"Ad Astra" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

There are some films out there where I go in having no expectations whatsoever. I don't know what I'm in for. With "Ad Astra", this was definitely the case. Both trailers for the film were pretty vague, only giving the bare bones of the plot. The movie wasn't even really one of my most anticipated movies of the year. But, the trailers intrigued me just enough for me to want to go and see it. What did I get? Well, honestly, this movie is one of the biggest surprises of the year, as I found it to be quite excellent. It could even end up being one of my favorites of the year. In this film, astronaut Roy McBride is tasked by a future version of the military to find his father, who has mysteriously gone missing and might be the cause for these surges that could wipe out the population of Earth. What he discovers is frightening on a more personal scale.

Something about this movie that really works which wasn't established in the trailers very much is the way director James Gray builds this dystopian future version of Earth. I am always very cautious about dystopian films these days, as many times they can feel cliched and not very intriguing. I would say that this dystopian world is one of the most interesting and original I've seen in recent memory. I appreciate that Gray is able to show how the world operates organically rather than tell us through constant exposition dumps. Like most dystopian protagonists out there, Roy has a typically dead-eyed expression and is emotionless. But, we see that the world requires him to be like that. I love how the film lets you naturally figure this out over time. As more scenes unfold, we discover that Roy isn't the only person in the world that has to be emotionally stilted. Gray shows how this world operates in other ways too, through simple character interactions or through intriguing visual cues. There are some expository parts here and there, but I think that exposition is only fed when it is necessary. Another very obvious positive of the film is the visuals. Wow, is this movie beautiful to look at. When I go in to a film about space, I expect to be awed by its expansiveness and otherworldly allure. This movie really does that well in many moments. We even get to see visuals here that aren't typical of space movies, such as the rings of Neptune. There are lots of cool visual moments that even have clear symbolism attached to them. There's one particular scene where Roy is interacting with another character named Helen, and the way the lighting works in the scene speaks volumes about the way Roy is feeling in that very moment. I appreciate when a film is able to utilize its visuals to emphasize on the emotion of its characters even further. That may well be this movie's biggest strength, and Gray plays this to his advantage whenever he can.

Another big advantage to this film is its thematic arcs. Even with all the excellent space visuals, this film is NOT a movie about space at its core. The movie doesn't even really seem to be about the mission that Roy is going on. The mission is what spurs what Roy's really concerned about: his own isolation caused by his father leaving him at a young age. The idea of isolation and separation here is big. The fact that the movie is set in space perfectly encapsulates this theme further. After all, space is vast and empty, with little to no life present. So, it only makes sense for a character as lonely as Roy to be attracted to space. He claims that he loves doing the missions and serving Earth, but really, it's a place for him to retreat further into himself. This movie does an excellent job building on this fatal flaw Roy has, and as the movie goes on, we see how his isolation destroys him from the inside out. It's interesting to see this film ruminating on the idea of men adventuring into space as a way to escape their emotions- and the world Roy lives in only further serves to make space a very appealing outlook for him. These themes are made more poignant by Brad Pitt's superb performance. It's hard to say whether I like him better in this or "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood", but it's safe to say that both performances are in close competition with each other. Pitt proves himself to be able to be compelling by himself many times on screen. Not many actors can nail the task of having the camera constantly on them, but he does it very well. We see Pitt go through the emotional ringer in this film; his performance is really touching and compelling. Even his voice overs speak volumes; the way he says a sentence only serves to make Roy that much more interesting of a character. Though he wasn't in the film much at all, Tommy Lee Jones was great as Roy's father Clifford. He plays this character very well; I appreciate that Clifford is a little unpredictable and hard to read, as it provides an interesting counterpart to Roy. The movie shines the absolute brightest when the two of them are on screen together. Donald Sutherland is also great in the film as Thomas, though I wish he was in the movie a bit longer.

I think that final statement can lead me into some of my critiques, because I do have some that can't be ignored. One of my main issues is that no character, besides Roy and Clifford (to an extent), has much of a personality or screen time. I understand that the movie is concerned with Roy primarily, but I do feel that some of the bigger names here aren't used to their full advantage. This is true of both Sutherland and Ruth Negga. The latter is only in the movie for about 3-5 minutes (and that's a very generous estimate). They establish something very interesting about her character, but the movie puts her out of the picture almost as soon as they introduce it. Sutherland's character also seems like he could play a key role, but as soon as he's getting interesting, they also take him out of the plot. If it weren't for the fact that the movie is clearly more of a film focused on one character, this would be a bigger criticism. It is still a bit of a problem for me, but ultimately it does not irritate me much. What is a bit of a bigger problem is there are a couple of scenes in this movie that are just too over the top, and don't seem to fit in with the atmosphere the rest of the film has. One of them involves a scene where Roy and a space crew he's working with go to investigate a distress call. While the scene that ensues has some interesting horror elements to it, it just doesn't fit, and is even a little bit silly. There's also a scene that takes place at the climax of the movie that really pushed my suspension of disbelief. I know this movie is partly a sci-fi flick, but this climactic scene in particular really seemed illogical-even impossible- in almost every way.

Other than those specific issues, I really enjoyed this movie. In fact, I thought it was excellent. There are some really poignant moments here in this very intimate character study of a man who is isolated in more ways than one. The film is often heart-breaking, but the way it wraps up is actually very powerful and inspiring. Brad Pitt is superb here, and it wouldn't surprise me if he got an Oscar nomination (he should at least be considered for a Golden Globe). I definitely recommend this movie!

Starset "Divisions" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3/5 Stars

There are many rock bands out there with the goal of being innovative and game changing, which is tough considering how mainstream rock radio isn't too forgiving of bands who attempt to do this. That hasn't been the case for Starset at all, as they exploded into popularity with their debut album "Transmissions". It's a pretty solid space rock album which sounds mostly distinctive. It's hard to not draw some comparisons to acts like Breaking Benjamin or Three Days Grace, especially in terms of lead vocalist Dustin Bates's singing style and the lyrical content, but the album still works. I think the band really made their own sound with their sophomore album "Vessels", which has only grown on me since its 2017 release. The album took away a lot of the problems that the debut had (the excess of musical interludes, Dustin's vocals aren't constantly drowned in vocal effects/autotune). I was interested to see where the band would go with their third album, "Divisions". This album sees the band embracing electronics and pop sensibilities more heavily than ever before. While this isn't an entirely bad thing, that this album is still middling for me, and in my opinion is the band's weakest release to date.

Let's start with the positives of the album, because they are certainly present. I will say that Dustin Bates's vocals on this album are (mostly) even better than they were on "Vessels". I mentioned that "Vessels" took away some of the vocal effects, but they are still present in that release. On "Divisions", the effects are stripped away almost entirely on a lot of tracks, which is a refreshing change. This is immediately evident on lead single and opening track "Manifest" (the first full song, coming after an interesting introductory track establishing a dystopian world). This track has been in constant rotation for me since its release, and it still stands as one of the absolute best songs of the album. The song really hooks you in after a deceptively soft intro. Dustin suddenly screams out the title of the song, and there's this booming EDM-influenced guitar breakdown. It was truly unexpected, and is a huge burst of energy on this album as a whole. The chorus of the song is great; it's easily one of the most catchy songs on the album. "Echo" is a good follow-up, even if it is a totally different beast from "Manifest". Whereas the latter is intense and rocking, the former is a soft, electronic-laden cut. I think the electronic emphasis works well on this song, especially when it combines with the piano in the verses. Dustin sounds confident on this song vocally, and the band has really tight chemistry here. I commend "Divisions" for sounding really well-produced throughout. Nothing sounds cheap here; instead it all comes together nicely and makes the album feel a little more alive than it would have if there were weaker production values. The next major highlight on the album comes in "Perfect Machine", which is the best song lyrically on the album. This song has some real emotional gravitas to it, as Dustin describes this relationship where he was purposefully putting on a false persona for this other person, and now he's realizing how much that hurts both of them. He tries to go into denial mode about it, with the clear attempts of self-justification being all too clear in the lyrics: "Lay your heart into my perfect machine/I will use it to protect you from me/I will never let you see what's beneath/So good for you and good for me". I wish there were more big standout moments like this track, but they unfortunately don't appear super often.

The second half of the album has about the same amount of highlights that the first half does. I could see some people being really annoyed by "Faultline", which has some really odd Imagine Dragons and Shinedown influences sound-wise to me. I'm not sure why I get vibes of both of those bands in this song, but somehow that's the case. The song is admittedly very repetitive, with the chorus being sang almost too much. But, I would be lying if I said I disliked the song. It is very fun if you don't think about it too much; not all songs have to be lyrically deep. The easy best song of the album comes in the epic track "Solstice", which is also one of Starset's best song to date. The song sees Dustin Bates talking to a loved one an expressing how he feels like he is mentally in a very crippling place. Dustin begs over and over "Don't let me let the dark take over". Those are the only lyrics in the chorus, and yet they don't overstay their welcome. This is mainly because of how raw Dustin sounds vocally, along with the explosive combination of guitar riffs and soaring synths. I love the way this song progresses, as it feels like it gets bigger and more desperate. There's a real weight to this track. "Waking Up" seems to be the black sheep of the album for many Starset fans, but I actually vibe with this song. Once again, it suffers from being repetitive in is chorus, but the song has a nice, relaxing feel, and it's intriguing to me sound-wise. I actually like that Starset went very pop here and embraced that direction fully. The album ends on a high note with the beautiful ballad "Diving Bell". This song is lifted by being where Bates is definitely at his best vocally. The song is has an irritating chant-like outro that interrupts it, but if you ignore that, the song is flawless for its first four minutes.

Like I said earlier, there's stuff to commend about this album. However, there are also a lot of issues. One of the biggest is that Starset brings back a problem that they had mostly gotten rid of on "Vessels": the excess of musical interludes. On almost every track here, after it is over, there is an instrumental or vocal snippets that can go on anywhere from 15 seconds to a full minute and a half. Almost none of these interludes are interesting, save for maybe the one on "Solstice". Now, "Vessels" does have some musical interludes, but they are small in quantity, and also to me add to the flow of the album. The interludes on "Divisions" more often interrupt the flow of the album, and are just annoying. I see myself skipping over the songs once they come to their interludes, which is not a good thing. The way Starset utilizes pop and electronics on this album can sometimes be very underwhelming or feel half-hearted. This is most apparent on "Stratosphere", which is a very middle of the road song that is quite dull. I always forget this song directly after listening to it. "Trials" is by far the worst song on the album, and perhaps even Starset's worst song to date. The way Dustin sings in this song irks me, and the symphonic elements are obnoxiously loud. I also don't like the filler "oh"s in the track. The song is a very generic pump up song with some lyrics that make me cringe a little: "We take our places in the dark/And turn our hearts to the stars". The song feels a little childish to me overall. "Other Worlds Than These" annoys me to no end, starting right away with this overbearing vocal effect that doesn't fit on the album at all. I have conflicted feelings on "Telekinetic". On one hand, it has this awesome screaming segment that is perhaps the most intense the band has ever gone. But on the other hand, that section doesn't feel like it fits in a mostly poppy song with a chorus that has Dustin stuttering out the title of the song ("Tele-tele-e-e-kinetic"). That part really takes me out of the song. "Where The Skies End" is also a song I don't entirely hate, but does overstay its welcome. It is the most Starset-sounding song on the album, but it also can't help but feel slightly by the numbers.

Overall, I would say "Divisions" is an okay album. It doesn't do anything too annoying or awful (except for "Trials", which I hate with a passion). There are some songs here that legitimately impress me, but I wouldn't say most of the good tracks here are among Starset's best work (with the exceptions of "Solstice, "Manifest", and "Diving Bell"). I can't quite call this album a disappointment, especially since I'm not a passionate Starset fan. At the same time, I did really enjoy "Vessels", and this album is certainly a step down from that. I will return to select songs from the album, but definitely not the release as a whole. If you are a fan, you will probably like this album, so check it out if you haven't.

Favorite Songs: "Solstice, "Manifest", "Diving Bell", "Perfect Machine"
Least Favorite Songs: "Trials", "Other Worlds Than These", "Stratosphere"

Disciple "Love Letter Kill Shot" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

I will never forget the day I first heard Disciple's song "Dear X, You Don't Own Me". It's one of those moments that will be cemented in my memory for as long as I live. To this day, it's still my favorite song of all time. The album it appears on, "Horseshoes and Handgrenades" is my favorite album of all time. So, of course, Disciple is also my favorite band, and it's been that way since 2010. I am intimately familiar with all of Disciple's discography, and personally don't think they have a single bad album (though I admit that their debut album and "God of Elijah" are both somewhat forgettable). I think post-"Horseshoes", the band has stayed incredibly consistent in releasing great music, while also not being afraid to expand their sound. Their 2016 album "Long Live The Rebels" saw Disciple taking some of their most significant risks yet, venturing into some pop/rock and electronic infused territory. The risk taking there is nothing compared to what the band does on their latest, "Love Letter Kill Shot". This is easily the band's most ambitious release to date, both musically and lyrically. More often than not, the risks pay off in delightful ways, with some of the material here being Disciple's best to date.

The album begins on a very odd note with lead single "Cuff The Criminal". I remember being thrown off guard the first time I heard this song, and I still find it a very odd track for the band even now. For the first time in the band's history, the song doesn't begin off with Kevin Young's vocals, but rather the band's guitarist Josiah Prince. It also sounds decidedly more pop influenced than is typical of the band, with huge synths being utilized and no guitars present for about the first 20 seconds of the song. Disciple swung big with this track, and it's thankfully really solid. It doesn't quite match up when put against the band's other lead singles (usually the band's lead singles are among the best songs of whatever album the appear on), but I have huge respect for it nevertheless. The song is certainly catchy, and will have audiences chanting along in a live setting. The song that follows is easily the best cut on the album, "Reanimate". This song was a huge surprise, as it is easily one of Disciple's most intense songs to date. I dare say that there's even some metalcore influence in the track when a delightful guitar breakdown appears that will really get your head banging. Something I haven't mentioned yet but will be more often is the lyricism. This album gets pretty dark for Disciple. It still ultimately ends out on a hopeful note like usual, but the band delves into some pretty tough territory that most Christian bands will not tackle. This song is spoken from the perspective of Jesus, as he talks very frankly about our sinfulness and how he's going to take it all. The sins he talks about here aren't the easily digestible kind, either: "I am the war/I am the rape/I am the violence/I am the hate/I am your genocide". The lyrics are honestly kind of jaw dropping, as some of the words used here are ones that the band has never touched before. Musically, everything about this song works, from the memorable guitar riff to Kevin Young's raw vocal performance. Young is, as usual, excellent on vocals throughout this whole album.

The album continues on its huge winning streak with the song "Wake Up", which is definitely the most Disciple-sounding song on the whole album. It has pretty much everything one would want out of the band, from the head banging guitar riffs to the chorus that is just begging to be sung along to at the top of your lungs. I love the urgency of this song, as Kevin begs the listener to realize that they're not really hearing what God's saying to them, and they need to wake up. There's also some excellent vocal harmonies here that bring the song home, as Kevin and Josiah's voices come together to create pure vocal bliss. "Panic Room" was the second single for this album, and it's the one that really made me more excited to hear the album in full. In context of this release, this song works even better. There's a clear thematic arc to this album: it seems to detail the journey of a person who is living in deep sin and self-hate, and its only when they find a relationship with God that they're able to reject all of that. Disciple thankfully don't let this come to fruition easily, as this album wades into dark topics often. "Panic Room" is a great example of this. Sound-wise, this track really puts you into a foreboding atmosphere with its throttling guitar riffs and frantic drumming. The incorporation of electronics is creative here, as they serve to accentuate the sound even further. The best part of the track ends up being guest vocalist Andrew Schwab from the band Project 86. Him and Young together on this song proves to be a match made in heaven, as their chemistry is impeccable. This song is interesting in the way it discusses sin. Kevin talks about all these things that he wants, and then admits that "Sometimes I scare myself" when he considers the implications behind some of his desires. There's so much to love about this song, from its unpredictable shifts in pace to the delightfully unexpected guitar solo that appears in the middle of the track.

The next major highlight of the album comes in the track "Fire Away", which serves as the thesis statement of the album. It was very smart on the band's part to put this track right in the middle of the album, as it's an effective way to transition from the first half of the album into the second part. This song describes how God's "love letter" is a "kill shot". The Bible is often referred to as a love letter, and Kevin is essentially describing how much it has affected him. This song could've so easily veered into super cheesy territory, but it thankfully avoids that, as the lyrics and Kevin's vocals are sincere and passionate. I think this song has a sort of interesting correlation to "Dear X", as in that song Kevin dares sin to try and shoot him, but it doesn't own him. In this song, he begs God to shoot him and wants God to encompass his life. I don't know if this was purposeful, but it's still interesting to me. After this, the album goes into what is easily its two darkest and most challenging tracks. "Misery" is an intense rocker that is truly fun to listen to, but you should pay attention to the lyrics. Kevin seems to be going into the perspective of another person (or maybe even a past version of himself) that enjoyed living in a life of perpetual misery and self-hate. The song also discusses the idea of people like this enjoying playing the victim. The song doesn't seem to be judgemental of these people, but Kevin doesn't sugarcoat anything, either. The song has background vocals going throughout it that sound sort of vocoded. I could see some people getting annoyed by this, but I personally enjoyed it. After this track comes the epic "Chemical Wisdom", which marks yet another huge risk taken by the band in many ways. I could see this song being controversial, as it has a little bit of a satirical bite in its ruminations on the medical industry. The song speaks from the perspective of someone who has depression, who feels like they're over-medicated and need something more than just "double the dosage". The song has a real sense of desperation sound-wise, with Kevin going off the rails vocally, and the guitars are absolutely frantic. The album ends pretty solidly with the catchy tracks "Never Too Late" and "Walk With Me", along with the legitimately touching worship ballad "Best Thing Ever".

There are a couple of negative aspects to this album. Like I mentioned about "Chemical Wisdom", I could see the song being interpreted differently. Some could see this as an entire condemnation of people with mental illness taking medication at all, and instead relying on God for healing. I hope this isn't what the band was going for, as I couldn't stand behind that message at all. I don't think it's bad for people to be medicated as well as having a relationship with God. Some people really do need medication. I don't think this is what Disciple is going for; if I were to find out otherwise I would have to reject this song entirely. I still really like the song right now; I just wanted to make that point. Otherwise, there are some tracks here that don't work as well. "Play To Win" feels like it doesn't  really fit this album thematically, as it's more of just a game day anthem. That doesn't really seem to fit in with the album's more dark topics. Also, the song is a bit of a cheap rip off of "Game On" and "321", if I'm being honest. "Touch Of Pain" isn't terrible, but I do feel that it's a forgettable ballad from Disciple.

Where will "Love Letter Kill Shot" ultimately rank in Disciple's discography? It's too early to give a definitive answer, but I hesitantly think that the album is at least within their top five. I certainly like it better than "Long Live The Rebels" and "Attack", but I'm not sure I like it as well as albums like "Scars Remain" and "O God Save Us All". I originally thought this album would be one of the band's top three , but that was because of the hype I had that this album was finally out. Still, Disciple continues their streak of making stellar albums that are a step above a lot of their Christian contemporaries. This band has been around a long time, and they still find impressive ways to interest and innovate. Check this album out; it's one of the best of the year!

Favorite Songs: "Reanimate", "Wake Up", "Panic Room", "Fire Away", "Chemical Wisdom"
Least Favorite Songs: "Play To Win", "Touch Of Pain"

"It: Chapter 2" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3/5 Stars

There's not very many times that one could equate a horror film to an "event movie", but with Stephen King adaptations, that always seems to be the case. Love him or hate him, King is still the most popular horror author around. He has a very specific formula, but it's one that clearly works for him. In 2019, there are going to be a total of three different King adaptations. This doesn't surprise me, as the movie "It" from 2017 garnered massive popularity. Critical and audience acclaim made it the highest grossing horror movie of all time (yes, it's even above "The Exorcist" and "Get Out"). I can see why it got so much attention, as there are elements of classic horror in it. Personally, I did enjoy the movie, although maybe not so much as other people. I still hold the opinion, though, that the cold open of the film where Georgie and Pennywise interact is one of the best horror scenes I've ever watched. I really wish the rest of the film lived up to that, but we do still get a pretty solid horror flick with some good scares. Now, "It: Chapter 2" is out. All of our protagonists are adults and out of Derry, Maine with the exception of Mike. He soon discovers that the clown they thought they killed is back. Due to a vow they made as children, Mike calls all of The Losers Gang back together to take down Pennywise, once and for all. How does this movie compare to the first? Let's talk about it.

There are definitely some commendable positives to the film. I think the most obviously identifiable one is the performances by the cast. I think most of the actors here did a good job of following the personality traits of their child counterparts, while also adding some interesting updates. Easily the best performance in this film (as far as the grown up versions of characters from the previous films go) is Bill Hader as Richie. I really think he matched what Finn Wolfhard brought to the table to almost sheer perfection. He was incredibly funny in the film, having great delivery, and he always worked well off his fellow cast members. Hader also brought some complexity to Richie that I felt like we hadn't seen previously, making the character more compelling than I expected him to be. James McAvoy is great (as usual) as Bill. I appreciate that he made his performance subdued and nuanced. He did a great job at letting the emotions of his character come out naturally, and was always interesting to watch whenever he was on screen. Isaiah Mustafa and Jay Ryan are both pretty solid in the roles of Mike and Ben, even though their roles weren't particularly substantial here. There were only two weaker performances here. I think that James Ransone played Eddie a bit too over the top in the film for the most part. There were times he did well, but there were more times when I felt like he was hamming it up a bit. Jessica Chastain is underwhelming as Beverly. This really disappointed me, as Beverly was my favorite of the children characters in the original "It". I really don't think this was entirely Chastain's fault though, as her character is given practically nothing to do here. Whereas her character in the first film was quite important to everything going on, here she seems to be relegated to the background alot, despite her being billed as the main character.

Let's now go ahead and talk about one of the aspects I'm most conflicted on in this film: the scares. As one would expect, a majority of the scares do come from our favorite scary clown. Bill Skarsgard is once again magnificent as Pennywise, and is easily the biggest highlight of this movie. You can tell that he's having a ball playing this character, and does great at portraying him. I do wish the movie had given him more quiet moments to show what he's capable of. One of the best scares of the movie feels like a sort of follow-up to the cold open of the original movie. The scare works so much because there's a quiet sense of tension and build up to it. Pennywise is just talking to a child, and I felt cold chills going up my spine. He was normal-sized, and everything about it felt subtle and like it was building up to something. And when that pay-off comes, it's worth it. Some other effective scares come when all of The Losers Club are searching for their respective "artifacts" (memories from their childhood that are connected to Pennywise). For each person, Pennywise scares them by tapping into their deepest fears. While these scares aren't quite as effective as the ones done in Chapter One, there are some that still work. The scenes with Richie and Ben were particularly effective to me. There is an opposite side to the coin for the scares though. For every scare here that is good, it can be negated by one that is over the top to the point of sheer ridiculousness. If you thought that the first "It" relied on CGI too much, this one takes it to a whole new level. There are so many CGI monsters in this film; sometimes even Pennywise is CGI. These "scares" do not work, because they are not scary. In fact, especially in the second half of the film, you can easily predict what will happen: there will be a feeling of great tension with cool set pieces, and then all that tension will be broken by a monster who is supposed to be scary, but ultimately makes you burst out laughing. I think some of the monsters were meant to be funny (like the one that attacks Eddie is clearly meant to be ridiculous, and it is legitimately funny in a good way), but I think others were meant to be taken seriously. I just couldn't, because they looked so dumb. Monsters making loud noises just doesn't make good horror in my opinion.

The plot of this movie is also something I'm conflicted on. There are some really good parts to how the movie builds up. I think the movie does a pretty good job at establishing what all the adults of the Losers Club are doing. In fact, for most of them what they're doing makes sense, particularly Richie being a stand-up comedian and Eddie being a high-maintenance business man. I think the film may have stalled a little bit too much in the beginning, especially as it repeatedly showed Mike calling every person, telling them they needed to come back to Maine. I don't know if we really needed to see such extended cuts of their reactions; the only one that I could see as being important was Stanley's reaction. However, I do find the first act, plot wise, to be the strongest of any of the acts here. When The Losers Club all meet up for the first time in 27 years in a restaurant, you can really feel the chemistry between them. That's probably the best scene of the movie, as all the characters are reminiscing about old times, and you can feel a real sense of comraderie between them. I did at least care about these characters, which helped me be invested in the movie despite its weaknesses. Where the plot really starts going off the rails is in the next two acts. Though I do like some of the scares when all the gang are finding their artifacts, I still believe that part of the movie goes on for far too long. The movie meanders significantly for most of the second act, even if it is technically the most interesting part to me. If it was shortened down a bit, I could've seen this part working a little better. Also, the flashbacks in this film are one too many. I would've preferred it if they'd decreased the amount of those segments, as they really disrupt the film's flow. In retrospect, they don't add a whole lot to the movie at all. The climax of the film is where the pacing issues really show. I don't recall the last time I've seen a climax of a film last this long. It truly is too overwhelming to watch, with everything being either too big or too loud. It really seemed like director Andrew Muschietti didn't want viewers to lose attention, but I found myself doing just that because of how long it was taking for the pinnacle moment to wrap up. The movie does end decently enough. It wasn't a resolution that left me stunned, but it was satisfying to me.

As you can probably tell after reading my review, my feelings about "It: Chapter Two" are pretty split. I'd say that I appreciate what the first film gave us far more after seeing this one. The first one may not be perfect, but it did at least feel concise and kept me engaged more consistently than this one did. I wouldn't say this film was a huge disappointment for me, as it wasn't one of my top anticipated films of the year. Still, I could see others who really enjoyed the first film being very underwhelmed by this one. For me, this is an okay film with not too many offensive elements, but I can't see myself coming back to it any time soon.

"Ready or Not" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

It's always great to see a smaller movie with not as many well-known cast members getting a lot of buzz at the theaters. I remember seeing the trailer for "Ready or Not", and it really interested me from the get-go. It really made me happy when critical and audience reception for the movie continued to increase, making my interest in the film go up in effect. The movie is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who both worked on the solid anthology horror film "V/H/S". Grace, a foster child who has always wanted a real family to attach to, finally gets her chance when she marries Daniel de Domas, who has quite a large family. Daniel's family isn't your typical type though: they are excessively rich as they are a huge gaming (specifically board and card games) enterprise. Grace finds that odd, but not anything too extreme. However, she starts discovering darker truths about the family when they have their ritualistic game night for the newest family member. The game that Grace gets? A murderous twist on hide-and-seek that reveals what the whole family is really like.

Something that immediately stuck out to me about this film is how it uses comedy, specifically dark comedy. Oftentimes, calling it dark comedy is an understatement, as some of the humor here is pitch black gallows humor. Because the film wholly embraces this vibe and goes all in for it, this movie is absolutely hysterical in a lot of places. I never thought I would laugh so much at people getting murdered, but this movie makes it work. The visual gags in this movie are over the top, and purposefully so. It plays like a B-Movie, but one with better production values and better performances. However, even though there is a significant amount of comedy coming from visuals, even more comes from the dialogue. The lines these characters have are just excellent, with every punch lines having superb timing to make for some delightfully effective laugh out loud moments. A lot of the dialogue here doubles as satiric digs on rich people and their privilege. Some of it also comes from the fact that a lot of the characters treat this twisted game of hide and seek as if it's just an inconvenience they have to grit their teeth through. There is moment after moment here that is just gut-wrenchingly funny. I knew from the trailer that this film would have a humorous aspect to it, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to be this hilarious. This really lifts the film up, in my opinion, and increases its undeniable fun factor.

For all the funny stuff in this film, it can also be incredibly tense. This movie did a great job at striking a balance between the horror and the comedy. In fact, it did it so well that I would put this movie on the level of something like "You're Next", which is high praise considering how much I adore that film. The gore in this film can be funny, but it also does make you flinch when the movie wants you to do so. There are times when the gore is b-movie levels over the top, but there are other moments when it makes you get shivers down your spine (such as a particular moment when Grace's hand goes right through a rusty nail). The film isn't entirely guts and gore. There are plenty of characters who are unsettling just because of their personalities. There is a funny aspect to the characters treating killing a person like having to take a trip to the grocery store, but it's also disturbing that pretty much all of them don't think it's a big deal. Because of that, we feel a lot more uncertain of whether Grace will get out alive, since almost all the members of the family are fine with offing her. This film is thankfully low on jump scares, instead relying on building its tension naturally to the climax. This makes the big moment of the movie really pay off. I felt myself on edge at points on the movie, and those moments were excellently counterbalanced by the times when I was enjoying myself and laughing. It's rare these days to see a horror movie able to do satire and scares effectively, and this movie is one of those rare cases.

What lifts this film more than anything else are its overall great performances. Samara Weaving is the obvious standout. This is her first bigger role, although I remember her being really good for the time she was in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri". Weaving has a lot of demanding stuff to go through in this film, and she nails every challenge the script throws at her. I appreciate how multi-faceted the writers of the script made her. She can be vulnerable and strong at the same time, and it doesn't feel like a weird contradiction. Also, I do appreciate that Weaving gets to have some comedic lines of her own; some of her lines are the funniest in the film because of her delivery. Even the last line of the film is a punchline from her, and it caps everything off quite nicely. Mark O'Brien is a nice counterpart to Grace as her new husband Alex. His role is a bit more subtle and subdued, which I think is appropriate. The arc he goes through is pretty interesting; it's cool how the movie lets you see it play out, and it makes perfect sense once you see where he's going. Adam Brody as Daniel Le Domas is easily the most unpredictable character of the film; you're not really sure what side he stands on, and that makes him engrossing to watch. Brody does effective work of bringing the duality of this character out, showing how he desires to be loved by his family, but also realizes what they are doing is completely messed up. Kristian Bruun's performance as Fitch comes a very close second to Weaving as far as top actors go. He is hilarious in this film. The guy has a real knack for delivering his punchlines with such a sense of self-seriousness that it's impossible not too laugh. He plays this character as if they are ignorant how funny they are, which only makes the character funnier to me. His character isn't particularly complex, but he doesn't need to be, as his humor makes the character stand out. Other highlights of the film include Henry Czerny as the demented Le Domas patriarch, and Nicky Guadagni as the sadistic Aunt Helene.

There isn't a whole lot to complain about in this movie, but there are some weaknesses. I think most of the weaker parts reside in the moments before the climax happens. It feels like the movie keeps on making reasons for Grace having to be in the house. There's a point when a car comes into the movie, and while I get that the writers needed to get themselves out of this easy escape for Grace, they way the go about it seems a little too easy. It's not the worst way to write oneself out of this situation, but it seems a little convenient to me. Also, some characters do seem to change motivation on a dime in the end of the film, which is odd to me. They're not necessarily doing things out of character, but maybe their reasoning for what they are doing is a little weak.

Those are really the only major weaknesses I can think of. I didn't have any huge qualms with this movie, as it is one of the most fun viewing experiences I've had all of 2019. The performances here are great, the jokes are consistently funny, and the horror elements are effective enough to keep you on edge. All of those factors make this an easy recommendation for me. This is a great movie, and I think it's deserving of your attention. Go see it!