Cindy Prascik's Reviews of John Wick: Chapter 2 & The Lego Batman Movie

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for a highly-anticipated pair of pictures: John Wick: Chapter 2 and the Lego Batman Movie.

 

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

 

Ladies and gentlemen, dear reader(s), what follows is the historic, first-ever, perfect-nine-Weasley double-bill! Steel yourselves!

 

First on yesterday's agenda: John Wick: Chapter 2.

 

John Wick is dragged out of retirement when an old marker is called in.

 

The first John Wick was a pleasant surprise. With very little buzz and a not-quite-A-list lead, it turned out far better than the generic actioner promised by the trailers. Following up such unexpected success almost unfailingly leads to disaster, but I am pleased to report John Wick: Chapter 2 actually breaks the mold and improves upon the original.

 

Beginning with the obvious: Keanu Reeves has found the role for which he was born. Sure, the guy has all the acting chops of "Shepherd #3" in your local elementary-school Christmas pageant, but he's given us a few iconic leads over his long career, and John Wick seems destined to become one of his best remembered. Reeves works even the film's corniest lines to perfection and still manages to be the perfect stoic killing machine. A solid supporting cast includes Ian McShane, Common, Laurence Fishburne, and the suddenly-ubiquitous Ruby Rose. John Wick: Chapter 2 boasts epic fight choreography, a dark humor that always hits its mark, and stellar production design. A shootout in a hall of mirrors is a real standout, along the lines of the original's red room scene. The extraordinary body count undoubtedly renders a picture like this not everyone's cup of tea, but if you're able to set aside genre bias, you'll have to admit John Wick: Chapter 2 is one hell of a great movie.

 

John Wick: Chapter 2 clocks in at 122 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence throughout, some language, and brief nudity."

 

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a strikingly filmed, beautifully executed movie that's well served by its self-awareness. I pondered long and hard, looking for a reason to dock it even a half-Weasley, and I couldn't find one. Of a possible nine Weasleys, John Wick: Chapter 2 gets nine.

 

Fangirl points: My beloved Ian McShane! Peter Serafinowicz!

 

Next on the docket, The Lego Batman Movie.

 

The Bat goes brick.

 

The Lego Batman Movie has all the sharp colors, cool artwork, and constant motion that are hallmarks of most good animation these days, but considering it a kids' movie does it a great disservice; it is straight-up comedy gold, and I mean hilarious. I can't remember the last time I heard a cinema crowd laugh as hard or as much. The movie lovingly makes fun of the Bat-verse, from Will Arnett's sulking, self-centered Bruce Wayne to hilarious callbacks to various film faceoffs with his arch-nemesis the Joker. If Gotham's Clown Prince isn't your favorite baddie, never fear, the Lego Batman Movie not only features many of Batman's classic enemies, but cameos by villains from the furthest reaches of fiction. A rockin' score by Lorne Balfe occasionally echoes past Batman themes, underlining the movie's nods to Bat-history, while standing firmly on its own Lego feet.

 

The Lego Batman Movie runs 104 minutes and is rated PG for "rude humor and some action."

 

The Lego Batman Movie is everything a moviegoer could want, be he die-hard Batfan or casual walkup. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Lego Batman Movie gets nine.

 

Fangirl points: "Iron Man sucks!"

 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: RINGS

In this third installment in the horror franchise, a young woman tries to save her boyfriend from a haunted video that kills people seven days after they watch it. However, she soon discovers that the video's secrets go far deeper than anyone has ever suspected. Matilda Lutz, Vincent D'Onofrio, Johnny Galecki, Laura Wiggins, Aimee Teegarden, Alex Roe, and Bonnie Morgan star. Directed by F. Javier Gutierrez. ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi

Genres: Drama, Horror

Director F. Javier Gutierrez

Cast: Aimee Teegarden, Johnny Galecki, Alex Roe, Zach Roerig, Bonnie Morgan, Vincent D'Onofrio

Release Date: Feb 03, 2017

Rated PG-13 for thematic Elements, Some Sexuality, Brief Drug Material and Violence/Terror

Runtime: 1 hr. 47 min.

Review:

The horror genre is littered with massive valleys and huge peaks in terms of quality.  The original Ring film was an impressive piece of filmmaking and one of my favorite horror films of all time.  Sadly, after that a lesser sequel followed and the franchise seemingly died off.  Rings is an ill conceived attempt to restart the series.  F. Javier Gutierrez borrows heavily from Gore Verbinski’s visual style which creates an effectively moody look.  Unfortunately there’s not much else to the film since the story decides to sideline Samara for the better part of the film.  Instead we’re treated to another origin story which isn’t nearly as interesting as it was the first two times we’ve seen it.  Making matters worst is the cast that’s made up of uncharismatic leads.  It’s hard to tell if the actors are just bad or if the direction has to do something with it because even name actors like Johnny Galecki and Vincent D’Onofrio deliver incredibly stiff and uninspired performances.  Sadly, we are left with nothing more than a boring slog of a film that doesn’t even offer cheap scares to keep you awake.

F

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Space Between Us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dearest Blog: Today it was off to Marquee Cinemas to see my beloved Gary Oldman's latest picture, The Space Between Us.

 

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

 

A boy born and raised on Mars yearns to come to Earth.

 

Well, dear reader(s), I can't sugar coat it: The Space Between Us might be the worst movie I've ever seen. Almost everything about this film is so embarrassingly terrible that it's hard to know where to start, so, just to keep you on your toes, I'll start with the few things I actually liked. First, Gary looks amazing. Like, even-better-than-Air-Force-One amazing. He's in the movie a LOT more than I expected, too. I thought he'd be on the periphery of the main story between the two kids, but actually he's kinda the star, with commensurate screen time (which he already may be regretting). There's some lovely scenery as our kids traverse the country, a handful of genuinely funny/cute moments (though few and far between), and a few bits of the score that really caught my ear. That's the good news. The bad news is this movie is otherwise awful to the last detail. It sells its premise so poorly that you're laughing at the very idea before it really even gets started. Awkward, hokey dialogue sounds like it was written by someone who has never heard a real person speak before. It's hard to fault the actors, given the material, but nobody does anything to elevate this mess, either. Mostly what we've got here is two hours of smitten teens acting all teeny and adults scampering around, overwrought, in the most predictable series of events ever. On the Gary Oldman scale, it's about as bad as Lost in Space.

 

The Space Between us clocks in at an interminable 120 minutes and is rated PG13 for "brief sensuality and language."

 

As always, I encourage everyone to get out to the movies this weekend. Please just go see something besides The Space Between Us. Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Space Between Us gets one, for giving me my Gary on the big screen.

 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: LA LA LAND

Struggling actress Mia (Emma Stone) and aspiring jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) begin a whirlwind romance as they both pursue their dreams in Los Angeles. However, their blossoming relationship is challenged when their careers pull them in different directions. Damien Chazelle (Damien Chazelle) wrote and directed this musical love story, which co-stars John Legend, J.K. Simmons, and Rosemarie DeWitt. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Director: Damien Chazelle

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Finn Wittrock, J.K. Simmons

Release Date: Dec 09, 2016

Rated PG-13 for some Language

Runtime: 2 hr. 7 min.

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Music/Performing Arts

Review:

La La Land is a rousing bit of filmmaking which is as fizzy and bubbly as the best champagne.  Like said champagne, it is a bit light on body.  Instead Damien Chazelle dresses up his retro musical with impressive shots and flashy choreography.  It’s an incredibly fun film, especially in the first 2 acts, with two magnetic leads.  Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone bring a dizzying sense of adorableness to their roles.  You can’t help but get sucked into this love story as their relationship begins to blossom and grow.  It’s an engrossing experience but once you peel back all the frills it’s a pretty bare bones love story tinged with a palatable sense of bitter sweetness.  Still it’s a credit to Damien Chazelle that he could take a simple story and infuse so much energy and passion into it.  Is it the best film I’ve ever seen, not even close, but it’s a still fine piece of film making.

B+