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Drake Doremus continues his dispiriting descent into dumb drama with his third deeply defeatist look at the deepening difficulties of finding love in the technological era in a row. It started with the bland ?Equals,? got worse with the banal ?Newness,? and now brings us to the baffling ?Zoe,? a film premiering on Amazon Prime today. One only hopes the director of "Like Crazy" moves on to new subject matter now that his trilogy is mercifully over. Netflix has long been accused of burying their Original Programming with too little promotion and menus that make it hard to find the new stuff. Amazon may want to take a page from their competitor?s handbook and make ?Zoe? Zoe Movie Review & Film Summary (2018) to find.

?Zoe? opens with Tribeca 2018: Zoe Is a Poor Story of Love, L�a Seydoux, and Sex Robots , played by L�a Seydoux, being asked questions designed to find her the perfect partner. She says that she wouldn?t want a potential beau to know that she used to be heavy and pauses when asked if she would help a loved one take their own life if that?s what they wanted. Clearly, this is going to be one of those deep dives into how people have been trained by dating services and app culture to believe that there?s such a thing as a perfect match. It's a film both cynical about the systems we use to find love and the human need to find companionship at all costs.

Leading people to their mathematically determined soulmate is only one of the goals of tech genius Cole (Ewan McGregor), who works with Zoe on a line of high-tech synthetic replicants. Cole should be a fascinating tech genius, but he's a typically mopey Doremus creation, having split with his wife (a wasted Rashida Jones) after a program he helped develop told the couple they wouldn't last. "Zoe" imagines a world in which an app score can end a loving relationship, which may be the most cynical thing I've seen in a film this year.

Most of the synthetics designed by Zoe and Cole are built in a way that makes them look incredibly fake, built more for the efficiency of household chores or menial jobs. Of course, those aren?t the only synthetics out there and Cole has developed a line of androids who are extremely advanced and look just like you or me or Theo James, who plays Ash, Cole?s latest creation (I?d like to believe the name is an ?Alien? reference given Ian Holm played an android with that name in the Ridley Scott classic, but probably not). As if the service that can say without fail whether or not a relationship will last and the synthetics trying to be human aren?t enough for one movie, this vision of the near-future also includes a drug that allows people to recreate the endorphin rush of falling in love for the first time. It?s a little bit of ?Her,? ?Zoe? Review: Lea Seydoux, Ewan McGregor in a Sci-Fi Love Story ? Variety of ?Westworld,? a little bit of ?Love Potion No. 9,? and a whole lot of annoying dialogue about what love means.

The main ?twist? of ?Zoe? occurs deep enough into the film that I won?t spoil it here but suffice to say that Cole and Zoe?s relationship is ?complicated.? The two people working to ?improve? the dance of love for others have trouble finding the right steps with each other. Despite the best efforts of McGregor to imbue his lovelorn protagonist with relatable emotional depth, there?s never an emotional hook to make you honestly care about these people. And so the non-stop, navel-gazing, faux philosophical dialogue about love starts to feel like some strange experiment itself. It reaches points of near-parody, not unike overhearing drunk college kids talk about dating apps and the meaning of love at 3 AM at a party you really want to leave. These are people who think lines like ?It?s better to feel pain than to feel nothing? are deep. It almost makes one wonder if it wasn?t created by a computer program itself, one designed to write a ?movie about love in the future.? Although most modern screenwriting programs could have probably come up with something better than this.

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Home invasion horror movies are a subgenre unto themselves, with a fair number of notable entries over the last decade or so. From Michael Haneke's Funny Games and Bryan Bertino's The Strangers to Fede Alvarez's Don't Breathe and, of course, James DeMonaco's The Purge - the latter of which launched a multi-film franchise and tie-in television series - there's a home invasion horror movie for just about every horror fan. Now, Monster Party is the latest entry in the subgenre, but it effectively flips the script on the home invaders, making them the victims of the monsters within the house they were attempting to rob. Monster Party is a violent ride of a home invasion horror movie that puts its own stylistic spin on the genre, but doesn't fully rise above the pack.

Monster Party follows three teens - Iris (Virginia Gardner), Dodge (Brandon Michael Hall) and Casper (Sam Strike) - who support themselves by pulling small-time home invasion schemes. However, when Casper learns that his father owes a violent, scary man thousands of dollars in gambling debt, he convinces his friends to target a much larger score, one that comes with unforeseen complications. Iris and Dodge, who are expecting a child together and want to establish a life for themselves, agree to Casper's plan of robbing the family for which Iris works as a server. Unfortunately for the teenage thieves, the Dawsons - Patrick (Julian McMahon), Roxanne (Robin Tunney), Elliot (Kian Lawley) and Alexis (Erin Moriarty) - aren't the nice family they appear to be.

The Dawsons act strangely from the moment Iris, Dodge and Casper show up at their house, but the night takes an even more bizarre turn when the family's dinner guests show up. Obnoxious Cameron (Chester Rushing) and Jeremy (Jamie Ward), tattooed and guitar-toting Ollie (Diego Boneta), and imposing Milo (Lance Reddick) with Beca (Sof�a Castro) make for an odd assortment of guests. While the Dawsons and their guests are focused on their celebrations, the teenage thieves search for a safe worthy of being robbed and eventually make a play for it - but the security proves to be too formidable for Dodge and Casper and they inevitably trip the house's alarm system. With the teens, the family and the guests all trapped inside, the Dawsons reveal their true monstrous nature and it quickly becomes clear that Casper and his friends must become monsters themselves to escape with their lives.

Written and directed by Chris von Hoffmann (Drifter), Monster Party inverts the typical premise of a home invasion horror movie - wherein the residents are being hunted by outside, would-be invaders - for a new and compelling take on the subgenre. For the most part, the inversion works to put enough of a semi-new spin on the subgenre, though even this inversion of the typical premise is something that's been done before (as in 2016's Don't Breathe). The build-up to the reveal of the Dawsons and their guests' true monstrous ways works to effectively heighten the tension for when the script is flipped on the teenage thieves and they become the prey of much more experienced predators. Though the way Monster Party subverts horror tropes may not be completely fresh, the film does bring new ideas and a new point of view to the genre.

What additionally helps to set Monster Party Movie Review from fellow entries in the home invasion subgenre of horror movies is Hoffmann's stylistic directing. The quick cuts during some of the more grisly moments of Monster Party, paired with lingering shots of the Dawsons and their home awash in opulence and excess, works to juxtapose the characters' wealth with their violent natures. Monster Party is by no means subtle, but the pulpy nature of its presentation works in its favor. Certainly, the movie - and Hoffmann - has something to say about wealth and how it preys on the lower classes, and the movie's tendency to hits its viewers over the head with its message is no better evidenced than in McMahon's Patrick stating he's "ready to make the Dawsons great again." But that message is presented by way of a violent, fun, and delightfully bloody kill fest that offers an entertaining ride in its own right. And, with an ending that feels victorious - until the viewer truly sits with it and what it means for those left alive - Monster Party manages to stick a slightly more subtle landing in its final act.

The cast of Monster Party also helps to elevate the film, with McMahon and Tunney doing much of the heavy lifting in terms of building the tension in the movie until the killing begins. Both veteran actors offer compelling performances, with McMahon's Patrick leaning more toward the manic killer and Tunney playing a more grounded side to their partnership. Still, it's clear from their performances that McMahon and Tunney had fun with the material and that translates to the screen, bringing more entertainment to Monster Party. The rest of the cast is rounded out strongly, with Lawley playing a disturbingly good psychopath in Elliot and Reddick bringing gravitas to the production as Milo. Strike leads the trio of teenages thieves well, presenting Casper's evolution throughout the film compellingly, though he's somewhat overshadowed by the charm of Hall. Still, the cast of Monster Party works well together to bring this story to life - even if the story and killing take precedence over actual character arcs.

Altogether, Monster Party is a middling entry in the home invasion subgenre of horror, putting enough of a fresh spin on the usual tropes and premise to be memorable, but never quite reaching the heights of what the genre has to offer. It's solid enough to keep viewers already interested in horror invested in the events of Monster Party - and offers plenty of gruesome kills in stylistic ways to entertain even seasoned horror fans. But it's by no means a must-see horror movie, especially for those less likely to enjoy violence and gore (though it's not quite the worst the genre has to offer). Still, for those looking for an entertaining horror ride, Monster Party certainly delivers the thrills and kills to keep viewers hooked throughout the film's brisk hour and a half runtime.

Monster Party is now playing in select U.S. theaters. It runs 89 minutes and is not rated, but is intended for mature audiences.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments section!

For anyone willing to get into the Christmas spirit immediately after Halloween (that would be me, at least this year), there?s the arrival of Disney?s festive fantasia The Nutcracker and the Four Realms to help ease the transition from one treat-filled holiday to another. The title may be a mouthful, but the movie is a morsel-sized, mildly enjoyable adventure that vacillates vacuously between flavors of sweet and sour.

After a digitally dodgy fly-through of Victorian London at Christmastime, we?re introduced to clever teen Clara (Mackenzie Foy, ?The Conjuring?), a lover of physics and hater of opulent balls where your stuffy father (Matthew Macfadyen, ?The Three Musketeers?) stuffily insists that you dance with him. Clara?s mother has recently passed away and a darkness hangs over the Stahlbaum home, but the family must keep up appearances, so Clara is forced to attend a lavish party thrown by her sagely godfather (Morgan Freeman, ?Going in Style?).

As if having to fake a smile in the midst of choreographed group dancing wasn?t enough to ruin Clara?s night, her deceased mother?s final Christmas gift to her turns out to be a mysterious box with no key. Fortunately, anyone with even a vague understanding of, well, stories, knows that what lies ahead is a quest to find that key, preferably in . . . hmm . . . a magical world, perhaps?

Audiences get their wish when Clara wanders down a dark hallway and exits through a hollow tree, suddenly finding herself in a winter wonderland, where she soon meets a friend and discovers that sinister forces are lurking nearby. If this all sounds somewhat familiar, then you?re not alone. Clara?s adventure is clearly inspired by another iconic children?s classic, even if it doesn?t want to admit it.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is an easy movie to poke fun at, since Disney is just combining elements of profitable properties that have already brought them big bucks (in addition to ?The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,? there?s an inherent ?Alice in Wonderland? influence as well), and it?s worth noting that the family-friendly studio?s insistence on returning to the dead mother trope now borders on obsessively morbid, but there?s an earnest innocence at play here that?s endearing enough to be acceptable.

Foy has an angelic adorability that makes her a fine fit in a tale of dolls come to life and yet she brings a toughness to Clara that generates a spark of cool courage. She?s a likable heroine ready to take on whatever stands in her way, which in this case includes scurrying flurries of mice and an army of tin soldiers. Her friend is the stoic Nutcracker (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a guard who leaves his post to escort Clara on her journey, but thankfully doesn?t require her to adopt a damsel-in-distress role in order to be of some use.

Excitement comes in the form of some dazzling visuals, especially in the titular Fourth Realm, a forbidden area that is comprised of a gnarled forest set and a dilapidated amusement park overseen by Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren, ?Winchester?). Another memorable location visited in the fantasy world is an appropriately Russian-inspired palace where the squeaky-voiced Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley, ?The Imitation Game?) resides.

It is there that Clara is treated to a lovely ballet performance that chronicles the history of this dreamy place. As far as doling out exposition goes, there are far worse ways to get the point across than photographing Misty Copeland dancing on a stage. The inclusion of the ballet and a score that is tied heavily to Tchaikovsky?s legendary compositions are nice touches that honor the history of the Nutcracker material and provide an experience that is not often had in modern children?s movies.

For thanostv and the Four Realms deserves for being so derivative, there?s charm and cuteness on dutiful display and the imagery is worn like a warm blanket. The cast works pretty well, while Knightley especially shines in an oddball turn that has her munching on her own cotton candy hair and being unusually excited about literally empty-headed men in uniform.

Above all, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a simple adventure with familiar lessons. Believe in yourself! Treat others well! Don?t get mad at your father because he?s mourning the death of his wife! Stuff like that. And through it all runs a nostalgic fondness for holiday celebrations. If you happen to be in the holly jolly mood already, then this colorful cinematic confection will likely tide you over until it?s time to watch some actual Christmas classics.

Life of the Party is the third collaboration between actress Melissa McCarthy and her director husband, Ben Falcone. Next to this, Tammy and The Boss seem like Hamlet and King Lear. After suffering through the abomination named Identity Thief, I felt for sure I had seen the worst McCarthy has to offer. I was wrong.

The concept of an older person becoming immersed in aspects of the collegiate lifestyle isn’t a new one. We’ve seen it done by Rodney Dangerfield, Will Ferrell, and the duo of Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne (among others). The kind of raunchy hijinks that ensue would seem to be right up McCarthy’s alley. Therefore, the PG-13 rating raises alarm bells because, although films are always pushing against the rating’s envelope, one typically doesn’t equate “raunchy hijinks” with “teen-friendly.” Indeed, this is not only the least funny movie in which McCarthy has appeared but the tamest and most toothless.

The setup is as stale as the narrative that germinates from it. Fortysomething Deanna (McCarthy) is dumped by her husband, Dan (Matt Walsh), when he decides to “upgrade” to a statuesque blond real estate agent (Julie Bowen). Suddenly homeless and unsure where to go with her life, Deanna decides to return to Decatur University and finish out the last year of the archeology degree she suspended when she became pregnant with Maddie (Molly Gordon). One complication: Maddie is currently a senior at Decatur and not thrilled with the idea of sharing her school experiences with her mom.

Deanna isn’t so crass as to try rooming with her daughter (who lives in a sorority house, anyway), but she becomes a frequent interloper. Fortunately, Maddie’s friends adore her mom. One of them, Helen a.k.a. “Coma Girl” (Gillian Jacobs of the Netflix streaming series Love), decides to join Deanna in Archelogy 301. Meanwhile, Deanna finds herself enjoying the fringe benefits of college as much as the classes. She starts up a relationship with Jack (Luke Benward), a guy half her age, and develops a rivalry with a couple of Queen Bees. And, although she’s a whiz in class (she appears to have only one), her fear of public speaking is her undoing for the oral presentation. Meanwhile, she can’t quite get past having been dumped by Dan and this subplot reaches its head at the wedding of her ex- and his new wife.

Life of the Party lacks a discernible plot – it’s 105 minutes of loosely connected sketches showing various aspects of what McCarthy and Falcone believe to be the amusing exploits of a single mom exploring the byways of higher education. It has all the freshness of a truly awful remake even though it claims to be original. There are a few vague stabs at drama, but none ring true and, seemingly realizing this, the filmmakers don’t pursue them with vigor. The real disappointment with Life of the Party is its complete lack of humor and energy. To begin with, the number of attempted jokes is surprisingly low. The film plods along for long stretches without trying to be funny. Then, when it makes an attempt, the gag falls flat. It seems nearly incomprehensible that I could make my way through an entire Melissa McCarthy film and not even smile. If any movie intends to make viewers laugh and doesn’t elicit even a faint chuckle, it has failed. thanostv describes Life of the Party.

There are other things I could point out like Falcone’s banal directorial style, the low-energy ambience that encourages the viewer to doze off, and the phone-it-in performances by everyone from McCarthy to the bit players. No one seems invested in this movie nor does anyone care whether it works on any level. The movie is too dispiriting to be painful and too pointless to deserve the effort necessary for an additional word of opprobrium.

CHICAGO ? The story of a drop-out rock and roll star? usually disappearing at the height of their fame? has fascinated the movies in both fiction (?Eddie and the Cruisers?) and documentary (?Waiting for Sugarman?). ?Juliet, Naked? takes the premise and creates a charming, romantic story about fandom and redemptive decisions.

All the cast is at the top of their game with a solid and very funny script. The Year of Ethan Hawke continues with another great performance by the man as the disappeared rocker. And Irish actor Chris O?Dowd nearly steals the picture as an obsessed fan, who inadvertently begins the demise of his long time relationship. Rose Byrne is his live-in girlfriend and the centerpiece of the proceedings, and she proves again that beyond her radiant good looks lies a deft and subtle comic actor. ?Juliet, Naked? is a fun and intuitive life transition story, and is recognizable on many emotional levels.

The film begins with Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), who left the pop/rock stage in the 1990s during a key part of his rising popularity. https://www.thanostv.org/movie/juliet-naked-2018 obsesses a small but ardent fan base, led by blogger and British college instructor Duncan (Chris O?Dowd). Duncan is sent a package, which contains the demo recordings for his favorite Tucker Crowe album, ?Juliet.? The disk is entitled ?Juliet, Naked.?

Duncan?s live-in girlfriend Annie (Rose Byrne) runs a small museum in the seaside British where they reside, and also listens to Juliet, Naked? but has a decidedly negative reaction (she?s sick of Duncan?s obsession). Her blistering review of the disk is noticed by the actual Tucker Crowe, who lives in American exile inside a garage owned by his Baby Mama. Annie and Tucker begin a correspondence, which grows in ardor, and when Annie decides to end her relationship with Duncan, the door is open to connect more closely with Tucker.

Yes, the elevator pitch is ?the world?s most obsessed fan of a rock star becomes a rival for his girlfriend?s attention with that rock star.? And it works perfectly, thanks to a tight and charming script adaptation (by three writers) of the source novel by Nick Hornby (?About a Boy?). Thematically, it continues Hornby?s exploration into man children, for both Duncan and Tucker are lost in their own fears of responsibility. It falls to the woman to be more sensible, but Annie?s safe path through life (she inherited the museum after caring for a dying father) is also bothering her. The mix of needs for the the ?next phase in life? is what makes the movie sing.

Ethan Hawke relishes the role as Tucker Crowe, and nails it. The character?s lack of responsibility comes through his habit of having children by different women, and that is brought to comic fore when all the kids encounter him in London. His latest son is the one he is trying to rehabilitate himself with, and the boy (Azhy Robertson) has great chemistry with his similarly child-like father. Tucker?s ?secret? for leaving the pop/rock scene is appropriately guilt-ridden, and in fact all of the reasons for things happening are authentically structured by Jesse Peretz, a hip TV director doing his first feature since 2011.

Rose Byrne also is fantastic, and created a low-key character who reacts organically to that itch that people get when they want to change their lives. The way Annie wants to set up an exhibit (about the summer of 1964) clashes with the bureaucracy of her hometown, which foreshadows her need to move on. There is a beautiful moment when an 84-year-old women recognizes herself in the ?64 exhibit, and laments that all she did was follow the rules her entire life. The expression on Annie/Rose?s face says it all.

Of course the title was inspired, no doubt, by The Beatle?s ?Let it Be? Naked,? released in 2003. It is interesting that fans want to find some deeper meaning from a stripped down version of their favorite albums, when usually the demos are not meant for the light of day. My disappointment came when Rose Byrne wasn?t THE title character, and the action described wasn?t therein.

Icelandic director Baltasar Korm�kur has a thing for extreme survival tales. His 2012 film The Deep told of a fisherman fighting to survive in frigid water after a capsizing. 2015?s Everest chronicled the 1996 climbing season on the world?s highest mountain. And he remade his own 2008 Icelandic-language thriller Reykjavik-Rotterdam in 2012 as Contraband, starring Mark Wahlberg, whose presence automatically makes everything 37 per cent more dangerous.

His newest, Adrift, is based on a true story, although the less you know about it going in the better. https://www.thanostv.org/movie/adrift-2018 opens with Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) regaining consciousness in the waterlogged interior of a small yacht at sea; clearly, something very bad has just transpired.

Before we learn too much more, the scene cuts to ?five months earlier.? Tami is working as a dockhand in a Fiji harbour when she meets Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin), an easygoing sailor to whom she takes an immediate shine.

The decision to cut between the dry-land meet-cute and the post-storm survival tale seemed a drama-draining idea at first. Remember Robert Redford in All Is Lost, where we never left his stricken vessel through the entire film?

But it?s expertly timed; the story ebbs back to what brought Tami and Richard together, then flows forward to show them fighting to survive after she spots him bobbing on a piece of flotsam and hauls him back aboard.

And while a less confident storyteller would throw all manner of obstacles in their path ? sharks, more rough weather, two-headed sharks, giant sharks, etc. ? Korm�kur presents us with the quieter, just-as-real perils of diminishing fresh water and food, coupled with the fact that the yacht has drifted too far from its last radioed position to expect a rescue. Not to mention Richard?s injuries, which include a cracked rib and a badly torn leg.

It falls to Tami to navigate them across 5,000 km of open sea to Hawaii, with little more than her willpower and the ability to use a sextant. Kudos both to this scientific shout-out, and to the makeup department for creating a believably distressed look to both actors as their time at sea stretches into weeks.

Woodley also has a producing credit on Adrift. This might be why her naked dance in the rain manages to be at once the most beautiful, least sexualized nudity I?ve seen on screen this year.

She?s astounding in the role of the genial Californian wanderer who takes up with Claflin?s slightly more world-weary Brit. She?s been acting since she was less than 10, but most critics first took notice of her understated performance as George Clooney?s daughter in 2011?s The Descendants. Then, as her contemporary Jennifer Lawrence was making it big in The Hunger Games, she ably anchored the somewhat less successful Divergent series before moving to TV and Big Little Lies.

She?s in her element here, strong but not superhuman, realistically terrified and yet determined to survive. Claflin has less to do, but by the time the story plays out it?s more than apparent that neither of these characters would have gotten as far as they did without the other. Sometimes the most important survival gear (next to that sextant) is having someone with whom to survive.