THE PRESENT
On the eve of their parents revealing a planned separation, a brilliant boy and his two older siblings use an enchanted grandfather clock to manipulate time and get them back together. Director Christian Ditter has audiences reconnect with his latest film, THE PRESENT. This lovely film, filled with silliness and life lessons, is a must for the holiday weekend.
It takes only a few minutes to realize that Taylor’s scheme is already underway. The film’s structure rewinds the day, allowing the audience to experience the time from the viewpoint of each family member.
I must mention a couple of stand-out performances from ensemble cast members Arturo Castro, as the marriage counselor, and Ryan Guzman, Jen’s new client and ardent admirer.
Greg Kinnear and Isla Fisher play the kids’ parents. Kinnear plays it close to the chest at first. His upright, arms-length parenting persona cracks as the plot progresses. He’s a solid foil for Isla and has fantastic chemistry with the kids.
Fisher’s Jen is Taylor’s default parent. As a parent of a child on the Autism Spectrum, I immediately identified with the way she speaks to all her children, carefully choosing her words but putting her whole heart into their interactions. Jen is a fierce feminist but constantly faces misogyny from every angle. She is the heart of the film.
Mason Shea Joyce plays Max with a spirited middle-school energy. He, too, seeks attention, but from his siblings. He is a lovely spark in this trio.
Shay Rudolph gives Emma a relatable sadness between high school drama and feeling ignored as a neurotypical eldest daughter. She is a touch rebellious, but only as a mechanism for control, Rudolph is engaging. She has genuine star quality.
Easton Rocket Sweda is Taylor, a brilliant nonverbal boy who is happier tinkering in the basement than interacting with his family. Sweda delivers a grounded performance. His gentleness pours off the screen. He is a pro, anchoring the emotional truth of THE PRESENT.
The score is full of wonder. The lighting and editing are spectacular. Screenwriter Jay Martel utilizes Taylor’s Augmentative and Alternative Communication device, or AAC, to communicate with his family. Martel also involves it as a creative mechanism in the siblings’ plans. Taylor manipulates the computer’s voice option to replicate his parents and celebrities. It’s a hoot.
While the dialogue never explicitly states that he is autistic, parents of neurodivergent children will immediately recognize all of Taylor’s attributes. Sweda delicately presents the discomfort with physical touch, a genius mind, the brief appearance of stimming, and his hyper-focused nature. Visibility is everything. It moves us from awareness to acceptance.
Each new attempt by the kids is funnier and more creative than the last, but there are consequences to messing with destiny. The script delves into the ripple effects of communication on so many levels. It’s a nuanced and accessible narrative. THE PRESENT is a bit of Parent Trap, a touch of Back To The Future, and entirely family-friendly shenanigans.
The Movie Partnership is excited to announce that their new family comedy,
THE PRESENT, will be coming to UK & Irish cinemas on 24th May.
Featuring an exciting cast lead by Isla Fisher & Greg Kinnear, the film follows a young boy who discovers he can use an enchanted grandfather clock to go back in time. He teams up with his siblings on a quest to bring their separated parents back together again. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Christian Ditter (How to Be Single) and written by Emmy winner Jay Martel (Key and Peele), the film also stars Ryan Guzman (9-1-1) & Shay Rudolph (The Baby-Sitters Club).
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is, to no one’s surprise, spectacular. My introduction to his work began with Game of Thrones. Even thirty years ago, he possessed a magnetic presence on screen. 
NIGHTWATCH taps into classic fears and creates authentic dread from beginning to end. A premise stemming from toxic masculinity gets a perfect foil in its horror element. Bornedal’s dialogue is particularly meta, no doubt inducing a smirk from the audience more than once. 
The film is a genre-bender. When you think you know what’s happening, the plot twists again. Bornedal’s sequel, 30 years in the making, has a lot to live up to. The Shudder Original 
The film starts with a bang. Bravo to Casper Kjær Jensen for one hell of a performance. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau returns as Martin. We now know he and Kalinka married and had a daughter named Emma. After Kalinka’s suicide, Martin is distraught. Emma discovers the newspaper clippings about her parents’ traumatic ordeal. Seeking answers, she takes her father’s old job on night watch. 
Kim Bodnia is the same thoughtless jackass settling right back into the role of Jens. The character’s development feels darker and more insensitive than before, but Bodnia’s chemistry with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is still dazzling. 
Ole Bornedal makes the sequel a true family affair. His daughter, Fanny Bornedal, plays Emma. She is a pro. Ole gives her characteristics of Martin and Kalinka. Emma is a bold, bright, and fearless medical forensics student. Fanny commands each frame. She’s a star. 
The fragility of Jeanne’s station and extraordinary influence are beautifully nurtured by Lavernhe’s continuous narration.
Benjamin Lavernhe delivers an unforgettable performance as La Borde. He is Jeanne’s guide to life at court and the only entirely human interaction anyone encounters. Lavernhe is the emotional stronghold of the film. 
Maïwenn gives Jeanne a ceaselessly passionate and curious air. Her gentle elegance and care for her fellow actors beam off the screen. She is nothing less than captivating. Depp and Maïwenn’s chemistry is off the charts. She and Lavernhe take your breath away.
The notion of invisible labor rears its ugly head around 15 minutes in, but it’s what happens 4 minutes later that is so horrific you won’t believe what you’re eyes are telling your brain. THE COFFEE TABLE pulls no punches. Its first brutal images are so disturbing you won’t know what to do next. With Maria dutifully shopping for her idiot husband, the audience can only wait with bated breath for her reaction and what Jesús plans to do next. Admittedly, his behavior will break you.
David Pareja gives Jesús a shockingly calm demeanor when forced to speak with the other cast members. It will, no doubt, upset the viewer tenfold. The lies flow out, and poor Maria continues to berate him without knowing a damn thing. His subsequent management of trauma drives the entire film.
ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH
The script builds a vibrating anticipation. The audience has little information. Filmmaker Paul Duane slowly reveals our protagonists’ what, but the why remains a mystery. Based on dark Irish lore passed down through the maternal lineage and some ancient cursed story, the song drips with agony, even if the audience cannot initially understand a single word. All parties are consumed by its power the moment it is heard.
Only one character appears to coherently recall the film’s secretive canon, but only to a point. Rita’s son reveals the unspoken, generational seriousness of their circumstances. The drastic measures he takes to protect the legend are shocking. He must find Anna and her cohorts.
Quick visual and dialogue genre homages pop up from time to time. Horror fans will find a sly smirk spread across their lips while intently trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Cast members Simone Collins, Charlie Maher, Catherine Wiggins, and Nigel O’Neill are captivating. One performance in particular, while short-lived, is mesmerizing. 
Dupieux is a master of providing comedy within social commentary. As Yannick becomes more agitated, he reveals how out of touch he is with general society while simultaneously hurling offensive barbs at his captives. Equal parts hilarious and terrifying, all I could imagine as an actor and theatre patron was how I might escape such a scenario.
The honest laughs come when Dupieux leans fully into the meta satire in new dialogue written by Yannick. Filled with redundancies and mistakes, the audience in the theatre and at home belly laugh at the actors’ forced commitment.
The first official appearance of our titular character is startling. Anne Müller‘s is dazzling. Her jarring physical performance makes BAGHEAD relentlessly unsettling.
Freya Allan plays Iris with equal parts frailty and fearlessness. You cannot take your eyes off her. Someone, please write a film featuring her as a young version of Juliette Lewis because the resemblance is uncanny. Take my money now.
Summoning Sylvia
Jessie Buckley is flawless as a foul-mouthed immigrant single mother, Rose Gooding. Buckley’s fierce spirit proves perfection for the role. She and Colman share a delicious chemistry, and I beg the industry to pair them together in future projects.
A massive thank you to screenwriter Jonny Sweet and director Thea Sharrock for gifting audiences with a dazzling story about complex, fearless women. The script is a creative commentary on repression, patriarchal rule, female friendship, and freedom of expression. You’ll be doubled over with laughter at the ceaselessly imaginative insults in the letters. The unadulterated glee in hearing these words feels naughty in a rather freeing and celebratory way. WICKED LITTLE LETTERS is the best fucking film of the year.
EXHUMA
An ancient evil affects the firstborn children of a wealthy family with uncontrollable wailing in their dreams. Eager to cash in, a team of macabre experts takes on this new client. As they dig deeper into this unique case, the usually confident group discovers they are in over their heads. In EXHUMA, that’s only the beginning of this horrifying tale.
Performances are magnificent across the board. This spectacular multi-generational ensemble cast delivers engrossing mystery and terror. The script unfolds in chapters, like a how-to guide dealing with the underworld. Descriptions of rituals and occupational titles come in narration from the team. This creative storytelling immerses the audience in what feels like an inevitable tragedy. Complicating things further are the secrets our wealthy family hides. Genre fans will have a field day with horror canon balanced with the slightest touch of humor and serious gore. It is beyond compelling.
Mixing tradition and superstition combined with an ominous score makes the hairs on your arms stick straight up. It’s a multi-sensory watch. EXHUMA deserves your full attention from the very first frame. There is so much meat on the bone. Expanding this world almost certainly feels possible and welcome. At its current runtime of two-plus hours, viewers would eat up more stories from this team. Their chemistry is magic, and a franchise would delight fans. The twists and turns keep coming. EXHUMA is undeniably one of the most intriguing cinematic experiences of the year.
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Annick Blanc gives SXSW 2024 audiences something to chew on with HUNTING DAZE, a genre-defying tale of isolation, pack mentality, and self-preservation. Exotic dancer Nina finds herself stuck and calls upon a former client for roadside assistance. Without transport, he brings her back to an isolated cabin in the wilderness. Upon discovering it is a bachelor party, the eclectic group of men agrees to let her stay the weekend if, and only if, she can abide by an “all for one’ mentality.
The film takes place in a single location where The Interviewer records her podcast. The secluded and expansive modern mid-century estate allows her to wander, but most of the action happens at a desk or in front of the wall of windows that contain her discoveries. Our journalist creates an episode of her first phone calls. Editing the calls at her will, the audience questions her culpability. This small moment puts your morality compasses in a tailspin. It is a slick move from writer Lucy Campbell. Podcasts are my nightly ritual, cleaning motivation, and my travel companion. Since SERIAL, the industry has exploded. In MONOLITH, the story goes viral. People begin contacting her directly with their stories, always warning her to stop.
At some point, the danger reaches the front door of our journalist’s secluded location when she receives a package related to the mysterious story. The darkness attached to the object feels slightly Faustian and not of this planet. No one remembers how they received their object, but each reaches a point in questioning where they feel compelled to hang up out of fear.
Is this a case of mass hysteria? In many ways, the plot mirrors today’s conspiracy groups like QAnon. Our leading lady goes down the rabbit hole, and the audience follows. MONOLITH boasts a jaw-dropping final ten minutes. This is one hell of a sci-fi thriller. It is a must-see.
Cleverly choreographed camera work by Aurel Ganz makes us think the film is one long take. Just as impressive is the actual shot list. 28, to be exact. It is one hell of a visual feat. The flip side of these takes is the narrative feels draggy even at 110 minutes. The sci-fi element does not seem necessary to the plot. Ultimately, it goes nowhere. 
Performance is solid from our four main leads, each one bombarded by misogyny, judgment, and outright hateful behavior. LAST PARTY might be more successful as a series. There is much needed in character development, although the breadcrumbs are there. It feels more like a treatment for a larger project than a stand-alone piece.
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