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Film reviews

Primate Review

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The thought of owning a monkey as a pet always seemeddangerous to me. Primate creates that situation and throws in moments of mayhem and horror. Directed by Johannes Roberts, this is one of those thrillers where a jungle is already part of a family’s life. However, when resources are not aligned, there is a combination of bad tests and non-thorough examinations. The monkey then jumps out of its cage with a vindictive vengeance. Think about a one-person Planet of the Apes film…only that ape wants to kill everyone. Primate is a portrait of a pet that will make audiences never want to own a chimpanzee.

The film’s main characters are Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), Kate (Victoria Wyant), Hannah (Jessica Alexander), and Kate’s older brother Nick (Benjamin Cheng). They go to Lucy’s house in Hawaii for a vacation. Lucy’s sister is Erin (Gia Hunter) and her father is Adam (Troy Kotsur). Lucy’s father is hard of hearing and writes books about animal research. There is one special pet in the family, Ben (Miguel Torres Umba), a chimpanzee that is part of the family. As far as everyone knows he is trained to be loving. Yet, when Lucy’s father leaves on a business trip, Ben goes on a crazy rampage.

The film begins to become a brawl of safety concerns. Lucy, Kate, Hannah, and Nick must learn to protect themselves from Ben, because Ben’s anger continues to rapidly grow. In a big house in the Hawaiian mountains, it is hard to run, Ben’s mighty anger grows exponentially. With all the love and support that Ben has received for years, it creates a landscape of curiosity of wondering what might be making him become so vindictive. There is the talk of rabies, since Ben is a rabid monster, but uncertainty about whether that applies given the scenarios being experienced.

Primate is one of the most loud and rambunctious thrillers involving an ape I have seen in ages. It is not a perfect film, but it keeps audiences’ attention with the hot-headed aspects of chimpanzee behavior. It makes me want to avoid ever being near a chimpanzee ever. Overall, the creativity behind the film is vivid and attention-grabbing. At the same time, the storyline isextremely predictable. Fortunately, the writing is strong as are the scares. The brief glimpses into the sciences help create the suspense in Primate. Two-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

The Running Man

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Edgar Wright takes an approach with this film that feels like a bit like Hunger Games. It is a game with a death trap, a setting where reality is in the context of a disaster.  It seems that WWIII has come and gone but lingers, and there is a game that lies beneath a lot of wealth for the whole world to see. The Running Man has promising moments but lacks in its approaches. The momentum is much too dry /and lacks energy. Glen Powell isthe lead role and is the biggest component to grab its fans for the film because he is the hero grandeur within the imagery of the film. I just continued to have issues with the writing and quality of how the film goes about things.

Glen Powell plays Ben Richards. He is an individual trying to work to save his sick daughter. He does everything he can to find work but has many violent tones to his personality. He ends up finding one way to make loads of money. He joins a game called “The Running Man.” It is a game show where a victim is manipulated into being a criminal to see how far they can make it  in a world where anyone can hunt them and kill them. The ultimate question is if Ben will survive. The shows following that are with two TV show candidates, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) and Bobby Thompson (played by Colman Domingo). Dan cheats the system in order to manipulate and antagonize Ben. The success of the hunt is based on viewership. The clock ticks as the dangers continue to keep spiking. How far do the games go?

It is a thriller based off of a Stephen King novel. Overall, I found some value to this film with the directing of Wright, because the foundational aspects continue with layers of frustration to create purpose and suspense, especially with thebackground of Powell’s performance having issues with work and going down a rabbit hole. Otherwise, the film keeps falling into its blockbuster tones. Overall, though, the action finds its loopholes to have the meaningful selling points to make The Running Man astounding on some fronts. Particularly with characters who present a lot of surprises. When you have someone like Michael Cera with a basement full of traps, you have found a nerd with a lot to offer in an Edgar Wright sensation. Cera plays Elton, someone with many gadgets thatassist Ben at one point in the film—both together are a match that tango incessantly.

 The Running Man is not spellbinding or amazing, it is neutral. The need for money to save a family hits its peak moments. The pacing though I felt was not established properly, however, I still have respect for Wright.  He tries to keep aspects straight and move forward. I rate this film at about two out of four stars.

 

Film reviews

Roofman Review

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Directed by Derek Cianfrance and based on a true story, Roofman may be one of the best films of 2025. Based on actual events with realistic components that touch the heart, it maintains its writing and characterizations with realism. This film is just stellar with wide ranges of tour-de-force performances by Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, and Peter Dinklage. A lot of nostalgic feelings came to me, especially since the film takes place in a Toys “R” Us store. A criminal runs from the law, but also attempts to start over, but the common ground has misconceptions with a solid purpose. No one does it better than Cianfrance.

Tatum is Jeffrey Manchester, a criminal known for breaking into places via the roofs. This is how he makes most of his profits. Then there comes a point where he gets caught and spends many years in prison. Once that happens, he escapes and finds himself in a Toys “R” Us store. He utilizes the store as his base to hide from the law. He creates a living space and messes with the security systems. What can go wrong?

As he spends his days throughout the store he finds meaning, with moments of him doing  narration about what he is learning from his solitude. It is a representation of wanting to start over. Even though this takes place in the quirkiest of places, it is a true story that thrives on it’s realism to captivate. Tatum knocks it out of the park. Especially with his witty personality among learning the people who work in the Toys “R” Us. He learns about Mitch (Dinklage), a not-so-understanding store manager, who is oblivious to the fact that Jeffrey is hiding in his store. Then there is also Leigh (Dunst), a store employee, who Jeffrey finds a way to form a relationship with. To get the many positives of his life, the store becomes his vehicle and works to his advantage.

The realistic consequences await on the other side in Roofman. The shadiness of what is going on is writing on the wall. Cianfrance creates this pattern that shows that Leigh loves Jeffrey, but that she also feels there is something fishy about him. Jeffrey is on the run from the law, and the Toys “R” Us is out there. One wrong move can mean his life is over. The direction of Cianfrance is one that has audiences wondering how heavy the consequences can be in Roofman. At the same time though, he dazzles the characterization of Jeffrey wanting redemption more than anything. He also provides perspective that Jeffrey’s intention may be good, but his choices are just flawed.

This is such a fascinating true story that feels like audiences are playing along within the film. I felt like I was strolling through an empty Toys “R” Us repeatedly. I also wondered when Dinklage was going to go into panic mode. It came around alright, and he nailed it well. A championship true story of laughs, seriousness, and honesty. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for Roofman.