Category: Movie Reviews

Luke Geier Reporter 

Love Lies Bleeding is the newest film from English filmmaker and screenwriter Rose Glass. Glass’s first film, Saint Maud, was an extremely exciting debut that made waves within the indie horror genre. While the film was extremely well-received and sprouted a dedicated fanbase for the young filmmaker, it was not recently that Glass received mass media praise for her filmmaking. 

Love Lies Bleeding is somewhat of a departure from her first film, highlighting several elements such as mystery, action, and romance.  This is not to say that horror elements don’t exist though, and Glass makes sure to make the audience squirm and clench their teeth in several moments throughout the film’s hour and forty-four-minute runtime. 

The film follows the character of Lou as she meets a love interest named Jackie.  While Jackie is less concerned with sticking around than she had initially planned because of a body-building competition she plans to compete in Las Vegas, she falls head over heels for Lou and their relationship quickly blossoms into something much more than a one-night stand.  While the two share a moment of interrupted happiness together, it is not long until a web of lies and violence unfolds, risking not only the future of the relationship but also their lives as they know it. 

One of the impressive things about Love Lies Bleeding besides the genre-defying nature that it has, is how Glass can implement so many plot points throughout, while seamlessly blending them together in the end and creating a satisfying conclusion.  With a film this dense in its plot, it could be easy for the focus to be more concerned about certain areas than others, but that never happens here.  Not a single plot point feels out of place when getting introduced.  This meticulous care without a doubt speaks to Glass’s talent as a writer in addition to her filmmaking. 

Love Lies Bleeding also makes no qualms about taking risks. In a similar fashion to Saint Maud, there is no holding back with the film’s explicit themes. Sex, drugs, and violence are not something that is merely implied in the film but are instead pushed to the limit on screen. While the film’s polarizing subject matter could be too much for the average movie-goer, Glass wanted the audience to react, and the results leave you on the edge of your seat. 

Kirsten Stewart does an excellent job in the key role of Lou. Whether it is dramatic moments or comedic relief, Stewart embodies not only the character but in many ways the film, acting as an anchor for the entire movie, bringing just what it needs to the table at the perfect moments.  This should be no surprise either, as Stewart continues to elevate with each role she takes.  Stewart’s counterpart, Katy M. O’Brian, who plays the role of Jackie, steals the show on several occasions as well as the bodybuilding love interest. 

While Love Lies Bleeding may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is not necessarily supposed to be, and Rose Glass’s unapologetic approach is exactly what makes the film so special. Overall, I rate this movie a 4/5. 

Alyssa Tyler editor in chief 

To begin, I’m not a big ‘TV’ person. Even when I was a child I struggled sitting through a movie or show. I was the kid sitting in the front row of the movie theater so I could read with the light coming off the projector. That said, if I watch TV, it will be a documentary. Like my book review this week, I was ‘inspired’ to watch the HBO Max documentary, ‘The Garden: Commune or Cult?’ due to a podcast episode from some of my favorite comedians.  

HBO Max released the Docuseries in October of 2023. The six-episode series released episodes weekly, allowing tension and excitement to brew for the viewers. The Garden is a commune located on 22 acres in Southern America. They claim to focus on living off the wild and removing themselves from mainstream society. The commune came to public light after going viral on the social media platform, TikTok. Rumors spread that this commune was more of a cult.  

If someone was interested in living at the commune, they could have a trial period of living there, then they could ask to stay longer or leave. If they ask to stay longer, then they would have to be voted on where everyone would have to agree for them to stay. The members of the commune claim that there is no hierarchy and that no one is in charge, however, Tree and two other members control everything that is going on around them. 

The people in these docuseries are what make it worth watching; everyone there has a distinct and interesting personality to say.  

Tree was the main person who gained social media fame, if only for a short amount of time. His personality is interesting to say the least. He is extremely paranoid about outsiders and people will ill intentions coming to the commune. To the point of yelling at the camera crew that they are putting everyone in danger by recording. Tree was not the only interesting person there, one potential commune member, Tyler, was introduced to the documentary while sitting in a hot tub naked. Then, both he and his wife show off their favorite pastime, naked couple acrobatics. Then another Tyler from Tennesse joins the commune for the trial period so he can learn how to protect his family in the upcoming doomsday.  

Overall, I typically stick to criminal documentaries, and this was a step out of my comfort zone. The idea was interesting, but I feel like the story fell flat. I would like to see a follow up episode or season in the upcoming years to discuss if they were able to survive out there in the wild. Overall, I rate this a 4/10. 

Luke Geier reporter 

It seems as if Musician biopics are becoming a popular genre these days in the film world.  In the past decade, we’ve seen iconic performers and bands such as Elvis, Queen, Elton John, and many more portrayed on the big screen.  It doesn’t seem like the demand for these films is going to slow down anytime soon, and the latest entry, released on February 14^th, followed the story of the widely influential Bob Marley. 

Bob Marley: One Love follows the story of Marley’s rise to fame around the world at the same time as the rising political feud between Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley and opposition leader Edward Seaga. 

After surviving a gun attack at his home just days before Marley was set to perform at the Smile Jamaica concert, Marley sends his wife Rita to stay with his mother in the States while he and several members of his band travel to London, deciding it’s too unsafe for them to stay in Jamaica. 

While in London, Marley struggles to find the right sound for his new album after deciding it’s time to record new music.  After several trial-and-error attempts, Marley finally discovers the perfect sound for the album that would set the trajectory for one of the most influential albums of all time, Exodus. 

Possibly the best part of the film is Kingsley Ben-Adir’s portrayal of Bob Marley.   Ben-Adir seems to vanish completely into his character and perfectly encapsulates Marley’s unique personality on a scale that can almost be compared to Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis in the 2022 film Elvis. 

Lashana Lynch also gives an admirable performance as singer and Marley’s wife, Rita Marley.  As Bob Marley struggles with decisions facing how to approach the divide in his home country, Lynch’s portrayal of Rita Marley perfectly complements Ben-Adir’s, and the only gripe one may have about her character is that the actress should’ve been given much more time on the screen to shine. 

While director Reinaldo Marcus Green does an incredible job of immersing the audience with impressive musical breaks and vivid 70’s imagery, the movie seems to fall short in the story as well as its motive. 

Everything seems to be going well in the first half of the film, and the setup for an interesting storyline is at arm’s reach, but the film lags immensely in the second half as Marley and his bandmate’s touring journey seems to offer nothing to the story except a few interesting visuals and emotional moments that are too drawn out to keep the audience on their toes. 

While the movie does pick back up towards the end of its one hour and forty-seven-minute runtime, it’s too late to salvage the dull and uninteresting moments that took place in between, leaving the film much more a series of incomplete thoughts than a fully fletched out story. 

Overall, Bob Marley: One Love shines in its lead performances and unique era eccentric visuals but lacks overall in providing a story that will grip audiences for years to come.  I rate this film a 3/5. 

Luke Geier Reporter 

Writer and director Yorgos Lanthimos is back with a new visually stunning and complex narrative film: Poor Things.  The film quickly shaped up to be a major awards contender upon its release and has already picked up two Golden Globes earlier this year in the Best Motion Picture (musical or comedy) category, as well as the award for Lead Actress (in a comedy) with Emma Stone taking the win. 

Adapted from the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, Poor Things follows the journey of Bella Baxter, a woman who attempts suicide but is resurrected. She is then forced to rediscover the world around her and herself.  As she navigates her surroundings, her trial-and-error shapes her into the person she is destined to become.   

Over the years, Lanthimos has established himself as a unique voice in the movie world thanks to his distinct style and approach to filmmaking.  While the themes of Irony and dark humor that usually define Lanthimos’s previous work can also be seen in Poor Things, this film seems to be a breaking point for him, as he creates a film with elements of what we’ve come to know and love him for, with a strange and beautiful fantasy backdrop.   

Emma Stone gives a once-in-a-lifetime performance in the leading role of Bella Baxter.  At the beginning of the film, the character of Bella Baxter is reborn, which means she must relearn every basic function possible.  Throughout the film, we see Bella transform not only through her understanding of self but through her understanding of society and the mad world that surrounds her.  It’s an incredibly complex character that very well could’ve been undersold by a variety of actresses, but Emma Stone’s commitment to the role is incredible, making it one of the best things about the movie. 

Emma Stone’s performance isn’t the only standout though, as the film features a wide array of characters played to perfection by the incredible supporting cast.  Willem Dafoe gives a beautifully strange and heartbreaking performance as Dr. Goldwin Baxter, the mad scientist behind the creation of Bella herself.  As the movie unravels, Dr. Goldwin comes to terms with the fact that while he created Bella, the life she decides to live is in her hands, and the depth that Dafoe gives the character is incredible.  Mark Ruffalo also steals the show numerous times with his sleazy and controlling portrayal of Duncan Wedding. 

While many audiences may have been unfamiliar with Yorgos Lanthimos before this film, it’s safe to say that the attention Poor Things is receiving and will most likely continue to receive throughout the rest of the awards season is incredibly well deserved.