The Hunt for a House
Issue #11
I need to get out of the house, FilmRunners, but for very different reasons than our heroes on screen this week. It has not stopped raining and mother nature is taking April showers very seriously. This week we have Caleb from Caleb’s Films joining us and Enrico seeing us out with a couple banger reviews.
A little about Caleb from the horse’s mouth:
Hello, my name is Caleb, and I run a little publication I like to call Caleb’s Films. I am a college student studying film with a couple of semesters left to go. As you can tell from the name of the publication, I love movies, and they have been a big part of my life. I enjoy watching all sorts of films, even the bad ones, because I think you can still get something out of them. The purpose of my publication is to express that love I have for films and to connect with others. Besides talking about movies, I like to read, run, play video games, and, of course, watch movies, preferably in a theater.
House (1977)
Picked By
Caleb
Synopsis
A schoolgirl and six of her classmates travel to her aunt's country home, which turns out to be haunted. IMDB
Director
Starring
Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ôba
Runtime
1 hour and 28 minutes.
Trailer
Why
I wanted to pick a movie that would definitely leave an impression. I had a couple of other movies in mind, but I couldn’t find any of them compelling enough to really talk about. I scanned some of my Criterion Blu-rays, saw the 1977 film House, and felt it would be a great choice to discuss. I think House is such a unique film in its style, and I think it definitely leaves an impression on anyone who watches it. I know I got a lot out of it when I watched it for the first time, and I think it’s a great movie to generate a discussion.
Pick by Jake
Picked By
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Synopsis
A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush. IMDB
Director
Starring
Sam Neill, Julian Dennison,Rima Te Wiata
Runtime
1 hour and 41 minutes.
Trailer
Why
I’m a pretty big fan of Taika Waititi. Jojo Rabbit and What We Do in the Shadows are among my favourite films of the last ten years, though I’m having a hard time believing Jojo Rabbit came out six years ago. In my opinion, he saved the Thor franchise with Ragnarok. The films of his that I’ve seen tend to be both goofy and sincere, though in the case of Thor: Love and Thunder he might have leaned too far into the goofiness. Controversial take: I liked Love and Thunder. I don’t go into Marvel films with high expectations; I go in to be entertained. If a Marvel movie turns out to be objectively great, it’s a bonus. For better or for worse, I don’t hold Marvel to the same standards I would apply to an A24 release. I digress.
Waititi’s trademarks include personal cameos, casual depictions of death (even in his lighter films), gallows humour, and the infusion of deadpan comedy into emotionally charged scenes.
I’m expecting all of this to come together in Hunt for the Wilderpeople and I have high hopes it’s going to be a standout film.
🎥 Reviews of Last Week's Picks
Caution, there may be spoilers.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Picked By
Enrico Banson
Synopsis
In late 1950s New York, a young underachiever named Tom Ripley is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy. But when the errand fails, Ripley takes extreme measures. IMDB
Director
Starring
Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law
Runtime
2 hour and 19 minutes.
Trailer
Enrico’s Review
There’s a reason The Talented Mr. Ripley is still the definitive adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel. While Netflix’s Ripley leans into stark minimalism, Anthony Minghella’s version is a lush, sun-soaked thriller that doubles as a first-class ticket to 1950s Italy—with a side of murder.
Matt Damon is fantastic as Tom Ripley, a man whose greatest talent is lying with conviction. His transformation from awkward outsider to full-blown psychopath is unsettling yet hypnotic. Then there’s Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf, the effortlessly charming golden boy who makes everyone—including the audience—fall in love with him. Law plays Dickie like someone who has never paid for a meal in his life, and his chemistry with Damon crackles with tension. The Academy got it right when they nominated him—his presence lingers even after he exits the film.
And let’s talk about Cate Blanchett, who elevates Meredith, a character not even in the novel, into something unforgettable. She plays her with such warmth and naivety that you can’t help but feel for her—another casualty of Ripley’s tangled web.
Beyond the performances, this film is a visual and auditory feast. Gabriel Yared’s haunting score slithers through the movie like Ripley himself, wrapping you in seduction and unease. John Seale’s cinematography bathes everything in golden light, maintaining the sun-drenched elegance of Italy even as Ripley’s crimes escalate. Instead of shifting into shadows and gloom, the film remains visually dazzling, making the deception all the more chilling—because in Ripley’s world, the facade never cracks.
While Alain Delon’s Purple Noon interpretation is legendary, Minghella’s Ripley is the most psychologically rich version. Every rewatch reveals new layers of deceit and tragic irony. Simply put, this is not just a great adaptation—it’s THE adaptation.
Jake’s Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (four and a half stars)
I wasn’t ready for how good this film was. Everything about it was executed to perfection: the locations, the writing, and the casting—everything. The lighting in particular stood out to me as a stark contrast to how dark the film becomes. The only reason I hadn’t seen this before is that the ’90s can be a bit of a blind spot for me.
What is it about psychopaths that makes them so fascinating to watch? Is it the lack of empathy that makes them feel so alien? I may not be qualified to say, but I rank Tom Ripley in the pantheon of fictional psychopaths, alongside Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men.
While Bateman and Chigurh destroy those around them with sudden fortissimo (very loudly), Ripley is more like a steadily growing crescendo. Ripley needs constant approval from those around him. When others fail to provide this approval or threaten the identities he’s crafted for himself, he feels emptiness and shame. His only way to move forward is to eliminate what he perceives as the source of that pain. I find it especially interesting that most of his victims, or potential victims, had him pegged for who he really was.
The Last Action Hero
Picked By
Jake
Synopsis
With the help of a magic ticket, a young movie fan is transported into the fictional world of his favorite action movie character. IMDB
Director
Starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney
Runtime
2 hours and 10 minutes.
Trailer
Enrico’s Review
Last Action Hero went head-to-head with Jurassic Park in 1993 and got steamrolled. But time has been weirdly kind to this chaotic, overstuffed meta-action flick. In an era where Hollywood franchises refuse to die, its satire of blockbuster excess feels almost prophetic.
That said, let’s be real—this movie is a mess. The pacing is uneven, the tone veers between parody and sincerity, and it often falls into the very clichés it’s poking fun at. The jokes are hit-or-miss, and by the bloated third act, it’s clear no one knew how to stick the landing. It wants to be a satire, but it also wants to be a big-budget action movie, and those two instincts constantly trip over each other.
There’s still a lot to enjoy. Schwarzenegger is great, winking at his own career while still giving Jack Slater the heroic commitment of his Terminator days. There’s something fun about watching him acknowledge his own action-hero persona while still kicking down doors and delivering one-liners.
And then there’s Charles Dance, who steals every scene as Benedict, a villain who absolutely deserves his own franchise. Dance treats every moment like he’s performing King Lear at the National Theatre, elevating the role beyond the material. With his glass eye and dry wit, he delivers one of the most delightfully self-aware villain performances of the ‘90s.
Shane Black’s screenplay has moments of brilliance buried under studio meddling. There are flashes of biting wit, and in hindsight, the film’s commentary on Hollywood’s endless recycling of franchises feels oddly prescient. But in 1993, audiences weren’t looking for self-awareness; they wanted Jurassic Park. And honestly? Who could blame them?
Last Action Hero is an ambitious misfire—too clever for its own good but too bloated to land its punches. Yet today, in an industry drowning in sequels and cinematic universes, it plays like an accidental warning. Be careful what you mock, because Hollywood will find a way to turn it into a franchise anyway. And if that’s not the most Hollywood thing ever—making a blockbuster about how Hollywood keeps recycling blockbusters—then what is?
Jake’s Review
⭐⭐⭐ (three stars)
This was a hot mess, and I overall enjoyed it, but boy, howdy, did some aspects of it not age well. It simultaneously delivered on one‑liners and over‑the‑top gags. At the same time, it felt as though it used satire and a movie‑within‑a‑movie device as a crutch to avoid writing a coherent story. Despite its billing as a satire, I think this was more parody than anything else. It fails to deconstruct or critically examine the genre beyond the most surface‑level critiques. I think Big Trouble in Little China hits many of the same notes but nails the execution of satire much better.
That said, it has its charm. Many of the gags and slapstick humor are still funny (though many miss). Charles Dance’s Benedict nails the role of an over‑the‑top villain. Arnold is Arnold. Whether or not it had to compete with Jurassic Park during its theatrical release, it probably would have met the same fate regardless. The last act is incomprehensible, and you could pay only half attention and not miss anything.
If you have nothing better to do, I’d watch this; otherwise, I’d just watch Big Trouble in Little China again.
🖋 Closing Note
Thanks for reading!
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