Sunday 29 November 2020

Special: The King Of Staten Island, Becky, Hubie Halloween Mini-Reviews

The King Of Staten Island:

Synopsis: An aimless slacker dreams of becoming a tattoo artist while living with his mother and hanging out with his friends in Staten Island, N.Y.

My thoughts: Coming of age stories usually don't involve this much chaos and people in their mid to late 20's however Pete Davidson's awkward charisma works in spades and humanizes the entire story. The movie was a little longer than it needed to be, the heart at the end packs a punch and makes the runtime more worthwhile but it's certainly still a flaw. Director Judd Apatow seems to have turned a corner lately focusing on older characters however I can't help but to feel that after the success of Trainwreck he decided to spin the story around to a male point of view for this. So although it's not totally original, it is better than Trainwreck. That being said this formula will get old quick and Apatow is better than that.

Final verdict: 4 Ruby Tattoosdays out of 5.

Becky:

Synopsis: Spunky and rebellious Becky tries to reconnect with her father during a weekend getaway at a lakefront house. But the trip soon takes a turn for the worse when convicts on the run, led by the merciless Dominick, suddenly invade the home.

My thoughts: Smells like teen spirit? I'd say so. Kevin James channels his inner neo-nazi serial killer in a dark turn which is incredible for those used to seeing his bumbling buffoon antics he has always done. Lulu Wilson is a breath of fresh air that is running amuck through the horror genre. It'll be nice to see her branch out, which she starts here starring as Becky which is equal parts horror and gore as well as action which she handles with ease. The pace could've been slown a bit more but I'm not one to complain much about a balls to the wall pace in an action centric movie.

Final verdict: 4 coloured pencils out of 5.

Hubie Halloween:

Synopsis: It's October 31st in Salem, Massachusetts, and a town's eccentric, devoted community volunteer and the good-natured object of his fellow citizen's derision and meanest pranks, finds himself in the midst of a real investigation, for a real murderer.

My thoughts: An Adam Sandler Netflix movie? What a trainwreck right? I mean, yeah. It's not great but it could've been a hell of a lot worse. Adam Sandler is playing himself basically which is as cringe as you'd think it is but the fact that it's a seasonal movie gives it a bit of leeway into buffooneries. Unlike the above Becky, Kevin James falls back into old habits of playing Sandler's #2 and in this one his rival which after watching Becky is a rough go. The writing is stale and predictable but again you expect that sort of thing in seasonal movies such as this. Some of the gags are good, some play up Sandler's cringe which fall flat. In the end it's not must see Halloween viewing but I can deal with watching it once a year around that time.

Final verdict: 3 bumbling buffoon antics out of 5.

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