It’s Oscar weekend, and March Madness is just around the corner, but why not check out some releases with all kinds of stuff going on? This set of write-ups includes a sound-driven horror film, a romantic drama, a body horror movie, a sci-fi action flick, a science fiction movie, a sports movie remake, and a sci-fi horror comedy. The following features reviews for Undertone, Reminders of Him, Slanted, War Machine, Redux Redux, Youngblood, and Cold Storage.
Undertone: 4 out of 10
The Setup: A podcast host (Nina Kiri) covering spooky content moves in to care for her dying mother. When sent recordings of a pregnant couple’s paranormal encounters, she discovers their story parallels hers, each tape pushing her toward madness.
Review: It never feels like a great sign when a movie ends up feeling like a better example of a Universal Halloween Horror Nights maze than a movie. That’s not to say there isn’t effort and ambition going into Undertone. Clearly, writer/director Ian Tuason has talent that can be well utilized in future endeavors. As it stands, while interesting as an exercise in the dependency on audio design, I wanted more.
On the plus side, it’s fun to see a podcaster as the lead character, even though I don’t think I’d ever take that show seriously, and it can’t sound all that great (don’t record in the most open room in the house!). Still, the central conceit relies on her paying close attention to a series of tapes, but the second we are told there are ten of them, I already realized this was going to be a drawn-out affair leading up to some inevitable spooky changes in her reality. It’s not an inherently bad structure, but even while making sound its main detail, there’s still plenty it has in common with things like the Paranormal Activity series to make it feel unique. Those films’ sense of minimalism also felt like a way to give them an advantage, while this movie only does so much with the frequent use of negative space. Basically, as much as this film wanted to get to me, I just wasn’t going for it, which kept me from having a stronger response to what’s been presented.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
Reminders of Him: 5 out of 10
The Setup: After a perfect outing with her boyfriend, Kenna (Maika Monroe) makes an unbearable mistake that sends her to prison for seven years. Hoping to rebuild her life after her release, she tries to reunite with her daughter, but her custodial grandparents (Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford) refuse to let Kenna see her. She soon finds unexpected compassion from a local bar owner (Tyriq Withers) as their secret romance gives Kenna hope for a second chance.
Review: The nice thing to say is that Reminders of Him is the best adaptation yet of a Colleen Hoover novel. It’s genuinely well-acted, decently shot, and manages to find a few emotional beats that connect. The problem is that while it may be a step up from It Ends with Us and Regretting You, it’s still a slim narrative that presents too many poorly plotted ideas and contrived moments to work as a more effective feature. That’s the issue that tends to arrive with a film that can’t decide how far to go with its dramatic elements extending beyond the core romance and familial issues. Allowing for underbaked ideas leads to questions, and while there’s certainly an audience that won’t mind in the same way, I can only speak to having seen better versions of this kind of story to match it up to.
For whatever reason, Hoover’s stories seem to keep involving some criminal element that either overcomplicates things or screws up the general tone of what’s taking place. Sure, it can be important to explore the unfortunate situation of domestic abuse. However, when trying to match this up to far less serious scenes involving a quirky best friend, issues can arise. In Reminders of Him, a big deal is Kenna’s inability to secure employment or trust because of her criminal record. The problem is how unwilling the film is to really expand on details that would clarify things. As it stands, Kenna basically must have had the worst lawyer to end up in the situation she’s in. On top of this, much of the drama centers on characters who just need to sit down for five minutes and explain everything.
Obviously, there’s an audience for films like this, which don’t have to be airtight but can entertain on the hope that the romance provides the right kind of energy. Again, the film is acted well enough, and Monroe and Withers are fine together. It’s not a matter of trying to pull this apart; I just wish the results (particularly the writing) were stronger. As it stands, I won’t need too many reminders of this one.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
Slanted: 5 out of 10
The Setup: Asian teenager Joan Huang (Shirley Chen) dreams of being prom queen but fears the only way to win is to look like all the past queens whose portraits line her high school halls. Then she hears about Ethnos, a cosmetic surgery clinic that turns people of color white. Joan undergoes the procedure and wakes up as a beautiful blonde (Mckenna Grace) who’s destined for the crown, but at what cost?
Review: A good portion of this film is quite effective at leaning into satire that is almost too close for comfort. Both the intensity of vying for high school popularity and doing what it takes not to stand out, to the point of obscuring one’s own unique identity, speak to very real feelings people have about this time in their lives. But naturally, seeing the vapidness of high school influencers in action can be quite funny too, particularly in a cringey sort of way. Director/writer/producer Amy Wang cranks things up even further, however, by making the bold choice to remove our main character halfway through the film and replace her with another actress to really highlight the unfortunate psychosis that comes from how severe one may treat being ashamed of their own cultural identity.
That’s all well and good, but I only wish the film had more to offer. Relying on body horror, as far as the use of close-ups and sound effects early on foreshadow further bodily harm coming later in the film, is effective enough. Watching the side effects of this procedure also yields strong reactions. Still, it feels as though Slanted runs out of ideas to better deal with all it puts on display. One major moment late in the film suggests a major change in the status quo, only for it to be washed over. Other points feel like ideas worth exploring, but instead come across as bullet points for a better screenplay to expand upon. There’s no doubt that the material- and situation-based stories worth looking into in greater depth are the ones I wish this film had explored more effectively. However, while it’s an ambitious high concept, it’s not quite a full metamorphosis.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
War Machine: 7 out of 10
The Setup: During the final stage of US Army Ranger selection, an elite team’s training exercise turns into a fight for survival against an unimaginable threat – a robotic, otherworldly killing machine.
Review: The funny thing is how much work is done to somewhat distract people from the fact that this movie is a Predator knock-off. It’s a pretty good one, but that’s still what it boils down to. The fortunate thing is that we get to see Alan Ritchson lean into using his size as an advantage for the film. He’s a fun actor to watch, and while it’s hard to replicate the charisma of Schwarzenegger, getting a movie that tries to instill some backstory and additional build-up before the action really takes over at least means Ritchson has the chance to prove himself.
Director Patrick Hughes hasn’t done a lot to shine for me since his debut with Red Hill, so it was actually nice to see him find solid ground by way of placing a group of soldiers against a giant robot. The action in this is quite brutal too, with men losing limbs, getting impaled, and being done all kinds of harm. Given the nature of Predator films, I can’t say I needed so much time getting to know everyone as much as we do, as it only ends up mattering so much and somewhat detracts from Ritchson’s unnamed character’s goal of fixing what occurred in his dark backstory. Regardless, as a pretty efficient action film that feels like a throwback with modern effects (the heavier-than-expected jingoism reinforces this sentiment), War Machine is the best film on Netflix with that title.
Where To Watch: Now streaming on Netflix.
Redux Redux: 8 out of 10
The Setup: A distraught woman (Michaela McManus) travels through parallel universes to kill her daughter’s murderer over and over again. With each death, she grows more and more addicted to revenge, putting her own humanity in jeopardy.
Review: We get a lot of time-travel movies, but we don’t get nearly enough parallel-dimension films, let alone ones that really like to have fun with it. Usually, it’s about hopping to just one other dimension and merely teasing a greater universe. On a low budget, Redux Redux doesn’t exactly go wild in its exploration of parallel dimensions, but it does suggest that we have a character charging through them like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. That said, this also has the self-seriousness of Predestination, another cool sci-fi film playing with the tropes in a manner fitting of filmmakers getting to toy with ideas they like on a smaller scale.
Holding this together is McManus, the sister of directors Kevin and Matthew McManus, who leans into the attitude of someone truly tired of hopping through dimensions to enact revenge, yet still feels she must do it. Adding wrinkles to this operation allows the film to gain further dimension. We get to see a character learn about this process, understand the toll it takes, and gain just enough understanding of this world without going overboard. All of this adds up to a film that is subtly cleverer than it may seem, while also delivering on the thrills of its premise in a very satisfying way.
Where To Watch: Coming soon to VOD.
Youngblood: 7 out of 10
The Setup: Follows Dean Youngblood (Ashton James), a hockey prodigy who joins the Hamilton Bulldogs and must deal with toxic behavior during his journey to the National Hockey League draft.
Review: Not being one who is inherently against remakes, I’m typically always in favor of remaking films that weren’t met with much high regard to begin with. It’s not because I want to see a studio double down on losing on the value of IP, but because a good premise shouldn’t have to go to waste just because they didn’t nail it the first time. 1986’s Youngblood is a forgettable hockey drama focused on the challenges a young Rob Lowe has trying to fit in with a highly talented team. Where that film found Lowe’s challenges stemming from his status as a pretty boy, this updated version relies on something more fitting – his race.
Wisley, the challenges faced by James’ Youngblood aren’t solely due to bigotry; they add an extra layer that complicates the obstacles in his way. Whether it’s some of his teammates, his coach, or his domineering father (Blair Underwood), work is done to assure us that Youngblood may have talent, but he still has plenty to learn. As a sports film, the plot follows a familiar trajectory, but it is the added shading that allows this movie to work better than it would otherwise.
Where To Watch: Now playing in select theaters.
Cold Storage: 7 out of 10
The Setup: Two employees (Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell) at a self-storage company have the wildest shift of their lives when a parasitic fungus that was sealed by the government escapes. As the temperature rises underground, the highly contagious, rapidly mutating microorganism begins to multiply, unleashing its brain-controlling, body-bursting terrors on the facility’s inhabitants — human and otherwise.
Review: Writer David Koepp is responsible for several huge blockbusters, as well as smaller features of his own, and a few cool flicks directed by Steven Soderbergh. Cold Storage was his first novel, and now he’s adapted it into a cult favorite in the making. Armed with a fun body-snatchers plot and a pretty stellar cast, this has all the ingredients of a film people are going to spend years discovering and championing, thanks to the solid handle it has on being a genre-bending bit of fun.
Following his hilarious turn in The Naked Gun, I really love the position Liam Neeson puts himself in here. He’s a supporting character who gets just enough to do to make a difference, and gets to still lean on his “seen-it-all” version of a character that gets the job done action-wise, while getting to have fun. And that’s just a part of this film. The majority relies on the strong work of Keery and Campbell, who get to exist within a plot drawing on Carpenter, Return of the Living Dead, and other fun classics for the sake of a gory horror flick with alien underpinnings. Given the bleakness found in HBO’s The Last of Us, it’s refreshing to see a film like this that has far more fun with parasitic fungus.
[Note: Stay tuned for an interview with Koepp about this film and more, coming soon!]
Where To Watch: Now available on PVOD.
