Bring Them Down (2025)

Bring Them Down is a feud story between two neighbouring Irish farmers, one of whom is married to the other's ex. This morally ambiguous film has no good guys as everyone is at fault for their behavior, making this examination of personal politics, and how self-destructive they are, extremely fascinating. Powerfully acted and deftly directed, this is a story that spirals into desperation tragically. 

Abbott and Keoghan are both strong here as men whose spite takes over and ruins their lives. We watch as they degrade themselves in their passion to win, leaving no winners at all. Colm Meaney also deserves recognition as the elder sucked into the battle. The film's intense story is served well by the strong performances in the central cast. 

Bring Them Down is a bit of a gut punch and a morality tale about revenge and resentment. It is the sort of promising debut feature that puts Andrews on my list of film makers to watch. 

Bring Them Down

Starring: Christopher Abbott, Barry Keoghan, Nora-Jane Noone, Paul Ready, Colm Meaney 

Writer/Director: Christopher Andrews

Death of a Unicorn (2025)

Death of a Unicorn is a big swing for its director's feature film debut. It leans into dark comedy and gruesome effects while telling a rather on the nose story about class and capitalism with a somewhat rote father/daughter arc at its centre. It smooths over a lot of its weaknesses by being a lot of fun and keeping its story going at a breakneck pace so it ends up being very watchable. 

I never bought the family dynamics at the heart of Death of a Unicorn which I think is the biggest part of why this film didn't knock it out of the park. The social satire is rather thinly drawn too with the rich pharmaceutical company owning family being very stereotypical and without any depth at all. The script doesn't seem to understand complications or nuances and instead just relies on our preconceived notions of who people are, good and bad. I was okay with the film throwing away any realistic depiction of the unicorn's healing ability (cause the unicorn is all symbolism anyway) so the fact that all this scientific breakthroughs could happen it the matter of hours was reasonable suspension of disbelief. However the film's inability to create realistic human relationships was the main sticking point for me. 

However I forgave most of that because of how much fun it was. Scharfman sets up his story quickly, puts the pedal to the metal, and doesn't let up. We never get a chance to get bored. Schartman's main talent on display here is his crafting of horror comedy, which is less about being "scary" (the closest that comes to is some jump scares), and more about being gory. This is one of those horror stories where people get punished for their sins and people who act out of goodness get rewarded. The unicorns represent this and pick and choose who is brutally ripped apart and who get to be spared, or maybe even resurrected. 

And perhaps that's another issue I had with the film. Yes it's fantasy so perhaps in fantasy people shouldn't get away with their crimes against humanity. But it doesn't feel very honest. In the real world the rich do get richer off the backs of those they exploit. There aren't any unicorns running around to put things right. Maybe this film is more aspirational than honest. But as the film neatly wrapped up its little morality play I felt a little let down. Only the very last scene gave me some hope the film wasn't going to completely simplify things. 

Still, I can't say I didn't enjoy myself. The film follows such a satisfying and basic horror film structure that pays off on a visceral level. The gore is handled well too, while being graphic it remains a bit cartoony so it isn't so disturbing and is instead, symbolic; it is about making a point rather than luxuriating in violence. All in all Death of a Unicorn has classic horror movie morality vibes and succeeds at that even if it cuts corners on character and story. 

Death of a Unicorn

Starring: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan

Writer/Director: Alex Scharfman

The Woman in the Yard (2025)

Deadwyler is becoming one of my favourite actors to watch these days. The Woman in the Yard, while it has some weaknesses, is a great showcase for her. There is a moment near the end where she broke my heart in a very short yet powerful scene. 

It is hard not to talk about The Woman in the Yard without spoiling it so before getting into those sorts of details, I'll say Collet-Serra's work her is a bit all over the place. He makes some effective tensions and scary bits but also drags the story in certain parts. A versatile direction of action and horror his work isn't always the most emotionally invested and this film needed more tender loving care with that aspect. But the fact that Deadwyler is centred here makes up for some of that loss. 

In the end The Woman in the Yard is less scary than emotionally moving so while the film does have some jump scares and some fear inducing images, the real meat here is in Deadwyler's character and her journey. Together her performance with Collet-Serra's horror aesthetic makes it quite watchable. While I think the emotional punch at the end is weaker than it could have been it remains an interesting story and character arc. 

The Woman in the Yard is old school classic horror. Collet-Serra sets up who the characters are and what the threat is pretty quickly and effectively and dives into the story. Here is where he gets a bit shaky though. Once the story gets rolling it lurches a bit. When all is "revealed" some of that lurching makes sense but it would have worked best is that uneven tone was given some in story reason as well so it doesn't just feel off. Some of Collet-Serra's most impressionist takes here aren't smoothly done. But he does pull it together at the end, again with much of the heavy lifting done by Deadwyler. 

*Spoilers*

The Woman in the Yard is powerful in how it anthropomorphizes depression in classic horror tropes. The story is about a mother and her children dealing with her own self-harm impulses. That is a devastating concept, and yet one so real for many people. The horror genre allows for a means to process some of that. For the most part I felt The Woman in the Yard managed this well yet the ending just felt a little to pat. I had wished he found a way to sit with that pain for a bit and really let us experience it and the path out of it. I get where the film is going with its stuffy symbolizing (as it was foreshadowed) caring for each other, but Collet-Serra rushes this a bit. Deadwyler is amazing and she could have really had an incredible moment. As I said early on here she still broke my heart, but there is a bit of a missed opportunity. 

Still I'd recommend this. It is the kind of film that is interesting to discuss afterward. Finding ways to represent difficult emotional states on film is one of the reasons why cinema can be so satisfying. 

The Woman in the Yard

Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Okwui Okpokwasili, Russell Hornsby, Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha 

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Writer: Sam Stefanak

Holland (2025)

Holland has a bit of the vibe between a Coen Brothers' dark crime comedy but with a hint of the twisted zaniness of Kidman's work with Gus Van Sant in To Die For. Director Cave, fresh off her cleverly demented Fresh, spins this twisted tale in a way that keeps us balance throughout. She doesn't always keep it going well. There is a lot in the middle which drags a bit. But she commits to the twisted tale of domestic malaise and the darkness underneath that surface. 

For most of the film we can't be sure what to believe. Kidman's central character is presented in a way that makes us question whether she is a reliable narrator. Cave builds this narrative to a conclusion that implicates us in all our questioning. 

For me the script didn't hold together entirely. There was an interesting tale but occasionally it falters. The ending builds to a fascinating resolution but sometimes it feels like it wasn't entirely earned. So Holland is somewhat of a mixed bag but was is strong is Kidman in her central off-kilter performance.

Holland

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen, Jude Hill, Gael García Bernal 

Director: Mimi Cave

Writer: Andrew Sodorski

O'Dessa (2025)

Geremy Jasper's fever dream of an apocalyptic musical is part Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet and part Julie Taymor's Across the Universe. It is chaotic with an overly simplistic plot but visually and musically it is stunning. Sink shines and Bartlett is a camp daddy. But it all worked for me. 

Following up his impressive Patty Cake$ with another music based film, Jasper has laid it all on the line. He commits fully and even when it slips a bit O'Dessa remains fun. The film attempts to be epic and it doesn't quite scale those heights, but with a combo of captivating original songs, a bold vision, and a charismatic central star, O'Dessa is certainly something to remember even if it feels like its story is a little on the routine side. I'd love to have seen Jasper tell a more revolutionary story than this. 

Perhaps in this specific time in history these tales of speaking (or singing) truth to power can feel a little fantastical when we see oppression not being thwarted by good intentioned chosen ones. But I digress, cause O'Dessa was captivating and might inspire the spirit of resistance through song. 

O'Dessa

Starring: Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, Regina Hall 

Writer/Director: Geremy Jasper

No Other Land (2024)

The power of No Other Land is often in just how much it is a series of shots captured by those in the story. Instead of feeling like a film maker came in to a situation to capture it, instead No Other Land is filmed by the man in the middle, often just capturing the images as they happen. He is joined by an unlikely ally who struggles to find a way to effectively show that allyship, but in doing this together they succeed in bringing their story to an outside world reluctant to hear it. 

Be prepared, No Other Land is and deeply upsetting film. This is about bearing witness and even that act isn't easy. There is real world violence documented here, violence against people and property. Once you see it you won't be able to look away. No wonder this film has captured the attention of a world that has turned away so often before. 

No Other Land

Writers/Directors: Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham,Rachel Szor 

The Day the Earth Blew Up: a Looney Tunes Movie (2025)

Zany and irreverent, the first fully animated Looney Tunes feature in a long time, captures the spirit of the classic shorts in a way the live action/animation hybrid films failed to do. This send up of 50s science fiction melodramas is truly hilarious, cleverly referential, and works on both a child and adult level so that the whole family can enjoy it. 

TDTEBU is basically a typical Merrie Melodies short but stretched to feature length. It doesn't connect to any continuity, skips logic for its plot to advance where need be (and delightfully brushes it off such as when Daffy points out "how hard it is for a male duck to lay eggs!), and just focuses on having fun with these beloved characters. 

I know WB dumped this and the only saving grace for how it's being handled by the studio is that it cost very little so it should be able to turn a profit. What I'd suggest is that WB reconsider and perhaps continue to put out these low budget but well crafted films with small ambitions and a big heart featuring many of their other Looney Tunes characters.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: a Looney Tunes Movie

Director: Pete Browngardt 

Writers: Darrick Bachman, Pete Browngardt