Dark Was the Night

I haven't done one of my bargain bin reviews in a good while, so today's movie is Dark Was the Night from 2018. I actually found this one a few months ago but hadn't gotten around to watching it until now. The film stars Marisa Tomei (who is the main reason I picked the Blu-ray up), Charlie Plummer, and Timothy Olyphant. 

The main plot of the film is that Steven Lang (played by Olyphant) is murdered one night in a parking lot after breaking up an altercation. He leaves behind a wife Margret (played by Tomei) and a teenage son Marcus (played by Plummer). In the days and weeks following the tragedy Margret falls into a deep depression and starts drinking heavily, while Marcus tries to keep moving forward. As time goes on Margret starts going to AA meetings and does her best to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Simultaneously, Marcus starts going down the opposite path and is becoming more self-destructive and isolated. 

Overall, this movie was better than I expected. I thought it was a good portrayal of how people deal with grief differently. While the film is nothing ground-breaking, and it is a bit of a sad watch, I thought it was well-written and the acting was solid. 

This one was pretty good, 3 out of 5.

The Grinch: A New Holiday Classic -or- A Big Lump of Coal?

The Grinch is the latest feature-length adaptation of the classic 1957 Dr. Seuss book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. The film follows the book's basic outline about a grouchy, green, character who lives alone with his dog Max, just outside of the Christmas-loving town of Whoville... and this is where the problems start. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a pretty short book with a very simple premise and, unlike the 1966 T.V. special, this is a hour and a half long movie. As a result, there is a lot needed to pad the runtime and nothing that was added really enhances the story in any sort of meaningful way. This is an Illumination film, and I got pretty much everything I've come to expect from that studio: good animation, exaggerated visuals, a lackluster story and characters, and a healthy dose of slapstick. Unfortunately, despite a few decent gags, the movie as a whole just isn't that good. As far as the voice acting goes, Benedict Cumberbatch voices the Grinch and his performance is ok, but Pharrell Williams narration is distractingly bad throughout. 

 Overall, it isn't as aggressively dumb as the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey, and it isn't unwatchable. I just didn't find it particularly entertaining. I took my 6 year old to see it and he had a blast. So, if you also have little kids it'll probably keep them entertained for 90 minutes. I just wouldn't recommend this one for anyone else.

1.5 out of 5

Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody is a biopic about the band Queen, but it primarily focuses on Freddie Mercury (the band's most recognizable member). Although the film looked very interesting, I tried to temper my expectations going into this one. The early reviews I had heard were mixed and while I do like the occasional musical-biopic, I've seen way more bad than good. 

I thought this one was decent for the most part. Rami Malek, who plays Mercury in the film, did an outstanding job and it's a movie about Queen so the music throughout the film is awesome. That being said, it seems like the filmmakers played it a bit too safe and the result was a fairly by-the-numbers, watered down, retelling of the band's history. It's also not edited or paced particularly well and, although his role is minor, everytime Mike Myers pops up in a scene it took me out of the movie.

Overall, while I didn't enjoy this movie as much as films like 2005's Walk the Line or 1991's The Doors, I still had a good time. It's a crowd-pleaser that I'd recommend any Queen fan go and check it out.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

So this afternoon I went to see Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween which is, obviously, the follow-up to 2015's Goosebumps. The first half I was a bit bored, but I found the second half to be entertaining enough and I even got a few laughs out of it. 

The story is pretty standard stuff for a kid-friendly Halloween flick: There is a supernatural ventriloquist dummy who wants to bring all the Halloween decorations to life for reasons that aren't really explained. The only way to stop him is by using a magic R.L. Stine book to trap all of the spooky monsters. All the kids are pretty stock characters: There's a fat kid, a black kid, a bully, and a girl... It's one scrawny kid with glasses away from the full Screenwriting 101 set. 

Is this one destined to become one of those films that is a staple of the Halloween season for years to come? I don't think so, but if you have young kids it's worth taking them to see. 
I give this one a 2 out of 5.

Christopher Robin

Christopher Robin is the latest in a long line of Disney live-action films about some of their beloved properties. In this movie Christopher Robin (played by Ewan McGregor) isn't the young boy who goes on adventures with his Hundred Acre Wood pals, but instead he's a sad, overworked, WWII vet, who seems to have forgotten what fun is. 

That's the setup and the film pretty much plays out beat-for-beat the way you'd expect. Christopher's wife (played by Hayley Atwell) is growing frustrated with her workaholic husband, there's an important deadline at the office, and Pooh Bear shows up at this hectic time in Christopher's life to show him what's really important. It's one of those movies that goes hard for the heartstrings, and it does a decent job. I watched The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (which ran from 1988-1991) as a kid, so there were a few waves of nostalgia that hit me throughout the movie. Unfortunately, this is both to the benefit and detriment of the film.

  If you are a fan of Winnie the Pooh and his friends, or just have good childhood memories attached to that silly old bear, then this movie is worth checking out. 

 However, if you don't really have an attachment to the characters then you can probably skip it. Without the nostalgic aspect, it's a pretty average movie.

3 out of 5

The Miracle Season

The Miracle Season is a 2018 film based on the true story of an Iowa volleyball team that overcomes tragedy to win the state championship. This film shamelessly goes hard for the heartstrings, but missed the mark for me completely. However, I ended up fighting back laughter during several scenes.

The story is fairly straightforward: Caroline "Line" Found is the heart of her high school volleyball team (and I guess her whole home town), but one night she gets into an auto accident and dies. Her friends/teammates are unsure if they can even play out the season without their star player, but they use Caroline's zest for life as inspiration. Against all odds, and lead by Caroline's best friend, the team comes together to win it all. It's a nice story, but It's trying a bit too hard to be a tear-jerker and it doesn't work. The cast is ok but acting is a bit over the top at times, and though I appreciate the effort in trying to make volleyball cinematic, it's not a great sports movie.

Overall, this probably should've been a Hallmark channel movie rather than a feature film. I don't want to rip on the movie too hard, because it is a true story about a girl dying but I also can't recommend this one.

I give it a 1.5 out of 5.

The Last Movie Star (2018)

The Last Movie Star is a film is about an former Hollywood star coming to terms with the fact that his best days are behind him and reflecting on the mistakes he's made over the years. Although the film is a work of fiction, parts of it are semi-autobiographical, and there are even scenes with Burt interacting with his younger self.

Overall the plot is pretty simple: An aging movie star named Vic Edwards (played by Reynolds) is invited to attend a weekend-long film festival in Nashville and he is told he will be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. After talking it over with an old friend of his (played by Chevy Chase) he decides to attend. However, when Vic arrives in Nashville he soon learns that the festival isn't the glitz and glamour, red carpet event he thought it was going to be. Instead, the "Film Festival" is a being put on by a small group of fans and takes place at a bar. After a rough first night in Nashville Vic decides to ask a girl named Lil (played by Ariel Winter), who has been tasked with driving him around town for the weekend, to take him to Knoxville where he grew up. So they go. Vic visits various important places from his youth, and all along the way offers up words of wisdom to Lil who herself is at a crossroads in her own life.

I don't know how this film is going to land with general audiences, but I enjoyed it. Is it the best film that's going to hit theaters this year? Probably not, but it feels like a very personal film and Reynolds gives a genuinely touching performance. I recommend checking it out.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

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Tomb Raider (2018)

Movies based on video games are usually pretty bad, but I think they broke the curse. Now, I'm not going to lie, I was in the the bag for this movie when I saw the first preview. I like the 'Tomb Raider' games, I love action-adventure movies, I think Alicia Vikander is a good actress, and even though they're not good I enjoyed the two Angelina Jolie films... so take this review with a grain of salt.

Now, without spoiling the plot for anyone planning to see this movie, here are a few thoughts I have about this one: Alicia Vikander kills it in this movie. It's easy to be on board with her from the get-go, and she was definitely a great casting choice. There are some really cool action scenes, but the pacing in this film has a few issues. It's overall an exciting adventure film but there are one or two spots where it starts to drag a bit. The effects are mostly solid with only a couple of CGI shots that look like they could've been done better.

Overall, I give this one a recommend. I had a lot of fun with this film and the issues I did have are just minor nitpicks. It's probably one I'll end up picking up on Blu-ray when it comes out.
A solid 4 out of 5.


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