FREAKY TALES (2025)

Written & Directed By: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck

Cinematography: Jac Fitzgerald

Editor: Robert Komatsu

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Ben Mendelsohn, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Angus Cloud, Too $hort, Ji-Young Yoo, Jack Champion, Kier Gilchrist 

Four interconnected stories set in 1987 Oakland, CA. will tell about the love of music, movies, people, places and memories beyond our knowable universe.

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I’m Going to say this right now that this room is best to go into blind, as that is the best way to experience it, and might offer you more of a surprise or surprise is there anything. As even if you seen the trailer there’s still enough mystery to not know exactly what you’re getting into.

One thing that can be said Is that the film doesn’t really live up to its title as there are tails I don’t know how freaky they are, rather than just tales of an anthology. The film feels more like short stories, that take place around one another in the bay Oakland, California, as characters do cross paths with each other in different tails, but each one has its own kind of genre in story. It feels very Tarantino ask the light and more of a wannabe.

The thing that connects them might be violence and Oakland legends like Tom Hanks in Too $hort you are treated like legends in this film, and Too $hort has a cameo as well as being betrayed by someone else in one of the stories.

The stories here, pretty much cut and dry. They don’t offer that much in the way of surprises. One story focuses on punks versus Nazis and we get to know some of the characters involved. The next story is about two young African-American women going into a rap battle. The next story is a tale of redemption in the past in the last tail is more of a revenge tail inspired. It feels like by game of death the Bruce Lee movie.

Truthfully, the first tale could’ve been its own film in itself exploring the characters a bit more, but maybe it was in case of been there done that no not offering up as much of a diverse characters in the Punk cultural scene. 

The film fall short as it doesn’t really live up to its title and what are the stories, eventually connect your left, wanting more or expecting more from it, especially with the angle of this green substance, that really only comes into play effectively in one tale, but does work to connect or let the audience know Somethings about to happen. it’s a harbinger.

One wishes, the film was much better as it definitely has the creativity and talent involved. It just builds to a certain level and never goes past it even when it seems like it has the strength to go further and be better.

It’s around the 80s which gives a kind of a nostalgic, feel where you can look back and laugh at the fashions, but I also remember them as that was what was cool at the time as well as the culture.

The film Does offer plenty of cameos throughout the film

No, it isn’t mirable as it still keeps too similar themes but like a true short story collection, it has different types of tails where one can be more comedic. One can be more dramatic. It’s the same here, whereas one tail, or at least two tails are pure, more action territory. Another could just be a kind of a slight more success story.

Wow, the film has trouble living up to its title. It is still worth checking out.

I Grade: C+

METAL SKIN (1994)

Written & Directed By: Geoffrey Wright 

Cinematography: Ron Hagen 

Editor: Bill Murphy and Jane Usher 

Cast: Ben Mendelsohn, Aden Young, Tara Morice, Nadine Garner, Chantel Contouri, Petru Gheorghiu, Arthur Angel, Richard Surherland, Tommy Dysart 

Psycho Joe, a petrol-head from Altona, Melbourne, secures employment at a local Supermarket. Here, he meets the over-sexed Dazey. Joe and Dazey form a friendship based on a mutual interest in old hot cars. Joe also forms a relationship with a Satanic fellow employee. The nihilism of these young characters, coupled with parental disputes, leads to various tragedies.


I remember reading about this film and film threat in 1994 and always meant to look for the film to watch it. Sadly, it has taken me 30 years since it was released to finally watch it.

This is a grungy punk rock coming-of-age movie of aimless youth making their way through life, some with troubling parents, all having illicit behavior, looking for kicks, fun, and some kind of meaning 

The film mainly revolves around four characters making a kind of romantic Square to find their thrills and car racing alcohol, sex, and the occult as they attract and betray one another and themselves it seems out of boredom and as a means to an end while supposedly trying to help one another 

All the characters in this film have problems. One has a pure tical mother, so she repels the account and uses a friendship with a guy who she knows has a crush on her to get closer to his friend and seduce him.  The friend intern was trying to get the man with the crush on a date with her. Desires her as well when his girlfriend proves to be difficult. The young man with the crush also likes his friend’s girlfriend. They know to keep it at friendship. Well, also dealing with his mentally unbalanced father. 

The film editing, and camera work at times show how fast they’re interest and attention spans can go or be taken away not only that but things can escalate literally in the blink of an eye 

So to one person so much to another same when it comes to emotions and relationships 

The film tried similar ground as the film Romper Stomper as far as aimless youth this one tries to be a bit more stylistic with the Camera and directions the  material feels lighter and not as strong 

The film shows how fast they live their lives as the camera tries to emulate by jumping around at times to and from different angles

This is the second film of Director Geoffrey Wright who wants again places us in a nihilistic atmosphere and film. The film gets kind of gross at times.

There isn’t too much of that you haven’t seen before obsession and mental illness manipulation learning that their actions can have serious consequences. This ends up being more of a character study. 

The film is an early leading role for Ben Mendelssohn, who won his career and now plays more character roles here with a full Maine is more the heartthrob and kind of the star or the character who all the others follow depend on

Tara Morice gives a strong performance with the most clearly defined role and the most attractive as well as challenging

The film also showcases how quickly we can form emotional attachments in youth, and they can become our whole world 

As always, when a gun is introduced, it must be used and becomes important in the long run as it evolves into fatal friendships how when you were already only hanging on by a thread all it takes is one cut or domino fall for it all to come crashing down 

The film does have a car chase ending that helps it seem a little more action fact and spices it up adding some excitement that isn’t purely emotional  It’s only an inevitable tragedy.

As in end, the film still proves that nice guys finish last.

Grade: B- 

MISSISSIPPI GRIND (2015)

mississippi

Written & Directed By: Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden
Cinematography By: Andrij Parekh 


Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, Sienna Miller, Analeigh Tipton, Alfre Woodard, James Toback, Robin Weigert, Indigo, Yvonne Landry, Jane McNeill

Down on his luck and facing financial hardship, GERRY teams up with a younger charismatic poker player named CURTIS in an attempt to change his luck. The two set off on a road trip through the South with visions of winning back what has been lost.

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LOST RIVER (2015)

Lostriver

Written & Directed By: Ryan Gosling
Cinematography By: Benoit Debie
Editor: Nico Luenen & Valdis Oskarsdottir
Music By: Johnny Jewel 


Cast: Christina Hendricks, Matt Smith, Saoirse Ronan, Iain De Caestecker, Ben Mendelsohn, Eva Mendes, Barbara Steele

“Lost River” is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger. In the virtually abandoned city of Lost River, Billy, a single mother of two, is led into a macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her family together. Her teenage son Bones discovers a mystery about the origins of Lost River that triggers his curiosity and sets into motion an unexpected journey that will test his limits and the limits of those he loves.

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CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019)

captainmarvel

Directed By: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
Written By: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck & Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Story By: Nicole Perlman, Meg LaFeuve, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck & Geneva Robertson-Dworet Cinematography: Ben Davis
Editor: Debbie Berman & Elliot Graham 

Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Annette Bening, Jude Law, Lashana Lynch, Clark Gregg, Lee Pace, Gemma Chan, Dijmon Hounsou 


Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.


More like a comic book movie where it seems made more for younger kids and girls in particular to give them a hero to call their own to admire and inspire. That gives off a positive message.

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THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (2012)

place



Directed By: Derek Cianfrance
Written By: Derek Cianfrance , Ben Coccio & Darius Marder
Story By: Derek Cianfrance & Ben Coccio
Cinematography By: Sean Bobbitt
Editor: Jim Helton & Ron Patane
Music By: Mike Patton 

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper, Ben Mendelsohn, Ray Liotta, Harris Yulin, Rose Byrne, Mahershala Ali, Dale DeHaan, Emory Cohen, Bruce Greenwood, Robert Clohessy, Gabe Fazio


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