Showing posts with label Taraji P. Henson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taraji P. Henson. Show all posts

Sunday, 31 October 2021

Special: Halloween Kills, Muppets: Haunted Mansion, Werewolves Within Mini-Reviews

Halloween Kills

Synopsis: Minutes after Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie's basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie's trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. The Strode women join a group of other survivors of Michael's first rampage who decide to take matters into their own hands, forming a vigilante mob that sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all. Evil dies tonight.

My thoughts: The previous installment breathed a lot of new air into this long struggling project, though I will admit I liked the Rob Zombie Halloween but just like that movie I was disappointed by the follow-up but unlike that one I didn't completely despise Halloween Kills, it simply didn't move the needle forward as much as I would've liked. Of course a sequel is already in the works so let's just hope this is the issue of a prolonged second act to get us to a worthwhile finale in it's own film.

Final verdict: 3.5 Shatner masks out of 5.

Muppets: Haunted Mansion

Synopsis: The Great Gonzo – world famous daredevil artiste, has done it all, seen it all, and survived it all. But on Halloween night, the fearless Gonzo takes on the greatest challenge of his life by spending one very daring night in the most grim grinning place on Earth …The Haunted Mansion.

My thoughts: This Muppets special won't gain many new Muppets fans. It's simply a situation where if you like the not quite a mop, not quite a puppet characters, you'll like this. Will Arnett and Taraji P. Henson seem to be having a blast making this which does show and Haunted Mansion gives us all the heart and soul we expect from a Muppets production. They've been a little hit and miss recently and this isn't a hit like past Muppets movies you fondly remember but not the misses like you recall as well. It's comfortable in the middle but given the track record of late you'll take that.

Final verdict: 3.5 Disney rides out of 5.

Werewolves Within

Synopsis: After a proposed pipeline creates divisions within the small town of Beaverfield, and a snowstorm traps its residents together inside the local inn, newly arrived forest ranger FINN (Sam Richardson) and postal worker CECILY (Milana Vayntrub) must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorizing the community.

My thoughts: Based off a VR game, which is based off a card game that I like, Werewolves Within, had a good set up and the movie kept you guessing. I felt like they focused a bit too much on the comedy element and not enough on the horror element unfortunately. But that was really the only downside as I felt this cast of relative unknows did well and the visual effects weren't too bad given the budget the filmmakers were working with.

Final verdict: 3.5 twists out of 5.

Sunday, 12 April 2020

Special: Sonic The Hedgehog, Coffee & Kareem, The Invisible Man Mini-Reviews

Sonic The Hedgehog:

Synopsis: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is a live-action adventure comedy based on the global blockbuster video game franchise from Sega that centers on the infamously brash bright blue hedgehog. The film follows the (mis)adventures of Sonic as he navigates the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound -- human -- best friend Tom Wachowski (James Marsden). Sonic and Tom join forces to try and stop the villainous Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) from capturing Sonic and using his immense powers for world domination. The film also stars Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic.

My thoughts: Although a step down from last summers Detective Pikachu, Sonic is a huge win especially after the backlash from the original trailer. Baby Sonic is the most 2020 thing to happen so far this year and I loved every minute of it and I'm always on board when Jim Carrey is given the reigns to just go nuts. I'm glad this movie made some money before COVID-19 as it sets up for sequels and hopefully more goodness is to come.

Final verdict: 4.5 gold rings out of 5.

Coffee & Kareem:

Synopsis: While police officer James Coffee (Ed Helms) enjoys his new relationship with Vanessa Manning (Taraji P. Henson), her beloved 12-year-old son Kareem (Terrence Little Gardenhigh) plots their break-up. Attempting to scare away his mom's boyfriend for good, Kareem tries to hire criminal fugitives to take him out but accidentally exposes a secret network of criminal activity, making his family its latest target. To protect Vanessa, Kareem teams up with Coffee - the partner he never wanted - for a dangerous chase across Detroit.

My thoughts: Netflix latest original is here to get us through COVID-19 and it's fine but it's nothing special. It's classic adult humour in a fish out of water story with some action sprinkled it. It doesn't do any one thing great which holds it back and Henson is wasted as a juggernaut actress. Definitely worth a watch to kill an hour and a half but probably won't revisit it.

Final verdict: 3 foul-mouthed 12 year olds out of 5.

The Invisible Man:

Synopsis: Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer, NBC's The InBetween), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge, Straight Outta Compton) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid, HBO's Euphoria). But when Cecilia's abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia's sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

My thoughts: As far as Universal Monster remakes go this is head and shoulders above The Mummy and Dracula Untold but it still has it's issues. The running time is longer than it needs to be and they leave too many hanging threads early on which takes focus away from what's happening on screen. Moss is a fantastic actress but she's not able to elevate this movie much.

Final verdict: 3.5 tech upgrades out of 5.