MOVIE REVIEW: THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI

After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command, Officer Dixon -- an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence -- gets involved, the battle is only exacerbated. 

Director: Martin McDonagh

Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Hedges

Rated R for violence, language throughout, and some sexual references

Genres: Crime, Drama

Runtime: 1h 55min

Review:

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri is a challenging pitch black dramdey that’s engaging throughout even if it never offers any clear answers or resolutions to it’s story.  Martin McDonagh has experience dealing with deeply flawed characters with some humor mixed in, something he did wonderfully in In Bruges.  Martin McDonagh deals with similarly troubled character here even if he doesn’t quiet work the same alchemy he pulled off with In Bruges.  McDonagh film mostly works even though the tonal shifts are occasionally jarring.  Its anchor throughout is Frances McDormand who is simply a force of nature throughout.  Her performance is even more impressive since she’s pulls it off fairly effortlessly.  Woody Harrelson is always a welcome sight and he’s on his game here, sadly he’s only in the film’s first third and the film misses his presences afterward.  Sam Rockwell is solid throughout even if the character fairly unlikable.  There’s a bit of a redemption arch presented but it’s a slightly strange message since his character is referenced as having done terrible things before the story starts.  The film is filled those kind of challenging contradictions and it can occasionally be difficult but the performances make it worthwhile.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: GET OUT

A young African-American photographer (Daniel Kaluuya) is nervous at the thought of meeting his white girlfriend's parents (Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford) for the first time during a trip to the latter's country estate. However, his anxiety soon turns into outright terror when he discovers that the family's seemingly idyllic community is hiding a sinister conspiracy, one that involves the disappearance of several black people in the area. Jordan Peele, one half of the comedic duo Jordan Peele, makes his directorial debut with this horror thriller. Allison Williams, LaKeith Stanfield, and Caleb Landry Jones co-star. ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi

Director: Jordan Peele

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, LaKeith Stanfield, 

Allison Williams

Release Date: Feb 24, 2017

Rated R for Language, Bloody Images, Sexual References and Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 44 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Get Out is a fine debut for Jordan Peele even if it isn’t a landmark horror benchmark some have made it out to be.  Get Out plays more like a comedic satire of classic horror movie tropes with a racial slant.  As it plays out, it’s clear that Jordan Peele is a fan of classic films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Stepford Wives.  On the downside there are few surprises for anyone who’s watched any of these films, resulting in a few jump scares but very little in the way of tension.  Thankfully, there’s a fair amount of laughs as the increasingly uncomfortable weekend unfurls for our protagonist.  Daniel Kaluuya is solid as the lead even if he isn’t given much to do outside of act uncomfortable and mildly terrified.  Allison Williams, and her dead eyes, is perfect for what the role calls for, which is very little.  Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener are given fun roles, which they clearly relish, but there is practically mustache twirling unsettling from the get go.  As a result, there is a very little surprise about where any of these characters end up.  LaKeith Stanfield is given the best role in the film as Chris friend who spends the majority of the film telling him there’s something seriously off about the situation.  It’s a credit to Jordan Peele’s talent that he can make you overlook these short coming and deliver an enjoyable film.  Get Out isn’t a hallmark in horror filmmaking, the majority of hardcore horror buffs may walk out disappointed, but it’s a solid debut.

B+