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Film reviews

Juror #2 Review

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From director Clint Eastwood comes a courthouse film of detrimental misdirection. Juror #2 is one of the most authentic and stressful films of thought. It presents a layer of underlying issues that is being tossed around repeatedly. Eastwood knows characterizations and perspectives. Eastwood’s use of directing to get the full scope of a conflict lies out all kinds of emotions. If this is Eastwood’s last film, it is both monumental and tainted. “Tainted” by the fact that its release is so limited due to his disputes with Warner Bros. That is besides the point, but to elaborate, not everyone may get the chance to see it in the theatrical format (which is how it should be seen).

The film gears on Justin Kemp (played by Nicholas Hoult). Justin a normal man with a lot to live for, he has a happy relationship with his wife Allison Crewson (played by Zoey Deutch), and they are on their way to having their first child. Justin has jury duty and finds himself taking part in a trial of murder that carries a strong following. With serving on a jury with a retired police officer, Harold (played by JK Simmons), Marcus (played by Cedric Yarbrough), Denice (played by Leslie Bibb), and more, there is a lot of moving parts. The most stressful aspect is that Justin feels he is the one who caused the crime to happen. Despite the case of having a victim of a violent past, Justin’s memories come back to him. He is on the jury of a case he may have been the cause of. With two high-end attorneys Faith Killebrew (played by Toni Collette) and Eric Resnick (played by Christ Messina), justice is a puzzle that Justin keeps trying to spin around in circles. 

The case keeps linking back to the victim as one who did a killing, but he may have not. It may have been Justin, but no one knows this for sure, and neither does Justin. The mental stressors of Juror #2 present characterizations that keep the stressors mounted—keeping calm to find justice is not an easy task. The performance of Hoult shines of guilt while also trying to find a safe way for him to return to his life without feeling such admissions of guilt. There is no easy way for that to happen.

With Hoult and Collette in a performance by Eastwood, this is the second time they play two individuals not (always) seeing eye-to-eye. Collette played the mother of Hoult in About a Boyback in 2002. In that classic, they played a mother and son not finding common ground, twenty-two years later it is a juror and an attorney trying to find the pieces of where the deceit lies. Both of which play their roles so faithfully well. The court dynamics of facts, politics, seniority, and fairness keep tumbling over each other in the context of sacrifice. “Sacrifice” is a heavy aspect from Eastwood. With being just over nine decades old, the characterizations of truth still fight hard to find the correlations. The spellbinding notion of Juror #2 is the no excuses vibe of seriousness that flows from what started the whole case. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K HDR Edition Review

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For those looking for some nostalgic terror, Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street delivers. The immersive momentum is even better in its new 4K HDR (high dynamic range) Edition. There are superb elements including sound effects, scares, and bonus features which make for a surreal experience for both old and new audiences. The killer, Freddy Krueger (played by Robert Englund) is back with his blades leading to unsettling nightmares. The screeching sounds are more intense now thanks to the improved audio quality.

The visuals in this film give off 80s vibes The younger days of celebrities like Heather Langenkamp (who plays Nancy Thompson), Johnny Depp (who plays Glen Lantz), and Amanda Wyss (who plays Tina Gray) marked the early days of a killer that built a franchise. Their nightmares of the same killer, Freddy Krueger, feature the invisible silences that create horror. The 4K restoration makes the moving parts of the puzzle worth revisiting. The digital edition is now available and the 4K UHD Disc debuts on October 15th. For collectors, the physical discs are what fans will not want to miss due to the visual effects.

Get your Halloween fascination on and investigate securing your copy of A Nightmare on Elm Street in 4K. The 1986 horrors still dazzle. It is uncharted territory that feels interactive and also original which is hard to find these days. This is one of the most historic films filled with horrific galore that audiences will not want to turn down. Four out of four stars for A Nightmare on Elm Street in 4K.

Film reviews

Joker: Folie a Deux Review

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Five years later, Joaquin Phoenix is back as Arthur Fleck/Jokerand Todd Phillips is back as the director. I found this much-anticipated continuation lacking. Not in a completely negative way, but more because it is totally opposite from what many might expect. It is like the evil and terror from the first Jokeralmost never happened. Joker: Folie a Deux feels like a circus…in a prison cell and legal suits.

In this film, Arthur is amid legal proceedings for his violent crimes from the previous film. This time, however, he has made his prison environment feel like home. Nothing has really changed in his characterizations of an absurd mental illness. Despite all his troubles, he has become quite famous due to his criminal behaviors. His attorney is Maryanne Stewart (played by Catherine Keener). She tries to convince Arthur that he should not present himself as the Joker which is difficult for him because he believes he is so special. This does not help his case nor does taunting a police guard, Jackie Sullivan (played by Brendan Gleeson).  He despises Arthur’s presence with passion. With all the hatred, fame, and bizarre attention that Arthur loves, there is one special person who has a bad influence that comes into the picture. That lady is Lee Quinzel, and her stage name is Harley Quinn (played by Lady Gaga).

The criminalities abound for Arthur, and he cannot dismiss his Joker persona. He finds happiness when he falls in love with Lee Quinzel (when she uses her stage name Harley Quinn). Together, they create a world of boiling evil and catastrophe. Their vengeance is daring, but the presentation is flat. Too many moments they share on screen transition to them singing so don’t expect a lot of action or suspenseful violence in Joker: Folie a Deux.  

With performances from Phoenix and Gaga, I was expecting some real eye-openers during the movie.  Although the writing is not too bad, there seems to be misdirection which causes thestory to not vibe all that well in Joker: Folie a Deux. With Arthur’s new love and his various trial dates, the film does not have a clear path to balance out its stressors.  Instead, Phoenix’s character creates a circus of wonders, but is unsuccessful in finding meaning or presenting the big picture. The halting point is that Arthur/Joker is in prison. Therefore, the story relies too much on the fascination of the ridiculous love between Arthur and Lee/Joker and Harley Quinn. Their bizarre tangos fueled by their unique brands of crazy make for a weird ride.

In the end, this sequel relies too much on Arthur finding ways to feel powerful. While he has some success, the film is a sub-par continuation in a theatrical setting. Joker: Folie a Deux does manage to hit the bar of mediocrity. It isn’t terrible but is simply lacking in far too many areas and is not nearly as compelling as the first one. Two out of four stars.