Simply put, The most procedural thriller I have ever seen. And it works! It's a pretty straightforward mystery plot that adds nothing to the genre, but does everything so well that it ends up being a welcome hour and a half. Every single moment of the movie is meticulously directed so that the suspense ratchets up and up and up. Special mention to the entire cast who are pitch perfect throughout, especially the fascinating Lola Kirke. You will like this movie, maybe you will love it, but you certainly won't regret giving it 90 minutes of your time. Only out right now in arthouse theatres but Look for it in a few months if you don't have access!

I really enjoyed it, surprised by the ending. I wish it would go a bit deeper into the characters backgrounds.

Ugh, 2018, why are you doing this to me!?

Incredible score and an intriguing and refreshing thriller...until that one scene near the end with a punch, and then everything falls apart completely.

BASICALLY, IT STINKS - My Review of GEMINI (2 Stars)When I saw the trailer for the new film, GEMINI, it came across like a lurid 90s-style thriller in the same vein as BASIC INSTINCT. It didn't draw me in, but when I noticed a high rating on ROTTEN TOMATOES, I couldn't resist. Then I saw it, and yep, it's a lurid 90's-style thriller but without its predecessor's delicious blend of over-the-top carnality and real thrills. Yes, it's stylish as hell and has some interesting things to say about Hollywood, the closet, and what friendship means to self-absorbed narcissists, but people behave so stupidly in this poorly thought-out story, that I had a hard time taking any of it seriously.Written and directed by Aaron Katz, the film stars Zoe Kravitz (BIG LITTLE LIES) as Heather, a famous movie star who, as the film opens, asks her assistant Jill (Lola Kirke of MOZART IN THE JUNGLE) to do the dirty work of entering a café and telling the director on her latest project (VEEP and BLACKISH actor Nelson Franklin doing solid work here) that she's pulling out of it. Shot beautifully by cinematographer Andrew Reed, the opening images alone, of upside down palm trees, nicely sets the stage for its skewed vision of a soul-dead Los Angeles. Moreover, the first act does a truly terrific job of setting up the relationship dynamics between the two. Kravitz nails her sweet, lonely, needy character who knows exactly how to get what she wants, while Kirke's assistant has the sturdy presence of someone highly organized yet who still lives frugally. The film does well by showing their two different environments so that it makes sense when Jill prefers sleeping on Heather's couch than in her own bed, as it allows her to temporarily live the luxurious life. All in all, it's a good setup, filled with a lot of people being pissed off by Heather or outright stalking her. [MILD SPOILER ALERT]Of course, we wouldn't have a thriller if somebody didn't end up dead, so it's no big surprise when Jill finds Heather shot to death one morning. As the owner of the gun that killed her, Jill naturally comes under suspicion by Homicide Detective Edward Ahn (a wasted and bored looking John Cho). Instead of cooperating, however, Jill makes one bone-headed decision after another. This includes wearing a terrible blonde wig and sunglasses that are 10 steps inferior to the Bobbi character in DRESSED TO KILL. She also has a stupid habit of entering rooms alone in which she doesn't belong. Hasn't she seen EVERY THRILLER EVER MAD??!!![END MILD SPOILER]After the inciting incident, which seems to come really late into the film, the story becomes preposterous. Our protagonist doesn't allow the police to do their job, and inexplicably takes it upon herself to play Nancy Drew, albeit with the worst disguise I've ever seen. It's shot really well, but motivations and reveals remain hazy throughout. I know this movie has something to say, but the thriller elements don't deliver, and its message gets muddled by characters who don't seem to think anything through. It needs more pulp, but opts to meander and duff its ending. It's a shame, because I like these actors. James Ransone, Greta Lee and Reeve Carney add just the right amount of LA sleaze factor to the whole affair, but it all feels Michelle Forbes and Ricki Lake make too-quick cameos that have zero impact, and as much as I liked Franklin's turn as the abandoned director, he has a ridiculous monologue in which he lays out all of the suspects for us. I would have rather played CLUE.

Tight and twisted neo-noir about Hollywood and the people that work there. A mostly female cast murder mystery with lots of clues and red herrings along the way. The cast does a good job, although Lola Kirke seems to be wearing a wig throughout or just has annoying bangs, possibly meant to recall Double Indemnity. John Cho as a detective tries to be a hipster version of Colombo, but it never pays off. The film is clever and the cinematography is well done. With a strong supporting cast and lots of LA locales, it's easy to be immersed.

California sunny blue skies open what unfolds as a modern LA noir story. A young Hollywood assistant without an alibi (Kirke) must find a killer to prove her innocence. She makes her way through striking Hollywood architecture and locations which become sinister as nightfalls. Sit back and enjoy the search for the killer.

My very last MIFF screening was something I very much was curious about but never held in high regard especially compared to the various other films I saw. In a way, 'Gemini' is a film that's just 'fine', nothing too special, but well, made, written, acted, directed, edited, casted, etc, etc. Even whilst being a sort of drama set within Hollywood as a murder mystery meets a slight sprinkle of a crime thriller, it doesn't offer much else than what it's offering story-wise. Part of me wanted to like if not admire this film in the high standards it set out to do, but the overall execution which in itself is slow moving in the middle act and in the conclusion feels predictable, but I can't due to those certain flaws alone it paled in comparison to film's I saw it do better. While not overall disappointing, I think it's worth watching for it's passable quality alone. Not enough to attract a huge fan-base though recommendable to be worth it when nothing else it on or could be found on certain streaming services.

Although rife with wry nods to familiar tropes and meta-commentary on the making of mysteries, Gemini is not so much an ironic perversion of the genre as a woozy, Instagram-y evocation.

The word "beguiling" came to mind throughout.

Although it has a modern visual style and a mise en scène more in tune with The Neon Demon and Mulholland Drive, Aaron Katz's very enjoyable Gemini is one of the most laid-back Los Angeles mystery films since Robert Altman's The Big Goodbye.

[Aaron] Katz's longtime cinematographer Andrew Reed renders the L.A. nightscape in forbidding blues, purples, and shades of crimson that visually, at least, recall early Italian maestros Bava and Argento.

[Kirke] possesses an endearing, thoroughly non-actressy quality. She feels completely real and unrehearsed, like she's saying the lines for the first time.

Kirke, and her character, make an impression.

With it's social commentary and star-making turn from Lola Kirke, Gemini makes for a fresh take on the murder mystery.