Movie Review: Reminders of Him

After a couple of movie adaptions of her books, I've started to develop a pretty good understanding of what makes Colleen Hoover's media empire tick. While her stories aren't technically part of the fantasy genre, they might as well be with the insane situations she uses to plant the seed for the romantic melodramas she writes. She's become quite the polarizing figure in certain circles-particularly since her novels started being made into movies-for this very reason and that's not likely to change anytime soon as she has a whole lot of novels in the archives that are waiting to receive the big screen treatment (Verity starring Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett is next up in October). Reminders of Him is the third Hoover adaptation to be released theatrically in the past 17 months and to me at least, it's easily the best of the bunch.

For those out there that haven't read the novel or arrived early enough to see the trailer play in front of The Housemaid, Wuthering Heights or Bugonia in recent months, Reminders of Him tells the story of a young woman named Kenna (Maika Monroe) who was just released from jail after serving 5 years for vehicular manslaughter after getting into a car accident that killed her boyfriend Scotty (Rudy Pankow). Kenna has returned to her Colorado hometown with the hopes of finding work and eventually reuniting with her daughter Diem (Zoe Kosovic)-who she gave birth to in jail and is being raised by Scotty's parents (Lauren Graham, Bradley Whitford). Her first unsuccessful day of job hunting after securing a place to live in a rundown cheap motel leads to her seeking out a bookstore that her and Scotty used to frequent, which to her surprise has been turned into a bar that's owned by Ledger (Tyriq Withers)-Scotty's lifelong best friend who Kenna never met as his NFL career made him absent from Scotty's life during their time together. Kenna and Ledger have a nice conversation without knowing who the other person is, but Kenna makes a quick exit once she hears someone call out his name from across the room. 

A couple days later, the pair is reunited when Kenna shows up at Scotty's parents house with the hopes of meeting Diem and discovers Ledger-who sees her get dropped off- lives across the street. Ledger promptly freaks out upon learning who Kenna is and shields her from Scotty's parents-who blame her for their son's death-before covertly giving her a ride home while telling her to keep her distance from Diem. This animosity proves to be short-lived as Ledger quickly develops empathy for what Kenna is going through and strikes up a friendship with her that turns into something more once they start spending more time together. Conflicted between his loyalties to Scotty's parents-whose grudge with Kenna is so severe that they haven't even told their granddaughter that she exists, Diem and Kenna, Ledger gets handed the unenviable task of trying to find a path forward that includes all of these people that loves that won't hurt any of their feelings. 

What separates Reminders of Him from It Ends with Us and Regretting You is director Vanessa Caswill's ability to find something human underneath all of the Hoover-isms fans and haters alike have come to expect from her work. The foundation of Kenna and Ledger's relationship may be built on a massive foundation of contrivances, but their characters and eventual connection both feel very feel. Being able to ground a story that is so deeply absurd at its core in something authentic is a testament to the individual performances of and strong chemistry between Monroe and Withers. Even during the most melodramatic moments the script forces them to work through, no emotion feels unearned or sensationalized to bait the audience into having a certain emotional reaction. These are people that are consumed by regret, shame and guilt for their past mistakes and their parallel quests for redemption just so happen to bring them close enough where they realize they're perfect for each other. Quite frankly, I never expected a Hoover adaptation to have a romance this convincing at its core and it's kind of remarkable how much having this key but often hard to find ingredient elevates everything else surrounding it. Being able to replicate the formula that Reminders of Him uses to bring a dose of reality to a far-fetched story without disrespecting the tidy, crowd-pleasing romantic arc of the source material is going to be a tough ask for any of the creatives tasked with bringing a Hoover adaptation to life in the future and I'm eager to see if they'll be able to pull it off.

Grade: B
 

Movie Review: undertone

Having their own established ecosystem of horror movies has made A24 less aggressive in their pursuit of buzzy indie horror titles that kill on the festival circuit in recent years. Acquiring Talk to Me out of Sundance 2023 was really the only time during the 2020's they've made a real splash, although they have reportedly sniffed around on a number of titles since then including other recent Sundance favorites Together and Leviticus. They went back to their roots last summer when they quietly snagged the rights to a Canadian supernatural horror called undertone following its premiere at the often overlooked Montreal genre film festival Fantasia. With an effective marketing campaign centered around its largely audio-based scares and strong start at the box office ($9.3 mil) for a movie that only cost $500k USD to make, it's a vintage A24 success story that sharply counteracts the frequent sellout accusations they've been dealing since they upscaled the cost and volume of their releases a few years back.

undertone really harkens back to the DIY glory days of horror where a filmmaker had an idea for a movie that could be made for cheap and threw their whole heart into making it come to life. The person behind undertone is Ian Tuason-who conceived the film after he put his filmmaking career on pause for multiple years in the late 2010's/early 2020's to care for his parents after they were both diagnosed with cancer. undertone uses the feelings of isolation, guilt and sadness he felt during this time to tell the story of a young podcaster named Evy (Nina Kiri) whose caring for her dying comatose mother (Michele Duqet) in Toronto. The darkness consuming Evy's head space as she tries to process the impending death of her mother gets even bleaker when her co-host (Adam DiMarco) receives an anonymous email with 10 mysterious audio recordings for them to play and discuss on the latest episode of their show-which is shockingly titled "The Undertone". As they slowly work their way through the recordings across multiple nights, Evy's skepticism over the paranormal begins to wane as a bunch of strange occurrences start to happen to her. 

Tuason is able to create an atmosphere of slowly escalating dread almost exclusively through the use of sound, shadows and using negative space in the corners of the frame where something sinister may or may not be lurking. With the playback of each subsequent recording, you increasingly get the sense that Evy is being haunted by something that she can feel but can't see, which eventually gives way to a tense, disturbing finale that confirms that it was indeed a terrible idea to listen to those damn mystery audio files. 

The actual meat of the script is far less impressive as its religious subtext and supernatural evil are not only familiar, but ultimately kind of silly. It's actually a credit to Tuason's directorial skill for finding a unique vessel to deploy this trope-riddled narrative through as there's a real chance this movie would've been a whiff if it had been told in a more conventional fashion. I can't believe I'm about to say this in 2026 but I'm actually excited to see what he does with Paranormal Activity 8. His ability to create eerie atmospherics through sparse visuals and sound design is precisely the kind of tool kit needed to revive a brand that's been stuck in neutral since its fourth installment back in 2012.

undertone doesn't rise to the level of A24's crowning spooky achievements and probably doesn't have much rewatch value as there's arguably a novelty factor behind its filmmaking techniques. Despite these very clear flaws, Tuason is able to conjure up enough spooky magic for this serve as both a fun watch on the big screen and proof-of-concept for his future directorial endeavors.   

Grade: B
 

2026 NFL Mock Draft (3/16)

1.Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, quarterback (Indiana)

2.New York Jets: David Bailey, edge rusher (Texas Tech)

3.Arizona Cardinals: Arvell Reese, edge rusher/inside linebacker (Ohio State)

4.Tennessee Titans: Jeremiyah Love, running back (Notre Dame)

5.New York Giants: Sonny Styles, inside linebacker (Ohio State)

6.Cleveland Browns: Francis Mauigoa, tackle (Miami)

7.Washington Commanders: Caleb Downs, safety (Ohio State)

8.New Orleans Saints: Carnell Tate, wide receiver (Ohio State)

9.Kansas City Chiefs: Spencer Fano, tackle (Utah)

10.Cincinnati Bengals: Mansoor Delane, cornerback (LSU)

11.Miami Dolphins: Ruben Bain Jr., edge rusher (Miami)

12.Dallas Cowboys: Jermod McCoy, cornerback (Tennessee) 

13.Los Angeles Rams: Makai Lemon, wide receiver (USC)

14.Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, guard (Penn State)

15.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: T.J. Parker, edge rusher (Clemson)

16.New York Jets: Jordyn Tyson, wide receiver (Arizona State)

17.Detroit Lions: Avieon Terrell, cornerback (Clemson)

18.Minnesota Vikings: Dillon Thieneman, safety (Oregon)

19.Carolina Panthers: Kenyon Sadiq, tight end (Oregon)

20.Dallas Cowboys: Keldric Faulk, edge rusher (Auburn)

21.Pittsburgh Steelers: Ty Simpson, quarterback (Alabama)

22.Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, edge rusher (Miam)

23.Philadelphia Eagles: Kadyn Proctor, tackle (Alabama)

24.Cleveland Browns: Denzel Boston, wide receiver (Washington)

25.Chicago Bears: Caleb Banks, defensive tackle (Florida)

26.Buffalo Bills: Peter Woods, defensive tackle (Clemson)

27.San Francisco 49ers: Monroe Freeling, tackle (Georgia)

28.Houston Texans: Blake Miller, tackle (Clemson)

29.Kansas City Chiefs: Brandon Cisse, cornerback (South Carolina)

30.Denver Broncos: Omar Cooper Jr., wide receiver (Indiana)

31.New England Patriots: Cashius Howell, edge rusher (Texas A&M)

32.Seattle Seahawks: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, safety (Toledo)

Oscars Predictions

Best Picture:

Nominees:

Bugonia

F1

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

Predicted Winner: One Battle After Another

While the late surge from Sinners driven by its Best Ensemble win at the Actor Awards has certainly made things more interesting, One Battle After Another is still firmly in the pole position heading into Oscar night. One Battle has taken the top prize at every major non-SAG precursor event, and it just feels like the perfect opportunity for the Academy to give Paul Thomas Anderson his due after snubbing him for the past 30 years.  

Best Director:

Nominees:

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Chloe Zhao, Hamnet

Predicted Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson

Piggybacking off what I just said above, PTA is a filmmaking icon that has never won an Oscar over the course of his storied career and honoring him for his biggest film to date not only makes sense but would mimic the path that the past two winners (Christopher Nolan, Sean Baker) followed to winning this award.

Best Actor:

Nominees:

Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Predicted Winner: Michael B. Jordan

I was holding firm on previous frontrunner Timothee Chalamet winning in the immediate aftermath of Jordan taking home the Actor Award two weeks ago, but that changed late last week upon further reflection. Much will be made about Chalamet's late season collapse and for good reason, it looked like he was a lock for Best Actor until he got popped at the BAFTA's by Robert Aramayo (side note: it was hilarious watching the Oscar pundits flip the fuck out over Aramayo's win as I Swear wasn't even eligible for awards this year as US distributor Sony Classics elected to wait until April to release it) then went onto to get knocked off by Jordan the following week . Personally, I think Sinners being a more broadly loved movie among the awards bodies than Marty Supreme is more responsible for the tide shift than anything Chalamet said or did on the campaign trail but I'm positive this will not be a take that's shared by many if Jordan wins on Sunday. Anyways, Jordan's dual performances as twin brother Smoke and Stock is the kind of impressive piece of technical acting that deserve to be honored with gold trophies. His heartfelt speech at the Actor Awards probably didn't hurt his chances either.

Best Actress:

Nominees:

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You

Kate Hudson, Song Song Blue

Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Predicted Winner: Jessie Buckley

In a season full of highly competitive acting races, Buckley has been the sole performer who has absolutely dominated the field-winning literally every single major award she's been up for. It would be a complete shock if she didn't win here and complete the season sweep.

Best Supporting Actor:

Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Delroy Lindo, Sinners

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value

Predicted Winner: Sean Penn

The importance of campaigning is something that is discussed ad nauseum every single award season.  Penn emerging as the Best Supporting Actor frontrunner all of a sudden after winning at the BAFTA's and Actor Awards completely flies in the face of this narrative. This man has been a ghost for the bulk of the season and yet, he could still take home his first Oscar since 2008 and third overall. Penn's obvious contempt for this entire process along with him being completely shut out prior to his back-to-back wins will certainly leave the door open for previous favorite Stellan Skarsgard or popular wild card pick Delroy Lindo to win here, but I don't think it's overly likely that One Battle gets shut out in the acting categories and he currently has the best odds of being the member of the cast to leave the ceremony with some hardware by a considerable margin.

Best Supporting Actress:

Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan, Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Predicted Winner: Amy Madigan

This category has been pure anarchy since Teyana Taylor's entrenched frontrunner status went up in smoke after losing to Wunmi Mosaku and Amy Madigan at the BAFTA's and Actor Awards respectively. Given how up in the air this category is, I elected to go with Madigan as she's most the recent winner. A 75-year-old career character actor winning her first Oscar for a villain turn in a pure mainstream horror movie would be an unbelievable development that would further solidify how much more open minded the Academy has become over the past handful of years.

Other Awards:

Best Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay: Sinners

Best Animated Feature: Kpop Demon Hunters

Best Documentary Feature: The Perfect Neighbor

Best International Feature: Sentimental Value

Best Casting: Sinners

Best Cinematography: One Battle After Another

Best Film Editing: One Battle After Another

Best Original Score: Sinners

Best Original Song: "Golden", Kpop Demon Hunters

Best Costume Design: Frankenstein

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Frankenstein

Best Production Design: Frankenstein 

Best Sound: F1

Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash

Best Animated Short Film: Butterfly

Best Documentary Short Film: All the Empty Rooms

Best Live Action Short Film: Two People Exchanging Saliva 

What My Ballot Would Look Like If I Were an Academy Voter:

Best Picture: Sinners

Best Director: Ryan Coogler

Best Actor: Timothee Chalamet

Best Actress: Rose Byrne

Best Supporting Actor: Jacob Elordi

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan

Best Adapted Screenplay: Bugonia

Best Original Screenplay: Sinners

Best Animated Feature: Zootopia 2 

Best Documentary Feature: The Alabama Solution

Best International Feature: Sentimental Value

Best Casting: Sinners

Best Cinematography: Sinners

Best Film Editing: Marty Supreme

Best Original Score: Sinners

Best Original Song: "I Lied to You", Sinners

Best Costume Design: Frankenstein

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Frankenstein

Best Production Design: Frankenstein

Best Sound: Sinners

Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash

Best Animated Short: Abstain

Best Documentary Short: Abstain

Best Live Action Short: Abstain

Movie Review: Protector

Getting to see Milla Jovovich lead an action movie where the budget is so low that they can't afford to put all of the action scenes on screen is the fulfilling of a prophecy. This is the star of six Resident Evil movies and Ultraviolet we're talking about here, the second she turned 50 she was going to get summoned to the same circuit that has kept Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo and Josh Duhamel steadily employed in recent years. This fulfilling of her destiny as a headliner for cheap-ish production with 82 producers from 17 countries isn't an occasion to mourn. Far from it in fact as Jovovich is the ideal star for a movie like Protector. She takes great glee in playing an ex-Special Forces operator who stabs, shoots and bites her through a New Mexico-based human trafficking ring in search of her abducted 16-year-old daughter (Isabel Myers). Jovovich plays this resourceful killing machine with such fierce determination and seething rage that you firmly believe that she will be able to obliterate any person that stands in the way of her rescuing her daughter. Frankly, it's been a minute since she's been this good in a role, and it was cool to see her recapture the action star glory she possessed during the 2000's/2010's. 

When you go beyond Jovovich's performance, Protector is a more of a mixed bag. The action sequences that the production could afford to shoot hit pretty hard but feature a ton of bizarre editing choices that undercut the proficiency of the choreography, the script is nonsensical even by genre standards and there's a last-minute twist ending here that is so absurd that it's actually kind of brilliant. In other words, it's a real deal VOD-adjacent action movie that miraculously found its way to theaters in 2026 thanks to indie distributor Magenta Light Studios. While the amount of shoddiness and idiocy on display will limit the appeal of Protector, there's a fair amount of fun to be had for any sick fuck out there that cracks a smile watching a former blockbuster action star crush her obligatory demotion to the minor leagues.

Grade: C+

2025 Best Picture Nominees Ranked

Welcome to this special edition of "Ranked", where I rank this year's Best Picture nominees.

10.Hamnet:

What a relief it was to have a Best Picture crop that features zero true stinkers in it. Every civilian in the United States that keeps up with awards season needed at a least year to recover from the pain of watching Emilia Perez and the generosity the Academy voters showed by not nominating another embarrassing failure of a movie will not be forgotten. Anyways, Hamnet is an incredible showcase for the talents of about-to-be Oscar winner Jessie Buckley and there are certain sequences in which Chloe Zhao is able to really viscerally convey the tragedy of what happens to Agnes, William Shakespeare and their family. The cold minimalism of Zhao's direction and underdevelopment of all of the relationships portrayed in the film prevented the emotional moments from leaving a significant impact on me, but the sniffle-and-tear-filled reactions of nearly every person in my vicinity when I saw this in theaters back in early December indicated that I'm very much in the minority.    

Grade: B-

9.The Secret Agent:

There's a title card in the opening moments of The Secret Agent that reads "Brazil 1977, a summer of mischief". That's a fascinating and accurate description of what transpires during The Secret Agent. It's a really vivid, layered look at the chaos that unfolded during this period that included the systemic dismantling of institutions that serve the public good (schools, medical care, etc.), fatal consequences for anyone that dissented against the regime and strength the people of Brazil found in each other. While director Kleber Mendoca Filho eventually gets buried by the immense scope of the story he assembled-particularly when the frequently changing perspectives shifts to the present day where researchers find archival audio tapes of interviews between the protagonist Armando (Wagner Moura-in a tremendous understated performance full of resilience and pain) and the people that are trying to help him escape the country with his son (Enzo Nunes) after they get word that an old enemy of his (Luciano Chiroll) has hired assassins (Roney Villela, Gabriel Leone, Thomas Aquino) to kill him, The Secret Agent remains a vital history lesson for a world that continues to refuse to heed the warnings of its past grave misdeeds. 

Grade: B

8.Sentimental Value:

The Best International Feature frontrunner is another 2025 cinephile favorite that I wasn't overly high on. There's plenty of emotions on display in this film about sisters (Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) who reunite with their estranged filmmaker father (Stellan Skarsgard) when he returns to Norway to make his latest film about their life as kids with a famous American actress (Elle Fanning) in the lead role and the performances are very good all-around as expected, I just didn't feel like the resolution to these complex family dynamics felt completely honest or earned given how much their relationships have suffered from decade's worth of emotional scars. I'm going to have to rewatch it sometime before late August when I do my 2025 movie re-evaluation piece to see if it hits different the second time around.

Grade: B

7.F1:

A throwback commercial blockbuster sneaking into the Best Picture race is easily one of the funnier things that's happened during this wacky awards season. F1 is an effective, rousing and technically dazzling sports underdog movie that is burdened by its hefty 155-minute runtime. By the time the big final race occurred, I had completely checked out and didn't really care who won or lost. If Joseph Kosinski can recapture the magic of the first 2/3 of this movie for the upcoming sequel but make it at least 30 minutes shorter, he should be in an excellent position to cook up something special.

Grade: B

6.Frankenstein:

It's not a secret that Guillermo del Toro has been wanting to make a Frankenstein movie for his entire career. del Toro's talent and love for the material is precisely why it's so disappointing that he only made a good Frankenstein adaptation that doesn't even come close to sniffing the heights of his previous monster movie standouts (Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water). It's really a tale of two halves as the opening chapter focusing on Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Issac) is kind of a dramatically inert look at a scientist with a reputation as a useless quack trying to prove himself by bringing someone back from the dead while the second half is a heartbreaking, beautiful exploration of his monstrous creation (Jacob Elordi) trying to find a place in the world. The striking second half paired with the expected strength of the production design, costumes and cinematography got this movie within striking of greatness, but the tedium of the first half along with unremarkable performances from Issac, Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz are detrimental enough to keep it from getting there.

Grade: B

5.One Battle After Another:

There's plenty to like about One Battle After Another. Paul Thomas Anderson has a real aptitude for action/chase sequences, Benicio del Toro plays a guy so effortlessly cool and chill that you can forgive the fact that he's driving drunk for the entirety of the last 15-20 minutes he's on screen and it has the decency to portray white nationalists as the insecure baby losers that they are. My issues with the film completely lie in not buying the decisions Perfidia (Teyana Taylor) makes or how her daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) reacts to the sins of her mother coming to light in the final act. Nothing about these character's journeys prior to these moments justify the choices they make, and it cast a dark cloud over a good portion of the film that I just can't overlook no matter how great it is at times. 

Grade: B

4.Train Dreams:

Netflix is very selective when it comes to narrative film acquisitions on the festival circuit these days, so it was a very encouraging sign that they were so aggressive in their pursuit of Train Dreams following its premiere at Sundance last winter. The brass had to be particularly glad they landed it after watching the awards prospects of Jay Kelly and A House of Dynamite go up in smoke before their campaigns even got a chance to really start. Filmmaking duo Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar (Sing Sing, Jockey) struck gold once again with their simple yet poetic mediation on the string of triumphs and tragedies that make up a person's life. Joel Edgerton is pretty sensational as the working-class man whose life in late 1800's/early 1900's Idaho is followed for 102 minutes, and the cinematography from Adolpho Veloso capture the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest with impeccable naturalistic detail (Edgerton's character works as a logger and lives in the countryside, so there's a ton of serene shots of forests, sunrises/sunsets, creeks, etc.)

Grade: B+

3.Bugonia:

A Best Picture slate wouldn't be complete without the latest oddity from Yorgos Lanthimos. While it's not quite up to the level of his last awards season smash Poor Things, this remake of the 2003 Korean film Save the Green Planet! is another bitingly funny, impeccably acted and deeply cynical look at humanity that ends on a haunting note that I haven't stopped thinking about for months.

Grade: B+

2.Marty Supreme:

All signs are pointing to Marty Supreme getting shutout at the Oscars now that Timothee Chalamet is no longer the frontrunner for Best Actor following Michael B. Jordan's SAG Awards win a couple of weeks back. The prospect of both Marty Supreme and Uncut Gems-which famously didn't get any nominations-not winning a single Oscar is pretty depressing and a sentiment that I couldn't possibly agree more with. Marty Supreme is an electrifying film that sees Josh Safdie-directing without his younger brother Benny for the first time-apply his signature chaotic grimy NYC aesthetic to a (mostly) fictional story of a cocky, sleazeball ping pong prodigy (Chalamet-who is fucking unreal in this role) who will stop at nothing to realize his dreams of becoming the best player in the world. Safdie is in the middle of a historic heater right now and hopefully he'll be able to keep it going with whatever project his twisted brain births next.

Grade: A

1.Sinners:

My favorite movie of 2025 for nearly a year now suddenly has a real shot of upsetting One Battle After Another for Best Picture now. While I remain skeptical of its chances of actually winning, I would obviously be thrilled if it happened. Ryan Coogler's talent is fully unleashed here as he weaves together a complex tapestry comprised of several genres (horror, music, Gothic period drama, thriller, action) and themes (assimilation destroying the specificity of communities, music as a tool that connects people across generation, the catharsis of finding euphoria in a cruel world where joy is fleeting) without ever losing its coherence. It's just an unbelievable piece of work that I'm confident will endure for as long as this planet remains alive.

Grade: A

Movie Review: The Bride!

As they did when they ran MGM pre-Amazon acquisition, Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca's tenure as the heads of Warner Brothers' film division has largely been defined by taking on projects that other executives wouldn't dare touch. One of their specialties is handing out hefty budgets to fund auteur passion projects and that very risky strategy has brought them huge commercial failures such as Horizon: An American Saga and Mickey 17 as well as legacy-defining triumphs like Sinners and One Battle After Another. The latest big swing that Abdy and De Luca backed at WB is Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!-a project that came their way after Netflix dropped it over Gyllenhaal's budget requests-doesn't just fall into the former category, it's the new leader in the clubhouse to be the first film mentioned when any film nerd brings up the adventurous executive duo's biggest creative whiffs. 

Several reports that were at least partially confirmed by Gyllenhaal herself during the press tour have cited that The Bride! tested horribly and that WB brass requested changes to tone down the depictions of graphic violence and (attempted) sexual assault that are a key part of this bold reimagining of The Bride of Frankenstein. As a viewer, we don't ultimately know how the notes from the studio impacted Gyllenhaal's edit of The Bride! What I can say is that I don't believe that studio interference is the primary culprit of what went wrong with The Bride! Instead, I think this mainly a classic case of filmmaker being betrayed by their own ambition. 

The way The Bride! is assembled feels like Gyllenhaal had an outline of plot points and genres she wanted to tackle and reverse engineered the movie from there with zero plan on how they tied together or could be fleshed out further. The first act where Frankenstein's monster (Christian Bale) shows up in 1930's Chicago and relevantly convinces a scientist (Annette Bening) who specializes in the theory of reanimation to help bring an end to the loneliness he's been plagued by for 100 years+ by reviving a dead woman to be his wife and that deceased woman extracted from her grave at a nearby cemetery being a mob prostitute named Ida (Jessie Buckley) who was killed for snitching on her boss (Zlatko Buric) in public to serve in this role alone would be enough for Gyllenhaal to build a movie around. There are all sorts of possibilities for a story about bodily autonomy, consent and what really defines love from a female perspective using this purposefully streamlined explanation of where The Bride! starts from. But instead, Gyllenhaal proceeds to veer off into a million different directions once Ida is revived and this untamed beast of a movie proceeds to trample her from there. 

A few murders carried out in self-defense turn the monster pairing into outlaws who travel the country in stolen cars seeking to find refuge in various movie houses as they're being pursued by a motormouthed gumshoe (Peter Sarsgaard)-who is consumed by the guilt of his past corruption and his "secretary" partner (Penelope Cruz) who does most of the real detective work. There's also some interludes involving an encounter with Frankenstein's favorite actor (Jake Gyllenhaal-whose casting as a song-and-dance man proves just how much his sister loves him) at a New York party that transformers into an extended Vaudeville dance number and an allusion to the Bride starting a revolution of women bearing her signature makeup look that you can see on the above poster which was brought on by the whole being brought back from the dead thing standing up to the men who abused or harassed them. While all of the turns it takes solidifies its uniqueness, The Bride! never commits to any of its plot threads or genre influences for long enough to sell them as anything other than kooky, unrealized ideas. Ambition doesn't really matter all that much if those ideas add up to make something that is overstuffed and underdeveloped. All of the negative attention Gyllenhaal is getting right now as a result of The Bride! faceplanting on all moviegoing fronts (box office, critical reviews, audience reception) provides her with a great opportunity to reflect on what wrong went here and hopefully, she'll come out on the other side with a more cohesive plan to bring her unique ideas to life on screen.

Grade: C-