zkonedog

A film like Eden had a tremendous amount going for it in terms of marketing/interest: a legendary director, a stacked cast, and an interesting real-life "in". Somewhat amazingly, all of those things are utterly squandered in this boring slog.

For a very basic overview, Eden tells the story of how Dr. Ritter (Jude Law) and partner Dore (Vanessa Kirby) became frustrated with post-WWI society and decide to start their own society in the Galápagos Islands. All seems to be going fairly well...until Heinz (Daniel Bruhl) & Margret (Sydney Sweeney) show up, followed closely by an entitled Baroness (Ana de Armas). With "too many cooks in the kitchen", principles begin to break down and chaos infiltrates the commune.

Perhaps the most shocking thing about Eden is that director Ron Howard couldn't make a more exciting film out of the overall concept. We're talking the director of such classics as Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, & Cinderella Man (to name but a few), and instead he turns this interesting real-life story into a boring morass. The crazy thing is that in reality it seems legitimately fascinating and relevant. But not through this lens.

Cast-wise, one here sees Sweeney against type, de Armas exactly on-type, and Law/Kirby (the ostensible leads) all about equally wasted. No interesting dynamics, no sex appeal (somewhat implicit in the cast/marketing), and no real direction or momentum.

It really hit me how bad this film is when the closing credits show the actual footage of the island goings-on. I'd be interested in, say, reading a book about the events. This version certainly didn't move me towards anything but boredom.

All in all, a colossal failure that doesn't pay off a single one of its potentialities. At just over two hours long, it still manages to feel interminable and many watch-checks were clocked during its runtime.

I had always considered John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween to be the birth of the horror slasher genre. Well, it was the birth of the successful horror slasher. In 1974, it was actually Black Christmas that broke the mold (despite not being a huge financial success). I can't call it a great film, but it has its moments and is an interesting "case study" if nothing else.

For a very basic overview, Black Christmas tells the story of a sorority house stalked by a murderous prank-caller. As the young women being falling prey to the psychopath, it becomes a race to determine just who and where this guy is before he strikes again (and again).

It is admittedly tough to objectively evaluate Black Christmas because the horror tropes it dabbles in are now commonplace and have been done better in other flicks. But I give it at least a good share of credit for sort of inventing the slasher (young women pursued by a psychopath) genre. I honestly had not realized how many ideas (point-of-view shots, killer's on-camera breathing, spooky/obscene phone calls) were cribbed from this film and placed into Halloween.

There are also a number of fun things for film buffs to latch onto here:

-A pre-Lois Lane Margot Kidder performance.

-Olivia Hussey as the original "final girl" just a few years after her iconic turn in Romeo & Juliet.

-Direction from Bob Clark, who would go on to helm the decidedly more family-friendly A Christmas Story nearly a decade later.

Like I said, a film like Halloween took this overall concept and elevated it into an art form rather than a curiosity. But Black Christmas deserves praise for showing the concept could work with solid acting, interesting visuals, and creepy atmosphere.

I came into writer/director David Freyne's Eternity with no expectations other than it seeming like an interesting premise and the star casting of Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, & Callum Turner (amongst others). I left the theater thinking the film is likely the best I've seen in 2025 so far!

For a very basic overview, Eternity tells the story of Joan (Olsen), who is thrust into an impossible situation: while in a sort of "limbo" waiting to decide on her afterlife eternity, she must choose between longtime husband Larry (Teller) or her first love Luke (Turner) who was killed in military combat. With whom will she choose to ride off into eternity with?!

The hallmark of Eternity is how it can so seemingly effortlessly be a hilarious comedy and a very poignant, emotional drama.

It starts with all the cast possessing instinctual and impeccable comedic timing. This goes for the aforementioned three leads, and also for supporting players Da'Vine Joy Randolph & John Early. One could place this flick in the "comedy" section/genre and it wouldn't be at all out of place.

At the same time, the script from Freyne and Patrick Cunnane really digs deep to the heart of relationships and how different each emotional bond can be. Viewers will sympathize with Joan's impossible conundrum and begin applying it internally. The film also goes down some ambitious roads that normally wouldn't be ventured in a rom-com, lending further emotional depth.

What does this all add up to? An incredible mix of humor and heart that caught me completely off guard in how entertained and moved I was all the way through. Though there are certainly some movies left on the '25 slate that could eclipse Eternity on my personal rankings, it for now resides at the very top! Perhaps best of all: it can appeal to audiences from teens all the way up to the oldest of cinema-goers.