Movie reviews of Alex Brannan

Bleak as this all may sound, No Sudden Move is an entertaining watch. Think of it like Reservoir Dogs with a conscience. Review

Back-loaded as the entertainment may be, Fear Street: 1994 is a solid start to a horror trilogy which promises to pastiche decades worth of genre tropes and trappings. Review

Mostly, though, The Tomorrow War is a bloated, over-stimulating film. The heavy (and heavily conventional) score thuds under the weight of automatic gunfire, blinding muzzle flashes coloring the screen between bursts of flailing white tentacles. Review

A fun, vibrant film like this might be the medicine the moviegoing audience is searching for right now. Review

As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life. These two monster movies are entertaining, but I don’t think I will be itching for a third. Review

The allure of a meaty crime narrative at least dresses Spiral up as something with more to offer. And sure, there are buckets of blood, too. Review

This film presents a lot of lore, but I am not convinced that it amounts to much. But it certainly sets up a sequel like it amounts to a viable blockbuster franchise. I’m not entirely convinced. Review

That said, the concept is better than the execution, as there is only so much visual variety to be had from Nicolas Cage bashing animatronics’ heads open. Review

And pairing the absurdity of the moments with the brutality of the violence makes for a strange tonal soup that I did not particularly enjoy taking in. For what it’s worth, Crowe is pretty perfect in this role. As mindless as the character ends up being in execution, Crowe presents him with a menace that is fairly enthralling to watch. Review

Perhaps this put-on appearance of gloss suits the intent of the film. Review

A title card billing the two biggest kaiju-class fighters in the game ought to be more exciting and pulse-pounding than this. Just like Kong does over and over again in this film, this lands with a lackluster thud. Review

With Bad Trip, the absurdism is tempered in favor of farce. But the effect in a number of cases remains can’t-help-but-laugh. Review

It’s hard to fault the film for its unabashed ambition. That said, this thing is bound to alienate the uninitiated, casual viewer. Review

The film rarely emerges from this unimaginative space; instead, it is a largely visual piece whose aesthetic is bland and whose visuals are repetitive. Review

Wrong Turn does satisfy an itch for the horror fan looking for a true blue, gritty slasher that knows all too well the sandbox that it is playing in. And it is the rare film with a third act that is stronger than its first act. But the film shows more promise than what it ultimately delivers. Review

This is the best I’ve seen Grant perform. And her script weaves an intriguing web that unfolds with a deliberate pace and produces some effective deadpan humor. Review

I dwell on this opening musical sequence, because the remainder of this film is just tedious and flat. And, frankly, there isn’t much to say about it. Review

Visually, I Care a Lot has its moments, exciting flourishes which come most often in the form of set pieces where any dialogue is completely drowned out by the thrumming score from Marc Canham. Review

All in all, though, the script is filled with jokes I found unsatisfactory, severely limiting the extent to which I could engage with these performances. And in the end these two performers are the glue holding this high concept film together. Review

Psycho Goreman definitely has its charm. It is an easy watch for a horror fan looking for something that is self-aware and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Review

This intrigue keeps you invested in the setup, but the answers are dumped into our laps as an expository afterthought, seemingly as a means of expediting the narrative towards the meat-and-potatoes of the murder investigation (a meal which could use some seasoning). Review

These scares are as tedious as they are ineffective. The drama surrounding these scares is fairly limp. And the rinse-repeat approach to the persecution of Kirk’s Haverstock is tiresome. Add to this an unremarkable visual style and an overbearing organ score, and The Reckoning is more of a headache than it is an unsettling psychological drama. Review

Another Round has a fascinating tone. It has a dry humor mixed in with moments of bitter realism, and this tone culminates in an almost fantastical sequence at the end. The ensemble complements this tone well, doing a particularly sound job of acting inebriation. Review

Collective is disturbing in the sense that it puts a spotlight on the hollow bureaucracy of government corruption, as well as the uphill battle to even address that corruption, let alone stop it. It is also one of the most compelling documentaries of the year. Review