The Last Duel: Make no mistake: The Last Duel has a clear purpose in its examination of France's last sanctioned duel to the death in 1386 between Sir Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris the crime that led to it (the rape of wife Carrouges' wife Marguerite by Le Gris) and the messaging is as bluntly unsubtle as it could possibly be. But its overt take on the events that led to the duel doesn't take away from the power of its narrative or the skill in which it brings this literal piece of ancient history to the screen to remind the world of how treatment of female sexual assault survivors hasn't really changed 635 years later. By telling the events from the perspective each of three parties that are directly involved in the duel, there's ample time to really mediate on how each individual viewed the assault (de Carrouges as a soiling of his honorable name, Le Gris as just a harmless act of passion towards a woman he secretly loves and Marguerite as a monstrous crime) and potently portray the extremely twisted ways society views the accuser in a sexual assault trial as well as how the accused downplay the predatory nature of their own actions.
Adding to the weight of the narrative is an outstanding lead performance from Jodie Comer who brings a level of nuance and urgency to her portrayal of Marguerite that adds an extra emotional punch to the material and quality supporting turns from Matt Damon as Carrouges, Adam Driver as Le Gris and Ben Affleck as the arrogant, orgy-loving royal descendent Count Pierre d'Alencon who befriends Le Gris after employing him to collect his overdue land debts-who capture the essence of what made these men tick, but also understand that Marguerite is the heart of the story and give Comer the space she needs to do the heavy lifting. It's a really powerful piece of work that ranks among the finest films Ridley Scott has ever put out and I really hope that more people will seek it out after its depressingly poor theatrical run comes to a close.
Grade: B+
Halloween Kills: If the title wasn't enough of an indicator, Halloween Kills isn't one of the franchise's more cuddly entries. Michael Myers is awfully pissed off after being left for dead at the end of 2018's Halloween and once the fire department unintentionally rescues him from Laurie Strode's (Jamie Lee Curtis) burning compound, he promptly murders the entire unit that was sent to the blaze and proceeds to continue his productive Halloween night by adding some more gruesome flare to his murders of the unsuspecting residents of Haddonfield.
The emphasis on brutality allows for some really creative kills that don't shy away from huge splashes of gore and even a bit of social commentary on how violence always breeds more violence with its key plot point involving the people of Haddonfield starting to succumb to the same blind rage that drives Myers. There's plenty of extracirucclar shit (an expansion of the awkward fully comedic sequences that were the worst part of the 2018 film, a really silly ending, leaving Lee Curtis on the sidelines for the bulk of the movie) that soften the appeal of its gnarly edge, but that's ultimately not enough to ruin the momentum this film builds for the final Strode vs. Myers showdown in next year's Halloween Ends.
Grade: B
Night Teeth: Adam Randall follows up the potential future cult classic I See You with a compelling enough thriller that overcomes its gross underdevelopment of an elaborate lore that involves a Los Angeles-based rogue vampire (Alfie Allen) seeking to topple a decades-old truce between the city's 5 vampire groups and the human protectors (Raul Castillo plays their leader) over the course of one night with a cast that is either likable (Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Debby Ryan) or just really having fun leaning into the campiness of the material (Alexander Ludwig, Sydney Sweeney, Megan Fox, film MVP Lucy Fry), slick neon visuals and a sense of propulsion in the story that only grows stronger as the film progresses. In other words, it's an ideal Netflix time eater that's perfect for anyone who enjoys undemanding vampire movies that rely solely on style and charisma to entertain.
Grade: B-
Dune: As a sheer cinematic spectacle, Dune is an elite piece of filmmaking. With its crisp sound design, serine cinematography and meticulously detailed sets/locations, Denis Villeneuve builds a world that is among the most immersive and beautifully rendered to ever appear on screen. The story beneath the awe-inspiring world of Dune isn't quite as successful. The amount of worldbuilding present here left my head spinning and wishing there was some kind of note sheet passed out at the theater to refer to while trying to keep track of all the species, planets and assorted other universe-specific jargon that was introduced over the film's 150+ minute runtime. However, considering that the novel in which it's based off has long been considered near impossible to adapt on account of the density of its narrative, I can only imagine how much more overwhelming this would've been if Warner Brothers hadn't decided to let Villeneuve split the adaptation into two films. While judging what is effectively an extended prologue is kind of tricky and not completely fair, it's hard to overlook that Dune is an astounding technical exercise with a story that could turn into something really special once it's been fully realized.
Grade: B+
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