Il Nido (The Nest) (2016)
Trap (2024)
Carjackers (2025)
A Shot In The Dark (1964)
The Bribe (1949)
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
A Brush With Christmas (2022)
Baywatch (2017)
Ad Vitam (2025)
Sentinelle (2021) ///
Trap (2024) Technical polish persuades ongoing interest as
Josh Harnett's charming serial killer discovers pop concert he attends with
daughter is actually elaborate police trap. Yet twisting narrative and
revelations quickly snap logic, dissipating tension to leave dry thrills.
Carjackers (2025) Smart action and attractive cast keep story wheels spinning as ferocious valet driver Zoé Marchal leads friends in audacious thefts on high-end clients from luxury hotel, until brutal Franck Gastambide is hired to track them. Last act tonal shift undermines rather than elevates.
A Shot In The Dark (1964) Soft on murder mystery plot, focus remains on Peter Sellers' incompetent inspector, besotted with knowing maid Elke Sommer as he tries to prove her innocence and infuriates his increasingly unhinged commissioner Herbert Lom. Exaggerated character traits highlight laughs and abundant physical silliness.
The Bribe (1949) Glistening, melodramatic noir sends weary agent Robert Taylor to Central American island to uncover post-war racketeering, tempted by financial corruption while falling for charms of jaded nightclub singer Ava Gardner. Despite sweaty atmosphere and devilish villains Charles Laughton and Vincent Price, story runs out of steam before final shoot out.
Godzilla Minus One (2023) Stylish visuals conjure post war Japan, feeding themes of personal and national trauma, as kamikaze pilot Ryunosuke Kamiki seeks redemption with Tokyo survivor Minami Hamabe and battles nuclear-enabled, city stomping monster. Generally gripping mix of grounded emotions and intense visual effects.
A Brush With Christmas (2022) Brightly lit and anonymously constructed, initial comic sparks fast lost as frustrated Jillian Murphy remains chef in family-owned restaurant rather than fulfill painterly ambitions, until disillusioned architect Joseph Cannata shows up. Character development as flat as storytelling technique.
Baywatch (2017) Game cast left spinning as confusion of knowing tone, crude comedy and flat action struggles to achieve engaging balance. Principled Dwayne Johnson and conceited Zac Efron are among lifeguards uncovering local drug ring, though story remains peripheral to character stupidity.
Ad Vitam (2025) Slick staging and visuals, with involving setup and increasingly implausible final act action as ex-special forces Guillaume Canet desperately seeks to rescue kidnapped, pregnant wife Stéphane Caillard while government conspiracy reverberates from past. In between, lengthy flashback upsets rhythm and diffuses tension.
Sentinelle (2021) Heavy on mood, low on grit, traumatized soldier Olga Kurylenko returns home to find family reunion ripped apart by violent abuse to spirited sister Marilyn Lima and need for revenge. Minimal dialogue and efficient technique feed austere thrills, before flat conclusion.
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