Filmmaker Eamon O’Rourke taps into a different female empowerment angle for her directorial debut in Asking for It from Saban films. In this edgy thriller, Vanessa Hudgens, Kiersey Clemons, and Alexandra Shipp lead a no-mercy all-femme gang. After a small-town waitress (Clemons) is sexually assaulted on a date, she meets Regina (Shipp) and Beatrice (Hudgens) and is recruited into their vigilante group of badass women.
Together they strive to take down a society overpowered by corrupt men and seek the ultimate revenge while getting their version of justice.
The group leader is Sal, and their primary foe is Mark Vanderhill (Ezra Miller), the founder of the “Men First Movement.” The movement is about to hold a major rally in a town protected by corrupt Sheriff Morrill (David Patrick Kelly), inspiring the commune in a war against a powerful enemy.
Asking for It is a different kind of film because it’s not sure how to struggle with the narrative. I enjoyed the acting in the movie, notably Ezra Miller, who makes a wonderful bad guy. The ladies in the film have strong chemistry that is worthy of mention. At its core, Asking for It is an allegory on feminism, which, in that regard, the film succeeds.
Final Grade: C
Wes Anderson has long been the cinematic equivalent of an eccentric watchmaker. Every frame was precisely engineered, every movement perfectly timed…
Warwick Thornton’s The New Boy is a haunting, evocative tale of spiritual collision and colonial imposition set in the unforgiving Australian outback during the early 1940s. Told entirely from the perspective of a young Aboriginal boy (brilliantly portrayed by newcomer Aswan Reid), the film is a quiet yet powerful exploration of Indigenous spirituality clashing with rigid Christian dogma—one that lingers with audiences long after the final frame.
Directors Danny and Michael Philippou reunite with A24 for their follow-up to the 2022 hit “Talk to Me” with “Bring Her Back.” As he did with the previous film, Danny also co-wrote the script with Bill Hinzman. Andy (Billy Barratt) and his vision-impaired stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) are thick as thieves who have to come together after their father’s suicide.