Tag: Shohreh Aghdashloo

DAMSEL (2024)

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Directed By: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Written By: Dan Mazeau

Cinematography: Larry Fong 

Editor: John Gilbert 

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Robin Wright, Angela Bassett, Ray Winstone, Brooke Carter, Nick Robinson, Milo Twomey, Nicole Joseph

A young woman, Elodie, meets a handsome prince and they fall in love. At their wedding it is revealed that the prince had more sinister reasons for courting her: she is to be sacrificed to a dragon that has been terrorizing the kingdom. Elodie now has to fight for her survival.

This movie would’ve been better off as maybe an episode of a sci-fi, fantasy anthology tale or rather Maybe as a side story on a lord of the Rings type series than a feature film.

It’s pretty simple, cut and dry, and feels like it’s extended for no real reason that adds anything to the overall project tone, or story. 

As it is a tale of female empowerment with a pretty stacked cast, other than Millie Bobby Brown have very little to do but play standard cliché rules that are beneath their talents, especially Angela Bassett in a thankless minute, but pivotal support supporting role. Who seems here because she is in a lot of projects more than what the role actually offers.

This film has this kind of prestigious, framing around itself for something that comes off as a basic bedtime story or nursery rhyme. 

It tries to be a thriller and keep us in anticipation, with the excitement of how she will survive, as well as giving a backstory to why she finds herself in her current situation while learning the power of resilience and not falling victim to all that glitters and those your talk to worship.

Though in the end, it feels like a movie that be more of a time waster, or a seat, filler if it had been released theatrically, as it is more of a seat filler. A film intended to do big business on opening weekend due to the spectacle and previews as well as star and knowingly, less and less money as word-of-mouth spreads.

I can’t fault the production as it is a typical big budget, sci-fi, fantasy, special effects, action movie, only here made small and put in medieval times, but more marketed as a special effect fantasy with not much of a story or plot of why and how we got there . as is put in place as more of a placeholder for the action scenes, which is what really takes over.

The film doesn’t offer much for the actors other than to react and a big game of pretend. it might hold some interest overall it plays itself out fairly early even for a film that is almost 2 hours.

Grade: D

RUN SWEETHEART RUN (2022)

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Directed By: Shana Feste
Written By: Shana Feste, Kellee Terrell and Keith Josef Adkins 
Cinematography: Bartosz Nalazeek
Editor: Dominic Laperriere 

Cast: Ella Balinska, Pilou Asbaek, Clark Gregg, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Dayo Okeniyi, Betsy Brandt, Amar Sotomayor, Amanda Jaros, Amy Doyle, Ava Grey 

After what seems to be an innocent date, Cherie now faces a night of terror when her date hunts her down and tries to kill her. She now must run for her life throughout the city and escape his grasp.

This is another blumhouse thriller production and like most production companies the film can go either way.

I really had some hopes for this film as it stars Ella Balinska who I remember from CHARLIES ANGELS and was impressed with her in that film. So I was looking forward to her playing the lead in this film.

Now coming from Blumhouse, I already expected a thriller or slasher or horror of some kind. This film went way over the top and instead of it being all the more impressive for it. It went the other direction and was more ridiculous.

It has a message and plenty of ideas and tries to show a woman overcoming oppression and the male gaze shown in examples but basically personified in one character. Who instead of being just one man who seems impossible to kill. Is not only the personification of misogyny but also supernatural. 

So In other words it’s impossible to kill no matter how hard she tries and he seems to be aided and abetted by various males around him. As he allows them to always stay ahead and keep their power over females. 

Though truthfully once she meets him And her being on her period she is dripping blood and he bends over to put his fingers in the drops on the floor. That should have been all she needed to know to avoid him.

The film is lower budgeted so there are some effects but a lot of telling and reacting but not exactly showing. Like when he takes on a gang of her friends we hear the fight but are only privy to the aftermath.

The film also has scenes where characters who would seem to be important to her and the story are killed pretty quickly and senselessly for shock value. Which seems to want to give the message that no one is sacred and that this film is willing to break rules and expectations. Unfortunately not in a good way.

The film overall just feels like a waste of time. A nice premise but definitely needed to be filled out a bit more or at least added some subtlety or even humor.

Grade: D