Run up of some of the films/series I've seen recently:
The Stand (2020/CBS All-Access/Josh Boone & Benjamin Cavell) - 4 / 5 - It's been a dramatically divisive adaptation and I can understand why but I thoroughly loved this new version of Stephen King's ultimate tale of good versus evil and the grey that exists in all of us. The storyelling will be most people's sticking point but I didn't mind it at all and thought it was a refreshing take on the material. I mostly just love this series because of how great the cast is. Alexander Skarsgard as Randall Flagg, Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail Freemantle, Greg Kinnear as Glen Bateman and Owen Teague as Harold Lauder breath such exuberant life into their characters. The rest of the main cast aren't slouches either. Nat Wolff as Lloyd Henreid and Brad Willam Henke as Tom Cullen stole the show, in my opinion, they were great every time they came on the screen. I thought this new version actually did a better job communicating some of the decisions and arcs these characters go through compared to the original adaptation, which while a little slice of 90's cheese, I do still also love (hey, maybe the story's kind of a great one?). Great set work and cinematography on display as well. The only real disappointment was the final episode, which acts as an epilogue of sorts and features a new expansion penned by King himself. It's unnecessary and hits you over the head with meaning and message, I'd rather have just expanded more elsewhere instead of Frannie and Stu's added journey. Up until then, however, the show is a blast.
Willy's Wonderland (2021/Kevin Lewis) - 1/2 / 5 - You can read my in depth review in the actual topic but it just didn't do it for me. I'm not particularly fond of Crazy Cage but I can enjoy him in the right role (see Colour Out of Space or Mom & Dad). Bad acting, bad writing, bad effects, all Willy has to sell is Cage and he isn't enough to save the abandoned establishment for me.
Bloody Hell (2020/Alister Grierson) - 3 / 5 - A fun romping mix of a bank heist gone wrong, a tourist spot gone awry and a crazed family of cannibals. Rex flies to Finland to get away from the constant derision and media attention he receives after preventing a bank robber but causing the death of an innocent civilian along the way. There he is captured by a creepy Finnish family that is intent on having him for dinner, quite literally. It's up to Rex and his talkative consciousness to get out alive with all remaining limbs intact. The performance of the lead here really makes or breaks the movie and Ben O'Toole really shines in a performance reminiscent of Bruce Campbell. I really wish we could have seen more battling between Rex and the family (there's really just one big encounter to end the movie) and the movie sets itself up perfectly to have a nice character arc moment but never goes for it. A bloody fun time worth catching.
Freaky (2020/Christopher Landon) - 2 / 5 - The latest Blumhouse teenage/young adult horror comedy has a brilliant set up (Freaky Friday with a Jason Voorhees stand-in and the final girl) but fails in its set up and execution, which is surprising given the talent involved here (Landon helmed the terrific Happy Death Day). Right off the bat, I absolutely loved how brutal the film got with its killing sequences, a nice surprise for a BH horror-comedy. I could actually see Jason doing some of these kills in a new Friday the 13th film! I really did enjoy Vince Vaughn here, he was terrific in a dual role as a stalking, imposing serial killer monster before swapping into the role of a high school senior girl (I cracked up whenever he started running after the switch). Unfortunately, the thinely veiled BH pastiche of the high school character swath didn't do it for me here. After a great opening scene and in between the plotting swap between the two main characters, the movie is just really dull and boring for large chunks. The film has to go so far out of its way to set up the switch and baits for later in the film that it took me out of the viewing. It's also a detriment that I just don't like or care about the lead girl, Millie, nearly as much as I do a Tree from Happy Death Day. I would give it a watch just for Vaughn, some groovy kills and some fun moments but overall it was a serious let down considered how hyped I was for it.
Finally, I'd like to drop a recommendation for the BBC program Inside No. 9. It's an anthology show wherein each episode is effectively a short play. The creation of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, it is an amazing watch. While not always horror or genre related, there are some more genre specific episodes (the live Halloween special in particular is great horror fun). The show does sit firmly in the realm of dark comedy and each episode usually revolves around some sort of demented twist or reveal. It is hilarious, scary, thought provoking, heartwarming and all around a special show. It's a brilliantly done show that deserves as many eyes on it as possible.
