X review

Written & Directed by: Ti West

Rating: 🏆 most excellent

The year is 1979, and a misfit group from Houston is dreaming of a glamorous life. Thanks to new technology you can now watch videos in the privacy of your own home. Capitalizing on this new market the group sets out to film a porno. The executive producer Wayne (Martin Henderson) has secured a cheap filming location in rural Texas and drives the group out to the boarding house to get to work.

The film’s talent is set to include his girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth), her topless bar co-worker Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow), and Bobby-Lynne’s ex-marine sometimes boyfriend Jackson (Kid Cudi). The film will be directed by aspiring indie filmmaker RJ (Owen Campbell) who is determined to make more than cheap smut, and his prudish girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega).

But when the group arrives on location, they are immediately freaked out by their shotgun-wielding elderly hosts. Clearly off-put by the group’s immodest clothing and filming equipment, they are shown to their accommodations and are warned not to disturb the host’s wife. Unwilling to waste any time, the group gets to work on their porno. But what ensues can only be described as a bloodbath with an unlikely serial killer.

X is a 70s wet dream. The costuming will have you pinteresting a 70s style board ASAP. The cinematography is designed to feel old school with blurry imagery, and lots of shots are framed to look like you are watching the movie on an old box TV. This attention to detail is a genius way to quickly establish the time period.

Every member of the small cast delivers strong performances with great onscreen chemistry, sexual and otherwise. Mia Goth stands out as the protagonist in this ensemble cast, and is captivating as a young woman determined to leave small-town life behind in the pursuit of fame. She also plays Pearl, the host’s senile wife, and she commands every scene Pearl is in. She’s haunting and creepy, but also disturbingly demands your empathy.

At its core, X is a classic slasher. It’s quickly paced with a run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes. It’s packed with gory action and lots of sex, but there is still ample time to breathe and build suspense. The film flips the script on several horror tropes and without risking giving away the plot, I will say that this is not just a movie where naked women are mutilated but never given a backstory. Every character is developed, every stereotype is subverted, and the result is a delightful horror flick that is sure to become a classic.

Be sure to watch until the very end because there is a post-credits scene that you won’t want to miss!

Review written by Zianna Weston

Candyman

Written by Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, and Nia Dacosta

Directed by Nia Dacosta

Rating: 🏆 Most Excellent

Say his name five times in the mirror and you can summon the Candyman; a dark and murderous creature that is set out to right the wrongs of centuries of prejudice, racism, and the exploitative economic practices of colonialism. In an attempt to push his work and challenge himself to create something new, artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) decides to summon the Candyman. What ensues is an exploration into the history of Cabrini-Green, a Chicago ghetto that has been gentrified, and the deeply rooted impact of the terrifying Candyman.

On the surface, Candyman is a solid horror movie with gruesome gore, incredible performances by the cast, and a steady build up of suspense. But this movie is so much more than scary. It’s intelligent and subversive and proves yet again that @jordanpeele is a master of horror with a lot to say. Director Nia DaCosta created a visually gruesome, yet beautiful movie that captivated me instantly and held me tightly in its grip until the credits rolled. I haven’t seen the original, so I can’t compare the two, but I can say that I fell in love with this movie almost instantly and will definitely be watching it again soon. Candyman is a must-see and it’s now playing in theaters.

Written by Zianna Weston

Hagazussa

Written and directed by lukas feigelfeld

Rating: 🏆 most excellent

Albrun (Celina Peter) has been dealt a rough hand. She is orphaned at a young age, and the community that ostracized her mother for being a witch treats her with the same isolating hostility. It’s the 15th century, so life expectancy is low and days are spent wrestling with nature to survive. Albrun, her goats, and her daughter find refuge in their homestead that looms over the village below. The majestic mountains and forests that surround her are hauntingly beautiful and you get the sense that she’s much closer to the land than she is to any other humans. But this is not a kind moment in time to be a single woman with a different way of life. 

Hagazussa is a slow burn that allows you to feel all of Albrun’s pains and discomforts. While it’s a horror film, it’s more disturbing than scary. It is a strange movie and definitely is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’re a deep thinker who enjoys swimming in an abyss of symbolism and philosophical themes, this is a movie for you. If you’re wondering “where can I watch Hagazussa?” you can get witchy and watch Hagazussa now. It’s available to rent on Prime Video and it’s also free on Kanopy. If you are a university student, or have a public library card, you should have free access to Kanopy! 

If you want a more comprehensive review (with spoilers) I had the honor of going on Horror Movies With Friends with Andy Greene, a wonderful month full of horror movies to raise money for The Trevor Project.

Psycho

Written by joseph stefano, based on the book by robert bloch

directed by Alfred Hitchcock

rating: 🏆 most excellent

What Marion (Janet Leigh) desires more than anything is to end the scandalous nature of her relationship with her boyfriend Sam by getting married. Money is tight, so it doesn’t seem to be in the cards for the two lovers. But when an opportunity arises at work for Marion to steal $40,000 she takes the risk and packs her bags and the money and heads from Phoenix to her boyfriend in California. Caught in a terrible rainstorm (if you’ve ever experienced a desert rain it’s terrifying to drive in), she takes a turn off the main highway and ends up at the Bates Motel for the night. Overhearing an argument between the quirky but cute proprietor Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and his mother, Marion and Norman discuss the traps of life leading our heroine to decide to return the money. However Marion is brutally murdered that very night by an unknown person while in the shower. Missing for days, a private investigator and her sister Lila end up at Sam’s only to find Marion never arrived. The three end up at the Bates Motel searching for answers, but what they find is something no one was expecting.

This movie is a classic for a reason. Beautiful, compelling and suspenseful. The characters are smart and complex in a way that horror generally doesn’t do. Every line, shot, lighting choice, and note in the score is intentional which is what makes this budget movie the masterpiece that it is. 10/10- don’t sleep on Psycho like this Basic Cinephile did for way too long!

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Written and directed by wes kraven

Rating: 🏆 most excellent

A group of high school students begins having strange dreams about a man who’s chasing them. He’s creepy, covered in burns, and has knives for fingers on one of his hands. At first, they dismiss it as just a dream. But then they start noticing that things that happen in the dream leave behind evidence in the real world. Get cut in your dream? You will wake up with a cut in real life. And how are they all having dreams about the same person? When one of the teens is savagely murdered in her sleep, it falls on the savviest and badass friend, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) to figure out what is happening and how to make it stop.

A Nightmare on Elm Street was made in 1984 and it’s still a favorite for a reason. Freddy Krueger is an incredible villain who is both terrifying and unpredictable. Nancy might be my favorite protagonist in a horror film. Although she is young and dismissed by every adult in the film, she’s the only character with a brain that we can trust. She is brave, scrappy, and endearing, which can be very hard to pull off when your character spends most of the movie screaming and being chased. This film launched Johnny Depp’s career and he plays Glenn, a dreamboat who cannot for the life of him stay awake. He’s the perfect counterbalance to Nancy. While we can always trust Nancy to make things work, we can always count on Glenn to give us anxiety by messing everything up. Nancy’s mother Marge (Ronee Blakley) is an icon. You can see that Nancy got a lot of her positive traits from her mother, and not her infuriatingly incompetent father (John Saxon) who is a stereotypical bumbling police officer in a horror movie. Her mother tries her best to help Nancy, but she ultimately provides comedic relief with her one-liners and her fifth of vodka.

This movie was probably really scary when it came out, or if you watched it as a child. In seeing it for the first time as an adult, I found this to be more of a comedy than a horror. But that didn’t make me enjoy it any less. I can’t wait to watch the rest of the films in this franchise because I absolutely loved this movie!

The Old Ways

Written by Marcos Gabriel

Directed by Christopher Alender

Rating: 🔥 that’s hot

The Old Ways follows Cristina (Brigitte Kali Canales), an American journalist of Mexican descent, on an assignment to Mexico to investigate an area that has been largely untouched by outsiders. But, after a fateful trip to a prohibited cave, Cristina is kidnapped by locals who believe that she has been possessed by a demon. They rely on a bruja (witch) who still practices the old ways to perform an exorcism and rid Cristina of the possession. Is Cristina really possessed, or is this all just old-fashioned superstition?

This movie is simple and straightforward, but its connection to a witchy past make the plot intriguing. Overall, it’s not outright scary, but the tone is creepy and the suspense is built subtly throughout. The exploration of the protagonist’s haunted past, and her drug-filled presence makes Cristina an interesting character that you want to learn more about. Her character arc is powerful and by the end of the film she’s so badass! If you can look past the low-budget CGI and the sometimes cheesy dialogue, you’ll find a film that is genuinely fun to watch. The Old Ways will be available to stream and watch on blu-ray/DVD October 12th.

Review written by Zianna Weston

A Quiet Place Part II

Written and directed by John Krasinski

Rating: ⭐ better than a PSL

Picking right up where part one ended, A Quiet Place Part II follows the journey of a family that must stay silent to survive. Violent creatures roam the streets, but if they can’t hear you, they can’t attack you.

This movie is a masterclass in building suspense. I was on pins and needles the entire time, rooting for our super lovable and badass cast. What I enjoyed most about this sequel was that the original was more about the parents protecting their children, and this one is more about the children stepping up and protecting their family. While Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy’s performances are masterful, the show is stolen by Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. These kids are legit and will help shape the next generation of cinema. If you’re able to and feel safe I highly recommend seeing A Quiet Place Part II in theater ASAP!

Written by Zianna Weston

Promising Young Woman

Written and directed by Emerald Fennell

Rating: ⭐ better than a psl

Medical school dropout Cassie (Carey Mulligan) looks like your average failure from the outside. Dead end job, living with mom and dad, with no relationship or close friendships. But she has an interesting hobby that is consuming her life… At night Cassie pretends to be blackout drunk, and she trolls bars for “nice guys” that will help her out. What unfolds is a revenge thriller that will force you to examine every aspect of our toxic rape culture.

I was enthralled by this slow paced, quirky film from start to finish. Every aspect of this movie is carefully chosen to make the audience feel all of the feels. Uncomfortable, confused, angry, happy, hopeful, and everything in between, this movie encapsulates just how murky the waters are when it comes to our culture’s ass-backwards views on promising young women. Director Emerald Fennell succeeds in delivering a film that not only champions womxn on screen, but in every aspect off screen as well including a fire soundtrack featuring exclusively femxle artists.

While I loved this movie and hope that it sparks many more films like it, the area that it fell short for me was in character development. While you do get a glimpse into Cassie’s life, and a select few other characters as well, there were many characters like Cassie’s boss (played by the living icon LaVerne Cox) that left me wanting to know more about them. Overall, this did not ruin the experience for me. I took it as a tangible expression of how Cassie’s depression affects her life and how she lives it.

I imagine this film will be polarizing, as it isn’t the least bit apologetic in its messaging. But I think i’ts an important watch, and I hope it inspires more men to question what it really means to be a “nice guy”.

Written by Zianna Weston

The Devil All the Time

Written by Antonio and paulo Campos

Based on the book written by Donald Ray Pollock.

Directed by Antonio Campos

The Devil All the Time follows the interconnected stories of several poor souls between Ohio and West Virginia. These impoverished hollers are full of demented sinners and their unshakable faith in the Holy Ghost. Religion and it’s ability to twist reality and manipulate the faithful is explored in ways that literally made my stomach churn. My review will not be going into gruesome detail about this twisted crime drama, but I will say that if you are sensitive to violence, sexual abuse, spiritual manipulation, or graphic images, this probably isn’t the movie for you.

This movie is heavy. It’s over two hours of f*cked up people doing f*cked up things. But, it’s really well done. From the costumes, to the gospel music, to the set design, the choices made by director Antonio Campos create a world where evil can flourish. The characters grabbed ahold of my heartstrings and they never let go until the credits rolled. What stood out the most were the powerful performances by Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgard, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennett, and literally every single actor in this film. But, in a sea of compelling performances, Tom Holland still manages to steal the show. His character is the heartbeat of a story that was written to break your heart. He balances a damaged tenderness with a raw rage in a nuanced performance that feels authentic from beginning to end. This movie is long, slow, and dark. But, it’s an emotional experience that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to shake. The Devil All the Time is now streaming on @netflix.

Review written by Zianna Weston

Knives Out

Written and Directed by Rian Johnson

Rating: 🔥 That’s hot

Something foul is afoot in this murder mystery for the ages. On the morning after his 85th birthday, acclaimed murder mystery author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his study. Was it really a suicide? Or did one of the members of his quirky family have a reason to see the old man off? Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) was summoned by an anonymous request and he sets off the solve the classic whodunit.

What ensues can only be described as good old-fashioned fun. Through a series of twists and turns, this well-written script will leave you clamoring to figure out who the murderer is from start to finish. Every member of the Thrombey family (Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Riki Lindhome) and Thrombey’s staff (Edi Patterson and Ana de Armas) is armed with a motive. This film starts out pretty slowly and takes a little while to build momentum. But once the train gets rolling the story really takes off. The other critique I have for this film is Daniel Craig’s abominable southern accent. Not quite sure why that character choice was made, but in the slow first act I found the phony accent to be quite distracting. By the end of the film you hardly notice it, but I didn’t feel like the accent served any purpose even in its least distracting moments. If you can get past the bad accent and slow first act, Knives Out is sure to deliver laughs and mysterious intrigue.

Review written by Zianna Weston 

Motherless Brooklyn

Written and directed by Edward norton

based on the book by jonathan lethem

rating: ⭐️ Better than a psl

Lionel Essrog is a private investigator with Tourette’s Syndrome. When his long-time friend and boss, Frank Minna, gets killed in a job-gone-wrong Essrogg becomes determined to find out who killed Frank.

This noir style film throws it back to a golden era of film. The eerie shadows, pensive voiceovers, and meandering plot twists made this film delightfully fun to watch. The cinematography felt vintage and fresh at the same time. The backdrop of gritty Brooklyn provided the perfect setting for a mystery. The best part of this film was the performances from the stacked cast. Edward Norton, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bruce Willis, Leslie Mann, and Bobby Cannavale all had natural onscreen chemistry with each other and with Brooklyn. As New York City often does, and specifically the Brooklyn borough, the setting plays a huge role in this film. Brooklyn is basically a living, breathing character emoting sorrow, growth, and uncertainty. She relates to and interacts differently with each character in a way that is indicative of the many differences between each character. This beautiful relationship between cast and setting helps to tell the story.

This film has received some negative reviews for its length (2 hours and 24 minutes) and it’s slow, meandering style. While I can see why some people may have grown bored during this movie that is not how I felt in the slightest. I was captivated by the characters and the plot from beginning to end. The slow pace felt intentional, and each scene kept the storyline moving forward. I absolutely loved this film and I recommend it as a must-watch for 2019.

Review written by Zianna Weston

It Chapter Two

Written by Gary Dauberman, Based on the novel by Stephen King

Directed by Andy Muschietti

Rating: 🙅🏼‍♀️ thank u, next

There’s a psycho clown and people are trying to kill him *insert nostalgic flashback*. 

Full disclosure, I never saw the first It movie so watching the sequel may have been a bold choice. If you watched the first one and you enjoyed the sequel, please defend your choice in the comments section of the Instagram review! But, I hated this movie. It was wayyyy too long, it wasn’t scary at all, and it was repetitive as hell. The best and scariest parts of the movie had all been shown extensively in the trailer so you already knew exactly what was going to happen. Had they trimmed the movie by about 30 minutes I may have enjoyed it. But they didn’t.

Review by Zianna Weston