More of the same only considerably less, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween does away with most of the ingenuity and fun of its predecessor in favour of a limp rehash of the first movie’s high spots that are delivered with half the ingenuity and half the energy.
As familiar and inviting as a mug of hot chocolate and a comfortable sweater, the seasonally appropriate young adult fantasy The House with a Clock in Its Walls gets the Halloween movie cycle off to an earnest, whimsical, and entertaining start.
Out now on Blu-ray, reviewing four new releases: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Pitch Perfect 3, and Justice League.
The darkly comedic biopic The Polka King is a well made example of a “straight to Netflix” film. This “stranger than fiction” look at a former oom-pah-pah baron and Grammy nominee who perpetrated massive amounts of fraud in the 1990s is lean, fast paced, almost completely devoid of filler, and likely works better at home than it would in the confines of a theatre. Netflix is the perfect place for a film like The Polka King, and that’s not in any way a knock against the talent and effort that went into making it.
Much like the original film from 1995, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a likable enough, but instantly forgettable bit of blockbuster entertainment that’s fun in the moment and leaves no lasting impact other than good will towards a talented cast.
May 27th is the weekend of twos. Opening in theatres, The Hangover Part II heads to Thailand for another memorable night with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis; plus Jack Black and Angelina Jolie star in the animated sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2.
New releases on Blu-ray and DVD this week include: Tom Hooper’s Oscar winning historical drama, The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush; the modern comic remake of Gulliver’s Travels, with Jack Black; the drama Rabbit Hole with stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart; plus a look at Mortal Kombat on Blu-ray and Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure.
Opening this week, just in time for the holidays: Jeff Bridges stars in the Coen brothers’ Western, True Grit; Jack Black is off to the land of the wee folk in Gulliver’s Travels; Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller are back for another round in Little Fockers; plus a look at Barney’s Version.
Opening this week in theatres, Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds get friendly in the romantic comedy The Proposal, Jack Black and Michael Cera play dumb in the stone age comedy Year One, and maybe most importantly, there is the somewhat scary but essential documentary Food, Inc.
Follow the fun-loving Wall•E on a trip through space as he follows his hearts desire, meets up with humanity, and tries to bring them back home. Also out this week, Ben Stiller directs and stars in the war drama spoof, Tropic Thunder, about a group of super stars lost in the jungle during the filming of… an epic war drama.
