MOVIE REVIEW: READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME

 

After surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace discovers she's reached the next level of the nightmarish game, and this time with her estranged sister, Faith, by her side. To survive, Grace must keep Faith alive and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are also hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins will rule it all.

Director: Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin

Cast: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood

Release Date: March 20, 2026

Genre: Horror, Comedy

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, pervasive language and brief drug use.

Runtime: 1h 48m

Review:

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come offers up a bigger, bloodier bit of carnage that should provide fans of the original plenty to enjoy, powered by another ferociously fun turn from Samara Weaving who’s paired with Kathryn Newton this go around which brings a fresh dynamic to the film.   Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Radio Silence, return behind the camera for this follow and do so with a self-assured sense of confidence that comes through every frame.  The script picks up immediately after the first one ended and it immediately opens up the world and concept overall to include a global cabal of Satan worshippers and another round of the murderous game with much higher stakes.  It doesn’t make a ton of sense if you think about it too much, but it does offer up the chance to introduce another group of murderous blue bloods who are on the hunt for Samara Weaving’s Grace.  Weaving picks up right where she left off in the original film, easily inhabiting the character’s skin with a less naïve turn after what she experienced on her wedding night.  Kathryn Newton joining the fray as her long, lost sister brings something fresh to the table which keeps this entry from being little more than a rerun of the original film.  As a result, this entry has its own vibe even if the general concept is the same as the pair’s natural chemistry together makes the whole thing incredibly watchable and fun.  They bring a natural sibling energy to the characters which makes it easier to overlook some of the clunkier and generic aspects of their backstory.   They’re both clearly having a great time, especially as the action gets bloodier and bloodier as the film goes along with a battle of brides to be proving to be the comedic high point of the film.  The supporting characters are led by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy’s twin siblings who are trying to keep control of the council seat that runs the world.  They serve as solid foils to Weaving and Netwon’s sisters, but their backstory and relationship feel a tad undercooked, suffering from generic motivations.  Gellar and Hatosy are both solid in the roles, but you are left wishing they’d been given something a bit meatier to work with especially as Hatosy’s Titus Danforth is revealed to be the more brutally unhinged of the two.  The rest of the supporting players are mostly cannon fodder for the sisters with each making the most of their limited screentime, personally would have loved to have seen more Néstor Carbonell’s gloriously over the top Ignacio El Caido.  Minor issues aside, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is an incredibly fun follow up to the original which is sure to leave fans grinning by the time the credits roll. 

A-

Movie Reviews: ATONEMENT & SOUTHLAND TALES

Monday, March 24, 2008
Movie Reviews: ATONEMENT & SOUTHLAND TALES
ON DVD




ATONEMENT

When Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) was 13 years old, she was witness to a lewd act between her older sister Cecillia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie (James McAvoy), a servant’s son, that ends up sending the boy to jail. Several years later, Briony (Romola Garai) is a young woman who tries to heal the wound the previous incident inflicted on her family.

Cast Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan, Vanessa Redgrave, Brenda Blethyn (more)

Director(s) Joe Wright

Writer(s) Christopher Hampton

Status On DVD

Genre(s) Drama

Release Date Dec. 7, 2007

DVD Release Date March 18, 2008

Running Time 123 minutes

MPAA Rating R - for disturbing war images, language and some sexuality

Review:

Joe Wright’s Atonement is what you’d expect from most films from this genre but it does elevate itself above the more traditional entries with its wonderful sense of lyricism and style. Wonderfully shot and scored, Atonement feels more like a movie made in the 40s or 50s. Everything from the look of the film to the manner of speaking feels classical in one sense or another. The film’s first 45 minutes feel like a wonderful F Scott Fitzgerald adaptation which is just a joy to watch. The remainder of the movie feels a bit more contrived and artificial but that’s not to say it’s not enjoyable as well. Keira Knightly and James McAvoy deliver decent performances and are actually better when they aren’t on screen together as they share very little believable chemistry. Saoirse Ronan deservedly received many accolades for her work here and there is a fairly obvious drop off in her character; apparently Briony is the only one who ages in this film, when Romola Garai takes over. Needless to say Saoirse Ronan’s work is excellent and it really drives the film through the first half of the film. While Atonement is a solid piece of cinematic romanticism it lacks any real surprises for the audience. Its climax and the revelation about a major plot point both are designed to come as a surprise and jar the viewer but it just fails to hit the mark. Mainly because both are fairly obvious and lack the emotional punch they were intended to create. For this reason alone, Atonement is enjoyable for what it is but it’s not necessarily the type of movie that will inhabit your mind for very long after you’ve seen it.

B-




SOUTHLAND TALES

Set in an economically and environmentally ravaged Los Angeles on the Fourth of July, 2008, the story features various characters running into one another, including amnesiac actor Boxer Santaros (Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson), porn star Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and cop David Clark (Seann William Scott).

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nora Dunn, Christopher Lambert, John Larroquette (more)

Director(s) Richard Kelly

Writer(s) Richard Kelly

Status On DVD

Genre(s) Comedy

Release Date Nov. 14, 2007

DVD Release Date March 18, 2008

MPAA Rating R - for language, violence, sexual material and some drug content

Review:

How does a film from a respected cult filmmaker, Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), get roundly booed at the Cannes Film Festival? I’d wondered about that when I first heard about the reaction to Southland Tales premiere. Kelly sophomore effort couldn’t have been that horrible, this is the man who gave us the wonderfully odd but thoroughly engaging cult favorite Donnie Darko. Having now watched the painfully long, winch inducting, insanely self indulgent Southland Tales it all makes perfect sense. Southland Tales is beyond odd; it’s incoherent and takes itself way too seriously from the start. This satire poses some interesting ideas but the execution is so off and entirely uninteresting that it fails to make any connection what so ever with the audience. Characters are just that characters, none of which ever feel like actual flesh and blood creations, instead everyone is a type nothing more nothing less. The actors do what they can with the incomprehensible mess their given. Dwayne Johnson tries to pass off twiddling his fingers as acting while Sean Williams Scott looks confused throughout, whether it’s intentional or not it’s fitting. Sarah Michelle Gellar probably seems the most comfortable in her role and seems to be the most committed of anyone involved followed closely by John Larroquette who’s also quite good here. One thing this film doesn’t lack is star power, a cavalcade of stars are present here. In addition to Justin Timberlake, who always seems to have something important to say but never actually does, and Mandy Moore we also get a group of SNL alums (Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler & Jon Lovitz all have supporting roles) and a MadTV alum (Will Sasso) for just for good measure. Drizzled in we also get cameos aplenty throughout from other big name stars. I will give Kelly credit for trying something so incredibly outside of the box, even if it reeks of self love and pretension, and bizarre that it leaves an impression on you after you watch it regardless if you enjoyed it or not. I enjoy movies that test or break conventions but at the same time I believe these types of movies should have some sense of self and some sort of purpose. Southland Tales feels like Kelly’s stream of conscience unabashedly poured out on screen. For me this film fails at being anyone of the million things (satire, romance, fantasy, existential meditation, etc….) it attempts to be. Southland Tales is just too unfocused for my taste so much so that it’s nearly unwatchable.

D