What to Watch This Weekend: May 8, 2020

Lionsgate Live: John Wick
Tick Tock Mr. Wick.  John Wick is a classic action movie that created a cool, stylized world of assassins, underworld dealings, and a the limitless love of a man and his dog.  This movie is free via Lionsgate Live at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET on May 8, 2020.  It will feature a special guest host and should not be missed.

Redbox: Bloodshot

Bloodshot has some great action,  special effects, and a solid Vin Diesel performance in this comic book adaptation.  For more information, check out our review!

Redbox: Gretel & Hansel
Gretel and Hansel tells a grim, dark fairy tale with a deliberate style and an electronic, otherworldy soundtrack.  For more information, check out our review!

Digital: Sweetness in the Belly
Sweetness in the Belly explores some interesting and powerful concepts, with great characters and a beautiful, but not fully developed, story.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Netflix): Becoming

Becoming offers an intimate look at the life of the former First Lady, reminding us of everything she stood for and how much more she can and will do for our country.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Hulu): Into the Dark: Delivered

Delivered has a fantastic cast, good atmosphere, and plenty of terror and suspense in this Mothers Day horror treat from Into the Dark.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (HBO): The Art of Racing in the Rain

The puppy dog racing movie!  This film got very high audience scores for using the most reliable source of audience approval, a dog!

Review: Into the Dark: Delivered (S2E8)

Release date: May 8, 2020
Running time: 80 minutes
Starring: Joël Dupont, Tina Majorino, Micah Joe Parker, Natalie Paul

Into the Dark is a Hulu collaboration with Blumhouse to make a monthly movie-length horror feature from Jason Blum’s independent TV studio. Each feature-length installment is inspired by a holiday and features Blumhouse’s signature genre/thriller spin on the story.  In season 2, episode 8, Delivered, the series sets its sights on Mothers Day, focusing on a young expectant mother and her terrifying ordeal. 

Expectant parents Valerie (Paul) and her husband Tom (Dupont) are counting the days until their first child is born.  As part of this, they head to an expectant mom's yoga class where they meet Jenny (Majorino).  Additionally, Valerie is having some trouble with a former boyfriend Riley (Parker), who won't leave her alone.  As Valerie, Tom, and Jenny become quick friends, she invites them to her farm house far in the country for a relaxing dinner.  However, when something goes wrong during the dinner, their relaxing evening turns into an ordeal of terror.

Delivered is a much more suspenseful film than the campy, funny Pooka Returns from last month.  It focuses more on terror and unease, with Valerie having anxiety over her future baby and then having anxiety over the situation she finds herself in.  However, what is great about this episode is that it focuses a lot on the two women in this film.  They both are fantastic in their roles but it was especially fun to see Majorino on the screen again, after not seeing her much since her breakout role in Napoleon Dynamite.  She displayed a great range in this film, showing both her humor and horror chops.  As with the other Into the Darks, the cast has the right amount of humor, horror, and personality.  It really makes you get invested in the show when you like the characters.  The film doesn't use much in the way of special effects, focusing more on atmosphere, tension, and good old fashioned makeup to portray the terror.

However, Delivered's story is slow to progress.  It gives you a chance to really get to know the characters, but it does make the episode feel overly long.  It is not a 9 month ordeal, but it is one where it starts off with a big encounter, then has a long pause in the middle, then ends with another encounter.

Delivered has a fantastic cast, good atmosphere, and plenty of terror and suspense in this Mothers Day horror treat from Into the Dark.

Rent it.