This week in theaters moviegoers were treated to three films that appeal to a different viewers. From an Oscar contender to a kids horror movie to an intense thriller, people heading to the movies this weekend will have it all.
First Man
Director Damien Chazelle and everyone’s favorite brooding stare-artist Ryan Gosling team up once again to deliver another Oscar contender in First Man. But this is light-years away from their past effort, La La Land.
This movie takes its time with Neil Armstrong and his wife played by a fantastic and heartbreaking Claire Foy, starting in 1961 and ending with the moon landing in 1969. Neil was notoriously a very soft-spoken man and Ryan Gosling hits this perfectly almost to a fault.
Everything that happens on Earth seems dull. But the build up is well worth it thanks to the extremely well shot launch and outer space sequences. When Neil and the rest of the crew walk up to the shuttle, knowing they may never be coming back down, it’s movie-making magic.
This movie is for everyone, you just have to get through a lot of Gosling’s stares, which for some could be the prettiest parts.
Bad Times at the El Royale
As with most thrillers, the trailer only scratches the surface and that's the case for Bad Times at the El Royale. Directed by Drew Goddard, the films brings together seven strangers at a motel at the border of California and Nevada and peculiar things happen with each room rented out.
The movie is a mix between Quentin Tarantino, Cabin in the Woods and a dash of Identity sprinkled throughout. The acting is sharp thanks to a star-heavy cast, but it's the people you don't expect to deliver their best parts to date. Cynthia Erivo (Darlene) and Lewis Pullman (Miles) bring this movie to life with strong performances that highlight the violent nature of men and how a person deals with it.
Although Goddard has mostly hit a home run, sometimes the writing falls a bit short and overt references to real life situations bog down the delightful performance by Chris Hemsworth (Billy Lee). Regardless, this film is exactly the type of movie that will be quotable and influential for many film nerds.
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
The first Goosebumps movie came out in 2015. It was received well by critics and audiences and did pretty well at the box office. But the meta-horror comedy was more Night of the Museum than Hocus Pocus.
Fast-forward three years, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween hits theaters and doesn’t really do anything new and moviegoers aren’t impressed. The reason? They want something different.
The sequel picks up a few years after the original. Two friends, Sonny and Sam, accidentally unleash Slappy the Dummy after opening up a mysterious book they find in R.L. Stine’s old house.
Goosebumps 2 isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not really a good one either.
The story is fine, the monsters are cool and there’s something for kids and adults. But there’s nothing scary. It’s a kids movie that doesn’t understand that kids can handle, and even enjoy, being a little scared.
The Goosebumps books and show were creepy. In a way, they treated kids like adults. That could be one of the reasons it’s the second best-selling book series of all time.
Kids want Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, a Stephen King adaptation they can actually see in theaters, so why not give them something like that?
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is an average family movie hoping to cash in on nostalgia once again. But it doesn’t take any risks and never really delivers on what audiences of all age all want this time of year, a scary good time.
Let’s just hope Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark picks up the slack next year.