Countdown to Christmas 2018: The Princess Switch

The Princess Switch (2018)

TV-PG

Starring Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar, Alexa Adeosun

Directed by Mike Rohl

The Story:

Stacy (Hudgens) is entered and accepted into an annual Christmas baking competition in the European country of Belgravia. When she arrives, she bumps into Lady Margaret (Hudgens) and the two realize they must be related because the resemblance is striking. Lady Margaret so wants to live just a normal life so she concocts a scheme to swap places with Stacy for just 2 days, after all, what could possibly go wrong?

Netflix offered up their next holiday original the week before Thanksgiving.

Taking the successful Lifetime/Hallmark/Freeform/Disney formula and basically Parent Trapping Christmas, Hudgens steps into this Princess and the Pauper update and gets to play the spunky baker who years for something more and the shy princess who simply wants all the attention to go away.

Naturally with the 2 obvious love interests, a prince (Palladio) and a best friend zoner (Sagar) you can see exactly how the movie ends roughly 5 minutes after it starts.

But they wouldn't call these formula movies if the formula didn't work, right?

This one hits all the right notes and should be one that winds up in your annual Christmas movie viewings for years to come.

So far Netflix has been 2 for 2 this year, but their most ambitious Christmas offering is still to come!


Final Grade: 
B

So Much Horrific Goodness... "Freaks Of Nature"

Freaks of Nature (2015)

Rated R

Starring Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Denis Leary, Ed Westwick, Vanessa Hudgens, Keegan-Michael Key, Patton Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk, Joan Cusack, Ian Roberts, Rachel Harris, Mae Whitman, Chris Zylka

Directed by Robbie Pickering

The Story:

Welcome to Dillford, home of the riblet. Mmm, mmm, good! It also happens to be a town where humans, vampires and zombies all peacefully coexist, though there are bound to be some temperamental flare ups now and then. However an alien invasion has put its sights on Dillford (and the riblet!) and the uneasy peace is destroyed and now it's human vs. vampire vs. zombie, none of the groups aware of the existence of the alien menace. It's up to 3 teenagers to restore peace and save the world... or die trying!

I've been lucky so far this year with some great additions to the horror-comedy genre.

I'd never heard of Freaks of Nature before, so I gave it a whirl.

I'm so glad I did!

First, the cast is phenomenal and they get some hilarious dialogue throughout the film. Usually I stop at the main cast, or sometimes add a bit player or two, but I decided to just rattle off the full cast today. Whether they were on screen for the entire movie or just a minute or two, they all add to the rich texture of the story and provide momentum for the story progression.

The three main members of the cast are Dag (Braun) a human, Petra (Davis) who becomes a vampire shortly after the movie begins, and Ned (Fadem) who winds up becoming a zombie. These three band together to figure out what is happening with their town, and as they are all new to being non-human (save Dag), they don't hold the longstanding grudges that their communities have towards one another.

Yes, in a way, there's a bit of social commentary that can be found in the middle of a horror comedy if  you're not looking, so be careful, you could laugh AND learn something.

It's a fun story, the special effects are top-notch, and it's just a lot of fun from start to finish.

So far, this has been my favorite horror film of the year. :)

Final Grade: B+ / A- range.

A John Cusack Kind Of Weekend: "The Frozen Ground"

The Frozen Ground (2013)
Rated R for language and violence

Starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Vanessa Hudgens

Directed by Scott Walker

The Story:

Alaskan State Trooper Jack Holcombe (Cage) has been on the hunt for a notorious serial killer.  Robert Hansen (Cusack) seems like a stand-up guy in the community, but someone is abducting young girls, torturing them, and then leaving them for dead out in the wilderness.  When Cyndy Paulsen (Hudgens) escapes, this is the first break that the troopers have in catching their man.  However, Cyndy is hardly reliable, and Hansen's been covering his tracks for decades.

Naturally, based on a true story.

Cage reins his usual out-there self in with this role, and plays a no-nonsense trooper ready to head to the Lower 48, but wanting to close out this last case before he goes. 

Cusack is effectively creepy and sadistic, playing completely against type as a man with a deep, dark secret.

It's a slow build that's definitely moody and atmospheric.

Given the wild terrain and abilities of pilots, it's no wonder Hansen was able to pull off his treachery.

The conclusion of the film is worth it, and this winds up being a touching tribute to the ladies that were lost to this filth.

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was good.  Creepy, but good.

It's What's on the Inside That Counts..."Beastly"

Tale as old as time...

The Story:

Kyle Kingston (Alex Pettyfer) is the rich, handsome, popular kid in school.  As he runs for student body election on nothing other than how awesome he is, he crosses paths with a witch (Mary-Kate Olsen) who slaps him with an ugly stick.  His father, aghast at what has become of his son, locks him away in a townhouse and hires a blind tutor (Neil Patrick Harris) to educate him.  Alas poor Kyle, he finds a former classmate (Vanessa Hudgens) in trouble, and makes a deal with her dad to keep her safe.  But what are the odds that she could find love with someone so...

beastly!

Bam!  How's that for a plot synopsis that ends with the title of the movie?  That's right, even I'm going to have to take a bow for that clever wordplay!

;)

This was one of the those movies that I'd never seen/heard of, and just happened to stumble across while perusing Netflix one day.  We watched it, and I have to admit...

I was impressed.

A modern day retelling that tweaked and added to the story as it saw fit, all the while staying as true as it can to the source material story.

Even better: it is never dull.

Kyle gets help from the tutor and the maid to try and woo Lindy.  Neil Patrick Harris naturally steals every minute of the movie that he is in as the blind tutor with a style all his own

As is always the case in this story, Lindy hardly finds her prince anything but charming.  Much like I lamented about the movie Penelope last month where she doesn't look nearly hideously enough as she could have, here too Kyle doesn't look too beastly, more of a tatted and pierced teenager. :)

Kyle too learns that all of his supposed friends who thought he was the best thing ever, secretly disliked him.  They only hung out with him because he was rich and popular.

Naturally, the story has to cut it close with whether the Beauty will truly love the Beast before the curse is unable to be broken.

I have a feeling you'll find the ending satisfactory.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Enjoyed it. Went out and bought a copy.  Watched it a few times since.  Good stuff!

Zooming To The Top of the List of Worst Movies I've Watched..."Spring Breakers"

Uncle Walt would be spinning in his grave...

The Story:

4 college girls (Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and two other irrelevant actresses) want to go on spring break, but they don't have enough money.  So they rob a place to get the money...

And I turned the movie off.

ZzzzZZZzzzzZZzzzzz

9 minutes... I went fast forward from about the 2 minute mark wondering if any semblance of plot or characterization would develop.

Then there was the stylish direction where shots were continually weaving in and out of focus...

Nope.  Just girls frolicking in bikinis, getting high at every conceivable opportunity.  It seems like the director's voyeuristic fantasy, and it just felt creepy.

Apparently Hudgens and Gomez wanted to break free of their Disney image, because yes, why be grateful towards a company that made you a bit of cash in your lifetime and turned you into a star?

I hear people say that James Franco was amazing in his role.

Congratulations James Franco, you're apparently the best part of a movie I couldn't stand to watch.


Yes, I think MacGruber has been saved from being the worst movie I've seen so far this year.

Final Grade: F

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  To quote Vince McMahon "No Chance in Hell!"