Journalist Eddie Brock is trying to take down Carlton Drake, the
notorious and brilliant founder of the Life Foundation. While investigating one
of Drake's experiments, Eddie's body merges with the alien Venom -- leaving him
with superhuman strength and power. Twisted, dark and fueled by rage, Venom
tries to control the new and dangerous abilities that Eddie finds so
intoxicating.
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate, Scott Haze,
Reid Scott
Release Date: October 5, 2018
Genres: Action , Horror , Sci-Fi
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for
language
Runtime: 1h 36 min
Review:
Venom is a strange silly film that is saved by Tom Hardy’s
commitment.Ruben Fleisher’s movie is
loud, tonally erratic and occasionally enjoyable.When it works it works mostly due to Hardy
who’s having a blast in the film.He’s
so incredibly watchable that it almost makes you forget the movie and its
overall plot is so basic and tired.Riz
Ahmed and Michelle Williams on the other hand seem to be collecting
paychecks.Neither seems to be terribly
excited about their characters probably because their so simplistic and one
dimensional.Fleishcher seems to be
channeling 90’s movies for some reason.Some of the action sequences, like a motorcycle/car chase, feel like
they’ve been pulled right out of MichaelBay’s The Rock.Hardy, to his credit, keeps it from being an
outright disaster and if there’s a sequel hopefully it gives him a better
overall film.
Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the "strange bedfellows" double-bill of Venom and A Star is Born.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First on the docket: Venom.
A down-on-his-luck video-journalist unwittingly merges with an alien life form, turning his world upside down.
Venom is a disaster. It's a big miss from Marvel, a company noted for not missing even when all it has to offer is Ant-Man. If not for the supreme good fortune of having Tom Hardy in the lead, the movie would be utterly unwatchable. Thankfully, Hardy seems to be having a blast, which makes at least his performance good fun. The rest is, unfortunately, so stupid as to be no fun at all. With its horrific-looking aliens and an overload of carnage, the movie's PG13 rating feels disingenuous; maybe if they'd tossed in an extra F-word and gone full R the finished product wouldn't seem so lame. A told-to-death backstory, underwhelming effects, and idiotic humor ruin any chance of caring about the characters or what is happening to them. If the Captain Marvel trailer made me think a time is coming when comic-book movies will no longer be must-see for me, then Venom certainly drove home the point. In the immortal words of Nathan from The Full Monty, "That were crap."
Venom clocks in at 112 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for language."
Venom ranks among the worst movies I've seen in 2018.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Venom gets two.
Next up, the third big-screen rendering of A Star is Born.
A superstar musician takes on a talented protege, and romance ensues.
Dear reader(s): A Star is Born forces me to offer warring disclaimers. If I'm predisposed to view romantic films with disdain, I'm (at least) equally inclined to love any movie about music or musicians. It is to this film's credit that it's so good I don't think either had much influence on my opinion of the whole.
There are a great many positives here, so we'll start with the most obvious: the performances of the film's leads, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. I dig Bradley Cooper. Since The A-Team came out in 2010, my ringtone has been Steely Dan's Reelin' in the Years, so when the phone rings I can hope it's Bradley Cooper. (Spoiler alert: It's never Bradley Cooper.) I will watch Cooper in anything, and I think he elevates any project lucky enough to have him. At this point, it should be no surprise to anyone that he is amazing, though at times I still worry he's so ridiculously good-looking as to be sold short. Here he's no less than Oscar worthy, and (now that Gary Oldman has his!), I genuinely hope that this is Cooper's year. In his debut behind the camera, his top-notch direction may garner him additional hardware. Gaga is also terrific. She's served well by her own experiences, and I won't be at all surprised if she, too, bathes in awards love this winter. The picture's original songs are solid, though I much preferred the guitar-driven numbers performed by Cooper's band to Gaga's epic ballads. If you're still having a hard time getting over all the accolades heaped on LaLa Land's lackluster songs and middling vocals, this movie should be the cure for what ails you. The film runs a bit long, and the story is sort-of hokey at times--as love stories are--but it's well told enough and the characters so engaging that it's a petty quibble. I don't think it's spoilery to warn that A Star is Born is a tearjerker--the woman behind me was sobbing so hard I thought we were going to have to call the EMTs--so bring the Kleenex.
A Star is Born runs 135 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout, some sexuality/nudity, and substance abuse."
A Star is Born offers a new take on a timeless tale, showcasing some truly extraordinary performances and firing perhaps the first real shots of this awards season.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, A Star is Born gets eight.
Fangirl points: Look, there's really no need for me to say any more about Bradley Cooper, but...did I mention Bradley Cooper with long hair and a guitar? *sigh*
Seasoned musician Jackson Maine
discovers -- and falls in love with -- struggling artist Ally. She has just
about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer until Jackson coaxes her
into the spotlight. But even as Ally's career takes off, the personal side of
their relationship is breaking down, as Jackson fights an ongoing battle with
his own internal demons. Director: Bradley Cooper Cast: Bradley Cooper, Lady
Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, Sam Elliott Release Date: October 5, 2018 Genres: Drama , Music , Romance Rated R for language
throughout, some sexuality/nudity and substance abuse Runtime: 2h 15min Review: Bradley Cooper’s directorial
debut, A Star is Born, is remarkable on various fronts.Remakes are typically hit or miss with the
majority of them paling in comparison to the originals.Even more difficult is making an engaging
remake of a film that’s been made three times beforehand with the 70’s Kris
Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand film being the most recent.Through strong performances and a steady hand
behind the camera, Bradley Cooper pulls off the impressive feat of making this
film engaging even though the entire thing feels incredibly familiar.Cooper’s directorial style is an interesting
mix of Clint Eastwood’s naturalism and steady sense of melancholy similar to
Mike Figgis Leaving Las Vegas.It’s a
beautiful film to look at but his most impressive accomplishment is bringing
out some incredible performances from his cast.First and foremost, Cooper delivers one of the best performances of his
career.Cooper loses himself entirely in
the part not mention he learned how to sing in order to perform the original songs.Lady Gaga is equally impressive mainly
because she turns in a naturalistic performance that feels real throughout even
the film is pretty much a musical fairytale.Gaga and Cooper are incredibly engaging together for the entire runtime
but their supporting players that populate the film make the story feel lived
in and real.I expect a handful of
people will be surprised by the performances turned in by Dave Chappelle,
Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Elliott.Each
has small moments but they are all memorable with Sam Elliott delivering an
awards worthy performance.There are a few
hiccups but they are minor.The film
could use a bit of trimming here and there, particularly in the last act, and a
few cookie cutter characters which merely serve the plot.Regardless, A Star is Born is a real
achievement for everyone involved. A-
On Halloween night, three young women and
their respective boyfriends head to Hell Fest -- a ghoulish traveling carnival
that features a labyrinth of rides, games and mazes. They soon face a bloody
night of terror when a masked serial killer turns the horror theme park into
his own personal playground.
Director: Gregory Plotkin
Cast: Amy Forsyth, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Reign
Edwards, Tony Todd
Release Date: September 28, 2018
Genres: Horror
Rated R for horror violence, and language including
some sexual references Runtime: 1h 29min
Review:
Hell Fest is a bit of an enigma of a
film.It’s a fairly competent slasher
film that’s as forgettable as its cast.The central plot and setting is fun but it never seems to take advantage
of it. The sets make for some fun
sequences but none of it is terribly memorable.Instead we get a straight forward Halloween / Friday the 13th
clone that lacks any semblance of self awareness.The cast is made up of terribly bland actors
who serve as nothing more than cannon fodder for the killer.There’s a bit of fun in figuring out who will
get killed first but even that’s fairly predictable.Hell Fest is the type of film that makes for
decent Saturday afternoon watching on cable even though you’ll forget you saw
it moments after it ends.
Dearest Blog: Though the weekend cinema offered little of any promise, Friday I headed up to Marquee Cinemas for The House With a Clock in Its Walls.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
A boy comes to live with his uncle in a creepy old house that holds a dangerous secret.
Mama always said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." While that might not be *entirely* possible, we'll start with the positives here. The House With a Clock in Its Walls looks gorgeous. The score and cinematography set an eerie, magical tone that briefly gave me hope the film might be better than I anticipated. Cate Blanchett is mesmerizing, even punching well below her weight class, and, though the execution fails, the story itself is reasonably solid. The negatives, starting with the obvious: Kid actors are a crapshoot. Very few are good; more often you just hope they aren't bad enough or featured enough to be distracting. Owen Vaccaro is both bad enough and featured enough to be distracting, and Jack Black is more annoying than quirky or amusing as his oddball uncle. The last quarter of the movie features some inexplicably hokey effects, and, while the humor is rarely crass, a handful of bodily-function jokes aren't funny and certainly don't elevate the whole. The picture hadn’t reached its halfway point before the only clock I cared about was the one that would tell me it was over.
The House With a Clock in Its Walls runs 104 minutes and is rated PG for "thematic elements, including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor, and language."
The House With a Clock in Its Walls represents a sad misfire on what should have become a Halloween-season classic.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The House With a Clock in Its Walls gets four.
A SIMPLE FAVOR, directed by Paul Feig,
centers around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy vlogger who seeks to uncover
the truth behind her best friend Emily's (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance
from their small town.
Director: Paul Feig
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry
Golding, Andrew Rannells
Release Date: September 24, 2018
Genres: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Rated R for sexual content and language
throughout, some graphic nude images, drug use and violence Runtime: 1h 57min
Review:
A Simple Favor is a twisty yet funny mystery
that could have easily been written off like a Gone Girl knock off if not for
Paul Feig’s style and wit.Paul Feig has
quietly become on of the stronger filmmakers working today.Feig’s work has a great sense of style and
humor that hard to find, in this film he crafts a classic Hitchcockian type of
mysteries while satirizing it as well. It’s a delicate balance but he keeps
going for the better part of the film even if the major reveal is slightly
bungled and losing its impact.The
film’s strength is that it’s so fun and engaging that it barely matters.Feig is also blessed with a stellar
cast.Anna Kendrick drives the film with
a role that could be anymore suited to her talents.Her and Blake Lively share solid chemistry
with each playing off each other perfectly.Their interactions are some of the best parts of the film.Henry Golding is solid as the husband but in
all honestly this film belongs to Kendrick and Lively.A Simple Favor is one of the more unexpected
cinematic surprises of the year.
