Is It Finally Safe To Go Back In The Water? "47 Meters Down"

47 Meters Down (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Chris Johnson, Yani Gellman, Santiago Segura, Matthew Modine

Written and Directed by Johannes Roberts

The Story:

Two sisters (Moore & Holt) on vacation in Mexico decide to go out on a boat and take a trip in a shark cage to see sharks up close and personal. I sure hope that cage doesn't sink or anything...

I want to like shark movies.

I think everyone that has read these reviews has gathered that about me by this point in time.

Good, bad or mediocre, I often try them all, or at least attempt to.

I'm guessing with the commercial, and critical success of The Shallows, studios are jumping back into the waters of monster movies because we will always be fascinated and a little scared of what lies beneath the surface of the ocean.

In theory, the movie hits most of the right notes.

Lots of jump scares with musical cues, just like Jaws.

But make no mistake, this isn't that good.

It's watchable, yet predictable.

That isn't good, especially given that they use 2 different tension devices in the film:

killer sharks
low air supply

Poor to stupid choices being made by everyone in the film makes you often throw up your hands in disgust that by the time you reach the finale...

And then find out that much of what you have just witnessed may not have even happened.

It's often an effective plot device, but here it was just a final nail in the coffin.

This one won't be joining our annual list of scary films to ring in the holiday season for Halloween.

This makes me want to find out what happened next in the Sharknado series.

:)

Final Grade:  C

Some "Stranger Things" Are Happening Lately

Stranger Things (2016)

TV-14

Starring Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Charlie Heaton, Matthew Modine

Created by Matt and Ross Duffer

The Story:

In the small town of Hawkins Indiana, young Will Byers (Schnapp) goes missing. His frantic mom (Ryder) contacts the sheriff (Harbour) and the hunt begins. Sadly, it is only the first of some very weird things that are about to plague this small town.

Doesn't sound very exciting, does it.

It is.

I'm being very vague in my description for several reasons.

There's a lot to be found in this ode to 80s cinema and television from Matt and Ross Duffer.

If you aren't hooked to watch this series in the first 8 1/2 minutes, then this show is not for you.

However, if you get the goosebumps in all the right places, you're in for a nostalgic feel for a story you've never heard.

Add equal parts Spielberg, Stephen King, John Carpenter, The Goonies, Halloween, Dungeons and Dragons and some more 80s nostalgia and drop into a blender and you'll get the basic cocktail that lays the foundation for this to work.

It's the latest Netflix original, and while I'm only 2 episodes in, I've found that the pacing for this one seems to flow much better than many of the 12-13 series shows where I've felt they could tell a better story in 8 episodes.

It seems that the Duffers may have felt the same way and they are crafting a fine tale with all the jumps and frights thanks to a good script, a believable cast and a score that helps set the mood and provide just the perfect enhancement cues for the viewer.

I made the 8 1/2 minute offer to most of my kids after I watched the first episode. I told them they could walk when the credits started rolling to introduce the series.

Nobody walked.

Now they are an episode ahead of me as well, and telling me to hurry up so they can keep going!

: )

I have no idea how it's going to end up, but I'm sure enjoying the ride to find out.

I'm hoping for a season 2, regardless of how this season ends.

It's that good.

Streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A

Not Your Typical "Family Weekend"

Family Weekend (2013)

Rated R for language

Starring Olesya Rulin, Kristen Chenoweth, Matthew Modine, Shirley Jones,

Directed byBenjamin Epps

The Story:

Emily (Rulin) is a jump-roping machine.  She leaves notes reminding her family of the very important meet.  Nobody shows.  Not her mom (Chenoweth), dad (Modine) or siblings.  She tells her tale of woe to her grandmother (Jones) but the fracturing of this family has been a long time coming.  Emily decides that with the Finals just days away, she's going to put together a drastic plan to put her family back together in time for her to compete.  It won't be an easy task.

Stop me if you've heard this before, but this would have been the PERFECT film for the whole family, but they decided to throw in some unneeded profanity and sex talk to score an R rating.  You would think a movie that is trying to show how to get a family back together would attempt to score the broadest audience possible and go PG/PG-13.

I'll just shake my head and wonder why.

Rulin owns the film, as nearly the entire production is on her shoulders.  She's intense, fun, determined, and heartbroken, often at the same time.

Chenoweth and Modine are great as the parents who have come to terms with the fact that their lives aren't what they once were, and neither appears very anxious to reclaim their love for one another.

However, when your daughter takes the family captive, it's surprising how things change rather quickly.

I would liken this one to The Ref.  Another great movie, but one not to bring the kids to.

I still say they missed the boat with the broader audience, but that's an argument I'll likely never win with Hollywood.

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Take the language down a notch, this would have likely been a B+/A- affair and one that I would have added to the library.  Sadly, it'll have to be relegated to "maybe in a few years" for another viewing.

The Bittersweet Tale of a "Girl in Progress"

What's a girl to do?

The Story:

Grace (Eva Mendes) is a single mother who is raising her daughter, Ansiedad (Cierra Ramirez)... well, barely raising her daughter.  When her daughter decides to write her own coming of age story with her own life, will Grace even notice?  Ansiedad figures that the sooner she become an adult, the sooner she can get away from her mom.

I've debated on this review.  It has its moments, but the movie was very yo-yo like... not sure if it wanted to be a comedy...a drama...

The tone was uneven, but the overall story, especially of Ansiedad (who names their kid Anxiety...I mean really...) is compelling.

Watching her want to get away from her mother, and going to great lengths to create her own coming of age storyline to ensure that she meets all the checkpoints on the road to adulthood is quite fascinating.  It's both cute and heartbreaking to see the pains she goes through to make such dramatic changes in her life, and the only one that is noticing is her teacher (Patricia Arquette).  Cierra Ramirez easily owns this movie, and when she's onscreen, the pace picks up tremendously and is involving and a complex story unfolds.

Grace's story is more convoluted than it should be, and she really isn't that great of a mom, even when she tries to be.  Having an affair with a Doctor (Matthew Modine) who has every intention of leaving his wife, until she comes home...well you can figure out what's going to happen long before Grace will.  Men are Grace's Achilles' heel, and it drives her daughter crazy.  Naturally Grace cannot figure out why her daughter is acting so irrationally, but perhaps if she took a moment to just look in the mirror, she'd understand.

Come for the daughter's story, and see how not to raise a child.

Available for streaming now on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B-  Like I said, I debated.  It was good, and had flashes of brilliance...and then would stray...

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Wouldn't buy it. Could watch it again on a slow night.

Another Sequel That Doesn't Quite Equal... "Transporter 2"

This time it's personal...

The Story:

Frank Martin (Jason Statham) does a friend a favor and takes a gig in Miami to chauffer the child (Hunter Clary) of a high powered businessman...official... (Matthew Modine) did they ever really say? And his wife (Amber Valletta).  Well, when the little boy gets kidnapped, the dad thinks Frank is on it, but Frank isn't.  He's being duped by a bad guy (Alessandro Gassman) who has bigger plans than just a kidnapping.  Can Frank save the day?

You know it!

Ah Frank, it was too good to last.  The complicated family story sort of bogs down the sequel to the Transporter.  It opens up great enough with Frank getting in the now famous "Transporter Fight Circle", as I like to call it.  A staple of the now-franchise film, the bad guys will circle Frank, who will then proceed to beat them senseless, usually by first calmly removing his jacket.

Other trappings of the franchise will include Frank losing his shirt for at least one fight scene.  This is apparently to give some eye candy to the ladies who have accompanied their dates to see this non-chick flick film. 

: )

Due to the kidnapping though, this film takes on a slightly different feel than the first one.  Yes, we had someone in peril for Frank to rescue, but it all plays out differently this go-round. It could be that there's a little boy in trouble this time versus a girl.  Maybe that no sparks can fly for poor Frank?

Maybe it's due to Lola (Kate Nauta) who is trying to hard to be Milla Jojovich, and failing miserably?

Needless to say, Frank is going to set things right, save the day, and bring the boy home.

Good job Frank!

Thankfully, the Inspector (Francois Berleand) shows up in Miami for a mini-vacation for some comic relief, and a little hand-lending for Frank as he works to save the day.

Like many sequels, it cannot recreate the magic of the first one by trying a little too hard to recapture lightning in a bottle instead of just trying to tell a good story.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Watched it again for the first time in ages... not bad... I might pick it up in the future.