The Reelist

Tag: PFF34

  • “Primate” review

    “Primate” review

    I managed to attend a screening of director Johannes Roberts’ new horror film, Primate, at the Philadelphia Film Festival on Saturday, October 25th. The synopsis sounded interesting and I thought there could potentially be something here, not to mention it’s a good time of the year to watch a horror flick. Unfortunately, Primate squanders its potential with a tonally inconsistent script, despite solid visual effects and a suspenseful atmosphere. 

    Primate centers around a girl named Lucy who is traveling back home for vacation with a few friends, just as her father is leaving for a business trip. It is revealed early on that the family has a pet chimpanzee named Ben, who, unbeknownst to them, becomes infected with rabies around the time Lucy arrives back home. The infection turns Ben into a crazy, murderous beast as he hunts down the group one by one. 

    Johnny Sequoyah as Lucy

    There are some things that this film does well. The opening scene is effective and chilling enough to set the tone for the events that follow. The film also has a condensed atmosphere that adds to the tension. The smaller scale helps keep the audience on edge because the threat of Ben is lurking at every corner. The visual effects and CGI are well-done, especially when it comes to the gore that is quite plentiful throughout. 

    My main issue with the film is that it is tonally inconsistent. It tries to blend some comedic elements into the horror, so what ends up happening is that the film is neither truly scary nor funny. The filmmaker’s main focus seems to be horror, but the horror is never fully achieved due to this weird mix. Sure, there are some moments, but the moments don’t add up to a complete experience. This movie, like many others in the horror genre, also suffers from some really dumb writing, as in the characters making several dumb decisions. It would be easy to overlook it if there were one or maybe two instances, but there are several throughout. Many other horror films have this problem, but that doesn’t excuse this one. 

    This is a frustrating film in some ways. It’s not that it’s not interesting or entertaining. At a brisk 89 minutes, it’s paced pretty well and never feels dull or uninteresting. It’s mainly that it’s not quite sure what it wants to be and never fully leans in one direction. It turns out that Primate doesn’t have much bite after all. 

    Rating: 2.5/5

  • “Christy” review

    “Christy” review

    Going into the screening of this film at the 34th annual Philadelphia Film Festival, I didn’t know much about Christy Martin or her story. I didn’t really watch any of the trailers either. I did know that Sydney Sweeney was starring and that the film had gained some traction at various film festivals, so that piqued my interest. While it is another one of those safe, cliched biopics, Christy does a good enough job of honoring Martin’s career and story, with a standout performance from Sweeney. 

    Sydney Sweeney as Christy Martin

    This is a sports biopic, so naturally it follows the template of many of the other biopics that have come before it. We are introduced to a young Christy in 1989, who has a passion for boxing but is unsure if she wants to pursue it as a full-time career. Her parents are skeptical as well, not only about boxing but about who she is as a person. Christy is in a relationship with a girl named Rosie, and her parents (her mom especially), do not approve. Eventually, she gets a break when boxing promoter Larry Carrier offers her her first professional fight. It’s around this time when she meets her trainer Jim Martin, who she eventually marries. Her career takes off from there, though it’s not without struggles, both on and off the ring. 

    To be completely honest, this movie wouldn’t have worked nearly as well without a strong cast, especially Sydney Sweeney in the title role. She gives a career-best performance here, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her in the Oscar race coming up in a few months. This role demanded an intense, committed performance, and that’s exactly what we got. Ben Foster as Jim Martin also deserves recognition, as his presence on screen is intense and unsettling, particularly towards the end of the film. 

    Ben Foster as Jim Martin

    Many of the truly good biopics are the ones that resonate emotionally and sometimes even personally. This is one of those that works on both levels. It’s emotionally resonant in a sense that Christy had to overcome a lot to get to where she ended up being. It’s a classic underdog story that everyone knows and loves but holds some more weight due to her experiences that many can relate to. This includes things such as sexuality and domestic violence, which are slowly unveiled over the course of the film. The film’s pacing does get bogged down a bit when it strays away from the ring though, but it luckily stays on track just enough to not feel like a slog. 

    Ultimately, the most important thing that Christy accomplishes is that it feels like it’s a solid tribute to Christy Martin. Not only does it tell the story of her career, but it also shows what was going on outside of her career and how those experiences shaped her, which is arguably just as important. While many might consider it to be on the safe side, even I would describe it as “solid yet unspectacular”, there is a limit on how much one can do with a sports biopic. Christy is yet another good addition to a large catalogue of them at this point. 

    Rating: 3.5/5

  • “What the Hell Happened” review

    “What the Hell Happened” review

    This past Saturday, October 18th, I was planning on attending the screening of Case 137 at the 34th annual Philadelphia Film Festival. Something came up at the last minute and I couldn’t go, so I quickly decided to attend the screening of What the Hell Happened later that night instead. Nothing against Case 137, but boy am I glad it worked out that way. What the Hell Happened is a wonderful tribute to friendship, love, resilience, and the rollercoaster known as life. 

    What the Hell Happened, directed by couple Matt Wilkins and Eliza Fox, follows a group of five friends: Tim, Doug, Anthony, Daniel, and co-director Eliza. Wilkins also serves as an unofficial sixth character, as his narration and occasional appearances help guide the material. The 98 minute documentary begins in the year 1992 in Iowa City and follows their lives over the course of three decades. In a sense it takes the audience on a journey through time, as we see advances in technology such as better cameras, which results in better video quality. It’s an interesting concept that hasn’t been done many times, at least not on this scale. In the beginning, we’re quickly introduced to these five completely different young adults. Tim, 22, has a B.A. in math but is living in a trailer and working at McDonalds. Doug, 21, has a B.S. in chemistry but ideally wants to be a comedian. Anthony, 23, works as a dishwasher but has bigger goals on his mind. Daniel, 17, who also happens to be Wilkins’ cousin, is the youngest of the group and is an unemployed high school dropout. And of course there’s Eliza, who’s a 22 year old mom that’s unsure about her place in the world. 

    What really struck me about this documentary is how raw, vulnerable, and relatable it is. A big part of that is how smartly structured it is. The film is separated into five acts, with the first act titled “Angst” and taking place in 1992. It concludes with act five, titled “Bruises”, which basically takes place in the present day and shows where the five friends are currently and how their life choices have affected them today. I was surprised by how moved I was by many of their journeys. In particular I was moved by Doug who, without going into too much detail, faces a serious health issue after years of smoking. We all, in some form or another, can relate to a situation like this, and it makes us care just as much as the filmmakers do. It’s the beauty of the power that film can have. 

    A reoccurring motif I noticed in the film was that of a river. Throughout the film, the river is constantly changing at the start of each act. I believe it serves as a reminder that no matter how good or bad things are, life goes on and things change, and it’s up to us to keep up or get left behind. While life may be rough right now, there is always hope on the horizon because nothing stays the same forever. 

    If there’s one criticism I have of this film is that I wish more was explored of their lives between the 90s and present day. More footage of what was going on in their lives in the 2000s and 2010s would’ve painted a more complete picture, but perhaps this was by design. I read somewhere that the first cut was six hours long, and it took multiple attempts to trim it down to 98 minutes. There’s a limit on how much one can include in a documentary, and what we got was one of the most heartfelt and enjoyable viewing experiences I’ve had this year. 

    Rating: 4/5