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Film reviews

Talk to Me Review

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There is a vibe of disturbance that has the taste of a haunting rampage displayed with vengeance and obscure power. It is a film that is deep with sorrow and guilt in which terror seeps into wonders unimaginable. The directors, Danny and Michael Phillippou, drive the eerie feelings for their audiences. This film of existential and creative terror is Talk to Me and is by far one of the best horror films of 2023.  The momentum which builds in the tragedies involve consequences. Above all, Talk to Me is a terror experience that will make its viewers think. There is no hiding from the surprises in this film and it had me jumping in my seat due to the shocking discoveries. In fact, I found it hard to stop thinking about how many more frights I was going to have.

The film takes place in Australia and is about a group of friends who are always together despite some harsh terms. Those friends are Mia (played by Sophie Wilde), Riley (played by Joe Bird), Jade (played by Alexandra Jensen), and Daniel (played by Otis Dhanji). There are more names, but Mia, Riley, Jade, and Daniel are the important ones in this film’s haunting experience. The friends find a game where they realize they can conjure up spirits. The way they do this is by using an embalmed hand. Once they grab the hand, they have to say three words…TALK TO ME! Each of them has fun with the game for a bit by testing the boundaries of it.  The game is like a drug that feels fun to mess around with, but sadly, turns dangerous. One of the friends receives horrific injuries after the embalmed hand explodes with supernatural forces. This terrible encounter means lives are on the line because the conjuring force has unleashed. The many problems of Mia, Riley, Jade, and Daniel go into karma mode as the spirit makes them wonder who the most dangerous person is.

The terror in Talk to Me dives deep into missed connections. Mia is grieving after the death of her mother. She has struggled with drugs in the past. The embalmed hand is presented like a new escape in place of drugs. Instead, the embalmed hand opens a world of accepting the evils of reality, and the evils of past behaviors. Can Mia live with it? Can anyone conquer the supernatural forces of the hand? The writing reminds the audience that even in darkness there can be light. The light, however, does not come without sacrifice or admittance of guilt. It is like a Jumanji film, but in truth or dare mode where there are imagined supernatural spirits at their finest.

The diversity of horror is spellbinding. The search for answers involves dark allies filled with meaning. There is a puzzle to all the surreal and terrorizing outcomes in Talk to Me and a mystery to every emotion and event. The film tests the waters of the past, is filled with scary moments, and causes emotions to spiral in unexpected places that result in a triumphant terror flick.

Is the embalmed hand that dangerous? Do the spirits lurk throughout the film? Is there a way to battle the evils of conjured spirits? Find out in Talk to Me…a surreal realm of horror that surpasses other scary films of 2023. Four stars.

Film reviews

Barbie Review

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“I haven’t been in a box in ages.” Those words are from Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie in the new movie of the same name. And it’s Barbie outside the box that makes Barbie full of color and grandeur.

Directed and written by Greta Gerwig and co-written by Noah Baumbach (Gerwig’s husband), Barbie is a unique experience in a world of pure happiness and perfection. But when a sign of turmoil comes around the corner, the positive world is challenged by some darkness. It never becomes that dark, though, because the directing and writing of Gerwig brings joy throughout this wonderful and unusual film.

Barbie is set in Barbie Land, a place where real life ceases to exist. It is a wonder world with many people named Barbie and Ken. The main Barbie and Ken are Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, two actors perfectly cast for these eccentric and uplifting characters. Helen Mirren is the narrator, and her narration starts the film off as if there is never sadness in Barbie Land. It is just happy, happy, happy all the time, and negativity is never mentioned. That is, until Barbie asks, “Do you guys ever think about dying?” From there, all bets are off. The turmoil of her curiosity takes Barbie Land into strange places, and to explore her true emotions Barbie must travel outside Barbie Land to the real world. Ken goes with her, and they enter a world that they know absolutely nothing about.

The interesting part of Barbie and Ken’s trip into the real world is their realization that there are now real-life consequences. And this realization is the source of many silly moments, unexpected situations, and fun topics that enliven the film. Barbie meets Gloria, played by America Ferrera, in the real world, and she turns out to be a trustworthy human who helps her realize what must be done to find truth in herself. The race is on as a crazy Mattel CEO (played by Will Ferrell) makes it his goal to get Barbie back as a marketing tool—by putting her in a box again. We also meet Allan, played by Michael Cera, a shy, introverted, and socially awkward guy. He’s one of many characters that will make for quirky times for audiences around the world. The colors of joy thrive in the film, and they help make Barbie a magic sensation.

Helen Mirren’s narration is also one of the features of Barbie that will really draw audiences in. Her humor comes through in unexpected moments, and the film finds its wonderful vibes in her twisted and poetic narration.

There’s no question that the many artistic moments in Barbie are because of Greta Gerwig’s direction. She also directed Lady Bird, and she knows how to bring characters together. I felt like some of the fragments dragged just a little, but overall Barbie is smart, fun, and definitely a wild ride. Three stars for Barbie.

Film reviews

Oppenheimer Review

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The technological and cinematic abilities of the mind of filmmaker Christopher Nolan are on full display in Oppenheimer, a film that also takes us deep into the mind of J. Robert Oppenheimer, thanks to actor Cillian Murphy.

In Oppenheimer, Murphy brilliantly displays the genius and also the egotistical attitude and drive toward success that were the hallmarks of Oppenheimer, often called the “father of the atomic bomb”. Oppenheimer is relentless and harrowing while driving forward with its true events story, but will it be the blockbuster that we have come to expect from Christopher Nolan?

Oppenheimer starts with Oppenheimer’s early life and his days of schooling and science. Oppenheimer is not a common student. He is bright in the classroom, but he is also focused on his success outside of academics. In school and beyond he is all about science and physics and theories, and his projects have meaning. Oppenheimer’s research gets the attention of higher officials, and eventually he is put in charge of the development of the atomic bomb. Much of the first half of the film focuses on Oppenheimer’s problems developing the atomic bomb. The uncharted territory begins after it appears he has accomplished his goal.

Oppenheimer jumps back and forth between his personal issues and his political affiliations with Jean Lewis Strauss (played by Robert Downey Jr.), who is the United States Secretary of Commerce. The personal issues involve his affair with Jean Tatlock (played by Florence Pugh), and his unfaithfulness to his wife Kitty Oppenheimer (played by Emily Blunt). Throughout these stressful scenarios, the atomic bomb project continues. US Army Corps of Engineers officer Leslie Groves (played by Matt Damon) is who assigns Oppenheimer the atomic bomb project, and they work together to develop it. This is where the film begins to be stressful. As the project hits plateaus, the screen burns with anxiety. The whole film is really just one haunting and mentally overwhelming thrill ride. It’s like a biographical history on acid.

Nolan’s use of 70 MM projection in Oppenheimer is invigorating and astonishing. His audience will feel they are in Oppenheimer’s world, his mind, and surrounded by the many frustrations that are in his life. This is simply one of the most daring true story films I have seen. But the film also burns with questions. Is Oppenheimer actually a bad guy? Is his development of the bomb a just cause? Will the bomb truly save lives? The creation of the bomb brings many unanswered questions, and it is spellbinding.

No one could play the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer better than Murphy. He delivers a performance showing the power of the man, as well as his brilliance. Murphy is faithful to the seriousness of the topic, and he seems to grasp the force of the film’s heavy theme.

Again, Oppenheimer is invigorating, and it definitely goes deep. It’s pace is in tune with its cinematography for a very dramatic effect. Christopher Nolan direction continues to succeed. Three and a half stars for Oppenheimer.