Feature Underground

Hunter Lanier
  • 5.0 (4)
  • FILM REVIEWS
Feature Underground

The Feature Underground is a place for good-faith discussions about movies. All persons and viewpoints are welcome in the Underground. Adopt a little FU energy and join the community today! Hunter Lanier, the host of Feature Underground, has written for the Houston Chronicle and Film Threat, and is a member of the Houston Film Critics Society. He used to be a baby, so think of him as a recovering idiot.

  1. NOV 11

    Gladiator II Review • Better Than the Original

    And here's my spoiler free review of Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott. It stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pescal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and Connie Nielsen. The film finds slave-turned-gladiator, Lucius (Mescal), on a Death Wish campaign to avenge the killing of his wife by Roman general, Acacius (Pescal). He ends up purchased by a former slave, Macrinus (Washington), who has ambitions of his own. If I tell you any more, Ridley Scott will fire a cannon into my gut. Hunter discusses the movie's infectious fun, how it improves on the first film, and why its averseness to risk hinders its potential. 0:00 Intro 1:14 Ridley Scott in Good Form 3:10 Everyone's Having Fun 5:02 Restraint and Reverence 5:55 Improvement on the Original 9:29 Handicaps 11:03 Sword and Sandal Movies 12:19 Q&A and What's Next X: (https://twitter.com/Lanierhunt64) Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/hunterlaniermoviereviews/) Tik Tok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@featureundergroun) Letterboxd: (https://letterboxd.com/HunterLanier/) #film #gladiator #ridleyscott

    15 min

  2. NOV 5

    Heretic Review • The Hugh Grant Show

    And here's my review of Heretic, the latest A24 production. It stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East. It's directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. We meet two Mormon girls (Thatcher and East) on their uphill assignment of converting complete strangers to an entirely new religion. They're naive, but smart, and easy targets for mockery. When Mr. Reed (Grant) opens the door with a humble smile, it's a radical contrast to the cruel bullies from earlier in the day. But their pleasant visit quickly turns into a sinister lecture on religion. Hunter discusses how Hugh Grant carries the movie's heavy load, how it doesn't follow through on its excellent first act, and its tendency to overplay its hand. 0:00 Intro and Pie 1:34 The Hugh Grant Show 4:19 First Act Sets a High Bar 6:13 Second and Third Act Disappoint 7:50 Rolling My Eyes 10:17 Closing Thoughts & What's Next X Instagram Tik Tok Letterboxd #film #a24 #heretic

    13 min

  3. OCT 30

    Anora Review • Sean Baker Evolved

    And here's my review of Anora, the festival sweetheart directed by Sean Baker and starring Mikey Madison. The ending of Anora is discussed at the end of the video in a spoiler section. If you're not already aware, Anora is about a stripper whose ability to speak Russian gets her an admirer in the ambiguously rich Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn). Dressed in her finest pair of jean shorts, Anora marries Vanya and kicks off a highly unpredictable honeymoon phase. Trust me: the less you know about the movie, the better. Hunter discusses the movie's uncommon structure, how it evolves Baker's primary motif, and the curious ending (spoiler section). 0:00 Intro 2:11 Sean Baker Evolved 5:29 Three Movies in One 8:45 Standout Performances 10:18 The Ending (SPOILERS) 14:13 Closing Thoughts + What's Next X: (https://twitter.com/Lanierhunt64) Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/hunterlaniermoviereviews/) Tik Tok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@featureundergroun) Letterboxd: (https://letterboxd.com/HunterLanier/) #film #anora #moviereview

    17 min

  4. OCT 27

    Memoir of a Snail Review • One of the Best Movies of 2024

    And here's my review of Memoir of a Snail, one of my favorite movies of the year so far. It features the voice talents of Sarah Snook, Eric Bana, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver, and Nick Cave. It's directed by Adam Elliott, who hasn't directed a movie since 2009's critically acclaimed, Mary and Max. The life of Grace Pudel (Snook) is not a charmed one, but it's not an unusual one either. It's a volatile wave of bad decisions, strokes of luck, thunderbolts from God, and beautiful epiphanies. If the film has a hero, it's Grace's octogenarian friend, Pinky, who returns books by putting them in the trash can. Hunter discusses the movie's nuanced perspective of life, its Dickensian influence, and how perfectly it weaves together comedy and pathos. 0:00 Intro 2:07 Visuals & Tone 3:40 Life Sucks, and Also Doesn't 6:43 Nuanced Character Arch 8:19 Expert Writing & Dickens 9:57 Genuinely Funny 12:08 What's Up Next X: (https://twitter.com/Lanierhunt64) Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/hunterlaniermoviereviews/) Tik Tok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@featureundergroun) Letterboxd: (https://letterboxd.com/HunterLanier/) #film #animation #foreignfilm

    13 min

  5. OCT 24

    Conclave Review • The Divine Dramedy

    Full spoiler-free review of Conclave starring Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow, directed by Edward Berger. Opening in theaters October 25th. After the sudden death of the pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes) is chosen to MC the coming conclave, which proves more difficult than he could have ever imagined. He tries to juggle the ticker tape of gossip, scandal, and revelations, all while dealing with his own wavering faith. 00:00 Intro 1:12 Power Vacuums 5:28 Intricacies of Individuals 6:39 The Divine Dramedy 7:52 Over-Direction 9:02 Performances & Screenplay 11:12 Closing Thoughts X: (  / lanierhunt64  ) Instagram: (  / hunterlaniermoviereviews  ) Tik Tok: (  / featureundergroun  ) Letterboxd: (https://letterboxd.com/HunterLanier/) #conclave #film #oscars2024

    13 min

  6. OCT 9

    The Apprentice Review • Cookies Full of Arsenic

    And here's my review of The Apprentice, the mildly controversial film about Donald Trump and Roy Cohn, directed by Ali Abbasi and starring Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. Ben Braddocking it up in the wolves den of '70s New York--and the wolves den within the wolves den, which is the upper crust of '70s New York filled with ruthless plutocrats and libertines--the timid Donald Trump doesn't know where he fits in. He's got money, but he doesn't know what to do with it. Women will go out with him, but they lose interest half-way through the date. That is, until he meets Roy Cohn, who takes Trump under his dark, featherless wing (imagine something from Gustave Dore). Hunter discusses how the movie succumbs to its baser instincts in the third act, Jeremy Strong's capital-P portrayal of Cohn, and the mixing of art and politics. YouTube: https://youtu.be/OCBUYH-aDZ8 X: (https://twitter.com/Lanierhunt64) Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/hunterlaniermoviereviews/) Tik Tok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@featureundergroun) Letterboxd: (https://letterboxd.com/HunterLanier/) 0:00 Intro 1:25 Losing the Baggage 3:06 Literal Truth at the Movies 5:10 Trump & Cohn 9:11 Inorganic Third Act 12:15 Mixing of Art and Politics 14:36 Closing Thoughts #film #theapprentice #moviereview

    16 min

  7. OCT 4

    Joker: Folie à Deux Review • Deconstructing the Joker

    And here's my review of Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to Todd Philips' acclaimed film from 2019 that won two Academy Awards. This Joker 2 review is brought to you by the French pronunications of Jean Renoir. The film reconvenes with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) as he McMurphys it up at Arkham Asylum, waiting for his murder trial to begin. At Arkham, he goes gaga for Harleen Quinn (Lady Gaga), who's something of a murderer groupie. With her at his side, the defeated Fleck starts to get his mojo back. Hunter discusses the risk Todd Philips takes by dismantling the Joker character and his first movie, its noncommittal romance, and how it falls short as a musical. 0:00 Intro 1:15 Thoughts on the First Movie 4:20 Deconstructing the Joker 10:14 Noncommittal Romance 12:34 Musically Uninclined 14:42 Closing Thoughts 18:12 Show and Tell Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mrgbkWJOD38 X: (https://twitter.com/Lanierhunt64) Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/hunterlaniermoviereviews/) Tik Tok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@featureundergroun) Letterboxd: (https://letterboxd.com/HunterLanier/) #film #joker #moviereviews

    19 min

  8. SEP 27

    Megalopolis Review • Coppola's Fairy Tale

    And here's my review of Megalopolis, the first film in over a decade from legendary director, Francis Ford Coppola. The film is a bedtime story of heroes, villains, and fantastical worlds from Grandpa Coppola. Its hero is Cesar (Adam Driver), the imperfect artist who gives people cars when all they ask for is faster horses. Its mayor is Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who represents structure, order, and preserving proven quantities. Clodio (Shia LeBeouf) is the Caligula or Nero character, a parasite of chaos waiting for when the society is weak to take over. Then you have Crassus and Wow (Jon Voight and Aubrey Plaza), who are greed and lust, lizard brain impulses that trade grand progress for temporary pleasures. All of these are the foils of Cesar, Coppola's proxy and hope for the future. Hunter discusses the movie's many ideas (of which there are, perhaps, too many), it being Coppola's most personal movie yet, and where it may fall in the pantheon of great films. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aqthcs_qxxY?si=dJ1i06vbRYUN3gVL

    20 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Feature Underground is a place for good-faith discussions about movies. All persons and viewpoints are welcome in the Underground. Adopt a little FU energy and join the community today! Hunter Lanier, the host of Feature Underground, has written for the Houston Chronicle and Film Threat, and is a member of the Houston Film Critics Society. He used to be a baby, so think of him as a recovering idiot.

Information

  • Creator
    Hunter Lanier
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Hunter Lanier
  • Show Website
    Feature Underground

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