Maika Monroe – We Are Movie Geeks

REMINDERS OF HIM – Review

And now, borrowing from the sports world, here’s a fairly remarkable literary/cinematic “hat trick”. For the third year in a row, the multiplex becomes a “book club” with the new movie adaptation of a novel by Colleen Hoover. She’s the best-selling author of IT END WITH US (released in 2024, though the legal theatrics seem to drag on and on and…) and last year’s regrettable REGRETTING YOU. Perhaps Ms. Hoover wants to be as prolific in the 2020’s as Nicholas Sparks was for the first two decades of this century, though she got a lot of typing ahead of her. The results of these movie interpretations have been mixed (US) to downright scathing pans (YOU). So will she and the filmmakers hit that cinema “sweet spot” with REMINDERS OF HIM (Hoover has a thing with title pronouns)? Okay, here goes…chapter one…

Actually, the story’s opening is a return, or a homecoming. Keena Rowan (Maika Monroe) takes a taxi into the picturesque village of Paradise, Wyoming. Well, this is after the driver pauses for her to uproot one of those roadside memorials. She is able to rent a room at the somewhat squalid Paradise Hotel after putting up a big deposit, because the landlady tries to give everyone a “second chance” (and a kitten). Yes, Keena has just been released from prison. This makes her employment search even more difficult. Cut to our introduction to Ledger Ward (Tyriq Withers), a former pro-footballer (let go by the Broncos after his arm “blew out”) who also returned to Paradise to run a bar. He lives across the street from old friends Grace and Patrick Landry (Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford), who are raising their late son’s adorable five-year-old daughter Diem (Zoe Kasovic), almost like an adored niece to him. After a day “pounding the dusty pavement”, Keena is stunned that the old bookstore/ coffee is now a “watering hole” owned by, yup, Ledger. The two exchange a bit of flirty banter while she exits through the back door. She’s stunned again by the sight of a battered orange pickup truck. It’s then that its owner, Ledger, discovers that Keena is the former girlfriend of his deceased BFF, Scottie Landry (Rudy Pankow). Ledger had loaned his truck to him during his short NFL stint. Naturally, the banter soon ends. The next morning, he’s gobsmacked when he sees her marching toward the Landry house to finally meet her daughter. Yes, she had been sent up the river after that fatal crash (the courts determined that she was driving under the influence) while only a few weeks pregnant. Soon after giving birth, the baby was taken away to Scotty’s folks. Ledger prevents her from making a scene, but is a bitter reunion inevitable (it’s a tiny town)? And what will become of the blossoming attraction between the duo connected by tragedy?

Can it really be a dozen years since Ms. Monroe appeared on my “radar” in the indie horror gem, IT FOLLOWS? Oh yes, and she’s been fairly busy in genre films, whether it’s more horror like last year’s LONGLEGS, or thrillers like (again, 2025) the remake of THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, or sci-fi with that silly INDEPENDENCE DAY sequel (whew). She can do wonders with very little in the way of a script, and here she proves more than up to the task of carrying a romantic drama. We see how life has battered Keena through Monroe’s down-turned gaze and her deliberate body language and slow gait. But when Keena begins her quest to reunite with her baby, Monroe is energized and dynamic, then gives way to a “softer side” as Keena cautiously lets love back into her heart. Here’s hoping for an even greater variety of lead roles for her. Withers weathers (see what I did) last year’s dreadful horror/sports mash-up mess HIM, to become a strong, complex lead as Ledger, a man trying to deal with his own past issues while being stretched in a dozen different directions at once by the people he cares so deeply about, but still full of charm and grit. Almost as much of it as Pankow as the doomed and endearing Scotty. As his folks, Whitford, as “Nono” Landry, is trying to leave his loss behind until Keena pops back. Ditto for Graham, as his still-healing wife, as she tries to protect her granddaughter, now the only physical part of her only child. Much has been made of the screen debut of country crooner Lainey Wilson, who does well in the small (only a few minutes) role of Keena’s boss/buddy. Amid the turmoil, Monika Meyers provides some comic relief as Keen’s special needs co-worker/ neighbor, Lady Diana.

With her second theatrical feature film, director Vanessa Caswill keeps the pace flowing, though she leans heavily into prolonged close-ups to convey the budding attraction (and they are attractive) of the principals. Plus, she makes great use of the stunning visuals with Canada (again) subbing for its southern neighbor. But then there’s the script, which hammers the dramatic conflicts, veering into melodrama, and gives way to cloying heart-tugging. frequently in the dialogues with Diem and the earlier-mentioned Diana, going to the “cute well” till it’s nearly dry. I did find it interesting that Hoover, adapting her novel with Lauren Levine, opted to leave the big city, lush settings of US and YOU to focus on those struggling to get by, though the under-constructed home of Ledger seems far too opulent. Still, fans of her work will probably be pleased while the rest of us ponder just how this “basic cable TV’ terajerker “escaped” into the multiplex (those literary roots, I suppose). But the potent chemistry between the engaging Monroe and Withers smooths out much of the potboiler tropes of REMINDERS OF HIM (sound of paperback closing).

1.5 Out of 4

REMINDERS OF HIM opens exclusively in theatres on Friday, March 13, 2026.

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE (2025) – Review

Did you think that the only movie remakes out this year were THE ROSES and THE TOXIC AVENGER (not counting the three live-action remakes of animated features)? Of course not, since the trailer for THE RUNNING MAN seems to be attached to nearly every movie at the multiplex. That one’s nearly three weeks away, so how about a “re-do” of a film that’s not quite as old as the Arnold classic? Now streaming is a new spin, truly earning the often noxious marketing phrase “re-imagining”, on a kinda’ campy thriller from 1992 (naw, it can’t be over 30 years away). So what has changed, and what remains for this take on THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE?

For one thing, the 2025 “model” begins with a flashback, probably about 15 years ago, as a blonde pre-teen watches a two-story suburban home go up in flames (and we hear the screams of those trapped inside). Then we’re back in the present as very pregnant lawyer Caitlyn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is taking on a new pro bono client at a free legal advice center. Former child care worker Polly (Maika Monroe) is dealing with a shady landlord. Soon after their meeting, Caitlyn goes into labor, and gives birth to a baby girl, Josie. As the weeks progress, it becomes clear that Caitlyn has “too much on her plate” with the new addition, rebellious pre-teen daughter Emma (Mleiah Vega), and returning to her law firm. Hubby Miguel (Raul Castillo) implores her to hire some domestic help. Almost on cue, Caitlyn soon bumps into Polly. The two hit it off and the harried new mom gets the info and a solid reference for the ex-client (who lost her apartment). Polly is a welcome addition, attentive to Josie, and bonding with Emma. And then things go “sideways”. Everyone gets food poisoning (could Polly have spiked the main course). Then Polly breaks a big house role, giving Josie retail formula rather than Caitlyn’s breast milk. Eventually, Polly moves into the guest house next to the pool, but things don’t get back to normal. Are Caitlyn’s prescription meds (for a mental health condition) not working (another concern for Miguel), or did Polly tamper with them? Is it postpartum paranoia, or does the seemingly sweet Polly have a secret agenda?

Much like the original, this take really relies on of the power dynamic “tug-of-war” between the two main characters, and the film’s producers have cast two very interesting actors who have had great experience in the thriller genre (or genre films in general). The biggest emotional arc is given to Caitlyn, and Winstead expertly lets us see her growing mania after establishing the lawyer/mom as a “hands on” parent with a complex past. At just around the half-way point, Winstead takes her energy from stroll to trot to a furious, frantic gallop that pulls us along in her wake. This contrasts well with Monroe, perhaps best known for her lead in the indie horror gems IT FOLLOWS and LONGLEGS, who almost makes Polly a blank slate, her dead-eyed stare during confrontations with Winstead allow us to project all manner of sinister schemes onto her. However, we get to see a bit of her darkness at a dinner party when verbally chided by Caitlyn’s old best pal Stewart, played by the always engaging Martin Starr (forever Bill Haverchuck, class of 82′). He’s a sneering elite, who reveals a kind heart not only with Caitlyn (oops, don’t want to spoil). Castillo does his best with the underwritten role of the often thick hubby, who is either a witness or impediment to the long-awaited “throw-down”.

Taking the directorial reigns from the late, much-missed Curtis Hanson is Michelle Garza Cervera, in her second feature after many shorts and TV episodes. She keeps the pace steady, eschewing any flashy effects, save for the opening flashback. There’s a good use of LA locales, though Cervera is often a bit heavy-handed in contrasting the “haves and have-nots”. The often radical “re-imagining” is engineered by screenwriter Micah Bloomberg, who strips away many of the problematic elements (there’s no Solomon here in any form) of the 92′ story from Amanda Silver. And yes, many of the cheesy camp of the first is excised, but some interesting ideas are explored (Polly seems more into seducing Caitlyn than Miguel). Making first daughter Emma a few years older provides a chance to explore the often tumultuous clashes with mothers (another power struggle). Still, time hasn’t been kind to the subject manner since basic cable TV has been “strip-mining” the original film countless times over the years, with endless variations of the “wife/mother defending her happy home against the twisted interloper” (much as with the many clones of FATAL ATTRACTION). That’s a shame, since the two leads are such an interesting pairing, and are worthy of a more original tale than the still-familiar THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE.

2 Out of 4

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE is now streaming exclusively on Hulu

GRETA – Review

Though headlined by a pair of actresses one would hope could elevate familiar material, GRETA is at its core a lurid B-movie dressed in art-house clothing, poorly-written trash that ultimately bears more than a passing resemblance to the many disposable psychological thrillers it pilfers from. GRETA tells of 20-ish waitress Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz) who’s recently moved into a lavish Manhattan loft with roomie Erica (Maika Monroe) after the death of her mother. Frances finds an abandoned purse on the subway and kindly walks to the owner’s home to return it. There lives Greta (Isabelle Huppert), a sad and fragile 60-ish French woman so thankful to Frances that she invites her inside for coffee and conversation. The women at first make a connection and Greta, who claims to have a mysterious daughter about that age, provides Frances a motherly presence. The friendship doesn’t last long. After a trip to the dog pound to get Greta a new pet, the pair head back to the older woman’s home for dinner. There Frances finds a cabinet full of purses identical to the one she had discovered on the subway! Frances tries to break things off but Greta’s psychotic streak has been exposed, the ominous horror chords on the soundtrack have been cued, and the balance of GRETA becomes standard cat-and-mouse shenanigans.

It’s a fairly irresistible premise that’s employed to laughable effect by trotting out every cliché in the book for this type of slasher/stalker ‘bunny-boiler’. GRETA was supposed to be a comeback of sorts for once-hot director Neil Jordan, who won a writing Oscar for THE CRYING GAME but hasn’t had a mainstream hit since INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE in 1994. With GRETA, Jordan pays a lot of attention to style. He and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey employ atmospheric lighting, striking camera angles, and carefully-designed art direction for Greta’s apartment, all to ensure an unnerving vibe. But Jordan’s direction merely plays up the melodramatic aspects of the lousy script where dumb people keep doing dumb things for the sake of the plot. Sure, the audience is well-aware that Greta is bat-poop nuts. We can tell by the way she phones her young friend all day long, stares at her from the street for hours while she’s trying to serve customers, pursues the roommate through the subway while surreptitiously photographing her, flips over restaurant tables while smashing wine glasses, and spits gum in Frances’ hair! The problem with GRETA is that all of this happens in the film’s first 25 minutes, so there’s still over an hour left for the audience to endure Greta’s tiresome, increasingly over-the-top lunacy. Perhaps suspense could have been built had the script spent more time on psychological character study and saved the slasher-film stylistics for the final act, but GRETA goes off the rails quickly. For a movie meant for believability, it gets too stupid too fast and just stays there. The script never addresses exactly how Greta got so nutty. How does she afford this Manhattan townhouse that doesn’t seem to have neighbors close enough to hear Frances’ screaming? Would Frances’ boss really make her wait on a woman he knew was stalking her? Would the police really refuse to investigate this stalking? Why, when Erica is stalked in the subway and turns her head to look behind her, is Greta magically nowhere in sight even though she has nothing to hide behind? The contrivances, coincidences, and plot holes here are far too high a hurdle.

Huppert is usually such a terrific and daring actress (her startlingly casual rape victim/avenger in ELLE was sublime), I had hoped she would elevate this character beyond the stereotypes often associated with films of this ilk. The 66-year old actress has such compelling presence, and is still as stunning as she was when she co-starred in HEAVEN’S GATE 40 years ago, but she does nothing here Joan Crawford, Tallulah Bankhead, and Shelly Winters weren’t doing during their COH (Crazy Old Hag) periods in the 1960s. Moretz drips with doe-eyed innocence but one dumb decision after another made by Frances (at one point she’s stalking Greta back out of concern for that pooch) will mostly cause audiences to react with an exasperated “Oh, come on!”, though she does wield a mean cookie cutter in the film’s one truly shocking moment!

GRETA is cheesy, but at a breezy 96 minutes, not totally unwatchable. It’s a somewhat entertaining absurdity if you are willing to check all logic at the door. I almost wish GRETA had been even worse and played up the camp to the point of parody (some may argue it’s already there). Then we could have had a gloriously bad guilty pleasure instead of just a bad movie

1 1/2 of 5 Stars

Here’s the Official Trailer & Teaser Poster for GRETA Starring Isabelle Huppert and Chloë Grace Moretz

Focus Features will release GRETA in theaters on March 1, 2019. Check out the trailer:

GRETA is the story of a sweet, naïve young woman trying to make it on her own in New York City, Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) doesn’t think twice about returning the handbag she finds on the subway to its rightful owner. That owner is Greta (Isabelle Huppert), an eccentric French piano teacher with a love for classical music and an aching loneliness. Having recently lost her mother, Frances quickly grows closer to widowed Greta. The two become fast friends — but Greta’s maternal charms begin to dissolve and grow increasingly disturbing as Frances discovers that nothing in Greta’s life is what it seems in this suspense thriller from Academy Award^®-winning director Neil Jordan.

GRETA stars Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore, and Stephen Rea and is directed by Neil Jordan (“The Crying Game”)

Timothée Chalamet in HOT SUMMER NIGHTS Arrives on DVD September 25

Starring Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet (Best Actor, Call Me by Your Name, 2017) alongside a talented fresh young cast, Hot Summer Nights arrives on DVD September 25 from Lionsgate.

Starring Academy Award^® nominee Timothée Chalamet (Best Actor, Call Me by Your Name, 2017) alongside a talented fresh young cast, Hot Summer Nights arrives on DVD September 25 from Lionsgate. Also starring Alex Roe and Maika Monroe, Elijah Bynum’s directorial debut is about a likable but socially awkward high school graduate who finds confidence — and trouble — when he spends the summer dealing marijuana with the local bad boy and beginning a secret romance with his new partner’s younger sister. The Hot Summer Nights DVD release includes a never-before-seen featurette and audio commentary with writer-director Elijah Bynum, producer Ryan Friedkin, and actor Emory Cohen, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

Set in Cape Cod over one scorching summer, this fun and stylized thriller follows Daniel (Timothée Chalamet), a teenager who gets in over his head dealing drugs with the neighborhood rebel while pursuing his new partner’s enigmatic sister.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

“Don’t Be Boring: Making Hot Summer Nights” Featurette
Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Elijah Bynum and Actor Emory Cohen

CAST

Timothée Chalamet Lady Bird, Call Me by Your Name

Maika Monroe Independence Day: Resurgence, It Follows

Alex Roe Forever My Girl, The 5th Wave

Maia Mitchell TV’s “The Fosters,” Never Goin’ Back

William Fichtner TV’s “Mom,” The Neighbor

with Thomas Jane TV’s “The Expanse,” Before I Wake

and Emory Cohen TV’s “The OA,” Brooklyn

INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE – Longstanding Conspiracy Theory Debunked!

Today Earth Space Defense director David Levinson is finally debunking a long-standing conspiracy theory that has persisted since the War of 1996. In this video – which provides irrefutable proof – he and famous Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum prove once and for all that they are not the same person – despite their uncanny resemblance. Learn the truth now. Check out this video:

We always knew they were coming back. After INDEPENDENCE DAY redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE hits theaters everywhere June 24, 2016!

SYNOPSIS

Celebrate Earth Day With New Trailer For INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE

Don’t Mess with Earth.

Just in time for Earth Day, a new INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE trailer has arrived.

To help us all defend our planet, for a limited time, the original INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996) movie will be available for only $0.99, with all of Fox’s net proceeds being donated to Earth Day Network! Get your $0.99 download of ID4 here: http://bitly.com/1qWSDvc.

Fans can also participate in a global #IndependenceDayLive Earth Day Watch Party, starting at 4pm PT by following #IndependenceDayLive and @IndependenceDay.

The film hits theaters this summer on June 24th.

Facebook: Facebook.com/IndependenceDayMovie
Twitter: Twitter.com/IndependenceDay

Big Game TV Spot – INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE

20th Century Fox has debuted a Big Game TV spot for director Roland Emmerich’s INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE.

The film opens in theaters on June 24th.

The movie stars Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Maika Monroe, Jessie Usher, William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Travis Tope, Sela Ward, Brent Spiner, Vivica A. Fox, Angelababy.

For more on the invasion visit – www.warof1996.com

THE 5TH WAVE – The Review

Well film fans, 2016’s not even a month old and we’re already back in “young adult novel” land at the multiplex. Well, it’s not the tear-jerker terminal romance of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS or IF I STAY. No it’s another one about a horrible future in which several special “gifted” (and highly photogenic) teenagers are humanity’s only hope. Betcha’ thought that the last installment of THE HUNGER GAMES would bring down the curtain on these tormented teen tales. Not likely since a new series pops up almost every week at your local bookstore (oh, we are lucky to have these fine establishments, so support them). While this new film does possess familiar elements of other “YA” novel based movies, the producers have thrown in a few unique themes and twists. And it stars one of our most interesting young actors (the star of the earlier mentioned STAY). You won’t need a surfboard to catch THE 5TH WAVE, just a theatre ticket.

The flick fades in on another awful day in life of eighteen year-old Cassie Sullivan (Chloe Grace Moretz). Her narration quickly brings us back to the good times just months ago. Cassie was enjoying her last year of high school…going to “keggers”, mooning over that dreamy Ben Parish (Nick Robinson), and loving her picture perfect family: Mom (Maggie Siff), Dad (Ron Livingston), and sweet kid brother Sam (Zackary Arthur). But then that gnarly spaceship showed up. More like a massive fortress floating across the country. The occupants (dubbed “the others”) make no effort to communicate, so the military doesn’t engage them. Then the others strike by emitting an aerial “pulse” that knocks out all electrical and battery power (this is named the “first wave”). The Sullivans survive the chaos in time for the second wave consisting of brutal earthquakes and tidal waves. Then much of the remaining populace is claimed by the third wave, a souped-up, even deadlier version of the “avian flu”. Cassie’s family makes their way to a makeshift woodland commune until the military arrives (hmm, their vehicles work fine). The commander, Colonel Vosch (Liev Schrieber) tells of the fourth wave: the others inhabit and take over human earth bodies. In order to combat this, all children under 18 will be taken by bus to the Air Force base to be scanned for alien infestation. A melee breaks out after Cassie doesn’t make it back to Sam’s bus in time (oh, and all the adults are killed). She roams the countryside until an injury lands her in the home of the sympathetic (and also dreamy) Evan Walker (Alex Roe). Meanwhile Sam and all the surviving kids (including Ben!) are trained to become alien fighters by Vosch and Sergeant Reznik (Maria Bello). But no matter the distance between them or the danger, Cassie is determined to re-unite with Sam.

Ms Moretz utilizes her considerable acting skills to bat trying to smooth the rough edges of this often clichéd story. She shows us Cassie slowly morphing from free-wheeling and carefree to focused, desperate hero, letting us see her nearly give in to panic before improvising a plan of action. Robinson’s Ben also goes through a similar (but unseen) arc, becoming a leader to the other “lost boys” (and girls), and earning the nickname “Zombie”. Roe, completing this triangle, is the required hunky “beefcake” complete with soulful eyes, who conveys a world-weary sadness, prior to his bathing in the stream “eye candy” sequence. Schrieber is stern gravitas as the soldier/father figure (or maybe a tough, grizzled uncle). Bello is almost unrecognizable in heavy makeup and severe peaked hair (topped with a southern twang) oozes cruel contempt as she indoctrinates her new recruits. Special mention should be made of the often scene-stealing Maika Monroe (star of last year’s cult thriller IT FOLLOWS) who dyes her sunny blonde locks raven black to portray tough girl (er, “grrrl”) as the goth gladiator Ringer, her racoon-like eyes honing in any weakness (now her backstory would make for a great spin-off flick).

Three screenwriters, Susannah Grant, Avika Goldsman, and Jeff Pinkner, have tried to craft the desperate threads of Rick Yancey’s novel into a coherent script, but the source material often gets the better of them. Yes, the story owes quite a bit to TWILIGHT and THE HUNGER GAMES, but so many other inspirations (perhaps too many) are tossed into this overcooked stew: INDEPENDENCE DAY, CONTAGION, THE THING, STARSHIP TROOPERS, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, along with 70’s Irwin Allen disaster flicks. From the opening sequence we also feel like we’re not far from TV’s “The Walking Dead” (this movie’s shot in Georgia too) with Cassie dashing about the woods and empty streets, toting an AK-47, her face smudged with grime and dirt (but her golden hair fresh from a shampoo commercial). But the action never meshes smoothly with the “which boy will she choose” soggy romance. The effects are competently done even though the scenes of the “second wave” play like bonus DVD extras from SAN ANDREAS. Director J Blakeson tries to guide (using far too much slow-motion) the subplots like a cinema traffic cop, but everything collides and crashes in a clunky muddeled ending that wants to set things up for a franchise. A 6th wave, perhaps? Not when THE 5TH WAVE sinks like a stone. Glub, glub!

1.5 Out of 5

Chloë Grace Moretz And Filmmakers Discuss Adapting Rick Yancey’s THE 5TH WAVE In New Featurette

Sony Pictures has released a new featurette for the upcoming adventure THE 5TH WAVE.

Based on the novel by Rick Yancey, the author, stars and filmmakers discuss the making of the new film where four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated.

Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie (Chloë Grace Moretz) is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie teams up with a young man who may become her final hope – if she can only trust him.

Here’s another look at the trailer playing in theaters now.

Directed by J Blakeson, the cast includes Nick Robinson, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Alex Roe, Maria Bello, Maika Monroe and Liev Schreiber. The score is from composer Henry Jackman.

THE 5TH WAVE opens in theaters January 22, 2016.

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