Tag: Adam Wingard

Spooktober Day 15: You’re Next

Posted on by Kstrouse

For most of us cinephiles, we remember the first time we saw a movie, whether it be in the theater, or at home. If the film shakes you, positively or negatively, there’s a residue left that seeps into your memory and makes it challenging to let go. Well, I don’t want to- so I’m going to highlight some Kristy horror history for this wonderful, special, month of October.

So, the idea of a family being stalked by an unknown group of people isn’t a new concept, yet, You’re Next does so in a way that is absolutely delightful. Yes, I used that word. Have you noticed? I adore the concept of terror- when displayed in a different form within cinema. This is why I feel the need to exclaim: You’re Next is a power to be reckoned with, even if some may not see it beyond its surface level flavor. Why? Let me tell you…

source: Lionsgate

Not only do we have a badass female lead, of the likes of many of the iconic final girls of the past but one that goes further with a true knack for killing- but, wait, there’s more: We’ve got some groovy tunes to murder to (some interesting kills) and attackers who use correct grammar. Be still my heart: I love it when they do that.

When I saw You’re Next I wasn’t entirely sold at first. I loved that there was a sort of underlying playful tone, and an awareness that you were in fact, watching a movie (which is usually because of the acting or writing) and can either be intentional or not, but I wasn’t sure I was seeing anything new. In the end, it didn’t really matter if this broke the mold because it was so much damn fun. When I’ve rewatched it since its release, even again recently, that same energy is present, despite knowing what is coming. Almost all of the gore on screen emerges with a clash, never relenting on the shocks and awe. This was also a film that (still) seems to be under the radar and overlooked. Of course it doesn’t help that it was made and then put on the backburner, waiting to truly greet audiences.

Most of the film takes place (with the exception of one scene) in and around a secluded large house, as a family gets together to celebrate their parent’s (Rob Moran and Barbara Crampton) 35th anniversary. Their four children and significant others all show up, and soon, are hunted by masked attackers. Things have clearly been rocky between the family for a while, with a shared messy history, and amid a dinner of squabbling, things get serious, very fast. It’s a mic-drop moment that instantly thrusts the film into a suspenseful place, proving that Adam Wingard’s take on the invasion story isn’t one to be missed.

None of the characters are particularly likeable, which doesn’t make it any easier to see them meet their demise. That is with the exception of middle child Crispian’s (AJ Bowen) girlfriend Erin (Sharni Vinson), who seems to be the only one proactive in fighting their assailants, and one of the only truly rootable characters. Gosh I love her. In fact, she may just be the most dangeous one of them all.

(Bonus, another character in the film is played by Ti West, who directed a previous Spooktober review: The House of the Devil.)

There’s a merging line that You’re Next traces around black comedy, narrowly near parody, that eventually pools around horror. It does so in a way that ensnares the best of the two worlds, while maintaining a level of intrigue. Why are they being targeted? Is it random or is there more to it? Also, can anything not be used as a weapon? You’re Next subverts a lot of tropes, while leaning into others, making it a delicious blend of bloody fun. And yes, most things can be weapons.

source: Lionsgate

Directed by Adam Wingard, it’s a sly thriller that seems self-aware of its intent, making the laughs land, the synthy-score pop, and the thrills and kills squeamishly entertaining.

A smart take on the home-invasion horror You’re Next offers plenty of realistic terror with situational comedy. Not everything hits the perfect note, but it’s more than enough to have a blast with it if you’ll allow it to. Also, the final shot of the film is surprisingly perfect and unexpected (as well as the credits). Give it a go, I dare ya.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

Posted on by Kstrouse

By now, if you haven’t heard of Godzilla vs. Kong, I’m a little concerned. Really. It’s our first big blockbuster of the year, landing on both HBO Max and in theaters, delivering high energy thrills, epic fight scenes, and lots of incredibly thought-provoking narratives.

Okay, so, not so much on the last one.

There are a lot of terrific special effects, and there is no denying that a spectacle of this kind is going to be fun and Godzilla vs. Kong is. Don’t get me wrong, while there were some definite lulls, it kept my attention (from my home) and it definitely reinvogorated the desire to be in a theater seeing something of this scope. *Chokes up.*

Is it what I expected?

Perhaps, and maybe that’s part of the problem. Gareth Edward‘s Godzilla (2014) had some interesting ideas, some terrific cinematography, and the story had real stakes. Godzilla: King of the Monsters, eehmmm, not really. This is definitely an improvement on the latter, but it lacks the direction of Edward’s film. Adam Wingard has done a couple movies that I truly adore (and will probably review at some point on this site), but this gargantuan spectacle isn’t one of them.

There are some very cool sequences where these two fight (wait- what??) even though the weirdo in me really wants to see a spin off where they’re besties somewhere, splashing around, feeling #makelovenotwar vibes. But, leaning back into “reality”, there are some great developments here, as well as some things that will give you some answers you probably wanted, like when this first came out, like, “How is Kong possibly going to compete with Godzilla?”

source: Warner Media and HBO Max

These “monsters- not really monsters” aren’t really the problem. The biggest issue with this film, and it’s what makes it hard to give this a full on, energetic, slow-motion thumbs up, are the human characters. Look at this cast, it’s pretty stacked: Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) and her father, Kyler Chandler. As well as Julian Dennison, Bryan Tyree Henry, and Demián Bichir to name a few.

Why isn’t it elevated to the blockbuster I wanted?

These titular creatures are legendary for a reason, and then when you see this cast lineup your hopes shift upward. Unfortunately, the storylines are just not compelling. More than anything they are there just to keep the monster’s story moving, but don’t have their own purpose. They are characters with thin trajectory’s and even worse dialogue.

With the exception of one.

As we have seen in countless iterations of King Kong, he often has a soft-spot for a kind-hearted human. This time around it is a young girl, raised on the island and looked after by Kong when she loses her parents, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), who quite literally, steals the show.

More Jia!

source: Warner Media and HBO Max

There are a lot of talented individuals in this movie that have nothing to really do. They feel like spectators, with little to contribute to the overall story. There’s a subplot with three characters (all terrific actors) that may illicit a couple laughs, but is mostly unnecessary. Tonally, the film makes a couple of quick pivots, attempting to be playful, but mostly suffers from inconsistency. It’s hard to balance the importance of what’s happening, the potential horror as you will, while keeping this a family movie night pick. I think this is a case of visual style over substance, which many popcorn flicks are, so it isn’t unexpected.

It has some sweet moments, primarily between Jia and Kong. Some pretty badass moments, (I personally always love it when Godzilla first makes his entrance). There are some other interesting creatures/worlds that come into play, but the films supposed “villain” ends up being overwhelmingly lackluster. Or, perhaps, not the execution, but the motivation behind the creation.

A couple last, mostly nonsensical, thoughts: I half expected Immigrant Song to start playing during one fight scene (yes, I’m harking back to one of the MCU’s best, Thor: Ragnarok). While in a similar MCU vein, I was also wondering if maybe there’ll be some accords written up, holding these two accountable, because places get hella damaged, people killed, and no one seems concerned.

I didn’t dislike the film, it was an exciting jaunt, mostly, but I also, didn’t love it. I believe it is possible to have a film of this caliber and visual lushness, that can still have characters conducive to quality and depth. This just isn’t it.

One could argue, but, do we really need that? And I would respond, shouldn’t we?

What are your thoughts? Can you look past the script and human stories and just enjoy it? Or are you still looking for a new movie about these classic monsters that has a bit more? Let me know! Also, #teamkong or #teamgodzilla? Personally, I’m team Rebecca Hall, and now, Kaylee Hottle!