Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Venom and A Star is Born

  

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*

 

Until next time...

 

MOVIE REVIEW: A STAR IS BORN

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-

MOVIE REVIEW: HELL FEST

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 13^th 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.

C

Cindy Prascik's Review of The House With a Clock in Its Walls

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.

 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: A SIMPLE FAVOR

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. 

A-

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of The Predator & White Boy Rick

 

 

Dearest Blog: After a two-week hiatus, yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for The Predator and White Boy Rick.

 

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

 

First on my agenda: The Predator.

 

They're baaa-aaack...

 

I have sometimes been accused of using too many words, so today I'm going to tell you in not very many words, dear readers, that this movie is very stupid and I didn't like it. I love the original Predator. It is the only film in cinema history that has ever actually scared me. The latest entry in the series features hokey effects, lame dialogue, and action sequences that are frequently too dark to see much of anything. The tone feels wrong from the outset, with crass, unfunny stabs at humor. I fell for the entire cast quickly and against expectations, which was enough to provide the occasional briefly-entertaining interlude, but it was far too little to redeem the whole.

 

The Predator runs 107 minutes and is rated R for "strong bloody violence, language throughout, and crude sexual references."

 

The Predator exploits a popular franchise for a cash grab, an all-too-familiar Hollywood tale. Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Predator gets four.

 

Next on the docket, White Boy Rick.

 

In the Just Say No era, a young man from a troubled family says yes.

 

White Boy Rick is the disturbing true story of Rick Wershe, Jr., a Detroit-area teen who, seeing no other escape from his family's dismal existence, begins dealing drugs and ends up an FBI informant. The grimy reality of 1980s Detroit is the perfect backdrop for this depressing tale. It's difficult to watch, but outstanding work by the cast makes it worth your effort. There were some spots where I felt the film moved too quickly (such as explaining Rick's initial acceptance by his gang), but it's a petty quibble with a well-done picture that you'll be thinking about long after you leave the theater.

White Boy Rick clocks in at 110 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout, drug content, violence, some sexual references, and brief nudity."

 

White Boy Rick is a dark tale buoyed by superb performances across the board. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, White Boy Rick gets seven.

 

Until next time...