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Film reviews

Arcadian Review

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Arcadian is a surreal film in an apocalyptic setting where there is a sense of disconnect and confusion, but the terror is not the emphasis. The focus of the film is how the deceased world impacts a father and his two sons. Arcadian is a film in whichthe father-figure role fits Nicolas Cage. He portrays a man withserious mindset who takes life into his own hands all day, every day. Cage plays the role as a survivalist father well in this film.  However, the film suffers due to what appears to be rushed writing. Directed by Benjamin Brewer, the realities of peril in this story struggle to find peace in Arcadian.

The film takes place in a primitive land of solitude. The movie was filmed in Dublin, Ireland. Cage plays Paul, the father of twin boys.  The boys are Joseph, played by Jaeden Martell, and Thomas, played by Maxwell Jenkins. They live in a remote farmhouse where the days are very structured.  They have scheduled times to complete their outside tasks and various other responsibilities throughout the day. At night they board up their home, have dinner, and go to sleep. While living in a world where much has been lost, Paul raises his sons in a life where there is no enchantment or bright days of hope. At night, they must lock up. If they do not take precautions, creatures outside their home can put an end to their lives. Not only are Paul and his sons tormented by the creatures that roam at night, but everyone around them is also tormented. Paul tries to prepare Joseph and Thomas to be ready to fight every day of their lives, because one wrong move could be fatal.

The life of solitude and specific repetitive tasks throughout the twins’ childhood plays a major part in the film’s sadness and moments of disconnect. The writing is faithful in finding the roots of conflict between Joseph and Thomas. Joseph is introverted, and Thomas is extraverted. Their father cannot make exceptions for how he has their home lives set up. Paul is intensely strict and focused on safety out of love for them. How long can they all tolerate this way of life? Their family dynamicwhich involves detrimental disagreements and challenges of Paul’s authority gets heated during several scenes in Arcadian.

Everyday frustrations and wishes for normalcy are criticalfactors in this film. There are gaps in the family that may never be fulfilled…not when they live a life of daily quarantine. It makes the audience wonder how life would be if the world was different for this family. Truly, the only way to overcome the challenges they face is for them decide to fight what comes at night.

Paul’s sons are all he has and his role as a father trying to protect them leads to heightened emotions. This film about the impact of quarantine on this family is not amazing, but still worth watching. Where will there story end? Find out in Arcadian. Three out of four stars.

Film reviews

The First Omen Review

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I felt scared with this one. Scared by the meanings and evidence surrounding the mythological moments throughout The First Omen. It is one of those rides where the audience will feel there is something inner within many of the characters. There is also the sense that faith is tested or not serious. With the term “not serious” I mean there is the chance those who act good are truly not. The scariness to The First Omen is the amount of misdirection in the extent while horror is gradually growing. Overall, the horror grows like plants evolving into something where the lines are blurred.

The film gears on Margaret (played by Neil Tiger Free). She is someone that is from the United States and makes her way to Rome to do service at a church. Her arrival is not very pleasing as she crosses dark allies. Many of which are in terms of births of evil spirits. The terms of the church seem to have a level of dishonesty. That is because much of the blame falls onto Margaret. Father Brennan (played by Ralph Inneson) tries to help Margaret. He knows the deeper context of the problems and that Margaret can be in grave danger.

There is no clear angle though to the film’s direction. It keeps its tunes of having its haunting elements float around along with jump scares. The film itself though, just keeps trying to be scary as it possibly can be. It does succeed at that, but lacks writing in the ultimate meaning. It is clear the film is about devils and bad spirits. Those both are in the films subject matter throughout its entirety.

The ones who also have faith in Margaret are Father Harris (played by Charles Dance) and Cardinal Lawrence (played by Bill Nighy). Two men who have been acquainted with churches and have good hearts, but most of the church does not. The lack of positive quality of people is where this film finds its shifting to seem strange. Why is Margaret the one receiving all the blames for any form of devil activities? Why is there a moment where she may be randomly possessed? The film throws in all kinds of worshipping tangents that tend to go overboard and not build a resilience to have a proper meaning of faith. The “faith” lacks purely in the context of the title and its meaning of the horror around the church.

This film feels like a repeat. I have seen fires of flames happen in the matter of sins, I have seen many where those feel possessed, and this one does those same things, but tries to do on the level of being ten times more. It still feels predictable and not special. It is purely a blur. A blur of nonsense and I was not sold with this one. I truly was not. Mostly because of how it geared so much on demonic moments rather over meaning. Two out of four stars.

Film reviews

Civil War Review

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After the last few years of having life disrupted to the COVID-19 pandemic, there comes a film about a world in turmoil. Civil War is a representation of what the future could look like if we stayed in pandemic mode much longer. Director Alex Garland is brilliant and an auteur at adding layers of realism and political factors into Civil War. This is not a common, explosive war flick, but instead tells an honest story. Once the film began, it felt like just yesterday when I was annoyed with the world because of the harsh realities of Covid 19 which included lockdowns, governments imposing restrictions, and no clear truth.  I was quickly hooked on the film because of its characters and its intention to find “a clear truth.”

The film is set in a future America where mayhem and turmoil have ensued throughout the world. Nick Offerman plays the president and is bound to be the next target if the demolition overcomes Washington DC. Kirsten Dunst plays Lee, Wagner Moura plays Joel, and Stephen McKinley Henderson plays Sammy.  They are all journalists embedded with the military on the front line working their way to DC. They live the reality ofdestruction every day as they work to capture whatever horrific story comes their way. Cailee Spaeny plays Jessie who is eager to join Lee and her team on their journey to DC.

The brilliance of Civil War lies in its pacing in each setting. Each town they encounter has a unique set of challenges based upon the politics of corruption. Whenever there is a moment of impact or combat, Lee and her team suit up to capture the news. Each day includes life-or-death tasks which becomes the new norm as war makes an impact on everyone. Garland is brave in his direction of Civil War which makes it mentally spellbinding given the combination of politics, news, and wars.

Dunst truly steals the film—her persistence is a portrait of determination to make a story count in Civil War. This is one of the best films I have seen her do. Her performance will enthralland captivate audiences. Her husband Jesse Plemmons is also in the film, and he plays an antagonist. Both deliver roles with gutpunches…Dunst for the good and Plemmons for the bad. However, Dunst is the true revelation and makes this surrealistic film memorable.

Civil War is one of the most captivating films of 2024. Deep-down, my love for Civil War is based on the tolerance it reminded me of during the frustrating the days of 2020. It reminded me of how angry I was that my love for movies and the arts was negatively impacted. During that time, I was consumed by political news from around the world. Over time, I had to learn to tolerate the things I couldn’t control and put adopt a more positive mindset. Civil War painted a true image of life in chaos, and showed what it is like for journalists to cover harsh news. Civil War takes a political story to a whole different level that is unforgettable. Four stars for Civil War.