Obsession: 8/10
Nothing says romance like a creepy magical toy, a questionable wish, and absolutely no respect for personal boundaries. Obsession turns this recipe into a surprisingly effective horror movie, covering the twisted love story of Bear (Michael Johnston) and Nikki Freeman (Indie Navarratte). After being rejected by Nikki, Bear uses a magical “Wishing Willow” to wish Nikki would love him more than anyone in the world. The wish comes true but quickly turns disastrous when Nikki starts acting clingy and overprotective. It’s a classic monkey’s paw setup.
Navarratte carries the movie, making Nikki everything from desperately in love to desperately terrifying. Her acting, as well as cuts and lighting that highlight the opposing sides of the character, are the film’s brightest spot. Johnston equally contributes, showing Bear’s fear and making him feel relatable.
The music, sound, and lighting are seamless, adding to the uneasy feeling the movie creates so well. The lighting contrasts add to every sharp movement. The eye-catching gore and prosthetics are highly realistic and therefore captivating. However, a lot of the gore feels extremely unnecessary and distracts from the core of the movie.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Obsession is what it does with its under $1 million budget. Though the film was released alongside the much higher-budget Backrooms, it exceeds it on every level. Obsession is proof that money isn’t the only way to find talent and produce masterpieces.
Spider-man Brand New Day: 9/10
The highly anticipated continuation of Marvel’s Spider-Man series, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is a major hit. With a $360 million opening weekend, surpassing even Avengers: Endgame, it does not disappoint. Taking a more somber route than its predecessors, the film follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as he navigates emerging powers, his professional and personal life, and fights a mind-hopping villain. The film is darker than the previous Spider-Man movies and is punctuated by several heartbreaking performances.
Holland’s acting is mature as he flawlessly navigates character development in a way that feels genuine and earned. Sadie Sink, who plays the villain Jean Grey, undergoes a highly emotional redemption arc with a brief but impactful cameo from the now-dead Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). Zendaya yet again captures the role of MJ with her classic confidence and poise.
Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle expertly deliver comedy. Pugh provides some of the funniest moments, including a bizarre sauna-turned-home-office scene that somehow manages to make potatoes a comedic device. I will not elaborate. Bernthal’s ceaseless bickering with Holland makes the two of them seem less like superheroes and more like siblings forced to carpool together, and somehow makes the fight scenes even better.
The movie ends with arguably its best scene, where Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and Peter execute their iconic handshake even despite Ned’s memory being wiped in a previous movie.
Brand New Day should be praised for what it is: a genuinely funny and emotionally mature new addition to the Spider-Man canon. Marvel may have traumatized Peter Parker yet again, but at least they made it entertaining.
The Odyssey: 6/10
Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is packed with Hollywood’s finest, and approximately zero guarantees that the movie will be a satisfying watch. It begins with the infamous Trojan horse, a product of Odysseus’s genius that leads to the sacking of Troy. The rest of the movie follows Odysseus’s long journey back to his home, Ithaca.
Visually, the movie is almost impossible to criticize, balancing realism with a deeply ominous and magical background. Although stunning backdrops of various islands look like they were designed by the Greek Gods themselves, unfortunately the script does not receive the same divine attention.
The pacing of the movie is rushed, even considering its 172-minute run time. Apparently, even Odysseus’s 10-year journey needs to be speedrun. The film prioritizes long battle flashbacks rather than the mythical encounters that make the epic enticing. Furthermore, without prior knowledge of the original story, some of the mythical characters Odysseus encounters can seem random and confusing.
Damon’s portrayal of the war-torn hero is grounded, though a little distant. He fails to create a genuine connection with the audience, even as encapsulating the trauma that comes from ending a war at any cost. Anne Hathaway displays Penelope with passion, delivering emotionally charged moments despite her lack of screen time.
When compared to the original epic, the movie comes off as emotionally flat. Odysseus is written as a weary hero in order to appeal to the public, instead of the deeply flawed and brilliant man he is in the original. Furthermore, the movie destroys the complexity of all female characters, turning them from a powerful, or subtle in Penelope’s case, portrayal of feminine power into simplistic, villainous side characters.
Overall, the film turns a morally complex epic into yet another male-dominated action movie and aims to cover up those flaws with beautiful scenery. And, to be fair, the scenery is beautiful.
Supergirl: 4/10
Supergirl is yet another pitiful DC attempt to shine a spotlight on one of its few recognizable heroines. Although there are attempts to celebrate feminism and inclusion, the movie’s plot is so unfocused, and its moments are so cringy, that those themes are left severely undeveloped.
The movie starts with Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley) endeavoring to recruit Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), aka Supergirl, out of her sabbatical to fight the villain Krem of the Yellow Hills. When Krem shoots Kara’s dog, Krypto, with a poison arrow, she decides to join the fight. Apparently, human tragedy isn’t enough to motivate Kara, but attack her dog and you’d better start running.
Kara’s origin story is told through a montage of flashbacks late in the movie that feel disconnected and fail to come together in a coherent profile, and there is virtually no backstory to the villain Krem, which makes it difficult to justify the punishment for his crime and cheer his ultimate downfall. Together, these flaws lead to a conclusion that feels rushed and unsatisfying.
The movie is held together by Alcock’s stellar performance. Alcock brings a look into the complexities of Kara’s emotions, highlighting her sarcasm and dry humor. Kara’s humor is complemented by the few hilarious cameos featuring Lobo (Jason Momoa), who offers comedic relief to the confusing plotlines. Though Ridley isn’t bad, her younger age and lack of experience become extremely apparent when working with Momoa and Alcock, making her character’s emotions feel more forced and less developed.
Overall, the overstuffed plot, decent acting, and lack of character development create a frustrating, although occasionally entertaining movie. There really is nowhere to go but up, though that’s been said about every Superman and Supergirl movie before.
Minions and Monsters: 8/10
Illumination follows up their six-movie Minions franchise with an even funnier prequel, Minions and Monsters. This might be the best Minions movie yet, packed with hilarious minion madness and clever old Hollywood references that are sure to have audiences in hysterics.
The movie follows the Minions before Gru. After repeatedly failing to find an evil boss, they are scouted by director Max (Christoph Waltz), who makes them Hollywood stars. When the sound era begins, the Bright Brothers (Jeff Bridges) reject them, leading the Minions to find a new evil boss, Dort (Jesse Eisenberg), while James and Henry search for monsters to star in their new movie. Their chaotic adventures ultimately lead to a final battle to save the world from the mayhem they created.
The Minions are rambunctious, mischievous, and of course, absolutely hilarious. Their nonstop chaos and unpredictable antics keep the movie going and make it nearly impossible not to laugh along with them. Between outrageous Minion antics and experienced voice actors, the characters are easily one of the movie’s biggest strengths.
However, for those looking for a movie with a tightly structured plot, Minions and Monsters might not be the right fit. The film jumps from one chaotic Minion adventure to the next, creating a somewhat hectic storyline. Still, the Minions’ charm and ridiculous energy make the lack of structure easy to overlook. While this movie has less structure than the Despicable Me movies, there are plenty of jokes and references to entertain both kids and adults.
Overall, Minions and Monsters fulfills its job. Though it can be confusing at times with a somewhat scattered plot, the niche Hollywood references, hilarious voice cast, and classic Minion mayhem make this film worth watching. It may not have the strongest storyline, but when the Minions are this entertaining, who really needs one?
