MOVIE REVIEW: BOOKSMART

Academic overachievers Amy and Molly thought keeping their noses to the grindstone gave them a leg up on their high school peers. But on the eve of graduation, the best friends suddenly realize that they may have missed out on the special moments of their teenage years. Determined to make up for lost time, the girls decide to cram four years of not-to-be missed fun into one night -- a chaotic adventure that no amount of book smarts could prepare them for.

Director: Olivia Wilde

Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Sudeikis

Release Date: May 24, 2019

Genres: Comedy

Rated R for strong sexual content and language throughout, drug use and drinking - all involving teens

Runtime: 1h 42min

Review:

Booksmart can easily be written off as a female version of Superbad but it’s actually much more than just that.  Oliva Wilde directorial debut is a smart and funny even if feels familiar.  The coming of age story is well worn and it can be difficult to bring something new to the table.  Wilde brings a nice bit of visual flair along with likable characters.  The central duo of Kaitlyn Dever & Beanie Feldstein share great chemistry and strong comedic timing.  The supporting cast is made up of a steady stream of familiar faces who all make the film better though I do wish we’d gotten a bit more of Jason Sudeikis.  Billie Lourde does stand out as a recurring character that’s constantly everywhere.  Overall, the story has a strong sense of inclusiveness and heart at its center adding depth to the raunchy romp.  It’s likely to join the list of the great coming of age movies much like Superbad.

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: BRIGHTBURN

What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? With Brightburn, the visionary filmmaker of Guardians of the Galaxy and Slither presents a startling, subversive take on a radical new genre: superhero horror.

Director: David Yarovesky

Cast: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, Meredith Hagner

Release Date: May 24, 2019

Rated R for horror violence/bloody images, and language.

Runtime: 1 hr. 31 min.

Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi

Review:

Brightburn feels like a “what if” issue of a comic book series.  David Yarevesky plays up the Superman motif at multiple points during his gory superhero/horror hybrid.  Jackson A. Dunn fills the creepy kid well with Elizabeth Banks and David Denman doing strong work as his adoptive parents.  The conceit is solid but even as the film moves into darker territory you get the feeling that they don’t quite get the most out of the idea.  The film isn’t really scary per say, just gory in parts, even though Yarovesky does set up some genuinely tense sequences.  Sadly, there’s not a ton of surprise in store and most everything plays out exactly like you think it would.  The finale does hint at the possibility of a sequel which could be interesting in its own right depending how they decide to play the story.  As an origin story, it’s solid if slightly uninspired.  

B

MOVIE REVIEW: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM

After gunning down a member of the High Table -- the shadowy international assassin's guild -- legendary hit man John Wick finds himself stripped of the organization's protective services. Now stuck with a $14 million bounty on his head, Wick must fight his way through the streets of New York as he becomes the target of the world's most ruthless killers.

Director: Chad Stahelski

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane

Release Date: May 17, 2019

Genres: Action, Crime, Thriller

Rated R for pervasive strong violence, and some language

Runtime: 2 h 10min

Review:

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum somehow finds a way to up the ante on the action franchise.  It’s dance like choreography of the action sequences are truly something to behold.  Here director Chad Stahelski delivers a bevy of action set pieces that are just as jaw dropping and as they are audacious.  It’s a cornucopia of variety as well which keeps the sequences from becoming stale or repetitive.  Keanu Reeves is at the center of the whole thing of course and in his usual Reeves way he moves the film along even with the barebones plot.  The plot itself is strangely complicated and simplistic at the same time.  The story does open up the world and mythology but rarely gets bogged down too much keeping the focus on the action that everyone has come to expect from the franchise.  If there is a slight issue, it’s that this entry seems slightly more tongue in cheek than the previous entries.  The villain is an interesting take which may or may not work depending on how serious you prefer your big bad.  Ultimately, it’s not a major miscalculation because the film as a whole is just a load of mindless fun.  The visuals and choreography are the stuff of popcorn fueled dreams.  The door is left open for another sequel which would have a high mile marker to surpass.    

A-

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of We Have Always Lived in the Castle & John Wick, Chapter 3: Parabellum

This weekend offered a home/cinema split double-bill of We Have Always Lived in the Castle and John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum.

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

First on my agenda, a Friday-night home screening of We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

The reclusive life of two sisters and their uncle is disrupted when a mysterious cousin turns up on their doorstep.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is an atmospheric thriller that should be properly creepy but, sadly, it's just rather dull. The story crawls along at a snail's pace, sabotaging any hope of achieving a menacing tone, and dropping its big reveal like an Acme anvil on Wile E. Coyote's head. There are some nice performances from Taissa Farmiga, Alexandra Daddario, Crispin Glover, and especially Sebastian Stan, and the film looks absolutely stunning, but that can't save it from being a bore.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle runs 90 minutes and is unrated. (The movie features adult themes and some violence.)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a thriller that's just not very thrilling. Of a possible nine Weasleys, We Have Always Lived in the Castle gets three.

Fangirl points: Sebastian, darling, please stop making crap movies.

Next up, John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum. Having been "excommunicated" for violating the sanctity of the Continental, John Wick finds himself on the run for his life, minus his support network.

When it comes to entertainment, a project being self-aware and being more than it has to be can be mutually-exclusive. Under normal circumstances, the best you can hope for is one or the other, but the John Wick franchise somehow manages to be both.

On the surface, John Wick is your garden-variety action series with a one-note lead, and you know what? It absolutely knows it's that. It is not pretentious in any way. It lets Keanu Reeves be Keanu Reeves. More than that, it absolutely *needs* Keanu Reeves to be Keanu Reeves. BUT...these films also boast some of the most exquisite production values you'll see on a big screen, masterful fight choreography, and crafty turns that almost never fail to surprise.

After taking out an enemy on the sacred ground of the Continental in Chapter 2, Chapter 3 finds John Wick in mortal peril and minus the network that, in the past, has provided his weapons, gadgets, intel, and safe haven. Amidst almost non-stop action, he finds exotic locales and new allies and adversaries in familiar faces such as Halle Berry and Jerome Flynn. Reeves is genuinely fantastic in the lead, perhaps not the best actor in the world, but the ONLY actor for this role. The movie finds its dry wit mostly in his deadpan reactions to extraordinary circumstances, and it always fits like a key in a lock, never forced or out of place. Parabellum maintains a terrific air of tension from beginning to end, though, if I have one small quibble this time around it's that some of the fight scenes do drag on a bit. They are beautifully and uniquely choreographed, but, with the movie running well clear of two hours, a trim here and there might have done it a favor. However, it's a very small complaint with a picture that otherwise is clever, engaging, and utterly glorious to behold.

John Wick, Chapter 3: Parabellum clocks in at 130 minutes and is rated R for "pervasive strong violence and some language."

Parabellum is another strong installment in a series that I truly hope goes on forever.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, John Wick, Chapter 3: Parabellum gets all nine.

Fangirl points: Ian McShane! Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Tolkien & Pokemon: Detective Pikachu

This weekend it was off to the cinema for the disparate duo of Tolkien and Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.

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

First up: Tolkien, chronicling the early years of one of the world's most celebrated and beloved authors. Regular reader(s) will know I make a point of not reading reviews until I write my own, but headlines I've seen in passing tell me most folks, including the Tolkien family themselves, don't like this movie.

Since the Tolkien family isn't noted for liking much of anything, I suggest putting that aside and giving the picture a fair shake. It's really not bad at all.

First we have a likable cast, fronted by Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins. The material won't win anyone an Oscar, but the performances are quite enjoyable. There are plenty of nods to the things Tolkien fans will want to see...Balrogs and Nazgul and of course very powerful rings. These come mostly in the form of Tolkien's fevered battlefield imagination. Other influences come from Tolkien's real world, most obviously three close friendships formed in his school days. The references aren't exactly subtle, but the movie doesn't constantly beat you over the head with them either. Tolkien does not follow a linear timeline, but rather jumps back and forth between the author's school days to his World War II experiences and beyond. (It's worth noting that some of the war sequences do get a bit gruesome.) The film's meandering pace makes two hours seem a bit long, but it's an engaging enough story that it never lost my attention.

Tolkien clocks in at 112 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some sequences of war violence." If Tolkien isn't an especially memorable movie, it's a serviceable biopic that won't bore you, either. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Tolkien gets six.

Next on the docket, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.

After his detective father is killed in an apparent accident, a young man happens upon the father's Pokemon partner and a mystery involving the two.

If Pokemon: Detective Pikachu were the worst movie ever, it would have every right.

The concept feels pretty thin, and little--if anything--I've seen at the cinema lately has been as jarring as Deadpool's voice coming out of that adorable little Pokemon. Curiously, though, each trailer got funnier and funnier, and, as it turns out, the finished product isn't half bad.

Let's start with Ryan Reynolds. Yeah...that voice probably still wouldn't be what I imagine for Pikachu, but this version of Pikachu is all Reynolds, and it's pretty hilarious. Justice Smith capably plays the straight man to Reynolds' wisecracking yellow cutie. Ryme City is loud and colorful and looks every bit the sort of bustling, progressive burgh where humans and Pokemon would live and work side by side. Action sequences are well choreographed and don't run on too long. The movie is great for kids, but there's a fair bit of grownup humor to entertain adults as well. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu runs 104 minutes and is rated PG for "action/peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements."

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is a fun movie that's a lot better than it should be.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu gets six and a half.

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of I’m Not Here & Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

 

 

My frustration with the cinema experience ever-growing and the week's offerings being less than impressive, this weekend I again threw myself on the mercy of streaming services.

 

First up was 2017's I'm Not Here, a dull tale of a sickly older man reflecting on his past.

 

I'm Not Here is blessed with a couple of extraordinary leads in J.K. Simmons and Sebastian Stan, playing older and younger versions of the sad-sack main character, and it doesn't really seem to know what to do with either of them. Simmons speaks not one word of dialogue and spends most of the film staring sadly at himself in the mirror and blankly at everything else, an artistic choice that serves only to make his scenes--the bulk of the movie--seem interminable. Playing the man in his younger days, Stan at least gets to work a few different acting muscles, but the character is so broadly-drawn that there isn't much he can do with it. Both actors deserve better.

 

To say this picture is slow would be the understatement of the decade. In more deft hands the story might be moving, the lead character sympathetic. Under director Michelle Schumacher, it's a bad film school project, its emotional heft seemingly outside her ability to wrangle and its every turn so obvious you'll see it coming a mile away. While the tale is unquestionably sad, the telling lacks any ability to make the viewer sympathize.

 

I'm Not Here clocks in at an impossibly long 81 minutes and is unrated. It contains adult themes, drinking, and brief nudity.

 

I'm Not Here is a pitiful waste of two exceptionally gifted actors. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, I'm Not Here gets three.

 

I'm Not Here is available for streaming and digital download via various platforms.

 

Fangirl points: Of *course* I only watched it because Sebastian Stan is in it!

 

Next up, Netflix' Ted Bundy biopic, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

 

This most recent version of the oft-recounted tale of terror is based on a book by Bundy's longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall. Its wordy name is lifted directly from court transcripts from the day Bundy's death sentence was handed down.

 

While lately Netflix is keeping pace (and sometimes outpacing) so-called "proper" cinema, this offering feels more like a Lifetime movie than anything you'd enjoy on a fifty-foot screen with a ten-dollar bucket of popcorn. Zac Efron, always better than I expect, is spot-on as Bundy, but the performance and the movie itself are somehow less chilling than they should be; there's just no grit. The supporting cast is filled with familiar faces, all of whom have proved more than competent, but--perhaps because the story and its outcome are so well known--it's difficult to invest in the proceedings. Well before the film's halfway point, my attention had wandered far from Ted Bundy, and the only reason I didn't turn it off was in hopes of more "Officer James Hetfield!"

 

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile runs 110 minutes and is rated R for "disturbing/violent content, some sexuality, nudity, and language."

 

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is a lukewarm take on a story that's already been told too often. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile gets two.

 

Fangirl points:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M-hmm. Until next time...