Little Evil: That Kid Is Looking At You Funny

Little Evil is a horror comedy film directed by Eli Craig. The plot sees a new step dad (Adam Scott), have to deal with his new step son who as luck would have it, turns out to be the Anti-Christ; can the power of the father son bond overcome even the greatest of evils?

I found the parody of things like The Omen funny at first, but as the film went on and on and kept repeating the same parody jokes over and over again they quickly became played out. The same can be said for a lot of the humour of this film.

I will give the film praise for getting the balance of horror and comedy closer to even then it normally is in these sorts of films. The film obviously favour the comedy elements over the horror ones, but there are a few good scares that I actually found quite effective, the worm scene and the early scenes with the hand puppet would be what I point to here.

Adam Scott is just likeable enough to allow you to root for him, and he has enough dad vibes to make his and Lucas’s (Owen Atlas) relationship believable and have emotional resonance.

A final point would be that it is uncomfortable to see Chris D’ Elia in this film, and he features quite prominently as well. He took me out of the film and soured the film as a whole somewhat.

Overall, this film is goofy fun. Is it the best horror comedy film you will ever see? No. Is it without any problems? No, again. However, if you just want something mindless to sit and turn your brain off to then you can do worse than this film.

Pros.

Scott

The initial parody

A few funny jokes and a handful of good scares

Cons.

It gets tiresome

Chris D’ Elia

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Spy Kids: The Parents Aren’t Alright

Spy Kids is a family, action, adventure, comedy film directed by Robert Rodriguez. The plot sees a pair of superspies become captured and it is then down to their children to rescue them and save the world.

I am a big fan of Robert Rodriguez; I think he is very talented both as a filmmaker and as a creative. More than just that though, he has also proven himself to be adept at making great movies for both the adult market and the family friendly market- clearly he is a man of many talents.

Rodriguez brings a warmth to this film that draws you in, once arrived you are introduced to a dense world that is begging to be explored, and characters that you immediately form a bond with and have fun rooting for over the course of the film. This is particularly impressive as both of the leads in this film are children, often child actors can be cringey and scene stealing in all the wrong ways, but Rodriguez manages to get a good performance out of both of his stars.

My only issue with this film was that it was a bit too zany and over the top, as such some of the time it was hard to tell what was going on. I understand it is aimed at Children with 5 second attention spans but even still, the plot loses a lot of cohesion and the film progress and it all becomes just a bit too manic.
Overall, an above average kids film that proves Rodriguez is a man of many talents, just maybe tone it down for the sequel.

Pros.

Likeable child stars

A world primed for exploring

An interesting concept

Cons.

A little bit too busy

It was confusing as too much was happening at once

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

A Haunted House: Back In The Early 2000’s This Would Have Been Hilarious

A Haunted House is a found footage parody film directed by Michael Tiddes. The plot serves to mock the recent trend in found footage horror films, but out of that sub-genre Paranormal Activity in particular. We see happy couple Malcom (Marlon Wayans) and Kisha (Essence Atkins), move in together only to find their new home subject to demonic activity.

In some ways this film reminded me of the best parts of the early Scary Movies, it was funny and silly, and it served as an excellent lampooning of the sub-genre. However, times have changed and as have my comedic sensibilities. When I was watching the Movie films I would have been in my early teens in the late 00’s, and watching them then they were funny, and whilst this film still made me laugh a number of times I also saw a lot of the jokes as being in poor taste. There were quite a few rape jokes that made me uncomfortable, and I think don’t hold up to today’s standard.

Wayans and Atkins are both funny and each manage to hold their ground with the other. I found that they had quite a lot of good on-screen chemistry together and the comedic back and forth between them was strong and well used.

Overall, if I could ignore the rape jokes I would give this film high marks as it is a comedy film that made me laugh, which seems quite successful by what the genre sets out to do, however, those moments of uncomfortableness with off colour jokes will force it to lose marks.

Pros.

Wayans

Atkins

Good comedic chemistry

It is quite funny

Cons.

Some of the jokes cross a line and aren’t funny, namely the rape jokes

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bulletproof: The Worst Of 90s Sandler?

Bulletproof is a buddy cop action comedy film directed by Ernest Dickerson. The plot sees undercover cop Jack Carter (Damien Wayans), have to transport his ex- friend/ criminal partner Archie Moses (Adam Sandler) across the country to bust a big-time drug lord.

Watching Sandler mid-90s to now you can see a real change and even a maturing. Yes, I know the words Adam Sandler and mature in the same sentence seems like a mistake, but they aren’t. In this film we can see Sandler at his juvenile worst, his character has few to no redeemable qualities and is most just annoying and childish for most of the film. I enjoy Sandler’s recent efforts (yes, even some of his Netflix fare), but even I can see this is far from his best.

Sandler and Wayans have a little bit of chemistry together which is a welcome mercy, but if you compare it to other great buddy cop duos, they might as well be strangers.

There is no point saying that this film is quite icky when compared to a modern standard as it goes without saying, for the stupid people who say ‘oh that’s what things were like back then’ it doesn’t make the critique of it any less valid.

Finally, the heart of the film just doesn’t land, you don’t end up caring about either man or their friendship with the other: the ending is met with a shrug of indifference.

Overall, definitely one of Sandler’s weaker efforts and that is saying something.

Pros.

It has one or two laughs

Cons.

For the most part it is not funny

The emotion does not land

Sandler is deeply unlikable

It goes on for too long

It is generic

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Naked: Yet Another Time Loop

Naked is a comedy film directed by Michael Tiddes. The plot sees a man (Marlon Wayans) become trapped in a timeloop on the day of his wedding. This forces him to revaluate the type of person he is and ultimately forces him to grow up.

So by and large this is a fairly generic film. The whole concept ‘the time loop’ is starting to become quickly played out and boring, as we have seen various different characters become trapped in loops many times over at this point.

Wayans tries his best and the few laughs that there are in the film do come from his character, so I will give him prompts for that. However, this character as a whole is a cliché of the man child/ underachiever trope and is once again nothing new: having all the nuance and development of a burnt Christmas dinner.

The comedy mostly missed the mark for me. I laughed maybe once or twice throughout and had a few more smiles, but mostly the humour left me cold. I found any character that wasn’t Wayans deeply unfunny, I don’t know if that was done by design to make Wayans more funny? Though all it managed to do was to make me feel indifferent.

Overall, as a comedy film this is watchable if you have no other options, but it is nothing you haven’t already seen better before.

Pros.

It is watchable

It has a few good jokes

Cons.

Wayans is struggling

The other characters leave no impression

The premise is been there done that

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Lethal Weapon 2: Advertising Condoms

Lethal Weapon 2 is a buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner. The plot this time around sees Murtaugh (Danny Glover), and Riggs (Mel Gibson) go after a cartel of South African criminals that have a personal connection to Rigg’s past.

I think here we can see the tonal issues starting to become apparent, there is a lot of fallout surrounding Shane Black exiting the projecting and his darker script being rejected in favour of a more light hearted one; said script I would say is the major issue with the film. Quite dark and upsettingly violent sequences are upended with jokes and quips, which serve to ruin any tension built and let the air out of the balloon so to speak.
The tonal issues carry over to the characters as it limits their emotional growth and the extent of their journey’s. There is some interesting ideas and notions being floated around here, like Riggs dying to save his partner’s life at the end of the film, however, the film seem to gutless to follow through with these interesting character moments in favour of maintaining the status quo for sequels.

Gibson and Glover are still a terrific paring and have a lot of great on-screen chemistry together, sadly that is limited by insufficient character work.

Overall, this film shows us what is wrong with Hollywood, whereby the inevitable sequel is prioritised over the film itself to the detriment of all involved.

Pros.

Gibson

Glover

Cons.

The tone is mismatched and doesn’t work

The ending loses its emotional impact

The characters don’t seem to progress emotionally or personally from where they were at the end of the film

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Soul: The Jazz Man

Soul is an animated family film directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. The plot follows a part time teacher/ wannbe jazz musician Joe (Jamie Foxx), as he dies before he has a chance to achieve his dream of performing on stage. Whilst in the afterlife Joe meets 22 (Tina Fey), a young soul who is struggling to find their spark, together the two of them run away back to earth and go on a journey of self-discovery together.

This film almost made me cry, almost. The ending is beautiful and heartfelt, and it really brought Pixar back for me in a big way. Personally, I haven’t really enjoyed a Pixar film since Brave and even a few of the ones before that Ratatouille, Wall-E did nothing for me: I enjoyed a final trip to Toy Story but more for nostalgia then a strong story. However, I am pleased to say that this film bucks that trend and in my mind restores Pixar to its former glory.

I enjoyed seeing the bond develop between Joe and 22, I thought it was a incredibly well realised friendship and touched on the very real experience of what it means to be human. The individual character arcs of Joe and 22 are equally well done, and you are left staggered at the complexity of emotional impact they manage to elicit.

My one complaint would be that the soul world stuff is a bit dull at times, and it tends to drag on: you can’t help but think during these sequences that you would much rather they get back to the Earth storyline.

Overall, a film that resorted my faith not only in Pixar but in the animation genre in general.

Pros.

The emotions

The character journeys

The performances from Foxx and Fey

A return to form for Pixar
Cons.

The soul world plot could and should have been more interesting

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Let Them All Talk: Be Nice To Your Friends

Let Them All Talk is a drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The plot follows a writer (Meryl Streep), as she, her nephew (Lucas Hedges) and her two old friends (Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest) go on a cruise together to collect an overseas award.

I think this is a very charming film, it is not huge and over the top, but rather small, compacted, and intimate. It is very much a character study of all involved as well as a reflection on life and those that feature therein.

I think the performances of all involved were strong. Soderbergh does always prove to know how to get the best out of his cast and this is no exception. Gemma Chan, who plays the main character’s literary agent is particularly strong, I will admit I fell for her romance with Hedges character I enjoyed their scenes together and wanted to see them end the film together.

My one critique of this film is that it is poorly paced, t

. Though obviously a slow film there are moments in this which I believe are created with the explicit purpose of slowing the film down further, which it does not need. There is a reveal towards the end of the film, which is very significant however, due to the way the film structures itself there is not enough time to properly unpack the new development before the credit’s role; it strikes me that this film either needed to be longer or more tightly edited.

Overall, this is a slow watch and at times painfully so, it wont be for all, but if you are prepared for the time investment then there is a lot of charm to be found here within the quite character drama.

Pros.

The performances

The intimate feel

Soderbergh’s director (for the most part)

Cons.

The ending feels rushed

The pacing is off

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Home Alone 2: The Highlight Of A President’s Career, Even If He Did Bully His Way Into It

Home Alone 2, Lost In New York is a family Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus. The plot once again sees Kevin (Macauley Culkin), become separated from his parents at Christmas, however this time rather than just being home alone, he is in an entirely different state.

I have long believed out of the Home Alone films that this is the best (though I do also have a soft spot for the 3^rd film as well). The reasons for this are multiple, I think that this film took everything the first film did right and improved on It. An example of this is Kevin’s unlikely friends in the first film he befriends the old man on his street that everyone is afraid of (for no good reason), and here he befriends a woman who covers herself in pigeons. The idea is the same and both friendship arcs do have solid emotion behind them, but the emotional impact is greater here, at least it was for me.

Furthermore, the trap sequence is also improved upon from the first film, with that films final showdown sequence almost looking simplistic when compared to this one. If the traps were you favourite part of the first film you will not be disappointed here.

The one negative of this film comes in how it sets itself up. Kevin is once again seen to be bratty and wishing his family gone, this undoes the entirety of his character’s arc from the first film. The film is self-referential with this and comments on it, but that does not excuse poor writing it just makes it feel lazier.

Another issue I have with the sequel is that the feel good, overly sentimental Christmas message is turned up to 100 and does become a bit too sickly sweet in part; looking at you turtle doves.

Overall, a superior sequel that though an improvement is let down by a few cheap tricks and a lot of bad writing.

Pros.

The improved friendship storyline and its pay off

The improved trap sequence

Tim Curry is always a delight

It is a lot of fun

Cons.

A bit too overly sentimental at times

Reusing the same set up and undercutting the first film

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Christmas Chronicles 2: Sending A Child Out To Do A Dangerous Mission Incredibly Under-prepared, I Am Sensing A Theme

The Christmas Chronicle 2 is a Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus. The plot sees a disaffected rebel elf Belsnickle (Julian Dennison), use Kate (Darby Camp), the girl from the first film, to lure Santa Claus (Kurt Russell), into a trap so that he can steal the Star of Bethlehem and start his own workshop in the South Pole.

I think in many ways this is a stronger film that the first. I think by switching the focus from Santa Claus in our world to us in his it ups the magic and the intrigue and gives the filmmakers a rich world to play in. To that end, I enjoyed this film’s version of the North pole and though the deeper dive into Elf culture was interesting, and something I would like to see more off.

Dennison made for a likeable villain, he was never really a threat and it was always clear he was going to become good in the end. For some this might make him a weak villain, personally I don’t think these films need villains, so I didn’t mind; what bothered me was how predictable Belsnickle turning good was.

Camp is still incredibly annoying; her character is a brat through and through and this makes it hard to care about her. The brother character from the first film is mostly ignored in this, I guess he was busy filming other stuff for Netflix. We are introduced to Kate’s stepbrother Jack (Jahzir Bruno), who makes for a much more likeable protagonist, he even has a nice little emotional arc as well.

Overall, this film benefits from fresh blood and new ideas, it tries to replicate a few things from the first film that fall flat and Kate as a lead character lets the film down, but it is still a flawed gem.

Pros.

Tyrese

Jack is a fun new character

Exploring Santa’s world and his relationship with Belsnickle

Kurt Russell

Cons.

The film tries to mimic the first by having another musical number, however here it does not work

Kate is a terrible lead and is irritating throughout

4/5

Reviewed by Luke