No One Will Save You (2023)

It's hard to describe what I enjoyed about No One Will Save You without talking spoilers. Before I get into anything spoilery, I will say that the film's one woman against an alien invasion plot line is well crafted to deliver maximum chills and is rather effective at telling its story using (literally) the show-don't-tell method since the film contains only one line of dialogue throughout its entire runtime. The film grabs you early with Dever home alone, reacting to someone breaking in, discovering that it's aliens (nothing spoilery so far - this is all in the trailer) and then fighting to survive. On that alone it works very well as a good thriller. 

But what I appreciated more is how it explores its themes of alienation, regret, self-loathing. As the film slowly lays out its backstory and develops Dever's character, we get, piece by piece, an understanding of why things are as they are and if there are ways to change it. Dever's performance is strong, even without dialogue, which helps the power of the film. But it is the film's rather chilling ending which brings to light something interesting. 

Okay now *spoilers*! Stop reading here until you've seen it. 

Dever is an outcast, perhaps you can say an alien from the community. As her battle with the aliens reaches its conclusion there is a detante reached, perhaps a mutual understanding. She has been pushed out of her humanity by those around her and she is given a chance to live her life differently, as part of something. That something is not necessarily presented by the film as something positive. There is quite a disquieting feeling to the new status quo at the end of the film. I don't think we're necessarily supposed to feel good about her future, even if she seems to. Even the film's choice to have no one speak adds to the unease that permeates the story. Living without communication is isolating and perhaps fractures our human experience. 

The film asks us to consider being ostracized, blaming yourself for your past, and the things you might do to feel whole again. And that is in itself interesting. So while the film does provide some fun alien mayhem throughout, it also gives us some tragedy and redemption to wrestle with, without giving us an easy out or satisfaction in the end. So as the film reached its final moments I sat there feeling less comfortable than I had been before I started. That makes for something worth watching. 

No One Will Save You

Starring: Kaitlyn Dever

Writer/Director: Brian Duffield 

 

Slotherhouse (2023)

The story of a killer sloth terrorizing a sorority house should have the markings of great grindhouse satire all over it so it was rather disappointing when Slotherhouse (great title) played it too straight to ever be truly funny and was never actually very scary. 

This is a film where a puppet sloth (and not a great puppet) kills sorority sister after sorority sister. A film like this needs to lean into its absurdity and find some way to cleverly play with expectations, perhaps comment on cultural references, and make us both laugh and be scared. Slotherhouse doesn't really do any of that. The film's plot is too vanilla, the killings aren't very clever, and while there were a few laughs sprinkled throughout, the script generally wasn't that funny. 

Slotherhouse is a missed opportunity to do something truly bizarre and subversive. The premise itself is paradoxical, which gives the chance to take a worn out horror movie setting and breathe some new life into it. But this film isn't that. It doesn't even earn its rather sanguine we're all in this together message it tries to squeeze out at the end. It quickly wears out its welcome even with its short runtime. 

Slotherhouse

Starring: Lisa Ambalavanar

Director: Matthew Goodhue

Writer: Bradley Fowler

Cassandro (2023)

Gael Garcia Bernal delivers one of his career best performances as real life exótico wrestler Cassandro, who revolutionized Mexican wrestling with his outspoken queerness and persona. His performance is subtle and powerful in a film that is rather on the lean side, but manages to inspire, especially through the central performance. 

For those (like me) who don't know much about the lucha libre world much of the film is eye opening. Director Williams uses a cautious approach to his first feature but he knows well to show case the main character and let his journey take us on ours. In doing so we see how human queerness is and what a positive force it can be, even in truly heteronormative and intolerant spaces. Cassandro doesn't feature showy moments of homophobia or violence towards marginalized figures. Instead Cassandro the person is given strength through standing up to regular tauntings of the F-word and generalized devaluation for his queerness and femininity. In his embrace of all that he changes the world. 

It may be the film's final moments which are the most moving. When Cassandro reunites with his bigoted father in a rather simple and understated scene, Bernal shows such power and strength, the kind that comes with being a queer man. This theme persists through the film, through his dignity in the ring and in rising above his closeted partners, but this scene, his defiance of the need for hetero-approval, is perhaps the moment of real power in the film and the performance. 

Cassandro

Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Raúl Castillo, Bad Bunny

Director: Roger Ross Williams

Writers: David Teague, Roger Ross Williams

El Conde (2023)

Director Larrain frequently paints for us portraits of recent historical figures from Princess Diana, to Jackie O, and Pablo Neruda. With his portrait of dictator Pinochet, he takes a bit different approach, employing dark satire and fantasy. He has made Pinochet a vampire (as well as another historical figure) as a rather clever and delicious metaphor for fascist evil. He (mostly) films his movie in a spooky black and white evoke classic horror from another era and even has the film narrated from the point of view of a subject we are not to sympathize with. In the end El Conde becomes quite a striking analysis of evil and terror that perhaps a more straight forward biopic could not have achieved. 

The film stretches this a little too far. There is a subplot in the middle which starts out as quite entertaining but goes on a little too long. Still there are moments in this part which truly stand out both visually and emotionally. I find watching Larrain's films he often paints us portraits that we are to glean story from more than handing us spelled out narratives. I appreciate this approach in his work and in this film specifically even if he does drag some of this out too much. 

El Conde is remarkable in how it balances a tragic air around his subject with never letting his off the hook for the horrors wrought during his reign, and perhaps beyond based on some spoilers which I don't want to get into here. The blood sucking metaphor, played often quite comically while also quite dark, is a well executed one. El Conde may make us think differently about a number of historical figures and moments.

El Conde

Starring: Jamie Vadell

Director: Pablo Larrain

Writers: Guillermo Calderón, Pablo Larrain

 

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

I'll start by saying I very much enjoy Branagh's Poirot films. While I felt Death on the Nile was a bit of a step down from Murder on the Orient Express, I can now say that A Haunting in Venice as breathed new life into this series, by focusing on death... and loss and grief. Once again using Christie's stories to examine different emotions and themes, this spooky example has all the positives of the series (except I miss Bouc!) such as the star studded cast and tantalizing mystery while taking a very different tone and direction than either of the previous films. Also I liked how Branagh continues to develop his famous character from film to film and not just have him appear the same in each one. Each story has taken him on personal journeys as well as literal ones. 

Branagh has always been a very visual director and here he embraces both the beauties of the titular city as well as leaning into old world haunting imagery. While the story isn't full on horror, it has just the right amount of spookiness and it will make you jump a few times. It is set on Halloween and is a good fit into what is becoming a genre of it's own (spooky season films) but that's not what this is in spirit. A Haunting in Venice is about grief and the need to deal with it, live with it, and find a way to live. 

And that is the best mystery in the story. Yes the mystery itself is fun, although not very similar to the one in the source material (this film probably veers the most from the book it is based on in the series) but it does feel like a vehicle to play with ideas of mourning. As I said this ties into Poirot's arc through the movies as we find the famed detective retired and shutting himself off from the world. This helps him get out of that a bit. Branagh is a good enough actor to give weight to this but his cast is also delightful throughout with Yeoh embracing her medium character and Fey taking on the smart ass side kick role (I still miss Bouc!). 

For me this is another strong entry into this series which I could keep watching as long as they want to keep making them. 

A Haunting in Venice

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Camille Cottin, Jude Hill, Kelly Reilly, Ricardo Scamarcio, Emma Laird, Kyle Allen, Ali Khan

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Writer: Michael Green

 

Rotting in the Sun (2023)

Rotting in the Sun won't be what you think it is. Often talk around a film can distract from the real substance of the movie. I was struck very early into the film just how much it was resonating for me, despite my differences from the central character, and as the film played out, how much it went in directions I did not expect. By the end it is a film that sat with me for a while after, not the plethora of penises that people are talking about, but the conflicting emotional states.

I've never been suicidal so the first act, centred around a fictional version of the writer/director of the film, didn't resonate with me because of that, but more because of his struggles to connect, an almost misanthropic sense of futility, his sexual distractions, and ultimate lack of fulfilment. As Rotting in the Sun continued, and introduced the also fictionalized version of Jordan Firstman, I recognized so much in their connection/lack of connection/disconnection. I think so much of what happens here will speak to queer men and the unique frustrations that exist in the spaces between us. I was quite shaken but what I was witnessing. 

The film takes a number of surprising turns that I don't want to spoil here and instead I just want to speak to the way the film continued to explore the feelings of queer alienation and connection as its satirical, darkly comic plot played out. Silva has tapped into something rich here that is rarely explored in queer cinema which tends to either focus on affirming stories or tragic ones (Red, White & Royal Blue and Brokeback Mountain as respective examples). While I feel both those are necessary there is something remarkably refreshing and surprisingly moving about a story like this, with all its dark edges.

I have to mention the incredible performance of Catalina Saaverda in a role that knocked my socks off and exceeded all my expectations. I feel like I can't even describe it without spoiling the experience of the film so just watch it and watch her. 

Rotting is bold, not because of the unsimulated sex... well I guess that is bold because of just how accurate so much of it felt. Sex in films often feels so unrealistic and the stuff that is here is just... honest. Firstman's willingness to have generally underwhelming sex on screen brings a richness and authenticity to the film that so much queer cinema is missing. But Rotting is bold for so many other reasons including its darkness, its willingness to create very real interactions between queer men in all their fleeting miserable beauty. Sex is part of l life and seeing intimacy play out on screen can enhance the themes and characters in a story. Rotting explemplifiues that. It is a big part of what makes the story feel so real and one of the reasons it will be a film that resonates for me as I continue to reflect on it. 

Rotting in the Sun

Starring: Jordan Firstman, Sebastián Silva, Catalina Saaverdra 

Director: Sebastián Silva 

Writers: Pedro Peirano, Sebastián Silva 

 

Le Plongeur (2023)

What I appreciated most about Le Plongeur is how it neither romanticized nor catastrophized addiction, allowing the main character of this story to just be a human who makes some bad choices and fuddles his way through. This felt extremely honest. Leclerc films his story in a dark wash so everything just feels a bit grimy but also lived in and rather ordinary adding to the film's honesty. There is just enough liveliness to the film to keep it interesting to watch while also giving us compelling characters who are never extreme or cinematic, yet often quite familiar. 

Picard is strong here as a young man managing despite not handling life well. His performance is understated, eschewing the big scenes for smaller, quieter moments. He portrays both his character's rush during his gambling addition and the frustration of his life catching up with him, all with an subtle power. Yes he is highly charismatic on screen but also manages a very everyman realness that helps bring this character's story to life so effectively. 

It is the film's restraint from the big breakdown moments which help make it feel so damn real and keep you so grounded in its story. There are moments many people will recognize. Yet the film remembers that it is a visual story and it remains quite visually interesting. It is perhaps one of the more effective memoirs of addiction due to its up front nature and unsensational approach. 

Le Plongeur

Starring: Herni Richer-Picard

Director: Francis Leclerc

Writers: Éric K. Boulianne, Francis Leclerc

 

The Pope's Exorcist (2023)

I'm just going to say it; Exorcism movies are generally just NOT scary. They rely on cliched tropes inserting them into scenes instead of touching on anything truly terrifying. Usually it's some child covered in scars saying swear words, sexual innuendo, or threatening violence. While this might be disconcerting (and in these films usually it doesn't go far enough to be actually disconcerting) it isn't scary. It often features the possessed manifesting some magical power that almost hurts people but rarely does, only to be stopped by some deus ex machina machinations by the hero priest that don't rely on any real suspense. Even the most famous example, while more frightening than most of its genre, remains far less scary than many other classic horror films. So most of the time I find films about exorcism to be dull and rather rote. 

The Pope's Exorcist is as dull and predictable as the rest but it does even farther down the road of being full of itself. There main thesis here, in a film that purports to be about the "real" experiences of an actual priest, is that a demon had possessed a real historical figure who then founded the Spanish Inquisition. Basically the film tries to absolve the Western Church of one of its most evil historical activities by blaming it on the devil!! Hmmm how convenient? The church can't be blamed for committing such atrocities because it was manipulated by the work of an invisible evil force! I hear they are making a sequel. Perhaps in that they'll discover a demon who possesses priests to have them assault children. 

Yes, yes, I get that the film tries to still tie blame to the church for the "cover up" but come on, that's still a huge dilution of responsibility. The film goes to great lengths to displace responsibility and that in itself is a kind of wrongdoing that would make a much better film difficult to enjoy. But add that to the fact that this film is just so standardly dull and the whole thing becomes almost unwatchable. 

The film's first sin is being rather boring and in no way scary. The second is the way it tries to absolve actual evil doers by blaming imaginary ones. 

The Pope's Exorcist

Starring: Russell Crowe

Director: Julius Avery

Writers: Michael Petroni, Evan Spiliotopoulos

 

The Equalizer 3 (2023)

Director Fuqua's films tend to be rather high on style but low on substance and his Equalizer franchise is mostly that. Billed as the "last in the series" (because trilogies are a thing and Washington is getting up there) this film tries to give the title character a send off which is does in the rather straight forward and predictable manner this series has always gone. 

The Equalizer 3 is not a bad film but it is exactly what you'd expect and overly simplified. It's popcorn viewing for sure. Just entertaining enough without getting into anything too deep. The film is excessively violent and excessively cliched. Fuqua really pays homage to the Godfather trilogy here which perhaps highlights some of the film's weaknesses in comparison. However all in all if you go into The Equalizer 3 with low expectations you can enjoy it for the light fluff it is. 

My main critique of this film (and the series in general, although this one even more so) is that it never grapples with the character's psychopathic tendencies. It pretends to at one point ("are you a good man or a bad man" Denzel is asked and his response is "I don't know") but the film never truly explores his own complicity in the violent world he participates in, or the violence that he perpetuates. Again the series leans into the lighter side of entertainment so it doesn't want to cast too much shadow on its central character. The Equalizer makes John Wick look like Touch of Evil so this is for the when you really don't want to have to think much about the movie you are watching. 

So go into this with the expectation to be lightly entertained and expect nothing more and you'll be fine. 

The Equalizer 3

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, David Denman, Sonia Ben Ammar

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Writer: Richard Wenk