tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221613625677030092024-03-18T21:48:53.385-07:00The Last Thing I SeeWASTING MY TIME SO YOU DON'T HAVE TOBrent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.comBlogger2144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-71587427978378479862024-02-23T09:48:00.000-08:002024-02-23T09:48:42.869-08:00'578 Magnum' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-_S1DTE7YLJ2eh8Yn0w5U1kfxRoo4-OVCoiPiWVXIm1GbGzHZAk6uassZgOUc9fU1DUitkX0y93YXPYe1zEOQzYV1gGTC9xE49eQQOUHZ8wbbKq8nWrliT2ft_FED4GcY2HTRgpq53m1UZ98vjglr4OUd71JDzCwWRo5LuIwouwgq-a87SDyDhhEVgg/s1250/578%20Magnum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Alexandre Nguyen looking dour." border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-_S1DTE7YLJ2eh8Yn0w5U1kfxRoo4-OVCoiPiWVXIm1GbGzHZAk6uassZgOUc9fU1DUitkX0y93YXPYe1zEOQzYV1gGTC9xE49eQQOUHZ8wbbKq8nWrliT2ft_FED4GcY2HTRgpq53m1UZ98vjglr4OUd71JDzCwWRo5LuIwouwgq-a87SDyDhhEVgg/w640-h360/578%20Magnum.jpg" title="578 Magnum" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There’s nothing quite like watching a movie missing much of the connective tissue between scenes to make you appreciate that facet that so often goes unnoticed and underappreciated. You may not always recognize the work it does, but holy hell, do you miss it when it’s gone. And that is a big, big problem with Vietnamese writer/director Luong Dinh Dung’s </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">578 Magnum</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. The film is, however, Vietnam’s official Oscar entry for 2023, and though there are definite highpoints, there are also gargantuan problems to skirt.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/02/578-magnum-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-15215086552544901752024-02-16T10:25:00.000-08:002024-02-16T10:25:09.453-08:00'Lights Out' (2024) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQXCrm1txLwezuTOq3A2_d-UFLKg-HBpkC4XAsiTyEsICQLzgWgcJWXjk1l3GO-Co9NOb22YHtcbfbMqe1dvilWzYFEmBnFzd1i2MrJUfYvt26XZqWxet_TU25TTHkgCtxCw8pRU-wW3GcYVxl2Em6Cy97SwQsniUVnnam3szmgOYC7krJr8hLieareA/s1200/lights%20out%20frank%20grillo%20mekhi%20pfifer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mekhi Phifer hugging Frank Grillo" border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQXCrm1txLwezuTOq3A2_d-UFLKg-HBpkC4XAsiTyEsICQLzgWgcJWXjk1l3GO-Co9NOb22YHtcbfbMqe1dvilWzYFEmBnFzd1i2MrJUfYvt26XZqWxet_TU25TTHkgCtxCw8pRU-wW3GcYVxl2Em6Cy97SwQsniUVnnam3szmgOYC7krJr8hLieareA/w640-h360/lights%20out%20frank%20grillo%20mekhi%20pfifer.jpg" title="lights out 2024" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lights Out</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> knows what you came to see. (And it's not the horror <i><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2016/07/lights-out-2016-movie-review.html">Lights Out</a></i>.)You came to see Frank Grillo throw down. And throw down he does. Constantly. It’s also precisely the movie it advertises itself as, and while your mileage may vary, if this is your thing, this is very much your thing. It begins with a tactical running battle and moments later there’s a bar brawl. If that sounds like a good time, you’re in luck.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/02/lights-out-2024-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-52157579844368263312024-02-14T13:12:00.000-08:002024-02-14T13:12:59.352-08:00'Land Of Bad' (2024) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4FQJltwuqu8FWRb9yVBSUnFBs52Ka_bDTb_ngegvhGXhRa11GlbKzPq0OwKitYGVtxOh99y4yhyphenhyphenyObNqAY1nV4oXxdZcq9FL9G9XA6gUV4I33HjjQuxY-Yp-SMQUobiLW6dKJCvr8Lm9MSSBJzNeROWexxkPSxR5m1LDQbclYEtqWW6Fo5D23H7imrc/s1250/LAND%20OF%20BAD_Still%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hems-pocalypse Now!" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4FQJltwuqu8FWRb9yVBSUnFBs52Ka_bDTb_ngegvhGXhRa11GlbKzPq0OwKitYGVtxOh99y4yhyphenhyphenyObNqAY1nV4oXxdZcq9FL9G9XA6gUV4I33HjjQuxY-Yp-SMQUobiLW6dKJCvr8Lm9MSSBJzNeROWexxkPSxR5m1LDQbclYEtqWW6Fo5D23H7imrc/w640-h360/LAND%20OF%20BAD_Still%202.jpg" title="land of bad movie" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Land of Bad</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, Liam Hemsworth plays Kinney, an inexperienced communications officer embedded on an op with a hardened Delta Force team. Unqualified and in far over his head, he’s only there because he was the only one around for an urgent, last minute rescue mission. The reason Kinney was around when duty called? Because he missed a flight. He missed a flight because he had diarrhea. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/02/land-of-bad-2024-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-15943467985496914302024-02-06T12:07:00.000-08:002024-02-07T13:59:54.332-08:00'Restore Point' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrFXr479UjveOeAG5pAp_H1dPRLn5X493EnvCIzYY1FPs5MnYF1vUuLja3xwCOWCej1KJPMGWMnGF38tHW8TVWxt0QUl9baS10JFNERpkYA8lbptYmO5FsaHVf8DCBFFtwuEEYVzBB2eCmhdS3V6i41MoUsWbiqT2g62dIY9U94qMy6ENlAy1v1wM1XE/s1250/restore%20point%20movie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a detective and a corpse" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrFXr479UjveOeAG5pAp_H1dPRLn5X493EnvCIzYY1FPs5MnYF1vUuLja3xwCOWCej1KJPMGWMnGF38tHW8TVWxt0QUl9baS10JFNERpkYA8lbptYmO5FsaHVf8DCBFFtwuEEYVzBB2eCmhdS3V6i41MoUsWbiqT2g62dIY9U94qMy6ENlAy1v1wM1XE/w640-h360/restore%20point%20movie.jpg" title="restore point movie" width="640"></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What if you could save your life at a certain point and, if you die unexpectedly, can then reset to that moment, like a video game? That’s the general idea of director Robert Hloz’s </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Restore Point</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, a slice of dystopian sci-fi. A solid, sturdy neo-noir, the film combines a twisting mystery and cool world building with an intriguing idea that plays something like </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Chinatown</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> by way of </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Minority Report</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, both thematically and aesthetically. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/07/restore-point-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-19877345294860668832024-02-02T09:35:00.000-08:002024-02-02T09:35:53.889-08:00'She Is Conann' (2023) Movie Review<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx23kcS5dAogeWfMPLNLa2dhYYjzUJ5a78hTjRpklleXtvOn7ntG98vilBQ8f_LZxBLSEH-eH8-lVq1eoiMkyH2FGHLV9R1oprKtUOp3T2GNqj4APYO7C_xfWLQXRh7P8sOEOYj_BvjuPFtgFGCU2pRe7TkcD6NOCwn3-JK8s4prfjV9Wim9z4mCBHZA/s1250/she%20is%20conann%202023.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx23kcS5dAogeWfMPLNLa2dhYYjzUJ5a78hTjRpklleXtvOn7ntG98vilBQ8f_LZxBLSEH-eH8-lVq1eoiMkyH2FGHLV9R1oprKtUOp3T2GNqj4APYO7C_xfWLQXRh7P8sOEOYj_BvjuPFtgFGCU2pRe7TkcD6NOCwn3-JK8s4prfjV9Wim9z4mCBHZA/w640-h360/she%20is%20conann%202023.jpg"></a>“Let me tell you about the days of high adventure.” If your first impulse upon hearing this line from <i>Conan the Barbarian</i> was to giggle and go, “heh, high,” then have we got something for you. While you don’t necessarily need to be high to watch Bertrand Mandico’s <i>She is Conann</i>—and to suggest it can only be enjoyed or appreciated while on drugs denigrates a rowdy, curious slice of experimental cinema—it certainly won’t damage the experience should the viewer be a slight bit elevated. This seriously has future cult-fave midnight movie stamped all over it.<span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/02/she-is-conann-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-59226247804551646032024-01-26T12:32:00.000-08:002024-01-26T12:32:18.181-08:00'Miller's Girl' (2024) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IerIyx5PY8wL9hPAZEVVO3EuamJ823qn-9f-w6vl7TfXpXSvetEA8ON2-WjG2nk1OtABfTz4rGz1cuuJFjoLANzsk065QzP7uDPhfdsYfcuMETNMRGsjpm8DYNRtClrGRvJtr6l09OXCxYYOIRLSYzWD7Tg9iwFoTv5wk0gbpa_yIJ4nQNCBQKVcU0c/s1250/miller's%20girl%20jenna%20ortega%20martin%20freeman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Martin Freeman flirting with Jenna Ortega" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IerIyx5PY8wL9hPAZEVVO3EuamJ823qn-9f-w6vl7TfXpXSvetEA8ON2-WjG2nk1OtABfTz4rGz1cuuJFjoLANzsk065QzP7uDPhfdsYfcuMETNMRGsjpm8DYNRtClrGRvJtr6l09OXCxYYOIRLSYzWD7Tg9iwFoTv5wk0gbpa_yIJ4nQNCBQKVcU0c/w640-h360/miller's%20girl%20jenna%20ortega%20martin%20freeman.jpg" title="miller's girl" width="640"></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Say what you will about writer/director Jade Halley Bartlett’s debut feature, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Miller’s Girl</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and we’ll get to that in a moment, this movie truly understands the cinematic power of cigarettes. Smoking looks cool and dammit, people look hot smoking—even if I don’t want to be around them afterward. Something as seemingly innocuous as offering a light becomes encoded with erotic subtext, they’re an excuse for characters to isolate themselves and break apart from the prying eyes of the crowd and exchange secrets, or hell, they offer an excuse for the camera to linger on a character’s mouth. <span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/01/millers-girl-2024-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-68217693737734570882024-01-18T10:10:00.000-08:002024-01-18T10:10:46.163-08:00'I.S.S.' (2024) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRx1Kw5UOvYaOpK987_t3_g9q88ZlolYv-D8ge-iId52nkuChMJLfOiMywmItLUYbZ9MN8gRMCXoLARpqBTpZF5vdvWRv_-7wd58HKZe2PutkSgcGhzz-oRJPobP6IS7I1LuGXuTNEW-3gno7qe_XH8D_aRikbvsELnTEzlodIgEP_iIaLC0l7P8HYyys/s1250/ISS%20Movie%20Ariana%20DeBose.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ariana DeBose is an astronaut." border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRx1Kw5UOvYaOpK987_t3_g9q88ZlolYv-D8ge-iId52nkuChMJLfOiMywmItLUYbZ9MN8gRMCXoLARpqBTpZF5vdvWRv_-7wd58HKZe2PutkSgcGhzz-oRJPobP6IS7I1LuGXuTNEW-3gno7qe_XH8D_aRikbvsELnTEzlodIgEP_iIaLC0l7P8HYyys/w640-h360/ISS%20Movie%20Ariana%20DeBose.jpg" title="ISS Movie 2024" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The hardest movies to write about are the ones that are fine, the ones that are just kind of okay. Where there’s nothing specifically wrong with them, where there aren’t glaring, slap-you-in-the-face flaws or problems, but also where there’s nothing particularly engaging, memorable, or otherwise noteworthy. And that is the exact place where director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s extraplanetary thriller </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I.S.S.</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> lives. It has a strong cast doing solid work, seamless special effects, and a decent amount going for it. But the finished product is little more than a shrug and there’s not much to say beyond, “It’s fine.”</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/01/iss-2024-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-92023970692963297632024-01-11T12:36:00.000-08:002024-01-11T12:36:51.705-08:00'The Beekeeper' (2024) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGmifqFOHA6yNDlnSsoFoU5zU5tDPj7-iV-dKrXkYgvz3D9zu1W90Ghi94ZYo53zex14rcMyNu4Q3N7HKV26VNgq4bacdhFBzfKChQYwoszuofb2G9HNqU3Kwgc3iFPyZagWbuo3umSOpcgd78_ZfZGoBskbpQKaHM3eS9q4zOld_7rCa9yA-DPtoiXo/s1250/beekeeper%20jason%20statham.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="jason statham looking grim" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGmifqFOHA6yNDlnSsoFoU5zU5tDPj7-iV-dKrXkYgvz3D9zu1W90Ghi94ZYo53zex14rcMyNu4Q3N7HKV26VNgq4bacdhFBzfKChQYwoszuofb2G9HNqU3Kwgc3iFPyZagWbuo3umSOpcgd78_ZfZGoBskbpQKaHM3eS9q4zOld_7rCa9yA-DPtoiXo/w640-h360/beekeeper%20jason%20statham.jpg" title="beekeeper" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We’re barely into 2024 and so far, the new movie releases have twice returned to the guy-with-a-mundane-job-who-used-to-be-a-government-agent well. First came Renny Harlin’s </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Bricklayer</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and now star Jason Statham and director David Ayer have thrown their hat into the ring with </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Beekeeper</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. (</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Custodian </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">feels the obvious next step.) Bigger, badder, and wilder than the Harlin joint, this plays like deep EuropaCorp trash filtered through a lens of mean-spirited American animosity and excess. The result is relentlessly absurd, but also absurdly entertaining. It's utter nonsense, but fun nonsense that’s in on the joke (to an extent), and even funnier because everyone plays it straight faced. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/01/the-beekeeper-2024-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-56553366886512280432024-01-05T12:35:00.000-08:002024-01-05T12:35:22.103-08:00'Mayhem!' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylyoEYNqAR3kwjabm-Kf_SPe2E7wYVl05dSPOfb2Vx5KeL8221y3Qfhck8JTjOgnG9obnnMVkS3diREKJLZm8t_Actf9xpbVUpSFwl_AfbpAWj9rZiGUxZPANdSRCUcrJpWCswpBz1FR56Zio2aIu5sqt6Ob5ObmAtPDEVhPuH1AlOJo__XTnUy3nVvg/s1200/Mayhem.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="nassim lyes hits a dude with a pool ball" border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylyoEYNqAR3kwjabm-Kf_SPe2E7wYVl05dSPOfb2Vx5KeL8221y3Qfhck8JTjOgnG9obnnMVkS3diREKJLZm8t_Actf9xpbVUpSFwl_AfbpAWj9rZiGUxZPANdSRCUcrJpWCswpBz1FR56Zio2aIu5sqt6Ob5ObmAtPDEVhPuH1AlOJo__XTnUy3nVvg/w640-h360/Mayhem.jpeg" title="mayhem movie 2024" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When you have a checkered past, a new, idyllic life complete with a pregnant wife and newly minted hopes and dreams, and are a badass fighter, you know you’re utterly, absolutely screwed. Cinematically speaking of course. Such is the case for Samir (Nassim Lyes), the protagonist of </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mayhem!</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, the latest violent offering from director Xavier Gens (</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Divide</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gangs of London</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">). Vicious and all kinds of mean, this offers up a dark, brutal slice of fantastic action for those so inclined.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/01/mayhem-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-24490427339374838732024-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:002024-01-04T12:32:00.354-08:00'The Bricklayer' (2024) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsPww2fBktwrPtiB2mkPSEQlBIS20x4NYSgf0m5dHCQgcW5TBon9uqgFmFjrxhGGHN8-k96B_4sVTWbPGDzQko79UNSy0VUEKD-2KLPBFPdiKvKV0nlHax8iy1xxMFV_XaRvA4aNKHbWfpg8sZOVcnhKkb2M8RQ7uvls_E7Ev6UEwlmPk9l-3LMiTnTE/s1250/Bricklayer%20Eckhart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="aaron eckhart in the bricklayer" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsPww2fBktwrPtiB2mkPSEQlBIS20x4NYSgf0m5dHCQgcW5TBon9uqgFmFjrxhGGHN8-k96B_4sVTWbPGDzQko79UNSy0VUEKD-2KLPBFPdiKvKV0nlHax8iy1xxMFV_XaRvA4aNKHbWfpg8sZOVcnhKkb2M8RQ7uvls_E7Ev6UEwlmPk9l-3LMiTnTE/w640-h360/Bricklayer%20Eckhart.jpg" title="the bricklayer" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It makes a great deal of sense that Renny Harlin’s </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Bricklayer</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> was once earmarked as a Gerard Butler vehicle. Butler remains a producer, while Aaron Eckhart takes the role of former spy Steve Vail, and does a passable growly, grumble-voiced tough-guy mutter. Though admittedly, without Gerry’s sweaty macho charisma, the finished product loses some oomph. The plot is pure dumbed-down airport-novel espionage with little investment, stakes, or suspense, but thanks to a brisk pace and action that whips damn hard, this offers up an entertaining thriller that scratches a specific itch.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/01/the-bricklayer-2024-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-91270608934750072162024-01-03T12:04:00.000-08:002024-01-03T12:04:50.730-08:00The 50 Most-Anticipated Movies Of 2024<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVeOUYuL9AVlKF3wvgsKQP9ydVi4j5IwIIycSFCNwduo0Ii3C8F4u7QPyFeKtsGuDhihiXCVf2OcuPyHcjHy89_29V-nG9ShYlCTxtXI8tQq3BsSFbRXSIUJOqmhsJXhmAusBmTfqrsCcyiIm5jcAGZxhIX4vpIP8GBHR0XeQnv-eix-yy1Ran6rW1O4/s1000/last%20action%20hero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a kid eating popcorn in a movie theater" border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVeOUYuL9AVlKF3wvgsKQP9ydVi4j5IwIIycSFCNwduo0Ii3C8F4u7QPyFeKtsGuDhihiXCVf2OcuPyHcjHy89_29V-nG9ShYlCTxtXI8tQq3BsSFbRXSIUJOqmhsJXhmAusBmTfqrsCcyiIm5jcAGZxhIX4vpIP8GBHR0XeQnv-eix-yy1Ran6rW1O4/w640-h360/last%20action%20hero.jpg" title="last action hero" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space-collapse: preserve;">Since we’ve already taken the time to look back on the year that was 2023, it only makes sense to now turn our gaze forward, toward the cinematic future. With that in mind, here are my top 50 most-anticipated movies of 2024.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2024/01/50-most-anticipated-movies-of-2024.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-60631745626650630852023-12-26T11:00:00.000-08:002023-12-26T11:00:19.366-08:00The Ten Best Movies Of 2023<p><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ybw5gdYuH1E9Mn9ErRRjPtwO0ZnCOwr4PRFVtPSLJHG1D5Q0ut0BmuYkv2b9g5gDn6jluBP7b2XhcUbaoX_nOEvyIEY0DN91Vhp-cQbARSJdDrqZgefKU-Y-YSgffDxfecDht8xT5BIbj0OxHikI5kDl_-n5kD1e7WDiV-9D_8jDRaBRD1PaHHwiBPQ/s1250/Taxi%20Driver%20copy%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><img alt="Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ybw5gdYuH1E9Mn9ErRRjPtwO0ZnCOwr4PRFVtPSLJHG1D5Q0ut0BmuYkv2b9g5gDn6jluBP7b2XhcUbaoX_nOEvyIEY0DN91Vhp-cQbARSJdDrqZgefKU-Y-YSgffDxfecDht8xT5BIbj0OxHikI5kDl_-n5kD1e7WDiV-9D_8jDRaBRD1PaHHwiBPQ/w640-h360/Taxi%20Driver%20copy%202.jpg" title="Taxi Driver" width="640"></span></a></div><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s that time of year again. 2023 has wound down, the holidays, whatever that looks like for you, are here, and this is the natural moment to look back at the last 12 months and talk about the best movies of the year.</span><p></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/12/the-ten-best-movies-of-2023.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-27409200343135468002023-12-01T12:01:00.000-08:002023-12-01T12:01:57.430-08:00'Silent Night' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito0hYmgsIxdPGHsyR6P0HXkmtE6kFOcrZqdi6Qv8Xl8RgVLfJE96KT0AHVIXM__FO2dpOiIfOZ6Uz7buOa4tA0T9wz5caVSMbyHTw4hQXbZT9nKvs9RaAAbk9NzjgnIKHpIN77wcr_eVu2ZlF2BSdi3lGXB4UVEXA9LJMVTsACrq5G14Zk8eWcPJnM28/s1250/Silent%20Night%20Joel%20Kinnaman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Joel Kinnaman with a shotgun" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito0hYmgsIxdPGHsyR6P0HXkmtE6kFOcrZqdi6Qv8Xl8RgVLfJE96KT0AHVIXM__FO2dpOiIfOZ6Uz7buOa4tA0T9wz5caVSMbyHTw4hQXbZT9nKvs9RaAAbk9NzjgnIKHpIN77wcr_eVu2ZlF2BSdi3lGXB4UVEXA9LJMVTsACrq5G14Zk8eWcPJnM28/w640-h360/Silent%20Night%20Joel%20Kinnaman.jpg" title="silent night john woo" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">John Woo is arguably the greatest action director of all time. So, you better believe when the master drops a dialogue-free Christmas-themed revenge movie, I am all over that. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Silent Night</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> sees Woo working in what closely approximates a low-budget 1990s direct-to-video action aesthetic. It’s a little sparser and a little less slick than in his heyday, and at times it’s very clear he’s working with a smaller budget, but the Woo still shines through. Though the finished product has been divisive, and certainly doesn’t live up to the director’s career highs, this is a blast of fun, high-octane holiday retribution.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/12/silent-night-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-69416479707913355462023-11-10T09:51:00.000-08:002023-11-10T09:51:12.902-08:00'It's A Wonderful Knife' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_HpIru3W068r6QMCAr5UTuBEUgLOdelN5rVFa6W_SIh7Gh7SRpW7sMfRjUu0GmryA-UNtSPaTQ-H6SLtzHO8ho-Hv1tFH25KqN18Z_Dk_HMGmNziyc9-Wc9bSK_xZQjAvzVE-qIZTU_8GR9owYnoG8Vej8xrlzhJ2eslHILb198mHKJPsTAw5wue3KU/s1250/it's%20a%20wonderful%20knife%20widdop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a young woman just saw a murder" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_HpIru3W068r6QMCAr5UTuBEUgLOdelN5rVFa6W_SIh7Gh7SRpW7sMfRjUu0GmryA-UNtSPaTQ-H6SLtzHO8ho-Hv1tFH25KqN18Z_Dk_HMGmNziyc9-Wc9bSK_xZQjAvzVE-qIZTU_8GR9owYnoG8Vej8xrlzhJ2eslHILb198mHKJPsTAw5wue3KU/w640-h360/it's%20a%20wonderful%20knife%20widdop.jpg" title="it's a wonderful knife" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For his first two features, writer Michael Kennedy has used essentially the same strategy. He takes an iconic movie plot and asks, but what if it was a slasher? There’s 2020’s </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Freaky Friday</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> riff, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Freaky</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and now he teams up with </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Tragedy Girls</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> director Tyler MacIntyre for </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s a Wonderful Knife</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. You can probably discern the premise from the title. The result plays something like an unapologetically queer Hallmark Christmas movie covered in blood and stab wounds. Which is as much damn fun as it sounds.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/11/its-wonderful-knife-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-51146976544027345052023-10-26T08:35:00.004-07:002023-10-26T08:35:52.571-07:00'Boudica: Queen Of War' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjtF4wrcDZrrzZ5z5U8kfNeYg0T3uzheFRlFHmNzSeC168ccSjPxtJjfEsKV2P7X6RJEFwlhYNbU5Ww4sY2RhEVgR5hJiGnpI1jG_jIzRJuXpg7mMutPWKj9hm73ywudJiQyUWMtTBX1wOko_xG3Sdh3JBJ41ENoXo2x0TyQMiNsLhagkhxJ3-pHKk5I/s1250/boudica%20queen%20of%20war%20olga%20kurylenko.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="olga kurylenko as a warrior queen" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjtF4wrcDZrrzZ5z5U8kfNeYg0T3uzheFRlFHmNzSeC168ccSjPxtJjfEsKV2P7X6RJEFwlhYNbU5Ww4sY2RhEVgR5hJiGnpI1jG_jIzRJuXpg7mMutPWKj9hm73ywudJiQyUWMtTBX1wOko_xG3Sdh3JBJ41ENoXo2x0TyQMiNsLhagkhxJ3-pHKk5I/w640-h360/boudica%20queen%20of%20war%20olga%20kurylenko.jpg" title="boudica queen of war" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Epic scope and scale on a bargain-basement budget. That might be the best way to describe DTV action auteur Jesse V. Johnson’s newest film, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Boudica: Queen of War</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, starring Olga Kurylenko, who has carved quite a <a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2022/12/high-heat-2022-movie-review.html">niche</a> for herself in this realm. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/10/boudica-queen-of-war-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-1679344223626527782023-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:002023-10-13T10:52:54.433-07:00'The Elderly' Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MdVw7KETP_RNV4tIrwdhoJbFb9QNhuz39EsfcUunXQc9Wq_5xM4MyzJvBAB5c6dgkIoP9nZ4rNegRj0VIPDaQFnpA6V1lK3MvISgA5RR5nvzrganILHQdlG5zO18u3NK4q8VRqzDOF1Z2MDZfNMCt6KhwCAJqrdbgESLhsthrM4QmSoBRgegOfgR/s780/elderly%20movie%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="old man doing a hobby" border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="780" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MdVw7KETP_RNV4tIrwdhoJbFb9QNhuz39EsfcUunXQc9Wq_5xM4MyzJvBAB5c6dgkIoP9nZ4rNegRj0VIPDaQFnpA6V1lK3MvISgA5RR5nvzrganILHQdlG5zO18u3NK4q8VRqzDOF1Z2MDZfNMCt6KhwCAJqrdbgESLhsthrM4QmSoBRgegOfgR/w640-h360/elderly%20movie%202.jpg" title="the elderly movie" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i>The Elderly</i>, from Spanish co-directors Raul Cerezo and Fernando Gonzalez Gomez, taps into a number of primal, deep-seated fears. Ideas of our bodies aging and betraying us touch on body horror; there’s the dread of losing our autonomy, in both a physical and mental capacity. It has something to say about how society values, or more accurately, doesn’t value the aged, attends to the looming specter of Spain’s fascist past, which may not be as far in the rearview as many believe, and even copes with the threat of climate catastrophe.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2022/10/the-elderly-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-71472428862107335542023-09-22T07:22:00.002-07:002023-09-22T07:22:51.653-07:00'No One Will Save You' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNBDQdnb1Toe8e-iox2vfhnYWS4t1dITfAjBwfty8uJpAj0Tafb3ej2MKzG-z7_drK8Ywy2nu9ch6wDV8QyQGZa4xqsExjohdyMV5M8Tn-96Smj8tivyagZ2i1A6LtZrr1Yd4yXLyibgQ3RZkHpz3OAQfMZvXi1e4nTTm6yht-8cT2KlExhB_FVE4Evs/s1250/no%20one%20will%20save%20you%20movie%20dever.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="kaitlyn dever hiding from aliens" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNBDQdnb1Toe8e-iox2vfhnYWS4t1dITfAjBwfty8uJpAj0Tafb3ej2MKzG-z7_drK8Ywy2nu9ch6wDV8QyQGZa4xqsExjohdyMV5M8Tn-96Smj8tivyagZ2i1A6LtZrr1Yd4yXLyibgQ3RZkHpz3OAQfMZvXi1e4nTTm6yht-8cT2KlExhB_FVE4Evs/w640-h360/no%20one%20will%20save%20you%20movie%20dever.jpg" title="no one will save you" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I think I love the way Brian Duffield’s brain works. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Spontaneous</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is easily one of my favorite and most re-watched movies of the last few years; </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Love and Monsters</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, which he wrote but didn’t direct, is great; and now we can add his latest multi-hyphenated endeavor, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">No One Will Save You</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, to this pile as it does not disappoint. At a base level, this is an alien-home-invasion story, but the reality is so much stranger and more complicated than that. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/09/no-one-will-save-you-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-26150900720108635032023-08-11T11:04:00.003-07:002023-08-11T11:04:17.703-07:00'New Life' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4f2itNO0puMw3JWctY7LCAHe-Bl0p-5EwxQ3zEJfPiehLiIufZ_4bJqsQXJCMAAZ4DkDN4Xrx5KwSC47hYSZDd3dOJR1Nkcp1arGoBQnm0CAxlS3mLCmvWQoD636zlAdEzUCP4W_DZ1vErysVxRMuBOgAXvqeLQ1NGnOJZ6-uxN0MnflSBPw31bgazw/s1250/new%20life%20sonya%20walger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sonya walger with a gun" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4f2itNO0puMw3JWctY7LCAHe-Bl0p-5EwxQ3zEJfPiehLiIufZ_4bJqsQXJCMAAZ4DkDN4Xrx5KwSC47hYSZDd3dOJR1Nkcp1arGoBQnm0CAxlS3mLCmvWQoD636zlAdEzUCP4W_DZ1vErysVxRMuBOgAXvqeLQ1NGnOJZ6-uxN0MnflSBPw31bgazw/w640-h360/new%20life%20sonya%20walger.jpg" title="new life fantasia" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A young woman, frantic and covered in blood, flees unknown pursuers. An older woman, a fixer with an as-yet-undefined degenerative condition, is tasked with tracking her down and stopping her from crossing the border. So begins writer/director John Rosman’s taut horror-thriller </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">New Life</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/08/new-life-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-59069661583160255672023-07-27T10:11:00.001-07:002023-07-28T12:07:37.617-07:00'Devils' Movie Review<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEb3_SMuBTmwvB3_gt-36qOR73iw8QnOJLoCHXbZ2FAnadhMujWvPYCI89mHt7HB7Hg1PruVLSU_XbD4TaZpfV33SB5Sk-jIjAT2zqWkCSoYMxPEDbEz-OlHbt2C3GQ1BQsq0hLuFvWv0EdooLvnhRAtZrnVUH-g0GWM-K6p92z0opy38pjlvj70Gw-JY/s1250/devils%20fantasia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="devils south korean movie fantasia 2023" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEb3_SMuBTmwvB3_gt-36qOR73iw8QnOJLoCHXbZ2FAnadhMujWvPYCI89mHt7HB7Hg1PruVLSU_XbD4TaZpfV33SB5Sk-jIjAT2zqWkCSoYMxPEDbEz-OlHbt2C3GQ1BQsq0hLuFvWv0EdooLvnhRAtZrnVUH-g0GWM-K6p92z0opy38pjlvj70Gw-JY/w640-h360/devils%20fantasia.jpg" title="devils" width="640"></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The easiest, most obvious comparison point for director Kim Jae-hoon’s </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Devils</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is John Woo’s 1997 </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Face/Off</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. While not an exact one-to-one correlation, the two are similar enough that it’s definitely worth a mention and provides a good idea of what to expect. Both revolve around a cop and a serial killer who swap bodies and the ensuing game of cat-and-mouse, though Kim’s film works more in thriller territory than Woo’s bonkers action realm. None of this is meant to be dismissive, and though they walk similar lines, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Devils</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> does enough by the end to differentiate itself and make excellent an intriguing use of its core concept.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/07/devils-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-41887208537513326632023-07-26T08:29:00.002-07:002023-07-26T08:29:45.466-07:00'Sympathy For The Devil' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7rK5r-V5owgx1eKahkAjMYMYZGXWfFWOZBqHvI9HltXfB_OOP0Np65ucwhUneobRYZ31oz4NM_Qo6dtxhwWVVvnntJdBs_3FEACxNJR-vCrRloTtqVqeTdZg3Lh45pcOt6iT5f415N0KEebOVbqFTZo02QzCDbUB6rRIVihUa_5zOLAc5JWWwQa4Z8Y/s1250/sypathy%20for%20the%20devil%20cage%20kinnaman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="nicolas cage and joel kinnaman" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7rK5r-V5owgx1eKahkAjMYMYZGXWfFWOZBqHvI9HltXfB_OOP0Np65ucwhUneobRYZ31oz4NM_Qo6dtxhwWVVvnntJdBs_3FEACxNJR-vCrRloTtqVqeTdZg3Lh45pcOt6iT5f415N0KEebOVbqFTZo02QzCDbUB6rRIVihUa_5zOLAc5JWWwQa4Z8Y/w640-h360/sypathy%20for%20the%20devil%20cage%20kinnaman.jpg" title="sympathy for the devil" width="640"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s hard to make a movie about two people alone in a car compelling. It’s been done, but unfortunately for Sympathy for the Devil, that’s not one of the film’s strong suits. Even Nicolas Cage fully let off the leash to riff and ramble and devour scenery and rant about the Mucous Man sprinkling boogers into his childhood nose isn’t enough to make this interesting or save an otherwise tepid, humdrum thriller.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></div><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/07/sympathy-for-devil-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-8798615097200453932023-07-21T13:29:00.002-07:002023-07-28T12:07:49.022-07:00'Blackout' Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMGphGaIuORY4SoFJ2hUc0tA824STa1UvFdBICOnznr_rU2yQ9LCQq0UR4Er6Xa7jP5d3_6LrC1haqjRf0wqab6oRKOqDFXS6o_8HJoqacI5apTl9rFnr2eCnLOLQ5qWM_0ZxDYLSHIKS1z3o2ipEvHSoi8WUCbUYXAMGZ5JDw-T0Ta1C51nBfepcaDU/s1250/blackout%20alex%20hurt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a man about to turn into a werewolf" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMGphGaIuORY4SoFJ2hUc0tA824STa1UvFdBICOnznr_rU2yQ9LCQq0UR4Er6Xa7jP5d3_6LrC1haqjRf0wqab6oRKOqDFXS6o_8HJoqacI5apTl9rFnr2eCnLOLQ5qWM_0ZxDYLSHIKS1z3o2ipEvHSoi8WUCbUYXAMGZ5JDw-T0Ta1C51nBfepcaDU/w640-h360/blackout%20alex%20hurt.jpg" title="blackout horror movie" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After messing with vampires and Frankenstein, in </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Habit</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Depraved</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> respectively, indie horror fave Larry Fessenden returns with his take on werewolves in </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Blackout</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Set in a small town in upstate New York, painter Charley Barrett (Alex Hurt, son of William Hurt, which comes into play in one uniquely pointed way) makes his way through his last day in town, wrapping up loose ends, visiting friends one final time, and trying to right a few lingering wrongs on the way out the door. Complicating his exit, it turns out Charley is a werewolf and responsible for a number of recent deaths the elder powerbroker of this minor hamlet, Hammond (Marshall Bell), has chosen to blame on Miguel (Rigo Garay) despite a lack of evidence.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/07/blackout-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-58743239638832534892023-07-17T13:13:00.000-07:002023-07-17T13:13:01.200-07:00Fantasia 2023: 10 Films To Check Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_U_HbFhwUcxyduIG1W_dsAfoVtIjTuBeLsnLnCvaippeP9q5VsqkSWOyfF9WR6oEE5TqSQxfmkOdwHCAgCoTFCZUKwfZGFx7m_RJyWnIZDjxXJk94Uhii61edyWq3H8rnhUDLNly4EaW-Gx4fzmnlK9YY8KOiuQtyqakSuI81CN-gUCuHUZAA-hksXE/s1250/sympathy%20for%20the%20devil%20nicolas%20cage.jpg" style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_U_HbFhwUcxyduIG1W_dsAfoVtIjTuBeLsnLnCvaippeP9q5VsqkSWOyfF9WR6oEE5TqSQxfmkOdwHCAgCoTFCZUKwfZGFx7m_RJyWnIZDjxXJk94Uhii61edyWq3H8rnhUDLNly4EaW-Gx4fzmnlK9YY8KOiuQtyqakSuI81CN-gUCuHUZAA-hksXE/w640-h360/sympathy%20for%20the%20devil%20nicolas%20cage.jpg"></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Wait, it’s been a year already? I guess that’s what happens when time loses all meaning. The good news, however, is that since a year has passed it’s already time for the 2023 installment of the <a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/search/label/Fantasia%20Festival">Fantasia Film Festival</a> in ye olde Montreal.<span></span></span><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/07/Fantasia-2023-Preview.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-52437166951502400852023-07-07T09:41:00.001-07:002023-07-07T09:41:06.615-07:00'Once Upon A Time In Uganda' (2021) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gy2tckeU50zZRIoc3pu2p_vYLOFiyi2Eji3ZGb9NqxuTOgVeVIsLM4JtYIDQreWUX6jy94YSHNyOAYz7TTefP3eedAne7HswvkC9aHgbVNLYJGw4_qnw8bKtrkYviEsnyC8SSV0E_ykhezI2pnPbprVPlde-ChCTfqZtS4lHZOZmY5mMTzbg8_vtgzQ/s1250/once%20upon%20a%20time%20in%20uganda%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="this is wakaliwood!" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gy2tckeU50zZRIoc3pu2p_vYLOFiyi2Eji3ZGb9NqxuTOgVeVIsLM4JtYIDQreWUX6jy94YSHNyOAYz7TTefP3eedAne7HswvkC9aHgbVNLYJGw4_qnw8bKtrkYviEsnyC8SSV0E_ykhezI2pnPbprVPlde-ChCTfqZtS4lHZOZmY5mMTzbg8_vtgzQ/w640-h360/once%20upon%20a%20time%20in%20uganda%204.jpg" title="once upon a time in uganda" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If you’re a fan of action movies, you owe it to yourself to dive into the filmography of no-budget Ugandan film studio Wakaliwood. Shot in a slum, with budgets that top out in the hundreds of dollars, mastermind Isaac Nabwana, a former brickmaker, has assembled a beyond-ragtag crew that has pumped out some of the most energetic, entertaining action movies you’ll ever see. The story of how this exists in the first place is even more unlikely than the plots of the movies, and Cathryne Czubek’s documentary </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Once Upon a Time in Uganda</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> tracks the saga of the wildest action movie studio around.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/07/once-upon-time-in-uganda-2021-movie.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-22346631946163640352023-06-22T12:12:00.003-07:002023-06-22T12:12:34.116-07:00'God Is A Bullet' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cxcrqdAN55t9_L2_RWMxnn7nZ88sgWvl5LVJUimZaJC52n_s0c1n-2N0bmT7AYtXlGIeZoPHxXFORSyhyxZTGZMh-M8fNBaAmLRPWB9K3iEkItTMLYEWrLKt5O9c7RXbMz_ngaubb_TvHYwPxr2zVlJKNn2gnDnPAxXG8sUlm3d4QgCdI_BeTMBQN3o/s1250/god%20is%20a%20bullet%20maika%20monroe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="maika monroe with a bullet" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cxcrqdAN55t9_L2_RWMxnn7nZ88sgWvl5LVJUimZaJC52n_s0c1n-2N0bmT7AYtXlGIeZoPHxXFORSyhyxZTGZMh-M8fNBaAmLRPWB9K3iEkItTMLYEWrLKt5O9c7RXbMz_ngaubb_TvHYwPxr2zVlJKNn2gnDnPAxXG8sUlm3d4QgCdI_BeTMBQN3o/w640-h360/god%20is%20a%20bullet%20maika%20monroe.jpg" title="god is a bullet movie" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When a Satanic cult murders his ex-wife and abducts his teenage daughter, small town detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), more of a housecat than a badass lawman, must team up with Case Hardin (<a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2019/09/villains-2019-movie-review.html">Maika Monroe</a>), an escapee from said Satanic cult, to track them down and get her back. Along the way they acquire a lot of tattoos, kill some folks, and confront the savage void of humanity. So goes Nick Cassavetes’ latest film, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">God is a Bullet</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, based on the novel of the same name by mysterious pseudonymous author Boston Teran.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/06/god-is-bullet-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222161362567703009.post-51907540527759424732023-06-16T09:52:00.001-07:002023-06-16T09:52:42.435-07:00'Til Death Do Us Part' (2023) Movie Review<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fiw4Z7_YiBPB9qBAwQeEPMAkibq1QRvvRCn_OOa2lH8iX0YGmVlfVe7P-V9tFrqR-Ch0etCNzzyk5TmjvqQNm6BUuGpFQNbaHBQABEmIZTOyPkUzDdSRRrGqWxfi-F7mA7tX260-ZTh7Uo-60GAmSKWEWf6hbBYv0xcIIdg3j7GQL5XjCBmvAML2/s1250/til%20death%20do%20us%20part.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="natalie burn in a wedding dress" border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1250" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fiw4Z7_YiBPB9qBAwQeEPMAkibq1QRvvRCn_OOa2lH8iX0YGmVlfVe7P-V9tFrqR-Ch0etCNzzyk5TmjvqQNm6BUuGpFQNbaHBQABEmIZTOyPkUzDdSRRrGqWxfi-F7mA7tX260-ZTh7Uo-60GAmSKWEWf6hbBYv0xcIIdg3j7GQL5XjCBmvAML2/w640-h360/til%20death%20do%20us%20part.jpg" title="til death do us part" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You’ve seen this opening countless times in an endless parade of Lifetime movies. It’s the day of the big wedding. Everyone is at the church. The handsome groom hangs out with his boys. The hunky best man struggles to put the finishing touches on his toast. The bride, radiant and ever so in love, looks into the mirror and gets cold feet. Even the title font and opening score scream this specific brand of light, fluffy, inoffensive made-for-cable romantic fare. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.thelastthingisee.com/2023/06/til-death-do-us-part-2023-movie-review.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="//feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thelastthingisee/FMBj" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></div>Brent McKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06089615359588923582noreply@blogger.com0