“Alpha.” / “Bloody Marie.”

<>“Alpha” (2018, Netflix) prehistoric adventure film. A young hunter who encounters and befriends an injured wolf during the last ice age. The wolf Alpha is played by Chuck, a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. The young hunter is the always credible Kodi Smit-McPhee but the obvious star of the movie is Alpha. That's just the way a dog movie goes. On spoilers here but all through most of the 96 minutes of the journey, I prayed that nothing really bad happens to the loyal wolfdog.

       And the next star would be the stunning cinematography of Martin Gschlacht, and of course, the direction of Albert Hughes; I remember him as the director of 2020's historical “The Good Lord Bill,” starring Ethan Hawke as abolitionist John Brown. Albert and bro Allen are known for the action movies Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, From Hell, and Then Book of Eli. 🎥👍📽

“Bloody Marie” (2019, Amazon Prime) Dutch action thriller film written and directed by Guido van Driel and Lennert Hillege. 

       In 2019, this artsy movie was shortlisted as one of the nine films in contention to be the Dutch entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not selected.

       An alcoholic artist's antics stir trouble in Amsterdam's red-light district in this stylish but uneven, and seemingly unfinished drama-thriller. Just when the excitement starts to boil, it's over. But I admit, this indie is well-acted (kudos to Susanne Wolff as Marie) and well-crafted; primarily the photography and production design. That sequence of Marie up the roof is nicely done sans bombastic. And then there's also a sweet dog named Lieze.

       But that's it. Stylish but flawed storytelling. The moral: Self-destruction isn't cool at all. And a cool movie that stops as it develops isn't also cool. 🎥💻📽

GAVE UP.

<>“Sanctuary” (2022, Hulu) dark comedy psychological thriller. In the wake of inheriting his father's hotel chain, Hal (Christopher Abbott) tries to end his long and secret relationship with Rebecca (Margaret Qualley), a dominatrix. Both performers are awesome but the story is too predictable, unexciting, and just too weird to waste another minute.

<>“Crimes of the Future” (2022, Hulu) science fiction body horror drama, written and directed by David Cronenberg. It follows a performance artist duo who perform surgery for audiences in a future where human evolution has accelerated for much of the population. I am a fan of Mr Cronenberg and this movie’s lead, Viggo Mortensen. But this futuristic is just too weird for my old age, LOL!