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Review by Sean Boelman
Credit: Gael Turpo/Netflix.
Netflix is behind a number of original films from around the world, many of which fail to connect with audiences in the US. Mélanie Laurent’s action flick Wingwomen seems like it may be the exception to that rule thanks to it being elevated by strong performances from Adèle Exarchopoulos and Laurent herself.
The movie follows two professional thieves who want to retire, only to find themselves in over their heads when they are forced to take one last job. Narratively, Wingwomen is straightforward, following the usual tropes of the “one last job” arc — only with the mission feeling even more insignificant than usual. Instead, what will get viewers invested in the story is the dynamic between the film’s two leads. Like virtually every other aspect of the movie, hardly anything about their arcs is original or even atypical. However, thanks in no small part to some committed performances, they’re nonetheless easy to root for. As is likely a surprise to no one, the cast is the absolute highlight of Wingwomen. And while female-led action flicks are usually all about ogling their attractive stars, Laurent’s female lens does a great job of turning these cliches on their head. While she does not shy away from the fact that she’s cast several sex symbols (including Adèle Exarchopoulos and Isabelle Adjiani) or her own sexuality, their roles give them more of a chance to show off their acting chops than usual for the genre. 
Credit: Gael Turpo/Netflix.
There are clearly some attempts at comedy throughout, but very few of them land. Perhaps the humor was lost in translation, but the situations are hardly ever funny, and the one-liners don’t have much wit, even when compared to some other examples of the genre. Still, despite this, the film moves along at a relatively breezy pace.
As far as made-for-streaming action movies go, Wingwomen has relatively standard choreography. Exarchopoulos does have one action sequence that impresses, but for the most part, it’s stuff we’ve seen done time and time again. It’s a mix of car chases, shootouts, and fights that, while nothing special, is typically diverting. However, the movie does have some strong technical elements, owing to Netflix clearly putting some money into this. The CGI is solid, the editing slick, and the soundtrack energetic. The film has the right blend of stunts and visual effects to give it the feeling of a grand scale — something that so many Netflix releases have been missing these days. Wingwomen is the type of action movie that seems like it was destined to disappear in the ranks of the Netflix library — especially outside of its home country of France. However, thanks to its strong cast that elevates it beyond its relatively plain script, it may not quite be doomed to that fate. Wingwomen streams on Netflix beginning November 1. Rating: 3/5
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Review by Camden Ferrell  Whether they started reading the comic book in 2003 or started watching the television adaptation in 2021, everybody agrees that Invincible subverts the genre in unique and violent ways. The two-year wait is over, and the show is finally returning for more bloody superhero hijinks. This second season continues to prove why it’s one of the most exciting shows on TV, and it will be a thrill for longtime fans of the comic as well as those experiencing the story for the first time. Omni-Man is no longer on Earth, and Mark needs to adjust to his new status quo. In addition to losing his father and dealing with the guilt of last season’s tragedy, Mark is ready to prove that he is not his dad all while dealing with regular teenage problems like girlfriends and graduating high school. This new season also brings the highly anticipated introduction of Angstrom Levy, an exciting new character that will bring a new dynamic to the series while giving Mark more problems to deal with. The writing of this show continues to be witty and enjoyable more than anything. It still retains the personality that Robert Kirkman had in his comic, but it does a great job of modifying interactions and polishing the dialogue and storytelling. This new season also juggles a lot more from a narrative standpoint, and at times it can feel like certain parts of the story are getting slightly neglected, but this doesn’t impact the quality since it doesn’t feel like a single second is wasted.  One of the best parts of this adaptation is how amazing the voice actors were, and this season is no different. Steven Yeun returns as the titular hero, and he knocks it out of the park once again. Of the returning cast members, Sandra Oh stuns as Debbie, and she is given some emotionally heavy material where she gets a chance to shine. This season brings along countless new voice actors to be excited about, but Sterling K. Brown as Angstrom Levy is already one of the best castings they’ve had so far.
Like the first season, this newest season follows the original storyline very closely, so fans of the comic book series will likely see many things coming. However, this does not at all undermine how brilliantly violent and exciting these episodes are. Even as someone who has read the entire series, I found myself captivated by every episode as if I was experiencing this story for the first time. Those who are not familiar with the source material are in for many shocking and brutal moments that will have them itching for more. Invincible comes back with a bang in season two. It picks up swiftly with some killer action and superhero antics, but it also reflects a more mature and emotional side than it had last season. It’s a delight to watch these characters grow in their own unique ways, and one can only watch this season and be grateful that we get to see these crazy events animated beautifully for all to enjoy. Invincible premieres the first episode of season two on Amazon Prime on November 3 with the following 3 episodes releasing on subsequent Fridays with the remaining 4 to premiere in 2024. 4 of 8 episodes have been reviewed. Rating: 5/5 Review by Jonathan Berk  Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment. At one point in the film Subject, Caroline Libresco says, “We are intrinsically connected to story.” It’s a sentiment that manages to feel both obvious and profound simultaneously. In an age where media is almost always available to us all, we consume stories at record numbers. There is a clear interest in “true” or “real” stories and documentaries — which once brought on the ire of bored history students everywhere — and they have become far more mainstream as a result. An increase in interest means an increase in production, which makes the focus of Subject feel all the more poignant. This film is a documentary about documentary filmmaking that steps back to ask important questions about the process. Directors Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall explore key ethical questions about the genre that has found itself in a “golden era” of sorts, largely due to streaming services. Through interviews with former subjects of big-time documentaries and people involved in the filmmaking process, Subject explores important ethical questions about the medium. Ultimately, the premise of this movie is undeniable. A meta-commentary on the very thing being made is far too compelling to not watch. Even while the film is questioning why audiences are drawn to things like this, it is providing the very type of content it is investigating. However, the film wants the audience to do a lot of the heavy lifting.  Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment. For the most part, the film does a great job of raising many of the questionable topics the medium presents: compensation for the subjects, who gets to tell these stories and representation in general, the connection of the filmmaker and the “subject”, the objectivity of the filmmaker, life after the premiere, and the concept of consent and exactly what the “subjects” are consenting to. It doesn’t propose any answers, nor does it feel like it comes to a final stance on whether we should continue to make documentaries or not. Instead, audiences are left with the burden of choosing for themselves where they stand on all of these issues.
The main documentaries referenced and those films key participants included in this movie are The Staircase, Hoop Dreams, The Wolfpack, Capturing the Friedmans, and The Square. There are many other documentaries referenced, but these five feature interviews with subjects and — in the case of Hoop Dreams and Friedmans — the filmmakers. The weaving of these films and their investigation of the impact the documentary had on their lives both during and after the release is inherently interesting. As stated, we are drawn to stories, and for these people, we are drawn to their stories yet again. Fans of the genre will have likely internally grappled with these questions many times already; however, Subject making it the focus feels necessary. It’s impossible to watch something like The Wolfpack and not question if the filmmaker should be injecting more assistance into the lives of these siblings and their mother, who are trapped by a cruel father/husband. Whether news reporting or long-form documentary filmmaking, there is an undeniable responsibility to handle these “true” stories with care. These are people, after all, not inanimate objects at the end of our microscopes. Subject will be in theaters on November 3. Rating: 5/5 Review by Cole Groth  The Hell House franchise has been a rollercoaster of quality. The original installment was a great new found-footage movie with an exciting premise and some good scares. The first sequel is probably one of the worst horror movies ever made. The third entry, though, picked up a bit and wasn’t quite as bad as its predecessor. Fortunately, Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor is much more in line with the original. With a quick pace, good scares, and believable characters, it might be the best film in the series. Like the rest of the series, this film is shot like a documentary. Intercut with the found footage are talking head interviews about the wild disappearances of the film’s subjects. A common element in any found-footage movie is scares placed in the corner of frames, something the Hell House franchise loves to lean into. Typically, this series plays too heavily into scares like that, but they’re reasonably scarce in this one. Expect lots of yelling, confusion, and other elements you expect from this type of movie. At the beginning of The Carmichael Manor, we’re told the results of what we’re about to watch. Couple Margot (Bridget Rose Perrotta) and Rebecca (Destiny Leilani Brown) are internet investigators. Tasked with the daunting challenge of exploring the Carmichael Manor, where several grisly murders happened in the eighties, the two, along with Margot’s brother (James Liddell), stay for four nights in an attempt to solve the murders, only to go missing themselves. Over the film, we see the insanity in the manor, all captured by the victims themselves.  Writer-director Stephen Cognetti has stayed with the series since its beginning. His writing skills and the quality of actors he puts in his films have drastically shifted from film to film. The fourth entry features the strongest script and best performances. Perrotta and Brown are surprisingly fantastic and make for some of the most likable and authentic protagonists in a found-footage movie. Most films of this genre — especially in this series — focus on annoyingly loud people, the removal of which makes this a lot better.
To all my loyal followers, you’ll notice that my reviews are much harsher on Shudder films than other writers. Usually, I don’t find their movies scary; if they are scary, they end up being highly unpleasant watches. Fortunately, The Carmichael Manor stands out as a consistently satisfying and scary horror flick. During the regular, unscary scenes, the pacing is fast enough not to feel dragging. When the third act begins and the insanity peaks, the scares are powerfully uncomfortable and well done. Even though the characters’ fates are known from the beginning, it’s still surprisingly riveting to see what will happen next. This immense praise isn’t to say the movie is without flaws. Cognetti’s story is hard to follow, and it seems the only thing that will save the plot is a complete reset in the future. There’s a whole flashback subplot that’s pretty confusing, too. Looking past a confusing story, you’ll find a great new horror movie in Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor. This series seems to be on the right track for the first time since the first film. There’s a lot of potential in the franchise, and hopefully, Shudder will push through with a sequel that manages to be the same quality. Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor releases on Shudder on October 30. Rating: 3.5/5 Review by Joseph Fayed  Priscilla is the latest Sofia Coppola feature to have a female protagonist trapped in the ever so isolating lifestyle of the rich and famous. This time she tells the story of Priscilla Presley, and using a similar formula as she has in the past, Coppola keeps you engaged in this slow burn of a biopic. When she was 15 years old, living on a military base in Germany with her family, Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) met 25 year old Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi). The film follows the next decade of their relationship, and how Priscilla became inserted into a world she knew absolutely nothing about. As her life changes, Priscilla must decide what she wants, while also considering the impact on her world famous husband and how easily their lives can fall apart. The film is told largely from the perspective of Priscilla and gives her more agency in several ways — for, example, by not including Elvis music (even if part of the reason is that the production was not granted permission to include his songs). Elvis was heavily focused on his career and is absent for a significant portion of the film. Priscilla, in the meantime, must come to terms with her new surroundings. She explores her new reality like any other teenager would have.  The most sensationalized aspect of the relationship between Elvis and Priscilla was their significant age gap. Unlike Elvis, where this detail was seemingly overlooked, Sofia Coppola dares to plant the seed that the king of rock and roll may have been at fault here. There are moments in the film where Elvis lashes out at Priscilla and gets violent with her. His team — with whom he spends more time on the road than he does with Priscilla — acts as yes men and doesn't disapprove of his actions. The downfall of their relationship isn't painted as some takedown of Elvis, but a growing discontent on behalf of Priscilla. It is obvious that she, like many other celebrity marriages, lost touch with her happiness once the honeymoon phase of their relationship was over. What followed was suffering in silence... something that the claustrophobic nature of the film captures beautifully.
Coppola is at her A-game once again when it comes to cinematography and set design. It's hard to describe how intimate shots are set up when they focus specifically on Elvis and Priscilla, versus the wide angle shots that almost hide our characters in a backdrop of pastel colors. Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi have great chemistry with each other and don't try to outact each other by impersonating Priscilla or Elvis. They look and sound like their characters, without having to go into theatrics to prove their transformation. Priscilla mostly avoids falling into familiar tropes that tend to tank biopics. Given that this one was produced by Priscilla herself, she was clearly able to give her say in the matter. Whether it's the accusations of Elvis grooming her or his own infidelity, nothing serves as a dramatic turn of events until the marriage dissolves. The need to reclaim oneself doesn't happen after a particular sequence of events, and thankfully, the film doesn't act like the story needs to be told that way. It isn't flashy like Elvis was, nor does it focus on making a star a star. Rather, it settles for an intimate portrait of the woman who was by his side for so many years. The lonesome tone of this may be off-putting to some, but as an outsider looking into this relationship, it feels like the film consistently covers how Priscilla always felt she was on the outs too. At least Priscilla was able to find comfort in her bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume, as would I. Priscilla is now playing in theaters. Rating: 5/5 |