I didn't know too much about this film going into the theater, I had seen a few pieces of the trailer here and there and several billboards of bald Emma Stone (who joins the ranks of the likes of Demi Moore and Natalie Portman in fully shaving her hair for the film) but other than that I was not remotely prepared for how crazy this film gets. Emma Stone plays a new age millennial, CEO, who speaks purely in fake positive corporate jargon that I'm sure many are familiar with ("let's circle back to that and we'll loop you in later" kinda stuff) . Jesse Plemons, on the other hand, plays a disgruntled outcast, who lives on his family's farm out in the boonies, who obsesses over what's killing the bees and alien invaders who are enslaving humans. What unfolds is a truly wild and unpredictable ride so I won't go any further into the story, its truly a film that you should see for yourself (if you have the stomach for it).
What I will say is that Emma Stone truly does go all out in this film and has definitely inspired me to go back and watch Poor Things soon (also directed by Yorgos Lanthimos). Jesse Plemons is also brilliant and plays the psychopathic character as well as ever. Although very violent and intense, this film also has surprising amount of humor throughout (Stavros is in this? and he's one of the best parts?) and the pacing is perfect as the audience is often left guessing what could possibly happen next. The score builds in intensity in just the right moments and blares triumphantly throughout.
If you are craving a new and definitely original thriller with a fair amount of well-placed gratuitous violence, I would definitely recommend this film. I went in not knowing much about the premise or people's reception of the film and I certainly enjoyed it, however, I was unsure of exactly what I thought of the film upon seeing the credits roll. The film invites the audience to really dwell on the story long after its over, and the plot is truly unique, which honestly is what I think I liked about it the most. In the end, I really enjoyed the ride and I feel like Lanthimos does a great job making sure the audience never gets too comfortable, and even start to question their own interpretation of events. If anything I can promise you that if you do watch this film it is one that you won't soon forget (hopefully for good reasons, unlike Jurassic World: Rebirth, which is a movie I wish I could forget).
This is less of a review and more of a PSA: if you value your time and have a fleeting amount of it to spend, for the love of god don't waste it on this awful film. I only watched this movie because I was on a plane and I still feel as though I could have spent my time better. This soulless cash grab of a dino flick is even more banal and pointless than the last two (which I really thought was impossible.
I would go into more spoilery details because I would honestly be doing everyone who hasn't seen it yet a favor, but the movie is so lacking in memorable moments (outside of the laughably bad acting and writing) it isn't even worth spoiling (you already know this movie is on some serious BS when the film starts with a single empty Snickers wrapper bringing a multi-billion dollar experimental scientific facility to its knees). One saving grace for this disaster of a film could have been some satisfying dinosaur-eating-humans scenes but unfortunately we don't even really get anything memorable in that department either, at least the previous Jurassic World movies could get that right (in at least one of the death scenes our view is completely blocked and we can't even see the person getting eaten. I feel robbed!).
If you do decide to subject yourself to this movie, then expect to find dialogue full of mind-numbingly unsubtle exposition, characters whose motivations make no sense and don't line up with their actions at all (Scarlett Johansson and her band of merry mercenaries with hearts of gold, but also they want to get rich quick are not doing it for me, I'm sorry) and one of the lamest, dumbest-looking final boss "dinosaurs" I've ever seen; I seriously couldn't decide whether to laugh or be disgusted, (just stick with the T-Rex folks, we don't need to reinvent the wheel here).
I could overlook some of this nonsense if the movie was at least fun at all and wasn't full of annoying characters (ah look, it's the useless, lazy boyfriend who inexplicably performs heroic actions that you would have never expected from him and somehow earns the trust and respect of his girlfriend's father and don't forget the scared kid who doesn't talk half the time because they are so scared, or the father whose leg is only injured when one of his daughters is in danger, and I already mentioned the mercenaries with hearts of gold *eyeroll*); unfortunately, this movie is a true bore, even the scenes that are borrowed from the original novels fall flat and don't have nearly as much intensity as the books did (I was so looking forward to the T-rex raft chase scene as a fan of the novel, but even that didn't live up to expectations). Everything in this movie just sort of happens because that's what was in the script, if that makes sense. If you find yourself craving a dinosaur flick, do yourself a favor and just watch the original Jurassic Park again, or even the original Jurassic World, heck even the 1960 version of The Lost World would be a better use of your time.
*THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BLACK PHONE FILM*
Well, after being blessed with some outstanding original horror movies, we're getting back to sequels again. Horror movie sequels can be tricky, sometimes they can really add onto a franchise and take it to the next level (Friday the 13th, Halloween, Insidious, and Scream to name a few) and other times it is simply a soulless cash grab simply aimed at capitalizing on the financial success of the first film (also Friday the 13th, Halloween, Insidious and Scream again). The Black Phone 2, while not a bad film, seems to fall more into the latter category.
After watching the first Black Phone, I was blown away; more of a psychological horror than its sequel, the first film managed to blend serial killer and supernatural horror in way that was seamless and completely believable to the audience. The tension throughout the film practically held the audience captive as well as the main character, and Ethan Hawke's performance was truly chilling and helped make his murderous character "The Grabber" a household name worthy of a Fortnite skin (this generation's highest honor). Unfortunately, while this second film does dive headlong into the supernatural, it does not maintain that same sense of on-the-edge-of-your-seat psychological horror, at least not for me.
Focusing more on jump scares and a lot of monologuing, the second Black Phone movie picks up a few years later, however, whereas young Finn (Mason Thames) was the primary focus of the first film, he now takes a bit of a back seat to his younger, clairvoyant sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). Obviously, the siblings are once again facing off against The Grabber, but this time he is more shades of Freddy Kreuger than John Wayne Gacy, and this results in mostly cheap scares with no real payoff. The movie mostly kept my attention, however, I believe this was mostly based off of goodwill from the first film, and unfortunately, this movie never quite approaches that same tension (they do keep talking about and showing scenes from the first movie, however, which only serves to remind me how much better that film was).
At the end of the day, if you are a horror fan, you will most likely find this movie entertaining enough if not somewhat forgettable. However, in my mind, I never really saw a reason for this movie to exist, and I was not convinced to alter my opinion after watching it. There are too many horror cliches and one-note characters and far-fetched "you didn't even realize this was connected all along" moments for this movie to really hit. Honestly, watching this film just made me want to rewatch the first one, which has significantly more Ethan Hawke (perhaps a huge reason why it was so much better).
Rating: 6.5/10
One final slightly SPOILERY note on this film:
I have to get this one off my chest... hypothermia just apparently doesn't exist in this film. Not one, but two characters are plunged deep into a completely frozen-over lake literally right after the worst blizzard since the 1940's and they didn't even show them huddling by a fire in a blanket or anything, they were just completely fine. Anyways...
Original cinema is back! With the release of Sinners earlier this year (my personal favorite film of the year so far) and now Weapons (directed by Zach Cregger), original horror films have been on a roll lately. Much like Sinners, Weapons is a film that has slowly but surely been building up steam on the hype train. The script caused a fierce bidding war (allegedly Jordan Peele was so displeased that his company wasn't able to obtain the script that he fired members of his team), and having now seen the film I completely understand why. Weapons may be the craziest film I've seen in a long time, it never stops to question itself and it also avoids taking itself too seriously, which makes for the perfect blend of fun and horror.
If you've seen the trailers you already know the premise, 17 elementary-aged school children disappear overnight, seemingly of their own free will and with no trace or sign of where they went. The parents are furious and want answers (personally, I want to know how not a single parent heard their child running out of the house in the middle of the night but I digress), but no one seems to have any, including the children's teacher (Julia Garner, who is having a "fantastic" summer at the box office). One of the film's greatest strengths is the non-linear narrative; focusing on one character's point of view at a time, the film is split into chapters that are excellently paced, and build anticipation with each narrative change.
Despite the crazy events that take place throughout the story, after the opening narration sequence, the movie never slows down to try and explain what's happening, trusting the audience to make connections on their own, which I love (filmmakers have faith in your audience, we're not all dumb, I promise). In fact, throughout the film several characters simply exclaim "what the f$#@!" when something shocking or crazy happens, but most don't stop to investigate further (except for Josh Brolin's character, who plays the parent who has to take the search for his child into his own hands because the cops aren't getting anywhere).
Additionally, if you are a fan of gore, you are in for a treat as there are a few scenes in this film that are not for the faint of heart (one scene in particular had the entire theater I was in reacting wildly). There are also a few excellent jump scares, but the film doesn't rely on them too heavily. I could go on praising the movie, but honestly this is a film you simply need to see for yourself. Hopefully, this film will makes waves at the box office and further prove to Hollywood that the people are craving new and original films that forego the standard formulaic format; the theater I was in was packed and I've heard a lot of buzz around the movie so I am hopeful. After the credits began to roll, I overheard one moviegoer proclaiming "this movie understands me!" and I couldn't relate more.
♫ Fantastic FOOOOOOUUUURRRRR ♫ The world's first superhero family is back for one more crack at it, this time with a whole new cast and much, much better uniforms than Fantastic Four (2015). Once again, they face the Silver Surfer (a female version this time) and her master, Galactus, who promises the destruction of Earth. Not only are the newest version of the fantastic foursome responsible for saving Earth, however, but they also carry the weight of saving the Marvel cinematic universe (thankfully there is no need to watch six different Disney plus shows in order to be fully prepared for this one).
I'll admit, I haven't been super tuned into Marvel movies lately, I've been trying to catch up, but the formula has grown thin, and the constant quips and increasingly shoddy special effects haven't really helped. However, when I saw that Galactus was finally actually going to be portrayed in this film, I knew I was already in for the ride. A giant eternal being who relentlessly consumes planets, Galactus has been hinted at or referenced in the past Marvel films (including Fantastic Four: Silver Surfer), but he has never been shown in his full glory. I have to say I wasn't disappointed with Galactus' appearance(s) in this movie, although it did leave me wanting more; also, if you haven't seen the film yet, do yourself a favor and watch it in IMAX, the extra large screen makes the Galactus scenes feel even more immersive and really shows off his enormous size.
Honestly, my main problem with this movie is that it wasn't quite long enough, with a running time of just under two hours, I really feel as though they could have added more to help flesh out the characters (seriously, they could have at least cut one of the five family dinner scenes instead of completely cutting out whoever John Malkovich was supposed to be). For example, we barely get to see any stretchy powers from Mister Fantastic, and the Thing has a side plot romance that seems like it was almost completely cut from the film. Additionally, while there are a few scenes where Reed and Sue showcase their romantic chemistry, I was sometimes left questioning what brought them together in the first place (in one scene Sue essentially berates Reed for being a genius who thinks of everything, which seemed a little forced considering she should know him by now).
As far as the cast goes, I had my doubts going into the film, particularly in regards to Human Torch, but I have to say Joseph Quinn surprised me with a solid and well-rounded performance that might actually be the best Human Torch has looked on-screen yet (and they basically made Silver Surfer a woman so he could flirt with her, which is just so Johnny). Pedro Pascal is mostly just Pedro Pascal in this film (which is not bad, to be honest, I definitely prefer him over other previous castings), but every now and then you get a glimpse at the old-school Atlantic accent that Disney rejected. I loved the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, from The Bear) as well; unlike previous films he actually gets to have fun and doesn't spend the whole film sulking that he looks like a boulder. Vanessa Kirby does an adequate job as Invisible Woman, and I really appreciated how they made her the face and spokesperson of the Fantastic Four, however, I feel as though she doesn't get to show off her powers enough until later on when she suddenly seems overpowered.
All of that being said, I was locked in while watching this movie, especially during the space scenes; it is a fun ride that I'm sure a majority of Marvel fans will enjoy, and if the movie leaves you wanting more, that isn't necessarily a bad thing (especially since lately, Marvel movies have been leaving me wanting LESS). Making the movie take place on Earth 828 and giving it a 50's aesthetic was an excellent choice as well. I will say though that this is the last superhero movie that gets to do a last-minute, somehow highly efficient evacuation sequence of the entire city right before the bad guy gets there, the stakes don't feel high enough and I feel like we are very much ignoring the reality of traffic. Still, this is definitely the best Fantastic Four has looked in a long time (not really a high bar, I realize) and should help build excitement for the next phase of Avengers.
In a movie-verse overflowing with nostalgia-driven projects, the latest sequel to release over 20 years after its predecessor is Netflix's Happy Gilmore 2, and it's here to drown you in cameos (seriously, I think they may have set a Guinness World record for cameos, I looked down and I almost missed Post Malone). Returning to reprise one of his more iconic roles is Adam Sandler, and this time here's here to save golf. Unfortunately for Happy, he apparently does not get a happily-ever-after ending after winning the gold jacket, although he does get five more jackets and five kids. If you're wondering how they'll manage to write off the old love interest in this long-awaited (?) sequel, I promise you won't be disappointed. As far as unnecessary sequels go, Happy Gilmore 2 does its best to recapture the magic, in fact, much of the film is spent calling back to familiar moments and characters. Honestly, the movie feels like one big reunion, with characters even the most die-hard Adam Sandler fans may not remember popping up in some scenes (the movie painstakingly ensures that we know exactly who they are though with several flashbacks throughout).
Despite all this, the Netflix sequel does manage to deliver a few laughs, and seems to have captured the same spirit as the original 90's hit. It's nothing to write home about, but this may be one of the better Adam Sandler Netflix projects (I know, I know). If you have a Netflix account and are a Happy Gilmore/Adam Sandler I'm sure you would probably at least passably enjoy this film, however, it certainly isn't as memorable as the original, and spends too much time basking in nostalgic reminiscence of the previous film to really set itself apart. At best, this movie will make you want to re-watch the 1996 classic (which is still on Netflix, but only for a couple more days, so hurry). While it isn't the worst movie ever, it isn't exactly "necessary" either; however, if you're a Sandler fan you could certainly do worse as far as streaming-service-original movies go (why are there so many of them?). Admittedly, from what I've seen, most fans of the original film seem to be pleased with this new addition. Just please, Netflix, don't get any ideas and take this as a sign that the people want Jack and Jill 2.
Look! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... Superman's dog? That's right folks there's a new Superman in town and this time he brought his furry friend (well, technically he's just dogsitting). Ever since this the new Superman was announced, headed by James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy fame, excitement has been building for a new version of Kal-El (played by David Corenswet), especially since the last two iterations of the man in the red cape left a lot to be desired (sorry Zack Snyder fans). Even before seeing the film, it was already a nice breath of fresh air to see Superman actually crack a smile and a joke in the trailers (remember when DC comics were fun?) and not seem to take himself too seriously. However, a great marketing campaign doesn't necessarily translate into a great movie, so is this finally the Superman we the people deserve?
Right from the start, James Gunn gives us a fresh take on Superman by showing us a side of him that we rarely ever get to see, his vulnerable and insecure side. The film literally opens with Superman getting his ass kicked and leaving the audience to wonder what kind of beast could make the Man of Steel bleed? This film doesn't waste time recounting Superman's origin story either, assuming that the audience already knows the Kryptonian's backstory, which I really appreciated. This let's us get straight into the action, and minus a couple of romantic scenes between Lois and Clark, the action never stops. Despite opening on such a serious note, the film still finds a way to be light-hearted and inject a bit of humor that isn't just cheesy one-liners (*ahem* looking at you, Marvel *cough*). Superman's foster dog Krypto is the source of several laughs throughout the film as an unruly, obviously untrained yet loveable superdog just trying to have a good time.
One of my favorite aspects of this movie is the inclusion of the "Justice Gang" (they're still workshopping the name a little). Nathan Fillion is as great of a Green Lantern as fan-casters always knew he would be and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi, who actually gets to play a superhero who doesn't die immediately this time) actually steals the show in my opinion. Isabela Merced also does a solid job as Hawk Girl. In fact, most of the casting is pretty on point, Rachel Brosnahan portrays Lois Lane as journalist first, girlfriend second, and really hammers that point home in the her and Superman's intense interview scene (totally ruined the nice dinner they were about to have though unfortunately). Another plus in this movie is Nicholas Hoult's dedication to playing a fully evil, incredibly jealous and enraged Lex Luthor; we can feel the hate dripping from his mouth with every line and finally a director has committed to a completely bald Lex again, no goofy wigs or unrecognizable accents, just pure baldness and a lot of evil scheming and screaming at insubordinates. My one complaint in regards to casting is the Kent's Earth parents; they seem a little simple-minded (they're supposed to be simple folk, but they went a little far in my humble opinion) and although Clark and Pa Kent have a nice moment towards the third act, it was almost unclear if Mr. Kent was even capable of speaking more than two words at a time up until that point. But hey, at least nobody runs into any tornadoes this time.
The most important thing to get right in a Superman movie is the portrayal of the man in red underwear himself and as far as that goes I think this movie really nails it. Superman's main focus above all is saving lives, even if it gets him into political trouble, and the film constantly shows him saving people (and at least one squirrel) even if that means he has to stop fighting for a minute. It is nice to see a Superman who so clearly cares about the people again, and just wants to be one of them, instead of some kind of weird Jesus allegory. That being said, that doesn't mean we don't get to see Superman (and Krypto) kick some ass too in this movie, and not only does he get to flex his laser beams on us, but he also is able to showcase his rarely utilized super breath multiple times. One of the best action sequences comes from Mr. Terrific, however, and his handy dandy floating balls (spheres, they're called spheres). In the end, not only are we left wanting more, but the movie gives us a little teaser at what's left to come and I have to say, I feel much more hopeful about how this DC world is being built (I can confirm no characters are established via email this time).
*Potential minor spoiler warning*
As far as the plot goes, there is one major change to the source material that some people could take issue with involving Jor-El, I won't go into detail but suffice it to say we hear the word "harem" more than I think I've ever heard in one sitting. I still don't know how to feel about this change to Kal-El's biological parents, and I was waiting for it to just be a "fake news" scheme by Luthor, but apparently it wasn't. It works as one of the inciting incidents in this film, but in the context of the DC universe I can see why some fans may take issue with it.
