What to Watch This Weekend: The Last Duel, Halloween Kills, Pig, Escape Room

For An Exciting Period Action Drama: The Last Duel (Theaters)
Ridley Scott shows the power of storytelling and action in this period drama based on real events that has an intriguing look at memories and a visceral final act.

For The Horror Fans: Halloween Kills (Theaters and Peacock)

Overall, Halloween Kills does not slay it, but the brutal violence and classic characters should appease fans of the originals.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Seriously Good Nic Cage Film: Pig (Redbox)

Pig takes flavors from several different genres and prepares them with some delicious acting from Cage and Wolff, and a stellar soundtrack to create a layered, unique stew.  For more information, check out the review! 

For A Tense Escape Room Sequel: Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (Redbox)

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions has some complex, varied, and deadly challenges that are complemented by a great cast and some over the top special effects!  However, I did hear that they changed the ending for the at home release, so I have no idea how this one finishes.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Dramatic Look At Discussions And Relationships: Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Virtual Cinema)

This will be a slow burn for most, but for those who stick with it, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy has some genuinely beautiful and deep observations about connection and relationships.

For A Documentary Style Horror Treat: The Medium (Shudder)

What starts off as a realistic horror documentary turns into something far more sinister in this clever and scary horror docu-drama.

For the Rock Stars: The Velvet Underground (Apple TV+)

A documentary that covers the iconic band but also the era in which they were rocking out. 

Shining Sequel: Doctor Sleep (HBO)
Doctor Sleep pairs a stellar cast, with a big score, and enough nostalgia from the original movie to keep you entertained.  Whether you are a fan of the novel or have seen Kubrick's original masterpiece, you will thoroughly enjoy Doctor Sleep.  For more information, check out our review!

What to Watch This Weekend: Pig, Roadrunner, Gunpowder Milkshake, Space Jam, Spongebob, Fear Street, Wrath of Man, Best of Enemies

For The Wanderer: Roadrunner (Theaters)
Roadrunner chronicles the life of an influential chef and person, and much like Bourdain himself, shines a light on the good and the bad while creating a satisfying movie experience.    For more information, check out the review!

For The Kids: Space Jam: A New Legacy (Theaters and HBO Max)

Space Jam: A New Legacy has the King and a liberal use of some classic Warner properties, that is both an an enjoyable follow on to the classic cartoon basketball movie and a strange WB and LeBron marketing film.  It's streaming on HBO Max for a month so definitely check it out there!  For more information, check out the review!

For A Dramatic Nic Cage Experience: Pig (Theaters)

Pig takes flavors from several different genres and prepares them with some delicious acting from Cage and Wolff, and a stellar soundtrack to create a layered, unique stew.  For more information, check out the review! 

For A Neon Female John Wick: Gunpowder Milkshake (Netflix)

Gunpowder Milkshake is a stylish film that melds noir, neon, spaghetti westerns, and some badass ladies into a female-focused, more light hearted but no less brutal John Wick-type film.  For more information, check out the review!

For More Kids: Spongebob Squarepants (Redbox)

Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge on the Run updates the animation and adds some stellar cameos but keeps the characters, silliness, and craziness that makes Spongebob what it is.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Poignant Historical Drama: Best of Enemies (Netflix)

A historical film starring two amazing actors playing very different characters, The Best of Enemies tells the story of the clash between a civil rights advocate and a leader in the local Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina during school integration.  This was an underappreciated film in theaters and should not be missed now!

For A Darker Guy Ritchie Experience: Wrath of Man (Redbox)
Wrath of Man has Ritchie's trademark sharp writing, style, and a solid Statham performance, but with a darker tone and more intense action.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Horror Conclusion: Fear Street Part Three 1666 (Netflix)

I thought this was the weakest of the Fear Street films, but if you've made it this far you're going to conclude the story!  Fear Street Part Three 1666 concludes the trilogy's story with shock revelations, a good sense of dread, and a neon-laced epic final showdown.  For more information, check out the review!

Pig Review: Layers Of Different Genres Simmer To Create A Unique Stew

 

Release date: July 16, 2021
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed By: Michael Sarnoski
Written By: Vanessa Block, Michael Sarnoski
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin

A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.

Pig is a unique experience, and a good showcase of Nicolas Cage.  It is a film that is tough to describe, one that has some aspects of many different genres mixed together into one strange course.  The film is part thriller, part drama, part comedy, and part strange cooking show, all rolled together.  The film has a small, but effective cast, notably headlined by Nicolas Cage.  Cage is his usual self, although in this role he is much more reserved than I am used to seeing him.  He is still eccentric, with many little quirks here and there, but his character is a much calmer version of Nic Cage than I am used to seeing.  He is complemented by Alex Wolff, whose character provides a nice foil to Cage.  Whereas Cage plays a hermit, who has chosen to live life far from civilization, Wolff plays a business person who thrives in the hustle of the city.  Together they make a nice team, although Cage tends to be the one in control here.  However, Wolff showcases why he is such a great actor with a mostly reserved, but still emotionally complex character.  

The story of Pig, like most of Cage's films at this point, is an odd one.  Cage has to track down what happened to his beloved truffle pig through a random, seedy underbelly of Portland.  The film starts off slower and with a meandering characteristic, but starts to get more interesting as you learn more about Nic Cage's character.  The film slowly builds and Cage reveals more layers of his reserved hermit persona.  And all of this is accompanied by some delicious music, like a fine wine that complements a complex dinner.  And although Pig seems to be sort of a hermit man on fire, the film does have something to say about our modern, life and some of the over processing of life basics and need to complicate everything.  There is a funny scene partway through that drives this notion home.

However, although Pig is a unique experience, and one that I ultimately enjoyed, it won't be for everyone.  The film is slow to develop and lacks a certain drive.  Cage's character is supremely confident and knows what to do, so it doesn't feel as dire as some other kidnapping type films feel.  And in the end, the victim that Cage's character is hunting down is a pig, which doesn't lend itself to a huge amount of empathy.  The film is an interesting meal, with flavors of many different genres mixing together to form an ultimately unique, exquisitely slow film.  But this meal is not going to be for everyone.

Pig takes flavors from several different genres and prepares them with some delicious acting from Cage and Wolff, and a stellar soundtrack to create a layered, unique stew.

Watch it.

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Pig is in theaters on July 16, 2021.  For showtimes, click here.

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