GODZILLA_Alpha_Predator

After his breakout hit Thoroughbreds, Corey Finley return to directing in this drama based on the 2002 Rosyln School embezzlement scandal. Superintendent Dr. Frank Tassone and assistant superintendent Pam Gluckin are striving on getting the Rosylyn school district from #4 to #1 in the states. They look out for the student's future and education despite they are steal money from their own school. But when a student begins questioning Frank and Pam about the school's lack of repairs despite, they are still investing into an expensive skywalk project, dark secrets are exposed that challenge the faith and good in the education system.

Finley's direction and Mike Makowsky's screenplay (who actually went to Rosyln during the film's actual events) set the stage of this real-life drama as a tragedy that is slowing building to its inevitable fallout. While most of the dialogue coming from Frank and Pam comes off as sounding sincere but is really built on lies, the film uses the lack of dialogue in scenes and the facial expressions of the characters to tell you what is honestly going on. It is the flaws and damages we as audience are seeing and what the characters are not saying nor admitting that the film uses to explore the themes of sincerity, deceit and corruption. The classical operatic score by Michael Abel, the composer of Us and Get Out, helps to reinforce the feel of the film's tragedy.

Hugh Jackman gives maybe one of his best performances as superintendent Dr. Frank Tassone. Jackman's charisma and charm shows Frank as a beloved and inspiring figure that the staff, and parents admire and respect. At first glance you see Frank is sympathetic and does truly care about the future of the Rosyln School District and its students. But within that perfect smile you can see the cracks in Frank's persona. Frank's obsession with his image and having material possession, like the comment about him always being sharply dressed in suits on any occasion, allows Jackman to take this character to a very fascinating direction. When situations come to Frank about confronting his accountability or questioning his care in the school, he sheds that lovable image to manipulate others into feeling guilty rather than taking on the guilt himself. Frank is driven by what he thinks is best for the school but refuses to admit he is part of the problem.

Alison Janney also turns in an amazing performance as Frank's closet friend and assistant Pam Gluckin. Her chemistry with Jackman makes you believe that these two have been friends for a long time. You buy they are always looking out for each other's backs since they are both stealing money from the school district. A scene with them eating lunch and Pam letting Frank take a bite from her sandwich establishes how close they are as friends. When Pam makes a mistake that gets her caught in using the school's finances for personal gain, it leads to a heartbreaking betrayal that Janney turns her character into a tragic figure who deals with the consequences of her actions.

Geraldine Viswanthan also stands out as the high school journalist Rachel trying to expose the corruption within the school's system. We see that Rachel is the only one who seems to recognize that things within the school are not as perfect as they seem. Troubles within her personal life helps to add some emotional conflict in her choice to the publish the paper that will expose Frank's crimes.

The ending of Bad Education will leave you in question if the people responsible for taking care of the student's education have their best interest's or not. The characters who lie and manipulate for their own gain trick themselves into believing their crimes are for greater good. It is a well-told beautiful tragedy that is so far my favourite film of the year which it luckily premiered on HBO instead of waiting to get a theatrical release during Covid-19.

Leigh Whannell, known for creating a small but yet effective sci-fi film Upgrade, takes the left-over of a failed cinematic universe and turns it into one of the most intense psychological thrillers I have seen in years.

After escaping from her abusive husband Adrian, Cecilia struggles to adjust having her freedom knowing that one day he will find her. And while his apparent suicide may seem good news for her, Cecilia realises soon after strange things start happening her still-living ex has invented an invisibility suit to do one thing: torment her life even more than before.

While it is technically another remake of a 1930's horror icon, Leigh Whannell's reboot has more in common in with this generation's social horror thrillers like Black Mirror and Jordan Peele's Us and Get Out. Whannell uses the story of a woman being stalked and gaslighted by her invisible ex-spouse to explore the real-life horror stories that were revealed during #MeToo from victimized and abused woman. While we don't actually see what her toxic relationship with Adrian was like before she left, the story makes sure that we as the audience never question what Cecilla actually believes but to morally question everyone else choosing not to believe her even if the idea of an invisible man sounds crazy. By limiting the actual screen time of the Invisible Man's visible form of Adrian played creepily by Haunting of Hill House's Oliver Jackson Harper, Whannell makes sure that we focus on how damaged and hurt his victim is rather than relate to the title character himself. The story establishes very early on that Adrian's invisibility is not what makes him a monster but his cruel mind games on Cecilia that he feels is justified in his own sick way.

Whannell knows in order to make a movie about an unseen assailant scary is to not rely on visuals. Long, drawn-out scenes with no score but with incredible sound design sets in the dreadful atmosphere. Stefan Duscio's cinematography weaponizes wide shots of empty corners, hallways and rooms to show how isolated and vulnerable Cecilia is while making you as audience feel paranoid if Adrian is listening and watching. And once the Invisible man does strike, Whannel crafts his attack sequence in very raw and physically brutal ways to reflect the horror of abusive relationships. Even when we visibly see Adrian wearing the suit that makes him becomes the titled villain, the tech-based design gives off a surprising creepy Lovecraftian feel. Once the score made by Blade Runner 2049's Benjamin Wallfisch does kick in, the mixture of classic orchestral music to loud jarring electronic beats makes the scenes feel even more intense and dreadful then they already are.

But what sells the cruelty and terror of the Invisible Man is Elizabeth Moss's amazing performance. The small moments of her joy and happiness she has with her friends and family show what Cecilia's life could be like if she didn't have Adrian controlling it. But once Adrian goes full invisible, Moss makes you feel what is it like to be a victim who feels trapped and hopeless. From her just starring at what appears to be nothing or talking to empty space, we buy that her character is both terrified yet also frustrated with being used or ignored by others. Moss's grounded acting helps keep the movie's premise from going too far into a campy slasher film.

The collaboration of Elizabbeth Moss as a performer and Leigh Whannell in the director chair make this modern-day reincarnation of The Invisible Man a true horror masterpiece.

After I saw Suicide Squad, I so let down by how bland, tamed and poorly made it was for a movie made of up crazy and heightened characters. Birds of Prey luckily is not that. It is by far a huge improvement with how Harley Quinn and the supporting characters function into the story and tone.

After finally breaking free from Jared Leto's Joker (and thankfully he is barely in it), Harley discovers the cost of being free from a toxic relationship with the most feared criminal is now she is no longer protected from every other criminal that wants revenge.

Margot Robbie gets to finally make Harley Quinn feel fully realized in her hyper and abstract performance. While Suicide Squid's used flashbacks to show her obssession with the Joker, BOP instead uses her breakup with the clown to explore her sense of indepence in a world that wants her dead, in jail or to be used. The story greatly shows how Quinn's skills of being a former psychologist can be what makes her alienate and infuriating the people around her. Most of Robbie's BOP co-stars get moments to shine thanks to Christina Hodson's screenplay taking the time to explore how each of them deal with living in the toxic, crime-filled world of Gotham. Jurnee Smollet-Bell gives a moral dimension to Black Canary as the daughter of a former superhero trying to lay low. Her character is the closest to being a complete hero but because of a simple nice act to help Harley, she ends up unintentionally as one of Roman Sionus's hired goons. Rosie Perez shines as the veteran cop Renee Montoya whose mission to serve the law feels unsatisfying with her sexist male co-workers looking down on her and putting a strain on the relationship with her district attorney girlfriend. Breakout star Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain serves the emotional center piece very well to help Harley Quinn feel she can be looked up to for once. While I was really wanting more of her on screen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Huntress becomes a scene-stealer with what little she gets from the way she brutally takes out criminals with her crossbow to awkward moments of her trying to be social. Ewan McGregor fully embraces how cruel yet also very pathetic his villain Roman Sionus/Black Mask can be. His character's attempt to prove that he is the coolest and most dangerous criminal in Gotham comes off as hilarious a lot of times. Yet there were moments when McGregor takes his performance to terrifying levels when Roman asserts his own power on others that he feels don't respect him in very disturbing ways.

Despite Birds of Prey being her second feature film, director Cathy Yan shoots the film with superb confidence and expertise delivering a hyper and frenetic energy that makes all the scenes feel very lively and colorful along with help from cinematographer Mathew Libatique staging the shots to feel very vibrant with specific color choices. And when paired with John Wick director Chad Stahelski as the second-unit to push the quality of the fight choreography to superb, Yan makes the action of Birds of Prey feel very heightened and dirty but still look visually-stunning to watch.

Unfortunately the plot is a little convoluted for a very simple story about Harley Quinn. The movie takes a lot of inspiration from the non-chronological narrative of Pulp Fiction and the fourth-wall breaking of Deadpool. While it does work with showing how unreliable Harley is as a narrator, it felt like it breaks the movie's face-paced, energetic flow. While the plot macguffin wasn't a doomsday device like in other comic book movies it still felt really ridiculous with how created large stakes for Gotham. It felt like it acted as a means to get the characters together to form the Birds of Prey yet it also makes their team-up feel like an afterthought. The reshoots on this movie did feel a bit noticeable with unusual scene transitions and certain character motivations. While these were problems I noticed, they were still nowhere near as bad as those issues in Suicide Squad. And BOP achieves what that previous DC anti-hero movie failed at is by embracing the full craziness of Harley Quinn and pairing her with a group of interesting and complex characters.