“Let Me Go (The Right Way)” takes Destry Allyn Spielberg, Hopper Penn, and Owen King (a who’s who of Hollywood Heavyweights’ progeny) and teams them to deliver what can easily be described as a psychological thriller with big feature aspirations. Spielberg and writer King play on the concept of the Mandela Effect (with a dash of “Memento” and Phillip K. Dick), and use it to spin a tale that is a lot about collective memory, and what can feel like going insane when we’re stricken with mental illness.
Tag Archives: Mystery
Hunt Her, Kill Her (2023)
Directors Ryan Thiessen and Greg Swinson’s “Hunt Her, Kill Her” has a paper thin premise to work with and—well, not much is done with it, sadly. I love a good survival horror movie, but “Hunt Her, Kill Her” has a great opportunity that it sadly squanders. Despite original motivations for its central villains, Thiessen and Swinson’s film is a middle of the road woman in peril invasion thriller. It’s not a bad movie, but it never really re-invents the wheel when all is said and done. It’s not to say that a movie of this sub-genre can’t tread new ground (look at “You’re Next” and “Hush”), but the movie always seems to settle for the minimum. This keeps the movie from hitting highs.
Children of the Corn (2020)
So we’re two reboots and eleven movies in to the god awful “Children of the Corn” movie series, and the studios simply will not let it die. “Children of the Corn” 2023 stinks of the studio trying its best to retain the IP for the sake of more cheapo sequels down the road. It shows with what is a pointless and painfully dull reboot of the series that features none other than director Kurt “Gunkata” Wimmer slumming it, big time.
The Outwaters (2023)
It seems like 2023 is going to be the beginning of a period where studios are taking big risks on smaller indie films and getting back big returns. I’m glad because this allows films like “The Outwaters” to get out there to horror audiences. I’m not sure I can safely say that Robbie Banfitch’s found footage horror film re-invents the wheel, but it’s a definite abstract bit of cosmic horror that will provoke a ton of debates from the audience.
V/H/S/ 99 (2022)
The newest installment of the “V/H/S/” series was a welcome treat for me back in 2022, as I have always been a fan of the film series. With the popularity of lo-fi analog horror, “V/H/S/” can still have some good shelf life, and spin some damn good horror segments down the line. “V/H/S/ 99” sadly stumbles here and there in what is probably the weakest entry of the movie series to date. The great segments outweigh the weaker entries, but that’s not saying too much when even the better segments aren’t really as spectacular as something like “Safe Haven” from “V/H/S/ 2.” Even the framing device for the segments never quite comes full circle, in the end.
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
One of the hallmarks of M. Night Shyamalan’s films is that he seems to be a big believer in destiny and fate. Much of “Signs” was a religious thriller based around fate and destiny. With “Knock at the Cabin” he approaches the same plot elements, all while instilling much of the ambiguity he’s well known for. That works for and against “Knock at the Cabin” because while I was satisfied with his newest genre effort, I was ultimately left feeling like the finale left everything in the air, and not as neatly packed as he might have thought it was.
The Son of The Stars (Fiul Stelelor/Ultima Misiune) (1987)
One of the advantages of boutique physical releases is that American audiences are able to check out films that they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to before. This year, the never before officially released in the U.S. “The Son of the Stars” makes its way to American shores. The animated adventure described as a “wild mid-80s mash-up of The Empire Strikes Back, Alien and Tarzan” was directed by the creative team of Călin Cazan and Mircea Toia, and features a pretty trippy original score by synth-rock pioneer Stefan Elefteriu. I can safely say while you can see the “Star Wars” influences dripping all over it, it’s a wild experience for any animation buff.