I’ve been itching to get some of my thoughts on a wide variety of films out there here towards the end of the year. So, while there will still be both solo new release reviews and review compilations about TV-Shows, I’ve planned two or three film-related review compilations that’ll be released in the next few weeks. Today, I’m going to share my thoughts on a super popular YouTube film, two films from Norwegian film directors, and much more. Let’s get to it.
F.A.Q.
- What are Additional Bite-Sized Reviews / Review Compilations?
– My movie and television catch-up review series ‘Additional Bite-Sized Reviews‘ is an evolution of the Overview-article section previously titled ‘What I Didn’t Write About.’ In articles such as this one, I will provide my readers with my thoughts on select new films, new shows, or even classics that I feel like giving my thoughts on (and sometimes relatively briefly since I don’t necessarily have the time to dedicate thorough reviews to them at this point in time). - Why do these reviews not include either a letter grade or a review score?
– In my full and thorough reviews, I like to score or grade what I watch. But since these reviews aren’t as detailed, I think it is fairer to the films and shows to simply just decide whether or not to recommend them. I guess you could say this is the only type of review that is basically ‘scored’ with the classic thumbs-up/thumbs-down-method on my site, though sometimes my recommendation answer comes with a caveat.
Young Woman and the Sea | Film | Directed by Joachim Rønning | Screenplay by Jeff Nathanson | Release Year: 2024 | Recommended?: Yes.
This feels like a classic, conventional, Hollywoodized, and uplifting Disney sports movie. It is full of cliches and follows a fairly basic formula, but it definitely gets the job done. It is constructed to be a real crowd-pleaser, which is why its rather modest or limited theatrical release window feels a little bit like a mistake. Hopefully, it’ll find a sizable audience on Disney+ because it is relatively good and quite enjoyable.
Though it is a little bit long, the film moves at a steady pace and is very captivating and thus it doesn’t really feel as long as I expected it to feel. All of the technical aspects are quite good. It looks really nice, and it’s got a score that feels appropriately stirring and inspiring. Daisy Ridley, who it is really nice to see in a major studio production again, is quite charming as the plucky protagonist, and Kim Bodnia, the Danish actor playing Trudy’s father, plays his archetypal character perfectly and earns some good chuckles along the way.
Yes, some of its male characters feel a little bit too cartoonish. Yes, it makes some really strange and unnecessary changes to the true story. But, on the whole, this is a perfectly serviceable, charming, and old-fashioned sports biopic (that is even, from time to time, quite moving) about overcoming the odds and blazing a trail.
Milk & Serial | Film | Directed by Curry Barker | Screenplay by Curry Barker | Release Year: 2024 | Recommended?: Yes.
There is something quite admirable about how this film has snowballed from a release on a relatively unknown sketch comedy YouTube channel (I had actually been watching — and enjoying — some of their videos a while back) to now being one of the horror surprises of the year that everyone from Bloody Disgusting to Variety has been talking about. It’s a straight-to-YouTube micro-budgeted found footage horror flick that is a lot better than many would expect. For the reported budget of $800, it is definitely well done, and it’s also just cool to see how it has blown up to this big thing. How many of us have thought to do something like this, but then never had the guts to actually do it or the wherewithal? Gutsy from the sketch comedy group to do this, but it really paid off. Will be interesting to see what kind of career boost this gives them, in any case, kudos to Curry Barker, Cooper Tomlinson, and everyone else involved with this, because this one mostly works relatively well all things considered.
That said, if we are to be a little bit more critical, there are some pretty noticeable issues here. Not only is the narrative structure more complicated than it needs to be, but certain scenes and shots would’ve definitely benefited from being longer — the fast-cutting YouTube style can be a little bit grating after a while. Also, this found footage flick does make some noticeable subgenre sins that, unfortunately, sometimes threaten to pull you out of the experience of watching the film. There’s a scene that cuts between two cameras the utilization of which being unexplained, and, most noticeable of its found footage movie sins, it also uses non-diegetic music, which is a pretty big no-no, even if the scene could benefit from it. Still, on the whole, this is definitely worth a watch, if you’re a horror aficionado interested in seeing a micro-budgeted flick done relatively well, warts and all.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter | Film | Directed by André Øvredal | Screenplay by Bragi F. Schut and Zak Olkewicz | Release Year: 2023 | Recommended?: Sadly, no.
I’m going to open this review with a little bit of a spoiler, though the marketing has not made it a secret, so, you know, maybe it isn’t technically looked at that way. But look, yes, of course, a lot of horror fans would’ve known exactly what the ‘Demeter’ was before they sat down to watch the film, but, for those that don’t, I think it’s just an incredibly baffling decision to not only rid the film of some of the tension by revealing the ship has capsized in the opening but also that they explicitly state on screen that this is a Dracula story. The creatives, or whoever decided it, ruined so much of the tension and the mystery right then and there.
It’s also surprisingly slow given the info they give us in the first minutes. It’s not without its moments as Øvredal eventually showcases decent filmmaking and some really gnarly effects in this Alien on a ship-flick. But, yeah, in the end, this is the kind of film that’s better if you know absolutely nothing about it. Unfortunately, the film tips its own hands immediately and thus dulls its overall impact. Apparently, it was also released in some regions with ‘Dracula’ in the title. It reminds me of the recent mistakes concerning how much of Abigail is spoiled in the marketing, thus limiting its impact. Anyway, I do like the cast here, and especially Aisling Franciosi. As someone who really likes both Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and The Autopsy of Jane Doe, I was kinda disappointed by Øvredal’s surprisingly dull latest flick. I feel like this should’ve been better.
Van Helsing | Film | Directed by Stephen Sommers | Screenplay by Stephen Sommers | Release Year: 2004 | Recommended?: As a guilty pleasure, yes.
Stephen Sommers’ Van Helsing has a little bit of The Mummy, a dash of James Bond, and is somehow occasionally slightly similar to the far-less entertaining (but sometimes better looking) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. However, when viewed as an early-2000s response to Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, Van Helsing really struggles comparatively and is by far an inferior film. But I’ll insist that it’s not unenjoyable. It’s twenty years old now, huh? Time really does fly. Back in the day, my Dad was obsessed with this film. In the mid-2000s, he would watch and rewatch this film so often. While, yes, he liked (and still does like) the film, I’m pretty sure a major reason for his obsession with it was that, I’m pretty, sure he had ‘a thing’ for Kate Beckinsale (I mean, who can blame him – don’t we all?).
Anyway, if we’re being honest here, the film doesn’t hold up well. Frankly, neither the writing nor the performances are good (and the film is definitely overlong), but this problem with not holding up is mainly due to the video game cutscene-esque visual effect monsters that, again and again, keep on pulling you out of the movie’s spell. And it does occasionally cast a spell. Hugh Jackman is, in theory, perfect for the titular role, the film’s stars look really good, the black-and-white homage-filled opening is glorious, the production design is sometimes fairly great, the music is pretty solid, and its hit-or-miss campy tone is sometimes really fun, after all (David Wenham and Richard Roxburgh must’ve had so much fun playing their roles). It’s got all the makings of a silly creature-feature guilty pleasure — and it is that, for me. Look, it’s nowhere near good enough to be able to reclaim it as a lost treasure, but there is some fun to be had with this film, even if it isn’t very good.
Englemageren (International Title: The Angel Maker) | Film | Directed by Esben Tønnesen and Julie Ølgaard | Screenplay by Yusuf Othman and Julie Ølgaard | Release Year: 2023 | Recommended?: No.
Given that she co-directed, co-wrote, produced, and starred in this, Englemageren was clearly a passion project for Julie Ølgaard. Unfortunately, this is an extremely generic and derivative crime thriller that is full of cliches (and rips off Se7en).
Some of the films’ lines are delivered in an awkward fashion, some scenes are overacted, and there are moments that are genuinely unintentionally funny because of the very same overacting and poor dialogue. But, hey, hopefully, Ølgaard can take what she learned from this film and use it to improve on her next directorial effort.
Also, the ending is wildly unoriginal, strains credulity, and is underexplained (the very last scene probably ought to have been fleshed out). If the film had focused more on the main character’s personal journey and, actually, been a little bit original with regards to the central case, then maybe it could’ve worked better, but, as it is, it is merely an unoriginal and forgettable flick.
BlackBerry | Film | Directed by Matt Johnson | Screenplay by Matt Johnson and Matthew Miller | Release Year: 2023 | Recommended?: Yes.
I thought that this was quite good. Although it was released in a year when product biopics were all the rage (e.g. Air or Tetris), I felt this was closer to films like The Social Network, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Steve Jobs, but, frankly, it’s nowhere near as good as any of them. It didn’t need to be, though, as it’s more than good enough as it is.
It features a likable bunch of video game and movie obsessed engineers who are contrasted by the sharks and opportunists of corporate America, which, admittedly, isn’t the most original thing in the world. However, it works in large part thanks to some entertaining performances including perfectly cast lesser roles occupied by Michael Ironside and Cary Elwes. Among the core cast, Glenn Howerton’s performance as the explosive and idea-stealing hockey-obsessed corporate man completely steals the show. It made me want to see Howerton in more dramatic roles, which this performance will hopefully allow for.
Like many rise and fall biopics of its kind, it is both occasionally funny and sometimes a bit of a downer. But the character payoffs work wonderfully, so, yeah, this is a definite recommendation.
– Reviews Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 
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