Pretty darn good crop of movies this time around. The back half of 2021 is loaded with big releases, both in scope and potential to be some of the year’s best. If these last couple months are any indication, the rest of the year’s movie slate is going to be a complete banger.
NINE DAYS
Sheeeesh. Nine Days is truly something else. Following Winston Duke’s Will, who interviews and judges souls before they become alive. It is up to his discretion which move on to life and which are dismissed. Duke is lights out here, let’s just get that out of the way. And his dynamite performance elevates this deep, introspective story.
Nine Days forces you to reconsider the meaning of life, what we choose to put value on, and how and what we focus on in our own lives. I’m reluctant to say much more on this one. What you get out of it will be determined by how much of a connection you feel to the characters and story. If you don’t connect strongly, this won’t do much for you. But if you do, and if you like a movie that challenges you on a deeply emotional and personal level, Nine Days is just the ticket.
Score: 96/100
THE SUICIDE SQUAD
What an absolute blast of a movie. After the turd that was 2016’s Suicide Squad, fans could be forgiven if they were hesitant to embrace a reboot so few years later. But DC handed the reins to James Gunn, the creative mastermind behind the Guardians of the Galaxy. Now he has another team of misfits to play with, and he nails it.
Gunn brings back a few characters from the previous movie, but fills in the rest with new players. The new additions serve several purposes, from only existing to die gruesome deaths to being major characters the entire time. It’s almost not even worth singling out any of the new characters, as they all crush it. Margot Robbie also returns as Harley Quinn, further proving she is perfectly cast for this role.
The plot almost doesn’t really matter – and truth be told, it’s one of the movie’s biggest weaknesses – but everything else is so fun that it’s fairly easy to look past. Gunn brings his trademark wit and humor that superhero fans have come to expect. And he takes full advantage of the R rating, earning it over and over with outrageous gore and violence.
I’m not saying DC needs to make all their movies like this; there’s still room for darker superhero stories. But I’m encouraged by their willingness to allow Gunn the creative freedom to make his style of movie. DC’s struggles are no secret, but hopefully this is a sign of better things to come.
Score: 90/100
FEAR STREET PART 2: 1978 & FEAR STREET PART 3: 1666
How out-of-nowhere awesome was this trilogy? The series tells a nice, tight story, while leaving the door open for additional sequels. The three movies are a great mix of horror and classic slasher elements, with a dash of the supernatural. I think PART 1 is the best, but PARTS 2 & 3 are no slouches. None of the three will blow you away, but if this is your type of movie, don’t wait to fire ’em up.
I also love the release model Netflix used here. The complete trilogy was filmed back to back, with the movies released one at a time in three consecutive weeks. This seems like a no brainer approach for streaming services. It puts a lot of pressure on the first entry. If it’s bad, audiences will still have that sour taste when the next comes out so soon after; there’s no time to wait and cleanse the palate in between. But if it works, like it did with FEAR STREET, it’s a home run.
Scores: Part 2 – 76/100 Part 3 – 78/100
PIG
Folks, Nicolas Cage still has it. Known for ridiculous roles and movies (CON AIR, FACE/OFF, for two great examples), people sometimes forget the man is an Oscar winner (he won Best Actor for LEAVING LAS VEGAS). And PIG reminds us that Cage can still return to top form if he wants to.
Cage stars as Rob, a chef turned reclusive truffle hunter, living alone in the Portland wilderness. But when his beloved truffle-finding pig is kidnapped, Rob goes on a mission to recover his best friend. Based just on that, combined with the fact that it stars Nicolas Cage, you might expect JOHN WICK-esque revenge tale. I know I did.
But that’s not what you get here. There’s a bit of violence, and a few spots of humor. But PIG is a deep, meditative drama about dealing with grief, reckoning with your past, and accepting your present, With Cage’s A+ performance, PIG is one of the year’s biggest surprises.
Score: 91/100
JOLT
CRANK, but female. While not a perfect 1:1 analogy, that could work if you needed just a short and sweet, one line pitch. Kate Beckinsale plays Lindy, who is afflicted with intermittent explosive disorder. This causes her to erupt in uber-violent fits of rage at the slightest offense or transgression. And with her higher-than-normal cortisol levels, she is stronger and faster than your average person. This in turn makes her outbursts decidedly more deadly. She controls this with an experimental form of shock therapy. She wears an electrode vest at all times, and shocks herself when she feels the anger boiling.
As you can imagine, this makes living a “regular” life rather difficult. She can’t hold down a job, she can’t maintain relationships. But when she meets Justin (Jai Courtney), things take a turn for the better. This newfound happiness is tragically short-lived, however, as Justin is murdered just a day or two after they meet. This sets Lindy on a violent and anger-fueled mission of revenge.
JOLT definitely has its problems – and I admittedly like it more than the general consensus – but if you let yourself, you can have a real fun time with it. Beckinsale is more than game as Lindy, giving it her all. It’s fun and imaginative and I’ll never complain about watching Kate Beckinsale kick ass for 90 minutes (you also can’t beat that run time).
Score: 71/100
