Hi friends! I hope you are doing well and all having a nice summer. It has been a busy time for me but a lot of exciting things happening in the worlds of both film and theatre.

The biggest news is I have been able to fill in for the amazing Steve Salles over at the KSL’s The Movie Show. I have long been a fan of this show and even called in when I was in college so to be a co-host is surreal. Each time I’ve been on the show has been a great learning experience as live radio is not exactly the same as podcasting. I’m not sure how many weeks I’ll be on the show but it will be at least 2 more Fridays (tune in Friday mornings here)

Make sure you are following me on instagram as I do out of theater reactions for all film and theatre I see. Here’s some quick thoughts on everything I’ve been watching

Superman-

I am hoping I will have time for a full review of the new Superman film because I really did enjoy it but I’ve covered it in lots of other ways. I did a fun episode of Hallmarkies Podcast on it and the 1978 Superman: The Movie where we focused on the romance in both movies.

I think what I liked the most about this movie is the humanity it brings to Superman. I know he is an alien but James Gunn has made a character that’s vulnerable and sweet. I liked him so much that it made up for any small flaws the film may have had. He and Rachel Brosnahan have terrific chemistry and I didn’t mind that they skipped over the origin story elements which I often find quite dull.

More thoughts- Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is a film about the Zimbabwean War told from the perspective of a little girl. It is beautifully made and the little girl is good but I don’t think it balances tone well making the brutal scenes extra shocking.

I watched the original I Know What You Did Last Summer to be ready for the remake since I was covering it for the show. The original movie is a lot of fun and captures the sense of anxiety and panic well particularly in Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Helen character (a great scene when she is being chased through town.) The new movie isn’t as good but I found it to be a serviceable slasher with a likeable cast and some grisly kills. Not great but decent for the genre fans.

I also saw Eddington, which is my first film by director Ari Aster. This is a very uneven film that can’t decide what it is trying to say which is strange for a movie that takes on such partisan political topics. I was mixed on it but do recommend watching it because it makes odd choices one wants to talk about with friends.

I saw an indie called Magnetosphere about a girl with synesthesia. One of my favorite movies last year was Musica which is about an adult with synesthesia. While this isn’t as good they both use creative ways to show the heightened senses of the characters and are overall a lot of fun.

Some other releases are the indie comedy Oh, Hi tries to be a romantic spin on Misery and it really didn’t work for me. The behavior of the lead female is sociopathic but the movie treats her actions as normal with other people helping her. It’s ludicrous and definitely not funny.

Fixed is an absolutely dreadful adult animated film with only one joke about horny dogs for 86 minutes. Zombies 4 is an absurd entry in the long-running series for Disney Channel but likeable in a bonkers ridiculous way. Shoshana is a moving love story at the time of the founding of Israel. Finally, Win or Lose is a sweet and underrated series from Pixar.

There you have it! What have you been watching?

My patrons keep me honest and able to see and review as much as I do. Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. If you value honest criticism check it out. Find out more here.

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a great summer and enjoying some fun at the movies. I have a few reviews to catch you all up on but make sure you are following me on instagram and on youtube to catch my out of theater reactions and more.

So let’s get started on the reviews:

Bride Hard

https://youtube.com/shorts/iVIdT_zxHlY?feature=share

I’m a huge fan of the original Pitch Perfect film. I love pretty much everything about it including the cast. The sequels are more mixed especially the 3rd but they had their moments. It is for this reason that I held out some hope for Bride Hard starring Pitch Perfect allums Rebel Wilson and Anna Camp. Unfortunately this lame action comedy wastes its talented cast (and it’s not just Camp and Wilson but Anna Chlumsky, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Sherry Cola and more.) The only real question I’m left with after watching it is why was this deemed as theatrical worthy? It’s so weird.

This movie also earns its R rating with some pretty violent sequences that do not fit the tone at all. At one point a bad guy is skewered with a party platter and it’s played off as a big joke- like look how funny it is this person was skewered through the stomach? Camp and Wilson have nice chemistry and they try (along with Randolph) to save it but it’s a hopeless endeavor. This one is a definite skip.

Frown Worthy

Megan 2.0

Believe it or not I actually enjoyed the first Megan film. It was campy and much like Happy Death Day it balanced horror, comedy and social commentary very well. Now we have M3gan 2.0 and while its definitely weaker than the first film I was entertained enough to recommend it.

The biggest change they made from the first film is to practically abandon the slasher roots it had established. I’m a pretty easy scare so if this didn’t feel like a horror movie in any way than it’s a problem. In fact, M3gan 2.0 is more of a sci-fi  thriller/comedy than it is a horror film.

That said,  M3gan 2.0 not only leans into the camp of the first film but then adds to it.  It is a very silly movie but it owns that cheese and still manages to be entertaining.  Your mileage  may vary.

Smile Worthy

28 Years Later

https://youtube.com/shorts/MlOccoJGdz8?feature=share

It’s always interesting when a new entry in a franchise comes out but I haven’t seen any of the movies in said franchise. This is most likely to occur in the horror genre because I have the most horror blind spots. Usually I ask around if the movie is stand alone enough and if my friends say it is I give it a shot. One example that worked out great this summer is Final Destination Bloodlines, which I’d never seen before and really enjoyed. I took a similar risk in seeing 28 Years Later (a franchise I’ve never seen any of the films before) without as much payoff.

I honestly struggle with what score to give this film as it has some positives. I like how unhinged it can get and that director Danny Boyle isn’t afraid to try different things. It also looks great and his actors are all up for whatever he throws at him particularly young Alfie Williams as Spike and Jodie Comer playing his Mom. Ralph Fiennes isn’t in the movie as much as I thought he would be but he’s very good as a mysterious doctor in the time of zombies.

The problem really comes in Alex Garland‘s unfocused script. The movie starts off being a father/son dynamic and then that is abandoned for a son/mother journey to find the doctor. Then when they find the doctor it’s another story. Plot points are brought up in the beginning that go nowhere, characters are introduced to be nothing but zombie fuel and I’m honestly not sure what Garland is trying to say with this script (good zombie movie should be about something. Right?)

Evidently this is the beginning of a new trilogy of films which should be interesting as the ending of this film is bizarre and makes no sense. It will be fascinating to see what they do with that choice in future films. At the end of the day, 28 Years Later has some compelling elements but it doesn’t quite come together.

Frown Worthy

Jurassic World: Rebirth

https://youtube.com/shorts/ATBebnMDY_M?feature=share

Speaking of unfocused films, let’s talk about Jurassic World: Rebirth. I must admit I was not super hopeful with this film as the sequels to my beloved Jurassic Park have mostly been underwhelming. They just can’t seem to capture that mixture of dino action and compelling characters that you had in the first film- I mean and not even close. Unfortunately Rebirth continues with that trend.

The frustrating part of this film is the main story with Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey could have went somewhere. They are scientists trying to get to the dinosaurs to get DNA for a miracle cure drug that’s going to cure heart disease. Mahershala Ali joins them along with the obvious villain in Rupert Friend. All this could have worked but the movie makes the bizarre choice to cut away from this group to a family that is marooned on a boat with a teenage boy who’s whole personality trait is to be annoying.

It honestly felt like 2 movies wedged together and every time they went back to the family the momentum is sucked out of the story and we couldn’t build up tension or investment in the characters or anything. At least with Jurassic Park 3 you’re with the same characters most of the movie (plus it’s 45 minutes shorter!) There are a couple decent dinosaur scenes but they are less fun than they would be because we don’t care about the characters and the tension hasn’t been built appropriately.

I must admit I hope this movie isn’t a big hit because the franchise really needs a reset. The original film meant so much to me and it’s sad to see it be treated so poorly again and again. Sadly I’m sure it will do very well and so we will just keep getting more of the same. Alas I wish they could spare no expense on the writing (this even has original writer David Koepp at the helm of this one, so maybe it’s just a lost cause?) Nevertheless, a movie with this many mutant dinosaurs shouldn’t be this boring… (Also literally nothing is rebirthed in this film…)

Frown Worthy

This is what I would do if I was given the chance to pitch a Jurassic movie

My patrons keep me honest and able to see and review as much as I do. Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. If you value honest criticism check it out. Find out more here.