Category: Horror/Thriller

“Blink Twice”

By Brett_G on September 8, 2024September 1, 2024

7.9

https://www.thehotline.org/

Unlike “It Ends With Us,” this one warns the audience that shit’s going to get dark.

… And holy crap does it ever get dark. I figured things would get weird, but not quite this deep into the worst of humanity. I can honestly say that I was caught as off guard as I’ve been in a long time by this one. But I can also say that not since “Promising Young Woman” and “Ready or Not” (or “Kill Bill) have I seen such an empowering tale of revenge on the silver screen.

I feel like he gets a lot of shit for “Magic Mike,” but Channing Tatum is one hell of an actor. He plays the villain perfectly in this one. Naomi Ackie on the screen and Zoe Kravitz behind the camera make for a hellacious one-two punch that really makes the film. I can’t imagine this coming together and being as balanced and impactful without their immense talents at play. Get ready to be befuddled for 2/3 of the runtime and sick to your stomach for the final act until the resolution right before the credits roll makes you want to laugh and cheer. It’s a WILD ride!

“It Ends With Us”

By Brett_G on September 7, 2024September 1, 2024

7.6

https://www.thehotline.org/

So… Blake Lively’s 100% in the wrong on this press tour. Damn… there’s nothing light about this movie. It’s an UNCOMFORTABLE watch. It’s a productive discomfort, but will definitely be triggering.

Going in with a fear that there would be a deference towards glorifying or worse yet romanticizing domestic violence, I was pleasantly surprised by the care that Justin Baldoni took to not only treat the subject matter with the utmost respect, but also delve into the nuance of broken people hurting other broken people when their broken pieces fit together and neither has the strength to pull out of the tailspin. The challenge of trying to help someone who needs but doesn’t want or isn’t ready for help. The weight of generational trauma.

It’s far better than the “Fifty Shades” fiasco. This one was well worth being the only guy in the theater not dragged there by his significant other.

Horror/Thriller Suspense/Thriller

“Long Legs”

By Brett_G on July 12, 2024

8.5

In a word – unsettling.

The whole damn thing. Front to back. The opening scene of this film is one of the best in recent memory and legitimately grabbed each and ever person in the theater and didn’t let them go until the credits rolled. The atmospheric dread that each and every scene is steeped in is a work of art in and of itself.

As expected, Nic Cage and Maika Monroe turn in fantastic performances that you lose yourself in as the story unfurls.

Definitely not your typical modern horror film. It’s a season’s worth of “Mindhunter” procedural married with the discomfort of “Silence of the Lambs,” all packaged neatly within the hour and forty minute runtime. Did the second to third act bridge get a little clunky? Sure. But it’s more than made up for by everything else here firing on all cylinders. I didn’t expect to be this terrorized by a film heading in. I’m still processing it 4 hours later.

Action Blockbuster Horror/Thriller

“A Quiet Place: Day One”

By Brett_G on July 10, 2024July 10, 2024

7.8

Where the Purge series seemed to shy away from going full purge – welcome to A Quiet Place grabbing you by the shirt collar and never letting go for 2 hours of nonstop anxiety inducing terror. You’re dropped right alongside our main characters in never feeling safe the entire time. What this series does better and more consistently than most is environmental immersion and character. This film really rounds out the trilogy by maintaining and even growing these strengths. Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn really hold down the fort as leads, and give such rich performances that it lends itself to intensifying the terror when even the slightest sound is made, inciting the potential violence that lurks just out of frame. You care so much about the characters that it really makes everything else that much more effective. A great example of attention to detail and care.

Horror/Thriller

“Maxxxine”

By Brett_G on July 5, 2024July 5, 2024

7.9

Better than “Pearl,” but doesn’t quite recapture the magic of “X.” It’s still one hell of a horror trilogy by Ti West and another powerhouse performance by Mia Goth.

The atmosphere is electric, as the performances of the entire cast fire on all cylinders. There isn’t quite as much gore as the first 2 installments, but the impact and purposefulness of the violence gets tighter as the films have progressed to this grisly climax. Ms. Minx holds her own with the unsettling poise we’ve come to know and love.

With a soundtrack drenched in neon charm, we’re transported to what “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” would have looked like in the 80’s. There was a kinship between those two films that grew as the runtime unfurled. There’s an undeniable magic about Tinseltown. Even if it’s been haunted by some of the most notorious evil-doers in the nation’s history. Whether it be Manson in Tarantino’s love letter or the Night Stalker in this ode to a lost era. The use of the Universal lot, especially the “Psycho” house alongside the winking nod to the classic “Hitchcock Blonde”… *chef’s kiss. 2024 is shaping up to be a continuation of the modern horror renaissance and I am HERE FOR IT!