The Grouchy Editor

Eden

A family man, a hedonist, and a philosopher become neighbors on an uninhabited island. When things go bad, who comes out on top?

Ron Howard’s (inexplicably, to me) controversial movie, based on a true story, is basically Lord of the Flies with adults instead of children. A stellar cast including Jude Law, Ana de Armas, and Sydney Sweeney — yes, Sidney Sweeney — battle the elements and each other when, unlike the boys in Flies, they choose to escape 1931 Germany for new lives on a Galapagos island.

Apparently, Howard had trouble finding a distributor for his film, possibly because it’s quite the departure for the usually wholesome director. There is much sex and violence in the movie. But it’s never dull. Release: 2024  Grade: B+

Would I watch it again?  It’s often unpleasant but, eventually, sure.

*

Relay

Relay was such a good movie — until it wasn’t.

It was a superb thriller that had the makings of a modern-day The Conversation — until it didn’t.

I was ready to give an “A” grade to the film, something I don’t do very often, until the last 15 minutes or so of the story. I’m still giving it a high grade because 90 percent of the film is deserving.

Leads Riz Ahmed and Lily James star as a New York fixer and the whistle-blowing client he’s helping avoid the wrath of Big Pharma. Ahmed, especially, shines as the kind of loner played by Gene Hackman in The Conversation: exceptionally good at his job yet haunted by all the grey areas he needs to navigate to help whistleblowers who change their minds. The villains, especially Sam Worthington, are everything you want in your bad guys. The movie is all tense cat-and-mouse dealings between these factions. Until the final scenes.

What went wrong? Did screenwriter Justin Piasecki decide his film needed more drama? Did someone in marketing determine that clips of people speaking in hushed voices and typing on laptops wouldn’t make for a spicy-enough trailer? Either way, when the film devolves into cliched shootouts and chases, it loses its chance at greatness. Release: 2024 Grade: B+

Would I watch it again? Definitely.

© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

A recurring theme on Julian Fellowes’s beloved Downton Abbey (TV series and movies) has always been societal change — embracing it or resisting it. The suppression of gays, women, and people of color have all been examined. Nothing wrong with that; after all, the show is set in the early 20th century.

However … Fellowes goes light on potential downsides to social upheaval. Does gradual “progress” for marginalized groups inevitably lead to a more just, utopian world? Or does it simply transfer power from one group to another, and we all know what power does? Downton, especially lately, is none-too-subtle in its support of one side over the other. Fellowes’s villains do all but wear black hats (actually, sometimes they do). His heroes realize the error of their ways and reluctantly embrace change.

But I digress. I’ve been a fan of this show since 2011. The characters, pacing, and production values made it a joy for fans. This alleged swan song (will there be a spinoff for Lady Mary?) is comforting and poignant.

Yet I also watch the news in 2025. I see what progressivism has done across the pond. I can’t help but worry about another poignant movie titled Great Britain: The Grand Finale. Release: 2025 Grade: B

Would I watch it again?  Not likely, but I might go back and watch the original series.

© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)

Influencer

Synopsis: When a social-media influencer’s boyfriend fails to join her on a trip to Thailand, she makes an ill-advised decision that leads to lies, betrayal, and murder.

I had high hopes for Influencer. The opening scenes make use of spectacular Thailand scenery. The plot shows the influence of two of my favorite films, All About Eve and The Talented Mr. Ripley. The villain is telegraphed from the start, but it’s fun watching this person smile, connive, and seduce his or her way into power. And the social-media angle is timely.

Alas and alack, alack and alas, the movie cannot, or will not, sustain a good thing. The last act devolves into either trailer-fodder or lazy screenwriting, take your pick. For some godawful reason, modern thrillers feel they must always wrap up with some sort of physical confrontation, often with a slight-figured young female handily outmuscling a healthy young man. Logic flies right out the window.

But I did enjoy the lead-up to Influencer’s absurd ending. And Thailand never looked better. Release: 2022  Grade: B

Cassandra Naud gives her ass all to the cause of ‘Influencer’

Would I watch it again? Only the shower scene pictured above.

© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)

Until Dawn

Settle down, kids, no nudity in this movie

Until Dawn opens with an overhead drone shot looking down on a forest as a vehicle moves along a lonely road. Inside the car is a group of five young people: three girls and two guys. They stop at a gas station, where an older man at the cash register creeps out one of the girls. Seems somehow … familiar.

How many horror movies have opened this same way?

Sigh. That opening should have warned me about the rest of this film, in which our young heroes discover something is going to kill them. And kill them again. And again. You know, like in Groundhog Day or, more apropos of the genre, Happy Death Day.

The plot, such as it is, checks a number of woke boxes: The alpha male turns cowardly; the beta male turns heroic; the final girl has girl-boss attributes and no romantic interest in the boys — that would no doubt be too heteronormative. Instead, her main interest is her sister.

The movie is well produced, competently directed, and doesn’t embarrass any members of the cast. There are a few effective moments. Lots of jump scares, lots of gore. 

But how many times do we need to see this kind of crap?

Release: 2025  Grade: D

Would I watch it again? I had a difficult time watching it once.

© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)

Brute 1976

I was well into Brute 1976, a new homage to young-people-in-peril slashers like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, when I realized something was missing from the film.

Most of the ingredients were present: foolhardy young people, an isolated location in the sticks, and a family of … uh, colorful villains. But something was lacking.

Pros: The movie has a nice, 1970s look and setting, perfectly in harmony with Chain Saw, The Hills Have Eyes, or any number of other such cult fodder. There is one scene involving a prosthetic appendage and a glory hole that, well, you can imagine. Or you don’t want to. There is a bevy of attractive actresses.

Cons: You’ve seen it all before. The only update, I guess, is the inclusion of a trans person in the clan of wackos who make life miserable for the young folk.

I finally realized what was missing. There was no nudity. In the 1970s and 1980s, movies like this one always featured gratuitous skin. Did “intimacy coordinators” put the kibosh on naked ladies?

Montalvo

But it turns out I was wrong. I rewound to the opening of the film in which two cuties explore an abandoned cave and — lo and behold — Bianca Jade Montalvo, a 5’9″ actress with all of two film credits on her IMDB page, does indeed get naked. But it was too damned dark to see her in the cave. And is she really … oh, never mind; I get in enough trouble these days.

For your viewing pleasure, I lightened the scene. Click on any pic for a larger view:

Release: 2025  Grade: C-

Would I watch it again?  Now that I’ve gotten my nudity fix, probably not.

© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)