September movie reviews

In Theaters:

STRANGE DARLING

I almost never go into a movie completely cold. I heard some about this movie but never saw a trailer, so I only knew vaguely what it even was.

And holy shit, it is probably my favorite film of 2024 to this point.

Told in chapters, out of sequence, the film might be just about a man and woman (Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald) getting together for a little hotel hookup. But the film is absolutely dazzling at how it keeps upending expectations and throwing surprises at you. It is wild, a top flight genre mash. 

Both leads are great, but especially Fitzgerald, who is an absolute revelation.

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

The original Beetlejuice is a movie I watched a TON back in the days. It's got stuff in it I don't like, but most of it works and is one of my favorite Tim Burton movies.

Still, a 30+ year later sequel, helmed again by Burton (whose 21st century track record ain't good), didn't inspire a ton of confidence.

But this sequel, a massive hit, is pretty good. It's way too cluttered, with 3 or 4 sequels worth of storylines, but Keaton slips right back into the role, and I just like seeing Winona Ryder again. And Jenna Ortega is just too good at this stuff. 

The film admirably keeps the fx as practical as possible in most spots. 

THE 4:30 MOVIE

Yes! I have been waiting for Kevin Smith to make this kind of movie again for decades. One of my favorite filmmakers of the 90s through the mid-2000s has for so long been making oddities or only partially successful Askewniverse callbacks that I wondered if he still had it in him.

But The 4:30 Movie is terrific! It harkens back to that big heart he put into the criminally underrated Jersey Girl, and he applies it to a super charming and funny (and very autobiographical) story set in the 80s largely in and around his lead's favorite movie theater. The nostalgia for the days of the movie theater being a life destination (which it still is for some of us) drips off the screen.

Smith largely discards that shock value comedy he's traded in for years, and while the movie isn't as funny as his best work it is incredibly sweet and damn it just gave me such a good feeling.

The unknown leads (including the absurdly crushable Siena Agudong) are all good, and the smaller roles are largely populated by some of the Smith players. 

THE KILLER'S GAME

Still not sure Dave Bautista works as an action lead, but this is a serviceable starring vehicle for him, mixing a little John Wick with a little Smokin Aces. It's derivative but solid fun. Pom Klemetieff goes off in a villain role, and while she is oddly cast as a non-action character, Sofia Boutella has never been prettier. 

NEVER LET GO

A very boring horror movie with Halle Berry holed up in a cabin in the woods with her 2 kids, hiding from some spooky entity that may not even exist. Performances are fine, but nothing in the story or atmosphere is compelling. 

THE SUBSTANCE 

Well, that was something! A wild ride of a film where Demi Moore takes a special drug and splits into a younger woman (Margaret Qualley), and man, how does one even describe this? A blistering satire about how Hollywood objectifies women. A grotesque body horror thriller. I usually don't go for body horror, and yeah, this certainly goes there in terms of pure ickiness, but I was pretty consistently into this film. Great score, and cinematography. Moore, clearly a meta casting, rips into her role with an admirable go for broke daring, and Qualley is also fantastic. The last 30 minutes of this really must be seen to be believed. There were many audible gasps at my screening. 

MEGALOPOLIS

Francis Ford Coppola sunk over $100 million of his own money into making...this? I mean, it's his money, but what a waste. Whatever compelled him to tell this particular story is imperceptible amidst this 2+ hour mess, a bloated, incoherent slog that also drags down a pretty eclectic cast (Aubrey Plaza has never been worse). Ironically, Coppola being rich enough to blow nine figures like this is a better commentary on society than anything in the actual film. 

Everything else:

FINESTKIND

Strange film that is about 2 brothers on a fishing boat, and also about an estranged father, and also about a drug deal, and almost about a romance with Jenna Ortega. The film basically has no coherence at all, but some parts work (Ortega, the ending). 

COMET

Really liked this romance between Justin Long and the wondrous Emmy Rossum. Kind of a mash of Eternal Sunshine and 500 Days of Summer. 

THE KILLER

It's odd that John Woo himself directed this streaming remake of his own film. But it's not bad. Woo can still orchestrate cool action, the basic story is still sturdy, and I would watch Nathalie Emmanuel do just about anything.