Thor: Ragnarok

Men and women have mixed things to offer a film of course. When men have exhausted their ego and character, it’s refreshing to have females to keep ones interest and vice versa I think. Thor: Ragnarok is too long and the ladies below are the highlights of the film.

PG-13 | 2h 10min | Action, Adventure, Comedy | 3 November 2017 (USA)

Imprisoned, the almighty Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization.
Director: Taika Waititi
Writers: Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle | 4 more credits »
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett

I’m 48 and I know I’ll be dead in a few years. Still, I can pay for a ticket and therefore I think my opinion still matters. This comic book investment of Hollywood must stop. None of it is original and they keep blowing millions on uninteresting unentertaining films.

This is a hodgepodge that never goes anywhere and never finds any sense of completion. A few jokes are funny but nothing to justify its high scores on Rotten Tomatoes, and even among my own Twitter tweeps. What is up guys and gals? Wait to watch this on on video. It’s a million dollar snorefest. Having said that these women are beautiful. They kept me awake for the blistering 2:20 runtime. Besides them though, it’s literally nothing new. I’ll refer you to the summary above since I wish to expend no more writing calories on this.

5/10

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Mostly I was struck by the deadpan comedy of this show. Watching Rachel Bloom play this goofy, cute character with such total investment is a laugh a minute. Before too long, I could see it was a periodic musical. I usually don’t like those unless they have amazing tunes. The tunes here are good but the humor is what holds it all together and makes it a behemoth.

Crazy-Ex-Girlfriend-poster1

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Cast

Rachel Bloom, Vincent Rodriguez III, Santino Fontana

Directed by

Steven K. Tsuchida, Alex Hardcastle, Joanna Kerns (multiple more directors)

Created by

Rachel Bloom, Aline Brosh McKenna

Other Info

Comedy, Musical
31 episodes ( As of time of writing this) – 41 min

I always run to my blog when I find a great new show to binge watch. Today it’s Crazy Ex Girlfriend streaming on Netflix. This is not a spoilers review but rather a preview. Rachel Bloom is tons of fun to watch for both myself and my wife so I know she’ll appeal to may viewers. Her self-deprecating humor makes the show entertaining but the music and sketch sets make it a wondrous journey to and from the insanity of love.

In the series, Rebecca Bunch leaves her posh, successful law practice to follow a high school crush (Josh played by Vincent Rodriguez III) to West Covina California where she takes a lesser paying job. She is okay with his because her over-reaching goal is to win the heart of Josh! Meanwhile, she develops a platonic relationship with Josh’s best friend Greg, played by Santino Fontana.

I am sure as the episodes play out we will see a love triangle between Greg, Josh, and Rebecca. She’ll be back and forth a hundred times between the two. This is predictable but always fun when there’s good solid comedy and music in the mix! And not just music, but self-effacing music the lead girls sings and dances to. It’s a riot, Rachel Bloom is a delight and highly entertaining. At time of writing this, the first season is streaming on Netflix. My wife and I are looking forward to binge watching the rest of the first season and then checking out the show as new episodes unfold.

The Hunt

The Salem Witch trials show us how the mob mentality can mindlessly harm a victim. The Hunt shows us what the mob mentality does to a good man when accused of sexual abuse. Even after the very child admits it didn’t happen, the stigma and prejudice remains. Are there some wrongs to reputation that can’t be righted?

the_hunt_poster

The Hunt (Jagten)
Cast

Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp

Directed by

Thomas Vinterberg, known for directing ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’

Written by

Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg

Other Info

R | 1h 55min | Drama
Riley’s Rating:

The mind of a child is a wonderful thing but who can know it or analyze it. Some of us told fibs when we were kids and sometimes they had consequences. Sometimes kids say things for attention that amplify elements of the truth to make a new lie. This is usually innocuous as part of the process of growing up. Sometimes however, the innocent lies of a child can kill.

In The Hunt, Lucas played by Mads Mikkelsen, is a kindergarten teacher. This is somewhat out of the ordinary, in this country anyway, because usually men aren’t teaching this age. He appears to be likeable and the kids feel comfortable around him. One day, however, that changes. Klara, played by Annika Wedderkopp, kisses Lucas on the lips.

He scolds her and says that is only for mommy and daddy. For all intents and purposes, he does everything right but that can’t stop the tsunami of trouble that comes his way. Klara shares that Lucas did lewd things to her, revealing his genitals. The movie consists of Lucas being accused and never being forgiven by the town. It’s all presented in heartbreaking realism. At one point, Lucas cannot even buy food at the local grocery store because the manager has banned him. This is after Lucas has been exonerated by the police investigation.

hunt_3Lucas is having a lot of trouble in this film. Before the sexual accusations occur he is an a match with his ex-wife to get partial custody of his son who is an older teen. Lucas’ son is the most reasonable person in the whole town. He screams at the people who are trying his dad in the streets without having all the facts. He even spts in the face of Klara in the presence of her parents. The bottom line is that he loves his dad and believes in him in spite of the virtual sentencing the town has forced upon him. hunt_1There is some forgiveness but throughout the film and in the last scene especially, on a hunt, we are led to believe that Lucas will never be safe as long as rumors remain. This film lost a star with me because it didn’t develop the relationships at work and with friends enough. It seemed illogical they would respond this way.

The Purge (2013)

With 2 sequels to its name, The Purge has proven it’s a movie people want to go and see. The question is: what is it about this film that keeps viewers coming through the turnstiles? Let’s see.

purge

The Purge
Cast

Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder

Directed by

James DeMonaco

Written by

James DeMonaco

Other Info

Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rated R
1h 25min
Riley’s Rating:

There is something profound about ourselves in this film but it’s more recalcitrant horror with no message about mankind. I imagine one still. Because the movie stops at horror, I can only take away stars that make it less effective horror. If it were a rational drama, for example I’d rate it much lower. Still, the metaphors hang in my consciousness.

I’m writing this review more than 3 years after the original film came out. I must admit I had not seen it until this week. This seems amazing because it is a household name in horror and sci-fi in recent years, and I have been busy at work seeing horror movies. The director James DeMonaco is known for the Purge franchise as well as The Negotiator.

It appears scary when the cover contains a masked villain and it certainly is. The part I saw in this film that not everyone may see is the fact that the villain is really you and me, our inner killer.

Watching CNN or any news channel will show you that people are barking vehemently about the economy and most assuredly welfare. To hear some wealthy folks talk, it would seem they want the poor people killed or “purged” as it were. This would, in theory, lower the unemployment rate and clean up the streets. On the other hand, you have self-proclaimed champions of the poor, like Al Sharpton for example, coming to the defense of welfare recipients. He would likely blame the ghettos and shacks where the undesirable poor live on the rich. They don’t pay their fair share. If you’re within a generation of me (born 1969) you are likely to have heard these arguments.

This film poses an idea that we as people are bloodthirsty. In the Purge, for one night a year, the people are allowed to kill the poor. That’s the crux of the plot in this film. People love the movie. I am interested in what that says about us inside. I see the movie as a metaphor. When we practice hate, we purge (kill). I’d argue further that the poor are just as guilty of this. Some people try to appear diffident but hate is all around in this film. In the same breath, neither side is represented accurately of course, I might add. Still, there is something to this class hate that rings true in our world today.

Unfortunately, this horror movie doesn’t stretch out enough as sci fi and more tenderly examine the disparate classes. That’s where The Purge loses a couple stars with me because it could have. According to the director, we’re all pigs.

Horror has less rules to follow than drama, sci fi, and even suspense but there are some rules it must follow to make it scary.

The killers in the Purge are bigger than life and they don’t seem like normal citizens. This is where the masks come in handy. They add to the scares and give the people a “John Doe” look and demeanor. Perhaps that helps my reading of the film.

Ethan Hawke plays James Sandin, a 30 something alarm and security systems area manager. The neighborhood seems to love him due to the fact that he is keeping the rich shored up with his protective wares. We find out later how some of them really feel. There is so much resentment in this film you could cut it like a knife. The most astounding thing to me is the rapid process that causes normal citizens to kill. He has a high school aged daughter (Adelaide Kane) who is in the house with her boyfriend. They have sex (in keeping with the horror tradition). He has a young son (Max Burkholder) who has health issues and a wife (Lena Headey) who is very strong and definitely a foundation for the family success. I couldn’t help but think he wouldn’t be one of the rich with a slaes job. Still, it’s relatively believable.

I see The Purge as a highly violent Twilight Zone where a commentary on human nature is being displayed. I find this exciting. If only I could believe that movie goers at large saw this message. This is a good horror film that engaged me but that I am surprised was made into 2 other sequels. I am not sure I’ll be quick to see #3, though I will see it for sure. I have watched #2 already. If you go purely for horror you will enjoy it. If you want the Purge to show you a message about democracy and humanity, you’ll need to wait for a better made sci fi film. I recommend it to you as a well-made horror film and poorly crafted sci fi with potential.

Hush

Hush was made for under $75,000 usd but leaves us with the Hush product which is as scary as any high budget horror film. It’s a “thinking person’s scary” which some may prefer to the pure slice and dice variety, though there is certainly some of that here.
hush movie posterThis film was directed by Mike Flannigan (Oculus). He co-write the film with Kate Siegel (plays the main character Maddie) who in real life shares a house with Flannigan. In fact, several sources indicate they wrote the screenplay with their home layout as a blueprint. She starred in Oculus.

“Hush” is a thriller and horror movie that features a deaf writer at her laptop being broken in on and attacked by a masked man. There are few casualties, few actors, and definitely a few gallons of blood spilled on scene. One original component that builds suspense is that the main character/victim is deaf. This is an ingenious idea as it allows for a few really spine tingling scenes requiring no cgi or music for that matter. The killer’s mask looks different from the standard ones we’ve seen in break-and-enter thrillers, for example presidents and Star Trek masks. In this case, it’s very carefully crafted. In some scenes it appears to be part of the attacker’s own face. This serves for another original, simple, scary element that probably didn’t cost much to create.

Another film that comes to mind that created massive scares on a low budget is Insidious. It’s being proven again and again we don’t need million dollar movies to be scared and thereby entertained. Through a series of slashings and “intruder” scenes, the deaf Maddie learns she doesn’t have to be a victim. She fights back. Everything is filmed in a dark setting outside and inside the house. This accentuates the revenge element that weaves throughout and leads us to an ending that is pleasing horror critics all over the internet.

The film screened at SXSW for a panel of industry “buyers.” It did very well there but somehow ended up on Netflix where I was fortunate enough to see it. Netflix needs more quality horror and suspense films like Hush. Frankly the category is small on the service and appears to be shrinking. I had a lot of fun watching this film and highly recommend it if you can catch it on Netflix or elsewhere. Imagine you have earplugs in and can’t hear a thing and you can’t hear anyone sneaking in the window either. This film makes the most of the simple scares. I think it would be great to see it on the big screen.

Bokeh

A couple in their twenties in a post apocalyptic setting where all the people in their icelandic town have vanished. Just like that they have to adapt.

TV-MA | 1h 32min | Drama, Sci-Fi | 24 March 2017 (USA)

On a romantic getaway to Iceland, a young American couple wake up one morning to discover every person on earth has disappeared. Their struggle to survive and to reconcile the mysterious … See full summary »
Directors: Geoffrey Orthwein (co-director), Andrew Sullivan (co-director)
Writers: Geoffrey Orthwein (co-writer), Andrew Sullivan (co-writer)
Stars: Maika Monroe, Matt O’Leary, Arnar Jónsson

You have a directing/writing duo at work here. Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan. I like what they’ve done here: created a entertaining fantasy movie. I’m not sure how it did but I really found it entertaining. These days we need more directors who can produce entertaining pieces of art. So many try to preach.

The couple are played by very good actors. Maika Monroe took the world by storm in the horror hit It Follows. Something about those eyes! Her dialog is a little scant I would say. I think most women would be very worried at the end of the world. She remains entranced. Oh well, she looks great doing it. The store scenes are the best. The couple is having fun like grade school kids in a candy store. Of course, all this happens where there are no employees or shoppers.

There is a conflict with these two. I kept wondering if a larger one would come. She gets very concerned when he is playing on a shopping cart and falls severely cutting himself. After scolding him, he promises to not fool around anymore. Maybe it’s the internal conflict in a couple that’s worse than any zombies? Maybe that’s why you don’t have them ever showing up in this movie. Nils does though, an old man. The ending is one to discuss. This is a slow burn, maybe we’re meant to feel that as they do. Maybe it’s saying we need people more than we know.

7/10