Ryan’s Movie Review: What You Should and Shouldn’t See
Predator Badlands By Dan Trachtenberg
The 9th film in the Predator franchise is also the first to feature the titular “Predator” as the main character, rather than just the silent antagonist. Dek, a Yautja who must kill the strongest beast on the most dangerous planet in the universe, is forced to work with Thia (Elle Fanning), a robot who works for a corporation studying the planet. The film’s plot is not incredible, but its genericness works. The main reason to see this film is the action as it delivers on that front. Good special effects, fun fights, and a decent story make this film worth seeing in theaters.
Christy By David Michod
A film about the life of Christy Martin, the first female boxer to break into the mainstream—the film follows her career, her abusive relationship with her trainer-turned-husband, and the later attempt by her husband to end Christy’s life (Not a spoiler—it’s in the film’s premise when you google it). The film is solidly okay, mainly having problems with pacing and some of the side characters. However, the boxing scenes are good, and Sydney Sweeney excels in the role. However, her performance is the highlight of the film, everyone else is just okay. The film is probably not worth seeing in theaters, but it should be worth seeing on streaming.
Nurenburg By James Vanderbilt
A film that loosely follows the events of the infamous Nuremburg trials after the Allies defeated the Nazi regime in 1945—it follows Rami Malek as a psychologist who is hired to examine Nazi soldiers before their trial, though it mainly focuses on his relationship with Herman Gorring (Russel Crow), who is the highest ranked Nazi on trial. While Malek and Crowe give good performances, the film does not even try to be accurate at many points. It takes great liberties with reality, and the story at times also just drags, and some of the writing near the end is simply bad. Don’t watch this film in theaters or on streaming.
Die My Love By Lynne Ramsay
A film that examines relationships and post-partum psychosis—Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawerence star as a husband and wife struggling with life. While the performances themselves are good, this movie is weird and pretty stylistic. If you don’t pay attention you will quickly find yourself not understanding what is going on. The film can be uncomfortable at times, and the ending leaves things unclear. It is not a satisfying film to watch, but it also isn’t a depressing one. Only watch it if you like odd films.
