Now You See Me: Now You Don't, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Staring illusion in the face
Film: Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025)
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, Rosamund Pike Director: Ruben Fleischer
Rating: * *
Runtime: 112 min.

The “Now You See Me” trilogy, is basically about magicians pulling a con on powerful bad guys and redistributing that wealth among the public - in a sort of modern Robin Hood activism. In this third entry the Four Horsemen return along with a new generation of illusionists to perform mind-boggling magic while being involved in a plot to steal the world’s biggest diamond.

The new director Ruben Fleischer and writers Michael Lesslie, Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese, Seth Grahame-Smith mix the old with the new ( fresh additions to the team and some new tricks) to keep the interest in the series going. The magic tricks don’t exactly impress but the plot twists and turns are enough to keep you moderately interested.

Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), the forceful erstwhile leader of the group continues to be at loggerheads with his team. The team consisting of mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), card shark Dave Wilder (Dave Franco), escapologist and Danny’s ex girlfriend Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), resist his authority and there’s a lot of bickering, and insulting going on. The opening sequence has Charlie ( Justice Smith), June (Ariana Greenblatt), and Bosco Leroy ( Dominic Sessa) out a crypto scamster and redistributes his wealth. Danny, impressed by the trio, recruits them to join the Horsemen in Antwerp to assist them in their mission. The diamond they plan to steal belongs to a South African, International crime syndicate boss Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike). Morgan Freeman has a brief role as Thaddeus Bradley, the retired ex-magician and former Grandmaster of The Eye, a secret society for magicians.

Danny’s plot to steal the diamond during a rare public appearance in Antwerp feels half baked at best. There’s no great flair in the trickery here and the stakes are rather mediocre. The narrative is crowded with unexplained backstories and generic hostility. Convenience and contrivance motivate the flashy tricks department here.

The “Now You See Me” movies are not told as a convincing story. The flashback reveals don’t offer much in the way of explanations. They only manage to repeat the illusion. They are cursory and convoluted in the way they are structured. There’s a lot of flash and dash but nothing solid to take home as a memory.

Ruben Fleischer who took over the directorial baton from Louis Leterrier and Jon M. Chu, manages to make this a comedy thriller with exotic locales, convoluted plots, fancy heists and vivid villains. Abu Dhabi and Antwerp are the places where the choicest stunts are staged. All the cast members are fairly competent. But it’s Rosamund Pike as the villain in chief, even with a bad South African accent, who manages to make a meal of her villainous role. She is the most vivid and engaging in a film that fails to corner glory even with its plethora of magic tricks.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Frankenstein(2025) Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
An artistic rendition of a monstrous experiment
Film: Frankenstein
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi. Christopher Waltz
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Rating: * * * *
Runtime: 149 m

Netflix

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel titled ‘Frankenstein’ is named after the scientist Victor Frankenstein and not the Monster he made in the lab… but when we hear the word Frankenstein the first thing that comes to mind is the monster. This film gives Victor and his monster similar weight-age. Shelley’s 200-year-old source material, has been grist for creative liberties since long and Guillermo del Toro is no different. But his version comes very close to what Shelley envisioned while writing the book.

Del Toro’s vision is ambitious, uncompromising and makes the macabre look artistic. This long-gestating romanticization of darkness is driven by passion and forged with perseverance. The auteur’s imagery of gothic horror is impressive. Frankenstein adheres closely to its source material. The film is split into two distinctive halves: Frankenstein’s story and the creature’s story.

The first part focuses on Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), with glimpses of his abusive childhood and his crazed, deranged scientist adulthood driven to surpass everything his father(Charles Dance) achieved.

Del Toro’s inspired scenario begins towards the end where creator and creation are playing pursuer and pursued in the frozen Artic. We see an expedition crew on their boat in the Artic, that’s stuck in the ice, help a near frozen Victor (Oscar Isaac) aboard. The monster (Jacob Elordi) suddenly comes on the scene, disposing off a few of the sailors and falls into the freezing water, seemingly dead. Frankenstein, still wary of his creation, begins telling the ship’s captain (Lars Mikkelsen) the whole story.

The movie is set in 1857, a Victorian period, when electricity is already in use. The visionary scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), initially is forced to navigate financial constraints while pursuing his dream. When he gets unlimited funding from a wealthy arms dealer, Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), and his brother William’s (Felix Kammerer) unfettered support, Victor is able to pursue his most ambitious project. Frankenstein fulfills his dream of creating a creature (Jacob Elordi) from corpses.

Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation makes an artistic swath through the familiar story making it look new, rich and fantastical. This is a horror film that scares you yet makes you feel strongly for the tragic creator and his creation. This treatment is a moving account with philosophical, psychological and spiritual implications.

When the creature gets to tell his side of the story the narrative evolves into a more complex telling. It becomes more emotional as the creature’s neediness calls out to Elizabeth (Mia Goth), a compassionate woman, who in turn feels drawn irrevocably to him. An old man (David Bradley) also shows him some kindness…before all the hatred and violence begins to engulf the story. This portion of the film is rather touching and is bound to move you.

Jacob Elordi's menacing yet vulnerable creature is born from an empathetic understanding of the story and the character’s place in it. So it’s a triumph for Del Toro and Elordi. Elordi is wonderful in the part, at once conveying intelligence, sensitivity, rage and indomitable strength beautifully.

Oscar Isaac's Victor is consumed by ambition, and obsessed by the belief that he is creating something good. His performance as the crazed scientist is on point. Christoph Waltz and Mia Goth, shine brightly in their respective roles too.

The potent gorgeous visuals are the real highlight here. Like in all Del Toro films, they are vividly macabre and haunting. The film is visually stunning. Cinematographer Dan Laustsen creates immersive gothic imagery that leaves you stunned. The breathtaking visuals of Scotland are just out of this world. The production design, the costuming, make-up, red-green contrasts, Alexandre Desplat’s score, all linger in your mind. It’s a well-constructed and bountifully realised work - one from the heart. Del Toro’s script and direction make this effort the most faithful, yet unique take on the book.

Del Toro once told an interviewer that he dreamed of making the greatest Frankenstein. …and he has succeeds in that ambition. This is undoubtedly the best Frankenstein film ever made. All credit to Del Toro for sticking uncompromisingly to his vision and creating a masterpiece in the horror genre. The film ends with a quote from Byron: “And thus the heart will break and yet brokenly live on”. The experience of it says it all. This movie makes you feel the creature’s pain and it’s an unforgettable experience.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Predator: Badlands Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A fresh new take on the iconic antagonist
Predator: Badlands (2025)
Cast: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Michael Homick, Rohinal Nayaran, Reuben De Jong, Cameron Brown. Voices: Stefan Grube, Alison Wright, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 106 min.
#20thCenturyStudios #LawrenceGordon #DavisEntertainment #ToberoffEntertainmentProduction #TSGEntertainment

Dan Trachtenberg’s follow-up to ‘Prey’ is a surprisingly mild-mannered franchise entry in the ‘Predator’ series. There’s not much room for crushing brutality, grimness or gore here because the story is about building bonds with the unlikeliest of allies. The iconic sci-fi villain is an underdog hero here.

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator monster, who is ordered to be killed by his domineering father Yautja chieftain Njohrr, is spared death by his elder brother Kwei (Mike Homik). Kwei sends Dek to the “death planet” Genna where every being is a killer and even the grass, branches of trees and luna-bugs are treacherous. Dek has to find his path through the deadly flora and fauna - a task that no one has succeeded in before. En route he meets up with a legless female android Thia (Elle Fanning) and they adopt a cuddly monkey-like creature. There’s another ruthless synth Tessa(Fanning again) in the mix, who has been tasked with capturing the Kalisk and bringing it back to the Weyland-Yutani corporation.

The story is told from the Predator’s point of view. The half-pint of his clan of intergalactic trophy hunters, Dek becomes an unlikely hero when he manages to slay the Kalisk, a fierce creature that intimidates even his father.

From the moment Dek touches down on the planet, we get relentless, slick sci-fi action embedded with some incredibly cool moments. When Dek meets Thia, the film takes an unexpected turn, with the tone and tenor changing to that of a buddy comedy. Patrick Aison and Brian Duffield’s script gets inventive in creating funny moments that get the audience involved.

Predator: Badlands has terrific FX heavy set pieces, action beats, is consistently entertaining and has colorful violence. The bits of violence and dismemberment are not bloody. Instead of blood red we see milky white, green, purple, orange substances oozing out of the varied creatures and synths. Arms are lopped off, skulls are crushed, brains pierced and cut-off legs do kung fu on their own. The action is both funny and propulsive.

Badlands, unexpectedly, has an endearing arc. It seeks to challenge outmoded, cliched representations of masculinity in cinema. The journey is pure joy. The unlikely hero learns lessons about friendship from a half-bodied humanoid/synth and a cute CGI animal.

Unlike previous Predator movies, this one has an emotional depth that is searing. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi makes Dek humanistic - lending him rage, humour and a vulnerability that gets you onto his side. Elle Fanning in the dual role of Thia/Tessa, polar opposites, is effortlessly distinctive, nuanced and empathetic in both roles. It’s a winning performance that could garner awards come awards season.

This film is visually impressive. The CGI is seamless. Trachtenberg’s inventive helming sets it apart from earlier Predator issues. The world building is fresh and the treatment is endearing. The older fans of Predator movies may be disappointed but it’s also likely that a fresh new surge of young blood will keep the franchise going.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Bugonia, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A beautiful, bizarre take on modern belief systems
Film: Bugonia
Cast: Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Emma Stone, Alicia Silverstone, Stavros Halkias
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 118 m

Yorgos Lanthimos latest,“Bugonia”, after the critical success of “Poor Things” and “Kinds of Kindness”, is a black comedy which is far more easily accessible than his earlier films. Even so, it has the typical Yorgos stamp all over it. Produced by Ari Aster, “Bugonia” is a radical, capricious adaptation of Jang Joon-hwan’s Korean film “Save the Green Planet!”

Bugonia is a daring attempt to mesh absurdist satire, sci-fi meanderings with psychological horror, as the film follows two men who kidnap a corporate leader they believe to be an alien. The premise may seem bizarre but in Yorgos-land it’s par for the course. An apiarist, Teddy (Jesse Plemons), and his impressionable cousin Donny (Aidan Delbis), both conspiracy theorists, kidnap Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) the high-powered CEO of a major company, believing she’s an alien from the Andromeda species intent on destroying humanity. Fed to the brim by conspiracy podcasts and unverified online sources, the pair’s plan is to cleanse themselves of their “psychic compulsions.” Once they abduct her, they shave her head, strip her, cover her in lotion, and chain her to a bed. For the rest of the film we see Teddy interrogating her.

There’s relentless tension as the power dynamics between classes bubble up in the interrogation. The constantly shifting power play between the haves and the have-nots makes it all very unpredictable. The exchanges between the wealthy, well-educated, liberal, Michelle and the poor, paranoid, conspiracy-driven Teddy (and cousin), mirror the polarity we see in society today - between the progressive liberals and the extremist right wing. Like in the real world the extreme views seem to have the upper hand. Teddy’s rants about the corporate class’s domination, current generations techno enslavement and the poisoning of the natural world, hits home hard.

“Bugonia” is a well-structured film that provides enough shocks as it escalates to a unpredictable yet satisfying conclusion. The scripting is incisive. Yorgos envelopes us with a scathing critique of capitalism in which paranoia and falsehoods form familiar bedfellows. The pace picks up speed as perceptions get challenged and the drama intensifies. The dialogue hints at impalpable elements that eventually cause the run-of-play to turnaround on it’s head. The dialogue exchanges have an intensity that builds up tension as the movie reaches for an original and unique ending.

The choice of ending may not appeal to all but it makes ‘Bugonia’ an unique experience. It’s surprising enough to catch you unawares. It’s a bold audacious choice that makes the whole experience memorable. The three lead actors deliver well calibrated performances. They manage to capture feelings vividly enough for the audience to feel its burn. Emma Stone’s performance is nuanced, Jesse Plemons’ intensity makes the paranoia come alive and Aidan Delbis lends strong support to help keep the esoteric vein in check. The soundtrack lends the movie an orchestral crescendo that accentuates the drama in subtle increments. The production design makes the bizarre acceptable. The cinematography by Robbie Ryan is also quite stunning. Shot in 35mm the camerawork contributes majorly to the unease. Every frame is textured with shadow and light and it’s visually beautiful yet unsettling.

Bugonia goes against traditional story telling conventions. Yorgos’ offbeat mix of black humour, drama, horror and sci-fi is quite potent. The script plays-up modern inequalities while exploring current belief patterns in an oddly disturbing, darkly funny vein. The movie’s strangely absurd chaotic world feels familiar enough for the audience to participate in the emotional see-saw it wrings us through. Yorgos’ film might be peculiar but it’s also beguiling, funny and visually enrapturing.

Johnsont307@gmail.com