Kenneth Branagh returns as Agatha Christie’s star sleuth Hercule Poriot in a remake of “Death on the Nile.” Meanwhile, Steven Soderbergh pulls off a “Rear Window 3.0” with “KIMI,” while Liam Neeson returns to take on more baddies in “Blacklight.”
There’s all that and a binge-worthy animated Amazon Prime series along with a provocative drama that’s essential viewing during Black History Month. Here’s our roundup.
“KIMI”: Steven Soderbergh essentially takes Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” into the Apple Store for a tune-up, setting that voyeuristic thriller in the tech age. While the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s latest isn’t his finest, it serves up a comforting dish for genre fans. Zoe Kravitz stars as agoraphobic tech worker Angela, a shut-in whose job is to correct errors in order to create a better user experience connected to a voice-activated AI system dubbed KIMI. While surveying glitches in the system she faintly hears an ominous, alarming conversation. Now stuck in her loft apartment, Angela needs to venture outside to shake down the truth and collar the bad guys. The simple setup allows Soderbergh to cram into “KIMI” references to countless other genre classics, including “Blow Out” and “Blow-Up.” The result is a satisfying thriller that serves as a missive on the benefits and the pitfalls of our device-dominated world. Details: 3 stars out of 4; available Feb. 10 on HBO Max.
“Blacklight”: In its first 10 minutes, this latest derivative action pic starring Liam Neeson promises to find the veteran actor kicking butt on Proud Boys types. We’re more than up for that. Then it all but loses its nerve, just after the ready-to-retire operative Travis Block (Neeson) storms a trailer park infested with fascists to retrieve another operative, a good action scene that doesn’t really have much to do with anything else. Screenwriters Nick May and Mark Williams set the table for a meaty, of-the-moment meal as a progressive politician dies in a hit-and-run, but then “Blacklight” degrades into just another poorly plotted and frankly obvious political thriller as a D.C. journalist (Emmy Raver-Lampman) snoops around to extract explosive intel from a rogue operative (Taylor John Smith). To its credit, “Blacklight” is watchable, and unintentionally laughable, but it could have been a lot better. Details: 2 stars; in theaters Feb. 11.
“Catch the Fair One”: Far more unnerving and much better executed than Neeson’s mealy-mouthed entry is this fierce but bleak indie from writer/director Josef Kubota Wladyka. Native American boxing sensation Kali Reis has justly been earning raves for her intense performance (she nabbed a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination) as an angry boxer out to find the thugs who kidnapped her sister. “Fire” gets its hooks into you and won’t let you go. Details: 3 stars; available Feb. 11 on various streaming platforms.
“The Sleeping Negro”: The spirit of the great James Baldwin inhabits Skinner Myers’ thought-provoking experimental feature, a low-budget, high-impact drama that expounds on potent themes about racism and what it means to be a Black man in today’s world. Myers stars as a nameless Black man in Los Angeles who’s navigating a slumbering life with a white girlfriend and a job and a boss that enslaves him. Myers’ film doesn’t shy away from addressing challenging subject matter, chipping away at the ridiculous claim that “race” doesn’t matter in contemporary America. It’s powerful, important and ideal viewing for Black History Month. Details: 3½ stars; screening Feb. 11 at the Roxie in San Francisco and also available via Roxie’s streaming platform.
“The Legend of Vox Machina”: The reality that Amazon Prime’s compulsively watchable adult animated fantasy series is based on the role-playing game “Critical Role” might turn off those who say there are way too many bad game-to-film adaptations. Give this one a chance. The nugget-sized episodes (each runs about 20-30 minutes) are fun and feisty, rocketing the story and the character development along rather than have them fester in stretched-out episodes. A rogue’s gallery of rude, often drunken anti-heroes transform into de-facto protectors of the magical world of Exandria where dragons and other diabolical creatures/humans conspire to take over. The screenplay is stuffed with laugh-out-loud moments and the animation is often quite stunning. If you dug HBO Max’s “Peacemaker,” add this to your must-watch list. Details: 3½ stars, available now on Amazon Prime.
“Shut In”: This debut original feature from popular conservative website The Daily Wire is a lean, efficient and often vicious horror/revenge flick that’ll suck you in no matter your political stripe. Director D.J. Caruso methodically applies a stranglehold on audiences in this tidy tale about a recovering addict and mom (Rainey Qualley) prepping her recently deceased mom’s isolated home for sale as she sorts through heart-tugging belongings and mementos. Just as she gets ready to leave with her two kids, who should drop by to terrorize them but her addict husband (Jake Horowitz) and his twitchy buddy (Vincent Gallo) who is a also child molester. “Shut In” doesn’t redefine the genre by any means but it’s a polished exercise in confined terror with a very nasty bite to it. The screenplay from Melanie Toast is quite good. Details; 2½ stars; available for free Feb. 10 on YouTube and then available on The Daily Wire website.
“Slapface”: Horror streamer Shudder nabbed this Cinequest world premiere standout, a disturbing psychological portrait of two brothers living out in the remote woods after their mom dies. There are a lot of unresolved issues that older brother Tom (a terrific Mike Manning) and little bro Lucas (August Maturo, also good) need to work on. The very isolated and bullied Lucas gravitates to an abandoned building where he befriends an evil spirit who gets her protective talons into him. Director/writer Jeremiah Kipp’s feature hums with a Shirley Jackson vibe as monsters in the mind and from the past clash. Details: 2½ stars; now available on Shudder.
“The Whaler Boy”: From its titillating but appropriate opening to its unexpected ending, Philipp Yuryev’s feature debut weaves a convincing and original spell. Set in a Russian whaling village, “Whaler Boy” is a tonally perfect rite of passage comedy/drama with hormonal teen Leshak (Vladimir Onokhov) discovering the internet and becoming obsessed with an alluring, often semi-clad performer in a viral chat line. Yuryev’s film feels so lived-in at times you’d swear you’re watching a documentary. An exceptional lead performance and a tender but realistic worldview make it an undiscovered gem. Details: 3 stars; available on various streaming platforms.
“Potato Dreams of America”: Russian-born filmmaker Wes Hurley gives a colorful, theatrical interpretation of his own immigrant story in this kooky delight. It finds a young “Potaro” coming to America with his mom, and once there discovering that he’s gay. It’s entertaining, and even sexy at times in ways that are distinctive and inventive. Details: 3 stars; playing 6:15 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Roxie in S.F.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
