Hell Fest Review

Hell Fest is a serviceable, fun, slasher film to start the Halloween Season. This movie is about a masked killer who begins murdering innocent patrons at a horror theme park who think it is fake and part of the show. Amy Forsyth gives a great performance. Her character is likable and she sells the horror scenes well. Reign Edwards and Bex Taylor-Klaus give decent performances as Forsyth’s friends. Christian James and Matt Mercurio give okay performances. They are never given enough development to care much about them. Roby Attal gives a good performance. His chemistry with Forsyth is cute and believable. Gregory Plotkin did a great job directing overall. However, a few of his decisions in the third act deflate the tension too much. The script is serviceable with just enough character development that we know which character is which before the killing starts. The kills, for the most part, are unique and brutal. One, in particular, made me cringe watching it. The set and costume design here is fantastic. Our killer has a simple but creepy look. The park itself sets up a cool, yet creepy vibe very quickly and keeps up the tone throughout. At 89 minutes the pacing is good and does not take long to get to the violence. Overall while Hell Fest is nowhere near cinematic art, it accomplishes its goal of being a fun slasher film to kick-off the season.

6/10

Smallfoot Review

Smallfoot is a fun innocent kid’s film for all ages. This movie is about a Yeti who is convinced that a mythical creature known as a small foot, a.k.a. humans, exist and goes on a quest to prove it. Channing Tatum gives a great performance voicing our lead. James Corden also gives a fantastic vocal performance. Zendaya gives a good performance in a supporting role. Common is a lot of fun voicing the Yeti leader. Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry, and Jimmy Tatro all give decent performances in their smaller roles. Karey Kirkpatrick and Jason Reisig did an okay job directing. There is nothing unique about it, but they did not do anything wrong either. The animation, while never stunning, is still quite good. The script is serviceable with likable characters and a few funny moments. There are five musical numbers with varying quality throughout the film. The opening number and Common’s rap are easily the highlights. At 96 minutes the movie moves at an okay pace. The first act was a little too slow, but it picked up in the second act. Overall Smallfoot is targeted towards younger kids, but I still had a fun time.

6/10

Night School Review

Night School is a fun comedy with likable characters. This movie is about a guy who must attend Night School after never getting his GED. He must deal with misfit students, his worst enemy from high school and a strict teacher. Kevin Hart gives a great performance. He is playing his typical character, but it works well for this movie. Tiffany Haddish gives a good performance. She plays the more grounded character to Hart’s craziness and their dynamic is fun. Rob Riggle and Taran Killam give hilarious performances in supporting roles. Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anne Winters, Romany Malco, and Al Madrigal round out the supporting cast with good performances across the board. Malcolm D. Lee did a fine job directing. While he does not do anything unique, nothing stands out as terrible either. The script is overall pretty good. The story is simple with a focus on fun character interactions. As for the jokes, around 80% of them landed with a few huge laughs along the way. At 111 minutes the movie never overstayed its welcome. It moves at a good pace never getting serious for long with plenty of jokes to keep you entertained. Overall Night School is not a great film, but is a fun comedy especially for fans of the cast.

7.5/10

The House with a Clock in Its Walls Review

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a fun albeit tonally inconsistent horror adventure film. This movie is about a young boy named Lewis who moves into his Uncle's house after his parent's death. His life is turned upside down once he learns his uncle is a warlock. Owen Vaccaro gives a good performance. He sells the sense of naiveté and wonder enough for us to care about him. Jack Black gives a fantastic performance. He is not doing anything new here, but he remains entertaining nonetheless. Cate Blanchett gives a great performance. All the scenes of her and Black just talking are easily the film’s best. Kyle MacLachlan and Sunny Suljic also give good performances in smaller roles. Eli Roth did a great job directing. He manages to bring a creepy, but still fun tone to the film. The script is overall good, but has plenty of problems. The dialogue between Black and Blanchett is hysterical and we are given enough backstory that we care about them. The overall adventure story here is also well told and interesting. However, in the second half, the tone shifts around constantly. One moment will be potty humor and the next moment will involve a demon and cursed rituals. It does not mesh very well at all. The visual effects are a mixed bag. Overall they are quite good, but a few moments are terrible. At 105 minutes the movie runs a little too long. The first act drags on forever with almost nothing happening. The second and third acts do pick up though. Overall The House with a Clock in Its Walls is heavily flawed and tonally inconsistent. However, I do still think it’s a fun horror adventure for families with tweens and up.

6/10

Assassination Nation Review

Assassination Nation is not for the easily offended, but for those willing to stomach it will find an extremely fun genre film. This movie is about Lilly and her three friends whose lives are turned upside down when a hacker starts releasing the entire town’s personal info online. As things begin to descend into madness, Lily and her friends are left wondering if they can survive the night. Odessa Young gives an excellent performance. She plays the vulnerability of her character well and you buy into her character arc. Suki Waterhouse gives a really good performance. However, her character is given the least to do out of the main group. Hari Nef gives a great performance. She makes us care about her character with only a few key moments. Abra gives a good performance in her film debut. While not given a big role she does have a couple of standout moments. Bill Skarsgard and Joel McHale both give fantastic performances in smaller roles. Sam Levinson did a great job directing. He brings an extremely unique style to the film immediately. The action sequences are also very well done and a one-take home invasion sequence in the third act is extremely thrilling. The script, while not subtle at all, works extremely well. This movie is very political and does not hide it at all. As for character development, I cared about all four of the main leads and wanted them to survive. The editing is very unique utilizing a split screen technique often early on. For the most part, it works well though. The cinematography is very good as well, especially in the third act. The score here is also a highlight. It is very techno electronic based, but I thought it complimented the film perfectly. At 110 minutes the movie moves at a good pace with a few issues. The first act does drag on a little too long and the third act ends too soon. I wish the movie was twenty minutes longer to really flesh out the finale. Overall Assassination Nation will offend the vast majority, but for those that can stomach it will have one of the most fun and unique theater experiences of the year.

8/10

Life Itself Review

Life Itself is not without its moments, but overall is a giant mess. This movie is about a young couple’s journey and the effect their lives have through multiple generations. Oscar Isaac gives a really good performance. We are given just enough information about him to care about his character. Olivia Wilde gives a great performance. She has fantastic chemistry with Isaac and you care about them. Olivia Cooke gives a bad performance. However, the script gives her nothing to work with. Mandy Patinkin gives a really good performance. Annette Bening gives a decent performance in a small side role. Antonio Banderas and Laia Costa give  great performances. All the scenes they share with each other are highlights. Sergio Peris-Mencheta gives a decent performance. However, his work is held back by the script. Alex Monner also gives a good performance in a smaller role. Dan Fogelman’s direction is fine, though a few choices are baffling. Fogelman’s script is where the issues with this movie begin. The script is extremely cluttered, not spending enough time on certain moments and far too much time on things that do not matter. The storyline is extremely emotionally manipulative. It goes for shock every chance it can. While some of these moments are effective, a few are laughably bad. Also for a story where everything is supposed to connect at the end, he stretches believability to make that happen. The editing here is some of the worst I have witnessed this year. It is extremely choppy and makes the timeline even more confusing than it already is. At 118 minutes this movie feels way longer than it is. At the same time, it is nowhere near long enough to tell the story it is attempting to. Overall Life Itself is filled with so much potential, but fails upon delivering outside of the rare moment that works.

5/10

A Simple Favor Review

A Simple Favor is an extremely compelling thriller with a dark sense of humor. This movie is about a mom who joins her best friends’ husband when she goes missing. Anna Kendrick gives an incredible performance. She played the naiveté of her character perfectly while also making us question her motives. Blake Lively gives a fantastic performance. This is the best she has ever been and the dynamic between her and Kendrick is a highlight. Henry Golding gives a great performance as Lively’s husband. He had excellent chemistry with Lively and Kendrick. Linda Cardellini also gave a good performance in a smaller role. Paul Feig did a fantastic job directing. Immediately the film has a unique style that immerses you in the world. The script is overall great with a few small issues. The character development for the main cast is all fantastic and the movie constantly kept me guessing. The film also has a dark sense of humor which added a much-needed sense of fun. The first act, while never boring, is a bit slow though. At 117 minutes the pacing is good and flies by once the second act begins. Overall I had a blast watching A Simple Favor and recommend it to thriller fans.

8.5/10

The Predator Review

The Predator is a bit of a mess but overall is a fun action film. This movie is about a young boy who accidentally triggers the predators return to earth. Once arrived, it is up to a disgruntled crew of ex-soldiers and a scientist to save the human race. Boyd Holdbrook gives a great performance. You care about his character and he is fantastic in the action sequences. Jacob Tremblay continues to impress as a young actor. Olivia Munn gives an okay performance. Her character is likable but given very little to do in the plot. Sterling K. Brown gives a good performance as the human bad guy. Yvonne Strahovski gives a really good performance in a small role. Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Alfie Allen, and Thomas Jane all give great performances as the soldiers trying to kill the predator. Their chemistry as a team was easily a highlight. Shane Black did a great job directing. The action scenes are a lot of fun and extremely brutal. The script is filled with a lot of humor that mostly works and just enough character development to make you care about the character’s fate. The editing is the biggest issue. It is extremely choppy and you can clearly tell scenes have been removed and reshot. However, it never detracted too much from my enjoyment. The visual effects overall are very good with only a few poor moments. At 101 minutes the movie moves along at a good pace despite a bit of a slow first act. Overall The Predator feels like a mess, but remains an extremely fun action movie throughout.

7/10

Searching Review

Searching is not perfect, but it is a compelling thriller with great performances. This movie is about a dad who breaks into his 16-year-old daughter's laptop after she goes missing. This movie takes place entirely on computer screens. John Cho gives a fantastic performance. He is 100% convincing as a dad who will do anything to find his child. Debra Messing gives a great performance as the detective assigned to the case. Michelle La gives a good performance as the daughter. She makes us care for her just by watching videos of her on her laptop. Aneesh Chaganty did a fantastic job directing. He fills the movie with tension early on and keeps the tension high throughout. The script is filled with characters you care about and a compelling story that keeps you guessing. Due to the computer screen format of this movie, some sequences feel a bit forced but overall the format works extremely well. At 101 minutes the movie moves along at a good pace. It occasionally slows down, but it was never long before the movie pulled me back in. Overall Searching is an extremely compelling thriller filled with great performances.

8/10

Peppermint Review

Peppermint is a perfectly serviceable revenge thriller with a great lead performance. This movie is about a grieving mother who becomes a vigilante after her family is murdered. Jennifer Garner gives a fantastic performance. She sold her transition from grieving mom to highly trained killer extremely well. John Gallagher Jr and Annie Ilonzeh give good performances as the detectives following the case. Juan Pablo Raba gives an okay performance as the villain. However, his character is written extremely bland and uninteresting. Pierre Morel did a great job directing. The action sequences are satisfyingly brutal and well shot. The script is a bit of a mixed bag. Any of the scenes that follow Garner are great. The detective story, while a bit standard, is entertaining. However, any character development scenes for the villains drag and feel pointless. At 102 minutes the pacing is good, but occasionally slows down for too long. Overall Peppermint rises above its standard script thanks to fun action and a great performance from Jennifer Garner.

6/10

Kin Review

Kin is an extremely mixed bag of a movie. This movie is about a young boy who finds a space gun while on a road trip with his ex-con brother. Miles Truitt gives a really good performance. His character is sometimes annoying, but always compelling. Jack Reynor gives a great performance. Reynor and Truitt have a good dynamic and their relationship as brothers is believable. Zoe Kravitz gives an okay performance. It feels like significant parts of her character were edited out of the movie. Dennis Quaid gives a good performance in a small supporting role. James Franco gives an extremely campy villain performance. His character sometimes works but rarely poses a threat. Johnathan and Josh Baker did a good job directing. The action sequences are particularly strong for first-time directors. The script is where this movie’s problem lies. The first act is slow paced and feels like it is going nowhere. The second act, while an improvement, is still filled with random pointless scenes. The saving grace of this movie is an absolutely fantastic third act. It is filled with great action scenes with genuine moments of heart and tension. The cinematography is good and gives the movie a slightly futuristic feel. At 102 minutes the pacing is all over the place with some scenes lasting forever and others moving way too fast. Overall Kin has a lot that does not work, but due to great performances from our leads and a strong third act earns a light recommendation.

6/10