If someone gets whacked at full strength on the side of the head with a cast iron pan, they’re not going to be scuttled for a mere split-second only to resume the chase. I’m sure that Scream mask provides a lot of padding, but no.
Also it takes itself too seriously. There’s not nearly enough fun camp going on here. The brilliance of the original Scream is that it was both scary and funny. Not so much here on either count.
So Scream VI: some entertainment value, but also boring in parts. I did like the beginning scene in the restaurant very much, which brings the overall package up to a marginal thumbs-down; 5/10.
Infinity Pool is, apparently, David Cronenberg’s son’s third feature film, but the first one that got a lot of press/hype, so the first one I was aware of from the junior Cronenberg. And it is the kind of lesser film that makes you appreciate great, independent-minded releases of the past 10 or so years like Get Out or Mother!
You know a director is underwater when the action sequences — that hand-to-hand combat — is depicted with close-up, blurry, fake sleight-of-hand BS ambiguity. I don’t recall Kubrick doing that. But it was entertaining; certainly never boring. Any efforts toward a deeper meaning are washed away — this is a confection, if a bit twisted, at best. A very marginal 6/10
* * *
PS: Looking at the trailer again now, a year later, reminds me of how excited I was to watch this movie — and of how engrossing it was in the earlier parts. I reckon my issue is with the movie’s second half. So who knows, maybe it’s a 7 or an 8. Really need to get these write-ups out quicker.
If you thought that A Knock at the Cabin was the movie that would prove M. Night Shama-lama-bam-bam got his mojo back, you’d be wrong. But maybe he never had it — The Sixth Sense was pretty iconic, and Old was good — but it’s been quite the mixed bag with M. Night. No truly great movies, and plenty of clunkers. This one is somewhere in the middle.
A Knock at the Cabin is borderline sanctimonious. It’s not a non-movie, but certainly a half movie. It held my interest well enough, despite all the projection issues at the Tucson Roadhouse I saw it at. But it never explained why those who were chose were chose, and it rolled out the apocalypse in most unconvincing fashion.
My first though was 6/10, but this has got to be hair below Nope and a marginal non-recommendation. 5/10
There’s a difference between a quiet movie and an utter bore. Living, apparently a completely unnecessary remake of an Akira Kurosawa movie, Ikiru, offers a few glimmers of light, but this is such a slight story that a full-length feature was never warranted. This movie is such a bore that early on, I considered walking out. I suppose it means well, but it feels self-important, thinking more of itself than it should.
Another case of, as John Gruber said, Rotten Tomatoes being rotten, with a ridiculous 96% rating. That’s why I keep doing this blog. 3/10
Wow, not expecting that. M3GAN exemplifies Blumhouse’s pure, stripped-down joy of movies in all the best ways. The Blumhouse boys have certainly delivered some clunkers, which is inevitable when you plunge ahead, see what sticks, and ask questions later. But at least you know they’re trying for something purely fun. When it clicks, good things happen: Get Out, The Visit, Happy Death Day, and The Gift. That Blumhouse gleeful edge is embedded even in sub-stellar releases such as Night Swim.
M3GAN features no big stars, but was well marketed, and benefited from free social media promotion. That iconic M3GAN dance was a TikTok viral sensation; the relatively low budget of $12 million yielded $181 million in global box office. I’ll take this opportunity to take a dig a John Gruber of Daring Fireball, one of my favorite tech news sites. M3GAN holds a 93% Tomatometer rating. Now I couldn’t agree more that Rotten Tomatoes is broken, but not here. Gruber (and apparently his entire family) is way off on this one, calling it a “shitty movie.” What can you expect from a devout Yankees fan — that compass got bent big time.
When I first saw a promo for M3GAN, I legitimately thought it was a sequel to one of those Bride of Chucky movies. Boy was I wrong. M3GAN was one of the most well-crafted, pure fun and thrilling entertainments I’ve seen in years. Looking back at my ratings, M3GAN was the best film in theaters since 2015 save 1917.
I question now how I justify such a high rating for M3GAN. It kept turning in fun and exciting ways. Like Being John Malkovich, it kept re-inventing itself. That review tag-line from Wild Tales applies here: a tinderbox of delights. And as a bonus, the use of music was both sublime and hilarious. Such a romp! 9/10
If someone gets whacked at full strength on the side of the head with a cast iron pan, they’re not going to be scuttled for a mere split-second only to resume the chase. I’m sure that Scream mask provides a lot of padding, but no.
movies remark 