Free Guy: For the opening 80 minutes, Free Guy is great fun. Its take on video games and the culture that breeds them is clever and funny, the action sequences/effects are outstanding and Ryan Reynolds' charming turn as the titular non-playable video game character turned unlikely hero is a reminder of just how great he is at playing imminently likable characters. Then the final 25 minutes come along and its nearly cemented greatness suddenly crumbles as the film wraps up with a couple of nauseating romantic scenes between two supporting real world characters (Jodie Comer, Joe Keery-who are otherwise quite good here) and an instance of shameless, unexpected product placement that is significantly more egregious and off-putting than the entirety of Space Jam: A New Legacy. Even with that rough ending, Free Guy is still a pleasant, worthwhile experience that should really delight fans of video games or just good-natured escapist cinema.
Grade: B
Don't Breathe 2: Any sequel to the supremely tense home invasion thriller Don't Breathe would require some retooling to work. The ending to the original was concrete enough where a direct continuation was off the table and simply sending another group of naïve people to make another run at an "easy" heist would've made it a stale, gimmicky retread . To its credit, Don't Breathe 2 manages to be something that's reasonably fresh while still working inside a recognizable framework. Reforming The Blind Man (Stephen Lang in another intimidating, quietly meditative performance) into a bit of a tortured antihero is a clever way to flip the script without glossing over the character's past sins and by heading into more of a sadistic thriller direction, they're able to take the story to some very dark places that allows for the expansion of the monstrous lore of both The Blind Man and the people that end up crossing his path. While this shift in genres does minimize the tension level that made the original so gripping (although it does need to be noted that there is a home invasion sequence early in the film that is every bit as technically impressive and nerve-shredding as anything in the original), it's ultimately a small price to pay for a sequel that's far more entertaining, subversive and well-made than it should be.
Grade: B
Sweet Girl: Remember when Steven Seagal used to make overly serious action movies that had some kind of critique about a big real world issue baked into a convoluted, melodramatic revenge plot and not nearly enough action to compensate for its crappy attempt to add a meaningful subtext to a meathead matinee special? Throw in an absurd final act plot twist and slightly less suspect acting than you'd find in a Seagal affair, and that's exactly the kind of movie Sweet Girl is. In fact, the film mirrors the mediocrity, monotony and bungled social commentary of Hard to Kill so extensively that it feels like an unintended remake. Now if Jason Momoa and director Brian Andrew Mendoza-who just happens to be Momoa's best friend-want to reunite for a reboot of a more self-aware, silly Seagal feature like Out for Justice or Under Siege, I'd be all for it. But they should never dabble with this type of corny, deadly serious action/family drama nonsense ever again.
Grade: C
The Night House: When it comes to creating an unnerving atmosphere that leaves the viewer in a constant state of panic, The Night House is a relentless tour de force. The use of silence, slow-panning camerawork that lurks on every shadow, tree and staircase that comes in its path and some highly effective jump scares that pop up with no warning ensures that the threat of danger is always present- which turns nearly every scene into a mental and cardiac endurance test that is often overwhelming. It's not quite as successful as a psychological drama/metaphor for depression, grief and survivor's guilt, but a stunning lead performance from Rebecca Hall as a recently widowed woman who begins to experience a string of potential paranormal occurrences at her secluded upstate New York lake house in the weeks following her husband's suicide along with a clever, unexpected finale provide enough emotional resonance to turn this into a pretty damn special, multi-faceted horror flick.
Grade: B+
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