Movie Review: Hellboy (2019)

So, Hellboy, a movie that caused a stir among the masses when it was announced, or rather, that subset of the masses that care about such things as genre and comic book movies, and even then, a further subset of the masses that cares about remakes and reboots. It is a stir that has lasted right up to and through the movies release this weekend. Fortunately, I am not a part of that subset. I am a part of the movie loving public that likes to see movies prove their worth on their own terms, and not have to fight off non-existent foes before their time. With that said, I quite enjoyed this new interpretation of the source, it felt true in spirit but does not find itself beholden to what came before, meaning it has a distinctly different flavor than Guillermo del Toro’s vision. This is a good one.

Movie Review: Venom (2018)

It has been a long time since I have really followed Venom in the comics. That really goes for pretty much all comic books, these days I get my superheroes on the big screen rather than the printed page. With that said, there is likely a good portion of you out there that have now discounted anything that I have to say about a Venom movie. So be it. Even without an extensive knowledge, I still have some thoughts of this as a movie, with, perhaps, a bit of what I do know tossed in. Now, would it surprise you to know that I actually liked the movie? Granted, it could be because my expectations were on the low side, or it may be that I don’t expect greatness from every movie.

Movie Review: Peppermint

When people ask me what I thought of Peppermint, my answer is always the same. I tell them that the movie is nothing but a collection of missed opportunities. On some levels I liked it, but on other, more, levels, I just did not. I was relatively excited to see it, too. There are things to like about it, but when you watch it you will notice things, things they should have done, beats they should have taken, moments of genuine character they should have let happen. After awhile it just becomes annoying. However, anecdotal evidence proves that the people around me enjoyed it considerably more than I did.

Movie Review: Revenge (2018)

Rape/Revenge movies have a long and grimy tradition in the cinema world. These movies don’t glorify the prior act, while putting the latter on a pedestal. This is the way it should be, rape is in no way shape or form a defensible act; however, in the form of a rape/revenge movie it can become quite exhilarating to watch the woman overcome and have her revenge on her attackers, thus destroying the male gaze. The films in this genre can be as grimy as they come, like House on the Edge of the Park and I Spit on Your Grave, they can be unsettlingly artistic like Ms. 45 and Irreversible, they can even be popular mainstream films like Death Wish and Kill Bill, Vol. 1. Of late, there have not been all that many that I have been aware of. Now, I have Revenge to fill that hole.

Critical Capsule: Skyscraper (2018)

Skyscraper would likely be more entertaining in a world where Die Hard didn’t exist. Unfortunately, this is not that world. Perhaps if you are just getting into movies, are young, and don’t know of the great Die Hard yet, you may like this. If you couldn’t figure it out, this is like a copy of a copy of Die Hard, the more layers of separation, the more generic and bland the replications get. On the other hand, Skyscraper does star the Rock, and he has large enough personality to actually carry this and keep me somewhat involved. This is fun enough. The story follows Rock, hobbled by having one leg, work his way through a burning tower to save his family and stop the bad guys from getting to the building’s owner. This is hardly must see cinema, but you could do worse if you stumble across it one night on cable.

Movie Review: Blindspotting (2018)

The first time I saw the trailer for Blindspotting, I was a little confused as to what it was. The trailer begins by making you think it is some sort of comedy and ends looking more like a drama on race relations and perceptions. As it turns out, the movie is both. We follow a young man whose parol is nearly up, navigating the complicated relations and his own changing perceptions in the wake of witnessing a police shooting. Now, I do not have the words for a full review, but I at least wanted to share some of my immediate reaction in the wake of seeing it.

Movie Review: The Equalizer 2

Four years ago, director Antoine Fuqua re-teamed with his Training Day star, Denzel Washington, to reinvent a 1980’s crime drama series as a big screen action thriller. That film was The Equalizer. That movie proved to be a hit, making more than $100 million at the box office. I liked it, I thought it could have been more, but there was something about how Denzel portrayed this character that I liked. I never thought it was going to be the sort of film that would get a sequel. Goes to show what I know, right? Anyway, the sequel is here and I went to see it, not expecting all that much. I am here now to tell you that this sequel surpasses the original by a long shot. This movie floored me and I can do nothing but recommend it.

Critical Capsule: Blumhouse's Truth or Dare?

Sometimes you hear bad things about a movie, but you have to see it for yourself. That is what happened in the case of Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare? It is a movie that looked to be all right while also feeling familiar in a Final Destination sort of way. The movie was a big waste of time. Soulless, heartless, and pointless, a product designed to separate you from your money. It centered on a group of unlikable college kids who get suckered into a possessed game of truth or dare that doesn’t end until everyone is dead. Best part had to be the fart face the people make when under the influence of the game. It really was annoying he way it played out, and then that ending…. Can’t get much worse. Funny thing, I think the idea has promise, sadly, this was made as a product, not a movie.

Critical Capsule: Ready Player One

When I first saw the trailer for Ready Player One, I was immediately interested. It was my introduction to the source, as I had never heard of the novel before. I was caught up in the nostalgic references to pop culture of decades gone by. Now, having seen the movie, I enjoyed playing spot the reference, as well as the lengthy horror movie sequence and the appearance of a certain mechanical monster. On the other hand, the story felt like a lot of what I have seen before and the lead actors did not have all that much personality. I had fun enough with it, but that is due to the references to things I like a lot better. Overall, I felt this was a mediocre movie banking on nostalgic recognition rather than doing anything interesting with it.

Critical Capsule: Hellraiser - Judgment

The Hellraiser franchise has never been a great. I love the first two, I like the third and fourth, but after that, well, the less said the better. So, the idea of a new film, one without Doug Bradley, would seem like a fool’s errand. Surprisingly, I quite liked Hellraiser: Judgment. Writer/director Gary Tunnicliffe brought some interesting concepts to the film and has made the first genuinely interesting Pinhead film in years. There are some nice gore effects and I would have liked to have seen some of the ideas (like the Auditor and Surgeon Cenobites) expanded on in a longer film. On the other hand, I felt it fell into the same traps as many of the DTV entries where it is just some detectives tumbling into the Hellraiser world rather than being more about that world. Feels too much like two different movies shuffled together. Still, I have no problem recommending this.

Critical Capsule: The Strangers - Prey at Night

The Strangers was a scary and effective horror film that had an unsettling realism about it. Now, we have the sequel that I don’t think anyone was really asking for, bearing the subtitle Prey at Night. The best thing I can say about this movie is that it has some well shot sequences. The movie itself seemed intent on doing nothing like the first one, thus defeating the purpose. Rather than terrifying the characters, it was more about terrifying the audience with unearned jump scares. On one level, I can sort of enjoy this, but then I get distracted by the terrible choices made by those behind the camera. It is as if they are seeking to undermine the elements that made the first so effective. In many ways I hated this movie.

Critical Capsule: Game Night

This movie was a complete surprise. Don’t get me wrong, I am not calling great or anything, but it is genuinely funny, involving, and actually kept me guessing throughout. Game Night is a legitimately fun movie that just when you think you see where it is going, it swerves and changes everything. I liked the cast, Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are a good lead pair. I also liked that the makers tried to do stuff with the style to further the concept of games, most notably using tilt shift to make the town look like a game board and the cars as game pieces. This is he sort of surprise I like to have, when hoping to be entertained, and walk away genuinely liking it.

Critical Capsule: Annihilation (2018)

Alex Garland is a name that perks my ears, he is a filmmaker who is adept at bring intelligent genre fare to the big screen. His latest is an adaptation of Annihilation, I am not familiar with the book, but after seeing the movie I am curious. The movie is mesmerizing and while I sort of get it, I cannot explain it. It is fascinating to watch this movie unfold and seemingly refuse to answer any questions. It is sort of like the tree in Empire Strikes Back, Luke is told all that is inside is what he brings. Inside the anomaly called the Shimmer there may be more than what the women bring, but the influence of what they bring has an impact. Then there is the final act, some of the freakiest stuff I’ve seen in a mainstream release. This is a movie that begs for multiple viewing to unlock its secrets.

Movie Review: A Quiet Place (2018)

It seems like every year has that one genre film that breaks out and gets on the hype train. In many cases, the hype is deserving. Even though hype has a way of leading to backlash, i have found the films to get the positive hype to be more than deserving. One thing that I am liking is that in recent year the films are retaining the quality and are skewing closer to mainstream success. I love the idea of more people discovering genre films and letting the sickness spread. In case you didn’t know, the movies I am referring to are It Follows, The Babadook, The Witch, Get Out, and now we have A Quiet Place. I make no secret that I love them all.

Movie Review: Winchester

Being a horror fan, i sometimes feel obligated to get out and support horror movies in the theater. This means i often sit through awful mainstream dreck without an ounce of artistry to its money sucking soul. Of course, I do like being surprised by mainstream horror, movies like The Conjuring and Insidious did just that. So, when i first saw the trailer for Winchester, I thought I was in for that rare mainstream treat. The film, based on the trailer, had an interesting look, an interesting premise, plus the added bonus of Helen Mirren. Then I started hearing that it was no good, slow and boring and I almost took a pass on it, but faced with sold out Black Panther screenings, it looked like a good alternative to me, so I gave it a shot.

Movie Review: The Commuter

What is it about Liam Neeson that makes him such an effective badass/everyman? Is it that voice? His imposing stature? Maybe it’s the way he can go from being a kind fatherly type, to a cold blooded killer, to a rage filled man out for justice in the blink of an eye? Whatever it is, it doesn’t really matter how familiar the movie feels, he always brings a certain class and charisma to the screen. It should come as no surprise, then, to find The Commuter is an easy to watch and entertaining film, even being as predictable and flawed as it is. I just seem to really like him in these increasingly familiar. Something akin to a manufactured Bronson type, aging star appearing in crazy action films. No, he is no Bronson, but you can see where the comparison comes from, right?

Trailer Park: Paddington 2

Three years ago a live action adaptation of Paddington Bear reached the big screen, and despite a rather rocky ad campaign, it became a modest success and, as it turns out, it was enough to spawn a sequel. I remember those early commercials and trailers and how they focused on the stupid and the slapstick. I remember actually dreading sitting through it. Fortunately, the movie turned out to be really good and really sweet and just what family entertainment needed. Now, here I am hoping that this second go around delivers the goods and lives up to its predecessor. Get ready for Paddington 2.

Trailer Park: The Commuter

It is amazing to see how an actor seems to completely reinvent themselves. Liam Neeson, I always looked at as that respectable drama actor type, but then something changed. Liam became the ultimate cinematic badass, the likes we haven’t seen since Charles Bronson’s heyday. Well, that may take it a bit too far, Neeson is no Bronson, but there is no denying the string of action/thrillers that he has put out over the past decade or so and the entertainment they have delivered. Yes, the Taken films have run out of steam, but now we have another Taken-style thriller. Will it deliver the goods? One can hope.

Trailer Park:Proud Mary

I know a lot of people who just don’t care for modern movies. I can understand the frustration that comes from, but I like to think a good number of movies have some sort of positive element to them. This lets me have the feeling of excitement while watching trailers and coming across one for a project I was completely unfamiliar with. There is nothing quite like sitting in that theater and seeing something that makes you sit up and pay attention. Proud Mary is one of those trailers that made my take notice, make me really look forward to seeing it.

Trailer Park: Blumhouse's Truth or Dare?

So, I was at the movies to see the latest Insidious installment. Why? I like the series that’s why. Anyway, I was watching the trailers, and, as expected, a mainstream horror film was preceded by a succession of other mainstream horror fare. Granted, there is not much to like about mainstream horror, but occasionally you find stuff that works (ahem, Insidious, cough), well one of the trailers caught my eye and not really for the right reason. It looked a lot like everything else, which isn’t good, it also reminded me of another horror franchise that I have some affection for, but still there was something about it.