Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy” in ‘Primate’ from Paramount Pictures.
Opening in theaters on January 9, ‘Primate‘ follows Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) as she returns home to the tropical island on which she grew up. This homecoming turns deadly when her family’s clever chimpanzee, Ben (Miguel Torres Umba), becomes rabid.
(L to R) Jessica Alexander as “Hannah” and Miguel Torres Umba as “Ben” in ‘Primate’ from Paramount Pictures.
Take one look at the trailer and it is very clear that ‘Primate’ is meant to entertain with bloody, over-the-top kills. It blends genres to create something that is equal parts funny as it is grotesque. With great comedic moments that truly land, and a killer chimpanzee that audiences will never forget, this film is the definition of a good time at the movies.
That said, it will likely not have the same effect for those watching from their couch, as ‘Primate’ is meant to be seen in a packed theater, on a big screen, with fellow movie-goers who have no idea what is going to happen next.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy” and director Johannes Roberts on the set of ‘Primate’ from Paramount Pictures.
The horror genre is often criticized for its lack of story. Usually the plot points are there just to usher you into the next kill, but thankfully ‘Primate’ offers up an entertaining story as well. Lucy travels home with friends to visit her family in Hawaii and no time is wasted before the family chimp, Ben, gets rabies and goes on a rampage.
With something as intense as this, these moments need to be felt. Audiences need to be hiding behind their hands and pushing as far back into their chairs as they can as they hold their breath and wait to see how it all unfolds. Director Johannes Roberts brilliantly creates tension over and over again, utilizing the fact that Troy Kotsur is Deaf to take it to a new level.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Troy Kotsur as “Adam” and Gia Hunter as “Erin” in ‘Primate’ from Paramount Pictures.
Speaking of Troy Kotsur, he is one of the standouts of the film. He delivers an incredible performance in ‘Primate’ as Lucy and Erin’s father. His character is Deaf, and yes, the movie leans into this in fun and unexpected ways. It is wonderful to see this side of him, and the acting range he has after his comedic and lovable character in CODA.
Johnny Sequoyah just might be the next scream queen, as she masterfully takes the lead in ‘Primate’. Viewers will fall in love with Lucy almost immediately, which means that everyone will be rooting for her to make it out unscathed. She is powerful and protective when she needs to be, but she also makes some smart decisions – something we do not often see in horror movies.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Victoria Wyant as “Kate” and Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy” in ‘Primate’ from Paramount Pictures.
‘Primate’ is an intense film that blends the comedy, horror, and thriller genres to create something that begs to be seen on the big screen. Chimpanzees have gone on killing sprees in real life, which makes this movie just believable enough to terrify viewers.
This movie is a wild ride, and genuinely a lot of fun. If you are squeamish though, be warned, it is quite bloody and graphic. Thanks to brilliant performances from Johnny Sequoyah and Troy Kotsur, ‘Primate’ is sure to kick off the 2026 box office in an unforgettable way.
‘Primate’ receives a score of 80 out of 100.
(L to R) Victoria Wyant as “Kate”, Jessica Alexander as “Hannah”, Gia Hunter as “Erin”, and Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy” in ‘Primate’ from Paramount Pictures.
What is the plot of ‘Primate’?
Lucy’s tropical island homecoming turns deadly when her family’s clever chimpanzee, Ben, becomes rabid. With her father away and no help coming, paradise becomes a prison as Lucy and her friends fight for survival against a pet they once trusted.
Lee Byung-hun stars in ‘No Other Choice’. Photo: CJ Entertainment.
The films of director Park Chan-wook effortlessly mix and match genres like crime thriller, psychological drama, horror, and satire without breaking a sweat, and usually leaving you stunned by the audacious manner in which they do so. With ‘No Other Choice,’ Park has created an acidic workplace comedy that’s also a dark psychological study, as well as a ruthless condemnation of late-stage global capitalism.
And – no surprise at all – it all works perfectly. While perhaps a tad too long, ‘No Other Choice’ is both entertaining and enraging, incredibly relevant and wickedly absurd – and a sad, prescient look at the way that life is becoming ever so harder to live and the way it drives some of us to desperate behavior.
Story and Direction
(Right) Son Ye-jin stars in ‘No Other Choice’. Photo: CJ Entertainment.
Based on the novel ‘The Ax’ by Donald Westlake, ‘No Other Choice’ follows Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a manager at a paper manufacturing company who is brutally downsized after 25 years – along with much of his crew – by the American corporation that takes over the plant. Man-su tells his wife Lee Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin) and their children – his stepson Si-one and their neurodivergent daughter Ri-one – that he will quickly find another job within three months.
But more than a year passes and the family is forced to tighten their belts, even sending their dogs to live with her parents and putting their beloved house – Man-su’s childhood home — up for sale, with their arrogant neighbor interested in buying it. Mi-ri herself also takes a job as assistant to a handsome dentist (Yoo Yeon-seok) and Man-su is soon convinced she’s sleeping with him, even as he himself develops a painful toothache that he refuses to do anything about.
As Man-su works at lousy retail gigs just to earn some money, he becomes obsessed with getting a position at the Moon Paper papermaking company that’s currently held by the awful, self-absorbed manager Seon-chul (Park Hee-soon). Determined to get Seon-chul’s job at all costs, Man-su hatches a plan to kill him, find out who else might be up for the position via a fake job listing, and kill them as well.
Director Park Chan-wook on the set of ‘No Other Choice’. Photo: CJ Entertainment.
The precision and complete control of tone with which Park tells this story is illustrated by two sequences in which someone is marked for death. The first veers steadily over the line into full absurdity – almost slapstick comedy – while the second is tragic, horrifying, and a bitter indication of how quickly Man-su is losing his soul, and how heartless the circumstances are that he even gets to that point. Even when the movie is funny – which is more frequently than you might think – it’s also suffused with the kind of existential sadness and fear that working people know all too well.
It’s this mix of black comedy and succinct, scathing social commentary that makes ‘No Other Choice’ such a bracing and original work – and it’s scary that it’s relevant right now even though it’s based on a novel written in 1997. We’ll mention again that it is a bit overlong, with some of its subplots struggling for the right amount of attention. But otherwise this is sharp work from Park Chan-wook, with an ending that is equal parts melancholy and unnerving, and it’s also beautifully shot from start to finish by cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Son Ye-jin and Lee Byung-hun star in ‘No Other Choice’. Photo: CJ Entertainment.
Lee Byung-hun is perhaps best known to audiences these days as the icy Front Man in ‘Squid Game,’ and his cool demeanor has graced a number of other action and crime films. ‘No Other Choice’ finds him playing a confident, successful middle-class manager, husband, and father who has the rug pulled out from under him, and Lee handles the slow unraveling of Man-su superbly. Equally excellent is Son Ye-jin as his wife, Mi-ri, who becomes the true pillar of strength in the family as her husband’s self-image takes a brutal beating.
Among the supporting players, Lee Sung-min as the dissolute Goo Beom-mo – a would-be rival to Man-su for the Moon Paper job – and Yeom Hye-ran as Beom-mo’s unhinged wife, A-ra, provide one of the film’s funniest moments, while Cha Seung-won is quietly poignant as Ko Si-jo, who waxes nostalgic over his paper factory days while working in a shoe store and expressing his need to spend more time with his daughter.
Final Thoughts
Lee Byung-hun stars in ‘No Other Choice’. Photo: CJ Entertainment.
With films like ‘Oldboy,’‘The Handmaiden,’ and ‘Decision to Leave,’ Park Chan-wook charts human foibles like vengeance, obsession, and greed, and somehow manages to make his flawed characters relatable and their situations humorous even as they grow more untenable and often grotesque.
That tradition carries on in ‘No Other Choice,’ with its increasingly desperate protagonist and equally distressed supporting characters, each of whom is subjected to some kind of direct or indirect humiliation as a result of the heartless corporate world they find themselves in. All the characters confront the title dilemma at one point or another, and director Park cuttingly reminds us that we might not be too far behind.
‘No Other Choice’ receives a score of 90 out of 100.
Lee Byung-hun stars in ‘No Other Choice’. Photo: CJ Entertainment.
What is the plot of ‘No Other Choice’?
After Yoo Man-su loses his job at a paper company when it’s purchased by an American company, he launches a desperate plan to kill the other men who are up for a similar job that he wants at another paper manufacturer, so that he can maintain his home, his income, and his family’s comfortable life.
You probably won’t see another movie like ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ this awards season or even this year. It’s a strange, often surreal, and numinous historical drama that’s frequently harrowing yet at times extremely moving. It’s also a musical of sorts, although many of the numbers are based on religious hymns and wouldn’t sound out of place in a folk horror film.
Directed by Mona Fastvold and co-written by Fastvold with her longtime partner Brady Corbet – who directed 2024’s ‘The Brutalist,’ which the couple also co-wrote – ‘Ann Lee’ is, like that film, eerily immersive in its historical period and driven by a singular performance from its star. You simply cannot take your eyes off Amanda Seyfried in this film, even if other actors are somewhat sidelined and the film itself raises questions about its subject that are never really answered.
Born in Manchester, England in 1736, Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) is brought up in a strict religious household, one of eight children, and sent to work at an early age in a cotton factory. In her 20s, she joins a religious sect known as the Shakers – literally the ‘Shaking Quakers,’ an offshoot of the Quaker faith that expiates sin and expresses devotion to God through ecstatic shaking, dancing, and singing.
After marrying an iron worker named Abraham (Christopher Abbott), being initiated into sex, and giving birth to four children who all die in infancy, Ann is committed to an asylum. These experiences, combined with a stint in prison for public evangelizing, trigger visions which result in her being deemed the second coming of Christ in female form.
Now known as Mother Ann Lee, Ann establishes a doctrine for the Shakers that renounces all sexual activity, which does not sit well with Abraham. Yet the Shakers also believe in gender equality, pacifism, human rights (they are appalled by slavery), and community sharing. Increasingly persecuted in England, Ann, her devoted brother William (Lewis Pullman), and a small band of followers journey to the American colonies and settle in upstate New York – but their persecution doesn’t end there.
Mona Fastvold presents all this in linear, straightforward fashion, adding surreal imagery and some showy camera moves to accentuate the more spiritual moments of Ann Lee’s life. The songs – a mix of chants, Shaker hymns, and folk melodies – are haunting enough to not clash with the film’s tone and esthetic, which veers from the pastoral to the brutal – the latter especially in the scenes where Ann gives birth, as well as a later, harrowing sequence of persecution and torture.
Where Fastvold loses focus is the story’s meaning. The Shakers espoused some truly progressive ideals, and their dancing and shaking were indeed rapturous, even bordering (at least onscreen) on the erotic. That brings Ann’s whole rigid adherence to celibacy for her flock into question, along with her own mental state and the frankly cult-like piety of her followers.
Was she channeling the divine, or was she suffering from trauma brought on by sexual dysfunction and the horrific loss of her children? How did her anti-sex mandate coexist with ‘be fruitful and multiply’? The film doesn’t make a strong case either way, and while it’s visually powerful and often dramatically moving, there’s a bit of an empty feeling at the end (especially when the closing credits reveal that there are only three Shakers left in the world today).
Amanda Seyfried has always been an exceptional actor, but she pushes herself to new heights in ‘Ann Lee.’ In a year full of raw performances by women like Rose Byrne, Jessie Buckley, and Jennifer Lawrence, Seyfried not only fearlessly embraces the extremes that are brought upon Ann – including graphically disastrous childbirths, beatings, and torture – but fully inhabits the spirituality and determination of the women.
While whatever drove Ann Lee – whether it was a connection to the divine or the throes of mental illness – is open to debate, Seyfried never leaves any doubt of what Ann herself believes. Her subtle physical transformation and beautiful singing voice only add to what is nothing less than an epic performance.
It’s a shame that many of the other characters and performers struggle to stand out in the shadow of Seyfried’s work, but Thomasin McKenzie makes an impression as her devoted assistant Mary and Lewis Pullman broadens his range as well with his portrayal of Ann’s fiercely loyal and devout brother William. Also notable is Christopher Abbott, whose face tells the story of a man who is slowly checking out of what he found so compelling about Ann and the Shaker beliefs – it’s too bad that he more or less disappears from the story halfway through.
Despite its thematic murkiness – and lapses in character development for everyone but its central figure – ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ is still a unique cinematic experience. We can’t say enough about Seyfried’s performance, and the film as a whole is a gripping, evocative experience.
And setting aside the question of Ann’s convictions and the Shakers’ dedication to them, ‘Ann Lee’ is also a portrait of a woman trying to espouse and extend bold ideals and, of course, meeting resistance every step of the way. That she manages to create at least the beginnings of a truly egalitarian society, despite the odds and its own strange attributes, is akin in a way to the creation of such a challenging film itself.
‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ receives a score of 85 out of 100.
Visionary spiritual leader Ann Lee rises from obscurity in 18th century England to forge the radical religious movement that will become the Shakers. Driven by her beliefs and persecuted in two countries, Ann gathers devoted followers who come to see her as the female embodiment of Christ.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’?
Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee
Lewis Pullman as William Lee
Thomasin McKenzie as Mary Partington
Christopher Abbott as Abraham Standerin
Stacy Martin as Jane Wardley
Scott Handy as James Wardley
Matthew Beard as James Whittaker
Viola Prettejohn as Nancy Lee
Tim Blake Nelson as Pastor Reuben Wright
‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ opens in theaters on December 25th.
In Theaters via Focus Features on December 25 is ‘Song Sung Blue’, which sounds like it should be a Neil Diamond biopic, but is in fact the adaptation of a documentary about a couple who covered his tracks while dealing with difficult moments in life.
We have had such a glut of music biopics in recent years, unleashed by the success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ that you might roll your eyes at the idea that ‘Song Sung Blue’ delves into some aspect of crooner Neil Diamond’s life.
Instead, writer/director/producer Craig Brewer has unearthed Greg Kohs’ underappreciated 2008 documentary about a real-life couple who formed a Diamond tribute act, chronicling the highs and lows in their own family.
Brewer certainly knows how to bring music to screens, and in ‘Dolemite Is My Name,’ he took an effective, funny look at a real-life person. With ‘Song Sung Blue,’ he combines those to largely winning effect, though it is sometimes hampered by what is invented (coincidence and convenience in the service of heartstring plucking) and suffers from what’s best described as ‘Return of the King’ syndrome –– multiple moments where there could be a natural ending, but the movie keeps going.
Still, Brewer has found a fantastic story here –– one that the trailer doesn’t fully address, and this is best enjoyed without knowing too much –– and draws superb performances from the whole cast, including Jackman and particularly Hudson.
While it might seem to be Jackson’s film as Mike Sardina initially, it evolves to become much more of a two-hander, Hudson enjoying her best role in years.
Around them, the supporting cast work well without slipping too often into expected beats (tough when it’s a true story on display).
‘Song Sung Blue’ should entertain even those who don’t know their Neil Diamond from their ‘Diamond Jim’, proving to be a welcome dose of real sentiment in an awards season that has been in need of it.
Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it’s never too late to find love and follow your dreams.
In theaters on December 25 from A24 is ‘Marty Supreme,’ the latest film from director Josh Safdie and loosely inspired by real-life ping pong players who struggled with their own ambition and their sport’s viability in the 1950s.
Since deciding to go their separate ways after making the likes of stress-inducing dramas ‘Good Time’ and ‘Uncut Gems,’ who can say they expected the Safdie siblings to both put out sports-connected dramas months apart?
On the heels of Benny Safdie’s bio-drama ‘The Smashing Machine,’ here comes brother Josh’s ‘Marty Supreme’ which is more of a fictional screwball effort, albeit inspired by real-world ping pong players. But can it find more of an audience than ‘Smashing,’ which has struggled to connect?
Script and Direction
Director Josh Safdie and actor Timothée Chalamet on the set of ‘Marty Supreme’. Photo: A24.
Safdie, working with longtime collaborator Ronald Bronstein (‘Daddy Longlegs’) here brings a similar level of intensity to his latest, albeit the hysteria even further cut with comedy. It’s certainly made for a watchable movie full of great lines and outrageous moments, though it really will ignite debate over the central character, who is clearly talented but also treats people like dirt on his way to find sporting glory.
Safdie continues his ability to find interesting people to cast in both lead and minor roles and he imbues the whole affair with real energy.
Cast and Performances
(L to R): Tyler Okonma, Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme’. Photo: A24.
Chalamet is the big draw here, and he’s all quirky power charisma and greed, and manages to make you root for Marty even when he’s being an absolute monster to those he claims to love and beyond.
But there are also great performances littering the film, including Gwyneth Paltrow as a former movie star grasping back towards success, ‘Shark Tank’ veteran Kevin O’Leary as an odious business type who spots an opportunity in Marty.
Final Thoughts
Odessa A’zion in ‘Marty Supreme’. Photo: A24.
‘Marty Supreme’s rhythms (and indeed its main character’s behavior) definitely won’t be to everyone’s taste. But it’s still a fascinating look at someone who puts their own needs over everyone else’s until they can’t.
‘Marty Supreme’ receives 75 out of 100.
Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme’. Photo: A24.
What’s the story of ‘Marty Supreme’?
Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
No one will ever mistake the original ‘Anaconda’ for a good movie, and even the 1997 film itself doesn’t pretend to be one. With its random cast (Jennifer Lopez! Ice Cube! Jon Voight!), intentional silliness, and wacky premise, the movie leans into its own absurdity and ends up becoming one of those cult classics that fans adore for its ridiculousness (it was also a decent box office hit and spawned a raft of even worse sequels).
Fortunately, the filmmakers behind the new ‘Anaconda’ understand the assignment: the movie, directed by Tom Gormican (‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’), can only be described as a meta-reboot, in which the film both makes (loving) fun of its subject and becomes part of the pantheon itself. With comic sure things Paul Rudd and Jack Black leading the cast, the new ‘Anaconda’ is full of laughs for the first two-thirds of its running time – until it runs out of gas – and is actually even a sweet-natured homage to friendship and the love of making movies.
Ronald ‘Griff’ Griffen Jr. (Paul Rudd) is a struggling actor (his claim to fame is a few episodes of ‘S.W.A.T.’) who returns home from Hollywood to Buffalo, New York for the surprise birthday party of his friend Doug McCallister (Jack Black). Doug writes screenplays at night but shoots wedding videos by day (although his idea to turn one into a horror movie is shot down by the less-than-enthusiastic couple), and is worried about being stuck in the job forever – until Griff comes to the rescue.
At lunch with Doug and two of their other old friends – recent divorcee Claire (Thandiwe Newton) and Doug’s sometimes assistant, the dissolute Kenny (Steve Zahn) – Griff announces that he’s gotten hold of the rights to the original ‘Anaconda,’ their favorite movie as youths, and proposes that the four of them head to Brazil and ‘reboot the thing indie style.’ With the loving support of his wife (Ione Skye), Doug agrees to direct, while Griff and Claire will star and Kenny will co-produce (or something like that).
With a budget of $35,000 (their initial $2 million figure got shot down by a local bank), the foursome head to the Amazon, where they rent both a boat and an anaconda, along with his slightly obsessive owner and trainer (Selton Mello). At first the shoot seems to go swimmingly, but then they learn that the presumed captain of the boat (Daniela Melchior) is not who she appears to be, that Griff hasn’t been entirely honest with them – and that there is a real giant anaconda in hot pursuit of them.
The plot – director Tom Gormican co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Etten – is little more than nonsense, but it’s fun nonsense and the laughs come steadily for much of the film’s first hour or so. It’s an excuse for (mainly) Rudd and Black to riff on the original movie, and the meta factor gets even more byzantine when they learn that there are real bad guys on the river behind them and a real monster snake lurking in the depths as well: Doug writes it into the script, prompting an awestruck Griff to proclaim, ‘You could be the white Jordan Peele.’
It’s only when ‘Anaconda’ turns into a semi-real action movie in its final third – with chases and explosions and lots more of the CG title beastie, which is almost an afterthought for the film’s first hour – that the movie’s charm and goofy energy begin to flag. Well, truth be told, it kind of starts to wane halfway through, but there are enough jokes to carry it along until the more conventional pyrotechnics of the third act take over, along with a not-unexpected but still rather awkward cameo.
Paul Rudd and Jack Black. Need we say more? Both actors are well within their comfort zone here. Rudd does his ‘middle-aged man struggling to find his way’ routine effortlessly, while Black does his ‘insane middle-aged man struggling to find his way’ act equally well. There is a lot of charm and chemistry between the two of them, and even though Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn are underwritten (especially the former), the quartet do manage to generate some of the joy of old friends having fun together and making a movie – that old ‘let’s put on a show’ vibe still comes through.
Brazilian actor Selton Mello has a few chances to steal the show with his not-quite-all-there anaconda trainer, but even he doesn’t quite pull it off, he manages to imbue the character of Santiago with some genuine empathy – even if his relationship with his snake seems a tad unnatural.
All we can add about ‘Anaconda’ is that we went into the movie with low expectations (or, really, no expectations) and ended up having a good time. While there have been a handful of excellent comedies released in 2025, those films – like ‘Splitsville’ or ‘Friendship’ – have focused on the toxic side of relationships, whether between lovers or friends.
The relationships in ‘Anaconda’ are not particularly toxic, and the friends are rather quick to forgive each other. Of course, none of the actions they take are remotely believable or smart – especially when the anaconda is chasing them – but that’s part of their appeal too. We laughed a lot at ‘Anaconda,’ and the movie embraces its source material and its own identity with the right attitude.
Childhood friends Doug, Griff, Kenny, and Claire seek to recapture their youth by traveling to the Amazon to shoot their own remake of the 1997 cult classic ‘Anaconda.’ But a real giant anaconda turns their guerilla filmmaking project into a perilous fight to stay alive.
Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill) and SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) in ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants’ from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon.
Long since the original animated series debuted in 1999, ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ has become one of the most popular and successful franchises in pop culture. And it has been putting out movies since 2004, in theaters and on Netflix.
So any new ‘SpongeBob’ movie naturally has the challenge of appealing to the various different fan bases –– with, as usual, a focus on younger audiences who spark to its manic energy.
Script and Direction
Gary (Tom Kenny), Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) and Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) in ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants’ from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon.
With a script by ‘South Park’ veteran Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman (‘The Christmas Chronicles’), the new movie also benefits as always from a storyline cooked up by series creatives Marc Ceccarelli and Kaz.
Essentially, if you’re already a fan of this one (particularly a young one), it features pretty much everything you’d hope for –– silly jokes, wild cutaways, zany energy and more –– and if not, you might wonder what the fuss is all about.
Cast and Performances
Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill) in ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants’ from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon.
The regular main cast are all back in their roles, and the usual energy between them is present and correct.
New this time are Mark Hamill (he replaced Brian Doyle-Murray, the usual actor for the Flying Dutchman), who brings just the right spark to the role, and Regina Hall, who has a nice edge as the Dutchman’s second-in-command, Barb.
Final Thoughts
Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) and SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) in ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants’ from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon.
Given that this one originated as a streaming-only title headed for Netflix, but has ended up with a theatrical release, it’s an encouraging sign. And the movie has enough entertainment power to be worthy of the jump.
‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’ receives 65 out of 100.
SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) and Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill) in ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants’ from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon.
What’s the story of ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’?
Desperate to become a “big guy”, SpongeBob, setting out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs, travels to the deepest depths of the ocean to follow the Flying Dutchman.
Who is in the voice cast of ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’?
Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants, Gary the Snail
Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) and SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) in ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants’ from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon.
Since the Oscar-winning success of ‘A Star is Born’, Bradley Cooper has been taking big swings, such as composer biopic ‘Maestro’.
His latest co-writing/directing (and in this case acting in a small but memorable supporting role) is a swing in a different direction –– it’s a more relatable, down-to-earth story but one that might still have some issues finding an audience, since it’s a largely downbeat story of a couple going through the machinations of a split with the unusual angle of the man involved finding something new in his life.
Cooper, writing here with Will Arnett and Mark Chappell, takes the story of UK comic John Bishop (who himself got into stand-up later in life after his marriage collapsed) and transposes it to the States.
Naturally, the focus is on Arnett’s character, but there is enough space for Dern’s to have her own storyline, while Cooper’s is more comic relief, but with an emotional undercurrent.
The various comics whom Arnett meets are well drawn enough given limited screen time.
Directorially, Cooper keeps things low key to match the story, and finds a good groove with his cast. The comedy isn’t exactly the best you’ve ever heard, but then that’s kind of the point.
Arnett’s Alex Novak is a careworn type, who feels like life has somewhat drained from him. Still, the actor gives him enough energy so as not to be a depressing chore.
Dern’s Tess, meanwhile, feels like an equally rounded character in her own right, and while most of the other characters drift in and out, the likes of Cooper and Andra Day’s do make an impact.
‘Is This Thing On?’ seems unlikely to find the sort of rapturous response as ‘A Star is Born,’ and it may still have trouble succeeding at the box office (since there are other, better examples of relationship and life dramas this awards season), but it’s got a certain something that works.
As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family — forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.
Arriving on Prime Video on December 17 is the second season of ‘Fallout’ (one episode will release weekly), the wild and chaotic adaptation of the popular game title.
‘Fallout’ proved to be a hit when it premiered in April last year, and now here comes the next chapter. Can the show continue to bottle the same level of chaotic dystopia, wild dark humor and a surprising level of heart?
On the evidence of the six episodes (of eight total) provided to press to review, the answer is a mixed yes.
Showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, plus the likes of creative partners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, keep up a similar level of madness as Lucy (Ella Purnell) and the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) continue their journey through the wasteland.
The show remains an entertaining watch, though the second season still suffers from some of the issues of the first –– when the narrative focus switches from the main duo (or flashbacks to the Ghoul’s past life as movie star Cooper Howard, wrapped up in the events that led to the dystopian wasteland) –– the interest level does tend to dip.
And that’s despite fun guest turns from the likes of Kumail Nanjiani and someone who has a long ling with voice work in the games that we won’t spoil here.
Visually, the show has lost none of its blend of steampunk/‘Mad Max’-esque charm, and the production values remain high.
Purnell and Goggins continue to be the standouts of the show, the joint beating heart. Some of the new communities they meet along the way certainly entertain and Kyle MacLachlan’s Hank is also great value, experimenting on the poor schlubs at the Vault-Tec building he heads to in Vegas.
On the villainous front (not that there are strict black-and-white sides in this world), Justin Theroux is enjoyably slimy as Robert House, an iconic manipulator from the game.
‘Fallout’s blend of sly satire, raucous action (the series appears to be looking to give Prime Video stablemate ‘The Boys’ a run for its money in terms of heads exploded or otherwise damaged), continues, even if some elements feel repetitive and the storyline’s interest level dips away from the main duo.
The new season picks up in the aftermath of Season One’s epic finale and take audiences along for a journey through the wasteland of the Mojave to the post-apocalyptic city of New Vegas.
Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, ‘Fallout’ is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. Two hundred years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.
(L to R) Sydney Sweeney as Millie Calloway and Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester in ‘The Housemaid’. Photo Credit: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate.
Too often these days, a trailer for a new movie sells you a different experience than the one you eventually end up seeing – making something darker look funnier than it is, for example. There’s no such problem with ‘The Housemaid’: based on the best-selling novel by Freida McFadden, director Paul Feig’s adaptation is exactly what it promises: a campy, twisty psychological thriller, laced with laughs and a narrative that almost makes fun of itself – until it doesn’t.
Feig – who seems to find his best groove lately with potboilers like this and ‘A Simple Favor’ – navigates the story’s twists and turns mostly successfully, aided by his trio of lead performers. While the film’s third act spins off the rails a bit in terms of tone and control, it still manages to be entertaining, with a crowd-pleaser of an ending that will send audiences out satiated.
Story and Direction
(L to R): Sydney Sweeney as Millie and Amanda Seyfried as Nina in ‘The Housemaid’. Photo: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate.
Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) applies for a job as a live-in housemaid with Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried), a seemingly pleasant if high-strung homemaker who lives in her extravagant Long Island mansion with her rather cheeky daughter Cici (Indiana Elle) and handsome, charming, and effortlessly attentive husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar).
Millie, despite lying about her background and hiding the fact that she’s sleeping in her car and on parole after serving 10 years in prison, gets the job – only to find out once she starts that Nina is hiding a few secrets of her own, including the fact that she spent nine months in a psych ward for reasons revealed much later. Right off the part, Nina’s mood swings and capriciously cruel treatment of Millie indicate that something is wrong, along with the suspicious behavior of the groundskeeper, Enzo (Michele Morrone, from Netflix’s ‘365 Days’ sexathons). Luckily, Andrew is there to comfort Millie – even if his lingering glances indicate that he wants more than that.
(L to R) Brandon Sklenar as Andrew Winchester and Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester in ‘The Housemaid’. Photo Credit: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate.
For much of its first two-thirds, ‘The Housemaid’ follows a seemingly conventional narrative almost to a fault, but the go-for-broke performances from its leads, precision needle drops, and Feig’s skillful balancing act of camp and psychological cat-and-mouse keep it thoroughly engaging. The world of wealth and privilege that the Winchesters inhabit is also roasted quite handily, thanks to Andrew’s almost ridiculously snooty mother (Elizabeth Perkins) and the local housewives, who at one point gossip about Nina after she leaves the room – even though Millie, who is all but invisible to them, is still there and can hear everything.
‘The Housemaid’ becomes predictable enough at a certain point that it almost screams that a twist is coming – one that is more or less telegraphed – and when that rug-pull is revealed, the movie tumbles into some surprisingly darker territory. It’s in the final third that Feig and screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine lose some of their grip on the material, diverging a bit from the book and stretching things out a bit too long with one betrayal or turnaround after another. Yet ‘The Housemaid’ still wraps up nicely, its conclusion both satisfying and leaving the door open for a continuation (McFadden did write two follow-up novels).
Cast and Performances
(L to R): Amanda Seyfried as Nina and Sydney Sweeney as Millie in ‘The Housemaid’. Photo: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate.
‘The Housemaid’ opens one week before ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ also starring Amanda Seyfried, and you’re not likely to see two more different performances in theaters this year. That’s a compliment to the immense range of Seyfried, who plays Nina as an unpredictable weather pattern whose next ferocious storm will be followed just as quickly by a brief ray of sunshine. She keeps the audience off-balance throughout with a broad-strokes, jangling energy and does pampered housewife just as well as she does colonial religious leader.
Sweeney is more low-key as a counterpoint, and a bit more limited in her range here than in her underrated ‘Christy’ from earlier this fall, but her seemingly submissive surface seethes subtly with a coiled watchfulness and smirking sense of play. As Andrew, Brandon Sklenar has the necessary physical presence to sell the character’s in-your-face masculinity, but otherwise his initial blandness comes across almost as a parody yet suits the contours of his character.
Final Thoughts
Sydney Sweeney as Millie Calloway in ‘The Housemaid’. Photo: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate.
‘The Housemaid’ may feel at times like one of those lightly erotic true-crime dramas that are the stock-in-trade of Netflix (and there is a smattering of sultry scenes here), but Paul Feig and his leading ladies give it a cinematic gloss and a sense of satire that may often elude that oversaturated genre.
Playful and fun at some points, unnervingly dark at others, ‘The Housemaid’ might end up being what some grownups want for date night at the movies this holiday season instead of talking Disney animals or the blue cat people of Pandora (not that there’s anything wrong with those, of course). At a time when pulpy, provocative, adult-oriented movies are harder to find, ‘The Housemaid’ may be just the help you’re looking for.
‘The Housemaid’ receives a score of 80 out of 100.
Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester in ‘The Housemaid’. Photo: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate.
What is the plot of ‘The Housemaid’?
When Millie Calloway takes a job as live-in housemaid to the wealthy yet moody Nina Winchester and her attractive, charming husband Andrew, it’s only a matter of time before dark secrets, bizarre occurrences, and hidden passions erupt in the Winchesters’ seemingly perfect lives.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Housemaid’?
Sydney Sweeney as Millie Calloway
Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester
Brandon Sklenar as Andrew Winchester
Michele Morrone as Enzo
Elizabeth Perkins as Evelyn Winchester
Indiana Elle as Cecilia Winchester
Megan Ferguson as Jilianne
Ellen Tamaki as Patrice
‘The Housemaid’ opens in theaters on December 19th.
Movies and TV Shows by Park Chan-wook
