jtindahouse Reviews

Arcadian (2024)

Contains the worst exposition scene I've ever witnessed

[5/10 · 10 May 2024]

Something I really struggle with in these apocalyptic films is that the characters never have anything to live for. Their whole existence becomes based around surviving, but to what end? What are they surviving for? They're living lives as pointless as a blowfly. And so it becomes almost impossible to care for their fates, because it is always in the back of your mind that they might as well be dead they way they are living.

The film itself is fine, nothing more. Pretty forgettable for the most part. Never really takes any chances or does anything edgy or daring. It's also a very dark film and can be quite hard to see what is going on. Which is a shame because from the little glimpses of creatures we got to see, they looked quite interesting. The film also contains possibly the single worst exposition scene I've ever seen in a film, where two characters play a "game" where they try to explain the events that lead to all this in 10 seconds. My goodness that was painfully in your face.

The actors do their best and it doesn't outstay its welcome, so it gets a generous 5/10.

There's Something in the Barn (2023)

Finds the awkward limbo between funny and scary

[3/10 · 9 May 2024]

Christmas horror has never been a positive sign for a movie to me. I understand why they get made from a marketing stand-point, but they are just rarely ever good films. 'There's Something in the Barn' is no exception sadly. This feels like they had a really weak idea for a movie that was struggling to be green-lit, and so they tacked on the Christmas element to sell it that way.

The film leans very heavily on the comedy side of things. The problem - it's never funny. It finds this awkward ground between horror and comedy where it is never funny, but also never scary. It's a very bad place for any horror movie to find itself.

The only fallback in that situation is to have likable characters, and the film certainly doesn't have those either. The dad has some decent moments but the rest of the family are very badly written. Bottom line: I was bored for the duration of the film. Not one I'd recommend. 3/10.

Suncoast (2024)

A real missed opportunity

[6/10 · 7 May 2024]

'Suncoast' set itself up so well. All the pieces were perfectly put in place for a great movie. Then it stalled. And it stalled for a long time. It didn't really find itself again until the final 10 minutes of the film. I can't help wondering what some filmmakers could have done with that giant chunk of potential through the middle of this film.

We have a really likable lead character in 'Doris' and we have a conflicted and complex character in her mother, both dealing with a really traumatic situation. So much could have been done with this and yet it feels like we spend the entire film watching 'Doris' interact with her (incredibly uninteresting) friends. I get that that they may have been going for a coming of age story, but there are far more interesting ways to do that. No creativity went into those scenes whatsoever.

I feel like the film could've hugely benefited from some humour as well. It doesn't have to be over the top, but some genuine laughs here and there would've gone a long way. The film isn't bad by any means, but it really did get the least out of the concept it possibly could have. 6/10.

Self Reliance (2023)

A bit chaotic and messy but it's also fun and original

[7/10 · 6 May 2024]

It took me a while to work out how I really felt about 'Self Reliance'. On the one hand, it is an original concept, with some really fun ideas and a nice quick little film that isn't setting out to do much more than entertain you for 90 minutes. On the other hand, it is a bit of a chaotic mess that I'm not sure I fully understood, and I'm not sure it understood itself entirely either. I think the pros outweigh the cons, but I am a little conflicted on it.

Usually I really enjoy Anna Kendrick, but here she almost sucks the life out of the film during the screentime she gets. She doesn't come into the film until about the 25 minute mark, but she certainly does brings the vibes down once she enters. Andy Samberg on the other hand is a breathe of fresh air whenever he is on screen. I wish he had been in the film more.

'Self Reliance' is a pretty strange movie whichever way you cut it. I would love to see the discussions over how was the best way to end the film. I certainly had no idea which route they were going to go down. It's worth seeing to make up your own mind though. 7/10.

Infested (2023)

If the spiders aren't scaring you there's nothing to fall back on

[4/10 · 2 May 2024]

'Infested' won Best Horror Feature at Fantastic Fest last year and although I was in attendance, I didn't see the film. "Creature Features" as a rule are not really my thing. I rarely enjoy them. Although as fate would have it two of the last three films I've seen have been in that sub-genre. I didn't love the first one ('Sting') and I'm sad to say I enjoyed 'Infested' slightly less.

I'm used to Creature Features having a lot of humour in them, as this is typically how the Americans make them. I actually quite liked that 'Infested' took itself very seriously. That was not the problem I had with the film. The problems came in terms of how the film was made.

For starters, all the characters were abysmal people, and so it was impossible to care about any of their fates. The film never even tries to make nay of them likable and they just get worse as things go along. I also found the film extremely dark and quite hard to see what exactly was going on a lot of the time.

I think this film would work a lot better if you had an inherent fear of spiders. If they naturally make your skin crawl in real life, then there are a few scenes in this movie that could make you uncomfortable. If you don't however, you really are left with nothing else to fall back on. In that sense perhaps the film would've been better off with a few hints of humour and light-heartedness. However it was done though, it didn't work for me. 4/10.

A Good Person (2023)

Loving care goes into every character

[8/10 · 1 May 2024]

Something I notice when Zach Braff makes a movie is that he gives loving care and attention to every character. So many filmmakers put everything into their lead character and then every other character is just a 2D cut-out whose life and story revolves around that lead character in order for the film to function.

In fact so much care and detail goes into every character in 'A Good Person' that I don't actually know who the title is referring to. Obviously Florence Pugh gets the most screentime, but there are at least two other characters who you could argue are equally important to the film.

This is a heavy film. I've seen it referred to in places as "melodramatic" but I disagree with that. I think the situations these characters are dealing with are heavy enough that their interactions are fairly natural and justified. This was a good film, I enjoyed it a lot. 8.5/10.

Sting (2024)

A very choppy tone hurts it a lot

[5/10 · 28 April 2024]

I had a few issues with 'Sting', but one of the biggest ones was that it never settled on a tone. After the first scene I thought to myself, okay they're going full blown horror/comedy - I don't love that but if it commits to it it could work. But then the film started taking itself very seriously for a while. Then it would jump back into light-hearted funny mode again. And this continued throughout the runtime of the film. I never felt like I knew what it was going for and I don't think the film itself did either.

My other main gripe comes in the form of a spoiler, so I can't go into it in too much detail. All I can say is I didn't particularly like how the ending of the film was handled. Had it gone a different, more daring route I feel like a lot of the past indiscretions could have been more easily forgiven.

The film has its good points too. There was a child actor who got a lot of screen time and I didn't find overly annoying. The CGI also looks really good for the most part. It's almost impossible to make an over-sized spider look in any way realistic, but it certainly looked a lot better than they did back in the 'Eight Legged Freaks' days. It is quite a dark film too which probably helps to cover any imperfections up a little.

This film is harmless fun for the most part. But it's less daring than I would've liked it to be and it would've done well to settle on a particular genre blend and commit to that. 5/10.

Humane (2024)

Finds its way after a rusty old start

[8/10 · 26 April 2024]

It's hard to hate a film like 'Humane'. It's a reasonably original concept and it doesn't want to do anything other than entertain you. Sure it's a little clunky, particularly at the start (it is a feature-length debut director after all), but it finds its rhythm along the way and becomes a pretty enjoyable film.

The dialogue in the film could certainly use a lot of polishing. It makes a lot of the characters come across stiffer and stranger than I think they were intended to be. The film is lucky that in the latter half it stops relying on dialogue as much and the action takes centre stage.

This is a film where I would suggest if you're not vibing with it at first, give it a bit longer. Give it a chance to find its way and you might just have a very good time in the second half. 8/10.

Sound of Freedom (2023)

I was invested every minute of the journey

[9/10 · 25 April 2024]

As a general rule, true stories in film are not for me. 'Sound of Freedom' was very much the exception. The fact that this is a true story is devastating in its own right, but it doesn't change the fact that it is an incredible film.

The problem a lot of modern films have is that they forget that they need to give audiences a reason to root for their protagonists. That was never an issue here. I needed the good guys to win in this movie and I was fully invested every time there was danger apparent. This movie has some incredibly tense scenes to sit through.

There's no doubt this is a heavy film and for that reason it may not be for everyone. If you think you're game though, this is a highly rewarding experience. 9/10.

Abigail (2024)

For a sub-genre I don't like, I had a really good time

[8/10 · 23 April 2024]

As a rule, vampires are not my jam. In fact, they are my least favourite horror sub-genre. However, when you have Dan Stevens in the cast, and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett on board, I'm in. I'll find a way to enjoy it if I have to. And I didn't need to try very hard. This film was a lot of fun.

The film backs itself into a corner a little bit right from the jump by having all its characters be villains. When they're the ones in danger in can be hard to care about their fate - because they're villains. The way the movie gets around this (or at least tries to) is by having all the characters be quite likeable in their own twisted way. It kind of works to pave over the cracks but it is always in the back of your mind that these are not good people.

Any flaws in a film like this tend to be forgotten pretty quickly though, because you are just having too much fun watching it. The horror works. The humour works. The film works. 8/10.

American Star (2024)

Nothing to see here

[3/10 · 23 April 2024]

How boring could a movie about a hitman possibly be? It's like 'American Star' set out with that goal in mind. This movie has no hook. It has nothing to keep the audience invested and wanting to know what will happen next. This was a painfully dull experience.

Ian McShane is a very fine actor. He's extremely likeable and highly watchable whenever he is on screen. Without him this movie would be an absolute dumpster fire. The fact that movie was as bad as it was, despite having him in every scene, really is a testament to how bad of a story this was.

There's very little to like here. If you're finding the movie slow and hoping it picks up at some stage - it doesn't. There's nothing to see here. 3/10.

Uproar (2023)

If Darby isn't on screen it isn't worth watching

[4/10 · 21 April 2024]

The thing I like most about New Zealanders is ironically the reason we are very bad at making movies. We are a very safe and non-daring people, and so our movies always come across this way. You never get a moment that drops your jaw or takes you off-guard. You always get exactly what you expect from start to finish and that is no different in 'Uproar'. A remarkably forgettable film.

The only thing I found to connect with in this movie was Rhys Darby. Both his character and his performance were terrific. He gave me 'Dead Poet's Society' Robin Williams vibes. If they ever wanted to do a spin-off movie about his character I'd be first in line to see that.

Otherwise though, the film just doesn't work. It isn't funny and so doesn't have that to pave over the cracks. And the story doesn't have the emotional impact, or even close to it, that it would've needed for the film to work. 4/10.

Butchers Book Two: Raghorn (2024)

A let down of a sequel if ever I've seen one

[4/10 · 18 April 2024]

I really enjoyed the first 'Butchers' film. I gave it a high rating and a pretty glowing review for a horror movie. So I was always going to give the sequel a chance. Some of the negatives I mentioned about the first one were really exaggerated in this film. The inexplicable character decisions and enormous villains who are able to sneak up on people like ninjas. The acting was also a big downgrade in this film. This sequel was a let down I'm sad to say.

I don't like to hate on low-budget horror movies so I won't rattle on too long here. The first half of this film was a real mess though with poor dialogue, a lack of horror and not much else to make up for it. The second half of the film gets a little better. The ruthless horror makes some brief appearances and that is certainly when the film is at its strongest. This one could've done with a lot of polishing though it has to be said. 4/10.

The End We Start From (2023)

An absolute snoozefest from start to finish

[3/10 · 8 April 2024]

I've seen some boring films in my time, but my goodness 'The End We Start From' wouldn't be far from the top of the list. How can a film barely over 90 minutes feel three hours long? It just has no idea how to create an interesting scene, or throw out some intriguing dialogue, or change up the tempo a little even for a short while. It just drifts along aimlessly until the credits mercifully roll.

There is a baby in this film (actually a couple of babies for a short while) and I assume they're included in this story to raise the stakes a little and make us care more about the character's fate. So of course this new-born baby being dragged through torrid conditions never cries - because of course that might put the audience off it. Absolute nonsense.

This film feels both extremely slow and yet rushed at the same time. There's never anything going on, but it also feels like they can't find spots to put in some interesting scenes or some kind of mini plot twist, or just something to break up the monotony.

There's very little in the way of redeeming qualities I can find for this one. It didn't do itself any favours at any stage. A generous 3/10.

The First Omen (2024)

It's well made but it borrows a lot and doesn't work as well in 2024

[6/10 · 7 April 2024]

The problem that religious horror has today is that audiences aren't as gullible as they were in the 70s. People actually believed this kind of stuff was possible back then from what I understand. A modern audience watches something like 'The First Omen' and finds it laughable. So the movie is almost doomed before it gets underway.

Which is a shame because it's a really well made horror movie for the most part. It takes some time to build things up and introduce its characters. It has a lead character that is grounded and easy to like and care about their fate. It has some very graphic and violent horror that is bound to be quite memorable for the average horror fan. There's a lot to like here. I would love to see director Arkasha Stevenson given another horror movie with a better story and see what she could do with it.

I would say though that there is a lack of originality here. Countless times I saw things that were almost a direct rip from other horror films. It's one thing to be inspired, but a lot of this felt more like copy and paste. There are also quite a number of unearned jump-scares with things like a character appearing out of nowhere and placing a hand on someone's shoulder, accompanied by a loud jolt of music. It's cheap and it needs to be erased from the horror genre going forward. There's a mix of good and bad here. 6/10.

Anyone But You (2023)

Chemistry conquers all

[7/10 · 4 April 2024]

'Anyone But You' is a great example of what I often say about movies, and in particular romantic comedies - chemistry conquers all. On reflection, the script in this movie isn't actually all that strong. It takes a decent concept and doesn't do a whole lot with it outside of the expected. However I found myself having a great time with the film because Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell were playing off each other so well. The charm was just oozing off the screen, even when they hated each other.

I felt like the script played it a little too safe. I understand they were trying to appeal to a wider audience, and so any gross-out comedy was probably out of the equation, but they could've gotten a little more creative with the situational comedy. The film would've really benefited from a few more laugh-out-loud moments.

For what it was though this was a decent film. There are worse ways to kill 100 minutes if you need to. 7/10.

All of Us Strangers (2023)

A heavy film told with a lot of class

[8/10 · 2 April 2024]

'All of us Strangers' is a really good idea for a movie. In a world where original ideas are few and far between, this is a really good one. It opens itself to so many possibilities that it almost feels underwhelming that the film isn't able to explore all of them. The path is does choose to explore though is quite interesting and everything is handled with a lot of class.

The acting in the film is superb. Every single cast member brings their A-game. It does help that they are given some excellent dialogue to deliver and some very heavy material to work with that lets them really show off their acting chops.

There's a reveal at the end of this film that hit me very hard. I could see an argument from one point of view that it was an unnecessary addition to the film, but I would disagree. I saw it more as the cherry on top and the final blow to an already emotionally worn down audience. This was a good one. 8/10.

Miller's Girl (2024)

Zero chemistry and pretentious dialogue throughout

[4/10 · 1 April 2024]

Who is guiding Jenna Ortega on her career moves at the moment? She's one of the hottest stars in the world and yet she is working on these terrible scripts that don't suit her and aren't ever going to result in a good movie, even if she turns in a great performance - which she doesn't here.

The biggest problem in 'Miller's Girl' is that the leads have zero chemistry. Both Ortega and Martin Freeman are putting on fake accents (not very well; they drop in and out of them constantly throughout the film), and I'm not sure if that got in the way, but their interactions are painful to watch and contain none of the charm and chemistry that the script obviously intended for them to have.

And without that the film has nothing to fall back on. It doesn't know how to make a scene interesting. There's no X-factor or spice to anything in the movie. Just the same pretentious dialogue on repeat.

The result is a bore of a film and one that feels a lot longer than the 90 minute runtime is contains. This was a disappointingly bad film. 4/10.

Late Night with the Devil (2023)

Creates a terrific sense of dread

[8/10 · 28 March 2024]

I love a good paranormal skeptic character in a movie. I would've loved a job like that. It always frustrates me when they are put in supernatural movies and made to look like they are the stupid one for not believing. 'Late Night with the Devil' was a well made and original movie that I think a lot of horror fans are going to really enjoy.

The movie is technically found footage, however it never really feels like it because we are getting the professional camera angles the studio has set up for the majority of the film. There is a really well done narration sequence to begin the film that sets the scene. This gave me 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' vibes. Narration doesn't always work but when it's done well like this I have no problem with it.

This film isn't about using cheap tricks like jump-scares. I may be wrong but I can't think of a single one in the film. Instead it creates a sense of dread. You know bad things are on the horizon and all you can do is sit back and watch them unfold.

The thing I enjoyed most about this movie though was that nothing felt off limits. It clearly wasn't going to take the safe route, and because it is found footage, by definition it has to have a dark ending. This was a very well made film and hopefully one that breathes some life into the genre. 8.5/10.

The Beekeeper (2024)

Started so promisingly and then fell apart

[5/10 · 26 March 2024]

'The Beekeeper' got off to such a promising start. For the first 15 minutes I was hooked and actually found myself eagerly anticipating the rest of the film. Then, like a house of cards, it all came tumbling down. Poor scene after poor scene followed. Terrible plot choices and overambitious story-lines developed, and what should have been a very simple and fun movie became an over the top bore.

Other than Jason Statham, absolutely no one was cast well in this film. Not one single actor suited the role they were playing, be it a villain, a Swat team-leader, an FBI agent or the President of the United States. You usually get 2-3 of these in these in a film but this truly felt like every single person cast in the film. It was truly bizarre how wrong they got it over and over again.

Suspension of belief is to be expected in a film like 'The Beekeeper', but my goodness it was borderline ridiculous in this film. The Swat teams and FBI agents were made to look like incompetent toddlers time and again. Even if Superman himself was getting out of these situations unharmed I would have had my doubts.

After a great start this movie turned out to be a disappointing mess, and not a memorable one either (be that a good thing or not in this case). 5/10.

Close (I) (2022)

Could've been great but settles for just being very good

[7/10 · 26 March 2024]

'Close' was a strange experience for me. The film set itself up to absolutely destroy me. It had the gun loaded and aimed right between my eyes - and then it never pulled the trigger. And the question that keeps going back and forth in my mind is whether or not this was intentional? Did writer/director Lukas Dhont not want to go the conventional route, and instead went for a more subtle and ultimately less effective route? Or did he want to hammer the nail in and failed in doing so (at least from my perspective)?

Regardless of this, the film is very good. It's very well acted. They did a great job of finding a child actor who wasn't in the least bit annoying. The film also finds a way of being quite captivating and holding your attention, despite there being a lot of silence and longer drawn out scenes.

This is a good film, but I feel like it had all the ingredients to be great and didn't quite get there. 7/10.

You People (2023)

Doesn't work on any level

[4/10 · 21 March 2024]

What a bizarre movie 'You People' is. There is no level I can think of that it works on. It isn't funny, it isn't romantic and it isn't thought-provoking. It's just unpleasant - and long.

The first problem with the movie is that the relationship the whole film is based around feels completely forced. There is zero chemistry between the two leads and I never for a second believed that they were actually in love with each other.

Then you've got the problem that the film doesn't know how to create a realistic situation. Scene after scene feels forced and unearned. No one in the world interacts this way, but apparently every single person in this movie does constantly.

Then the final nail in the coffin is that the film is never funny. I've said before that I think Jonah Hill is the funniest of all the comic actors working today. But you still have to give him something to work with. It's like the film thought it could just point a camera at him, poke him with a stick and say, "be funny."

The fact that you have comic talent like Eddie Murphy at your disposal and you never once get a laugh out of him in almost two hours of runtime is criminal and proves that the film had no idea what it was doing. This was a complete misfire. 4/10.

Immaculate (2024)

A surprisingly gory outing which isn't perfect but finds a way to stay afloat

[6/10 · 20 March 2024]

I have a lot of mixed feelings about 'Immaculate'. It did some stuff I really liked, but then let itself down in other areas. It kept the jump-scares to a minimum, but the ones it did have were pretty easy to spot and ineffectual. It had a lot of gory and hard to watch scenes which were pretty effective and probably when the film was at its strongest. It also contained a fake-out dream sequence which is my most hated horror trope. For everything this film did well it seemed to do something else to offset it.

At first I had trouble buying Sydney Sweeney as a nun. I just couldn't make it work in my head. What I realised as the film went on however, was that her charisma and natural likeability was what was carrying the film. The absolute fundamental key to any horror movie working is that we have to care about the fate of the character/s. And because of her I did.

I liked this film a lot more than I thought I was going after about 15 minutes of the runtime. It's certainly a film that gets better as it goes along. It also does well to not outstay its welcome and keep the runtime to a brisk 89 minutes. I couldn't say this is must-see horror, but I could say it's worthy of giving a chance. 6/10.

Air (I) (2023)

Stop pretending we don't know the outcome

[6/10 · 19 March 2024]

'Air' is a perfectly well made movie, but boy was it a grind to get through. The reason: we know the outcome. The entire runtime the movie keeps pretending like there's this great suspense over whether or not Nike will get Michael Jordan. It doesn't matter if you are a basketball fan or not, the chances are (unless you've lived your life under a rock) that you know what happened.

And so all we are left with is to see how it all went down. Not that the movie feels like it always needs to stick to the facts or anything. Whatever works best for the storytelling narrative will do. Then we are just left with this group of characters to be inspired by. The film does its best to make them seem like genius fortune-tellers who pulled off a miracle, but it did feel very forced and that these people weren't really all that impressive.

All this probably seems very negative for a film I gave 6/10. I didn't hate the movie. I didn't even dislike the movie. There are far worse ways to spend 2 hours than with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Chris Tucker. I just felt it was very fake and given the "movie polish" even more so than most biographical films are. Not a film I have any interest in seeing again, but I'm glad I've seen it.

Ricky Stanicky (2024)

Throws a lot at the wall and a reasonable amount of it sticks

[6/10 · 18 March 2024]

There was a time where films like 'Ricky Stanicky' were a dime a dozen. These days they're as rare as hen's teeth. The poster for 'Ricky Stanicky' even states: 'Warning: An R Rated Comedy'. Which is partly a joke, and partly a deadly serious warning I suspect - so afraid are filmmakers today of upsetting the woke mob.

So was 'Ricky Stanicky' able to deliver some much needed life into the comedy genre? It tries its best, I'll say that. This film could never be accused of not throwing everything it could at the wall to see what sticks. The problem is that the concept is interesting enough, but it doesn't lend itself to much of a story. And so the film never really feels like it gets out of first gear - at least in terms of plot.

There are some funny sequences however, and there's some decent dialogue. John Cena again proves that he really can carry a movie. He's so charismatic and watchable in everything he does. This movie proves he has layers. He can be an unlikable drunk and he can be an extremely likable extrovert - and everything in between.

This isn't going to go down as a comedy classic, but my hope remains that it is received well and opens the door for more films like it. 6.5/10.