“In the Tall Grass” Movie Review

    It’s official, 2019 in now officially the year of Stephen King adaptations.  What is most amazing is that many of them have actually turned out well.  So when Netflix released their own Stephen King adaptation, “In the Tall Grass”, I felt extra compelled to check it out.  After watching the film, I also felt compelled to write this review.

    This film starts with siblings Cal and Becky (who happens to be pregnant) as they stop by a church.  From the nearby field, they hear the voice of a small boy named Tobin who appears lost in the grass field.  The pair are concerned as they hear Tobin’s mother pleading with him not to call for help.  Cal enters the field and Becky soon follows.  The siblings are separated and the distance between the pair seems to increase by the second.  The pair try to make their way back to the road but neither of them can find their way out.  While in the field, Cal encounters Tobin around the same time Becky comes across Ross, Tobin’s father.  Things clearly aren’t as they seem as Travis, the father of Becky’s baby, goes looking for them in what seems to be one day later but is actually weeks later for Travis.  The things the group discovers next can only be explained as supernatural as they try their best to find a way out of the tall grass.

    The film is based on a novella by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill and is full of all the suspense you might expect from the duo.  The film is sometimes shocking and horrifying in ways that took me aback some.  These graphic moments sometimes go a bit too far in my opinion but the film doesn’t shy away from some stomach turning moments so if that is your cup of tea, you are in luck.

    The film is intriguing from the beginning, giving the viewer the same sense of confusion that the main characters are going through.  The film does a good job of keeping the audience’s attention until revelations start to unfold.  While this style of storytelling does a decent job of retaining the viewers attention, it unfortunately creates a great deal of pacing issues throughout the film.

    The film definitely has an interesting premise but the answers provided in the film felt too simplistic to justify the film’s overall runtime.  As a storyteller, I personally believe that you shouldn’t open a mystery box if you aren’t willing or are unable to provide satisfactory answers.  It’s a shame since the field being at the center of a space and time warp of some kind is an interesting plot device.

    “In the Tall Grass” was directed by Vincenzo Natali and this film feels very much like one of his works.  I found his directing a bit frustrating in this film because he had some really interesting shots throughout some of the film but they were so poorly lite that it was hard to make out what was going on in the film.  As for the cast, they all do serviceable job with only Patrick Wilson really standing out.  Patrick Wilson is so over the top in this film and hammy yet it somehow works perfectly.  The man can do no wrong.

    The film is definitely not the best Stephen King adaptation this year but far from the worst overall.  The film doesn’t hit the heights the premise suggests it could but it is still enjoyable.  If you are looking for a spooky film with some good scares, this film is definitely worth a watch.

Grade: C+

“Annabelle Comes Home” Movie Review

    The latest film in “The Conjuring” universe, “Annabelle Comes Home” recently hit theaters and having seen almost all the other films set in that horror universe, I knew I would have to end up watching this at some point or another so in the theaters was as good of time as any.  This movie comes on the heels of the sad news of Lorraine Warren’s passing.

    The latest story of the doll Annabelle takes places after the first film and it’s prequel as Ed and Lorraine Warren retrieve the doll and take it back to their house to contain the demonic presence that resides in Annabelle.  Once Annabelle is secure, Ed and Lorraine Warren take off to research another case so they leave their daughter with a babysitter until they get back in a few days.  When the babysitter invites a friend over who sneaks into the room Annabelle is being held and lets the doll out, all Hell literally breaks out and it’s up to the girls to contain Annabelle before they become her latest victims.

    I enjoyed “Annabelle Comes Home” but it had a bit of a ‘more of the same’ feel to it.  The film offers some scares and it is entertaining but also doesn’t add much to make the franchise feel fresh either.  For a franchise that is known for it’s scares, it sure plays it safe with it’s sequels. Perhaps this may be part of the reason one of the most popular tags for this film aside from ‘creepy’ is ‘boring’.  Most of the scares in this film were obvious jump scares and there wasn’t really enough of them scattered throughout for most horror fans.

    The film was a little frustrating to me because of it’s bait and switch marketing.  The film’s trailers showcased Ed and Lorraine Warren a great deal and it was advertised as a sort of Conjuring and Annabelle crossover.  As it turns out, it was not.  The Warrens basically served as bookends to the main story which makes sense since they are seemingly saving the Warrens for a proper “The Conjuring 3”.

    The film started Mckenna Grace as Judy Warren.  Grace did a very good job and her star is set to shine even more with a starring role in “Ghostbusters 2020”.  Madison Iseman plays Judy’s babysitter Mary and does a good job expressing terror as well.  As stated before, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return as Lorraine and Ed Warren and are among the highlights of the film.  To me though, the breakout star was Michael Cimino as Bob.  Cimino’s character nicknamed ‘Bobs got balls’ provided a great deal of the levity throughout the film.

    Horror screenwriter Gary Dauberman makes his directorial debut with this film.  Dauberman awkwardly framed some of his shots to foreshadow events in the film.  I also felt like the film was more worried about setting up otherworldly ghouls not to world build within the movie but to set up possible spinoffs.

    “Annabelle Comes Home” is a familiar horror film that checks off all the formulaic checkboxes and delivers an entertaining yet mostly forgettable film.  It’s become clear the Annabelle franchise needs to rest in peace or find a new direction.

Grade: B-

“Aquaman” Movie Review

    I am a big comic book nerd and I make it no secret that I tend to prefer DC over Marvel.  Both DC and Marvel have had great movies adapted from their pages and also some near dumpster fires.  Going into “Aquaman”, I knew there probably wasn’t going to be a middle ground with this film.  I just had to hope for the best.
    Luckily, the film turned out to be a fun popcorn flick.  “Aquaman” is basically an adaptation of Geoff John’s “New 52” origin story.  The story focuses on Arthur Curry having to accept his lineage and fight for the crown of Atlantis in order to save everyone from an all out war.  It’s a simple story with elements of adventure and action thrown in.  I would say that out of all the DC movies, this movie feels more like a Marvel Studios movie.  It serves to be a crowd pleaser even if it means abandoning weightier issues that have had mixed success for Warner Bros. (“The Dark Knight” has themes that connected with audiences while “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” missed the mark with most movie goers).  Making a softer in tone and safer picture was probably the best move for Warner Bros. after how badly they handled “Justice League”.
    “Aquaman” is a visual fest for the eyes and feels part “Raiders of the Lost Ark” meets “Avatar”.  James Wan does an amazing job of delivering an overall fun crowd pleaser.  Wan does initiative things with his action set pieces and scene transitions.
    Jason Momoa and Amber Heard serve their roles but don’t exactly elevate the movie as a whole.  Momoa’s strength as an actor actually seems to be his sense of humor and comedic timing which isn’t showcased a lot (due to it being an action film).  Momoa and Heard don’t share much chemistry together in my opinion.  The pair seem to be cast mainly for their looks.  All that being said, I think Momoa has a lot of promise and will be more comfortable in the role by the time he reprises it next.  Patrick Wilson ended up being the true stand out of the movie performance wise.  Patrick Wilson chews up his scenes while still being reserved enough not to go over the top.  He makes for an interesting villain and one I would like to see more of.

    One major complaint I had about the movie is the music.  Music can elevate a movie to near epic proportions (case in point: Star Wars).  The music in “Aquaman” is just a pain in the ears at times.  Guitar riffs are not needed everytime Jason Momoa looks into the camera.  We get it, Momoa is a bad ass (case in point: he has tattoos and facial hair).
    The movie is about the spectacle and amazing visuals.  In that respect, it doesn’t disappoint.  “Aquaman” is a fun summer movie that comes to us during the cold winter months.  I am excited to see where future adventures lead the hero.

Grade: B+