Yes, it's another edition of Looking Back at the Films of 2019. And today's movies are The Kitchen, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Ready or Not. Let's begin.
Why Didn't I See The Kitchen?
I actually did wanted to see The Kitchen because the trailers did get me interested. But not having a showing and the film slipping under my radar made me miss out.
What is The Kitchen?
The Kitchen is a crime film and based on the DC/Vertigo Comics limited series of the same name. The film was produced by New Line Cinema, DC Vertigo, Bron Creative, and Michael De Luca Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The Kitchen is written and directed by Andrea Berloff. The story is after three women's mafia husbands have been arrested they're desperate to make money. So they decide to takeover their husbands' business and do whatever it takes to remain on top, however not all competitors are going to take this laying down.
My Thoughts
The Good: The only nice thing I can really say about The Kitchen is the performances from our three main stars are good.
The Bad: Now onto the bad things and sadly there's a lot to say, like one problem with the movie is a lack of character development. We barely get know anything about this women, we quite a bit about Claire but sadly that's not enough for us to care about the rest in the trio. Another issue with this movie is our main characters barely do anything! All they mainly do is just either walk and talk or sit and talk about how badass they are. Yeah, despite being mobsters we don't really see them do much of anything, like the reason why mafia films such as The Godfather, Goodfellas, Scarface, and so forth are so good is because we see the main character or characters actually do some gangster stuff. Here we're practically just given words. Words alone are not enough to show that these three ladies are people we shouldn't mess with. The other big issue with The Kitchen is the trio don't face that much of a resistance. Like they'll talk about a huge problem their facing and for moment you think you're gonna get a sense of action/dread but then the problem is solved within what felt like a snap of the fingers. Which in retrospect what was the point? If their issue can be solved very quickly what was the point of bringing it up? My last issue with the movie is the writer (and this is a spoiler) decided to kill Claire. Why? She was the most interesting out of the three and you kill her?
The Meh: None.
Final Verdict: Awful
Why Didn't I See Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
Now I was really looking forward to this movie, and the main reason I didn't see it was because my theater makes some really questionable decisions. I mean they preferred to show Dora and the Lost City of Gold over Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I mean seriously?
What is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a horror film based on the children's book series of the same name. The movie was produced by CBS Films, Entertainment One, 1212 Entertainment, Double Dare You Productions, and Sean Daniel Company and distributed by Lionsgate. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is written by Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman and directed by Andre Ovredal. The story is it's Halloween 1968, four teenagers got locked inside a house and found a book written by the mythical Sarah Bellows. At first when they read from the book nothing seems to happen, but soon horrible things start to happen to them and now the teens must find a way to put an end to this nightmare.
My Thoughts
The Good: One thing I really dug about the movie is the scares. I was quite surprised with a scared I was when watching this, hell some of these are actually intense. Like that scene with Harold the scarecrow and The Red Spot. Those were pretty messed up. My other positive about the film is it's non-stop. What I mean by that is there wasn't a moment in this were it felt like a scene was dragging on. This movie was definitely a thrill ride. Another aspect of the movie that made it worth watching was the cinematography. There are so many creepy and well made shots. So thumbs up in that department. My final praise for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark are the special effects. There great. In both the practical and CGI, if you found the illustrations in the books creepy just wait till you see them brought to life.
The Bad: None.
The Meh: Now well we do get to understand our characters pretty well, I still felt like there could've been more. Like just a little bit more development for them.
Final Verdict: Good
Why Didn't I See Ready or Not?
My main reason is I didn't think this movie had good marketing. I mean sure the showed the concept well but from point-of-view they kind of made it come off as a pretty generic horror flick. So I decided to skip it, a decision a later regretted because reviews came in and I now know I missed out on something enjoyable.
What is Ready or Not?
Ready or Not is a comedy-horror film. The movie was produced by Mythology Entertainment and Vinson Films and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Ready or Not is written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The story is Grace is a newly-wedded bride. Before her and her husband can enjoy their honeymoon they must take part in a family tradition of playing a game, and tonight's game is Hide and Seek. At first Grace thinks it's just a normal game...then she realizes the family is a bunch of devil worshiping cultists. Now she must find a way out of their mansion and get away from this crazed maniacs.
My Thoughts
The Good: The very best thing about Ready or Not is it's humor. This was a perfectly dark humor, and surprisingly there wasn't one joke that didn't work. Each and everyone of them were great. Another thing I loved about the movie is it's really intense. Whenever Grace is in any sort of danger you can't but help getting stressed out about the situation she's in or going to be in. Which brings me to my next point. Both the tensity and the comedy are nicely balanced. None stepped over the other, neither didn't feel out of place, and overall it was just executed well. The final thing I'll give credit on is the performances from Samara Weaving and Adam Brody. Samara played a great scream queen and Adam really nailed this character who got a horrible reality check and just got broken from it.
The Bad: None
The Meh: Once again we're in a grey area when it comes to character development. It's fine but I still feel as though there should have been more.
Final Verdict: Good
Alright, that concludes another edition of this segment. Come back on Thursday, August 20th for my Look Back at review of 1998's Mulan. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.
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