Mini Review - Bugonia
Bugonia (out Oct 30) is about two conspiracy theorists who kidnap a pharmaceutical company CEO on the belief she is an alien. I liked the back-and-forth between the characters, but it's a contrived screenplay. The more you think about it, the less sense if makes. Grade: B.
Mini Review - Shell
Shell (out Oct 30) suffers from bad timing. The premise is so similar to The Substance that it's hard to watch it without making comparisons. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - Deeper
Deeper (out Oct 30) is a documentary about a group of divers who push boundaries in exploring an underwater cave in New Zealand. It's not changing the world, but it highlights the desire explorers have to set lofty, often-dangerous goals and stop at nothing to achieve them. Grade: B.
Mini Review - Shelby Oaks
Shelby Oaks (out Oct 23) starts with a promising idea (ghost chasers who go missing) but limps home with a weak finale. Not bad for low-budget horror but hard to stand out in a year where there's been so many great films within the genre. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - Regretting You
Regretting You (out Oct 23) is a contrived romantic drama centred on a group of people who have their lives upended by a tragic car accident. The subplot involving the two young actors, played by Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames, has some credibility but the rest is maddening. Grade: C.
Mini Review - Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (out Oct 23) is a very good Japanese animated feature, primarily for adults, involving angels and devils. I haven't watched the TV series on which it's based and while a few elements went over my head, I enjoyed the narrative, the animation, and the randomness of the characters. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (out Oct 23) is a disappointment. It provides only a “surface level” look of the acclaimed artist, and there’s a surprisingly lack of drama and tension. Lovers of "The Boss" may enjoy the music and lead performance of Jeremy Allen White but that's not enough to justify this biopic. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - Twinless
Twinless (out Oct 23) is exceptional. A brilliant dark comedy about two young men who become friends... but their connection is based on a mountain of lies. There are moments of hilarious, insightful wit and there are moments where characters extricate themselves from tricky situations. A wild, riotous journey which won the Audience Award for dramatic features at the Sundance Film Festival. Grade: A.