Alright, time for another edition of Looking Back at the Films of 2024. Let's get to it.
Why Didn't I See The Bikeriders?
Now I did want to see The Bikeriders. Cause as much as I love my superheroes, explosive action flicks, and sci-fi epics, I do prefer to step away from that stuff and enjoy something at a much more smaller scale. And The Bikeriders seem like the perfect choice to enjoy something smaller. But I decided to skip out because not only was I working on other reviews, but I was also tried from helping family members with their stuff. So I decided to skip the movie and save it for later.
What is The Bikeriders?
The Bikeriders is a crime drama with it's plot inspired by the Danny Lyon's photo book of the same name with production being handled by Regency Enterprises, New Regency, and Tri-State Pictures and distribution done by Focus Features. Jeff Nichols both wrote and directed.
The story is, in the late 60's to early 70's a biker gang and their colors were everything. They started off as a simple gang, but as their members grew they transformed into something else, something darker. Because of this transformation and questionable loyalty, one of their members named Benny must chose between the club and the woman he loves.
My Thoughts
The Good: First off, the movie provides a great insight into not just the Vandals, but motorcycle clubs as a whole. The movie doesn't glamorize them and their lifestyle. It shows how it starts as a social club into a criminal organization. Now while the movie shows this isn't a lifestyle you should set out for, it does have an appropriate vibe to it. What I mean is the film captures the rebellious spirit of the 60's and then heading into the 70's. Where the filmmakers also managed to capture that decades more intense vibe what with the looming shadow of the Vietnam War. But my biggest praise goes to the performances. Jodie Comer brings emotional depth into the role with capturing Kathy's much more innocent spirit. Oh and her Midwestern accent is spot on. Then we have Austin Butler as Benny. While his role is quieter, he does bring some intensity to the role. But I think the more quieter side is fzr more interesting because I think it draws you in more because you do kinda want to know more about his character. Lastly there's Tom Hardy as Johnny. What I love about Hardy's performance was while his character has menace to him, Hardy also brought out Johnny's more vulnerable side as he realizes his club is growing darker and his control over it is slowly fading away.
The Bad: I've got nothing.
The Okay: Now overall the story is pretty good. We get to quite a bit of the Vandals were just a couple of guys hanging and riding motorcycles to slowly becoming a criminal group. But we don't get to see too much of the gangs' inner workings. That's because they narrative is told through Kathy (Benny's wife) and her interview with Danny Lyon. So because of this narrative structure our view is gonna be limited.
Final Verdict: Good.
Why Didn't I See Longlegs?
Honestly, I didn't know this movie was a thing. I don't recall ever seeing a TV spot on my TV or an ad on YouTube. I didn't know about it until I saw people I follow on X post about, but by that time it was too late for me to give a review. So much like The Bikeriders I decided to save it for this section.
What is Longlegs?
Longlegs is a horror thriller that was produced by Traffic., Range Media Partners, Oddfellows Productions, and Saturn Films with Neon being the distributor. Osgood Perkins wrote and directed.
The story is, it's the 90's and someone is murdering families throughout Oregon. FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to the case, but the more she investigates she not only realizes the killings might be linked to the occult, but she also shares a personal connection to these killings as well. With these shocking turn of events in mind, she's even more determined to stop the killer before he strikes again.
My Thoughts
The Good: The first aspect I want to touch upon is the cinematography. Andrés Arochi did a spectacular job. His coloring is brilliant. His use of white is blinding and gives a sense of isolation instead of purity like it's typically used. But I think it's his use of red that's the biggest standout. He is using as a sense of danger but he uses effectively. Red is greatly used for danger, unease, and links perfectly with the movie's satanic themes. Then there's the performances, mainly from Maika Monroe as Lee Harker and Nicolas Cage as Longlegs. Now yes, Cage can be over the top sometimes in the role. But he provides a great shift from creepy whispers to more maniac outbursts is actually really chilling. His biggest standout moment is during an interrogation scene where his behavior is truly unsettling. Then we have Maika. Now she's able to say so much with very little dialogue. She's primarily using facial and body language to tell us what inner turmoil she's going through. From beginning to end Monroe perfectly captures how Detective Harker is on edge, as this case is making her unravel from both a professional and personal perspective. The last thing I'll praise is tone. I do admit there was some overhype but, I don't think that undermines that the movie can get you to feel uneven. The opening alone makes you tense up because you can feel that there's something not right. Osgood crafted a good movie that relies way more on psychological tension instead of the pitfalls of jump scares that a lot of modern day horror flicks go for.
The Bad: I've got nothing.
The Okay: It's the pacing. Longlegs is only an hour and forty-one minutes, but it felt longer than that. That's because of the slow burn approach. Which isn't particularly a bad thing cause the mystery is intriguing so a slow build up should be put in, a matter of fact there's a lot of great crime films that have a slow burn approach. However there were moments that I felt were good and others just a bit too long, a feeling I especially felt during the middle act.
Final Verdict: Good.
So that's all for now. Come back on Saturday, Jul 19th, for my review of I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025). Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
No comments:
Post a Comment