“The Hunt” Film Review: Political Satire With No Bite

The Hunt (2020) is a semi-satirical thriller from director Craig Zobel and writers Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof. It tells the story of twelve conservative-leaning strangers who awaken on a remote estate and find themselves hunted by rich liberal elites. It caused quite the stir late last year, when controversy over the film’s subject matter and the subsequent public backlash caused it to be postponed to now. And after the coronavirus outbreak sent the film to the web, I was able to check it out during my self-quarantine. Is the hype warranted? What’s all the fuss about?

“High Life” Film Review & Analysis

High Life (2019) is a sci-fi thriller from legendary French filmmaker Claire Denis. It stars Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche in the story of a group of criminals sent on a dangerous space mission while being sexually experimented upon. The film has been in the works for over a decade and has finally hit the big screen with big-name distributor A24. Is it worth the wait?

“Museo” Film Review & Analysis

Museo (2018) is a Mexican heist thriller film from writer-director Alonso Ruizpalacios. It stars Gael Garcia Bernal in a (mostly) true story about the infamous 1985 robbery of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. It has drawn rave reviews and earned multiple accolades, including a Best Screenplay award at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. What sets this heist film apart?

“Widows” Film Review & Analysis

Widows (2018) is the newest Steve McQueen film, his first since the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave (2013), written by Gillian Flynn of Gone Girl fame. It stars an ensemble cast including Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Daniel Kaluuya, Colin Farrell, and Liam Neeson. The crime drama follows a group of women whose late husbands were involved in a failed armed robbery, forcing them to finish the job themselves. How triumphant is McQueen’s return to cinema, and will it attract Oscar attention later this year? *SPOILERS AHEAD!*

“Searching” Film Review

Searching is a mystery-thriller written and directed by Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian, previously known for a viral video shot entirely on a Google Glass. It stars John Cho as a father desperately searching for his missing teenage daughter, using her laptop in order to uncover her past. It utilizes a unique found-footage shooting style featuring mostly laptop/phone screens, much like 2014’s critically-panned Unfriended. Can Searching transcend the pitfalls of the genre and craft a compelling story in spite of the constraints of the format? *SPOILERS AHEAD!*

“Upgrade” Film Review

Upgrade is the latest film from writer/director Leigh Whannell, formerly known as a horror writer on the Saw and Insidious franchises. His sci-fi thriller stars Logan Marshall-Green as Grey, a man who is paralyzed in an accident and watches his wife get murdered. Grey undergoes experimental surgery to repair his body that also introduces him to STEM, an AI that can speak to him and control his body to perform superhuman feats of strength, as he hunts down the men responsible for his wife’s death.

I had low expectations for this one going in. A low-budget Blumhouse flick with a no-name cast and an ex-horror director didn’t exactly scream virtuoso writing. But what I did get was a mostly-pleasant surprise: a competent thriller with excellent action sequences and compelling philosophical themes, despite some shortcomings in the acting and writing departments.