I'm still astounded this movie actually exists. Despite the many production hurdles and the many misses director Ruben Fleischer has made since his debut a decade ago with the original
Zombieland-which remains his crowning achievement-there was concern a return to
Zombieland was something to be done more because Sony could, not because they necessarily should. That said, I didn't think it possible the entirety of the ensemble would ever return either. Harrelson and Breslin, sure, but one had to think either Stone or Eisenberg would be hesitant to return for a sequel that would likely not live up to the "lightning in a bottle" energy of the first film or to a potential franchise that began at a point in their careers both now seem so far removed from. As it turns out though,
Zombieland seems to be where Fleischer finds his biggest sense of inspirado and the gang was seemingly fond enough of one another with enough time having passed that
Zombieland: Double Tap is just what the doctor ordered. Does it re-invent the wheel? Hell no, but does it add just enough new characters (Zoey Deutch!), new character developments and interesting enough plot devices that are by-products of the zombie outbreak chronicled in the first film to maintain that rare balance of fresh yet familiar? You're damn right it does. Video review
here.
B+
I remember when I realized goth folk were just another group of people with common interests that included hating everything mainstream because they felt rejected but in turn rejected anyone different from them as well. It’s cool this version of
The Addams Family explores this sense of exclusivity even in those who feel excluded themselves. Everyone needs to feel that sense of power at one point or another, I guess and screenwriters Pamela Pettler and Matt Lieberman do a solid job of finding the balance in promoting being your own person while finding a tribe that supports without stipulation-even if you don't adhere to every single rule of their clique. Also wondered if an animated take on the property would be as cheeky, clever and dark in this day and age of Todd Phillips’ “woke” comedy and then I saw Wednesday’s pigtails were nooses and I was like, “Damn. Okay.” All this and it still teaches the ever-important lesson that acceptance is key, especially in the face of true cruelty.
C
Deon Taylor (
The Intruder) directs Naomie Harries and Tyrese Gibson in
Black and Blue, a fast-paced action thriller about a rookie cop who inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage.
Antonio Banderas earned his recent Oscar nomination for his role as Salvador Mallo in director Pedro Almodóvar's (
The Skin I Live In, Julieta) film about a filmmaker in the twilight of his career; remembering his life: his mother, his lovers and the actors he'd worked with.
Pain and Glory chronicles Mallo's time in a small village in Valencia in the sixties, the eighties in Madrid, the present, when he feels an immeasurable emptiness, facing his mortality and the inability of continuing filming as it becomes impossible to separate creation from his own life.
Kevin Smith returns to the View Askewniverse with
Jay & Silent Bob Reboot as our titular heroes embark on a cross-country mission to stop Hollywood from rebooting the film based on their comic book counterparts Bluntman and Chronic.
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