My Favorite Movies of 2019... So Far- Pt. One (#15-11)

Author's Note: So, here it is, at long last. My much-delayed, long-in-the-making Best of 2019 movies list. Somewhat ironically, it's still coming out before last year's 2018 list- which didn't drop until March! Sorry again for the postponement, but some things can't be helped. All I can say is that the last two months have been a lot. Hopefully, things will get better from here on out, but if not, I'll still try and write whenever I can.

Suffice it to say, those who know me, know the real reasons I haven't been able to write as much as I would like, but for those who don't, all I can say is that it's been tough-going lately, both financially and in terms of my overall health. But I'm hanging in there, and hope to get back up to speed soon. Thanks for the well wishes via social media, and all your support. Now, on with the show...

The following is a list of my favorite movies of 2019, at least in terms of the movies I've seen to date. No man is an island, so I've yet to see a lot of films I'd like to, but something good did come out of the delay in this article, as I saw a few more movies I wouldn't have been able to include otherwise. As I mentioned, I may do another list about midway through the year that includes the movies I haven't seen yet, but until then, here are the best of the bunch that I have seen.

Last year, I listed the films I hadn't seen as of yet, but it makes more sense to list the ones I have seen, so here goes. If it isn't on this list, I haven't seen it yet, which means it won't be on the main list, either, obviously. I may have also accidentally skipped some films that were straight-to-video or streaming, but if I saw them, I likely reviewed them, so check out my past reviews- most of the recent ones are collected in the "Movie Round-Up: Quick Cuts" banner. You can search specific films, old or new, in the "Search" box on the top right of any given page.

Films I saw from 2019 (Click on the titles for links to my original reviews- if there isn't one, I didn't do it yet)

Escape Room, The Upside, Glass, Miss Bala, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Prodigy, Happy Death Day 2U, Fighting with My Family, Greta, Captain Marvel, Nancy Drew & The Hidden Staircase, Us, The Dirt, Dumbo, The Beach Bum, Shazam!, Pet Sematary, Hellboy, The Curse of La Llorona, Under the Silver Lake, Avengers: Endgame, Uglydolls, Detective Pikachu, Aladdin, Brightburn, Booksmart, The Poison Rose, Parasite, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Rocketman, Ma, The Secret Life of Pets 2, The Dead Don't Die, Toy Story 4, Domino, Anna, Annabelle Comes Home, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Midsommar, Crawl, The Lion King, Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood, Hobbs & Shaw, The Kitchen, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Good Boys, Ready or Not, Vault, It: Chapter 2, Hustlers, Three from Hell, Joker, Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, The Irishman, Noelle and Knives Out.  

Okay, that takes care of that. Let's get into the main list. I've split it into two parts, so that the article doesn't go on too long. If there is already a review by me for it, you can click on the highlighted title to get to it. I've kept the entries short for the ones I've already reviewed, for obvious reasons. I'll be counting down in reverse order, to my favorite of the year. Let's get started...

15. Ready or Not

Newlywed bride Grace (Samara Weaving, Mayhem, The Babysitter) has just married into a rich family, when she soon discovers that this particular clan puts the "crazy" into their title the old-fashioned way. As in, every time anyone gets married, their spouse has to participate in a time-honored family tradition: playing a game at the strike of midnight on their wedding day.

More often than not, it's something innocuous, like checkers or Old Maid or the like. But every once in a while, the game turns deadly when the spouse in question draws the game of "Hide and Seek." Only in this version of the game, if the family finds you, you're killed. And, so the legend goes, if the spouse is able to evade the family the entire night and survive until dawn, then the family themselves are killed.

While some, like Grace's husband, Alex (Mark O'Brien, Arrival, The Darkest Minds) and his brother, Daniel (Adam Brody, The O.C., Jennifer's Body), think the legend is utter hogwash, others, like their father, Tony (Henry Czerny, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, TV's Revenge) and his sister, Helene (Nicky Guadagni, Cube, Silent Hill) swear by it, and claim that unspeakable things will happen to them if they fail in their task.

Somewhere in the middle are mom Becky (Andie MacDowell, Groundhog Day, Four Weddings and a Funeral), Emilie (Melanie Scrofano, Saw VI, Wynonna Earp), Daniel and Alex's drug-addled sister, and Fitch (Kristian Bruun, Orphan Black), her husband. Backing up the game wholeheartedly are Charity (Elyse Levesque, The Originals), Daniel's cold-blooded wife, and Stevens (John Ralston, TV's Flash Gordon and Bitten), the VERY loyal family butler.

Needless to say, things don't go as smoothly as planned, with some trying to help poor Grace, while others are simply too incompetent to get the job done. Along the way, there are casualties, of course, this being a horror film and all- hint: the staff don't fare too well. But who will be left standing, come the dawn- if anyone? You'll just have to see for yourself, in this nifty black comedy/horror flick.

The end result is like You're Next, if the main female protagonist was decidedly less competent, with a healthy dose of the classic short story, "The Most Dangerous Game" for good measure. For those unfamiliar with the latter, it revolves around a wealthy man that decides to go after a more clever sort of prey than animals: man. It's been adapted and ripped off a billion times since, so if that sounds familiar, that would be why (i.e. Hard Target, Surviving the Game).

Weaving is shaping up to be a solid Scream Queen in-the-making, this being her third horror flick, along with appearances in the TV show Ash vs. The Evil Dead and in the spooky, surreal miniseries Picnic at Hanging Rock. Her latest, Guns Akimbo, from the director of the cult horror fave Deathgasm, looks promising, and she also has a role in the Bill & Ted reboot Face the Music and the Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Scream Queens) Netflix series, Hollywood. She also made my list of favorite rising starlets, for whatever that's worth- read more about that here. She's pretty great in this, too.

The film is the latest from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (the horror anthologies, V/H/S & Southbound; Devil's Due), and was written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy (TV's Castle Rock, Stan Against Evil). It's smarter than the average horror flick, with solid character development and some nice plotting that extends things in a believable way that doesn't just confine the events to the indoors, as one might expect.

Grace is a great character, who isn't superhuman, but simply resourceful and quick on her feet. The movie itself is a real keeper, and would make for a good double feature with Knives Out, which also deals with the dynamics between the rich and those less fortunate. As such, it's a great distillation of the times we live in, where the gap between the haves and the have-nots has never been wider. You can't help but root for Grace, as she scrambles to evade a seemingly inevitable fate. It's definitely one of my faves of the year, bar none.

14. Fighting with My Family

Rising star Florence Pugh was killing it last year, bagging herself her first Oscar nod for Little Women, which I haven't seen as of yet, but I've no reason to doubt she crushed it, being as how she'd already delivered an award-worthy performance in the horror flick Midsommar, if they actually gave awards to films like that. She also kicked off the year with this somewhat overlooked flick, which detailed the true story of WWE wrestler Paige with lots of heart and even more laughs.

Written and directed by OG The Office vet Stephen Merchant, who also co-produced with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (who has a brief cameo, as does Merchant) and a few others, the film is a fun movie that also deals with the struggle between the haves and the have nots, particularly as it pertains to making it in the world. So many people are waiting for that big break that never comes- in this film, it happens for one sibling but not the other, making it all the more heart-wrenching, especially when she nearly gives up because of feeling like she doesn't deserve it as much.

Ultimately, though, as you might have guessed from the title, it's about the endurance of families- both real and extended (in this case, the WWE)- and how they may fuss and fight, but when all is said and done, they're there for you, at least if you let them in and allow them to do it. Sometimes we might resist, but like it or not, a family's a family, and even when it doesn't seem like it at times, they've got your back.

That's a great message, least of all in a time in which it seems even families are being torn apart by all the division in our current political climate. Why can't we all get along, indeed. In Fighting, this family doesn't always get along, but they're always there when they're needed- and we could all learn a thing or two from that. 

13. Brightburn

Then again, there's a point where you have to know when to say when. Brightburn is a retelling of the Superman mythos, only if said alien wasn't playing for our team. What if, this film posits, after a certain age, that alien simply went bad? Like, really bad. As in, started killing people left and right, and wreaking general havoc all over the place, even turning against his own family.

Well, sort of. Basically, a childless couple is astonished one night to see something crashing out of the sky into their backyard. Turns out it's a spaceship containing what looks to be an ordinary infant- emphasis on "looks to be." The two, who have been struggling to have a child themselves, opt to hide said spaceship in their barn, and keep and raise the child as their own. Though the child is prenaturally smart, otherwise, he's relatively normal- at least until he hits a certain age.

At that point, the spaceship starts transmitting signals, which cause him to start behaving strangely, doing things that he doesn't remember later on. Things get progressively worse, and eventually, deadly. Do the couple stand by their adopted son, or try to stop him before things get even worse? Perhaps needless to say, this being a horror film, things definitely get worse, and in spectacularly over-the-top fashion.

The end result is basically an inverted superhero origin story, but one in which the hero ultimately opts to become a villain instead. It may not be for everyone, but I really appreciated this clever twist on the quickly growing stale superhero subgenre. It helps that the movie has a perverse sense of humor, no doubt in part due to the involvement of the Gunn brothers, of Guardians of the Galaxy fame. 

But this one is strictly for the adults, and features some fantastic gore to boot, for those of us who miss James Gunn's more horrific efforts, like the Dawn of the Dead remake (which he wrote) and Slither (which he wrote and directed, and also features this film's star, Elizabeth Banks). I just loved it, and even if you're sick to death of superhero flicks, you might just appreciate this one, which actually does manage to do something different with it. 

12. The Lion King

I probably would have ranked this one higher, had it not been a remake- but what a remake it is! Featuring the astonishing visuals that Disney pioneered in director Jon Favreau's Jungle Book- only even more impressively done, as there isn't a human in sight in this one- The Lion King is everything a live-action remake (sort of, given the circumstances) of an animated film should be, and then some.

I heard some grumbling about the whole "uncanny valley" thing with the animals in question, but I didn't have that problem with this one. The Polar Express this is not. It might be a slight stretch to say that I completely forgot I was watching CGI- after all, animals aren't known for talking, much less their vocal stylings- but damned if I wasn't impressed. You might not forget what you're watching isn't "real," per se, but you sure enough get wrapped up in it, regardless- or at least I was.

Even cooler for me personally was how it magically took me back to my childhood. I was never a big Star Wars person, so when The Force Awakens inspired a lot of similar type fan-worship, I didn't have the same experience, as I didn't see those films in the theaters as a kid. But I did see the original Lion King and loved it, and this completely took me back to that sense of wonder and awe in a big way. My jaw nearly dropped with that opening scene alone- the much-heralded "Circle of Life" scene- and honestly, I was never less than enraptured all the way through.

I'll allow that I'm a big Disney fan, and always have been, so other people's mileage may vary when it comes to stuff like this. But as a hallmark of how far we've come, special effects-wise, boy is it an impressive achievement, no matter how you feel about Disney, or their recent determination to remake almost every classic film they've ever done. (Not gonna lie- looking forward to The Little Mermaid.) Whatever the case, it was easily one of my most memorable trips to the movies of the year, bar none, so onto the list it goes.

11. Glass

Unbreakable has always been one of my favorite M. Night Shyamalan flicks, if not my favorite, period, so it sucked when it seemed like it was destined to be a one-off. Then came Split, the sequel-you-didn't-know-was-a-sequel until the last few minutes of the film, which featured Bruce Willis reprising his character from Unbreakable, seemingly setting up a third film in the series.

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait as long for the follow-up. Glass brings together most of the characters from the previous films, including the titular Samuel L. Jackson character, Bruce Willis as the superhuman David Dunn and Spencer Treat Clark as his son, Joseph, from Unbreakable; and James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb (and many others) and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, from Split. 

It takes place mere weeks from the last installment, as Dunn springs into action to try and track down and defeat Crumb, aka "The Horde," on account of his many personalities, including "The Beast," a seemingly unstoppable killing machine that is also superhuman. Dunn's in the process of confronting "The Beast" when both are captured by Dr. Ellie Staple (newcomer to the fold, Sarah Paulson, of American Horror Story fame), a psychiatrist that treats people who think they are superheroes- or supervillains, for that matter.

Staple already has Glass in her custody, and the others are taken to Raven Hill Institute to collectively be studied and convinced that they are simply suffering from a psychotic disorder. Of course, we know better- and so do they, more or less, though Staple comes close to convincing the newcomers otherwise. 

Glass isn't buying it, though, and upon becoming aware of the presence of Crumb and Dunn, sets into motion a plan to get them all out of there to wreak havoc once again, by joining forces with Crumb and setting up Dunn to try and stop them in a proper superhuman showdown.

While the set-up did admittedly promise a big action set-piece at the end, and deliver something else quite different from what I think many were expecting, there's something to be said for Shyamalan showing restraint, and keeping things focused on the main characters at hand, rather than going for the typical superhero spectacle. I get that some people were disappointed by this aspect of the story, but I think that this one will, like its predecessors, be one that is appreciated more on down the line. 

Of course, M. Night being M. Night, it wouldn't be him without a final twist and this one has a doozy- as one character puts it: "This was an origin story the whole time." This, of course, leaves open the possibility for more sequels, though Shyamalan has said he's not interested in building a franchise, so we'll see. As it stands, it's a worthy successor to the previous two entries in my book, and I think it will grow on some people that were initially disappointed by it.

The key to "getting" the movie is simply recognizing that it's not an action film or a superhero film so much as it's a character study. Shyamalan isn't interested in over-the-top action or elaborate battles- these play out more as afterthoughts in the grand scheme of things. 

As ever, he's all about the characters and how they grow and what their respective fates are. If you think about the three films as one collective whole, all telling parts of the same story, like a miniseries, I think you'll dig it more. So, forget the critics and take the ride: it's well-worth it in my book. And, yes, that includes the game-changing twist. It's basically the thinking man's (or woman's) superhero flick.

Well, that about does it for Part One. Join me soon for Part Two, as soon as I can get it out there! 😉 



   





  

Movie Round-Up! - Quick Cuts, Volume 11

Author's Note: Just got a few new movies that I felt might deserve at least consideration, if not outright inclusion, on my forthcoming Best of the Year list, which is basically done, save a few entries. I decided to crop it down to 15, instead of the previously planned 20, so as to get it out that much sooner, as I was running so late on it as it was.

But, due to all the unforeseen stuff happening in my neck of the woods (i.e. crazy weather, sporadic internet services, family drama), it's coming out a lot later than I planned, which has allowed me to see a few more things that, in turn, ended up knocking a few planned entries off the list to accommodate them, which is a good thing, I think, as I imagine a lot of people would have expected to see them on the list, while some of the ones that had previously been on there... not so much.

Hence, my downsizing the list, and taking off a few dubious choices and adding a few in their place. The end result is a list I'm much happier with, and I think you will be, too. That said, I've got three new movies that could be on it, assuming I like them as much as I think I will, so I'm waiting to post it until Monday to see if changes need to be made accordingly.

Either way, count on the finalized list happening by next week, so whatever I watch this weekend will either make it onto the list or it won't, depending on how much I do or don't like it. We shall see. In the meantime, here's some movies I watched that didn't make the list, but I wanted to comment on, nonetheless, so as to give you some content while I'm finishing things up. Enjoy! 😉

Depending on how you feel about writer/director Rob Zombie, this was either the movie you were most looking forward to him doing, or the one you most dreaded him doing, given that it would represent him going back to the well again for what would almost certainly be a total cash grab, given that the last installment of the ongoing series ostensibly ended with the Firefly clan getting gunned down.

The truth, I think, lies somewhere in between. On the one hand, I think Zombie genuinely missed the characters and was aware of the fact that it might end up being the last time he was able to do such a film, given much-beloved star Sid Haig's rapidly declining health. 
This turned out to be all-too-true, as Haig sadly ended up dying shortly after its theatrical debut. The film ended up grossing some $10 million on a $3 million budget in its limited theatrical release- not too shabby- before heading to home video and the like, where it has enjoyed further success. 

On the other hand, the resulting film itself is pretty compromised, albeit through no fault of Zombie's own, as Haig's health was in such disarray that it was clear that he wouldn't be able to do what the script required of him, and would only be able to shoot a few scenes.

This led Zombie to have to overhaul the script at the last possible minute and essentially write most of Haig's role out of the film and instead replace it with a heretofore unknown new character, Winslow "Foxy" Coltrane (Richard Brake, the undeniable highlight of Zombie's last film, 31), Otis' half-brother. 

The disjointed nature of the script leaves the viewer wondering if maybe Zombie wouldn't have been better off leaving well enough alone. But, as the behind-the-scenes documentary makes clear, the film was so deep into production, it almost wouldn't have made sense to abandon the project so late in the game.

So, understandably, Zombie soldiered on, opting to make the best of what he had, and ended up shooting the film in under a month, for better or worse, changing up things as he went, accordingly. While it's totally ludicrous to think that one, much less all three Fireflies survived a full-on assault by the cops in the first place, it is what it is.

You just have to go with it or skip it altogether, because that sure doesn't seem to have slowed the roll of anyone concerned, save Captain Spaulding (Haig), who, as aforementioned, is written out of the script early on. This event hangs heavy over the film, which loses one of its most viable and amusing characters as a direct result. 

"Foxy" isn't a terrible addition- Brake does his best to differentiate his character from the others by adding a fixation on old Hollywood- which Zombie obviously shares- which manifests itself in his imitation of classic stars like Humphrey Bogart and the like. However, this proves to be a short-lived character element that is dropped early on, showing that Zombie was clearly rushing things, albeit because of forces beyond his control.

Indeed, speaking of rushed, boy does Zombie gloss over a lot of things, i.e. how exactly Baby is able to get out of prison- I know she was dressed as a guard, but like that was going to fool anyone in the main office she would have had to walk past- or how the gang was able to cross the border with ease, being wanted criminals and all.

Also, why would the warden help Otis when he knows good and well he's just going to kill everyone once he gets what he wants- at the very least, he could have demanded that Otis send out his wife first, in exchange for Baby. These are just a few of the massive plot holes Zombie just expects the viewer to go along with.

What we're left with beyond all the wack plot machinations is a lot of inter-family squabbling, not just between the brothers, Otis (Bill Moseley) and "Foxy," but with Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) as well, who has gone off the deep end after years of solitary confinement, leading her to do a lot of stupid things, once she and Otis escape from prison, stuff that basically should have gotten them all busted sooner than later. None of the actors are bad, to be sure, but boy, is Captain Spaulding's brand of levity missed.

The end result is basically the prison section of Natural Born Killers and its aftermath combined with, of all things, a Mexican variation of a Spaghetti Western. It's never less than watchable, I suppose, but that's pretty faint praise coming off the most beloved films in Zombie's oeuvre to date. I certainly didn't hate it, but it just seemed unnecessary, especially with Haig (mostly) out of the picture. 

That said, as per usual, Zombie fills the film with lots of welcome character actors, many of them the sort of cult favorites he's known for bringing back, such as Dee Wallace (The Howling, Cujo), near-unrecognizable in a juicy turn as a prison guard; Austin Stoker (Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13, Sheba Baby) as Earl Gibson; Clint Howard (Rock n' Roll High School, Evilspeak) as an inexplicable, out-of-nowhere clown- I guess this was one of the bits meant for Haig that Zombie repurposed- Richard Edson (Howard the Duck, Stranger than Paradise) as Carlos; and Sean Whalen (The People Under the Stairs, Batman Returns) as Burt.

As I mentioned in my 31 review, I'd love to see Zombie go outside of his usual box, in particular within a different genre, such as his long-proposed Groucho Marx biopic- maybe the success of this film will allow him to do just that, and if so, then maybe it will have been worth it. As it stands, 3 From Hell just barely gets the job done, but it's mostly for die-hard fans, and even they may end up a bit disappointed overall. 

It's disjointed as hell- pardon the pun- although it ends strong, with an entertaining showdown between the Firefly Clan and a Mexican gang out for blood for Otis having killed the leader's father. Still, at this point, you're either with Zombie or you're over him, so opinions may vary.

Suffice it to say, if you're not a convert by now, this likely won't change that. But even for those who already are, it's passable at best, but nothing great. Proceed with caution, and lowered expectations, and you'll be fine. Maybe. 

Speaking of lowered expectations, at this point, you're either with the ongoing Fast & Furious franchise, or you're against it. I've seen a couple of them and found them passable entertainment at best, but nowhere near the level of classic of the films of its ilk that preceded it, i.e. Bullitt, Vanishing Point, Gone in 60 Seconds, et al. Back then, they didn't have CGI, so everything was done for real, and it really does make a difference.

Nowadays, everything is so computerized, you can't tell what's real and what isn't, rendering the whole thing kind of moot, IMHO. As such, I'm always skeptical of these kind of movies until I find out different. I do enjoy the Mission Impossible flicks, but then, we all know that a lot of that is for real, given star Tom Cruise's level of insanity for doing things himself. But the F&F franchise is so ludicrous that it might as well be a cartoon. 

TBH, the real attraction for me here was co-star Vanessa Kirby, herself a vet of Mission, and who single-handedly steals the movie out from under her decidedly more high profile leading men, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham, as the titular twosome. She's fantastic, and smoking hot, and makes the entire film worth seeing alone. Don't miss the tussle between her and Johnson, to be sure, which is also available in slightly extended form as a bonus feature/deleted scene.

That said, Johnson and Statham are fine, and sometimes amusing as the constantly squabbling duo. They have some funny, possibly improv'd banter that will crack up fans of such stuff. There's no denying the two have an easy chemistry, much more so than Johnson and Vin Diesel, who famously were at odds with one another in the films they did together, which is probably why this film exists in the first place. 

I'd have to say I enjoyed this more than any of the F&F films I saw (though I really don't think it needed to be well over two hours long), but that's not saying much, as I'm not exactly a fan, so your opinion may vary accordingly. But if you're a fellow Kirby fan, this is an absolute must. 😍

Likewise to F&F, I'm not a big Pokémon person- I didn't collect the cards, watch the animated shows or play the video games at all, in fact- but I don't have anything against it, either. I just wasn't the age to have gotten into it the first time around, being a little too old to be the target audience for such a thing. Anyway, the movie looked cute, got positive reviews, and I like stars Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies, The Society) and Suki Waterhouse (The Bad Batch, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies), so I figured it was worth at least a rental.

Turns out it was actually a lot of fun, coming off like a combination of a Film Noir and a over-the-top sci-fi/fantasy film from the 80's. So, basically Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 2.0, only focused exclusively on the Poké-verse or whatever. I'm not particularly well-versed in said universe, so I probably missed a lot of the references to that end, but I got the gist of things, plot-wise, and I really enjoyed the film overall.

Having Ryan Reynolds (who also cropped up in Hobbs & Shaw) voice Pikachu was a brilliant gambit, and pays off in dividends, as the character has plenty of amusing lines, many of which were clearly improvised. What's more, star Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) and Newton have an easy chemistry together, as do Smith and Reynolds, which makes you immediately root for the characters to succeed in their task at hand. 

This is key in a film like this, especially when it gets somewhat bogged down by all the Poké-stuff. Thankfully, though, with the film clocking in a just under one hour and forty-five minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome, meaning it doesn't get TOO crippled by all the exposition overall, which is a good thing. 

I suppose you basically know going in whether this is going to be your cup of tea or not, but as someone who had next-to-no past experience with Pokémon, I've got to say, it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. A good movie is a good movie, not matter what the things that led up to it might be. 

In a weird way, this is like a vastly better version of what The Dark Tower movie was going for, which is to say, a film that used past stuff as a jumping off point, and hoped that people unfamiliar would be able to keep up and enjoy it. That film completely and utterly failed- this one nails it. Check it out, if you like 80's sci-fi/fantasy or, to a lesser degree, Film Noir. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good it is. 

I was also a bit on the fence about seeing this one, being an unabashed fan of the original, and Disney animation in general. I've had mixed feelings about all these live-action remakes: for every admittedly exceptional film like Jungle Book or Lion King, there's a lesser one, like Maleficent or Cinderella that are just okay, if not outright meh. And let's face it, say what you will about Will Smith, he's certainly no Robin Williams, as I think even he would acknowledge.

Imagine my surprise then, when Aladdin turned out to not be half-bad. For one thing, kudos to Disney for thinking outside the box in hiring, of all people, crime/action/comedy filmmaker Guy Ritchie, to direct. He brings an action movie-style approach to the film that makes even the musical sequences fun to watch. Ritchie constantly keeps things moving and grooving- the film comes off like an Indiana Jones flick with full-on musical numbers. 

Star Mena Massoud (Jack Ryan, Reprisal) has charisma to burn, and his leading lady, Naomi Scott, is as lovely as the days are long, with a fiery intelligence to boot. As with other modern Disney flicks, this one updates the material to make the characters more robust, vital and developed, as well as more politically correct, but in a good way. In other words, Princess Jasmine is more involved in things and vocal about her situation, such as her role in her kingdom- and in whom she chooses to marry. Nothing wrong with that.

I just loved how the film was staged, with lots of creatively-choreographed scenes and wow-inducing set design and cleverly staged sequences, from the expected visual delight of Smith's big number, "Friend Like Me" and the classic "Whole New World," but also slightly-lesser known ones like "Prince Ali" and "One Jump Ahead," which are just as entertaining. Add to that, the lovely new song "Speechless," which highlights Scott's considerable vocal skills, and you have a new soundtrack that may well outshine the original. 

Don't get me wrong- the original will always hold a special space in my heart- I loved it as a kid, and still do. But this was nowhere near the disaster some people made it out to be, thanks to advance grumbling about Smith's look, which inspired a host of amusing memes.

For the record, Smith is just fine in the role, making it his own, without disrespecting Williams' groundbreaking work in the slightest. Yes, the rap break in "Friend Like Me" is a bit much, but Smith isn't exactly known for his singing prowess, so I'll allow it- besides, it suits his version of the character, and it's admittedly kind of fun to see Smith having a good time again, after a few too many dour roles as of late. 

It may not all be quite enough to eclipse the original, but it's not trying to, really. If anything, it's just a solid companion to the original that should please both old-school fans and new ones alike. I dug the cast- Scott is one to watch, for sure- and, as someone with mixed feelings about musicals in general, I actually didn't mind the songs here, though having grown up with most of them probably didn't hurt matters.

The film was excellently executed, with first-rate direction by Ritchie, quite possibly making this one of the best things he's ever done, and that's saying something, being a big fan of his past work (Snatch, Lock Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels). Even if you shared my hesitation about seeing this in the first place, you might want to give it a shot now that it's readily available on home video/streaming/et. al. It's worth at least a watch, especially if you loved the original like I did. Check it out!

Well, that about does it for now. Thanks for reading, and look for my Films of the Year to finally drop next week sometime! 😎

Valentine's Death: Into the Dark - "Down" & "My Valentine"

Author's Note: Well, that's what I get about complaining about 2020 already, lol. No sooner had I vented about the crappy way that the year started than it got worse- we're talking torrential downpours, flooding, plummeting temperatures, even a little snow- the works.

Fortunately for me, I live on the top of a mountain, but the surrounding areas were not so lucky, with nearby Vestavia flooding within an inch of its life- for the second time in recent memory, I might add. Send those Valentine well-wishes their way. 💖

Anyway, for obvious reasons, internet has been spotty in our area, and it's been near-impossible to get anything done. But at least we had power and the like, so I'm not really complaining. I'll finish the movie list when I finish it- I'm sure it's not that big of a deal to most of you.

But, in the meantime, I did want to get this one in while it was still timely: it's my take on the two Valentine's Day-themed episodes of the horror anthology series, Into the Dark. Enjoy, and hope you have a better holiday than these two ladies! 💕

I suppose it's to be expected that the two Valentine's Day-themed episodes of Into the Dark revolve around toxic masculinity, but it is interesting that one is directed (and written) by a man and one is written and directed by a woman, and how much of a difference that makes in the grand scheme of things.

The first basically plays like a man's fantasy- think one of those "Letters to Penthouse," for those who can remember back that far- but gone horribly awry; while the second plays like a woman's fantasy gone terribly wrong. Both have points to make about the awkwardness of love in the modern age, but one is more interested in the horror elements than the ramifications of the scenario, while the other is more focused on the emotional toll taken on its heroine than the horror. 

Let's start with Down, the fifth episode of season one of the show. The set-up is basically the underrated P2-by way of Devil. It's hard to talk about without revealing certain things, but that description should take care of it for those who have seen the films. Basically, two people are stuck in an elevator over the extended Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend, and are unable to contact anyone to get out, forcing them to stay there for the four-day weekend until help can arrive.

Now, if you're wondering why they aren't able to call for help or use the alarm button on the elevator keypad, there's a reason for that. The first reason, in terms of using their cell phones, is that they can't get a signal (but of course), the other reason would be revealing too much. But rest assured, that does eventually get explained as well. Either way, they're stuck, and are forced to make the best of things. 

The twosome in question are office workers Jennifer Robbins (Natalie Martinez, CSI:NY, Under the Dome) and Guy (Matt Lauria, Friday Night Lights, Tell Me a Story). At first, it seems like the recipe for a "meet cute," rom-com style. The two have an easy attraction to one another, and get along like gangbusters. The actors themselves have an easy chemistry as well, probably because they have worked together before, on the TV show Kingdom. 

However, this being a horror anthology and all, it isn't too long before things take a turn. We discover that Guy has had a secret crush on Jennifer for some time, and that their meeting may not have been completely a happy coincidental circumstance. It, in fact, may have been the machinations of someone else entirely.

We also discover that Guy may have some secrets in his past that make spending an extended period of time stuck in an elevator with him less than ideal. He may also not be quite who he says he is, much to Jennifer's dismay. Four days is a long time to be stuck in one location, and inevitably, secrets come to the forefront, with confessions on both sides.

What we have here is basically what would be called a "bottle" episode on a normal show, which is to say, an episode that features a limited amount of characters and locations, typically written on the fly and because something else fell through and the show-runners need to buy some time. 

This being an anthology show, where each episode is basically feature-length, my guess it was a clever way to keep costs down. Though there are some scenes set elsewhere, there's not many, so it must have made for a quick shoot, and a low budget to boot, all things considered.

The episode was written by Kent Kubena, a producer best-known for Turistas, the first remake of Black Christmas, Gods of Egypt and Hotel Mumbai. This is his first writing credit, so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but having seen three out of four of those aforementioned films, I can say that this effort is at least in keeping with his other output, for better or worse, which is to say: okay, but nothing spectacular. 

Meanwhile, the director is Daniel Stamm, who directed several episodes of the criminally-underrated Intruders, as well as an episode each of Scream: The Series and Fear the Walking Dead and the feature films The Last Exorcism and 13 Sins. Exorcism was an okay found-footage possession flick that was, at the very least, better than The Devil Inside. (Not saying much, I know.)

Down definitely has its moments, and the last twenty minutes or so are engaging and exciting, with lots of action and a little bit of gore, as some unexpected visitors show up. I also liked the ending, though one has to wonder how a certain someone is going to explain how all of this insanity went down- something this film has in common with the next one, BTW. 

Yes, there are some issues with plotting- for instance, there are several instances in which, had the character behaved in a certain way, a lot could have been avoided, and, if the circumstances had been real, they probably would have done just that, but, this being a movie, we're just supposed to go along with them making dumb decisions or doing stupid things because it is what it is. For that matter, had certain characters- on either side of the equation, I might add- simply finished the job at hand, they could have saved themselves a lot of grief.

But, if you're a longtime horror fan like I am, you're probably used to such dopey plot machinations and head-slappingly dumb character moves. It's all sort of par for the course, as they say. It doesn't mean we can't do better, though, so I feel compelled to bring it up, anyway, i.e. phones conveniently not working, people not fully checking to make sure other people aren't really dead, people stupidly putting themselves in harm's way in a way that could have easily been avoided, etc. 

When all is said and done, though, Down isn't bad, just sort of predictable, at least once you get to a certain point. You might not see the first twist coming, but once you get to the final act, you shouldn't have any trouble figuring out where all this is headed. Still, it's very well-acted by the main two stars, and ably directed, with some tensely-staged set-pieces and some decent acting, all of which make it a decent watch overall, so it's a solid enough time-waster. 

On the other hand, the clever, ripped-from-the-headlines, recent episode of the show, My Valentine, is far better, if you're looking to make a choice between the two. The story revolves around a down-and-out musician named- what else?- Valentine (Britt Baron, GLOW), that decides to stage a comeback after her former abusive boyfriend-turned manager/producer, Royal (Benedict Samuel, Gotham, The Walking Dead), emerges with a carbon-copy performer, Trezzure (Anna Lore, Doom Patrol, Katie), that is starting to hit it big on the charts- with Valentine's material.

If this sounds familiar, then you must be a fan of either Kesha (aka Ke$ha) or Poppy (aka That Poppy), two pop singers with decidedly similar tales to tell. In Kesha's case, she accused her former producer, Dr. Luke (aka Lukasz Gottwald), of being emotional and physically abusive, and allegedly raping her at one point after drugging her. She also said it wasn't the first time, and that he had done the same thing to fellow pop star Katy Perry, who has stayed mute on the subject, for the record, though her "team" denied it. 

Thus far, Kesha has been on the losing side of the argument in court, though public support has been on her side. Of course, as we all too sadly know, it's tough to prove such allegations- just ask Christine Blasey Ford, who had to see her accuser appointed to the highest court in the land, in spite of her moving- and highly credible- testimony. Only time will tell if Kesha wins her own battle, but thus far, it doesn't look good.

Meanwhile, Poppy's situation is even more like the one portrayed here. Along with her producer and co-writer, Titanic Sinclair (aka Corey Michael Mixter), Poppy came up with the persona, and the two began releasing quirky videos and songs together, all the while engaging in a romantic relationship. As Poppy's star began to rise, fellow performer Mars Argo (aka Brittany Sheets) emerged, accusing them of ripping off her act- turns out that she and Sinclair used to date, and he had unsuccessfully tried to do a similar act with her before they broke up. 

Poppy denied it at first, but eventually discovered that it was indeed true- Sinclair had removed all trace of Argo's work on the internet to hide his subterfuge- and admitted that Sinclair had also been emotionally abusive to her, just as Argo had claimed. Argo's lawsuit against Sinclair was eventually settled out of court, with charges against Poppy dropped, and Argo getting back the rights to her "character."

Poppy and Sinclair have since gone their separate ways, and her sound and look have changed dramatically as a result, with Poppy going into a direction similar to that of Asian girl group Babymetal, which is to say, a combination of pop music and thrash metal. As much as I dug some of what her and Sinclair got up to, I must say this new version of Poppy is much more up my alley and far more original, at least from a musical standpoint, than her former sound. In a word, she's better off all around. 

So, basically, what writer/director Maggie Levin (the TV shows The Friendless Five & Miss 2059) has done is to slightly fictionalize these two real-life incidents, much like Law & Order and other shows of its ilk do all the time with other real-life cases, only, in this instance, she's given it more of a horror slant.

Basically, Royal shows up to confront Valentine after one of her concerts, to tell her to back off and stop performing "his" material and dressing like "his" artist, Trezzure, even though she wrote the songs and they came up with the look together. In exchange, he'll "let" her write the material for Trezzure's next album, and get paid this time around, but she has to permanently retire and stop publicly claiming Trezzure is ripping off her act.

Perhaps needless to say, Valentine doesn't take too kindly to this proposition, and it's there that things take a turn and get violent. The remainder of the episode is basically the showdown between Royal and Valentine, with Trezzure, Valentine's bandmate Julie (YouTuber Anna Akana, who also created and starred, along with Lore, in the aforementioned Miss 2059), and others, including the vocal members of Trezzure's internet fan club, getting caught in the crossfire.

This episode is far-better written than Down, with acutely-noted character development that is adeptly augmented by flashbacks to Valentine and Royal's troubled relationship. These scenes help to fill in the blanks of the story and support Valentine's version of events, which, naturally, Royal tries to deny, especially when Trezzure is around. 

Will Valentine get the best of Royal once and for all? Will Trezzure come to her senses and side with Valentine? You'll just have to watch and see for yourself, but I think you'll see what's coming overall- but that doesn't make it any less satisfying. I suppose one could say the same thing about Down, but the situation here is a little easier to commiserate with than that one.

Put another way, in Down, we do sympathize with the male character to a point: he's charming, and he isn't wrong about it being hard to forge a connection with people being so self-involved- it's just the way he goes about it that's dubious. Here, there's no doubt that Royal is a bad guy, and that he'll go on to abuse Trezzure- if he hasn't already- the same way he did with Valentine. As such, there's no denying that we are fully rooting for Valentine here. 

In that regard, I suppose Down is the more challenging watch- after all, we do sympathize with Guy, at least at first. But My Valentine is just plain better all around, despite a somewhat similar "bottle" episode type set-up that takes place largely in one location, just like Down. However, we also get those flashbacks, and some nifty music videos that are very much of the moment, popular-music-wise.

Somewhat ironically, the music is actually by someone else than the people we're seeing- a performer who goes by the name of Dresage (aka Keeley Bumford, because you knew there had to be an "aka" in there somewhere, lol). BTW, that's the band's spelling, not mine, spell-check! Anyway, the girls do a good job with the whole lip-sync thing, so you shouldn't have trouble buying it. 

I'm not sure either episode is solid Valentine's Day viewing, at least if you're looking for romance. But if your reaction to Valentine's Day is, well, like most people's reaction to actual VD, then you should have a bloody good time with either, though I lean slightly more towards My Valentine.
It's just a better idea for a storyline, what with it mirroring things that are actually happening in current events, as opposed to what goes down in Down, which seems unlikely to be something that could actually happen, even under the given circumstances, which are themselves a bit iffy.

Interestingly, though, I thought My Valentine was a better version of what Black Mirror got up to in the episode "Rachel, Jack & Ashley, Too," which was more silly than scary- not exactly BM's standard operating procedure, which tends to lean more towards the disturbing. Go figure.

Both episodes of Into the Dark are worth at least a watch, though, thanks to solid acting all around, interesting plotlines and decent writing and directing. They're nowhere near the best the ongoing series has to offer, to be sure, but they're not bad, either. If you're down on Valentine's Day, you could do a lot worse- but you could also do better. My Bloody Valentine, for instance- either one. 😍 

PS: Longtime fans of Into the Dark, be sure and keep an eye out for a Pooka cameo in My Valentine!