MOVIE REVIEW: READY OR NOT

Grace couldn't be happier after she marries the man of her dreams at his family's luxurious estate. There's just one catch -- she must now hide from midnight until dawn while her new in-laws hunt her with guns, crossbows and other weapons.

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Cast: Samara Weaving, Mark O'Brien, Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell

Release Date: August 21, 2019

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for violence, bloody images, language throughout, and some drug use

Runtime: 1 h 35 min

Review:

Ready or Not is one of those film’s that just comes out of nowhere and just surprises in multiple ways.  It’s a great black comedy that’s consistently entertaining from start to finish.  While the basic premise seems incredibly basic, you can find plenty of nuance and texture in it’s dissection of the 1% and gender politics.  It’s never overly didactic because first and foremost it aims to entertain with over the top set pieces and genuine shocks.  Director’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett crafted a lean efficient thrill ride that’s incredibly fun.  Australian actress Samara Weaving delivers a star making turn as grace.  It would have been easy to play the character as a one dimensional but she adds multiple layers to her which makes her all the more engaging as she goes from frighten to fighting back.  The supporting cast is made up of a bevy familiar character actors along with Andie MacDowell being the biggest name in the whole thing.  Ready or Not feels like a mash up of Your Next and Clue while becoming a crazy special thing of it’s own.


A

Cindy Prascik's Review of Angel Has Fallen

Yesterday it was off to the pictures for Angel Has Fallen, the latest installment in Gerard Butler's Secret Service series.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Framed for an assassination attempt on the President, Secret Service agent Mike Banning is on the run for his life.

Angel Has Fallen jumps out of the gate with an intense action sequence and never much lets up. There are a few quiet moments that lay out the private life Agent Bannon has made for himself since last we saw him, but mostly this movie knows where its bread is buttered and keeps the car chases and explosions rolling. Gerard Butler is again serviceable in the lead, a meathead trying hard to look like something more but never quite getting there. The supporting cast is as good as it needs to be, but cringe-worthy dialogue and juvenile humor don't give it much to work with. Despite offering few surprises, Angel Has Fallen maintains tension and is, in places, very nicely filmed. It's a big, loud, end-of-summer romp that is likely to fade from memory before you're out the theater door. Angel Has Fallen clocks in at 121 minutes and is rated R for, "violence and language throughout."

Angel Has Fallen is a by-the-numbers actioner that doesn't exceed expectations, but maybe it doesn't need to.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Angel Has Fallen gets six. Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: GOOD BOYS

Invited to his first kissing party, 12-year-old Max asks his best friends Lucas and Thor for some much-needed help on how to pucker up. When they hit a dead end, Max decides to use his father's drone to spy on the teenage girls next door. When the boys lose the drone, they skip school and hatch a plan to retrieve it before Max's dad can figure out what happened.

Director: Gene Stupnitsky

Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, Keith L. Williams, Molly Gordon, Lil Rel Howery, Will Forte

Release Date: August 16, 2019

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Rated R for strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language throughout - all involving tweens

Runtime: 1 h 29 min

Review:

Good Boys is one of those comedies that pops up every now and then, much in the same vein of Superbad and this year’s Booksmart.  There are similarities to those films but moving the age range down gives its own sense of character and innocence that’s missing from the high school comedies.  Gene Stupnitsky directs his film at a brisk pace letting the jokes shoot by at a dizzying pace.  The script is sharp even if it’s not groundbreaking, the jokes work nearly from start to finish.  The pace of the film never lets anything lingers too long so any jokes that miss don’t hang around long.  The cast is likeable and all three boys share solid chemistry across the board.  Jacob Tremblay is clearly the most talented of the three but Brady Noon and Keith L. Williams more than carry their own weight.  Their delivery of the script is incredibly naturalist and authentic which really helps the film particularly since the film has a hefty amount of heart behind its racy exterior.  Good Boys ultimately has a lot going for it but more than anything it’s genuinely funny with a sweet message behind it.   

B+

Cindy Prascik's Review of Blinded By the Light

This weekend my cinema choice, among a glut of new offerings, was Blinded By the Light.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Inspired by the music of Bruce Springsteen, a young Pakistani-British man tries to follow his dream of being a writer, against his traditional father's wishes.

Blinded By the Light marks the third (that I'm aware of?) music-inspired, hope-inspiring movie of 2019, and its beautiful message of perseverance, respect, and acceptance feels like just what the world needs right now.

Blinded By the Light tackles tough subjects like racism and the austerity of mid-80s Britain with humor and charm. Newcomer Viveik Kalra is an engaging lead, always sympathetic even in his worst moments; however, it's Aaron Phagura who really lights up the screen as the friend who introduces our hero to *his* hero, Mr. Springsteen. The two together are a joy to watch! Springsteen tunes and some other choice nuggets provide a nostalgic soundtrack that, along with spot-on costumes and hair, really captures both the ups and downs of the 80s. In these challenging times, it's beautiful to see how universal art really is.

Blinded By the Light runs 117 minutes and is rated PG13 for "thematic material and language, including some ethnic slurs."

Blinded By the Light is an endearing film that highlights the power of music. In our troubled times, it is just what the doctor (or the Boss?) ordered.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Blinded By the Light gets nine.

Fangirl points: I see you, Duran Duran poster! Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Review of Hobbs & Shaw

Following my blissful ten-week Rocketman interlude, yesterday it was off to the pictures for the decidedly-un-Rocketman-like Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

When a genetically-enhanced baddie (Idris Elba) threatens to release a virus to cull humanity, it's up to Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) to put aside their differences and save the world.

In the grand tradition of the Fast & Furious franchise, Hobbs & Shaw is big, loud, dumb fun that uses a single ridiculous set-piece to up the ante for the whole action genre. (Think Tom Cruise hanging off the side of that airplane in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.) The film is fast-paced from start to finish, with well-choreographed fight sequences and insane car chases, but the last act holds a special surprise only hinted at in the trailers. Overall the movie looks really good, though there are a few spots where the green screen is so obvious the actors might as well be Colorforms. (How old is everyone reading this? Do I need a different reference there?) The humor comes easy and is only seldom forced, working especially well for Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds in roles that are little more than cameos, but are just what the doctor ordered for the aging F&F series. Elba, Statham, Johnson, and franchise newcomer Vanessa Kirby ensure the movie isn't short on eye-candy. The picture's a bit overlong, but it keeps moving well enough that it's hardly noticeable.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw clocks in at 137 minutes and is rated PG13 for "prolonged sequences of action and violence, suggestive material, and some strong language."

While it's fair to say the Fast & Furious franchise is getting a bit long in the tooth, Hobbs & Shaw is good fun that not only ticks all the boxes for action fans, but also continues to raise the stakes for stupidly huge stunts. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw gets six.

Fangirl points: My go-to guy Jason Statham and my want-to guy Idris Elba! Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK

The shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large in the small town of Mill Valley for generations. It's in a mansion that young Sarah Bellows turns her tortured life and horrible secrets into a series of scary stories. These terrifying tales soon have a way of becoming all too real for a group of unsuspecting teens who stumble upon Sarah's spooky home.

Director: André Øvredal

Cast: Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, Lorraine Toussain

Release Date: August 9, 2019

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for terror/violence, disturbing images, thematic elements, language including racial epithets, and brief sexual references.

Runtime: 1 h 47 min

Review:

Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark is a solid entry level horror movie that may be a gateway for younger horror fans to explore the genre.  Norwegian director André Øvredal, who has been turning out solid horror films for a good while now, delivers an impressively stylish film.  It’s not ground breaking in any shape or form but his adaptation of the short stories are staged well enough to keep most people entertained even if the film start to film like a light version of IT as the plot unfolds.  The monsters are effectively creepy which makes for some solid moments of terror even though the film is very light on blood.  The cast of mostly unknowns does a great job of carrying the film with Zoe Colletti leaving a strong impression.  More seasoned horror aficionados may find the whole thing a bit quaint since the film feels like a throwback of sorts to the old horror films like Night of the Scarecrow or The Town that Dreaded Sundown.


B-