Bloody Axe Wound (2024)

Streaming Service: Shudder
Movie Name/Year: Bloody Axe Wound (2024)
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Length:  1h 23min
Rating: R
Director: Matthew John Lawrence
Writers: Matthew John Lawrence
Actors: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Billy Burke, Sari Arambulo, Matt Hopkins, Jeff Riddle, Eddie Leavy, Jaden Slater, Sage Spielman, Lizzy Cenicola, Jahdey Wright, Molly Brown, Angel Theory, Margot Anderson-Song, Taylor Watson Seupel, Chet Siegel, David Littleton

IMDb Blurb: Abbie Bladecut's family business, a video store, has thrived by disposing of teenagers to mimic horror movies. As the first female slasher, she battles gender bias while realizing the harsh realities behind the mass murders.

Cat’s Point of View:
I’ve been intrigued by the trailers for Bloody Axe Wound. I got the vibe that it would be a nostalgic ode to the slasher genre with a splash of family dynamic and a little coming-of-age on the side.

I wouldn’t say that Bloody Axe Wound didn’t deliver those elements. It was successful in its own odd way in ticking off all of those check boxes. It was just… missing something.

Nevermind the plot holes big enough to drive a bus through, the production was just lacking something I can’t quite put my finger on.

All of the acting was pretty spot on, though. I wish there was more screen time for Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Rampage, Supernatural, The Walking Dead), but I did get a kick out of his trademark sadistic glee in the brief time he was there. Billy Burke (Revolution, Batman: The Long Halloween, Fire Country) was a great choice for the slasher dad. I also loved seeing Angel Theory (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Kinderfanger, The Walking Dead) playing another signing character here, and she had some sick dance moves.

I also think that this had the potential to be real break out roles for Sari Arambulo (Abby Normal, A.P. Bio, The L Word: Generation Q) and Molly Brown (Senior Year, Evil, Dexter: Original Sin). I just don’t know if the overall production did them justice.

Overall, I was entertained by Bloody Axe Wound. I appreciated the scattered references to 80s movies – whether it be slashers or coming-of-age classics.

While I wouldn’t generally watch this movie again, I wouldn’t steer anyone away from it that is interested in watching. Just take this B-movie with a grain of salt. 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 27%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –58%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – 2.3/10
IMDB Score – 5.0/10
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Movie Trailer:

Azrael (2024)

Streaming Service: Shudder
Movie Name/Year: Azrael (2024)
Genre: Horror, Action
Length: 1h 26min
Rating: R
Director: E.L. Katz
Writer: Simon Barrett
Actors: Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Johhan Rosenberg, Eero Milonoff, Sebastian Bull, Rea Lest, Phong Giang, Katariina Unt
 
Blurb from IMDb: In a world where no one speaks, a devout female-led community hunts down a young woman who has escaped imprisonment. Recaptured, Azrael is due to be sacrificed to an ancient evil in the wilderness, but fights for her own survival.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
Azrael is an interesting flick, mainly because of the minimal dialogue.
 
Any film with minimal dialogue has a great deal more to accomplish than a normal one. In normal movies, there’s always something going on. Even if the characters are just sitting together, they’re talking. They’re engaging with each other and the audience. Then there’s the exposition. Nobody wants a ton of it, but it’s useful to have, especially in flicks where the setting is not the world we’re familiar with. Minimal dialogue films have to compensate for all of that with more riveting visuals and a story that speaks for itself.
 
I read some summaries of Azrael before I watched it, so I knew what was going on. I’m not entirely sure someone going into it blind would have come to the same conclusions, but the story would still make some kind of sense to them. They would pick up either Walking Dead (2010-2022) vibes, with the various not-so-nice camps, or catch a cult vibe. Both would fit. I kind of like that there’s room for interpretation.
 
The only issue someone might have while watching would be the various moments that sayings popped up on the screen. If they were interpreting something different, that would absolutely take them out of the moment. Even for me, knowing what it was about, the screens of writing slowed things down and took me out of it. Aside from the first explanation, the director should have just trusted his actors and setting to tell the whole story and his audience to not need handholding.
 

Speaking of actors, I love Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Mayhem, The Babysitter). She is a modern goddess scream queen, and I will never be able to go on quite enough about her. Of course, I’ve mentioned before that one of the reasons I find her so mesmerizing is her scream. It portrays fear, sure, but there’s a primal rage in there that cannot be ignored.
 
So, how is she in a movie where her character has no voice?
 
Weaving taking this role that prevents her from using her most iconic feature, was a great idea. It allowed the rest of her acting prowess to take over. I was never bored when she was on screen. I understood her expressions and felt her pain in the silent, breathy, screams. She presented herself as no less scream queen, even without her voice.
 
I liked Azrael. It was different and dark. Everything I love in a post-apocalyptic flick.  

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 71%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 59%
Metascore – 52%
Metacritic User Score – 4.0
IMDB Score – 5.4/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3.5/5
 
Movie Trailer:

Speak No Evil (2024)

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime
Movie Name/Year: Speak No Evil (2024)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Length:  1h 50min
Rating: R
Director: James Watkins
Writers: James Watkins, Christian Tafdrup, Mads Tafdrup
Based On: A 2022 Danish-Dutch movie of the same name.
Actors: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, Kris Hitchen, Motaz Malhees, Jakob Højlev Jørgensen

IMDb Blurb: A family is invited to spend a whole weekend in a lonely home in the countryside, but as the weekend progresses, they realize that a dark side lies within the family who invited them.

Selina’s Point of View:
I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t love the original version of this film. I felt they were going for slow tension, but it ended up feeling more like drama. I mentioned that critics loved the film, but that audience scores were probably going to reflect something else.

It looks like I was right, since the 2022 version of Speak No Evil is sitting at 84% for critics and a mere 58% for audiences.

The one thing I did like was the ending. It was bleak and horrifying. Everything you could want from a psychological, slow-burn horror. It was memorable, to say the least. In fact, it makes me remember the entire film as better than it actually was. Going back to my old review confused me, because my 1.5 rating definitely should have been slightly higher just for the impact of that ending. I think it should be more of a 2.5.

That brings us to the 2024 version.

I’m fairly certain that Americanizing this film ruined it.

Speak No Evil (2024) felt more like the slow-burn the 2022 version was going for. The acting in both was infallible, but the direction and production quality of those small off-putting moments that raised the tension throughout the film hit harder. I knew what was coming, and I still felt tense. I’m assuming that’s when some producer butted their nose in and reminded the director that Americans don’t love down endings and need action.

They replaced that memorable, lasting, bleak ending with an action sequence—the big battle. Took the bite right out of it and made it as forgettable as any other film.

With the upgrade in quality of the majority of the film, having the same brutal ending would have made it a near-perfect horror offering. It would have catapulted the 2024 version of Speak No Evil to the top of my list. I’d be praising it to anyone willing to listen and throwing it on at Halloween parties for years to come. Instead, they pulled out all its teeth and made it a joke. Padding that ending means that I won’t remember Speak No Evil (2024) by next week.

Shame.

Cat’s Point of View:
I remember rolling my eyes and asking “why?” out loud when I learned that Speak No Evil (2022) had been remade. I had enjoyed the original, which is also currently available for streaming as well (just don’t forget to turn on your subtitles unless you speak Dutch or Danish). We had reviewed the original movie when it premiered on Shudder at the time of its release.

Before watching for this review, Speak No Evil (2024) was one of the 2 final hold-outs from the movies in my top 10 of September2024’s Top 20 list. This one was a solid #6 on my must-see countdown. The only reason I had waited this long to watch it was so that I could have a fresh experience for this review, so that Selina and I could compare the two films together. I reasoned that if I let time lapse after watching, I likely could have gotten the movies mixed up. Now that I’ve seen the newest iteration of Speak No Evil, I am positive there would be no mistaking one for the other; even though they do follow a lot of the same points within the plot.

Selina and I were of two minds about the 2022 movie. I felt that the slow burn and awkward drama precursor to the horrific sharp left turn in the final act caused the film to have a more lasting impact. The bleak nature of the story left me staring at the screen with my soul weeping.

I didn’t know at the time, but I’ve since read that the original writer/director wanted the finale of the first Speak No Evil to be inexplicable in order to stand out from films where everything gets spoon-fed to an audience and tied up with a bow by the end. While I understand and applaud that decision, it would probably be the root of why there has been such a kneejerk reaction to the abruptness of the change in tone for the final act of the 2022 film.

The new Speak No Evil handled the pacing a little more deftly, though managed to maintain the slowly building awkward and sinister tension that permeated the story.  I applaud the changes that tweaked the fresh vision of this horrific scenario of wolves masquerading as sheep and the inevitable outcome.

I also discovered that some of the differences between the original movie and its remake were specifically created to gear the newer telling of the story to American audiences. The finale of the original Speak No Evil was intended as a satirical reflection on Danish culture; which, it seems, they felt wouldn't have resonated as well with the target audience. With that frame of reference, I understand why they made some of the changes.

The production team was absolutely brilliant in casting James McAvoy (Glass, The Sandman, The Book of Clarence). When he has embodied an antagonistic role, he is absolutely terrifying. This is about as far away from Narnia as you can get. His range is phenomenal. For that reason, I would have watched the new iteration of Speak No Evil even if I didn’t have a vested interest in seeing if making an “American remake” of the story would screw everything up or not.

I also liked how this new story ‘flipped the script’ between the parent of action and their more milquetoast counterpart. The ending is brutal and horrific for different reasons this time around, and the haunting aftermath was palpable as the credits began to roll.

Out of the pair, I’d have to say that I prefer the remake. Both, however, are fantastic at accomplishing exactly what they set out to do.

If you enjoy a psychological, twisty, and thrilling horror tale maybe check this new Speak No Evil out – even if you didn’t vibe with the first one… and maybe even if you did.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 83%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 83%
Metascore – 66%
Metacritic User Score – 6.9/10
IMDB Score – 6.8/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 1.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5

Movie Trailer:

Aftermath (2024)

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Aftermath (2024)
Genre: Action, Thriller
Length:  1h 37min
Rating: R
Director: Patrick Lussier
Writer: Nathan Graham Davis
Actors: Dylan Sprouse, Mason Gooding, Megan Stott, Dichen Lachman, Derek K. Moore, Jason Armani Martinez, Mark Dancewicz, Daniel Rios Jr., Ashley Pynn, Mark Pettograsso, Shahjehan Khan, Mark Irvingsen, Joshua Wolf Coleman, Will Lyman, Nick Apostolides, Jared Frenke, Tanner Zagarino, Kevin Chapman

IMDb Blurb: A returning war veteran, stricken with PTSD, unwittingly gets trapped with his teenage sister on Boston's Tobin Memorial Bridge as a heavily weaponized group of ex-military revolutionists take everyone hostage.

Cat’s Point of View:
The trailer for Aftermath intrigued me. It released in a month where there was at least one other action thriller set on a bridge. While the other film had action royalty among the cast, Aftermath looked like it just might be the more relatable of the two in terms of story. Both narratives seemed a little far-fetched, but entertainment doesn’t always have to make complete sense, right?

There was also the bonus of checking out the action chops of Dylan Sprouse (Dismissed, The Duel, Beautiful Disaster). My daughter and I have enjoyed following the Sprouse twins’ careers, considering we practically watched them grow up on TV while they worked on their Disney projects. (My daughter was a massive fan of their shows so I ended up watching it all, too.)

I am also a fan of Dichen Lachman (Altered Carbon, Jurassic World: Dominion, Severance) and have enjoyed her work, which was also a good selling point for Aftermath.

I was not disappointed with either of their performances.

This was an interesting departure from the horror genre for up-and-comer Mason Gooding (Scream VI, Fall, Heart Eyes), as well. His part in this story was a little more out-there and I think he over-sold it just a little bit. Leaning into the unhinged bad-guy certainly pushed this plot along and created tension, so I wasn’t entirely put off by it.

I was surprised to learn that this was the screenwriting debut for Nathan Graham Davis. I’m interested in seeing the stories he brings to the screen next. If this was his beginnings, I’d hope things only improve from here – and this wasn’t a bad place to start.

Was Aftermath the best offering within this genre I’ve watched in the past year? Not really, but I was buying what they were selling. The effects and prop/sets departments really did a great job blending seamlessly the elements shot on sound stages and on location. My untrained eye couldn’t tell the difference.

While Aftermath likely won’t be a film that sticks out in my memory over time, I was entertained while watching it and didn’t feel that my time had been wasted.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 17%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – 5.6/10
IMDB Score – 5.1/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

Movie Trailer:

Trap (2024)

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Trap (2024)
Genre: Horror, Crime, Thriller
Length: 1h 45min
Rating: PG-13
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Actors: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Alison Pill, Hayley Mills, Jonathan Langdon, Mark Bacolcol, Marnie McPhail, Kid Cudi, Russ, Marcia Bennett, Lochlan Miller, Vanessa Smythe
 
Blurb from IMDb: A father and his teen daughter attend a pop concert only to realize they've entered the center of a dark and sinister event.
 

Selina's Point of View:
Trap got mixed reviews, at best, but I rather enjoyed it.
 
Josh Hartnett (Lucky Number Slevin, Black Hawk Down, Sin City) is a brilliant actor. Early in his career, he pushed himself out of the heartthrob rom-com box and hasn't really looked back since. It was a great move, because he has a range that I don't think people fully appreciated back then.
 
Saleka Shyamalan felt a little green and now I know why. This was her first full-length feature film acting role. As M. Night Shyamalan's (Signs, Knock at the Cabin, Split) daughter, she was likely bound to step into one of his movies eventually. He has a habit of tossing himself into his work whether or not he should, so it was only a matter of time before he did it with his daughter. Luckily, she fit the role and really made me believe her. There were parts of her acting that felt a little rushed or tense, but considering the scenes, it worked. It may have even been on purpose. I'd absolutely be open to watching more of her in the future.
 

And, yeah, M. Night tossed himself into Trap. It was a smaller part than he normally takes though. I didn't even realize it until after the fact.
 
I kept waiting for the typical Shyamalan pitfalls. I originally missed his cameo, which is one. The other is his signature twist, which he uses whether it fits the flick or not. Trap didn't really have one, but there were scenes that were absolutely designed to make us think it would. Honestly? I think that's the best thing he could have done for this film. Waiting for that twist I wound up pulling twists on myself.
 
Trap wasn't a masterpiece, but it was a solid thriller with fantastic acting and some laughter thrown in. I was cautiously optimistic, and I think that was the right feeling going into it.
 
It was fun.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 57%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 64%
Metascore – 52%
Metacritic User Score – 5.2
IMDB Score – 5.8/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina's Rating – 3.5/5
 
P.S. Short scene just after the start of the credit, absolutely worth seeing.
 
Movie Trailer:

Trapped Inn (2024)

 

 

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime Video

Movie Name/Year: Trapped Inn (2024)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller

Length: 1h 55min

Rating: Unrated

Director: Leah Sturgis

Writer: Leah Sturgis

Actors: Matt Rife, Robert Palmer Watkins, Brian Gross, Brielle Gearson, Jaylen Moore, Oliver Trevena, Jacy King, Noemie Maia, Rickey Eugene Brown, Laurel Coeur, Emily Farache, Tal Serror, Mary Vade Bon Coeur

 

IMDb Blurb: An American cycling team trains at a remote European lodge. Teammates start dying mysteriously. Rivals Connor and Greg battle to survive and uncover the cause behind the team's demise.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

I don't remember hearing anything about Trapped Inn back around the time it was released. That's not entirely surprising, given that this film came from an indie production company, and likely didn't have a big budget for marketing. I digress...

 

When I watched the trailer, pretty much the only thing that Trapped Inn seemed to have going for it was the recognizable name and face of Matt Rife (Don't Suck, The Private Eye, Beyond the Likes). I've seen his stand-up specials, and his humor isn't always my cup of tea. This didn't strike me as a comedy, however, and I was curious how he handled more serious settings as an actor.

 

 

As an aside, I've seen some of his YouTube videos where he's accompanied friends on paranormal investigations and various adventures. I have to say that in more candid moments – even in front of a camera – he came across as respectful and genuine in those scenarios. With a peek behind the proverbial curtain of his on-stage persona in mind, I felt like he had a real shot at pulling this more serious role off.

 

Generally, I was right. Unfortunately, that didn't really save the movie.

 

Most of the core cast members didn't bungle their roles either, to be honest. Trapped Inn simply suffered from trying to be too many things at once without a clear sense of direction for the story.

 

 

There's a clear theme of isolation and how that impacts the human psyche. I'd also go as far as to say that this story also highlighted how such a claustrophobic atmosphere could be amped up and made worse by fear of a deadly unknown.

 

Outside of that, the other elements of the narrative caused the wheels to fall off the bus. I nearly got whiplash from the number of times the plot seemed to shift with sudden twisty revelations. Just when I thought Trapped Inn was building suspense in one direction, the gears shifted to a setting that made it even harder to suspend disbelief.

 

 

If Trapped Inn had tried to take itself less seriously, it's plausible that it could have offered a fun and memorable experience. Unfortunately, its earnest attempt at selling everything from a super serious perspective made it less cohesive and ultimately forgettable.

 

I can't say that I would offer a recommendation for Trapped Inn – unless someone wanted to turn the plot-shifts into a drinking game. Even then, I don't think it would offer this movie any sort of redemption. At the same time, this wasn't the worst film I've ever watched, so at least there's that.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 77%

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – 4.0/10

IMDB Score – 2.9/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5

 

Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating - R

 

 Movie Trailer:

The Platform 2 (2024)

 

 

Streaming Service: Netflix 

Movie Name/Year: The Platform 2 (2024)

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Length: 1h 39min

Rating: TV-MA

Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

Writers: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, Pedro Rivero, David Desola, Egoitz Moreno

Actors: Milena Smit, Hovik Keuchkerian, Natalia Tena, Óscar Jaenada, Ivan Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Bastien Ughetto, Armando Buika, Pedro Bachura, Antonia San Juan, Alexandra Masangkay, Emilio Buale, Albert Pla, Gorka Zufiaurre, Ken Appledorn, Hoji Fortuna, Mariamu Toure, Sesinou Henriette, Patty Bonet, Tadashi Ito

 

Metacritic Blurb: As a mysterious leader imposes their rule in the Platform, a new resident becomes embroiled in the battle against this controversial method to fight the brutal feeding system. But when eating from the wrong plate becomes a death sentence, how far would you be willing to go to save your life?

 

 

Selina’s Point of View:

What do I think of The Platform 2? I think my back is killing me.

 

I didn’t move a muscle during the entire film. I’ll be honest, I’m not even sure I was breathing. It had the same achingly impressive suspense that The Platform (2019) did. In fact, it was completely up to the level of the original film. For a sequel to do that is impressive.

 

The social commentary was also on point. It shined a light on how a law that looks good on paper could be seen as unfair. It also showed how bad enforcement of a law could be just as detrimental as if it did not exist in the first place. It was superbly done.

 

 

I didn’t remember much about the first film. After all, it was from the pre-COVID era and the whole world changed shortly after. Never-the-less, I remembered enough to be shocked when I realized it was a prequel. It’s possible I knew that from the trailers, but it’s been long enough that it completely slipped my mind. I was expecting a more sequel-esk plot. That little twist was interesting. It really brought out the differences between the loyalists and the barbarians.

 

There’s also a short scene after the start of the credits that ties everything together in a way I never expected. I’m still a little confused by it, but not in a bad way.

 

I loved The Platform 2. I’ll follow the story as far as they want to take it.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

The Platform (2019) may not have been one of my favorite movies, but it certainly stuck with me after we watched it for review in April 2020. I suppose you could say that it was on our “Pandemic Watch List,” even though it was at the very beginning and before things really got wonky. In my review, I pondered whether or not Netflix would revisit the story and provide a sequel. Now I have my answer – even if it wasn't all that I was hoping for.

 

I'll clarify that statement a little.

 

I noted that I wasn't just interested in revisiting the concept, but instead was hoping to learn more about the world or time period that brought about “the pit” and the human social experiment that went with it. Alas, that was not what happened.

 

My mild disappointment aside, that didn't really impact my viewing experience for this sequel. When I watched the trailers, it was clear that The Platform 2 was going to be approaching the story a little differently. Initially, I wasn't even sure if it was going to be tied to the original film. During my watch-through, however, it clicked that I'd seen one of the characters before. By the end, the connections became more clear. Some of the ties that bind the 2 films are more overt, but there's also a more subtle thread that weaves them together – both explanations of which would be spoilers.

 

 

The Platform 2 doesn't have as much mystery as the first film, because we know how the titular platform system works by the time we reach this second experience. (If you haven't watched the first movie, this may all just be more confusing. I'd recommend watching in order.) There's definitely more brutality and shock-value here than examined in the first installment.

 

This story was clearly another slap-in-the-face social commentary. There were a few Uncanny Valley moments that were a little disturbing, but the take on how the extreme enforcement of laws without examination of mitigating circumstances allowing flexibility was clear. It also gives us a hard look at the dark side of those with the power to act on a savior complex and fanatical zealots.

 

I'd have to say that out of the 2 films, the first had more impact. It's even worked its way into culinary arts pop culture. Network television has a reality cooking competition show with Gordon Ramsay (MasterChef USA, Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen) called Next Level Chef (2022-). It features the central platform of food that travels through 3 levels, giving chefs on the top first pick and those on the bottom are stuck with whatever's left. (Let me tell you, I cackled when I saw the first preview ad for that show because I instantly recognized where they got the idea.) While I really enjoy the cooking show, and in hindsight I would give The Platform a higher rating, I can't say the same for this sequel.

 

That doesn't take away from the fact that this new film was just as expertly put together and well-executed as the first. It does have its strengths, and I was on the edge of my seat throughout.

 

The Platform 2 went to some really bizarre places and just ultimately left me feeling unsatisfied and unsettled. At the same time, if they decide to turn this into a trilogy, I'd still watch in hopes of learning more about the lore of the twisted Pit and any further connections between those trapped in it.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 35%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 25%

Metascore – 45%

Metacritic User Score – 4.2/10

IMDB Score – 4.9/10

 

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

 

Movie Trailer:

Brothers (2024)

 

 

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime

Movie Name/Year: Brothers (2024)

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime

Length: 1h 29min

Rating: R

Director: Max Barbakow

Writers: Etan Cohen, Macon Blair

Actors: Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, Taylour Paige, M. Emmet Walsh, Jen Landon, Brendan Fraser, Glenn Close, Gralen Bryant Banks, Andrew Joseph Brodeur, Margo Moorer, Brooks Indergard, Jonathan Aidan Cockrell, Joshua Mikel, Marisa Tomei

 

IMDb Blurb: Two criminal twin brothers, one who is trying to reform, embark on a dangerous heist road trip. Facing legal troubles, gunfights, and family drama, they must reconcile their differences before their mission leads to self-destruction.

 

 

Selina’s Point of View:

Our first movie back and we are faced with Brothers, starring Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage.

 

From the moment I saw the trailer for Brothers, I was all in. Both Brolin and Dinklage are fantastic actors, and the latter is one of my favorites. Both of them have huge range and can pull off anything from a gentle good guy to a bad-ass bad guy. I figured, if there was any issue, it would be in the chemistry between them.

 

However, the chemistry was fantastic. The way they were at each other’s throat felt familial. It made the family connection much easier to believe. When paired up across from Brendan Fraser, it was a match made in heaven.

 

 

I’ll admit that the comedy was on the 13-year-old side of humor. It isn’t trying to make people think – it’s definitely more of a turn-your-brain-off kind of film. After two months of holidays, however, isn’t that all what we need? A little light laughter and dirty fun? Let the stress of the season fade into the background...

 

 Brothers is not going to be for everyone, but I laughed. There were some good aspects to the script, fun pop-culture references, and decent callbacks. It’s a fun film. Best watched with friends.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

When you tell me that the cast for a movie includes Brendan Fraser (No Sudden Move, Killers of the Flower Moon, Doom Patrol), Peter Dinklage (American Dreamer, The Thicket, Wicked), Josh Brolin (Deadpool 2, Dune: Part One, Outer Range), Glenn Close (3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Swan Song, The Deliverance), & Marisa Tomei (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Upgraded, High Tide) you really don't have to say anything else. I'm already going to be chomping at the bit to see that film. It's even better when a powerhouse cast such as this takes part in a production within a genre I enjoy.

 

Crime caper movies that bring in elements of comedy to go with the action tend to be a lot of fun.

 

The trailer had me chuckling and I wanted to see how everything played out with this pair of mismatched twins and their dysfunctional situation. Brothers took a similar aesthetic concept such as Twins (1988) and turned it on its head a bit with the comedy-heist theme.

 

 

I enjoyed the chemistry between Dinklage and Brolin. They had me 100% sold that they were siblings at odds.

 

Whenever I see Brendan Fraser on a screen, I generally just want to give him a hug. His character in Brothers was definitely not what I was expecting, but I'm not mad about it at all.

 

Honestly, I wish I liked it more than I do. I can't even put my finger on why Brothers just wasn't firing on all cylinders for me. Don't get me wrong, though. The performances were solid, it was an entertaining experience, and even kept my attention in spite of the gloomy rainy and wintry weather. That, in itself, is a bit of a feat while I'm still recovering energy reserves following a hectic holiday season.

 

What I would say, however, to anyone that is amused by the trailer but is on the fence regarding watching Brothers is this: give it a shot.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 44%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –40%

Metascore – 50%

Metacritic User Score – 4.1/10

IMDB Score – 5.4/10

 

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

 

Movie Trailer: