RanonT-2

"Honey Don't!" is the second movie from Ethan Coen and his wife, Tricia Cooke, in their lesbian trilogy. The previous movie was "Drive-Away Dolls," which I didn't enjoy that much. With that movie and the early reviews for this one not being positive, I didn't have high expectations, but something about this movie seemed more intriguing to me. Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Evans star in this film. This film follows Honey, a private investigator, who believes a recent death is tied to a mysterious church.

After watching "The Substance," Margaret Qualley has been a name that I look out for. I think she has proven that she can lead a movie after her performance in this. She does her best to make this movie interesting. Some may not like the accent, but it certainly was way better than hers in "Drive-Away Dolls." I thought Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans gave good supporting performances as well. They gave what was required of their characters, and I don't think they are the reason for the lack of quality in this movie. Where this story was leading seemed interesting as well. Everything with the church and French seemed to be a great direction even though it took a little while to get there.

Despite having a clear direction to go with the story, they completely ignore it. They give a plot twist that felt unearned, and frankly, it was the least interesting direction they could have chosen. The plot twist really made me dislike this movie. The writing overall in this movie was weak. They had a lot of elements in the story that didn't come together by the end. The dialogue was also bland and generic. The visuals didn't make up for the lack of excitement from the writing. There were no unique visual aspects, and the setting was a boring town.

By the end of the movie, I am really wishing for the Coens to work together again. I am done with the lesbian trilogy with Ethan and his wife, and we haven't even gotten the third movie yet. If they had chosen any other way to end the movie, I think I would have given this a slightly more positive review, but it felt like a waste of the journey.

A few years ago, Marvel had a secret screening at Fantastic Fest. This showing was of "Werewolf by Night," a special presentation around 50 minutes long. This was the first time Marvel leaned into horror, a werewolf fighting monster hunters. Gael García Bernal, Laura Donnelly, and Harriet Sansom Harris star in this special presentation. Specifically, it is about a group of hunters grouped together for a special hunt for the control of The Bloodstone.

"Werewolf by Night" is one of the most unique things Marvel has made. This movie is almost all black and white, which I love. Some of my favorite scenes in movies are the ones where they make it black and white. The movie also leaned into the horror elements by making this one of the goriest productions. With the black and white, they could add some more. The atmosphere was also creepy with the use of shadows. It looked like a classic Universal horror movie. I actually thought the werewolf design was also good, but it was CGI, apparently.

My biggest problem, which is a compliment as well, is that I wanted more. The story was very concise, but it felt like there was plenty of room to expand the story. This easily could have been a full-length movie. I hope we get to see these characters again, but I highly doubt we will. It was such an interesting project, but Marvel doesn't capitalize on the hits, like "Shang-Chi." Besides that, there weren't any glaring issues. I would like for them to go practical, but this was definitely low-budget. It would have fit the throwback vibe.

If they made "Werewolf by Night" longer, I would totally enjoy it. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of horror movies. There is no prior knowledge needed because it is its own project.

"Black Swan" is one of my favorite movies ever, but I have never explored Darren Aronofsky's filmography. "Caught Stealing" was an experimental film for the director because it is much more mainstream. Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz, and Regina King star in this late 1990s New York crime thriller. Hank Thompson, an ex-baseball prospect, finds himself in the middle of a dangerous plot after agreeing to watch his neighbor's cat.

Austin Butler is an actor who continues to impress me. I haven't seen him in "Elvis," but he always has a great screen presence, like in "Dune 2." Butler gives humanity to his character, helping to make him feel relatable. The other characters are well-acted as well, such as Vincent D'Onofrio. I didn't even realize he was playing his character. I think that Zoë Kravitz had the best chemistry with Austin Butler's character, Hank. I think the writing in this movie was great. It is based on a book, and it was very unpredictable. It got super dark quickly, but it also had room for funny moments. I also loved the grungy production design of New York City, and the team used needle drops very effectively throughout the movie.

This is a movie that may continue to grow on me, especially if I watch it again. I didn't have many problems with the movie. I found it to be super entertaining, but some characters were overly eccentric. These were mainly some of the henchmen, but it worked for the story. Just sometimes, these characters would be annoying. Also, one of the shocks certainly surprised me. I thought this character was more important due to the way the movie is promoted. However, I totally understand why. These are just some nitpicky things that I noticed.

"Caught Stealing" was a great genre film that I did not expect from Darren Aronofsky. It was a wild ride that came to a very satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend seeing this movie if you love Austin Butler or crime thrillers.