Evil Dead Rise Review

There’s nothing easy about being a single mom. You have to wrangle unruly kids. You have to worry about making rent. Oh, and sometimes the demonic Book of the Dead is buried underneath your apartment building.

Evil Dead Rise is a loosely adapted follow-up/ sequel to the original Evil Dead trilogy, with Lee Cronin as writer and director, and Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell as executive producers. I say loose follow-up because it states that this takes place in the same universe as the originals and even the remake that came out 10 years ago. The link is that it is displayed at the beginning of the movie that there are apparently 3 books of the dead out there in the world. Now this is mentioned in Army of Darkness but it is also revealed at the end that two of the books were decoys. So basically one retcon later and now we're in a world with three of these books. In short, just go with it

Unlike its predecessors, though, this film (mostly) takes place in the city instead of a remote cabin. Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) is a tattoo artist taking care of her three kids. Her husband has flown the coop and her building is scheduled to be demolished in a month, and Ellie is barely keeping things together when her estranged sister Beth (Lily Sullivan) shows up on her doorstep, dealing with a crisis of her own.

The two sisters start to work through an emotionally thorny reunion when an earthquake rocks the building, opening up a fissure in the parking garage to reveal a hidden vault. And hidden in that vault is the family’s undoing.

What follows is a thrilling and depraved screamfest as Ellie is taken over by a demon to become one of the dreaded Deadites. Ellie comes after her own children as Beth frantically tries to fight her off, mourn her death, and figure out what the hell is going on all at the same time. What makes the premise of Evil Dead Rise so compelling is that it dips into every parent’s deepest, most unspeakable fear: not that something will hurt your kids, but that you will hurt them.

Alyssa Sutherland is absolutely mesmerizing as the possessed Ellie. She shambles, roars, scuttles across the ceiling, and pukes up gallons of froth as she wrecks havoc on her family. Obviously the makeup and effects, both expertly done, help transform her into a demon, but it’s her acting that makes the role unforgettable. Even more impressively, Sutherland establishes Ellie as an imperfect but loving mother in the first act, making her Deadite self all the more disturbing.

The gore will satisfy any horror fan, with some fun callbacks to previous Evil Dead films. The movie also manages to sneak in some moments that harken back to the slapstick comedy of the franchise’s best scenes. Are these moments funny, exactly? Sort of, although writer and director Lee Cronin understand that Evil Dead movies are at their best when you’re laughing and screaming at the same time.

The film is as beautiful to experience as it is disgusting. Ellie’s doomed apartment is swathed in the dark, rich greens, made all the more atmospheric by a power outage. The sound mixing is immersive, giving each shriek and incantation an otherworldly resonance.

The movie isn’t perfect, of course. Some of the suspenseful sequences start to drag a little, especially when you can predict the jump scare that’s sure to follow. And while no disrespect to the other sister the lack of a strong lead character going forward on where they plan to maybe take this franchise leaves a lot to be desired. To put it bluntly, the shadow of Ash Williams looms very high while watching this movie. Overall, though, if you’re looking for meaty, twisted horror that will make you want to hug your kids a little tighter, Evil Dead Rise delivers.

Final Score: B-

Infinity Pool Review

With spinning cinematography and flashing lights that seemingly cover the full-color spectrum, Infinity Pool is a literally dizzying cinematic experience that further twirls your brain around with an orgy (and actual orgies) of graphic content on its way to driving home its commentary. With intense and gratuitous depictions of violence and sex – but it’s all in service of effectively raising stakes and making its point. All of the outrageousnesses is counterbalanced by the monstrous flippancy demonstrated by the characters, and it sharpens the overall satire.

Some are not going to be able to stomach it. If you couldn’t handle the overload of bodily fluids in Triangle of Sadness or the menacing glee of Art The Clown in Terrifier, or if the name "Cronenberg" is unfamiliar to you, then you’re definitely not going to handle what Infinity Pool has to offer. If, however, you are like me and experienced the extremes of those films with a giddy smile and an appreciation for the expressed sentiments, Brandon Cronenberg has served up an early-in-the-year treat for us that are fans of the ultra-violence.

Such an endeavor requires bold actors. Brandon Cronenberg found a tremendous pair in Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth: two stars well-versed in cinematic sex and violence who make for a seductive and poisonous couple in Infinity Pool. Their chemistry together is successfully electric and dangerous, as Gabi lures James into an unimaginably dark world, and Skarsgård and Goth’s performances only become more impressive as the story plays out.

There is an under-the-surface darkness to James that we can see at the outset of the film, and Skarsgård both exposes it and cultivates it in brilliant ways over the course of the character’s arc – primarily through action and emotion over literal expression. The shifting balance of reserved and excitement in him is a treat to watch, and it leads to a conclusion that is precisely where the protagonist needs to be left.

Gabi also smells of trouble from the outset, and she doesn’t take long to prove that read correct – but Mia Goth’s job past the film’s setup is hooking James on a leash and luring him into a mysterious and mad new world, and her turn is extraordinary. Saying too much would ruin the fun of seeing the performance evolve, but the legion of horror fans that Goth earned as lauding devotees in 2022 with X and Pearl (raises hand) will love every minute of her work here.

Brandon Cronenberg continues his streak of crafting visually arresting works that shock and stun, and I'm sure his father couldn't be more proud. Like with swimming in the dead of winter, you have to brace for it, but it’s definitely quite the experience when you dive in. Watch this somewhere in my top 10 come the end of the year.

9/10

M3GAN Review

As designed, M3GAN is a life-like doll (or uncanny valley nightmare, depending on your perspective), and programmed with powerful and advanced artificial intelligence that drives her to do whatever is necessary for the well-being of the child with whom she is linked.

It’s the kind of creepiness that inspires grins and random chuckles instead of preparing you for big screams, and that’s wholly intentional; it’s perhaps a step too far for me to call M3GAN a horror comedy, but there certainly isn’t a fear that laughs are going to undermine the terror. When M3GAN starts to talk back to Gemma aggressively and assert more independence, her sharp personality lowers the temperature of your blood a bit, but simultaneously makes you want to let out an audible, “Oooh” like you’re a member of a talk show audience.

Where this film does excel is in the design of the character. The design is terrific, as her prim and proper appearance (albeit with Anime eyes) is contrasted in excellent ways by her disturbing behavior, and the techniques used to animate her are flawless. Puppeteering, visual effects, and a costumed performer (Amie Donald) were used by the production, and they all work together seamlessly to make the android seem like she is both alive and still a toy (the perfect recipe for generating uncanny valley-based unease).

By far the most entertaining sequence, already spoiled by the film’s surprising viral, meme-generating trailer, finds M3gan dance-murdering this one character set to the disco cult classic track “Walk the Night,” from the Skatt Brothers. (An equally moody use of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s “Deadly Valentine” assists in an overall well-curated soundtrack).

The main problem I have is with this being rated PG-13. You’re all set and ready for the cute/terrifying doll to go full tilt as a horror villain… but the movie never gets to that point, and there are fingers to be pointed at the decision for the production to target a PG-13 rating. There is undoubtedly escalation in the behavior of the antagonist, but it’s not translated well enough in her actions, with the full extent of her insanity being kept off-screen. This is a movie that should have an absolutely wild and bloody finale, and it’s unable to deliver it.

M3GAN isn’t entirely the experience I want it to be. I mean the writer of this was the writer of the cinematic Schlock fest "Malignant" so I was expecting way more over-the-topness. But its best qualities outweigh its faults in reflection. It’s a well-made, experience and an ok enough opening act for the horror movies to come in 2023.

7/10

The Batman Review (spoiler free)

Matt Reeves’ vision for The Batman isn't a carbon copy of prior efforts simply with a new star in the cape and cowl. It steers away from material we’ve seen endlessly (fear not: we do not actually see Thomas and Martha Wayne get murdered in this one), and there is an emphasis on the Sherlockian title of “World’s Greatest Detective,” with Paul Dano’s The Riddler challenging Gotham’s protector with gruesome crime scenes and twisted puzzles. It is, however, all still built on a familiar foundation – noir overtones and a grounded reality – that prevents it from ever feeling unique.

Skipping over the Batman Begins of it all and assuming that the audience is fully aware of the classic origin story, Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) is portrayed as in the second year of his campaign against crime, and he is a man obsessed. He extensively journals each of his nightly outings stalking and investigating the criminal element that runs rampant on the streets – cinematically treated as voice over dialogue that evokes the yellow boxes on the comic book page – and he has become a feared and controversial figure in his city.

In many ways, The Batman is the film I’ve been waiting for as long as I’ve been a DC Comics fan. It doesn’t treat movie-goers as though it has to teach them who the main character is, and instead drops us into a Bat-centric story without all the needless exposition. The key figures enter the picture organically from the narrative in a way that tells you everything you need to know about them, and it all flows without excess or stiltedness.

That’s a vital factor when you consider the blockbuster’s near three-hour runtime, but Matt Reeves makes every minute count in terms of storytelling and immersion. Far from the Jim Carrey version of the Riddler in the aforementioned Batman Forever, Paul Dano’s villain successfully keeps the stakes dangerously high at all times, and each new piece of his puzzle only further enhances the audience’s curiosity about the big answers to the mystery and the methodology of the hero. There’s an effective escalation in the reveals, and eye-widening action to balance the shadowy drama.

Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne finds a certain middle ground between Michael Keaton’s and Christian Bale’s, portrayed as a public figure but also a solemn introvert, and it’s effective because this young version of the orphaned billionaire really only lives by night. He’s only whole when he puts on the suit – and it’s a surprising transformation, as you no longer see the actor when he is wearing the mask. You don’t recognize Pattinson when he is slowly emerging from the shadows, his body language and speech changed, and it’s effective in both creating the realism of the secret identity and captivating the audience.

Of course, it can be said that his transformation doesn’t hold a candle to what is going on in The Batman with Colin Farrell… working on the assumption that the production isn’t pulling some kind of insane ruse and that’s really him playing The Penguin in the film. When it comes to prosthetics and special effects makeup, cinema history is filled with genius work, but typically you can look into a character’s eyes and recognize the actor underneath (Danny DeVito’s Oswald Cobblepot in Batman Returns is actually a perfect example). That’s just not the case here, and I don’t know how to fully explain it. It’s a spectacular iteration of the noxious, unscrupulous villain from the comics (minus a weaponized umbrella), and the most genuine example of “disappearing into a role” that I have ever witnessed.

Colin Farrell and Robert Pattinson are the standouts, but Matt Reeves does right by all of the recognizable friends and foes of Batman and the high caliber actors who portray them. Zoë Kravitz has the slinky, sly energy that is a must for every incarnation of Selina Kyle, and passionate new motivation that very much works for the character – not to mention sparking chemistry with the male lead. John Turturro has Carmine Falcone’s presence dominate every room he enters with quiet but powerful confidence, and Jeffrey Wright instills the relationship between Gordon and the Caped Crusader with a quiet history and well-applied moments of humor.

So-called heightened realism is a terrific approach to the source material, but it also makes the new film feel like an extension rather than a full reinvention, and that will have an impact on the way audience receives it. That being said, there are also key ways in which the main character evolves over the course of the story that look to put the hero on a new and exciting path that could ultimately set this canon apart from any other we’ve seen on the big screen. Precisely what the future holds is unclear, but I’m certainly not ready to stop living in this world after just three hours.

9/10