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Film reviews

Argylle Review

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This film by Matthew Vaughn is close but no cigar. The premise of Argylle appears to involve a captivating sense of an adventure. Somehow the movie falls off topic and does not deliver to the extent that its audience expects. The film opens with an author imagining her book franchise’s main character like a movie. The author is Elly Conway, and she is played by Bryce Dallas Howard. The character she creates, Argylle is played by Henry Cavill. The story is about an accomplished author who cannot figure out a cliffhanger. The writing about the adventure she embarks upon is inconsistent throughout Argylle.

The plot focuses on Elly wanting her next Argylle novel to have a perfect conclusion. She is struggling with ideas, so her mother Ruth, played by Catherine O’Hara, encourages her to take a trip. Elly gets on a train, and then realizes that there are henchmen after her. The man who saves her is Aidan, played by Sam Rockwell. Elly’s experience makes her feel like she is in her own story, a perilous adventure that she created is nowhappening right in front of her. Aidan must guide Elly on her journey and protect her from the many underground enemies that are after her. It is a film full of misdirection where the concept and the title both cause some confusion about the author and the target. Is what is happening around Elly real? Is Argyllereal? The movie creates a world where the cliffhangers lead to many tangents and colorful espionage abounds. Overall, it is a true Vaughn adventure.

Argylle is two-sided adventure in which the blurred lines do not fade as the story progresses. The suspense takes its audience to France, London, Chicago, and Colorado in an unconventional thriller with a healthy blend of diversity. Despite its strange misdirection, the movie remains exhilarating. Argylle goes into the shadowy depths with interesting discoveries. The enemy is Ritter, played by Bryan Cranston. His role causes the espionage tends to grow. The film then jumps to yet another questionable character, Alfred Solomon, played by Samuel L. Jackson. As these dangerous characters impact Elly’s safety, her writer’s block seems to unfold in mysterious ways. There are more realizations about her personal life and more background revealed about the various theories surrounding her Argylle novels.

Even though the film tends to jump around all over the place, the performances of Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell made watching this film a real blast. Argylle is a unique experience from the creative mind of Matthew Vaughn. The story of an author having to deal with suspenseful scenarios is where the curiosities unfold in Argylle. While the film’s writing shifts gears too frequently for my taste, the storyline and overall experience still sells.

In the end, Argylle is a bumpy ride of misconception and deceit. It is also full of weird tendencies and strange behaviors duringtense moments. Argylle is not that great overall, but its creative direction is still invigorating. Two-and-a-half out of four stars for Argylle.

Film reviews

Night Swim Review

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I had low expectations of Night Swim before I even watched the film. I felt it was going to be the type of film where the trailer showed how the story would go and end. Sadly, the trailer did exactly that which made Night Swim a rather dry experience where I wasn’t feeling scared at all. Instead, it felt like a version of the 2006 flick Lady in the Water because of how the place of peril is a swimming pool. While the evil spirits may seem creative in Night Swim, the film attempts to go to dark places to try to give its audience shocks and terrors. However, it fails miserably making Night Swim is a catastrophe. I left the movie with mixed emotions due to the blur of water terror that is challenged to find much meaning.

The film’s plot recaps a horror event in a neighborhood in the early 1990s. After the tragedy, a new family moves into the same home. The husband and wife are Ray (played by Wyatt Russell) and Eve (played by Kerry Condon). Their two kids are Izzy (played by Amelie Hoeferle) and Elliot (played by GavenWarren). The family is looking for a fresh start after Ray, a former baseball player, has sustained injuries. They choose to live in the home because of its swimming pool where they believe Ray can heal his injuries through his physical therapy. The home is also chosen because they feel it is a start to community life for Izzy and Elliot. Unfortunately, they do not realize that the pool is cursed.

Night Swim’s brand of horror felt like an odd version of the 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon, but without thesymbolism and layers of terror that shocked and entertained viewers in that era. Night Swim tries to replicate this formula without success. The layout of events before a terror emerges is not based on much evidence. It doesn’t work to simply throw an invisible monster in a swimming pool to terrorize a family that is looking for a new beginning. Their new life is negatively impacted because the creature in the pool has the power to do mental damage to whoever it possesses in the water. These moments of “possession” is where this writing is a hot disaster. The targeted characters are chosen too easily. In horror, there has to be more calculation to create shock value. In Night Swim, the only shocking aspect is the awful unexpected water scares.

The film does have a structured foundation in terms of the family setup—new home, new life, and new beginnings. The film lacks in that there is no analysis of why the pool is cursed. There are simply creepy scenarios that happen out of the blue. Instead of scaring me, they caused me to laugh at the ridiculousness of the writing. Even the title did not appeal muchto me and gave me a feeling this was going to be a mediocre experience.

Overall, the terror itself does not do the film justice. The only scary parts are when weird terrors emerge as characters enter the pool. The backstory is rushed and out-of-focus. Night Swim does not have a blockbuster vibe to start off the 2024 year in movies. It is a ninety-minute waste of time.

Night Swim is sadly one of the worst horror movie experiences I have had in a while. The line, “It’ll be over soon,” used in this film and many others gave me hope that this film would end soon. Two out of four stars for Night Swim.

Film reviews

Bros Review

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The world has become more accepting towards those who identify as gay, bisexual, lesbian and queer. It has also become more accepting towards those who are questioning their identity or are confused. The times become even more accepting with the arrival of Bros, the first gay and romantic comedy to be in the hands of a big studio, Universal.

Bros is directed and written by Nicholas Stoller and co-written by Billy Eichner (one of the leads in the film). It is a funny and lighthearted film that is also stellar in its writing and characterizations. The film is filled with compassion and sincerity, and I found myself laughing and having a wonderful time during much of the film. Bros finds its meaning in a sensitive subject matter. Despite the challenging subject, it is made to be relatable to many people around the world. And it shouldn’t matter whether viewers identify as straight, gay, or otherwise—everyone will love the film. Bros is simply one hell of an uplifting and enthusiastic romantic comedy.

n Bros we’re introduced to Bobby, played by Billy Eichner. A gay man with a successful career running museum exhibits, Bobby is an introvert who loves his life of solitude. This all changes when he meets Aaron Shepard, played by Luke MacFarlane. Aaron is kind of like Bobby, but more outgoing and more of a social butterfly than Bobby. Bobby and Aaron begin to date, but with their different personalities comes a range of challenges and obstacles. Tackling this is what makes Bros a hit and future classic, with all the grounds it covers in the relationship of Bobby and Aaron.

What stood out to me in Bros was the humor and enthusiasm found in the chemistry between Bobby and Aaron. Their conversations are hilarious and enticing. They talk a lot about shows, movies, and many subjects that are prime in today’s world. A moment that spoke to me the most is when Bobby talks about how he believes there is favoritism toward straight people in Hollywood. Whether that is true or not, it’s an important conversation to have, and it’s topic that many individuals will be able to relate to.

Bros is one of the funniest, honest, and charming films of this year. There are simply no limits to the honesty in its writing and characterizations. It dives into the feelings of Bobby and Aaron with honesty, compassion, and understanding. It is purely touching. The film’s chemistry is a challenging journey, one with loving moments. Bros has the keys to many evolving doors, and it is an endearing comedy. Three and a half stars for Bros.