Movie Review: Spiderhead (2022)

Spiderhead, Spiderhead, is a head on a Spider’s neck. Though it is, also a, brand new film, on Netflix. Look ooouuuut… it is a Spiderheeeeeaaaad.

Ladies, gents, and non-binaries… “Spiderhead”.

The near future, convicts are given the opportunity to reduce their sentences by taking part in some medical experiments involving emotion-altering drugs. One such convict is Jeff (Miles Teller), who soon starts to question these experiments, and their charismatic creator (Chris Hemsworth). I love this premise, it’s open to so much interesting shit. It sets itself up to be a really intriguing suspense thriller and potential mindbender. And while I didn’t hate the execution of the narrative in the movie, I did feel that it was a little undercooked. What we get works just fine, even though it never reaches the heights of its potential. I wasn’t bored, I didn’t dislike any of it, but it plays things a bit too safe to fully engage.

The characters in this are alright. Again, the script is a little undercooked and plays things safe, so they never reach the depths that they potentially could. But I also didn’t find them utterly uninteresting, just underdeveloped. But what really saves them from being walking flatlines are the actors, all of whom do a solid job here. Miles Teller is really good in the lead role. Jurnee Smollett is great as Teller’s friend inside this odd facility. And then there’s Chris Hemsworth, who is by far the best part of the movie. He is clearly having a ball playing this shady, yet highly charismatic and outwardly friendly dude. He plays it really well, and he clearly has that glint in his eye that says “I am having so much fun right now!”, which makes his performance even more enjoyable for me. The supporting cast is solid too, containing people like Nathan Jones, Tess Haubrich, Mark Paguio, Angie Milliken, Charles Parnell, and more, all delivering solid performances.

The score for the movie was composed by Joseph Trapanese, and it was fine. It’s this low-key, synth-based score that works fine within its respective scenes. It doesn’t really stick out that much, but it also doesn’t ruin any scene. It’s fine. There’s also a good amount of licensed songs used throughout, and I think they work really well for their respective scenes, they feel well integrated into the storytelling.

Based on a short story by George Saunders, “Spiderhead” was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, with Joseph Kosinski handling directing duties. And I will say, Kosinski does a damn good job directing this. His direction is slick, but never feels too perfect or glossy. One thing I really like about his directing is his usage of space. He gives the actors plenty of space to work in, while still making it feel confined and intimate, really benefitting the thriller vibes the story goes for. Really, Kosinski’s style really helps elevate this and make it a bit more watchable. And on a sidenote, the dude’s certainly having one hell of a summer ain’t he? He’s got this out on Netflix right now, but he’s also got the new “Top Gun” out in cinemas, which people seem to really like. So you know… good for him for finding work!

This movie just came out, so exact numbers can and will change somewhat. But at the time of writing it’s gotten quite a mixed reception. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 52% positive rating. On Metacritic it has a score of 55/100. And on imdb.com it has a score of 5.7/10.

While it admittedly doesn’t live up to its potential, I still found “Spiderhead” to be a decently enjoyable little thriller. It has an okay story, okay characters, great performances, good music, and really good direction. Time for my final score. *Ahem*. My final score for “Spiderhead” is a 6.32/10. So while flawed, it’s still worth watching.

My review of “Spiderhead” is now completed.

Can’t wait for the sequel, Scorpionbutt.

Movie Review: Boiling Point (2022)

No, this isn’t a movie about that one Rat Boy song that was in “Need For Speed: Payback”. WHAT? What do you mean that reference is too niche? *sigh*. Anyhow, let’s check into the kitchen.

Ladies, gents, and non-binaries… “Boiling Point”!

It’s christmas time, and Andy Jones (Stephen Graham), the head chef at a nice restaurant, has to try to keep himself and his staff in check on what seems to be the busiest night of the year. Much like the title suggests, the story of “Boiling Point” is a constant simmering tension that is on the cusp of shit going boom at any point. Right from frame one when we first see Andy walking into the restaurant, there is this uncomfortable tension, and it never really lets up, in fact it just gets more and more tense as the night goes on, and things in the restaurant start getting more and more strained and uncomfortable for Andy and the other employees, confronting both their personal flaws and the demands of the customers. So yeah, I think the story here is fucking great. A really tense and highly compelling narrative of people trying to survive walls closing in on all ends.

The characters in this, much like the story, I find utterly compelling. They all have this lived-in quality to them, making them feel like real people in this world, and not just characters who’ve been plonked in there for the sake of a story. And what I also like is that the movie puts their flaws on display first and foremost, making for some really strong drama and character development. What also helps is the cast, all of whom are just on point. Stephen Graham is an actor I’ve admired for several years now, and once again he knocked it out of the god damn park. But I also have to commend the rest of the cast, containing people like Vinette Robinson, Alice Feetham, Ray Panthaki, Hannah Walters, Malachi Kirby, and many more, all of whom are fucking spectacular.

The score for the movie was composed by David Ridley and Aaron May, and I will be frank… I have no memory of it. I watched it this evening, and I can’t recall any music of any kind, beyond the end credits song by Sam Fender (which is a good song). But the score itself, I sadly can’t comment on.

“Boiling Point” was directed and co-written by Philip Barantini, based on a short film he made a few years back (also starring Stephen Graham). And boy howdy, did he kill it. If you’re not aware, this movie was done in one long take, which is a gimmick we’ve seen in other movies, but I think “Boiling Point” uses it in a way that makes sense. It really helps capture the unrelenting pressure that is on the characters. There is no relief for them they’re constantly in the moment, and I think that’s beautifully captured through the tense direction, and Matthew Lewis’ impressive cinematography. It’s just incredibly well crafted.

This movie has been very well received. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 99% positive rating and a “Fresh” certification. On Metacritic it has a score of 73/100. And on imdb.com it has a score of 7.5/10.

“Boiling Point” is a suspenseful and really compelling drama. It has a great story, great characters, fantastic performances, and fantastic direction and cinematography. Time for my final score. *Ahem*. My final score for “Boiling Point” is a 9.60/10. Which does mean that it gets the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”.

My review of “Boiling Point” is now completed.

You know, I wasn’t set on becoming a chef before I saw this, but now I’m even less inclined to do it.

Series Review: We Own This City (2022)

*Ted Hastings voice*. Bent coppers.

Disclaimer: I know this thing is based on a true story, but I will not base my review on how perfectly accurate to the real situation it may or may not be, but I will instead judge it as a movie… which it is. Disclaimer over.

Ladies, gents, and non-binaries… “We Own This City”.

Baltimore, Maryland, 2017. Within this city exists the Gun Trace Task Force, a special squad created to try to find illegal guns and drugs. We soon find out however that things aren’t quite so black and white, as the members within it are investigated for corruption. And so we jump back and forth between the main investigation of the present, and the past events that led to it. “We Own This City” is a compelling true crime sort of series, weaving a complex and compelling drama about the corruption within Baltimore’s law enforcement, and how that creates mistrust from and fraught relationships with the public. Now, while the drama in itself is compelling, I do have my issues with the overall structure of the storytelling. This show has to cover A LOT of ground in only six episodes, and when combined with the jumping back and forth within the timeline, it can make it feel a bit choppy and overly bullet-pointy (for lack of a better word). It’s not necessarily bad, as I do still find the situations really interesting and engaging, but I do think the overall structure does remove some of the impact. But despite it being a little let down by that, it’s still a really well written story.

The characters in this are layered, flawed, and overall really interesting, all feeling very believable and natural. There’s this lived-in feel to them, and their interactions and relationships work really well in creating engaging drama, and at times even a little bit of humor. What also helps is the cast, all of which are fucking superb, featuring people like Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector, Josh Charles, McKinley Belcher III, David Corenswet, Delaney Williams, Dagmara Dominczyk, and many more.

The score for the show was composed by Kris Bowers, and it was fine. Nothing stood out as really good or bad, it was just kinda there. A perfectly passable score. There’s also a few licensed songs used throughout, and those work well in their respective scenes.

Based on a book by Justin Fenton, “We Own This City” was developed by George Pelecanos and David Simon, with writing by them and a few other cool people, and directing handled by Reinaldo Marcus Green. And I would like to say that Green’s direction is really good. His directing isn’t very flashy, but he has this uncanny ability of giving scenes this subtly crackling energy, even during more quiet moments, which keeps each moment really engaging. It’s just really well crafted.

This show’s been pretty well received. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 93% positive rating and a “Fresh” certification. On Metacritic it has a score of 83/100. And on imdb.com it has a score of 7.7/10.

While its structure lets down some of its impact, “We Own This City” is still a compelling and engaging drama about the darker side of Baltimore law enforcement. It has a really good story, great characters, fantastic performances, alright music, and great direction. Time for my final score. *Ahem*. My final score for “We Own This City” is an 8.56/10. So even if it’s flawed, it’s still definitely worth watching.

My review of “We Own This City” is now completed.

Shoulda sent AC-12