2025 CATCH-UP: THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2 SUCKS

 Exceptionally stupid and profoundly dumb. Tries to be a continuation of part one while giving a touch of backstory to two of the Strangers. Neither works (especially because there is zero reason given to care about the backstory). No plot/story and no forward momentum. The Wild boar attack and the conversation between Madeline Petsch and Gabriel Basso are the only good scenes.

The cinematography is decent in moments. While the entire film is an extended chase scene, there is shockingly little action and the Strangers get minimal screen time. The screenplay (by the same bozos who penned Chapter One) continues to be the weakest aspect of the film. The entire film is predictable, generic, and cliched from minute one to minute last. Our characters continue to make the stupidest, worst decisions imaginable and the movie continues to smash the suspension of disbelief into a million tiny pieces.

The Strangers: Chapter Two is fun to laugh at, but is also incredibly boring. This sequel feels empty and full of dead air. The Strangers Chapter Two tries to up the pace and tension, but only ends up spinning its wheels in the mud. How embarrassing. How disappointing. Pretty sure this is where most jump off the Strangers train.

1 STAR

2025 CATCH-UP: LURKER IS A SURPRISE IN 2025

 A surprisingly confident and assured debut from first time director Alex Russell. The cinematography by Pat Scola (Pig, Sing Sing, A Quiet Place: Day One) is very competent and unexpectedly pretty. There’s a good deal of film grain throughout, and I can’t remember the last time a movie used cigarette burns (I counted this very old-school technique used at least twice in this). A good deal of this film deals with similar themes to those found in Saltburn, just minus all the excess, depravity, and sex.

Theodore Pellerin as Matthew, our protagonist, is very creepy and off-putting. He does the whole dead-eye, zoned-out, staring-intently-off-into-the-distance thing to a frighteningly effective degree. He also reminds of Keir Gilchrist, in so much as he feels like a person with high-functioning Autism. Sunny Suljic (The kid from The Killing of A Sacred Deer and Mid-90s all grown up) puts on a solid supporting performance as Jamie, friend to Matthew. Arguably it’s Archie Madakwe (Farleigh in Saltburn, Simon in Midsommar) who walks away with the film as Oliver, an up-and-coming singer. He shines most during the later acts of the movie.

Lurker does an effective pivot at the 59 minute mark. The film from that point on indulges in some great, interesting twists that play with the dynamics between Oliver and Matthew, and the way we view/see each character. Lurker is messed-up in a good way, and it does a pretty great job at keeping audiences on-their-toes and guessing for the majority of the run time. Equal parts predictable and unexpected, Lurker is definitely one worth checking out. For my money, the last 36 minutes are the best part of this movie. ‘Love and Obsession’, an original song featured during the final 10-15 minutes, is an absolute earworm as well.

4 STARS

2025 CATCH-UP: THE BLACK PHONE 2

 Hell freezes over.

This sequel isn’t better than the first film, but the imagery is consistently striking and cool (The cinematography by Par M. Ekberg is A++). The score composed by Atticus Derrickson is deliciously 80s synth influenced. Despite not making his first appearance until fifty-three minutes in and only being featured in approximately twenty one minutes and twenty five seconds of screen time, The Grabber looks cooler and is better handled here. Shame there isn’t more of him in this. 

The screenplay by Scott Derrickson (who returns to direct as well) and C. Robert Cargill is pretty good, though there is the occasional instance of bad dialogue. Madeline McGraw, Mason Thames, and Ethan Hawke all return and each does a superb job. Miguel Mora does fine work as Gwen’s boyfriend, Ernesto. It’s Demian Bichir’s Mandi who most impresses out of the supporting cast. While Mason Thames’ Finn is in this film just as much as Madeline McGraw’s Gwen, at the end of the day this film is more about Gwen and their mom. Those hoping for more of a look into The Grabber’s past or backstory are going to be disappointed. 

The Black Phone Two mixes together Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, adding in an icy winter chill to enhance the gorgeous atmosphere. This one is more of a supernatural-mystery-thriller that dives into Gwen and Finn’s mother’s history and how The Grabber might have been a presence in their family’s past. The Black Phone 2 is slowly paced, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad or weak. While it’s about as great as the first film was, I actually much prefer this sequel compared to what came before. Grab a heavy jacket, pick up the phone, and don’t fall asleep.

4 STARS

2025 CATCH-UP: KEEPER IS A KEEPER

 Liz (Tatiana Maslany) thinks she might have finally found “the one” in Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland), a charismatic doctor. He takes her up to his posh cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway, but Liz’s vacation quickly sours. Malcolm seems almost too good to be true, but has a troubling aura around him. As Liz grapples with her insecurities concerning their relationship, she is overwhelmed by strange and terrifying nightmares, visions, and hallucinations. What exactly is going on here? 

Keeper is the latest trip from Osgood Perkins, and this latest outing is much more in line with the director’s usual, weirdo sensibilities. Keeper feels more in keeping with The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, and Gretel and Hansel than it does with Longlegs or The Monkey.  Nick Lepar penns the screenplay and hits another home run. This is Lepar’s second feature after the massively entertaining Dangerous Animals. The two films couldn’t be more different, showing that this guy might have some serious range. I can’t wait to see what he writes next!

Jeremy Cox is in charge of cinematography and does a phenomenal job. He has mostly worked on very independent films, with possibly his most well-known project being the tv series The Edge of Sleep. The visuals in Keeper are consistently mesmerizing, gorgeous, and trippy. It’s easily some of the best cinematography of the year. I’d compare it favorably to the cinematography and visuals found in Gretel and Hansel. The soundtrack is freaking great as well. Same goes for the score by Edo Van Bremen. 

Rossif Sutherland fits his role like a glove. He’s very charming and likable, while still managing to subtly unsettle throughout. Is there something he’s hiding, or is Liz just paranoid. Speaking of Liz, Tatiana Maslany is a fucking star! She is completely engaging and easy to root for. You can’t help but empathize with her worsening mental state and creeping fear/dread. She’s incredibly likable, and you want everything to be ok for her in the end.

Keeper is aggressively weird, surreal, and gonzo (I would compare it favorably to last year’s Cuckoo or 2022’s Men, except Keeper is clearly MUCH better than Men). It’s a thousand percent NOT made for mass audiences. The third act goes off the rails a bit and not everything makes perfect sense or is completely satisfying by the end. That said, Perkins’ vision for Keeper is damned impressive. You can’t help but respect what he’s made here. The metaphors/messages about men and women aren’t perfect, but you should be able to get the gist of them. 

Keeper is a supernatural-mystery-psychological thriller that isn’t afraid to embrace the bizarre and strange. I personally prefer it to Longlegs and The Monkey. It’s another one of the best horror films of 2025. It gave me life. This one’s a keeper.

4 STARS

2025 CATCH-UP: THE CARPENTER'S SON

 Not bad. Everyone cast is clearly giving it their all. Noah Jupe does a compelling, engaging, and believable job as 15 year old Jesus. FKA Twigs is good as Mary, though she isn’t in it much and has little import to the proceedings. Isla Johnston even shines a bit as Satan, more-so in the third act than in any of her earlier scenes. 

Nic Cage as Joseph isn’t necessarily bad, he’s certainly trying his hardest, but the material he’s saddled with doesn’t do him any favors. At the end of the day, this is Jesus and Joseph’s story, but Joseph is unlikable for the majority of the run time, and his third-act redemption happens just a tad too quickly. Joseph loves Jesus, but is terrified of him and so continually abuses him and punishes him. It doesn’t help that Nic Cage is the sole recognizable actor in a film populated by ones who aren’t as well known. Seeing a famous face kind of takes you out of it. 

It’s appreciated that Satan, while still definitely bad, has her own point of view and reasons for doing as she does (both of which line up with what we know about this most fallen of angels from religious texts). The Carpenter’s Son is billed as a horror film, but all of the horror feels forced and unnatural. In actuality, it’s more of a story about the origin of Jesus or how Jesus came to be Jesus. There are horror elements, but all are fairly weak. The writing for our characters and some of the dialogue isn’t the strongest, either. 

This movie’s greatest flaw is its pacing, which is plodding, slow, and painful. The Carpenter’s Son is an interesting watch and isn’t without some merit, but ultimately it’s not one that needs to be seen in theaters (though it’s always good to support independent, risky movies like this). You can safely wait to rent this at home.

2.5 STARS

2025 CATCH-UP: THE RUNNING MAN IS RUNNING ON FUMES

 Ok, what happened to Edgar Wright?

The Running Man isn’t necessarily a “bad” movie. It’s very entertaining, silly, over-the-top, and fun. It just pales in comparison to everything Edgar Wright directed before. The pacing is poor. It takes around an hour for the action to kick in, and even then there are occasional, painful lulls.

The writing (by Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall) is at times passable, other times very weak. The editing is confused and sloppy, the cinematography just ok. It’s very tonally uneven. The Running Man is mostly a silly, goofy action film but it also wants to have a message and be taken seriously. The over-the-top fun and the serious societal commentary don’t gel in the slightest.

The cast is stacked (Josh Brolin, William H. Macy, Michael Cera, Colman Domingo, Glen Powell, Lee Pace, Katy O’Brian, Martin Herlihy, and Daniel Ezra). Everyone shows up to work. Josh Brolin is effective with minimal screen time as Dan Killian, the creator of The Running Man show. Glen Powell is fun as Ben Richards, the “angriest contestant” The Running Man has ever had. In all honesty, his anger isn’t believable.

The best members of the cast are as follows. Colman Domingo plays Bobby T, the flashy host of The Running Man. Colman is likely puts on the best performance in the film. He gets minimal screen time but is very memorable.

Lee Pace plays McCone, the deadly and deadly serious head of The Hunters, the mercenary group out for Richards’ head. Pace isn’t given much to do until the last act, but the character design for McCoy is visually striking and cool. He also gets a pretty good backstory. Daniel Ezra plays Bradley, who hosts his own independent show exposing the lies of The Running Man and The Network that runs it. He’s ultimately a shade of Bobby T, but Bradley is definitively on the side of good.

Edgar Wright’s distinctive visual style is occasionally on display here, but more often than not his visual flair is missing and the dialogue can be quite bad (Here’s looking at you, Michael Cera’s monologue). That said, when this film’s images pop, they really pop. Enjoy it while it’s there, I guess.

Once again, The Running Man is not a “bad” movie. It mostly entertains while it’s on, though you definitely start to feel the length during the third act. With Edgar Wright’s name attached, you naturally expect more. This is the rare time he hasn’t delivered the goods. The Running Man tries to balance silly, goofy, over-the-top fun with a serious and timely message but ultimately fails at this tight rope act. Check it out if you’re looking for some decent, fluffy, surface-level fun. Those looking for anything more are going to leave disappointed.

3 STARS

2025 CATCH-UP: TRAIN DREAMS

 Train Dreams follows 80 years in one man’s life as he is haunted by his past mistakes, fearful there might be some kind of karma waiting for him right around the corner. When tragedy strikes, he’s left to pick up the pieces left behind and try to make sense of everything. The cinematography (by Adolpho Veloso), score (Bryce Dessner), screenplay (by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar), and costumes (by Malgosia Turzanska) are some of the best of the year. The film is glacially paced (not necessarily a bad thing) and introspective.

Train Dreams is gorgeous in its quiet simplicity, and its multiple musings on the beauty and meaning of everything are powerful. It’s ultimately about Earth, life, death, beauty, grief, time, and how everything changes but so much remains the same. This is a film that could touch your soul, if you let it.

4.5 STARS