As someone who absolutely loves the original Road House (as you can see from this Reel Action I did on it), I’m pretty hyped about the new remake from Doug Liman and starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Today, the marketing campaign kicked off with a really cool poster featuring Gyllenhaal and a number of Easter Eggs paying homage to the Patrick Swayze classic. However, there’s also some bad news that dulls my excitement just a little bit.
So let’s start with the good stuff. The new poster features the same neon signage as the original movie, and it looks awesome. Look closely in the background and you’ll see a framed image with the three simple rules by Swayze’s zen bouncer, Dalton: “Expect the Unexpected”, “Take It Outside”, and “Be Nice.” There’s also a Bigfoot #7 sign, a reference to the monster truck that demolishes the Double Deuce bar at one point. There’s also a Double Deuce shot glass, and overwritten graffiti that reads “FOR A GREAT BUICK CALL 555-7617.”
The new Road House stars Gyllenhaal as Elwood Dalton, an ex-MMA fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a dangerous roadhouse in the Florida Keys. The film also stars Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Conor McGregor, and more.
Amazon/MGM will release Road House exclusively to Prime Video on March 21st. And that is the problem because Doug Liman is pissed at the lack of a theatrical release. There have been rumors swirling for weeks that Liman was pissed at Amazon’s release strategy for the film, and now that it has been confirmed, he has decided to boycott the March world premiere at SXSW.
“When ‘Road House’ opens the SXSW film festival, I won’t be attending. The movie is fantastic, maybe my best, and I’m sure it will bring the house down and possibly have the audience dancing in their seats during the end credits. But I will not be there.”
“My plan had been to silently protest Amazon’s decision to stream a movie so clearly made for the big screen,” he continued. “But Amazon is hurting way more than just me and my film. If I don’t speak up about Amazon, who will? So here we go.”
Liman continued,“The facts: I signed up to make a theatrical motion picture for MGM. Amazon bought MGM. Amazon said to make a great film, and we will see what happens. I made a great film.”
“Because contrary to their public statements, Amazon has no interest in supporting cinemas. Amazon will exclusively stream ‘Road House’ on Amazon Prime.”
From what I’ve heard from a few people who have already seen Road House, Liman isn’t lying when he says he’s made a great movie. I just hope this controversy doesn’t get out of control and overshadows what is one of our most anticipated movies of the year.
In the Austrian satire Veni Vidi Vici, a senseless murder kicks things off. A cyclist is gunned down by an unknown sniper, eventually tumbling to his death. Especially here in DCd, a killing such as this brings back nightmarish memories of the “DC Sniper”, but in co-directors Daniel Hoesl and Julia Niemann’s cynical new film, it’s a scene with a twisted sense of humor, as the killer just walks out into the open and claims the victim’s bicycle, taking the wheel like he’s Greg LeMond about to win the Tour de France.
Veni Vidi Vici presents itself as another ironic anti-capitalist satire in the vein of Reuben Ostlund, but if you’re looking for a movie where the rich get their just desserts, look elsewhere. The wealthy come and go and murder and pillage at their pleasure, while the rest of the world suffers at their whim. And none of the established institutions can do anything about it. The culprit, billionaire Amon Maynard (Laurence Rupp), knows he’s untouchable and has no qualms about flaunting it. Even when the Gameskeeper spots Amon during one of his “hunting” trips, the cops have zero interest in pursuing it.
This is hardly the first film to depict the ungodly rich as twisted psychopaths who pleasure in the suffering of others, but this might be the first to feature a polo match where a game-changing foul is cheered on by the spectators and excused by the refs. The infraction was committed by the unrepentant Paula (Olivia Goschler), Amon’s equally-disturbed 13-year-old daughter with his trophy wife, Viktoria (Ursina Lardi). Paula also serves as the film’s narrator, and she shares her father’s attitude that you deserve any crime you can get away with. The Maynards believe if the people really wanted to stop them, they could. But that’s the problem; nobody really wants the trouble of going through with it.
And that is one of the big problems with Veni Vidi Vici. The Maynards don’t have a genuine foil to bring this allegorical tale to life. The aforementioned Gameskeeper doesn’t make for much of a subplot, and idealistic journalist Volter (Dominik Warta), who knows of Amos’ murder spree, arrives late and only to make an already-established point about the lack of journalistic integrity in holding the powerful accountable. So the film just goes along, hoping to piss you off with the Maynard’s unstoppable criminality. The government twists itself into knots to accommodate Amon’s hostile business practices, “for democracy”, of course. Paula steals for the thrill of it, Viktoria excuses all of it while shopping for a pregnancy surrogate like she’s making an UberEats order, while their butler, a former journalist with the appropriate name of Alfred, watches and covers up their misdeeds.
Veni Vidi Vici isn’t really funny, though. It’s mildly infuriating, but it’s clear that Hoesel and Niemann are looking to inspire genuine outrage, as seen in a shocking final act of murder committed with impunity. Their goal falls flat because there’s no threat to the Maynards, and thus no tension that the societal guardrails might actually hold up. Without that, this film is only mildly amusing and isn’t offering the biting critique it thinks it is.
Netflix is bringing us a new film by Tyler Perry that feels very much in the vein of the 90s erotic thriller. Tyler Perry’s Mea Culpa sees Mea (the STILL ravishing Kelly Rowland) as a criminal defense attorney who becomes wrapped up in the quest for the truth. When an artist, played by Trevante Rhodes, seeks her help after being accused of his girlfriends murder Mea starts down a path of confusion, seduction, lies, and murder all while lives hang in the balance.
I have never claimed to be a Tyler Perry fan, honestly most of his work seems very soap opera-ish to me, or at a minimum daytime TV. That being said, the man has a serious following that has only grown over the last 15 years. It’s hard to tell just from this trailer where the film will fall on the scale of the erotic thriller, will it be the next Basic Instinct? Or is it more of a long form Red Shoe Diaries? For Rowland’s sake I really hope its the former. I know that Freddy Vs Jasonwasn’t exactly what one would call a career springboard for the singer but I honestly thought she would have had more of a presence on the screen, big or small, over the last 20 years. The market seems to have turned back toward wanting films like this, what with the success of Netflix’s 365 Days franchise so this may be just the right addition to some wine and candles for many couples looking for a saucy night in, though for the life of me I can’t understand why they aren’t releasing closer to Valentine’s Day.
Check out the trailer for Tyler Perry’s Mea Culpa below and look for it on Netflix starting February 23rd.
Sometimes the future is not all it’s cracked up to be, especially London in 2040 according to The Kitchen. That is unless you’re part of the rich elite – a class difference that has only grown and grown. The government has been working to shut down social housing and the kitchen is one of the last of its kind. Izi (Kane Robinson) is ready to get out of that shithole. Yet that’s much easier said than done. He has been saving up and is almost ready to move out of the kitchen and leave that life behind.
Every day is the same – wake up, get in line to use the limited water for the shower. Listen to Lord Kitchener’s (Ian Wright) booming updates and inspiration through the radio. Go to work, lie to make commission on sales, dream about getting out of the kitchen, and bed. Rinse and repeat. Izi just keeps to himself and focuses on life after the Kitchen. Yet not every local shares Ize’s views. Staples (Hope Ikpoku Jnr) is a Kitchen resident who happens to have pride in the kitchen. Staples wants to make the kitchen better, going as far as stealing food and distributing it amongst the people.
The two don’t typically interact. That is until Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman) comes into the picture. Benji’s mom has just passed, and he is lost without her. His dad is nowhere to be found, and she was all he had. Benji gravitates towards Izi, who struggles to let down his walls and let Benji in. That’s when Staples swoops by to try and take Benji under his wing.
Daniel Kaluuya both co-wrote and co-directed The Kitchen. Kibwe Tavares co-directed along with Kaluuya while Joe Murtagh co-wrote the film. We’re used to seeing Kaluuya in front of the camera with him being the lead in so many major films over the past half decade. This is the first time we’ve seen him behind the camera as The Kitchen is his directorial debut and his first feature-length screenplay. Tavares and Murtagh are in similar situations with the film being Tavares feature-length debut and Murtagh’s second feature. Overall, in terms of experience, it’s a fairly young group, but that is far from evident when watching the film.
Kaluuya & co managed to create a powerful atmosphere in The Kitchen. On the surface the kitchen looks dull and gray. Seemingly sapped of energy and happiness. Yet right below that we see vibrant colors, laughing, music, and dancing. A group of people who find strength – even after the government tries to bring them down and kick them out of their homes. As Lord Kitchener claims, ‘They can’t stop we.’ Constant raids during the day don’t break their spirit. They stand up and support each other, banging pots to warn residents when the police are coming.
The script has a mix of humor and heart. The main character’s actions may be frustrating at times, but The Kitchen has its fair share of touching moments. Nothing in the film seems implausible, which is scary in and of itself. Robinson and Bannerman have terrific chemistry throughout the movie. The script never drags as we’re taken through Izi trying to strengthen his relationship with Benji. The Kitchen certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel. There are similarities between many films and books that have come before it. However strong acting and an interesting script make The Kitchen worth a watch.
For the last three years, Sebastian Stan has played various degrees of fucked up characters in between his time portraying Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s been a cannibal and human trafficker in Fresh, Tommy Lee in Pam and Tommy, a bipolar deadbeat dad in Monday, and a morally questionable billionaire in Dumb Money. At the time I’m writing this, he is currently filming The Apprentice, a biopic focusing on the relationship between Donald Trump and his mentor Roy Cohn. Stan plays the former president.
Stan’s newest film, A24’s A Different Man, is his best work to date, on par with his performances in I, Tonya and the aforementioned Fresh. He plays Edward, a lonely actor living with Neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes facial differences. When we meet him, he is terrified to interact with the world, keeping to himself as he tries to live his life. When a pretty new neighbor Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) moves in next door and strikes up a friendship with him, Edward decides to be a part of a clinical trial that could clear him of his facial difference. When it does, he declares Edward dead, moving out of his apartment, quitting acting, and selling real estate.
The first two acts are where Stan’s talent shines through. Every movement from his walk to a head tilt, feels thought out and purposeful and adds to Edward’s journey. This role proves what I’ve been saying for years that Stan is the most methodical actor of our time. As Edward literally sheds his former skin and gains a newfound entitlement and freedom in the world, he finds out that Ingrid has written a play about his former self. Unable to keep himself away he auditions with a mask and gets the part, only for his own jealousy and paranoia to lead to his destruction with the arrival of Oswald (Adam Pearson), a man with his former condition.
What director Aaron Schimberg does with representation in this film is radical. The trends for portraying actors with disabilities tend to be either hire someone with that condition, which can seem exploitative, or hire a big celebrity star which doesn’t seem authentic to audiences. Here, Schimberg does both. Because Edward loses his facial difference, albeit in a very bloody and painful way, the director can hire a well-known actor while keeping the film authentic. It’s worth mentioning that Michael Marino creates some of the most realistic prosthetic work I have ever seen. It would be a travesty if he were not in the 2024 Oscar conversation.
Schimberg takes some big swings in the third act that disrupt the tone of his film. As Edward’s behavior becomes more erratic, some of his character’s choices make less and less sense. The first two acts of this movie feel completely separate from the third for that reason. These choices leave you rattled, rather than satisfied, wanting more for Edward’s character than Schimberg gave him.
While this is Stan’s best role to date, I can’t help but wonder if he is capable of a lighter role. We’ve seen him on this trajectory of playing psychologically twisted, disturbed, and morally gray characters for years now. I believe he can play a lead in a light musical, like Ryan Gosling’s role in Barbie, oreven a traditional part in a romantic comedy. Stan is brilliant in A Different Man, but I can’t help but wonder if he is willing to go in a different, lighter direction.
A24 will release A Different Man, likely later this year.
Two years ago, the dinosaurs rampaged once again with Jurassic World Dominion, and while it was the lowest-grossing of the trilogy, and only the fourth most-successful among the entire Jurassic Park franchise, it still made $1 billion. Of course, Universal was going to get moving on another film sooner rather than later, and now we know that it’s happening…but expect some major changes.
THR reports that David Koepp, writer of the original Jurassic Park, as well as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, is penning a new Jurassic World dinosaur movie that is being eyed for a 2025 release.
Here’s the rub: this is an all-new adventure disconnected from the prior films, so don’t expect to see Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, or any of the familiar faces.
The report goes on to say that Universal has been keeping this project under the radar, and that much is obvious by how far along it is. If it’s coming out in 2025, then that means production will star pretty soon, but we don’t know who the director is yet. I’m sure they already have someone in mind, and that we’ll have answers soon.
Creatively, where is there for these movies to go? Unless they take a Planet of the Apes-like turn, it all sounds like a retread of past ideas. But this is an epic moneymaking franchise and Universal isn’t going to let the dino-train sit idle for long.
The 76th Academy Awards nominations were announced this morning by Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid, and as expected, it was Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer that ruled the day with 13 total nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. Following closely behind with 11 was Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon with 10 nods. As for Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s film landed 8, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling.
Surprises? Well, you didn’t hear the word Origin a single time, as Ava DuVernay’s stunning film was shut out. NEON will never hear the end of that and the poor marketing campaign that people have been screaming about for months. Also, both Colman Domingo for Rustin and Jeffrey Wright for American Fiction got in for Best Actor, while Annette Bening’s performance in Nyad earned her a Best Actress nod.
Greta Gerwig being shut out of the Best Director race for Barbie is a shock, as she was at the helm of a film that not only dominated at the box office and was a critical favorite, but it was the rare movie that brought all audiences together in support. You’d think the Academy would like to reward that.
The Iron Claw received zero Oscar nominations. Nor did Wonka, Saltburn, Priscilla, Passages, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, All Of Us Strangers, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
American Fiction, one of our favorite movies here at the site, earned five total nominations including Best Adapted Screenplay for writer/director Cord Jefferson and Best Supporting Actor for Sterling K. Brown. Another site favorite, JA Bayona’s harrowing Society Of The Snow, also performed well with 2 nominations, one for Best International Feature and another for Best Makeup & Hairstyling.
After more than 70 years, Godzilla earned its first Oscar nomination in the Visual Effects category for Godzilla Minus One.
The full list of Academy Awards nominations is below.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Bradley Cooper in “Maestro”
Colman Domingo in “Rustin”
Paul Giamatti in “The Holdovers”
Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer”
Jeffrey Wright in “American Fiction”
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Sterling K. Brown in “American Fiction”
Robert De Niro in “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Robert Downey Jr. in “Oppenheimer”
Ryan Gosling in “Barbie”
Mark Ruffalo in “Poor Things”
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Annette Bening in “Nyad”
Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Sandra Hüller in “Anatomy of a Fall”
Carey Mulligan in “Maestro”
Emma Stone in “Poor Things”
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Emily Blunt in “Oppenheimer”
Danielle Brooks in “The Color Purple”
America Ferrera in “Barbie”
Jodie Foster in “Nyad”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph in “The Holdovers”
Best animated feature film of the year
“The Boy and the Heron” Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
“Elemental” Peter Sohn and Denise Ream
“Nimona” Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary
“Robot Dreams” Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal
Achievement in cinematography
“El Conde” Edward Lachman
“Killers of the Flower Moon” Rodrigo Prieto
“Maestro” Matthew Libatique
“Oppenheimer” Hoyte van Hoytema
“Poor Things” Robbie Ryan
Achievement in costume design
“Barbie” Jacqueline Durran
“Killers of the Flower Moon” Jacqueline West
“Napoleon” Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
“Oppenheimer” Ellen Mirojnick
“Poor Things” Holly Waddington
Achievement in directing
“Anatomy of a Fall” Justine Triet
“Killers of the Flower Moon” Martin Scorsese
“Oppenheimer” Christopher Nolan
“Poor Things” Yorgos Lanthimos
“The Zone of Interest” Jonathan Glazer
Best documentary feature film
“Bobi Wine: The People’s President” Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp and John Battsek
“The Eternal Memory” Nominees to be determined
“Four Daughters” Kaouther Ben Hania and Nadim Cheikhrouha
“To Kill a Tiger” Nisha Pahuja, Cornelia Principe and David Oppenheim
“20 Days in Mariupol” Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath
Best documentary short film
“The ABCs of Book Banning” Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic
“The Barber of Little Rock” John Hoffman and Christine Turner
“Island in Between” S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien
“The Last Repair Shop” Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
“Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó” Sean Wang and Sam Davis
Achievement in film editing
“Anatomy of a Fall” Laurent Sénéchal
“The Holdovers” Kevin Tent
“Killers of the Flower Moon” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Oppenheimer” Jennifer Lame
“Poor Things” Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Best international feature film of the year
“Io Capitano” Italy
“Perfect Days” Japan
“Society of the Snow” Spain
“The Teachers’ Lounge” Germany
“The Zone of Interest” United Kingdom
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
“Golda” Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby and Ashra Kelly-Blue
“Maestro” Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell
“Oppenheimer” Luisa Abel
“Poor Things” Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston
“Society of the Snow” Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
“American Fiction” Laura Karpman
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” John Williams
“Killers of the Flower Moon” Robbie Robertson
“Oppenheimer” Ludwig Göransson
“Poor Things” Jerskin Fendrix
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot”
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie”
Music and Lyric by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
“It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony”
Music and Lyric by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson
“Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Music and Lyric by Scott George
“What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”
Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Best motion picture of the year
“American Fiction” Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, Producers
“Anatomy of a Fall” Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, Producers
“Barbie” David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, Producers
“The Holdovers” Mark Johnson, Producer
“Killers of the Flower Moon” Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese and Daniel Lupi, Producers
“Maestro” Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
“Oppenheimer” Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, Producers
“Past Lives” David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, Producers
“Poor Things” Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, Producers
“The Zone of Interest” James Wilson, Producer
Achievement in production design
“Barbie” Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“Killers of the Flower Moon” Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis
“Napoleon” Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Elli Griff
“Oppenheimer” Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman
“Poor Things” Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek
Best animated short film
“Letter to a Pig” Tal Kantor and Amit R. Gicelter
“Ninety-Five Senses” Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess
“Our Uniform” Yegane Moghaddam
“Pachyderme” Stéphanie Clément and Marc Rius
“WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko” Dave Mullins and Brad Booker
Best live-action short film
“The After” Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham
“Invincible” Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron
“Knight of Fortune” Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk
“Red, White and Blue” Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane
“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” Wes Anderson and Steven Rales
Achievement in sound
“The Creator” Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
“Maestro” Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor
“Oppenheimer” Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O’Connell
“The Zone of Interest” Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn
Achievement in visual effects
“The Creator” Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts and Neil Corbould
“Godzilla Minus One” Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams and Theo Bialek
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland and Neil Corbould
“Napoleon” Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco and Neil Corbould
Adapted screenplay
“American Fiction” Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson
“Barbie” Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach
“Oppenheimer” Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan
“Poor Things” Screenplay by Tony McNamara
“The Zone of Interest” Written by Jonathan Glazer
Original screenplay
“Anatomy of a Fall” Screenplay – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
“The Holdovers” Written by David Hemingson
“Maestro” Written by Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer
“May December” Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik
Okay, I can admit when I’m wrong. For quite a while I’ve been saying that Glen Powell, who I have interviewed and think is pretty awesome, will probably always be an actor THIS CLOSE to being a superstar. He’ll be successful, have tons of fans like he already does, but that will be about as far as it goes. I take it all back, because in Richard Linklater’s assassin comedy Hit Man he is absolutely incredible, showing levels of humor and dramatic range, and the ability to play multiple roles with ease. Handled correctly by Netflix who will release the film this summer, Hit Man will be the movie that takes Powell to the moon.
Powell does more than just act in Hit Man, too. Teaming up with Linklater on the script, loosely based on a Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth, Powell is investing quite a bit into this passion project. He plays Gary Johnson, a philosophy professor who leans more to the dorky/uncool side. But his side gig is Hella cool, because that’s when he cosplays as a hitman-for-hire, luring would-be killers to their inevitable capture by the Texas police. Using a variety of disguises so random and absurd (my favorite, the stiff British killer who resembles Tilda Swinton), Gary becomes a master at the hitman con game. He makes it all up as he goes along, adding the kind of exacting details that would make a serial killer stand up and take notice. Fine-tuning each character to the client, Gary knows exactly what he has to say and do to get them to incriminate themselves.
But it’s his fake persona, Ron, the coolest and most capable of all of his hitman personas, who wins over Madison (Adria Arjona), a gorgeous client looking to off her controlling husband. When they meet, Gary can’t fully be Ron, because Madison isn’t like the others. She’s a desperate woman looking for a way out of an abusive marriage. The Gary side comes out, and he convinces her not to go through with it. Before long, they are in the midst of a passionate affair, but Madison thinks he is Ron…and to a certain extent, he is. There is performance in all of it, but not just on Gary’s side, but also on Madison’s.
In Gary’s classes, he likes to tackle the idea of identity, asking his students “What if your self is a construct”? We see Gary constructing the persona he wants to be because Ron is the cool, sexy, capable guy that he isn’t. Gary knows that Madison is attracted to Ron, so that’s who he’ll be. Before long, the lines begin to blur and we aren’t sure whether we’re watching Gary or Ron.
There’s a battle between the Id and the Superego that Linklater and Powell set up, then have way too much fun following through with. Because Gary has lied his way into a world where people die all of the time, it isn’t long before someone does. The joy in Hit Man is in watching Gary navigate this world, while also trying to be himself, live his normal life, and still be enough of Ron to continue bedding Madison, who is keeping secrets of her own.
In this game where everyone is putting on an act, Powell and Arjona play their deceptive characters beautifully. Their chemistry is perfect, comical, and steamy. There’s a little bit of Mr. and Mrs. Smith thing going on, only Hit Man is a lot funnier and smarter about exploring those who hide behind masks. How long until it’s impossible to tell where you begin and end? Linklater wants to have it both ways and for you to enjoy this silly spy caper while contemplating the bigger picture. You get aspects of the Linklater who gave us Boyhood, but also somehow managed to give us The Bad News Bears, too. Powell can exist easily in both worlds and might be the best actor for this time in Linklater’s career. Having already worked together on multiple films, we’d be lucky to see them team up a lot more in the future.
The Midnight section here at Sundance can be a mixed bag. For every solid entry, like It’s What’s Inside (which just landed at Netflix), there is a true turd in the punchbowl like Krazy House. From Dutch comedy directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil, this demented, bloody, unfunny riff on ’90s sitcoms is painful to watch, and had vast swaths of our screening’s audience fleeing for the snowy streets of Park City.
Don’t get me wrong, there are about ten good minutes here when Krazy House reaches its freakishly violent and blasphemous peak, but the rest is empty shocks and lame payoffs. Nick Frost and Alicia Silverstone play Bernie and Eve Christian, sitcom parents in the comedy mold. Bernie is, in a word, pathetic. He can’t do anything on his own, walks around in shoes with brushes on them, and causes accidents everywhere he goes. Eve is the steadfast matriarch, the breadwinner, and the one who can do all of the things Bernie can’t. Their kids, gum-chewing horndog Sarah (Gaite Jansen), and science nerd son, Adam (Walt Klink), aren’t interested in their father’s attempts to convert them by making everyone wear handmade sweaters with Jesus on them.
This is all pretty brutal. The filmmakers shoot authentically in four-camera sitcom format and aspect ratio, complete with studio audience and laugh track, but any attempt to skewer the sanctity of the American sitcom family is lost in a hail of bad jokes and grating characters. When a trio of sketchy Russians arrives, led by Piotr (Jan Bijvoet) and including his two dim-witted sons, they literally begin tearing the Christians’ world apart, drywall, pipes, flooring, all of it. And you know what? All of Bernie’s prayers go unanswered. As he trails around getting bullied, his son gets hooked on meth, his daughter has sex with one of the Russians and gets pregnant, and Eve, a victim of Bernie’s clumsiness, gets injured, hooked on drugs, and loses her job.
Krazy House spends an interminable amount of time slogging through the sitcom satire, while teasing the satanic side buried deep under Bernie’s extreme piety. It lasts so long you might start to think the violent turn won’t happen at all. But even when it does, none of it matters or has a lasting impact. If the film is trying to say anything, it might be a commentary on how thoughts and prayers are utterly pointless. In fact, Bernie doesn’t man-up and start fighting back until he gets fed up exchanging hollow platitudes with Jesus Christ (played by Entourage and Unhappily Ever After actor Kevin Connolly), jabbing him in the head with a spike.
Alicia Silverstone is one of the few highlights, offering some twisted takes on the perfect sitcom wife and mom. But even then, it’s in service to pointless movie that makes 86-minutes feel like a lifetime. Nick Frost, who I love in pretty much everything, gives a performance so irritating it’s not a bad thing when Bernie is nailed to a cross for about 30 goddamn minutes, giving us nothing but wide-eyed reaction shots to the unfolding carnage. It’s a blessing, you might say, but the true miracle is that Krazy House made it this far at all.
After beating cancer and being abandoned by her composer boyfriend, musical theater actress Laura (Melissa Barrera) is forced to move home with very little support from those around her. As she dwells on her lack of auditions and mourns the loss and opportunity of her old relationship, she starts to experience odd occurrences at home. Lights start to flicker, things go bump in the night, and it starts to sound like something is hunkering down with Laura in first-time director Caroline Lindy’s YourMonster, based on her short.
Barrera is captivating as the insecure and accommodating Laura. As she navigates her life without her ex, Jacob, she starts to realize that the work she did on his musical with the hopes to eventually star in it is for nothing. Around this same time, a monster in the back of her closet appears and threatens her to move out in two weeks.
Donned in prosthetics ala 1987’s Beauty and the Beast show, is Tommy Dewey. Monster, as he is simply and appropriately called, is a true brute, eating Laura’s food, yelling in her face, and scaring her whenever possible. Laura soon adapts to his presence and they start to be friends. Monster doesn’t understand why Laura is allowing Jacob to walk all over her, giving her promised part to an up-and-coming actress (Meghann Fehy) and all but publicly pitying her. In response, her new roommate and love interest pushes her to fight for her space in the real world.
Since I saw Your Monster at Sundance, I saw the film with very little marketing behind it. However, the messaging I saw pushed a feminist narrative, to the point that I believed that the film could be a twisted revenge tale where Laura takes revenge against her Monster lover. There are two interpretations of Your Monster. Either one convolutes its feminist packaging. Without spoiling it, if you can take the ending literally, she finds empowerment in a male romantic figure and if you go the more figurative route, the visual representation of female empowerment and rage is also a male.
What Caroline Lindy does with Your Monster is ambitious, channeling similar vibes to similar Sundance films like Mimi Cave’s Fresh or Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman. Her visuals are a balance of the macabre and realistic New York which give off this campy quality. While the film doesn’t nail every genre it is going for, it’s a solid start for a first-time director.
Every day is the same – wake up, get in line to use the limited water for the shower. Listen to Lord Kitchener’s (Ian Wright) booming updates and inspiration through the radio. Go to work, lie to make commission on sales, dream about getting out of the kitchen, and bed. Rinse and repeat. Izi just keeps to himself and focuses on life after the Kitchen. Yet not every local shares Ize’s views. Staples (Hope Ikpoku Jnr) is a Kitchen resident who happens to have pride in the kitchen. Staples wants to make the kitchen better, going as far as stealing food and distributing it amongst the people.
The two don’t typically interact. That is until Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman) comes into the picture. Benji’s mom has just passed, and he is lost without her. His dad is nowhere to be found, and she was all he had. Benji gravitates towards Izi, who struggles to let down his walls and let Benji in. That’s when Staples swoops by to try and take Benji under his wing.
Daniel Kaluuya both co-wrote and co-directed The Kitchen. Kibwe Tavares co-directed along with Kaluuya while Joe Murtagh co-wrote the film. We’re used to seeing Kaluuya in front of the camera with him being the lead in so many major films over the past half decade. This is the first time we’ve seen him behind the camera as The Kitchen is his directorial debut and his first feature-length screenplay. Tavares and Murtagh are in similar situations with the film being Tavares feature-length debut and Murtagh’s second feature. Overall, in terms of experience, it’s a fairly young group, but that is far from evident when watching the 
