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DAYDREAMERS Starring: Tran Ngoc Vang, Thuan Nguyen, Chi Pu, and Trinh Thao Director: Timothy Linh Bui KATIE Daydreamers is a refreshingly bold, stylish take on the vampire genre. It uses the loneliness and angst of vampirism to explore the protagonist Nhat’s (Trang Ngoc Vang) struggle to find a sense of belonging and freedom, blending rural aesthetics with the urban neon-lit city. The CGI effects are the film's weakest aspect, but that doesn’t overshadow the stylish cinematography, vibrant colours, gorgeous lighting, and fantastic performances. At times, it almost looks like a pastiche of 1960s technicolour melodrama. I don’t think I’ve seen any Vietnamese films, but Daydreamers has inspired me to seek them out. NICK Although Daydreamers isn’t going to be the vampire film people are most talking about this month, it’s not without its charms. The biggest charm being the vibrancy of the dynamic colour palette, which really gives the film a style that stands out. Besides its appearance, however, there’s just not much here. The effects are subpar while the story (though conceptually interesting) struggles to stay engaging. The latter especially is a shame because it's a take on vampires we haven’t really seen before. Unfortunately, the poor story structure, as well as the dialogue heavy subtitles, hindered my ability to fully get sucked into this world.

SCARED SHITLESS Starring: Steven Ogg, Daniel Doheny, Chelsea Clark, Mark McKinney, Marcia Bennett, and Julian Richings Director: Vivieno Caldinelli QUENTIN When you have a movie about a plumber saving people from a genetically engineered, blood-thirsty creature that is living in a building’s plumbing system — and it has a puntastic title like Scared Shitless — you have a certain expectation. Thankfully, director Vivieno Caldinelli and the entire cast, but especially Steven Ogg, understood the assignment. This is a hilarious and bonkers throwback to 80s movies like Critters , but it’s done so skillfully that it belies its apparent Midnight Madness, B-movie inspirations. Full disclosure: I saw a 10:45pm showing of Scared Shitless after more than a few beers, and for maximum fun, I highly recommend you do the same. ROBERT I think the elevator pitch for Scared Shitless is obvious: Tremors on the toilet. You must respect a movie that imbues such 80s, B-monster movie energy into its DNA and gives credit to the tradesmen of the world by making our heroes plumbers. I have only ever seen Steven Ogg play a crazed side character whose alignment always skews evil, so to see him headline a movie as the protagonist was a welcome change of pace too. There isn’t a second wasted in Shitless ’ 76-minute runtime, resulting in a nostalgia trip that never defecates on itself in its execution. KATIE With a title like Scared Shitless , you go in with your expectations adjusted for silly, bloody, B-movie fun, and thankfully, the film does exactly what it says on the tin. The cast is great, and Steven Ogg is hilarious playing the role of the passionate plumber Don. I sometimes struggle with gross humour, but I found it genuinely funny here, and the over-the-top, gory practical effects are ridiculously entertaining. However, the concept only has so much momentum, and even at a short 76-minute runtime, it becomes slightly tedious towards the end. But, overall, I had a surprisingly good time.

HEIST 88 Starring: Courtney B. Vance, Nican Robinson, Bentley Green, Xavier Clyde, Precious Way, Keith David, and Keesha Sharp Director: Menhaj Huda AMARÚ With a great lead, an interesting story, and a heist to pull off, your film should be close to impossible to fumble. However, as suave and talented as Courtney B. Vance is, there isn’t enough cool to cover Heist 88 ’s amateur nature. It looks and sounds like a straight-to-video MTV production (which, incidentally, it is). Bad editing, cringeworthy dialogue, and noticeable ADR voice overs stain the few instances when the cast attempts to elevate what they’re given. But when they mess up Nican ROBINSON’s name in the opening credits, the clear lack of budget and oversight sadly make this a really hard watch. QUENTIN Even for a person who is incredibly generous when it comes to heist movies, not to mention a fan of Courtney B. Vance, Heist 88 is a complete misfire on nearly every level. I mean, this thing feels like a half-hearted television pilot for network TV that wasn’t picked up, so director Menhaj Huda figured he’d just do reshoots to make it an 84-minute movie, salvaging his time and effort. It looks incredibly cheap, the editing is clunky, and dialogue is rough. Try as he might…and he definitely tries…Vance can’t save this outright disaster.

MAGAZINE DREAMS Starring: Jonathan Majors, Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, Michael O’Hearn, Harrison Page, Harriet Sansom Harris Director: Elijah Bynum ADRIANO Magazine Dreams accomplishes its goal of telling the story of a man pushing himself to the edge of his sanity, yet I’m still mixed on the end result. It’s worth watching for Jonathan Majors’ performance alone because he is impossible to look away from as he gets closer to the edge. Plus, it’s shot well and the tone is both entertaining and uncomfortable. But a lot of the choices, particularly towards the end, don’t feel earned. I don’t think Majors’ character is fleshed out enough to justify many of his actions, and I just wound up being confused. AMARÚ There are movies that put a heartbreakingly pensive mirror up to obsession, mental illness, and the pursuit of perfection; then there is Magazine Dreams . Elijah Bynum’s direction is intense and greatly focused, but the story he wrote comes off as plain mean. Jonathan Majors’ portrayal of bodybuilder Killian borders on outright cruelty with how deeply he dives into the traumatized physical and mental psyche of his broken character. Throughout the film, he hate-watches videos and hate-reads comments about himself, which seems to be the point of Dreams . Instead of a cautionary tale, it’s a practice in self-mutilation, and for me, it’s too much. PAIGE Time to separate the art from the artist. I’d be lying if I didn’t say Jonathan Majors delivers a powerhouse performance in director Elijah Bynum's second feature; a beautifully shot, dark, and unsettling character study. Magazine Dreams provides a horrifying glimpse at toxic masculinity in the world of bodybuilding, and the negative effects that striving for perfection can have on one's mental health. Having said that, it’s a hard watch from start to finish, not because of its subject matter, but due to its uneven script. The film's inconsistent narrative caused it to drag, and by the end it became too tense for its own good. BRYAN Jonathan Majors disappears, emotionally and physically, as a troubled wannabe bodybuilder in Magazine Dreams , showcasing his best performance yet. Without him, the film would have just been a run-of-the-mill psychological character study, akin to Taxi Driver or Joker . Despite the similarities to those films, this manages to still be a fascinating watch, however. The terror and uncomfortableness are present from start to finish, containing a heartbreaking dive into trauma and mental illness. With all the promise in the first two acts, it does dwindle massively in the third act, which kept it from fully sticking the landing. This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

EVIL DEAD RISE Starring: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, Nell Fisher, and Anna-Maree Thomas Director: Lee Cronin NICK Although I enjoyed the darker turn of 2013’s Evil Dead , this iteration feels much more in line with Sam Raimi’s vision. There’s a nice mix of horror and levity, and it’s all tied together with some seriously bloody kills. The story itself may be fairly basic, but director Lee Cronin makes the most of it with some creative decisions (ex: shooting scenes through the apartment peephole). It’s not overcomplicated, just a fun horror film to watch in a dark room. Most importantly, though there are callbacks to the franchise’s earlier efforts, it stands alone, making it accessible even to those uninitiated to the Evil Dead universe. ADRIANO I’m a fan of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise, and while Evil Dead Rise has the vibe of a basic supernatural horror, the commitment to the mayhem elevates it to an unadulterated delight. Director Lee Cronin mixes in Raimi’s style of camp, but in smaller portions, so it feels like a personal touch rather than a 90-minute homage. I have a high tolerance for gore, but this movie is so gnarly that there were moments when I had to turn away. I kinda wish the family stuff was better, but I still had a disturbingly good time. JACOB As a relative newcomer to the Evil Dead franchise, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Evil Dead Rise , but the more I sit with the film in my mind, the more I’d like to take the ride again. Noticeably imperfect but oh-so-in-tune with the spirit of the material, the film’s ultra-gory, low-camp style is perfect for a 90-minute slasher with some truly brutal sequences (an elevator scene stands out especially). I won’t say I loved it, but I had a damn good time, and if for nothing else, Lily Sullivan’s performance is a reason to go again.

NIGHT SWIM Starring: Kerry Condon, Wyatt Russell, Amélie Hoeferle, Nancy Lenehan, Gavin Warren, Jodi Long, Eddie Martinez, Elijah Roberts, and Ayazhan Dalabayeva Director: Bryce McGuire NICK Although the Night Swim trailer didn’t inspire confidence, I went into it with an open mind. I wasn’t expecting much, just a fun bit of spooky storytelling to waste 98 minutes on. What I got, however, was neither fun nor spooky. It’s been a while since a film has irked me as much as this one due to its gaps in logic (both big and small) and its inability to create any tension whatsoever. Aside from myself and my audience getting some laughs at the expense of the film, the only thing Night Swim made me feel was bored. A legitimate early contender for Worst of 2024. CALEB I was hoping Night Swim would be another 'fun-bad' horror movie like M3GAN (2023). Unfortunately, it isn’t fun at all, but it certainly is bad. For a story about a haunted swimming pool, the script takes itself far too seriously. The result is a maddeningly dull horror flick, devoid of any interesting concepts or exciting sequences. The effects are mediocre, the cinematography is flat, and the blatant lack of style is borderline insulting. Maybe if it took a few risks, it could’ve been fun, but Night Swim seems content playing in the shallow end where it’s safe… and boring. PRESTON Watching Night Swim can be equated to something excruciatingly mundane…going to the grocery store, perhaps? There are some moments of complete absurdity and mild perturbances, but it’s otherwise filled with the most unremarkable circumstances. I don’t know what it is about Blumhouse Productions’ films that make them solidly entertaining OR a complete trashcan fire, but this most recent release definitely falls into the latter category. If you are a fan of B-horror movies (even when they aren’t intentionally that way), you might get a kick out of watching when it hits streaming, but for everyone else…be forewarned. KATIE My expectations for Night Swim were not high, but I was hoping for some trashy, so-bad-its-good fun. Unfortunately, instead of leaning into the absurdity of the premise, it takes itself far too seriously, and is dull as a result. It is simply not scary in the slightest, struggling to maintain any sense of tension, and despite its relatively short run-time, it still feels too long, especially as the final act is drowning in clumsy exposition. The only redeeming aspect of the film is Kerry Condon, who gives the best performance she can in spite of the script and ridiculous plot.

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER Starring: Corey Hawkins, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Chris Walley, Jon Jon Briones, Stefan Kapicic, Aisling Franciosi, Woody Norman, Martin Furulund, Nikolai Nikolaeff, and Javier Botet Director: André Øvredal JACOB For a film set almost entirely on the water, it’s a disheartening thing to witness just how dry The Last Voyage of the Demeter actually is in nearly every respect. Apart from some neat creature prosthetics (which are seldom seen) and a so-so action sequence (which lasts all of one minute), the film is essentially two hours of waiting for something interesting to happen, only to cut to the next scene every time something does. The bones of a solid creature feature are there; there’s just no meat on them. Even the largely solid cast can’t overcome bad pacing. PRESTON With The Last Voyage of the Demeter , I felt like I was also on an excruciatingly long and uncomfortable voyage across the vast sea expanse of a cherry-picked Bram Stoker excerpt, whose primary merit is that it substitutes itself perfectly in this particular trope. The dialogue is strained while the storytelling flip-flops between the protagonist’s search for meaning and a confusing epistolary narration that only adds to the inconsistency felt from beginning to thankful end. The haphazard attempts at character development simply fail, and I found myself rooting for the “demon,” if only to get closer to the journey’s conclusion. QUENTIN While The Last Voyage of Demeter isn’t a must see, I’m not as down on it as my cohorts. Sure, it drags at times, which is to be expected when a single book chapter is stretched out to fill a 119-minute movie, but it does decently well in maintaining an atmosphere of dread and foreboding throughout. This is mostly thanks to director André Øvredal’s use of light and shadows to successfully build upon the notion that the scariest thing is the thing you can’t see. Don’t read into this as a comparison of quality, but it’s kinda like Alien on a Victorian-era merchant ship. ADRIANO The Last Voyage of the Demeter squanders so much potential that it’s borderline tragic. A horror movie about Dracula (Javier Botet) massacring folks on a boat? Sounds like a blast, right? Well, unfortunately, director André Øvredal made the idea just way too bland to enjoy. Its talented cast is mostly wasted, and the scares rely less on tension and more on Dracula jumping at the screen, hoping to God that counts as scary. And above all, I was just bored, which is the last thing I should have been for this movie. A fun idea that never once sets sail. CALEB As a fan of André Øvredal’s direction, I had high hopes for The Last Voyage of the Demeter . I love the idea of Dracula (Javier Botet) massacring sailors, but I can’t deny how bored I felt throughout most of its runtime. The one-note characters keep the film from having any stakes, which isn’t great when you’re dealing with a vampire. Dracula’s skeletal design was spooky, but poorly lit cinematography, quick cutting, and muddy effects really takes the wind out of his sails. I was hoping to give Demeter the benefit of the doubt, but I just couldn’t sink my teeth into this one.

VENOM: THE LAST DANCE Starring: Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Clark Backo, Alanna Ubach, and Andy Serkis Director: Kelly Marcel AMARÚ The Last Dance might be the best of the Venom trilogy, as easy as that is, but it’s still a predictably stupid, exposition-filled, macguffin-heavy, surface-level movie. Yet, even with all that…and I can’t believe I’m saying this…I kinda enjoyed it. The new cast members cared about their stereotypical roles (especially an always invested Chiwetel Ejiofor), there’s only one irredeemably dumb scene whereas the remaining silliness has some heart, and the action is surprisingly intense. Enough so, that even with its weirdly flat ending, I found the fun Tom Hardy seems to really have in making these films. ADRIANO While I was never a fan of the Venom movies, The Last Dance is a new low. The previous two films had an (almost) entertaining self-awareness, but aside from some silly bits from time to time, this movie takes itself bizarrely seriously. It tries to deepen the relationship of its central characters, but it falls flat with sloppy action and an exceptionally large amount of exposition. And the ending is laughably bad. You can say I don't know how to have fun all you want, but this is yet another soulless 2024 comic book movie that wound up a disaster. QUENTIN Objectively speaking, as a superhero movie, The Last Dance isn’t great. It’s bogged down with an absurd amount of exposition, plot holes you could drive a truck through, an in-name-only and mostly faceless villain, generic end-of-the-world stakes, and a CGI-laden finale that is so poorly done that it’s hard to see what is even happening. All that said, I would watch Venom and Eddie (Tom Hardy) bicker and banter for 10 more movies. Their dynamic makes for a delightful bromantic comedy, and I genuinely laughed out loud more watching this than I have at most every other comedy this year. It’s the definition of dumb fun.

SEVEN VEILS Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Douglas Smith, Vinessa Antoine, Rebecca Liddiard, Ambur Braid, Michael Kupfer-Radecky, Mark O’Brien, and Lynne Griffin Director: Atom Egoyan NICK As a last-minute addition to my TIFF schedule this year, I was not expecting Seven Veils to floor me like it did. The way director Atom Egoyan explores trauma by using parallels between life and the remounting of Salome is sensational, and it’s all held together by a fantastic performance from Amanda Seyfried. Egoyan takes you through the inner workings of the opera, with a focus on everything from the cast to the props designer, and manages to make it all gripping in what must be viewed as his career highlight. A true triumph across the board. KATIE I found it difficult to decipher the point of Seven Veils. Admittedly, I was unfamiliar with the opera Salome before watching, which may have contributed to my confusion, but I was still left struggling to decipher the uneven tone and various dramatic subplots. The film throws up some contentious issues without properly addressing them, including ambivalent attitudes towards intimacy co-ordinators, which were tough to understand alongside the themes of childhood trauma and inappropriate relationships. Nonetheless, Amanda Seyfried’s controlled performance is fantastic, and she was the only character I cared about, especially as she made the oddly unnatural dialogue emotionally engaging. This film was reviewed by Nick as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

EDEN Starring: Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, Jude Law, Daniel Brühl, Felix Kammerer, Toby Wallace, and Richard Roxburgh Director: Ron Howard NICK The true story of Eden takes a little while to get going, but once it does (coincidentally once Ana de Armas shows up?), it settles into quite an engaging picture. The film isn’t what you’d expect from director Ron Howard, but that’s part of its intrigue. The cast (again, highlighted by de Armas) understands their assignments, preventing the material from becoming too campy. There are laughs (I’d have liked a touch more comedy, though), but they’re well balanced in a story about humanity and survival. I, for one, would welcome Howard going this direction more often. ADRIANO As low a bar as it may be, Eden is director Ron Howard's best effort in a while. Granted, it's visually very bland, and it starts off pretty thin and uninteresting; however, once Ana de Armas kicks down the door with her new energy and show-stealing performance, the movie kicks into a much different gear. While still not excellent, the movie becomes an eye-opening rush of adrenaline that keeps upping the ante with its thrilling exploration of human nature and how ugly it can be when ego takes over. I wasn't expecting to be into it, yet I was. QUENTIN Eden — Ron Howard’s darkest film since 2003’s The Missing — struggles to maintain its early momentum once the main pieces are in place. By no means is that the ensemble’s fault, as each performer is operating at the top of their game. It’s the characters that are the problem. Through the skillful examination of human nature in the face of ego, power, jealousy, and entitlement, the entire cast embodies the despicable real-life people they are portraying so well that it’s near impossible to root for any of them. Since the audience has no “in,” it’s hard to be fully invested despite the story having inherent tension-building elements. This film was reviewed by Nick and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

FIRESTARTER Starring: Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Zac Efron, Gloria Reuben, and Kurtwood Smith Director: Keith Thomas PAIGE What’s the saying, “if you play with fire, you’ll get burned?” For the remake of Firestarter , that statement is very much true. It has no spark of life or purpose, failing to rise to even its moderate potential. The film needs more plot to give us just a sliver of an emotional connection to its characters, and don’t get me started on how poor the fire visual effects are. The only thrilling thing about this flick is John Carpenter's score, but not even that could save this movie from the flames. JACOB Despite an intriguing premise, Firestarter can’t be bothered to follow through on a single idea it presents across its 94-minute runtime. Each time the film finds a new direction to follow, it abruptly shifts in tone and cadence, trying to be everything but committing to nothing. Is it a superhero movie? A domestic thriller? A horror film? These questions are never answered, and poor Zac Efron can’t seem to catch a break as his tentpole hopes are once again dashed. Inconsistent characterizations and vague gestures at genre commitment can’t save something this underdeveloped.

WILL & HARPER Starring: Will Ferrell and Harper Steele Director: Josh Greenbaum ADRIANO Will & Harpe r is the best Will Ferrell comedy I've seen in some time, featuring the laugh-out-loud moments that have been missing in the comedian’s most recent outings. Will & Harper is much more than laughter, though. For a documentary, the movie is very cinematic, and the core friendship at the heart of the film will make anyone smile. With its mature discussions and examination of post-transition life, this is a road movie that could be seen as necessary viewing. You'll laugh a lot, but when all is said and done, you may even cry. KATIE Will & Harper is a hopeful film highlighting the importance of approaching unfamiliar situations with open-mindedness and understanding. The documentary doesn’t try to convince the viewer to align with a particular viewpoint, with the focus remaining on the heartwarming friendship between Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, as well as Steele's personal experiences. In this sense, Will & Harper is free of the pressures that the media places on a lot of transgender people, who are expected to act as representatives for their entire community, which allows space for Ferrell to ask awkward questions and make mistakes as he reacquaints himself with Harper. QUENTIN Will & Harper is a charming road-trip documentary that explores friendship, acceptance, and the adjustment period that inherently occurs after a person transitions, both for the one making the transition and the people around them. For some, particularly those who have never been exposed to a trans person, this almost should be considered necessary viewing as it gets to the humanity of the situation. On the other hand, for a person like me, who has several close LGBTQ+ friends (including some who have transitioned), I’ve had many of the conversations depicted in the film, which results in a movie that is touching but not exactly enlightening. This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.