Fear Street Part Two: 1978, Attack of the Hollywood Clichés, What We Do in the Shadows S3 || Rapid Reviews
Rapid Reviews || Fear Street Part Two: 1978, If I Can't Have Love I Want Power, Attack of the Hollywood Clichés, and What We Do in the Shadows
There are an overwhelming amount of movies released every year. With an average of over 700 movies released every year, the wealth of entertainment available is practically endless. This isn't even mentioning the plethora of series and shows released every single year, most of which are just as prestigious as the big, noteworthy Hollywood releases. With such a wide selection of content to dig into and such a finite amount of time to do so, what can one critic do?
It is from that question that Rapid Reviews was born. The idea is for this to be a semi-regular feature that will collect smaller, one or two paragraph reviews for a wide range of movies and shows that might not be otherwise discussed due to time constraints. And make no mistake - some of these shows and movies need to be talked about!
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 || Netflix
Directed by: Leigh Janiak Written by: Screenplay by Zak Olkewicz and Leigh Janiak Story by Zak Olkewicz, Phil Graziadei, and Leigh Janiak Starring: Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins, McCabe Slye, Ted Sutherland, Jordana Spiro, Gillian Jacobs, Kiana Madeira, Benjamin Flores Jr., Ashley Zukerman, Olivia Scott Welch Score by: Marco Beltrami, Brandon Roberts || Cinematography by: Caleb Heymann
The Fear Street trilogy started off with a strong and promising opening chapter, Fear Street Part One: 1994. Part Two: 1978, then, is a decidedly more uneven chapter. A significant portion of its 110 minute runtime is dedicated to the ongoing plot carried over from 1994. It's an odd choice to bookend the "main" narrative in 1978 with what boils down to "previously on..." and "next time on...". Odder still is the inclusion of Gillian Jacob's character whose presence in the opening completely telegraphs the events of the "main" narrative, leaving few surprises (if any).
And the "main" narrative isn't really anything to write home about either, sadly. Part Two: 1978 at its best is a generic slasher story. The story this time around is clearly inspired from the Friday the 13th series - and fans of that series might end up enjoying this chapter more than I did, with the antagonist being an unstoppable, masked slasher with an axe - a villain we've already seen in Part One: 1994. Additionally, I found the storytelling awkward and clunky, the narrative entirely redundant and needless, and most of the leads unlikable, grating, and stereotypical to a fault. Marco Beltrami's and Brandon Roberts' score is pretty thrilling when the licensed music stops long enough for it to play.
Yeah...I really didn't like this chapter. Though I'll probably finish this trilogy since I'm already pretty deep in it at this point, this second chapter left me sour enough to reconsider.
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power || HBO Max
Directed by: Colin Tilly Written by: Halsey Starring: Halsey, Sasha Lane, Brian Caspe, Celebic Vuk, Marie Kaderabkova Soundtrack by: Halsey, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
As a fan of Halsey's album of the same name, I was curious about If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, an hour long film that was worthy enough to play on IMAX screens earlier this year. And no matter how these musician-led "art-films" turn out, I'm always a rooting for them. Films such as Childish Gambino's Guava Island, OutKast's Idlewild, Janelle Monae's Dirty Computer, or any of the dozens of movies put out by The Beatles. If you're a fan of the album or these types of movies, then I'd give If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power a mild recommendation.
Otherwise, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is admittedly a bit of a mess. It's a slickly edited 50 minute tour of (most of) her album - but the real showcase of the film is the impressive costuming, makeup (credited to Halsey herself), sets, and production design. The visuals are striking and dramatic, utilizing a Game of Thrones aesthetic and Halsey's real-life pregnancy into the narrative. Both the medieval setting and the pregnancy play into the feminist themes found in the album, but the storytelling within the movie struggles (and kind of fails) to bring them together into a cohesive whole.
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power isn't satisfying as a singular narrative and because of its indulgence in its storytelling, it ends up not being a great outlet for her songs either. With an album produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, there's an understandably grungy, alt-rock/pop sound echoing through many of the songs, which often feels anachronistic and off-putting when juxtaposed against the period backdrop. As an album, I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, is a compelling artistic statement from a rising star that the movie sadly never rises to meet.
Film-FTW Rating || 5 Stars - “Mediocre / Mixed Feelings”
Attack of the Hollywood Clichés! || Netflix
Directed by: Sean Doherty, Ricky Kelehar, Alice Mathias Written by: Dane Baptiste, Ben Caudell, Sean Doherty Starring: Rob Lowe, Andie MacDowell, Florence Pugh, Richard E. Grant, Nathan Rabin, Keith and Kenneth Lucas
Attack of the Hollywood Clichés! is an entertaining, one-hour "talking heads" documentary that brings in a bunch of random celebrities and movie critics to discuss the various clichés found throughout several well-known films. Though your mileage may vary with your familiarity with these screenwriting tricks - such as the "meet cute" or the "manic pixie dream girl" - the discussion around them is quick and engaging enough that I didn't mind re-learning many of them. Additionally, I think this special deserves some credit for addressing some more problematic and less comical tropes, such as the "Smurfette Principle" - if you've not heard of it, just think hard on it. You'll get what it's about.
Make no mistake though, there is a lot of fluff here too, with many celebrities popping in to just weigh in on their favorite scenes using these tricks - but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't still entertaining. Not to mention the host - the always charming, Rob Lowe. Attack of the Hollywood Clichés! is an easy recommendation if you're into thinking more critically on movies but aren't wanting to watch a deep or thorough YouTube style video analysis.
Film-FTW Rating || 6 Stars - “Better Than Average / Moderately Successful”
What We Do in the Shadows [Season 3] || FX, Hulu
Directed by: Yana Gorskaya, Kyle Newacheck, Tig Fong Written by: Paul Simms, Marika Sawyer, Sam Johnson, Stefani Robinson, and others Starring: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, Mark Proksch Score by: Mark Mothersbaugh, John Enroth, Albert Fox || Cinematography by: DJ Stipsen
FX's comedy/horror mockumentary sitcom, What We Do in the Shadows, has returned for what is quite possibly its strongest written season to date. The previous season introduced some fun new twists in the show's mythology - namely Guillermo's relationship to the legendary Van Helsings - and this season mines those twists for all their dramatic and comedic value. The chemistry between the main cast has been consistently outstanding, growing with each season, and this might be the season where everything perfectly clicks. At this point all of the characters have been fully realized, beginning to pay off relationship details that have been laid down over the last two seasons.
The most commendable thing about What We Do in the Shadows, specifically this season, is its dedication to giving great material to every single character and actor. Though many will have their favorites (and for me, this season belongs to that weirdo Colin Robinson), every single character is equally hilarious and gets interesting material to play with. Season three of What We Do in the Shadows might just be its best season yet through its continued exploration of new ideas and reinvention of the relationships between its endearing ensemble cast.
Film-FTW Rating || 8 Stars - “Great / Memorable”
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