I can say with the upmost confidence that The Bye Bye Man is a movie I will remember for a long time for all the wrong reasons. This is easily one of the worst horror films I've seen in a long time. As I type this review, my head is still spinning from the sheer stupidity I've witnessed. If you notice terrible grammar and poor sentence structure in this review, it's most likely due to the amount of brain cells this movie extracted from me. The film is about three teenagers who've recently purchased a creepy old house that Elvis Presley would sing about in his song "In the Ghetto". When our protagonist finds a nightstand with "The Bye Bye Man" sketched on the inside, paranormal occurrences begin to happen all over the house. Basically if anyone says or thinks "The Bye Bye Man", he and his poorly rendered CGI Rottweiler will kill them. I realize that was a terrible synopsis, but it was a terrible movie and I just want to tear it apart now. The acting in this film is absolutely dreadful. All of the written dialogue and onscreen chemistry resembled a film you would see on the sci-fi channel on Tuesday night. The plot is equally terrible if not worse. For example, there's a scene where the main character wants to research the bye bye man to find out what exactly he is. Well since the film takes place in 2017, he naturally goes to the library.....the library. There is literally a shot earlier in the film displaying an iMac. Apparently the film wants to be set in the 50s. There's also a recurring nuisance in which the characters say exactly what they're thinking while they're performing an action. And by "recurring" I mean literally all the time. I also think it goes without saying that we never learn anything about the bye bye man. His story, motive, high school years, favorite ice cream flavor at Ben & Jerry's, none of it is revealed. On the bright side, the terrible acting, scares, and effects can be so terrible that they're laughable. If you ever find yourself hanging out with a bunch of friends and you're in the mood to just ridicule a god awful film, this is definitely one to check out. But if you're looking for any other reason to watch it, the best advice I can give is don't see it, don't think it.
Reviews
17 Reviews
Christopher Robin
(2018)
Christopher Robin review by Hogan Coad
14 April 2019
Christopher Robin tells the story of the title character many of us are aware of from the classic Winnie the Pooh stories. In this film, Christopher Robin is all grown up and seems to have forgotten how to have fun and frequently gets too caught up in his work, resulting in his wife and daughter slowly slipping away from him. When Christopher encounters his childhood friend Winnie the Pooh in the real world, he begins to learn the importance of simply enjoying life and not wasting it working all day long. This type of story has been told hundreds of times in various movies and most people will know the message before the film even starts. My issues with Christopher Robin stem from this predictable story as well as the focus. I grew up watching lot of Winnie the Pooh cartoons and grew to love the ensemble cast including Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, etc. These characters were basically sidelined in this movie and serve the plot only to bring comedy relief. I understand the film isn't necessarily about those characters, it's about Christopher Robin. I don't see any problem focusing less on the supporting cast and more on Christopher if the film aims for a more mature story to tell, which is not at all the case. The filmmakers clearly wanted to keep a light hearted and child-like tone for the story. As a result, the decision to focus on Christopher Robin, who is portrayed the same way every protagonist in this type of story is portrayed, works against the film's level of entertainment. Since nothing new or inventive is done with the core character, the scenes surrounding him feel slow, predictable, and all around boring to adult viewers while taking up a majority of the runtime. I also have a feeling that most children will be disappointed to find a lot of the hundred acre wood cut out and replaced with an adult man working at a luggage retail company. I'm not going to act like Christopher Robin is a terrible movie with a bad message or anything. The acting is fine all around and the scenes within the hundred acre wood are entertaining enough. Even the message, though it's been done a billion times, is still a wholesome message. Like I said, the reason Christopher Robin doesn't work for child and grownup audiences is the tone and focus, which simply do not match. Kids are going to be thrown off by the focus of real world characters and adults are going to be disengaged from the childish tone the film presents. If a kid really wanted to watch this movie, there's no harm in them seeing it. Just don't be surprised if they're not sitting in front of the television after twenty or thirty minutes. Though it is a harmless film, Christopher Robin doesn't quite hit the magic note that warms the hearts of kids and adults alike.
Observe and Report
(2009)
Observe and Report review by Hogan Coad
14 April 2019
Seth Rogen plays a mall security guard named Ronnie who gets caught up in various cases of flashing and theft that occur at his workplace. In order to prove to himself and everyone else that he is worthy of legal authority, Ronnie takes it upon himself to become a police officer and stop all crime that gets in his way. Observe and Report is truly a dark comedy done right. Though a good chunk of the jokes are mean spirited, they're also very funny. As I pointed out in my review of Dirty Work, in order for shocking humor to work, there must be enough dedication to make the jokes funny or else the audience will just be disgusted rather than laughing. Unlike Dirty Work, Observe and Report has a lot of effort put into it. Rogen is absolutely fantastic in the lead role of Ronnie. Even though this character's actions are not justifiable and he perceives the world with no dose of reality, we still can't help but sympathize and even root for him when things don't go his way. The supporting cast is also very good, providing some truly memorable performances from Ray Liotta, Anna Farris, and Michael Peña. Even the actors with little screen time such as Danny McBride or Azziz Ansari do a great job with the small amount of lines given to them. Among all of these talented actors, the person who deserves the most credit is the writer and director Jody Hill. Hill's script and direction match together perfectly and really create a violent, dark, quirky, funny, and sometimes even heartfelt film. She clearly had a vision and merges it onto the screen with such passion. My issues with the film are minor and only become present toward the climax. Without giving anything away, there is a character twist toward the end that comes out of nowhere and doesn't really feel earned. Perhaps if this character had more screen time it would have affected me a lot more. As is, it's not a terrible twist. It just feels a bit rushed and unfocused as it continues throughout the rest of the film. Aside from that, Observe and Report is the definition of a well done dark comedy. You may not like it, but you'll definitely laugh with it.
Captain Marvel
(2019)
Captain Marvel movie review by Hogan Coad
7 April 2019
Although I greatly admire the Marvel cinematic universe and its contributions to the superhero genre, I have to acknowledge that Captain Marvel is among the weakest of its productions. The best way for me to describe this film is through a hypothetic scenario. Suppose I am an average moviegoer who has only seen a few Marvel movies and doesn't really follow the grand story of it all. Someone then asks me what to expect when seeing a Marvel movie. To this I reply "some decent action, a few funny moments, and an empowering message." Even though a lot of other Marvel films try different things with these basic elements, Captain Marvel rides this simple formula to the furthest degree. As a result, a pretty boring experience is conceived. This is easily the most I've yawned while watching a Marvel movie in a long time. Without comparing it to other films within the universe, I'll focus on it as a stand alone movie. As a stand alone film, its still not very interesting. My biggest issue with Captain Marvel is the title character herself played by Brie Larson. I have no doubt that Larson can pull off a great performance, but she gives maybe three facial expressions throughout the whole film. There is also no arch to Carol Danvers' story. She merely learns something she never realized about her past and that's about all there is to her. This is not fault of Larson, bit rather poor directing and generic writing. The supporting cast was easily the best part about the film. Samuel L. Jackson is once again very likable as Nick Fury, the green shape shifting antagonists turn out to be pretty interesting, and Danvers' best friend played by Lashana Lynch gives a very believable performance. Even though these characters are performed well, they still re not written in a unique way. As for everything else, it's all stuff that's been seen before in other superhero films with nothing new or interesting added to the recipe. The humor is standard, the action is standard, and the effects are standard. In fact the effects start to look almost laughably cheap during portions of the final space battle. On the whole, Captain Marvel isn't awful, there just isn't anything to gain from it. The story is predictable with all of its components being done to death already and the main character is not captivating in the least. Captain Marvel simply isn't worth seeing given the impressive lineup of superhero films we've gotten over the past ten years.
Dirty Work
(1998)
Dirty Work review by Hogan Coad
5 April 2019
Dirty Work stars Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange as two best friends who start a revenge business to help people get back at those who wronged them. The two must earn 50,000 dollars from the business so they can pay a doctor played by Chevy Chase to perform a heart transplant on Lange's bed written father. I really respect Norm Macdonald as a comedian. His signature brand of anti humor never ceases to make me laugh. That being said, the man cannot act in this film. Every time the camera was on him, he looked like he wanted to be done with the take as soon as it started. I never saw a character, I just saw Norm Macdonald trying to play a character. As for Dirty Work as a whole, it's not an awful comedy, but it's not funny enough either. It drew out five or six genuine laughs from me, but most of the jokes just resort to shock humor and bad taste. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but if a film takes that route there has to be a lot of passion and energy behind it to make the viewer laugh despite the fact they won't agree with the ethics of the scenario. There simply isn't enough energy or care put into Dirty Work to successfully carry out this task. As a result, the risqué jokes aren't told because the situation in the story calls for it, but rather because the movie just wanted to tell them for the sake of telling them. There are a lot of talented comedians among the cast such as Chevy Chase, Don Rickles, and Chris Farley, but even they feel like they're just going about their usual routines. Aside from a few strangely hilarious moments, including a hillucuantion scene involving Adam Sandler and Gary Coleman that I can never unsee, Dirty Work doesn't have a lot to offer. Like I said, it's not an awful film. It just needed more energy and a better script to work in the types of jokes it was going for. Though it occasionally succeeded, it wasn't enough for me.
Stargate
(1994)
Stargate review by Hogan Coad
5 April 2019
Stargate is a 1994 science fiction action film starring Kurt Russell and James Spader as they venture through a newly uncovered portal known as a star gate.This device transports them to the other side of the galaxy. In order to get back to earth, they must overthrow an alien overlord and save an enslaved civilization. What underwhelmed me the most about Stargate was its severe lack of creativity. Take the film's setting for example- When I heard that the characters would be transported to the other side of the galaxy, I was excited to see what this world would look like. After all, it's the other side of the galaxy. Well, it turns out the other side of the galaxy is a giant sandbox as the rest of the film takes place in a barren, uninteresting desert. After this letdown, I thought to myself that perhaps the lifeforms the characters come across will look creative, since they are in fact an ancient alien civilization. I suppose this movie has never seen a a human wearing a robe since these are the character designs of the supposed aliens. I normally wouldn't single out these personal disappointments if there was enough story or character to keep me invested. Unfortunately, the chemistry between these characters is non existent. I felt no camaraderie between Russell or Spader and I felt no romance between Spader and the woman he later falls in love with on the planet. The villain is also incredibly boring and speaks in the same monotone voice throughout the whole film. There's also a lot of pointless story elements thrown in that add nothing to the overall picture. For example, Kurt Russell's character had a son who tragically killed himself while playing with a firearm. Aside from one admittedly well done scene with Russell and one of the young aliens, there is no reason to include this depressing backstory. It's never referenced again for the rest of the movie. There is yet another character we're introduced to at the very beginning of the movie who's built up as a very important character when she recruits Spader, gives him a necklace from when she was a child, and motivates Spader to walk into the star gate. I guess she wasn't that important after all because she vanishes from the story entirely. All these pointless inclusions are designed just to fool the audience into thinking they're watching something important and epic, when in reality the film just wants to show off its production and soundtrack. I kid you not, at least sixty percent of the film consist of long shots of structures or landscapes made for us to sit and marvel at for two hours. For me, that's not an ideal movie experience. I see a movie to become invested in a story that allows me to connect with the main characters. Stargate just feels like a cinematic hot pocket. It presents itself in a way that makes you want to consume it, but once you take a bite, you get explosive diarrhea.
Colette
(I) (2018)
Colette review by Hogan Coad
25 March 2019
My thoughts regarding Collette are conflicted to say the least. On one hand, the film is a well-acted, complex love story. On the other hand, it's a well-acted mess that doesn't know what it wants to say. I'll begin by covering the one element of the film I know I liked: the leads. Keira Knightly and Dominic West are a great onscreen couple. They both have human flaws, but the script also acknowledges the true affection between them. In addition to their romance, they also share a relationship as business partners, adding another layer of complexity to their relationship. Through the progression of this love story, I didn't hate one or idolize the other, which I admired on a screenwriting level. However, about halfway through the film, the dialogue and tone start to side with Collette more and more even though the previous scenes never indicated the story held this ethical position. I understand that her name is the title of the picture, but there are still biographical films that don't necessarily support the central figure's motives or actions. In the first hour or so, the film seemed to simply display Colette's life without assigning the roles of a good or bad guy. The story focused and kept the central dramatic elements in check. After this, Colette starts, I don't want to say "falling apart", rather biting off more than it can chew. New characters are introduced quite literally out of nowhere even though they play very important roles. Colette also starts pursuing a career in theatre for reasons that are never really explained. And her husband Willy (Dominic West) is suddenly made out to as the film's antagonist. I would not mind this dramatic shift if more time was dedicated to the relationship. But like I said, there are so many separate events unfolding in the last hour or so that it's impossible to make sense of it all. In fact, the end credits reveal even more important events took place later in her life, that I quite frankly would have liked to see. I think the film makers struggled deciding what approach to use while telling this story. At first, the film seemed purely subjective as it took a neutral stance and simply showed the events one after another. Perhaps the writers later decided they weren't comfortable with this approach and took a one-sided angle for the rest of the project. I don't prefer one point of view over the other, but I wish Colette would have committed to a single method of cinematic storytelling. I've though about this film a lot and have decided to give it a small recommendation. It is a well acted, well-directed, and well-shot picture from beginning to end, but there is a distracting perspective shift that audiences should be aware of.
About a Boy
(2002)
Cliched but Focused
24 March 2019
Starring Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult, About A Boy is (for lack of a better term) about a boy who's depressed mother recently attempted suicide. The boy Marcus, played by Nicholas Hoult, befriends a grown man played by Hugh Grant. The man doesn't seem to have an agenda with life other than lounging around and hooking up with women. However, as Marcus forces himself into the man's life and even his home, the two begin to form an almost brother-like relationship and realize the importance of life and all that mushy stuff that warms the hearts of audiences. I have to give a lot of credit to Nicholas Hoult who, despite his age, delivers a very honest performance that fits perfectly with the written character. I really loved watching him interact with his mother played by Toni Collette. I never for a second doubted these two were not mother and son. They were a joy to watch and deserve a lot of credit for their work. Hugh Grant does a decent job as well, though not quite as emotional or authentic as Hoult or Collette. I also really admired the film's sense of humor. There are a lot of dark jokes that make the script stand out from other pictures of its genre. I liked that About a Boy never saw itself as too important to throw in humor, despite its disturbing subject matter such as depression and attempted suicide. The film does have a few issues, however. Toward the second half of the story, there are new characters introduced that I didn't find that memorable and I didn't see as important to the screenplay. I think the story would have held up fine if it revolved around the original core relationships. Additionally, there is a lot of narration in this film that, while occasionally funny and cleverly used, can also feel unnecessary given the classic "show don't tell" method of screenwriting. A few cliched moments are also thrown into the plot toward the film's climax. They're about as predictable as you would expect and they don't offer any originality. Though it's not a perfect film, I enjoyed About a Boy. I think the main characters and their relationships are written and performed superbly with the inclusion of very well written humorous moments. I recommend About a Boy for these reasons alone.
Dead Ringers
(1988)
Classically Disturbing
18 March 2019
Directed by David Cronenberg, who has made a name for himself by directing some of the most disturbing pictures of all time, Dead Ringers stars Jeremy Irons as a pair of twin gynecologists. From the opening sequence, we get a sense that these characters are more dependent on each other than the average twins. When one of the brothers, Beverly, falls in love with a famous actress, the other brother Elliot becomes disturbingly more aware of the pair's amoebic relationship. Throughout the film, we see both of these intelligent, charming men deteriorate into madness. Dead Ringers is another well made and disturbing film from Cronenberg, but not in the sense one would think based on his other works. Dead Ringers is unsettling due to the psychological nature of the story rather than grotesque visuals, aside from one nightmare sequence. In fact, Cronenberg himself stated he views the film as a drama rather than a horror movie. Much like the classic horror films such as Noseferatu, Frankenstein, or Dracula, the horror of Dead Ringers is shrouded in the ideas and performances rather than up close physical gore. Speaking of performances, Jeremy Irons is absolutely terrific as Bailey and Elliot. Even though the two look completely identical, you can always tell them apart based on the way Irons behaves as the character in question. He constantly walks the line between sophistication and insanity, giving us not one, but two great performances. Cronenberg and Irons lend immense credibility to a story that could be seen as silly with the wrong people involved. Whether you see the film as a drama or thriller, Dead Ringers is a smart and disturbing film that takes full advantage of its themes through purely psychological approaches.
Friday
(1995)
Funniest Day of the Week
18 March 2019
Friday stars Ice Cube and Chris Tucker as two young adults and best friends going about their daily lives. One Friday morning, Tucker's character Smokey gets into trouble with a local loan shark. Ice Cube's character, Craig, is unwillingly dragged into the mess, adding more complications to the character's current life situation. The two are told they have until that evening to pay the money Tucker owes or they'll both be killed. I had a great time watching this film due to its laid back vibe. It doesn't feel like the audience is watching a movie with a coherent narrative, but instead watching characters hang out and interact with one another. And I mean this in the best possible way. Part of Friday's enjoyment stems from the energetically funny cast, particularly the two leads. Smokey and Craig share an onscreen chemistry comparable to other hilarious duos such as Cheech and Chong or Wayne and Garth. They're not the film's only shining stars, however. The supporting cast which includes F. Gary Gray, John Witherspoon, Bernie Mac, Angela Means, and many more. Each actor gives their performance just the right amount of effort and pure fun to create very memorable characters that may not have a lot of screen time, but certainly leave a lasting impression. The amount of slapstick and lowbrow humor the writers use is also very refreshing and proves that humor can take many forms. This type of comedy is usually looked down upon as immature, but humor is humor. Immature or not, these jokes were funny. This movie made me laugh a lot and I recommend Friday to any lover of film and/or comedy.
Dumplin'
(2018)
A Stale Dumplin
15 March 2019
Dumplin is a Netflix original that stars Danielle MacDonald as Willowdean Dickson. After the passing of her aunt, Willow decides to enter a local beauty pageant ran by her own mother, played by Jennifer Anniston. Due to her heavy stature, Willowdeen hopes to start a revolution against the pageant and prove how foolish it is to her mother, who won the pageant herself in the past. From this general synopsis, you can probably gather that the film focuses on the relationship between MacDonald and Anniston. After all, the two play both mother and daughter and arch rivals. Unfortunately, the film is not as devoted to this relationship as it is to other cliches you would expect with this kind of story. Most of Dumplin's runtime focuses on Willow's relationship with her fellow pageant contestants as well as a romantic relationship with a boy she works with. I wouldn't mind these angles if the story offered anything original or captivating, which it doesn't. These plot lines are incredibly predictable and offer nothing that we haven't seen before. This makes the film feel more like a tired romantic comedy than a story of a daughter standing up to her mother. Dumplin is an interesting film to review because I feel there is a stronger movie within this script that was never allowed to surface. However, I can only identify mere traces of Dumplin's potential in the final product. As an example, all of the actors give very believable performances. This is one of Jennifer Anniston's best performances in film and her scenes with MacDonald carry a lot of dramatic weight. Maddie Baillio also does a great job for her relatively smaller role in the film. Nevertheless, she was charming to watch and created a very likable character. I also admire that this picture does not paint Willowdean as a victim. As the film progresses, she realizes that even if she wants to resist the pageant, she still has to play by its rules. This is a very unique and profound message that isn't tackled often in film. Dumplin is not an awful picture, but it isn't good either. I really wanted this film to be recommendable by the end of the review. If the filmmakers focused more on the core relationship between Willowdean and her mother, I think the film would have been a lot stronger. Alas, this was not the case. Though Dumplin is not a terrible movie, it is certainly not good and disappointing overall.
Empire Records
(1995)
There is No Dog in this Movie
15 March 2019
There are some films that may not be perfect, but have just the right amount of charm and nostalgic value that you can't help but enjoy them. Empire Records is not one of those films. I know some people have a soft spot for this one, but not me. Empire Records is one of the most abysmally annoying films I've ever seen in my life. There is no character, no charm, no originality, no effort! It all feels like one long, poorly edited music video with a sloppy screenplay attached at the last minute. Speaking of which, this movie is written terribly! There is a point when one character commits a federal crime, which would normally result in a prison sentence, and the action is brushed off like nothing! In fact, there are multiple scenes just like this. The film also has the dignity to take difficult subject matter such as drugs, depression, and even suicide, and just brush them off in its own idiotic way before returning to more quick editing, loud music, and screaming teenagers. I want to say Empire Records is so bad it's good, but that would require actual enjoyment from the film. As far as that goes, I received none. Other than all that, I would reccomed seeing this film if you're catatonic.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
(2018)
Too Much Story, Not Enough Space
12 March 2019
Ant-Man & the Wasp stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang in this second installment of the character's saga. Scott is three days away from the end of his house arrest, but unexpectedly involves himself in another adventure when Hope and Hank find a way to bring back Hope's mother who went missing in the quantum realm many years ago. Meanwhile, a villainess known as Ghost emerges to steal Hank's lab for her own purposes. Ant-Man & the Wasp offers some much needed sunshine to a rather grim chapter in the MCU. The smaller story and heavier focus on humor was refreshing to see after Infinity War. I appreciate the film's commitment to this tone and that it didn't try to be anything more. That being said, I can't say it works as a whole. Though the story is on a much smaller scale, the writers threw in way too much material to fit into one movie. By the film's resolution, it doesn't really feel like these stories concluded rather than stopped suddenly in their tracks. The movie is approximately two hours long and this simply was not enough time to devote to the amount of story shoved into it. As an audience member, I can't say I really cared what happened to the characters by the end aside from the main plot line involving Scott, Hank, and Hope. Though Ant-Man & the Wasp's size is refreshingly smaller, the amount of content crammed into that small space was simply too much.
A Wrinkle in Time
(2018)
A Wrinkle in Life
12 March 2019
Based on the fantasy novel, A Wrinkle in Time follows a girl and her younger brother as they venture through reality to find their father who went missing years ago. Along the way, they come across a slew of creative characters and eye pleasing visuals. And that's about all the film has to offer. A Wrinkle in Time is not only overly whimsical, but also contains moments that are so awful they're almost laughably bad. One of these scenes involves a gigantic Oprah Whinfrey who plays Mrs.Which, gazing down like a diety at the main characters as they whimsically run through an enchanting island, even though their father's life is on the line. The rest of the film is a series of forcefully enchanting moments that don't exactly propel the story. Sometimes the filmmakers even throw in some modern pop music! It only gets cheesier from there. The film's only saving grace lies in the relationship between Chris Pine and Storm Reid. Both of these actors do a good job conveying a father-daughter relationship through acting alone. Keep in mind I said "acting" alone. Toward the end of the film, one of these characters does something very unforgivable that isn't addressed for the remaining of the film. In terms of dramatics storytelling, this ruins the once believable relationship. Aside from some nice visuals, which honestly could have been better considering the film was made under Disney, A Wrinkle in Time is a forgettable and overblown fantasy that is worth skipping over.
Glass
(2019)
An Unbroken Trilogy
11 March 2019
The highly anticipated sequel to 2017's Split and, to the surprise of many audiences, 2000's Unbreakable, Glass ties both of these stories and characters together in this third installment from director M.Night Shyamalan. In this crossover, Bruce Willis' David Dun comes into conflict with the infamous Beast, played by James McAvoy. Samuel L. Jackson also reprises his role as the title character Mr.Glass. All three of these characters wind up in the same mental institution and are repeatedly questioned by Sarah Paulson's Dr.Staple, who believes they are all delusional of their extraordinary abilities. By far the best part about this film is watching the three main leads interact with one another. Not only is it satisfying to see, but the script offers well written dialogue for the characters to say. I also really appreciated the film's themes, which dive deeper into the ideals explored in Unbreakable. The climax also carries a lot of dramatic weight. I won't spoil what happens, but Shyamalan makes a dramatic screenwriting choice that really pays off, making this film stand out even more. It shows there was care put into the picture and it wasn't just gonna ride the hype train to increase ticket sales. Glass is not unbreakable, however. I did not think Bruce Willis' character received nearly as much screen time as he should have. He feels more like he's in the background of the film opposed to a major character. In addition, the subplots concerning the supporting cast analyzing the unfolding events feels tired and not very interesting. We've already seen a lot of these scenes in Unbreakable, so they don't offer anything that feels fresh in this film. It almost seems like the time dedicated to the supporting cast should have been cut in half and given to Bruce Willis' character instead. Despite its flaws, however, Glass was an overall satisfying film that brought to the table many great interactions and intriguing themes, along with a great sense of care from M.Night Shyamalan.
Bird Box
(2018)
I'd Rather See the Entity
11 March 2019
Starring Sandra Bullock as a soon to be mother, Bird Box centers around a chaotic series of events caused by the presence of a malicious entity. If you see the entity, you kill yourself. Simple enough, yet not really. For some reason, every character in the film has a nervous breakdown when the entity is present, when in reality, all they have to do is not open their eyes. Nevertheless, every character in the film reacts in this over the top manner when they have to set foot outside their place of shelter. As you can probably tell, I was not the biggest fan of this film. While the concept is intriguing and some of the performances are fine, particularly from Danielle MacDonald and B.D. Wong, the film succumbs to the unfortunately typical issues you can almost expect with any bad horror film. There are about a million safer possibilities alternative to the decisions the characters make, the entity is not scary, and Sandra Bullock's character I found to be especially unlikeable and cowardly. Towards the end of the film, she makes a decision that reflects poorly on her and on the film as a whole. This character defining decision was the cherry on the sundae of my reasons for disliking this film. There are much better survival horror films out there, including 2018's A Quiet Place, that I would recommend seeing over this film.
Destination Wedding
(2018)
An Unpleasant Experience in the Right Way
8 February 2019
Currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Destination Wedding is about two cynical wedding guests played by Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder. The film is basically about the two of them going to a destination wedding and forming a romantic relationship. The film doesn't really follow a narrative as much as a series of conversations between the two leads. At first, this narrative choice made the film very boring due to the lack of human connection for these characters. However, roughly around the 40 minute mark, the two experience something together that brings out each of their human nature, allowing us to become invested in the relationship. This isn't an easy movie to watch at first, but once you get past the 40 minute mark, there is a significant improvement that gives a sense of bitter charm to this out of the ordinary romance. I think it's worth a click.
Tell Your Friends