carolinephillips-47427 Reviews

Halloween Ends (2022)

Ocassionally Engaging Finale

[6/10 · 19 April 2023]

After the harrowing events of Halloween night 2018, Laurie Strode (Curtis) has been trying to put her life back together by finally going to therapy and living with granddaughter, Allyson (Mattichk). While Laurie writes her memoirs, Allyson takes up with a troubled teenager named Corey (Campbell) who was accused of murdering a child he was babysitting back in 2018. And to top it all off, Michael Myers might be back to continue his crimes.

Halloween Ends certainly has guts. It tries to do something different, but as we all learned from Season of the Witch, most of the Halloween fans prefer seeing more Michael Myers and this will have some fans upset. Curtis gives a solid performance as does Campbell as the angst-ridden Corey and Green's direction has moments of atmospheric excellence that call to mind some of the earlier entries in the franchise.

Halloween Ends is a mixed treat bag with some nasty tricks thrown in.

Swan Song (II) (2021)

Udo Kier's Finest Moment

[8/10 · 27 December 2021]

Former small town hairstylist, Pat (Kier), has been spending his days in a retirement home recovering from a stroke. When he receives news that his friend and client, Rita (Evans), has passed away and wanted him to do her hair for her funeral, he gathers up enough strength for one last hurrah, meeting all sorts of interesting characters and resolving past drama on the way.

Swan Song is one of the few films to feature a lead performance by veteran character actor, Udo Kier, and he proves himself to be more than up for the challenge. His character of Pat is will probably be reminiscent of many small town hairdressers who were, unfortunately, born at the wrong time and had to deal with so much more oppression than many of the LGBT people of today.

Jennifer Coolidge turns in an equally great performance as Kier's former student/rival and she's not borrowing from her usual bag of comedy tricks. She creates a fully lifelike and moving character for the few minutes that she's on screen.

Swan Song might be a little too episodic at times, but it all wraps up in a moving and heartfelt way and it's one that's worthy of being seen by wider audience.

Don't Breathe 2 (2021)

Wachable Sequel If Nothing Else

[5/10 · 24 August 2021]

After the events of the first film, The Blind Man (Lang) has "retired" from his evil ways and has been raising an orphan named Phoenix (Grace) and is terrified of letting her go to school or have friends because of how the world is. All this is turned upside down with a band of psychotic men storm his house one night and kidnap Phoenix. Now, he's back on the hunt and will use his survival skills to get her back and get his revenge.

Don't Breathe 2 is a competent and decently entertaining film, but the whole time you do wonder "why bother?" The first film wasn't screaming out for a sequel and the idea of turning this psychotic turkey baster rapist into someone to cheer on seems a bit tone deaf to say the least.

That said, the film does take a few risks and the last act is exciting and sick in all the good ways a horror film should be. It's just not very much fun getting to that point. All the actor commit to their sleazy roles which deserves some praise and the cinematography is nice and moody.

Rent-A-Pal (2020)

Excellent Performance by Folkins

[7/10 · 24 August 2021]

Loner David (Folkins) lives with his mother who's riddled with dementia and longs for a deeper connection in his life. After video dating doesn't go his way, he discovers a VHS tape in a discount bin for something called Rent-A-Pal. Upon putting the tape in the VCR, he meets a jolly new friend named Andy (Wheaton) who becomes his latest obsession.

Soon, all David wants to do is stay in the basement talking to Andy on the TV as his mental capacities slip away and even Lisa (Rutledge), a potential love interest, can't pry him away.

Rent-A-Pal harkens back to the bleak 70's psychodramas of yesteryear and this downbeat tone might not be to everyone's taste. It also leaves a good deal up to individual audience member interpretation and doesn't spell everything out for you.

The performances are uniformly excellent all around with Folkins carrying the film with his sad sack David. It's to his credit that he remains watchable even while playing such a pitiful and desperate character. Wheaton is every bit his equal as the too-chirpy Andy who might be more sinister than he initially lets on.

The Swerve (2018)

Unforgettable Performance by Skye

[7/10 · 9 January 2021]

Holly (Skye) has been living a life of quiet, brooding desperation that only gets worse when a rat infests her home and her mental health takes a serious hit. She starts believing her family is out to get her and that her husband is having an affair all the while she develops a strange obsession with one of her high school students and while having haunting nightmares about causing a deadly car crash.

Did Holly actually cause this crash? Is everyone really out to get her? The Swerve doesn't seem very interested in answering most of these questions, which makes the whole thing seems all the more paranoid and nightmarish. We never leave Holly's side for a second and the whole story is told from her POV, so who knows what's the truth and what's made up?

It's Skye's harrowing performance that keeps one glued to the screen throughout The Swerve. It's one of those rare, surprising performances from an actor whom we didn't know had a performance like this within them.

The Swerve might just be the bleakest movie of the year and, considering the kind of year we've all been having, no one could blame you if you decided to keep this one on the back burner until happier days arrive, but it'll still be waiting and it'll be just as powerful.

Swallow (I) (2019)

Haunting Psychodrama

[8/10 · 11 November 2020]

It's hard to know exactly who Swallow is made for. It's never quite horrific enough for horror fans, there's not a lot of suspense, and it's probably too disturbing for more traditional drama fans, but it packs a major, unexpected punch thanks to an astounding performance by Haley Bennett.

Swallow revolves around a recently pregnant housewife named Hunter (Bennett) who spends her days cleaning, eating, and watching TV. Her husband (Austin Stowell) and his parents are somewhat dismissive of her and have a habit of cutting her off before she can speak. In a cry for help, Hunter begins eating strange items such as marbles, paper clips, and batteries.

Her new hobby goes unnoticed for only so long before she's outed and her new family tries to get to the bottom of her behavior and we learn that it could be tied to a less than ideal childhood.

Bennett's holds Swallow together with her sad, haunting performance. Never have a series of forced smiles at a dinner party been so painful to watch. She's in just about every shot of the film and her performance is what you come out of the film remembering.

The film takes a turn midway through where you might get nervous that the filmmakers aren't sure where they're going, but it ends in a satisfying and very pro-woman way which I appreciated.

Swallow is one of those kinds of films they just don't make very often. It's very character driven and isn't afraid to get a little nasty along the way.

Blood Song (1982)

Frankie Avalon Has A Song For You

[5/10 · 5 October 2020]

Of all the people to star in an early 80's slasher film, Frankie Avalon doesn't seem like the most obvious choice and yet here he is, trying to give a respectable performance as the screenplay of Blood Song lets him down nearly every step of the way. Don't get me wrong. There's still some fun to be had with Blood Song, but it's not as taut and potentially thrilling as it could have been.

A young boy witnesses his father killing his mother, her lover, and then himself and is so in shock that all he can do is play his little wooden flute his father made him. Cut to present day and he decides to escape from the mental hospital where he's been cooped up forever. While he was there, he donated blood and this blood provided a life saving transfusion for a teenage girl named Mary (Donna Wilkes) after her father got them into a horrible accident which left her in leg braces.

Somehow, this shared blood has given them a psychic link and Mary can see him escaping and killing anyone along the way who says something disparaging about his flute.

If Blood Song had left out the silly blood transfusion leads to psychic visions subplot and kept the killer's flute out of it, it would probably be a much more effective movie. As is, it's too unintentionally hilarious to have the tension of chase scene broken by Avalon pulling out his flute and playing a few notes.

The acting isn't horrible, but Wilkes has been better in other films. The downbeat ending is a really punch to the stomach as well, but would have fit better into a more frightening film.

The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)

Falling Into A Painting

[6/10 · 18 July 2020]

The Stendhal Syndrome is said to be a disorder where, upon viewing works of art, a person suffers from chills, anxiety attacks, and hallucinations where they believe they're actually in the paintings themselves. Don't ask me how real or common this disorder is since I'm not a doctor, but it sure makes for an interesting case study in Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome.

Anna Manni (Asia Argento) is an Italian police detective who goes to an art museum due to an phone tip from a woman claiming that she knows a serial rapist and murderer will be there. Once there, Anna suffers from an attack of Stendhal and ends up getting knocked out. When she comes to, a man is there and he follows her back to her room, rapes her, and kidnaps her, forcing her to watch him murder another victim. She flees from the scene, but the worst is yet to come.

It's hard to talk about this film without spoiling everything, but let's just say that the character of Anna goes through several transitions throughout the film. The 1st act of the film is pretty gripping and the 2nd act isn't terrible either, but by the 3rd act, you get the feeling like they don't know how to wrap this up so they're just stalling and making up stuff to distract us from the fact that the movie hasn't cleared for landing yet. By the end, you'll definitely be left scratching your head and wishing they'd have just ended it a half hour sooner.

Asia Argento isn't ideally suited for the role either and only seems to really come to life during the 2nd act where she adopts a touch, butch persona. She seems uncomfortable in the 1st and 3rd acts. There are also some questionable CGI effects throughout that take you out of the movie and it's not as stylish as many of Dario Argento's other works.

Greenlight (2019)

Well Acted and Well Executed Thriller

[8/10 · 9 June 2020]

How far would you go to make your dreams come true? Would you beg, steal, or even murder? First time filmmaker, Jack Archer (Chase Williamson) tries to figure out what his threshold is Graham Denman's impressive Greenlight.

Jack is struggling with trying to get a feature film of his greenlit in between crummy PA gigs and soul crushing dinners with his girlfriend's disapproving family who thinks he's a bum. By pure luck, Jack gets an interview with a sleazy low budget film producer (a scene stealing Chris Browning) who takes to the young filmmaker and agrees to let him produce a script of his.

It seems like everything is finally going Jack's way until, after the first day of filming, his producer tells him that he needs to ask a big favor - he wants the last death scene in the film to be real. From then on, Greenlight becomes a twist-filled thrill ride that never lets up.

One thing you'll notice about Greenlight is that it's better acted than most indie horror films of this sort. Williamson and Browning in particular are excellent and have fantastic chemistry in their scenes together. Veteran scream queen, Caroline Williams, gets one of her better roles in years as the producer's wife who's also starring in the film within the film. It's also way better shot than most indie horror films, leaving me to wonder why something like this couldn't have played in theaters.

The script is also stronger than most films of this type, focusing more on character development and suspense than buckets of gore. In fact, there are moments that are downright Hitchcockian. While the pacing is typically good, there are a few moments towards the middle that drag a tad and some of the twists can get a little silly, but Greenlight is still a very impressive low budget horror offering and worthy of your time.

Moonstruck (1987)

It Must Be Him

[7/10 · 23 April 2020]

Moonstruck is one of those movies everyone thinks they've seen, because it's infamous "snap out of it" moment has been so ingrained in pop culture. I thought I had seen it just from the clips that would catch my attention on TV over the years, but I suddenly remembered that I'd never sat down and watched the whole thing from the beginning.

Loretta (Cher) is a somewhat bored and lifeless New York accountant whose just agreed to marry her less than ideal fiance, Johnny (Danny Aiello). When he goes off to see his dying mother in Italy, he makes her promise that she'll call up his estranged brother, Ronny (Nicholas Cage) and invite him to the wedding. Soon, Loretta finds herself in an unexpected love affair with Ronny and she begins changing, becoming more and more free, sexy, and full of life.

Moonstruck is, on the surface, your average chick flick/rom com, but it boats an excellent performance by Cher and the rest of the cast is equally impressive including Olympia Dukakis as her mother who's having her own set of issues. If there's one thing that pokes out like a sore thumb, it's Nicholas Cage. His New York accent wavers throughout and he feels more like a cartoon than a real person.

Moonstruck is a must watch for anyone craving a bit of light comfort food. It had me smiling from start to finish.

Jennifer (1978)

Enjoyable Carrie Clone

[8/10 · 23 February 2020]

If you're gonna rip something off, rip off the best and that's exactly what Jennifer does. It borrows most everything from Stephen King and Brian De Palma's Carrie - the strange teenage heroine with the bizarre powers, the overprotective religious parent, the evil teenage girls, and the revenge-filled climax, but Jennifer does take a few interesting detours along the way.

Jennifer (Lisa Pelikan) is a poor student on scholarship at posh private school, so of course, all the rich snobs make fun of her. What they don't know is that, ever since she was a little girl, she's been able to control snakes and she's about to put her powers to the ultimate test if these wicked girls at her school don't stop messing with her.

Pelikan is wonderful as the title character, giving a similar mix of innocence and creepiness much like Sissy Spacek in Carrie. Veteran John Gavin and Nina Foch show up in basically glorified cameos. If you enjoyed Carrie, you'll probably like Jennifer. It's not as emotional, deep, or stylish a film, but it's never boring.

Trick (II) (2019)

Acceptable Halloween Slice and Dicer

[6/10 · 12 January 2020]

Trick won't win any awards anytime soon, but it's far from the disaster many people have been making it out to be. I walked in expecting the worst, but the first 20 minutes genuinely gripped me and even made me jump once. As the film continues, it mostly becomes a Dr. Loomis vs. Michael Myers storyline with Omar Epps' frazzled detective trying to make sense of how a seemingly normal teenage male could survive a few gunshots and a fall off a hospital roof and still continue to kill people every Halloween for a number of years. Could it be a copycat killer? You'll have to stick with Trick to find out and, once you do, you'll most likely be let down.

While most of the film plays out like a supernatural-tinged slasher, the last 15 minutes of the movie, where the film finally reveals what's really been going on, is likely to inspire many groans and rolling eyes. There's a piece of an interesting idea in there, but it's not as well-executed as it could have been. There's a final twist at the end that's really a groaner and makes no sense whatsoever.

The acting is at least passable for most of the film and it's nice to see genre icon Tom Atkins getting something to do every now and then. It also might be one of the better of the recent "the corpses in this haunted house are real" movies that seem to be coming out all the time. There's some good suspense here and there, too, so Trick is far from a complete waste of time.

Secret Santa (2015)

There Are Worse Christmas Slashers Out There

[7/10 · 9 December 2019]

I'm not sure what's in the water as of late, but it seems like everyone and their mother have been churning out Christmas themed slasher movies in the past 5 years. Most of them are pretty charmless, but Secret Santa has its heart in the right place and writer/director Mike McMurran at least attempts to bring a little extra character development and a sense of humor to go along with the gore.

Secret Santa borrows a few pages from the likes of Black Christmas and To All A Goodnight with its house filled with nubile young college girls who are about to have more than student loan and boyfriend drama to contend with as a murderer with a ski mask begins to terrorize and kill them one by one during a secret santa party.

Like most movies around this budget, the cinematography is competent but flat at times without a whole lot of style and some of the sound mixing leaves a bit to be desired, but the actors are above average for a film of this type. Special mention goes to Annette Wozniak as Nicole who gets the most interesting character to sink her teeth into. She's struggling with a cheating boyfriend (Brent Baird who looks like Finn Wittrock's long lost brother) and with her sex cam business she's set up to help pay off her student loans. There's even a fairly progressive scene where she tells her boyfriend about her sex cam work and he's pretty supportive of her. Wozniak carries most of the film herself through her insurmountable amount of charm and she's easily the high point of the film.

Besides the characters of Dewayne and Carissa (he's mostly shrill and painfully unfunny and she's too bitter and angry to ever warm up to), the rest of them are an agreeable group to spend 75 minutes with. I'm not sure if I enjoyed spending as much time with them as McMurran does, because it does take about 50 minutes to get to any major action (besides an opening kill scene). Once the film gets going, the tone begins to shift slightly into something more resembling a dark comedy. Some of it works and some of it doesn't, but you can't fault McMurran for trying something different. At least the results are usually entertaining.

There's a great gag where a hairdryer the killer is using to electrocute a victim in the bathtub with falls out of the wall socket when he tries to throw it into the water, so he has to beat his victim to death with it instead. Even funnier, the length of the killer's "why I did it" monologue is poked fun at during the climax of the film.

Some of the gore effects might have been more effective if the camera didn't linger on them as much, but that's a small complaint in the grand scheme of things, especially when most of the movie is so much fun. Secret Santa is definitely a gift worth unwrapping.

StageFright (1987)

Inspired Italian Slasher

[9/10 · 4 November 2019]

By the late 80's, it seems even the Italians were wanting to get in on the slasher action. They're known for their gialli, but Stage Fright seems far more slasher-esque than gialli inspired. With it's mostly single location, gruesome murders, and large ensemble cast, one could be confused for thinking this was shot in America during the slasher heyday.

Stage Fright is about a group of actors mounting an experimental musical production about a psychotic killer in an owl mask. When one of the leads sprains her ankle, she's taken to the nearest care facility which just so happens to a mental asylum (don't ask too many questions). While there, a patient escapes and follows the actress back to theater and then the fun begins as a torrential rainstorm pours down outside.

Stage Fright might not have brilliant characterizations or sparkling dialogue, but it makes up for it in sheer style and fun. All the death scenes are gruesome and creative and the film even musters some quality suspense in the film's last act. There's an incredibly effective sequence where a character is trying to retrieve a key to let them out of the theater without alerting the killer that will have you biting your nails down to the quick.

Director Michele Soavi should be commended for bringing such flashy style to what could have been another average slash 'em up. He shows a similar appreciation of the baroque and operatic as Dario Argento.

Jason X (2001)

Jason Goes To Space

[6/10 · 18 September 2019]

There's a saying when it comes to horror franchises that, when you've finally jumped the shark and you've run out of ideas, you send the villain to space. I guess after he went to Hell and took Manhattan, there was nowhere else for Jason to go.

In the distant future, a bunch of students discover the frozen bodies of two people and one of them happens to be notorious serial killer Jason Voorhees. They decide to take them both onto their ship and thaw them out which, of course, leads to Jason hacking his way through most of the passengers.

A lot of the CGI is spotty, the script is a mess, and most of the acting feels porn-level at best, but Jason X doesn't want to do anything but entertain and it does that well. I don't think it's possible not to enjoy a film where someone's head is frozen and then smashed onto a table into a million pieces. It's creative where it needs to be - the kill scenes.

Jason X has to be about as dumb as slasher movies get (and some slasher movies can get really dumb), but damnit if it didn't win me over by the end. This is a movie that knows it's dumb and it's not trying to be high art. I can appreciate that.

I was also amused by the David Cronenberg cameo. Didn't expect to see him here.

Junebug (2005)

Poetic Southern Story

[8/10 · 3 September 2019]

As someone raised in South Carolina, I know a few things about the south and Junebug is one of the first movies I've seen to adequately depict the true south that I know. The people are faithful to God, but still tell ribald jokes or have their struggles with gossip, drinking, or drugs. They're a mostly friendly lot who don't always behave like the traditional stereotypes would lead you to believe. These are real people.

Junebug feels more like a documentary at times with its raw, lived in rural atmosphere. Every church rec hall folding chair and well-maintained lawn feels real.

The performances, especially the one by Amy Adams, are extraordinary. Adams walks away with the entire film as the optimistic, try-hard daughter-in-law of a broken southern family who refuses to let anything get her down.

Junebug doesn't always give us the easy answers, either. What broke this family to begin with? Why can't they say what they feel and start connecting again? Junebug leaves this mostly ambiguous, which can be a bit frustrating to some, but we can put ourselves in their shoes and come up with the answers for ourselves.

Ready or Not (I) (2019)

Thrilling and Funny

[9/10 · 23 August 2019]

It's rare that a big, mainstream studio horror film comes out and actually delivers. Ready or Not is one of the rare cases when it does. Samara Weaving is a charming and likable heroine who must deal with her fiance's bizarre family wedding rituals that include a deadly game of hide and seek.

Weaving's character doesn't get much in terms of backstory, which might have helped out a bit, but Weaving's abundance of charm and quirky tics make her feel better developed than she is and we're on her side the entire time.

The supporting cast featuring familiar faces like Andie McDowell (in her horror film debut if I'm correct) and Adam Brody (who gets much more to do here than he did in his other horror comedies Scream 4 and Jennifer's Body).

Throughout the film, you'll find yourself cringing at scenes of nails entering hands or people falling into messy pits of dead bodies in between laughing fits due to the witty dark comedy. Horror comedy is tricky to pull off, but Ready or Not pulls it off beautifully with a healthy amount of suspense and laughs in equal measure.

Ready or Not is a must see horror-comedy event!

Demons 2 (1986)

Lacks the Magic of the Original

[6/10 · 21 August 2019]

Maybe Lamberto Bava's original Demons was like a strike of lightning that couldn't be replicated or maybe this sequel was rushed into production too fast, but something is missing from Demons 2. The makeup effects are still well done even if the gore has been toned down significantly (and curiously so).

The biggest disappointment is that the story is basically the same as the original film, except the cursed movie now plays on TV and the rules of how to get possessed are a little bit different and don't make as much sense. In the original, a character was cut by the demon mask (just like in the movie within the movie) and that's what turned her into a demon and, in turn, allowed the virus to spread. In Demons 2, the demons emerge from the TV at whim with nothing channeling them to emerge from the screen. It all points to poor planning.

Demons 2 always trades a theater location for a high rise apartment complex, which just isn't as moody. Bobby Rhodes returns as a completely different character from his character in the original which further complicates things.

This isn't to say that Demons 2 is necessarily an awful film or anything. It's entertaining and gets the job done, but it feels like there was a lot less thought and passion put into it than the first.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

Damn Hippies

[8/10 · 26 July 2019]

Thanks to the mostly spoiler-free trailer, I didn't know what to expect going into Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood. I had hoped it would be respect to Sharon Tate and her family and, thankfully, I do think it was. What surprised me most was how little of Sharon there really is in the film. She only has a handful of lines, but Margot Robbie makes the best of what she has to work with.

The real stars here are Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt who turn in career-best performances as a western actor and his stuntman/best friend who get caught up in Hollywood regime changes, feeling useless, and a crazed group of hippies run by some guy named Charlie Manson.

At well over 2 1/2 hours, there's plenty of room for tedium and boredom to set it, but I was so engrossed that I couldn't even leave to go to the restroom. Once the finale rolls around, it's totally worth it. It's a real crowd pleaser.

Dead of Night (1977 TV Movie)

Not The Best Movie, But Worth It

[7/10 · 14 July 2019]

Like most anthologies, Dead of Night tries to have something for everyone which will, inevitably, leave some audience members preferring certain segments over other ones. In this film's case, we're stick with two duds out of three, but one story is so excellent that it's worth suffering through the others just to get to it.

Dan Curtis also made Trilogy of Terror which, for all of its classic status, is also similarly uneven with two lackluster tales and one finale kicker. People don't remember the other two stories, but they'll never forget that creepy Zuni doll. In Dead of Night, you'll never forget Bobby.

Bobby is the story of a grieving mother (Joan Hackett) who uses black magic to bring her dead son back to life with terrifying results. It's a 30 minute exercise in true fear and tension and it's stunning to me that Curtis had this in him where he seemed to be phoning in the other segments. The final shot is absolutely unforgettable and terrifying.

Graduation Day (1981)

Underwhelming Teen Slasher

[5/10 · 5 May 2019]

Make no mistake - Graduation Day is no lost masterpiece. It's a bit slow, the acting isn't great, and the cheese is overflowing throughout, but there's some stuff to recommend.

A young track star dies during a meet and her fellow teammates begin getting slaughtered one by one. Is it the pushy coach? The victim's sister? Her boyfriend? The creepy janitor? Pretty much everyone is a suspect here, but the mystery is nothing to write home about.

Come to think of it, the death scenes aren't either. A lot of them are either off screen or blink and you'll miss it. This could be forgiven if there were better characters or a more interesting plot, but they're both pretty ho hum. The most interesting character is Anne, the sister of the dead track star, who appears to be our lead for a few minutes before getting lost in the ensemble and only appearing periodically. This leaves us without anyone to really root for or drive the story along, so it can be a bit of a slog to get through.

Linnea Quigley shows up and adds some fun to the mix, so there's always that. There's also an amusing death by football, which you can't hate.

Graduation Day might be a bit slow and not sure of which direction to take, but it's not the worst slasher flick you'll see.

Truth or Dare (I) (2018)

Dumb, Mindless Fun

[5/10 · 11 April 2019]

Truth or Dare isn't going to make anyone's top 10 lists anytime soon, but it's a fairly inoffensive teen horror movie with enough entertainment value to keep from being a total waste of time.

The acting isn't what I'd call stellar, but then again, the writing isn't so hot either. There's not a single scare to be found, but the pacing keeps things moving fairly well most of the time. It's good late night TV viewing material.

It's an ok time waster.

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Not That Bad

[6/10 · 11 April 2019]

Jason Takes Manhattan doesn't really make much sense at all, but for the 8th entry in a seemingly neverending slasher franchise, at least it's still fun. This time, Jason boards a cruise ship housing a group of high school grads on their way to a class trip to NYC.

It's obviously been cut a bit by the MPAA, but some of the kills are still semi-interesting and inventive. There's not much in terms of suspense or scares, but the pace is pretty tight and it's never boring. There are a few plot holes and ridiculous moments, but those just add to the cheese factor.

The acting isn't too terrible, some of the effects are good, and the film is well shot and orchestrated. It's dumb, but it seems to know that it's dumb and doesn't try to be something it's not.

Snatched (2017)

Fun adventure/comedy

[7/10 · 16 May 2017]

I'm glad to see Goldie Hawn back on the big screen again. I've missed her and I'm sure others have, too. She gets a good deal to do here with nice support from Amy Schumer, Joan Cusack, and Wanda Sykes. While I can't say this is the funniest movie I've ever seen, it kept me incredibly entertained. Honestly, it's more of an adventure a la Romancing the Stone than a comedy. It even has a nice amount of heart thrown into it.

If I had any qualms, it would be the existence of the brother/son character who is horribly unfunny, annoying, and ultimately useless to the plot. He really adds nothing to the film and stops the film cold every time he shows up.

Snatched is still worth a watch and will probably become a cable TV staple in the years to come.

Young Adult (2011)

Remarkable and underrated dark comedy

[10/10 · 16 May 2017]

Charlize Theron has never been better as Mavis Gary, a depressed alcoholic ghost writer of a young adult book series who finds her career opportunities drying up as the end of the series draws near. To make matters worse, she receives word that, Buddy, her former flame, has invited her to a baby shower for his newborn child. Thinking this is a cry for help, Mavis heads back home to rescue Buddy from a world of suburban anguish.

You can't help but feel bad for Mavis and she gets herself into cringe-worthy scene after scene. It's a testament to Theron's gifts as an actress that we should care about this destructive monster one iota. Theron, with writer Diablo Cody, creates a monster so real, so raw, and so vulnerable that you won't be able to stop thinking about her for weeks afterwards.

Also excellent is Patton Oswald as Matt, a former classmate of Mavis, who was beaten up for being gay (he wasn't) and now has to walk with braces. In many ways, Matt is the eyes of the audience - drawn to a revolted by Mavis at the same time.

The ending does away with typical morality and lessons found in Hollywood films and is all the better for it. Some people never will change.

Young Adult is a fresh, funny, disturbing, and raw comedy that's sure to become a cult favorite in the years to come.