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Archive for the 'Movie Reviews' Category

Screamfest 2021 – Final Film Reviews

So the curtain may be closed for this year’s Los Angeles based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2021, but here at WhySoBlu.com we’re still going like a Texas chainsaw with unlimited gas!  Below is our final review article, which provides five more features for critical skinny pleasure.  Check out the encapsulated movies reviews for When I Consume You, What Josiah Saw, The Changed, Alone With You and Let the Wrong One In below!

 

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‘Dune’ Delivers An Elevated Blockbuster (Movie Review)

Dune, the much-anticipated epic, based on Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel, opens this weekend on the biggest (and smallest) screens in North America. As director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) has stated in interviews, anyone eager to drink in the vast desert vistas of the planet Arrakis, IMAX is the intended viewing experience. For those less inclined to venture out to theaters just yet, one hopes they at least have a big 4K TV to stream such a ginormous film on HBO Max. The all-star cast includes Timothy Chalamet, Oscar Issac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and even Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, just to name a few. If you’re thinking, “HBO? Why isn’t this a series in the vein of Game of Thrones instead of a movie?” Well, for starters, I’d wager signing on the aforementioned cast of A-listers for several seasons of a series would not have been possible. But the real reason? This is big screen entertainment the likes of which Hollywood hasn’t attempted since arguably, Warner Bros’ own The Lord of the Rings trilogy two decades ago. Yes, I love the MCU like everyone else on planet Caladan… I mean Earth, but those movies aren’t even close to the scale of this project. Breathtaking set pieces, political intrigue, and the biggest space worms ever await on Arrakis, Dune, the desert planet… Continue reading ‘‘Dune’ Delivers An Elevated Blockbuster (Movie Review)’

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Screamfest 2021 – Five Feature Reviews

It ain’t over till the skeletons scream!   The ever-amazing Los Angeles based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 12th – 21st at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood and Highland Center is still hanging on by bloody fingernails and we are enjoying every carnal kernel from its cinematic trick or treat bag.  Continuing our comprehensive coverage today, we’re checking out five frightful features by providing some critical skinny.  See the encapsulated movie reviews of #Blue_Whale, NOCTURNA: SIDE A – THE GREAT OLD MAN’S NIGHT, Bring Out The Fear, Wicked Games, and Night at the Eagle Inn below – it’s “Five Feature Reviews.”

 

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Screamfest 2021 – More Film Reviews

We’re keeping the blood flowing and the gore going as we continue to check out the wicked wares of the Los Angeles based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 12th – 21st at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood and Highland Center.  We have many more flicks to see but for now, it’s time for a little critic skinny.  Below are encapsulated reviews for two features and a whopping fifteen shorts so let’s get started with…”More Film Reviews.”

 

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Screamfest 2021 – First Film Reviews

Well genre fans, the amazing and fright film rich Los Angeles based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 12th – 21st at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood and Highland Center is well underway and much cinematic blood has been spilled.  We’re taking time out today to give critical skinny of some flicks both big and small that have already shown their ghostface and let you know if they are destined to be final girls or DOA.  Complex revenge flicks, crockpots and gals who see dead people – check out the encapsulated reviews of features and shorts below via our…First Film Reviews!

 

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‘Halloween Kills’ Delivers Plenty of…uh…. Kills (Movie Review)

Halloween Kills, the 12th entry in a series that began in 1978, is finally opening in theaters and on Peacock after a now de-facto COVID-19 delay. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode for this second entry of a new trilogy from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures. The final installment, Halloween Ends, is set for release in October 2022. Following 2018’s aptly titled Halloween, David Gordon Green returns for his second at-bat as director. The iconic slasher series had been dormant for nearly a decade before Green and co-writer Danny McBride took a stab with a fresh take that raked in an impressive $255 million worldwide. A sequel was inevitable. However, the question of whether a planned trilogy could fare better than the “let’s just make another” motto that many slasher movies often fall victim to was up for grabs. The premise for the middle installment is a big swing. With that said, it’s time once again to return to Haddonfield…

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Screamfest 2021 – “What to See”

You can’t keep a killer film fest down!  Proud to announce that not only is the legendary Los Angeles-based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL  back with a chainsaw roaring vengeance but will also be screening at a theater near you!  That’s correct fright fans, Screamfest 2021 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 12th – 21st will once again be unspooling at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in LA at the Hollywood and Highland Center and they have got one bloody good show in store.  Fistfuls of features, sizzling slews of insidious shorts and cool retro screenings to boot make Screamfest 2021 a must-attend event. Of course, WhySoBlu.com will keep the bloody carnage coverage flowing for this Halloween season complete with reviews and best-of lists to keep all fans both alive and undead fully informed.  (Zombies need to know this stuff too!)  But we start off our haunted journey as always with a gander at the most salacious surface stuff that catches the eye upon arrival.  From cool castings to movies with messed-up descriptions, here is an initial glance at all things Screamfest 2021 – it’s…‘What To See’!

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‘No Time To Die’ Brings An Explosive End To Craig’s Bond Era (Movie Review)

No Time To Die, the 25th film in the long-running James Bond series, finally hits theaters this weekend. Nearly two years after its initially scheduled release, Daniel Craig’s final outing as Her Majesty’s favorite “blunt instrument” features the longest run time yet, at 163 min. Other fun tidbits? Six years is the biggest gap ever between films, with Spectre released way back in 2015. As such, ex-president Donald Trump is the only Commander-in-Chief to not have a Bond film released during his term. Finally, pop phenom Billie Eilish is the youngest artist to record a James Bond theme song. That song is also the only one in Grammy history to be awarded before the movie was released. Okay, okay, but how is the actual film???

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Nothing’s Weirder or Wilder Than 2021’s ‘Titane’ (Movie Review)

This year’s recipient of the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes International Film Festival, Titane, is filmmaker Julia Ducournau’s follow-up to her 2016 feature debut, Raw. That film focused on a vegan who becomes a predatory cannibal after her first experience with meat. Turns out Raw was merely a (excuse the pun) tasty appetizer to the kind of dread, violence and, ultimately, heart delivered by this year’s award winner. Clearly, such a film was never going be for “the masses” but what exactly is Titane anyways?

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‘Venom’ Sequel Is Lean, Mean, and More of the Same (Movie Review)

Exactly three years after the original film made a whopping $856 million at the global box office, Spider-Man’s gooey nemesis returns to the big screen. Venom: Let There Be Carnage opens after numerous delays and finally, a confidant “let’s open this early!” from Sony. The original was dismissed by critics, but what the heck do they (or yours truly) know about appreciating Marvel’s take on body horror. I, for one, did appreciate Tom Hardy’s double duty as lunkhead human Eddie Brock and as the voice of the funny symbiote from another world, Venom. Is more of what worked in the first installment enough to sustain an 82 min follow-up? Read on…

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‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Delivers Music in the Saddest Key (Movie Review)

Universal’s big-screen adaption of the Broadway musical, Dear Evan Hansen opened at this year’s Toronto International Film Fest earlier this month. The reception was mixed, to say the least. Then again, the studio’s last foray into song and dance was 2019’s disappointing Cats, so “mixed” is definitely a step up, right? The story concerns a teen who struggles with depression and anxiety (Ya know, THAT kind of musical). However, Ben Platt, who originated the role when it debuted off-Broadway in 2016, is now twenty-seven. Social media has tossed a fair amount of shade at the actor for being too old for the role in 2021. Sometimes advance buzz is exciting, other times less so. As someone who still watches CW teen shows starring actors in their twenties (and thirties!) Platt’s age is hardly a reason to toss out such an affecting albeit flawed production. As the performers take their places, let’s dive in…

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‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ Seeks Out Redemption (Movie Review)

This weekend, Searchlight Pictures’ dramatic adaptation of the similarly titled documentary from 2000, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, opens exclusively in theaters. The doc was narrated by RuPaul, while this film, at the very least, features a single lip sync for your life moment. It also sports a strong cast that includes Jessica Chastain as Tammy, Andrew Garfield as her husband Jim Bakker, and Vincent D’Onofrio in a smaller role as the larger-than-life Jerry Falwell. In their heyday, these three individuals were massively successful televangelists. Will that be enough to satisfy Tammy’s fans, especially in the LGBTQ community? Like 2017’s I, Tonya, director Michael Showalter is aiming for an empathetic look at Tammy Faye Bakker, a woman who might very well have been the lone advocate for the gay community during the AIDS crisis among the ultra right-winged Christians.

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James Wan’s ‘Malignant’ is Delightfully Bonkers (Movie Review)

What’s weirder: a studio horror film that’s not screened for critics or one that’s screened mere hours before release? James Wan’s Malignant is a little of both as some members of the press didn’t get invites while others did, but the screening was, as already mentioned, only hours before the film opened at your local theater and via your TV on HBO Max. Coming off its first weekend, the film has a healthy 74% at RottenTomatoes. Audiences weren’t as kind, though, with Cinemascore being a paltry C. As yours truly hit play at midnight last Friday on HBO Max, I didn’t know what I was going to experience. Would it be a trainwreck from arguably the past decade’s biggest name in horror? Or a masterpiece that would change the scare-fest landscape? At the very least, I’d get to see Anabelle’s own Annabelle Wallis donning a ridiculous raven wig, so that’s something to behold. 111 minutes later…

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The Return of ‘Candyman’ Is Sweet… and Sour (Movie Review)

Ever since the trailer for Candyman dropped last year with the slowed-down version of Destiny’s Child’s 90s hit “Say My Name” used to underscore his return, I’ve been eager to see this new take. Jordan Peele was producing (and co-wrote the script!,) and hot new director Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) had just been announced to be helming Marvel’s The Marvels. If Kevin Feige and Peele had faith in this new talent, how could I not be excited to return to my hometown of Chicago’s Cabrini Green for an update to the iconic 90s slasher flick? Alas, COVID happened, so Universal had to shelve the pic until 2021. It was definitely a smart move on the studio’s part to wait to release the film in theaters. Seeing dumb teens and adults with questionable judgment say his name fives times in the mirror is better with an audience. But, is the essence of his hookedness return worthy of buzz like his loyal bees? You have gotta say his name to find out…

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‘Shang-Chi’ Delivers Amazing Action and Heart to the MCU (Movie Review)

As summer movie season comes to a close this Labor Day weekend, the MCU is releasing their first “only in theaters” experience (not experiment) since the pandemic, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It’s also another first of sorts for Marvel, starring a predominantly Asian cast. Disney screening the film for critics nearly three weeks before its release in North America would seem to be good sign. This reviewer actually had to change flights to my hometown of Chicago to see if Kim’s Convenience star Simu Liu would do me proud as an Asian American. The pressure was on for the film to justify this writer’s nerdy need to screen it before leaving La La Land. Thankfully, my expectations were met. Exceeded, actually. But just how high could the 25th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe soar? Read on!

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‘Don’t Breathe 2’ Delivers Tension But Not Much Else (Movie Review)

Greenlighting sequels to surprise hits, especially ones of the suspense variety, are no-brainers for studios. Yet Fede Alvarez’s 2016 home invasion thriller Don’t Breathe didn’t seem to have many stories left to tell once the credits rolled. Don’t Breathe 2’s big swing is to shift the story’s focus to the villain, Norman Nordstrom, played with absolute grit by Stephen Lang (Avatar). In that film, it turned out a blind ex-navy seal was more than a match for Jane Levy (Evil Dead) and her fellow thieves. But Norman was also a pretty terrible person, to say the least. Really terrible. Whatever thoughts on the execution of Sony’s late summer sequel, this could not have been an easy sell, much less an easy film to enjoy if one saw the original. This might be the first sequel where audiences may be better off with no prior knowledge of the events that transpired in a dark, secluded Detroit home. Of course, I DID see the original, so…

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The Suicide Squad is BOLD and FUNNY, BUT… (Movie Review)

I had no idea what The Suicide Squad was going into this.  I mean I know what the Suicide Squad is, but I’m talking about whether this was a sequel, prequel, stand-alone, reboot or something completely else.  I’ve been totally living in a vacuum the last year as it relates to this film (still very much riding the high from last year’s Birds of Prey).  Needless to say I come to understand it as it’s officially being billed as the tenth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), but very much a stand-alone film/sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad.  Although there’s several returning characters like Boomerang, Captain Rick Flag and Harley Quinn this is very much a stand-alone “sequel” that from now on we will just dub it as “James Gunn’s Suicide Squad.”  And that’s that! Continue reading ‘The Suicide Squad is BOLD and FUNNY, BUT… (Movie Review)’

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The Suicide Squad’s Worst of the Worst Are The Best of DCEU (Movie Review)

Forget about believing a man can fly; the true miracle of DC’s extended universe is how James Gunn’s sequel/soft reboot of 2016’s dismal Suicide Squad could be the best superhero film since Christopher’s Nolan’s The Dark Knight. A safer bet is that it’s easily the best of the DC films since Heath Ledger’s iconic role as the Clown Prince of Gotham in 2008. So I should probably stick with that, right? After all, the MCU has certainly had incredible highs like Avengers: Infinity War and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, as someone who appreciates when a film can feel like a singular vision, Gunn’s latest is hard to top among the many caped adventures from the past decade. The Suicide Squad will be in theaters and HBO Max starting this weekend. If it’s not already clear, I loved this film.

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