There’s that funny meme on the internet about how fiction always warned us about quicksand but very few of us rarely come across it. It’s funny also how there aren’t many movies revolving around the idea of being stuck in quicksand. Andrés Beltrán approaches the idea with a survival thriller that’s quite good, but doesn’t re-invent the wheel. When it comes to films of this ilk, everything you think is going to happen does happen, and the movie doesn’t mind hitting on those tropes along with handing us an ambiguous finale that felt kind of like a cop out.
Category Archives: Movie Reviews
The Flood (2023)
So basically, Brandon Slagle’s “The Flood” is “Assault on Precinct 13” but with killer alligators. That’s it. That’s the whole of the concept and premise. You can fill in the rest, if you’ve been watching movies for a while; which is not to say that “The Flood” is a bad film, it’s just not something that I haven’t seen before. Truth be told, there are nuggets of a great film embedded within “The Flood” but if you’re expecting a full on alligator siege movie in the vein of “Crawl,” then your best bet is looking elsewhere.
Insidious: the Red Door (2023)
It’s a real shame that the “Insidious” series would go back to its roots with “The Red Door” and end up being probably the worse entry in the franchise yet. Patrick Wilson is a fine enough director, but “The Red Door” is such a misfire that you can’t even really call it a cash grab. It feels a lot like the studios attempts to add some sense of closure to the Lambert family, but rather than this emotional journey through the Further, all they hand us is a half baked rip off of “The Babadook.” And that’s saying a lot since I’ve been such a fan of the “Insidious” series since it arrived in 2011. But these films have done so much better, even with “The Last Key.”
Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
Elise Rainier has been one of the most fleshed out horror movie heroines of the modern era and I’ve enjoyed her quest throughout the “Insidious” series. After dying at the end of the first film, every subsequent film has backtracked to not only explore Elise more, but also give us a bigger wider bridge to the first film. “The Last Key” is perhaps the most personal quest featuring Elise as it does fit in to the general mythology of “The Further” but is more intimate and lower stakes. The movie can be seen more as a stand alone one shot featuring Elise in where she not only garnered full control of her powers, but also foresaw her fate in the first “Insidious.”
Joy Ride (2023)
There’s been this subtle movement to break all of the stereotypes of Asians in cinema and fiction in general, and I’m enjoying it. “Joy Ride” is one of the newest entries in this new wave of mainstream Asian cinema that appeals to a niche audience but is also broad enough for everyone to relate to. “Joy Ride” is a film I liken very much to “Bridesmaids” and “The Hangover” to where four friends go through a sense of self realization, all while wreaking havoc on one big road trip. The foursome in “Joy Ride” are all wonderfully fleshed out individuals that are seeking fulfillment and a sense of purpose, and they end up finding it. This is all in service of their friend Audrey whose attempts to seal a big deal at her law firm send her on the journey she didn’t know she needed.
Shortbus (2006) [LA&M Film Fetish Forum]
Director John Cameron Mitchell’s “Shortbus” is a movie I’d only ever heard about since its 2006 release but never actually sat down to watch. Nothing really prepared me for what he had to offer in terms of not only commenting on sexuality but on sex in general. “Shortbus” is unabashedly shocking in its presentation, offering up a movie about a group of New Yorkers, all of whom are seeking human connection. Some of them think that sex will grant them that connection, while some of them are just seeking emotional connection that may or may not allow them that desire with sex and various sexual acts.
Door Mouse (2023)
I’m pretty surprised that Avan Jogia had it in him to direct one of the better indie films I’ve seen all year. Shockingly, “Door Mouse” is not based on any particular comic book or graphic novel, but its influences are taken from obvious places like Frank Miller, Sam Spade, Scott Pilgrim, Tank Girl and the like. Jogia is mostly known for being a former Nickelodeon actor in America who then transitioned well in to adult films, but he’s also proven with “Door Mouse” to be a pretty awesome director when all is said and done. “Door Mouse” is a pulpy, neo-noirish, crime thriller with some great references to comic books and a very clever use of animation as a means of helping to add to the overall pulp fiction aesthetic that Jogia seems to be aiming for.