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Review by Joseph Fayed  Do filmmakers often go to remote cabins to look for inspiration and clear their minds to write their next acclaimed project? Well, maybe after watching the cliche-ridden Stranger In The Woods, more of them will avoid rural areas altogether. The Newacheck Brothers missed this memo and must have the most bland friend group imaginable if this is who they think a weekend getaway consists of. After nearly dying following a suicide attempt, Olivia's friends try to lighten up the mood by taking her to a cabin in the woods for a few days. Olivia is adamant something awful happened to her, but she and her friends try to ignore it until an unexplained disappearance creates tension amongst the group. A dream vacation quickly becomes a nightmare, and Olivia begins to unravel, unsure who to trust. This psychological thriller comes with no exciting twists or turns. Plot twists aren't always needed, but suspense sure is. From the opening scene, which features what appears to be the first ChatGPT-written "suicide" note, tension is quite thick among the characters. Due to obvious circumstances, one would expect very few lighthearted moments, which is confirmed upon the introduction of an estranged half-brother to one of the friends, Clayton, who lives in the cabin next door. The script goes unnecessarily above and beyond to make Clayton a creep who lacks social awareness. So much of this occurs that you feel that Clayton has to be a red herring in the storyline somehow.  There is one line from Clayton involving his and Olivia's past that, if approached more carefully than painting him to be a creep from the start, would actually give the plot something to focus on. Part of the ensemble is just there to repeat lines. They are disregarded because they are not Olivia or the creep or Olivia's dog — yes, Olivia's dog draws more emotional significance than two humans bring to this. The dog at least gives Olivia something else to worry about besides the lingering aftermath of her near-death experience. Minus the dog, the acting is pretty stale. Olivia is characterized as having this dark cloud over her, and only briefly do we see it heightened. The script makes it seem like Olivia is the woman who has gone from 0 to 10 and is on wit's end when, in reality, she comes across as confused and broken. Had she been starring alongside actors who can actually act like they are her friends, then maybe a dog's performance wouldn't be the frontrunner for awards this film will never receive.
Stranger In The Woods is a misleading title because nobody in the film is meant to be a complete stranger to the rest of the group. That minor gripe aside, you can rewatch many thrillers in a remote setting that are engaging because they are original or well-acted, unlike this. The only redeeming factor this film will have is its less upsetting entry on doesthedogdie.com. Stranger in the Woods is now in theaters and on VOD. Rating: 1/5
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Review by Joseph Fayed  Relatability can truly make for compelling comfort cinema. We often emote the same way we see "ordinary" people on screen do so. Here follows two people with ordinary lives who, like many people, make it through their daily struggles while seeking a greater purpose. Unfortunately, any realism felt from this rather mundane story won't elicit much of a reaction from viewers. The film follows Stefan, a construction worker living in Brussels. He plans to leave for an extended period and decides to make soup using ingredients from his fridge before he goes. Giving it out to friends and family, he meets Shuxiu, a doctoral student studying moss. Stefan's kind gesture takes on a new meaning, bringing him closer to Shuxiu than they expected. Whether they're depicted as the start of a flaming romance or a lifelong friendship, and the script can be interpreted as both, the characterization of Stefan and Shuxiu I can equate to nothing more than Wonder Bread. Their chemistry with each other is dry enough that small talk with a complete stranger would feel less awkward. It's simply not believable enough that these two would cross paths unless a life-altering event involving both of them would occur.  The script does manage to keep everything light-hearted. It forgoes having our two main characters interact until the film's second half. This is likely to establish who Stefan and Shuxiu are, but neither is written to be compelling enough to be more than supporting characters. Shuxiu's introduction, the most beautiful part of the film, feels devastatingly out of place with a voiceover and various shots of nature. With a better setup, this moment would be more than just a wasted soliloquy.
Stefan Gota (Stefan) and Liyo Gong (Shuxiu) were not miscast; they simply weren't meant to be paired together like they were. Gota is passable in his role, even if he doesn't bring the same type of quirkiness to his character, a la Amelie. Gong has the delivery that would serve her well in other indie dramas, and if she can make moss sound slightly interesting, I have a lot of faith in her going forward. The most praise goes to the cinematography, which captures a beautiful look at Brussels and its surroundings. Any outdoor shots make the green scenery look stunning, and I was certainly in awe of that color palette versus anything else on the screen. Here won't capture your undivided attention, but its premise is relatively harmless at best. While it seems like there was a mismatch between the two leads during chemistry screenings, this is suitable if you want to turn your brain off for 80 minutes. Moss girlies, rise up; Here is the representation you have all been waiting for. Here is now playing in theaters. Rating: 2.5/5 Review by Joseph Fayed  Franz Rogowski has been on an impressive run over the last few years. He has consistently been the standout performer in films from acclaimed directors. In Giacomo Abbruzzese's directorial debut, Disco Boy, Rogowski gives another memorable and nuanced performance despite a mildly confusing script holding this film back. Aleksei is a Belarusian man escaping his past. Out of desperation and having nothing to lose, he joins the French Foreign Legion to gain French citizenship. In the Niger Delta, Jomo is a guerrilla fighter defending his community. The two cross paths, and their fates intertwine in a way that war could never anticipate. The two storylines are established quite well. The one featuring Aleksei naturally takes up more screen time due to the various shifts in location, but Jomo's narrative is built more slowly. Unlike most war dramas, the central theme here is not depravity but isolation. Abbruzzese bold choice gives these characters the humanity they were supposed to be born with. None of that is stripped away during an act of violence. Aleksei and Jomo's characterization is not what feels fractured in the film's second half.  That being said, the last act is where the plot reaches a rushed conclusion. Since the final act isn't based around bloodshed, one may think there is no need for resolution beyond what is presented at the surface level. The ending, in particular, is off-putting only because it does not present a new reality for our protagonists, and it more so has them do something in the vein of escapism. It does not feel like a change in tone that is warranted, but instead, it will have you feeling like you were psyched out until the end credits start rolling.
Franz Rogowski is as wonderful as he always is. His best moments come when he has little to no dialogue and has a look of remorse. It's all in the eyes of people; they say a thousand words. Rogowski makes Aleksei's uncomfortable situation watchable with the emotional wherewithal. Morr Ndiaye is alluring as Jomo and shows he has a promising acting career ahead of him. Neither Rogowski nor Ndiaye were subjected to relying on war film tropes like the stereotypical soldier fighting in a war breakdown moment; both were compelling without having to do something like that. In Disco Boy, Giacomo Abbruzzese prioritizes protagonists over the politics of war. To some extent, it works because Abbruzzese proves that fighting in a war requires emotional, physical, and mental tactics, and your removal from that is a blend of all three. Impressive performances keep this film from becoming a chore to watch, even if the pacing becomes sloppy later on. Its message about disparity comes across well and never loses focus, and it's a poignant look at two very different men. Disco Boy is now in theaters. Rating: 3.5/5 Review by Joseph Fayed  One can not reflect on the cultural landscape of society shifting over time without discussing the personal impact it has had on them. In the documentary Pictures of Ghosts, filmmaker Kleber Mendonca Filho tells the story of past and present-day Recife, Brazil. But in what is meant to be a love letter to his hometown, there is rich history but not much to expand on. Throughout his life, Kleber Mendonca Filho has always had an innate passion for film, which he began growing up in a small neighborhood in Recife. Recife has always been at the heart of Filho's filmography through home video spanning decades; the director shares why that is the case. Recife is treated as the main focus of this documentary. However, its evolution does not feel like it is being explained in a practical manner. Recife's rich history feels stuck in the past, meaning there is little context or insight to describe the neighborhood outside of explaining its current structures. Someone unfamiliar with this landscape won't learn much about the present and how Recife has evolved, contributing any major change to essentially nothing.  The shining moments are the characters we are introduced to in the past and near present. With how blunt the film can feel with how it expresses its message, archive footage of people like the cinema projectionist on the job does make this film relatable to an extent. Each one's experiences with Filho are recounted before it mentions how they, too, feel like they have been lost to time.
The cinematography is simple and makes some wise choices. Shots of the apartment the director lived in for many years feel intimate and not like a walk-through tour. Anything taking place outside relies on wide shots usually from above street view. A particular sequence is a long shot that captures Recife's Carnival at night. It lasts about two minutes and is the sole indicator of something that has been carried over from the past. The shot does feel out of place compared to the rest of the film but it helps link together the past and the present more than the rest of the narrative does. Ultimately, Pictures of Ghosts are old memories with nothing new to say. Any architecture that is no more becomes an afterthought narratively speaking. One must wonder why Filho, who seems so appreciative of the past, didn't use all of the footage he had shot decades ago and just structured his film to reflect on that time period instead of an attempt to flip back and forth. Filho's own narration sounds like it's obligatory when it doesn't revolve around himself or his family/friends either. Recife is at the heart of many of his films, so it is upsetting that such an integral part of the story doesn't have the anthropological vision it needs. Pictures of Ghosts is now playing in theaters. Rating: 2.5/5 Review by Joseph Fayed  Over the years, many early-career directors have made family dramas heavily focusing on the family's youngest member. They tell the story of hardships while treading lightly with melancholy. Making her impressive directorial debut, Sara Kern's Moja & Vesna is the latest to add to this trend. Ten-year-old Moja lives with her father and her pregnant 20-year-old sister in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. The family is still grieving the unexpected loss of their matriarch, while Moja is seemingly the only one who anticipates the arrival of her niece. Feeling that Vesna can fill the gap their mother left behind, Moja looks forward to a brighter future. The film's point of view doesn't come directly from Moja — the most interesting of the three — and it pays off. Moja still serves as the protagonist, but viewers are allowed to make assumptions about her family that a 10-year-old simply can't comprehend. Moja has the quirks any kid her age would have, but one distinction is that she can process her feelings like an adult can, too. The script sees Moja have a blend of both child-like and adult personalities, but a consistent trait she has is being mellowed out. Her emotional maturity is well written as her actions speak louder than words and prove Moja is much more stable than she may realize.  It is hard to describe Vesna other than she is someone who, whenever she opens her mouth, you expect her to yell. Thankfully, she does very little of that. Vesna is truly broken on the inside, and she is the most emotionally driven. Her pregnancy serves as another misstep to her; positive encouragement shows a glimmer of what she could be like as a mother, but it is clear why she is not ready to handle that role. Loti Kovacic and Mackenzie Mazur have great chemistry as Moja and Vesna, and the latter's performance is elevated when she acts opposite her sister Moja, who becomes more of an adult than Vesna is.
The supporting characters are well-acted, too. Moja and Vesna's father, Milos, wears his grief over his wife's death on his sleeve. Moja's friend Danger is the carefree spirit she craves the most, and Danger's mother — the biggest outsider to the rest of the characters — wants to help Moja but just can't put herself in Moja's shoes soon enough to make a difference. These three and their storylines represent parts of her life that Moja is willing to embrace, even if Vesna becomes increasingly distant from her family. Moja & Vesna will make you want a supportive sister if you don't already have one. It is raw and candid in how a child is supposed to deal with loss, as it should be. This take on how grim the present is for a girl and how she vows to have a bright future not only for herself but those surrounding her is as fascinating as any childhood fairytale. Do yourself a favor and give this film the nice warm embrace it deserves instead of giving it the cold shoulder. Moja & Vesna is now streaming on IndiePix Unlimited. Rating: 5/5 Review by Joseph Fayed  Did you know that AI could be evil? But I'm not talking about AI being used for sinister purposes; I mean artificial intelligence becoming its own supervillain. T.I.M. shows us how that is possible by stripping its script of any identity to separate itself within the good tech gone bad genre. The film follows Abi, an engineer who moves to the countryside with her husband, Mark, to work for a robotics company. She begins working on the company's latest project, T.I.M., which stands for Technologically Integrated Manservant. Trouble quickly arises when T.I.M. oversteps his boundaries and becomes obsessed with Abi, willing to do anything to please her. Cinema has yet to fully explore different ways to ground your film in reality when it's centered around the dangers of AI. A "serious" thriller should be capable of producing just that. Unfortunately, its human characters and their issues with each other aren't compelling enough for any sort of narrative. Our main couple, Abi and Mark, have experienced a marital crisis. But that's the most we learn about either of them. For T.I.M. to make his way into their lives, not much has to happen for him to grasp how Abi and Mark are so divided. It makes the plot have incredibly low stakes because you know precisely how T.I.M. will use their relationship against them.  The performances from our three leads ranged from average to community theater. Eamon Farren captures the stoic essence of T.I.M. quite well based solely on his one facial expression. His mannerisms are just like how the other actors move, though, so I'll give him props for taking direction and not going overboard with a stiff performance. Georgina Campbell and Mark Rowley can't convincedly have tension. They act as if the rift between them is over misplaced car keys. Their lack of trust doesn't make up for Abi and Mark suffering from a lack of personality. T.I.M. himself can't even carry the heavyweight because he's too infatuated with a bland protagonist.
T.I.M. is a poorly made attempt to cash in on the fears many have with AI. If they wanted to explore that successfully, they could have easily leaned into dark comedy and created another M3GAN or, as Disney Channel OGs recall, Smart House. The last shot seemingly rips off the ending of M3GAN, too, but without the same iconic build-up. What makes those films better is they know how to pit humans and AI against each other creatively. The repeated tropes make the plot boring and don't add any excitement. Maybe the biggest fear society should have about technology is when lazy screenwriters use ChatGPT prompts to get their work greenlit. T.I,M. hits VOD on January 12. Rating: 1/5 Review by Joseph Fayed  You Can't Stay Here seemingly has everything it needs to be a decent cat-and-mouse thriller. It is loosely based on a gruesome real-life murder and has its protagonist face various threats that could be very compelling to watch. Unfortunately, all the fixins provided here suffer from a lackluster script and poor acting that don't bring the range or depth this film desperately needs. Rick (Guillermo Diaz) is an aspiring photographer living in New York City in the early 1990s. Rick, a gay man, likes to take photos in Central Park. He frequently, although discretely, takes pictures of other gay men hooking up in the park. One day, Rick witnesses a brutal murder and finds himself being closely followed by a gay serial killer. Unsure of who to tell, Rick winds up a part of a subculture he only knew from afar, one that he might not be able to escape. Set against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, the film doesn't have to do much to make it clear why our protagonist, Rick, would be living in fear. However, the film's biggest fault is making its antagonist — and its supporting characters — seem so unrealistic. You can't help but not care to root for Rick because the enemy is simply absurd. There is nothing sexy about this cat-and-mouse game either, which is what the film was clearly aiming for, but it feels almost PG-13 at times, even when there is meant to be something as risque as hooking up in public places.  I will give credit where it's due; some portions of the film are unintentionally hilarious. It doesn't delve into camp territory, though, because most of it sucks. The poor acting isn't over the top, as it falls flat. Guillermo Diaz struggles in his leading role, giving a performance that feels like it belongs in a Pornhub Original. The line delivery from every actor is generally bad, and it almost feels like it could've worked had they gone for a Gregg Araki type of dark comedy where humor counters the serious tone.
From a technical standpoint, the cinematography is a victim of not raising enough funds on Indiegogo to finance something that doesn't look like a Funny or Die skit from the early 2010s. The film also bizarrely cuts from scenes into dream sequences more times than was needed. None of it deepens the mystery, and it actually puts a pause on the cat-and-mouse game we are supposed to follow. The script also severely limits any thoughtful dialogue about gay sex and connection that lonely Rick seeks, outside of what sounds like a transcript of direct messages on Grindr. When it's not trying to focus on the gay male gaze, You Can't Stay Here is held back by uninspired performances and lazy writing. It's not particularly sexy or thrilling, which tend to be the two biggest selling points in queer drama these days. American Horror Story: NYC has a similar premise with its own issues, but it still has more to offer than this does. This film is just like a bad hookup: you can't wait for it to be over. You Can't Stay Here hits theaters on January 5. Rating: 1.5/5 Review by Joseph Fayed  Shot in a style considered unconventional given its subject matter, The Zone of Interest is as eerie as it's intended to be. The realism on screen isn't just a reflection of the film's setting; its social cues prove to be the most haunting of all. After a decade hiatus from feature filmmaking, Director Jonathan Glazer intrinsically captures a beautiful nightmare. Rudolf Hoss is the commander of Auschwitz. In 1943, he lives next door to the camp with his wife Hedwig and their children. They live in a two-story house with a well-kept garden and pool attached to it. The film follows how Rudolf and Hedwig strive to be the perfect nuclear family despite the evil they were actively engaging in just beyond the wall that separates them from the horrors of Auschwitz. It is gratifying to see a story about the Holocaust told with less of an emphasis on violence. While it is a true story, there is only so much trauma porn a viewer can handle to move the plot forward. It begins to feel purely done for shock value. This film is a prime example of how you can tell a story about brutality without showcasing it on screen.  The lack of apparent drama is the most intriguing part. The blend of quieter moments mainly focuses on the family aspect while never downplaying the horrors next door. There are two different films here, one that is seen and the other that is heard. Through exploring the family dynamic, there is a much-needed sense of normalcy at times. The lead performances from Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller keep the film very grounded. Neither attempts to upstage each other through their acting. Both of them are similar in terms of character arcs, with their line delivery being dependent on their abilities to be such reserved characters who are also extremely cold-hearted individuals.
The cinematography by Lukasz Zal is an impressive feat, too. The shots established throughout the Hoss family home require few cutaway shots or two shots, making you feel invested in these characters' every move. A particular scene set in the evening, shot with infrared cameras, temporarily takes you out of the colorful palette. The score by Mica Levi is just as haunting, used most effectively to break the film into different acts. Jonathan Glazer's direction proves that all of his movies so far have captured a different tone and let the performances speak for themselves. The actors get to act naturally, which is the cleverest trick for capturing the banality of evil. The Zone of Interest teaches you about history without needing to explain any of it. Impressive filmmaking and impressive performances will carry this film to success come awards season. The creative choices were made with the fact that these were real people in mind and how, by being who they were, they were effectively living a double life. The Zone of Interest opens in theaters on December 15. Rating: 4/5 Review by Joseph Fayed  A story built upon the foundation of a certain historical period is far more difficult to convey than a story set during a specific time period. Peacock, a South African gothic horror, blurs its lines between past and present, and the results are a mixed bag. After being dismissed from her school, Anna is sent to be the caretaker for an elderly man, Sarel Cilliers, on his remote farm. As soon as Anna settles in, Sarel begins going on bizarre rants and has disturbing visions and hallucinations. Sarel's behavior leads Anna to think something deeper lies within the farm and how it ties into her own past. This type of gothic horror is inherently lazy. Sarel's hallucinations look like they were filmed as part of a Children of the Corn sequel. Low budget aside, it was clear that the "threat" was nothing more than a poor horror trope rather than something that could have tied in with South African folklore. I thought the landscape was underutilized, too. While I think there's more to explore in horror than a setting like a haunted house, a remote setting is meant to be bleak and isolating. Without that, Sarel comes across as just a kooky old man who lives alone.  Tarryn Wyngaard's performance as Anna was perfectly distraught and carries the film. Her expressions can really capture both timid nature and exhaustion quite well. She had me convinced she despised watching over Sarel, as I would too. However, Anna's backstory is woefully underdeveloped. The single significant event from her past isn't fleshed out enough to better understand where she comes from. This is most noticeable when she befriends another character named Jean. Her encounter with Jean feels out of place and very rushed. There is a notable lack of chemistry between Anna and Jean during his brief screen time. This placement in the final act sticks out like a sore thumb because intimacy was clearly not fathomable between those two.
Peacock is a gothic horror with a neat color palette behind its cinematography. The story simply isn't scary enough to justify its existence. It can't decide what fears it wants to expose its viewers to. Impressive acting feels wasted on a script that isn't very subtle about what secrets are being kept from its audience. This genre of horror tends to try to elevate itself above the rest of horror because it relies on being "bleak," but this film is no different than a lackluster haunted house-themed popcorn pleaser. The only difference is box office results. The scare tactics in this get old really fast, and any pretty peacock with its beautiful feathers shown on screen can't prevent the film from being too barren even for its gothic backdrop. Peacock is now streaming on IndiePix Unlimited. Rating: 1/5 Review by Joseph Fayed  The plight of an immigrant could easily be nightmare fuel. Raging Grace is Director Paris Zarcilla's SXSW award-winning debut that tells the story of one immigrant that takes a sinister turn but also mostly follows familiar horror tropes that leave its antagonists and its ultimate message not as terrifying as they were meant to be. Joy is an undocumented Filipina immigrant trying to secure a better life for herself and her young daughter, Grace. When she lands a job as a caretaker that she simply can't refuse, she soon discovers a grisly secret about her employer that could jeopardize their lives. Without wanting to play into stereotypes, the film handles its characterization of Joy well. Joy is very determined and, under her circumstances, does not buckle under whatever is thrown at her. Her arc revolves around respect from those who feel she has invaded their environment, and she consistently stands on her own two feet to demand that. Developing such strength for a character midway through would have been difficult for a protagonist meant to have endured the worst throughout her life. Shedding off her past so suddenly would have been too confusing. On the other hand, Joy's employers, Katherine and Mr. Garrett, both embody prejudice, which manages to contrast each other at times, but it's done to a laughable extent. Katherine is more upfront about hers, and the terminally ill Mr. Garrett slowly reels you in with his.  Any moment a character is supposed to feel angry is unintentionally hilarious. At one point Katherine has something that I can only describe as a Marty Wolf from Big Fat Liar-esque meltdown. This immediately turns into a serious confrontation between her and Mr. Garrett without addressing what just happened that led to said meltdown. This occurs just before the reveal of what exactly Katherine and Mr. Garrett have been hiding from Joy and Grace. The reveal isn't much of a mystery, as any clues on what may be hidden are kept until the third act, which is also when almost anything significant happens. This does not include a memorable sequence towards the end that is clearly meant to be paranormal, set up like a parody of Insidious.
Tonally and pacing-wise, Raging Grace is very messy. You will be engaged with the plot at times, but for all the wrong reasons. Its performances delve into camp territory, which ironically becomes the most memorable aspect of any of this. If you're expecting to explore the inner demons of a wealthy family and how their immigrant housekeeper is driven insane by them, you're expecting too much to be adequately fleshed out. This psychological thriller will only leave you second-guessing how this won over the grand jury at SXSW. In the meantime, go watch Nanny by Nikyatu Jusu for a better tale about an immigrant wanting to help her child, which comes at the cost of disturbing breaks from reality and heartbreak. Rating: 2/5 |