King Kong (1933)

 

With the upcoming release of the new Godzilla vs. Kong, I thought it would be fun to revisit the past King Kong movies, starting with the classic 1933 original film. The film is a groundbreaking precursor to the sort of Blockbuster filmmaking that dominates multiplexes today. It pioneered such impressive effects work as stop motion animation, rear projections, and matte paintings to tell it's story. But does King Kong still hold up after all these years? For the most part, yes it actually does. 

Filmmaker Carl Denham (played by Robert Armstrong) is assembling a crew for his most ambitious project yet, a journey to an uncharted island that is said to be host to a horrifying monster known as Kong. He is amassed a crew of men to help with this expedition, set to depart on a steamer ship named the Venture. He's just missing a leading lady for his film. In a chance encounter, he meets the down on her luck Ann Darrow (played by Fay Wray). Promising the adventure of a lifetime, he convinces her to join them on their expedition. The journey to the island is largely uneventful, as Ann meets the ship's first mate Jack Driscoll (played by Bruce Cabot) and sparks begin to fly between the two. Upon their arrival on the island, they discover a village built outside a huge stone wall with two large wooden doors, securely locked with a large bolt. The villagers are engaged in a ritual for a woman designated as the "Bride of Kong". The Chief of the tribe is enraged that Denham and his crew has interrupted their ritual, but upon seeing Ann offers to trade six of his women for her to offer her up to Kong instead. Naturally Denham refuses and they leave, returning to the Venture, anchored just offshore. However, that night the villagers sneak aboard the boat and kidnap Ann. She is taken back to the island and past the large wooden gates to be tied up to two posts. Soon enough, the giant ape Kong makes his grand entrance, terrifying Ann. Of course, Kong unties her and takes her back into the jungle with him. Realizing Ann is missing, Carl, Jack and the rest of the crew leave the boat and follow in hot pursuit, setting in motion a series of events that will culminate with Kong being taken back to America and the famous final showdown atop the Empire State Building. 

As the story goes, the story of King Kong was born out of director Merian C. Cooper's lifelong fascination with Gorillas. He fashioned the original story, imagining adventurers encountering a mammoth gorilla and even imagining the climax at the Empire State Building in New York. Cooper collaborated on the final script first with James Ashmore Creelman and later Horace McCoy and Ruth Rose. For the required effects to bring Kong to life, they turned to famed stop motion animator Willis O'Brien, mixed with animatronics and puppetry of Kong's head, shoulders and chest, as well as right arm where he would be holding on to Fay Wray. The combined effects work was groundbreaking for it's time and even though they have certainly aged in the digital age, there is still something compelling about the effects work. The story itself remains timeless and thrilling as ever. However, the portrayal of certain characters such as the villagers and an Asian crewmember known as Charlie (played by Victor Wong) that have perhaps not aged as well. Of course, the film's depictions of the various prehistoric creatures the characters encounter on the island are laughably inconsistent with how they are believed to be today, especially as both a Stegosaurus and a Brontosaurus attempt at different points to devour the characters. 

Fay Wray has always been synonymous with King Kong as she established herself as one of cinema's preeminent Scream Queens and it was a well earned title as that is pretty much all she does once she meets Kong during her time on the Island. It does get a bit repetitious as the film goes on. Kong sets Ann down to do something, a dangerous creature shows up (a T. Rex, a giant snake, a Pterodactyl), Ann screams, Kong drops everything and comes fight the beast to rescue her. She is the definition of damsel in distress in this film, but in the beginning part of the film as we get to know her, Wray does give Ann a certain plucky ambition that certainly helps get the audience on her side. Robert Armstrong gives filmmaker Carl Denham as sort of reckless ambition that makes his character a bit more interesting. He just wants to travel to the island to make his documentary film, but seems curiously unconcerned with the people who get hurt in the process or even the people who get hurt or killed once Kong breaks free in New York. Bruce Cabot does reasonably well as stalwart hero Jack Driscoll, unafraid to run into the jungle alone to rescue Ann if he has to. He doesn't really have much chemistry with Fay Wray and their romance seems a bit shoehorned in by the studio (because it was). Still, it's a minor element of the film.         

Still, after all the years, the original King Kong still holds up despite the more dated aspects, as a genuinely thrilling adventure film. As I settle into the film and get used to the effects work and get used to their unique charms, I find myself getting pulled into the story. Where the incredible animation for Kong actually works and I find myself feeling genuine emotion as he fights the various Skull Island monsters, or the Bi-Planes atop the Empire State Building. It all still works as long as you allow yourself to go along with it. It's a film I still enjoy watching both to appreciate the ingenuity of the effects as well as the filmmaking itself.       

Coming 2 America

 

When I first heard they were making a sequel to Coming to America, I was both intrigued and had some trepidation. Comedy sequels are notoriously hard to pull off and far more turn out to be bad then good. I have to say that I was relieved to discover that Coming 2 America is a solidly entertaining follow-up. 

Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy) has been living happily in Zamunda for the past 30 years with his wife Lisa (played by Shari Headley) and his daughters Meeka (played by Kiki Layne), Omma (played by Bella Murphy), and Tinashe (played by Akiley Love). However, his father King Jaffee (played by James Earl Jones) is ailing and informs his that according to Zamunda tradition, he must have a male heir to inherit the throne after him. It turns out that he is revealed he did indeed sire a son during his first trip to America. In an amusing bit of retconning, It turns out that on their first night in there, Semmi (played by Arsenio Hall) picked up a couple of ladies to take back to their apartment. Akeem wound up spending the night with one of the ladies, Mary (played by Leslie Jones). The reason he did not remember the encounter was they partook in some of Mary's "ceremonial herb" that night. Seeing no other choice, Akeem and Semmi travel back to America to find his son. He is quickly able to locate him thanks to their old friends in the local barbershop (once again played by Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall). Akeem soon finds his son, Lavelle (played by Jermaine Fowler), outside Madison Square Garden working as a ticket scalper. After an awkward reunion with Mary, soon Lavelle, Mary and Lavelle's uncle Reem (played by Tracey Morgan) are flying back to Zamunda. However, Lavelle's arrival in Zamunda raises certain tensions not only with Akeem's own family, but with General Izzi (played by Wesley Snipes), the leader of the neighboring county, Nextdori (get it?). General Izzi proposes a union between the two nations, with Izzi's daughter Bopoto (played by Teyana Taylor) marrying Lavelle, which Lavelle agrees to. However, upon meeting and getting to know the Royal Groomer Mirembe (played by Nomzamo Mbatha), he begins to regret that decision as he starts falling for her.   

The film was directed by Craig Brewer from a script by Kenya Barris, Barry Blaustein, and David Sheffield. The result is a reasonably amusing follow-up to the original film. The filmmakers do a good job re-capturing the spirit of the original film remarkably well while marking the passage of time. There are some callbacks to the more memorable parts of the original film, such as the aforementioned revisit to the barbershop in Queens or the Zamunda Royal Bathing traditions (which actually gets two callbacks!). I appreciated for this film they flipped the script a bit with very little time actually being spent in America and much of the film focusing on Akeem getting to know his son, as well as his son adapting to life in Zamunda. Plenty of humor is derived from Lavelle discovering he has to pass certain trials in order to officially become a Zamunda Prince, including retrieving a whisker from a napping lion, that has his understandably nervous. I also appreciated that they didn't have Lisa and Mary butting heads the whole movie, but rather actually bond and become friends. I also have to give a special shout-out to Ruth Carter for the absolutely gorgeous costume work in this film. While the first film had it's share of beautiful costumes, this film really turns it up to eleven. 

The film does reunites pretty much the entire cast of the original film with a few exceptions. Eddie Murphy more or less picks up where he left off with Prince Akeem, capturing the character's same warmth, while also bringing him up to date adding age and some wisdom to the character. Arsenio Hall also manages to recapture the role of Semmi quite well after all these years. And of course Murphy and Hall once again play multiple roles in the film, impressively recapturing each one from the guys in the Barbershop onward. I watched these two films more or less back to back and it really is pretty seamless, only with more gray hairs. Arsenio Hall also briefly appears as Semmi's father and is quite amusing in that role as well. It's nice to get to see how well Lisa has taken to life as a Princess since the original film ended with their wedding and Shari Headley captures her character's growth and now ease in the role quite well. She also has great chemistry with Leslie Jones as the two bond and become fast friends, being two gals from the same neighborhood. Speaking of which, Leslie Jones manages to steal every scene she's in with a hilarious performance. Then again I am a Leslie Jones fan, so one's mileage may vary. Jermaine Fowler does well as Lavelle, even as his plot begins to veer into a bit of a rehash of the original film he handles it well and has decent romantic chemistry with Nomzamo Mbatha as well. Likewise, Mbatha does well in her role as well as her burgeoning romance with Lavelle grows over the second half of the movie. Wesley Snipes has an amusing supporting role as General Izzi, doing everything but literally chewing the scenery and honestly may be one of the best parts of the movie. The film also has a few very fun cameos throughout it's runtime that I would definitely hate to spoil.

Overall, Coming 2 America is a worthy follow-up to the classic original film. The filmmakers did a good job recapturing the spirit of the original film. Is it as good as the original film? No, of course not. Sequels rarely are. But this new film is a still a lot of fun and made with a lot of care and heart. It's a lot of fun to watch, even as it rehashes certain plot points and gags. Yes, at a certain point is was clearly obvious where the movie was going but the funny this is I didn't care.

Coming to Amercia

One of Eddie Murphy's most popular and endearing comedies was without question Coming to America, which at is a surprisingly sweet and wholesome tale of a Prince looking for a woman who would love him for who he was and not his position. With plenty of good natured humor and a stellar cast, it's easy to see why this movie remains popular, eventually gaining a belated sequel, the newly released Coming 2 America. 

Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy) has led a privileged and sheltered life. He has servants to help him with everything, including bathing and even brushing his teeth. Everywhere he goes in the palace he is preceded by three women covering his path with rose petals. But Akeem has grown weary of all the pampering and wishes he could just do things for himself. The final straw comes when he meets his future bride, who has been brought up to obey his every command. When he tries to get to know her, her response to every question is she likes whatever he likes. Akeem decides to take action and informs his parents, King Jaffe (played by James Earl Jones) and Queen Aoleon (played by Madge Sinclair) that he and his best friend/personal aide Semmi (played by Arsenio Hall) are going traveling. Akeem wants to find an independent woman who won't be afraid to express her own views and who will challenge him. When looking over the map of America trying to decide where to go to find an appropriate future Queen they settle on, of course, Queens, New York. After their initial dating attempts fail spectacularly, Akeem meets Lisa McDowell (played by Shari Headley) at a local fundraising rally to help the inner city. In an effort to get to know her better, he and Semmi get entry level jobs at the restaurant her father, Cleo (played by John Amos), owns. There is a wrinkle though in that Lisa is currently dating the rather self absorbed Darryl (played by Eric La Salle), who is the heir to the Soul Glo company, which sells Jheri Curl hairstyling products and who her father really likes as well. 

The film was directed by John Landis from a script by David Sheffield and Barry Blaustein based on a story by Eddie Murphy. The film does strike an interesting balance because the story itself is actually rather wholesome yet it also is an R rated comedy, with much of the humor coming from language and nudity. Still, the film works quite well with plenty of warm humor, much of it derived from seeing Akeem and Semmi trying to blend into Queens, posing a poor college students and trying to hide their affluence, much to Semmi's chagrin as he is less than thrilled with their low class accommodations. I appreciated the production design of the film as well and the way they contrasted Akeem and Semmi's homeland of Zamunda with New York. We see the palace and grounds are populated by warm colors and a lot of green but when they get to New York they are greeted by a lot of snow and grime. It just accentuates the fish out of water scenario they find themselves in that much more. I also have to show appreciation for the film's very unique and fantastic score by Niles Rodgers.

Eddie Murphy shows a different side of himself playing Prince Akeem, who he fills with a warm generosity and kindness that makes his character very endearing. It's a refreshing break from the slick, quick-witted characters he was known for playing up until this. However, he does play three other characters in the film that allow him to sillier side, showing up under varying degrees of make up as Clarence, the owner of the local barber shop, Randy Watson, a Soul singer in a band called Sexual Chocolate and Clarence, an older Jewish gentleman who frequents the aforementioned barber shop. Arsenio Hall gets to be a bit goofier as Semmi as he tries to be there to support his lifelong friend but is less enthused about Akeem's plan, perfectly comfortable with more posh life back home. It is clear that Hall is having fun with the role though. Like Murphy, he also shows up in three other roles playing a local Reverend, Morris the barber, and an Extremely Unattractive Girl that is an early romantic prospect that Akeem and Semmi meet in a bar. James Earl Jones has an amusing turn as King Jaffe, who is a slave to tradition but at the same time wants what is best for his son. Likewise, Madge Sinclair is great as Queen Aoleon, who often has to talk sense into her husband. It's no wonder that they Jones and Sinclair were cast as Mufasa and Sarabi in The Lion King six years later (and even more amusing, during one viewing a friend noticed the lion skin sash King Jaffe wears at one point and remarked, "Is he wearing Mufasa?" and I think of that every time I watch it now. John Amos makes an great counterpoint as Cleo, who is very much a self-made man with his restaurant (even though it's a running gag that he's basically copying McDonalds). He also clearly loves his daughter and wants the best for her, which is his primary motivation for pushing her to be with the more well off Daryl because he doesn't want her to struggle like he did when he was younger. Shari Headley is great as Lisa and has some genuine chemistry with Murphy, which makes their scenes together a lot of fun to watch. She gives Lisa a real strong, independent spirit that makes it clear why Akeem would fall for her. The film also features early appearances by the likes of Louie Anderson, Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr. There is also an amusing cameo by Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy, reprising their roles as Mortimer and Randolph Duke from Trading Places now two homeless men that Akeem and Lisa encounter at one point (in case you were wondering why I reviewed Trading Places first). 

Coming to America is an endearing and funny comedy that has stood the test of time, remaining just as beloved now as it was then. If anything, it's popularity has only become more apparent as time has gone by. When Black Panther was released back in 2018, several people attending opening night screenings dressed up as Zamunda royalty, which I thought was very cool (you can find pictures online). But it's easy to see why this movie endures. It is a fun romantic comedy that has a certain charm to it that is hard to resist. It's certainly been a favorite of mine over the many years.      

Trading Places

How does one begin to talk about the classic Dan Aykroyd-Eddie Murphy 1983 comedy Trading Places? In some respects, it's still a rather relevant film, considering it being frequently referenced with the very recent events with the GameStop stocks reminding people of certain plot points in this film. It's also a very well written and smart comedy looking at social classes. At the same time, there are also certain elements that, when viewed through a contemporary lens, are very problematic that some viewers may struggle with.   

Louis Winthorpe III (played by Dan Aykroyd) is a stuffy Upper Class Commodities Broker who works for a firm run by Randolph and Mortimer Duke (played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche). When he crosses paths with homeless con man Billy Ray Valentine (played by Eddie Murphy) one fateful morning and mistakes Valentine for a mugger, a scuffle ensues that results in Valentine getting arrested. This incident also inspires a bet between Randolph and Mortimer. The bet is that if Winthorpe were to lose his position in society, he would turn to crime just as easily as Valentine has. Likewise, if Valentine were to be given a job in their firm and comfortable place to live, he would become just as respectable as Winthorpe. They set about to systematically dismantle Winthorpe's life, framing him as a thief and drug dealer to ensure his friends all turn their backs on him and get his accounts frozen after embezzlement charges are leveled against him as well. They also bail Valentine out of jail and set him up with a job at their firm and set him up in a nice new home, which was Winthorpe's house along with Winthorpe's butler, Coleman (played by Denholm Elliott). In a meltdown of dispair, Winthorpe finds some help from Ophelia (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), a prostitute that was hired by the Duke's stooge Clarence Beeks (played by Paul Gleason) to help set up Winthorpe. She allows him to stay in her apartment and agrees to help him get back on his feet but expects him to repay her once he is exonerated. Meanwhile, Valentine proves to be quite adept at the Commodities exchange using his well honed street smarts to correctly anticipate if the prices will go up or down. But it's only a matter of time before Winthorpe and Valentine discover the Dukes are behind their sudden change of fortune - and what they intend to do once their bet is resolved. 

The film was directed by John Landis from a script by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod. The three of them do craft a very entertaining comedy of rags to riches with a counterpoint of riches to rags while crafting two interesting character arcs for both Winthrope and Valentine in the process. They do a solid job setting up the plot so that it is reasonably plausible that Winthorpe's entire social group would turn their backs on him, framing him as a thief, embezzler and heroin PCP Angel Dust dealer to ensure they all look down on him completely. Likewise, they give the Duke Brothers enough credibility that when they bring Valentine into the fold he's accepted almost immediately. Although, it helps that it turns out Valentine is a natural at Commodities and since his tips yield wealth, it would make sense why he becomes popular since he can make them wealthier in the process, which would certainly fit with the film's decidedly satirical theme. I also have to give the filmmakers credit for not dumbing down the climax of the film at the Commodities exchange and trusting that the audience with at least get the gist of what was happening (although there are videos on YouTube that helpfully explain things in greater detail for those who want further clarification). However, there are some elements to the film that maybe have not aged too well. The N-word is thrown around several times in the film, although only to show the bigotry of certain characters, but figured it was worth mentioning. There is also a sequence where Winthorpe disguises himself as a Rastafarian complete with blackface that will certainly have some viewers cringing (even though part of the joke is how bad and unconvincing of a disguise it is). I was still able to enjoy the movie despite these elements but it is definitely something where the viewers mileage may vary.  

This film has a fantastic cast and the three main stars of the film were all in a transitional point in their careers. Eddie Murphy was still in the process of transitioning from Saturday Night Live to feature films with only the film 48 Hours under his belt so far. Dan Aykroyd was similarly having to prove he could carry a film with someone else after the then recent passing of frequent comedy partner John Belushi. Jamie Lee Curtis was coming off a string of horror films that had dubbed her the "Scream Queen" and eager to move on to other types of roles, fearing she would be typecast otherwise. Eddie Murphy is great here, playing with his quick-witted personality that he would hone even further the following year as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop. Still, he does a great job capturing Valentine's arc as he goes from the quick-witted con-man at the start and sees her personality change once he's brought into the Dukes world and given a job, a nice house, and respect. Eddie captures this transition perfectly in the film when he invites a bunch of people from his old neighborhood back to his house for a party and when he sees how much they are disrespecting him and his house proceeds to kick everyone out. Dan Aykroyd similarly has a lot of fun with his role, starting out the film as the fussy and uptight Winthrop only for his character to fall from his lofty position until he completely hits rock bottom. Jamie Lee Curtis shows she was equally adept at comedy as she was with horror in this film as the intelligent and driven Ophelia who has some very unique ideas on her chosen profession. Likewise, Denholm Elliott makes the most of his supporting role as Coleman, Louis' butler, who is forced to go along with the Duke Brother's bet as apparently he is their employee rather that Louis'. He has a great moment when Louis first returns to his house and Coleman has to pretend not to know him. It's such a small moment, Elliott really conveys the regret he feels having to do that.   

Overall, despite the film's more problematic elements, Trading Places has remained a comedy classic since it first premiered and remained a cultural touchstone all these years later. It has even inspired rules to be implemented on Wall Street to prevent certain events in the film from playing out in real life (see: The Eddie Murphy Rule). If you ask me, that's a pretty cool distinction.

Willy's Wonderland

A few years back, there was a unique horror game that hit the market called Five Nights at Freddy's, where you played as a night security guard at a Chuck E. Cheese style restaurant who has to survive the night pitted against the restaurant's animatronic characters who turn sentient and homicidal at night. Willy's Wonderland has a similar premise but adds in the ever dependable quirkiness of Nicolas Cage to the madness. 

A drifter known only as The Janitor (played by Nicolas Cage) is travelling when his car hits some spikes in the road, popping his tires and forcing him off the road. Soon, a tow truck arrives and gives him a tow into town. To get him back on the road, owner Tex Macadoo (played by Ric Reitz), offers to pay for the repairs to his car if he spends the night cleaning the local run down restaurant, Willy's Wonderland. Meanwhile, a local teen, Liz (played by Emily Tosta) is headed to Willy's with her friends with one intention: to burn it to the ground. The reason, as The Janitor soon discovers, is the animatronic characters housed within the restaurant are possessed and very homicidal. Upon arriving, Liz and her friends Chris (played by Kai Kadlec), Kathy (played by Caylee Cowan), Bob (played by Terayle Hill), Aaron (played by Christian Del Grosso) and Dan (played by Jonathan Mercedes) discover The Janitor is already inside and Liz finds a way in through the air vents to get him out before they torch the place. When she doesn't return, her friends soon follow and all find themselves similarly trapped in the restaurant (Tex locked and chained the doors shut and the windows are boarded up). On the upside though, The Janitor is a surprisingly good fighter and proves quite adept at taking out the murderous animatronic monsters. But will he be able to keep them safe until they can all find a way out of there safely? 

The film was written and directed by G.O Parsons, who finds the right balance between the utter lunacy of the concept and playing the material straight. The film has a very basic and straight forward plot that makes the film easy enough to enjoy. It certainly has all the usual horror movie tropes, sometimes to an eye-rolling degree, including the horny couple who decide the site of multiple mass murders and allegedly haunted is the perfect place to go at it with predictable results. Once all the characters are in the restaurant though, the film does stumble a bit as it falls into routine stalk and slash thrills as animatronic characters start offing the characters. Still, the film does tap into the inherent creepiness of those Chuck E. Cheese animatronic characters quite well and anyone who remembers them can take a certain amount of cathartic glee in watching Cage battle them one by one and then proceed to bag up the dismantled remains into large plastic bags and stack them by the entrance.

Nicolas Cage carries this film as the enigmatic main character known only as The Janitor. We really don't learn anything about the character aside from what the film shows us during the run time. Still, this is the perfect role for Cage who gives the quirky role his all. The Janitor doesn't utter a single line of dialogue for the entire film. In fact, aside from some screams as he attacks and dismantles the animatronic monstrosities, he is completely silent the entire movie. The character also adheres to a strict schedule throughout, taking regular breaks of playing an old pinball machine he finds in the kitchen while pounding energy drinks throughout the night. He crafts an interesting and quirky character who is unlike any other horror movie hero I have seen. The character is such a mystery but yet somehow Cage makes him compelling and interesting. Emily Tosta gives a decent performance as Liz and gets more interesting as the story goes on and the film reveals the connection both her and her guardian, Sheriff Lund (played by Beth Grant), have to Willy's Wonderland. Beth Grant also turns in a good performance as Sheriff Lund, adding a layer of moral conflict to her character as more is revealed about her character as well. 

Willy's Wonderland is a fun movie that certainly doesn't demand a lot from it's audience. It's the type of movie that would play well late at night, chilling on the couch with a cold drink when you're in the mood for some mindless, oddball fun. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I have a feeling this movie might grow into the type of cult film that many of Nicolas Cage's other films already have become. All you have to do is watch the trailer and you'll know right away if this is your kind of movie or not. For me, it definitely was.               

Run Hide Fight

 

The particular film I am writing about in this review I didn't even know existed until I saw an online review on YouTube done by Brad Jones and Rob Walker as part of Jones' ongoing "Midnight Screenings" review series. Intrigued, I sought out a trailer for the film and was frankly flabbergasted by what the film turned out to be. A Die Hard rip-off set during an active shooter situation in a high school. I immediately had two very conflicting feelings: 1. This seems really tasteless and 2. I kind of wanted to see it. The distribution model for this movie is really interesting too, it's only available through The Daily Wire website to their subscribers. Not really wanting to give The Daily Wire money, I was able to procure a copy to watch through other means. What unfolded was the slice of B-movie exploitation filmmaking I was expecting and one with some very curious and problematic storytelling choices at that. 

Zoe Hull (played by Isabel May) lives with her father, Todd (played by Thomas Jane), and is trying to recover from the death of her mother, Jennifer (played by Radha Mitchell). The film opens with the two of them going deer hunting together, apparently before school, in a scene that is obviously foreshadowing what is to come. The beginning of the film is loaded with exposition as the pieces are put into place for the action to kick off. Zoe and her best fried Lewis (played by Olly Sholotan), witness a fellow student dragging some thing from his white van into a field as they drive to school. A short time later, during their lunch period, that same van is driven straight into the cafeteria and we are introduced to our villains, led by the aforementioned student, Tristan (played by Eli Brown). The three other shooters are Kip (played by Cyrus Arnold), Chris (played by Britton Sear) and Chris' sister Anna (played by Catherine Davis). Tristan, Kip and Chris open fire on several classmates and take the remainder hostage, forcing the students to livestream the carnage. Meanwhile, Anna uses a set of keys to the school to disable the phone and fire alarm systems. During all of this, Zoe is in the nearby bathroom with the chaos somehow drowned out by a hand dryer. Once she does realize what is happening, she is able to narrowly avoid detection by hiding in the drop ceiling and making her way over the heating vents to the kitchen and eventually out of the school. Once outside, she realizes it's up to her to get her fellow students to safety and call for help. She goes back into the school and sets about trying to clear path for all the other classes to get out safely (because somehow they've remained oblivious to what is going on in the school), and in the process forced to take out each of the shooters one at a time.

In the pantheon of Die Hard clones, the concept of Die Hard at a school is nothing new. The Sean Astin/Wil Wheaton/Keith Coogan starring Toy Soldiers is probably the best of the bunch. What this movie does though is apply that scenario to the very real and very disturbing trend of school shootings with some decidedly trashy results. Kyle Rankin directs the film with a certain amount of skill and executes the action sequences reasonably well. From a storytelling perspective the film does make some curious choices with a rather underwritten script written by the film's director. The film has several moments where it might be going a bit deeper and make actual points on active shooter scenarios, such as with inane school protocols or unarmed school security guards only to unceremoniously drop them and go the other way. This is particularly surprising since this is the first film distributed by the Conservative News Site The Daily Wire. The film also spouts several right-wing catch phrases, but assigns the majority of them to the main villain Tristan, such as him shouting mockingly "Trigger Warning" and laughing after blowing away another student or remarking, "I guess it is easy to build a wall." after forcing the students to barricade the windows and hole in the wall of the cafeteria with the lunch tables. Again, considering where this film is coming from, it makes for a surprising bit of mixed messaging. On top of that, the film is set on Senior Prank Day, so Zoe has to repeatedly insist this isn't a prank and there really is an active shooter scenario playing out to every class she encounters until the bombs start going off and the school actually goes into lockdown. It also leads to a memorable sequence where Zoe has to fight off one of the shooters in a teacher's lounge filled with balloons. It's possibly the most unintentionally hilarious fight scene since Jean Claude Van Damme fought a terrorist disguised as Pittsburgh Penguins mascot Iceburgh in Sudden Death. 

The acting in the film is actually pretty solid. Isabel May is impressive as the resourceful and determined Zoe. She really does a fantastic job conveying her character's struggles as well as her strength and intelligence as she deals with the unfolding crisis before her. Eli Brown swings for the fences in his rather over the top role as main villain Tristan, cribbing heavily from the the likes of Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber from Die Hard and John Malkovich's Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom from Con Air and for the most part succeeds with what he's given in a woefully underwritten part. The problem is the film never really gives the villains a motive for their actions. All four of them are presented as misfits and bullying is vaguely referenced too, but the why they decide to turn their school into a war zone is never particularly elaborated on, which is frustrating as a viewer. Thomas Jane gets a couple good moments in the film in a supporting role as Zoe's Dad including a pretty cool moment when, growing frustrated with the police's inaction, grabs his hunting rifle and helps his daughter himself from a sniper perch outside the school. Treat Williams turns up as the local Sheriff who takes control of the Police action outside the school and does reasonably well with what he's given by the film's script, and actually is a reasonably competent lawman, which is something of a rarity for movies like this. Radha Mitchell, in one of the film's more curious narrative choices, appears at various points throughout the film to Zoe as her mother's helpful ghost encouraging and helping her daughter along through the ordeal. Whether she is an actual ghost or just Zoe's imagination is left up to the viewer to decide.   

Overall, Run Hide Fight, which takes it's title from the directions students are given on how to respond to an active shooter scenario, is probably not worth getting too up in arms about. Yes, the set up for this movie is pretty tacky and tasteless, but it is also such a shallow affair that there is very little beyond that to get upset about. Sure, there is plenty of shocking violence and a very unpleasant scene where Tristan forces a female teacher to disrobe for his own amusement, but at the same time it's all pretty standard action thriller nastiness. Against the backdrop of the very real current trend of school violence, the film feels all the more pointless as it really doesn't seem interested in taking any sort of position or make any sort of point on the subject matter at hand which makes for a decidedly cynical and nihilistic viewing experience. I suppose one can gleam a certain degree of perverse enjoyment in seeing a capable heroine take out a group of narcissistic teenage psychos, but seeing this sort of thing play out far more tragically and far too frequently on the evening news doesn't really lend itself to popcorn entertainment either.                

Bill and Ted Face the Music

 

It's been 29 years since we last saw Bill and Ted but we finally catch up with them after all this time as our titular heroes finally face having to write the song that is supposed to unite all of existence. With a return of a very game Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, how does this belated sequel stack up? I'm happy to report that is was most excellent.

Bill S. Preston, Esquire (played by Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (played by Keanu Reeves) have spent the time since we last saw them exhaustively trying to create the song that will unite the world with no apparent success. As a result, their fame as Wyld Stallyns has waned significantly from when we saw them last at the end of Bogus Journey. They have now basically been reduced to playing weddings and open mic nights. Just as they reach their lowest point as Ted is about to quit the band, they are visited by Kelly (played by Kristen Schaal), Rufus's daughter. She transports them to the distant future where they are informed by Kelly's mother, The Great Leader (played by Holland Taylor), that the duo that the time has come to create the song that will unite all of existence or else all of time and space will unravel in less than 7 hours. Facing the biggest case of writer's block ever, Bill and Ted make the inspired choice to steal the old time booth time machine and travel into their future when they've already written the song and just steal it from themselves. Meanwhile, The Great Leader is not convinced that Bill and Ted are destined to save the universe and sends a robot sentry to go after them and assassinate them, in accordance with an alternative interpretation of their historical documents. When Kelly returns to the past to warn them, she instead finds Bill and Ted's daughters, Thea (played by Samara Weaving) and Billie (played by Brigette Lundy-Paine). Billie and Thea decide to borrow Kelly's time machine to travel back in time to gather some of the greatest musicians of all time, including Jimi Hendrix (played by Dazmann Still) and Louis Armstrong (played by Jeremiah Craft), to assist their fathers when they get back with the song. 

Dean Parisot directed the film from a script from series mainstays Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. Despite it being 29 years later, they do an impressive job of recapturing the same good-natured sweetness and innocence of the characters Bill and Ted, as well as the tone of the first two films. This does feel like a genuine progression of these two characters that we have followed all these years. Yet, Bill and Ted are older now and you get a sense they are tired, wearing out under the pressure knowing they are destined to create this great song that is supposed to unite the universe. The film does come up with plenty of unique and fun set pieces to keep things fresh without retreading too much familiar material, especially as Bill and Ted meet their various future selves throughout time that seem to be worse and worse off with each meeting. For a movie that has several plot lines in motion, it keeps a brisk pace which lends a certain energy to the film. The film also manages to work in a brief but touching tribute to the late George Carlin that was a nice touch.

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves do an excellent job recapturing their characters, while also adding additional layers as they are now at middle age. Their characters have been such close friends for much of their lives and it becomes clear just how close they are. They even attend couples therapy with their wives at one point...together. There has always been a sweetness and innocence to these characters beyond everything else that continues on wonderfully with them again in these films. No matter what else, these two mean well, which is a big part of what continues to make them such endearing characters. Added to the mix this time are their daughters, played wonderfully by Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine. Lundy-Paine in particular really feels like a chip off the old block as Ted's daughter as she captures so much of Ted's persona as well. Samara Weaving is wonderful as Thea and makes a great pair with Brigette Lundy-Paine much in the same way Alex and Keanu have been a great pair. Kristen Schaal pops up to stand in for the late George Carlin as Rufus's daughter and does a great job with the role in that hilarious Kristen Schaal way. It was great that they were able to work in William Sadler as the Grim Reaper again in a very natural and funny way as the two different plot lines converge in hell.   

Bill and Ted Face the Music is the rare belated sequel that really manages to recapture what made the first two movies great fun and brings things to a satisfying conclusion in a most non-heinous way. The film does leave things open for more adventures should the opportunity present itself, but if they left it as it is this would be a most excellent way to end the trilogy of films.