M3GAN (2023)

 

Streaming Service: Peacock

Movie Name/Year: M3GAN (2023)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror

Length: 1h 42min

Rating: Unrated

Production/Distribution: Atomic Monster, Blumhouse Productions, Divide/Conquer, Universal Pictures, New Zealand Film Commission, Peacock, Studio Distribution Services (SDS), Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE), Universal Pictures International (UPI)

Director: Gerard Johnstone

Writers: Akela Cooper, James Wan

Actors: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Amy Usherwood, Arlo Green, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jack Cassidy, Jen Van Epps, Jenna Davis, Kira Josephson, Lori Dungey, Michael Saccente, Millen Baird, Natasha Kojic, Ronny Chieng, Stephane Garneau

 

IMDb Blurb: A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own.

 

Selina’s Point of View:

I figured M3GAN would be a bit on the corny side, but still a fun watch. I was dead-on with my expectations.

M3GAN followed just about every killer-AI trope there is out there. I’d be hard-pressed to call much of it original, but it did feel like the tropes were well used. It would have been very easy for M3GAN to just start cramming as much as it could into the story without rhyme or reason. Instead, it worked. Mostly.

 

 

It may seem a little strange to say, but I didn’t get as much of that uncanny valley feel from the robot as I thought I would. In fact, I got more from Paul Dano’s (Knight and Day, Swiss Army Man, The Fabelmans) Riddler in The Batman. Without that feeling, there were parts of the flick that didn’t hit as hard as they could have. It made things feel more silly than serious.

I did appreciate a bit of the psychological aspect that was thrown in. It was an interesting perspective, especially in the context of grief.

I enjoyed M3GAN, but I was hoping for something a little more serious than I got. It’s still something fun to watch with friends and a six-pack, though.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

The prospect of watching M3GAN made my inner sci-fi geeky heart happy. I’m generally down to watch any production that explores AI and robotics and their future interactions with humankind. For now they may be fiction, but I don’t anticipate that lasting much longer. Lets get those cautionary tales out there and prevent Skynet, right? 

All in all, I generally enjoyed my experience with M3GAN. 

The doll was seriously creepy and gave me futuristic, if only slightly less homicidal, Chucky vibes. I really appreciated how they kept the face of the android companion just somewhere uncomfortably between a real human’s and that of your typical porcelain doll. It made the moments interacting with people who didn’t know what M3GAN was more believable. 

 

I enjoyed the cast’s performances and how M3GAN embraced its own camp and meta nature. Everything was a bit predictable - but really, for this sort of movie there’s not a lot that it could have done that wouldn’t have been so. Still, there was something missing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. As a horror movie that blended comedy along with the psychology of grief into a story about a murderous toy, it delivered where it counted. 

I do have to give the production team credit for the avenues they took with the story to leave it open for sequel potential. In fact, Blumhouse announced in January, shortly after this film’s release, that there will be a M3GAN 2.0 - which is, at this time, the current working title of the next movie. 

 

I actually ended up watching M3GAN twice. I hadn’t realized initially that it released as an unrated version when it hit streaming in addition to the PG-13 film that was in theaters. My 19-year-old daughter and I viewed it as soon as it became available on Xfinity On-Demand, and it turned out to be the PG-13 version. I watched the unrated one in preparation for this review today. I was rather surprised that there wasn’t a lot of difference between them. I actually preferred the PG-13 cut better. 

For those wondering why, the PG-13 cut was more refined and the horror was more effective with slightly less gore, or some actions happening off-camera. The body count, all general plot points, and set pieces all remained the same. If there had been a more expansive difference between the versions, I would understand the unrated release better. As it stands, I’m just scratching my head in confusion - because the “extras” the lack of rating allowed didn’t make that cut any better. I digress.

My daughter and I did enjoy our trippy romp through the cut-throat toy industry. My advice would be to just not expect or assume too much from the outset. The toy developers here were obviously not following Isaac Asimov’s (1920-1992) laws of robotics. 

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 93%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –78%

Metascore – 72%

Metacritic User Score – 6.8/10

IMDB Score – 6.4/10

 

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

 

Trust the Dice: Parental Guidance Rating: There are 2 versions of this movie. The Unrated version is closer to R and there is also an MPAA rated PG-13 version.

 

Movie Trailer:

Murder, Anyone? (2023)

Streaming Service: None
Movie Name/Year: Murder, Anyone? (2023)
Genre: Comedy
Length:  1h 21min
Rating: Unrated
Production/Distribution: Red Phoenix Productions, Sandaled Kid Productions, Uncork’d Entertainment
Director: James Cullen Bressack
Writer: Gordon Bressack
Actors: Sally Kirkland, Kristos Andrews, Galadriel Stineman, Maurice LaMarche, Charles M. Howell IV, Carla Collins, Spencer Breslin

IMDb Blurb: Two playwrights, George and Charlie, are tasked with the challenge of creating the next "avant-garde, surrealistic, mind-bending neo-noire thriller". As they write, the story comes to life in real time. However, their own emotions and arguments also begin to manifest on film, creating sharp twists and turns that affect the entire movie. Filled with hilarity and chaos, Murder, Anyone? is a comedic play-within-a-play-within-a-movie that contemplates the complexities of language, art, theater, film and more.

Cat’s Point of View:

When we watched the trailer for Murder, Anyone? I was instantly in love with this concept. Learning that this production was made by James Cullen Bressack (Survive the Game, Fortress, Hot Seat) to honor his father was simply icing on the cake.

We, as audiences, don’t really get to see the process that goes on behind the scenes in the writer’s room, so to speak. Murder, Anyone? gave us a peek at that collaborative creative process, as well as the fun off-the-wall story it created. 

As a writer, this film really resonated with me on several levels. Sometimes characters take on a life of their own in your mind and you just go with the flow. Other times, it’s a lot of trial and error to figure out what makes the most sense for a story. When you write with someone else and have differing opinions, it can be frustrating to come to a compromise that works for the project at hand. Murder, Anyone? wonderfully captured that process and the emotions behind it.

I also adored the cinematography choices switching between black and white and color for the various scenes. That was a stroke of brilliance, marking clearly for the audience what the writers envisioned for their play-that-might-be-a-movie as well as what was going on in the ‘real world.’ 

The narrative for the ‘play,’ itself was a bit over-the-top but in a really fun way. The actors embraced the fact that they were characters in a scene in progress. Some bits felt really hokey and some of the dialogue was a little wonky, but it all seemed to fit and it was still entertaining.

I enjoyed Murder, Anyone? and feel connected to the director's intended message and his love for his father.

Murder, Anyone? Is set for a digital release by Uncork’d Entertainment on February 7th, 2023.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 88%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –94%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 4.5/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating - R

Movie Trailer:

Scream (2022)

Streaming Service: Paramount +
Movie Name/Year: Scream (2022)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 1h 54min
Rating: R
Production/Distribution: B&H Film Distribution, Constantin-Film, Forum Hungary, Lantern Entertainment, NOS Audiovisuais, Odeon, Outerbanks Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Pictures Australia, Paramount Pictures Germany, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Pictures UK, Project X Entertainment, Radio Silence Productions, Spyglass Media Group, United International Pictures (UIP), Universal Pictures International, Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writer: James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick, Kevin Williamson
Actors: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Mikey Madison, Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minnette, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Sonia Ammar, Marley Shelton, Skeet Ulrich
 
Blurb from IMDb: 25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
Scream was much more in the vein of the original film than any of the other sequels were.
 
The sequels always took that meta-ness and tried to turn it into something it wasn’t. As a result, they never quite captured that first feeling. Instead, the majority of them wound up feeling kind of pointless. In Scream, however, we find the tropes being made fun of are more up to date and manage to be a bit subverted.
 
Through use of music and our own expectations, the film really plays with suspense. It never tries to lure us into a false sense of security, though. I’m guessing that’s because the creative team knows better. They know exactly who we’re going to expect and turn that around on us.
 

When I found out the Scream “requel” would be directed by Tyler Gillet (V/H/S, Devil’s Due, Southbound) and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (V/H/S, Devil’s Due, Southbound), I had high hopes. Their work on Ready or Not more than impressed me and I was absolutely ready for their next project. I’m glad to say they lived up to my expectations.
 
I enjoyed Scream in all its corny, remade, sequel-y, goodness. I think it’s going to be a hard movie for any further from the series to follow.
 
Scream 6 comes out in 2023, supposedly. That I’m a little nervous about.
 

Cat’s Point of View:
With this 4th sequel to the original Scream, I was initially leery – for more than just the fact that they recycled the original movie title without the number to indicate it’s the 5th movie. Then, after doing some digging, I learned that the core cast of the original would be involved and the writing and directing were in capable hands, I began to have more hope.
 
The new Scream delivered. The story leaned into all the best aspects that have made this franchise a game-changer for horror. Its self-awareness and self-deprecation in the humor and story were huge selling points. I mean, seriously, this series of films has invented a fictional franchise of Stab movies to echo the happenings. Where else could you find something crazy like that?
 
Another aspect that I really enjoyed in this new installment was the fact that they embraced modern technology. From the alarm system app to clips of YouTube streamers reviewing the Stab movies – Scream was keeping up with the times. Usually, productions conveniently write out the tech in some way. There’s so much more that this Scream incorporates into the landscape of this film, but I don’t want to spoil all the details for you.
 
I think directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, as well as writers James Vanderbilt (White House Down, Independence Day: Resurgence, Murder Mystery) and Guy Busick (Stan Against Evil, Ready or Not, Castle Rock), really did an excellent job here of creating an intelligent movie that was both a love letter to the horror genre and to the franchise’s creator, the late great Wes Craven (1939–2015). In addition to the dedication at the end of Scream, there were also character names and locations that gave callbacks to his work. (There were so many other little horror-trivia-related Easter Eggs everywhere. It was unreal.)
 

If you love this series, the good news is that there is a Scream 6 currently in the works. Unfortunately, I now have mixed feelings about the next movie, considering Neve Campbell (House of Cards, Skyscraper, The Lincoln Lawyer) went on record with Deadline earlier in June to state she turned down the offer to reprise her role again.
 
It was great, however, to see Campbell, Courteney Cox (Cougar Town, Mothers and Daughters, Shining Vale), and David Arquette (Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets, Ghosts of the Ozarks, Quantum Cowboys) sharing the screen again and getting into the mix. There was speculation that the new friend-group cast, coupled with the returning cast, presented a torch-passing moment for the franchise. I think that might plausibly work, even with Campbell’s exit after this 5th installment. I remain hopeful. 
 
On-screen sisters Jenna Ortega (Yes Day, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, American Carnage) and Melissa Barrera (Vida, In the Heights, All the World is Sleeping) gave commanding performances and their friend-group was cast so well that I got an eerie deja vu calling back to the first Scream. (This was likely quite purposeful.)
 
If you love the Scream movies, then definitely watch this new one as soon as you can. This was my second watch-through, having seen it as soon as it hit digital rentals a few months ago. I would gladly watch it again.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 76%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 81%
Metascore – 60%
Metacritic User Score – 7.0
IMDB Score – 6.4/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5
 
Movie Trailer: 

The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

Streaming Service: HBO Max
Movie Name/Year: The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Length: 148 minutes
Rating: R
Production/Distribution: Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, Venus Castina Productions, Cinemundo, HKC Entertainment, Tanweer Alliances, Universal Pictures International (UPI), Warner Bros. Entertainment Australia, Warner Bros. Pictures Germany, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Singapore, HBO Max
Director: Lana Wachowski
Writer: Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell, Aleksandar Hemon, Lilly Wachowski
Actors: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Jada Pinkett Smith, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Cristina Ricci, Lambert Wilson, Andrew Lewis Caldwell, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Joshua Grothe, Brian J. Smith, Eréndira Ibarra, Michael X. Sommers
 
Blurb from IMDb: Return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
I’ve been hearing a lot about The Matrix Resurrections, not all of it good. As usual, I prefer to make up my own mind.
 
One of the criticisms I’ve heard is that it relies quite a bit on nostalgia. I can’t really argue against that. There are a ton of callbacks to the other films – including straight-up clips. I thought the film could have used a little less of that. The parts that were new, however, really took me to places I didn’t expect.
 
It still felt like a part of the Matrix. It had all the mind-fuckery of the trilogy, along with the heavy sci-fi aspects. I don’t think that’s what it was written for, though.
 
I have a feeling this was going to be made with or without the Wachowskis.
 
So much of the film was written as if the original writers were a part of the story. There were whole scenes on how soul-sucking it could be to create a project for a company that’s sole purpose was money and not the creativity of it. I’ve spent some time writing in other people’s voices, you can easily lose yourself.
 

In The Matrix Resurrections I think Lana Wachowski (Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending, Sense8) used what power she had to give a scathing review of the industry, and us.
 
Sometimes we forget that while we’re watching the films and the creators, they’re looking back at audiences. What succeeds, what fails. They need to understand target demographics and how to push the line without going to far.
 
I thought this was a passion project for Lana Wachowski when I saw that writing this helped her find comfort after the passing of her parents. Now, I think maybe she wrote the movie so that others wouldn’t destroy her baby – that she brought back Neo and Trinity as an act of mourning and wrote the script as an act of rebellion. I love me a rebel.
 
She brought the real world into the Matrix. Even that uncanny feeling that we’ve somehow dimension jumped into a crazy existence in the past few years. It felt like what was happening in the movie could explain the world from 2016 until now.
 
There are also some great action sequences to keep general audiences in their seats while the more meta stuff is happening in the background.
 
I enjoyed The Matrix Resurrections. I do think it’s not for everyone, and if you go into it expecting something exactly like the original trinity, you’re going to be disappointed. If that how you feel, I also think the point of this movie was meant for you.
 

Cat’s Point of View:
I was practically chomping at the bit for The Matrix Resurrections to be released on HBO Max. Naturally, my family and I watched it together immediately.
 
If you’re really into these movies, as I am, you are almost required to watch them multiple times just so you can get the most out of the experience. Every watch-through yields new Easter eggs and perspectives on the story.
 
The masterful storytelling and cinematography, with Lana Wachowski at the writing and directing helm, were entertaining enough on the surface level to captivate even the casual movie-goer. For die-hard Matrix franchise fans, there was also a red pill’s worth of content. 
 
We can all agree that Keanu Reeves (Destination Wedding, Replicas, Toy Story 4) is a gift to the world, and it was a treat to have him back in this series. His screen chemistry with Carrie-Anne Moss (Pompeii, Brain on Fire, The Bye Bye Man) as Neo and Trinity hasn’t waned with the passage of time.
 

I was a little hesitant with the new incarnation of Morpheus, however. I didn’t see how there could be a ‘new’ one at all. That being said, the story ironed out those details and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Us, Watchmen, The Trial of the Chicago 7) did a fantastic job of following in the footsteps, and paying respect to the character, while still making this new version his own.
 
There were new characters in The Matrix Resurrections that elevated the story. Jessica Henwick (Underwater, Love and Monsters, Blood of Zeus) was one of my favorites. I have really been enjoying her voice work in Blade Runner: Black Lotus (2021-). Bugs was an amazing character full of a lot of symbolism. Another favorite of mine was Neil Patrick Harris (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Gone Girl, 8-Bit Christmas). I get giddy when I see him involved with projects. I don’t want to spoil his part here, but his performance gave me goosebumps.
 
If you have enjoyed this series over the years, don’t miss The Matrix Resurrections. If you haven’t experienced any of these movies before this might still be an entertaining flick for you, but you’ll really get more of it if you watch them in order. In fact, The Matrix Resurrections uses archival footage from the prior movies as a plot point. If you don’t want to be spoiled on some scenes, and miss all the references, the earlier Matrix movies are easy enough to find.
 
If you’re new to a cyberpunk concept and like the sci-fi genre – hop aboard and enjoy the mind-bending fun.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 63%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 63%
Metascore – 63%
Metacritic User Score – 3.8
IMDB Score – 5.7/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5
 
P.S. There’s a short after-credits scene.
 
Movie Trailer:

Malcolm & Marie (2021)

Streaming Services: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Malcolm & Marie (2021)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Length: 106 minutes
Rating: R
Production/Distribution: Little Lamb, The Reasonable Bunch, Netflix
Director: Sam Levinson
Writer: Sam Levinson
Actors: John David Washington, Zendaya
 
Blurb from IMDb: A director and his girlfriend's relationship is tested after they return home from his movie premiere and await critics' responses.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
I was not surprised by Malcolm and Marie at all.
 
Between Assassination Nation (2018) and Euphoria (2019- ), I have high expectations of Sam Levinson (The Wizard of Lies, Another Happy Day, Operation: Endgame). He’s got an artistic mind and something big to say with everything he does.
 
In this case, there’s a scalding review of critics that I can’t disagree with. I went into it a bit with my Chaos Walking (2021) review. It’s one of the biggest reasons Cat and I don’t like to be called critics. We like to write as if we were friends to our readers and just throwing out suggestions. We’re not here to cater to the minority of film-goers that only care about a flick if it fits their film-school perspectives of cinematic perfection.
 
Sometimes it’s about the meaning of a film, sometimes it’s the immersion. Most of the time, it’s the sheer entertainment value that gets us.

Malcolm and Marie was amazing. I’ll admit, my mind trailed off a few times while watching, but it’s not the film’s fault. I’m having a low focus day and the toned down – more realistic – quality of the film wasn’t the kind of thing that could hold my concentration during an episode. If you’re neurodiverse, like me, you may want to hold off on watching this one until you have a good day.
 

Even with my personal issue, I found myself unable to look away from most scenes. The micro-movements of Zendaya (Euphoria, Spider-Man: Far from Home, The Greatest Showman) and John David Washington’s (BlacKkKlansman, Tenet, Ballers) faces as they argued were outstanding.
 
I’ve been in heated arguments like what was portrayed, and I felt those movements. Some of it was shit you can’t fake; like the barest tremble of a cheek muscle while trying to hold back tears.
 
The actors truly brought the story to another level, which is impressive because the script was one of the best-written pieces I’ve seen in a long time.
 
Every moment of discourse felt so natural that it was almost as if I was watching something I shouldn’t have access to. Like every private moment was being seen through the eyes of someone standing in the room with them.
 
As much as I loved this movie, it’s not going to be for everyone. I’d still recommend it.
 

Cat’s Point of View:
As the credits rolled for Malcolm and Marie, I sat stunned for a moment. It was complicated to unpack everything that just happened.
 
I have to say this is one of those rare times that I know I have watched something really profound, and I’m struggling to put actual words to the experience.
 
Powerful. Raw. Those are the first two descriptors that would come to mind. The word ‘authentic’ gets bandied about within the context of the movie, and it’s only too fitting to describe it as well. It’s almost a meta experience - a movie about a couple having it out in the wake of a movie premiere.
 
The cinematography was absolutely stunning. I loved the fluidity of the location they shot and how it was maximized through the angles of indoor and outdoor scenery. The black and white helped drill down focus to the story unfolding. I found it easier to laser in on the couple – and it spoke volumes in symbolism as well.
 

I felt like I was watching something real, and it occasionally made me uncomfortable as if I was an interloper in the room of something very private happening.
 
The story was so stripped down and visceral with dialogue that felt genuine and flowed almost like a dance of words. There were so many little nuances that offered moments of levity as well as heartbreak.
 
It’s hard as hell for a cast of two to carry an entire, nearly two-hour, movie, but John David Washington and Zendaya made it look effortless.
 
I can’t say that I will ever watch this film again, however. Intense hardcore drama isn’t usually my thing. I am glad that I did experience Malcolm and Marie all the same; and I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 57%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 67%
Metascore – 53/100
Metacritic User Score – 6.1/10
IMDB Score – 6.7/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
 
Movie Trailer: