Monday, September 25, 2023

Looking Back at the Films of 2022 Part 4 - Clerks III, Jeepers Creepers: Reborn, Smile, The Greatest Beer Run Ever

 


Alright, we're back, we're back at looking at the films of the past. Let's get to it.









Why Didn't I See Clerks III?

Now I really wanted to this, I really liked the first and second movie. So when I heard a third was finally gonna be released, I was ready...until some bad news came. It was released at Fathom Events. Which automatically meant there was no way I was gonna be able to see it.





What is Clerks III?

Clerks III is a dark comedy drama movie, the sequel to the previous two flicks, and the ninth installment of the View Askweniverse. It was produced by View Askew Productions, Bondit Media Capital, Mewesings, Destro Films, and Three Point Capital and distributed by Lionsgate. Clerks III was written and directed by Kevin Smith.


The story is it's been fifteen years since the events of Clerks II, and Dante and Randal's lives are still pretty much the same. But things take a drastic change when Randal has a heart attack. Feeling like he hasn't really done much with his life, Randal finds a new purpose by making a movie about his and Dante's lives.





My Thoughts

The Good: One good aspect is the humor. While I did feel like things were toned down when compared to the previous films, it was still a pretty funny movie overall. Then there's the performances, especially from our two main stars, Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson. They still have that same extract chemistry and with that nailed the comedic bits, but most importantly they also did a pretty good with the drama. There's a great bit with Dante where he pours his heart out about the pain he suffered from a past event, and you tell Brian was giving it his all in that moment. Which brings me to the next point, that being, that this is a very bittersweet movie. Well it's understandable that might worry, that's if you haven't seen the movie yet, there's nothing to worry about. Those more dramatic moments are only there when necessary, and don't drag down the movie's quality.




The Bad: I've got nothing.




The Okay: Now for the mix bags. While the movie is pretty good, there is one part of the story that got old, and that was Elias' turn from Christianity to Satanism. It was funny at first, but it got old really fast. Sure, it's a really small part in the grand scheme of things, but that still doesn't change the fact it was the same thing over and over again. Then there's Kevin Smith's directing, more importantly the whole style of the movie. While it's pretty decent for what it is, it's still not as good as it was the previous two movies.




Final Verdict: Good.








Why Didn't I See Jeepers Creepers: Reborn?

After seeing the very uneventful Jeepers Creepers 3, I just lost faith. But when I heard there was a reboot, I perked up just a bit. Cause now it meant a whole new vision and everything. And we didn't have to be surrounded in controversy over the franchise's previous director Victor Salva.





What is Jeepers Creepers: Reborn?

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn is a supernatural horror movie, a reboot to the series, and the fourth movie in the franchise. It was produced by Orwo Studios, Infinity Films, Ink Pine Media Limited, and Great Point Media and distributed by Screen Media Films. Jeepers Creepers: Reborn was written by Jake Seal and Sean-Michael Argo and directed by Timo Vuorensola.


The story is a couple named Chase and Laine are traveling in Louisiana to a festival called Horror Hound. Just when they think it's just gonna be all fun and games, the couple quickly realize they're being hunted by 'The Creeper'.





My Thoughts

The Good: There is not one good thing attached to this movie. Not! One!




The Bad: Oh where to begin? Let's start with how it's not scary. I was sitting on my couch completely bored. And even if you can't be scary, the movie could've at least been somewhat entertaining, but no, it wasn't. Even when The Creeper does something violent, you're still bored. Then there's the acting....wow. The acting just sucked. It would've been better suited for a high school play than a movie. That's how bad it was. Now we have the production. Let me just show you how bad it is.








Before you ask, yes, yes those are actually in the movie. Those aren't behind the scenes pictures or deleted scenes, this is what the movie looks like for 98% of the time. It looks like the filmmakers used a filter on their phone and then called it a day. But ya know what's worse than bad effects in a movie? A terrible story, or lack there of. There is no complete story here. By the end, we're left with far more questions than answers. We don't know why Laine's eyes turned completely black, we don't have any information on the cult, and I don't know why the crows were treated like such a big deal, especially that white one that was watching everything go down. The movie provided zero, absolutely zero answers. I get they're saving stuff for sequels (which probably isn't happening cause it bombed), but you can still wrap up one story, and then save some stuff for said sequels.




The Okay: Nope, there's not even a decent aspect. It's all terrible.




Final Verdict: Destroy It!








Why Didn't I See Smile?

Truth be told, I purposely skipped this because I had a bad feeling. When seeing the trailers and TV spots, I was getting some Truth or Dare vibes. Remember that terrible movie? No. Well consider yourself lucky.





What is Smile?

Smile is a psychological supernatural horror movie based on the 2020 short film, Laura Can't Sleep. It was produced by Paramount Players and Temple Hill Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Smile was written and directed by Peter Finn.



The story is one day, therapist Dr. Rose Cotter was speaking to a grad student when all of sudden she screams in terror, then out of nowhere she commits suicide with a disturbing smile on her face. After that, Rose experiences terrifying events and visions. She soon learns something is coming after her, all while having a sinister smile.





My Thoughts

The Good: One of the movie's greatest strengths is with its main actress, Sosie Bacon. She truly carries the movie, whether the film itself is at its best, worst, or somewhere in between. Another big strength is the themes of trauma, mental health, and suicide, and what those things strongly effect you, even if the traumatic event happened years ago. The last thing I'll give credit to is the horror. Let me get this out of the way, yes, there are jump scares, but, they're done far better than in other horror flicks. Especially since there's an actual pay off to them and it fits with the evil entity tormenting our main character. It's not some domestic pet knocking over a garbage can, or somebody getting tapped on the shoulder. But even when there isn't a jump scare, there are some truly scary moments. Even when there's nothing terrifying happening, you still get this feeling of uneasiness.




The Bad: Nope, I don't have anything negative to say.




The Okay: If there's one mixed bag I had, it was Peter Finn's directing. While the movie does look nice, there were times when I felt like Peter made some odd choices. Like there was this one scene, where Rose is in her office and she's putting on her jacket, and the whole time she's doing this, the camera is tilted. I thought that was leading into something, but no. The camera's just tilted for no real reason.




Final Verdict: Good.








Why Didn't I See The Greatest Beer Run Ever?

Because it has Zac Efron and I haven't forgiven him for all of the High School Musicals! I'm of course kidding. The real reason is I was deciding between either this or Hocus Pocus 2, and I picked Hocus Pocus 2 because I liked the first movie and I figured that was the more popular one to review.





What is The Greatest Beer Run Ever?

The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a biographical war comedy-drama film based on the book with the same name. It was produced by Apple Original Films, Skydance, and Living Films and distributed by Apple TV+. The Greatest Beer Run Ever was written by Peter Farrelly, Brian Currie, and Pete Jones and directed by Peter Farrelly.



The story is after attending a funeral and hearing another friend is M.I.A. because of the Vietnam War, John "Chickie" Donohue wants to go to South Vietnam and deliver beers to raise his serving friends' spirits up. Despite being told otherwise and some not believing he'll do it, John sets out on his quest, in the hopes he'll succeed.





My Thoughts

The Good: One thing that surprised me was Zac Efron's performance. While I never considered him to be a poor actor, I was still surprised by what he does in this. Sure, he's not winning any awards for this, but given how the material he was working with was decent at best, he still deserves props for doing such a good job.




The Bad: Just move on.




The Okay: Now the movie does have a pretty good story to it. So good I still paid attention to what's going on. But with that being said, you still run into some familiar territory. Like people debating with anti-war protesters, then next thing you know, a huge fight breaks out. Then we have the Peter Farrelly's directing. For the most part, he wasn't really doing anything interesting. The visuals really don't become eye catching until later on. I think maybe he wanted to save the best stuff for later, but it still felt like he could've done that with the entire movie. The last thing I'll write about is the movie does have a lot of heart to it. It's very clear the filmmakers wanted to tell this story of a man who wanted to do something good, even if logic behind the idea is questionable. So you can admire the movie for that, but I think we can all agree that this really did need a much more stronger screenplay.




Final Verdict: Okay.











Well, that's all for tonight. Due come back on Thursday, Sept 28th, for my review of Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

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