The Occupant (2020)
Javier Muñoz, once a successful executive, makes the fateful decision to leave his home, which he and his family can no longer afford.
A twisty, Spanish, thriller with a good performance by Javier Gutierrez as the lead. You don’t always know where you’re headed or how the film is going to end until the final credits. Gutierrez plays and everyman that slow makes questionable decisions that leads him on a questionable path from his happy, but financially struggling family. “The Occupant” is creepy and has you wondering if similar events could really happen.
The Invitation (2022)
After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) takes a DNA test…and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she’s at first seduced by the sexy aristocrat host but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history and the unsettling intentions behind their sinful generosity.
This is three movies in one with campy dialogue and occasionally, long scenes of tense….nothingness. I’m not even sure all the plot lines were wrapped up but it was a Hodge podge anyways. The film is part “hey I found my long lost family and now I have to find how I fit in”, part “forbidden romance”, and part “thriller/PG-13 horror” and together it makes a movie you can partially watch while house cleaning. Fun twist at the end I guess? I find Nathalie Emmanuel enjoyable. She should be in in a romcom. I’m not sure the rest of the cast was remarkable.
Black Adam (2022)
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods–and imprisoned just as quickly–Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
I didn’t hate this movie. It’s be crush by literally everyone but the brutal actions and destruction that Black Adam inflicts is cool right from the jump. The rock seems fine for the role. He isn’t his normal goofball self. I’m not familiar with the comic book BA but he seems to fit into the character role. The rest of the plot is ridicules comic book bullshit. BA kills like 100 bad guys in the opening scene and Hawkmanguy gets upset over how BA fights bad guys later in the film. Hawkman decides to fight BA himself multiple times in the movie while knowing he’s no match, also trying to recruit BA for help, and allowing the bad guys to do bad things while they’re busy fighting each other, all at the same time. It’s childish and completely unnecessary. But don’t worry they’ll be friends by the end of the film, 48ish hours from the start of the film and several fights later. Not terrible, not good.
Radius (2017)
Liam wakes from a car crash with no memory of who he is. As he makes his way into town to look for help, he finds only dead bodies, all with strange pale eyes. Liam’s first assessment is that a virus is present in the air, but he soon discovers a horrible truth…
Awesome movie but sheesh did the pacing seem off. No major spoilers but our main male Laim finds our he’s part of the problem real quick and a lady named Jane is involved as well. When you discover what happened it’ll leave you either shaking your head in disbelief or thinking it’s an interesting twist. The last five minutes are wild and should have been explored throughout the movie instead of thrown in and the end because it’s quite jarring. The film is slow in stretches but it’s so unique I believe you should check it out if it sounds interesting.
Dredd (2012)
In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO
Why don’t we have more Dredd movies? I’ll have to revisit the original 95 film with Stallone and deep dive on some of the lore, but it seems like Mega-City One is full of room for exploration. Only two movies 20 years apart and a couple old video games gave Dredd mainstream attention. Originally created in 1977 in a weekly comic, Dredd eventually had its own comic book and several novels throughout the 80-90’s. It just seems like the violent, post-apocalyptic world with police, jury, judge agents wrapped into one would rich with content. Perhaps the 2020’s isn’t an appropriate time for such a heavy-handed police-state story but there was a window. This movie has gritty visuals and violence you would expect. The drug super-powers are a nice touch. So much more could have been expanded on from the drug powers to the weaponry to more interesting landscape. It’s just scratching the surface through leaving this a very middling film.
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
In Ruben Östlund’s wickedly funny Palme d’Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival
A weird film that pokes at wealth, class, and power dynamics. TOS plods along and holds moments of uncomfortableness and tension to make the audience feel the same. TOS is more of an “artsy” movie because of the long run time and periods of nothing really happening. The messaging and power struggles relationships between couples, crew, guests, and later, survivors is the focus of the film. Woody Harrelson isn’t in act 1 or 3 which is unfortunate. Not a movie I’d watch again.
Archer Seasons 11-13 (20-22)
It’s been awhile since I caught up on Archer and I didn’t really care for the settings in season 8-10 as much. They were all Archer’s dreams while he was injured at the end of season 7. He wakes up in 11 and joins the gang in the old office. Characters are in different roles and money is tight in the later seasons as the agency goes though ownership changes. The characters are allowed to evolve without changing from the weirdos we love. I’ll miss this goofy show after the conclusion of the 14th and final season.
Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 (2023)
The Lawyer who is in constant danger. This season he falls in love with a chief and restaurant owner (oh ya, his newly rekindled relationship with wife #2 falls apart immediately) who is accused of murder. She doesn’t prove to be forthcoming with information and has you questioning events until the season finale. Good passive viewing, Manuel Gracia-Rulfo (Mickey) is charismatic as the lead. I wasn’t sure able him after season 1. Matthew Mconahay played the lawyer lead in the 2011 film and the actors are very different from each other (both are bases on the Michael Connelly book series). I’m not sure that we see more development from the side characters even though they have plots going on. His partner Cisco is involved in getting past gang dealings and his wedding to Lorna. Mickey’s driver/assistant Izzy gets into a new relationship and starts a business. None of the side plots are as interesting as the main case. The show is pretty good passive watching.
Enys Men (2023)
Set in 1973 on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast, a wildlife volunteer’s daily observations of a rare flower turn into a metaphysical journey that forces her as well as the viewer to question what is real and what is a nightmare.
A film with a message…..I think. Our main and possibly only real, character in the film repeats her examinations for the first half of the movie looking at native island flowers and returning home to her radio. She begins to go made seeing possibly herself, underground miners, and lover as she slowly goes crazy. It’s not really clear why though or if these people existed for real at some point and to what extent. The film also ends without clearing much up or much happening. It looks beautiful and classically shot so it has that going for it. Not recommended viewing.
