SLA at Fantasia: Baby Assassins Nice Days – Spoiler Free Review

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Movies, movies, and more movies! Our coverage of the Fantasia Film Festival is still in full swing and Tuesday night was a particularly busy one for us at Screen Love Affair! In the early evening, Adriana went to a screening of a new 4k remaster of Cube (1997), while I went to see Baby Assassins Nice Days. Afterwards, we met up and went to watch the highly anticipated Cuckoo together, so be sure to read Adriana’s review of that one! Despite our busy schedules, I had the time and opportunity to see Baby Assassins Nice Days, and boy was I glad I did!  This is the third entry in about as many years in the Baby Assassins franchise out of Japan. I admit, I was completely unfamiliar with these movies, so if you’re in the same position I was, I’ll bring you up to speed! The three films star Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa and are written and directed by Yugo Sakamoto. Takaishi and Izawa play Chisato and Mahiro respectively, two teenage girls who happen to be very talented assassins based out of Tokyo.  The third movie has a beautifully simple synopsis that reads: “Teenage assassins Chisato and Mahiro go on vacation to Miyazaki, Japan, and face their biggest opponent yet.” All I knew beyond what I’ve already shared with you is that the fight choreography is supposedly incredible and that the previous two movies were a lot of fun.  So, did these Baby Assassins hit or miss the mark? My Thoughts I already gave away my feelings about this one earlier in the review, but I am so glad I went to see this movie! I almost missed this one entirely due to our original schedule for Fantasia, but now I can’t imagine my first Fantasia Film Festival without it! First things first, you absolutely do not need to see the first two Baby Assassins movies to enjoy this one. I didn’t have enough time to watch the movies before the screening, but the setup was all I needed to sit back and enjoy this movie. What becomes apparent immediately is just how great both Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa are as the leads. From the beginning of the movie, we see just how much chemistry they have. Their friendship is one of the most organic and believable ones I’ve ever seen in a movie. Not only are they a ton of fun, but they also deliver some incredibly heartfelt moments as well.  That’s the thing too about this movie; it has absolutely everything. It’s funny and heartfelt, but it also has some pretty dark moments. Credit has to go to writer/director Yugo Sakamoto, because these tones mesh perfectly together somehow, and the movie doesn’t suffer from any kind of tonal whiplash. It goes from incredibly light and funny in one moment, as our adorable leads are acting silly on vacation, to gritty and brutal, as those same adorable leads mow through waves of goons leaving nothing but blood and bodies behind them. Don’t worry, though, they’ve also got a cleaning crew to tidy up once they’ve finished their mission. This movie is more proof that you don’t need incredibly elaborate plots to make a good action movie. I know I talk a lot about John Wick when I talk about action movies, but hey, I can’t help that those movies are the modern standard to which all other action movies are compared. Anyway, what the best movies in the John Wick franchise understand is that simple is enough. As an audience, we don’t need overly complex plots to feel progression in the story, we can get that from spending time with the characters and the world. Something as simple as having a beer with a friend can be a standout character moment that makes a movie with a simple narrative pack a ton of punch. The plot of Nice Days is very straightforward, but what allows it to shine is the time spent with our main characters and the action.  And, oh boy, the action here is stupendous. I can’t find any details about the budgets for these movies, but these genuinely put most Hollywood action movies to shame with what is clearly a humble budget. While the visual and sound effects of the guns weren’t the best, it’s the hand-to-hand and knife sequences that shine here. They even tap in a bit to the ‘Gun-Fu’ style of the John Wick movies, but the sequences are extensively choreographed with minimal cuts and some fantastic oners. What’s even more impressive is that the main cast also perform these sequences themselves. I can’t talk about the action in this movie without also mentioning how spectacular Sôsuke Ikematsu is as Kaede Fuyumura, another assassin in the movie. He, along with our two leads, puts some great work into the action scenes, and that alone makes this movie worth the price of admission. The fact that they can draw so many different feelings and emotions out of me, too, is just wild.  Verdict Not only did they hit the mark with this one, they obliterated the target. I absolutely loved this movie and I can’t believe there’s a potential timeline out there where I went one more day without having experienced a Baby Assassins movie.  With a straightforward setup, two powerhouse leads, a stellar supporting cast, and fight scenes that outclass $100 million blockbusters, Baby Assassins Nice Days isn’t just a great movie—it’s a must watch for anyone that considers themselves an action movie fan.  Sometimes you just want to have an absolute blast watching a movie, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for low-effort mediocre slop. Movies like this show what’s possible when people with immense talent are able to create something purely to please and impress an audience. The range of emotions this movie pulled out of me stands as a reminder that you don’t need millions of dollars to create an unforgettable theatrical experience, you just

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SLA at Fantasia: Shelby Oaks – Spoiler Free Movie Review

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If you’ve ever talked to me about movies, chances are I have brought up a person whose videos I’ve watched on YouTube religiously for around fourteen years. That person is Chris Stuckmann. On a basic level, Chris and I shared the same taste in movies, but it was more his approach to talking about movies that really pulled me in. More than anything, Chris was a fan of movies first and foremost, and it was the passion above all else that has made me a long-time subscriber to his YouTube channel.  In fact, it was Chris’s approach that inspired the very website you’re reading now. I started Screen Love Affair because I love movies and I wanted to share that feeling with the world. Like Chris, I wanted to put that passion out there with the hope that someone will discover a new movie that inspires them, because they read about it here.  For Chris, though, talking about movies wasn’t enough. He has been a filmmaker since he was a kid and, as executive producer Mike Flanagan said tonight at the world premiere of Shelby Oaks, it was obvious that Chris would be here someday.  I was able to attend the world premiere of Shelby Oaks as part of the coverage we’ve been doing of the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. We got to hear from Mike Flanagan, who was also there to introduce Chris before the movie. The cast and crew in attendance stuck around for a Q&A afterwards as well. If you’d like to see that and our coverage of the rest of the Fantasia Film Festival, be sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter)! Shelby Oaks is a mystery-horror movie written, directed, and produced by Chris Stuckmann. The film stars Camille Sullivan as Mia, Brendan Sexton III as Mia’s husband Robert, Michael Beach as Detective Burch, Robin Bartlett as Norma, Keith David as Morton Jacobson, and Sarah Durn as Mia’s sister Riley.  As for the plot, I’ll only provide you with a fraction of the synopsis because I think it gives you more than enough detail to know what kind of movie to expect: “Mia frantically searches for her sister Riley, after Riley ominously disappeared in the last taping of a show by a group of paranormal investigators called the Paranormal Paranoids.” Before we get into the review itself, rest assured that like all of my reviews, this will be SPOILER FREE. Also, for full disclosure, I was a backer on the Shelby Oaks Kickstarter campaign. I have no financial stake in the movie or anything, but when Chris announced the Kickstarter, it was important for me to give something back to the person that had given me so much for so many years. So, without further ado, let’s get Stuckmannized!  My Thoughts To state it right at the top, I’m thrilled to report that this was a strong feature film debut for Chris Stuckmann! There was plenty of buzz and excitement around this one, especially amongst the sold out theatre in Montreal that came to watch the premiere.  The performances were great all around, but the real standout here is the lead performance by Camille Sullivan. The whole movie rests on her shoulders and she does a fantastic job conveying the grief and the hope that her character carries throughout the movie. Another standout for me was Robin Bartlett as Norma. She had the entire theatre in the palm of her hand for every second she was on screen and was a genuine delight to watch. Sticking with what I liked, Stuckmann’s direction was probably the biggest highlight of the whole thing for me. There was a confidence I could feel throughout the movie with almost every shot. Stuckmann isn’t just a fan of horror movies, he’s a student of the game, and he knows how to use the frame and audio to create specific feelings of dread in the audience. Even I, as a seasoned horror veteran, found myself getting drawn into these moments and experiencing some genuine scares. When I anticipated a jump scare approaching, Stuckmann would linger a beat or two longer than most horror movies. This restraint causes just an extra notch of suspense that really goes a long way when it comes to building and then releasing tension.  To contrast the horror, though, this movie is also really funny. There were plenty of laughs to be had, not in the form of annoying quips or forced jokes, but in recognizing the humour that can only be found in the horror genre. Oftentimes in horror movies, there are certain moments that are so absurd that you can’t help but laugh. Shelby Oaks succeeds where most horror movies fail in this regard, because it recognizes the humour in those moments, while lesser movies insist on trying to make the absurd scary, which causes a disconnect with the audience.  Another highlight was just the perspective of the movie itself. I won’t give anything away, but this was one of the best and most unique aspects of the movie. In a genre as populated as horror, it’s always impressive to me when you can do something new, and that’s what Stuckmann was able to do here.  When it came to the sound, I was a little more mixed. One of the things that really takes me out of a tense scene in a horror movie is when I notice the audio drop out completely. It’s not just a subconscious thing that makes it easier for me to pay attention to every little sound, it makes me acutely aware of the fact that something loud is going to appear on the screen suddenly. I lose all sense of tension as I sit there simply waiting for that thing to happen. When it comes to the sound mixing and design, I find a more subtle approach, with a very limited score throughout, keeps me a little less aware and prepared for

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Challengers – Movie Review

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Sports have never really been my thing, but I’ve always loved tennis. I’ve been watching it since I was about 11 years old, and though I don’t follow it religiously these days, it still holds a special place in my heart. So when I heard that Luca Guadagnino was making a sexy tennis movie starring Zendaya, I perked up. Notable tennis movies are few and far between (Wimbledon and Battle of the Sexes are the only two that immediately come to mind), but I don’t think any have captured the sport quite like Challengers does. I’ll say right up front: this is a weird movie. If you’re going in expecting a straightforward love triangle rom-com on the tennis courts, you might be disappointed. The movie is centred around a single tennis match at a ‘challenger’ tournament in New Rochelle, NY. A low-stakes tournament in the scheme of things but one that ends up charged with the fraught history and relationships of our central trio of characters. Competing for the title are Patrick (Josh O’Connor) and Art (Mike Faist), while Art’s coach and wife (and Patrick’s ex), Tashi (Zendaya), watches from the sidelines. With this simple setup, the movie proceeds to bounce us back and forth in time like a tennis ball, picking up more and more tidbits of the characters’ intertwined past and what led up to this final match. The time jumps can feel a bit chaotic, but I never felt overwhelmed or lost, which is a testament to how great the actors embody their characters at different stages of their lives. All three of the leads are phenomenal, but Zendaya and Josh O’Connor are especially good. It’s hard to believe this is Zendaya’s first time really leading a movie, but boy does she ever lead. As great as Zendaya is in Dune: Part Two (check out Shea’s review here), her role here feels a lot meatier and more complicated, allowing her to really shine in her own right and not just as a love interest to a male protagonist. Ironically, given her character spends a lot of time literally on the sidelines, she’s less sidelined in this movie than she is in films like Dune or the Tom Holland Spider-Man franchise. The way the characters interact is often unspoken. Everything is communicated through looks, glances, gestures. Tennis is a spectator sport. But while everyone watches the players, the players watch each other, so the act of looking holds a lot of power. It’s how you learn about your opponent. We all learn a lot about each other by the way we carry ourselves, our body language. And the film exploits that dynamic and uses perspective to remarkable effect. At one point, Tashi says that “tennis is a relationship” and this right here is the movie’s thesis. In Challengers, tennis is the means through which it examines the relationships between its three central characters. As chaotic as the timeline and filmmaking is, the movie never strays its focus very far from Tashi, Art, and Patrick. It’s as precise as an ace down the line. And that’s why it works so well despite all of its loud, flashy formal elements. But let’s talk about those formal elements for a minute. The filmmaking here is not just incredibly fun and absorbing to watch, but it’s exciting. The camerawork and editing and lighting and music are all operating at an incredibly heightened level—some of the shots and cuts are bonkers, but I couldn’t stop grinning throughout the entire movie because of how kinetic and alive the whole thing feels. I’m talking bold choices that most other filmmakers wouldn’t even think to try, let alone execute so beautifully and effectively. Some of those over-the-top choices are a little too on the nose, and some work better (how many phallic-shaped foods can the boys eat around each other?) than others (a literal storm of emotions), but I found myself enjoying it all nonetheless. The score, by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, is a thrumming techno fever-dream, pulsating throughout the movie to give it electricity and life. I don’t often come back to movie soundtracks and just listen to them as I go about my day, but since leaving the theatre, I’ve been listening to the Challengers soundtrack quite a bit, because it makes me feel like I could run a marathon. The marketing for the movie really pushed the love triangle aspect, but this is the rare love triangle in which all three sides of the triangle have sexual chemistry and tension. Art and Patrick both fall head over heels for Tashi after watching her play tennis, but they’re as much in love with each other as they are in love with Tashi. And while Tashi loves the boys, she loves tennis more than she could ever love any one person. She’s a force, and her desire for power and control is matched only by her love of the game—and, consequently, by the omnipresent weight of what she’s lost and can never get back: her ability to play it. It’s this intense tangle of desire and motivation that makes the movie so compelling to watch. For such a sexually charged movie, it’s also notable that none of the sex scenes (or tennis matches, for that matter) ever play out to climax. We’re constantly denied the satisfaction of seeing how things finish, left to infer what happens next. It’s an incredible power move on Guadagnino’s part, but it also makes everything that much sexier. After all, for these characters, foreplay is everything. Sometimes it matters who wins what, but in the end, it’s the dance, the interplay, the unspoken conversation happening from opposite sides of the net, that excites them all. It’s in those rare moments of connection, whether on or off the court, that we can maybe reach something like understanding. Tashi describes it like so: For about fifteen seconds there, we were actually playing tennis, and we understood each other completely. So

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Love Lies Bleeding – Movie Review

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If you’re one of the few people, myself included, who watched and loved Rose Glass’s debut, Saint Maud, then you might have some idea of what you’re walking into with her sophomore feature Love Lies Bleeding. But this is also a very different movie. For one, it isn’t a horror movie (or is it?). It’s a love story (or is it?), wrapped in a pulpy propulsive neo-noir crime thriller. The movie dabbles in a range of genres, deploying tropes and archetypes that we’ve all seen before, but it feels like it’s wearing those generic conventions in a way that I’ve personally never seen before, with characters and body types that don’t typically get featured in genres like this. Set in New Mexico in the late 1980s, the movie follows Kristen Stewart’s mullet-clad, chain-smoking gym manager Lou and Katy O’Brian’s Jackie, an aspiring bodybuilder from Oklahoma who’s just passing through. They meet, fall in love, and, well, things go off the rails. If I tell you any more, it’ll ruin a lot of the fun, so I recommend going in with as little prior knowledge as possible. I’ve been a big fan of Kristen Stewart’s for a while now, and she’s at her nervy, chaotic best here, a livewire set off by lust, loneliness, and anger. Some of her lines and line deliveries are so great and off-the-wall, yet she consistently delivers them in a way that’s fully believable. I was also incredibly impressed with Katy O’Brian in what will likely go down as a breakout role for her. As a former bodybuilder herself, she’s the perfect choice to play Jackie, who goes from free spirit with puppy dog energy to roid-rage-fueled desperation, and O’Brian doesn’t miss a beat—it’s a hell of a performance. Both actors imbue their characters with such visceral physicality, in very different ways, that it’s mesmerizing to watch. And speaking of physicality, the movie is, to quote Shea’s Letterboxd review, “very dirty, grimy, and horny.” It’s intensely focused on bodies—how they move and expand and break and change shape, whether out of love or rage or survival instinct. From montages of sweaty bulging muscles set to 80s synths to the open-mouthed desire with which Lou stares at Jackie to moments of explosive action, it’s a very visceral film. At one point, Lou tells Jackie, “I want to stretch you, see how far you can go.” It’s spoken in a sexual context, of course, but I was struck by just how much the line hits at the core of the movie’s thematic concerns. It could almost serve as the movie’s thesis. The movie is very horny, indeed, but it’s also about the extremes to which people will go for love, the way that love and desire can stretch us out into both the best and worst versions of ourselves, and the lengths to which people will go when they’re in the throes of intoxicating, mind-vacuating emotions like lust and rage. It doesn’t surprise me that Glass is so concerned with bodies (bodies that flex, split, stretch, break, bend, ooze), given her previous film is a horror movie. Horror is one of what Linda Williams calls ‘body genres’, along with melodrama and pornography. These are genres that both represent bodily fluids and simultaneously try to elicit some kind of visceral bodily reaction in their viewers, whether it’s jerking tears, jerking off, or just plain ol’ palm-sweating fear. Loves Lies Bleeding is melodramatic, erotic, and horrifying in equal measure. To me, Glass’s movies, and this one especially, feel emblematic of a new kind of body genre, one that encompasses all the fluidity that bodies have to offer. Love Lies Bleeding is grimy, sexy, gross, and violent. It’s also darkly funny and doesn’t pull any punches. It’s both grounded and fantastical, and somehow makes that all work in a cohesive way. The big swings may not work for everyone, but they never feel unearned. And the craft on display here is undeniable. Glass just has a great visual eye and a great instinct for how to use elements of genre. I found it really interesting to read that on both this movie and Saint Maud, she ended up doing reshoots after realizing what was missing when cutting together a first cut of the movie. I think it’s an approach that more filmmakers should be unafraid to take. You often don’t know what’s missing from a thing until you’re in the room putting it together. That kind of flexibility and willingness to go back and re-adjust is clearly working for her, because both of these movies feel very self-assured in a way that not many first- or even second-time filmmakers can claim. Verdict I can safely say that this movie will not be for everyone, but it felt very particularly made for my tastes. It’s bloody and funny and hot; it’s got guns, girls, and gore; there’s tense action and romance that makes you swoon until it turns twisted and toxic. The movie also looks great, with out-of-this-world visual flourishes and a sick soundtrack. There’s beauty and horror in equal measure here, and if that’s not your jam, then stay clear. Thankfully, it very much is my jam, and I was more than happy to go along for the wild ride.

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