Philip ‘Hawk’ Hawkins (Ryan Barton-Grimley) is a down on his luck security guard who’s bored with his life and also convinced that vampires are real and they may show themselves at any moment. Revson ‘Rev’ McCabe (Ari Schneider) is a vegan pacifist groundkeeper and Hawk’s only real friend, he tries to help Hawk out with his anger issues by teaching him Tai Chi, but Hawk seems to be on the edge and there’s nothing that can calm him down.
Then one night, Hawk witnesses three men (two men and a gimp) that he’s convinced are vampires and after showing Rev a photo that he took on his phone, they start training to become vampire slayers.
Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers is a supposed love letter to the childhood movies of writer/director Ryan Barton-Grimley. Taking inspiration from some of the worst supernatural action thrillers of the 1980’s, Hawk and Rev attempts to give the audience a fun film that reminds them of a simpler time and a movie that they half remembered.
The problem is that Hawk and Rev may be just that kind of thing and it may indeed look to capitalise on 80’s nostalgia, but as far as anything else is concerned then Hawk and Rev is a cynical movie cobbled together to include the kinds of jokes that would appeal to men who haven’t grown up.
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia if done in the right way, shows like Stranger Things and Cobra Kai have recently reignited this nostalgia while keeping a modern edge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWHK_bugcuI
However, Hawk and Rev’s problem may be that it sticks so closely to the agenda of a silly 80’s action movie that it forgets when the movie is actually made. So, whereas a film like Hawk and Rev may have been perfectly acceptable in the 80’s, it’s not that entertaining today.
This is a movie that sticks to its guns in terms of replicating the look and feel of the kinds of films 80’s kids may remember. However as far as characters, plot and dialogue are concerned then it may have been nice to have a little originality.
Kang, Madonna, Thor: Weekly Round Up – When Disney finalized the Fox take-over one of the many things that had people speculating, aside from those of us who watched in dismay and horror at the collapse of yet another of the big studios and Disney’s ever growing monopoly of terror over the industry, was just how the studio would begin the process of introducing the various Marvel Comics characters with whom Fox had the rights into the MCU.
Of course, most audience members will be excited to see the Fantastic Four or the X-Men make their first appearance, but it seems Disney are in no rush to get on with that just yet, and instead are taking a more subtle approach, as has seemingly been confirmed by this week’s announcement that the villain for the upcoming Ant-Man 3, will be the iconic comic villain Kang the Conqueror.
Kang was one of many comic characters tangled up in the rights issues over at Fox, but now Disney hold all the card (ALL OF THEM!!!!) then I’m guessing we’ll see more characters like this show up as the franchise moves forward.
And while we’re on the subject of Marvel, this week we got some interesting and welcome news from Thor Odinson himself, Chris Hemsworth.
Hemsworth was last seen in the role flying off with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but his next solo-outing is the much anticipated Thor: Love & Thunder, which also sees writer/director Taika Waititi return to helm the project, as well as Natalie Portman return to the franchise after a very public feud, as Thor’s love interest, Jane Foster.
Now, one of the things that is known about Love & Thunder is that it will be adapting, at least in part, a comic book storyline in which Jane Foster actually becomes the new female incarnation of Thor. This news has led many to speculate that Hemsworth would, much like Evens and Downy Jr. before him, be retiring from the MCU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L3wFExBLuY
Well, Hemsworth directly addressed these rumors this week, and insisted that this was not the case. When asked about the possibility that this would be his final outing at the God of Thunder, Hemsworth said, “Are you crazy? I’m not going into any retirement period. Thor is far too young for that. He’s only 1,500 years old. It’s definitely not a film that I say goodbye to this brand. At least I hope so”.
It is worth noting though that in the comics Thor has, on occasion, travel with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and since that seemed to be the set-up at the end of Endgame, it is very possible that Portman and Hemsworth can co-exist within the MCU as the character for some time.
Music biopics are all the rage at the moment, what with the success of both Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman leading the way, and despite the stalling of productions thanks to Coronavirus, studios don’t seem to be in any hurry to give up returning to that particular well anytime soon. This was made all the clearer this week when we got word that pop-icon Madonna would be receiving the biopic treatment.
There is something immensely enjoyable about genre movies with set rules, which follows a particular set trajectory. You can see how it will flow and where it is headed very early in the film.
Home invasion movies are one such genre where the satisfaction level is magnified based on how well the main character fares against the antagonists and how much you end up rooting for each side. Even if it sometimes borders on stereotypes, it can be gratifying to watch.
Becky is a movie that does not break any new grounds, but part of why it ends up being enjoyable is how it well it manages to tip the hat for all the classic home invasion movies that came before it. The proportion of your enjoyment of Becky would also depend on how much you enjoy genre movies as a whole.
The movie starts with a bloodied Becky (Lulu Wilson) getting interrogated about an incident that she seems to have survived. Ragged and cold, you know it will soon cut to flashback mode to show what happened to her. And of course it does, when it cuts back to her lake house trip with her father Jeff (Joel McHale, playing it sympathetic and dignified) about a year after her mother’s passing. Pretty soon, she realizes that the reason for the trip is also to introduce her to his new girlfriend and her child. She then runs away into her hideout in the woods with her dog, where she finds a mysterious key inside a tin box.
Things take a turn when a gang of thieves led by Dominick (Kevin James) comes to the lake house, searching for the said key and hold the family hostage for it. As Becky and the gang become aware of each other’s presence, it becomes a survival game for both sides.
The best thing about Becky is that it wears it’s references on its sleeve. Right from the methods, Becky uses to dispatch the intruders. For example, the maiming using the speed boat looks like it came straight off I Spit on your grave. Even the infamous ice truck child-killing opening from Assault in Precinct 13 gets the nod in Kevin James and his gang’s introduction, and there are various other nods to modern home invasion movies like You’re next. Depending on what your view is, it might come off as cliches or clever nods.
A lot of noise has been made about how a kid is at the center of all the violence. And Becky can get shockingly violent at many points. I didn’t have an issue with that purely because she is mostly acting on the fight or flight approach generally associated with home invasion movies. What I found unnerving was the implication that she might be just enjoying the killings.
You could also draw parallels to Hit girl, another teen character who revels in blood lust and the violence around her. Still, Lulu Wilson plays well with the character’s ambiguous nature. One can hope that she would break out as Chloe Grace Moretz did with Kickass as she does a tremendous job selling the movie and character, including the problematic parts. You never really know if she is killing to survive or if she is doing it because she likes it until the last minute, and a lot of it has to do with her portrayal of Becky.
Simon Pegg may have been the initial choice for Kevin James’ character, and as much as that is a very inspired choice, he probably might not be able to bring in the raw physicality the latter brings in to the role. It is a bizarre part, with James playing an out and out bad guy, and he mostly nails the part.
Your sympathies also go for Robert Maillet, who is probably the best character in the movie. He does well as a guy alternating between becoming weary of his ways and disgusted by his fellow mates while trying to stay loyal to them. He even goes as far as trying to protect the family from his gang’s maniacal ways. After making a career of playing intimidating henchmen, it could very well be his definitive henchmen role yet.
Sure, Becky does come off a lot like Die Hard in a lake house, but with a kid. And I could almost imagine online videos of it cut to look like Home Alone coming out somewhere down the line, complete with the comic background score. Threading the same path of many that came before it, Becky might not break new grounds or reinvent the wheel, but if you are a genre movie fan, particularly home invasion movies, there is a lot to enjoy in Becky.
The Aristas are a rich Mexican family hiding a valuable resource within their grounds. The local legend is that there is a well in the garden that carries some unique properties and after a test on the water proves positive, Henry (Esai Morales) and his wife, Monica (Alex Meneses) decide that the best thing to do is to protect their asset by any means possible.
Henry and Monica also have two beautiful daughters, Tania (Marisol Sacremento) and Ximena (Carmela Zumbado) who are typical spoiled rich kids and although Ximena often tries to impart her pseudo-intellectual knowledge onto her little sister, they both still indulge in excesses of alcohol, drugs and sex to pass the time.
Michael (Xander Berkeley) and Donavon (Jackson Rathbone) work for the Aristas looking after the grounds and it’s not long before Donavon starts to take interest in the Arista sisters and with nothing else better to do, they start to play with their new toy. However, when the security measures around the precious well start escalating, so do the tensions among the household and among the locals.
The Wall of Mexico is a drama with political undertones written and directed by Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak. If you don’t immediately understand the analogy that The Wall of Mexico is putting across to its audience then you may need to watch more of the news.
However, The Wall of Mexico is cleverly written so whereas the message may be clear, it doesn’t feel that every single detail is signposted, so to those aware of the racial and class divides that have been running through American politics in recent years it may be more obvious, but not distracting.
There may not be a lot of people who don’t understand issues surrounding immigration and racism who may watch The Wall of Mexico, but for those who do, they may even have their eyes opened as to how easily things could change if the shoe was on the other foot.
With a tight, intelligent and insightful script and a great cast, The Wall of Mexico manages to subtly discuss political issues without having to resort to over explaining its points which also raises the question as to how easily the events of the film could happen to anyone.
Last Call is a poignant, emotional and thought-provoking drama that deals with issues surrounding suicide and grief, talking about the impact that it has on those who are going through mental health issues and those who volunteer to help when those people need to talk.
Scott (Daved Wilkins) is lonely, suicidal and has also developed a drinking problem. One night after coming home from a bar he decides to make the call that he had been thinking about making for many months – to a suicide helpline.
Beth (Sarah Booth) is a janitor, part time student and single mother to two boys. Like Scott, life has taken a toll on her, but she works hard and hopes for a better future despite her past experiences. So, when Beth picks up the phone while she’s at work in the evening, she’s surprised and concerned to find that Scott has called her by mistake. What happens next shows their conversation and Beth’s willingness to help a stranger, hoping that one phone call may save Scott’s life and turn his life around.
Excellently written and directed by Gavin Michael Booth and co-written by Daved Wilkins, Last Call is a realistic drama shot in split-screen and in real time showing both Scott and Beth’s perspectives. Although this idea may appear too distracting and gimmicky when put on paper, Last Call never feels that way because Booth shoots the scenes so seamlessly that it’s as if they’re both connected.
From watching Scott and Beth doing whatever they do before they call, to what happens as it ends, Booth keeps the audience interested and often glued to their seats as they start to connect to with characters.
Both Daved Wilkins and Sarah Booth give outstanding performances and the script feels so real it’s almost as if the audience is listening in on a real conversation that may take place at suicide hotline centres every day.
The drama never exploits the themes of suicide and grief to manipulate its audience, instead giving a realistic and heart-breaking account of a man whose life is on the line and will stay with its audience long after viewing.
