It is All About HIM

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and streaming from director Justin Tipping, Monkeypaw Productions and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is a story all about HIM.

Cameron ‘Cam’ Cade (Tyriq Withers) has grown up believing in his favorite team the San Antonio Saviors watching his idol Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) along with his father. While watching a game, the young boy sees White become injured only to be consoled by his father about sacrificing for the game. Years later, it is Cam who is becoming the rising football star with his family cheering him on. Like White, it takes only a moment before Cam suffers a serious head injury.

Agent Tom (Tim Heidecker) suggests that he still try to get the quarterback position with the Saviors but Cam is furious at the notion. That’s when he learns that White might be retiring and wants to train with Cam for a bit to see if the young man might be his successor on the field. There isn’t a moment to sit back and take in the desert surroundings as White puts Cam through drills that would make any other coach horrified, yet, he continues. Cam also received boosters but it doesn’t help with the hallucinations he is experiencing. White’s wife Elsie (Julia Fox) tries to explain her husband’s unique training with a charm that causes problems.

It all comes to a head as Cam begins to understand what is happening and there is only one way to make it stop – and it isn’t with a football.

Withers as Cam is a young man who was raised to love the game and even more the San Antonio Saviors. Watching with his father, that dream could have turned bad after White’s accident but his father keeps him looking forward. Well on his way to being that star, it is a head injury that begins to bring things into a world that is disturbing on many levels. Yet, Cam wants it all so badly he endures everything that is thrown at him – until he doesn’t. Withers gives us the performance of a strong-minded young man going through some very strange happenings. It is definitely a trip from start to finish.

Wayans as White is a man who has tasted the good life that sports has offered him and perhaps his time has come but perhaps not. Putting Cam through every twisted test possible, Wayans isn’t portraying comedy here but instead a very focused and powerful character. It is clear that he is afraid of nothing and, even more, nothing shocks him at all. This is quite a different role for Wayans but he clearly doesn’t hesitate to grab onto it and take the viewer on a ride.

Fox as Elise is not just the wife of a player but a social media person in her own right. She is there to support her husband of course, but she also seems to have an agenda of her own that puts Cam in danger. I love the flippant attitude of Fox’s character but it all slowly becomes clear as to what her role is in the craziness.

Other cast include Maurice Greene as Malek, Don Benjamin as Cam Sr., Heather Harris as Jasmine, Norman Towns as Willis, Gigi Erneta as Ayn, Chase Garland as Ced, Guapdad 4000 as Murph, Tierra Whack as Adrienne, Gerone McKinley as Drew, Indira Wilson as Yvette, Naomi Grossman as Marjorie and Jim Jefferies as Marco.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

Bonus Features include Alternate Ending: Zay’s Nightmare, Deleted End Credits Scene, Deleted Scenes, Becoming Them, The Sport of Filmmaking, Anatomy of a Scene, Hymns of a G.O.A.T. and Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Justin Tipping.

HIM is definitely a film that has a twisted, mind-bending feel to it. It took me a minute to realize what other film made me think this way and it is the 1999 Stanley Kubrick film EYES WIDE SHUT. Co-writer and Director Tipping takes us down a rabbit hole but is it a rabbit hole? Can you believe everything you are seeing? Who do you trust of the people you should be able to trust! No one should be surprised that the film is under the Jordan Peele umbrella as he serves as the producer.

What this film does is bring ‘sports horror’ into a genre that always needs shaking up now and then. Those two words go well together considering how the injuries that happen in football can sometimes be horrifying. Once Cam is hurt, the pressure is on to continue and it comes from all sides – in this case his own agent. Tipping and Peele take the ball (yes, a pun) and run with it in this story of what one man will do to keep his dream alive and it isn’t the normal paved road.

This is a film that is going to bring about a lot of jaw drops because of the literal trip it is from start to finish. Know that going in because that’s what makes HIM so fascinating to watch and by the end there are conversations that will be had about the pressures on players and dreams that can go up in smoke. You’ll never look at a hit on the field the same way again.

In the end – greatness demands sacrifice!

NOPE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from writer/director Jordan Peele, Monkeypaw Productions and Universal Pictures is the big NOPE.

The Haywood family has a history with horses that dates back farther than anyone knew. Training horses for television and films, patriarch Otis Haywood Sr. (Keith David) keeps the isolated ranch running. That is until something unusual happens to change the dynamic of the family.

Son OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) is working hard to keep the farm going as well with the sometimes help of sister Emerald (Keke Palmer). While in the middle of their usual brother and sister banter, OJ notices something in the sky that is odd. Using their outdated ranch cameras to see it, Emerald has a big idea.

Down the road is Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park (Steven Yeun), once child star who met with some strangeness of his own and now runs a desert theme park. OJ sometimes has to sell a horse or two to get buy and Jupe is accommodating with his latest acquisition of Lucky.

When Emerald gets a big idea, she calls Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott), a renowned camera man to see if he would be interested in getting ‘the shot’.  When that does not really pan out, OJ and Emerald turn to Angel Torres (Brandon Pera) to update their cameras and get them set up. That’s when Angel realizes there is something going on at this ranch.

When an afternoon performance as Jupe’s place turns bizarre and the story breaks on the news, Antlers realizes that Emerald might be right. OJ, Emerald and Angel, after a night of horror, begin to understand what they are fighting and what it will take to win and want to get it all on film.

Kalyyua as OJ is more the quiet of the brother-sister duo. He speaks when he needs to and is the observant one. Putting the pieces together is what he is good at which can be difficult when working with a squirrely sister and a chatty tech guy. Kalyyua gives a straight up performance yet Peele knew he could since his role in the 2017 film GET OUT.

Palmer is the mouthy out of control sister Emerald that always has something to say but most of it is just rolls out irritatingly. Kalyyua’s OJ knows he can not expect anything in the way of help with work or even keeping the ranch running because she has wild ideas yet none of them are in play. This is a different role for Palmer and she gets it done.

Pera as Angel is bored with his life as a Fry’s tech and finds what is going on with the Haywood’s so interesting and worth returning again and again. When he sees what is out on the ranch, he wants to help even though his courage is a little out of whack.

Wincott as Antlers is that craggy voiced, self-indulgent photographer who wants the ultimate on film and the rest of it is all boring. Realizing what is happening at the Haywood ranch, he might have found something less boring!

Yeun as Jupe has his own creepy story to tell about being a child star which fascinates Emerald. He is working equally as hard to keep his little theme park going and will do whatever it takes to keep the doors open – its that ‘anything’ that is the problem.

Other cast include Wrenn Schmidt as Amber Park, Donna Mills as Bonnie Clayton, Barbie Ferreira as Nessie, Oz Perkins as Fynn Bachman, Devon Graye as Ryder Muybridge, Jacob Kim as Young Ricky, Sophia Coto as Mary Jo Elliott, Terry Notary as Gordy, Andrew Patrick as Tom Bogan, Eddie Jemison as Buster and Jennifer Lafleur as Phyllis.

So, (taking a deep breath), I know I am supposed to just rave about this film because its Jordan Peele but all I can say is ‘meh’. There are moments I give a nod to but after two hours and fifteen minutes I just wanted to get out of my seat. The problem with saying more is that I do not want to give anything away in case it is someone else’s’ cup of tea.

The plot had the potential to be so creative but it gets bogged down with other stuff that felt more like a lecture than an enjoyable time at the movies. The twists and turns just irritated me and all I could scream in my head is ‘why…Why…WHY?’

Seriously, this could have been so much fun for a summer film and I’m sure it will make a lot of money because, and let’s be honest, the push is insane. That’s what you do when there is not a lot coming down the pipeline. I feel like this is the director’s having hit a speed bump, or as I like to call it an M. Knight Shyamalan moment. Meaning Shyamalan hit a speed bump with THE HAPPENING and THE LAST AIRBENDER and he came back swinging.

Did I want to like it? Of course! I enjoyed GET OUT and US so what this tells me is that Peele has stories to tell and is able to tell them but with NOPE he should have really thought out more. If I am spending more time hearing people say ‘I don’t get this mess at all’ or ‘that’s two hours of my life I’ll never get back’, then I feel less crazy about how I am feeling about it.

Honestly, my opinion probably does not make sense but that’s what happens when trying not to tell more of the story without ruining it. Oh well. Perhaps I will give it time for people to see and THEN we can talk detail and why I ended up laughing at certain scenes.

In the end – it is all about the nope!

US Returns Us to Terror on a California Boardwalk on Bluray

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray, DVD and Digital this week from director Jordan Peele and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment comes the tale of what happens when you look into the heart of US.

The Wilson family is heading on a little summer R&R at the beautiful coastal town of Santa Cruz, California. Gabe (Winston Duke) and wife Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) along with daughter Zora (Shahadi Joseph) and young son Jason (Evan Alex), each sees this time together in a different way.

Gabe's first outing is to go to the beach in front of the Santa Cruz boardwalk but Adelaide isn't as thrilled about the idea. When she was a child, something mysterious happened to her but she hasn't shared it with anyone. Talked into it, she tries her best to make the day good for the family.

Returning home and evening falls, there are mysterious people in the Wilson driveway and when Gabe confronts them - the horror knocks down their front door. A family that looks like them has a mission and it could cost each family member their lives.

Escaping the house the family tries to get help from friends Kitty (Elisabeth Moss) and Josh (Tim Heidecker) but it isn't going to turn out as planned. What only one of the Wilson family knows is who they are and what they truly want - and they will never again be the same.

Nyong'o as Adelaide has a hidden secret in her character and the film takes its time in telling that part of the story. This actress invests not only the character of Adelaide number one but the absolutely terrifying version of Adelaide 2. She is captivating and has a mission that the Wilson family makes sort of easy for her to carry out - why? I'm not going to tell you why.

Duke as Gabe is that Dad who wants to make everyone happy while also having a good time with a beer in his hand and warm sand between his toes. He is also the Dad that has a baseball bat and isn't afraid to swing it - the problem is that Dad 2 has an advantage and that's his refusal to hesitate. Don't let his size fool you as he is a husband who knows that Adelaide is strong willed so happy life, happy wife number one.

Joseph as Zora is a teenager plugged into social media and making it perfectly clear that she is not happy about the beach or talking about college. When she literally runs against Zora number 2, trust me when I say the creepy factor is huge and it’s a look I'll never forget. That being said, don't think Zora 1 doesn't get hip quick.

Alex as Jason is definitely a mama's boy and Jason 2 is as well - with a gruesome exception. This young actor was seriously amazing and once again I don't think it's a face I am likely to forget anytime soon.

Moss as Kitty is that woman who just isn't happy with anything and finds any reason to be a total bitch. Moss has the ability to be very sweet in her character portrayals but this is her chance to just totally let loose and go insane. Heidecker as Tim is like Gabe in some ways in that he just wants to sit back with a beer and relax but Kitty isn't about to let him do that. It takes Tim 2 to at least have a chance to just be as crazy as he wants to be.

Other cast include Yahya Abdul-Matten II as Russel Thomas, Anna Diop as Rayne Thomas, Cali Sheldon as Becca Tyler, Noelle Sheldon as Lindsey Tyler and Madison Curry as young Adelaide Wilson.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

Bonus Features include Scene Explorations – The making of three iconic scenes from the film including the Tyler house massacre, Jason’s abduction and Adelaide’s underground flashback, Seven Second Massacre, It’s a Trap, I Just Want My Little Girl Back, The Duality of US, The Monsters Within US, Tethered Together: Making US Twice, Redefining a Genre: Jordan Peele’s Brand of Horror, Becoming Red, Deleted Scenes: I Am Not Even Near You, Rabbit Season, That’s Badass, Driftwood, The P is Silent, I Wanna Go Home, We’re All Dying and As Above, So Below: Grand Pas de Deux.

FINAL WORD: Peele has taken the classic suspense film and given it just enough blood to keep me invested in the film. I am not a huge fan of gore films which I know may be a shock to anyone who knows I love thrillers. There is a difference between a thriller and a slasher film that has no storyline.

US has a storyline and it doesn't take long before you are whipped through the mental roller coaster mind of Peele. He doesn't give away much, still adds a little cheesiness here and there, and picks an unlikely place to make it all work.

The cast makes this story work and work extremely well. There is a togetherness in the way these actors played the Wilson clan that brings you in quickly and keeps you there until the very…last…frame.

I adore Santa Cruz and, of course, never pictured it as a town where something like this story would take place. Recognizing every single location in the film from the boardwalk to the streets, just made it even more fun once I bought into the fact that yes, this could happen in Santa Cruz!

This is a fun thriller romp through my favorite stomping grounds and don't let the story get you all twisted. Go with the flow and let the Wilson family introduce you to the wonderful world of frights, fights and survival at all costs - and oh my what a high cost!

This is what a thriller weekend on Bluray looks and feels like.

In the end - we are our own worst enemy!

US and GET OUT Bluray Giveaway is What We all Wait for on a Saturday Night!

EXPERIENCE THE MYSTERIOUS AND SOCIALLY-PROVOCATIVE HORROR FILM FROM ACADEMY AWARD WINNER JORDAN PEELE

US

Digital June 4

4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, DVD and On Demand June 18

Academy Award Winner Jordan Peele follows the success of his blockbuster hit GET OUT with the masterfully executed and viscerally terrifying US.

Set along the North California coastline, Adelaide Wilson reluctantly returns to her beachside childhood home with her family and finds that she is haunted by unresolved trauma from her past along with a string of eerie coincidences. As darkness falls after a tense day at the beach, the Wilsons discover four figures standing in their driveway. They soon realize this is only the beginning of their troubles as they find that the four figures are terrifying and uncanny opponents: doppelgangers of themselves!

So, we have a fantastic giveaway!

It’s fantastic in that not only are we offering up US on Bluray BUT ALSO a copy of GET OUT as well. All thanks to the folks at Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Email hellomoviemaven@aol.com with US/GETOUT in the subject line along with your name and address in the email and a winner will be drawn at random. This is an awesome prize back to have both films to make any Saturday night a double feature scary night!

US Brings Terror to a California Boardwalk

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from director Jordan Peele and Universal Pictures comes the tale of what happens when you look into the heart of US.

The Wilson family is heading on a little summer R&R at the beautiful coastal town of Santa Cruz, California. Gabe (Winston Duke) and wife Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) along with daughter Zora (Shahadi Joseph) and young son Jason (Evan Alex), each sees this time together in a different way.

Gabe's first outing is to go to the beach in front of the Santa Cruz boardwalk but Adelaide isn't as thrilled about the idea. When she was a child, something mysterious happened to her but she hasn't shared it with anyone. Talked into it, she tries her best to make the day good for the family.

Returning home and evening falls, there are mysterious people in the Wilson driveway and when Gabe confronts them - the horror knocks down their front door. A family that looks like them has a mission and it could cost each family member their lives.

Escaping the house the family tries to get help from friends Kitty (Elisabeth Moss) and Josh (Tim Heidecker) but it isn't going to turn out as planned. What only one of the Wilson family knows is who they are and what they truly want - and they will never again be the same.

Nyong'o as Adelaide has a hidden secret in her character and the film takes its time in telling that part of the story. This actress invests not only the character of Adelaide number one but the absolutely terrifying version of Adelaide 2. She is captivating and has a mission that the Wilson family makes sort of easy for her to carry out - why? I'm not going to tell you why.

Duke as Gabe is that Dad who wants to make everyone happy while also having a good time with a beer in his hand and warm sand between his toes. He is also the Dad that has a baseball bat and isn't afraid to swing it - the problem is that Dad 2 has an advantage and that's his refusal to hesitate. Don't let his size fool you as he is a husband who knows that Adelaide is strong willed so happy life, happy wife number one.

Joseph as Zora is a teenager plugged into social media and making it perfectly clear that she is not happy about the beach or talking about college. When she literally runs against Zora number 2, trust me when I say the creepy factor is huge and it’s a look I'll never forget. That being said, don't think Zora 1 doesn't get hip quick.

Alex as Jason is definitely a mama's boy and Jason 2 is as well - with a gruesome exception. This young actor was seriously amazing and once again I don't think it's a face I am likely to forget anytime soon.

Moss as Kitty is that woman who just isn't happy with anything and finds any reason to be a total bitch. Moss has the ability to be very sweet in her character portrayals but this is her chance to just totally let loose and go insane. Heidecker as Tim is like Gabe in some ways in that he just wants to sit back with a beer and relax but Kitty isn't about to let him do that. It takes Tim 2 to at least have a chance to just be as crazy as he wants to be.

Other cast include Yahya Abdul-Matten II as Russel Thomas, Anna Diop as Rayne Thomas, Cali Sheldon as Becca Tyler, Noelle Sheldon as Lindsey Tyler and Madison Curry as young Adelaide Wilson.

FINAL WORD: Peele has taken the classic suspense film and given it just enough blood to keep me invested in the film. I am not a huge fan of gore films which I know may be a shock to anyone who knows I love thrillers. There is a difference between a thriller and a slasher film that has no storyline.

US has a storyline and it doesn't take long before you are whipped through the mental roller coaster mind of Peele. He doesn't give away much, still adds a little cheesiness here and there, and picks an unlikely place to make it all work.

The cast makes this story work and work extremely well. There is a togetherness in the way these actors played the Wilson clan that brings you in quickly and keeps you there until the very…last…frame.

I adore Santa Cruz and, of course, never pictured it as a place where something like this story would take place. Recognizing every single location in the film from the boardwalk to the streets, just made it even more fun once I bought into the fact that yes, this could happen in Santa Cruz!

This is a fun thriller romp through my favorite stomping grounds and don't let the story get you all twisted. Go with the flow and let the Wilson family introduce you to the wonderful world of frights, fights and survival at all costs - and oh my what a high cost!

In the end - we are our own worst enemy!

GET OUT Hits Bluray and a Giveaway!

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray/DVD and On Demand from writer/director Jordan Peele and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the social thriller GET OUT.

Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) are headed to visit her parents for the weekend. Unsure of how he will be received, Chris tries to have a positive attitude about the whole endeavor. His friend Rod (LilRel Howery) agrees to take care of the couples’ dog and stay in contact.

Arriving at the home of Missy (Catherine Keener) and Dean (Bradley Whitford) Armitage, their first meeting seems a good one. Chris also meets Rose’s brother Jeremy (Caleb Jones) and housekeeper Georgina (Betty Gabriel). He learns Missy uses hypnosis in her work and after an evening discussion believes she has hypnotized him to stop smoking.

Yet Chris can not shake the feeling that something else isn’t right around him. During a weekend gathering he meets Andrew King (Lakeith Stanfield) and realizes he knows him but not by the name. He calls Rod to share his suspicions as they turn it into joking.

Meeting the Armitage’s friends Chris speaks with Jim Hudson (Stephen Root) who says he believes the young man has an eye for the exceptional. Hudson owns a gallery and is also blind. During the gathering something happens to the man introduced as Andrew whom Chris takes as a reason to leave as soon as possible and Rose agrees.

That’s when all secrets are revealed and Chris fights for his life!

Kaluuya as Chris is an affable character who is keenly aware that there might be a problem meeting Roses’ parents, especially since she didn’t tell them he is African American. Once at the parent’s home, Kaluuya’s performance is that of a young man with great instincts who hopes he is just being over sensitive. Remember, always trust your instincts!

Williams as Rose is a young girl who is in love and wants her parents to meet the boyfriend. Trying to help Chris get past his nerves, Williams gives her character a little naïve attitude until its time not to.

Keener as Missy is just dumpty diapers from the beginning. I don’t think she smiled once actually but instead constantly giving sterns looks. Okay, so she wants what’s best for her daughter and a smoking boyfriend isn’t it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Keener in a role like this and it is absolutely creepy.

Whitford as Dean is the jolliest member of the Armitage clan. He friends Chris right away and tries to make him comfortable at their bbq. Whitford has that brilliant smile and dancing eyes which work hugely in his favor for this character. Jones as brother Jeremy is the guy most of us would think locked in a basement. He isn’t really all there. Root as Hudson seems like the normal neighbor interested in Chris’s talent and how he can help.

Henderson as Walter freaked me out immediately and then it was crazy from that moment onward. The scene between Walter and Chris cutting wood was crazy good. Gabriel as Georgina just had me staring at the screen with her robotic answers and deep stares. Stanfield as Andrew jumps right into his role and needs to rethink that outfit – seriously.

Howery as Rod is hilarious from start to finish. Worrying for his friend he comes up with scenarios that cracked me up and if you get a moment to see the deleted scenes you’ll understand even more.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

GET OUT is a thriller that had audiences in the theatres going nuts and now you have a chance to see it for yourself or see it again! The twists and turns are unsettling as this film brought in &100 million at the box office. That should tell you what an original thriller GET OUT truly is.

The Bluray Combo Pack includes a Bluray, DVD and Digital HD with Ultra Violet, Alternate Ending with Commentary by Writer/Director Jordan Peele, Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Writer/Director Jordan Peele, and Unveiling the Horror of Get Out: Go behind the scenes for the making of GET OUT.

Also included is a Q&A Discussions with Writer/Director Jordan Peele and the Cast: Jordan Peele sits down with the cast to answer fan questions on the film hosted by Chance the Rapper, Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Jordan Peele. It is the Alternate Ending that has to be seen to be believed.

Another cool part of GET OUT is that we have a copy to give away! Go to http://moviemaven.homestead.com and find out what you need to do to grab a copy of this blockbuster hit for your own home theatre library!

In the end – just because you are invited doesn’t mean you are welcome!