The Black Phone 2 (2025)

  

  *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...

Boyhood (2014)

If you’ve been paying close attention to any of the numerous independent films released this year, chances are you’ve heard a lot about Boyhood, the remarkable 12-year project from Richard Linklater. However, if you’re not one to follow the indie scene, you may not have heard of this generation-defining film, or what makes it so unique.

On its surface, Boyhood sounds like a normal, maybe even boring motion picture about a boy growing up, but if that’s all you know of Boyhood, you’re missing out. The remarkable thing about Boyhood isn’t necessarily the script, or the directing, or the acting (although all of these elements of the film are impressively on point) what sets this film apart is how incredibly long it took just to film this movie. Instead of hiring several different actors to play the main character (Mason, who makes for a uniquely interesting protagonist) Richard Linklater made this film over 12 years, with the same actors as they actually aged over that time period. Thus, even though Boyhood is scripted, watching the film is almost like watching an actual boy progress through his childhood. I can’t stress enough how much of a difference this makes in the movie; the characters feel like real people and we really feel as if we are watching these people grow and not just as actors playing fictional parts, but it feels real. Honestly, I could write a whole essay about just how unique this aspect of the film is alone, but I’ll just leave it at this: it makes for a ground-breaking experience.

As for the story itself, it’s actually very engaging; young Mason goes through a lot of experiences that many of us have shared and some that maybe a lot of us haven’t, but through it all I felt as though Boyhood is the kind of film that all of us can relate to, and not just boys. This is really the story of growing up, and since all of us can appreciate that on one level or another, it’s the perfect film to watch and reminisce on your own life; I know I found myself getting excited when I recognize a few toys in the background that I’d owned myself as a child (anyone remember Gameboys?). In one scene Mason and his father (a virtually perfect performance by Ethan Hawke here) have a conversation over a campfire about whether there’ll be a Star Wars movie, (this of course was filmed long before anyone knew Disney would milk the franchise to the bitter end) it’s a simple scene but it made me laugh and reflect on similar conversations I’d had with my own father. That’s what Boyhood is all about.

Another thing I like about Boyhood is its objectivity; this isn’t a Disney film where the parents are/were perfect (dead) role models, but it isn’t a Steven Spielbierg movie either where the kids rule and the parents are just dumb bumbling idiots. There’s a delicate balance here as there is in real life and the film never offers an opinion on who’s right and who’s wrong. Several times Mason’s mother (his father and mother are separated so he lives with his mother) makes some questionable decisions, but the film never judges her, nor does it shy away from showing her imperfection. The same goes for the father, his relationship with the kids is just as flawed even though it’s drastically different.

When the film finally reaches the end, we the audience feel like we’ve been through a real journey, but it’s not really over; because really, Mason’s life is just beginning as he leaves boyhood and enters manhood. The way the film ends perfectly reflects that (I don’t want to give away any spoilers on this one) it feels like the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new one, and I couldn’t imagine a better way for this film to end.

Boyhood is a long film (almost 3 hours), and I could go on for pages and pages, but I’ll keep it short because this is a film that you should experience for yourself. I urge you if you see one film this year, make it Boyhood (but also go see Guardians of the Galaxy because that one’s just too much fun) I promise you it’s an experience you’ll never forget, just like your own childhood.

-Ryan Maples

Rating: 9.75

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1065073/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1