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In: 2018, Hot Take

Hot Take: A Simple Favor never really allows itself to be cornered into a specific genre which is what makes it so much fun. It’s more about Lively and Kendrick though and they’re both great in Paul Feig’s first directorial effort sans Melissa McCarthy since 2006.

A Simple Favor is an easy decision and here’s how to make it: Are you okay with a less than adequate story overshadowed by two talented performers obviously having a blast with the material that’s more style than substance? You are? (I was.) Then A Simple Favor should be right up your alley. (That’s a figurative alley, by the way. Not everyone has their own literal alley.) Director Paul Feig sheds his Melissa McCarthy security blanket to bring to life the 2017 novel with the same name which essentially feels like a Gone Girl knock-off and considering A Simple Favor‘s $20 million budget is 1/3 of Gone Girl’s that comparison holds true financially. The result is something a little closer to a less sexier version of 1998’s Wild Things though Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick have their moments, too. (They’re not quite as memorable as Denise Richards and Neve Campbell’s escapades in the 1998 thriller.) If it needed to be defined into a genre, the best description would be noir comedy which doesn’t necessarily seem like it’s a thing but A Simple Favor is able to get there though it’s not completely funny or totally dark but has enough elements of both to make it work.Read More →

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Hot Take: So, apparently, I’m a huge Ethan Hawke fan and never knew it. Another excellent adaptation of a Nick Hornby novel.

When I really think about my favorite films over time, ones featuring Ethan Hawke frequently enter the conversation. There’s, of course, Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy which all three films would make my Top 100 of all-time should I ever conceive such a think. (Confession: I’ve conceived it and can’t find my notes but know they’re somewhere.) There are others that would contend to make the list as well: Reality Bites and Training Day are right near the Top 100 if they aren’t on it. (If I could only find those damn notes!!!) I’m not as much of a fan of Boyhood as others are but he was the best part of the film, in my opinion. I liked his turn as Hamlet. 2013’s Getaway is a terrible movie but it’s a guilty pleasure of mine and, lo and behold, who’s in that film? Yes, Selena Gomez is in it but Ethan Hawke is there, too. (Plus, there’s that amazing customized Shelby Mustang.) In recent years, since launching MHT, I’ve liked Hawke in Maggie’s Plan, The Magnificent Seven, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and he was my selection for Best Actor for the first half of the year for his role in First Reformed. Let’s face it, I really dig Ethan Hawke. What’s surprising is usually an actor with that type of pedigree and that level of affinity for his performances leads to me having ridiculously high expectations for any movie featuring him or her (*COUGH* Matthew McConaughey *COUGH*) and usually being disappointed (*COUGH* White Boy Rick *COUGH*). Yet with Juliet, Naked, the latest Nick Hornby novel converted to the big screen, my expectations were moderate to low. Fortunately, the film featuring Rose Byrne, Hawke and Chris O’Dowd blew away those expectations and made for what is likely to be the best romantic comedy of 2018. Read More →

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In: 2018, Hot Take

Hot Take: Another film joining the growing trend of using technology to tell the story… but this one is the best of the year so far to do it.

This year, we’ve seen multiple films utilize technology to tell a story. Earlier in the year, Steven Soderbergh shot an entire film through the lens of an iPhone with Unsane. It was well received by some for it’s experimentation though MHT thought it failed miserably in telling a coherent story. Then there was Unfriended: Dark Web which was a sequel and stuck to the limitations of what can be done on a computer screen. Directed by Stephen Susco, Unfriended: Dark Web was shockingly competent considering it was (a) a sequel and (b) a horror flick and typically that combination has fatal flaws. Searching is the third such movie to rely solely on technology to visually tell the story though this one is the first to not have a title that starts with the letter “U” nor does it have a director with an alliterative name. Of the three, Searching had the most promise as it wasn’t putting experimentation first nor was it overly concerned with scaring the bejeezus out of the audience. And, of the three, Searching does the best job of telling a story and captivating an audience beyond the gimmicky method it uses to tell it’s tale.Read More →

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In: 2018, Hot Take

Hot Take: Noisy jump scares and repetitive scenes drag down the latest installment in The Conjuring Universe. Don’t worry, though. There’s yet another sequel/spin-off teed up here so this franchise can continue to tap the horror cash keg at the box office.

While earlier this year anyone who reads MHT could have questioned my earlier stance that I’m not a fan of horror films. Currently, A Quiet Place and Hereditary sit at #2 and #3 on my Top Movies of 2018 list. The latest horror flick to grace theaters with it’s presence, The Nun, suffers a dissimilar fate as it appears near the bottom of the list similar to previous entries in The Conjuring Extended Universe. Yes, that’s a thing. The Conjuring, 2013’s box office monster, has spawned a sequel, two Annabelle movies, a couple of short films and now The Nun. (There’s also a plan to release a third Annabelle film and The Conjuring 3 as well as something called The Crooked Man, so this extended universe shows no signs of slowing down.) The Nun is a prequel of sorts but more of a spin-off of The Conjuring films as it tells the story of the “Demon Nun” character Valak which appears in The Conjuring 2.Read More →

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In: 2018, Hot Take

Hot Take: Fuck me in the face with an aardvark!

Who thought we needed another movie about Predator? Well, whether anyone thought it or not, we got another one. This time (roughly 30 years after the original) The Predator fails miserably despite some whimsical choice of talent to write and direct in Shane Black. Even Black seems disinterested in making an interesting action film here and rather relies on throwing shade on the film’s premise (Why would it be called Predator since it seems to enjoy hunting and doesn’t do it out of necessity? Shouldn’t it be called sports hunter or something? That’s according to more than one of Black’s characters.) and outright mocking the concept of a powerful space alien coming to Earth to hunt for sport. While the film features a witty one-liner here and there (which is why the film ranks a little higher amongst 2018’s bottom feeders), even Black’s wit can’t save this tired franchise from yet another boring reboot.Read More →

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In: 2018, Hot Take

Hot Take: It tries too hard sometimes and feels like an odd combination of Before Sunrise and Curb Your Enthusiasm BUT Destination Wedding is still worth the trip.

Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder have worked together before. Destination Wedding happens to be their 4th film together though it takes a Google to remember anything beyond Bram Stoker’s Dracula. (That’s why I’m not holding it against Entertainment Weekly’s Maureen Lee Lenker who failed to mention The Private Lives of Pippa though the two weren’t necessarily together in that film which could be why it wasn’t mentioned, too.) They’ve known each other for nearly 30 years and it’s obvious the two enjoy each other’s company. That’s what made their pairing so unusual as Destination Wedding tried to get rolling. In the beginning, it was hard to imagine these two not liking each other despite the fact the characters they portrayed were supposed to not care for each other’s company much. However, as the film progresses and as their relationship evolves through a number of forced pairings at a destination wedding (hence, the title Destination Wedding), the fact that Reeves and Ryder play off each other so well helps them win over the audience, if they didn’t check out early on.Read More →

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In: 2018, Hot Take

Hot Take: Flat revenge flick with an insane body count and one of the worst titles in recent memory. First, Ben Affleck now this? Jennifer Garner can’t get away from disaster quick enough.

Earlier this year, we were treated to the reboot of Death Wish nobody asked for. Now, Peppermint offers the female equivalent nobody wanted. With Jennifer Garner in the main role as Riley North, a mom-turned-widow who seeks to kill anyone and everyone (AND WE MEAN EVERYONE!!!) associated with the death of her husband and daughter who were gunned down outside of a county fair, we’re treated to the most monotone performance of her career. She cries a few times but quickly snaps back to robotic killing mode and even when she gets some bumps and bruises, it’s nothing a little duct tape won’t fix. No, seriously. After getting cut deeply on the leg in the opening scene, Garner’s Riley limps off to skid row to an abandoned van where there’s some vodka (to clean the cut, of course), a staple gun (to close the deep cut) and some duct tape to hold it together. You’d think that… oh wait, there’s no point to think about this NRA wet dream of a revenge flick that has mom finding all the people responsible for the death of her daughter and husband and those that aided the killers in escaping any legal punishment.Read More →

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In: 2018, Hot Take

Hot Take: In a not so distant future, Mystery Science Theater 3000 will make another comeback and Kin will be one of the modern movies it takes a shot at and we’ll all laugh our asses off.

How did Kin get green lighted? Not only did the film get the green light from Lionsgate, Kin drew the attention of a pretty stellar cast featuring relative newcomer Myles Truitt in the starring role surrounded by a veteran supporting cast including Dennis Quaid, James Franco, Jack Reynor and Zoe Kravitz. Plus, there’s an odd Michael B. Jordan cameo. All that being said, the Sci-Fi thriller about a young boy finding a space gun and then heading out on a road trip with his estranged, recently freed from incarceration, adopted brother after their dad was killed in a botched robbery is hilariously bad. It’s campy but there’s no evidence that it’s on purpose. It’s ridiculous right down to it’s oversized, box shaped gun that only works for certain people. Kin is not a good film but it’s bad enough to be entertaining and keep you at least wondering how it will wrap up. I guess that’s positive, right? Read More →

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In: 2018, Lists

Currently, the MHT Top of 2018 list is 92 films deep and should see at least 50 movies added to it before we turn the page to 2019. (Which usually happens in mid-January because (a) January movies typically suck and (b) some “2018” films don’t get a wide release until January.) As typical, the Labor Day weekend is one of the weakest release weeks of the year with the widest release belonging to something called Kin about a kid who finds a space gun. Considering last year the widest release was Tulip Fever ($1.4 million opening on roughly 700 screens) and 2016 featured The Light Between Oceans, the only question really is where the heck is Alicia Vikander? (Note: Her next film, The Earthquake Bird, isn’t expected until 2019.) Since we’ve hit a lull and the only movie left for me to review of films I’ve seen is Black Panther and I want to see it again before I review it, here’s the 5 movies from each month MHT is looking forward to seeing:Read More →

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Hot Take: Having never seen the original and with nothing to compare it to, Papillon was powerful and compelling and, considering most of the negative reviews blame comparisons to the (in their opinion) more superior 1973 version, it makes sense I don’t have the same complaints.

The original version of Papillon has been on my list of films to see since when it was the only version of Papillon. Both versions are based on the autobiography by Henri Charriere, known as Papillon due to the butterfly tattoo on his chest. Both stories detail the brutal tale which starts with the Henri’s claim he was framed for murder and sent to life in prison at a penal colony in French Guiana and follows Papillon’s numerous attempts to escape imprisonment. The original features Steve McQueen as French safecracker Papillon and Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega, the rich forger Papillon vows to protect in exchange for financial backing of his escape attempts with whom he forms a friendship over the course of their time in prison. The update puts Charlie Hunnam in the titular role with Rami Malek in the role of Dega. Director Michael Noer’s take on the film is a dark, uncompromising re-telling of Papillon’s life in prison which was actually cut from an original cut of 3 and a half hours down to 2 hours and 20 minutes. Noer makes every attempt to put the viewer in the shoes of the prisoners and the more than intimate re-telling is unnerving at times and cuts no corners with the graphic nature of almost everything one might go through in prison. Read More →