April came and went and I couldn’t catch a lot of movies. First up is Possessor (2020; written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg), the second film by David Cronenberg’s son Brandon, who is fast becoming a unique voice in horror himself.

In this sci-fi/horror hybrid, Andrea Riseborough plays a hired assassin who can mentally take over the bodies of other people to get close to her targets. It’s trippy, stylish, and unsettling, but like with Cronenberg’s debut Antiviral (2012), I couldn’t help thinking all the ideas could’ve resonated a bit more. Still, you can tell he’s become a more assured filmmaker. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

Rating: **½

I first watched Tron (1982; written and directed by Steven Lisberger; from a story by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird) sometime in the 80s, and contrary to other film geeks’ love for it, I never was quite sold. Jeff Bridges plays a programmer who gets digitized into a computer and has to battle an evil AI, but in the end it’s just an excuse for writer/director Steven Lisberger to show off his animation skills. Sure, the CGI was groundbreaking in 1982 (those light cycle races do look cool), but the film is a clunky mess with weird editing, bad dialogue, and no sense of wonder. If only George Lucas or Steven Spielberg had done it instead.

Rating: **

Next up is Azrael (2024; written by Simon Barrett; directed by E. L. Katz), a horror film set years after the Rapture. What is it about? It’s hard to say, since most of the main characters are members of a cult where speech is forbidden. But it makes no sense whatsoever as burnt zombies (demons?) chase humans, the Antichrist (I think) is born, and Samara Weaving once again proves she’s much better than the material she’s usually given. Someone give this girl a solid movie to star in, please.

Rating: **

The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel (2026; directed by Ben Feldman) is a heartfelt tribute to the original guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hillel Slovak, who died of a drug overdose in 1988. I liked learning more of the band’s history and Slovak’s influence on his bandmates (he even gave Flea his shot at becoming a bassist), yet you could argue that the second part of the group’s evolution – when they became global superstars – is just as important. This could’ve easily been a miniseries.

Rating: **½

And speaking of miniseries, that’s exactly what the makers of RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop (2023; written and directed by Christopher Griffiths and Eastwood Allen) decided to do for this in-depth look at the 1987 ultra-violent cult classic. The geek in me got all sorts of giddy seeing stars Peter Weller and Nancy Allen, writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner, director Paul Verhoeven, and many more remember the behind-the-scenes insanity (seriously, this shit rivals 1979’s Apocalypse Now). Now I have to go watch the movie again.

Rating: ***