Review: ‘Nandor Fodor And The Talking Mongoose’
Simon Pegg's Newest Oddball Film Pushes All The Right Buttons

By
Jake Sokolsky
-

Simon Pegg is dabbling back into the paranormal in his latest film Nandor Fodor And The Talking Mongoose. Pegg takes on the role of Fodor himself – a Hungarian who was a leading researcher of Parapsychology in the 1930s and 40s. One of Fodor’s greatest career achievements was writing the Encyclopedia of Psychic Science. Fodor began to shift to a more psychoanalytic view of paranormal and psychic phenomena. It was around this time when Fodor got wind of Gef (voiced by Neil Gaiman).

Dr. Harry Price (Christopher Lloyd), a psychic researcher and colleague of Fodor, reaches out to let him know about Gef. The Irvings, a prominent family who lived at Cashen’s Gap on the Isle of Man, claim that a talking mongoose named Gef lives at their home. After some understandable skepticism, Fodor and his assistant Anne (Minnie Driver), decide to venture out in an attempt to meet Gef. Mr. Irving (Tim Downie), Mrs. Irving (Ruth Connell), daughter Voirrey (Jessica Balmer), and hand Errol (Gary Beadle) welcome Fodor and Anne to Cashen’s Gap. Pushing aside his doubt and suspicions, Fodor prepares to meet the infamous Gef – if Gef is up to it of course.

Adam Sigal both wrote and directed Nandor Fodor And The Talking Mongoose. This is typical for him as he has both penned and directed a majority of the projects he has been a part of. Sigal’s script is incredibly witty and thought provoking. The humor is at times subtle, but still hilarious. The film has a very limited cast, but they shine in bringing Sigal’s script to life. Driver and Pegg stand out and their onscreen chemistry is truly delightful. Everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves and that translated onscreen. Pegg is fantastic and drives the film forward. His mannerisms and facial expressions land perfectly and truly add to scenes throughout the film.

Sigal creates an enjoyable atmosphere in Nandor Fodor And The Talking Mongoose. The film is full of interesting framing and shot selection. In addition, Sigal’s use of light and smoke to highlight characters adds to the mystic aura of the source material. The perfectly executed flashbacks and cutscenes provide a touch of uniqueness and character to the film. Nandor Fodor And The Talking Mongoose will not be for everyone. It is heavily dialogue driven which may not resonate with some. In a world with more blockbusters and sequels than ever, Nandor Fodor And The Talking Mongoose is a breath of fresh air. History is full of absurd and off-the-wall stories. It was a pleasure to see one come to light in Nandor Fodor And The Talking Mongoose.

Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose is in theaters now.

Review: ‘The Good Mother’
Hilary Swank, Olivia Cooke, And Jack Reynor Star In An Entertaining Yet Unfocused Opioid Thriller

By
Cortland Jacoby
-

It’s no secret that the devastating effects of the opioid crisis have made their way into film and television. Numerous projects have been made depicting the many sides of the crisis, standouts include All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and Dopesick. Netflix’s Painkiller, which recently premiered, looks at the business practices behind Purdue Pharma and how they impacted everyday Americans.

In Miles Joris-Peyrafitte’s latest directorial effort, we see a different side of the opioid crisis. A crime-investigative thriller, The Good Mother looks at the aftermath of one son’s death and the dark, twisted forces that drove him there.

Hilary Swank plays an Albany-based reporter and mother of two adult sons. The eldest Toby (Jack Reynor) is a police officer, living with his wife and trying for a baby. She is estranged from her youngest, Michael, whose addiction to opioids after a sports injury made it impossible to be around.

When we meet Swank’s Marissa, we see her make her way into her news editor job late after waking up next to a bottle. Soon Toby visits her at work and gives her the news that Michael was shot in a drug deal gone wrong.

If the truth was that simple Joris-Peyrafitte wouldn’t have a movie. After punching out her son’s recovering addict girlfriend, Paige (Olivia Cooke), and discovering she is pregnant, Marissa slowly resolves herself to team up with her and find Michael’s killer.

Joris-Peyrafitte, who co-wrote the script with Madison Harrison, does a remarkable job playing with tension in The Good Mother’s first two-thirds. The script plays the groundwork for telling a gripping mystery about one dealing with grief and how one’s choices can be the blame for someone else’s. Marissa’s drinking problem is handled with a steady hand by both the writers and Swank’s performance. It’s not overexaggerated, but a part of the puzzle.

As Marissa contemplates how her own issues played into Michael’s addiction, Paige plays full detective. Cooke revels in the murder mystery aspect of the script. Her scenes with Swank are a highlight of the film and what Harrison and Joris-Peyrafitte do with her character in the beginning of the third act is genuinely surprising.

Jack Reynor does his best with the material he is given, playing down parts of his character that might give away the ending. Like his other performances of recent note, he is subtle in his approach to the character, making him both layered and believable. His scenes with both Swank and Cooke are compelling, like a game of emotional tennis.

Joris-Peyrafitte loses focus in the film’s final third. An Al-Anon meeting that includes a powerful monologue from Karen Aldrige is completely wasted by the director. The core of the film, one about addiction and family, is spoiled by Joris-Peyrafitte’s need to nail the twists and turns of this thriller. By the time The Good Mother is over, not only are you left unsatisfied but disappointed by its potential.

The Good Mother is playing in theaters. Watch the trailer below.

‘Crime 101’: Amazon Beats Out Netflix For Crime Film Starring Chris Hemsworth And Pedro Pascal

By

-

September 1, 2023

Well, that didn’t take long. Earlier this week, news broke about a bidding war between Amazon and Netflix for Crime 101, a Don Winslow adaptation with Chris Hemsworth and Pedro Pascal attached to star. The war is now over, the money has been spent, and Amazon has come out on top.

According to Puck, Amazon shelled out a whopping $90M to acquire Crime 101, about a detective tracking down a series of high-level jewel heists that he believes were committed by one criminal, while the police target the Colombian cartels.

The film has American Animals director Bart Layton at the helm, and Avatar: The Way of Water‘s Shane Salerno as a producer.

Considering the working relationship Netflix has with Hemsworth, releasing Spiderhead and two Extraction movies led by him, it’s surprising they let this one go. The sticking point was reportedly that Amazon promised a theatrical release, while Netflix sought script rewrites.

Both actors have been attached prior to the current Hollywood strikes, but it’s still interesting to see a deal of this size getting done during them.

‘American Fiction’ First Look: Jeffrey Wright Takes On Black Stereotypes In New Comedy Headed To TIFF

By

Travis Hopson

-

September 1, 2023

You simply can’t go wrong with Jeffrey Wright as your lead. He’s so good, he even makes Wes Anderson movies watchable. Hey, save your pitchforks, it’s just my opinion. But f’real, Wright is one of the best actors around and can seemingly do anything well, which makes the TIFF debut of writer/director Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction one to look out for.

Ahead of the film’s world premiere in Toronto, first-look images of American Fiction have been released. Wright leads the comedy as Monk, a frustrated novelist fed up with an industry that cashes in on “Black” stereotypes.

The cast also features Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, with Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown. Wow.

Here’s the synopsis: AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

After its TIFF world premiere on September 8th, American Fiction will open in theaters this November.

1 of 5

Review: ‘The Equalizer 3’
Denzel Washington Is A Lion In Winter In Brutal, Satisfying Final Chapter

By
Travis Hopson
-

You couldn’t make the Equalizer films with just anybody. It had to be somebody like Denzel Washington to play righteous badass Robert McCall. These movies, while known for their brutal, exacting violence, have never been just action movies. They are a character study about a man seeking redemption using the only skill at his disposal, all the while seeking to find a place to call home. The Equalizer 3 is the culmination of that story, and it has a real “Lion in Winter” feel to it. As such, it’s probably the most human and least violent of the franchise, but also possibly the best.

The opening minutes don’t suggest that anything will be held back, though. It begins in Sicily where McCall has wiped out an entire stronghold of mob enforcers and their leader in typically grisly fashion. McCall is older now, but just as cooly confident as ever. He even does the watch thing, counting down the seconds it’ll take before everyone in the room is dead at his hands. But on the way out, McCall lets his guard down and takes a bullet to the spine. He survives, but only with the aid of a doctor in a small Italian village that is under the grip of the Camorra, or the Mafia.

McCall’s story has always been interesting because he’s more than just some blind killer. He’s attempting to fix a violent past by helping those who can’t help themselves. It’s the same premise that fueled the original television series and even the current one led by Queen Latifah. Solid stuff. But there has to come a progression, and we see it in The Equalizer 3. What will a tortured soul like McCall do when he finds the one place that truly offers him solace? Well, he’ll defend it with his life, that’s what he’ll do. And as McCall befriends the people of this town, he also makes enemies of the Mafia, and promises to wipe them out. But following his injuries, is this aging warrior even able to do it?

Fans eager for a Man on Fire reunion will be happy to see the presence of Dakota Fanning as CIA analyst Emma Collins. A desk jockey until McCall gives her a career-changing tip, there’s an interesting link between them that serves as the film’s one lingering mystery. Collins is smart, resourceful, and courageous; all qualities that McCall respects. One of the things about McCall is that he’s a genuinely good person and comes across as well-traveled but approachable. When he and Collins banter, it feels natural, even friendly. There’s a reason for why they might have such an easy connection, and the payoff is well worth the wait if you’re invested in McCall’s complete story, as I definitely am.

It’ll be interesting to see how audiences react to the film, though. There is a lot of McCall just finding his way in Italy, making friends, drinking coffee (“tea is for old English women”, a potential love interest tells him), and being at peace. Of course, when the bloodshed erupts it’s relentless. McCall, who is often covered in shadow like a villain from a horror movie, destroys his foes with every terrible object he can find, usually gutting them like a fish or stabbing their eyeballs out. In one case, he tortures the mob boss’s wild brother with a nasty nerve hold that had me cringing in my seat. There isn’t a ton of this grisly stuff in the movie, which might be why it flashes back to some of McCall’s earliest kills, but what we do get is pretty rough and not for the weak.

Washington reteams with director Antoine Fuqua once again, and they are just a perfect pair to do The Equalizer the kind of respect it deserves. Just as McCall has aged like a fine wine, so have Washington and Fuqua grown in maturity with each movie. If this is truly the last one, I can’t think of a better way for it to go out. Yes, the story is a bit slight and the bad guys more bland than usual, but the trade off is that McCall has never been more compelling.

The Equalizer 3 is in theaters now.

‘Nyad’ Clip: Annette Bening And Jodie Foster Star In Marathon Swimming Drama From ‘Free Solo’ Directors

By

Travis Hopson

-

August 31, 2023

A background in documentaries is often a good basis for a career in narrative filmmaking, especially at crafting intelligent, informative, and entertaining biopics. Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have exactly that experience with hard-hitting docs such as Free Solo, Meru, and Wild Life to their credit. And now they turn their attention to Nyad, a narrative sports drama with a stellar cast led by Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.

Bening stars as the real-life Diana Nyad, who in 1979 at the age of 60, takes on the personal goal of swimming the 110 miles from Cuba to Florida.

Also in the cast is Rhys Ifans. The screenplay is by Julia Cox, based on Nyad’s autobiography Find A Way.

Here’s the synopsis: A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, NYAD recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad. Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of 60, Diana (four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening) becomes obsessed with completing an epic swim that always eluded her: the 110 mile trek from Cuba to Florida, often referred to as the “Mount Everest” of swims. Determined to become the first person to finish the swim without a shark cage, Diana goes on a thrilling, four-year journey with her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster) and a dedicated sailing team.

Will Vasarhelyi and Chin find the same success with their narrative feature debut as they have crafting documentaries? Nyad is set to have its world premiere at Telluride, before hitting theaters on October 20th. The film will then head to Netflix on November 3rd.

Review: ‘Beaten To Death’
Delivers On Its Ultra-Violent And Gory Promise

By
Ronny Sharpes
-

Beaten to Death is the story of Jack (Thomas Roach) barely clinging to life after a horrific assault and stranded in the middle of nowhere. Holding on to what little is left of his sanity, he has to push himself to extreme lengths to survive the psychotic locals while navigating the Tasmanian landscape.

Very rarely does a film come along that makes me audibly utter the words “holy shit” but Sam Curtain had me saying that multiple times during his latest offering. The film opens with our protagonist pinned down and being mercilessly beaten by a hulking brute of a man, mere feet from the corpse of his wife and things just continue to get worse for him from there. The way it’s paced barely gives you a chance to breathe with your only respite being the beautiful yet utterly terrifying isolated landscapes. For this film, Curtain utilizes a non-linear form of storytelling, allowing you to slowly piece together the fateful events that have led us up to this point. Filling in the gaps as it goes, it gives you that all too little reprieve from the gory savagery, breaking things up with shots of our hopeless protagonist blind, beaten, and bloody trapped in the middle of nowhere while trying to convince himself to just keep moving. The way Jack is in a constant state of peril, the viewers can’t help but feel like they’re right there with him. Scene after scene, if he isn’t battling relentless attackers, he has to contend with his mind begging for it all to end. Sometimes in this world, there are no happy endings, you just cling to life and hope for the best. There’s one scene that stands out for me that is not too far in. Ned (David Tracy) has Jack tied to a chair while he slowly gouges his eyes out. Right before the tip of the knife pierces his last remaining eye the screen goes black, followed by damn near a minute of darkness with nothing but agonizing moans to fill the void. Even for someone like myself, that scene was one that will stick with me for a while. I can still hear his animal-like primal screams…oof.

Is this a film for everyone? Absolutely not. This might even be a bit too much for some seasoned gore veterans out there. But did I enjoy it? Yes. This isn’t the kind of flick everyone will enjoy but there is definitely an audience for this kind of film. Beaten to Death is visceral, it’s brutal and the way it was presented keeps you on edge for the entire runtime. Utterly beautiful cinematography juxtaposed with the ultra-violence made for an enjoyable watch. That’s just the kind of thing I’ve been looking for to break up the monotony of the mainstream offerings of late. If this sounds like something you might be into, I’m telling you this is worth the watch. You can find this one in select theaters September 1st.

‘Goldilocks And The Three Bears: Death And Porridge’ Trailer: Fairy Tale Horror Will Teach You Not To Invade Another’s Home

By

Travis Hopson

-

August 31, 2023

The fairy tale horrors just won’t quit following the cult success of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. Now it’s Goldilocks who will join with axe-wielding bears in Goldilocks And The Three Bears: Death and Porridge. Seriously, are all of these movies going to combine a favorite food with something brutal? Seems like it. What’s next? Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs, Ham, & Murder?

Rather than the story of a young girl who invades the home of three bears, eats their porridge, tries out their beds, and sits in their chairs, this movie resembles The Strangers in execution. A group of people arrive at a secluded home in the woods, only to be stalked by mysterious strangers, one in a Goldilocks mask and three others in bear masks.

An earlier teaser shows a couple waking up in the middle of the woods, surrounded by the same cackling attackers. One bear is ominously stirring a cauldron (human porridge?), while another raises an axe overhead triumphantly. Uh oh.

The synopsis is short and sweet: Never enter into someone’s house without permission.

Starring as Goldilocks is Olha Solomakhina, joined by Julian Amos, Flex Singh, Jimmy Roberts, Abigail Huxley, Susan Franks, Robson Medler, Jack Barry and Grace Darling Smith. The film springs from the obviously-corrupted mind of writer/director Craig Rees.

Expect more twisted fairy tales to arrive soon with Cinderella’s Curse, Bambi: The Reckoning, and more.

No release date for this one yet, but when it finally arrives I look forward to foisting it upon our horror writer Ronny Sharpes.

‘The Continental’ Trailer: John Wick Prequel Series Takes Us Inside The Infamous Hotel For Assassins

By

Travis Hopson

-

August 31, 2023

The incredible world-building in John Wick is the key ingredient that has kept fans hooked, all the way to this year’s John Wick: Chapter 4, the highest-grossing of the franchise. Of course, we all love Keanu Reeves in the title role, but it’s such a richly detailed universe of assassins that he exists in that we find fascinating. And at the center of that is the Continental Hotel, which we will see more of in an upcoming Peacock series.

A new international trailer for The Continental: From The World Of John Wick delivers new footage from the upcoming three-episode miniseries. Mel Gibson stars as Cormac, proprietor of the titular hotel for assassins during the 1980s. Colin Woodell plays a young Winston Scott, who we know will eventually take over the reins and start looking like Ian McShane.

Here’s the synopsis: The three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne.

The series also stars Mishel Prada, Ben Robson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Nhung Kate, Jessica Allain, Ayomide Adegun (as Charon, originally played by Lance Reddick), Jeremy Bobb, and Peter Greene.

Albert Hughes (Alpha) directs the first and last episode, with Charlotte Brandstrom (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) directing the middle episode.

Peacock will debut The Continental on September 22nd.

‘The Promised Land’ Trailer: Mads Mikkelsen Is A Man Of Conquest In Reunion With Director Nikolaj Arcel

By

Travis Hopson

-

August 31, 2023

While Mads Mikkelsen has been part of his share of blockbusters, such as Rogue One, Fantastic Beasts, and the most recent Indiana Jones, he’s got a long history of Danish dramas, too. One of those, 2012’s A Royal Affair, was a breakthrough and paired him for the first time with director Nikolaj Arcel, known for the original Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. Well, now Mikkelsen and Arcel are together again for The Promised Land, a new film set to have its world premiere in Venice.

Mikkelsen is so good at playing men driven with a singular, passionate goal, and this is no different. He plays the real-life Ludvig Kahlen, a soldier whose lifelong dream is to cultivate the barren Jutland heath, please the King, and achieve honor and wealth. This nearly impossible task is further complicated by a vengeful landowner.

The cast includes Simon Bennebjerg, Melina Hagberg, and Amanda Collin of Max series Raised by Wolves.

Here’s the synopsis: In 1755, the impoverished captain Ludvig Kahlen sets out to conquer the harsh, uninhabitable Danish heath with a seemingly impossible goal: to build a colony in the name of the King. In exchange, he’ll receive a desperately desired Royal name for himself. But the sole ruler of the area, the merciless Frederik de Schinkel, arrogantly believes this land belongs to him. When De Schinkel learns that the maid Ann Barbara and her servant husband have escaped for refuge with Kahlen, the privileged and spiteful ruler swears revenge, doing everything in his power to drive the captain away. Kahlen will not be intimidated and engages in an unequal battle—risking not only his life, but also that of the family of outsiders that has formed around him.

The Promised Land does not have a stateside release date yet, but expect that to change following the Venice Film Festival.