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PERPETRATOR Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Melanie Liburd, Kiah McKirnan, Casimere Jollette, Christopher Lowell, Tim Hopper, Josh Bywater, Sasha Kuznetsov, Ilirida Memedovski, and Greta Stolte Director: Jennifer Reeder QUENTIN Despite the intriguing synopsis and its Midnight Madness horror vibe, this movie just did not do it for me. It’s never lacking in gore or violence, but the whole affair feels like a slightly elevated student film, from the amateurish acting to the over-the-topness of it all. It’s angry, visceral feminist horror, which isn’t a bad thing when done well, but Perpetrator plays more like a visual art experiment than a coherent movie, overstuffed with too many ideas and big swings at extreme and campy rawness. All that said, Cronenberg die-hards might find something here worth their while. KATIE Perpetrator presents a plethora of compelling ideas on feminism, girlhood, and violence, and while it’s difficult to specify precisely what the film is trying to say, it effectively uses surreal imagery, gory visuals, and oozing blood to confront issues familiar to young women everywhere. My only issue is that it's too ambitious. I loved the unsettling, almost Lynchian vibe of the town setting, the dramatically gothic interiors of Hildie's (Alicia Silverstone) house, and the nightmarish logic at play in the school, but there are too many competing ideas; some of the more impactful ones become distracted or lost entirely. CALEB It feels wrong picking on Perpetrator . It has some really ambitious concepts, and a scrappy, can-do attitude that just makes you want to root for it. Unfortunately, amateur filmmaking can only be charming for so long before it starts to become unwatchable. The mediocre cinematography, abysmal effects, and corny editing make this feel more like a poorly realised student film than a worthwhile feature. Kiah McKirnan tries her best, but her performance isn’t strong enough to save the muddled script. While I applaud the passion put into Perpetrator , I can’t deny its severe lack of polish. This film was reviewed by Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Berlinale International Film Festival.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 Starring: Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Krysten Ritter, and Lee Majdoub Director: Jeff Fowler ADRIANO Do you remember in 2019 when the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog came out, and Sonic had realistic eyelids and teeth? Look at how far they’ve come. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a franchise high. Like before, some humour doesn't land, but I'd still call the movie funny, thanks in part to Jim Carrey's dual performance. However, the shocking part? This movie made me cry. The film offers an oddly sincere and mature approach to grief and choosing love over despair. The writers of these movies clearly care about the characters, and it paid off this time in surprising ways. AMARÚ I really wish movie studios didn’t think that children only want butt jokes and TikTok dances. The end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 proves it is more than capable of being fun, action packed, and heartfelt, especially when Sonic and Shadow (Ben Schwartz and Keanu Reeves, respectively) interact. Their fights are fantastic and resolved with great themes, but that was only 15 percent of the film. The rest is Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, and Colleen O’Shaugnessey being forced to make Robotnik, Knuckles, and Tails say and do “what the kids are doing today.” Next time, instead of stringing “hip” scenes together, please just make a movie.

WILDCAT Starring: Maya Hawke, Laura Linney, Philip Ettinger, Rafael Casal, Cooper Hoffman, and Steve Zahn Director: Ethan Hawke NICK To make a good biopic, you need to leave the audience caring about the focal point of the film. Sadly, Wildcat did nothing to make me care about Flannery O’Connor (Maya Hawke). Although this is a subject both Hawkes (Ethan and Maya) are passionate about, that passion never translates to the screen. Instead, we have a film bogged down by religious undertones (and overtones) that ramble on in aggressive southern accents without saying anything particularly concise. The Hawkes are both clearly committed in their roles, but aside from a surprise cameo, they fail to turn that into an entertaining watch. ADRIANO I still don't believe that Wildcat is a movie and not a bizarre fever dream. The way the movie begins, I was into it; however, it collapses from there. Maya Hawke does some heavy lifting, but her father? Not so much. Co-writer/director Ethan Hawke's storytelling abilities reek of pretentiousness without giving reason to care about the subject. On top of that, there are countless baffling creative decisions that had me holding back laughter; not to mention, sadly, a horrible Laura Linney performance. For what it's worth, Wildcat is a very funny movie, but not intentionally. This film was reviewed by Nick and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

DROP Starring: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Reed Diamond, Jacob Robinson, Jeffrey Self, and Gabrielle Ryan Director: Christopher Landon ADRIANO Bigger doesn't always equal better, as perfectly evidenced by Drop , because with its very simple concept, the movie accomplishes a whole lot. The interesting plot is easy to follow, and it makes way for some very exciting stylistic editing and lighting choices. The funny and intense script left me on the edge of my seat, too. It even has a sincere message about PTSD amongst abuse survivors that Meghann Fahy plays amazingly. Admittedly, the third act goes way off the walls, but I had already had too much fun by that point. AMARÚ Director Christopher Landon puts on a clinic of atmosphere with his latest Blumhouse release, Drop . He utilizes great lighting, camera angles, and a slow ramp in pace to transition the thriller from an intense whodunit? (or in this case, who is it?) with an old-school mystery feel to an exhilarating horror slasher. Hints of pulp enhance performances from a mostly fresh-faced cast led by the great chemistry between Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar. With a tight script in an even tighter 100-minute runtime, Drop is a more than worthy April watch leading up to the blockbuster season. NICK Although the trailer for Drop looked a little cheesy, I gave it the benefit of the doubt because of director Christopher Landon's previous work. It's certainly better than it looked, but it’s still missing something. Perhaps it's the lack of any standout performances, or maybe it's just that the self-aware humour doesn't often hit. There are moments within this that are entertaining, and I think the premise could have made for a terrific short film, but as it is, it didn’t fully grab me. It's clear what this film wanted me to feel, and it didn’t succeed in doing that, so I found it underwhelming. BODE Director Christopher Landon has built a career off of high concept horror (Happy Death Day , Freaky , etc.) that balances tongue-in-cheek humour with genuine earnestness, earning him a deserved cult following in the process. Drop , his latest film, is a departure from that, as a mostly single-location thriller that relies on building tension. Turns out Landon is good at that too, taking a tight script, and injecting it with plenty of style, momentum, and sincerity (the latter helped by Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar’s grounded performances). If you’re looking for a fun time, Drop delivers. PAIGE Drop very much feels like a contained, Hitchcockian throwback, as what could’ve been a cliché thriller about the awkwardness of first dates turns out to be a well-paced, twisted take on just how dreadful they can really be (especially when there’s a third party involved). Is it a bit cheesy and excessive at times? Yes, but it’s an enjoyable watch thanks to the undeniable chemistry between its two leads, Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar. As the movie progresses, the focus smartly shifts from “Who is sending these airdrops?” to “Why are they doing it?“, which makes it all the more entertaining.

THE WILD ROBOT Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames Director: Chris Sanders NICK Sure, the trailers made The Wild Robot look visually stunning, but they did nothing for me story-wise. I certainly wasn't expecting it to be the best DreamWorks Animation effort in 20 years, but that's exactly what it is. The breathtaking animation pairs wonderfully with Lupita Nyong’o's vocal performance as Roz. Part Baymax, part droid, Roz is one of the richer animated characters we've seen in some time. Much like DreamWorks' Shrek franchise, she is surrounded with instantly memorable and funny side characters. For a film about coming together and forming unlikely friendships, this is crucial to make the story work, and it does so in spades. ADRIANO The Wild Robot is... it’s solid. The animation is stunning to look at, the score by Kris Bowers is fantastic, it's got a good heart, and its themes of community are genuinely effective. A lot of the movie works, but the overall story is very generic and not that different from other Dreamworks movies. I even found some plot threads to be pretty rushed - for instance, the motherhood storyline - while endearing, I think it’s a little underdeveloped for me to fully feel what it wants me to feel. The Wild Robot is inoffensive and really good even, just nothing special. AMARÚ The Wild Robot makes many hilariously irreverent jokes about the treacherous reality of Mother Nature, and it’s juxtaposed very well to its heartfelt themes of belonging. Yet, it suffers from not fully committing to how it delivers those themes. At first, I thought “oh, we’re getting Wall-E vibes,” but a second later, it was off on a race that never let up. Many plot points come and go without reaching the depth it seems to want to explore, and instead of one emotionally discerning story, we get two enjoyable movies that tread across the runtime they’re crammed into. PRESTON The Wild Robot is…cute. It’s an entirely saccharine movie that should meet any young parent’s criteria of being visually engaging and having wholesome messaging. The relationship of step-mother and child between Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) and Brightbill (Kit Connor) is especially heartfelt, but development of other characters is rushed and lackluster, resulting in poor viewer connection. Additionally, the voice acting, with the exception of Ving Rhames and few others, is way too toned down, which detracts from the intended humor and character connections, adding to the sense of overall blandness. A successful and visually rich film for ages 12 and under and their parents. QUENTIN As you may have learned from reading my reviews over the years, predominantly kid-driven animated movies aren’t really my thing. However, The Wild Robot surprised me with its surprisingly adult themes of chosen family, step-parenting, and community. The visuals are, of course, outstanding, but it’s the depth of story and excellent vocal performances that elevate this movie over the likes of feature length toy commercials like Minions and mid-tier Pixar offerings like Onward . Still, though, there is plenty for the youths to enjoy too, making this something parents can watch with their kids without hating life. This film was reviewed by Nick and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

THEY CLONED TYRONE Starring: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx, and Kiefer Sutherland Director: Juel Taylor AMARÚ If you’re going to use the stereotypical characterizations like those used in They Cloned Tyrone , you better make sure you get John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx to play them with conviction. Their killer performances carry Tyrone ’s twist-and-turn mystery, evolving the characters into multi-layered versions of themselves by the film’s end. Their transformations advance the fun, mind-bending narrative into a sincere examination of America’s relationship with blackness, with each scene building off the last and somehow finding natural ways to drastically shift tones, resulting in a sometimes muddled but constantly entertaining piece of art. QUENTIN If nothing else, They Cloned Tyrone is the return of Jamie Foxx, who, let’s be honest, hasn’t done much of anything to write home about in years. Thankfully, Tyrone also gives us a great performance from Teyonah Parris and a brooding, if maybe too stoic, John Boyega. The satire and genre-mashing all work pretty well too, though director Juel Taylor’s insistence on using hazy filters and dim lighting to play up the horror vibe make it literally too dark to see what is happening at times. It’s part Attack the Block , part Undercover Brother (with a pinch of Black Dynamite ), and a solid win for Netflix. NICK Anchored by a scene-stealing Teyonah Parris, the underrated John Boyega, and a seemingly rejuvenated Jamie Foxx (he's been a shell of himself as of late), They Cloned Tyrone is severely entertaining. The unique premise is another take on some of the themes introduced in Get Out , but with a twisty sci-fi style. The script can get a little muddled, and director Juel Taylor can make things literally hard to watch with his lighting decisions, but the performances and snappy dialogue kept me engaged throughout as I was eagerly awaiting the next twist in the story.

ALL THE OLD KNIVES Starring: Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton, Laurence Fishburne, and Jonathan Pryce Director: Janus Metz QUENTIN All the Old Knives , the second straight-to-streaming, spy-related movie starring Chris Pine released in the past week, is a much better film than the first one (The Contractor ). Although it’s slower and quieter, there is a simmering tension (sexual and otherwise) between Pine and Thandiwe Newton that ropes you in. The only real fault is that the film plays its cards too close to the vest, which made me a little lost in the plot at times. However, in doing that, it made for some small twists that I didn’t see coming. It’s a solid, mature thriller for grown-ups, even if it isn’t mind-blowing. JOSEPH I regret ever watching All the Old Knives . It is, quite possibly, the most dull film I’ve seen in years. The two leads are fine, and some of the scenes are well filmed (especially when in the restaurant); However, the story, which should be interesting, is told in such a boring manner. It has all the parts of a good film, yet it simply doesn’t hit the right notes. Prime Video has taken the mantle from Netflix as the home of bad and forgettable originals.

DON'T MESS WITH GRANDMA Starring: Michael Jai White, Jackie Richardson, Billy Zane, Miles Faber, Ess Hodlmoser, Rebecca Auerbach, Evan Stern, Emily Alatalo, and Brandon Knox Director: Jason Krawczyk This film has been reviewed by Paige, Nick, and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Fantastic Film Festival. QUENTIN As a huge fan of Michael Jai White’s Black Dynamite , as well as a somewhat ironic fan of Billy Zane, I went into Don’t Mess with Grandma hoping for a tongue-in-cheek, B-movie takedown of home invasion movies, which has become a pretty stale genre. To its credit, Grandma is exactly that; however, it’s almost too B-movie. Aside from a completely game White and Zane, the rest of the performances are rough, and the low-budget trappings and cheap veneer consistently pulled me out of the film. I didn’t hate it — in fact, I’d love to see it remade with a bigger budget — but Black Dynamite , it ain’t. NICK Every movie serves a purpose. Some are awards contenders, some VFX marvels, and some are just there to turn your mind off and have fun. Don't Mess with Grandma (aka Sunset Superman ) is just mindless dumb fun. Michael Jai White (a real life badass) gets to play a different type of tough guy, and it's a role that suits him well. There’s some rough dialogue in the early going, but as we move away from conversation and into the ridiculous mayhem, the film finds its sweet spot. It’s goofy, sure, but it kept me entertained throughout. PAIGE Unfortunately, Don’t Mess With Grandma ’s only redeeming quality is Michael Jai White’s rugged charisma. Though some may find this low-budget home invasion flick to be a comedic gem, I found it to be too ridiculously corny for its own good. The editing is jagged, and the majority of the action sequences are rough to watch. Ultimately, the film lacks the balance necessary to impress me because it mostly relies on a particular brand of humor. It’s one of those dumb albeit fun slapstick movies I’d recommend throwing on in the background when you’re doing other things.

FINGERNAILS Starring: Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White, and Annie Murphy Director: Christos Nikou NICK Not every story about love needs to be a love story, and that’s something Fingernails director Christos Nikou looks to explore. The notion of sacrificing one’s fingernail just to learn if one’s love is true is a great commentary on our need for reassurance and reliance on “the one.” Unfortunately, Nikou focuses on this with everyone except Anna (Jessie Buckley) and Ryan (Jeremy Allen White), the film’s lead relationship. The focus on these two is lacklustre, and you’re never really given a chance to invest in them, which dampens the introduction of Amir (Riz Ahmed), and in turn, his entire storyline. ADRIANO Fingernails has a great premise, but the film never lives up to it. A good chunk of the movie is fleshing out the central idea regarding this test that can calculate love, and because it spends so much time on that, the broader implications of what writer/director Christos Nikou is trying to say about the human desire to feel loved falls through the cracks. Not that this is a bad movie, as Jessie Buckley is as excellent as always and the ideas presented are good ones, but I wish it offered something more. PAIGE While Fingernails plays with an intriguing idea about the complications of love and relationships, it does it in such an introverted manner that it makes it hard to fall in love with the story. While original, this thought-provoking, lo-fi, sci-fi film, doesn’t have enough spark to stand on its own. It’s too simplistic and calm, leaving its screenplay to be the film's real heartbreak. Without the strong performances of Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, and Jeremy Allen White, Fingernails would just feel like another generic rip-off of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster . CALEB The thesis behind Fingernails seems to be that love is complicated, and, well… yeah. I feel like anyone over the age of 20 probably already knew that. We’re all aware that relationships take work, and that love isn’t easily quantifiable. These seem like very surface-level observations. It’s a shame the film is this shallow because, at least on a technical level, it’s pretty well executed. The performances are good, the cinematography is great, and the music is beautiful. You can tell a lot of hard work went into making Fingernails ; I just wish it was in service of something a little more thought provoking. This film was reviewed by Nick and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

THE FRONT ROOM Starring: Brandy, Kathryn Hunter, and Andrew Burnap Directors: Sam Eggers and Max Eggers PAIGE While the wacky antics are somewhat entertaining to witness, The Front Room 's overarching plot is an M-E-double-S mess. The direction and depth of this unexpectedly campy movie are lacking, and its commentary goes nowhere. It's not terrifying or profound in the slightest, so I'm not sure what this film is attempting to express or accomplish. The movie feels like a short story stretched to its breaking point to become a feature-length film. To be honest, its only redeeming quality is Kathryn Hunter's unforgettable performance. PRESTON With The Front Room , it’s like the directing duo of the Eggers brothers got halfway through filming and decided, “this isn’t working, let’s try going campy.” Unfortunately, neither the serious nor the campy route end up working, resulting in a movie that comes across as a goofy (but disgusting) Goosebumps -like tale that should have been told in the same short-film style format. Additionally, Kathryn Hunter plays the annoying step-mother with such adeptness that the other characters’ reactions seem muted. Everything feels so haphazard and careless that intentions seem unmet. Thankfully, the two-hour plus run-time trend is avoided, but it’s hard to tell while watching.

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE Starring: Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Connor, Kumail Nanjiani, James Acaster, Patton Oswalt, Annie Potts, Emily Alyn Lind, and William Atherton Director: Gil Kenan AMARÚ Frozen Empire is what I thought Afterlife was going to be: a just-ok, try-hard franchise revival that doesn’t recapture the magic yet isn’t a total disaster either. McKenna Grace continues to excel as the young Phoebe Spengler, with her arc carrying most of the film’s heart, but there’s a clear lack of direction. Multiple disparate storylines and tones never coalesce into a focused film. When it’s centered on Phoebe’s story, or when it chooses to lean into its horror elements, there is plenty to like; however, with so many unfulfilled moving parts, you end up with a diluted jumble of “hmm, I guess that’s alright.” NICK I was highly anticipating the Afterlife sequel until I realized Jason Reitman was no longer directing. This led to many reservations, most of which were realized as Frozen Empire is missing the magic of its predecessor. There are movies starring kids, and there are kid’s movies - this is definitely the latter, which leads to very hit-or-miss humour and a story that’s honestly a little hollow. There are good moments and some great (some, not all) effects, but again, it all feels like a children’s film. It’s far more Spy Kids than Ghostbusters , and that’s not what I came for. QUENTIN In my Afterlife review, I called it “neutered,” “vanilla,” and more Goosebumps than Ghostbusters . With Frozen Empire , director Gil Kenan seemingly read that review and said, “I’ll show you neutered and vanilla” because this thing is super bland and even more youth-skewing than its predecessor. Just so you’re clear, this is a coming-of-age movie about a young, maybe queer, teenage girl that just so happens to have some light ghostbusting in it; it's not for franchise fans. For reference: I watched it with a Ghostbusters -loving friend and his two kids (16-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl) – only the girl enjoyed it, calling it her ”new favorite movie!!” ADRIANO As a lifelong fan of Ghostbusters and lover of Afterlife , I despised Frozen Empire . Aside from a couple chuckles courtesy of Paul Rudd and the baby Stay Puft Marshmallow guys, the movie feels like it was made in a factory, resulting in a film that is way too artificial to elicit much entertainment value. It tries to juggle far too many plots at once too, and despite that, the first hour or so is mostly just set up. By the time the titular “frozen empire” comes into effect, I was too checked out. This is lifeless nostalgia-baiting at its worst. KATIE Frozen Empire is pretty much what I expected from a franchise whose existence is strictly perfunctory at this point. I like the child-friendly approach and coming-of-age themes, but there are far too many competing subplots that are underdeveloped and barely make sense. The film throws references, jokes, nostalgia, and the frequent-yet-pointless appearance of Bill Murray at the audience in a desperate attempt to entertain; however, it's convoluted to the extent of being boring. It's not particularly inspired, but it works fine as an average family-friendly film with a few laughs.

THE SURVIVOR Starring: Ben Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Vicky Krieps, John Leguizamo, and Danny DeVito Director: Barry Levinson QUENTIN Structurally speaking, The Survivor is a mess. The non-linear storytelling throws the pacing and narrative momentum way off, while the third act feels like it was added from an entirely different movie. The echoes of Schindler’s List don’t make it a pleasant watch either, even as it sprinkles in some uplifting elements too. The film is just really disjointed, all around. That said, the perpetually underrated Ben Foster gives an excellent performance, maybe the best of his career, as both the emaciated Auschwitz prisoner and beefy professional boxer that was Harry Haft (complete with a Raging Bull -esque physical transformation). He deserves some recognition. JOSEPH We rarely see the lives of Holocaust survivors on film, but The Survivor changes that. In an Oscar-worthy performance, Ben Foster portrays real-life survivor Harry Haft through multiple decades of his life. The horrors experienced by Haft are shot in black & white and give context to his post-Holocaust struggles in the United States. He’s a broken man, suffering from PTSD and unable to truly speak about it or move forward. The film can feel a bit long, but I think the back-and-forth between time periods helped maintain my interest. It’s a heavy film that hopefully will not be forgotten come awards season.