Friday, September 20, 2024

Clawfoot (2024)

 
 
Movie Name/Year: Clawfoot (2024)
Genre: Thriller
Length: 1h 27min
Rating: MA15+
Director: Michael Day
Writer: April Wolfe
Actors: Francesca Eastwood, Milo Gibson, Olivia Culpo, Oliver Cooper, Nestor Carbonell
 
Blurb: An upper-class housewife is tormented by a manipulative contractor, hired to remodel her bathroom.
 
 
Selina’s Point of View:

Clawfoot is marketed as a thriller, but the comedy MAKES this film.
 
The first half hour of Clawfoot I wondered if the bits of comedy were intentional or not. If intentional, it was a nice mix of subtle and overt. If unintentional – it would have felt a bit more on the cringe side. It took a while before it made enough sense for me to realize just how intentional it was.
 
Once I got to that point, there was no looking back. I was invested. Somewhere between thoroughly thrilled and laughing my ass off. The characters were ridiculous but in a fun way, and the story took a left turn I honestly didn't expect.
 
 
Francesca Eastwood (Old, Attention Attention, M.F.A.) and Olivia Culpo (Paradise City, I Feel Pretty, The Other Woman) were outstanding as the clueless duo, and Milo Gibson (The Outpost, Hacksaw Ridge, Breaking & Exiting) was just disturbing enough to keep the creepy aura flowing. Whereas Oliver Cooper (Californication, Mindhunter, The Ultimate Playlist of Noise) did a great job as the only character I ever truly felt bad for. The four of them had to have been the dream cast for director Michael Day (Sisters, The News Tank, Amber). If not initially, then definitely by the time editing was done.
 
Clawfoot is a trip.
 
Clawfoot will be available for digital download on September 23.
 
 
Cat’s Point of View:
 
It took me a few to stop simply staring at my screen with a “what the fuck” expression painted across my face once the credits for Clawfoot rolled.
 
I did not get what I expected from this movie. Rather than an edge-of-the-seat thriller, it was more of a dark comedy thrill ride. There was a lot of tension and the production team really played with the slow burn of suspense at the start, but the pops of unexpected disturbing comedic moments made all the second-guessing at the beginning well worth it.
 
Clawfoot's trailer intrigued me. I wanted to know more about this invasive brute of a contractor and why events were unfolding how they did. There were moments that I thought for sure that I knew what was about to happen, only for the story to flip the script on me. Once the initial surprise happened, I thought I had it all figured out again, and then the twist took Clawfoot on a hard left turn and I was left siting here with my jaw dropped for a minute.
 
 
I had gotten a good feel for how the chemistry on screen would play out between Francesca Eastwood and Milo Gibson as the opposing sides of this narrative, and I'm thrilled to report that it's actually even better than the snippets in the teaser allude to. Gibson gives off the squirmy edge of malevolence under the veneer of jaunty conversation and 'oh gosh' helpful contractor guy. Olivia Culpo exceeded my expectations, as well.
 
I'm going to date myself again, but the friendship between Culpo and Eastwood's characters reminded me a lot of a morally bankrupt modern version of Romy and Michelle from Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (1997).
 
This might not be one you'll watch over and over again, but Clawfoot is definitely worth the initial experience. As the feature directorial debut for Michael Day. I'd say that he has a great start in the driver's seat and I can't wait to see what he cooks up next. I am glad that I had Clawfoot on our Top 20 article for this month.
 
You can check Clawfoot out for yourself when it becomes available for DigitalDownload beginning September 23rd.
 
 
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –62%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 4.7/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
 
Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating – R
 
P.S. - There is a brief mid-credits scene.
 
Movie Trailer:

Monday, September 16, 2024

Long Gone Heroes (2024)

 
 
Movie Name/Year: Long Gone Heroes (2024)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Length: 2h 3min
Rating: R
Director: John Swab
Writers: John Swab, Santiago Manes Moreno
Actors:Frank Grillo, Josh Hutcherson, Mekhi Phifer, Eden Brolin, Melissa Leo, Andy Garcia, Beau Knapp, Juan Pablo Raba
 
Lionsgate Blurb: Gunner, a special forces soldier who has witnessed the darkest side of country and combat, is forced back into the field of battle to save his niece, who is being held in South America. As the fight intensifies, Gunner and his team discover that her disappearance is part of a corrupt private operation that hits way too close to home. Acclaimed actors Andy Garcia, Melissa Leo, Josh Hutcherson, and Frank Grillo star in a nonstop action-thriller that will leave you breathless.
 
Frank Grillo as “Gunner” in the action drama LONG GONE HEROES, a Lionsgate release.
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
 
Cat’s Point of View:
I've been looking forward to watching Long Gone Heroes. While it hadn't really been on my radar prior to putting September's Top 20 article together, after watching the trailer I knew had to place this movie on the list.
 
So the big questions here are simple to get out of the way first. Did I enjoy it? Yes, I really did. Was Long Gone Heroes everything I expected it to be following the teaser clips in the trailer? Not exactly, but not in a way that made me mad about it. I'll elaborate.
 
In my article entry for Long Gone Heroes, I explained (and you probably have seen me say this before) that I am quite fond of the adrenaline rush from action movies. I had connected to this film's trailer a bit more than the other Frank Grillo (What If...?, Lights Out, Hounds of War) movie coming out this month, and was anticipating a compelling story layered into some special-forces style infiltrate and extraction action.
 
[L-R] Juan Pablo Raba as “Guapo,” Frank Grillo as “Gunner,” and Josh Hutcherson as “David”
in the action drama LONG GONE HEROES, a Lionsgate release.
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
 
I did get that to a degree, but perhaps just not with the same combat quotient that I expected. That's not saying that it was wrong, or bad, though. Long Gone Heroes was more of a long burn of intensity with sporadic explosive action. There was some solid close-quarters combat combined with stealth, sniping, and a lot of gunfire exchange. Underlying that was family drama on multiple fronts and humanitarian gravitas. The plight of the Venezuelan people and the level of crime and chaos might have seemed a little over-the-top to some, but that country's real-world conditions have been spiraling downward consistently in recent years with political unrest, shortages of basic and necessary resources, and steady economic deterioration. The events within Long Gone Heroes were actually solidly believable.
 
The trailer seemed to allude to a more fast-paced scenario, so anyone going in expecting that might be a little frustrated if they're the impatient type. As audiences, we've been spoiled by this genre type delving into a quick-time and hard-hitting level of nonstop edge-of-the-seat action such as Extraction (2020) and its sequel. Long Gone Heroes does have intensity – it's just different and not quite at the same level.
 
I will also say that the story transitioned into the rescue mission to an epic soundtrack with Pantera'sCowboy from Hell.” I was rather giddy about that.
 
While I'm talking about content within this film, however, I feel I need to address the R rating to parents out there. This is not going to be one of the action movies you'd want to show your kids. The rating isn't solely based on violence and language. There are some rather graphic scenes of nudity and sexual content. These come in small flashes as part of settings, rather than any sort of drawn out part of the story. It's an ambiance thing, but it's still present to the point that you wouldn't want young kids to be watching this on their own. These scenes would be easy to do a quick 'cover the eyes' maneuver for, however.
 
Andy Garcia as “Roman” in the action drama LONG GONE HEROES, a Lionsgate release.
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
 
Let's talk cast.
 
Grillo was everything I'd anticipated from the trailer, and as an action veteran. I also love that he's not all surly expressions, waving guns, throwing military hand signs as well as punches. I continue to be appreciative to the nuanced performances he can bring to the table. There's one scene where his eye ticks in reaction to something told to him and it was glorious that he got that that level of immersion to his character. I'm no Hollywood professional, but I know very few people who can achieve an eye-tick on command and make it look natural. I continue to also be impressed with Josh Hutcherson's (57 Seconds, Five Nights at Freddy's, The Beekeeper) range and enjoyed his character's contribution to this story, as well.
 
Andy Garcia (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, The Expendables 4, Pain Hustlers) and Mekhi Phifer (8 Mile, Frequency, The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat) were great as adversaries here – especially with their business-like and heartless drive to accomplish their goals. I was really impressed with Eden Brolin (Emerald City, Beyond, The Cleaner) and Beau Knapp (Ida Red, The Bikeriders, Road House) also. I definitely want to see more of their work, and will likely seek out some of their existing projects to catch up on their performances, too.
 
[L-R] Eden Brolin as “Julia” and Juan Pablo Raba as “Guapo” in the action drama LONG GONE HEROES, a Lionsgate release.
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
 
Juan Pablo Raba (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Narcos, The Marksman) was able to round out this cast of battle brothers with some serious authenticity for his role. His South American heritage really paid off in making things flow smoothly. Though, I am aware that his country of origin, Argentina, is on the opposite end of the continent from Venezuela. To my layman's eyes, it really gave him an edge here. Finally, I always seem to grin when I see Melissa Leo (The Equalizer, Novitiate, King Ivory) on the screen, because her role as Sally from Oblivion (2013) pops into my head with that sweet as sugar southern drawl. This role was nothing like that, and shouldn't be compared … but that's what my brain does sometimes. I could feel the desperation of her character even if I wasn't 100% immersed in her performance.
 
All told, I enjoyed my experience watching Long Gone Heroes and I wouldn't be upset if I ended up watching it again. If you're a fan of the genre, it's definitely worth giving a shot.
 
Long Gone Heroes will hit theater screens as well as releasing to Digital and On Demand Friday, September 20th, 2024.
 
Melissa Leo as “Olivia” in the action drama LONG GONE HEROES, a Lionsgate release.
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
 
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – None
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
 
Movie Trailer: