Mikey Madisonis one of the rising stars of the moment.
Fresh offher Oscar win, she’sreportedlyfielding offers from various studios and directors, and for good reason.
It’ll be great to see what this recent Oscar winner does next.
Image via NEON
She shines in some of them, while others give her little to work with.
Probably the weakest feature Madison has appeared in so far isAll Souls, a shaky crime drama.
She leads the cast as River, a single mother coerced into becoming a confidential informant for law enforcement.
Image via Lionsgate
It’s a decent (if unoriginal) premise, butthe execution is lackluster.
Her co-star, rapperG-Eazy, fares a lot worse, struggling to flesh out his character.
As a result,All Soulsfeels painfully overlongdespite being just 81 minutes.
Overall,All Soulsoffers little reason to seek it out, even for Madison stans.
Madison plays Kat Walker, the object of affection for the protagonist, Cy Berger (Jared Gilman).
Plus, the tone is very uneven throughout.
Image via Gunpowder & Sky
While some younger viewers may enjoy the teen drama,most viewers will want to give this a miss.
As a result, while not terrible,Nostalgiais pretty boringand sometimes cloyingly sentimental.
A few of the lines are totally overwritten, too, bordering on intentional comedy.
Not to mention, the unrelentingly somber vibe gets a bit much.
The animation is good, nicely paying homage to the original cartoons, and the voice acting is solid.
Where this version ofThe Addams Familystumbles is with the plot and writing.
Plus, by being targeted toward much younger viewers, it fails to get asspooky and macabreas it should.
In short,a waste of potential.
The script is underdeveloped and could have used a rewrite.
In general,the movie is let down by its lack of resources.
Things improve dramatically with 2022’sScream, which is a fine installment inthe beloved slasher franchise.
She’s joined in the cast byNeve Campbell,Courteney Cox,Melissa Barrera, andJack Quaid.
Screamsucceeds because it leans into the series’s meta-slasher formula.
While obviously falling far short of the two original installments, thisScreammoviestill packs a punch.
It’s a ton of cheeky, bloody fun.
Image via Bleeker Street
The movie is occasionally heavy-handed, butthe message is urgent, and the lead performances are top-notch.
He’s subtle and believable, elevating the material.
All in all,Monstermakes fora fresh take on courtroom drama.
It borrows structural elements from the comedies ofHoward Hawksbut infuses them with devastating moments of bleakness.
It’ll be fascinating to see what projects it unlocks for her going forward.
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