SEARCH THIS BLOG

Saturday, November 2, 2024

"Heretic"


From 10/30/2024 press screening:

“Question everything.”  

Why do you believe what you believe?  Have you ever considered that maybe it’s because of how you’re raised and told all your life?  

Two young missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), are doing what they are supposed to be doing, proselytizing, spreading the word about the teachings of their church in their community.  On one fateful day, they knock on an older gentleman’s door, Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant; “Wonka”).  

Mr. Reed has expressed interest in learning more about the religion and he invited the Sisters into his home.  The Sisters have taken precautions before entering the older man’s abode – they have provided the church a list of people they will be visiting, they walk in a pair, and also have asked for a woman’s presence in the home.  

Affable and warm, Mr. Reed says that his wife is inside making a blueberry pie, in which the homemade cooking could be smelled from outside.  The day turns blustery and the Sisters decide it’s safe enough to come in.  Never would have they predicted that it might be the last time they would be able to see the light of the day. 

After initial pleasantries, the Sisters learn that Mr. Reed is a voracious reader and highly educated in the history of religions.  While very impressed, they have noticed that it’s taking a while for his wife to come out with the promised blueberry pie.  Not only that, some of the lights flicker off.  Meanwhile, the blustery day outside turns into one blizzard of a night. 

The Sisters try to fake polite excuses to leave, but begin to panic inside when they find the entrance door knob is either stuck or locked.  They realize their predicament when they are told that the front door has a timer and cannot be opened until the next morning. 

Panic turns into fear and terror, in a suspenseful ambiance of dimmed lights, dark hallways, rickety doors, and layers of rooms in a labyrinth of a house with a play on darkness and shadow.  Each time a door is opened, you don’t know what’s behind it and what it may lead to, heightening the fear of the unknown.  The Sisters’ faith is tested to the limit and their survival may depend on whether they can outwit and outlast the twisted trap.  Plans and prayers may not save them from falling prey to predator Mr. Reed.    

It’s a game where each party knows what the other party means, while pretending and presenting a façade of innocence to get what they want most.  Continuous dialogue and debate on myth, history, faith, spirituality, religion, prayer, higher power, savior, resurrection and afterlife, with the Sisters trying to figure out how to escape the death trap set by a maniacal and diabolical evil.  Surprisingly, the Sisters are not as naïve as they appear to be.  Slight movements are noticed and words are interpreted in different ways, challenged and turned around.  Everything is articulately delivered and phenomenally acted all around.  

You don’t need to be spiritual or religious to be taken along for the sinister and scary ride, and believe it or not, humorous from time to time.  The film answers the question of what the one true religion is, considering there are numerous religions in the world and iterations over centuries.  It's refreshing to see a story with originality and creativity that not only makes you tense, squirm, uneasy and queasy, but also laugh at the same time.  

An argument about the human existence and way of life – why we believe the way we do and how our beliefs influence how we live our lives – unfolding with equal sense of dread, horror and humor.  As a psychological horror thriller, “Heretic” is a thought-provoking, bone-chilling, diverting and divisive duel of ideas.  



Saturday, October 26, 2024

FREE Movie Screening: "Memoir of a Snail" (San Diego, CA)

Courtesy of IFC Films and Letterboxd, FREE movie passes for "Memoir of a Snail," if you're in the greater San Diego area.

October 29, 2024 - 7:30 p.m.

Angelika Carmel Mountain

RSVP for your FREE movie passes here: (first-come, first-serve)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScscjeIlBuPazwjkl5jHbw3G6SK2YI3yRhpIzH1YiVG4vc2Aw/viewform

***

From Academy Award Winning Visionary Adam Elliot (Harvie Krumpet, Mary and Max) comes a new tale about Grace Pudel who is a book-loving, snail-collecting misfit that falls into a series of misfortunes after being separated from her twin brother Gilbert. Despite her hardships, inspiration and hope arise when Grace begins a friendship with an eccentric elderly woman named Pinky. Starring Sarah Snook as Grace and Jacki Weaver as Pinky and an ensemble cast featuring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Eric Bana and Nick Cave.

Sunday, October 20, 2024

FREE Movie Tickets "Goodrich" (Now Playing)


Courtesy of Legion M, FREE movie passes for "Goodrich," now playing at theaters near you, nationwide.

Get your FREE movie passes here: (up to 2 per person)

Redemption code: GOODRICHATOM 


***

Starring: Michael Keaton, Mila Kunis, Andie McDowell

Andy Goodrich’s life is upended when his wife and mother of their nine-year-old twins enters a 90-day rehab program, leaving him on his own with their young kids. Thrust into the world of modern parenthood, Goodrich leans on his daughter from his first marriage, Grace, as he ultimately evolves into the father Grace never had.

Sunday, September 15, 2024

"Transformers One"

From 9/14/2024 press screening:

After Michael Bay left the "Transformers" series, the subsequent movies got more coherent and human. "Transformers One” goes back to the very beginning, to the origin of the wise protector and leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, and his archenemy, the vengeful and megalomaniac Megatron, leader of the Decepticons.

Planet Cybertron has been torn by war for centuries and the Primes died as heroes fighting the Quintessons, except one, Sentinel Prime (voiced by Jon Hamm, “Top Gun: Maverick”), who is admired and respected by all.  The Matrix of Leadership, the artifact of great power, is missing.  Sentinel Prime periodically goes on trips to the surface to look for it.  

Cybetron's population is divided into the two factions – droids who were born without cogs and couldn't transform shapes, the working class, and those born with cogs, enabling them to transform, the elite upper-class.  The working class work as miners, working hard in shifts to mine Energon, the energy source that fuels everything in Cybertron.  

Young Orion Pax (future Optimus Prime, voiced by Chris Hemsworth; “The Avengers” series, “Thor” series, “Rush”) and D-16 (future Megatron, voiced by Brian Tyree Henry) become best buddies.  Arlita (future Arcee, voiced by Scarlett Johansson; "Fly Me to the Moon," “Black Widow,” “Hail Caesar!,” “Her”) is a lead among the miners.  

Orion Pax is a rebel who goes into all kinds of mischiefs.  He refused to believe that being a miner is all there is to it and that there's something better out there.  D-16 is a rule follower and loyal soldier.  He works hard, believes in Sentinel Prime's leadership and is grateful for the relative safety and stability by working in the mines.  From time to time, he has to save Orion Pax from trouble.  In turn, Orion Pax has D-16's back. Orion Pax's tendency to find himself in trouble annoys Arlita and endangers her reputation since she's the lead.  

The Iaconrace, a high-speed and high-stake racing reserved for powerful transformers with cogs, is such an exhilarating sequence.  Spectacular computer-generated graphics, so vivid and alive, which put you in the race among these multidimensional robots. Orion Pax somehow gets him and D-16 accidentally into the race, as he wants to prove himself that, as miners, they are more than capable to compete with these elite transformers.  

The end of the race doesn't end exactly how the duo envisions and they end up in a hidden section of the mine, along with Arlita, and they run into a talkative miner, B-127 (future Bumblebee, voiced by Keegan Michael-Key).  The interactions among these young robots are hilarious.  They act like teenagers and are facially expressive.  B-127, in particular, is a riot.  

Through a series of mishaps, the quartet reach the glossy surface is bewildered by what they see and encounter.  Long story short, they find out that the lives they know all along are not what they've been told.  D-16 is particularly hit hard and shattered to his core, unleashing anger-fueled destructions.  

Since their characters are established well, it's easy to see why they react the way they do.  Even though you know how the future ends, that Optimus Prime and Megatron are forever-nemesis, you can't help but root for Megatron to stay good and for these brotherlike friends to keep their friendship. The robots have to pick sides.  The fights are chaotic, hard and fast.  

The story shows what a singular leadership can do and the power it holds.  How influential such power is in moving masses and how dangerous it is when corrupted by ego, greed, hatred, revenge or misguided sense of justice.  

“Transformers One” is a classic class warfare, friendships, trust, loyalty and betrayal.  More importantly, it's about the choice each individual makes, to find the strength and character within, to either succumb to darkness or rise above into the light for the greater good.  

Fully animated film, “Transformers One” is thrilling with high energy and heart, and may be the most human story of all. 


2024 Comic-Con "Transformers One" panel with Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Keegan-Michael Key. 


Wednesday, September 4, 2024

"Slingshot"

What's scarier than monsters and aliens?  The human mind.  What happens when you're losing your mind in space?  

Spaceship Odyssey 1 is bound for Titan, Saturn's moon where methane is abundant and the substance can be used to help with the climate crisis on Earth.  Three astronauts are traveling billions of miles for nearly three years, where the ship will be slingshot from Jupiter to reach Titan.  

John (Casey Affleck; “Interstellar,” “The Finest Hours,” “Manchester by the Sea"), Captain Franks (Lawrence Fishburne, “John Wick: Chapter 4”), and astrophysicist Nash (Tomer Capone) go into hibernation in their individual sleep pod for 90 days.  They wake up every cycle to eat, shower, exercise, walk around and check on the ship.  

The drug-induced hibernation is heavy with side effects, causing exhaustion, anxiety and paranoia, to the point that it would lead into hallucination.  The total isolation and silence, especially after losing communication with Earth, amplifies the stake.

John begins to see Zoe (Emily Beecham) on the ship, the spaceship designer and former girlfriend,  even as he convinces himself it's not real.  When an object hits the ship and part of the ceiling pops out, but the computer diagnostics don't show anything's wrong, Nash begins to fear that staying the course would seriously jeopardize their safety.  Franks, as the captain, holds his ground and believes nothing is wrong, and instructs Nash and John to continue the journey to Titan, for the good of mankind.   

Mudslinging follows.  At the end of the day though, disobeying the captain's order is considered insubordination, and there's serious consequence, especially in space with no way out and no escape.  John has to pick a side, although it doesn't mean he doesn't doubt his choice or that he sticks to it.  

John's relationship with Zoe is shown in flashbacks, from their first chance encounter to  private moments, and differences that led to their separation.  Pay attention to the conversations, imageries, dreams and symbolisms, as they will come in handy later.  

The atmosphere contained within the sterile, greyish teal walls is claustrophobically tense, awash with extreme fear.  Soon each one of them doesn't know who to trust, as they can't even trust their own mind and begin to lose grip on reality.  Franks is very frank with his position and is forced take drastic measures.  

Who is right and who is wrong?  Which scenes are real and which ones are hallucinationsWhat is reality when no one can say with certainty what they see, hear and experience is real?  The scenes are eerily executed and unnervingly acted by all three actors that you can't possibly be sure either. The scenarios and explanations are all plausible.  Everything looks and feels real; you would be hard pressed to tell who's who and what's what.

The penultimate scenes present a rationally plausible explanation about what's going on... until the final scene hits you in the head with mind-twisting veracity.  No ambiguity, “Slingshot” is bracingly gutsy and will make you question what you've believed to be true.  

Sunday, August 25, 2024

"Strange Darling"

One night stand gone wrong.  

If your mind is still reeling from recalling “Blink Twice," prepare to squirm with “Strange Darling.”  “Blink Twice” makes you challenge reality; “Strange Darling” will make you question assumptions.  These back-to-back, gendered horror thrillers will linger longer in your mind after you leave the theater.  

A man (Kyle Gallner) and a woman (Wilia Fitzgerald) meet at a bar and decide to hook up at a hotel.  The man is simply called the Demon, and the woman the Lady.  Alcohol, cigar and cocaine are involved.  What could go wrong mixing these things and being impaired with a stranger?  Especially if that stranger may be a serial killer.  Fitzgerald is a fierce force and Gallner goes for broke.

“Strange Darling” sounds straightforward... except it's not.  The story is unfurling in six chapters, told out of order.  The opening scenes start with chapter 3, right in the middle.  A bloodied Lady is out on the run and hiding in the woods, hunted by a gun-totting Demon. Scared and screaming, she's able to narrowly escape and runs into a farmhouse in a field, occupied by an elderly couple.  

The story lurches forward a couple chapters, showing the Demon closing in on the Lady in the house,  but then it rewinds to the very beginning before everything happens, and then skipping chapters ahead to show what happens in the house.  Then it regresses and progresses again.  While this non-linear, sectioned storytelling method may look like a gimmick, surprisingly, it's electrifyingly executed that it strangely works on all levels.  

The cinematography is a darling.  Bright pops of red for blood, hair, car, scrub and shoes.  Bathed in neon-lit blue for nighttime rendezvous in the car. 

Slashing and shooting are rapid and sharp.  Violent and vicious, even innocent people fall into victims in this predator-and-prey game.  To tell more would be a disservice; going in blind is best.  

Strangely shocking and deeply deranged, “Strange Darling” sublimely subverts expectations.  The story tantalizingly turns on its bloody head and continues to tensely twist itself, keeping you guessing until the last drop.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

"Blink Twice"

From 8/14/2024 press screening:

“Forgetting is a gift.”  

Would you rather forget or remember your trauma?  What if it tortures you with pain and suffering?  Would you rather live a fabulous life but it's fantasy or a life with struggles but is real?  

This thought-provoking theme has been explored before (“Don't Worry Darling,” “Shutter Island,” “Inception”), but Zoe Kravitz (“Insurgent”), in her daring directorial debut, proves that nothing is off limits.  And if you blink too often, you'll miss the clues in “Blink Twice.”  

Tech tycoon Slater King (Channing Tatum; “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Hail Caesar!”)  blitz the news with apologies for his abuse of power for non-specified wrongdoing.  He tells the word that he's sorry and in therapy, and will be taking a leave of absence, jetting off to his private island.  

Frida (Naomi Ackie), is a cocktail waitress with a crush toward Slater, despite of his transgressions.  She realizes how fortunate she is to run into and rub elbow with Slater at a glamorous gala for the King Tech Foundation.  They hit it off when Frida has a mishap at the gala.  Frida feels like floating in paradise when Slater invites her and her friend, Jess (Alia Shawkat) to join him in his private island, along with select guests.  Sarah (Adria Arjona, “Hit Man”) is one of the female guests, who later will befriend Frida.  

The tropical island is every bit of paradise.  Private and secluded, where sunny days and dark nights blend in endless vacations.  Immaculate all-white linens and flowing attires are provided, along with pleasant perfumes.  Picture-perfect pools, pretentious parties, boundless booze, copious cigars, dazzling drugs, marvelous meals, and decadent dinners with a sea of candlelights.  Frida doesn't want this to ever end – even with voluntarily confiscated cellphone and no connection to the outside world.  

Everyone's living the dream.  Or are they?  There's something off about the island.  Groundskeepers seem to be all mute, except for an elderly lady, who creepily keeps mouthing off a specific phrase to Frida, which may or may not have something do with slithering snakes.  There's also a secret cottage that is closed for guests, although Frida can't help but snoops in.  

Strange occurrences begin to happen, culminating in Jess' disappearance.  Even far stranger, no other guests remember Jess.  Frida couldn't remember how she got dirt under her fingernails. Sarah doesn't know a bruise appeared on her arm.  They seem to have memory gaps and couldn't remember events.

If the vibe felt off before, it's ominous now.  Underscored by a sinister score, spectacular turns into scary, particularly when they are cut off from the rest of the world.   As far as who, what, when, why and how, these are best left untold.  Ferocious fear and rampaging rage take over.  Plot holes aside, venomous revelations and vicious revenges are best served cold.  And the endmost vengeance is ghastly tied with a gold bow fit for a king.  

Knives Out: Glass Onion” meets “The Menu” and “Ready or Not,” “Blink Twice” is not for the meek of heart.  Brutally disturbing; the macabre factor is off the charts.  

Devilishly twisted psychological thriller with malevolent machinations, mind-blowing mind games and merciless manipulations.  “Blink Twice” is savagely entertaining.   

Friday, August 16, 2024

FREE Movie Screening: "City of Dreams" (San Diego, CA)

FREE movie screening of "City of Dreams," if you're in the greater San Diego area:

August 27, 2024 - 7:30 p.m.

AMC Mission Valley

Get your FREE movie passes here: (have your pass ready at the door, click below)

https://gofobo.com/screenings/movie_landing/NDVXVXd1b2R1Sg%3D%3D//

***

Inspired by true events, City of Dreams follows Jesús, a young Mexican boy whose dreams of becoming a soccer star are shattered when he’s trafficked across the border and sold to a sweatshop making fast fashion in downtown Los Angeles. Thrust into a world of exploitation and despair; he’s forced to adhere to the grueling work schedule dictated by El Jefe, a boss who promises freedom for those who complete their quotas. Despite Jesus’s hellish existence, he finds solace in Elena, a girl who was similarly betrayed and sold into slavery. When she goes missing and another co-worker Carlito’s is severely beaten, Jesus realizes that his only hope for freedom is to make a daring escape.

Monday, August 5, 2024

FREE Movie Screening: "It Ends with Us" (San Diego, CA)

In partnership with Sony Pictures Studios, FREE movie screening, if you're in the greater San Diego area:

August 6, 2024 - 7 p.m.

Regal Mira Mesa

Get your FREE movie passes here: (VERY limited availability; 1 pass = 2 people)

(have your pass ready at the door, click below)

Redemption code: MOVIEMAVENIEWU (case-sensitive)

https://events.sonypictures.com/screenings/unsecured/main/screeningInfo.jsf?code=MOVIEMAVENIEWU

***

"It Ends with Us," the first Colleen Hoover novel adapted for the big screen, tells the compelling story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents relationship. When Lilys first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future.

Friday, August 2, 2024

Free Movie Screening: "Didi" (San Diego, CA)

In partnership with Focus Features, FREE movie screening, if you're in the greater San Diego area:

August 5, 2024 - 7 p.m.

Regal Mira Mesa

Get your FREE movie passes here: (1 pass = 2 people)

(have your pass ready at the door, click below)

Redemption code: DIDIMovieMaven (case-sensitive)

https://focusfeaturesscreenings.com/movie_landing/RElESU1vdmllTWF2ZW4%3D

***

During the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.

Saturday, July 20, 2024

"Twisters"

No warning.  No escape.  

There's no twist per se in "Twisters."  You know what you'll get before walking in, a good ol' natural disaster movie.  "Twisters" is a standalone movie and not a sequel to the 1996 blockbuster, "Twister."  

Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a former storm chaser in college who experienced a tragic tornado encounter years ago.  These days, she monitors storm patterns safely on monitor screens in New York City.  

After being persuaded by her friend (Anthony Ramos) to test a cutting-edge tracking system, backed by a pedigreed corporate team, Kate is back in rural Oklahoma, crossing path with a social media star Tyler Owens (Glen Powell; "Hit Man," "Top Gun Maverick").  Tyler chases storms as spectacle with his ragtag crew, like shooting fireworks into a tornado, for popularity and dollars.  

Tyler’s instantly intrigued by the “city girl” chasing storms, not knowing her personal story or scientific background. As one spinning funnel after another gets closer to the area, Kate’s team and Tyler’s team tries to one up each other.  

Soon it’s clear to everyone that Kate’s not merely a city girl.  She’s storm expert, and a tornado whisperer, if you will, combining science with intuition in predicting its path.  Kate is not amused when she uncovers something about her crew’s motive behind in utilizing those tornado trackers. Surprisingly, Tyler and his team are more than meet the social media eye.  And with a meteorology background, Tyler himself is not merely a self-proclaimed “tornado wrangler."

Scientific jargons pepper conversations, dealing with wind shear, structure, moisture, temperature, cap and flow, but the gist is easily grasped. This storm season is no laughing matter, not that it ever was.  

Terrifying threats materialize and monstrous tornados are unleashed.  The convergence of multiple systems not only put the teams in a frightening run of their lives, it also destroys town after town into debris and swallows lives whole.  

It’s utterly scary to see how hopeless it is once those tornadoes are approaching the great plains and then touching down in an instant.  Hairs stood at the back of my neck.  Whipping wind, assailing hail, pelting rain, twirling fire, striking lightning turn into twisting tornadoes – wrecking grounds, destroying buildings, tearing into walls, shredding roofs, flying away vehicles, raining rubbles and crushing people.  Chaos abounds and lives are gone.  

The massive, maelstrom impact cannot be understated.  Devastated communities have to rise and rebuild their lives. Beyond the thrills of special effects, there’s a real human story about the caring spirit, resilience among the rubbles, and making a difference.

No matter how powerful we've become as humans, mother nature's tremendous power remains one to be reckoned with.  Ferocious and fearsome, the tornadoes storm with boisterous bluster and furiously batter anything and anyone on its destructive path.  

“Twisters” is visceral in power and grounded at heart.  Thrilling, yet terrifying twister of a ride.  

*I watched it at a press screening earlier in the week on a regular theater screen.  Just finally had the time to write the review.  If you can, see it on ScreenX, immersive wraparound screens.  Or 4DX, if you like lengthy simulation rides.  

**I went back and saw it in ScreenX!


2024 Comic-Con: Those About to Die Chariot Race

Immerse yourself in the glory of Ancient Rome at the San Diego Comic-Con International with Peacock's "Those About To Die: The Chariot Race."   Step inside the betting tavern, join one of the coveted factions and experience the adrenaline thrill of the chariot race itself.  Inspired by the new Original series, Peacock’s in-world activation will bring the ancient “Circus Maximus” to life right in the Gaslamp District across from the convention center. Upon entry, guests will be divided into the 5 factions from the show and given the chance to whip a pair of reins to power their team’s chariot to victory.  

The activation will be open on July 25-28, 2024 (Thursday, 12:00-6:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday; 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.), 170 Sixth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101

NO badge required!  While pre-registration is full, standby lines are available.  

***

THOSE ABOUT TO DIE is an epic drama set in the corrupt world of the spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition, exploring a side of ancient Rome never before told — the dirty business of entertaining the masses, giving the mob what they want most…blood and sport. The series introduces an ensemble of characters from all corners of the Roman Empire who collide at the explosive intersection of sports, politics and dynasties.  You can stream all 10 episodes on Peacock right now.