The Peanut Butter Falcon is a tiny, gentle film we don’t see anymore. And before people jump on me with examples of indie films, hear me out. What I am talking about is having stars (Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern), a few character actors (Thomas Haden Church, John Hawkes) and one problematic yet excellent actor (Shia LaBeouf) come together and make this little movie now. While arguably, Dakota is at the height of her “star power”. We see many indie movies with “big name” actors, but they would usually make them before they “hit it big”, and some rarely go back to those as there isn’t much money to be made. And I always appreciate A-listers, who take their time and make films because they see something in the script or want to work with this director or writer. The best examples would be Daniel Radcliffe, Elijah Wood, and now Dakota seems to be doing the same thing. And I love it. While watching The Peanut Butter Falcon, you soon discover that the story couldn’t be simpler. There is no filler, let alone some CGI effects. No, this is but a simple film that knows what it wants to say and got the perfect actors to do it with.

You might be asking yourself: “That’s all well and good, but why is this movie named The Peanut Butter Falcon?” I won’t spoil it for you, but there is a reason for that, so rest assured, it’s not just one of those “quirky names for the sake of having a quirky title”, no. And it’s not like it would be some big spoiler either. I merely want people to see this film, experience it and make those discoveries as they go along with the film.

There is one more thing that makes this movie stand out – the titular hero/actor of this story is Zack Gottsagen. Before this film, I have only heard of him because I watch the Oscars live. And during the 2020 telecast, he made Oscar’s history by being the first person with Down’s Syndrome to present the Academy Awards. Yes, this film’s protagonist has Down’s Syndrome. And I hope to see him in more movies because he was so natural in this film. The bond he formed with Shia’s character, the manner in which he delivered his lines, and how earnest he was. I really liked his performance.

And this is what The Peanut Butter Falcon is about – three strong performances by Zack, Dakota and Shia. Throughout this movie, they form this unlikely “family” where each of them represents something different. Zack is the wild card; he says what’s on his mind. He is also the unfortunate victim of a system that doesn’t know what to do with him. Dakota’s character represents the system, but only the better part of it – the people who still care. People who want to do more than “just their jobs”; and want to do what is the right thing for the people they care for. And Shia is the rebel with a cause as his character is on this self-destructive path where he tries to do well, but something always brings him down. He also might have the most painful past out of our three protagonists.

Speaking of Shia, let’s stop for a second and imagine we live in a different reality, possibly a multiverse if you wish. But in this one, Shia hasn’t had the baggage and issue he had in his (still quite a short) life. The conversation about him doesn’t have to include the “let’s separate the artist from the art” caveat; the only thing we can focus on in this alternative universe is purely his talent because that is what many (myself included) often forget. Despite his issues and his “bigger than life” persona and ego (I suspect since I don’t know him, so I am only judging by the numerous articles I’ve read about him), he is immensely talented. I believe that in that alternative universe, he would be right up there in between our brightest young stars (he will turn 36 soon), possibly part of MCU, having multiple Oscar nominations, maybe even one win under his belt. That would be an interesting world to live in, wouldn’t it?

The last piece of the puzzle I have to mention is Dakota. This film convinced and turned me into her fan. I knew she was much better than the Fifty Shades franchise, and considering her recent performances (like in The Lost Daughter, 2021, my review here) plus in this film, I am now Dakota’s fan as not only she’s distractingly gorgeous, she can act. The fact that she comes across as a pleasant person in all the interviews I have seen with her also helps, but I honestly believe she will be one of THE best actresses of our generation. Also, as I’ve mentioned at the beginning of this review, I admire her for choosing to make these tiny movies, where she certainly has offers for much bigger; and better-paid films on the table… kudos, Dakota.

I don’t want to overhype this film because the last thing I wish is for somebody to watch this and then be disappointed by how “simple” this movie is. Because The Peanut Butter Falcon is an incredibly simple film, but in its simplicity lies the power of great storytelling. Sometimes, you need these direct movies with no twists; no CGI to remind you that movies can be as simple or complicated as we make them. In the end, the largest budget won’t buy you a great story or intriguing characters. And sometimes, all you really need is to watch three different people come together on a short journey that is somehow inspiring, even though the journey’s goal might seem a bit silly. For example, I don’t even care about this movie’s topic (wrestling), but Zack’s character was so into it that he made me care about it. That’s the power movies can have; they make you care about things you might have not otherwise.

Overall, The Peanut Butter Falcon was a delightful surprise. I’ve heard from a few people I trust it’s a great little movie, but I wasn’t prepared for how great it was. It got me with everything – its simple storytelling, the casting, the southern setting, everything just worked so well in this film. I would almost call this film the most perfect “pallet cleanser”. If you need to get a break from CGI heavy films, dramas that are “heavier than life”, and comedies built around a one-joke premise, watch The Peanut Butter Falcon. It might just reinvigorate your pallet for movies for some time. I can’t wait to re-watch this little film with a big heart.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

It seems we are not “out of the woods” yet, regarding these “30 years later sequels” to classics. Yes, I don’t think it’s a controversial opinion, but I consider the original Coming to America (1988) one of the comedy classics of that time and a movie I must have seen at least four or five times. That might not sound like much to many people, but I rarely re-watch films as there are too many I haven’t seen yet. Anyway, when Coming 2 America was announced, I was, like many, sceptical. And even the first trailer didn’t convince me, so it took me over a year to finally watch this film. And I won’t lie, the first half was terrible, but surprisingly, the second half was much better.

While I was watching this film, there was something bothering me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn’t put it into words until finally, it hit me. Coming 2 America doesn’t feel confident in itself. So we not only get many references to the original film (which was expected but still, they somehow managed to reference almost everything), but we literally get some scenes from the first movie playing a couple of times. Some were altered to justify/retcon this film into existence, and some were full scenes just lifted from the first movie! It mainly happens in the first half, and that felt weird. It almost felt like the filmmakers behind this sequel felt the need to justify it or apologize for the mere existence of this movie. Like they were saying: “Look, we know you’d rather watch the original, so here’s this scene you liked! And this character is back! And the barbershop!”

One thing I didn’t expect to write about this sequel – I could have used less of the original crew and more of the new actors. Yep, as much as I adore Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall or Shari Headley, they all felt not as excited to be back. I would say Shari was the one who felt most natural. I wish the movie would have focused more on the new characters, whether it was Jermaine Fowler, Wesley Snipes (playing a crazy but funny general), KiKi Layne or Nomzamo Mbatha; this “new blood” felt just right. When the story was focused on them, mainly the relationships between Jermaine’s character with his new sister (played by KiKi) or him getting closer with Nomzamo’s character, I thought the movie shined more brightly in those scenes, and I was actually in the story. Every reference to the original film pulled me out of it, but these talented young actors managed to pull me back in.

Another thing I need to mention is the soundtrack, full of hip-hop and R’n’B. I won’t pretend I recognised all the songs or artists, no. But I have recognised Meghan Thee Stallion, and that was a pleasant surprise hearing her voice (if anyone is interested, the song I am talking about is I’m A King by Bobby Sessions featuring Megan Thee Stallion). I would definitely recommend checking the soundtrack out if hip-hop and R’n’B is your thing.

I can’t forget to mention another thing that bothered me – the CGI. IMDb states the estimated budget for this sequel was around $60 million, but most of it must have gone to actors’ salaries, and therefore, not much was left for the CGI, and it showed. I understand many production people work long hours and can only do so much with the resources they have been given, so this is not against them. This complaint is more about the movie not saving enough money for those CGI shots of Africa because Jesus… Talk about something taking you out of the film.

I must mention one more thing – Leslie Jones is in this film. And I don’t know whether that’s her schtick or whether she has been stereotyped to do this in every single movie she is in, but just because you can be loud doesn’t mean you are funny. The reason I am saying that is not to be hurtful but quite the opposite. Because Leslie’s character starts this film as this loud persona that is so annoying; but in the second half of the film, she has some “quieter” moments where she manages to deliver some decent jokes; and that is the Leslie Jones I would love to see more of. I know it’s not just her many other comedians subscribe to this school of thought (“I will YELL all my lines!”), but it rarely works because this has been done so many times now that it’s downright annoying. Can we stop it, especially if the performer (in this case, Leslie) can actually be funny without yelling? Cheers.

Overall, Coming 2 America is not as bad as I feared, but it’s still a few “steps” below the original film. If the movie had the balls not to repeat every single joke that worked in the original, literally play entire scenes from the original and focus more on the new characters rather than the old cast, we might have had something here. I would say (maybe foolishly) that if the film was split 80/20 (we would spend 80% of the movie’s runtime with the new cast and the old cast occasionally pops in), I think we might have had something not as great as the first movie, but a worthy sequel nonetheless. But in its current form, Coming 2 America is very slightly above average. And it’s due to the young cast. Also, remember the name KiKi Layne – I feel we might have a future star on our hands that would be in many movies to come.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Long before she became Kate Bishop in the MCU show Hawkeye (2021, my review here), I knew of Hailee Steinfeld, and I heard tales about this film. Tales about how this film is actually a pretty awesome depiction of how it feels to be a teenager, so this has been on my radar/watchlist for a long time. So one evening, I’ve found myself in the mood to give The Edge of Seventeen a chance and holy shit. I wasn’t surprised it was great; I had a suspicion this would be a decent film but what I didn’t expect was to love it. And the credit where the credit is due, it’s all due to Hailee because her character (Nadine) is one of the most annoying characters I’ve ever witnessed. But somehow, due to Hailee’s performance, I was never annoyed by her, and I found myself even rooting for Nadine…?

The Edge of Seventeen tells a story about Nadine, who lost her dad at a young age. So she is being raised by her mum (Kyra Sedgwick) and her brother (Blake Jenner), who are also excellent in this film. And as you can imagine, it’s not hard for either of them without her dad, let alone with Nadine, who is acting up like she’s still a child. That was the first time I thought to myself that this movie might not be for me as I usually don’t have patience for characters such as Nadine. But when the film tells you her story, and you see Hailee act the shit out of it, you can’t help but root for her. And even though you see how wrong she is and how much growth she has in front of her, you have patience/empathy for her character as this is her coping mechanism. Not the best one, that’s for sure, but hey, who was “switched on” when they were 16?

Let’s talk about her relationship with Woody Harrelson‘s character, as that was when the movie showed me what I am in for, besides Hailee’s range. I loved the relationship those two had where you can tell there is a history between them, so they are more comfortable with each other. But their relationship never crosses any boundaries, and it never goes into some questionable territory as his character is de facto her step-dad. Nadine goes to him as much as she can, and those scenes featuring just their characters were the highlight of this film for me. Hollywood seems to be obsessed lately with unlikely couples in action movies, where we pair up one action star and one comedian, so why not pair up Woody and Hailee? I thought they worked very well together and would love to see more of them.

If The Edge of Seventeen shined in those scenes with Woody and Hailee, it got me 100% with Hailee’s acting. There were a couple of scenes where Hailee goes from smiling to crying (or almost crying) from high to low, and it was effortless and, more importantly, it felt realistic. Take her awkward “date” (if you could even call it date) with the guy she’s obsessed with for most of this film. The guy takes her out on the ride, hoping to “get some” because that is what Hailee’s text was not just implying but straight up saying. And that awkward car scene where you understand both him and her perspectives, their young inability to talk about what they really want… I think that car scene can be used to summarize this film – young people wanting something they don’t know what exactly or how to ask for it. But we don’t have to worry; they will figure it out, eventually. As the old saying goes: “Youth is wasted on the young.”

The other aspect I appreciated is the idea of the older sibling stepping up and acting as almost a “shadow” parent and how much he needs to sacrifice to help their mum out, mainly with “raising” Nadine. Blake’s character had two powerful monologues, one explaining Hailee’s character and how “great” his life really was, and the other when he was talking to their mum about him not being an adult, yet she would always call on him to be one. I think this is something many people can relate to when they were growing up, the idea of them having to “step up” because of reasons beyond their control. How it was not fair, and yet this is what was expected, so you “just” have to suck it up?

Overall, The Edge of Seventeen was a film I enjoyed tremendously. I had a sneaky suspicion I would like it, but I ended up loving it instead. And the person I “blame” the most for this has to be Hailee Steinfeld. I still remember when she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in True Grit (2010) and thought that kid had a great future in front of her. Now more than ever, I am convinced that she will eventually win an Oscar. Given her enormous talent, the question is not “if” but “when”. And I, for one, have officially become part of her fan club as she proves time and time again she can do no wrong. If you haven’t seen this film, you are doing yourself a disservice.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

It would seem we might have a new “power couple” on our hands. We used to have Martin Scorsese working a few times with Robert De Niro and, later on, with Leonardo DiCaprio. Or Ridley Scott, making a few movies with Russell Crowe. Well, now, we have Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds in their second collaboration (the first being Free Guy (2021, my review here)) and the third one is coming up, as Levy was announced as the director for Deadpool 3 (no date yet). And for what it is worth, I think this collaboration works well even if The Adam Project didn’t break any new ground. What it did, though, was one fun movie.

The first surprise for me was the casting of young Ryan. Yes, I am talking about Walker Scobell, whose name you should probably remember, as I believe he might be the next big star. He nailed the way Ryan talks without it sounding forced or awkward. Also, he got cast as Percy Jackson in the new Disney+ show Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023), and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he got the part of Percy for his performance in this film because he was great. He was, in fact, so great I might check out that TV show and I wasn’t that interested in it. Especially considering he had to go up “against” megastars like Ryan, Jennifer Garner, Zoe Saldana, Catherine Keener or Mark Ruffalo. Yep, as you can see, just from these names, the casting here is full of talented performers who all done well. But I would like to focus on Jennifer and Zoe.

For Jennifer, I will say she has done an amazing job. You understand her pain; you believe she is just a single mum trying to do the best she can with a son who can be “a bit” of a pain in her ass. Her scenes with Ryan, where he is older now and realising how he wasn’t making anything easy for her, were surprisingly touching. But for me, the real heart of the story was Ryan’s relationship with Zoe. From the moment they reunite until they have to go their separate ways, you can tell how much they care for each other. You can also see why Ryan’s character would risk everything for her. Also, on an unrelated point, it was nice to see Zoe Saldana in her “original” skin colour as she seems to be Hollywood’s top pick for “Hey, who do we cast to play this blue/green/purple alien? Oh yeah, Zoe Saldana exists; let me speed dial her real quick.” Anyway, even though her role wasn’t as big as others and she didn’t have plenty of screen time, she made an impact, and she was one of the reasons I enjoyed this film.

The Adam Project is a sneaky movie. Because yeah, it’s a sci-fi story. But it utilises that element to tell a pretty compelling drama about past mistakes and complicated relationships (whether it is between family or romantic relationships), and the film blends those two genres really well. Again, is it breaking any new ground? No, to be honest. But you will have a good time with this film as it is a well-blended cocktail of fun and seriousness, the jokes work, and the emotional scenes land.

Also, let’s talk about the main star of this film, Ryan Reynolds. If you look at his performance here from far, you could say he’s just being his typical self, kind of Deadpool character. But look at it more closely, and you might see that he’s got more earnest moments/scenes, and he is nailing them all. It would be easy to write: “Ryan Reynolds is being another version of him, again.” And sure, there is some element of that; I don’t think that will ever go away. But not because he’s playing one character; no, it might be because that is who he is. And in this film, he showcased much more than his snappy, quick-witted side, and I appreciated that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins an Oscar in about ten years, as I think he is getting better and better, and he can make these characters work in his favour.

The only real “issue” I had with this film was its predictability. You knew where the story was going; you could see every twist and turn coming from a mile away. But I honestly don’t think it takes much away, at least in this case. Because the film has a reasonable length, it never overstays its welcome, and again, the casting makes all moments work. The comedic ones and dramatic ones land, and you walk away smiling.

Overall, The Adam Project is a fun half sci-fi, half drama that mixes those genres surprisingly well. The script is decent, the performances were superb across the board, and it seems the new Hollywood duo Levy & Reynolds is having fun. And as longest they can transport that fun onto the screens, I will be rooting for both. This film won’t shake your world, but here’s the thing, it’s perfectly fine for a movie to be “just” fun and not “life-changing”. The Adam Project is the prime example of a fun family movie you put on one Saturday afternoon, and it doesn’t matter how big your family is; there is something for everyone in here. And I love we still get these family films with “higher” concepts. I would definitely recommend you to watch it.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

I love films. I love clever films, but at the same time, I love “dumb” films. I strongly believe in judging any movie based on its merits rather than comparing a comedy to an Oscar-winning drama. For this reason, I tend to rate movies higher than your stereotypical movie critic because I am not a movie critic. I have always called myself a cinephile, a movie lover. With that being said… fuck this film. I can have fun with “dumb” action movies (after all, I grew up on those cheezy action films from the 80s and 90s). But if the ninth film in a franchise becomes “all bets are off” kind of a movie, and there are LITERALLY no stakes to any action happening on the screen, that just infuriates me.

Fast & Furious 9 (or F9) embraced the ridiculous premise of fans all over the world, who were pointing out how this franchise evolved from fast cars and racing to heists and “family” and asked: “Well, what are they going to do next, go to space?” And filmmakers behind this movie went: “Hold my Corona.” And they did. Look, I know you wanted to be cheeky, but Jesus… As with everything, too much of one thing can kill you or make you not like that one thing. Take pizza; I often think how I could eat pizza every single day, except when you truly think about it, that’s dumb, it wouldn’t make sense, it wouldn’t be healthy for me, and also, after some time, it would no longer be my favourite food. I’d get sick by just looking at pizza. And that’s how I felt about Fast & Furious 9. Where I could have found fun with the first three or four movies, the moment Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson joined this franchise, it officially jumped a car, a helicopter and then a submarine. With each new episode, I found myself having less and less fun. But holy shit, was he helping to keep this franchise afloat as this film without his charisma struggles. Yep, as much as I like Vin Diesel and admire what career he’s made for himself, he isn’t as charismatic as Dwayne. But the lack of Dwayne isn’t the main issue, no. The main problem is the lack of any stakes. You could rent the world’s best and most advanced microscope, and you would still struggle to find at least any hints of something remotely resembling stakes.

Some of you might be thinking: “Damn, it only took you eight films to realise there are no stakes in these films?” And to those people, I would say, no. I always knew the stakes were low to minimal in this franchise, but they existed. What F9 has done differently from its predecessors was it turned into a full-on telenovela and removed those tiny stakes which existed. I won’t even mention that we have yet another “long lost family member” in this film again. That has been spoiled even in the official trailers, but just in case you haven’t seen those, I will put the spoiler tag because we need to talk about this…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

This franchise has been dealing with one thing on a pretty consistent basis – its hatred for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) as that was, what I would argue, the last “proper” Fast & Furious film. Because that movie is mostly about racing, there are no international problems that somehow only a team of racers can solve. Racers who somehow can pull off anything they put their minds to. Well, that’s the American way. Anyway, another reason this franchise hates Tokyo Drift – they killed Han. How dare they kill that one character we didn’t know would be so… crucial to the story previously? As they, of course retcon him to the movies after the fact, making Tokyo Drift (for the longest time) the future one. That is already bit too convoluted for a franchise whose sole focus should have been fast cars, but ok. Anyway, when it seemed that we were finally over it, this #JusticeForHan thing started, and yet again, filmmakers decided: “You know what? That character WAS the heart of this franchise; we need to bring him back.” And they did. Han lives. After being dead since 2006, but appearing in some films since then because they were technically in the past… he’s officially back and alive as they YET AGAIN go back and retcon Tokyo Drift so effectively that film no longer matters. And why would it? What do you want for choices to matter? Get the fuck out of here…

See what I mean by Fast & Furious 9 killing even that last bit of stakes? Now not only you don’t have to be afraid about anybody dying in these films ever again but even if they somehow do, don’t worry, they will be back again! Well, except for Paul Walker because he is literally dead. But guess what? That doesn’t stop this film from talking about him and even making somebody pretend to be him in the last scene, where his car shows up. I swear, I wouldn’t be surprised if, for the next sequel, they actually bring him back using CGI. Because that seems like the respectful thing to do, rather than… I don’t know, maybe retire his character where he is living the life or something like that. No, we need to dangle him in front of the audience because of… family? Money? Yeah, it’s money.

Do you feel despair? Because this film made me honestly desperate. What makes me the saddest/maddest about this situation is how they were talking about Fast & Furious 7 (2015), how that was for Paul and all that, and they actually somehow managed to give him a pretty sweet send-off in that film, despite the odds. But now they literally waiving his name and car in your face again cause “family”? And I wasn’t a big Paul Walker fan, but I thought he seemed like a chilled dude, and of course, I was sad when he died.

To be fair, it’s not just this Han/Paul Walker stuff that bothered me, no. The movie was irritating to me before that as all the set pieces are so unbelievable, it’s genuinely hard for me to “switch my brain off and have fun”. When all the stunts are CGI because they must be CGI, it’s hard for me to feel any excitement. Or where people use literal cars to break somebody’s fall, more than once. Yes, you can break someone’s fall using a car but not without breaking their spine, bones; you know, the entire body in the process. And that’s just one example of how lazy this franchise has gotten. A movie with no stakes is where any tension goes to die.

The only thing I semi-enjoyed was the sequence in Edinburgh, as I’ve been there on a few occasions, so it was fun seeing the streets I walked on being in a movie like this. Because as much as I didn’t enjoy this film, it’s still a Hollywood blockbuster, no doubt about that. And it made money too less than what was probably expected but still enough to warrant a few more sequels until they go… where can they even go next? The moon? The sun? All bets are off for this franchise, and in this case, it’s not a compliment.

Overall, Fast & Furious 9 is a film I didn’t enjoy at all. It didn’t work on any level for me. For a “dumb” action film, it was too dumb and wanted me to suspend my disbelief way too much; for an “end of the world” film, the stakes were non-existent to start with, so of course, that aspect and the entire plot of this film is boring. Yep, for a movie about fast cars, double-crosses, and people going into a space, I was bored. And that’s “probably” not a good thing, being bored while watching an action film. I wouldn’t waste my time on this film if I were you.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

As I’ve mentioned in my review for It (2017, my review here), I had little to no knowledge of this story. I have yet to read the book, have not watched the mini-series from 1990, but even I knew that the story was split into two eras. And given the first It movie was such a success, both critically and money-wise (or Pennywise…? Ok, I will see myself out now), as it made just over $700 million on a budget of “just” $35 million, we knew there would be a second one. And with it, the much-needed re-casting as the group of kids we followed in the first movie are grown up now. And this was one of many issues I had with It: Chapter Two and why it ultimately didn’t work for me.

Let’s start with some positives; Bill Skarsgård still does a solid job as Pennywise. Sure, nothing can truly re-capture the first time you have seen him as the killer clown, so the novelty factor has gone a bit, but he still found new ways to have some fun with this character. Jessica Chastain was the perfect casting choice as not only she does look like the adult version of Sophia Lillis she had the most captivating story out of all our main protagonists. And I honestly wished we would have spent more time with her character to give her a chance to flash it out more. Everybody else was good enough, but here’s where the first issue comes in – they are fine, not outstanding. Even Jessica doesn’t do anything spectacular here. But it’s not the actors’ fault as they had to cram so much into the beginning for us to catch up; I am convinced that this property ultimately needs to be re-done one more time, and I even have some ideas as to what I would have done, or to be more precise, how. But more about that later on.

The biggest issue for me was the length. This film is almost three hours long. As I always say, I don’t mind longer films, as long as they can justify the movie’s duration. This one felt like it could be the case, but ultimately, it wasn’t. As we try to get caught up on everybody, we get a scene where everybody finally meets up after 27 years, and it’s only then we can go to the ‘A’ plot. And that ‘A’ plot is no longer as scary given Pennywise is fighting adults. That’s something I still wasn’t clear on; I thought his entire schtick was about only kids being able to see him…? So do they see him because they’ve encountered him as kids and survived? I will be honest, the movie might have mentioned it, but I don’t remember because there is so much information thrown your way in the first half of this film it can get overwhelming at times.

What was also disappointing were the scares. It seemed, for some reason, the filmmaker(s) behind this took the wrong lesson as to why the first film worked so well and decided to go the more traditional horror route. And unfortunately, by traditional, I mean cheap jump scares (those that the first It managed to avoid for most of its length) we all love are back. Wait, did I say love? I meant hate. I don’t know about you, but I always view these jump scares as the cheapest way of getting a reaction. The best horror films (in my humble opinion) build on a creepy atmosphere and choose where (or if) they insert a jump scare. See The Haunting (1963) as the perfect example of this. Please note that I am talking about the original film from 1963, not the remake with the same name from 1999. It: Chapter Two mostly felt like they decided to go with the safe horror route. That’s not to say there aren’t some great scenes (like the mirror maze), but for almost a three-hour horror movie, you would expect to be tense for most of it. And I was mostly bored.

I have read some opinions about why the second part of It never works, and most people (including myself) agree that it’s simply not as scary with adults being the main protagonists as it was with kids. But I would also argue that this franchise shouldn’t be split into two movies. Maybe not even three films. My idea was we could get a brilliant It mini-series. What’s that, you say? We already tried that in 1990, and that also didn’t work? That’s true, but without even watching that, I guarantee you many things have changed since then, especially TV shows and how they are crafted nowadays. The more I think about it, the more I think we need maybe an eight to ten-episode mini-series, where you could have the first three to four episodes with the kids and the rest with adults. Why? Because that I believe would sort out many issues.

Think about it – the first It film worked because those kids had a connection; they had a group/bond. And for most of the sequel, all our characters are split apart, and we haven’t seen them for 27 years. That is why you need to give a bit more time for the adult characters, to make us care about where they are now. What they’ve been up to for those 27 years. Remember what I wrote in the beginning? Even though this film has some amazing actors, nobody truly stands out because we only get to see so much for this movie to happen, for their characters make sense within the context of this film. I would love to get to know those adults better, how exactly the Pennywise encounter affected them, affected their life, growing up… Some things are hinted at here, but nothing in any deep/meaningful way because they don’t have time to do that. The movie is already too long. The more I think about it, the more I believe It would make one hell of a limited TV show, one season, ten episodes max, get it a decent-sized budget, don’t be afraid to deviate from the book a bit (maybe add more depth to those adult characters) and I would watch it instantly.

Also, did we really need that secondary villain? Did we honestly need that storyline about that bully from high school coming back as a secondary villain? Maybe he has more impact in the books, but here, he’s so forgettable and pointless to this entire story I genuinely have forgotten he’s there for the most part. Even now, I still can’t recall his name. But guess what, I can imagine (in my fantasy show) that we would follow his character and journey through his years in the mental institute. If you only flesh him out and give him something to do, he might have a reason to be there, but in this film, that’s a storyline we could have easily cut from the film, and we would not lose anything.

It: Chapter Two still manages to have some decent scares; I thought the story (despite my issues above) was alright and easy enough to follow (once you get over the first half of exposition). But I can’t help myself every time I try to remember what happened in the film; I have to try hard to remember the ending. Whereas I still remember most of the first It movie. I think that speaks for itself.

Overall, It: Chapter Two had a difficult task ahead. But everything seemed to be working in its favour the cast was full of amazing actors, Bill came back as Pennywise, and even the same director (Andy Muschietti) who did the first film came back. And the final result isn’t bad per se; it’s just a few things gone wrong where I don’t think we confidently could place the blame on any one person. I honestly think this (two films) wasn’t the correct medium for It as it is ultimately one story that should feel joined and connected. Unfortunately, it didn’t. The scares became less original and more expected, and the extraordinary cast did all they could with the time they had to establish what their characters went through over the past 27 years. I’ve mentioned in my It review that I wouldn’t mind rewatching that. I think I will have to be in a very forgiving mood to rewatch It: Chapter Two.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

At the height of his power, his most “Clooneyness”, George Clooney teamed up with his mate Steven Soderbergh (who arguable was also at the height of his career) to… remake Solaris (1972), the Tarkovsky‘s classic that was almost three hours long? Yep, that’s what you do. Well, that is what you do when you are these two guys. And they’ve managed to do it… pretty well?

I have seen the original Solaris, but that was a long time ago when I was too young to understand what was happening. So I didn’t appreciate it enough, and that film is definitely in my “have seen it, need to re-watch it” pile. But I remembered the basic gist and the fact I was bored. Again, please don’t judge me too harshly; I was around 13/14 years old when I watched it. I can see now that was a dumb thing to do, but hey, I was starting my cinephile life. What can I tell you; I wanted to see the best films, but I was too young to understand some of them.

It might be why I rate this remake a bit higher than others? Or it might be the fact we don’t get these “quiet” sci-fi films anymore? As Solaris is a sci-fi drama, meaning the drama comes from the personal lives of our protagonists rather than them being in space. Nowadays, if we get sci-fi films, we get epics, like Dune (2021, my review here) or the latest Star Wars films. And they are (mostly) great for what they are. But they aren’t quiet, meditative dramas that focus on people as much. Those films focus more on showcasing how breathtaking CGI can look, whereas Solaris makes the space the background for our characters to ponder about life, death and everything in between.

And if you are like me, you like films like that. You can say plenty about Soderbergh, but that guy knows how to build an atmosphere of isolation, doubts and paranoia. And he achieved it in this film really well where you understand what is happening, but also understand how confusing and painful the situation must be for everybody involved.

Without going into heavy spoiler territory, this is the official storyline from IMDb.com for Solaris.

Grieving psychologist Chris Kelvin is sent to investigate a lonely space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris, where terrified crewmembers are experiencing a host of strange phenomena, including impossibly halcyon visitors that seem all too human. Once aboard, he confronts an unfathomable power that could hold the key to mankind’s deepest dreams and darkest nightmares.

Source: IMDb.com

Yep, George arrives on the ship that stopped communicating a while ago, only to discover there might or might not be more people on board. I won’t say too much because I think it’s a cool idea to explore and would like you to experience it for yourself, if possible. What I also appreciated was this concept being a “polite” remake. The mere existence of this remake is not “hurting” the original Solaris. It’s such an intriguing concept about our existence, the meaning of life and all that good stuff that it might be one of those rare cases of filmmaking where just because you love the original film, it doesn’t mean you “have to” hate this remake. They can both exist and tell their stories.

Solaris is also one of those “before they became famous” films. There are young Jeremy Davies and John Cho, but the most notable appearance goes to Viola Davis. And even though she had acted before this film, it was mostly TV work and “side characters”, so I would go ahead and say this might have been her major breakthrough. And yes, this might be too obvious to write, but she is awesome in this film. I am so glad that I don’t have to write: “How come she didn’t become a bigger deal?” It was her scenes opposite George’s character I’ve enjoyed the most.

The only reason I can’t give this film a higher rating is simple. It didn’t stay with me for long. I’ve had a great time watching Solaris, but only about two months after I’ve seen it (showing my hand here, but some reviews take me a while to write), I only remember some scenes. I remember how I felt watching this film, but for me to rate it any higher, the film would have to leave a bigger impact on me. But as I always say, who knows? Maybe when I re-watch the original movie, I might re-watch the remake too to compare them against each other, to see how different directors with totally different backgrounds tackled one story…? Yeah, I can see myself doing that one day.

Overall, Solaris is 100% one of those “they sure don’t make movies like these anymore”. The space element here is crucial, but it is not the most important aspect of this film. It serves as a tool, a means to an end where our characters could have talked about life, death, what constitutes life… And if you enjoy movies like these, you might want to check this one out. Even though it’s a Hollywood remake, this one must be one of the better ones for sure. The fact it’s almost half the length of the original movie also helps.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke