Reviews by Movie Maniac

I absolutely, positively LOVE this movie. An instant favorite. The story of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan fascinated America (and the world) in the early nineties and the two became inadvertent archetypes for good and evil. Harding became the white trash punchline and pariah of an entire nation and, eventually, fell off the radar.

In this extremely clever and original take on the whole affair the creators of "I, Tonya" give us a look back into the inner workings of the ordeal through the filter of conflicting stories from the wild, colorful, but very real, people involved. In the process they recast Tonya Harding as a hard luck, tough talking, trailer trash underdog that, oddly enough, you find yourself cheering for the whole time.

The movie itself is a unique blend of tragi-comic mockumentary and crime caper that flows and ebbs with life through fantastic camerawork, fourth wall breaking transitions, subtle and incisive dark humor, and unexpected charm. The writing is incredible and often reminded me of the Coen Brothers at the height of their powers. The performances are top notch and even though Margot Robbie is, adequately enough, the showstopper here, Allison Janney as her tough as nails mother almost steals the spotlight when she's onscreen.

All in all, the result is that Harding is finally torn down from headline sensationalism and humanized. We are given a hero that, truly, more likely reflects the working class than some of the more fantastic ones cinema offers. "I, Tonya" is not only clever, funny, and refreshing...it's one of the best movies I've seen in the last couple of decades. LOVE IT!

Part mockumentary and part found footage film, Adam Green's Digging Up The Marrow is an ambitious film with a solidly fantastic concept that ultimately fails to grasp its full potential by depending far too much on its star's abilities to convey a genuine sense of realism. More grievously, it does away far too quickly with the wonderment inspired by its ideas. That is not to say that it's an absolute failure. Though it's admirable that the filmmakers tried to distance themselves from common found footage tropes (at the expense of immersion), the concept is so strong that the final minutes of third act payoff (itself the strongest found footage trope, ironically) is enough to reward the viewer with somewhat of a satisfying result.

Green has made a quick name for himself in the horror genre with his fresh and at times tongue in cheek approach to familiar material, genuinely harrowing pieces of work, and unique ideas. In a lot of ways Digging Up The Marrow is his love letter to the genre he loves so much and the fans that support him. Alas, it is also a love letter to his ego. Not to insinuate that he is a narcissist but his choice to play a fictionalized version of himself pursuing a fan's claims of a world where "real monsters" live showed perhaps a bit too much hubris on his part. In short, he is not a good actor and neither are his cohorts (all playing themselves). This immediately rips you out of the narrative. His dubious choice to cast a relatively recognizable actor as the potentially deranged fan puts the nail in the coffin. Both these choices were made to dispel any idea that he was claiming the events to be an actual documentary but it ruins the experience of watching the film because, really, how stupid does he thinks his fans are?

The unreliable narrator is poorly written but even if he wasn't Green and company fail to convey the proper reactions to his tale of creatures living beneath us that the viewer palpably feels were intended from each. And while found footage style films leave much in the shadows, this film lingers far too much on uninteresting non-actors reacting to virtually nothing in super incredulous ways.

THAT BEING SAID...the idea is genuinely brilliant. Taking a page, intentionally or not, from Clive Barker's brilliant short story "The Skins of the Fathers" and even from the Nightbreed of his story "Cabal", the movie poses the possibility of a world of the grotesque and potentially dangerous denizens of a world living just beyond the veil of our perception. And just like the heroes in those tales the protagonists in this one stumble across the splendidly macabre creatures only to find them to be more than they expected or wanted them to be. When this payoff does occur you see glimpses of what could of been with this story if they had just tried less to turn the tables on tropes and gone for a straightforward story that really furrowed deep into the rich and fertile ground of it's ideas. Alas, it is far too little to save the whole but, boy, it could of been brilliant.

Genre fans will feel a bit more warmth toward the picture than most as it also doubles as unabashed fan service but, again, it just comes off as stilted when director's that can't act cameo to further the plot. The creature designs of Alex Pardee and the effects are astonishing and, interestingly, part of the reason the story came to be as he was a fan that sent his work to Green and posited the idea of real monsters. I truly wish Green had approached this much more seriously (flat humor also abounds) and had focused more on bringing convincing portrayals to the forefront if only to spare the story such an unfortunate carry out. Not a total waste of time but definitely a waste of an idea.

I had as much hope as one can be expected to conjure up for a big studio project about a board game when I saw the first Ouija film. Still, I somehow got even less than my low expectations dictated would be reasonably acceptable. Despite this response I went into the follow-up, Ouija: Origin of Evil (a prequel), with some vague hope that it would at least be slightly improved. This hope came courtesy of the man helming the project, Mike Flanagan.

In the last handful of years Flanagan has directed a brilliant and refreshing home invasion movie called "Hush" and, later, one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date in "Gerald's Game". This garnered much good will in my book and gave Ouija: Origin of Evil a fighting chance.

While the use of the titular occult witchboard is really horror trope by now it has rarely been used to great effect in the past. Unfortunately, this ends up being yet another casualty to be heaped into the bunch. The movie ends up being little more than a transparently weak attempt to emulate the vastly superior Conjuring films with it's retro setting and gradual affliction of the inhabitants of a home after an ominous event triggers the activity. However, it garners none of the credibility of those selfsame flicks and instead feels like a gimmick (complete with digital cigarette burns).

Everything seems to be to prim and proper to come off as realistic and the effects and scares are far too visible and cliched to build tension or to remain believable. While Wan made negative space and pacing a white knuckle experience in The Conjuring, Flanagan airs everything out in the open and expects us to respond to silly effects and entities torn straight out of Wan's universe. Some are downright laughable in how ineffectually rendered they are. And overdependence on CGI also greatly mars the film's ability to send chills down the spine.

Now, you might say I'm just being biased toward one product or the other. I'm the first to admit that Origin of Evil is a superior product to it's predecessor but it is far to much a pastiche of cliches and standards from superior films to stand out on it's own. On top of that it seems like what it is exactly...a studio film.

That is not to say that the deck was stacked against Flanagan by nature of the material being so familiar and trope heavy. Paco Plaza took virtually the same scenarios and circumstances and made "Veronica" in 2017 and proved that you can make something so familiar incredibly good and effective.

In the end, Ouija: Origin of Evil is an abject failure in almost every sense of the word. I could see some of the elements working on their own or in other circumstances but the product as a whole is downright forgettable and, worse, laughable. Watch "Veronica" instead if you want this idea done horrifying justice.

A decent adaptation of a fantastic retelling of the Beowulf myth (by Michael Crichton) that opts for realism instead of fantasy and has a nice underlying theme about finding beauty and honor in other's cultures. Though hobbled by the odd casting choice for the lead and a short running time that stunts some of the character development early on it mostly pays off with the wonderful parallels, rousing music, and a refreshingly restrained approach that eschews the standard Hollywood sensationalism.

Honestly, I watched this one on a whim. Hadn't heard of it and wasn't expecting much from it but, as it turns out, "Honeymoon" was a predator in waiting. I went from relatively receptive to whatever might conspire to engaged rather quickly and it wasn't long after that when I was just downright riveted.

"Honeymoon" takes the old adage "the honeymoon is over" into a horrifying realm of psuedo-Cronenbergian reality. Though on its surface it is a mystery of the strange events that have caused drastic behavioral changes in a once loving newlywed wife, in reality the strength of the film comes from how easily it is to parallel (and relate) with the poisonous effects of a simple lie, no matter how well intentioned, in a relationship. On this basis alone the viewer goes along on an alarming and frustrating experience with her husband as the rifts and suspicion between them grow.

Of course, the answers are not as simple as the idea suggests. As the mystery unravels and things become clearer so does the horror and, most terrifying, the truth. To say more is to ruin the film but suffice it to say that not all is at it seems.

Excellent performances from the dual leads only cement the effectiveness of the film as they do a spectacular job of selling the idea of those ravenous involved and libidinous early days of marriage and how the smallest things can turn into a storm.

All in all, I was pretty impressed and pleasantly surprised to find that "Honeymoon" was not only a movie I enjoyed (in that peculiar way one does disturbing films of it's nature) but one that I ended up kinda loving. Recommended!

Seeing "Game Change" (2012) now makes it seem not just the cautionary peak at the averted potential disaster that putting an populist ignoramus in a position of power could have wrought but it seems disturbingly prescient of the current political landscape. It seems that we charged headlong into the very fray that we as a people failed to see then as throngs overlooked the ignorance of Palin and chanted her name in support. Equally, we were swindled by the ego, the superficial appearance, and the front of someone who is "on the level" with the average American. History does repeat itself, indeed.

All politics aside, "Game Change" remains as riveting an insight into the behind the scenes scramble to keep the McCain campaign afloat in the "Year of Obama". This thankless task is given to the hands of Steve Schmidt (wonderfully played by Woody Harrelson) and his cronies who expedite the process and pick a personable but ill-equipped Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore). The rest is history, as they say.

The film never plumbs the depths of becoming muckracking propaganda, much like McCain (Ed Harris) didn't want his campaign to. Instead, it gives you a fair and relatively unbiased look at the problematic juggling the campaign managers had to undertake with the woman that practically swept the campaign from low numbers to new heights then dropped them into the lap of defeat. Keeping events in the point of vision of people that wanted nothing more than for their party to win really helps keep the film balanced.

McCain, is kept as the man of integrity and reason he mostly comes off of despite his rough exterior. The direction is straightforward but crisp as is the pace which is helped along by a stellar supporting cast. This, like the campaign, is Palin's show however and we are allowed to see her as the people around her did, warts and all. Palin is both played as salt of the earth affable and downright stubborn to an infuriating fault and an excellent job is done to show the complexities of office that she was clearly not ready to take on.

Seeing "Game Change" (2012) now makes it seem not just the cautionary peak at the averted potential disaster that putting an populist ignoramus in a position of power could have wrought but it seems disturbingly prescient to the current political landscape. It seems that we charged headlong into the very fray that we as a people failed to see then as throngs overlooked the ignorance of Plain and chanted her name in support. Equally, we were swindled by the ego, the superficial appearance, and the front of someone who is "on the level" with the average American. History does repeat itself, indeed.

This movie's relatively straightforward and simple concept that has been done justice a variety of times before in a various formats is ultimately robbed of any effectiveness by stilted, subpar direction with absolutely no vision. The downright awful costume design doesn't help either. Could of been good, isn't absolutely horrible but is very forgettable.

Notoriously parred down in length due to studio interference and infamously plagued with production troubles, Michael Mann's only foray into horror remains an amazing, phantasmagoric, and strikingly unique blend of period piece, horror, and fantasy. Allegorical elements mirroring the battle between good an evil as portrayed in Christian mythology, a disorienting feeling reminiscent of 80's era Italian horror, and a smashing soundtrack by Tangerine Dream all serve to create a thick, palpable atmosphere that sucks you in even further. And though some of the cuts are abrupt and storylines visibly stunted, they end up contributing to the vague and mysterious air of the whole affair and alleviate what would normally destroy any other film.

The story centers around a Nazi occupied Carpathian village (an air of Stoker's Dracula abounds in the setup) and the soldiers taking refuge in the titular ancient keep that is the source of much superstition among the villagers. They are drawn to it and eventually release a seductive ancient force and thus set a series of events in motion that suggest something far more ominous and beyond the boundaries of human understanding.

Beautiful cinematography, a stellar cast (Ian McKellan, Scott Glenn, Gabriel Byrne, and Jurgen Prochnow), gobsmackingly gorgeous and unique effects, and beautifully authentic set and costume design all further enrich and already engaging and wonderful experience. It breaks my heart to read about the cuts, especially in light of what we know Mann can do and how many hints to further character development we see in the remaining film, but it's a testament to Mann's skill that despite almost an hour and a half of footage missing this movie is still this beautiful and engaging.

A fascinating documentary from William Friedkin, the man that brought William Peter Blatty's classic "The Exorcist" to the big screen, "The Devil and Father Amorth" chronicles a real life exorcism at the direction of the former chief exorcist of the Vatican, Gabriele Amorth. Allowed into the exorcist's chamber with a single camera and no crew, Friedkin comes face to face with the phenomena that cemented his name in film history.

Stripped of any Hollywood polish, Friedkin shows us why Blatty's novel (and thus his film adaptation) is one of the most culturally relevant pieces of cinema ever. Experts and clergymen all do their best to take a hold of the jarring evidence before them and come up with strikingly similar conclusions just as their fictional counterparts did when they handled Regan McNeil's fictional case in "The Exorcist". In turn, we are left to embody one of the three major faith paths presented in the novel and book. Are we the agnostic, faced with something that begs explanation beyond the realm of science? Are we the doubter, stunned back into a primal state of belief? Or are we the believer, reaffirmed in our faith?

The film even dares to question the folly of its own existence by including the warnings of renown author and historian Jeffrey Burton Russel and the final words of the possessed in question. What those conclusions are will chill you to the bone in light of what you've just witnessed.

I wish i could give this movie more than two thumbs down. Talk about being unimpressed. Just a complete letdown. All i can say is that Michael B. Jordan was great but didn't have enough screen time to really work the heft and importance of his character's plight. I do like how he and Panther kinda dwelt in a moral gray area because of what they chose to do or not do, but it didn't make for engaging enough exchanges. This should have focused more on Killmonger than Panther as it would have given more gravitas to the subject at hand...alas, what we got is a dull and uneven first act that dragged quite a bit until Killmonger became the central focus.
Even then the film's other flaws were far too present to let me enjoy it properly. Chief among these is it's inability to make me suspend my disbelief and go along for the ride. Instead, i just sat there nitpicking and focusing on its downsides as I was too uninvested to do much else. Wakanda seemed about as realistic a place as Wonderland...only without the wonder. The natural beauty of Africa was mostly forsaken for garbage CGI locations and digital matte paintings. But it was not the only thing to suffer.
Panther went from the interesting badass of Civil War to the guy I knew too much about to the point of disengagement. Considering the film centered on him, this proved an issue. I will say that Okoye, the head of his royal guard, was excellent in every scene and, quite frankly, the film's only "badass" character in a movie that should of been brimming with them. Killmonger and Man-Ape do their best with what they have and it works while they're around but it's far too little, too late.. Agent Ross felt so out of place it hurt, Panther's sister was a mixture of annoying and far too ridiculous to be credible. I could go on.
The humor in this is not only out of place but cringe-inducingly lame. Much more than it was in Doctor Strange only in Strange I got over it. Here...I just couldn't believe any of those jokes passed muster. Groaning and eye-rolling every time a scene was ruined by some third rate zinger.
I was also shocked at how incredibly horrid the effects in this were. Up to no standard that Marvel has set thus far. Instead a step back. Green screens and digital matte's were blatantly obvious, Panther's suit and fights were a CGI clusterfuck. Remember that cool car chase sequence in Civil War with Panther? Let's do that again only make it so fake that any of the coolness is sapped out of it. And those rhinos and the ships...sweet nuts! How did anyone accept these as up to par with the previous output?
The action? With the exception of Okoye's fights and the final tribal war, the action was a mix of frenzied, close-up camerawork, sub-par choreography, or seeing obvious digital effects jump around and pretend to hurt each other. Never was there a moment of awe and childlike wonder for me but there were plenty of moments of me wishing it looked better or at least came across as cool. No dice.
The now mandatory credit and post credit sequences are not only useless but one of them upstages the final scene of the movie and robs it of its impact in the process by saying the same thing, basically.
I know i'm in the minority here (the movie made billions by now) but it was shockingly bad to me. Luke Cage was a far better black hero character in the MCU and there were even similar themes of the responsibility of having power and using it for the good of others.