Search the IR archives
IR Film Review: YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT [Universal]
"You Should Have Left" is an apt film but it is neither exceptional nor bad. It is effectively entertaining and a film that definitely has re-watch value, not because there are new aspects to discover but because the mechanics are smooth.
IR Film Review: ARTEMIS FOWL [Disney+]
"Artemis Fowl" doesn't quite know its audience and its audience doesn't quite line up here either. It plays too young while not playing older much like a more expensive version (sorry) of "Agent Cody Banks" with mythology thrown in.
IR Film Review: WARNING - DO NOT PLAY [Shudder]
Granted this inlay within "Warning: Do Not Play" has a bit of "The Ring" to it. Instead of a TV screen it is an old movie theater where a film was once shot and by extension a play. And there is a film that doesn't want to be found that was pulled from a film festival that the protagonist is searching for.
IR Film Review: TOMMASO [Kino Lorber]
"Tommaso" is an interesting examination of a director in a different world. It is like Godard in reverse but one which is now his home. It is a fascinating if not maddening diatribe at times examining the normality of life and how your brain and lifestyle can adjust.
IR Film Review: SCREAM QUEEN - MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET [Shudder]
The story of Mark Patton who was the lead in "Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge" is an interesting story in that his was the intersection of many different aspects that together form a unique journey. It nonetheless turns into a cautionary tale of sorts that with the advent of documentary and streaming in its current form as well as the increasing balance of society in some ways can be allowed to happen.
IR Film Review: BLOOD MACHINES [Shudder]
"Blood Machines", a sort of music video/short hybrid shows that new thinking in terms of that structure can be done, especially in the streaming world. Narrative doesn't have to restrict itself to 22 minutes for commercials. It is based in what the story needs.
IR Film Review: CAPONE [Vertical]
While "Capone" as a new film, in many ways, is an interesting construct, it is a little too abstract and unfocused to truly give a concept of the man or be based on any prospect of what he is thinking. As far as a sheer physical manifestation, Tom Hardy, of course, does an adequate job.
IR Film Review: MONSTRUM [Shudder]
The aspect of reluctant heroes is always painted on the path of a journey but also the reasoning behind it. Mixing elements of traditional and genre is always tricky especially doing within a period element. But with Asian cinema, pre-pandemic, understanding more the intersection of global tastes, "Monstrum" takes that into effect.
IR Film Review: HOPE GAP [Screen Media]
The essence of personalities reflects usually in those actors playing them and the location in which it is set. That said, the through line of "Hope Gap" starring Annette Bening and Bill Nighy is universal.