Freaky – Film Review

Posted on July 4, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Christopher Landon

Staring: Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Katie Finneran, Celeste O’Connor, Musha Osherovich and Alan Ruck

Rating: ★★★

In 2017 Christopher Landon directed Happy Death Day, a comedy-horror that took an old comedy film set up, being stuck in a time loop and added a horror spin to it. Happy Death Day is fantastic. It may sound stupid when first hearing about it, but it is an excellent film that’s funny and tense and engaging. The sequel Happy Death Day 2U is also surprisingly great. In my opinion both of these are modern horror classics and will join the ranks of Scream, Halloween and Friday the 13th as films that are passed down through generations of horror fans.

Now Landon, this time writing and directing, has taken another traditional comedy set up, body switching and combined it with a horror twist. The result is Freaky and it’s a pretty decent comedy-horror. It’s not as good as Happy Death Day, but that is a lot to live up to. On its own it is enjoyable and fun. There’s a lot of humour some tense moments throughout.

Vince Vaughn (mostly known for comedy movies, such as Dodgeball and The Internship, but before Freaky, also Norman Bates in the 1998 Psycho remake) is the Blissfield Butcher, an urban legend of a serial killer in the small town of Blissfield. After finding a mystical dagger in the tense opening, he attempts to kill Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton, Little Big Lies). In doing so they end up switching bodies and Millie, in the Butcher’s body, has until midnight to reverse it or she is stuck like that forever.

Freaky is part Halloween/Prom Night and part Freaky Friday (it’s a shame that Jamie Lee Curtis doesn’t make an appearance), it takes the tropes of body-swap stories and combines them into a slasher. Millie is what would be the ‘final girl’ in most slasher films and it’s an interesting idea to swap her with the unstoppable murderer. It’s not particularly scary and for the most part you know the main characters are going to be okay, it would ruin the comedy otherwise. There are some tense scenes, some good deaths and a good number of jump-scares.

The film is too long though, it loses steam towards the end and there’s a fake out ending that isn’t needed. Combined with some clunky dialogue and jokes that aren’t always funny and this stops Freaky from being a modern comedy-horror classic like Happy Death Day.  

Freaky is an enjoyable film, it’s not spectacular and won’t be topping anybody’s top horror film lists, but it’s funny and an interesting concept. It’s a shame it isn’t funnier, but it’s not a bad way to spend an evening. This would make a very good Halloween night film to watch with a bunch of friends.  

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The Watch List – Blue Iguana, Moonrise Kingdom and Bill & Ted Face the Music

Posted on July 4, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Last summer I started writing a series of post, which I called The Watch List. I tried to write these in advance and then put them up at the weekend. There was one that I wrote but didn’t post. It’s been sitting in my drafts since September 30th last year. It was around then that life was getting a bit hectic with work and personal stuff, so I didn’t ever publish it. I keep on seeing it in my drafts and didn’t want to delete it, so I thought I would just publish it today. This will be the last ‘Watch List’ post. I liked doing them, but prefer the challenge of daily film reviews. At least I do at the moment.

I’ve missed a week with posts, it’s been busy. I’ve still been able to relax with a few films though. I continued my way through Wes Anderson’s filmography with Moonrise Kingdom. Part Badlands and part Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Moonrise Kindgom follows Sam and Suzy two 12 year olds who fall in love and run away together on a small island. They are chased by Suzy’s parents, local police and Sam’s scout master. I loved this film. Straight from the beginning with it’s quirky opening I knew this was going to be good and I wasn’t let down at all. It’s funny, touching and quirky.

This is truly a star studded cast with Ed Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton to name a few taking supporting roles to Jared Filman as Sam and Kara Hayward as Suzy. Everyone is brilliant in this film. All together I would say that this is the most charming of Wes Anderson’s films that I’ve seen. There is a melancholic undertone that is woven through the story, but overall there is so much hope in the innocent love between the two leads. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Blue Iguana stars Sam Rockwell and Ben Schwartz. Which was enough to make me want to watch it. I’m a big fan of both. They play Eddie and Paul, respecitvely, two Americans who are hired to pull of a robbery in England. Things don’t go exactly to plan, and a bigger robbery is planned. I think this film is decent, but nothing special. It’s funny in places and the characters do stand out, but there is nothing beyond that. I enjoyed it while watching it, but haven’t really thought abuot it since. There is also a strange scene where someone hides a gun in a bathroom, but it makes no sense why he took the gun in the first place, other to make sure the gun was there for a shoot out they couldn’t have known was coming. It bothered me at the time, and it really sticks out as bad writing thinking back. This film is gruesome and bloody and overall fun to watch but nothing that I will go back to.

The other director’s filmography that Tabby and I are making our way through is Noah Baumbach. He has such a good graps of people lost in their lives and things not going the way they planned. Something I think most, if not all people can relate to. This week we watched While We’re Young, staring Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts as a middle aged couple who become friends with a younger and more hipstery couple played by Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried. At the heart of this film is a battle between integrity and comercialiality as both Ben Stiller and Adam Driver’s characters are documentary makers. I don’t feel like that battle sticks very well throughout the short run time and the best part of the film is just the characters. It’s not hard to get invested in their lives and I enjoyed it for what it was. I do think this is one of Baumbach’s weaker films from what I’ve seen. Even thought it’s around 90 minutes it does feel a lot longer.

The final film I want to talk about this time is the new Bill & Ted film. Bill & Ted Face the Music. It’s been nearly 30 years since the last Bill & Ted film and like many long awaited sequels, especially from comedies series, expectations were low. I like the first two films, although maybe I’m not old enough to appreciate them for what they are. When the film started and Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter appeared back in character I couldn’t help but smile. They are both so brilliant as Bill & Ted and they both step back into their characters so perfectly. They still haven’t written the song that is supposed to unite the world and time has taken its toll on them. They both have daughters, played by Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving who join with their fathers to go on a time travelling adventure to hell and back to finish this song for the sake of the universe. I really enjoyed this one. I think it’s the best of the trilogy, which may be because I wasn’t around when the first 2 came out. I really want to point out that Brigette Lundy-Paine as Billie Logan, Bill’s daughter is absolutely perfect. She mirrors Reeve’s performance brilliantly and deserves all the praise in the wrold. Overall it’s a really fun film and doesn’t fele like a pointless sequel in anyway. I think fans of the original will like it along with newcommers.

The best of the bunch this time is definitely Moonrise Kingdom. It’s quirky, charming, fun and heartwarming. I loved it and can’t recommend it enough. It’s my favourite Wes Anderson film so far and I find it hard to believe it will be topped.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley

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The Tomorrow War – Film Review

Posted on July 3, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Chris McKay

Starring: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge

Rating: ★★★

We are living in a strange world at the moment, where a lot of films intended for cinema release are getting moved onto streaming services. The Tomorrow War is another example of this. It was originally intended for release last year and was pushed back and eventually acquired by Amazon for their streaming service. In some ways it’s a good thing, it means that more people get to see the film. In another way the experience of being in a cinema is missing and this is a film that would benefit from being shown on the big screen.

There is one sequence early on where there is a lot of building tension, the aliens are homing in on them and everything is quiet as the group of characters make their way up a stairway to save a group of researchers. It’s borderline horror and it works so well and would have been an amazing sequence to see on the best screen possible with no screen glare from outside or the noise of passing traffic.

The first 40 or so minutes of The Tomorrow War are absolutely fantastic. It’s gripping and engrossing in a way that most horror and action films can only aspire to. You’re introduced to Dan Forester, played by Christ Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World), on the verge of getting a new job. He’s a work obsessed dad who wants to help the world through science. Pratt’s performance is absolutely fantastic throughout, he has a natural charm and likability about him combined with a believable and strong performance that literally carries the entirety of the film.

During the world cup final in 2022, a group of time travellers from 2050 arrive on the pitch and speak of an impending war with aliens that is due to wipe out the human race. They are looking for people from 2022 to jump to the future to join the fight. Eventually Forester is enlisted, and with prior military experience, takes a lead role in saving our species from extinction.

While the start of The Tomorrow War is fantastic, the middle section isn’t. It quickly loses steam in its second act and starts to really drag a lot. The final section is entertaining and is better than the middle, but still isn’t as good as the first part. Running at 2 hours and 20 minutes, it could really do with some tightening up and shortening down. There is a lot of pointless slow-motion that adds nothing, but pads out the already too-long run time. To add to the sluggish pacing is some very awkward and on the nose dialogue. They repeat things and emphasise points, not giving the audience enough credit that they are paying attention, that combined with an exposition briefing, makes the clunky dialogue stand out and distracts from the film itself.

Chris McKay (who previously co-directed The Lego Move, also with Pratt, as well as directed The Lego Batman Movie) does a good job directing The Tomorrow War, especially capturing the tense moments before the action starts. It builds slowly and is so engrossing that there are moments you will forget you are watching a film. When everything does get fully going, there is an action sequence with enough explosions to make Michael Bay jealous. The effects and CGI is spectacular all the way through. The aliens looks creative and scary enough, and the action sequences are stunning.

After one scene, where Pratt is first brought in to see if he is eligible for being drafted, there is a lot of chaos and confusion. It’s stands out as a strange scene, as it is obviously meant to raise questions and build the tension of the upcoming battles with no time to lose, but you’re just left with wondering if they induct everyone in the same rude way. At that point they had been drafting people for a year. How have they not got it down to a science by then? Surely, they are ahead enough by that point to be able to answer questions without ignoring them and coming across like they are treating people as nothing more than cattle.

The Tomorrow War is a reasonable entry to the long line of sci-fi action films. Parts of it are recycled from things you’ve seen before, but the characters are great, and Pratt’s performance is brilliant enough to carry the film. It does drag towards the middle, but the effects, emotional story and some very good humour elevates this enough to make it enjoyable and entertaining, and even exciting and tense at points.  

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Fear Street Part One: 1994 -Film Review

Posted on July 3, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Leigh Janiak

Starring: Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr. Julia Rehwald and Fred Hechinger

Rating: ★★★

We are currently living in a world of nostalgia, from reboots/remakes/sequels of old classics to new pop-cultured filled originals like Stranger Things. Fear Street is the latest in this style, taking the tropes, set ups, character types from old horror films and updating them for a modern audience, while also setting the story in the past to allow for some older references.

Fear Street is adapted from a teen horror series of books by R. L. Stine and the people who grew up with Stine’s books, will be right at home in this tale of teenagers, a curse that dates back centuries and death.

After a very good tense and chilling opening scene, that harkens back to Scream, the story centres around a group of teenagers as they uncover the mystery of the Shadyside witch. Tonally this film feels like a teen-horror and that’s the source material shining through. It’s like Speilberg tried to create a slasher film. It’s not particularly scary, but the characters are likable and interesting enough that you are compelled by their story and wish them to survive. That being said, there is a lot of gore in the film throughout, with one particular death towards the end that can contend with any classic slasher film death.

The production values are great, with big sets, great effects, and an overall very polished presentation. The use of neon colours really works and makes the whole thing pop on the screen, especially in the opening scene. Originally this was going to get a cinema release, before being moved to Netflix, and it would have been a great night out to see this. I think it has found its home on streaming though, as it will be followed very soon by parts 2 and 3 in binge worthy style.

Fear Street is laid out with references, from visual queues to The Shining and Nightmare on Elm Street, to the most early-90s teen soundtrack possible. Nine Inch Nails, Iron Maiden, Cypress Hill and The Prodigy. At first this can be a little distracting, but as the film moves on it weaves the soundtrack into the classic feeling horror score, combining to create one of the highlights of the movie. It looks like this isn’t going to let up with part 2 either, with Alice Cooper playing over a very Friday the 13th feeling story in the teaser at the end of part 1.

For the most part Fear Street is a retelling of many classic slasher and horror elements. It’s all been done before, repeatedly. It’s part Scream, part Prom Night, part Halloween. In no way is Fear Street trying to re-invent the genre. It owes everything to what came before, and unlike Scream it’s not trying to subvert or deconstruct the slasher genre’s legacy. It follows the basic plot points and does it well. I do wish it were shorter. A 90-minute run time would make this a lot more exciting, as it does start to drag at a few points. Overall, it was good, and I’m looking forward to watching part 2 next Friday.

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976-Evil – Film Review

Posted on July 2, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Robert Englund

Starring: Stephen Geoffreys, Jim Metzler, Maria Rubell, Pat O’Bryan, Sandy Dennis and Robert Picado

Rating: 2/5

Robert Englund is most well known for playing Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. He has also directed 2 films, the first one being 976-Evil way back in 1988. The story is about cousins, Spike, played by Patrick O’Bryan and Hoax, played by Stephen Geoffreys (Fright Night). They both find a business card for a horoscope call-line. They just have to dial 976-Evil. It seems like harmless fun at first, but it turns out that the phone line is a direct connection to the devil.

It’s hard not to think that this is a stupid concept, and it is. The film also executes this concept quite poorly. It’s not scary in the slightest, the acting is the most horrific part of it. Even though it is only 90ish minutes, the film really drags, and it feels longer. There is also an extended version, but I’m not going near that one. The only good thing that can be said about it is that the effects are pretty decent, dated by today’s standard, but good for the time. That isn’t enough though. It’s a forgettable film that really isn’t worth the time.

The only reason to watch this is because it’s Englund’s first directed film. Other than die-hard horror fans who are interested in the history of the genre, there isn’t a reason to watch 976-Evil. It’s not so bad that it’s funny, and it isn’t good. The acting is horrible, which may be typical of 1980s horror but it is hard to get past. The only highlight is Sandy Dennis (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf) as Aunt Lucy, a religious nut who believes that Hoax is being corrupted by his cousin. She’s hamming it up and is intentionally funny. It’s not enough to warrant watching the film, but at least it picks up when she’s on screen.  Robert Picardo (Star Trek Voyager, Stargate) also makes an appearance as the owner of the phone line to the devil. It’s not a big role, but still a surprise to see. You can combine this with Night of the Comet to get a horror marathon of early appearances of the ST Voyager cast, it’s just one’s great and the other isn’t.

The main character is Hoax, which is a stupid name. He’s a geeky kid who’s bullied at school, having to be protected by his cousin Spike all the time. It’s a typical character type, but with a twist. He’s beyond creepy. This is probably because his mum, Aunt Lucy, keeps him on a short leash. He spies on girls, steals their underwear and when he’s found out he decides to torment the girl with a hoard of spiders, sacrificing his pet spider in the process. He’s creepy and not likable even before the devil gets involved.

976-Evil would only be interesting to horror fans. There is nothing here for anyone else. It’s a fairly forgotten film and shouldn’t be revisited. It’s really boring and just isn’t scary. There is probably a good story in the concept somewhere and maybe one day it will get a remake that will do it justice. 

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