion on how to proceed going forward.
 
Bulletproof takes an interesting topic, an interesting approach, and delivers a not always interesting film. Its execution is unique even if it isn’t always effective, and it shows a lot of promise for Chandler’s future endeavors. However, the movie can feel like it has a higher opinion of itself than it warrants.
 
Bulletproof is in theaters October 29.
 
Rating: 3/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

Chess of the Wind is an Iranian movie from director Mohammad Reza Aslani. It was screened a limited number of times in 1976 before being banned and presumably lost for decades, only existing in low quality VHS tapes. However, in 2014 Aslani’s son discovered the film negatives in an antique shop in Tehran, paving the way for a restoration and release of Aslani’s movie. While its visual aesthetic is something to be celebrated, the pacing and convoluted story ultimately muddle what could have been an unearthed jewel of Iranian cinema.
 
Set in early 20th century Iran, this movie follows a family after the death of the matriarch. There is a large inheritance and conflict ensues in regard to whom it will be bequeathed. While the widowed Hadji believes himself to be the rightful inheritor of the money, the matriarch’s daughter, Lady Aghdas believes it is rightfully hers. She then proceeds to scheme with her handmaiden to ensure she gets what she believes is rightfully hers. This is an interesting premise for a movie, that works well on a surface level and a more deep and thematic level as well.
 
Aslani’s script isn’t anything impressive, but it does a decent enough job of telling its central story. The dialogue sufficiently reveals information about its character’s and their motivations, but it’s never quite compelling. It doesn’t do enough to retain attention or interest, and it simply satisfies the most basic requirements of what a screenplay needs to be.

The acting is one of the film’s strong suits. Fakhri Khorvash plays Lady Aghdas and is probably the most impressive performance of the film. She is strong, steadfast, and entertaining as we see her plot to secure her inheritance. It’s nothing Earth-shattering, but it’s an enjoyable performance that is an insight into the middle of her career. The other actors support her well but aren’t quite as memorable as she is. The movie also excels with its cinematography. It’s a well shot movie that uses camera movement sparingly, and it works in giving the film a visually pleasant aesthetic. The restoration is fantastic and elevate the experience even when other areas of the film are lacking.
 
The film falters significantly in the film’s pacing. While its slow and steady pace is deliberate and should work for the story in theory, it meanders far too much. In addition to its wandering and sluggish pace, the movie also takes its relatively simple premise and executes it in a way that is convoluted. It doesn’t foster audience engagement, and it is ultimately what hinders the movie’s quality the most.
 
Chess of the Wind may not be the beautiful hidden gem of Iranian cinema that one would hope, but it’s a great restoration of a movie that could have potentially been lost forever. The execution and slow pace may be off-putting to some, but fans of Iranian cinema might find something to enjoy in this film.
 
Chess of the Wind will be in theaters October 29.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Sports movies can be a mixed bag at times. They can inspire as well as entertain the masses, or they can go down a road so many have gone down before. It's hard to do a sports movie and make it original or have it say something important without using the same old tropes sports movies in the past have used. Unfortunately, Heart of Champions isn't very original and it follows a very familiar formula.

This film focuses on the sport of rowing. It's a high society sport that mostly rich kids are involved in. This particular Crew team is at an Ivy League college. The team has some issues with its members. They don't all get along. When an ex-Army veteran (Michael Shannon) takes over as coach, he shakes things up quite a bit. These kids haven't seen anyone like him in their lives.

This film has the typical sports movie drama that the writers and director are trying to get the viewers to care about, such as the two main members of the team (Alexander Ludwig, Alex MacNicol) fighting for leadership and also a girl. A newcomer (Charles Melton) to the team shakes things up as well. His presence interrupts the already shaky dynamic of the squad.

These characters all have different motivations for being part of this team. Some are just there because it's a legacy thing and others are there to prove something to someone, a family member, or a loved one. The fact remains the characters all have interesting story arcs, but this has been done before, and much better, in other films. Shannon is just going through the numbers himself. He's been much better in better films.

Even the trope of the overbearing father figure (David James Elliot, JAG) has been done to death. This film is as non-original as peanut butter and jelly. The filmmakers have copied so many sports films from the past, it's like they were watching them while writing this story. The style isn't original either, there aren't any visuals that stand out as far as cinematography or set production. The '90s setting of the film may have as well been today the way it looked.

This film isn't very good from a bunch of places. It is a cookie-cutter copy of so many sports films from the past. Michael Shannon, a very good actor, seems like he's going through the motions. The young cast is fine, but I won't remember them tomorrow. The script and direction are bland and not very memorable. This film just doesn't know what it wants to be. The sport of rowing isn't this bad from what I've seen of it. It deserves a better movie to represent it though.

​Heart of Champions hits theaters and VOD on October 29.

Review: 1,5/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

Passing is a movie based on the 1929 book of the same name by Nella Larsen. It had it’s premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and marks the directorial debut of Rebecca Hall who also wrote the film. The movie is visually gorgeous and thematically ambitious, but it doesn’t consistently stick the landing despite the great performances from its actors.
 
This movie follows two childhood friends, Reenie and Clare, who reunite in adulthood. Reenie is proud of her African-American identity and has a Black family, whereas Clare is white-passing, spending her days married to her prejudiced husband. The two former friends become involved in each other’s lives and become familiar with each other’s insecurities and emotions. This is a delicate premise that is simple on the surface but promises the room for a lot of thematic exploration beneath the surface.
 
From the start, the movie makes it clear that it’s more character-driven than plot-driven. Hall’s script is steady, meditative, and it doesn’t feel rushed or forced in anyway. This is one of the script’s biggest virtues. It feels very natural, and it does a great job of setting down the foundations for the film’s setting and aesthetic. While the dialogue is fairly strong throughout, one of my main complaints is with how it doesn’t take full advantage of its premise. There is a lot of promising commentary in its premise, and even though certain scenes touch on it, it never feels wholly engaging in its exploration of its themes.

One of the main highlights of the movie comes from its two main performances. Tessa Thompson leads the film as Reenie, and she is supported by Ruth Negga who plays Clare. Both of these actresses do a great job embodying their characters and doing what actors are supposed to do, convincing us that what we’re seeing is real. They both have great chemistry and fit very well within the film’s style while still feeling realistic in their portrayals of their complex characters.
 
The movie is beautifully shot in black and white with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Cinematographer Eduard Grau truly demonstrates he knows how to use this aspect ratio and black and white style effectively. The shots are consistently composed well, and the camera always feels motivated and intentional.
 
While there is a lot of merit in the craftsmanship in the movie, it can’t help but feel hindered by its execution at times. There are moments that get very close to be revelatory but never quite reach that level. The movie also has a very questionable final few moments that can also mitigate the impact the movie had up until that point.
 
Despite its flaws, Passing is a promising directorial debut from Hall. It features some great performances, an interesting premise, and captivating cinematography. It may not be to everyone’s liking, but despite some problems, there may be something for most audiences to enjoy in the film’s message.
 
Passing is in select theaters October 27 and on Netflix November 10.
 
Rating: 3.5/5