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HONEY DON'T Starring: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Day, and Chris Evans Director: Ethan Coen ADRIANO In director/co-writer Ethan Coen's second lesbian crime B-movie, he might have lost the plot entirely. Despite a well-rounded and committed cast, Honey Don't! flip-flops through plot points, starting something interesting before pivoting to something else entirely, sometimes with little to no payoff, all in service of gags. In theory, this isn't an issue; it is a comedy after all. The problem? The gags are rarely ever funny. And as good as it looks, it's stylistically flat, especially compared to Drive-Away Dolls , making a film so forgettable that you can't help but hope Ethan will reunite with his brother soon. NICK Honey Don’t! is a step down from Drive Away Dolls in every way. While Margaret Qualley is fine as the lead, the story she’s given is a mess. The longer the film went, the more it became a parade of plot threads being introduced while others were dropped without justification. Even fleshed out ideas featured nonsensical and questionable character motivations or silly twists. It’s as if Ethan Coen and Trisha Cooke would write an idea, only to become distracted and abandon it. After this unfocused effort, I’m about done with this trilogy and ready for Ethan to find his way back to his brother Joel. PAIGE Honey Don't! is a pulpy, dry attempt at a comedic detective movie that is not only extremely dull but also quite a mess. It’s lacking that typical (Ethan) Coen-aesthetic we’re used to getting on the big screen, which is usually paired with sharp writing and character depth. Don’t get me wrong, the ensemble is great, really doing the best they can with what they are given. However, unfortunately, they just aren’t given much because the script is filled with blatant plot holes while lacking any sort of direction. Honestly, Honey Don’t! is a prime example of why the Coen Brothers need to reconnect and make another movie together.

DEATH ON THE NILE Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, and Letitia Wright Director: Kenneth Branagh AMARÚ I love a good murder mystery. The intrigue, the twists, the style… and Death on the Nile has it all in spades. It’s salaciously decadent and melodramatic, living up to the spectacle of author Agatha Christie’s words. Kenneth Branagh is more subdued than his previous stint as Hercule Poirot and further cements his absolute control of the character and the direction. Taking longer to get into the mystery than most whodunits, Nile ’s second half is made more suspenseful because we live longer with the ensemble’s deliciously indulgent performances (Russell Brand is a standout). An early surprise of the year candidate. QUENTIN Death on the Nile is fine, but it isn’t anything special. In fact, it’s pretty much the same movie as Murder on the Orient Express : an old-fashioned murder mystery built on a capable (if unremarkable) cast and exceptional production design. However, it’s held back by a sluggish start (the eponymous death doesn’t happen until an hour into the movie), lazily done exposition, and a general lack of forward momentum. It just kind of moseys along like an old man walking laps at the mall. That said, if you enjoyed Orient Express , you’ll likely enjoy this too.

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD Starring: Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Vincent Muller, Kevin Durand, and Will Sasso Director: Eli Craig KATIE Clown in a Cornfield is a slasher film I would recommend to those who don’t like slashers. From the outset, it self-consciously employs tropes in an effort to take a modern approach to the genre, with satisfying and creative kills that don’t indulge in the exploitative gendered violence common of its predecessors. The performances are great, striking a balance between seriousness and B-movie excess, and I laughed out loud more than a few times. However, the mystery surrounding the clown is obvious early on, and it needlessly over-explains itself in the final act. BODE Director Eli Craig made a name for himself over a decade ago with Tucker & Dale vs. Evil , a loving parody that took many clichés associated with horror and twisted them on their head, providing plenty of laughs and gore in the process. Clown in a Cornfield sees Craig taking a somewhat more serious (but still self-aware) approach, and though it never really elevates itself beyond its YA trappings (especially in its generational commentary) or its televisual lensing, it’s still a fun enough slasher that delivers what it promises: a clown, a big cornfield and some old-fashioned bloody mayhem. NICK I will give Clown in a Cornfield credit for trying something outside the box because this isn’t your typical slasher. That doesn’t mean it's good, though. Yes, it’s filled with forgettable performances and pedestrian kills, but the biggest sin is the way the premise is fumbled. What could have been a fun meta angle just turns into a campy adaptation of The Boy Who Cried Wolf . Even with that direction, however, there was still a chance to salvage it if only Frendo had an Art the Clown aura, but it’s not even close. Just another forgettable antagonist in another forgettable horror film. ROBERT I appreciate the newfound recognition that B-level actors have regarding the worthiness of starring in or contributing to a fun horror experience like Clown in a Cornfield . It checks all the boxes: clowns, murder, cornfields. But beyond that, it is easy and breezy enough to stay inoffensive. It is super tropey and some of the best jokes are spoiled in the trailer, but if you rode for Thanksgiving , you will find value in this effort. Just remember, the real villain isn’t the homicidal clown, but high fructose corn syrup.

STEVE Starring: Cillian Murphy, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, Tracey Ullman, Emily Watson, Joshua J Parker, Youssef Kerkour, Tut Nyuot, and Luke Ayres Director: Tim Mielants KATIE Steve is a moving and emotionally intense drama that’s driven by an incredible performance from Cillian Murphy as the titular Steve. Murphy embodies stress and inner turmoil unlike any other actor I’ve ever seen, and every fibre of his being is heavy with anxiety and troubled tension. The young cast is also outstanding, especially Jay Lycurgo. Although it's set in the mid-1990s, it feels remarkably relevant today, speaking to the insurmountable pressure that teaching staff as a whole face across the UK. Steve is heartbreaking and bleak, but ends on a mercifully hopeful note. ROBERT A follow-up from a career-defining performance like Oppenheimer can be tricky, but Cillian Murphy is navigating it well with Tim Mielants-directed period dramas, the latest being Steve . Everything is propulsively charged in this in-depth look at one chaotic day in a troubled male school, mostly because the young men are fighting against their mental deficiencies and their bellicose attitudes. The teachers, like Murphy’s Steve and Tracey Ullman’s Amanda (who is a revelation in this) are trying to balance being mentors and prison guards, and their push-and-pull shows how much they care amidst troubling circumstances. Netflix excels in this English-based drama.

UNCHARTED Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Sophia Ali, and Tati Gabrielle Director: Ruben Fleischer AMARÚ The makeup of Uncharted is as follows: cue the lost family member storyline from Tomb Raider , add history lessons that would fit right into National Treasure , and top it off with Mark Wahlberg plucking quips straight out of The Italian Job . The filmmakers tried banking on the chemistry between Wahlberg and Tom Holland, but it falls flat when the entire movie is a collection of poorly edited scenes jumbled together from other movies. Meanwhile, you're left wondering if Holland is actually playing Nathan Drake or Peter Parker. In the end, I’m more interested in seeing how many reviews mention Nathan Fillion. QUENTIN Uncharted is not a great movie, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a bit of fun to be had. You’ve certainly seen this movie before, as it plays out like Tomb Raider’s Last Crusade for The Goonies’ National Treasure . That said, if you like treasure hunt movies (which I do), this one will scratch the itch well enough despite action sequences that lack suspense and the barely there chemistry between Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg that causes all the witty banter to fall flat. Again though, I didn’t hate it, and I’ll probably even watch the inevitable sequel.

BACK TO BLACK Starring: Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan, and Lesley Manville Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson ADRIANO I could complain about another musical biopic following the tropes of the genre, but Back to Black sticks out amongst the crowd because it’s so appallingly disrespectful while also being formulaic. The movie just puppeteers Amy Winehouse's (Marisa Abela) story as a means of judgment while zooming through her musical and personal accomplishments at lightning speed. I'm aware of Winehouse's personal struggles, but for a film that claims it’s about Winehouse's music, it's very uninterested in that. Just two hours of addiction porn with no respect for the subject. Watch the documentary Amy instead. CALEB It’s ridiculous that Back to Black has the gall to criticize the paparazzi, considering it spends the majority of its runtime hypocritically obsessing over Amy Winehouse’s (Marisa Abela) love life and addiction problems. The film is essentially a multi-million-dollar adaptation of a tabloid you'd find at Walmart. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson seemingly has no interest in Winehouse’s creative process, as the film sprints through the creation of her albums to focus on her trauma. Amy Winehouse deserves to be remembered for her success, yet Back to Black decides to highlight her failures. It’s a tasteless, formulaic, exploitative film that disrespects an amazing artist. PRESTON Back to Black’s director Sam Taylor-Johnson is able to successfully capture Amy Winehouse’s tragic story while showing restraint by not over-sensationalizing, which brings realism to this musical biopic. Unfortunately, countering complete lack of restraint with intermittent full-length song interruptions make for a plotline that is disjointed at best, and makes the film more of a slog than it should be. Marisa Abela (Amy Winehouse) mimics Winehouse’s voice almost perfectly, but its constant highlighting takes us out of the story we've come to hear. Decent movie, but will I watch it again? I say, “No, no, no!”

THE RULE OF JENNY PEN Starring: John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, Nathaniel Lees, and George Henare Director: James Ashcroft NICK During festival season last year, I'd heard really positive things about The Rule of Jenny Pen , especially regarding the performances of Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow, so I was eager to check it out. The word on the performances was justified as Lithgow, in particular, gives an unhinged and menacing performance. The rest of the film, however, is rather messy. While the performances caught me at first, it soon became glaring how hollow the story they're in is, which made the runtime feel far longer than it actually is. There’s certainly moments that stick out, but not the film as a whole. PAIGE While it's easy to obsess over John Lithgow's masterfully sinister character that terrorizes his fellow residents, director James Ashcroft offers a societal critique on nursing homes that is unexpectedly nuanced and impactful. Not only does Lithgow’s character in The Rule of Jenny Pen evoke a great deal of fear and anxiety, but so does the ease with which the care staff overlook the issues going on throughout the film. There may be a lot of unanswered questions and some pacing issues towards the end, but one thing is for sure: this movie will have you terrified of ever getting admitted into a nursing home. QUENTIN Despite terrific performances from screen legends Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow, The Rule of Jenny Pen isn't a movie worth going out of your way to find. Themes of elder abuse and the inevitability of getting old are notionally explored, but not with enough weight to make them meaningful. On top of that, the pacing is extremely repetitive and sluggish, resulting in a movie that feels much longer than it actually is, which is especially exacerbated by the thin and messy story. Still, Lithgow clearly relished the opportunity to act completely deranged because he goes for broke, so it’s not a total loss.

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Starring: Daniel Brühl, Felix Kammerer, Sebastian Hülk, Albrecht Schuch, Edin Hasanovic, Anton von Lucke, Devid Striesow, Joe Weintraub, Luc Feit, and Michael Wittenborn Director: Edward Berger ADRIANO All Quiet on the Western Front is a magnificent sight to behold. While its story isn’t anything groundbreaking (but certainly not bad), the film’s technical feats are truly astounding. Thanks to the marvelous direction of Edward Berger, combat has rarely felt this brutal and horrifying on the big screen. The exquisite sound work is much more unique than just gunfire, the score is absolutely wicked, and the cinematography is beyond impressive in the way he shoots both the war scenes and casual banter in the trenches. I genuinely have no notes. JACOB There are no victories, no conquests, and no glory to be found in All Quiet on the Western Front , only the terror and horrifying violence of WWI as seen through the eyes of shaken boys who are not yet adults. Director Edward Berger helms each moment of the Netflix remake with the same polish and engagement possessed by 1917 , the film’s most obvious comparative peer, but in his craft lies a much starker reality. While the battle sequences are brilliantly executed…and there are some genuinely impressive one-shots…it’s the film’s somber tone that truly gives it an edge. QUENTIN All Quiet on the Western Front is among the most visceral, immersive, and beautifully shot war films I’ve ever seen. It is unrelenting and a must-watch for all fans of the genre. However, I said similar things about 1917 in 2019 and Dunkirk in 2017. So, while I stand by those statements for each movie in a vacuum, given the back-to-back-to-back nature of their releases, they all run together in a numbing cacophony that gruffly growls “war is hell.” While I’m not denying that to be true, the message is getting diminishing returns, which, perhaps unfairly, takes All Quiet down a notch. I’ve just had enough. This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

THE ZONE OF INTEREST Starring: Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, Medusa Knopf, Daniel Holzberg, Sascha Maaz, Max Beck, Wolfgang Lampl, Johann Karthaus, and Ralph Herforth Director: Jonathan Glazer ADRIANO The Zone of Interest is a haunting portrait of the Holocaust that will stay with any audience member willing to take the journey. Writer/director Jonathan Glazer presents an analysis of evil, and how some of the most atrocious human beings can look so normal. While the film revels in the mundane to an uncomfortable degree, Glazer is not afraid to get experimental on us, presenting the audience a challenging way to view humanity in all its ugliness. I left this movie feeling disturbed and angry, yet awestruck at the brave approach to this subject matter. PAIGE While The Zone of Interest is well-crafted, I can’t help but feel cold and disengaged from it. Mica Levi’s haunting and chilling score does create a unique atmosphere, but it’s writer/director Jonathan Glazer’s direction that didn’t have me emotionally invested in whatever story this film is trying to tell. The movie lacks narrative momentum because it feels like two films are happening at once: one you see and one you hear. If those two stories were combined together more gracefully, this slow burn Nazi drama could’ve had more weight to it. This film was reviewed by Adriano and Paige as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2023 New York Film Festival, respectively.

RIDDLE OF FIRE Starring: Charlie Stover, Phoebe Ferro, Skyler Peters, Lorelei Mote, Lio Tipton, Charles Halford, Danielle Hoetmer, and Weston Razooli Director: Weston Razooli NICK Shot on gorgeous 16mm film, Riddle of Fire has a vintage look to it that really enhances the picture. A modern day fairy-tale, this is an exploration of a child’s imagination and that time in our lives where anything could become an adventure. The humour is on point – Skyler Peters (Jodie), in particular, embraces his Kids Say the Darndest Things vibe – and it’s easy to get swept into the children’s mischievous ways. Riddle of Fire is bound to fly under the radar, but it makes for a fun watch and harkens back to 80s films like The NeverEnding Story . It’s just a good time. KATIE I really enjoyed Riddle of Fire , a dreamy, modern fairytale story that feels like a hazy summer day with enough whimsy and charming performances from the young cast to make up for its overlong runtime. The nostalgia-driven aesthetic and naturalistic performances feel like authentic portrays of how children actually talk to each other, capturing the youthful innocence and uninhibited imagination of early childhood. Just watching the children interact is heartening, and it reminded me of the conscious amateurism of children in Wes Anderson’s films. Although it could benefit from some tighter editing, Riddle of Fire is an undeniably endearing film. AMARÚ One thing I can say about Riddle of Fire is that at least everyone is engaged. The four young leads (Phoebe Ferro, Charlie Stover, Lorelei Mote, and especially Skyler Peters) are a mischievous, yet charming ragtag gang that keeps you invested in the fairy tale. And that investment is truly needed to get past the random dialogue, amateur storytelling, and community theater acting. It’s tonally reminiscent of late 80s children’s adventure fantasies, made with the same whimsy, but nowhere near the professional production. There’s just enough of the former to get through it… if you have the patience for its low-budget quality. PAIGE In spite of its shortcomings, Riddle of Fire remains entertaining to watch, paying homage to throwback children’s adventure films while still creating a mood all its own. This movie does a great job of capturing the freedom and innocence of youth, not to mention the fact that director Weston Razooli shot this on 16mm, giving the movie a timeless feel and demonstrating his ambition and inventiveness alongside the likes of Wes Anderson. Granted, the pacing of this charming odyssey is a wee bit off, it’s still worth watching. This film was reviewed by Nick as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

SELF DRIVER Starring: Nathanael Chadwick, Catt Filippov, Reece Presley and Lauren Welchner Director: Michael Pierro This film has been reviewed by Nick and Paige as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival. PAIGE Despite its low budget, Self Driver stands out somewhat because most of the film is primarily shot in the interior of a car, making it an unexpectedly tense film that is reminiscent of Collateral ’s style and tone. The saying "desperate times call for desperate measures” fits rather well here as insanity breaks loose, leaving the film to paint a bare picture of being a modern-day taxi driver and all the dehumanizing that can come with that. Ultimately, I'm interested to see what writer/director Michael Pierro does next because Self Driver is a promising beginning. NICK The award for best film shot entirely in a car still goes to 2013's Locke , but director Michael Pierro should be proud of what he was able to do on a miniscule budget. This examination of what we’re willing to do at the end of our rope will hit close to home for anyone who has ever wondered how far they'd go to get out of their despair. Thematically, it works quite well. Beyond that, the film failed to grip me. I struggled to connect with the story (and I'm not far removed from the aforementioned hard times), but I hope others feel different.

HERE Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, and Kelly Reilly Director: Robert Zemeckis NICK To call Robert Zemeckis' latest "ambitious" would be an understatement. Spanning centuries, Here is a unique stage play that could never be made on stage due to its effects and necessary budget. Unfortunately, maybe it shouldn't have been made for the screen either, as the technology required to pull this off just doesn't exist yet — something the finished product magnifies. Uneven visual effects aside, the story is inoffensive yet emotionally cold. This should have pulled at my heartstrings, but a mix of lackluster performances and distorted visuals create a disconnect that may actually be the greatest flaw of this notably flawed feature. ADRIANO Director Robert Zemeckis seems to be continuing his downward spiral with Here . As an experiment where he tells a story through time with a static camera angle, it is a failure. The technology just isn't there, from the wonky de-aging to the baffling transition choices, to the fact that the movie just looks so visually off-putting the whole time. On top of that, the story also is a big miss. While mostly inoffensive, the movie constantly shifts through non-linear moments that feel like non-sequiturs that remove any emotional impact from the main storyline. All in all, Here didn't anger me, but it's a huge misfire.