Dir - Marjane Satrapi
Overall: GOOD
A black comedy with a command, layered performance from the usual one trick pony Ryan Reynolds, The Voices serves as the first exclusively English speaking film from French-Iranian director Marjane Satrapi. The sought after script by Michael R. Perry had been floating around on the Black List for a few years before it went into production, initially having Mark Romanek behind the lens and Ben Stiller in the lead. As it stands, Satrapi brings some visual inventiveness to the presentation which is most effective when it reveals just how deep in the mentally unstable weeds that Reynold's character is as he perceives the world markedly different without his court appointed meds. Tonally, it is not entirely on point as it bounces between weird goofiness and unsettling trauma, but it can also be argued that this juxtaposition gives the movie an appropriately quirky aura. This is heightened by Reynold's portrayal as a disturbed factory worker with a heart of gold who is suffering from schizophrenia brought on by a dysfunctional childhood, all of which makes him that likeable yet "proceed with caution" guy at work.
Dir - Takashi Shimizu
Overall: MEH
Takashi Shimizu's first American film in eight years Flight 7500 is unfortunately a dumb-dumb B-movie that is disappointing coming from a director with far more impressive entries on his resume. On paper, the idea of supernatural forces overtaking a Boeing 747-300 seems perfectly cromulent for something in the horror genre, but it quickly becomes apparent here that the isolated setting is far from ideal to maintain verisimilitude where a number of unexplained occurrences continue to happen in rapid succession. The plot twist gives it the ole college try in trying to explain why only a small rag tag group of people seem to be the only ones experiencing things and wandering around freely, but said twist comes off as more groan-worthy than profoundly frighting. In fact the would-be scary elements are not interesting enough to warrant their loose ambiguity, mainly resulting in typical, lazy jump scares, manipulative scary music, and loud noises. Worse yet are the characters themselves who are all either boring or obnoxious parodies of real human beings, making for no one to root for or care about when in-flight mayhem ensues.
Dir - Stewart Thorndike
Overall: MEH
This unofficial, low-key remake of Rosemary's Baby serves as the full-length debut from filmmaker Stewart Thorndike and it is one that wears its inspiration blatantly on its sleeve, for better or worse. Focusing on a lesbian couple that has recently moved into a Brooklyn apartment with a baby on the way, Lyle plays like a stripped-down version of the Roman Polanski classic, clocking in at just over an hour in length, filmed on location with handheld cameras, and featuring very few effects shots. It still plays the same paranoia game, as Gaby Hoffmann's mother-to-be is ultimately proven right in her suspicions where numerous things about her new abode and the inhabitants living there, (including her partner), do not add up in any wholesome manner. Hoffmann is excellent in the lead and the part-mumblecore presentation makes it fittingly intimate for the noticeably tiny budget. Some of the dialog comes off as too scripty, plus the ending is rushed and unsatisfying, but the main issue is the story's derivative nature. Even without any hacky, contemporary horror cliches insultingly mucking things up, it fails to come off as anything besides just a lesser Rosemary's.
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