Ready Or Not Review

Ready Or Not Review

      Never knowing her own family, Grace (Samara Weaving) is excited, even anxious at becoming a part of the La Domas board game dynasty by marrying youngest son Alex (Mark O'Brien). After a lavish wedding, the newlyweds spend their honeymoon at the La Domas family mansion. As midnight comes, per family tradition, new family member Grace must play a game with the other relatives also staying the night at the mansion. Picking from a mysterious card box, the game is "Hide and Seek" with the twist being that if Grace is caught, the La Domas will kill her in a dark ritual. But if she survives the night, the La Domas family may be doomed.

     "The Most Dangerous Game" is a short story written by Richard Connell in 1924. It introduced the idea of humans hunting other humans for sport. Countless movies and stories throughout the decades have either elaborated (Hunger Games), parodied (The Pest), and/or continued the concept. The axiom is true, it's all been done before. Execution of repeated premises and tropes are how one separates the good from the bad in terms of storytelling. I firmly count Ready Or Not as one of the best "Most Dangerous Game" type of films in recent memory.

     Ready Or Not presents a darkly comedic, gothic, future cult classic horror film with a quirky, but demented cast of characters. There's a kind of dark, relatable humor in seeing this family interacting together with clashing personalities that are picked up on right away. This brother-in-law doesn't like this sister-in-law, this aunt can't stand this nephew by marriage, husbands and wives bicker. Were it not a wedding bringing them all together, one could assume these same arguments occur every Thanksgiving about whether or not the cranberry sauce is fresh or canned.

     Having previously seen her performance in Netflix's horror-comedy romp "The Babysitter" (which I highly recommend), Samara Weaving is quickly making a name for herself as not only a modern-day Scream Queen, but an actress to look out for in the coming years. Her performance runs the gamut of emotions for someone in such an absurd and terrifying situation. From catatonic shock to just being flat-out done with everything, I firmly believed Weaving's performance from beginning to end.

     The gothic aesthetic to the La Domas mansion gives it a chilling atmosphere. Within its opulent halls are secret passageways, service entrances, resplendent fields of green as well as a security lockdown with surveillance cameras. The dim creepy interior lighting lent itself to the archaic nature of the game as well as the backstory and the rules of said game.  The production design of the mansion itself made it also feel compact despite its immensity, providing a lot of nice tension for Grace trying to flee her pursuers.

     There are some pretty grisly imagery to watch out for and the directors of the film pull no punches, in some cases, literally. People are severely wounded, some meet slow, gruesome ends. A lot of it was done with a darkly humorous tone, in particular, when some of the servants meet their untimely demise via an accidental shooting. It also shows that despite thinking of their deceased employees as human beings, the La Domas ultimately only care about themselves and their own survival.

    Speaking of the La Domas family, it'd be real easy to see the surface level criticism about rich people's behavior towards those not as well off and call it a day. They do display a willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve their goal, but the underlying desperation of needing to sacrifice Grace for the continued existence gives them an unexpected humanity. One of them laments that their family has to go through with this, saying "We all deserve to die." That statement is rebutted with "My children don't deserve to die." The family members, while each given easily recognizable traits (Ditz, drunk, gold-digger, etc;) they also show that they aren't kill-crazy psychopaths. That being said, their actions are inexcusable, are rightly framed in the narrative as horrific and morally wrong.

     Overall, Ready or Not is a darkly humorous, tremendously acted horror comedy romp with heart, intensity and blood to spare. I won't spoil the finale, but it does provide a suitably satisfying conclusion and a bloody good time for horror fans. And I never thought I'd say this, but Andie MacDowell should play more villains. She is incredibly effective and easy to despise as the matriarch of the family.

Blinded By The Light Review

Blinded By The Light Review

      Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra) dreams of leaving the sleepy town of Luton, England to pursue a career as a writer, and who could blame him? With labor shortages, bigotry and an overbearing father Malik (Kulvinder Ghir) trying to plan his life for him, there appears to be no escape. That is, until one night when Javed pops in a cassette of Bruce Springsteen and listens for the first time. The words of The Boss strike the young author's soul like a bolt of lightning and, for the first time, Javed feels that someone can relate to his plights. Through his new inspiration, Javed works towards his dreams, but a clash between generations with his father threatens to not just derail his dreams, but cause an irreparable rift in his family. 

     We're all looking for someone who can relate to our situations in life. It's a universal desire within just about every human being. People have a natural urge for connection, a yearning to be heard and to be listened to, to feel that they aren't alone. We don't always choose what inspires us. It could be as obvious as an uplifting movie or song, or as unconventional as a candy bar wrapper or a flower. But when you finally witness or hear that intangible spark of creativity or motivation to ignite the fire of your ambition, it changes everything. 

     Viveik Kalra gives a stand-out performance as hard-luck university student and aspiring writer Javed Khan. He carries himself like a young man with heavy expectations on his shoulders as well as the awkwardness of trying to come out of your own shell and embrace a more confident version of yourself. Kalra lays bear all the feelings his character experiences, perhaps to an over dramatic, even dare I say, corny degree.

     If one isn't paying attention and not looking beyond the surface, one might consider Kulvinder Ghir's performance as Malik to be a bit one-note, especially as an antagonist. But it's always a good rule of thumb to remember: antagonist doesn't mean villain or bad guy. He's a loving, doting father who wants his son to be a provider for his family and a responsible adult. Malik finds writing to be a frivolous pastime and isn't a stable, reliable way to make a living. Well, he's not exactly wrong. His relationship and struggles to relate to and be a good father to Javed are equal parts heartwrenching and heartwarming, even if you can see where the story is going.

      There are parts where this movie almost wants to be a Springsteen-inspired musical, particularly a number where Javed, his girlfriend Eliza and his best friend Roops dance and run around Luten to Springsteen's classic "Born To Run." It starts at the university, then winds its way through a group of dancers in a town square, alongside a row of out-of-work factory workers and then to an open field. Though numbers like this are few and far between, the direction takes a more visually unique approach by having the words appear in various ways as the songs are being sung.

     I'm no expert on Bruce Springsteen. I've only heard a few of his songs and I wouldn't consider myself a superfan. That being said, I don't consider that a requirement to understand the main themes of working hard and pursuing your dreams but never forgetting where you come from that the film ultimately espouses. Though there were times, and I said this to the friend I watched the movie with, it almost came off as Javed was proselytizing the gospel of The Boss. He quotes Springsteen lyrics in everyday conversation, tries to get everyone to listen to cassettes, it becomes close to obnoxious when he dismisses the music choices of a childhood friend. However, the film does show that condescension to other's tastes and opinions is foolish and not at all what Bruce is about.

     "Blinded By The Light" is a fun, cheesy, over-the-top but heart-filled time at the theater. It gave me an appreciation of the power of music and it's ability to inspire change in a person's life, which can affect change in others.While there's no post credits sequence, the audience is treated with follow-ups on the real life inspiration for the movie, British journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, who co-wrote the film's script. A sweet, touching end for an uplifting, if a bit corny, at times, experience.

Fast and Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw Review

Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw

     MI6 agent Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby) is on the run after injecting herself with dormant capsules of a deadly virus that can be reprogrammed to kill any target it infects.Her only hope are her brother, mercenary and former MI6 agent Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) and Luke Hobbs, a DSS agent sent in by the CIA to help retrieve both Hattie and the virus. But the mysterious Eteon organization sends out its cybernetically enhanced super-soldier Brixton Lore (Idris Elba) to retrieve the virus and kill Hobbs and the Shaw siblings. Not necessarily in that order.

     I will admit to not having seen all of the Fast and Furious movies. That being said, of those that I have watched, Fast Five is perhaps the best. But a point in the favor of this spin-off of the popular franchise is that prior knowledge of the previous films involving Hobbs and Shaw is unnecessary. While it does explain several instances, like why Helen Mirren is in prison, it isn't crucial to the plot. Our main duo are introduced very well in simultaneous sequences where they're entering the hangouts of low-level bad guys and make quick work of their targets to get information. You can get a sense of what they're all about from these segments and it works with the tone of the film.

     I came into this expecting a big, dumb, loud action film and that's exactly what I got. That being said, I love big, dumb, loud action films that are, at the very least, entertaining.I can tell the cast and crew behind this film had a good time making this movie and when they have a good time, more often than not the audience has a good time. It knows what kind of movie it is and what it's going for and doesn't pretend to be anything other than popcorn-flavored shut-off-your-brain entertainment.

     Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham play off of each other beautifully. Their chemistry lends to not only some kick-ass action sequences but for great chuckle-worthy gags between the two. Sometimes it does get a little overbearing and even the villains in the movie harp on it to the point where it becomes somewhat obnoxious, but Statham and Johnson have the combined chemistry and charisma to at least make the banter fun.

     One of the standout performances is from Vanessa Kirby who looks like dynamite. She carries her own weight not just in the snark and character department with the two leading men, but also a fierce whupper of asses in her own right. Her genuine charisma elevates her well above the usual eye candy one finds in this movie. Also, given she's playing the daughter of dame Helen Mirren (who is delightful in her brief cameo), she has a grace and attitude that I think would make Dame Helen proud.

     Idris Elba gives a truly villainous performance as Brixton Lore. When he says he's Black Superman, you damn well believe it, especially with his heavy baritone. It's not an original character by any stretch; Brixton has a past with Deckard Shaw, joins evil organization and wants to show how much better he is with cybernetic enhancements that give him superhuman strength. Tale as old as time, really. But Elba  convincingly sells the over-the-top villainy and sheer intensity of a half-man/half-machine assassin.

      The action is exactly as the franchise portends: fast and furious and they're all very well done, but it does get a bit monotonous during the second act. Things do pick up at the end with a set piece involving a helicopter chained to several big muscle cars hanging off of a cliff. I wouldn't ever call the action in the movie boring, but you do start to feel the two-hour run time when the lights in the theater come up. And while Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds do have funny cameos to give in this movie, it's pretty much just them doing their usual schtick, which is fine if that's what you like. Fortunately for me, I do, but if they aren't your cup of tea, this won't change your mind on them.

     Overall, worth at least a matinee viewing if you just want something that is, as I said before, big, dumb, loud, and fun.

SummerSlam 2019 Review

WWE SummerSlam 2019

Becky Lynch (champ) vs Natalya- Submission Match for the Raw Women's Title

      This was a pretty impressive match and a great way to start strong with. A brutal back and forth war of attrition with two fierce performances from two of WWE's best female wrestlers. Some of the more awkward transitions can be attributed to the nature of the match. One of the highlights was when the Toronto fans booed Becky putting Natalya in a sharpshooter While it isn't exactly the best submission match ever, it's still worth a watch. There was some selective selling but nothing too flagrant. Becky picks up the hard-fought win after a DisArm-Her.

Three tight leather armbars out of five.
   

Goldberg vs Dolph Ziggler


     Dolph, sporting a pretty cool "Shout At The Devil" jean vest, berates the crowd and thinks the Hall of Famer won't even show up. Then the music hits and out comes Goldberg in classic fashion, a knock on the door and being followed out of the backstage area to walk through a hail of sparks. Ziggler lays into Goldberg with two superkicks which the legend kicks out of each consecutive pinfall attempt. Goldberg then gives Dolph a huge spear. One Jackhammer suplex later and it's all over. Dolph then grabs a microphone and trash talks Goldberg, prompting a second spear. Dolph grabs the mic a second time to trash-talk the Hall of Famer one more time, which ends with, well you get the picture. This match might have been more interesting had Ziggler been booked to get in a little more offense, but I suppose Goldberg's age is a factor and it's probably the best we'll get out of him at this stage of his life.And while there were three in total, this match and segment gets:

One and a half fifty-two-year old spears out of five.

AJ Styles (champ) vs Ricochet for the WWE United States Championship

      Ricochet graces the ring in a Nightwing-inspired outfit which looks pretty damn slick. An incredible highlight is where Ricochet walks on the shoulders of AJ Styles's companions, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to hurricanrana AJ. It becomes a hard-hitting, high-flying battle between two of the best performers in WWE. AJ gets the victory with countering a Phoenix Splash into the Styles Clash. Anderson and Gallows then hit a Magic Killer on Ricochet to add insult to injury.

Three Dick Graysons out of five.

Bayley (champ) vs Ember Moon for the Smackdown Women's Championship

      This match had something of a slow start. The problem when you have a match between two good guys (or Faces/babyfaces) is that it leaves the crowd a bit unsure of who to root for and it showed with the lackluster crowd reaction. Things did pick up later in the match until Bayley comes up with the W with a Bayley-To-Belly suplex from the second rope. A serviceable match but the crowd reaction did sort of hurt it.

Two Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men out of five.

Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon (If Owens loses he must quit WWE)

      Shane McMahon tries to get Kevin Owens counted out by having him argue with special enforcer Elias (fresh from eating a spear from Hall of Famer Edge). Shane's style makes for a perfect heel (bad guy), cheapshots, using Elias to distract Kevin, even having the ref pulled out of the ring. It was a fine enough match in terms of a dirty rotten scoundrel getting their comeuppance. A nice-feel good moment with Kevin Owens winning with a low-blow and a Stunner.

Two and a half Sweaty Shane-O-Mac jerseys out of five.

Charlotte Flair vs Trish Stratus

      A clash of generations. Trish shows she still has it with a great performance, willing to take a pretty brutal and extensive beating from Charlotte. The grit and determination on both women's face told more of a story than the last two weeks of lackluster promos ever did. Though there was a time in the match where Trish's shoulders were down for a little longer than they should've been, it set up for the Hall of Famer to steal Charlotte's Figure Eight leglock for a brief moment. Though she brought a tough fight, Trish succumbed to The Queen's Figure Eight and tapped out. After the match Trish bade the Toronto crowd and all her WWE fans a fond adieu.

Three Stratusfactions out of five.

Kofi Kingston (champ) vs Randy Orton for the WWE Heavyweight Championship

     Of all of Kofi's title defenses, I'd consider this one his weakest. Randy's slow, methodical style fits his character to a T and it sometimes makes for a compelling good-guy-in-trouble story and makes the comeback all the richer. The crowd didn't seem to find the action all that entertaining and frankly I agree. Kofi does his best with what he's got and tries to elevate the match to at least a better quality. After eating Orton's patented RKO, Kofi rolls out of the ring, in front of his family. As Randy taunts said family with the prone body of Kofi, the champion becomes furious once the bell rings and both contestants are counted out. While Kofi annihilates Randy with a kendo stick and a Trouble In Paradise, the understandably cheesed off crowd goes "Bullshit!" And while I get booking maybe wanting to drag the storyline out for a little more, but personally speaking, I agree with the crowd.

One and a half Pancakes out of five.

Finn Balor vs The Fiend Bray Wyatt

      Finn Balor comes out in just about the whitest outfit I've ever seen. A stark contrast to Bray Wyatt, coming out with a really sick monster mask and a lantern with a human head cover on the lantern. I'm surprised Bray got away with that, to be honest. This was, in the common parlance, a squash match; where one wrestler gets in ninety-nine percent of the offense in the match. While Finn made the best of his one percent, it was still a showcase of Wyatt's newly honed skill. Wyatt looked like an absolute beast and he needed to to make an impression. The Fiend wins catching Finn Balor with the Mandible Claw for the pinfall "Holy shit" indeed.

Three demon contact lenses out of five.

Brock Lesnar (champ) vs Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship

      Seth Rollins, taped up ribs and all, came out swinging against The Beast Incarnate, or as my friend Jared would say the YEET Incarnate due to Brock's penchant for throws and German Suplexes. After a couple of superkicks and a stomp, Brock begins annihilating his challenger with his usual methodical but explosive style. Seth sells his hurt ribs nicely and Brock, while I personally find limited in terms of personality and moves, is every bit the beast he's advertised as. One moment showed Seth being literally slung across the ring by the tape on his ribs. Seth follows up with a frog splash onto Brock through a table, then a frog splash in the ring five minutes later, two Stomps later and Rollins comes out with a satisfying, hard fought win, conquering The Conqueror.

Three Burning It Downs out of five.

Overall grade

Three Missing Roman Reigns Out of Five!

      This PPV, for the minimal or dismal build-up it had garnered for the last three weeks since Extreme Rules, SummerSlam gives us a pretty good show where only one match could really be considered weak, but it wasn't what I would call a full one-star match (The difference between this and Goldberg vs Dolph was that despite that being a squash match, it was a little more entertaining despite the limited moves on display thanks to Ziggler selling the spears like death.). On that note, none of the matches were truly amazing or instant classics, but they were still pretty damn good for the lack of build-up and anticipation.

Match Of The Night Goes To

     

      Brock and Seth told a hell of a complete story and had a satisfying payoff plus some pretty intense moments. A spot-on performance from both wrestlers led to one of Brock's better matches in recent memory.