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 Using their outdated ranch cameras to see it, Emerald has a big idea.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!

They are Staying Alive on the HORIZON LINE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from director Mikael Marcimain and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the thriller of being upon on the HORIZON LINE.

Sara (Allison Williams) has come to be part of bestie Pascale’s (Pearl Mackie) wedding. She didn’t expect to run into ex-boyfriend Jackson (Alexander Dreymon) and it does not take much for them to spend time together. Waking up the next morning, Sara is having a problem dealing with it and runs off to the airport to get to the wedding.

Asking for a plane ride from dear friend Freddy Wyman (Keith David), she is surprised to also see Jackson again realizing he too is getting a lift on the plane. Taking off, Freddy tells Sara how much he misses having her around and asks that she take the wheel like old times. Knowing her pleas not to would go unheard, Sara takes the controls at just the right time.

Freddy becomes ill and can no longer fly the plane. Jackson tries to help but its clear that it is something she will have to do on her own. What is ahead of them is nothing but a vast ocean, an ugly storm and time ticking away before they run out of fuel.

It is time to get creative!

Williams as Sara is a young woman who made the decision to leave her relationship to find a life. Unfortunately, ex-boyfriend Jackson decided that his life was more important and let Sara go. Now in the same place once again, those issues sit in the back of the plane when Sara must remember what she learned about flying and hope they survive.

Dreymon as Jackson is dealing with his emotions once he sees Sara and decides its better if he just keeps his distance. That is easier said than done when its time to help Sara stay in contact with the only person on the radio they can find and get brave when it comes time to go outside the plane – while in the air!

David as Freddy is a dear friend to both Sara and Jackson, sharing with her his feelings about the last time they flew together, who knew it would be everything. David always plays such unique characters and in this film, he is more laid back with a sense of humor till the end.

Other cast include Jumayn Hunter as Samuel, Amanda Khan as Nadia, Anouchka Massoudy as Theresa, Kate Shepherd as Leah and Daisy Tong as Grace.

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.

STX Films and Entertainment is a global next-generation company who has taken on the mission to unlock the value of direct connection stars have with their fans through the development, production and distribution of film, television, VR, digital video, music and live entertainment content. It is the industry leader in transforming beyond traditional platform-driven content to creating talent-driven enterprises. To experience more please visit www.stxfilms.com.

The Bonus Features include Deleted Scenes.

HORIZON LINE is the kind of film that everything that could possibly go wrong does go wrong and it gives me even more anxiety about small planes (not that big planes are any comfort either actually). This is a film that takes place mainly inside a small plane and those are the angles the director must work with. It is a very tight space in that plane, yet you can feel the wind everywhere around the center of it all.

There are a few scenes that are absolutely crazy in what this couple must do to keep the plane in the air. Of course, it is not as if they have a choice, especially if they want to survive. This story is about all the creative things that can keep the plane in the air and a few mistakes that the duo did making their flight even more dangerous.

HORIZON LINE is an action film that has an ending that keeps the viewer guessing. The story is creative making sure we all do not get comfortable until the director says we can!

In the end – it is fly or die!

MOST GUYS ARE LOSERS

 

Jeri Jacquin

It is about time there was a film about a father that is not about to let his daughter go without a fight! From writer/director Eric Ustain and Third City Entertainment is a story about a Dad shouting from the rafters that MOST GUYS ARE LOSERS.

Bo (Michael Provost) and Sandy (Grace Fulton) have been living together for a while and are embarking on the next step of meeting each other’s parents. First up, Bo’s Mom who just happens to be in business for herself as a grower of marijuana. She absolutely adores Sandy and knows that Bo has been invited to spent Thanksgiving with her family in Chicago.

Wanting the best for Bo, Mom tells him to go meet her parents. That is when Sandy lets Bo know that her father is the best-selling author of the book Most Guys Are Losers. Bo tries to brush up on the flight home and puts on his game face to meet the parents. Dad Mark (Andy Buckley) already has a list of complaints and Bo is not even in the house yet. Mom Amy (Mira Sorvino) wants her husband to give the guy a chance, but it goes in one ear and out the other.

Immediately Mark is giving Bo the Dad-stink-eye and he even has gone as far as to bring old boyfriend Trevor (Belmont Cameli) around. At the family bar, Mark and friend Al (Keith David) watch to see what transpires between the two. With every sentence that comes out of his friends’ mouth, Al is sure this is going to be trouble.

What Al does not know is that Mark has his young son Paul (Sander Thomas) getting into Bo’s personal social media and anything else he can get his hands on to get the dirt. Confronted with one thing after another, Mark is even more determined to get Bo out of his daughters’ life. What Mark doesn’t count on is that he is so laser focused on Sandy that he doesn’t see what is right in front of him.

And it could cost him!

Fulton as Sandy wants to be a woman making her own choices based on how she was raised yet, there is still the little girl who wants to please Mom and Dad – especially Dad. But even pleasing a parent might mean putting one’s foot down when it comes to happiness. Provost as Bo is a young man who is extremely nervous about what Sandy will think of his mother but more so about what her Dad will do. I must be honest, if my daughter brought home someone as sweet as Bo, I could never put him through the ringer.

Buckley as Mark is a father on a rampage to live up to the words he wrote in the book. The problem is that he does not seem to think he was once thought of in the same way in his wife’s father’s eyes. The trouble he causes puts the family through a lot and he must come clean about it all if he wants them to shake their heads and giggle at his antics. Sorvino as Amy is lovely in this role trying to keep her husband for making mistakes and Sandy happy in her choices.

Shout out to Thomas as Paul – the kid scares me with what he is capable of doing but then again if I wanted info, I’d know who to go to.

Other cast include Avery Moss as Carrie, Andres Rosas as Stephon, Sarah West as Linda, Talen Marshall as Pat, Nick Greco as Barry, Kayla as Rosie, Eliza Stoughton as Jessica, Dee Dee Sorvino as Aunt Dee Dee and Paul Sorvino as Grandpa. 

MOST GUYS ARE LOSERS is a charming look at the relationship between Sandy and her family, especially with Mark being the head of the household. There are antics and things I suspect most fathers want to get away with when it comes to knowing the man their little girl is choosing.

Surrounded by a supportive family, both Bo and Sandy believe in their folks – even if they might embarrass them from time to time. They are solid in their belief in each other and feel good about their choices, but know it is not their folks cup of tea perhaps.

This is a lighthearted tale and can provide such grand entertainment about family, love, and the holidays all meshed into one. So, gather up the family and have a good time learning how to deal with a silly Dad, sweet Mom (both Moms), and the ridiculousness that can come with all of it.

In the end – watch out for Dad!