Crawl (watched July 11, 2019)

As I mentioned in some previous posts, I developed very particular, but also rather random, biases towards certain movie types during my adolescent years. Because I was never really into animals, I usually skipped out on animal-related films of any and all genres- even horror films. But, thanks to recent movie releases I have seen in an effort to break from these self-imposed restrictions, my movie world has been opened up to a completely different sub-genre: CREATURE FEATURES. "Crawl" is one such film that I would never have spent my time or money on; but, a recently made good friend of mine and fellow horror FREAK Manny was in town and I decided to see if this one could continue the roll I started on with "The Meg." HOOOOOOOOOLY MOLY.

Crawl takes place in the very hydro-centric state of Florida, where the beaches are plentiful, swimming comes almost by nature and gators are always treated as that one scary aunt/uncle you know exists but would much rather avoid at all costs. Haley (played by Kaya Scodelario) is an accomplished swimmer at the University of Florida (go Gators!) who has always been pushed to perform her best by her father Dave (played by Barry Pepper). When Haley's sister calls from out of town to ask about their father who has not responded to her calls all day, Haley makes the two hour drive back to her family's old house in the middle of a growing Category 5 hurricane to check-in on her dad personally.

Upon getting to her old house, Haley searches frantically for her father as the hurricane picks up momentum and she finally finds Dave injured all the way down in their huge basement. As she attempts to get her unconscious father upstairs, Haley is confronted with a less-than-welcoming gator who is hell-bent on finishing Dave off and presumably having Haley for dessert. Now, one reason I strayed from creature features is that so often the animal(s) do not look real to the viewers because of a poor job done with CGI. But, this gator is VERY real and VERY frightening. Manny and I were instantly delighted at how real the gator looked and our hopes were immediately heightened for what the remainder of the movie would bring.

Every "shock moment" comes unexpectedly and abruptly (even the ones we braced ourselves for). Every attack is ferocious in nature and intent on drawing lots and lots of blood. From the moment water starts to seep into the basement I was kept on the edge of my seat (especially given the fact that I am in no way a proficient swimmer). Every on-screen gator appearance struck fear into my very core in a way that many films have not this year. There is a very real and very carnal aspect to every risk Haley, her dad and their community has to take to escape with their lives. At a VERY manageable 90 minutes long, Crawl only suffers from very few dull moments that nevertheless work to bring some legitimacy to the plot. And, it's an absolute travesty that this film did not release in 4DX theaters because it would have taken my experience to another level. Crawl gets a solid 4 reps out of 5 from this newly-turned fan of creature features and should absolutely be seen in theaters. It is not my favorite "horror" release of 2019 only because there were so many other such films released with more history behind them. But, Crawl may very well be THE standard against which other freaks like Manny and I hold not only creature features to but horror/thriller/suspense movies to as well. It is exactly what I feel most fans who want to be scared in theaters are looking for and deserve. Thanks, Manny!

Are you ready to test your luck and fears against those who can not only crawl but also swim with such ease and physical dominance? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section whether you have seen it yet or not. I am very interested in what you have to say about this film, especially as I expand my knowledge of and experience with creature features.

Midsommar (watched July 9, 2019)

We're almost halfway into July; so, it makes sense to watch this movie- right? Actually, in all seriousness, I had NO idea what this movie was about until just yesterday. In fact, there are times when I will watch a movie I have not even seen a preview for just to see what the hype surrounding it is about. And, there was some legitimate hype behind this one in the sense that a number of people had been going in large groups to check it out. So, what did it have to offer the self proclaimed horror freak?


"Midsommar" is loosely based on a group of four male Anthropology classmates who have been planning a trip to Sweden, one of which- Christian- is in a relationship with Dani (played by Florence Pugh who did a magnificent job portraying WWE star "Paige" in "Fighting With My Family"). However, Christian's and Dani's relationship has been teetering on the edge for some time. When Christian decides to invite Dani on the trip and she accepts, the other three classmates have varying levels of trepidation. Nevertheless, the five of them embark on this life-changing trip to a very remote and rural part of Sweden during a locally observed midsummer festival that only occurs once every ninety years.


To truly embrace the culture of this community's people, the group of five and another visiting couple take part in a number of traditions that includes the regular consumption of a hallucinogenic that alters one's senses. From the very first day on, all seven visitors have to decide just how far they are willing to indulge in the rituals of this midsummer festival as well as wrestle with different reasons why to do so or avoid doing so. These traditions are introduced only very loosely by one of the four original Anthropology classmates who has actually lived there most of his life and was only studying abroad in the US- Pelle. And, every visitor has different reasons that ultimately decide the extent to which he/she will take part in the different activities.


The traditions themselves are only truly "understood" or "explained" once the visitors choose to really take part; and, the visual depictions of them were the most satisfying part for me. There are very clear influences writer/director Ari Aster draws from the 1970's mystery "The Wicker Man," in that it includes a visit to a very foreign land with very unique traditions. All in all, the film feels like a massive ethnographic study whose "success" depends on how willing one is to embrace the various traditions espoused by this pagan cult. To see just how these different traditions affect each visitor differently is where the intrigue lies; and, paired with the aforementioned visual depictions thereof, are why this film gets 3 out of 5 reps from me. At a very lengthy 2.5 hours, the film does have its lulls and probably does not have to be seen in theaters to get the full effect. Think... a very less gory "The Green Inferno" and much less gory "Hostel." As I mentioned before, the film works mostly to depict the traditions of a very small pagan cult that has its origins very firmly based in historical pagan scripture. It is a reminder that there are peoples existing outside of the "western world" with what others would deem a "weird" lifestyle; but, then again- that's all in the eye of the beholder.


So, have you taken a trip to experience Midsommar yet? If not, what are you afraid of?!

Spider-Man: Far From Home (watched July 2, 2019)

With the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, it was clear that there was going to be a shift in the arch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What was unclear is exactly what that shift would entail and exactly who would anchor this second wave of MCU theatrical releases. Would the timeless Spider-Man character step up to fill a void left by so many well-known Avengers? Does Captain Marvel cement herself as the most important Avenger moving forward? What exactly will Captain America's leaving Falcon with the Captain America shield mean for Falcon's role from now on? Well, this latest Spider-Man does not bring much in the sense of concrete answers to these questions; but, it most certainly sets the stage for something very interesting to come.


"Spider-Man: Far From Home" is like the surprise epilogue to the first wave of MCU/Avengers movies that fans were not sure would move the franchise forward but are excited for nonetheless because of the promise it entails. And, it most certainly does not disappoint. The on-screen chemistry between Spider-Man (played by the charismatic Tom Holland) and MJ (played by the ever-so-enigmatic Zendaya, who herself is absolutely SLAYING her current role in the HBO show "Euphoria") takes a few leaps forward. Happy and Mary Parker continue to inject their timeless and timely humor seemingly every single time they are on screen. And the introduction of another favorite of mine in Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio is not only refreshing; but also, for some reason, rather seamless. While it's the first time we see Mysterio in the MCU, Gyllenhaal has this spirit about him that makes Mysterio fit right in as though he was at the very least being discussed in previous movie, although he was not at all.


While my first time around seeing this film was not in 4DX because of some back pain, I am most certainly excited to see in 4DX as soon as I can. The action and CGI/effects were again stunning and moving; but, also taken up yet another notch to a slightly different level. The realm in which Spider-Man and Mysterio operate here is not only visually stunning, but also, somewhat revolutionary. In fact, there were times when what I saw on screen reminded me so much of what I saw on screen during "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."


At just over two hours long, the film still does not lend itself to any momentary lulls. In fact, everything that occurs, including the TWO post-credits scenes (the first of which is a jaw-dropping look towards the future), leaves fans applauding in ecstasy but yearning for MORE. The only thing that could have made this film better in my eyes were more Avengers. However, their inclusion might have thrown off the feel of the movie, which is that of another stand-alone "neighborhood Spider-Man" iteration that nevertheless sets the stage for major developments forthcoming. Spider-Man: Far From Home gets an easy 4 out of 5 stars from me and will MOST certainly be watched multiple times by so many people both in theatres and at home. It will RUN the box office this weekend and for weekends to come. And it will do so very deservedly.


Have you seen how Spider-Man swings into action while being far from home? If so, what did you think about it and how it sets up the MCU future? If not, are you excited to?! Let me know in the comments; and, as always, this remains a SPOILERS-FREE place to PREview films you're deciding between for your next trip to the movies. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend, movie fans!

Annabelle Comes Home (watched July 1, 2019)

Vera Farmiga has been a favorite of mine since she took on and slayed the role of Norma Bates in the amazing TV series "Bates Motel." Patrick Wilson gained an instant fan in me when I saw him perform as Night Owl in the on-screen adaptation of "Watchmen." So, when I saw them anchor the "Conjuring" franchise, I was absolutely ecstatic. I'm not sure if the creators of The Conjuring ever dreamed the franchise would include as many films as it has churned out; but, the importance Farmiga and Wilson have played in its success is unquestionable and undeniable.


After so many continuations and "spin-off" movies followed the original Insidious, many fans questioned the franchise's ability to produce films as good as the original. But, while there have been some follow-up films that did not garner as much fanaticism, some of them did. "Annabelle: Creation," for example, was absolutely stellar. So, the hype behind "Annabelle Comes Home" was certainly at a high following the success of its predecessor.


In this film, Annabelle certainly comes home; and, the most intriguing aspect of this tale is that it sheds light on a number of other stories of possession. But, not only do we learn more about other tales of possession that the Warrens have investigated in their lengthy careers, we actually get to see visual depictions of the artifacts that highlight these different investigations. However, this history actually does not come from the mouths of the Warrens, as they are largely left out of this movie. Instead, we learn about this history through the adventures of the Warrens' young daughter, her babysitter and her babysitter's best friend.


At an hour and forty five minutes long, Annabelle Comes Home does a lot of "building up" during the first hour. The last forty five minutes are interspersed with built up "shock moments" and the aforementioned visual depictions of some awesome looking historical figures of "possession;" but little else. It was actually very refreshing to see just how much their daughter Judy seems to have espoused the spirit of her parents; but, it actually makes viewers want to see her interact with her parents more, which happens for only about 5% of the film. For a handful of cool visual depictions of possessed figures and an introduction to Judy Warren with not much else, this film gets 2.5 reps out of 5 from this horror movie junkie. It's a bit of a letdown; but, it will be interesting to see if, how and when the franchise will build off its introduction of Judy Warren moving forward. Some of the visuals will most certainly look better on the big screen; but, they probably won't be enough to garner much excitement from viewers.


Have you welcome Annabelle home yet? If so, what do you think about how the franchise might use this film to set up future films, if any do come (aside from the follow-up films announced to "The Nun" and "The Curse of La Llorona")?