Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Legacy sequels continue to be all the rage in the 2020s with all sorts of differing results. Whether its a new Bad Boys, Exorcist, Twister, Ghostbusters, Evil Dead, Top Gun, Matrix, Rocky, Mad Max, or event TV series follows ups like Willow or The Dark Crystal, these attempts to mine the gold of long beloved old films continue to churn out. From next generation story continuations to full on new casts in similar story, writers are trying all sorts of ways to recycle these ideas. But I'm not sure anyone has gone as balls to the wall bonkers as Burton did with his long gestating Beetlejuice sequel. 

Burton's recent output hasn't been the most odd ball but sort of felt like a tamed version of his signature style. But by revisiting his second ever feature, a film that was odd (Day-O!) but surprisingly commercial, seems to have reignited a demented sense of playfulness that has produced a madcap script and old school aesthetic (Burton's "hand drawn" looking visuals and practical effect heavy sensibility) that has been missing from his work. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is rambling mess of a story featuring body horror vibes and randomness that really shouldn't work... but it does. There are characters there for little to no reason, plot threads that come and go, and motivations which seems questionably illogical, yet it all comes together to be very satisfying and bizarrely hilarious. 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice leans in to the original film's often forgotten distastefulness. There is a lot that is gruesomely terrifying here that is papered over with a dark humour. I think we often gloss over the fact that the title character is a predatory villain and much of what happens is dark. Much of what makes the first film work is how well Burton and Keaton integrated the darkness with the comedy. It was very much about processing our greatest fears and unanswerable questions about death through laughter and this sequel gets that. We're processing a lot of trauma here and doing so through the kind full throated humour which makes us hurt from laughing. By the time the film gets to its MacArthur Park sequence, a full on wackadoodle moment of sheer cinematic beauty, we are full in on Burton's vision for mixing pain and comedy.

Is the film perfect? No. Keaton's Betelgeuse feels a bit tired (something that worked for him revisiting an elderly Bruce Wayne in The Flash but here doesn't feel quite right for an ageless demon/ghost). When he says the line "the Juice is loose" it just feels a bit off. And Ryder's constant exasperated expression feels meta, like she's playing herself playing Lydia instead of playing Lydia herself. I have mixed feelings about Monica Belucci's appearance. She's gonzo sexy in an unsettling body horror way but her character is also rather pointless, often just wandering around for many scene. Yet her scenes are some of the most delightful in the story. Theroux's character is more annoying that constructively villainous and the plot holes related to Cabrera's character are big enough to drive a truck through. But I guess it's nice to see a male character be fridged for a female character's story arc for a change.  

Sure I could pull apart a lot of this film but I don't want to cause it tapped something fun and effective in its blend of deep seeded fear and guttural laughter. See it. You'll want to get on the Soul Train too. I didn't mention DaFoe but kudos to him for clearly having the. most fun of anyone in the whole film!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Burn Gorman, Danny DeVito, Santiago Cabrera, Amy Nuttall, Arthur Conti

Director: Tim Burton

Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar 

The Deliverance (2024)

Exorcism films rarely work for me because I find they all follow a trope that, for me, always pulls me out of the film. The idea that an evil spirit that has possessed someone is going to spend its time spewing profanities and making bodies do weird things just feels... well not that evil. There are really terrible things a demon could do while in possession of a human and films don't tend to go there. Anyway it always feels off to me. 

People have really strong feelings about Lee Daniels' films. Say what you will, there was an aspect of The Deliverance that I found fascinating. Daniels takes the possession cliches and uses them to comment on something else, something more real. In doing so I feel he tapped into something that I found very interesting and I hope will make people think. Good horror does that; tells a fantastical story that comments on very real world issues. I think The Deliverance, whether it is that good of a movie or not, does that in a way I hadn't seen before. 

Poor families, often headed by single mothers, in PIBOC communities, are often pathologized in ways that ignores systemic factors (such as past trauma, poverty, addiction, lack of community supports) to place blame for everything from day to day stressors to full blown crises they face on so called "personal character weaknesses". This allows us to move forward as a society without taking responsibility for how our systems let down the most marginalized people and villainize them instead. The Deliverance uses the metaphor of the possession to dramatize this. While everyone around her thinks Ebony is a bad mother or that her children are inherently bad (likely due to factors such as racism) in reality what is plaguing the well being of her children is something external, something that no one is willing to acknowledge. I found using the familiar exorcism story line as a means of exploring these themes was a clever and interesting way into this story. 

However it is debatable how just how successful Daniels is with this allegory. For me The Deliverance didn't rise above my problems with possession horror. Day and Close are both very good for many the way Daniels directs bombastic performances from his actors can be a bit much. Still, I found myself thinking a lot about many of the ramifications of this story and that is worth something.

The Deliverance

Starring: Andra Day, Glenn Close, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Mo'Nique, Caleb McLaughlin, Demi Singleton, Omar Epps, Coleen Camp

Director: Lee Daniels

Writers: David Coggeshall, Elijah Bynum

Blink Twice (2024)

I get excited when I find a director expertly brings together images and emotions, music and dialogue, into a narrative that heightens the story and makes the experience of taking it in so rewarding. Early into Blink Twice it was clear Kravitz has an eye for how to build up her tale and the emotional resonance of it so effectively. I was riveted from the beginning. Her film is a puzzle movie, asking you to figure it out, and when it is revealed to all be something far less mysterious and far more disturbing than many of us would have guessed, Blink Twice manages to shake us and deliver on an ending which is both satisfying and logical. 

Ackie is an incredibly charismatic actor who is captivating on screen. You just want to watch her and all that she does with her characters and her performance here is very strong. Arjona is a rising star as well who delivers a character who turns out to be far more interesting than one would originally think. They are standouts in an overall strong cast including Tatum who should play villains more often. 

But what is really effective about Blink Twice is just how salient the story is. The biggest surprise for me was how real world it felt, how not-fantastical the reveal was, and how much more powerful it made the story. Films with these sorts of puzzles can often stumble over the ending, not knowing how to resolve the problems they raise in a way that feels honest of satisfying. But Blink Twice pulls that off well to. Yes it maybe starts to get ever-so-slightly over the top but the ending it delivers is a clever punch that... well you just need to see it. 

I love it when I get to say I'm excited to see what a new director is going to do next and this is one of those times. 

Blink Twice

Starring: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Levon Hawke, Geena Davis, Kyle McLachlan, Zoë Kravitz

Director: Zoë Kravitz

Writers: E.T. Feigenbaum, Zoë Kravitz

Strange Darling (2024)

It is hard to talk about Strange Darling without ruining it. Well perhaps "ruining" isn't correct. It's a stunning film even if you know the plot in advance. But it is certainly one of those films that you should see knowing as little as possible. So it's hard for me to talk about what makes it so great with anyone who hasn't seen it. I could talk about what a star Willa Fitzgerald is and how much she owns the screen during this movie. I could talk about how strong Kyle Gallner is opposite her. But even getting into why is talking about it.  

Of the things I can mention is how well the film uses its gimmicks in ways that are not gimmicky and in fact enhance the story telling. There is the effective use of what could have been gimmicky story structure. There is the stunt "casting" of Giovanni Ribisi as cinematographer (BTW Ribisi has a calling besides acting on display here). There is even the film's sensationalist story which could have easily felt too cliche, yet manages to feel wholly original. So much of Strange Darling could easily have not worked. Yet it does. 

Strange Darling is about expectations. It is about assumptions. It doesn't play with its audience in a Shyamalan way but is upfront about the fact that it is going to mess with you and does so honestly. I felt off kilter the entire time, never knowing if I could trust what was going on. The amazing performance of Fitzgerald and the script's deft construction keeps its audience off balance.

I have a but... and it's a big BUT. There is one thing that sort of ate at me while I was watching it which again is hard to discuss without spoiling it. I don't feel the film was trying to do this but I do feel a certain audience could see in this a justification for disbelieving victims of violence. The film I believe goes a long way to craft its characters in complicated and nuanced ways that avoid that message coming through yet it could still be read into the piece and that was somewhat uncomfortable, not in a good way. The film's desire to make us question what we are watching and who we can trust has a nihilistic vibe that took me out of it a bit. Just a bit. I perhaps would have loved to see the film deal with this more completely. 

Yet I still walked out of Strange Darling shaking with energy and discomfort (the good kind). Fitzgerald, Gallner, Ribisi and writer/director Mollner have put out something which will grab you by the neck and not let go. Snuffleupagus!

Strange Darling

Starring: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, Ed Begley Jr.

Writer/Director: JT Mollner 

Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 (2024)

Horizon Chapter 1 is often criticized because with its intention to tell a story over the course of 4 movies, is structured more like a TV series than a big screen film. It sets into motion a number of narrative threads featuring a cast of multitudes that don't always appear to be connected at first. On a streamer spread out over 10 episodes, this would be recognizable way of telling a story and people would binge it in a weekend. But as a film, audiences don't know how handle it. For me I don't think that sort of criticism makes sense. While I may have some other issues with the film, it's ambition isn't one of them. 

The first chapter of Horizon lacks the sort of beginning/middle/end that a lot of first-in-a-series have. Intended franchises such as Dune parts One and Two or the Lord of the Rings films handled that better, despite having an over arching story, still gave some single arc structure to each part. Horizon eschews that for the sort of meandering openness of story telling that a more serialized sort of storytelling uses, like we'd see on TV. It doesn't mean it doesn't work it just means we have to understand how to consume it differently. Perhaps that's why it found more of an audience once it was available to watch at home.

Like a lot of TV shows, I found some stories and characters in Horizon more compelling than others. It didn't always hold my attention for each aspect of its narrative. I appreciated how it tries to tell a varying number of perspectives instead of necessarily siding with one view or culture. But sometimes this felt a bit forced For me Horizon's problems were less in its score and more in its inconsistency. But there was enough I found interesting that I'd be up for watching Horizon Part 2. Hopefully it will start to feel a little more cohesive and find its tone and style. This one may or may not have got there on its own but there is potential. 

Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Will Patton, Jamie Campbell Bower, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Jena Malone, Michael Angarano, Abby Lee, Luke Wilson, Jon Beavers, Owen Crow, Tatanka Means, Will Patton

Director: Kevin Costner

Writers: John Baird, Kevin Costner

Hit Man (2024)

Glen Powell's star has been rising for a while but he hasn't had such a perfect vehicle to show off that while he has leading man qualities he also has great character actor qualities. Plus as co-screenwriter, Powell shows he can do it all. Hit Man is the real deal, a wildly entertaining comedy that is part rom-com, part social commentary, and part star vehicle. 

Powell and Linklater, inspired by a true story that doesn't involve any actual murder, use this clever idea to tell a tale about how we create who we are, the idea that our identities are choices that we can try on. It is interesting in a way that makes this a little more than your average romantic comedy. Also they end up taking the story to a darker places that one might expect, and I appreciated that because despite some need to suspend some disbelief, it feels like the film commits to its themes. Often films like this can have a great premise but struggle to deliver on that or wrap it up in a way that feels honest. Hit Man goes all in and ends, in a surprisingly quiet yet satisfying way. 

Hit Man is the chance to see Powell for the star he is. 

Hit Man

Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta, Sanjay Rao 

Director: Richard Linklater

Writers: Glen Powell, Richard Linklater

Sing Sing (2024)

If I wanted to make a case for why Coleman Domingo is one of the best actors of his generation I could just show you Sing Sing. This performance is transcendent, mostly understated but with flashes of intensity which all feel natural and completely in support of the film. There are even moments when the character he is playing is "acting" in the movie and he pulls off those "meta" moments with ease. His face is enchanting to watch for the full runtime of the film. 

And if that were the only remarkable thing about Sing Sing that would be enough for me to highly recommend the film. But it is only a part of the film's genius. Inspired by the true story of a drama program within the maximum security facility of the movie's title, Sing Sing is a deeply moving and exquisitely executed story of hope and redemption. It is a very human story that is one of the most beautifully filmed movies I've seen in a while and it comes from a rather novice director who shows he has incredible talent as a film maker. 

It's not only Coleman's performance (although I could go on all day about it) but besides Coleman and Raci (Oscar nominees both) the rest of the cast is made up of actual participants in the program. Their performances are in no way anything other than outstanding. I would have believed them all to be professionals just playing inmates if I didn't know better. Each on gives just incredible honest and endlessly watchable performances, especially Maclin and José. 

Sing Sing is immersive and joyous. It is heart breaking and life affirming. It is a love letter to art, theatre, and friendship but also to life itself, all human life. 

Sing Sing

Starring: Coleman Domingo, Clerence Maclin, Paul Raci, Sean San José

Director: Greg Kwedar

Writers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar