HIM (2025)

September 18, 2025

Greetings again from the darkness. Here is my PSA (Public Service Announcement): This is not a “Football” movie. If you are expecting FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS or ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, you will be disappointed. This is a Psychological Horror film (think BLACK SWAN) featuring a couple of football players, and it’s produced by Jordan Peele, he of NOPE and GET OUT fame. Writer-director Justin Tipping (KICKS, 2016) and co-writers (co-creators of “Limetown”) Zack Aker and Skip Bronkie serve up few X’s and O’s, and plenty of commentary on fame and the quest for greatness.

Marlon Wayans is best known for his comedy work, and here he delivers his best dramatic performance since REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000). He plays Isaiah White, the ultra-successful quarterback of the fictional San Antonio Saviors. Many consider White the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All-Time). His issue is that he’s aging and is likely at the end of his career. On the other end of the spectrum, we have rising star Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER), the young hotshot who many predict will replace White as the GOAT. Cameron’s problem is that a surprise causes possible brain damage, knocking him out of the combine and leaving him undrafted.

Cameron’s off-kilter agent (Tim Heidecker) arranges for him to train with White for a week. Having worshipped Isaiah White for most of his life, Cameron jumps at the chance. Upon arriving at White’s isolated desert compound, he quickly discovers dreams don’t always match reality. White greets him warmly, but we all notice (well, Cameron’s a bit slow) that things are a bit off. From a sadist trainer (MMA fighter Maurice Greene) to a sardonic doctor (a funny Jim Jeffries), to a creatively made-up and creepy Mrs. White (Julia Fox), the setting for a horrific week is in place.

White pushes Cameron past the point of decency in training, and the doctor delivers some curious blood transfusions. White preaches to Cameron that this unorthodox approach is what’s required for peak performance and greatness. The commitment must be to excellence, not some mushy family-first mentality. Some of the drills are violent, while others turn a bit nuts. This is psychological warfare mixed with physical extremes.

There are some cool x-ray effects, and the music from Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak) adds a nice touch; however, this is about envy and power. The first two acts have some eye-opening moments, but things really fly off the rails in the finale. Brutal violence seems too mild as a description, and the commentary on team ownership expectations seems a bit heavy-handed. We all know billionaires are accustomed to getting what they want. This one is worth seeing for Marlon Wayans’ performance, but we find ourselves thinking “what if” through much of the film.

Opens in theaters on September 19, 2025

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

SPIN ME ROUND (2022)

March 22, 2022

SXSW 2022

Greetings again from the darkness. Expectations were sky high for the latest from writer-director Jeff Baena. His twisted humor was evident in THE LITTLE HOURS (2017), and he has collaborated again with his HORSE GIRL (2020) co-writer Alison Brie, who also takes the lead role. The assembled cast is filled to the brim with folks who have proven comedy chops, and much of the film takes place in gorgeous Italy. What could go wrong? Well, technically nothing goes wrong, it’s just not as right as we hoped.

Alison Brie stars as Amber, a dedicated 9-year manager of the Bakersfield, California Tuscan Grove restaurant. It’s a chain of Italian fast casual clearly meant to mock Olive Garden, and we get multiple shots of their pre-packaged bulk Alfredo sauce. When Amber’s District Manager (Lil Rey Henry) informs her that she’s been selected for an all-expense paid trip to Italy for the company’s immersion program, she’s thrilled to have some excitement in her life – plus her friend (Ego Nwodim) floats the idea of her finding love on the trip.

The group of managers is disappointed when the promised Italian villa is actually next door to the non-descript box motel where their rooms are located (Amber has a view of dumpsters). Sessions are held in a bland conference room, and those sessions are mostly unnecessary cooking lessons run by Lauren Weedman, offering no flavor of the country’s culture. The fun here is derived from the interplay between the characters/actors. Zach Woods plays Dana, an over-the-top superfan of Tuscan Grove and its owner; Tim Heidecker is Fran, the full-of-himself type; Ayden Mayeri is the giggly one; Debby Ryan the aloof participant; and Molly Shannon frets incessantly over her lost luggage and erases all boundaries once Amber offers to lend her some clothes. The facilitator of the sessions is oddball Craig (Ben Sinclair), who excels in moments that beg, “was that supposed to be funny?”

The dynamics change when Tuscan Grove owner Nick (Alessandro Nivola) drops in to the sessions with his assistant Kat (Aubrey Plaza, married to director Jeff Baena). Nick takes an immediate shine to Amber and their scene aboard his yacht is one of the film’s best. His attraction seems to stem from the fact that she favors his deceased sister. That’s wrong on so many levels. Beyond that, when Amber and Kat take off for a spin through the town, it’s another highlight, as Ms. Plaza and Ms. Brie play off each other magnificently.

There is a creepy element to the film. The manager’s retreat plays out differently than hoped, and the names Dana and Fran play a significant role in what is actually going on. Nick’s actions are a bit disturbing, and Kat’s role could easily be interpreted as falling into the Ghislaine Maxwell category. And then there is a tonal shift to the point where it seems we may be in the midst of a murder mystery. It’s all a bit chaotic, but never quite as funny or tense as we hope.

Ms. Brie has a wonderful screen presence as she bounces from naïve to hopeful to confused to concerned. Mr. Nivola is also terrific flashing the charisma in TV ads and then transitioning to the soulful, manipulative, entitled rich scumbag. The contrast in the story is as distinct as the two books mentioned, Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love”, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “News of a Kidnapping”. Few movies combine the blandness of Bakersfield, the romance of Italy, near slapstick comedy, the suspense of a thriller, the lameness of corporate America, a kinky sex party, and a pack of stampeding wild boars. It’s a lot to take on, and some parts work better than others. While we expected it to be more clever, just know going in that you should be like Amber – guarded with an open-mind.

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Posted by David Ferguson

US (2019)

April 1, 2019

 Greetings again from the darkness. Jordan Peele first got noticed on “MADtv,” and then for his impersonation of Barack Obama. His career got a boost with “Key and Peele” with Keegan-Michael Key, and then it simply exploded in 2017 with GET OUT. For that film, he won his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and was also nominated for Best Director (his directorial debut) and for Best Picture (as a Producer). With his follow-up to that breakout film, Mr. Peele has squashed any talk of being a one-hit wonder, and has actually elevated his work with this latest.

The film opens in 1986 as a family is on vacation at Santa Cruz, California. While taking in the amusement park along the boardwalk, their young daughter Adelaide wanders off into a house of mirrors where she comes face to face with her doppelgänger – her exact lookalike. It’s the film’s first creepy moment, but certainly not the last. The story then jumps forward to present day where Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar winner for 12 YEARS A SLAVE), her husband Gabe Wilson (Winston Duke, BLACK PANTHER), and their teenage daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and young son Jason (Evan Alex) are on a getaway to a lake house … one located near their friends Josh (Tim Heidecker) and Kitty Tyler (Elisabeth Moss), and their in sync twin daughters (Cali and Noelle Sheldon). Adelaide is not thrilled when husband Gabe suggests they head over to Santa Cruz beach.

Part of the brilliance of the film is that it works as a straight-forward horror film with some very funny moments (often thanks to Mr. Duke), but its real purpose is to inspire multiple theories along with the corresponding debate. Alternate meanings, metaphors and clues are dropped in most every scene. A toy ambulance, a JAWS shirt, a “Thriller” shirt, a TV commercial for the “Hands Across America” event, and the corresponding VHS tapes next to the family TV only hint at the numerous nods Peele serves up to other films, especially some horror classics.  You’ll note the director chooses an aerial shot not dissimilar to that of Kubrick’s THE SHINING as the family drives towards their vacation spot. Also present (in a couple of scenes) is the reference to bible verse Jeremiah 11:11, and sharp-eyed viewers will spot other references to the double 11.

While the Wilson and Tyler families are visiting on the sandy beach, young Jason wanders off sending mother Adelaide into a near-frenzy with recollections of her night on that same beach so many years ago. Later that evening, the true horror begins. A terrific shot of 4 figures all clad in red at the end of the Wilson’s driveway kicks the film into high gear. More doppelgangers appear and lead us to a subterranean community living in tunnels, and sharing the space with bunnies. We learn of “the tethered”; those who are (mostly) identical to those living above. Those of identical likeness square off in the ongoing battle for survival, and that’s really all you should know before seeing for yourself.

The cast is terrific, especially Ms. Nyong’o, who like the other actors seems to relish playing the dual roles. She also nails the final shot with a smile that will chill you to the marrow. Madison Curry makes a strong impression as young Adelaide, and as much fun as we have with the characters, the true joy lies in trying to “catch” all that filmmaker Peele throws at us. That final wall of folks in red is pretty easy to decipher, but some of  the little clues and prods require a second viewing. It’s fascinating and historic that Jordan Peele’s follow up movie could possibly make this yet another horror movie contending at Oscar time. One site currently places the odds at 19/1 to win Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars. If you are up for a fun little horror movie that’s also a mind-bending societal commentary on those who are born into privilege and those who aren’t, then Mr. Peele has just the flick for you.

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

FLOWER (2018)

March 22, 2018

 Greetings again from the darkness. Despite being early in her career, actress Zoey Deutch has often been the highlight of her film projects. Although that sounds like a good thing, in her case it speaks not just to her talent, but also the quality of those choices. Her father is director Howard Deutch and her mother is Lea Thompson, so her industry bloodlines run deep. Her eyes and smile are truly luminescent on the big screen, where she comes across as a natural. It’s now time for her take control of her career. Muck like this latest make us question whether she is a next level talent.

Director Max Winkler (son of Henry “The Fonz” Winkler) co-wrote the script with Matt Spicer (a terrific INGRID GOES WEST) and Alex McAuley, and they are fortunate to have such talent as Ms. Deutch, Kathryn Hahn and Adam Scott. A profane, voyeuristic exercise in disturbed behavior becomes something nearly watchable when these three and newcomer Joey Morgan are on screen.

Ms. Deutch plays Erica, a motor-mouthed (in more ways than one) force of nature teenager whose ‘BJ’s for Dad’s bail’ involves seducing older men and then extorting money from them after Erica’s posse catches them on camera. Oh, and she keeps a sketch book of her victims … no, not their faces. The fundraising approach to springing her dad from jail is difficult to accept, but Deutch sells it as best she can. Her mother (Kathryn Hahn) is desperately trying to build a relationship with Bob (Tim Heidecker), whose son Luke (Joey Morgan) is being released after a lengthy rehab stint for pills.

Luke is a hefty young man who finds solace in food and little else. He and Erica could keep multiple therapists busy for years. His problems are exacerbated by an improper school incident involving Will Gordon, a teacher played by Adam Scott. Coincidentally, this same teacher has been labeled “Old Hot Guy” by Erica and her friends at the bowling alley. Once she learns about Luke’s history with the pedophile, Erica plots an evil revenge. You can probably imagine where it goes from there.

Those same eyes and smile mentioned in my first paragraph even light up when Erica describes herself as “the d*** whisperer”. It’s this kind of moment that finds us hoping Ms. Deutch and her agent quickly learn to distinguish between edgy indie project and trashy script not likely to lead to more work. This is an uncomfortable movie to watch, but not in the way where we walk out feeling enlightened. The title does deserve applause because even the scratchiest and toughest flower has a delicate side.

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson