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!

What to Watch This Weekend: January 31, 2020

In Theaters: Gretel and 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!

At Redbox: Terminator: Dark Fate

A movie that was critically acclaimed, but a box office flop, Terminator: Dark Fate is a fun return to form for the Terminator franchise, with jaw dropping special effects, tons of nostalgia, and cameos by everyone you would want to see!  For more information, check out our review!

At Redbox: Harriet

Check out this Oscar hopeful, which tells a Hollywood-ized story of the famous historical freedom fighter, fueled by Cynthia Erivo's strong, Oscar-worthy performance.

Streaming (HBO): The Curse of La Llorona

The second attempt to expand the conjuring universe, the Curse of La Llorona is not up to the level of the Conjuring or Annabelle, but it still has enough jump scares to entertain you for a night.  It is by no means a good movie, but if you're looking for something scary, check this out.  

Streaming (Showtime): Green Book

Green Book has strong performances by Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, good lessons to be learned from this surprising friendship, and an interesting, if safe, take on traveling to the south at a time when a guide had to be published to tell black travelers what establishments were safe to go to.  

Streaming (Amazon): Fighting With My Family

Fighting With My Family gives you a heartwarming story, filled with thoroughly enjoyable characters and action, that takes some creative liberties but still tells a solid tale.  For more information, check out our review!

Review: Gretel and Hansel

Release date: January 31, 2020
Running time: 87 minutes
Starring: Sophia Lillis, Alice Krige, Jessica De Gouw 

Gretel and Hansel is a dark fairy tale--a scary tale.  It is a grim retelling of the classic fairy tale with a darker aesthetic, more mysticism than I remember, and a muted, but still bold style.  Gretel and Hansel are put out at a desperate time.  Cold and hungry, they break into a house in order to steal some food from an overflowing table.  However, when they are discovered, the quirky but seemingly nice old matron of the house takes them in.  But Gretel starts to become uneasy with this arrangement as she learns and feels more about this house and the strange owner. 

Gretel and Hansel has a grim style fitting for a dark fairy tale.  The colors are muted, but also bold.  It is tough to describe, but the overall style is dark but with deliberate splashes of color.  For example, in the forest scene, despite the sky being overcast and the trees being a muted grey, the forest floor is still covered by yellow and orange leaves.  And in a scene involving a white and grey cabin, there is red smoke coming from the chimney.  This style is evident throughout the film, with many of the scenes containing drab, deliberate color choices with the occasional splash of color.  Being a fairy tale, much of the film feels rooted in fantastical concepts.  Not only is this reflected in the visual style and story; it is also reflected in the soundtrack, which has an electronic, otherworldly vibe to it.  Watching a film set in a medieval setting with more modern music is an interesting combination that contributes a lot when it hits. 

The acting and characters are generally good, however some of the characters can get on your nerves.  As with the original fairy tale, there are some very bad decisions made in the story that can be annoying to observe.  And the dialog is generally good, but can have some odd word choices and phrasing.  Despite the short run time of the film, the pace is still very slow.  It is not a good sign when a movie that is a little less than an hour and a half still feels like a long film.  And despite some interesting ideas in the plot, there are many story threads that are unexplained.  Unfortunately, this includes the ending, which is both too abrupt and at the same time unfulfilling.  The movie spends a lot of time setting up the characters, but  ends too quickly and leaves more questions than answers.   

Gretel and Hansel tells a grim, dark fairy tale with a deliberate style and an electronic, otherworldy soundtrack.  

Rent It