Paper Flowers (2024) opens Friday

This is the true story of Shalin Shah who joins the Peace Corps in order to do good, only to find that he has a nasty form of cancer. In the time he has left he explores what it means to be alive and what we owe to each other.

Good but by the numbers tale designed to fill its audience with feelies and make them see the wonders of the world. I don't mean to sound snarky, but the cast and craft of the film are so good that I really wish that the script didn't hit all of the expected notes.

Despite my kvetching, which comes from a place of love, this is worth tracking down and seeing.

The Last Message (2026) Chain Film Festival

Kelsie Kimberlin travels to Ukraine to pay tribute to her cousin who was killed fighting the Russian invasion of the country. She travels the country seeing for herself what the Russians have done, seeing how the Ukrainians have responded and paying tribute to her lost cousin.

THE LAST CALL frustrates me. Containing some of the best “you are there” footage in any documentary I’ve seen on Ukraine, it is packaged with a lot of slick material that comes off wrong.

The best part of the film are the sequences where we see Kimberlin talking to various Ukrainians and showing what the Russians have done. The words and images in those sequences are moving. Having seen several dozen documentaries of the invasion it was nice to see something that didn’t feel recycled.

The thing is that the film has one problem that works against the film.

The problem is that as much as the film is about Ukraine, the war and the cousin lost to the fighting, the film also is very much about Kimberlin.  She is almost always front and center looking perfect and she is always giving us her opinion about what we are seeing. There are times you will wonder what the film is about, the people of Ukraine or the young lady from America who seems to be important since President Biden writes her a letter of condolences. It wouldn’t be bad, but Kimberlin comes across as incredibly plastic with everything she says over wrought and overdone. She is bleeding all over the place with her love for the Ukrainian people and it comes off not only as disingenuous but also as almost silly propaganda.  I don’t say that lightly. I say that because after seeing dozens of Ukraine docs, this is the first time I have ever felt that I was watching something that was amped up and need to make the Russians out to be bad guys despite it being clear. This is not a documentary so much as an influencer trying to put themselves into the Ukraine conflict and let us know that war is bad.

Despite the moving moments, this is not recommended.

Peter Gutierrez on It Ends (2025) which opens Friday

“There’s not a bird on earth that could survive a human uppercut.”

After just a few minutes of experiencing IT ENDS on the big screen, it becomes clear why this is the opening night film. Assured, beguiling, and using sound in a way that can be described only as gorgeous, Alexander Ullom’s first feature promises to take you places even before it really gets on the road. Aided by the fine work of its talented young cast, Ullom’s script effortlessly succeeds where most horror flicks (cf. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER 2025) fail miserably: making us care about its friend group before anything remotely menacing takes place. There are no contrived character snapshots or forced interactions to convey likability—the film just lets us spend time with these engaging roadtrippers. Then, when the dread and terror kick in, we’re not only fully on board, but also enjoyed the time we spent getting there.

It's tempting to call the premise of IT ENDS “simple,” but “elegant” would be more accurate. Unabashedly wearing allegory both on its sleeve and in your face, the film manages that rare feat of working on a purely dramatic level as well. The script never sells out either dimension for the sake of the other. And the ending, which somehow manages to avoid predictability, feels utterly satisfying as it hits hard both thematically and emotionally. 

The story also works because it nudges you to consider what you’d do in the characters’ situation, but does so in a way that feels fresh and invisible. In short, you’re never bored. Except, that is, during those moments when you’re supposed to brush up against boredom, and then Ullom pulls off the always tricky goal of conveying tedium without actually putting the audience to sleep. The friends’ small, creative acts of rebellion against boredom are, in fact, central to the horror—there’s a kind of psychological “gore” that, while it can’t be seen, can definitely be felt. Think of this film as high-stakes survival horror, but in breathtaking slow-mo. Or, if it helps, you can view IT ENDS as an ingenious mix of THE SOPRANOS “Pine Barrens” episode and Sartre’s No Exit... except that wouldn’t begin to describe how heartfelt and original it is.

Back up

 

I'm back on line after 4 days down. 

Did the emails and the social media...but things are still messy. The review is set to go from the Chain Film Festival. But I am still a lot of films behind-which would be okay except the ones I'm behind have expiration dates for the week. That doesn't include the Big Bad Film Festival....

Apologies to everyone this is going to be tough week.

I'm just glad I am not getting paid for this because I'd have to to listen to people yeslling as the deadlines are blown

THE FALLING MAN (1968)

THE FALLING MAN is a largely brutal ugly and nasty film. It disturbs greatly. While there are explosions of physical violence most of the violence is in the black way that the characters treat each other. They will do whatever it is to get their way and protect their ass and they don’t care about the repercussions.

The film has Henry Silva, in one of most intense roles. An inspector in the police he has made a lot of enemies on all sides of the law. In rapid succession his son is killed in an ambush meant for him and he is set up for murder he didn’t commit. Thrown off the force Silva begins a relentless march through the sewer to find out who was behind it all.

The opening minutes of the film are hallucinogenic as the past and present blend together. We are thrown back on our heels as lots of information, characters and places are given to us. It calms down but it the effect lingers as we remain uncertain of who is who, which in this case makes us wonder who is allied with whom. The opening is also violent enough that we hold our breath for the rest of the film hoping there won’t be that ugly again. Brooding and moody the majority of the film has Silva trying to track down leads. While there are flashes of violence mostly this is a kind of journey of the soul.

There is a weird disconnect when watching the film. Clearly shot in and around San Francisco the film the film seems to have been completely dubbed after the fact, only sometimes with the actors in the scene. I only noticed it when I realized Keenan Wynn’s voice wasn’t his own. What I find interesting is it adds an interesting level to the proceedings since it makes us feel like Silva, out of touch with his own world.

I really like this film a great deal. It moves and feels unlike any other film I’ve run across. Yes the film looks and feels like some of the crime films of the early 1970’s but this film feels much more real. Very much shot on location in almost every scene the film has a real world feel that is lacking from most other films. Where in most films you can disconnect and feel the crew just out of frame that isn’t the case here. We are in the locations be they streets, offices or hallways. The plot is unexpectedly deep, not the sort of thing you’d expect from an exploitation film. Additionally the filmmaking, the shot choices, ect are not like anything you’ve seen in a similar film. While clearly influenced by the style of the time it isn’t done to be showy, instead to help tell the story.

One of the things that I like about the film is that I feel the need to see it again. The gulf between what I thought the film would be and what it was was rather large, with the result that my expectations were upset in a good way. Dealing with those emotions made me need to see the film again so I can take it on its own terms.

Of course the best reason to see the film is Henry Silva. Nominally a second string actor who often played bad guys, he was so much more than that. It could and it should be argued that he was one of the best and most underappreciated actors working. Rarely phoning in a performance he always gave us 110%. Nowhere is that clearer than in the films he headlined. Bringing an intensity and a seriousness to his roles he often made something from nothing turning a weak movie into something you’d want to watch over and over again. While the American Studios didn’t allow him to shine, the European ones did and his work in a long string of crime films is almost unmatched. Silva kicked serious ass and we are better for it.

This was one of the great finds of 2018 for me THE FALLING MAN is a must see.

Charlie Chan at The Wax Museum

This is possibly my favorite Charlie Chan film.

This one has Chan showing up at a wax museum in order to be part of a radio program where an unsolved murder will be discussed. Unknown to Chan is the fact that the museum is actually a front for a plastic surgeon who changes the faces of wanted criminals, including one that Chan just helped to send away, or would have had he not been shot and "killed" in an attempt to escape. As the night progresses Chan will have to not only deal with the murder on the radio, but the potential murder of the great detective himself.

Creepy in an old dark house sort of way, things remain nicely light and airy thanks to Chan's son Jimmy who as always is an equal mix of help and hindrance. As with many of the Chan's the mystery really isn't that mysterious, its more about watching the characters do what they do best, Jimmy Chan get into trouble, his father save the day and the bad guys prove they are nowhere near as clever as they thought. Its just a great deal of fun.

A NOTE FROM STEVE

D'OH!

 This is a quick note to let everyone know that yesterday my personal computer went down. It does not appear to be fatal, but it will keep me off the internet until it is fixed.

This means the review of the film from the Chain Film Festival is delayed and I may be behind in getting coverage up for The Big Bad Film Festival next week. I am also behind in email and social media is spotty.

Reviews have been slotted so coverage will continue. 

Just be patient.

I expect to be up no later than Sunday night.

The Adventures of Red Ryder (1940)

You know the type of BB gun that Ralphie wants in A Christmas Story? This is a serial based on the Red Ryder character (from a comic) that the BB gun is a tie in for. The comic was also the source of several feature films as well a well loved TV show.

The plot concerns Red Ryder, Little Beaver and their friends fighting some land speculators who are forcibly buying up all the land along a proposed railroad route.

Its one of the better Western serials that any of the studios cranked out with all of the action and excitement that you'd expect. To be honest I'm not a huge western serial fan because there is really a limit as to what you can use as a cliffhanger and in order for me to really like a western serial it has to take what is well worn and dress it up in some way. This serial does just that thanks to really good characters and actors to bring them alive.

There is a reason that Don Barry was nicked name "Red" after portraying the character, namely he's really good. What really helps as well is that the production is first rate with the serial looking more like what would be one of the better western TV show from the 1950's (which isn't surprising since many serial makers and studios jumped into TV with both feet). It maybe corny but if you're going to see one western serial, this is the one to see. (and watch to see how a clearly adult rider does all the riding for the young boy Little Beaver)

The Day Mars Invaded Earth

Kent Taylor stars as a scientist who discovers that Martians are replacing scientists in a bid to take over the world.

An okay film that takes way too long to get going and playing like either a scifi film from a half a decade earlier or weaker Outer Limits episode the film plods along for much of its running time only to race toward its surprisingly bleak conclusion.

More footnote than feature it’s a minor film whose time had largely passed by the time it was made.

The Birds II: Land’s End (1994)

A sequel to one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most well-known and respected films? Well, that’s an idea where nothing can possib-lie go wrong… uh, possibly go wrong. That’s the first thing that’s ever gone wrong. Hey, it worked for Psycho II, okay?!

That’s how I’d like to imagine the pitch meeting for The Birds II: Lands’ End went.

The story follows a family that moves to a quiet coastal island looking for a fresh start. Naturally, birds immediately decide they don’t appreciate the new neighbors. What starts as a few random attacks eventually turns into bird-armageddon.

Seagulls. Crows. Toucan Sam. Woody Woodpecker. The Gilbert Gottfried parrot from Aladdin. They’re all here! And they’re pissed.

And, holy crap, they got Tippi Hedren. From 1981’s Roar. The most infamous animal movie ever filmed. Oh yeah… she was in The Birds, too. Anyway.

Okay, so, this movie stinks. Right? Like, that should be obvious from the jump. That doesn’t mean there’s not some fun to be had here. Or maybe there isn’t. It’s all subjective. What I feel like can’t be debated is the lack of tension. Something that runs rampant through the original is non-existent in this sequel. Nobody is expecting to outdo Hitchcock. You can’t. But at least make an attempt. More on that in a bit.

It lacks suspense, atmosphere, and it feels like a TV movie. Well, because it was one. The Birds II premiered as a Showtime Original in March ’94 and hit video stores that November. I don’t remember having Showtime as a kid. We had HBO, though. In 1994, you could have definitely caught me watching Gang Wars: Bangin’ in Little Rock instead. Now THAT was original. Unfortunately, this review isn’t about that.

Director Rick Rosenthal supposedly wanted to add a certain tone to the film, but was denied by the producers. They had something much more stock-’90s cliché in mind. That, along with multiple reshoots, led to Rosenthal taking his name off the film. So it gets the Alan Smithee treatment. This is the man who directed Halloween: Resurrection, btw. Let that sink in. 

Two of the three writers on this cinematic dropping later went on to write the story for the 2000 sci-fi hit Pitch Black, which gave Vin Diesel his break in Hollywood. That's an offense I simply cannot forgive.

There’s a lot to be negative about, but all things considered, the acting is okay. The movie bounces between family drama, relationship issues, and everyone dealing with their own personal problems. It’s all pretty formulaic. But I guess this is what the producers were looking for. The mayor of the town might be the best character in the whole thing because he’s literally in full “Everything is fine. Nothing to see here” mode. Because, Jaws.

The one, and I do mean one enjoyable thing about all of this is the climax. When the mass bird attack happens in the downtown part of the fictional island, you get explosions on explosions. It’s complete nonsense, but it’s the kind of nonsense I can appreciate. Sure, you have to wait till the last 15 minutes or so, but ehh. 

Ironically, this wasn’t the only Hitchcock-less sequel to make it to cable. Psycho IV: The Beginning premiered on Showtime in 1990. So, uh, yeah, sure, watch that instead. 

In Brief:Dangerous Charter (1962)

Good B movie thriller about a fishing boat that finds a deserted yacht and takes it in. There is no sign of who owns it but the authorities suspect a certain known criminal. The authorities turn the boat over to the fishing boat crew under the laws of salvage but warn them the boats previous owner might want to get it back. Of course he does and what follows is the rest of the movie.

Not particularly original this is a very watchable little thriller that follows all of the typical conventions of a story like this. Is it the best film ever to come down the pike, no, but I didn't mind spending the 75 minutes with it that it took to tell the story, which in many cases is all one can ask of a film.

In All My Journeys I Am Returning (2026) Locarno 2026

Based on the poetry of Leon de Greiff and feeling like someone transported the werner Herzog of the 1970's to the modern day, IN ALL MY JOURNEYS I AM RETURNING is something special. Its a film that can not fully be explained but needs to be experienced.

The plot of the film has a couple from Sweden traveling down a river in 19th centry Columbia. However the further they go, the more things get hazy as past and present and future collide.

I can't explain more than that. The reason is not that it isn't clear, it absolutely is, the problem is its not just the narrative that is important, but the trip, the mix of sound and images that make the film so special. We are not outsiders watching events transpire but we are fellow travelers going along with the couple of the screen. To full discuss the film I would have to describe what I experienced on the journey but how I viewed it is not going to be how you view it.  This is a film that audiences must see  first and then discuss.

I loved this film. No, it is not perfect but I love that the film creates a head space and a feeling I couldn't shake. It is in its way pretentious, as many European art films of the 70's could be, but at the same time the narrative pulls you in and makes you not care. The film creates its own reality so well that you accept everything on the screen.

I have no idea how you are going to react to the film but it connected with me in unexpected ways. I can see this appearing at festivals like the New York FIlm Festival or New Directors New Films in the months ahead.

See it on the big screeen if you can. I wish I did.

Recommended.

Bruiser (2000)

Odd George Romero film that barely was released originally and barely written up until home video is change of pace for the horror master, but its also a clear indication of Romero's limitations as a director. Feeling more like his misfire There's Always Vanilla/ Season of the Witch this is the story of a magazine executive who is being raked over the coals by everyone in his life. Waking up with a featureless mask for a face he decides to get revenge on those who wronged him.

Feeling unremarkable and like almost any other independent film this is a cookie cutter film. Frankly had Romero not directed it I don't think it would have gotten any notice what so ever. The craft of the film has no spark and is extremely run of the mill and unimaginative. Watching it its clear that Romero directed it, but there is something about the way his films look and feel,and comparing this film to his other films makes everything else he's done all the more surprising. Why do many of his other films work and this one doesn't? I don't know.

Removing his Stephen King adaptations and zombie films I think its pure dumb luck that everything comes together. Here he's got an intriguing idea but how Romero tells the story just lays on the table like a dead fish. Its not a complete waste of a film, there are some interesting ideas about identity and the cast is good, but its also really dull.

Lower tier Romero and for fans only.

Nightcap 8/9/26 : A few notes for August and NYFF

I had warned you that this month may end up being a bunch of older films whose reviews I banked and that looks to be what is happening. I've spent the better part of the last few weeks not really watching anything and not taking in new titles.  

The lack of new titles has been because nothing has thrilled me. I have been watching the third season of Reacher and Magriet on Masterpiece because they are  good and off the board. I have watched some stuff for NYFF and Lacarno and I do have some films for the end of the month. (and some I can't discuss for September festivals)

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NYFF announced their Main Slate and the World Premiere of GODZILLA MINUS ZERO. There are some good Main Slate titles and I'm going to see what I can do to get Godzilla tickets.

And yes, NYFF is running two Hong Sang Soo films resulted in my complaining on social media about it. I was shocked because some people seemed to think I was crazy to be upset because we have to push the off the beaten trail filmmakers (they clearly have no idea who they are saying it to since all I do is push off the beat trail filmmakers).  Those arguing with me seem oblivious to the fact that Sang Soo having gotten 12 slots in 6 years kind of runs counter to that since if he only had 1 slot each year they could have shown 6 other filmmakers.

I may post a piece on this,  more so since some of the discussion was phrased to back the festival as if it was the final tastemaker as to what films are worth seeing. (I got the sense that some people don't know what they should think is good until someone tells them)

And for the record my objection is not to Sang soo or his films (I own several), my objection is the sheer volume of films they show - I mean Rainer Werner Fassbinder had at least one film a year from 1969 to 1982 and only had two one year.  Its that we get two films every year and every year one of them is simply not good enough to be there.

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For those who are playing the NYFF home game I'm three Main Slate titles into my coverage.  I've reviewed 9 TEMPLE TO HEAVEN for Cannes, I did I RARELY WAKE UP DREAMING for Locarno and I have seen EVERYTHING ELSE IS NOISE.

I'm waiting to see what else they add.

A do have a 12 pack of tickets so there will be coverage- not sure of what.

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In Brief:SECRET FLIGHT

The first film directed by Peter Ustinov is a witty and amusing look at the development of Radar.

A good cast is given a good script (also by Ustinov) and allowed to go for it. Its not bad but the choice of shots undercut the rest with the result the film isn't quite what it should be.

Still worth a look,

Handle With Care(2026) Rhode Island Film Festival

I want to say right at the top that HANDLE WITH CARE is very good and that you should see it. I am saying this right at the top because I don't want that to get lost in  my discussion of the film that follows.

The plot of the film has a snarky writer selling off the wedding gifts from his short lived marriage. The marriage had imploded and in less than a year it was over. He became hardened to the idea of love because, he realizes, we can never truly know anyone. However as he gets rid of the unopened and unused gifts he begins to open up as to the possibility that love could actually be something thanks to the passion of the people he meets.

At it's heart I think that Matthew James Thompson's script is one of the wisest, most moving, thoughtful and full of life one's that I've run across in a long time. It is a film full of humanity and soul. Sections of the film warmed the cockles of my heart and had me gobsmacked with the level insight contained inside them. Its a film whose insights had me talking to the screen. (It also gloriously does not follow the expected path or have an expected resolution -bravo.)

The trouble is the presentation or the construction doesn't always work, making what should have been a best of the year film, just a good one.

The issue is that the film doesn't just unfold before us, but is narrated  by Cole (an excellent Justin H Min).  From first frame to the last Cole's presence hangs over the film  and comments over everything. Evrything is ordered and revealed to illustrate what he is saying.  While what he is saying is spot on perfect, we don't need to be hand held so much. It comes off as a lecture more than a film. Actually this comes off a theater piece more than a film since the narration by Cole would be exactly what you would do to move a play along. His narration would move us from place to place on stage, we don't need that on screen.

I became frustrated. I wanted to see this story unfold, not be told every detail. Yes, I liked what I was seeing but I wanted to see the lives of the characters as lived, not just as filtered through Cole's telling. I quickly fell in love with all the characters on the screen and I wanted to see them more as people rather than just characters in Cole's tale. 

I keep wondering if perhaps this is the result of this being Director Thompson's first feature film and he wanted to show what he could do.  Not to put too fine a point on it, he can do wonders. Almost everything here from the cast, to the craft and especially the script is sterling and best of the year material. The problem seems he simply us holding the beautiful bird too tighly in his hands that we can't see the full magnificence because his hands are in the way.

Don't get me wrong, I love every damn piece of this film and I truly think they are some the very best I've run across in any film all year. I just wanted to love the film as a whole. I wanted to have my heart explode at the end and be a sobbing mess. Instead I got the feelies multiple times  through the film and  really liked it when it ended. 

My disappointment at not getting a best of the year cinematic experience aside, HANDLE WITH CARE is a must see film for anyone who wantes to see a beautiful film full of wisdom, great characters and occasionally magic

Reacher Season 3

Watching Reacher Season 3 and I’m entertained.

Taking a different approach, the plot of the season is based on the novel Persuader, which has Reacher going undercover to take down a drug lord, and get revenge in the process.

Grabbing our attention at the start, when Reacher shoots a cop by accident while trying to stop a kidnapping, the series then spins out as Reacher gets a job as bodyguard of the kid who was targeted. You know it has to be a set up but at the same time its done so well that it takes a few moments to register.

As most of you know I don’t really watch series regularly. Yes, I do some NCISs and I am now watching CIA, but the truth is they are simply budgeted time to do computer work for Unseen. I don’t have to review the series I can just watch and see something new.  The fact that I am watching Reacher, and staying with it shows you how highly I think of the series. (I’m stalled in Bosch, Jack Ryan, Cross and several others)  I don’t want to waste the episodes.

While I still haven’t finished the season yet, I’m watching as a lead up to the new season and the Neagley series, I am having a blast and I think you will too.

I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming (2026) Locarno 2026 NYFF 2026

 

There is a moment about five minutes into the film when one of the characters shifts their gaze from tombstones and looks into our souls. It's a simple shot, with nothing special, but the look is delivered with such intensity that it made me talk out loud. It was the moment where I RARELY WAKE UP DREAMING grabbed me by the throat and pulled me in. I was willing to go wherever the film was going to take me.

I say this up front because even if I RARELY WAKE UP FREAMING wasn't as good as it was, this was one of the few festival films I have seen this year which made me feel connected and part of the film. Too many films of late have lost their connection to the audience and to humanity, that when you find something special like this you want to hold on to it and treasure it.

Set in the days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the early days of the war, the film begins on New Years Eve when Oleh receives his new passport which lists him as male, his transition to male now complete. As talk at the party spirals into talk of an impending Russian invasion Oleh and his girlfriend Olya retreat. However, when the invasion comes the pair must navigate what to do and how to handle the situation since Oleh can now be drafted.

Based on the true story of the director's friends, I RARELY WAKE UP DREAMING is more than a queer story of the war. While the people at the center are queer, they are also human. What happens to them is a story for everyone. It is new look at Ukraine, and war, that hits home and hits hard because having Oleh and Olya at the center forces us to consider what we are seeing. We see war and the war in Ukraine in new and deeper way. The pain we feel when Oly screams about wanting to break her husband's legs so he cannot serve is very real. We feel deep in our gut what it is like to be in a country at war and wanting to protect the thing you love at any cost.

More importantly the film also speaks volumes about being queer in a society that doesn't really understand or accept it. Being a straight male I don't feel fully qualified to speak on certain areas of the film, but I was rocked by the characters' anguish that results from living in a society and with loved ones that didn't fully understand who they are. One does not need to be queer to be an outsider, and the film uses that on that to make those of us who are straight better understand what Oleh and Olya are going through.

This is a stunning achievement that will make you feel and connect to life and the world.

Highly recommended.

Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea (2026)

 This is a look at the sinking the sinking of the Italian luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia which spectacularly ran aground and then rolled over on its side.

How you react to this film is going to depends upon what you are looking to get out of it. If you want a you are there account of what happened supplemented by the video of the sinking, then this is for you. If you want any sort of real discussion of why things happened then look elsewhere, this is not what you are going to get.

Beginning with everyone getting on to the ship the film quickly jumps to the sinking. While we get some discussion of why things happened mostly this is just everyone’s efforts to get off the ship.

While the film isn’t bad, it isn’t quite what I wanted.  When telling a large scale story like this, I like a bit more meat.

Worth a look on Netflix.

Brief thougts on Charlie Chan at the Circus

With possibly the best sense of place in the entire series this is another one of the films that is near the top of the entire run of Chan films.

The plot has Chan and some of his sons getting involved in the dark happenings in and a round a circus. The film manages to walk the fine line between being both light and dark. You have the humor of Number One Son's attempts to help, but you also have the seriousness of the main mystery. sometimes the two tones don't work together, but here they do and the result is truly satisfying.

I really like this film a great deal and in a twisted sort of way think that this would be nicely paired with Todd Brownings Freaks, with which it shares a setting and some of the same actors.