Predator: Killer of Killers is the latest in a franchise which, until 2022’s Prey, was on life support. Prey resurrected the film series, so its director Dan Trachtenberg seems to have been given the reigns to keep it going. He has another live action film due later this year, but to tide us over, we have the animated film Predator: Killer of Killers (which Trachtenberg also co-wrote and co-directed). If you think just because it’s a cartoon that it can’t be as good, then you are sorely mistaken. The film takes place when predators, the ultimate hunting and killing machines, have visited Earth three times in our history: once attacking Norse raiders in the 9th century, once against samurai in feudal Japan, and finally against American fighter pilots in World War II. Each story stands by itself, but they are all brought together in the end for an excellent finale, in which we see a glimpse of a home world of the predators. Great film, full of action and (animated, of course) gore, but one that fans of the film series should definitely check out. Can’t wait to see Predator: Badlands in November! ★★★★★
Magazine Dreams took a long time to be released, due to the controversy over its star Jonathan Majors. When he was charged and convicted of assault on his girlfriend, a lot of attention was given to his firing from Marvel as its “next big villain,” but this film was shelved too. It’s too bad such a good actor has to be (seemingly) a bad guy, because he is extremely talented. This film stands on his shoulders, as he plays a mentally ill young man obsessed with bodybuilding. Killian Maddox stays with and helps care for his ailing “Paw Paw” (both of his parents are dead, violently as we learn later), and Killian is completely fixated on becoming a star in the sport. He eats enough calories to feed a family of 8, works out continuously, is taking steroids, and eats, breathes, and sleeps nothing but his regimen. When he goes on a date with a girl one night (awkwardly, because his mental issues include social problems), he scares her away with his constant stream-of-conciousness on his goals. Unfortunately the lack of social cues aren’t the only thing Killian suffers from; he is also prone to violent outbursts, such as breaking into and wrecking a paint store when they refuse to come put a second coat of paint on their house after Paw Paw said it needed it. Killian also has an unhealthy obsession with a star bodybuilder and fitness champ named Brad, to whom Killian constantly writes letters/fan mail. Killian’s fixation on his physique and his preoccupation with Brad both do not end well, when he does poorly at a competition and Brad stands him up, leading Killian to buy an assault weapon and contemplating serious crimes. Stellar acting from Majors, who I hope gets a chance to do more in the future. I’m not into cancel culture; if you took away every bad character from the movie and music industry, we’d lose half (or more) of the great pieces of work in our history. This film is definitely worth watching. ★★★½
Julie Keeps Quiet is a Dutch film with possible inspiration from some recent events. At a premier tennis program, Julie is a much-hyped teenager with a promising future in the sport. Like any promising young athlete, she doesn’t have time for much more than training and working out. Her friends are others at the tennis academy, but even they go out once in awhile, while Julie hits the gym. However, her longtime coach, Jeremy has recently been suspended by the academy, and a new instructor put in place. The other kids are asking a lot of questions, like what did Jeremy do, but Julie is doing what the title says, and is mum. In fact, she is still in contact with Jeremy via text and phone in the evenings, and he continues to coach her from afar, prepping her for a big upcoming tryout, and contradicting her new coach. As the film progresses and we learn what Jeremy is accused of, it comes as no surprise, though how it relates to Julie may be. For much of the film, we don’t know what is going on in her head, because she just doesn’t open up to anyone, so when she does start to speak up for herself near the film’s finale, her words have a very strong impact on the viewer. Outstanding film, with charged emotions on all sides, and it really takes this scenario and examines it from all angles, from the student athletes to the parents to the school program. ★★★★★
I wanted to like Shayda more than I did, but it’s still pretty good. Taking place in the mid-90s but still very much relevant today, it follows an Iranian mother, Shayda, as she is going through a divorce from her husband Hossein and trying to keep their daughter Mona innocent through it all. Shayda and Mona are currently living in a women’s shelter in Australia, where Hossein had brought his family for work, but Shayda fears that he will abduct Mona and flee back to Iran, where men have much more powerful legal rights over wives and children. Shayda is wanting the divorce because of Hossein’s violence, which would give her standing for divorce even in Iran (where women need a very good reason to divorce their husbands), but even so, she is shunned by other Iranians living in the area, as they see her as going against her husband. As the film progresses, we learn what Hossein did, and things get even murkier when a judge grants him visitation rights with Mona, and Shayda meets another young man too. Until her divorce is finalized, this would very much be considered adultery under Iran law, and she would be killed in her home country for it. A strong story, with surprisingly good acting from young Mona (I’m traditionally not a fan of child actors). ★★★½
Misericordia is marketed as a black comedy, but honestly the humor is as dry as it gets until the very end. It follows a young man named Jérémie, returning to his hometown after the death of childhood friend Vincent’s father’s death. The dead dad was the town’s baker and he originally inspired Jérémie to become a baker too, though he hasn’t been back to this town to visit for years. Rather than take the long drive back home afterwards, the widow (Vincent’s mom), Martine, invites Jérémie to stay at her place in Vincent’s old room, and starts whispering that Jérémie should stay and become the new baker here. Vincent seems to take affront to that, and starts dropping innuendos that Jérémie is “sniffing around” his mom. This later leads to a lethal confrontation between Jérémie and Vincent. Jérémie tries to come up with an alibi, but the police don’t seem to be buying, even when unlikely people come forward with cover stories, which include the town priest, all of whom seem to want to get into Jérémie’s pants. The movie starts out as a fairly gripping drama with a lot of intrigue, leaving me wondering what exactly it was building to and what Jereme’s motives were, but it devolves into a dumb romp. By the end, it’s a ridiculous chain of events, and then, it just… ends. Suddenly, and with no resolution. Really weird film. ★★
Jons Movie Takes 