Society of the Snow: Movie Review

If there was a director who gets lowkey attention but can make big action and emotional scenes work, it's J. A. Bayona. One look at his filmography shows that he loves large-scale stories: A Monster Calls, The Impossible, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. His latest is about the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight disaster, titled Society of the Snow. It's Spain's entry for Best International Feature Film at this year's Oscars.

Society of the Snow is the unbelievable true story of the Uruguayan rugby team called the Old Christians. After departing from Uruguay, the plane carrying 40 passengers and five crew members crashed in the snowy Andes mountains. The Chilean Air Search and Rescue Service (SARS) launched a rescue mission afterwards. But they stopped after 8 days, believing that everyone on board was dead.

By some miracle, half of the passengers actually survived the crash. As they wait for rescue, their numbers dwindle down from 45 to 33 to 16. They managed to survive the unforgivable cold, hunger, and avalanches for 72 days by being resourceful and doing most of the things we would consider taboo: cannibalism.

Bayona's skill at telling big stories is clear from the very beginning until the very end. He first made sure that we understood the vastness of the Andes by showing its big mountains covered in snow. The sight let us know that what they've gone through was nothing short of a miracle. A little while later, there's a great plane crash sequence. The sounds stand out here, as he combines the unsettling sounds of metal and wind with great effect. The movie then focuses on the survivors, showing all the terrible things that can happen to them while they're stranded in the middle of nowhere. He ended it all with a heartfelt goodbye and reunion, which is something he seems to have mastered since his debut film, The Orphanage.

A young man named Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic Roldán) takes us through all these ups and downs in the mountains. The decision to focus on him and his role in the whole crash is both a mystery. His name isn't as well-known as that of Nando (Agustín Pardella) and Roberto (Matías Recalt). Nando Parrado lost two-thirds of his family members in the crash. Meanwhile, Roberto Canessa is the interim doctor for the survivors. They're the two people tasked with hiking the western rim to Chile. It makes a lot more sense to center the story on them.

Even so, many things about Society of the Snow are great, from the make-up to the script. But a big disaster movie like this can always feel so small on film. There's no justification for the scale of this tragedy. The longevity of their stay feels all too short, and the decision to eat their dead friend and family isn't as convincing. Despite all that, I guess the level of realism put into it makes the whole thing so interesting and good.

4/5

Next Goal Wins: Movie Review

Taika Waititi must’ve found something humorous about the determination of the Football Federation of American Samoa. Even when they disgustingly lost 31-0 to Australia and never scored a goal in the next 10 years, they still played the game.

It’s not a secret that a lot of people think the American Samoa national football team stinks. Even their own players think they stink. Well, it is all because no one really ever taught them the game of football properly. So maybe, with a new coach, they’ll get to play the game the right way and hopefully end their scoring drought.

It is bad enough that they cannot win even if their lives depend on it, but somehow it got a lot worse when the alcoholic Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) got assigned to be their head coach. He coached national teams before but got such a bad reputation in games for his anger issues that the U.S. Soccer Federation President, Alex Magnussen (Will Arnett), and his ex-wife, Gail (Elisabeth Moss), had to expel him to American Samoa.

But Thomas is so wrapped up in his own mad world that he fails to connect with his new team. He disrespected their traditions. He disrespected their laws. He disrespected their team captain, Jaiyah Saelua (Kaimana). Despite the best efforts of the manager of the American Samoa team, Tavita Taumua (Oscar Kightley), they can’t seem to get along with him.

But over the next few weeks, Thomas could no longer ignore the perseverance of such a losing squad to play the game. They’re not competitive. They’re not fit. Yet, they show up for practice and work multiple jobs to keep the team alive.

Thomas eventually feels that the team needs him, and they’re not really asking him that much. All they want is for him to help them score a goal. Not to win. But to score a single goal.

The Killer: Movie Review

The Killer (Michael Fassbender) is the definition of a cold-blooded killer. His secret to his effectiveness and forbearance in the trade of contract killing is to have a set of credos: Stick to your plan. Anticipate; don't improvise. Trust no one. Never yield an advantage. Fight only the battle you're paid to fight. Forbid empathy.

On top of these rules, contract killing requires the utmost patience. The wait for the perfect timing to strike is long and physically taxing. Hence, one must always practice keeping himself calm. The Killer does yoga; he keeps a heart rate monitor watch and an iPod full of The Smiths songs to make sure that he’s focused on the tasks at hand.

But despite his meticulous mental and physical preparation, The Killer failed a mission given to him by his handler, Hodge (Charles Parnell). His client is obviously unhappy about it. So Hodge instructed a group of assassins (Tilda Swinton and Sala Baker) to dispatch The Killer and his girlfriend (Sophie Charlotte) to tie up loose ends.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Movie Review

Emma Tammi's long-awaited movie based on a popular video game series is a plot-heavy snoozefest about facing your biggest regret and becoming an adult.

Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) was a security guard in a quiet shopping center.

‘Was’ because he was fired shortly after for assaulting a man in front of his child after he mistook him for a kidnapper. A normal person would choose to confront rather than attack a person suspected of being an abductor or a criminal for many reasons. But Mike is livid.

A long time ago, someone kidnapped Mike's younger brother during a family picnic. He's been obsessed with this memory ever since. He’s so obsessed that he can lucidly dream about it and investigate it and talk to the five children who saw it.

Unemployment and past trauma are not his only problems; Mike also has to deal with his sleazy aunt (Mary Stuart Masterson). She has been hounding him for years to relinquish guardianship of his younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio). Mike knows that she only wants Abby’s monthly support money, and she's just waiting for him to mess up so she can have her. So he tries his best not to mess up.

With his stacking insubordination cases, he’s left with virtually no other choice but to accept a job as a night-shift security guard for a dilapidated and abandoned pizzeria from career counselor Steve Raglan (Matthew Lillard). The pay isn't great, and the hours are worse, but all he has to do is keep trespassers away.

Unbeknownst to Mike, though, the place is not entirely abandoned. The dingy animatronics of the restaurant spring to life at night, and despite their cute and friendly appearance, they are extremely hostile to humans.

Flora and Son: Movie Review

John Carney’s musical drama is about expectations, failures, and finding true connection through the power of music.

The first time we see Flora (Eve Hewson), she’s uncaringly dancing the night away in a nightclub. The scene ends with Flora sleeping with a stranger. Despite her disappointment of ending the night with meaningless sex, she casually tells the guy that she has a son. He then leaves without saying another word.

Flora might be brash, but she’s never ashamed to say that she’s a mother. At the young age of 17, Flora is already a mother to Max (Orén Kinlan). Like her one-night stand, her husband, Ian (Jack Reynor), left her too. They’re still co-parenting, but he stays with her most of the time. 

Flora is now 31 years old, and those 14 years of raising her son, mostly alone, really pushed her to be better. It's not easy raising a kid like Max. For one, he’s got a boatload of criminal cases. The police eventually let him go, but it is clear that his desire to become a rapper leads to numerous run-ins with the law.

One day, Flora saved a broken guitar from a dump truck. She asked for it to be fixed so she could give it to Max. However, Max stoutly declined it. So Flora decided to learn it instead. She then meets Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a guitar tutor who will change the way she views her life.

Fair Play: Movie Review

Chloe Domont's erotic-thriller slash romantic-drama film is about the connection between female empowerment and male fragility.

Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are deeply in love with each other. However, they need to hide the fact that they're getting married soon. They both work for a hedge fund company that prohibits having romantic relationships with coworkers. Since Luke is also in the running for a big promotion and Emily doesn't want to lose her job, they’ve lied to people to keep their engagement a secret.

One night, Emily meets with Campbell (Eddie Marsan), the hedge fund company’s CEO. It turns out that she’s getting the promotion, not Luke. Emily is both elated and shocked by this turn of events.  Luke, on the other hand, is confused and dismayed. So Emily made a promise that she would help him rise in position as well. But something about their relationship changed that night, and it will never be the same again.

In My Mother's Skin: Movie Review

Kenneth Dagatan’s folk horror movie shows the violence and oppression caused by war through the eyes of an innocent child.

It’s the end of World War II. Aldo (Arnold Reyes) and his family live in peace in a country mansion, away from all the fighting. Until one day, a man named Antonio (Ronnie Lazaro) shows up with a group of Japanese soldiers. There are rumors that the family is hiding Japanese gold, and they’re willing to do everything to get it. Aldo believes that things will turn for the worse for his family if they don't get Antonio's gold, so he leaves his family behind to ask the Americans for help.

As soon as Aldo leaves, things do get worse, but not because of Antonio. Ligaya (Beauty Gonzales), the family matriarch, suddenly got sick with an unknown illness, prompting Tala (Felicity Kyle Napuli) and Bayani (James Mavie Estrella), the couple's children, to look for help. But what they found instead were dead bodies and a kind-looking, Cicada-like fairy (Jasmine Curtis-Smith) that can apparently grant wishes.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: Movie Review

Wes Anderson's second feature in 2023 is about a gambler finding a greater purpose in life after developing the ability to not see with his eyes.

While the extremely wealthy and compulsive gambler Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) waits for his friend Sir William W., he ambles aimlessly around his room looking for a book he can read. He then discovered a small exercise book by Dr. Chatterjee (Dev Patel) on the life of Imhrat Khan (Ben Kingsley), a performer who can see without his eyes.

Henry Sugar thinks that Khan’s ability will help him win games in casinos. So he goes through the same training described in the book to also gain the same power. After three years and three months of concentrated work, Henry Sugar can now read the back of a card in five seconds.

He quickly amassed a huge amount of wealth from gambling because of it. But despite his great success, Henry Sugar was puzzled by the little satisfaction he felt. There was no thrill, no suspense, and no danger of losing anymore. Could it be that his newfound ability somewhat altered him inside?

No One Will Save You: Movie Review

Brian Duffield’s minimalistic, elevated horror feature is about finding self-forgiveness amidst an intense fight for survival.

Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) lives in a big house just outside their small village. All alone, with nothing really to do besides sew and build a miniature model of their town, she spends her time at the grave of her mother. She tries to drive around town and greet the townsfolk with a smile and a wave, but for some reason they avoid making any interactions with her.

One night, she wakes up to the sound of something breaking into her home. Curious about the clattering and the chirping, Brynn tries to take a good look at her intruder. She then discovered something shocking: her housebreaker isn’t human at all. It’s an alien.

Rye Lane: Movie Review

Romantic relationships are tricky. You have needs, but you also have to consider the needs of your partner. You have to strike and maintain a perfect balance in the relationship to keep the fire alive. But bumps are often inevitable. Yes, communicating with your loved ones is the answer to all problems, but some people would rather jump ship than drown.

Take it from Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah).

Dom’s long-time girlfriend (Karene Peter) cheated on him with his best friend, Eric (Benjamin Sarpong-Broni). Oh, it hurts to get replaced by your pal, but the really painful part about all this mess is that Eric has no job and is a little slow. Whereas Dom is nice and considerate and a successful accountant.

Yas is also fresh from a breakup. But unlike Dom, she dumped her boyfriend (Malcolm Atobrah) for simply refusing to wave at people on boats. She believes that her man hates joy. He also treats her like she’s insignificant. He has a new girlfriend now.

The two meet inside an all-inclusive restroom. Yas heard Dom’s helpless whimpers as he watched her ex’s videos. She is naturally curious about him, so she strikes up a conversation outside. As they uncover each other’s sob stories, they discover that there are things they can learn from each other and that there’s more to life than their ungrateful exes.