Review by Sean Boelman

Winner of a Special Jury Award for acting in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the Maltese film Luzzu is minimalistic in its approach, for better or worse. Telling a simple story very simply, there are some strong moments throughout the movie, but not enough to allow it to have the intended impact.

The film follows a fisherman who risks everything to provide for his wife and newborn son by getting involved in the black-market illegal fishing industry. There’s a lot here that shows the potential to be really interesting, but for the most part, it ends up being just another tale of a man who the world seemingly has it out for.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the movie is that it doesn’t make much of anything with its themes. On one hand, this is a film about the social class system in Malta, following a member of the working class who toils every day only to be exploited by those in more favorable conditions. Then there is also the part of the movie about the environmental regulations and the black market. Unfortunately, neither of these are explored with much substance.

Instead, what we get is a dramatic thriller pretty much divided into two halves. The first part shows the character’s entire world falling down around him, before he starts to rebuild it in the second part only for it to collapse again. It’s a series of beats that we have seen done again and again without much in the way of variation.

Unfortunately, the film does not have the depth in its character work to justify redoing these beats. Although we sympathize with the protagonist for his plight as the sole provider for a young family, there isn’t much more to the character than that. There’s a thread about the protagonist’s relationship with his legacy coming from a long line of fishermen, but this isn’t all that interesting.

That said, the acting in the movie certainly does impress. Non-professional actor (and actual fisherman) Jesmark Scicluna does an excellent job in his leading role. Of course, his expertise in the area makes all of the physical fishing scenes feel authentic, but he also does an exceptional job pulling off the dramatic, dialogue-oriented moments.

The film is also strong on a technical level. The use of color in the movie is great, which is fitting since the title comes from the name of the colorful fishing boats used by fishermen such as the protagonist. And the sense of claustrophobia created in the market scenes goes a long way in creating a sense of tension.

Luzzu is a film with a lot of good ideas and plenty of strong moments, but they don’t boil down into anything especially noteworthy. It works best as an acting showcase for its non-professional star, although that may not be enough to make it worth going out of your way to see.

Luzzu is now in theaters and virtual cinemas.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

Secret Agent Dingledorf and His Trusty Dog Splat had a brief theatrical run in July of 2021 and is now set for its VOD release. This movie is directed by Emmy-nominated cinematographer Billy Dickson and is based on the book series of the same name. From the start, it’s clear that this is a movie aimed exclusively to young children and nobody else. Unfortunately, Dickson’s film finds itself severely unsuccessful due to the movies weak writing, poor acting, and cringingly awkward execution.
 
Bernie Dingledorf is an average 10-year-old boy. He deals with bullies, and he spends time with his two friends, Lens Cap and I.Q. However, all of this changes when him and his friends are tasked by a secret agency to destroy a diabolical Laugh Generator that is set to be used by malicious clown Dr. Chuckles. This premise is ridiculously silly, but it’s to be expected from a movie meant for young children. However, the execution doesn’t do much to help make its premise more engaging.
 
Immediately, it’s painfully obvious that this film was made with no thought or consideration in any department. The script by Bill Myers is weak, and it lacks any original dialogue. It’s full of tired jokes, unbelievably cringy physical comedy, and a central story that fails to have any heart or emotion. On top of that, the execution of this film is uncomfortably poor from start to finish. Scenes feel stilted, editing is choppy, and it frankly doesn’t feel like this should have made it past post-production. For an experienced cinematographer like Dickson, it’s legitimately shocking that he would have undeniably one of the most poorly shot movies of the year.

If anything positive can be said about this film, at least the child actors seem to be giving it their all. Zackary Arthur plays Bernie, and he isn’t great by any means, but it’s clear that he’s doing his best with the poor material he’s given. He is supported by the young Shiloh Nelson and Cooper J. Friedman, and they both also seem to be in the same boat. The cast also consists of both Paul Johansson and Jason Dolley, who both seem completely out of their element and checked out of their performances.
 
While I understand the budget was small for this film, it relies heavily on special effects that make the movie feel severely cheap. Rather than writing set pieces and moments that wouldn’t be feasible to pull off, it seems like they could have made some narrative changes so that their vision didn’t horribly exceed its budget. However, this still wouldn’t fix the fundamental flaws with the film’s writing, execution, and general overall vision. It clearly doesn’t appeal to older kids or adults, but there are times where it can feel like even young children will find nothing of merit in this movie.
 
Secret Agent Dingledorf and his Trusty Dog Splat is not the charming underdog story it seems to think it is. It is a poorly made kids film that may not even appeal to most of them. It has plenty of embarrassing moments for the cast and crew, and it can often be difficult to watch due to its consistently poor quality.
 
Secret Agent Dingeldorf and his Trusty Dog Splat is available on VOD October 15.
 
Rating: 0.5/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

Hard Luck Love Song had its premiere at the 2020 Austin Film Festival. It is the feature directorial debut of writer/director Justin Corsbie. The movie is based on the song "Just Like Old Times" by Todd Snider. While the movie creates an enjoyable atmosphere, it suffers from an inconsistent tone and meandering pace.
 
This movie follows Jesse, a street-smart musician, floating from motel to motel, making money and bad decisions. This, combined with a chance encounter with an old love, leads Jesse to an existential crossroad. This is a simple premise about a troubadour and the people he meets along the way, and it had the potential to be quite endearing.
 
Corsbie’s script is charming albeit underwhelming. It has all the enjoyability of the intimate small-town dialogue, but it can often find itself lacking substance. To the movie’s credit, it does a pretty decent job of adapting the Snider song into a feature-length film. However, the script does seem to juggle a lot of tones, and this inconsistency can lead to some overarching problems throughout the film. This is also due to the fact that the movie tries to capture the spirit of multiple genres simultaneously, and the end result is interesting yet questionable.

The acting in the film isn’t impressive, but it’s fairly strong at times. Michael Dorman leads the film as Jesse. He does a good job of taking on this drifting character and the suavely streetwise nature he embodies. He also proves to be quite a talented musician throughout. He is supported by a cast including the likes of Sophia Bush and Dermot Mulroney. While they don’t do anything memorable, they do have some good chemistry with Dorman.
 
One of the film’s main virtues is how it can sporadically create immaculate vibes. There are a handful of well-executed scenes which seems to capture the true spirit of the source material. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t ever fully commit to maintaining that feeling, and it instead tries to become a hybrid of other genres. This can often impede the film’s momentum, and it prevents the best parts of the movie from truly shining.
 
Hard Luck Love Song is a rather underwhelming romantic drama with a handful of legitimately great moments. It has a hard time committing to a tone or pacing, and this hinders the movie’s ability to be emotionally resonant.
 
Hard Luck Love Song is in theaters October 15.
 
Rating: 2.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Filmmaker Ridley Scott predominantly works in three genres — sci-fi, crime, and historical epics — but it’s been seven years since his last work in the latter of the three, and even longer since his last memorable one. The Last Duel hopes to join the ranks of his Best Picture-winning Gladiator, and while it’s as well-crafted as can be expected, it’s basically a longer, medieval version of Rashomon.

The movie follows two friends-turned-rivals who participate in a duel to the death when one accuses the other of assaulting his wife. It’s based on an interesting true story, but in both structure and content, the film plays out very similarly to Akira Kurosawa’s masterful courtroom drama from 1950.

There are four main sections to the movie — one from the perspective of each involved party, and then the eponymous duel that serves as the finale. There is some repetition in the first and second segments, as they are essentially an alternate take on the same events, whereas the third segment feels like more of an addition. And the climactic battle pays off after the slow build.

One of the more noticeable flaws of the film is that it takes a somewhat questionable approach to its themes. The storytelling device exploring multiple perspectives is an interesting way to question the idea of the truth, but the dialogue (particularly in the third act) poses some potentially problematic questions. Asking what the truth is worth feels somewhat insensitive in this situation.

The character development in the movie is also lacking in nuance. It’s clear from the beginning of the film who each of these people are, and the movie doesn’t explore anything beyond the basic archetypes. Even the protagonist’s arc, coming to terms with his own desire for honor and notoriety, feels very cold and generic.

That said, the cast manages to do an exceptional job with their roles. Matt Damon and Adam Driver are great together, capturing the constantly shifting dynamic between the two characters extremely well. However, it is the prominent supporting players that steal the show. Ben Affleck goes all-in as the pompous lord, and Jodie Comer is cripplingly emotional in her pivotal role.

The film is as gorgeous as one would expect given the filmmaker that Scott is. The level of detail in the production design and costuming is very precise and immersive. And while there aren’t many scenes in the movie that have much violence, those scenes which do are viscerally brutal.

The Last Duel is entirely solid, but one expects no less from such an established filmmaker. Although there are a few really brilliant moments, it’s mostly just an all-around entertaining and well-shot epic.

The Last Duel hits theaters on October 15.

​Rating: 4/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Todd Haynes is an exceptional filmmaker, so the release of his first-ever documentary film was obviously highly anticipated. And as one would expect, The Velvet Underground is not an average rock documentary, the filmmaker’s and subjects’ unique sensibilities come together to form a genuinely distinctive movie about the musical process.

The movie tells the story of The Velvet Underground, a band whose experimentation with sound became highly influential in the world of rock-and-roll. However, unlike a majority of rock documentaries, this film isn’t just about the eponymous band — it’s more about the scene that popped up around them and allowed them to become who they are.

This is a documentary more for people who are already familiar with rock-and-roll history, as it covers so much ground that pre-existing knowledge would be useful to have. Haynes connects the dots between The Velvet Underground and some of the most popular musicians of the day quite well, but it requires a moderate understanding of the technicalities of music to follow these developments.

There’s something to be said about the counterculture movement of the 1960s (and to a lesser extent, the 1970s), but this is more of a love letter to music. Haynes is clearly much more interested in the musical aspects of the story than the way in which the music reflected the anxieties of society at the time, but if the viewer aligns with those interests, this is a fascinating watch.

Since the movie is about the overall movement that The Velvet Underground started in the music industry, there isn’t as much insight into the band itself as one would expect. There are portions of the film which are devoted to each band member, but this is by no means a biography. Those looking for deeper insight into the personal lives of the band should look elsewhere.

Unsurprisingly, the soundtrack of the movie is very diverse and eclectic. In addition to the songs of The Velvet Underground, which span a wide range in and of themselves, the film features music from the various groups that they influenced. From some of the most popular tunes of the ‘60s and ‘70s to inventive and obscure songs, there is a lot of great music to hear in the movie.

On a technical level, this is one of the most accomplished music documentaries in recent memory. Although one shouldn’t be surprised that Haynes’s newest film is technically impressive, the fact that it is so confident despite being his documentary debut is astounding. There’s rightfully a lot of experimentation to the visual style, fitting given the experimental nature of the subjects’ music, echoing some of the groundbreaking techniques of the classics in the genre.

The Velvet Underground is an amazing documentary, although that won’t come as much of a shock. Those wanting a traditional movie need not bother, but this is a rewarding viewing experience in more ways than one expects.

The Velvet Underground hits theaters and Apple TV+ on October 15.

​Rating: 4.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

The Thai horror film The Medium partners some of the best voices in horror from across Asia, but the result isn’t as scary, nor even as interesting, as one would hope. A few interesting ideas and a strong premise aside, there isn’t enough going on here to make this any more than a decently-executed found-footage horror flick.

The movie takes the form of a fictional documentary following a shaman whose niece begins to experience supernatural occurrences that suggest that she may be inheriting the family’s shamanism, but could have more sinister implications. The title cards in the introduction of the film show its potential to be something interesting, but what results is a pretty standard possession horror.

What threatens to make the movie stand out is the cultural specificity it has. The film is set within a region of Thailand with unique customs relating to shamanism. And while these traditions and rituals set the stage for an interesting horror, the script doesn’t make much of them. That said, the movie thankfully doesn’t otherize the people whose culture it depicts. 

Part of the issue with the film is that the pacing is rather weak. It’s rare for a horror movie to clock in at over two hours, and a movie has to earn that length. Unfortunately, this one does not, with little happening in the way of tension for much of the runtime. The final act offers a supposed payoff that is hectic, but not all that memorable.

The character development in the film is also lacking. For a movie that is about a tight-knit community, there isn’t a whole lot here that is especially emotional. There is an investment in the family dynamic in the first hour or so, before the horror starts to take over, but it doesn’t result in any real connection.

For the most part, the cast in the movie is solid. As the lead, Narilya Gulmongkolpech does a good enough job convincing the audience of her horrifying situation. Although Gulmongkolpech doesn’t add anything new to the possession canon, she has a few scenes in which she really heightens the terror.

Visually, the film doesn’t have a whole lot going on that lets it stand out from the many found-footage horror movies. The camerawork is about as shaky as it can be, and the setting is mostly generic rainy woods. There are some solid effects in the final third, but they aren’t enough to immerse the viewer.

The Medium isn’t a bad film, but it’s definitely a disappointment considering all of the talent involved. It’s ultimately going to be little more than a forgettable entry into a genre full of generic B-movies.

The Medium is now streaming on Shudder.

​Rating: 3/5

Reviewed by Adam Donato

Review by Dan Skip Allen

​Mike Lombardi is most famous for his role in the FX original series Rescue Me about firefighters in New York. The Retaliators is a far cry from his days on that show. The title says it all. It's a revenge thriller with a horror twist that is quite horrific indeed. 

Lombardi plays a father who is also a pastor. He has a nice family: a wife and two daughters. He is quite protective of them. When he finally finds it in himself to let his oldest daughter go to a party on Christmas Eve, it will be the biggest mistake in his life.  His daughter gets killed by a mad man and he ends up going down a rabbit hole of revenge-fueled violence and blood.

A local New Jersey cop helps him try to uncover what happened to his daughter and whose responsible. He turns out to have a secret of his own. His lust for revenge sets him on a different path than the pastor. It's not what anybody would have expected. The pastor gets in a little over his head when he has to confront a makeshift prison filled with blood-crazed killers. He is in a fight for survival.

The directors and writers have created a world of nasty no good characters in this film: a crazy biker gang, the revenge-filled pastor, and the detective who's not necessarily on the right side of the law. All of these wide characters surround the innocence of various teenage girls. It's a mix for an absolute bloodbath that is right for the Halloween season.  

The film features music from some pretty big names in the rock n roll/metal genre, such as Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach, Tommy Lee from Motley Crue, Sixx AM, and Five Finger Death Punch. All of these singers and members in these bands also feature prominently in the film in smaller but important roles. It's nice to see some of my favorites get the movie treatment, even if it's not a very good movie.

The dialogue in the film isn't anything special to write home about and the acting isn't the best either. This film is just a bunch of B-horror movie violence with a couple of stories that come together to make an overall script. The violence is pretty solid for a horror movie as well. The problem with this film is we've seen it before to some extent. It's just a little too excessive and over the top.

The Retaliators debuted at the 2021 edition of Screamfest, which runs October 12-21.

Rating: 2/5

Reviewed by Adam Donato

Review by Sean Boelman

Succession has made a name for itself as one of the greatest shows currently airing on television, and so the long-awaited third season is one of the biggest television events of 2021. This is a show that gets increasingly nuanced with each new entry, and the shifting dynamics of this new season are absolutely riveting.

Following Kendall Roy’s shocking defection from the family at the end of season two, the series follows the Roy family as they attempt to keep Waystar Royco from collapsing due to internal and external threats. It’s more of the backstabbing and cutthroat antics that fans of the show have come to love, although this time with even higher stakes.

This is inarguably the most technical season yet, as the volatile nature of relationships in the series is heightened even further. With all of the double-crossing that happens, it can become a bit difficult to keep track of who is on which side at any given point, but this is part of the charm of the series. 

One of the most interesting things about this season is that it takes the characters in very different directions. Much of the first two seasons is the audience loving to hate the family members (with the exception of Cousin Greg, who is just outright lovable), but this season adds a lot more depth to them.

Kendall, for example, has been one of the least sympathetic characters in the show, but these new episodes turn him into a sort of antihero. Although the whininess and privilege that has always been a fundamental part of his character is still there, this goes deeper into his scars and how they made him who he is.

Other characters that get really interesting arcs include Cousin Greg, Tom, and Shiv. Likely in response to how well-received the character has been by fans and critics, Cousin Greg’s role this season is significantly expanded. He’s gone from being a humorous side character to a significant player in this civil war, which is a welcome change. 

Jeremy Strong is at his best yet in his role, bringing even more nuance than he did in his Emmy-winning turn last season. Fan-favorite Nicholas Braun is certainly a standout here, giving a performance that is a shit ton of fun to watch. And the rest of the family — Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, and Alan Ruck — are all great as well. New cameos this season include Adrien Brody and Alexander Skarsgård, both of whom are memorable.

In what will be a surprise to absolutely no one, this new season of Succession is absolutely exceptional. Although this won’t win over many converts, it’s a brilliant continuation of what has already come from the series to this point.

Succession premieres on HBO on October 17 at 9pm ET/PT with new episodes airing subsequent Sundays. Seven out of nine episodes reviewed.

​Rating: 5/5