What to Watch This Weekend: October 11, 2019

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In Theaters: War

War has two charismatic stars, plenty of explosions, biceps, big action, and enough fun to keep entertained for its two and a half hour duration.  For more information, check out our review!

At Redbox: Midsommar

Ari Aster's slow burning, brightly-lit horror movie is a psychological masterpiece with plenty of tension and a wonderful sense of contrast due to horrific events happening in a beautiful, summer village.  It is not for everyone but if you have the patience for it, Midsommar is a unique and interesting horror film.

Streaming (Amazon): Hereditary
Keeping with the Ari Aster theme, Hereditary is a film that has a wonderfully disturbing build up with an unsatisfying ending.  However, the journey to get to that ending is well worth it and if you are trying to get into the Halloween mood this is a perfect disturbing horror film. 

Streaming (Amazon): Photograph
From the director of The Lunchbox--one of my favorite foreign films in recent memory--comes another unlikely romantic tale.  In it, a struggling street photographer convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancee during a family visit, which leads to more than either of the pair expected.

Review: The Addams Family

Release date: October 11, 2019
Running time: 87 minutes
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz 

Ba da da dun, snap snap.  The abnormally morbid family is back in an animated feature / reboot.  The Addams Family is a retelling of the classic TV series and movies, with all the familiar characters you love animated in a unique and very Addams Family style.  The story follows the Addams as they try to adjust when their isolated castle unknowingly gets surrounded by suburbs and their quiet life gets inundated with normal humans.

As an animated feature, the first thing you will notice is the animation.  And although it manages to capture the characters surprisingly well, the animation itself is not as eye catching as I would have hoped.  All of the characters are animated in an exaggerated, cartoonish style, but there are a lot of little details that just don't seem to be included.  Nothing really stands out about the movie from an animation standpoint.  Maybe it was because the Addams style tends to be more drab and morbid, but the animation just didn't catch my eye.  

The voice acting is similarly flat; despite the fact that the film has an all star cast that succeeds at evoking the notsalgia of the Addams series, the writing doesn't really stand out.  The cast is well known and I have loved them in other roles, but in this movie they were cohesive but not amazing.  The dialog and jokes were not as funny as I expected and the emotions were muted.  I felt like some of the references were weird just to be weird, and didn't hit as well as I would have hoped.  Many of the Addams morbid jokes were there and worked, but overall the humor wasn't laugh out loud funny.  And the story started off very slowly and then barreled to a conclusion.  

The Addams Family is a nostalgic animated feature that captures the style and characters of the main show.  However, the film's animation and humor don't snap and the family is maybe best viewed at home.

Rent it

Review: Gemini Man

Release date: October 11, 2019

Running time: 117 minutes
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Will Smith, Clive Owen

Gemini Man takes us into the life of Henry Brogan (Will Smith), an ex-Special Forces sniper now Defense Intelligence Agency elite assassin.  Henry is tasked with one final job for the agency before he retires, although he soon finds out that this job is far from ordinary.  Hoping to finally find peace, he realizes not only is he being surveilled by Danny Zakarewski (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a current DIA agent, but is also being targeted by an assassin that he knows all too well and moves and thinks just like him.  This global chase takes them all over the world, from inlets of Georgia to the beautiful streets of Cartagena and Budapest.

Gemini Man is an action movie first and foremost, and thankfully the action lives up this billing.  Will Smith is a super soldier through and through, and the fight sequences between Will Smith times two are fun to watch.  The scenic shots are breathtaking and the use of CG in the film is really fun to see.  And the sound in the film makes those action scenes that much more enjoyable.  From the Smith vs Smith combat, to the action packed chase sequence, to the ultimate conclusion, the action will keep you well entertained and may even bring you to the edge of your seat.

However, aside from the action there isn’t much else memorable about Gemini Man.  Will Smith gives a performance you have come to expect from him; whether or not you like that will be up to the individual viewer.  If you are a big Will Smith fan has there is a ton of vintage Will Smith moments and dialogue.  The plot is fairly predictable bad unfortunately most of the big reveals already happened in the trailers.  The remaining mysteries simply fall flat.  And even the attempts at comedy don’t elicit the type of laughs that I imagine the writers were going for.  Thankfully the action will keep your entertained,  but anything outside of that loses your attention fast.  

Gemini Man is a beautiful action movie with some amazing CG, but unfortunately the rest of the film fails to entertain after the explosions have cooled.  You can save you from yourself by just waiting to rent this one.

Rent it

Review: My People, My Country

Release date: October 1, 2019
Running time: 158 minutes
Starring: Bo Huang, Jing Wu, Yili Ma

My People, My Country is a film that chronicles seven different events in China's history, depicting each as a short film directed by a different director.  The stories themselves focus on a single person or a small group of people, and show how they experienced or reacted to these events.  It is an interesting premise that makes for some enjoyable short stories but the film itself has a strong nationalistic bent that is evident in the trailers and from the moment the film starts.

Each film is a self-contained story, with different actors, a different director, and highlighting a different important moment in China's history.  From the ceremony that introduced the People's Republic of China, to the return of China's first manned space probe, to the opening of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, each story is varied but has one overarching message: a love for China and its flag.  And the short films themselves have very different ways to approach their respective events, sometimes focusing on a main person but often times showing the perspective of someone on the periphery.  Each film is well shot with generally interesting characters and they provide some interesting stories and context to these important events.

However, the film is an exercise in nationalistic pride.  Each film has a strong Chinese tilt (which is to be expected given the title of the movie and the trailer) and the writing and characters are done in a way to emphasize that.  Much of the dialog is written for the good of the nation, and some characters make large sacrifices for the good of their country.  And many of these stories, while being moments of great pride for China, could be viewed as controversial outside of it.  Additionally, although the first story does say that it was based on a real person, every story after that doesn't give this level of historical accuracy, which leaves something to be desired.  I would have loved to have each story based on a real person related to the event, giving the audience more emotional connection.

My People, My Country tells seven interesting stories about important events in China's history.  However, the controversial nature of some of the stories, coupled with the strong nationalistic message might turn some viewers away from these enjoyable, but partially fictitious depictions.  

Rent it

Screening: ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

In theaters October 18

Rating: TBD

Website: https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/zombielanddoubletap

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, and Luke Wilson

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer

A decade after ZOMBIELAND became a huge hit and a cult classic, the lead cast and director Ruben Fleischer have returned for ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP. Everyone’s favorite four zombie slayers are back to face off against the many new kinds of zombies that evolved since the first film, as well as some new human survivors. Moreover, they must face the growing pains of their silly, snarky family.

Screening Details:

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

Tuesday, October 15 - 7:30pm

AMC Mazza Gallerie

5300 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20015

Screening Link: http://www.sonyscreenings.com/UBzOM66354

Be sure to Like and Follow Watch or Pass on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and share with your friends!

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

Review: War

Release date: October 2, 2019
Running time: 154 minutes
Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Vaani Kapoor 

In War, young but talented agent Khalid (Shroff) must hunt down the newly rogue agent Kabir (Roshan), who was the best of the best.  Khalid must go against his mentor, meaning that he has to take down the man that taught him everything he knows.  

This film is an over the top action movie; think if Mission Impossible met Fast and the Furious.  As with the Fast and Furious films, the action can border on the ridiculous.  Think an agent jumps in against impossible odds, takes a ton of perfectly placed slow motion shots, defeats the others with impeccable martial arts, and then finishes with a knowing look at the camera.  It's not a bad thing, you just have to make sure you are in the mood for it.  The action in this film (and there is a ton of it) is generally very enjoyable, with over the top gunplay, well choreographed martial arts (especially from the impressive Shroff), and plenty of chase scenes.  And thankfully, these intense action scenes are broken up by traditional Bollywood dance numbers!

This movie depends heavily on its main stars, and thankfully they are up to the task.  Roshan is fantastic as you would expect, a little too confident but that is the character he plays.  Shroff is also quite good as his student turned hunter; and the two of them have a great chemistry throughout the film.  The rest of the cast is mostly forgettable, but they do a fine job of supporting the two main stars.  

The criticisms of this film are typical of Bollywood action movies.  There is a ton of slow motion shots that are meant to highlight the star making the shot, the camera sometimes seems only interested in filming the star saying the perfect line with the wind in their hair, the main stars are near invincible and all knowing, and the CG can at times look a little low budget compared to the spectacle around it.  But don't let these dissuade you from seeing this film; if you like Bollywood action movies then you will get what you expected except with two charismatic stars instead of one.

If you like biceps and big action, then make sure to check out War.  It has two charismatic stars, plenty of explosions, and enough fun to keep entertained for its two and a half hour duration.

Watch it

What to Watch This Weekend: October 4, 2019

In Theaters: Joker

Joker is a dark and disturbing tale about one man's descent into madness and rebirth as an iconic villain.  It is not going to be for everyone, but this brilliant, unpredictable, and uncomfortable film should not be missed.  For more information, check out our review!

At Redbox: Spider-Man Far From Home

Spider-Man Far From Home was a fun summer blockbuster with arguably the best Spider-Man, Tom Holland.  It was a welcome change of pace from the gravity of Endgame, with a ton of humor, amazing special effects, and an enjoyable end to this era of the MCU.  This is one summer trip you won't want to miss!  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (HBO): Isn't It Romantic
Rebel Wilson's anti-romantic comedy that becomes a romantic comedy is an enjoyably counter-culture rom com.  As someone who loves watching romantic comedies, I really liked the little touches and self deprecating humor in this film.  

Streaming (Netflix): We Have Always Lived In The Castle
From the writers of Haunting at Hill House, We Have Always Lived In The Castle is a slow build up but has some fantastic acting, beautiful scenery, intriguing characters, and a mysterious plot.