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:

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:

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 23^rd.

 

 

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:

Hit Man (2024)

 

 

Streaming Service: Netflix

Movie Name/Year: Hit Man (2024)

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Romance

Length: 1h 55min

Rating: R

Director: Richard Linklater

Writers: Richard Linklater, Glen Powell, Skip Hollandsworth

Actors: Adria Arjona, Glen Powell, Retta, Austin Amelio, Molly Bernard, Mike Markoff, Bath Bartley

 

IMDb Blurb: A professor moonlighting as a hit man of sorts for his city police department, descends into dangerous, dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to a woman who enlists his services.

 

 

Selina’s Point of View:

When putting together for the Top 20 movies to watch in June of 2024, Hit Man was an easy pick to put in the top 10. It’s simply not smart to ignore any film directed by Richard Linklater (A Scanner Darkly, Boyhood, Bernie). The man is brilliant. He never misses as a director, sometimes as a producer, but never when he’s actively at the helm.

 

Still, I thought Hit Man would be cute at best. Somewhat funny, maybe a little relatable – the characters, if not the story/plot.

 

What I got blew my expectations out of the water.

 

 

Hit Man WAS very cute, and the main character was just as charming and relatable as he could be. Then there was this twist at the end that caught me completely off-guard. I felt so sure that I knew what was going to happen. I paused it within 15 minutes of the end, got a drink, had a conversation with my partner, and then came back to it like I wasn’t about to be rocked by this adorable little rom-com.

 

I watch a lot of movies. It’s very rare that one of them surprises me. The quality might throw me – I’ve seen small films with tiny budget blow mainstream flicks out of the water just as often as I’ve seen big-budget disasters, after all – but the actual content of a film doesn’t often shock me. Each genre has a stack of recipes that they pick from and it’s rare that any of them take that sharp left into something unseen.

 

Linklater took one of those rom-com recipes and turned it right on its head. Flawlessly, I might add.

 

I’m absolutely going to have to watch this film a few more times. Not just for myself, but because I’m going to have to show it to my best friend, my partner, their friends…

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

Hit Man was my #1 pick for June 2024. My daughter and I watched it the day that it hit Netflix, and I was quite excited about it coming up for review. I could happily watch Hit Man over and over and likely find new nuances to appreciate..

 

There's really quite a lot to enjoy within this production. There's character development, comedy, betrayal, action, romance, a fun story, a twist, and an interesting setting. I could go on. 

 

Speaking of setting, I am always excited to watch a movie filmed in my home state of Louisiana. While the real-life person that this narrative was based on lived in Houston, TX and assisted that police department with their stings; the film location was switched to New Orleans for fiscal reasons. I think that it added an interesting twist to the story, myself. I am, admittedly, a bit biased on that front, however.

 

The cast for Hit Man was spot-on. Austin Amelio (Everybody Wants Some!!, The Walking Dead, Mercy Black) has a real knack for portraying characters you love to hate and he does a great job as an officer of questionable ethics here. Adria Arjona (True Detective, Triple Frontier, Andor) is more than just easy on the eyes. She did a fantastic job of portraying a character that was both strong and vulnerable, with a generous dash of calculating vixen thrown in for good measure. My favorite, however, was Glen Powell (The Expendables 3, Scream Queens, Top Gun: Maverick).

 

 

Hit Man was a massively effective vehicle for Powell to show off his range. In this one role he got to explore so many different characters. Some felt more caricature than anything, but that was by design. It's explained in the movie, so I don't want to spoil that here. Some of the little character vignettes we got to enjoy in Hit Man were clearly in homage to other cinematic hatchet men that have come before. I had a good giggle recognizing them.

 

Powell's collaboration with co-writer and director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, Last Flag Flying) really paid off and yielded a really entertaining movie that will remain memorable for years to come. Based on interviews I've seen and articles touching on this creative team-up, they had quite the good time working on this together, and I think that translates into the quality of the end-product we enjoy on screen. I hope they're able to work on something together in the future, as well.

 

If you haven't seen Hit Man yet and enjoy the action rom-com genre, I would absolutely recommend a streaming session to partake of this production as soon as you can.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 95%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 91%

Metascore – 82%

Metacritic User Score – 6.7/10

IMDB Score – 6.9/10

 

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5

 

Movie Trailer:

Last Survivors (2021)

Streaming Service: Hulu
Movie Name/Year: Last Survivors (2021)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Length: 1h 38min
Rating: Unrated
Director: Drew Mylrea
Writer: Josh Janowicz
Actors: Drew Van Acker, Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Moyer, Mark Famiglietti, Benjamin Arthur
 
Blurb from IMDb: A father and son, who have been living off grid for 20 years, encounter an outsider who threatens to destroy the utopia they've built.
 

Cat’s Point of View:
Last Survivors was on our radar back when it released in February of 2022. It made the Top 20 list for both Selina and I – if in slightly different placements within the 11-20 range. Off the top of my head, I recall that I was intrigued by the trailer although it clearly gave away spoilers regarding “the big secret” within the story. I was interested in seeing how it was all going to play out.
 
Of course, it also helped that I'd generally give anything involving Alicia Silverstone (The Baby-Sitters Club, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Reptile) and Stephen Moyer (The Gifted, After Everything, Sexy Beast) a chance.
 
There's a fine line to tread when discussing Last Survivors. It's hard to discuss in full my impression of the movie without spoiling more than the trailer already did. While I gather myself from having so many trailer-related pet-peeves stomped on, I would offer that I do have some positive things to say about the film. I think the cinematography did a great job in capturing the remote nature of the 'world' of this father and son. I felt the cold of their environment and the stark nature of their off grid living that was the stuff of preppers' dreams.
 

Everything leading up to where things got twisty had me on the edge of my seat a bit – right up until the most pivotal moment. I did feel the dread and suspense regarding the stakes involved with the evolving situation. I wanted so badly to be able to ignore the plot holes and continue to suspend my disbelief. The latter half of Last Survivors simply didn't offer enough answers to the “why” questions that were plaguing my thoughts as I watched.
 
I enjoyed the performances by Moyer, Silverstone, and Drew Van Acker (Pretty Little Liars, Life Like, Titans). Any issues I had with their characters came from the story itself, rather than their delivery of it.
 
While Last Survivors isn't a movie that I think I'd seek to watch again, if a friend or family member wanted me to watch it with them, I wouldn't protest. Maybe a second watch-through could reveal clues I missed that could have answered some of my questions. It's a shot in the dark, if I'm honest. The point is, I wouldn't be mad about a second watch-through.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 75%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 48%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 4.9/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5
 
Movie Trailer:

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

 

 

Streaming Service: Netflix 

Movie Name/Year: Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller

Length:  1h 34min

Rating: R

Director: Halina Reijn

Writers: Sarah DeLappe, Kristen Roupenian

Actors: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la, Rachel Sennott, Chase Sui Wonders, Pete Davidson, Lee Pace, Conner O'Malley

 

IMDb Blurb: When a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game turns deadly in this fresh and funny look at backstabbing, fake friends, and one party gone very, very wrong.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

Bodies Bodies Bodies had an intriguing trailer. I was pulled in right away and it promised to give a decidedly Gen-Zish spin on horror-comedy. Selina was also thinking along the same lines, as she said the following within her #8 listing of Bodies Bodies Bodies on August 2022's Top 20 article:

“The whole flick feels very elder-gen-Z, and I do not hate that idea. The trailer looks funny, of our time, and brutal. It’s exactly what I would want from a horror-comedy.”

As an aside, it was my own #13 pick, and I couldn't wait to watch.

We were both also interested in this movie based on casting, as well. While Selina is more of a Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island, Good Mourning, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) fan than I am, I was intrigued as to how Lee Pace's (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Guardians of the Galaxy, Halt and Catch Fire) character fit in with this younger crowd. 

 

Amandla Stenberg (The Darkest Minds, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse) and Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, The Bubble, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3) were also relatively known variables going into this film and didn't disappoint. Even though I wasn't as familiar with Myha'la (Industry, Black Mirror, Leave the World Behind), Rachel Sennott (Call Your Mother, Bottoms, I Used to be Funny), and Chase Sui Wonders (Wake, Out of the Blue, City on Fire) at the time, it didn't matter for this production. They caught my attention with Bodies Bodies Bodies as they inhabited these roles of privileged youth within this story so well. Saying that out loud doesn't exactly seem to translate as a compliment, given the personalities of some of these characters on-screen, but it is what it is – and, indeed, meant as a compliment. I digress...

If you were to ask me what Bodies Bodies Bodies was really about, I'd have to say it was something along the lines of a live-action version of “Among Us,” which is a who-done-it murder mystery multi-player video game that Selina and I very much enjoy. Of course, this game was played out with drugged up and intoxicated college-age young adults rather than a space crew fending off alien impostors through social deduction.

 

This all takes place during a hurricane party. For those that haven't heard of those before... it's a real thing that typically takes place in Florida or along the Gulf Coast when the incoming tropical weather isn't expected to be too strong – on the scale of massive tropical storms, that is. Category 1 you say? Batten down the hatches to minimize property damage but then pull out the booze. At least, that's generally how it goes. My immediate area within Louisiana is generally too land-locked to get storms of that intensity, and if we do it's generally after it's already decimated a huge swath of one or more states on the way to us, and we're busy with sand bags and hiding from twisters. Needless to say, I haven't personally partaken in such shenanigans, but I know some friends who have.

Storms have a way of amping up anxiety in already tense situations. When you add recreational drug use and alcohol to that mix and then layer on a game where everyone becomes the murder suspect – and wait, there's more – and THEN there's real death involved on top of that? It's a dangerous cocktail with side effects of paranoia, hasty decisions, and poor reasoning. What could go wrong, right?

I recently watched an interview with the director, Holland native Halina Reijn (Instinct, Red Light, For the Birds), and a good number of the cast where they revealed that while shooting this movie that takes place during a powerful storm, they had to take shelter in the basement due to a storm warning. I believe that it enhanced how the cast were able to respond to and vibe with that aspect of the setting very well.

 

 

Bodies Bodies Bodies had tension, comedy, and carnage that had me on the edge of my seat, even though most of the characters weren't very likable. There was so much face-palming on my part, too.

The ending left me speechless for a few moments. Everything I thought I'd figured out went completely out the window. This wasn't my first watch-through of Bodies Bodies Bodies, either. This second time around I watched with my daughter, who is only a few years off of the character's ages. It was fun to see her reaction to the twist, since I knew what was coming this time.

All told, Bodies Bodies Bodies was a solid comedy-horror offering that had many layers to it deeper than the surface mayhem surrounding young adults behaving badly while not mature enough to be left unsupervised. I wouldn't mind watching it again, if the mood struck and am not shy about giving it a recommendation.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 85%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 69%

Metascore – 69%

Metacritic User Score – 5.7/10

IMDB Score – 6.2/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5

Movie Trailer: