(L-R, bottom row) Imaginary (Lionsgate); The Strangers: Chapter 1 (Lionsgate).
In this review compilation, I have shared my thoughts on a Michael Haneke classic, as well as one of the most devastating wrestling movies. In addition to this, I have highlighted three different horror films from 2024, none of which, sadly, won me over. Read more below to find out why that’s the case.
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 relatively briefly, since I don’t have the time to dedicate thorough reviews to them at this point in time. Though it must be said, these reviews aren’t exactly short or bite-sized, as most of them are around the 500-word mark, which is why I’ve called it a review compilation instead. - Why do the bite-sized 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.
The Piano Teacher (Orig. Title: La Pianiste) | Film | Directed by Michael Haneke | Screenplay by Michael Haneke | Release Year: 2001 | Recommended?: Yes, if you can handle it.
So, I was looking through the most recent IndieWire Top 100 Films of the 2000s-list, and, when this film appeared on the list, I thought to myself that I should probably check it out because I had previously noticed that it was on HBO Max in my region. And, well, let’s just start off by saying that this is the type of film that may leave you completely shell-shocked. It is a deeply disturbing film that is, however, also extremely well-made and held together by an incredible — incroyable, I say — central performance.
From minute one, Haneke knows exactly what he is doing as he is gradually unveiling this twisted web of abuse, power dynamics, and frustration through patient long takes that showcase a reliance on, but also trust in, his cast to communicate the complex themes and internal life at play in each and every scene. The film features some truly shocking scenes that kind of left me in a state of shock as the film ended. As we know from Funny Games, Haneke knows how to make you deeply uncomfortable, and this is another powerful example of that.
But what makes this film more than just a shocking and scandalous film — what makes this film really stand out positively — is the brave and unflinching, finely-tuned performance that Isabelle Huppert delivers here. Sometimes you hear about a performance and the final product doesn’t live up to the expectations that such high praise insists upon, but Huppert’s performance exceeded my expectations. She completely throws herself into this film and delivers such a masterful performance rich in nuances but also full of moments of sharp choices that echo into the remainder of the film. With someone else in the role, I think certain scenes would’ve completely ruined the film’s tone, but she makes it work, even when what is happening defies understanding.
In this richly layered and tragic film, there is so much to chew on from the extremely inappropriate parent-daughter relationship (and how it has led to some kind of arrested development for our central character) to the way the power dynamics in Walter and Erika’s ‘relationship’ are flipped once both of the main characters’ sexual frustrations are revealed to one another (and subsequently taken advantage of by one of the parties in a particularly cruel and troubling sequence). I can definitely understand why this film is so highly regarded, but, man, it’s also tough to watch or even fully recommend without any ifs, ands, or buts.
The Iron Claw | Film | Directed by Sean Durkin | Screenplay by Sean Durkin | Release Year: 2023 | Recommended?: Yes.
You know, I had heard that this was very good and that it was an absolute tearjerker. The people that were saying that weren’t kidding. This is an absolutely heartbreaking true story that, if they had opted not to omit a brother in the adaptation (which they did for whatever reason), would — incredibly — have been even more distressing. The story of the so-called Von Erich family curse — real or imagined — is something you have to see to believe because it is no joke and seeing it in action is extremely upsetting. This is, frankly, a shattering portrait of toxic masculinity, about the warmth of brotherhood, and the crushing weight of familial shadows and expectations. It features a uniformly good cast and, frankly, two career-best performances from Zac Efron and Holt McCallany. It’s a phenomenal but devastating ensemble drama, and it needs to be said that if you’re avoiding this because you don’t care about wrestling or sports, then you’re doing yourself a disservice. This film takes the sport of wrestling and does an impeccable job of using it to emphasize its larger themes.
The Watchers | Film | Directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan | Screenplay by Ishana Night Shyamalan | Release Year: 2024 | Recommended?: No.
I think it is always exciting when the relative of a renowned or popular filmmaker gets the chance to show what they have got up their sleeves. I’ll admit that it doesn’t always work well for relatives of artists, but people like Sofia Coppola and Brandon Cronenberg have proven that children of distinct filmmakers can do their own thing or have similar aspirations while at the same time reaching a level of quality that is impressive — I am a big fan of them both. I was hopeful that Ishana Night Shyamalan might be able to follow in her father’s footsteps more assuredly than she ultimately did with her feature debut, The Watchers, which is neither particularly scary or particularly captivating. After all, not only has she been a 2nd unit director on recent M. Night Shyamalan films, but, in addition to this, she has also occasionally done great work with the Apple TV+ psychological horror series Servant.
Unfortunately, The Watchers is a feature debut dud. It features an interesting-enough premise and its visuals are sometimes competent-enough, but its strongest elements never rise above ‘just fine,’ and, meanwhile, the remaining elements are quite poor. The writing is clunky and overexplains everything to such an extent that it just feels like one massive exposition dump over and over again. Like her father’s films often have, there are moments in Ishana’s debut with unnatural human behavior and stilted, unconvincing performances that waste the talent on screen (Georgina Campbell deserves so much better than this, just to name one). It is the kind of film that fails to keep its cards close to its chest, which forgets the ‘show don’t tell’ rule of thumb, and which is just completely unmemorable despite a once intriguing premise. Could there have been a good movie here? Perhaps. There are certainly enough ideas in this one that could’ve been executed more interestingly. But as it is, there is frustratingly little of note here that works. It’s not scary in the slightest, and its ideas about reality television are half-baked (and the fake reality tv-show in the film kind of took me out of the film’s illusion). At the end of the day, the film is as unmemorable as its title is generic (it’s a shame that this and Chloe Okuno’s excellent and far superior euro-thriller Watcher will always be confused for one another).
Imaginary | Film | Directed by Jeff Wadlow | Screenplay by Jeff Wadlow, Greg Erb, and Jason Oremland | Release Year: 2024 | Recommended?: No.
Well, Imaginary is a wildly derivative, terribly lit, occasionally unconvincingly acted, and sometimes unintentionally funny horror flick with unnatural dialogue. Jeff Wadlow’s career as a director hasn’t really taken off critically. Most of his films have landed with a thud and without much excitement. I’ll admit that I haven’t seen it in years, but I remember enjoying Wadlow’s debut Cry_Wolf somewhat when I was younger, but, unfortunately, I haven’t ever been as invested in or captivated by any of his other attempts to capture that horror spirit. Neither this new flick nor Fantasy Island or Truth or Dare (if we are to look solely at his most talked about recent films) have gotten even close to being good or memorable. But despite struggling critically, his Blumhouse flicks always make money and have fairly low budgets. So, you know, you can understand why he keeps getting these kinds of jobs, it would just be nice if one of these films were more than merely forgettable and unmoving moneymakers.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 | Film | Directed by Renny Harlin | Screenplay by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland | Release Year: 2024 | Recommended?: No.
I think it is fair to say that Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers (2008) is a cult classic in the horror genre by now. It was a tense and genuinely scary home invasion flick that, by the way, paired really well with the underseen Vacancy from director Nimród Antal. I think both of those films are really effective, and I even had a decent-enough time with the Strangers sequel Prey At Night.
Still, this new Renny Harlin-directed reboot trilogy — opening with Chapter 1, as it is called — never sat right with me. When I first saw the trailer, I tweeted that it did the film no favors as it not only looked like it was showing all of the presumed major beats of the film, but the film also just in general looked like a bland and unnecessary retread. I remember a fan account, or something similar, got annoyed with that comment.
Anyway, now that I have seen the film I can say that the film is every bit as bland and unnecessary as the trailer had made it seem. Although not technically a remake, it feels like a pointless retread with nothing novel to show or any redeeming qualities. Like I’ve seen others say, it does indeed feel like the CW version of The Strangers. You’ve seen all of this before, and you’ve even seen it executed much better. The film lacks the atmosphere and the tension of the original film, and it isn’t particularly scary. There are even a couple of paper-thin supporting characters that are so exaggerated that it is difficult to take the film seriously.
Look, will some people have a decent time with this film? Probably, given the fact that its CW-esque cast, the jump-scares, and loud noises could theoretically be an acceptable way to spend a Friday night with friends. But, at the same time, this is, indeed, a vastly inferior and completely pointless and hollow retread. You would think someone had had a good idea for a reboot given it’s been more than fifteen years since Bertino’s film.
I guess we’re going to have to wait for part two, to see if there are any new ideas here — but, frankly, we shouldn’t have to wait that long.
– Reviews Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 
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