Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish star in the brand new, we’ll say, comedy Night School.  Unfortunately, I did not find very many comedic elements to be had here.

Kevin Hart is Teddy, a high school dropout who has a great skill at sales.  His ability to charm people into purchasing things that they really did not need made him very successful.  However, when adversity falls upon him and he needs to find a new job, Teddy discovers that he needs a high school diploma to be hired.  He decides to go to night school to get his GED, but his struggles in learning, particularly in test taking, rear its ugly head once again in the classroom of night school teacher Carrie (Tiffany Haddish).

Teddy’s old high school rival Stewart (Taran Killiam) happens to be the principal of the school, who carries a bat and somehow can get away with intimidating and bullying the student body.  I found that character to be so unlikely that it really took me out of the movie.

Not that I was truly ever into the movie as I found this one to be stupid and dull.  The best parts of the film included the side stories of the other members of the night school class, in particular the ridiculousness of Rob Riggle, and desperate housewife looking for an escape from her home life Theresa (played by 24’s own Chloe, Mary Lynn Rajskub).  Other than that, there was not much to be had here.

The film was unbelievably predictable.  I had to use the restroom, and before I went, I thought to myself about what was going to happen.  I listed off several of these in my head.  When I cam back, I actually saw each and every one of the things I thought was going to happen, happen.  It was shocking how easily it was to know what was going to happen.

Predictability would still be fine if the film was funny, but there were so few moments of humor that I was shocked.  Between two of the funniest people in Hollywood today in Hart and Haddish to have a film so devoid of laughs in so sad.  Even in my theater, there were, at best, a few giggles here and there.  The potentially best scene with humor was then ruined with a gross out moment that I just do not find funny.

Hart and Haddish are charismatic individuals and they are usually funnier than this, but I just do not think the script was worth the time of these top line comedians.

Another major problem was that the film was released as a PG-13 film and there were many times that you could see that the words being said by the actors did not match what their mouths were saying.  They clearly edited out some F-bombs to make it down to PG-13, but they did it so poorly that it was obvious when it happened.  It was like the old days on television when they would have the film Die Hard on and you would hear John McClane say “Yippee Ki Yay, Mister Falcon.”  It is a silly way to keep the ratings in the family level.

There are a couple of positive messages hidden in the story, but it is so convoluted inside the rest of the stupid dialogue and plot points that it loses any sort of power.

Then the ending was so contrived it was just unbelievable.  I won’t spoil it, but it was a laughably easy finish.

In what could have been a really funny film, Night School was a huge flop despite a crew of funny people on screen.  I was counting the minutes for this one to be finished.

2 stars

Here is another really solid documentary for the year.  There have been several great docs that I have seen, but this one is a little less inspiring than some of the others.

In fact, this one leaves you with a sinking feeling. A deep depressing sense that our country is facing a serious threat from within.

I have always tried to avoid being political on EYG because it is the easiest way to create divisiveness and I do not want that.  However, Michael Moore’s newest documentary, Fahrenheit 11/9 cannot be analyzed without taking the steps into the world of politics.

The film itself is well crafted and tells a strong story of how we came to be where we are right now, with the presidency of Donald J. Trump and how easily it could become more than what we expect.

To be fair, Michael Moore spends a chunk of the doc focusing on other issues that would be considered tangential to Trump’s America.  This included the poison water crisis from Flint, Michigan, the school shooting at Parkland, Florida and the teacher strike in West Virginia.  Moore brings these back around to Trump eventually, but he is not the only person who he goes after in this doc.  Michigan governor Rick Snyder is portrayed as a serious villain in this piece and, if anything close to what is shown here is true, then that man needs to be removed via vote immediately.  Democrats are not free of Moore’s wrath either as he calls out Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other long-time established Democrats in Congress for their roles in bringing us Trump as president.

The Obama part was particularly difficult considering how Moore showed the hope from the people of Flint when Obama came to the city with the expectation of helping the people only to have a glass of water in a stunt at a press conference.  That was seen as a betrayal from the Flint people and helped suppress the vote int he 2016 election in a state where Hillary lost by just a handful of votes.

It was also very painful to see some of the cell phone footage from inside the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at Parkland as bullets are flying around these kids.  The students who then stepped forward ready to make change in the world are all the more inspiring after seeing this documentary.

It is amazing to listen to some of the insanity that comes out of the mouths of some of these people, in particular, our Commander in Chief.  The film paints a horrific vision of a possible future and one that is not all that difficult to imagine.  See the film for yourself and make your own mind up.

3.75 stars

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a film that feels like an eighties style Spielberg film combined with Goosebumps and Harry Potter.  It is a horror movie for kids that adults should also enjoy.  I found the movie to be very charming and engaging.

Jack Black and Cate Blanchett are great together as our lead characters Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman.  Then, young actor Own Vaccario as Louis holds his own with these top of the line actors.  Again, as it is in most of these kinds of films, if the young actor does not carry himself well, the entire movie falters.

Louis’s parents died and he has come to stay with his Uncle Jonathan, who lives in a mysterious house that some people believe is haunted.  It is not too long after his arrival at the house that Louis realizes that there is something magical going on inside the doors.  Meanwhile, Uncle Jonathan is looking for a hidden clock somewhere in the house, that he hears ticking in the middle of the night and he seems to be desperate to discover where the clock is found.

There are some great scenes in this movie and I really found it charming.  There were even moments in the film where I was tearing up because of what was happening.  I loved the platonic pairing of Jack Black and Cate Blanchett.  They are wonderfully witty together with the back and forth banter between them.

Another favorite of mine is Kyle MacLachlan, who is the villain of the piece, Isaac Izard.  MacLachlan is always good in whatever role he is in and this is no exception.

Some of the humor was too juvenile for me, but there were not too many of them to bring the film down.  Most of the film’s humor was funny and witty.  There were a couple too many poop jokes, though they are more creative than usual.

There are some scary moments that might be considered too much for a really younger child.  This would be a great family film for mid aged children.  It can be a great way to introduce children to the genre of humor.  I was shocked when I saw that this movie was directed by Eli Roth, who was more known for his blood and gore films than anything else.  I would never have made the connection to Eli Roth had I not seen his name in the credits.

Another strong part of the film was the school section for Louis as he had to find his way through the political-like environment of the students.  I liked how one storyline piece did not go in the direction you thought it would go when it started off.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a very solid and enjoyable movie with some very great performances from some wonderfully talented actors.  The CGI is fine and the story develops well.  Some of the humor misses, but more hits than not.  This feels like a future member of the 31 Days of Halloween on Freeform.

4 stars

On first look, A Simple Favor did not seem to be a film that I was very interested in seeing, but the new film directed by Paul Feig and starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively was highly entertaining.

The film starts off as an odd couple comedy with two mothers who could not be more different.  Then, it turns into a mystery noir focused on what happened to Emily (Blake Lively) who disappeared after requesting that Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) picks up Emily’s son from school.

The relationship between Emily and Stephanie was a great way to start the film as both actresses have a warm charm that really served them well in this movie.  They were very funny as they were getting to know one another, but you could tell that the film was setting something up as it was slowly dropping hints about the two women and their questionable pasts.

After Emily disappears, A Simple Favor becomes a different movie.  There is a feel of darkness that comes into the script and the tone shifts as I was completely invested in the development of the story and discovering exactly what was going on.

I really enjoyed this movie, until a certain event happens in the finale of the film that just completely sends the film off the rails for me.  Without spoiling it, the ending of this felt so out of place in either of the parts of this movie that it really detracted from the film itself.  The fact that the ending did not completely ruin the movie for me is a testament to the strength of what had come before it.  In that third act, I was just not sure what was going to happen ( a good thing) and I was running scenarios through my head while the scene played out, but the actual pay off was so poor that anything else would have made this movie one of the best of the year.  Instead, it has to settle for being a very fun and enjoyable movie.

Blake Lively was transcendent here.  She seemed to glow on the screen and I could not take my eyes off of her.  She was so amazingly beautiful through the movie that I could ignore some of the more controversial things she was saying just because of her beauty.

I also enjoyed the development of the Anna Kendrick character from the beginning of the movie through the end.  The use of the video blog was a clever way to provide some details to the audience.  There may have been some other moments where the exposition was over used, but these vblog parts were very effective.

In the end, I really enjoyed most of A Simple Favor.  It kept me off balance and uncertain about what was going to happen next and it is able to survive the shifts in tone that happen in the story.  Unfortunately, the ending salvo was such a step down from the high quality of the rest of the movie that I could see how it could feel disappointing to many viewers.  I was able to get past it and it did not ruin the film for me.

4 stars

I was at the iTunes movie store the other day and I came across a horror/fantasy Sci-fi film in the $0.99 rentals.  It was listed as a 2018 release (although I believe it may have debuted at a festival prior to 2018) called The Endless.  The synopsis was fairly intriguing and the price was certainly right.

The film turned out to be extremely solid and downright mind-trippy fun.

Two brothers, Aaron (Aaron Moorhead) and Justin (Justin Benson) received a mysterious video from the cult that they had escaped from as children and they felt a pull to go back to see exactly what they had left.  Once there, the pair realized that there was more happening than just cultist behavior.

Moorhead and Benson were not only the stars of this movie, but they were also the directors and Benson was the the screenwriter.  This film was very well done and had a real feel of an independent movie.  You could feel the surroundings.  The setting became an important aspect of the story.

The mystery of what is going on is very challenging, even when you know what is happening, it is difficult to comprehend and that thinking is welcomed in the horror genre.  In fact, not only was the script very intelligent, it was also creepy as hell, especially in the first half of the movie.

The film has an original story that weaves its way through the narrative successfully.  The performances were solid.  I especially enjoyed the performance of “cult leader” Hal (Tate Ellington).  Hal always seems to have something that he is keeping to himself, but you are never really sure what that might be.  I appreciate how the film deftly avoids the cliched answers that one might expect from the reveal of the film.

The Endless is a great horror movie and fans of the genre will enjoy watching this develop.

3.85 stars

What. the. Hell.  was. this???

I’m trying to wrap my head around what I just watched.  I’m not sure I want to wrap my head around it.

It is certainly a horror/revenge flick.  But it was so out there that what I saw for most of the movie was so weird… it is difficult to really judge it.

One thing is for sure.  The only actor that could be in this movie and not be completely campy is Nicolas Cage (or maybe Bruce Campbell).  This role is just perfect for Nicolas Cage and his unbelievably over-acting, filled with moments of bulging eyes and bizarre facial features.

And… holy crap… there be violence here.

Red Miller (Nicolas Cage) and Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough) are in love and are existing in what some may say as a heavenly existence.  When a vicious cult, led by sadistic Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache) comes into the picture, the perfect couple is forever destroyed, sending Red on a bloody trip of vengeance.

I think you have to be in the right mind set to watch Mandy.  It comes off as a violent dream, one that you cannot awaken from.  There may be a perverse enjoyment in watching Red cut through these cultists that infused themselves into their lives, but there is also a feeling of grossness here.  Does the film go too far?  Hard to say.

I have never been much of a fan of the torture horror porn style of film and this feels as if it fits into that more than any other.  I do believe there are metaphors and symbols sprinkled throughout the film that give it more of a message or weight that might be seen easier upon a second viewing once I am used to what is happening on the screen.  However, I am pretty sure that a second viewing is not happening.

The soundtrack is pounding and cannot be ignored.  Each shot has a weird color scheme to it, leaning heavily on the blood red.

Perhaps the fact that I am disturbed by the film is the real point to it.

3.1 stars

Although I was not a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1980s, I did love Jesse “The Body” Ventura, from the WWE, so I loved the classic 80s action movie, Predator.  Because of that, I was excited when I heard that they were doing a new Predator movie directed by Shane Black, called The Predator.  I liked most of Black’s work and I thought this would be a nice blend of action and character work.

Nope.

This was awful.

A regular predator arrives on earth with an unknown mission and he comes into conflict with the group led by American sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook).  It took out that team, but it was captured. leaving McKenna alone and looking to be crazy.  As evidence, McKenna took some equipment from the predator and mailed it to his own post office box, which mistakenly ends up in the hands of his estranged son, Rory (Jacob Tremblay), who is on the Autism spectrum (and apparently genius level).  Rory is able to trigger the gauntlet that had been sent and accidentally tips off the super Predator that had been in pursuit of the smaller predator.

Meanwhile, McKenna wound up on a bus heading to an asylum but he was conveniently  on the same bus as a group of crazy soldiers called The Loonies.  When the storylines converged, they teamed up to try and prevent the predators from doing whatever they were going to do.

The film is needlessly convoluted and confusing in many points.  There are bunches of storylines going on at any one point in the movie and the film touches upon them and drops them willy-nilly throughout.  There are many times that the narrative structure felt more like a mishmash of scenes instead of a well thought out plot.

Not that Schwarzenegger’s Predator was a deeply involved story.  It was the story of a hunter creature stalking and killing a group of well armed men.  It was a slasher horror flick masked as an action movie.  Either this new film did not know what it wanted to be, or, worse yet, knew what it wanted to be and did not understand the basic component of what makes a successful Predator movie.

There were too many jokes.  Scenes were dismissive and played for comedy.  Very few of the jokes worked, even with the remarkably funny Keegan-Michael Key as one of the Loonies.  Key’s character just did not work for me, and any enjoyable scenes with that character was strictly from the talent of Mr. Key.  And above all else, despite there being many quips and one-lines, there were none like “I ain’t got time to bleed.”

The action was fine, but unremarkable.  There were actually several scenes where it looked like an old eighties film, and not in the good way.  The CGI and effects were hit and miss, which is inexcusable at this time in movie history for a big budget movie.

The cast was adequate, but nobody truly stood out.  Olivia Munn was fine in her role, but casting her as a scientist was a bit of a stretch for sure.  Sterling K. Brown’s Traeger was a dull villain whose motivation was confused at best.  I hated Thomas Jane’s character of Baxley, whose character trait apparently was that he had Tourettes syndrome.

The film had a lot of noise and a lot of gunfire with little purpose behind either.  And there felt as if there were no stakes at all because nobody had any fear or concern or emotional ties to anything that happened.  When Jacob Tremblay takes the Predator helmet that hi dad mistakenly mailed him and used it for a Halloween costume, the mask activates on its own and kills somebody.  That does not seem to bother Tremblay’s character in the least.  No one has any normal human reactions to what is happening around them and so why should I care if any of them are in danger?

The Predator is a mess of a movie and I really disliked my time watching it in an IMAX theater.  It did not look good, had average, at best, performances and tried to juggle too many plots where one or two would have sufficed.  The Predator was not a good film.

1.5 stars