Director: Sydney Freeland
Writer: Sydney Freeland, Sterlin Harjo, Michael Powell
Stars: Kusem Goodwind, Kauchani Bratt, Jessica Matten

Synopsis: The Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team from New Mexico, must band together after losing their star player if they want to keep their quest for a state championship alive.

“What are the rules of Rez Ball? Run fast. Shoot fast. Don’t ever stop.”

Basketball films are popular with Black communities as narratives that can be both realistic in their representation of communities beset with poverty and social issues and function as aspirational stories. The underdog tale of a sports team taking on more than the barriers presented by their lived circumstances to find a sense of pride in themselves, and their community is not new – but there is a reason some tropes work and work well. Rez Ball shifts the story from urban environments to a Navajo reserve in New Mexico. It’s not ‘the projects’ but it is a place where a Native people have been partially ‘relegated’ and ghettoized with their identity tied to generational trauma and tribal pride – the two often becoming deeply intertwined.

Two teens are playing basketball on an open court. Cheered by the family of one, they are as brothers. Naatanii Jackson (Kusem Goodwind) and Jimmy Holliday (Kauchani Bratt) are the Batman and Robin of the Chuska Braves high school basketball team. That golden moment where the two play one-on-one is in the past. Naatanii’s mother and sister were killed in a drunk driving accident, and it has been a year since that moment occurred. Now seniors at Chuska, Naatanii and Jimmy are the lynchpins of the state title hopes for the school team coached by former Chuska reservation star player Heather Hobbs (Jessica Matten).

Naatanii and Jimmy move in sync on the court – their plays borne out of years of closeness. Jimmy spent as much time as he could with the Jackson family and when Naatanii lost his mom Lily and his younger sister, he did everything he could to fill in the empty space. The whole community is behind Naatanii, but no one sees the young man is slipping into a depression. After the game (which they win – but not without getting a yelling at by Coach Hobbs for showboating) Jimmy and Naatanii go to the cistern overlooking part of the rez. “Do you ever think about getting out?” Naatanii asks Jimmy. “From the Rez? Yeah of course,” he replies. “No like really getting out, for good.”

Jimmy assumed Naatanii was talking about being scouted for college ball – that’s what he believed were their shared goals. Jimmy’s life on the rez doesn’t have much going on beyond basketball. His mom, Gloria (Julia Jones) is unemployed and an addict who expects him to pick up shifts at the local Lotaburger to support them. She doesn’t want Jimmy playing basketball because it will just give him the idea that he can go further than he is ‘allowed’ to. Jimmy and Naatanii were the dynamic duo shooting for the stars, but then Naatanii is gone – he suicides, and Jimmy and the whole of Chuska have lost another light. One of many who are snuffed out on the rez.

Director Sydney Freeland and writer Sterling Harjo don’t shy away from the problems of life on the rez. The young basketballers are, in Coach Hobbs’ words, just kids. They’re stars on the court but outside of that their lives are filled with limited expectations and statistically limited lifespans. Heather Hobbs doesn’t particularly want to be back there either. She’s applying for coaching jobs anywhere else, and her girlfriend breaks up with her. But she realizes she has a chance to pull the team together (now failing awfully on and off the court after the loss of Naatanii) by connecting them to the resilience and power of their native heritage. They are going to play Rez Ball, and they are going to win.

Heather brings in her own coach from her high school days, Benny Begay (Ernest Tsosie III), now a line cook, to get the team into shape. She shows them that they need to learn to play fast with a shot clock, to keep the ball moving, and pits them against the girls’ team who kick their butts. Jimmy has inherited the bittersweet mantle of captain which he doesn’t particularly know how to use, and he finds himself up against wild-card Bryson Badonie (Devin Sampson-Craig). Bryson is a teen dad he and his girlfriend Dezbah (Amber Midthunder) don’t get Jimmy’s dourness and lack of pride in his background. “You act like a city Native,” Bryson tells him.

There is one person Jimmy bonds with – his co-worker Krista (Zoey Reyes) who is fiercely protective of the Navajo language and honoring Native traditions. What Bryson and others don’t see is how depressed Jimmy’s mom Gloria is and how when she gave up her own dreams of playing college basketball (she was Heather’s teammate) she decided, “That’s the thing about natives. No matter how hard we try, we always find a way to lose. It’s in our blood.”

Jimmy and the team are spiralling down. Nine consecutive losses seem like the death knell for state titles and Jimmy’s dreams, but Coach Hobbs and Coach Begay are not about to give up on the team and the young men coming of age within it.

Through one of the best team building exercises which involves Heather’s great aunt and her sheep farm – the Chuska Warriors begin to see that they have skills other teams don’t have. Jimmy and Bryson work together as co-captains to herd sheep into an enclosure. The rest of the team (all played wonderfully by the various actors) have what they have been missing on the court – fun. It’s a breakthrough moment for them, but it isn’t the end of the arguments, nor the self-discoveries and personal victories.

While Jimmy is figuring out basketball and life without Naatanii, Gloria realizes she’s losing Jimmy completely. She reaches out to Naatanii’s dad, Raymond (Ryan Begay), for a job cleaning in his garage. Raymond has lost everything; his two children and his wife. He’s a former alcoholic and can see Gloria’s genuine desire to be a mother to her son. Because of DUIs, she can’t work off the rez. He becomes Gloria’s support network.

Rez Ball aims to be accessible through the sports narrative and the coming of age and mending broken relationships stories – and it is. The accessibility of the story is the Trojan Horse for the film to engage in issues impacting upon Native communities across North America. Freeland and Harjo don’t judge their characters and how they each view what being Native and living on the rez means. It’s both beautiful and terrible – a place to belong, a place to learn, a place where people can grow and also where some suffocate and wither. Through the languages of basketball and Navajo there is an intertwining of identity and keeping hope alive with tradition.

Rez Ball is wonderfully scripted. Funny, ironic, and bursting with the possibility of the future. It recognizes the scars of the past and how they inform the present – and superbly gives voice to several generations and their struggles. To quote Jimmy, “Stoodis!” Watch Rez Ball and be transported.

Grade: B

Director: Matthew R. Brady
Writer: Alex Vincent Blumberg
Stars: Meryl Streep

Synopsis: The film follows tireless conservation efforts of leading organizations implementing rewilding practices across a diverse array of species in equally diverse environments.

In Escape from Extinction Rewilding, narrated by Meryl Streep, viewers are immersed in the world of scientists working tirelessly to save endangered species and prevent environmental collapse.

With the planet facing unprecedented destruction, this documentary provides a thorough exploration of the efforts being made to restore it. Experts from various fields share their insights into the complex challenges of conservation. The film focuses on rewilding—restoring the delicate balance between plants, animals, and humans—while highlighting the critical factors necessary for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Informative and thought-provoking, this film outlines the innovative strategies aimed at reviving ecosystems and fostering a sustainable future for all.

In Escape from Extinction Rewilding, we are guided through a breathtaking exploration of the world’s most endangered habitats, where a silent but urgent battle is being waged to protect life on Earth. The scars of industrial agriculture, deforestation, and poaching have left their mark; stripping countless species of the places they once called home, forcing them to the precipice of extinction.

Conservation leaders such as Dr. Robin Ganzert of American Humane, Caroline Lees from the IUCN Species Survival Commission, and Bengst Holst of the Danish Nature Fund present the compelling vision of rewilding—a process that is as profound as it is fragile. Rewilding is not merely about saving individual species; it is about resurrecting entire ecosystems, where each living being, no matter how small or grand, plays a pivotal role in the dance of biodiversity. Every bird, insect, tree, and predator is woven into an ecological tapestry that sustains the planet.

But Rewilding is far from straightforward. It is a masterwork of precision, requiring a deep understanding of each landscape’s unique rhythms. The restoration of these ecosystems must be carefully attuned to the delicate balance between species, land, and human presence. Solutions are tailored not just to biology, but to the intricate relationships between governments, indigenous peoples, and local communities, whose cooperation is essential for long-term success. This film reveals the immense complexity and beauty of these efforts—showing not just the challenges but the promise of a world that, with patience and wisdom, could once again thrive. Rewilding is both a scientific endeavor and an act of hope, a way to rebuild the world we have lost, and to rediscover our place within it.

The film takes us on a journey of ecological revival, from Rwanda’s remarkable transformation into an ecotourism hub, where the once-endangered Mountain Gorilla now thrives, to Bolivia’s innovative efforts in restoring non-productive farmland into vibrant reserves for the endangered Blue Throated Macaw. It also delves into the vital role of sea otters in protecting North America’s kelp forests and highlights the essential work in Florida’s seagrass beds, where local communities combat harmful algae blooms to reverse ocean acidification. Each story is a testament to the resilience of nature and the tireless efforts of those determined to help it heal.

Writer Alex Vincent Blumberg and director Matthew R. Brady delve into the intricate layers of rewilding, painting a vivid portrait of conservation in action. The film thoughtfully unpacks strategies like Genetic Diversity, where animals are carefully bred to avoid inbreeding, strengthening their resilience. Semi-Managed Habitats offer a safe, controlled return to the wild for species in need, while Controlled Rewilding works to remove invasive threats, maintaining a delicate balance between predator and prey. Sustainable Hunting, though controversial, focuses on older or disruptive animals to protect the ecosystem’s overall health. The film also examines Animal Relocation, where species are moved to more suitable environments, and Ecological Replacement, which prepares human-raised creatures for survival in the wild. Above all, the narrative underscores the essential contributions of indigenous and tribal communities, whose deep connection to their environment is key to preserving the planet’s remaining wild spaces.

In this thorough examination of global conservation efforts, the film brings together voices from dedicated environmentalists worldwide. Experts like Prof. Theo B. Pagel from the Cologne Zoo and Ladis Ndahiriwe from Rwanda’s Akagera National Park share valuable insights about the fight to save our planet.

While the film offers valuable information, the quick sound bites can sometimes make it difficult for viewers to fully grasp the points being made. This rapid-fire format may leave audiences wanting more in-depth commentary from each expert. However, the stunning visuals more than compensate, showcasing rehabilitated wildlife, flourishing ecosystems, and dedicated communities working to restore their environments. Meryl Streep’s calming narration beautifully ties the narrative together, adding both richness and a compelling sense of urgency.

The documentary serves as a powerful call to action, encouraging viewers to engage in the crucial work of protecting our planet. It inspires individuals to participate in conservation efforts, emphasizing that the future of Earth rests in our hands. The film vividly illustrates the significant impact we can achieve when we unite for a shared purpose, highlighting the importance of collective action in safeguarding our environment.

Grade: A

Director: Gary Dauberman
Writers: Gary Dauberman, Stephen King
Stars: Lewis Pullman, Spencer Treat Clark, Pilou Asbæk

Synopsis: Author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.

We’re just a month shy of celebrating the 50th anniversary of what many believe to be Stephen King’s quintessential novel: ‘Salem’s Lot. Only his second published novel, King obviously went on to write many inarguable classics. He may have a handful of novels that are better than this one, but as far as encapsulating everything that makes a King story a King story, there’s no better place to look than in the sleepy town that time and mapmakers forgot. Which makes it all the more fascinating that Gary Dauberman’s film of the same name is the first feature film adaptation of this story. There have been adaptations of course: the legendary 1979 two-part television miniseries directed by Tobe Hooper, and a lesser received 2004 two-part television miniseries with an admittedly stacked cast. But here we are now. Half a century later, a film version is ready to be released for the world. Only instead of a celebratory affair, Dauberman’s film sat on a shelf for just over 2 years as its release kept getting pushed back. After a premiere at the 2024 Beyond Fest, it will be released on Max… for better or for worse. Going into this with a ton of excitement, ‘Salem’s Lot left me, more than anything, confused at what it was aiming to achieve.

First and foremost, what’s most exciting about ‘Salem’s Lot, and King in general, is that his usage of genre is often a means to an end. Of course, he is massively talented at scaring practically anybody on Earth. And he has a clear love for genre. But more often than not, King novels also become timeless because of the drama he is able to mine out of such primal fears. Through the horror, his stories grapple with the impact addiction has on families. The pains of growing up feeling different from those around us. In the case of ‘Salem’s Lot, the vampires present can take the form of anything really. They merely serve as a warning for those who choose to live in denial of the issues in the world at large. The titular town of this story is merely a microcosm for the world. And thus, the essential nature of ‘Salem’s Lot reveals itself. This is a story that hinges on two major factors: if the vampires can scare us enough, and more importantly, if the very soul of the town and all its inhabitants feels at stake. Unfortunately, Dauberman’s film never really manages to live up to either. And it’s difficult to imagine where it all went wrong, although it becomes more apparent in the third act of this film. But starting off, ‘Salem’s Lot  begins with potential, which makes the end result all the more frustrating.

Author Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) travels back to his childhood town of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine in search of inspiration. Not only that, he’s hoping to rediscover integral parts of himself long pushed down in the wake of a tragedy that took his parents at a young age. At its very core, in the case of Ben’s motivations, ‘Salem’s Lot is a story focused on the importance of acceptance. It’s looking at the cards being dealt our way and making the best of the hand before folding too early. It’s in the hubris of thinking parts of our lives can be ignored and cast aside that the horror of ‘Salem’s Lot feeds off of. Now, Ben Mears is a great vessel for an audience member. But as written earlier, the town itself is what matters most. And at first, it appears Dauberman is cognizant of that. We meet quite the range of eclectic residents fairly early on. As Ben first arrives in town, they’re all clearly intrigued at the notion somebody new, or at least unseen for a very long time, has planted roots in their town. Dauberman frames this series of establishing shots in a manner full of exciting potential. Rather than follow Ben along the roads of the Lot, the camera instead follows him through the insides of various shops and homes. It’s a fairly effective way to translate that all these various locations will matter in some capacity. This is doubled down upon when Ben meets Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh).

There’s a very bumbling charm to the way Ben and Susan interact with one another. With clear chemistry, the two “end up” on a date at the local drive-in. And again, Dauberman appears to set up for the audience just how important the various residents of town might be to the structure of the story. From a spot overlooking the entire audience, Susan details a handful of anecdotes about the people living around her just through sheer instinct. You immediately get the sense she knows this town and its people like the back of her hand. The reason being is that nothing much ever goes on in it and the drama in their lives is fairly cyclical. Unfortunately, this feels like the last time Dauberman ever really delves deeply into the town itself. There’s occasionally glimpses, but for the most part, ‘Salem’s Lot then descends into rather cheap scares. But that’s not to say some of the moments designed to haunt viewers aren’t well-executed.

Take, for example, the inciting incident pulled straight from the pages of the source material. A young boy is kidnapped. It’s an inherently frightening dilemma. And the way Dauberman captures it honestly borders on beauty. That is, as beautiful as something so horrific can be displayed. As the sun is rapidly setting (a motif that will be frequented given the nature of vampires, yet not outright revealed as of yet), two young brothers hustle through the woods. Bathed in complete shadow, all we can see are the pitch-black silhouettes of trees and the brothers themselves. The sky is practically tri-colored, and you’ll find yourself as hypnotized as one of the victims of a vampire in the film. It’s a mesmerizing sequence. While Dauberman may not even attempt to replicate one of the most iconic horror images of all time later on in the film, you can feel the determination here to mark his own territory from a different sequence of the novel. It’s exciting stuff, and not the only time he will lean very heavily into the atmospheric tension that can be mined in such a story. Unfortunately, those glimpses don’t feel like enough to sustain the lack of genuine horror missing throughout the rest of the film.

But of course, a King story wouldn’t be complete without complete madness capping it all off. The chaos many King novels end on is often full of carnage, and in the biggest departure from the novel, Dauberman’s ‘Salem’s Lot at least nails this change with a wild climax. While the emotional arc of the film may not be felt at all, mainly due to how unnoticed and seemingly inconsequential the passage of time is conveyed, it’s a ton of fun. To avoid revealing anything major, it’s a sequence full of thrill with a genuine ticking clock. At the very least, it lets audiences walk out on the high of a tense sequence captured with cinematic glee. The film may leave much to be desired when all is said and done, but of the countless King adaptations that exist, this ends up somewhere right in the middle of it all. And there are worse fates!

‘Salem’s Lot will be released on Max starting October 3 after celebrating its world premiere at the 2024 edition of Beyond Fest.

Grade: D+

Director: Natalie Erika James
Writers: Natalie Erika James, Christian White, Skylar James
Stars: Julia Garner, Dianne Weist, Jim Sturgess

Synopsis: A struggling dancer finds herself drawn into dark forces by a peculiar couple promising her fame.

“It’s the role of a lifetime.” 

In 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby, Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) has a brief conversation with a young woman named Terry (Victoria Vetri) in the laundry of the Bramford building. It’s a brief exchange. Terry discusses how lucky she is to be there – picked off the sidewalk by Roman and Minnie Castevet (Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon) after falling on hard times and addiction. According to Terry they are “the best people in the world, bar none,” and she “would be dead now if it wasn’t for them… or in jail.” Terry is wearing a three-hundred-year-old necklace, one that Rosemary will later be gifted. The next time the audience sees Terry she is a body on the pavement.

Natalie Erika James’ Apartment 7A imagines Terry Gionoffrio (Julia Garner) as a complete character, one in a line of many young women who preceded Rosemary as a potential mother for the antichrist. Terry herself is one in a line of many young women in New York City looking for her big break on Broadway. A talented dancer, she’s striving to have her name in lights, but her career is curtailed after a bone crunching fall during a performance of “Kiss Me Kate.” From a soaring chaîné to an operating theatre to a painkiller addiction – Terry limps her way through multiple unsuccessful auditions with only her best friend Annie Leung (Marli Siu) keeping a gentle and supportive watchful eye over her. 

Terry auditions for a role in “The Pale Hook” where the director Leo Watts (Andrew Buchan) is told that she is, infamously, “The girl who fell.” Terry explains that it was a mistake that will never happen again, and Watts asks her what the step was that caused the injury. She tells him and he makes her repeat it until her injury is on full display. She tells him, and famous producer Alan Marchland (Jim Sturgess) that she will do the chaîné all day, if necessary, as there is nothing she won’t do to get back on the stage. Marchland having extracted that her background is in slaughterhouse farming in Hazard, Nebraska tells her to get on the ground and act like a pig. Terry tells him her limit is humiliation and refuses.

Defeated and in extreme pain after the audition, Terry takes three painkillers and ices her foot. Annie suggests that “Being on stage isn’t worth this,” – “Oh, Annie, of course it is,” Terry replies. She came to New York to follow her dream, and nothing will get in her way. She makes the decision to follow Marchland to his home, the looming German Renaissance style Bramford building. Extremely disoriented from the large pill dose, Terry ends up vomiting and near passed out on the sidewalk, where, as was established in Rosemary’s Baby, she is picked up by Roman and Minnie Castevet (Kevin McNally and Dianne Wiest). 

Terry awakens the next morning in Apartment 7A, the home of the Castevets. They’re kindly, although Minnie is on the eccentric side, and inform her that they can tell she needs help – as they are rich and childless and can tell Terry has a special spark, they’d like to offer her an adjoining apartment rent free. “It’s not the fall that matters, it’s what you do afterwards that counts” says Minnie. They like getting young women back on their feet, the girl that was there before her was escaping an abusive relationship and now she’s moved on. Also, they heard that she’d like to meet up with Alan Marchland which is bound to happen because “all the neighbors are very friendly.” Terry is a touch sceptical at the too good to be true offer, but she’s been mooching off Annie for four months and the Bramford is on the Upper West Side. An agreement is made with the ‘cost’ to be worked out later.

Terry is somewhere between a shrewd operator and hopelessly naïve. When she is packing her few belongings, she tells Annie who is concerned about her moving in with strangers that she’s willing to “play the damsel in distress” for a huge apartment and it’s time for her to get herself together. Just as Annie wouldn’t return to London, Terry isn’t going to return to Nebraska (for deeper reasons than giving up stardom). 

The Bramford is luxurious accommodation for Terry but stuck in time. There is something oppressive about it. There are no sounds from the street but the building moans as if it is a living organism. Her dreams are disturbed, and she feels observed. Minnie and Roman walk in and out of her apartment, always with a pleasant excuse, but Terry is aware she will have to draw boundaries. She finds the dance shoe of the previous tenant, Joan Cubuski, and Minnie’s story changes from the one she originally told as she throws it in the trash. Minnie asks her if she is free for drinks at 9pm – this time it won’t be in apartment 7A.

Alan Marchand’s apartment is the only spark of modernity she’s seen in the building. He’s fascinated by the “girl who fell” becoming the “girl who lives downstairs.” “I didn’t pick you for such a fighter,” he says. Between drinks and discussions of “The Pale Hook” written by Adrian Marcado – and the first ‘musical’ produced in American (a riff on “The Black Hook” which was indeed an early musical about a devil-like creature) Marchand flirts and wants to know what fuels Terry’s passion for dance. Dance, she explains, is how she dealt with the death of her mother and the mental demise of her father, her escape: “All I had to do was move my body in a certain way and everything bad would go away. It’s the only time I feel in control.” Marchand proposes a toast to “Body and soul,” and Terry, reeling and drugged, experiences her “Rosemary on the boat” dream.

Apartment 7A comes to life in every dance scene – the choreographed rape of Terry to “(You Gotta Have) Heart” with its male Busby Berkeley styled geometrics and sequined Satan is mesmerizing and horrifying. Minnie and Roman sit as observers on an upper stage at a kitchen table while Marchand strips her to her showgirl sequins and waltzes her into blackness where she is the star of a hideous routine strapped to a mattress.

When she awakens in the morning, naked in Marchand’s bed, she remembers nothing. He laughs that she really can’t hold her drinks and maybe he should be offended. As she begins to protest, he cuts her off telling her it was a one-off thing, and she should get herself cleaned up as she’s in the chorus.

Rehearsals are a mixture of joy and shame for Terry. She’s reunited with Annie, and she’s back on track to working – but she’s still lagging with her injury which causes the lead, Vera (Rosy McEwen) to viciously snarl, “You’re the girl who fell. If you’re going to sleep your way into the show at least have the talent to back it up.” Annie tells Terry to ignore it, but it’s hard to ignore the bruises and deep scratches on her inner thighs. There is nothing she is willing to say. When she finds out she is pregnant she must make an active choice, although Minnie doesn’t see that Terry has a choice – after all that has been done for her, and all that will be done for her, providing a child for the Castevets is both gratitude and a guarantee of fame.

Terry is a fundamentally different character to Rosemary. Where Rosemary was aching for stable domesticity and motherhood, Terry rejects motherhood itself as something horrifying. Terry Gionoffrio isn’t above a small hustle to get her name on the marquee, but her body is her currency as a dancer. Mrs. Lily Gardenia’s (Tina Gray) ointment cured her foot and made it possible for her to dance properly again, and that’s what she has been doing. Pregnancy – no matter how supported by her “new family” – is anathema to her ambition.

The dark secrets of the Bramford reveal themselves through distorted visions and arcane discoveries. Mrs. Gardenia attacks her trying to put an end to things before falling into a coma. Terry’s body is wracked with pain and the shadows pulling at her in nightmares are waking visions. Her terror is partly rooted in how much she is responsible for what is happening, and what has happened, to her. James’ script written in conjunction with Christian White and Skylar James uses the genre of psychological and supernatural horror to reflect how victims of rape and abuse struggle with defining if they are to blame for what they went through.

Apartment 7A is an incredibly slick production. The choreography by Ashley Wallen and Lukas McFarlane is stunning showing the grit and precision of the dancers. The production design and cinematography by Simon Bowles and Arnau Valls Colomer bring to life the 1965 of Rosemary’s Baby without skipping a beat. The Bramford with its never-ending uncanny spaces make it seem like it has spread poisonous roots throughout Manhattan. 

The standout performance by Julia Garner cannot be underestimated. To make Terry Gionoffrio a Broadway hopeful, Garner had to learn how to dance and sing (it is all her own work). More than that, Garner needed to embody someone for whom ambition is dangerous and is both a source of strength and vulnerability. Dianne Wiest’s Minnie is less Ruth Gordon’s gaudy and vulgar nosy parker, and more outright antagonist. The interactions between Garner and Wiest are loaded with unspoken tension. Minnie is sweet when she notes Terry’s gratitude, or when the young woman treats her like a surrogate mother – but that sweetness can turn on a dime especially when Minnie’s jealousy surrounding Terry’s youth comes to the foreground. 

Natalie Erika James is a strong director, and she brings something distinct to Apartment 7A which distinguishes it as more than a too-late-down-the-line prequel to a masterpiece. Terry’s point of view is larger than her woman in peril situation. It encompasses how easily replaced young women are. She glances fleetingly at a beautiful young hopeful getting off a bus in Manhattan with her suitcases. Is she going to be the star if Terry isn’t? The photograph of her predecessor Joan (possibly a photograph of Victoria Vetri) reinforces to Terry how easily a young woman can be disposed of, and no one notices. 1965 saw the burgeoning of the women’s movement and a sexual frankness in America – but misogyny remained king. 

Apartment 7A is a good tension filled and claustrophobic horror film, but it is also an excellent piece of work on bodily autonomy and how the ambitious and driven woman was deemed aberrant and easily corruptible. While not equalling the 1968 film nor Natalie Erika James’ extraordinary debut feature Relic, Apartment 7A proves the devil is not the only evil women need to fear.

Grade: B

Director: Azazel Jacobs
Writer: Azazel Jacobs
Stars: Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen

Synopsis: This tense, touching, and funny portrait of family dynamics follows three estranged sisters as they converge in a New York apartment to care for their ailing father and try to mend their own broken relationship with one another.

Every so often, a film comes along that delivers a profoundly poignant punch, lingering with you long after it’s over. His Three Daughters is that film—a beautifully complicated slice of sour family drama with a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel that few can truly experience. You know the feeling: that moment when you have so much to say to a loved one on their deathbed. You convince yourself you’re helping them when, deep down, you secretly long for them to comfort you as they pass away and let you know everything is going to be alright. 

This moment in Netflix’s His Three Daughters cuts through all the family angst, resentment, and uncomfortable silences, the ones you hope will wash away before your time is up—because nothing is more precious than time.

Very few films resonate as deeply and meaningfully as His Three Daughters. This chamber drama owes much to French Exit’s Azazel Jacobs’ exceptional script and its knockout cast. The film stars Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne as the three daughters of Vincent (an outstanding Jay O. Sanders), who is in the final stages of cancer and receiving at-home hospice care.

Jacobs paints a straightforward picture, stripping away most of the melodrama surrounding the realities of Vincent’s hospice care. Coon plays Katie, the eldest sibling, who is accustomed to taking on the parent role and wants everything in order, including a Do Not Resuscitate order. Wisely, the film handles this mainly in the abstract, as Vincent is not “alert enough to sign one.”

For instance, “accidents” can happen with too much medication, or there may be delays in calling paramedics, allowing nature to take its course. Rudy Galvan portrays Angel, the hospice doctor, with a strange yet compelling mix of empathy and bluntness. This rubs Katie the wrong way, while Olsen’s Christina, a former free spirit with kids at home, appreciates it. 

Olsen portrays Christina with middle-child ambiguity, which becomes especially effective when she is finally pushed to her limits. Then there’s the third daughter, the youngest, who appears to be an irresponsible screw-up but is the invisible shoulder no one seems to realize they are leaning on. Lyonne plays Rachel, a pot-smoking betting pro who loves a good three-team parlay as much as a fat blunt with a Snoop Dogg stamp of approval. 

Katie walks all over her, but Rachel has learned to stay quiet and not rock the boat—a common trait for a sibling who has felt like an outsider with her sisters her entire life. Jovan Adepo plays Benjy (Fences, The 3 Body Problem), Rachel’s boyfriend, who encourages her to stand up for herself. As the film progresses into the second and third acts, sparks fly, and words leave their marks. 

While I wish Azazel’s script had more hidden revelations, I came to appreciate how he refuses to pander to melodrama. Each argument concludes with subtle nonconformity and no easy answers. Not every family fight will end with both parties understanding each other. In fact, unlike his pretentious previous film, the filmmaker now seems to understand that each will more likely refuse to see the other’s side. 

All three actresses are revelations in their roles. However, for me, Coon is exceptional here, delivering a much more intricate and complex portrayal that conveys prickly, abrasive alienation alongside a hint of vulnerability. However, when it comes to showstoppers, everyone stand and allow long-time actor Jay O. Sanders to take a bow. His catatonic Vincent performs a jaw-dropping monologue portrayed with a man’s visceral and anxious vulnerability, knowing his last moments are upon him.This final scene, and Sanders’s Oscar-worthy supporting turn, is ultimately therapeutic and one of the most healing you will see in recent memory. His Three Daughters illustrates that accepting death is just as important as living it, and no moment should be wasted.

Grade: A

Director: Josh Cooley
Writers: Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson

Synopsis: The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.

The consensus around another Transformers movie wasn’t remarkable, with many people, including myself, questioning how much more retconning this franchise could take. This property has been trying to capture a high that led to multiple hundred million dollar box office returns and turned Michael Bay into a household name. However, starting in 2018 with Bumblebee, Paramount decided to step away from Bay as a director and was immediately rewarded with what many consider one of the best films of the entire franchise. The box office numbers remained, and the quality rose; even 2023’s Rise of the Beasts received a higher Rotten Tomato critic score than all but the original Transformers when it came to the Bay era of the franchise.

While the success was there, something kept these films from fully flourishing into a franchise with staying power, and similar to franchises like Jurassic Park, whether it be the lack of freedom or the liberties storytellers have to take to make this whole thing not as confusing, the post-Bay era of Transformers just hasn’t been able to carve out a path that works for them. However, the Bay films are primarily how the current generation sees Transformers. Before them was The Transformers, a Saturday morning cartoon in syndication. For many people who grew up in the ‘80s and ’90s, Transformers didn’t include real people on Earth surrounded by explosions and egregious product placement—it was animation. With Transformers One, this franchise doesn’t just go back to its animated roots; it starts over, ultimately cutting any ties this new film series has to any product that came before, and in doing so, revs up the engines, creating a film that feels both nostalgic and original at the same time.

Transformers One is aptly titled as both a restart to the series, outside of whatever is going on with the live-action films, but also in the context of the story as it begins far before the Autobot vs. Decepticon war, back when Optimus Prime and Megatron were friends, hell, even back before Optimus Prime and Megatron had their names. At this point, and for most of the film, they are Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Bryan Tyree Henry), two bots without cogs who cannot transform and are stuck working in the mines trying to harvest the energy of Cybertron. Since the Quintessons arrived and the Primes, aside from Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm), disappeared, the planet of Cybertron stopped producing the energy it needed in abundance, forcing the Transformers to go underground and dig for whatever energy they could find. However, Orion Pax isn’t content with being a miner his whole life and does anything he can to look for clues to find the Matrix of Leadership, a lost cog that also serves as a conduit for Primus’s power, the same power that grants Cybertron its energy. The Matrix of Leadership was lost during the battle with the Quintessons and has been searched for by Sentinel Prime ever since, always coming up empty-handed. Orion Pax and D-16, with the help of Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) and B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key), set out to find the Matrix of Leadership. When they discover things on the surface aren’t as they seem, loyalties and friendships are tested.

Director Josh Cooley’s debut feature wasn’t a small one, as he took on Toy Story 4. While I wasn’t a fan of Toy Story 4 and where the story took those characters, the direction was never once an issue. Cooley, whose resume is pretty astounding, proves in his sophomore feature that his vision can be effectively carried out. Hardly wasting any time in the hour and forty-four-minute runtime, Cooley catapults from one action sequence to the next, keeping the pace up and the engagement high. Having the freedom to determine where and how these more than well-known characters come to be can be as tricky as it is imaginative. Cooley effectively lets the story’s visuals take the reins, resulting in some exhilarating action sequences and clever uses of motion blurring that, even though there was nothing too game-changing, was able to look visually fantastic.

Just because the visual style helps tell the story doesn’t mean the script is lacking in any way. Screenwriters Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari, who have all worked mostly on Marvel projects in the past, come together to give Transformers fans something they’ve never seen. The friendship between Orion Pax and D-16 felt real, and the fallout, while never tear jerking, still maintained an emotional feel. The way Transformers One is laid out highlights the nostalgia as, for the most part, the joy from watching the film is reminiscent of the Saturday morning cartoons. I’m not old enough to remember the original The Transformers series, but I remember what it was like waking up and heading to my TV with no school and no plans. That’s how this movie feels, and the script’s pacing helps embellish that.

The voice acting from a loaded cast of A-listers didn’t hurt either. Bryan Tyree Henry, Keegan-Michael Key, and, of course, Scarlett Johansson are both convincing in their roles, as well as funny and sinister. It’s no surprise that Johansson was able to step up to the plate, but Henry and Key both managed to do more than just show up, which is all you can ask for from someone not trained in voice acting. Even so, it’s clear that Chris Hemsworth was the standout. Thanks to the Bay films, Peter Cullen’s voice has become synonymous with Optimus Prime; however, in Transformers One, Chris Hemsworth gives this character a more personal feel. There is stoicism but also wonder and a desire to achieve more. Hemsworth can match Cullen’s low growl while providing a new take on the character. 

There was also an undertone to the story that I found fascinating throughout. Maybe it’s because we’re a little over a month from a presidential election, but specific ideas surrounding the role of governmental rule, blind following, and false Primes struck a chord. Ideas floated around discussing a person’s role and if they were always destined for a specific future, thanks to the lack of help from their leaders. It also tackled what it means to lead, a timely and effective segway into future Autobot vs. Decepticon battles, providing more understanding of why characters like Megatron (or D-16) feel the way they do about the rule of Cybertron. These underlying themes aren’t what ultimately drives the film, but they do help it to be as good as it is. Both children new to this world and parents looking to understand their own will be able to gravitate towards some aspect meaningfully. It isn’t an innovative look at this topic, but it serves as an exciting pot stirrer if you allow yourself the time to sit with it.
Ultimately, though, Transformers One works with engaging animation, intense voice work, and a story that doesn’t waste many moments while also, even if just slightly, actually having something to say. It’s not a groundbreaking or game-changing animated adaptation/retelling like Spider-Verse, but it doesn’t have to be; it also never tries to be. Similar to the animated series that came before, Transformers One feels nostalgic, like a Saturday morning in front of the television, just a little more cinematic as well.

Grade: B+