Clint Eastwood’s latest film is a thriller starring Nicholas Hoult as Justin Kemp, a family man faced with a near-impossible moral dilemma.
Toni Collette, Kiefer Sutherland, Zoey Deutch and J.K. Simmons are among the key cast.
What a meaty character study. I love that I have no idea what Justin is going to do. Such a wonderful cast too.
I’m excited to see Hoult flourish in this great role. What a tragic predicament his character finds himself in.
Leslie Bibb, Gabriel Basso, Francesca Eastwood, Chris Messina, Amy Aquino, Cedric Yarbrough, Drew Scheid, Adrienne C. Moore, Ella Fraley and KateLynn E. Newberry also star.
Starring Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Ben Schwartz and Awkwafina; the trailer for director Chris McKay’s comedy/fantasy/horror Renfield is here.
The very promising story follows Renfield, the tortured aide to Dracula, history’s most narcissistic boss.
After centuries of servitude, Renfield is now ready to see if there is life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness.
I like this angle on the Dracula story, especially considering that it’s a comedy.
As for Hoult’s involvement, first he was ‘R’ in Warm Bodies (2013) and now he is Renfield. I just realised that, for me, there’s something about Hoult in ghostly face makeup that makes his characters that much more intriguing.
I’m sure it’s more about his prowess at portraying vulnerability, or his facial features, rather than the white face paint that draws me in. Either way, I’m excited and ready for the fun dialogue and action.
It will be interesting to see the clever solution that Renfield settles on to end this unpleasant phase of his working life. Let’s collectively send the poor chap our thoughts and prayers.
Shohreh Aghdashloo, Ben Schwartz, Brandon Scott Jones, Jenna Kanell, Caroline Williams, Adrian Martinez, Joshua Mikel, Choppy Guillotte, Dave Davis, Gissette Valentin, Taylor Shurte and Bess Rous also star.
There are many good things about director Mark Mylod’s comedy/horror/thriller, The Menu.
The cast is fantastic, and the performances faultless, which makes sense since one can hardly go wrong with John Leguizamo, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Feinnes, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer and Nicholas Hoult on the same call sheet. Especially considering the delightfully rhythmic dialogue plus the unexpected twists and turns.
Mylod’s story about a young couple who travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant, but end up faced with shocking surprises is fun and will leave you with plenty to talk about afterwards.
The topics I had to discuss immediately once the end credits rolled included Anya Taylor-Joy’s Margot character being my favourite. I enjoyed Margot’s disposition and every word that came out of her mouth. Hong Chau’s Elsa is also fun for similar reasons to Margot, but undoubtedly in part because of her memorable outfit.
The Menu (2022), Anya Taylor-Joy, Searchlight Pictures
The Menu does well at keeping the audience far from comfortable from the beginning because of the mystery surrounding what the evening has in store for both the audience and the characters. Yet, the part-horror characterisation is not nightmare-inducing. What it is, is a memorable movie experience.
I’m convinced that The Menu might have benefited from being a mini-series rather than a feature film. Specifically because some moments felt inadequately fleshed out, resulting in my inability to buy into a handful of the decisions made by some characters.
Admittedly, I also eventually tired of Feinnes’s Chef Slowik character, distinctly how his pretentious and subsequently unlikable qualities manifest when he demands the attention of his guests.
Watch The Menu because it’s fun. Lastly, the things it gets right will probably leave you feeling glad that the movie exists.
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021), Angelina Jolie, Warner Bros. Pictures
Set in the Montana wilderness, Those Who Wish Me Dead is an action/thriller that stars Angelina Jolie as a survival expert tasked with protecting a teenage murder witness. one who’s being pursued by twin assassins.
A teenage murder witness finds himself pursued by twin assassins in the Montana wilderness with a survival expert tasked with protecting him — and a forest fire threatening to consume them all.
Directed by Taylor Sheridan; additional key cast includes Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, Jake Weber, Tyler Perry and Tory Kittles.
Such a pleasant surprise to see Jolie starring in a movie again. Jolie and the fact that I’m generally partial to productions about first responders is the reason I’m watching.
Lora Martinez-Cunningham, James Jordan, Laura Niemi, Finn Little, Alma Sisneros, Dylan Kenin, Matt Medrano and Medina Senghore also star.
Newness is a movie I watched because its writer/director, Drake Doremus, is behind my favourite film by the late and brilliant Anton Yelchin. The movie I’m referring to is, of course, Like Crazy (2011); a story that captures well an example of the ups and downs of young love. Especially when only one of the parties lives in the country where they met.
Newness is another story of young love. Only this time, the focus is on two millennials navigating a relationship affected by the challenges that come with modern life’s social media-driven hookup culture.
Though well-edited and performed by Nicholas Hoult and Laia Costa, I must admit to not enjoying Newness as much as I did Like Crazy. The main issue is, I simply didn’t connect with Hoult and Costa’s characters as much as I needed to. It was, unfortunately, around the twenty-minute mark that I realised I was bored and thinking ‘Why, oh why is this movie two hours long?’
Due to my failure to connect adequately with the key characters, no matter the editing or how delightfully naturalistic the performances, I still thought, ‘I’m sure I’d have enjoyed this story far more had it been a documentary. Perhaps, then, it would have felt somehow more substantial and impactful. Particularly so since Newness is a lot like a modern-day dating case study, just not an especially engaging one.
My favourite moment in the movie is an emotional one that finally happens at approximately one hour and fourteen minutes.
Overall, I say watch Newness if you’re very curious. Perhaps you’ll find far more to love than I did. Otherwise, watch what I feel is the better Doremus movie, Like Crazy. It’s the one that made me a big Yelchin fan and why I was so sad to learn of his untimely passing back in 2016.
