Godmothered (2020)

 Jillian Bell and Isla Fisher star in this familiar film. Fairy godmother in training Eleanor (Bell) sets out to prove that the world still needs fairy godmothers and after finding a letter from a young girl named Mackenzie, she finds out she’s about thirty years too late as Mackenzie (Fisher) is now a grown woman who is widowed with two daughters of her own. It’s an entertaining film, but is pretty much “Enchanted” set in 2020 with a fairy godmother in the modern world instead of a Princess. Nothing special.

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020)

 

Dolly Parton seems to be everywhere recently. This also includes in one of Netflix’s new holiday films Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square”. In it she plays a guardian angel seeking to change someone’s heart. That someone is Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski). Regina has recently acquired the deed to a small town after her father’s death and intent on selling it she gives the townsfolk until Christmas Eve to vacate.

The film is full of good cheer, but it’s also rather odd. While Dolly Parton is charming she sticks out in her bedazzled outfits and even the fact that she’s an angel doesn’t keep her from feeling out of place. This is not a good film. It is a musical and the song and dance numbers come out of nowhere without flowing seamlessly into the narrative.

The film opens with Dolly Parton disguised as a beggar. She is the most expensive looking beggar I have ever seen. The townspeople sing about their troubles. They also sing about how much Regina is despised in the town. It is soon after that Regina discovers she might be dying of a brain tumor.

The film tries hard to borrow from “A Christmas Carol” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” amongst others. Yet, Dolly Parton’s charisma and the feel good moments are hard to ignore. 

There is also a good Christian message written it. Regina’s biggest secret is kept in a Bible after all. The message is harmless and it’s obvious that we’re meant to root for Regina to feel all the good in the world. Ultimately, you finish Dolly’s film with a smile on your face and some Christmas spirit.

Alien Xmas (2020)

 

There’s a war on Christmas! Or at least there is in a lot of children’s Christmas films. This one is no exception.

Alien Xmas is about a group of aliens who are coming to Earth with the intent of stealing everything. Since they’re coming during the holiday season, everything Christmas related is getting stolen.

Alien Xmas is a wonderful little short clocking in at a little over forty minutes. It’s sweet and predictable, but it’s made for the kids.

It’s a cute little film with a familiar message. Nothing beats the power of love and the gift of generosity. Based on a book by the same name I found myself loving it.

It’s also fun to have little space aliens be the stars. The Klepts are a species of alien who love to own stuff. They have exhausted their planet’s resources by finding anything and keeping it for themselves. They turn to Earth. They have created an anti gravity machine that they must put on the surface of the earth, when they turn it on earth loses its gravity and all the things will float into space allowing them to then take it for themselves.

It’s a ridiculous plan, but the Klepts are eager to put it into action! X, the littlest alien, is only one brave enough to volunteer. X lands at the North Pole and leaves his robot helper to build the anti gravity machine so that he can loot and keep the best stuff for himself. To no one’s surprise he learns the true meaning of Christmas after observing the elves.

X is mistaken for a toy by one of the elves and he mistakenly gifts X to his daughter Holly. Holly falls in love with X immediately since her dad gave him to her. Yes, this does in fact fall under the dad works too much to spend time with his daughter trope. Seeing Holly share with her friends and seeing her sadness at not being able to spend time with her dad quickly converts X into a good guy.

There’s so much charm in the film. It’s a harmless way to pass the time. It’s cute and cheerful. X is adorable. The alien leader Z is fun to watch.

It’s currently streaming on Netflix. It’s short enough to keep short attention spans engaged. It’s also got a familiar story and sometimes that’s all you need. 

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020)

 

As a royal, you’re expected to sacrifice everything for your country. Happily ever afters are not expected. Your country comes first.

Since “The Princess Switch: Switched Again” is a Christmas movie though, everything works out in the end.

“Switched Again” is another harmless Christmas film. Netflix continues to try and compete with Hallmark. It is also the second original Netflix Christmas sequel.

To recap: In “The Princess Switch” Stacy from Chicago and Duchess Margaret of Montenaro (both Vanessa Hudgens) switched places with one another after discovering they looked alike.

Duchess Margaret wanted to live a normal life no matter how brief. She falls for Stacy’s best friend and Stacy falls for Margaret’s fiancé. They both ultimately lived happily ever after with the men they truly love after confessing the switch. 

In “Switched Again” not only does Hudgens play Stacy and Margaret, but a third character as well. Fiona is Margaret’s cousin. There is a lot of Vanessa Hudgens in this movie. That’s not necessarily a bad thing by any means. What it does mean is an even more ridiculous plot than the first.

“Switched Again” takes place about a year after the first. Stacy is trying to navigate a life of royalty often at the expense of Prince Edward (Sam Palladio). Margaret and Stacy’s best friend Kevin (Nick Sagar) ended the first film in a relationship. It is revealed that Margaret is now in line for the throne after the King’s death. This new revelation caused Kevin and Margaret to break up as it caused a strain in their relationship.

You can probably already guess how it ends. Margaret and Stacy switch places again to give Kevin and Margaret a chance to spend time together. That’s how it worked in the first film and it was bound to work again.

Fiona has a plan of her own. Though she is royalty, she is presumably no where near becoming  queen and has lived a life of such excess luxury that she has run out of money. Fiona plans to take Margaret’s place at the coronation, then writing herself a huge check before leaving the country.

This would obviously never work in real life. While she was planning on releasing Margaret after writing the fraudulent check, Fiona still would be the only suspect in the crime and thus eventually caught.

This is a film though and a Christmas one at that. No point in trying to make sense of it.

Hudgens is the main focus of the film. Prince Edward and Kevin are hardly in the film. Vanessa Hudgens isn’t bad in the roles (minus the British dialect), but the magic and Christmas charm of the first one is missing. The only thing that makes this a Christmas film is that Margaret is getting coronated on Christmas Day. 

Like the first film, there’s nothing wrong with this film. It’s a nice distraction from what’s going on in the world. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s fun. It’s a harmless way to entertain yourself.

You can watch “The Princess Switch: Switched Again” on Netflix.

The Princess Switch (2018)

 

For whatever reason switching places is a popular Christmas movie trope. I guess that Christmas magic prevents anyone from catching on that two completely different people have switched places. 

The Princess Switch is one of Netflix’s first efforts to compete with the Christmas movie juggernaut Hallmark. It stars Vanessa Hudgens as Stacy, a baker from Chicago and as Margaret a duchess from a fictional European country. So many Christmas tropes in one film. A switch and a royal falling in love with a commoner and might as well include the baking aspect in there as well.

Stacy and her best friend Kevin (Nick Sagar) have been chosen to compete in the televised international baking competition in Belgravia. She, Nick, and his daughter Olivia travel to Belgravia from Chicago in order to compete as well as get away from Stacy’s ex who has quickly moved on after their breakup. While setting up at the studio, Stacy bumps into Margaret. Margaret is in town to prepare for her upcoming wedding to Belgravia’s Prince Edward (Sam Palladio). 

They’re surprised at their resemblance, but handle it well all things considered. Margaret is pleased to discover the resemblance as she’s eager to experience a normal life before getting married. Stacy agrees to take Margaret’s place as the switch will occur the two days that Prince Edward is out of town and the two days before the baking competition.

The logistics of the script don’t make sense. No one in Belgravia, other than the royal family, knows what Margaret looks like. This is used as a rather clumsy explanation as to why Stacy and Margaret are able to switch places in the first place. It’s also rather odd that Kevin isn’t in on the plan. Kevin would have no motivation to reveal the switch. Keeping him in the dark is only used as an excuse to fall for Margaret, and in doing so thinking he’s falling for Stacy, but as he finds out soon after who he really fell for there’s no dramatic payoff for that confusion anyway.

There’s also a scene in the film where Stacy’s biggest rival tries to sabotage her in the competition by cutting the power cord off of Stacy’s blender. Again, there’s no dramatic payoff because somehow in the entire five hour cake baking competition, there’s no need for Kevin and Stacy to use the blender until the last half hour in the competition. 

Of course, Margaret and Kevin fall for each other as do Edward and Stacy. You can predict that as soon as the switch happens. Still, this movie is meant to provide a distraction and that’s exactly what it does.

The film starts to pick up once Kevin, Olivia and Stacy are actually in Belgravia and once it does, it’s actually easy to put aside the plot holes in the film. 

Despite a bad British dialect Vanessa Hudgens isn’t bad as Margaret and Stacy and I like Nick Sagars and Sam Palladio. It’s a ridiculous plot, but to get some holiday cheer into your system it does its job.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)

 

The holiday season is upon us and that means Christmas movies galore. Of course, most Christmas films are notoriously bad and unoriginal.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is one of this year’s exceptions as it is full of wonder, a great concept and fantastic musical numbers.

Phylicia Rashad reads the story of Jeronicus Jangle (Justin Cornwall to start) to her grandchildren. Jeronicus is the best inventor, but one of his creations Don Juan Diego (Ricky Martin) wants to remain one of a kind and convinces Jeronicus’ apprentice Gustafson (Miles Barrow to start) to steal Jeronicus’ book of inventions and sell them as his own.

The theft brings Gustafson (now Keegan Michael-Key) success, but ruins Jeronicus in many ways. Years later Jeronicus (now Forest Whitaker) has lost his wife, is estranged from his daughter Jessica (Anika Noni Rose) and has no relationship with his granddaughter. His granddaughter Journey (Madalen Mills) finally gets to meet him one Christmas season as he’s ready to close up shop for good as he’s bankrupt and has no way to pay off his debts.

You can probably guess the ending, but that doesn’t mean it’s a mediocre film by any means. The film is full of cheer and the setting is different from most Christmas films so it’s also visually cool. The music is also phenomenal.

Journey is smart and proudly so and her intelligence is rewarded. She never feels like she has to dumb herself down for anyone and it’s one of my favorite aspects. The film is currently streaming on Netflix and due to its great message and contagious holiday cheer, I say it’s definitely one everyone should check out.

Dangerous Lies (2020)

 

“Dangerous Lies” is ridiculous and far fetched. Still the Netflix thriller isn’t all that bad. It’s most certainly not good, but I’ve seen worse. It’s also entertaining enough to pass the time.

“Dangerous Lies” stars Camila Mendes as Katie who works as the caretaker of a rich old man named Leonard (Elliot Gould). That’s all you need to know about that. Leonard dies unexpectedly and leaves everything to Katie. Detective Chesler (Sasha Alexander) is assigned to investigate Leonard’s death and is immediately suspicious of Katie and her husband as Katie only worked for Leonard for four months and had been struggling financially. Katie had been more reluctant to accept any kind of financial help from Leonard, but her husband always convinced her to take the extra help.

Katie’s husband Adam (Jessie T. Usher) quickly accepts the inheritance and any financial help given to him and his wife as he’s tired of being poor. At the start of the film, he is a local hero for having thwarted a robbery at the diner Katie worked at initially. Katie convinces Leonard to hire Adam as his gardener, and while exploring the house one day, Adam discovers a trunk full of money. Before finding out they have inherited everything, Adam convinces Katie to take all the money in the trunk as Leonard won’t need it anymore and no one else knows of its existence. After finding out that they inherited everything and moving in to Leonard’s house, Katie begins to grow weary as she is harassed by a real estate agent named Mickey (Cam Gigandet) who finds ways to get Adam out of the house.

It is an incredibly convoluted plot. It’s not all bad though. “Dangerous Lies” doesn’t fall into the trap many small budget films do in being too visually dark. It’s easy to see the action in every frame of the film.

The film does try hard to build suspense, but nothing feels dangerous until many wonky plot reveals later. It also takes a long time to tie in the robbery scene with the rest of the film. There’s a lot of build up, but little pay off for all the supposedly scary reveals. There are also convenient plot points strewn throughout.

The majority of the film is exposition. Mendes and Usher also give good performances despite the weak script. Adam is the main suspect of the film and despite the fact that the film does a good job in letting you think it’s him, it also feels too convenient and expected. This isn’t a good film by any means, but if you’re looking for mindless entertainment then this is not a bad film to watch.

Instant Family (2018)

 

Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne star as a couple who decide to become foster parents. They are a childless couple and after seeing the faces of the children in the system want to open their home to some of them. Initially they only want one young child, but change their minds after meeting the teenage Lizzy and her younger siblings. There are a surprising amount of charming cameos as well as big name talents to round out the cast. It’s a sweet, charming film.

High Strung Free Dance (2018)

 

If you’re looking to get an authentic look into what it takes to be on Broadway, then this is not the film to watch. The lead finds work way too quickly and doesn’t struggle in the slightest, but if you’re watching this film you’re more than likely just in it for the dancing.

The film follows dancer Barlow (Juliet Doherty) and pianist Charlie (Harry Jarvis) as they both easily find a job doing what they love in the new Broadway show “Free Dance”.

The show’s choreographer Zander (Thomas Doherty) is erratic and cruel, but his antics are forgiven because of his brilliance.

That part may actually be an accurate portrayal of the business. Other than that, this is the kind of film that fuels young performers into believing breaking into the industry is as simple as not needing to do anything but following your dreams. Also I shuddered at the amount of equity rules being broken during the audition process, but what I’m trying to emphasize is that this film is by no means meant to be taken seriously.

The aspect that is absolutely delightful is the dance number at the end. This is a film about dance and anytime there is dancing on screen it’s beautiful, but the fictitious Broadway show is especially beautiful to watch. This film doesn’t have great acting or a believable story line, but if you want to watch great dancing then it’s worth checking out.

Ghostbusters (2016)

 

It makes sense to see the "Ghostbusters" reboot. As I mentioned in my original 1984 "Ghostbusters" review, the reboot was instantly hated and reviled from the moment it was announced.

I had no interest in watching his film when it was initially announced. My simple reason being: I hated "Bridesmaids" and both films involved almost the same people. It made no sense to watch a film if I didn't like the previous team up, but my opinion about watching the "Ghostbusters" reboot began changing as all the unnecessary hate aimed at it grew. 

The women received unending hate with Leslie Jones dealing with the worst of it as she had to deal with racist attacks on top of everything else.

It was appalling the way, mainly childish men, reacted towards this film. It bombed at the box office cementing its female led fate to that of nonexistence. Instead, another film was made, as a direct sequel to 1989's "Ghostbusters II" with no acknowledgement that the 2016 film ever existed.

Anyway, I think the entire situation is completely unfair, especially considering that if given a fair chance, this film is not that bad. I watched it mainly to support everyone involved in this project after the unfairness of the situation, but it still wasn't something I was looking forward to, and yet I had a good time. 

The "Ghostbusters" reboot was trying to do something different from the original which I appreciated. If you're going to do a reboot or a remake, then don't do a shot for shot remake for fan service (although I begrudgingly admit that that stupid formula works). There are fun Easter eggs and call outs to the original "Ghostbusters" film. Overall, though, the film has its own storyline. There are similar plotlines, but there are enough differences to warrant its existence.

The leads are funny with Leslie Jones being a standout for me. The final boss was more difficult to fight than the boss in the original. 

McKinnon is funny, but not usually my kind of humor, but I did enjoy her in this one. Leslie Jones though, stole the film for me. She's not over the top with her delivery, making it more funny to me. She has a natural comedic timing that doesn't require her to do more than say her lines.

If you haven't watched this film, I say give it a chance. I'm not saying you're going to like it more than the original, but I think you'll enjoy it all the same.

Ghostbusters (1984)

 

The original Ghostbusters. I’d grown up hearing the name, but had never watched it. It was one of those films that everyone said I needed to watch. I finally did. After watching it, I don’t understand the hype or the overprotective toxic fans that gave hate to the 2016 all female reboot that ultimately deserved none of it.

The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. At the start of the film, they’re professors at Columbia University. They’re ultimately fired from there. This leads them to become Ghostbusters. They catch ghosts and keep them locked away.

They live in an abandoned fire station in New York City. It serves as their office, home and ghost jail. That is actually pretty cool. We get to see them in action when a hotel calls and asks them to remove the ghost that's been haunting the twelfth floor. They make a mess. Their equipment is also rudimentary at this point. Ramis also warns them never to cross their beams.

 They finally catch the ghost in the ballroom after being unsuccessful in catching it on the 12th floor. They capture it and put it into a containment box where it is then transferred into what is essentially the ghost jail in their home/office. 

The job is messier than they initially thought. At the hotel they are slimed by the ghost and after defeating their villain they are covered in marshmallow.

I personally did not find the film funny. It's probably not my humor, but I didn't laugh once. 

It culminates into a door being opened at an apartment in Central Park West. This door is located in an apartment occupied by Sigourney Weaver. She is possessed by the spirit summoned into her apartment and she and the key open a door that allow spirits to take over the city. The evil spirit is first seen in her refrigerator but of course is no where to be seen when the Ghostbusters initially come to investigate. 

Murray's character is more focused on wooing Weaver's character. When he arrives after she is possessed, he is turned away as he is not the key she is waiting for. 

The film is written by Aykroyd and Ramis. The effects were state of the art at the time and they hold up pretty well now. 

The climax to me was disappointing. It took awhile to build up to it and then it was solved quickly. To defeat the ghost, they simply cross beams to generate enough power to close the door again. So much build up for an incredibly simple solution. They were hit twice in the battle at most it seemed and then they crossed their beams the end.

Whether or not the comedy was my taste it was a mediocre film in my opinion. Nostalgia makes people overprotective of the oddest things, but even then to be so overprotective of this to the point where the stars of the 2016 reboot were harassed is ridiculous. I have reboot/remake fatigue as well, but I'll respect a film way more that tries to do something different than a shot for shot remake to appease the fans. It may fall flat on its face, but at least it took a risk and tried to be different. Yes, the sass is coming out but honestly I'm holding a lot back because I don't want to deal with it. If you love this film great, I'm not here to say you're wrong in liking it. I'm simply tired of toxic fandoms.

I’m No Longer Here (2020)

 

I’m No Longer Here Review

King Kong (1933)

 

The story of King Kong is a fairly well known story.

A film crew goes deep into the jungle to make a movie. The giant gorilla that lives there falls in love with the beautiful female lead. She is rescued from his grasp and he goes after her. Eventually the gorilla is captured and sent to New York. He escapes from his bonds, takes the woman, and unwittingly wreaks havoc on the city. Yes King Kong is a well known story, but it’s still pretty cool to see where it started film wise.

The original film is actually well acted and the special effects are impressive for the time period.

King Kong himself is cartoonish looking, but I can see how he was able to strike fear in people’s hearts back in the day.

Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) is unfortunately a product of her time and does little else than scream and await to be rescued by her love interest.

Robert Armstrong as the fictional film’s director is perfectly smarmy and egotistical. While Kong himself is a scary creature who is kept at bay by the natives with human sacrifices, you can’t help feel bad for his untimely demise atop the Empire State Building as he is a wild animal out of his element.

Kong doesn’t understand the consequences of stealing Ann. It’s easy to sympathize with him despite his brutish nature for he would still be alive if he had just been left alone.

The entire cast does well in their roles. They embody their characters fully. Wray, Armstrong and Bruce Cabot (our hero and Ann’s love interest) lead the film wonderfully. They work well together and they did a great job bringing this film to life.

It’s also a great reminder that during this time period, all sets were built on film lots and the artistry in that sense is astounding. It’s easy to see how this beginning only catapulted King Kong to stardom.

Ne Zha (2019)

 Ne Zha is a Chinese animated film in which the protagonist is a small child. He doesn’t look small, but he is. Ne Zha is an evil child having been fused with the Demon Pearl at birth. Attempts to keep him locked at home usually fail and chaos ensues in the nearby village. The film is currently streaming on Netflix. It was a film I had never heard of, but I’m ultimately glad I watched it.

The animation is gorgeous. There are beautiful sequences featuring fire and water and it’s breathtaking to watch. The protagonist is unusual for an animated film, but it makes him all the more interesting.

Ne Zha is actually two years old, but looks older presumably due to the Demon Pearl’s influence. He’s got permanently bags under his eyes, the creepiest smile and the insignia of the pearl on his forehead. He’s a troublemaker and despite all the trouble he’s caused, you sympathize with him because none of it is his fault.

His parents Lord Li and Lady Yin lie to their son and tell him he’s actually fused with the Spirit Pearl. The creature fused with the Demon Pearl is fated to die at the age of three after a lightning strike and the parents want their son to live as happy a life as possible until then. Ne Zha’s childhood is filled with loneliness and manipulations as he’s made to live without the company of others and with the lies he’s told. Despite his malevolence, Ne Zha is endearing. He can’t help being evil and all he wants more than anything is a friend.

The main message of the film is that you alone are responsible for your fate. Ne Zha is being influenced by a whole slew of people including the spirits responsible for his fusion and his friend Ao Bing.

There’s a lot going on in this film and it all happens rather quickly. The best moments of the film occur when things slow down and we can truly appreciate the action of the film even if it is as silly as a battle with a water troll.

“Ne Zha” is fun. There is a lot thrown at you at once. The beginning is a balancing act of reading the subtitles and trying to process all the information given. Stick with it, though. It’s worth it.

The Witches (1990)

 

The Witches is a film I had grown up hearing about, but never actually watched. Orlando wanted to rewatch it, having seen it as a kid, and so I finally watched it for the first time in my life. I think my brother saw this film as a kid and I don’t know if he was scared of it so we never watched it again growing up, or if there was some other reason, but honestly this film was mediocre so I don’t think I would have liked it as a kid anyway. The film is based on a book by Roald Dahl and there are some images that probably scared some kids back in the day. The basic premise of The Witches is a small boy needs to stop the witches from turning every child in England into a mouse. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was a Jim Henson production. Henson, is of course, involved in the puppetry aspect of the film. The film itself left me confused as the credits started rolling.

The film opens with a grandma (Mai Zetterling) telling her grandson Luke (Jasen Fisher) a bedtime story about the witches she encountered as a kid and how her friend went missing by their hand. The witches live all around and no one notices their existence as the only way to tell them apart is by noticing a purple glow coming from their eyes. They hate kids and want to rid the world of them. After his parents die, Luke begins to live with his grandmother and it is at her home that he has his first encounter with a witch. After the grandmother has diabetes related health issues, she and Luke head to the seaside for fresh air. The hotel they’re staying at happens to be the sight of the witches’ convention led by the Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston). The witches are planning to fill chocolate bars with a potion that turns children into mice so that they can then be killed.

Luke overhears the plan and, unable to escape, is captured by the witches and turned into a mouse. He’s able to talk and for the rest of the film, he and his grandmother try to stop the plan. Another boy Bruno (Charlie Potter) was turned into a mouse before Luke, but isn’t much help. Of course Bruno’s parents don’t believe he’s been turned into a mouse until he talks to them. The hotel manager (Rowan Atkinson) is also determined to kill the mice as he has received complaints about them. Luke manages to use the potion against the witches turning them into mice, and eventually a good witch turns Luke back into a boy.

The Witches is a relatively slow film. There’s nothing inherently wrong with slow films, but honestly not much happens. The stakes don’t seem to be very high despite the opposite being true. The film lets us know in this manner that our protagonists are going to succeed in their endeavors. There are silly moments that balance out the creepy witch looks. Rowan Atkinson is funny as is expected. Anjelica Huston is also great as the Grand High Witch.

The effects when the witches take of their masks is actually pretty cool. They manage to make the witches so hideous and in spite of when this film was made, the effects of removing their face masks is quite convincing. I give so much credit to the special effects team because those hideous faces still hold up after all these years. 

I’m not sure if I’ll watch the remake of this film. Maybe I will as this original film left me with questions. I asked Orlando to clarify some of the confusing aspects and he honestly couldn’t answer them. It’s not a bad film, but it’s not exciting and ultimately filled with loose ends.

The Lovebirds (2020)

 

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

 3.5 Stars 

PG, 90 minutes

I haven't seen the first Goosebumps film. Orlando saw it and for one reason or another was never able to take me to see it in theaters, and it is not included in any of the streaming services. Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween was the only option I had.

As an avid reader of the Goosebumps series when I was younger, I wasn't sure what to expect as the premise, but it's simple enough. R.L Stine's unfinished manuscripts are able to come to life if unlocked. 

The sequel doesn't star any of the original actors and instead follows Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor), a middle school science enthusiast. 

I thought the film was fun. The escaped monsters are led by the always creepy Slappy the ventriloquist dummy (Mick Wingert). 

Sonny and his best friend Sam (Caleel Harris) are called to an abandoned house to pick up some junk. Here they discover and unpublished Stine manuscript as well as Slappy and unwittingly bring both to life. Sonny, Sam and Sonny's older sister Sarah (Madison Iseman) now have to find a way to put everything back in the book to save their small town. 

Slappy wants a family and when Sonny and Sarah start to look for ways to put him back in the manuscript, Slappy decides to bring everything Halloween related to life. More than a family Slappy wants a mother and he kidnaps Sonny and Sarah's mother (Wendi McClendon-Covey) and makes her his ventriloquist mother.

The climax of the film is admittedly simple to solve and you never feel as though anyone in the town or in the immediate family is ever in danger. 

Jack Black is the only original cast member to return as R.L. Stine himself, but he is not in the film for long nor does he do anything to help the protagonists. The main cast members do their best, but at times do across as a little over the top. 

Still, Haunted Halloween was fun and it kept me entertained for the duration of the film. 

If anything it makes me want to watch the first film even more. It did its job though, and put me in the spooky spirit.

All About Nina (2018)

 

• Title: All About Nina
• Written and directed by: Eva Vives
• Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Common and Beau Bridges
• Run time: 97 minutes

3.5 stars ✨ 

This movie came out two years ago and it feels as relevant as ever. “All About Nina” stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the titular Nina, a comedian who uses a major comedy audition in Los Angeles to escape her abusive New York boyfriend. Nina is an imperfect protagonist who, despite her screw ups, you hope succeeds. Eva Vives’ script and direction shows an unglamorous side of Los Angeles to perfectly reflect Nina’s struggles. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Common work great together, even if their relationship is a little too convenient.

Howard (2018)

 

https://voca.ro/1fI7QFk6Y0MT

Winchester (2018)

The Winchester mansion in San Jose, California is a real place, built in the early 20th century by Sarah Winchester. It’s a massive place with doors that lead nowhere and hundreds of rooms all built to keep any spirits killed by the Winchester rifle at bay. I felt as though the film wanted to make some sort of commentary about gun violence, but decided at the last minute to become a standard horror film full of jump scares. The movie stars Helen Mirren and Jason Clarke and it’s easy to spot the scares a mile away. 

The Wrong Missy (2020)

Tim (David Spade) has met the woman of his dreams. Unfortunately her name is Melissa (Molly Sims) and right before meeting her he went on the worst date with a different Melissa (Lauren Lapkus), and by the title you can probably guess which one he invited to join him on his company retreat.

This is not an original concept. This is the latest Happy Madison Productions flick to stream on Netflix and it has all the characteristics of every Happy Madison film that came before. The Missy that joins Tim on this trip is incredibly obnoxious. It’s the perfect way to balance Tim’s blandness. 

Tim hates that Missy is there until he doesn’t. Of course he ends up falling for Missy and all her undesirable qualities. Lapkus embraces the role fully and she will go anywhere required for her role. She plays it a little too well as there was nothing likable about her character. The filmmakers would have us root for this romance, but it’s difficult especially since the perfect Melissa is well, perfect. Still, you’re not expecting anything else while watching it so it is what it is.

Hamilton (2020)

Hamilton has been on my radar since my summer as an acting apprentice at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. It quickly became something I added to my watch list. Unfortunately, it became a show that only certain people could watch as the prices were exorbitantly high. Now it’s streaming on Disney +. 

Getting to see a show I’ve been wanting to watch for years from home was cool. It was also a grim reminder that there’s nothing like live theatre and at this point it’s not clear when we’ll be able to enjoy it again. There is also aspects of the show that are problematic and should be acknowledged.

The show is centered around the founding fathers, though they’re much cooler than they ever were in real life. The fact that they were slave owners is also glossed over. Still, I believe it’s worth a watch.

Hamilton had been a work in progress for six years. It opened at New York’s Public Theatre before transferring to Broadway in 2015. Alexander Hamilton and hip hop is an odd combination, but it works incredibly well. The show was recorded while the original cast was still performing.

The first act of Hamilton takes place during the revolutionary war. The entire cast is dynamic. The big show stopping songs are impressive to watch and it’s apparent that the cast, led by creator Lin Manuel Miranda, is having a blast. It’s also beautiful to see all the color on the stage. Hamilton proved that actors of color are more than capable of playing roles they otherwise wouldn’t be cast as. 

The resurgence of Hamilton fever has brought up criticisms about the show’s ability to gloss over the ugly aspects of the country’s origins. Hamilton himself wasn’t as anti slavery as the show makes him out to be.

Miranda also portrays Hamilton as an immigrant. Hamilton was born in the Caribbean, but again Miranda’s portrayal isn’t an accurate representation of Hamilton. It is very clear why Miranda took this creative liberty. It’s beautiful to hear a founding father say “Immigrants get sh!t done” as he’s portrayed by someone who would not have been able to do so even just a few years back.

It’s marvelous to get to watch this show, but I’m sure it doesn’t compare to getting to see it live. Still, there are perks to the filmed version, mainly getting to see certain details up close that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to see in a theatre especially if you’re sitting far from the stage. The second act takes place after the revolutionary war and it’s much quieter than the first act and it truly benefits from the close ups. Still, even in the faster, louder moments, the camera work doesn’t leave you wanting for anything other than the energy you can only get from a live audience.

I’m glad that I finally got to watch this show even if it was on the small screen. The show isn’t perfect. That being said, I believe it should continue to be celebrated for what it was able to accomplish. We can critique it and grow from it as performers, producers, etc. and hopefully use it as a spring board to make Broadway the equitable, equal, diverse place we deserve and yearn for.

18 Regali

18 Regali is an Italian film with English subtitles and it focuses on Anna (Benedetta  Porcaroli) as she struggles to cope with the death of her mother Elisa (Vittoria Puccini). Elisa was diagnosed with cancer during her pregnancy and died shortly after giving birth to Anna, but before dying she bought Anna 18 presents, one for each year until reaching adulthood. Anna is filled with grief the older she gets until it overwhelms her and she rebels. On her 18th birthday she runs away and an event afterwards leads her to find the closure she needs.

The film is inspired by Elisa Girotto who similarly left 18 presents for her unborn daughter after her own cancer diagnosis. That’s where the similarities end. The rest is purely a work of fiction. Elisa and Anna actually meet in a dream of Anna’s. Both get to meet each other, something they were unable to do in life.

Anna is a highly annoying character and it seems like she will never redeem herself.  She does and the film ends on a beautifully bittersweet note.

Arctic Dogs (2019)

This is a cute enough, but it’s definitely aimed at children and thus has little substance. In a little village way up North called Taigaville lives a group of arctic animals including our hero Swifty (Jeremy Renner). After an encounter with the delivery dogs of the arctic delivery service as a child, Swifty dreams of joining their ranks when he’s older.

As an adult he finally gets a job working for the service, but manning the conveyor built that leads the packages to be sorted. He begs his boss Magda (Anjelica Huston) to let him join the delivery team, but she continues to refuse his request as he’s too small. After a package misses the delivery deadline, Swifty decides to deliver if himself in order to prove his worth. 

Of course there is more to this story and it actually gets a little bloated as it tries to cram a message about environmentalism in the form of an evil walrus (John Cleese) who is determined to dig deep under the town to a reserve of natural gas. He’s of course defeated, changes are made in the delivery system and everything ends happily. It’s a lot to cram into a short running time, but the animals are cute and the story passable.

All Day and a Night (2020)

All Day and a Night follows Jahkor (Ashton Sanders) a boy who was taught to man up and never express his feelings. He keeps things bottled up, but after committing crimes, he’s determined to come out of jail a changed man.

The film is written and directed by Joe Robert Cole, as he shows how dangerous and vicious cycles can be ingrained from father to son in each generation. 

The film opens as Jahkor kills a father and mother in front of their daughter. He is caught and after the trial he begins to recount the events that have led to this point in his life.

Jahkor wants to be a rapper, but he’s learned to survive on the streets by committing crimes. His father JD (Jeffrey Wright) is in jail for most of the film for the same reasons. 

Things change for Jahkor after learning that is girlfriend (Shakira Ja’Nai Payne) is pregnant. The film realistically explores how sometimes people want to make a change for the better, but circumstances prevent them from rising above the obstacles in their way.

The only moments that weren’t clear to me were the moments with Jahkor and JD in jail together as it took me a while to realize that the man Jahkor was interacting with in jail was his father. Otherwise though, Jeffrey Wright was great in the role as per usual.

This was my first time watching Sanders and he did a phenomenal job as well. He played Jahkor with a sense of longing for what could have been, but ultimately what can be and you truly believe he will come out of this a changed man for the good of his son.

Aladdin (2019)

Aladdin Review

Cult of Chucky (2017)

Honestly, as a demented child, the second installment in the “Child’s Play” franchise was my favorite as a kid for a while. I never knew how long the Chucky franchise existed after this, but we found this one, which is apparently the seventh, on Netflix. There’s strong evidence after watching this that a Chucky should have stayed dead a long time ago. Cult of Chucky is ridiculously silly and I’m not sure even horror fans would enjoy this.

This film is written and directed by Don Mancini. I enjoyed this film simply because it was so bad and so ridiculous, I couldn’t help laughing at the situations occurring on screen. This film is currently streaming on Netflix if you’d like to check it out for yourself and get some good laughs in.

I haven’t seen anything after Child’s Play 2, but this film clear picks up after the events of what was probably the sixth film in the franchise. Nica (Fiona Dourif) is in a wheelchair and after finally giving in to her psychotherapist Foley (Michael Therriault) by saying that she in fact committed some murders and not Chucky, she’s moved to a lower security asylum. To continue her healing in therapy he brings in a good guy doll and of course, this proves to be a mistake.

Also appearing in the film are Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) from the first Child’s Play installments and the Bride of Chucky herself, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilley). I’m really only familiar with Andy, but Tiffany is well known as the Bride.

Cult of Chucky has a slow start. We see the pristinely white asylum where the patients live and we get glimpses into their therapy sessions, but things don’t start to pick up until Chucky shows up on the scene and the killings begin. 

More than one killer doll exists in the asylum and they take pleasure in killing the residents in over the top, but never too gruesome ways. As I said, I got more laughs out of this film than anything else.

The good news is that this film is relatively short. The bad news, this is as over the top as ridiculous as a horror movie can get. For being the lead Fiona Dourif isn’t used much and I wish she had been. I don’t know if more films will be added to this franchise (I believe the latest iteration is a reboot), but I wouldn’t be surprised if this storyline continued down the line, especially since the reboot flopped. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nica, Tiffany and Chucky joined forces again and honestly, I might watch it especially if I’ll get a good laugh out of it.

Dirty Dancing (1987)

I enjoyed this movie. After many years of my mom watching it, I finally saw this film from beginning to end and it wasn’t bad.

Baby (Jennifer Grey), her parents (Jerry Ohrbach, Kelly Bishop) and her sister Lisa (Jane Bruckner) are headed on vacation to the Catskills mountains. Baby is a good girl who is expected to change the world.

There are lots of activities at Kellerman’s Mountain House such as dancing, golf and other standard activities.

The owner’s grandson (London Price) and Baby are set up. He tries hard to impress her, but she’s not interested in him at all. One night, Baby manages to get into the staff quarters where they *gasp* dance dirty. Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) is the resort’s dance instructor and after Baby dances with him she begins to fall for him.

Johnny sees no value in himself. He comes from a rough background and doesn’t believe he has anything worth offering. Baby slowly gets him to see otherwise.

Johnny is hesitant with Baby at first, but after his dance partner Penny (Cynthia Rhodes) is unable to join them at a performance she urges him to teach Baby the routine so that the show can go on.

I am not a fan of most of the 80s movies I’ve seen, so I’m glad that I enjoyed this one. The timeline is a little off, but honestly, most people probably won’t notice. The cast is good. Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze reportedly hated each other off screen, but you’d never be able to tell watching them on screen. Also, this film supposedly takes place in the 60s, but you’d honestly never be able to tell. When you’re having a good time watching it though, that doesn’t even matter.

The Muppet Movie (1979)

I didn’t grow up watching The Muppets. My first introduction to them came from “The Muppet Babies” which I barely remember. The first time they made an impact was in “Muppets: Most Wanted” which I watched only because Tom Hiddleston made a cameo. 

“The Muppet Movie” is the origin story of these creatures. While things starring the Muppets are hit or miss for me, I thought this one to be a hit.

The film opens on Kermit. He was just a frog living in the swamp. Well, a simple frog who could play the ukulele. He’s sitting on a log playing the ukulele and singing.

A man rows up to him. He’s a big Hollywood agent. The agent hands Kermit a magazine with an ad looking for singing frogs. Upon seeing the ad, Kermit decides to leave the swamp and set out for Hollywood to audition. 

During the entirety of his journey, Kermit Is pursued by a fast food magnate (Charles Durning) who wants to make Kermit’s legs the face of his company. Along the way, Kermit finds other Muppets who join him on the journey and help him foil the plans of the fast food magnate.

As is commonplace in Muppet movies, there are plenty of celebrity cameos. Though I honestly only recognized Madeline Kahn out of all of them.

We also see the moment Miss Piggy sees Kermit for the first time and falls for him. This was a fun flick. The muppets are of course whacky. The humans all seem to be having a great time. I enjoyed the time I spent watching this.

Free Solo (2018)

This documentary follows Alex Honnold as he prepares to and successfully climb the 3,000 foot mountain El Capitan in Yosemite National Park all without the use of ropes or backup in under three hours. The filmmakers prepared for years to find camera placements that would not hinder or endanger Alex during his dangerous trek. The filmmakers all befriended Alex over their time together, so the film cuts to shots of their reactions any time their reached an extra dangerous spot only adding to the tension. There are glimpses into Honnold’s personal life including his girlfriend Sanni McCandless who is the complete opposite of him, yet their relationship works.

Onward (2020)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is currently streaming on Netflix. Yes, the title is obnoxiously long. It’s a historical drama and better than the book it’s based on in my opinion. The cast is fantastic. It’s also beautiful to look at. It’s a nice little flick to spend an afternoon watching.

The film, as I mentioned, is based off of a book with the same name. I was curious as to how the adaptation would work as the book is told entirely through letters. Juliet Ashton is an author who travels to Guernsey after being hired by the times to write an article about the Nazi occupation in Guernsey.

Lily James stars as Juliet. James is fantastic as our protagonist bringing a certain charm to the role. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was started by a few of the islanders as a way to cope with the occupation. While interviewing the members, Juliet befriends Eben (Tom Courtenay) a grandfather who was separated from his grandson during the occupation and Isola (Katherine Parkinson) an eccentric bootlegger.

The Society also includes Amelia (Penelope Wilton) who lost her daughter and unborn grandchild during the occupation and Elizabeth (Jessica Brown Findlay) who was arrested during the occupation by the Nazis and sent away leaving behind her own daughter. Wilton delivers a strong performance as a grieving woman who is also weary of allowing strangers into the society. Sidney (Matthew Goode) is Juliet’s publisher who just wants Juliet to write the article and return home so that she can finish her book tour.

Sidney is also Juliet’s closest friend, but he has a difficult time understanding why Juliet is becoming so enamored with Guernsey and the members of its society. The person who initiated the correspondence with Juliet was Dawsey (Michiel Huisman). Dawsey is a pig farmer who was left to raise Elizabeth’s daughter after her arrest. It’s not hard to figure out that he and Juliet will fall in love, but when they meet she is engaged to Mark (Glen Powell).

There Are a few letters written at the start of the film, but of course this isn’t the way the entire film is told. The majority of the film is spent trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Elizabeth. The love triangle is also major plot point of course, but that is the least interesting aspect of this film. Although, I do appreciate that Mark was more important in the film than he was in the books. Film Mark solves the mystery of what happened to Elizabeth and is more likable than his book counterpart.

The film can be predictable. Yes, Juliet ends up with Dawsey instead of Mark. Even so, it’s an enjoyable film. It’s sweet and you root for the members of the society in every way.

The Two Popes (2019)

The Call of the Wild (2020)

I’ve never read this book. It’s about a dog and his human though, so sign me up.

I’m a sucker for any film that stars a pooch. The pooch in this film is computer animated. If this is a faithful adaptation of the novel it’s based on, I can see why.

This dog goes through a lot. With how vocal animal advocates are it’s easier to animate the dog, but there is an element missing with a fake dog.

This seems to be the trend. Many films have been relying on animated animals as I suppose it’s cheaper in a sense to have just animators as opposed to trainers, handlers, etc. I get it, but I’d much rather see a real life dog interacting with the actor. Anyway, this film also stars Harrison Ford.

There is a lot of action in this film. Most of the time our four legged friend is in some sort of danger and he has to figure out how to get out of it.

Our protagonist is Buck the dog who begins as the mayor’s dog before being stolen and sold to gold miners in the Yukon. He escapes and is adopted by friendly mailman named Perrault (Omar Sy). He remains with Perrault until the mailman ends up without a job and has to sell his entire sled team. Buck is then bought by a cartoonish fortune seeker (Dan Stevens) who abuses Buck and the other dogs. During these different parts of his journey he always encounters John Thornton (Ford) until Buck finally ends up in Thornton’s care.

Buck is cute and you root for him every step of the way. Ford is great as usual. The film is also visually stunning.

“The Call of the Wild” is a charming film. Ford seems to genuinely enjoy interacting with Buck even though he’s not actually there. Some moments are sad and tense, but it was fun to join Buck and Thornton on their wild adventure.

Ma (2019)

Teenagers make dumb decisions in a horror movie. Standard and expected.

“Ma” stars Octavia Spencer in a formulaic horror film. Spencer is great as always.

Spencer seems like she genuinely had fun playing Sue Ann, a woman who holds a grudge against those she went to school with. She has every right to feel that way as it turns out.

The film opens with Maggie (Diana Silvers) and her mother Diana (Juliette Lewis) moving back to Diana’s hometown. Maggie is nervous about starting at her new high school especially since it’s the middle of the school year.

Diana works as a waitress at the local casino so she’s not there to see Maggie off. Everything turns out alright, though. Maggie quickly becomes friends with some of the cool kids at school. As it’s a small town, the teens usually spend their weekends drinking. The problem? They need someone to buy the booze for them as they’re all underage.

Sue Ann works as a vet’s assistant and while walking one of the dogs in their care, she bumps into the teens outside a liquor store. She agrees to buy the booze for them and even invites them over to her house to party. She has a basement they can use. They’re allowed to come over whenever they want. The only thing they can’t do is go upstairs.

Inevitably, some members of the group have to go upstairs and things start unraveling.

As with any horror movie, the kids are dumb.

Ma threatens one of the boys with a gun and makes him strip. If the kids spend too much time away from Ma’s the more she texts and video calls them in an attempt to get them to come over. Still, the kids continue to go.

They’ll do anything to keep partying. After all Ma provides them with a place to party and all the booze they could possibly want.

Maggie is the only one seemingly creeped out by Ma and becomes hesitant to go. Once Ma realizes that these are the kids of the classmates that would bully her, she becomes more insistent in trying to get closer to them.

It’s possible that the kids are only stupid because their parents are. The parents make just as many dumb decisions. The father of one who finds out how much time his son has been spending at Ma’s house decides to take matters into his own hands instead of getting the authorities involved.

Spencer reunites with Tate Taylor who directed “The Help”. The film culminates into gory ending (gory compared to the rest of the movie, but not near as gory as others).

Ultimately the film is unsatisfying. Sue Ann’s motivation is justified. Still it seems rather silly to be targeting the children of those who bullied her.

 Not to mention that no one seems to have a single functioning brain cell.

2.5/5 stars ✨

The Invisible Man (2020)

A Sign of the Times at Theatre 511

Javier Muñoz was fantastic in this one man show. The show itself was engaging to a point, it did start getting repetitive towards the end. Muñoz engaged with the audience and drew everyone in to his story. He was a delight to watch from beginning to end even as some points were repeated. The show did start to drag towards the last third of the show, but this could be easily resolved by cutting moments. There were also a few false endings that made the show feel longer than it was.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

72 Miles to Go... at The Harold and Miriam Steinberg for Theatre 🎭

I appreciate that this show exists and I appreciate the message it was trying to send, but as someone who grew up in a border town and knows people in this situation, it didn’t speak to me the way I would have liked it to. The story follows a family separated from their mother who was deported two years back as they adjust to life without her while also trying to protect the eldest son, a DREAMer who recently lost his status. It’s a show that could have made more of an impact than I think it did.

Frankenstein at Classic Stage Company

Classic Stage Company ran Dracula and Frankenstein in repertory and as much as I wanted to see both, I was only able to catch Frankenstein. It’s interesting to see how companies try to make classic stories feel fresh and new. Classic Stage Company definitely brought something new to this production.

This adaptation is written by Tristan Bernays and is directed by Timothy Douglas. This is a minimal adaptation using only two actors and minimal costumes, props and set pieces. Rob Morrison is the chorus. He is the narrator and any other character that is needed to tell the story that isn’t Frankenstein or his monster. He also sets the mood using various stringed instruments. Stephanie Berry takes on the role of both Frankenstein and his creation.

The adaptation is also a short one.  The production is only about 80 minutes long. A good chunk of that is dedicated to the monster learning how to talk. We see the monster trying to interact with the world around it while not being able to express itself. The monster points and interacts with the audience in order to learn new words.

Once the monster has learned how to speak, the action fully starts. Bernays has the monster and the narrator recite passages straight from the novel, so actual dialogue is minimal. The only time there is dialogue, rather than passages, is when the monster interacts with the few other characters. The only time this gets confusing is when Berry has dialogue between the two roles she plays. There was little distinction between Frankenstein and his creature.

This was an interesting take on a well known story. I enjoyed it, but I do wish there had been at least one more actor. That might have helped to clearly distinguish each character.

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) 2020

If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you know I’m not a huge fan of comic book movies. I did like this one, though.

“Birds of Prey” is a spin off of “Suicide Squad” centering around Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). Recently single, she’s ready to tell her own story on her own terms. Born Harleen Quinzel she was an orphan who grew up to be a psychologist for the criminally insane at Arkham Asylum. She ended falling in love with the Joker and together, they ruled the crime world. After their break up Harley is ready to prove that she can do things on her own terms. Without Joker’s protection though, enemies keep showing up to take her out.

“Birds of Prey” has fast frenetic action that matches Harley’s personality, but there are quieter moments mixed in. Harley does show her sensitive side in this one and it’s refreshing. The film is directed by Cathy Yan who brings a nice balance to the two sides of Harley while making the journey a lot of fun.

The villain is Roman Sionis, Black Mask, (Ewan McGregor) who is out to get a diamond engraved with the account codes of a rich family. While in the possession of Black Mask’s henchman, the diamond is pick pocketed by Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco). Cassandra is arrested and Harley breaks her out of jail where they go on the run. Little by little the rest of the women who make up the birds of prey begin joining in. Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) has been on the hunt for the assassin killing people via bow and arrow who turns out to be Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Dinah Lance, Black Canary, (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) starts off as a singer at Roman’s club before being hired as Roman’s reluctant driver. Harley joins this team, though she has to learn to work with them instead of against them.

This is undoubtedly Harley’s story with the birds of prey thrown in. It’s a fun, distracting romp, but there’s nothing deeper than that. I enjoyed this film, but if you’re looking for something that gives you a deeper look into Harley’s psyche this isn’t it. This is by no means a bad thing, but it is worth noting.

Robbie is great as Harley Quinn. She delves as deep into the character as she can and runs with it. She’s funny, but knows how to be vulnerable when she needs to be. It’s also apparent that she’s having a blast playing the role and it fits perfectly with the style of the film. I’m looking forward to seeing more Harley in the DCU.