Film reviews

Lisa Frankenstein Review

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From the mind of Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda Williams comes a unique and heartfelt romantic comedy blended with horror. A flick that is fun and is twisted, perfect for mature audiences to get a taste of 1980s jam with science fiction thrown in. A film where a Frankenstein creature is helping a girl who is trying to find connection in her life. That film is Lisa Frankenstein.

The plot of Lisa Frankenstein gears on Lisa (played by Kathryn Newton), a high-school teen in Louisiana who lost her mother at a young age. It’s 1989 and Lisa has been adopted by a family. Her adoptive parents are Janet and Dale (played by Carla Gugino and Joe Chrest), and their daughter is Taffy (played by Liza Soberano). Lisa feels hatred from her adoptive family, but she’s just trying to live her best life. She is seeking attention and popularity, but she spends her time by a graveyard because she has developed a crush on a corpse there. And then a wild dream comes true—the corpse comes to life! The monster is called The Creature (played by Cole Sprouse), and Lisa is terrified at first. But then she realizes that The Creature has feelings like she does. Together, they build a bond and go on a bizarre journey to find happiness. Lisa’s new attachment to The Creature is a ride of unexpected surprises that will make audiences laugh out loud, and a lot.

From my perspective, Lisa Frankenstein is like Risky Business meets Young Frankenstein. It’s over-the-top and frequently cheesy, but it had me sold. There is a 1980s jam that flows smoothly throughout the many adventures of Lisa and The Creature. She uses him for revenge, or to make her feel special. It is both a comedy and horror film where hearts are strong, and it will give audiences an adrenaline escape that keeps finding its right connections. It does go awry at times, as The Creature kills some folks out of the blue, but Lisa is invigorated by The Creature’s mission of helping her find happiness.

Lisa Frankenstein may seem predictable, and on some levels it is, but Williams’ directing will have its viewers pulling for a film that tries hard to find its funny, just like her father Robin always inspired his audience to find joyful moments in the movies and the arts. The story of a Frankenstein with a twist—a big heart—makes for a screenplay where connection and empathy matter, as does feeling connected.

There is a lot of mayhem around this monster. He doesn’t speak, and Sprouse plays the role very well, being in tune with the silence and showing through his actions the mind of a creature trying to adapt to a world he has never seen before. But does Lisa truly love The Creature? Catch Lisa Frankenstein and find out. It is a fun and tasteful experience; a journey of new adventures for both Lisa and The Creature in the year 1989. Three out of four stars for Lisa Frankenstein.

Film reviews

Fitting In Review

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Film still credited by Blue Fox Entertainment

Fitting In opens with an introductory quote by author Simone deBeauvoir, “Your body is not a thing but a situation.” Written and directed by Molly McGlynn, this film is a semi-autobiographical exploration of her struggles and frustrations with a unique medical condition. The story portrays her adolescent mind trying to come to terms with the fact that her body is different from other “normal” teens while facing the temptations of risqué behavior. Fitting In covers lots of heavy ground around a sensitive subject matter.

The film centers on Lindy, played by Maddie Ziegler. She is a teenage girl that is curious about boys, connection, and popularity in the beginning scenes of the film. Lindy is an athlete and hangs out with her friend Vivian, played by Djouliet Amara, and is also close to a boy named Adam, played by D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. Lindy’s close group of friends are fascinated by typical subjects faced when growing up, with sex being the primary focus. Lindy’s mother, Rita, is played by Emily Hampshire. She is a single mom that works as a counselor and Lindy is not close with her. The storyline is an explicit dive into Lindy’s sexual curiosity as she experiences crushes, sexting, and off-the-wall curiosities. of sexting, crushes, and curiosities. Lindy faces a hard awakening when she goes to a doctor and is informed that she has a rare reproductive condition that willaffect her sex life and ability to have children. This diagnosis creates a major crisis which becomes the central conflict of the film.

I enjoyed the relationship and connection between Lindy and her mother. Lindy’s mom tries to be there for her daughter as Lindy just wants her body to change. Lindy’s condition is incurable which is hard for her to accept. Lindy’s becomes angry at her situation and releases it in various places including track practice and experimenting with drugs. She is determined to feel connected no matter the consequences. Fitting In delivers a representation of how hard it can be for those to accept that there is an error with their anatomy. Lindy screams, “I am not normal!” Lindy’s mother asks her, “When did I become your enemy?” Fitting In paints a picture of the frustrations encountered in fulfilling desires when there is no sense of normalcy. I felt that the movie was more graphic in parts than it needed to be.

This is not a teen flick comedy. It is a hard R film that takes a realistic look through the core of its writing and portrayal of in-depth emotional patterns. The exploration of truth and curiosity is honest in Fitting In. The difficult part for Lindy is that she feels her poor choices are excused because of her disorder. Despite the sensitive topic of Fitting In, it is a real movie based on scenarios which can happen in an adolescent’s life. Fortunately in Lindy’s case, there is hope for a better resolution and a comfort to her sadness. Three stars for Fitting In.

Film reviews

Junction Review

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This film is focused on medicine and pharmaceuticals, as it explores the modern-day opioid crisis which is a continuous crisis in today’s world. Junction is directed by Bryan Greenberg, and he is also one of the leads. Greenberg not only directs a thorough representation of the flaws of pharmaceutical operations, but also successfully plays a character with severe withdrawal problems. Junction is one of the most realistic and descriptive experiences I have witnessed this year. The film opens with elements of suspicion and anxiety which carry on throughout the film. Junction is filled with multiple moving parts which find themselves misconstrued politically and ethically. The writing stays on point though in dealing with this controversial hot bed of a topic.

The film opens with Lawrence, the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, played by Griffin Dunne. He has multiple lawsuits building against his operations and foundations. His son Jacob, played by Ryan Eggold, is his assistant in his operations. Lawrence is a man of prestige and believes his operations are accurate and run with integrity. What he does not realize though, is that the opioid crisis has brought on loopholes in the law. Therefore, he falls responsible for many damages based on how his operations have impacted other states with distribution and costs. Junction is faithful in its portrayal of Lawrence’s attitude of superiority and his assumptions of his image. It is what distracts him from looking at the bigger picture…that fatalities and hospitalizations keep going up in many states.

The writing continues with a trend of suspicion and aspects relating to the era of opioid crisis. It goes deeper with intense subject as it shifts to Michael. Michael is played by Bryan Greenberg. Michael is one who is suffering from withdrawals from oxycodone. It impacts his life in a terrifying way. He is distracted by how focused he is on finding ways to get oxycodone. So distracted that his business fails an inspection check. In this story, Michael is impacted the most by feeling withdrawn without oxycodone. Michael and his addiction to oxycodone marks the revolving door of troubles in Junction. His ex-wife Allison (played by Sophia Bush) tries to be a help to him for the sake of their child, but is her help enough to save him?

With Junction strongly focused on errors with opioid troubles and oxycodone, its other character of focus is Katie (played by Jamie Chung). Katie is a doctor that is trying to follow the rules of medicine within the CDC and FDA. She gets a slew of patients trying to abuse the system. Many of which will say they are having trouble sleeping—the common problem where patients feel is an easy way to be prescribed medicine so they can abuse. Katie realizes that her patients come back often and it raises red flags. Katie is at odds with herself and her practice as she feels the rules are complicated when it comes to meeting the needs of her patients. There is only so much she can do.

The three characters of components of the troublesome scenario in Junction are Lawrence (the CEO of a pharmaceutical company), Michael (an individual that has drug-seeking behavior), and Katie (a doctor that cannot determine the right steps for her patients). The moving parts of medicine practices and laws are always on the track of transparency—the profits are the bigger factor than the actual problems that need thorough attention. The fact that Michael is plateauing from not having oxycodone, medicine is expensive, and healthcare workers are at odds as well. The obstacles of stressors are what create Junctionto be an intense experience on how finances and medicine abuse can have a mental toll on those who do not go by the rules.

This film is a politically driven rollercoaster ride of anxiety-provoking elements. The phrase, “misbranding of oxycodone,” goes a down a long and daring rabbit hole in Junction. There is moving parts where politics and operations face big risks—there are failures to reach agreements, doctors becoming irresponsible, and more fatalities due to prescription drugs being so accessible. The film’s writing focuses in the direction of time for change being lost— settlements are halted, overdosing among individuals worsens, and nothing is being done to limit fatalities or hospitalizations. The sophistication of Junction is its eerie depiction of the negative impact of pharmaceutical drugsbeing abused—once the withdrawals start, it is hard to find the means to help it subside. The foundation of the opioid crisis isdepicted in a very real and raw way in Junction. The truth hits hard. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

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