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On this page: ALL KINDS OF LOVE | BEAUTY GRACE MALICE | HELLBOY: THE CROOKED MAN

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 2.Oct.24

All Kinds of Love
Review by Rich Cline | 3/5

dir-scr David Lewis
prd Frazer Bradshaw, David Lewis, Matthew Montgomery
with Matthew Montgomery, Cody Duke, Steve Callahan, Nick Salamone, Molly O'Leary, Mark Nordike, Marval A Rex, Spike Mayer, Michael Dumas, Jerry McDaniel, Alison Kenyon, Jori Phillips
release US 4.Oct.24
22/US 1h17

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Sunny and easy-going, this relaxed romantic comedy feels somewhat simplistic as it sets up a warm story that is headed in a rather obvious direction. Writer-director David Lewis spices things up with some sexy shenanigans, even if the movie has an oddly moralistic attitude. Still, it's enjoyable enough while it lasts. So if the plot feels contrived and a bit corny, it's also involving enough to pull us in.

After nearly a decade of marriage, Max (Montgomery) is struggling to accept divorce from his non-monogamous husband Josh (Callahan). And he's startled to find himself sharing a house with Conrad (Duke), a much younger tech nerd with old-world values. Since they have similar ideas about love, they soon fall into a relationship. But Conrad is worried that Max is still too connected to his ex to move forward, and he definitely has a point. Indeed, Max is the one who isn't ready for commitment, which makes it tricky for them to develop something meaningful.

While Max and Conrad both consider themselves "romantically challenged", everyone else in the film is happy to indulge in various kinds of sex. Max's parents (Salamone and O'Leary) are living in a throuple with Drew (Nordike), while Josh is regularly seeing a kinky cop (Mayer), and Max's best friend (Rex) enjoys anonymous hookups. Along the way, a couple of plot twists add extra wrinkles and connections, even if they feel somewhat gimmicky.

The actors are superbly understated, which helps ground even the more simplistic story elements in a sense of reality. So the humour emerges as earthy and cute, rather than laugh-out-loud funny. As always, Montgomery is likeable as Max, a guy who is unable to simply take people as they come, so misses out on love when it's right in front of him. He has strong chemistry with Duke's smart, self-aware Conrad, and there's also a lingering connection between him and Callahan's edgier Josh.

While Lewis' script seems to be embracing (ahem!) all kinds of love, there's a clear sense that one kind is more genuine than the others, which are played more for comedy value. And combined with the too-carefully cropped frames and blurred bits, a sense of shame creeps into the story. But everything is in service to the romcom structure, which progresses exactly as expected to a sweet conclusion.

themes, language, sexuality 29.Sep.24

Beauty Grace Malice
Review by Rich Cline | 3/5

dir Terry Spears
scr Marlon Ladd, Terry Spears
prd Terry Spears, Kris Young
with Taja Brittaney, Marlon Ladd, Ragena Renfurm, Darielle Williams, Albi Neziri, DJ Tipton, Maverick Edwards, Miranda Frederick, Jesse Ryan, Michael Gum, Ramsey Thoms, Gregory Davis
release US/UK 4.Oct.24
24/US 1h21

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Clearly made on a very small budget with little experience, this scrappy thriller spins an intriguing, compelling tale. Filmmaker Terry Spears also mimics mainstream fare with some success, following a young woman battling against injustice largely on her own before she finds some unexpected help. Even if the story never develops much complexity, and several scenes begin to feel rather corny, the movie's gentle pace draws us in.

When single mom Grace (Brittaney) is framed for a robbery, her biggest worry is for young son Logan (Edwards), because her ex-husband Hunter (Tipton) now wants full custody. Finding a lawyer is difficult on a waitress salary, so her best friend Maya (Renfurm) suggests prostitution, which doesn't go so well. Then hunky diner customer Elijah (Ladd) turns out to be a private eye, and teaches her the ropes. Grace struggles to accept that her old boyfriend Jaco (Neziri) set her up, and then she discovers that her friend Tishara (Williams) is involved as well.

While the production values are very simple, there's an engaging edge to the characters that pulls us into the story. Director-cowriter Spears (who also shot the movie and composed the score) uses Los Angeles area settings nicely, avoiding the usual glossy cliches. While the situations feel somewhat contrived, there's a nice sense of grounding in the way Elijah continually cuts through the nonsense.

Refreshingly understated, Brittaney and Ladd have low-key charm as lonely people who aren't ready for a relationship but find themselves growing closer as they spend time together. Their dialog has a nice push and pull to it, as their mutual attraction is underscored by a sense of gravity about the situation they are investigating. Grace's impulsiveness and Elijah's pragmatism meet with a superbly bullish kick.

These are people who look like they have their lives together, but as Grace says, "maybe you're not looking hard enough". Indeed, for Grace the $5,000 she needs to hire a lawyer to regain custody of Logan is far beyond her reach. Intriguingly, Elijah helps her begin to think laterally about all of this. So while the violence that erupts feels clumsily scripted and staged, it offers a wry wink at what it means to do the right thing in a situation that is all kinds of wrong.

themes, language, violence 1.Oct.24

Hellboy: The Crooked Man
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir Brian Taylor
scr Christopher Golden, Mike Mignola, Brian Taylor
prd Mike Richardson, Jeffrey Greenstein, Yariv Lerner, Jonathan Yunger, Les Weldon, Robert Van Norden
with Jack Kesy, Jefferson White, Adeline Rudolph, Leah McNamara, Hannah Margetson, Joseph Marcell, Martin Bassindale, Suzanne Bertish, Bogdan Haralambov, Carola Colombo, Siyana Nacheva, Michael Fleming
release UK 27.Oct.24
24/US Dark Horse 1h39

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Continuing the adventures of the surly demonic antihero, this is the first movie in the series cowritten by the comic's creator Mike Mignola, so it has a sparkier tone and refreshingly resists making concessions to Hollywood. Director-cowriter Brian Taylor has a terrific eye for creepy imagery, using practical effects that are far more unsettling than digital ones could ever be. It's also remarkably playful as it cleverly unnerves us.

Stranded in rural America, Hellboy (Kesy) and Special Agent Bobbie Jo (Rudolph) discover that something supernatural is afoot. Bobbie Jo quickly becomes fascinated by rumours about local witchcraft, so they travel further into the mountains with returning local Tom (White). The witch Cora (Margetson) is his old friend, and they also meet his more outrageous witchy acquaintance Effie (McNamara). Tom feels that the devil, in the form of the Crooked Man (Bassindale), is calling in a debt. And in order to survive the ensuing stand-off, each of them will need to confront their personal history.

While the visuals are gleefully nasty, the arch sound mix and murky lighting do much of the heavy lifting. Superb freak-out moments punctuate the film, from a gigantic spider in the opening scene to Cora's seriously outrageous introduction, and she quickly warns Bobbie Jo to be careful with her research into dark magic. Along the way, they also team up with the blind Rev Watts (Marcell), who certainly won't go down without a fight. And everyone makes pithy comments on the craziness of this situation.

Each of these people bristles with attitude. Kesy has terrific presence as the sarcastic Hellboy, who is reluctant to investigate this place because his mother was a witch. Like the others, he's forced to face his origin story. Rudolph offers us a strong point of entry as the curious mortal Bobbie Jo, who wants to know more about all of this, then struggles to put everything into context. And even Bassindale's twitchy devil is fond of a snappy one-liner.

There's nothing remotely subtle going on here, as Taylor plays everything at a fever pitch. But his big swings often connect with real force, creating a genuinely queasy vibe that's continually punctuated by Hellboy's dryly matter-of-fact reactions. All of this boils down to a series of battles between good and evil, leading to an epic confrontation that's scarily bonkers. There's not much depth to it, but it's a lot of fun.

themes, language, violence 27.Sep.24

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