Tag: Christopher Abbott

KRAVEN THE HUNTER (2024)

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Directed By: J.C. Chandor

Written By: Richard Wenk, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway 

Story By: Richard Wenk

Based on characters created by: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko 

Cinematography: Ben Davis 

Editor: Milos Djakovic and Zach Vandlik 

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Alessarndro Nivolla, Russell Crowe, Christopher Abbott, Levi Miller 

Kraven’s complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.

This film is like a record where at first you are really not liking the songs then every other song you like or you hit a section of the album and it’s quite good or adequate for a few songs that make it listenable/watchable. So it’s not as bad as you expected 

As there are some really good action sequences that save the film but there are so many scenes in between setting up the characters and story. As the film tries to be of a better quality then it is. Trying to enrich it. When tis should have been a more Mindless popcorn action film.

As the early opening scenes or rather the intro is so ridiculous it seems like it’s on the verge of becoming MADAME WEB bad. Though at least that was watchable and not boring. As thst tried to throw everything against the wall and see what stuck. 

Aaron Taylor johnson is good in the lead and believable but ultimately better than the material. Ariana debose really has nothing to do and Russell Crowe is as usual chewing the scenery and having fun.

The foreigner  is really the only interesting part and character in the film. Though not used nearly enough. As he comes across as a celebrity cameo throughout or a special guest star. Not To mention his fashion is a flex. 

The film could have resisted the use of cgi for the scaling scenes which makes kraven look more like a non super human version of Spider-Man. 

Though at least it’s Excessively violent like a 1980’s action films of yesterday. Honestly out of the spin-off spider-man films. This is the one I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel to this film. Even though there is no reason. As he truly was a minor villain in the comic books, who caused a major storyline. 

Where is he? Where is the world’s greatest Hunter? He saw Spider-Man as the ultimate pray, and went about hunting and ceremoniously killing him with us, also causing his own downfall, and Spider-Man’s resurrection of sorts.

The film’s second half is better than the first half and that’s only because of so much set up in the first half. Even if it is ridiculous and always feels more like fantasy than any kind of reality it tries to portray. 

It has the same problem as the other films in this series. In that it feels disposable. They feel like the superhero films that would have come out in the 1990’s and with the same mindset. So if looking for something brainless yet entertaining. I would say go for it.

Grade: C-

WOLF MAN (2025)

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Directed By: Leigh Whannell

Written By: Leigh Whannell and Corbett Tuck 

Cinematography: Stefan Duscio and Ruairi O’Brien

Editor: Andy Canny

Cast: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger, Benedict Hardie, Ben Prendergast

A family at a remote farmhouse is attacked by an unseen animal, but as the night stretches on, the father begins to transform into something unrecognizable.

Pay atention to the title, because that’s pretty much what this movie seems to be about as it has its own reminiscence of the fly as we watch the lead character slowly transform into this Wolfman.

There are so many ways of looking at this movie. It has the Liriano kind of cold direction, but impressive style at times that at least is some thing you don’t expect.

Though this is more a traumatic thriller, so if you’re looking for a horror film, you’re gonna find yourself sadly disappointed as it does have those types of scenes, but for the most part seems to be more about this man’s slow transformation, and trying to protect his family, and then also slowly morphing into the problem himself

The film at times feels like it should be more hard-hitting, but there just seems to be something missing or just plays off bland. It also obviously is trying to push the female character to be more of the heroic force because she’s trying to be a nurture and at first it seems like she’s more a journalist, but when it comes to survival, she does what she hast to do to protect her daughter, her family even if she hast to face off against the man, she loves her husband.

His transformation can also be seen as him try, actually having to face his trauma from his rough childhood with what seems to be an uncaring father that he has obviously Buried, but still has that anger while trying to be the good guy, decent husband, and good father he doesn’t want his family to have to deal with the same types of things that he did.

So eventually, unfortunately, it becomes like an incredible hulk situation, where he can’t help this other side of him coming out or really transforming him totally. 

As what the film does have going forward, is if the few scenes of style and prosthetic special effects. While the film does have violence, it’s also a secluded thriller where there aren’t that many victims so not so much useless bloodshed almost like Cujoh more of trying to survive the night and the ordeal, which also makes it feel a little bit more like most of the film takes place in real time

The Hulk analogy also works for this phone because it seems like it’s very hard for Hollywood to truly come up with a good or great werewolf movie and they’re either barely passable usually just OK or just bad or disappointing, whereas every other famous creature seems to have more than a few defining films to the repertoire.

The film isn’t bad it just is that you go in, expecting one thing and coming out with another and even the other that it is is pretty plain and bland, feeling more melodramatic with supernatural horror and thriller elements.

Which is a shame, because with the invisible Man, leave, Wagner came up with a film that felt inventive, but then again, he also had more room to work with as THE INVISIBLE MAN, while a memorable character isn’t as popular isn’t ball down by as many rules and lower, so you can kind of create an ad more than you can with well established, vampire, zombies, or where wolves

At least I can say that the film is Earnest in it’s

depictions of werewolves as it tries to create, but it seems like it’s problem was It wants

to dip itself a little in the fantasy, but also be somewhat grounded in reality-based as well as offering some scientific explanations, and while they work well enough off of each other, they don’t create a satisfying formula completely.

No, maybe the focus was too much on the transformation giving it a sort of THE FLY comparisons only not as focused on the Body Horror

Grade: C

SANCTUARY (2023)

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Directed By: Zachary Wigon 
Written By: Micah Bloomberg
Cinematography: Ludovica Isidori
Editor: Kate Brokaw and Lance Edmonds

Cast: Christopher Abbott, Margaret Qualley 

Follows a dominatrix and Hal, her wealthy client, and the disaster that ensues when Hal tries to end their relationship.

The film seems simple at first and will be pretty cut and dry storywise and sticks to it but you get involved and ultimately lost in the film, game, and characters 

The film reminds one of Christopher Abbott’s previous film and performance in the movie PIERCING only less life and death or violence, just darkly comedic with hints of violence. 

The films have the similarity of involving a sec worker and power plays as well seeming to be mostly bound to a hotel room only the previous film left the room 

The director Zachary Wigon adds style so as to not make this seem boring and to liven up the experience.

Truly a psychosexual domination film of games 

The film truly kicks off once Margaret Qualley’s character takes off her wig. Though the film plays more theatrical for the stage rather than a film. It keeps the Audience interested more in Qualley’s character and performance as she truly is the wildcard to Abbott’s more straight man’s performance. 

His threats always keep turning hollow and truly show the weakness of his character, Especially compared to her. 

This is Margaret Qualley’s best performance so far though probably not her most memorable which for most might still be ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD.

She is smarter than him because she has had to work her way up. whereas Abbott’s character has done what he has been told but resented that work while coasting along it and its features.

Also can be seen as a comparison and power play from a director/writer and actress who might have decided to go off script and prove their defiant character and talent 

You can see the characters’ codependency with one another, one reluctantly. the other more willingly and knowingly. You can see it from the many times either could truly walk away but seems willing or fighting to prolong it against their so-called requests. As it easily could end plenty of times. 

A kind of love story when it comes to power, communication, and trust with another person who knows you the most or at least your secrets 

The ending feels like a throwback to a classic comedy and more of a fantasy or dream than reality 

The film gets more intense as it goes along. Like the characters no matter how hard I resisted, continuously felt myself falling for the film even though or against my will

Grade: B 

ENTERGALACTIC (2022)

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Directed By: Fletcher Moules 
Story By: Kid Cudi and Kenya Barris
Written By: Ian Edelman, Maurice Williams, Esa Lewis, Sidney Schiff and Judnick Mayard
Editor: Carole Karvetz Aykanian 

Featuring: Kid Cudi, Jessica Williams, Laura Harrier, Ty Dolla $ign, Vanessa Hudgens, Timothee Chalamet, Macaulay Culkin, 070 Shake, Jaden Smith, Christopher Abbott, Keith David, Arturo Castro, Teyana Taylor, Luis Guzman, Kenya Barris 

Jabari, a charming, streetwear-clad artist on the cusp of real success. After a chance run-in with his cool new photographer neighbor, Meadow, Jabari has to figure out whether he can make space for love in his life.

This was initially supposed to be a series for Netflix before it was decided to just combine all the episodes and make it into a film. Which explains the episodic nature of the film. As well as why the film is broken up into chapters. It’s all for the better here. 

This film might come across as a Kid Cudi vanity project. As he created it, produced it, and came up with the story.  to go with his album of the same name or the movie was thought out first and he just made music for it. Either way, it is a triumph. 

Like the animated Spider-verse movies with the same kind of animation. Only here it is used to tell an urban love story with a lot of surreal imagery and a kind of fantasy version of an urban life love story. That constantly feels like a dream, you want to live in and makes New York into the wonderland you always wanted or remembered. Adding to its legendary status.

This is a movie you wish was told in love action, but the animation makes it come off more magical without it. It might make an impact but not as strong.

Even if the story is familiar as a love story. Only with more modern and hip elements. That is to the overall experience. As we get side characters telling their tales as advice that are comedic elements all their own, and add to the climate, but also shows how what the main character have is special.  Especially as this film features characters of color and also adds in certain sexual elements that the spider-verse couldn’t delve into.

The dialogue and script could be a bit sharper, but works leaving room for realism and the reality of the moments.

This truly is a rare type of film where an audience of color gets to see themselves represented in a love story that isn’t all about sex and fighting for your relationship to survive. Where the audience gets a colorful point of view with a diverse cast and cutting-edge animation. While focusing on the love story has something today about microaggressions and the prejudice minorities deal with, especially in professional settings and even the art world. Though that never overpowers the narrative 

Grade: B+

BLACK BEAR (2020)

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Written & Directed By: Laurence Michael Levine

Cinematography: Robert Leitzell

Editor: Matthew L. Weiss

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, Sarah Gadon, Paola Lozaro, Grantham Coleman, Jennifer Kim, Lindsay Burge, Lou Gonzalez, Shannon O’Neill, Alexander Koch

At a remote lake house in the Adirondack Mountains, a couple entertains an out-of-town guest looking for inspiration in her filmmaking. The group quickly falls into a calculated game of desire, manipulation, and jealousy, unaware of how dangerously convoluted their lives will soon become in the filmmaker’s pursuit of a work of art, which blurs the boundaries between autobiography and invention.

This film is experimental in the best kind of way. A fractured meta-narrative that makes us examine the relationships between the characters and what we have seen or have been told.

The first half is more of a slow burn of hidden emotions, ambitions, and attractions. Where Aubrey plaza is more of a seductress and coveted by the male half of the couple. While the female is more jealous of her and her accomplishments.

Where in the second half the flip is switched and we realize the first half was the film the second half characters were making. So while the first half might seem UNFINISHED as they are in the middle of filming the second half gives it an ending while continuing the drama. Even now all the actors are in different roles. Aubrey plaza goes from being the director in the first half to be the star of the film who is having a breakdown as her partner is directing the film but seems to be oblivious to her feelings and needs. While trying to nurture the ingenue in the film. Whereas in the first half the ingenue played by Sarah Gadon was the put upon the pregnant wife of the male. Who was neglected once plaza’s character comes into the picture literally. 

The film lightens up a little in tone in the second half with more humor centered around the crew making the film. As it shows the little problems and culture that goes on such an independent project. 

Which actually perfectly offsets and magnifies Aubrey Plaza in these scenes. As she goes from easy going to emotionally tortured and while they seem more in a comedy. Her raw performance is so dramatic it offsets them and makes their dilemmas all the more shallow. 

The film lets it’s casa averted fixations be known in the second half. Plaza’s performance does remind the audience of Gena Rowlands in A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE the raw emotions as she continuously drinks and becomes more emotionally open but also has more despair.

The second half of the film also allows for more side stories and ongoing jokes with the characters. Whereas the first half is more solitary and focused on the core three actors. The second half while focused allows for more of an ensemble m. 

This film is quite the experience that you might need to watch a few times to get your head around and fully understand the film.

GRADE: B

TYREL (2018)

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tyrel

Written & Directed By: Sebastian Silva 

Cinematography: Alexis Zabe 

Editor: Jennifer Lame & Sofia Subercaseaux 

Cast: Jason Mitchell, Christopher Abbott, Caleb Landry Jones, Michael Cera, Michael Zegen, Reg E. Cathey, Ann Dowd, Roddy Bottum, Nicolas Arze 


Tyler, a sole black man, attends an otherwise all-white weekend of drunken bro debauchery on a birthday trip to a cabin in the Catskills.

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PIERCING (2018)

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piercing-1-e1545080269227-700x352

 

Written & Directed By: Nicolas Pesce
Story By: Ryu Murakami
Cinematography: Zack Galler
Editor: Sofia Subercaseaux 

Cast: Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa, Marin Ireland, Maria Dizzia, Wendell Pierce A man kisses his wife and baby goodbye and seemingly heads away on business, with a plan to check into a hotel, call an escort service, and kill an unsuspecting prostitute.

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