Film reviews

LongLegs Review

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LongLegs will terrify its audience. LongLegs will make moments of horror flash simultaneously in the heads of its audience. Nicolas Cage is LongLegs. He plays a sadistic killer with a mental health disorder of many. His performance is stellar, surreal, and breathtaking. LongLegs is a cult of scary moving parts that made me ache in fear. I was mesmerized by what was making me scared with LongLegs.

As one who loves investigative movies and TV shows, LongLegs takes the direction of killings and clues to a level with context. With a secluded setting where roads have no destination to go for miles, there are murders to happen. Writer and director Oz Perkins uses imagery (in many moments) to heighten the scare factor of LongLegs. There are moments when it feels like a strobe light attack. The audience feeling an impact is the definition of monumental with LongLegs.

The time frame around this horror flick is the 1990s. Filming was around Canada, British Columbia, and the United States. Its main character (the one put up to face the evidence of LongLegs) is Agent Lee Harker (played by Maika Monroe). Lee absorbs her head into all the crime scenes assigned to her. Lee is persistent and mentally compelled to solve the murders that have been happening in unexplained patterns. Her assistant is Agent Carter (played by Blair Underwood). Carter is a tenure agent who is just working to get paid. Lee takes on the case much more than Carter.

Lee’s discoveries are the first portion of the sparkling world of a cult in LongLegs. With killings happening at different times, they leave the symbol with the name LongLegs listed. There is also the added layer of killings that have occurred with items from inside the victim’s homes. Many questions are for LongLegs. Why is he killing families in a pattern that is like a triangle? Why is he killing people with items that do not belong to him? What motivates him? Who is next on the list? Time is of the essence as events happen unpredictably. The events will chill its audience to the bone.

It is not only the tactic of Cage’s terror that makes LongLegs spellbinding. There is also the mental health of Monroe’s performance as the detective in the case. In her role as Lee, Lee has a mixed dynamic with her mother for various reasons. Her childhood troubles fuel her rage and persistence in solving the puzzle. Her mother is Ruth Harker (played by Alicia Witt). Ruth has moments that are uncomfortable in many sequences of LongLegs. It is along the lines of questioning based on her characteristics. Could her characteristics correlate to the troubles of the puzzle with the disturbances of LongLegs? There is a treat at every door, in every character, and in every aspect of this phenomenon from Perkins.

I was in fear with LongLegs. There is a moment when Lee is asked by her mother, “Do you still say your prayers?” With that question, I knew there was more than what I was getting into with LongLegs. I felt I was seeing ghosts. LongLegs is a knockout in its sequences to horrify. It is a trail of clues, events, and characteristics that keeps on its invigoration. It is one of the best horror flicks of 2024. My rating is four out of four stars for LongLegs.

Film reviews

Kill Review

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It is an astonishing thriller that holds no limits of mayhem. It is a ride where heads will spin. Every aspect of Kill left me breathless. Written and directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, Kill is not one’s typical heist movie. It has moving parts that all come together. It throws fuel to the fire repeatedly and proactively. That is because of its setup of hostages, good guys, bad guys, and a train that is not stopping. Who will make it out alive? Both the good and the bad give everything they have in a train that is a death match for survival.

The film gears on Amrit (played by Lakshya). He is in love with Tulika (played by Tanya Maniktala). Tulika is forced (by her family) to marry a different man. Amrit has a plan to stop this engagement. Amrit joins her on a train heading to New Delhi. However, the halting engagement becomes the least important. Once the train starts to move, it becomes compromised by a gang that is extremely dangerous and lethal. The enemy (behind the criminal operation) is Fani (played by Raghav Juyal). Fani is ruthless and one who terrorizes his feelings of power and authority. Amrit is a trained soldier. When Amrit is in rage mode, he can do lots of damage.

Once people’s lives are on the line, there is more to the moving parts. It is all calculated. The criminals have their eyes on Baldeo (played by Harsh Chhaya). Baldeo is a man of wealth. Fani sees him as one for ransom. The train is a Tetris game. The train has cars in patterns where the ones with Fani are on different ends of the train, and so are the ones with Amrit. The passengers see how life-threatening the conflict is. Everyone does what they can to fight or survive. Once Amrit and Fani do some damage, it is instant death.

The thrilling /vibrations of the film had my heart pulsing. The eyes and rage of Amrit bring that feeling of fear. Amrit’s “fear” evolves into recklessness. It is done right! The film feels like The Raid (2011) meets The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009). That is because hostages are in a tango with massive and never-ending combat. All of which are insane and pushed to the limits. It does with context. The continuity of survival and power keeps getting tested. This aspect begins when the train continues towards dangerous territory. “Dangerous territory” is in all of Kill.

There is a moment where one says, “Think like Ali.” The reference is to the boxer Muhammad Ali. At this moment, one of the groups is trying to find the attitude to fight and continue. Those three words serve as an enticing purpose of the brilliance of Kill. Ali always had hard punches no matter what match, as does Kill.

All the mayhem had me thinking about previous films surrounding India. I thought about the worldwide sensation RRR and Monkey Man. Both of which had stylized mayhem with a structured storyline to keep rising. Kill rises to the depths as well. With similarities (to both films), Kill is the next level of international and cultural suspense. The aspect of battling for connection, importance, family, power, and beliefs is all part of the landscape of the war on board the train. A question kept flowing through my head with Kill. Who is the target if the deadly mission is a success? The mayhem juggles made my head go in circles of stimulation.

With all the factors of lives being on the line and a mission obscured (by Fani and his gang), the train is the conflict. Since it cannot stop, the only way to survive is to keep fighting (until the train reaches its destination). Who will win? Amrit or Fani? Do not miss this one-of-a-kind thriller where the velocity and magnitude of high-octane combat do not stop! It is astonishing and spellbinding. These films are rare to come by. My rating falls at four out of four stars for Kill.

Film reviews

Despicable Me 4

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A bad guy with a family and a swarm of Minions keeps adding joy to this franchise that began fourteen years ago. To be successful, however, the film needed to have the originality expected from the beginning. It also needed to have humorous writing that can connect and create joyful fun and laughs. There are a few of those moments this time around, but not nearly enough. In my opinion, this is the most ridiculous installment of the franchise.

In Despicable Me 4, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is with his family which includes Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig), Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier), and Agnes (voiced by Madison Skyy Polan). They now have another child named Gru Jr. Navigating the life of a mastermind with a family and the Minions takes a toll on Gru. This time things are a bigger mess because there is a new enemy to compete with Gru. That nemesis is Maxime Le Meal (voiced by Will Ferrell) and his girlfriend Valentina (voiced by Sofia Vergara). Gru and his family are at risk as Maxime is after them. Gru helps his family and the Minions overcome the evils of Maxime and Valentina.

I was not pleased with this film. The humor continued with silliness. Also, creativity is lacking. All of it was original at one point. An enemy competing with another enemy should be a fun plot for a continued franchise. Unfortunately, this film’sapproach disappoints. There is even a scenario where Minions are in the form of steroids. Overall, the message of fun family entertainment crosses the line in ridiculous ways.

The joy in this film is found in the well-known voices of the very talented stars, i.e., Steve Carell, Kristen Wig, and WillFerrell. Their talent provides the most entertainment and laughs. I always find joy in hearing their voices go into full eccentric mode. Especially with Carell who has always been able to use his voice effectively to make snarky comments to his nemeses with a rapid quirkiness. Add both Wiig and Ferrell into the mixand there is a continued galore of catchy dialogue that vibes well. Still, the structure and flow of the film is one of the worst I have seen in some time. While I still love Minions, I expected so much more from the Despicable Me franchise.

The lack of Minions is perhaps the major reason I enjoyed Despicable Me 4 a lot less than I had anticipated. They usually are the ones that sell the films and make the experience so memorable. The Minions normally use their unique voices, their funny behaviors, their timely appearances, and their unexpected disasters that normally make audiences of all ages go bonkers. There is not anything in particular to “go bonkers” about in Despicable Me 4. In this installment, the beloved Minions are almost completely out of the picture and that makes the film almost a complete disaster. Therefore, my rating sadly falls to one out of four stars.

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