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Welcome to 2024. January is always an interesting time with a few new releases sprinkled with some 2023 films getting a wider release. This week is no exception. Below are a trio of films, two streams and one in theaters, I saw this week. You can keep up with all my film watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734. And join us live on Saturday, January 13 as me and members of the North American Film Critics Association make our picks for the films of 2023.

Foe (Prime Video)
Starring: Paul Mescal, Saoirse Ronan, and Aaron Pierce
Synopsis: This film was released late in 2023 and is getting its wide release on Prime now. It’s set in the near future where the environment is melting down, we’re considering moving to space, and A.I. can take a comforting, realistic human form. We center on a couple, Junior (Mescal) and Hen (Ronan), who are living in isolation on a farm in the middle of a nearly ruined plain. Soon, a visitor from the government (Pierce) arrives to tell Junior he’s been selected for a mission to space, and it’s not optional. That forces Junior and Hen, in their time before he’s sent out, to reevaluate their relationship and what they want in live. That all seems like a somewhat promising set up, and I like the cast here. But director Garth Davis, who co-wrote the screenplay with author Iain Reid, doesn’t bring it all together in the best way. There’s a lot of emotion on the screen but too much of the world and the set-up is unclear. There are also some twists in the final act that don’t quite work for me. There was potential here, but it just sort of fizzles.
Rating: Rated R for language, some sexual content and nudity.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Good Grief (Netflix)
Starring: Daniel Levy, Ruth Negga, Himesh Patel, and Luke Evans
Synopsis: Marc (Levy) and Oliver (Evans) are a happy couple hosting a Christmas party with all their friends. But Oliver, a successful author, has to jet off to Paris. But he’s killed in an accident just down the street, throwing Marc’s world into chaos. Nearly a year later, despite the support of his friends Thomas (Patel) and Sophie (Negga), he’s struggling with grief. When he finally opens the last Christmas card from his husband, it throws his world more into chaos, leading to an anniversary trip meant to provide answers and closure as he tries to move on. This is more than just a starring vehicle for Levy, who wrote and directed it as well. It could easily also have been a December release with Christmas playing a present background character throughout the film. With the cast and those involved, you’d be tempted to see this as something of a comedy. There are amusing moments, but this is a more serious project at its core. It’s meant to be a meditation of grief, loss, betrayal, and more. There are some nice emotional beats, but overall, there’s not enough depth of character or story here to really pull me in. It’s an interesting idea that doesn’t quite land the plane.
Rating: Rated R for language and brief drug use.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Night Swim (Theaters)
Starring: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Gavin Warren, and Amélie Hoeferle
Synopsis: This first big wide release of 2024 is a horror film from the producers of M3GAN and The Nun. It’s also based on a short film of the same name from Rod Blackhurst and Bryce McGuire, who directs this feature. This is something of an expansion of the world. It centers on a baseball player (Russell) who is diagnosed with MS, ending his career. His wife (Condon) and kids (Hoeferle and Warren) move into a new house with a big pool that at first seems like a gift. But as they learn more about the house and its history, it turns into something of a nightmare. There’s plenty to possibly be mined from the concept. There are some mysterious shots that sometimes add to the sense of dread here. But the horror doesn’t work here. Neither does the story or the overall production. It’s a 98-minute film that sometimes feels like it’s running for an eternity. This was a complete creative misfire; a dreadful film that is a very early contender for the worst of 2024. It can be safely skipped.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for terror, some violent content and language.
Verdict: One stars out of five

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