Movie Review: Back in Action

 

What about Back in Action could've possibly inspired Cameron Diaz to end her decade-long hiatus from acting? The paycheck? While I'm sure it was nice, the odds that she's refused several big money offers over the past 10 years are high. An itch to return to the spy action comedy genre after Knight and Day? Perhaps! The opportunity to work with Jamie Foxx again? Honestly, this could very well be the main reason why as they have a good professional relationship that dates all the way back to 1999's Any Given Sunday. Regardless of what inspired Diaz to return to the profession that made her an international superstar, making Back in Action the launching off point for the second era of her screen career is a real head-scratcher since it's one of those duds that announces itself quickly and only gets worse as it limps to the finish line.

Back in Action is the next prime addition to the robust roster of blockbuster garbage that Netflix has put together since their commitment to producing their own films intensified back in 2017. The premise of a retired spy couple (Foxx, Diaz) being forced to return to the high stakes espionage life they left behind to start a family after becoming the unwitting stars of a viral video that reveals to their enemies that they aren't dead after all fits the streaming giant's signature mold of movies that were conceived exclusively by a boardroom full of bean-counting buffoons with zero creative instincts after being shown a chart of what titles did well on their service in recent years so perfectly that's actually hilarious. The action is chopped up to shit to conceal the fact that stunt doubles are handling the fights. 90% of the comedy consists of over-the-top product placement and jokes about hacky shit like "boomers", 'the cloud" and Glenn Close-who plays Diaz's estranged mother-dating a much younger man (Jamie Demetriou). A seemingly happy ending for the protagonists is abruptly interrupted by a sequel tease right before the end credits start rolling. Just a complete and total masterclass in algorithmic box-checking that Ted Sarandos should (and probably will) gloat about to every one of his cronies for the rest of 2025.     

Netflix's dedication to following their blueprint isn't at all surprising at this point. Making movies designed to be half watched while the viewer is regularly looking away from whatever screen it's playing on works for them since they can tout the strength of their meaningless viewership data to their shareholders on their quarterly earnings calls. But that doesn't make their signature approach any less embarrassing. They're shepherding in an entire new era of disengaged, unenthused viewers with their refusal to put together movies that have even the slightest interest in remaining in the cultural zeitgeist for more than five fucking minutes and if the death of cinema that cinephile alarmists have feared over the past several years ever materializes, these anti-creative bozos will be the ones holding the knife.

Whatever limited goodwill Back in Action picks up along the way solely rests on the shoulders of Diaz and Foxx-whose solid rapport provides just enough life to the thoroughly bland proceedings to elevate it from completely unbearable to almost completely unbearable. While thinking about how doomed this project would've been without them at the helm is a scary thought, they also would've been better off finding another project to reunite on. We're talking about two charismatic industry vets with names that can still attract eyeballs here. There had to be a better script for them out there than the unfunny, generic spy farce crap that writer/director Seth Gordon (Identity Thief, Horrible Bosses) and his co-writer Brendan O'Brien (Neighbors, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) upchucked onto the page here. Now that Diaz is confirmed to be fully back in the swing of acting again (she's already completed production on the Jonah Hill-helmed dark comedy Outcome for Apple and will be returning to voice Princess Fiona in Shrek 5), maybe they can find something legitimately worthwhile for their next collaboration.                       

Grade: D+

Meredith Hagner Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Meredith Hagner-whose latest project "You're Cordially Invited" releases on Prime Video on Thursday.

Meredith Hagner's Filmography Ranked:

10.Brightburn (C-)

9.The Oath (C)

8.Irrational Man (C)

7.Vacation Friends 2 (B-)

6.Vacation Friends (B-)

5.Horse Girl (B-)

4.Joy Ride (B)

3.Set It Up (B)

2.Palm Springs (B+)

1.Ingrid Goes West (A)

Top Dog: Ingrid Goes West (2017)

As a biting satire of influencer culture and the facade of happiness that social media helps cultivate, Ingrid Goes West has aged exceptionally well since it was released nearly 8 years ago. The leaders of the ensemble cast (Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, Billy Magnussen) all deliver powerhouse performances, the script is sharp and hilarious, and the ending is a perfect albeit depressing encapsulation of the damage these fucking apps have done to people's psyches.  

Bottom Feeder: Brightburn (2019)

"What if Superman turned out to be evil" is an intriguing hook for a horror-driven take on the superhero genre. Unfourtnately, that great premise is completely wasted here. Outside of some gnarly gore in the second half, Brightburn doesn't do much right as budgetary constraints and silly, half-baked script from James Gunn's brother Brian and cousin Mark prevent the film from taking advantage of its cool setup.    

Most Underrated: Ingrid Goes West (2017)

As the longtime leader of the Ingrid Goes West fan club, all I'll say here that I didn't say above is that I believe that this film is a masterpiece and hope more people will check it out in the future.

Most Overrated: Joy Ride (2023)

While this is admittedly a bit unfair since Joy Ride completely bombed at the box office, I elected to put it here as the film generated a ton of critical buzz following its premiere at SXSW a few months before it was released. Adele Lim's buddy road comedy flys high at times with its string of hilarious vulgar gags and main cast (Ashley Park, Sherry Colla, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu) that complements each other perfectly, but ends up falling short of the greatness it regularly flirts with courtesy of an inconsistent joke hit rate outside of its bigger, more outrageous moments and dramatic final act that fails to generate its intended emotional impact.  

Top 10 Movie Action Sequences of 2024

Honorable Mentions:

"Zero Gravity"-Alien: Romulus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lNhzNLtmdY

"Jason Statham Disrupts Classy Function"-The Beekeeper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg_sBVZZIQE

"Bathroom Fight"-Monkey Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6TlNx-Cex4

"Final Fight"-The Shadow Strays

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_238SZnMSwE

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tANu4OgZfb4

"Rodeo/Motel Evacuation"-Twisters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYnytCW0sT0

10.“The Battle of Numidia”-Gladiator II

This glorious battle sequence from the beginning of Gladiator II is a reminder to appreciate just how absurdly good Ridley Scott is at handling large-scale action while we still can.    

9.“Car Fight”-Carry-On

Both in and outside of the context of the film, this scene is completely whiplash-inducing as the constantly rotating camera, barrage of CGI car crashes happening in the background and inherent claustrophobia that comes with having a fight scene take place inside of a moving car makes it a true chaotic feast for the senses. Once I was able to take a breath and really focus in on what was going on, I was kind of blown away by the creativity and intensity of this scene and how it helped set the stage for the excellent second half of the film that elevated Carry-On to essential B-action thriller status.  

8.“Night Club Fight”-The Fall Guy

While picking such a short, small-scale scene from a movie that is full of huge stunts feels kind of wrong, I just love the way the effects of the hallucinogenic drug that Ryan Gosling's character had his drink spiked with are worked into the fight. Plus, the cinematography from Jonathan Sela is slick as hell here.       

7.“Dev Patel Escapes from Police Custody”-Monkey Man

What a frantic, unpredictable delight of an escape scene that makes great use of Patel's character's physical limitations and desire to avoid going to jail at all costs.       

6.“War Rig Assault”-Furiosa

The primary reason that I'm such a vocal opponent of Mad Mad: Fury Road is that the action is choppily edited and completely devoid of standout moments. George Miller solved that problem in a major way with the prequel Furiosa. This insane 17-minute sequence in which a rogue group attacks a "war rig" (for those unfamiliar with Mad Max, it's basically just a heavily armed supply tanker that's used to carry gas through the desert) has the crisp construction, epic scale and prolonged excitement that Fury Road lacked.     

5.“Opera House Massacre”-The Crow

There's not a ton of action in The Crow remake as the film spends quite a bit of time focusing on building up the tragic relationship between Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgard) and Shelley Webster (FKA twigs) before it delves into the supernatural revenge/vigilante elements of the story. However, once the action revs up at the start of the final act, we're treated to this spectacular splatterfest that makes the wait for the bodies to start dropping well worth it.       

4.“Club Fight”-The Shadow Strays

The blistering speed of the choreography, fluidity of the editing and unflinching brutality of the carnage on display is what makes Timo Tjahjanto one of the most impressive action directors working today. He finally got the opportunity to make the jump over to American cinema with Nobody 2-which is currently set to release in August-and I'll be curious to see how much of his style he applied to an effort that will inevitably be much less hardcore than what he's been making in Indonesia over the past 15 years.    

3.“Elevator Fight”-Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Shooting this fight from outside the elevator as its descending is an absolutely badass stylistic flourish that further elevates the intensity of this pivotal scene that sets the final act of Bad Boys: Ride or Die into motion.  

2.“Night Club Fight”-Monkey Man

Tired: How did Brady Corbet make The Brutalist for roughly $10 million?

Wired: How did Dev Patel make an action movie full of fight scenes as visceral, explosive and elaborately choreographed as this for $10 million?  

1.“Abandoned Alligator Park Showdown”-Bad Boys: Ride or Die

A truly insane highlight reel that showcases the unreal amount of juice Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah possess as action filmmakers. Everything from the first-person shooting sequences to the room-spanning drone shots to the various explosions from various causes that occur are seamlessly stitched together to create this consistently inventive, exhilarating blast of action movie nirvana that ended Bad Boys: Ride or Die on the highest note possible. If Kevin Feige doesn't approach them to direct the MCU Blade movie, he's making a huge mistake.      

NFL Conference Championship Predictions

Divisional Round Record: 2-2 (Correct: Chiefs, Eagles Incorrect: Lions, Ravens)

Overall Playoff Record: 6-4

Philadelphia Eagles over Washington Commanders:

Picking against the Commanders has served me so well the past two weeks, so why stop now?! As impressive as Jayden Daniels and co. looked last week, their flurry of takeaways made up for an otherwise horrendous defensive performance where the Lions moved the ball down field with ease and even if the Eagles passing game continues to falter with a clearly injured Jalen Hurts under center, the Saquon Barkley-led rushing attack should be able to do what they need to do to dominate the time of possession battle-especially with the extra motivation Barkley is likely to have after being inexplicably bottled up by them in the second half of their absurd Week 16 meeting in which the Commanders won after erasing 2 separate 4th quarter deficits despite turning the ball over 5 times. On top of that, the Eagles defense is the first group the Commanders have faced during this run that isn't depleted by injuries (although the health of rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell will be worth watching today after he exited last week's win over the Rams with a shoulder ailment)  and with right guard Sam Cosmi-who is their best lineman by far- now out for the season after tearing his ACL against the Lions, they could have some serious trouble dealing with the Eagles interior defensive line led by Jalen Carter that thwarted the Rams efforts to pull off a comeback win last week.      

Kansas City Chiefs over Buffalo Bills:

The Bills have largely outplayed the Chiefs this season and even handed them their only real loss of the regular season back in Week 11. It's just that on this high leverage stage; I have a far greater trust in the Chiefs ability to execute than the Bills. While they generally play the Chiefs close, the Bills are 0-3 against them in the playoffs during the Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes-era and despite all the conspiracies about officiating bailing out the Chiefs being the catalyst for their victories, the reality is they've been able to make plays in crunch time that the Bills simply haven't. Maybe that changes today as the Chiefs are the most vulnerable they've been since 2020 when their dogshit offensive line and secondary caused them to get smacked by the Bucs in the Super Bowl thanks to their middling offense, I just won't believe that the Bills are capable of walking into Arrowhead and playing well enough to advance to their 1st Super Bowl in 32 years until it actually happens.     

January R-Rated Comedies (2000-2025) Ranked

On this special edition of "Ranked", I'm ranking January R-Rated Comedies Released from 2000-2025 in honor of "One of Them Days"-which is in theaters now. 

January R-Rated Comedies (2000-Present) Ranked:

17.Movie 43 (D)

16.Take the 10 (C-)

15.Like a Boss (C-)

14.Mortdecai (C-)

13.House Party (C)

12.Shotgun Wedding (C+)

11.You People (C+)

10.Fifty Shades of Black (C+)

9.The Underdoggs (B-)

8.No Strings Attached (B-)

7.Youth in Revolt (B-)

6.Self Reliance (B)

5.Dirty Grandpa (B)

4.That Awkward Moment (B)

3.Next Friday (B)

2.The Wedding Ringer (B)

1.Grandma's Boy (A)

Top Dog: Grandma's Boy (2006)

A real degenerate cult classic for people that were between the ages of 12 and 25 in 2006, Grandma's Boy is a tremendous stoner comedy with immaculate hangout vibes, delightfully stupid gags and Linda Cardellini doing Linda Cardellini shit (being effortlessly charming, funny and hot). 

Bottom Feeder: Movie 43 (2013)

When people go off about January being a dumping ground for the biggest pieces of shit studios have kicking around in their vaults, they're referring to stuff like Movie 43. The only thing that's funny about this anthology comedy that features segments directed by the likes of future Oscar winner Peter Farrelly, James Gunn and Elizabeth Banks-who also stars in Gunn's sketch-is that someone was able to convince a small army of stars (Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Emma Stone, Gerard Butler, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Richard Gere and Uma Thurman are among the 30+ recognizable faces that show up here) to appear in a collection of hacky gross-out bits that should've been quietly dumped onto YouTube.  

Most Underrated: The Wedding Ringer (2015)

I actually just rewatched this on Tuesday for the first time since I saw it in theaters 10 years ago and outside of a handful of questionable jokes, it's held up pretty well. Kevin Hart and Josh Gad make for a strong comedy odd couple, there's a surprising warmth underneath all of the vulgarity and the eulogy and family lunch scenes got me to have extended laughing fits.  

Most Overrated: None

We're dealing with a crop of movies here that mostly didn't do well at the box office or enjoy any kind of enduring popularity, which makes it impossible for me to label any of them overrated. 

Oscar Nomination Predictions

After a couple of delays on account of the wildfires currently devastating Los Angeles, the nominations for this year's Oscars will be announced tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM EST by Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang. Here are the people and films I expect to be competing for the most prestigious awards in American cinema.   

Best Picture:

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Perez

A Real Pain

Sing Sing

The Substance

Wicked

Locks: Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Emilia Perez, The Substance, Wicked

Toss-Ups: Dune: Part Two, A Real Pain, Sing Sing

Other Possible Contenders: All We Imagine as Light, I'm Still Here, Nickel Boys, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, September 5

Best Director:

Jacques Audiard, Emilia Perez

Sean Baker, Anora

Edward Berger, Conclave

Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Locks: Jacques Audiard, Sean Baker, Edward Berger, Brady Corbet

Toss-Up: Coralie Fargeat

Other Possible Contenders: Jon M. Chu (Wicked), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Mohammad Rasoulouf (The Seed of the Sacred Fig), RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys), Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two)

Best Actor:

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

Daniel Craig, Queer

Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes, Conclave  

Locks: Adrien Brody, Timothee Chalamet, Ralph Fiennes

Toss-Ups: Daniel Craig, Colman Domingo

Other Possible Contenders: Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain), Hugh Grant (Heretic), Glen Powell (Hit Man), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)

Best Actress:

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked

Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Perez

Mikey Madison, Anora

Demi Moore, The Substance

Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Here 

Locks: Karla Sofia Gascon, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore

Toss-Ups: Cynthia Erivo, Fernanda Torres

Other Possible Contenders: Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths), Angelina Jolie (Maria), Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Saoirse Ronan (The Outrun)

Best Supporting Actor:

Yura Borisov, Anora

Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce, The Brutalist 

Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Locks: Yura Borisov, Kieran Culkin

Toss-Ups: Edward Norton, Guy Pearce, Jeremy Strong

Other Possible Contenders: Jonathan Bailey (Wicked), Mark Eydelshteyn (Anora), Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing), Stanley Tucci (Conclave), Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)

Best Supporting Actress:

Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

Jamie Lee Curtis, The Last Showgirl

Ariana Grande, Wicked

Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez

Locks: Ariana Grande, Zoe Saldana

Toss-Ups: Monica Barbaro, Jamie Lee Curtis, Isabella Rossellini

Other Possible Contenders: Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson), Elle Fanning (A Complete Unknown), Selena Gomez (Emilia Perez), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Margaret Qualley (The Substance) 

Best Original Screenplay:

Anora

The Brutalist

A Real Pain

September 5

The Substance

Locks: Anora, The Brutalist, A Real Pain, The Substance

Toss-Up: September 5

Other Possible Contenders: All We Imagine as Light, Challengers, Hard Truths, Juror #2, The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Adapted Screenplay:

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Emilia Perez

Nickel Boys

Sing Sing

Locks: A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Emilia Perez

Toss-Ups: Nickel Boys, Sing Sing

Other Possible Contenders: Dune: Part Two, Hit Man, I'm Still Here, Nosferatu, Wicked

Best Animated Feature:

Flow

Inside Out 2

Memoir of a Snail

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl 

The Wild Robot

Locks: Flow, Inside Out 2, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, The Wild Robot

Toss-Up: Memoir of a Snail

Other Possible Contenders: Chicken for Linda, Moana 2, Transformers One 

Best Documentary Feature:

Black Box Diaries

Daughters

No Other Land

Soundtrack to a Coup D'Etat

Sugarcane 

Locks: No Other Land, Sugarcane

Toss-Ups: Black Box Diaries, Daughters, Soundtrack to a Coup D'Etat

Other Possible Contenders: The Bibi Files, Dahomey, Porcelain War, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, Will & Harper

Best International Feature:

Emilia Perez

I'm Still Here

Kneecap

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Vermiglio 

Locks: Emilia Perez, I'm Still Here

Toss-Ups: Kneecap, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Vermiglio 

Other Possible Contenders: Flow, From Ground Zero, The Girl with the Needle, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, Universal Language 

Best Cinematography:

The Brutalist

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Nickel Boys

Nosferatu

Locks: The Brutalist, Conclave, Dune: Part Two

Toss-Ups: Nickel Boys, Nosferatu

Other Possible Contenders: A Complete Unknown, Emilia Perez, The Girl with the Needle, Maria, Wicked

Best Film Editing:

Anora

The Brutalist

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Perez

Locks: Anora, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Perez

Toss-Up: The Brutalist

Other Possible Contenders: A Complete Unknown, Challengers, September 5, The Substance, Wicked

Best Original Score:

The Brutalist

Challengers

Conclave

Emilia Perez

The Wild Robot

Locks: The Brutalist, Conclave, Emilia Perez

Toss-Ups: Challengers, The Wild Robot

Other Possible Contenders: Blitz, Gladiator II, Nosferatu, The Room Next Door, Wicked

Best Original Song:

"El Mal", Emilia Perez

"The Journey", The Six Triple Eight

"Kiss the Sky", The Wild Robot

 "Mi Camino", Emilia Perez

"Never Too Late", Elton John: Never Too Late

Locks: "El Mal", "Kiss the Sky", "Mi Camino"

Toss-Ups: "The Journey", "Never Too Late"

Other Possible Contenders: "Beyond" (Moana 2), "Compress/Repress" (Challengers), "Harper and Will Go West" (Will & Harper), "Like a Bird (Sing Sing), "Sick in the Head" (Kneecap)

Best Costume Design:

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Gladiator II 

Nosferatu

Wicked 

Locks: Dune: Part Two, Nosferatu, Wicked

Toss-Ups: Conclave, Gladiator II

Other Possible Contenders: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Blitz, The Brutalist, A Complete Unkown, Maria

Best Makeup & Hairstyling:

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 

A Different Man

Nosferatu

The Substance 

Wicked

Locks:  Nosferatu, The Substance, Wicked

Toss-Ups: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, A Different Man

Other Possible Contenders: Dune: Part Two, Emilia Perez, Waltzing with Brando 

Best Production Design:

The Brutalist

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Nosferatu

Wicked

Locks: The Brutalist, Dune: Part Two, Wicked

Toss-Ups: Conclave, Nosferatu

Other Possible Contenders: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Blitz, A Complete Unknown, Gladiator II, The Substance

Best Sound:

A Complete Unknown

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Perez

Gladiator II

Wicked

Best Visual Effects:

Better Man

Dune: Part Two

Gladiator II 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Wicked

Best Animated Short:

A Bear Named Wojtek 

A Crab in the Pool

Me

Yuck!

Wander to Wonder 

Best Documentary Short:

Chasing Roo

Incident 

Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the World 

Once Upon a Time in Ukraine 

A Swim Lesson

Best Live Action Short:

Anjua 

An Orange from Jaffa 

Dovecote

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

The Masterpiece 

Quick Movie Reviews: Better Man, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Wolf Man, Presence

Better Man: The best musical of the year isn't Wicked and it sure as shit isn't Emilia Perez, it's a biopic about British pop singer Robbie Williams. Starting with the choice to portray Williams as a CGI monkey (it makes total sense narratively, but I'm not going to spoil why this is the case here), Better Man spices up the routine structure of a music biopic with some huge creative swings and having the huge luxury of a subject that is unafraid to look like a huge asshole or be truly vulnerable while telling their story on screen. Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) directs with a mixture of go-for-broke energy, gonzo surrealism and astounding technical prowess as he weaves a compelling speed run through Williams unlikely path to superstardom and the depression/substance abuse/infidelity/narcissism that caused him to completely lose his way once he got to the top. The musical numbers-which are seamlessly mixed into the story-are a particularly strong showcase for what Gracey and Williams wanted to do here as they are these consistently huge, elaborate sequences that are overflowing with style and precision that also manage to really drive home the emotional high and lows of the story. Seeing a music biopic that is so daring and carefully crafted is kind of a small miracle and I really hope that this will eventually find the audience that it failed to during its theatrical run.         

Grade: B+

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera: Big Nick (Gerard Butler) and Donnie (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) are back in the big game heist saddle with Den of Thieves 2 and just like it's terrific predecessor, it's a new January movie classic. The embrace of a looser, sillier tone fits the European vacation vibe of the movie without losing sight of the unapologetic macho sleaze factor that made the original so appealing, having Butler's Big Nick switch from cop to thief is a genius choice that takes great advantage of the character's pervasive natural dirtbaggery and the combative frenemy chemistry he has with Jackson Jr. and writer/director Christan Gudegast once again crafts the hell out of the film's wildly tense heist/action sequences (the final shootout/car chase through the winding tunnels and oceanside roads of the France/Italy border is IMMENSE). A 3rd round with Big Nick, Donnie and co. would be a gift, especially given the absolutely fucking insane note that this one ends on.         

Grade: B+

Wolf Man: Despite operating in similar territory as his excellent remake of The Invisible Man, Leigh Whannell's second trip to the Universal Monsters well didn't go nearly as smoothly as the first. What makes Wolf Man particularly frustrating is that it doesn't just have a good idea (following a car accident in the rural Oregon woods in which he is scratched by a mysterious creature, a man begins to rapidly transform into a violent monster- putting his wife and daughter in imminent danger) for a fresh spin on the classic werewolf tale, quite a bit of it really works. The gruesome practical effects along with the "infected" human/wolf hybrid monster design look awesome, the sound design is crunchy and visceral, and Whannell's signature stylistic flourishes are on full display as he regularly puts the viewer directly into the shoes of the shocking transformations that Christopher Abbott's character goes through as his entire perception of the world shifts to that of a wolf (thermal vision, growing of claws, loss of the ability to speak or understand human languages) via some inventive camerawork, shot selections and CGI use. Where Wolf Man goes wrong is in its clunky attempts to merge the creature horror with a domestic drama. The human elements of the story-which deals with generational trauma and how it can impact your behavior and ability to build healthy relationships for a lifetime-are really underdeveloped and since so much of the story is grounded in the pain of a family seeing someone they love become a monster and a man whose been fighting his whole life to become a better person succumb to the same demons that scarred him, it lacks any form of real emotional punch. It's pretty clear that the script needed a rewrite or two to get it where it needed to be, and it really sucks that it didn't happen because there is a really great movie buried in Wolf Man that's begging to be extracted from below its merely decent surface.     

Grade: B-

Presence: Marketing Steven Soderbergh's Presence as a horror movie is a really odd choice by Neon. It is very explicitly a family drama that just happens to be told from the POV perspective of a ghost that haunts a house in New Jersey that was recently purchased by a family (Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday) that's in a state of serious personal turmoil. Despite its questionable genre billing, Presence is another admirably unique dice roll from Soderbergh. The way that film is shot and cut together gives the film a voyeuristic feel that provides an intimate look at the various dynamics that exist in this fractured family as they navigate some really major shit that threatens to tear them apart forever and the performances from all four leads are all chillingly authentic. Honestly, everything was going pretty great until its abrupt, ridiculous ending occurs and takes a huge dump on what preceded it. While I still would've been puzzled by it, I would've been much more willing to accept such a jarringly cartoonish ending to an otherwise pretty grounded movie if it didn't elect to suddenly abandon several key plot threads without even providing the viewer with a sincere opportunity to draw their own conclusions in the process. Vets like Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp pulling off something so lazy and poorly conceived is kind of shocking and it's what I'll ultimately associate Presence with above anything else.             

Grade: B-