Curse of Chucky (2013)

Curse of Chucky (2013)

6/10

Starring

Fiona Dourif

Brad Dourif (Voice of Chucky)

Directed by Don Mancini

I felt Chucky had his days of glory on the screen and should just be left alone as a classic horror thriller. But Universal Studios begged to differ, revamping an overused, dead story for another series of movies.

Curse of Chucky isn’t half bad, though. The movie was well done, the CGI was decent, and they tried to make it a little more realistic—considering it’s about being hunted by a real serial-killing doll. It’s a step up from the last few installments, even if it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the original.

Curse of Chucky (or, better still, Child’s Play 6) is a horror film and the sixth installment in the Child’s Play franchise, starring our favorite villain, Chucky, the serial-killing doll. The movie didn’t get a theatrical release, making it the first direct-to-DVD installment in the series.

The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the franchise and has written all the sequels to date.

This film steps away from the comedic tone of the last three Chucky movies, returning to the pure horror roots of the original Child’s Play trilogy. Brad Dourif also returns, voicing Chucky as he has since the series began, bringing that familiar menace to the role.

In this new installment, we also see Fiona Dourif (Brad Dourif’s daughter) playing the lead role of Nica. Her performance adds a fresh dynamic to the story, even if the plot feels a bit recycled.

The plot picks up nine years after the events of Seed of Chucky (2004). A package arrives at a house, and when opened, it reveals a Good Guy doll who introduces himself as Chucky.

Of course, we, the viewers, already know who this is, but the unfortunate homeowners don’t. Once Chucky gets familiar with the house and the location of every possible weapon, he begins his hunt. The tension builds as the family realizes too late that they’re dealing with more than just a doll.

As the movie winds down, we learn that Chucky’s visit to the house wasn’t a coincidence—it was part of a plan. I’ll leave you to watch and find out the details, though it’s nothing groundbreaking.

Is this the best Chucky film out there? Well, I can confidently say no. The first Child’s Play film is still the one for me. Everything after that has just been movies that didn’t really matter.

I wouldn’t strongly recommend this movie. As I said earlier, it’s an overused, dead horse of a story. So, this is one you can skip without feeling bad.

Pain and Gain (2013)

Pain and Gain (2013)

6/10

Starring

Mark Wahlberg

Dwayne Johnson

Anthony Mackie

Directed by Michael Bay

There are many lessons from Pain and Gain, but one of them is not how to commit the perfect crime.
A friend of mine called this movie the best Michael Bay has ever done. I don’t know if he’s right, but I’ll leave you to decide.

Here are the lessons from the movie:

Lesson 1: Don’t believe everything you see in movies.
Pain and Gain is based on the true story of three men, led by Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), who decide to kidnap a millionaire and force him to sign over all his property.

Whether this sounds like a good idea or not isn’t the point. The point is, Daniel Lugo got the idea to commit this crime after watching movies about the “perfect crime.” What he failed to understand is that movies make crime look easy, and circumstances always work in favor of the lead actors.

When faced with a real crime, Lugo and his crew—Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) and Adrian "Noel" Doorbal (Anthony Mackie)—found it nearly impossible to kidnap the man. And when they finally did, they discovered it wasn’t so easy to get him to sign over his fortune.

Lesson 2: If you’re dumb, DON’T GO INTO CRIME—you’ll get caught.
These guys were so foolish that halfway through the movie, you’re reminded this is a true story because some of the things they did were too stupid to believe.

First, it took them three attempts to kidnap someone. If that’s not a sign to give up, I don’t know what is. Then, after getting what they wanted, they were too incompetent to kill him properly. They got him drunk and staged a car accident—he survived. They set the car on fire with him in it—he survived. They ran him over—and he still survived. If you don’t believe me, watch the movie and see how three morons proved that killing someone can be harder than it looks.

Lesson 3: Only losers and fools have temper tantrums.
Lugo’s temper got him into more trouble than he could handle.

Lesson 4: If you’re the smartest person in your crew, you’re in the wrong crew.
If Lugo’s crew had someone smarter than him, I bet they would’ve told him straight up: crime doesn’t pay.

Pain and Gain is a fantastic movie. It’ll make you laugh, the acting is first-class, the cinematography is well done, and the direction is on point. If there’s a movie to skip this year, Pain and Gain isn’t it.

Riddick (2013)

Riddick (2013)

3/10

Starring

Vin Diesel

Directed by David Twohy

This new installment in the Riddick franchise feels like a waste of time. After a long wait, I was taken through a solo run that feels similar to what we got in Pitch Black (2000), the first movie in the franchise. But after seeing Riddick in an environment where he could run free and be a menace—which The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), the second installment, delivered—I felt taken for a ride. This movie brings back odd dialogues, plain and simple action scenes, and, worst of all, a restricted environment.

The movie does have its highs, though. The terrain is impressive, and you can’t help but admire the massive effort that must have gone into creating it. Plus, Riddick’s CGI pet is just cool. It’s one of the few elements that adds a bit of charm to an otherwise dull experience.

David Twohy and Vin Diesel decided to take the character through a phase that might feel like the end of the franchise. What they delivered won’t win over anyone new to the series, and I even struggled to stay awake while watching—something you wouldn’t expect from a Riddick movie. It’s a shame because the potential was there, but it just didn’t deliver.

The plot has our hero stranded on a dead planet after the events of the second movie, where he became the Lord Marshal of the Necromongers.

Riddick found it hard to live the caged life of a ruler. He refused to become a Necromonger, which led many to turn against him. He strikes a deal with Commander Vaako: in exchange for the location of Furya and a ship to take him there, Vaako would become the next Lord Marshal.

The deal doesn’t go as planned, and Riddick ends up stranded on a dead planet with bounty hunters on his tail. The setup had promise, but the execution felt repetitive and uninspired, lacking the depth and excitement of the earlier films.

I don’t feel the acting is worth commending at all. It seems like the budget went entirely to Vin Diesel and the CGI because the rest of the cast was below standard. Combine that with a screenplay that starts off feeling like I Am Legend (Will Smith, 2007), and you’ve got a movie that’s bound to bore you.

I wish I hadn’t watched this. I can’t say I saw it coming because, honestly, I was expecting this movie to be a hit (at least from my perspective).

If you’re feeling some Riddick blues, just rewatch The Chronicles of Riddick (2004). It’s a far better representation of what this franchise can be.

World War Z (2013)

World War Z (2013)

6/10

Starring

Brad Pitt

Mireille Enos

James Badge Dale

Matthew Fox

Directed by Marc Foster

One thing I’m sure Hollywood will never run out of is zombie movies.

After seeing World War Z, my conclusion is that it’s so unevenly balanced that if you’re not ready to see it through to the end, you might fall asleep during the long discussions about what the characters are planning to do next.

The movie is an action drama, but there are no truly horrific moments or focused scenes of zombies eating humans. In World War Z, we’re constantly shifting from intense chases (that leave you gasping for breath as the hero does everything to escape the zombies) to lengthy, drawn-out conversations. It’s a mix that doesn’t always work, but it keeps you on edge in some parts.

Looking at the movie as a whole, it’s not that bad. It tried its best to bring seriousness to a genre known for action (killing off attacking zombies) and chases (running for dear life). But in the end, the movie leaned heavily into action and chases, and all the seriousness went out the window.

The question on many people’s minds will be: Did Brad Pitt and his production company, Plan B Entertainment, deliver?
And the answer is: Yeah.

World War Z strays from the book it’s based on, but it’s still fun to watch. The fast-paced action and global scale of the outbreak make it stand out, even if it doesn’t fully capture the depth of the novel.

The movie’s screenplay was written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and is loosely based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Max Brooks.

World War Z stars Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator who witnesses the zombie epidemic take off. After he and his family narrowly escape being attacked or eaten by zombies, Gerry reluctantly joins the mission to find the source of the outbreak and figure out how to stop it.

The journey comes at a high cost, as lives are lost, and a key observation by Gerry leaves them with more questions than answers. The stakes feel real, even if the solutions sometimes come too easily.

Brad Pitt’s acting is top-notch, and World War Z ended up being a financial success. That’s why Paramount Pictures is moving forward with a sequel. The idea of a sequel was previously shelved due to production troubles and a rising budget, but now production has officially begun.

Take your time to watch this movie—it’s worth it.

The World’s End (2013)

The World’s End (2013)

6/10

Starring

Simon Pegg

Nick Frost

Paddy Considine

Martin Freeman

Eddie Marsan

Rosamund Pike

Directed by Edgar Wright

The World’s End is about a bunch of friends who just won’t grow up. They’re lured into delivering a never-ending laugh fest while trying to drink themselves to an early grave.

The World’s End is a fine comedy and a fitting end to the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy (a series of comedy films directed by Edgar Wright, written by Wright and Simon Pegg, produced by Nira Park, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost). It follows Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007).

The World’s End has an unbelievable twist involving an alien invasion, and I guarantee you won’t see it coming. Compared to its predecessors, it lacks the over-the-top humor of Shaun of the Dead and the heightened imagination of Hot Fuzz. But in the end, The World’s End is still a must-watch.

The story follows a group of friends led by Gary King (Simon Pegg), an alcoholic who tracks down his high school buddies to complete the Golden Mile—an infamous pub crawl (visiting and drinking at multiple pubs in one night) covering 12 pubs in their hometown of Newton Haven.

Twenty years earlier, the group attempted this crawl but failed to reach the final pub, The World’s End. Now, Gary is determined to finish what they started and ropes in his old friends: Peter Page (Eddie Marsan), Oliver "O-Man" Chamberlain (Martin Freeman), Steven Prince (Paddy Considine), and Andy Knightley (Nick Frost).

The journey starts off well, but things take a wild turn when Gary gets into a fistfight with a man in the bathroom. After decapitating him, Gary realizes the man isn’t human.

Faced with this shocking discovery, the group decides to continue the pub crawl to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Spoiler: it doesn’t work.

The visual effects in the movie are decent, and the stunts are impressive, thanks to Brad Allen, who’s part of Jackie Chan’s martial arts team.

If you get the chance to see this film, be ready to be entertained. For me, this might not be the best work from the trio of Pegg, Frost, and Wright, but it stands on its own as a good movie to watch any day.

The sad part, though, is that this might be the last movie the trio makes together. It’s a shame because their films are always a guaranteed basket of laughs. This was like their last hurrah, although it did not gather the same laughs as the others, it was a nice end to the trilogy.

The Grace Card (2011)

The Grace Card (2011)

2/10

Starring

Louis Gossett, Jr.

Michael Joiner

Michael Higgenbottom

Stephen Dervan

Directed by David Evans

The Grace Card started off strong but lost me in the middle with a series of dull events that led to something I didn’t expect—though not in a good way. Then, it took another slow turn to transform the main character from a bitter, angry man to someone who finds peace and connection. The healing and bonding moments felt predictable, and the final scenes, which were meant to be emotional, just felt out of place.

Overall, I wish I could get back the time I spent watching this movie because, frankly, it wasn’t worth it.

The Grace Card tries—and I emphasize tries—to tackle heavy themes like racism and forgiveness. Both topics are worth exploring in film, but they need to be handled carefully. The movie does make an effort to tread lightly, but in the process, it loses focus. One moment, it’s about racism; the next, it’s about anger and resentment. And to make things worse, when everything comes to a head, guess who ends up saving the racially insensitive character? A Black man. (Bet you didn’t see that coming—sarcasm.)

When it comes to the acting, only the two leads seemed to know what they were doing. Everyone else came across as if they didn’t want to be there. The screenplay was dull—with a capital D—and I can’t stress that enough. There were long, pointless drives and endless conversations that went nowhere.

The story revolves around a White man who loses his son due to the carelessness of a Black man. Devastated, he becomes a cop to prevent similar tragedies, but over time, he grows angrier and more resentful. He hates the system, feeling sidelined while other cops get promoted.

On the other hand, there’s a Black man who becomes a cop to support his family while pursuing his passion. The two are paired together as partners, and their dynamic is as rocky as you’d expect. The racist cop and the patient, level-headed partner clash repeatedly, testing each other’s limits.

By the end of the movie, I was just relieved I didn’t fall asleep. While the film had potential, it failed to deliver a compelling or cohesive story. The pacing was off, the themes were mishandled, and the emotional moments felt forced.

If you’re looking for a movie that tackles complex issues like racism and forgiveness with depth and nuance, this isn’t it. The Grace Card had good intentions, but it fell short in execution. Save your time and skip this one.