What to Watch This Weekend: April 17, 2020

Redbox: Just Mercy

Just Mercy is an inspiring, timely, and sadly appropriate movie for our times.  It has Oscar-worthy acting, amazing cinematography, and tells an important story that that doesn't leave a heart untouched or an eye dry at its conclusion.  For more information, check out our review!

Redbox: Underwater
Underwater's intense action, climactic score, and good characters are sunk by a plot that dives into nonsense halfway through this short film.  However, it is still worth a rental to see the interesting premise and suspenseful action.  For more information, check out our review!

Digital: Pigeon Kings
PigeonKings explores the competitive aerobatic pigeon scene in south central LA through two men's passion for the sport and community.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Netflix): #BlackAF

#BlackAF provides a great balance of comedy and storytelling, while taking risks in being unfiltered, bold, and honest.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Amazon): The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse has a distinctive and recognizable style, along with Oscar-worthy performances from its two leads.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Netflix): Sergio

The Lighthouse has a distinctive and recognizable style, along with Oscar-worthy performances from its two leads.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Netflix): School Life

School Life teaches some valuable life lessons about growing up and finding your place in life, with an enjoyable cast of characters in a French high school drama. For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (HBO): It: Chapter 2
It Chapter Two reunites the Losers with the iconic clown, but does so in an unnecessarily long way.  The film has a fantastic cast and a ton of tension, but the long run time and ridiculous CG effects spoil the overall experience.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Showtime): A Dog's Journey

If you want something uplifting this weekend, check out this audience-loved movie about a dog who lives multiple lives to try and come back to his original owner. 

Deal: Digital Movies Sale

As we all spend a lot more time indoors, here are some digital movie deals to help you pass the time.  There are some really good deals in here, highlighted by the deal for the Shining and Doctor Sleep, which is $5 less than it was a few weeks ago!  Please note some of the deal informatoin, such as the Stephen King bundles only porting to other movies anywhere services in HD!

Movies Anywhere:

• Doctor Sleep and The Shining Bundle (4K / UHD) - iTunes - $14.99
• NOTE: These will play 4K on iTunes but will be in HD on other Movies Anywhere platforms!
• It (2017) and It: Chapter 2 (2019) (4K /UHD) - iTunes - $14.99
• NOTE: These will play 4K on iTunes but will be in HD on other Movies Anywhere platforms!
• Serenity (4K / UHD) - iTunes - $4.99

NOT Movies Anywhere (WILL ONLY PLAY IN THE STORE YOU BUY IT FROM):

• Judy (4K / UHD) - $7.99
• Pet Sematary (2019) and Pet Sematary (1989) (4K / UHD) - VUDU - $12.99

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What to Watch This Weekend: September 6, 2019

In Theaters: It Chapter Two

I know we called it a rental in the review, but nothing else comes out this weekend.  However, this is not a bad movie to pay to see in theaters if you want to go.  Despite the long story and convoluted plot, It Chapter Two reunites the Losers with the iconic clown, adding a fantastic cast and a ton of tension.  Check out our review for more information!

At Redbox: Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Godzilla is definitely a rental, so make sure to head over to Redbox and check it out this weekend.  Our review praised the special effects, but did not love the convoluted plot or seriousness of this film's story.  

Streaming (HBO): Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Melissa McCarthy's takes on a serious role as a struggling biographer who begins counterfeiting famous author's letters in order to make a quick buck.  The film is a nice change of pace for McCarthy, and tells an interesting and surprisingly true story.  

Streaming (Vudu Free With Ads): Any Given Sunday

With the start of football season this weekend, there is no better movie to scratch your NFL itch than Any Given Sunday.  It has some great football action, fantastic performances from Pacino, Foxx, Cool J, and Quaid, and also one of the best inspirational speeches in film.  

Review: It Chapter Two

Release date: September 6, 2019
Running time: 169 minutes
Starring:  Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader 

The Losers are back together in Derry for the sequel to 2017's surprisingly good remake of Stephen King's It.  Twenty seven years have passed since the friends journeyed into the sewers to face It, and despite many of them leaving Derry, they are drawn back to their hometown when events start repeating themselves.  

The best thing about this film is the casting; the film crew did a phenomenal job getting older versions of the friends, finding talented actors that also look similar to the original Losers club.  McAvoy is convincing as an older Bill, Chastain is as strong and broken as Beverly, and Hader is funny and kind of a jerk as Richie.  It is good that they are convincing as the movie contains several scenes featuring both old and young versions of the friends.  The cast are sometimes seamlessly mixed and the characters make for convincing versions of each other.  Additionally, the film does a good job of continuing and growing on the story of the first, something that I would not have expected given how the first film wrapped up.  

However, the film continues the story in a long and drawn out way; the movie definitely feels every minute of its 169 minute run time.  I'm not against long movies by any means, but this film felt like it was unnecessarily long.  A part in the middle especially didn’t progress the story much and added about an hour to the overall film.  And despite the film's long run time, it still leaves a lot of the backstory of Pennywise missing and also has an unsatisfying conclusion to this long journey.  And It Chapter Two suffers from the same CG issues that break your suspension of disbelief during some of the scary scenes.  The build up is fantastic, but when the actual reveal happens, the effects look off and clearly computer generated, which turns the actual scare into something of a ridiculous situation.  It really hurt the sense of immersion in the first movie and does the same in this one.  

It Chapter Two reunites the Losers with the iconic clown, but does so in an unnecessarily long way.  The film has a fantastic cast and a ton of tension, but the long run time and ridiculous CG effects spoil the overall experience.  

Rent it

Screening: IT CHAPTER TWO

IT CHAPTER TWO

In theaters September 6

Rated R

Cast: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Teach Grant, and Bill Skarsgård, Andy Bean, Jaeden Martell Wyatt Oleff, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer

Director: Andy Muschietti

Because every 27 years evil revisits the town of Derry, Maine, “It Chapter Two” brings the characters—who’ve long since gone their separate ways—back together as adults, nearly three decades after the events of the first film.

Screening Details:

IT: CHAPTER TWO
Tuesday, September 3
7:00PM

AMC Mazza Gallerie

5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC

Screening Link:

http://www.wbtickets.com/usNjv43644

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As always, screenings are first-come, first-served so please arrive early to ensure you get a seat.