FILM REVIEWS:
AILEEN: QUEEN OF THE SERIAL KILLERS (USA 2025) ***
Directed by Emily Turner
Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer. Between 1989 and 1990, while engaging in street prostitution along highways in Florida, Wuornos shot and robbed seven of her male clients. She claimed that her victims had either raped or attempted to rape her, and that the homicides were committed in self-defence. Wuornos was sentenced to death for six of the murders and was executed in 2002 after spending more than ten years on Florida's death row. This is not the first movie made about Aileen,
In the feature film MONSTER (2003), Wuornos' story is described from her first murder until her execution; for her portrayal of Wuornos, Charlize Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress. The second movie, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer, is a 1992 documentary film about Aileen Wuornos, made by Nick Broomfield. It documents Broomfield's attempts to interview Wuornos, which involves a long process of mediation through her adoptive mother, Arlene Pralle, and her lawyer, Steve Glazer. The film was used by the defence in the Wuornos trial in 2001 to highlight the incompetence of Wuornos' original lawyer. It was through this process that Broomfield decided to make another film, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer. Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer is a 2003 feature-length documentary film about Aileen Wuornos, made by Nick Broomfield as a follow-up to his 1992 film Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer. The film focuses on Wuornos' declining mental state and the questionable judgment to execute her despite her being of unsound mind.
Now streaming on Netflix, the documentary Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, directed by Emily Turner, reexamines Wuornos’ life and crimes nearly 40 years after they occurred. Produced by the BBC Studios Documentary Unit in collaboration with NBC News Studios, the documentary features powerful audio interviews with those who knew her best, along with archival footage from former Dateline correspondent Michele Gillen. It also includes prison interviews with Wuornos herself, offering new insights into her crimes.
The film begins with a nasty introduction of Aileen, the seal killer queen. She is described by voiceover as vile and ugly, someone you would not want to meet in a dark alley. The voiceover then informs that she is gay, a hitchhiker, and a killer of white men.
But when the audience first sees her, in her first appearance to the audience as she is taken out of her cell to meet her interviewers, Aileen is quite pretty to look at, with a hubby personality. She tells them that they will make millions. She intends to tell the truth, the story of her life, to make it good with God, she says. And so this true crime documentary will tell Aileen's story.
Seven men were killed in a period of 12 months. The rage of the killer can be seen as increasing. The truck and the victim far often far apart. All the victims were white, middle-aged men. There was blonde hair and condoms found at the crime scenes.
Different from Nick Broomfeld’s two docs and Charles Theron’s MONSTER, this one is a more sympathetic look at Aileen, giving her more say while probing her so-called corrupted trial, while also emphasizing her claim of innocence while being a born-again Christian.
AILEEN: QUEEN OF THE SERIAL KILLERS opens for streaming this week on Netflix.
Trailer:
I REALLY LOVE MY HUSBAND (USA 2025) **
Directed by GG Hawkins
I REALLY LOVE MY HUSBAND is a couples relationship sex comedy, the type that used to flood theatres in the 60’s and 70’s. A few of the best ones include BLUME IN LOVE, THE HEARTBREAK KID, BONB AND CAROL AND TED AND ALICE, A NEW LEAF, just to name a few.
The premise of I REALLY LOVE MY HUSBAND involves the couple Teresa (Madison Lanesey) and her trophy husband, Drew (TravisQuentin Young). Teresa tells everyone she meets that she really loves her husband. She even tells her ex this on her cell phone during her wedding day. But does she? Saying and meaning it are two different things, as the film examines. Just as women can get really weird in relationships, as Jeannie Berlin did in THE HEARTBREAK KID, he makes curly wurlies with the hair on her new husband’s chest during sex on their wedding day, Teresa has her own set of idiosyncrasies. Her behavior takes a turn when she suggests a threesome at the Bocas Del Toro resort in Panama during their honeymoon. Paz (Arta Gee) is Teresa’s non-binary pick, which means Paz would be attractive to either of them.
But this is as far as the success of the film goes.
Teresa and Drew turn out to be a terribly annoying couple - the couple one would typically avoid when on vacation. All they do is think and talk about themselves. Teresa is also wishy-washy, talking all the time with weird mannerisms, though a few of these are quite funny. Few is over-nice and accommodating, not too believable as a husband until he finally freaks out at her.
The refreshing premise of a non-binary third-party threesome is largely wasted in a film that is not funny enough and does not have enough jokes poking at the couple's relationship. It does not help that the script does not attempt to make the couple more likeable for the audience to feel more sympathetic towards them.
On the positive side, I REALLY LOVE MY HUSBAND has an unexpected ending that almost saves he picture. Director GG Hawkins’ film shows promise in parts, and one should give him a chance to do better in his next project. The film is available; able on Digital and VOD on November 4th.
Trailer:
INDERA (Malaysia 2024) ****
Directed by Woo Ming Jin
Merging horror with Malaysian culture, tradition, and politics, INDERA is set against the backdrop of a real-life standoff between the government's police forces and villagers deep in rural Malaysia, where spirits and demons are as dangerous as guns and knives.
There is much to enjoy in watching the Malaysian folk horror INDERA. Especially if one has knowledge or lives in or close to Malaysia. The film makes use of folklore, natural surroundings, and political climate to effect a realistic and engrossing tale of family.
The family on display is Joe (Shaheizy Sam), a handyman doing his best to raise his young, non-verbal daughter Sofia (Samara Kenzo) in the wake of his wife’s tragic death. Penniless and evicted, he takes on the position of caretaker for an older Javanese woman (Ruminah Sidek), who claims she can help Sophia speak again. But as her unorthodox treatment progresses, Joe and Sophia begin experiencing terrifying visions that threaten their grip on reality.
For a film from Malaysia, director Woo (Malaysia has a population consisting of a majority Malays with Chinese concentrated in the towns and cities), the film boasts strong Hitchcock undertones in terms of audience participation and the use of shots and camera techniques to invoke suspense and mystery. At best, it is a searing vision of folk horror rich in traditions and culture.
Sofia is told and warned of the two rules of staying at the Javanese woman’s. No one must get close to the old hole, a well that used to be the latrine of the Javanese. The other is to ignore and not turn back when she hears her name being called..
The film’s setting is 1985 in the Lenggong Valley. At the start of the film, Joe is questioned by the local police and admonished about the current curfew. In 1985, there was a curfew in parts of West Malaysia, but it wasn’t nationwide. The curfew is due to clashes between the government and Islamic forces. This clash refers to the Memali Incident (1985), a deadly confrontation between Malaysian police and followers of an Islamic cleric, Ibrahim Libya, in Kedah. It exposed deep political and religious tensions in Malaysia and remains a controversial chapter in the nation’s history. The government wanted to prevent a similar Jalan Perijuk in Indonesia, an incident heard on the radio in the film, a major religious clash there. The Lenggong Valley setting of the film is in northern Perak, West Malaysia — a small rural town famous for its prehistoric archaeology and scenic valley.
Despite all the political and geographical relevance, the film builds the relationship between the mute daughter and her father, a strong point in engaging the audience's attention in the film. Director Woo builds the suspense and misery at an excellent pace. Though one might describe the film as a slow burn, the sense of anticipation makes the film totally engrossing, and there is never a dull moment. One also feels for Joe. He promises his dead wife that he will take care of their daughter, but he is broke and has to take work from the Javanese woman, much to the detriment of his daughter, Sofia.
INDERA is the best Halloween film this year and opens on October 31st on VOD and Digital.
Traileer:
KOLN ’75 (Germany/Poland/Belgium 2025) ****
Directed by Ido Fluk
The film follows Vera Brandes, who, in 1975 and at the age of 18, staged the famous Köln Concert by jazz musician Keith Jarrett. Köln is Cologne in German.
At its best, the film shows two sides of staging a concert, from the performer’s and the promoter’s points of view. The anguish, trauma of staging a grand performance, even if one might be talented as Keith Garrett is on full display. Garret is in depression, suffers from physical conditions like a bad back, and is unable to sleep before the concert. In full view are also his mood swings, refusing to play except on the Grand Imperial piano. A big positive of the film, which is seldom seen in concert films, is the hard work a promoter has to go through in order to stage a big event. This is emphasized by the fact that the promoter, Vera Blande’s is of the age of 17. She is disowned by her parents. At one point, the father slaps her so hard across the face that she bled.
This occurs in the film’s most dramatic segment when the parents read firsthand in the newspapers of their daughter being classified as a jazz bunny promoting jazz. In the confrontation scene, she asks her father: ‘Is this the wrong moment to ask for a 100,000 DM loan to stage the concert?’ There is also an impressive staged segment when Vera’s brother tells her that he will help her only because he hates his father more than he hates her.
Director Fluk ditches conventional filmmaking in his storytelling. He has a renegade reporter, Michael Watts (Michael Chernus), at many points in the film talking directly to the camera. He is the only character in the film who does so, serving to replace what could have been done as a voiceover. This tactic works as it jolts the audience into thinking of the film at a different level, and what Watts says to the audience is also funny, not to say it makes sense. Director Fluk also shifts focus from one character to another, for example, from Watts and then to Vera Blandes, with the effect that the story can be seen from two different views.
The film’s main flaw is the age disparity between the lead actress, who plays a 17-year-old, and the character she portrays. The lead actress, Mala Emde, does not look at all below 20, and when checked, her age is 29. Worst still, is the fact that the dialogue emphasizes not once but so many times how young this jazz promoter is. The age is also crucial in the story as the storyteller is supposed to show how this young jazz burner at the age of 17 accomplished the amazing feat of organizing the opera house concert for Keith Garrett. Ignoring this flaw, KOLN 75 would have been on my Top 10 list for 2025 Best Feature Films. But given the age limitation of actress Mala Erode, she delivers a remarkable performance.
KOLN 75 opens in theatres on Friday, October 31st.
Trailer:
THE RATS: A WITCHER TALE (USA 2025) **
Directed by Mairzee Almas
The Witcher is a fantasy drama television series created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich for Netflix. It is based on the book series[a] by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as the Continent, The Witcher explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Princess Ciri. It stars Henry Cavill, Liam Hemsworth, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan.
There have been 4 series, with number 4 recently released on Netflix. But there is a failed spinoff, now released as a movie, just after series 4 was dropped.
THE RATS: A WITCHER TALE stars Dolph Lundgren as a Witcher known as Brehen alongside the group of street-smart criminals known as The Rats, first introduced in The Witcher season 3. The 80-minute movie acts as both a prequel to The Witcher season 4 as well as briefly covering what happens next for Ciri. Cavill and Hemsworth are not in this one.
In the film, the rats plan to pull off a daring heist. This gang of misfit outlaws will have to do something they’ve never done before: trust each other — and a washed-up Witcher. Because of the nature of the vault/arena involved, they need the help of a witcher (monster-hunter) — one who is no longer at his prime. The film attempts to explore which it partly succeeds, of their backstories and relationships, especially the dynamic between the Rats and the witcher they enlist.
The film is a poor man’s Robin Hood set in a medieval fantasy land in which the gang largely keeps its spoils to itself. The film is strictly for fans of the series. The blend of harmless action-adventure comes with some bouts of violence.
THE RATS: A WITCHER TALE opens for streaming this week on Netflix.
URCHIN (UK 2025) ****
Directed by Harris Dickinson
URCHIN is the impressive directorial debut of British actor, the handsome Harris Dickinson (star of TRIANGLE OF SADNESS, BEACH RATS, and WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING) that premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard Section.
The URCHIN in the title is the modern-day definition of an urchin, usually referring to a poor, ragged, or mischievous child, often seen wandering the streets, like a “street urchin.” But the urchin in the story is 39-year-old Mike (Frank Dillane), a school dropout who goes about life like a child. When the film opens, Mike is living on the streets of London, hiding his entire belongings in a backpack behind a rubbish dumpster.
As fate has it, he is desperate for money to buy food and robs and assaults a good Samaritan passerby, resulting in his arrest and imprisonment for 8 months. A bit too much to pay for a stolen watch, he muses. When released, he meets a disinterested welfare worker who offers him a less than a year stay in a hostel, warning him that he is likely on his own after that, as he is neither disabled nor in the special need category, and would be low in priority for help. At this stage, the film looks like a Ken Loach film about social services criticism, but the film heads towards a different direction. It shows the perils, temptations, and trials that a street person with only just so much help goes through. It is a well-thought-out work written and directed by Dickinson, aided by a superb performance by Dillane, making URCHIN a superb first feature. Dillane trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (R.A.D.A.), graduating in 2013. As a child, he played Christopher Henderson in 'Welcome to Sarajevo' (Channel 4/Miramax/Dragon Pictures) directed by Michael Winterbottom. Aged sixteen, Frank played Tom Riddle in 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,' directed by David Yates.
The premise of the film reads: A young addict, Mike (Dillane), living on the streets of London, is given a shot at redemption, but his road to recovery soon curdles into a strange odyssey from which he may never escape. Mike is sober when the film opens, but falls into drugs again, beginning with trying ‘K’ for the first time.
Director Dickson gets his audience to both sympathize and then feel the complete opposite. disgust for Mike - a rare feat that he accomplishes, turning the tables a few times during the film, with credit also going to actor Dillane. The film shows that the man needs guidance, as is revealed several times in the film. Even the character confesses: “I like to be told what to do.” Even his dreams of being a manager of a chauffeur company sound not only far-fetched but an impossible goal to reach. His self-destructive nature, leading to a fallout with his romantic, short-lived relationship, also shows his childish nature. Part of the reason can be seen as a lack of fundamental education and the lack of a father figure.
Director Dickson also uses surreal images with saturated colour to depict Mike’s mental state, and once again at the film’s end.
URCHIN deservedly won the Dickinson Cannes Fipresci Prize in the United States Certain Regard Section at Cannes this year. The film opens on October 31st at the TIFF Lightbox.
Trailer:
THE WHITE HOUSE EFFECT (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Bonni Cohen, Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk
The magic question debated at the start of the film is whether the then drought and record hot weather of the 80’s is due to global warming, which is caused by the Greenhouse effect. It is good to know, as the doc explains, the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect is the natural process by which certain gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap heat, keeping the planet warm enough to support life.
Here’s how it works step by step:
The Sun’s energy reaches Earth in the form of sunlight.
Some of this energy is absorbed by the Earth’s surface, warming it.
The Earth then releases heat (in the form of infrared radiation) back into space.
Greenhouse gases—such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), water vapour (H₂O), and nitrous oxide (N₂O)—trap some of this heat and prevent it from escaping.
This trapped heat keeps the Earth’s surface warmer than it would be if all the heat escaped into space. Without the greenhouse effect, Earth’s average temperature would be about –18°C (0°F) instead of the comfortable +15°C (59°F) we have now. But now more harm had evolved.
“Dummies, Better listen! This is the greenhouse effect,” says an expert on TV in the first 15 minutes of the doc. If only that idiot dummy orange face one would listen, instead of cancelling the global warming bill. President George Bush said it. “It is simple. We can do it
The doc goes across different presidencies.
It begins with Jimmy Carter in Part 1: entitled “What sacrifices can we make?”
Part 2: “Which George Bush are we looking at?” Well, Bush won the election in 1988, as he promised to do something about the environment.
Part 3: "Is science for sale? "
Once agin, the doc proves the fallacy and hypocrisy of the White House While the doc offers a good summary of all the events that have taken place in the past regarding the issue, including the catastrophic Exxon oil spill an the company’s coverup of its devastation effects, the tension could be stronger or more focused around fewer key characters/events. (such as the fight between Bill Reilly and John Sununu. The villain of the piece is clearly Sununu , and the hero is Reilly.
Reilly says at one point in the film, a point that hits the nail on its head: "This is all very depressing!" as the United States White House has failed to do anything about it, all initially spurred by Sununu.
THE WHITE HOUSE EFFECT opens for streaming on October 31st on Netflix.
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