Antibirth

The "Just Say No" slogan was pretty good in the 80's.  Nancy Reagan had a pretty good idea for the time but we have evolved since the Cold War, and it is time to increase the intensity a bit.  This movie could very well be the answer for a dont do drugs campaign for high school kids.  It revolves around a burn out stoner who lives in a drug induced haze who happens to take partying a little to far one night.  She wakes up with no memory and something growing in her womb.  A baby you ask?  Well it may be a bit more than that, but you have to watch!  There are some serious gross out scenes and the whole thing is a bit weird but very interesting!  Natasha Lyonne is outstanding as the crude, waste of space, and Meg Tilly comes out of nowhere almost unrecognizable.  I love Sevigny, and was disappointed that she didn't show skin, but was still great.  Give this odd tale a shot on Netflix, but make sure your not eating while you watch, especially anything with cheese. :)

FYI:  With a $3.5 Million budget, this film was a total flop.

***1/2

Hereditary

How much do you actually know about your family?  I mean really know?  Especially those who are older or may have passed on.  What did they do with their lives and what direction did they take to preserve the future of their family?  Well, if your family is anything like this one, you're fucked!  This movie has been impatiently anticipated as one of the scariest movies of all time.  I would disagree but I would also say it is one of the most well made horror movies of all time.  The first 30-40 minutes is a more heartbreaking and sad film than anything.  It really makes you feel despair, and emotional but when you least expect it, it turns on you to become pure horror!  The slow burning horror scenes are extremely well done from the lighting, to the actions, to the premise and situation of each minor detail.  It chills your bones and sticks with you as the creepy almost too real relevance of terror.  This is absolutely one for the horror and suspense fan but be sure to keep your eyes open, you don't want to miss the subtle freakishness of background scares throughout.

FYI:  The son really breaks his nose on his desk during the filming.

*****

Incredibles 2

Stupid, and totally unrealistic!  Seriously, a family of animated heroes who can save the world, with a baby!?!?  Lame!  Okay, I'm kidding, I have been waiting for 14 years to see the sequel to the best  animated Disney movie of all time!  It didn't disappoint, at all!  I have always loved the voice cast here and with it beginning exactly where the last one left off was perfect.  It makes you think you didn't miss a beat in the lives of the Incredibles.  Great villain with a cool way of taking over the world.  Although I loved all the characters in this movie, Jack Jack really stole the show!  The new supers had some fun powers and their innocence was greatly appreciated.  This is another Pixar smash that will go down in the books as another one of the greatest.

FYI:  Edna Mode is voiced by director Brad Bird

*****

Hostiles

Did you hear the one about the Cowboy, the Indian and the widow who walks into a bar?  Well this aint it, but it is almost as good as the quality of that joke!  The year is 1892, this is a time period where human life of a different race really doesn't matter.  Going across the prairie lands as a white man your biggest worries are Cheyenne, Comanche, and Apache.  As a Native American your biggest threat is the civil war soldier, or the white hunter.  Now throw in a widow who just had to bury her family and you've got yourself a wild ride.  This was a great slow burn that had some amazing acting.  Each role was written specifically for the actors playing their parts and I have to say, Bale was incredible.  There is a genuine chemistry between him and the Natives he is escorting across the west and he plays the role of a seasoned and somewhat damaged soldier perfectly.  A disturbing time period that is portrayed as true to life as you would expect.  Give this one a watch, its great!

FYI:  A few actors suffered from heat stroke as the majority of the movie was filmed outside.

****1/2

Solo-A Star Wars Story

There is a small franchise you may have heard of called, "Star Wars".  If you haven't to be honest it is kind of like the nerd bible with unlimited story lines stemming from the origin of space battles.  Oh, you have heard of it?  Well this popular character finally has his own pre-story movie that the nerd universe has been waiting for since the late 70's.  It's Han Solo, one of the most beloved characters in the galaxy!  What is there to say of the story that you dont already know other than how each scenario played out.  I will sum up the good for you first; initial meet with Lando and the space poker game, meeting with Chewy, doing the Kessel run that Han has been bragging about for decades, and no Han story would be complete without a love interest.  His irresistible charm has been there since birth apparently.  Overall I really liked the movie, the Easter eggs, the way it played out giving some insight to past story lines BUT, I thought the actor playing Han fell a little short.  The flow of the movie seemed a little forced as the writing was close but missing something, and like all Star Wars movies, this one payed a little too much attention to a single event for too long (the train scene).  If you are a true fan, this movie is a must see, but if you are true fan you have already seen it so I am just talking to myself at this point!

FYI:  Chewey is played by a former Penn State University basketball player.

****1/2

Upgrade

Ahhh, the future.  Where anything is possible, including having artificial intelligence take over you body to become a bad ass street fighter.  No, this wasn't the Matrix, this was a whole new take on the futuristic computerized brain implant, and it was awesome.  In short, the story unfolds like this:  Grey, a bit of a technophobe who loves the classics and old school type possessions, becomes paralyzed due to a car accident.  He is then given an experimental implant called "Stem" to take over the functions of his body and help him become mobile again.  His thirst for revenge due to an incident that I wont spoil here gives Stem the ability to help him become an ass-kicking machine.  The movie was much better than expected with a good plot, great acting, and fun story line.  Grey, played by Logan Marshall-Green, who is a bit of the poor mans Tom Hardy, is good in everything he does.  He was a breath of fresh air in this flick and was cast perfectly.  There are a few obvious twists and some cheese but overall, great movie worth watching.  Give this one a shot!

FYI:  Somewhat hidden, you can see the puppet from Saw painted on the wall.  Same director.

****