Director: Sylvain White
Writers: David Birke, Victor Surge (based on a character by)
Stars: Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Jaz Sinclair

Synopsis: In a small town in Massachusetts, a group of friends, fascinated by the internet lore of the Slender Man, attempt to prove that he doesn’t actually exist – until one of them mysteriously goes missing.

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In an era of horror movies like The Witch, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and, most recently, Hereditary, I didn’t walk into Slender Man expecting it to be anything other than a cheap thrill (it’s a far cry from an A24 release, after all). I figured it would be a throwback teen slasher in the vein of Friday the 13th or Halloween, but with a modern mythos twist. Unfortunately, this movie doesn’t even meet my very low, very basic expectations of what a lowbrow horror movie should be. It is not fun. It is not interesting. And it definitely isn’t scary.

It’s hard to talk about Slender Man in any kind of critical or analytical fashion because nothing really happens and the characters are so flat that if you look at them wrong, you don’t even really notice they’re there. Nothing anyone does makes much sense and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that about half the movie is some type of hallucination or dream so it doesn’t really matter what anyone does anyway. And all of this could still make for an enjoyable movie if it paid homage to the 80s teen horror movies to come before it, but it doesn’t really do that, either. It keeps a few basic cliches, like a group of teens summoning evil purposely on accident, but loses sight of why the 80s teen horror movies were popular to begin with. A good horror film plays up social fears and anxieties in interesting and often disturbing ways, and with a movie interpreting a modern Boogie Man myth, Slender Man has plenty of opportunity to symbolize modern teenage fears. Instead, the filmmakers just threw in a few blatant teen pregnancy mentions in the mix and called it a day.

Throughout Slender Man, I kind of found myself looking forward to seeing these interchangeable, unlikable, stupid, stupid teenagers get eviscerated, but even that never comes. Characters just kind of drop out of the story from time to time. I know this movie was watered down pretty significantly to go from an R rating to a PG-13 rating and, honestly, I can’t even figure out what scenes were changed. If it wasn’t for the scenes of teen drinking and a few curse words, this movie practically could have been PG. There was a kid in my theater who couldn’t have been more than eight years old and I was prepared to be pretty judgey about that but by the end of the movie, I shrugged it off and thought to myself, “He’s fine.” In fact, even he seemed underwhelmed. As I left the theater, I saw him shrug and tell his older siblings, “That was kind of a weird movie, I guess.” If the filmmakers really wanted to focus on making a PG-13 horror movie, I think it would have served them well to splice as much found footage-type scenes in as possible and make the movie more about the teenagers trying to piece together the clues to find and defeat the Slender Man rather than making the teenagers purely the object of the pursuit. But I suppose that approach would paint the internet as a positive resource and heaven forbid that be the case. The internet is an evil, evil thing, after all.

If I had to guess at this movie’s inspirations, I would say that someone read the Slender Man Wikipedia page, watched all of Darren Aronofsky’s movies, and spent a lot of time thinking about but not actually re-watching The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He then told his location scout, “Find me the X-Filiest forest you find. And pump that fog in good!” He then turned to his cinematographer and said, “I want ALL the SnoriCam.” The end result is this movie. To be fair, the cinematography and the locations are its strongest points by far but they’re so reminiscent of things from the 90s like The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Aronofsky’s earlier films that I’d much rather just go watch those things and remember when they were original than subject myself to this derivative, nonsensical swirl of fog and forest and SnoriCam.

I don’t like giving negative reviews and I usually try to identify an audience that might like a movie even if I did not. But this is honestly not a movie anyone should see. I was consistently bored throughout. Most people were laughing in the theater. The eight-year-old kid was unimpressed, for crying out loud. I can’t think of anyone who would like this movie…maybe someone who has never seen a horror movie before?

Overall Grade: D+

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Director: Jon Turteltaub
Writers: Dean Georgaris, John Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Steve Alten (based on the novel by)
Stars: Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Rainn Wilson, Cliff Curtis, Ruby Rose

Synopsis: A team of scientists encounter a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark, Megalodon, while exploring the depths of the Mariana Trench. They must work to stop it from reaching populated areas in this man vs monster action thriller.

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Killer shark movies have been a staple in Hollywood since the huge success of Jaws in 1975. There have been attempts at serious films, and tons of straight to TV, Syfy channel, or cheesy B-movies. I am a huge fan of all of types. When I first saw a trailer for The Meg, I immediately had high hopes for the film, and prayed to the movie gods and Jon Turteltaub to not let me down.

This is Turteltaub’s first big movie since Last Vegas (2013), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010), and the National Treasure films in 2004 and 2007. In interviews he’s stated he’s happy with the film and his main goal was to make a strictly “fun” movie about a giant shark. His biggest regret was having to stick to a PG-13 rating in order to reach a broader audience. Apparently he had more carnage and mayhem planned, but it was cut from the final film. Hopefully we’ll get to see it later in an extended edition or director’s cut.

The Meg focuses on a group of scientists based in a state-of-the-art facility in the Philippine Sea. Their goal is to study marine life in the Mariana Trench and determine if it’s deeper than previously documented. While exploring they encounter a giant shark, a Megalodon, which was thought to have been extinct for millions of years. After barely escaping from the ocean floor, the Meg follows them to the surface to wreak havoc on anything in its path. If you are a fan of the books (there are five, please go read them), I will warn you the movie is very different. I have read them and even though certain plot points have been changed, the movie’s modern twist to Steve Atlen’s novel is appropriate for the big screen. Many of the same events are there, just tweaked a bit, and the technology has been updated.

Jason Statham plays Jonas Taylor, an experienced deep sea rescue diver with a troubled past. I love Statham in this role. Jonas is a good balance of moody, cocky, humorous, and heroic, making him 100% tailor-made for Statham. Jonas also takes pleasure in gracefully diving off of things and swimming in dangerous waters. Statham was a professional diver for England before becoming the movie star we all know and love, so I’m betting he did many of the stunts himself. If you were unaware of this bit of trivia please make your way to YouTube and search “Jason Statham Diving”.

Bingbing Li is the female heroine of the movie. She plays Suyin, a scientist, submarine pilot, mother to the world’s most adorable kid, and daughter of the man in charge of the entire operation. If you’re not familiar with Bingbing Li, she is probably best known for her roles in Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Forbidden Kingdom. She is known for playing strong women and it suits her in The Meg. Her daughter in the movie, Meiying, is played by 10 year old Shuya Sophia Cai, who is easily the most entertaining person in the film.

I honestly liked most of the characters and the actors portraying them, save for Rainn Wilson. I don’t know why he annoys me, but it fits his character so it works. He plays the billionaire, Morris, who is funding the science station. Since he has all the money, he feels entitled to be as obnoxious as he wants, and Wilson taps into that strongly. He’s funny, but I was rooting for the shark in his case.

Other notable characters are Heller, played by Longmire’s Robert Taylor. He is the station’s doctor and has a history with Jonas. Ruby Rose plays Jaxx, the team’s edgy computer chick. Cliff Curtis is Mac who also has a history with Jonas but the film didn’t explain it (if they did I missed it.) I’m not sure what he contributed to the plot, but I like Cliff Curtis so I’m okay with the lack of character development. There’s also DJ, played by Page Kennedy, who is that guy in these types of movies who repeatedly reminds everyone “This is a bad idea”.

The shark itself was done well and appears to be almost entirely CGI. I don’t have any complaints, but I’m not an expert in prehistoric sharks. The only special effects that bothered me were in some of the underwater scenes, especially the deep sea diving. It was reminiscent of one of those 3D or IMAX underwater adventure movies they show at museums and aquariums. I was also getting major flashbacks to the underwater chase scene in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (1999). It didn’t help that the “glider” type submarines looked vaguely similar to a Naboo Starfighter. One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard so far is that there wasn’t enough blood and gore for a shark movie and that it would have been much better overall with an R rating.

Other positives include the music – Harry Gregson-Williams score was great, appropriately tense and epic when needed. The Meg takes out some shark fin poachers, so there’s poetic justice there. Don’t worry, that’s not a real spoiler, it has nothing to do with the big-picture plot, I just like that they threw it in the movie. This was also the first time in recent film and/or TV history that proper medical procedures have been followed when someone is impaled with an object, like a tree branch or screwdriver. You don’t yank it out, you leave it in and stabilize it until you can get medical attention. So kudos to the writer or consultant responsible for that.

The film pays homage to Jaws a couple times without blatantly trying to be Jaws. I thought that was a nice touch for shark movie fans to try and spot. The adorable little Yorkie seen swimming in the trailers is named Pippin, you hear the owner call its name clearly, several times. The dog playing fetch on the beach in Jaws was also named Pippin. The Meg features a beach scene where a boy argues with his mom about going in the water. When the shark chaos starts, the mom frantically searches for her son, yelling his name, and this is reminiscent of the first beach scene in Jaws with Mrs. Kintner and Alex. I believe both moms are even wearing the same yellow floppy hat. There is also a nod to a more recent movie. I won’t spoil it, but if you listen and pay attention to Jason Statham when he’s in the water, you might hear him quote a certain animated film.

There are many encounters with the Meg – an epic shark diving cage scene being one of my favorites- but the final showdown is fantastic. It’s full of ridiculous summer blockbuster action and everything I needed in a Jason Statham vs giant shark showdown. It’s, of course, absurd in every way possible, but it’s fun. Also for fans of puns, please stay until the end credits start.

It’s clear from the start that The Meg isn’t trying to win an Oscar for Best Picture, and it’s not promising to be 100% scientifically accurate. This movie is purely meant to entertain and it does. It’s exciting, intense, had just the right amount of humor, and an added bonus – you get to see Jason Statham’s abs! Thanks Jon Turteltaub, you never let me down.

Overall Grade: A-

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Director: Spike Lee
Writers: Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz
Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier

Synopsis: Ron Stallworth, an African-American police officer from Colorado, successfully managed to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan and became the head of the local chapter.

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Spike Lee first sent major shockwaves in to the Hollywood scene with his wickedly entrancing 1989 outing, Do the Right Thing — which happens to be just as invigorating as it is riveting and thought-provoking. This only led Lee on to a career that included most notably films like Malcolm X, and 25th Hour. Both of which are considered some of his best material to date. But where Spike Lee has solidified himself as one of, if not the greatest filmmaker of our generation is the consistently ambitious commentary and social awareness he’s inscribed in to his projects. As well as the bold political relevance and poignancy that are infused to further extend parallels that reflect back to the current state of our real world. Which is exactly what BlacKkKlansman does, by exploring a traditional quest for racial equality and balance, and examining the ideology that sprouts from everyone’s personal motives.

Ron Stallworth (Washington) is an eager, somewhat angsty young adult who’s just joined the Colorado Springs police force. Although he thinks to a certain degree very highly of himself, he’s dismissed by his captain and sheriff quite early in the film’s slow-burning exposition. After setting up a meeting with one of the higher-ups of the local Ku Klux Klan to infiltrate and prevent a race war he sees as inevitable, they send in Flip Zimmerman (Driver) as an undercover Klan member to expose any hostile actions they might be planning. Tensions are already heating up between local African-American empowerment groups and of course the KKK. But once Driver is sent in to the battlefield, the entire spectacle of the issue is fully revitalized and displayed impeccably. Stallworth also strikes up a bond and relationship with Patrice Dumas (Harrier), who happens to be a lead president for one of those groups thats pleading for and exhibiting the idea of black power and liberation. Between both of our main protagonists, we’re able to see what’s going on from both sides of the social spectrum, as opposed to just usually being a third-party.

John David Washington, who hasn’t really been in a massive amount of projects up to this point in his career, hammers the nail on the head as our main character, Ron Stallworth. He’s an extremely talented rookie actor who portrays our stubborn and restless rookie detective. Adam Driver, our other main protagonist, is of course, just as solid as always. Yet another performance he can add to his filmography that is just as admirable as the next. What I find the most rejuvenating about this duo however, is that there’s always some kind of obstacle being hurdled at them. Whether it be Stallworth or Zimmerman. Physically or mentally, they’re constantly being beat down and challenged throughout the film, giving them hardly any time or room for error. They’re always on their feet and always have to be prepared for any last minute switch of plans. Which as you can imagine, makes it hugely investing.

Even though it’s only been about roughly three years since Lee’s last full-feature length film, Chi-Raq, a project of this scale sustaining subject matter Lee absolutely dominates in is what propels this movie forward to being the quality it deserves. As Lee puts it at the beginning, this was based upon “some fo’ real, fo’ real sh*t”, which is the basis for the exceptional screenplay penned by Lee and a few others. There’s little pockets of humor sprinkled throughout the movie that can both be dark, and even kind of satirical. The few gags I’m talking about in particular take subtle shots at referencing today’s political climate, which is something alternatively hilarious I didn’t see coming. Despite this, Lee and his group of writers nearly explore the conflict between both races to its fullest extent. The supporters from each race and organization aren’t lopsided in their beliefs. It feels as though they’re both equal in terms of their passion for power through their race. Which I think is the most accomplished aspect through that observation. In a way showing that even through all of the hatred, they’re humans, just like each other. Ron Stallworth’s character development is also one of the premier things to come from this film. He’s obviously attempting to do what’s right while simultaneously bettering the lives of not just his race, but all races. But becomes tested in a situation of what’s really right. It’s all based upon perception, and through himself he needs to figure out what he has to do. Not what he needs to do, but what he has to do. Which is just an utterly brilliant character study to me.

As intuitive as BlacKkKlansman eventually ends up being as a final product, it would be difficult to truly believe that early on in the film, I wasn’t completely on board with the inclusion of everything being presented. It feels as though for the first hour or so, Lee didn’t quite establish the film that he was so passionate on curating. There hardly ever feels like there was ever any zealous or stable sense of a focus or direction pertained towards the project, and you begin to question about which path the film is going to proceed down. It left me a bit unsatisfied with the first act, since I wasn’t completely able to immerse myself in the story. However, once the agenda begins to heat up with Driver being undercover, things immediately get better. Whether it be from the perfectly executed tension, or the immensely witty yet insightful interactions between each character.

Something else that did quite bother me also takes place in that first hour or so too. Stallworth as a character, while quite enigmatic and well-received toward audiences, receives hardly any true background in to his own motivations behind the investigation he’s conducting. Early on he confronts a somewhat self-conflict undercover, but shelves those feelings to further focus on the case. While it’s showed that he doesn’t completely agree with both races philosophies, he doesn’t want his reluctance and personal biases to ruin the case. However, had this layer of Ron Stallworth been peeled back much more extensively from when it was first introduced to throughout the rest of the film, the already potent remainder of the movie could’ve contained such a bigger fulfilling conclusion. This can go for nearly every other character too. They wait so long to be dissected and fleshed out, that by the time you want to analyze their decision-making, it’s too late. Between both of our protagonists, their motivations aren’t unraveled full circle until nearly the halfway point of the film, as we see them stop dragging their feet and accept what they need, and what they’re going to do.

This issue definitely holds the least significance out of my nitpicks, but a handful of the technical aspects attached to this film aren’t exactly up to par when compared to the standards that have been set in the industry today. The component that caught my eye the most was it’s very unpolished editing. It’s a lot easier to catch as you’re watching the film, but it’s a really unbalanced put together film. The cinematography is also another really bizarre case to me. It doesn’t tread upon being awful, but there are shots here and there that’ll cut off the top of character’s heads, or even during a non-action scene the cam is noticeably shaking. I’m not sure what the decision making was behind these aspects, but I assure you I was not the biggest fan of them.

While I ultimately did have a few minor problems with BlacKkKlansman as a whole, once the halfway point of the movie kicks in, there’s no turning back. The performances are superb, as well as the remarkable screenplay. We’re fully able to get behind our protagonists personal issues and motives they have towards everyone around them as well. It’s portrayal of a time not so long ago where the abundance of loathing and potential bloodshed amongst races is both fervent and insightful. The commentary from Lee is also gripped with a damaging call to action. Let’s just say, it’s socially applicable to the real world we live in now more than you think.

Overall Grade: B+

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Hear our podcast review on Episode 286, coming soon.

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Director: Marc Forster
Writers: Alex Ross Perry, Tom McCarthy, Allison Schroeder
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Bronte Carmichael

Synopsis: A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.

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Christopher Robin is a sweeter, more coherent, less exhausting version of Steven Spielberg’s Hook. Instead of Peter Pan, the protagonist here is, you guessed it, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor). Young Christopher enjoyed years of fun and frivolity with his famous friends from the Hundred Acre Wood. However, that is all coming to and end, as his father is sending him to boarding school. Christopher will no longer be able to climb in and out of the Wood as he pleases. The film opens with a legitimately touching picnic between friends. There is an immediate understanding of the love that Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, and Roo have for Christopher Robin. In front of a beautiful sunset, there are fond speeches and an indulgent meal. Immediately, you can tell that Christopher Robin is going to be far more understated than any other Pooh story put on film. The early, and perhaps best, part of the film feels inspired far more by David Lowery’s subdued Pete’s Dragon than overblown Disney live-action adaptations like Alice and Wonderland or Beauty and the Beast. This is surely due, at least in part, to the influence of indie darling Alex Ross Perry, who wrote the film’s first draft.

There is an intimacy to the early scenes that define a world that is, at times, abandoned as the film goes on. After a montage showing us that Christopher Robin has grown up to be an uptight, work-obsessed man without his furry friends, the film loses a bit of steam. When we deal exclusively with human characters, the drama feels forced and contrived. Christopher has completely forgotten how to have fun and thinks every moment of the day should be used to better oneself. When his daughter (Bronte Carmichael) asks him to read her a story, he pulls out a textbook. When his wife (a wasted Haley Atwell) breaks out in dance, he shuts his office door in her face. Christopher works for a luggage company, focusing on company efficiency. Nearly all of the scenes showing the trials and tribulations of his job counteract the genuinely sweet moments experienced when Pooh and co. are on screen. Christopher’s work life is portrayed in a way that feels too silly to be relatable for older viewers and too mundane to be interesting for younger ones. His boss is controlling in the least-interesting ways imaginable and the objective of “cut costs by twenty percent in one weekend or your department will be terminated” is so broad that it takes away much of the narrative weight.

Christopher’s overwhelming work life forces him to skip out on a family trip to the countryside, much to the dismay of his wife and daughter. When he arrives home one day, he runs into a nearby courtyard to hide from his pesky neighbor to find his old friend, Winnie the Pooh, on the hunt for his friends, who he cannot find in the foggy Hundred Acre Wood. Unsurprisingly, this is when the story picks up steam. Pooh speaks in funny, Yoda-esque phrases (“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing everyday”) and waddles around in a constant state of honey withdrawal. Pooh is well-meaning and sincere, but his undying thirst for honey and curiosity when it comes to the new world around him provide for sweet comedy and an overall warm, fuzzy feeling.

Christopher Robin decides that he has to make sure that Pooh returns to the Wood, which means a trip to the portal by the house in the countryside where his family is staying (it makes absolutely no sense that Christopher’s character would, according to everything we have seen of him thus far, would lose basically an entire day of work for this, but sometimes it is best not to question the logic of a film starring a talking teddy bear). After a cute train ride with Pooh, Christopher returns to the Wood and helps his crop top-wearing, honey-loving friend find his friends. The design of the characters in the Wood is something that the makers of this film can hang their hat on. Without even having spoken a word, there is an attraction to them based on sheer cuteness. These versions of the characters are, no doubt, based on the characters popularized in the cartoons of the late 1980’s, which established a style that survived through the most recent Pooh theatrical film, 2011’s Winnie the Pooh.

This is driven home by the fact that Jim Cummings, who has been with the franchise since the creation of The New Adventures of Winnie Pooh in 1988, is still the voice of both Pooh and Tigger in Christopher Robin. This is in line with the vision of these live-action adaptations that have proven to be very lucrative for Disney. They are, at their best, heavily-inspired by but not completely tied down to their cartoon source material and, at their worst, insufferable nostalgia porn for 90’s kids (*cough cough* Beauty and the Beast *cough cough*). Cummings provides a sense of home for 20-to 30-somethings like me who grew up on his rendition of the two most iconic characters in the series. There was no need to make sure there was continuity when it came to the other characters, but the exclusion of Cummings would have been too much for many to handle, even if 99% of the audience wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a lineup. His Pooh is tender and sweet, his Tigger rambunctious and brazen. Cummings makes the film work as much as anyone else.

After an utterly charming and delightful period in the Hundred Acre Wood where we are more properly introduced to the likes of Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger (including a truly touching moment between Pooh and Christopher that brought tears to the eyes of both the viewers to my left and my right), Christopher returns home for a presentation to the board of his company that will decide the fate of his department. But, luckily, there is allot device that makes sure we get the motley crew of Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore sent chasing after Christopher Robin in London with the help of Christopher’s daughter. This scenario brings about the pretty great set pieces of the film that are silly, funny, and at least a little bit thrilling. Director Marc Forster presents the city as a flat, dull landscape where Pooh and his friends strikingly stand out, even with their slightly worn stitching. It is an unfortunate coincidence that the only stand out moments of the film occur when those characters are involved. The ending of the film is schmaltzy and leaves much to be desired, thematically, but at least we get a little more Pooh.

On a technical level, Christopher Robin is mostly unremarkable. Some of the visuals in the Hundred Acre are beautiful in their simplicity, but everything aside from that often feels flat. However, one cannot discount the sense of wonder that Forster is able to capture when we are exposed to Pooh’s curiosity, Eeyore’s charming melancholy, or Tigger’s fiery proclamations. The Pooh stuff really works! If only the rest of the film could have matched half the energy or inventiveness of those moments. The Hundred Acre Wood is a place of gentle wonder. The rest of the film leaves you wondering why you didn’t leave to get a refill of popcorn. It is a movie that will play better when you can skip the bad scenes and get to the “silly old bear”. You will laugh, you may cry, and then you will see yourself looking at your watch. See it for the number of great moments it has, but be prepared for the moments when you may find yourself dozing off like Pooh after one of his jars of honey.

Overall Grade: B-

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Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Writers: Chad Hodge (screenplay by), Alexandra Bracken (based upon the novel by)
Stars: Bradley Whitford, Mandy Moore, Amandla Stenberg

Synopsis: Imprisoned by an adult world that now fears everyone under 18, a group of teens form a resistance group to fight back and reclaim control of their future.

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For a movie with “adults are scared of children” built into the premise, The Darkest Minds sure had a lot of different directions it could go regarding a social commentary, especially as members of Generation Z are in the midst of turning 18. Instead, it chose to go the predictable “rebellious teenagers find love in a hopeless place” route and totally missed the mark. That’s not to say it’s all bad, but it really could have been so much more.

I should probably admit that I have not read The Darkest Minds books by Alexandra Bracken. That said, this definitely felt like a case of the screenwriter (and likely the studio execs) trying to replicate the plot beat for beat without stopping to think what actually makes the books work. The pace is so breakneck with such an overemphasis on plot that you never really get a chance to breathe and figure out why any of it matters to the characters and, ultimately, the audience. The characters have little to no depth or arcs, the obligatory love story is shoehorned in with no genuine emotion behind it, and some of the most interesting exposition is unfortunately delivered through voiceover or, worse, awkward dialogue.

I’m not sure if the books hone in on the themes of generational divides and the youths of a nation changing the world in more precise and interesting ways (I’m betting they do), but the movie seems to completely lose its obvious message. Even worse, it manages to find a place for every bad teen movie cliche, from the forced love story to a shopping mall montage to the extravagant teenage party. If the script simply replaced some of those tropey scenes with character or theme explorations, this movie would have been infinitely stronger overall. But instead of a nuanced, socially relevant movie about teenagers overcoming adversity and changing the world, we end up with a hot mess of action set pieces, awkward teenage love, and stilted dialogue, including the most forced conversation about Harry Potter ever spoken aloud.

For all of these negatives, I have to admit that this movie was still mostly enjoyable, overall. It’s nowhere near as good as it’s obvious inspirations, like the X-Men or Hunger Games franchises, but the characters, despite the tropes and overemphasis on plot, are extremely likeable. This movie is also just visually appealing, from the stellar cinematography to the attention to detail of the set designs and props to the incredible special effects throughout. And while the acting is a bit of a mixed bag, this is easily the most diverse cast I’ve seen on screen in a long time. Despite the fact that the movie loses a lot of its message in the plot, there is something powerful about a story about a bunch of kids who all look different from each other and come from different backgrounds coming together to embrace their differences, discover their power, and take control of their own futures and, in turn, the future of the world.

The Darkest Minds is a movie I likely won’t recommend to many people. I enjoyed it but mainly because I’m a sucker for dystopian young adult fiction, and if you are, too, you might like this movie. I would also probably recommend it to most teenagers, but only if those teenagers have already seen movies like The Hunger Games quadrilogy, the X-Men franchise, or even the less well-received Ender’s Game. The Darkest Minds is not as bad as the current 19 percent Rotten Tomatoes score would lead you to believe (and I think the 80 percent audience score will attest to that), but there’s still a pecking order and when it comes to dystopian young adult fiction, this one just simply isn’t at the top.

Overall Grade: C

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Director: Aaron Horvath, Peter Rida Michail
Writers: Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath
Stars: Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, Greg Cipes, Will Arnett, Kristen Bell

Synopsis: The Teen Titans search for an arch nemesis to defeat so they can prove they are worthy of getting their own big Hollywood movie.

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Teen Titans Go! has been a staple on Cartoon Network since 2013. It’s a spin-off of Teen Titans (2003-2006) that’s aimed towards a younger audience. Teen Titans Go! To the Movies stays true to the television show, now with an hour and a half for more cartoon shenanigans and musical numbers.

The story focuses on Robin who, after seeing all major superheroes are starring in their own movies, is determined to get one for the Teen Titans. He and the rest of the group spend most of the film trying to convince big time movie director Jade (Kristen Bell) that they are not just sidekicks and deserve a spot on the big screen. She rejects them, saying they don’t even have their own nemesis and she wouldn’t hire them unless they were the last superheroes on earth. After experimenting with time travel, the Teen Titans discover that having no other superheroes is a bad idea and decide to go out in search of an arch nemesis. The Teen Titans find Slade and decide he’s the man for the job – mostly because his name is fun to say in a dramatic way and he looks just like Deadpool.

This movie is goofy – the Teen Titans break out into song any chance they can, and one song is even accompanied by a keytar playing white tiger in space (Michael Bolton). It’s full of famous actors: Nicolas Cage as Superman, Nicolas Cage’s son Kal-el Cage (yes he’s named after Superman) as young Bruce Wayne, Patton Oswalt as Atom, Jimmy Kimmel as Batman, and there’s even a very confused animated cameo by Stan Lee. There are DC comic book and movie references everywhere, including a jab at the Green Lantern movie “There was a Green Lantern movie… but we don’t talk about that.”

While I don’t personally believe Teen Titans Go! To the Movies competes with the other animated films released so far this year, it’s fun to watch and I think fans of the show will definitely get a kick out of this movie.

Overall Grade: B-

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Director: Stephen Susco
Writers: Stephen Susco
Stars: Colin Woodell, Andrew Lees, Betty Gabriel, Stephanie Nogueras

Synopsis: After taking a laptop from the lost and found, Matias discovers he is being digitally stalked by its previous owner who will do anything to get it back.

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The horror genre is usually one of the first to try new, weird things in film. They can cause controversies over gore and other questionable content, and love to make us have an irrational fear of everyday things. Horror itself is broken down in many subgenres like action-horror, slasher, psychological, zombie, etc. Relatively recent additions to these are “found footage” and now “cyber horror.” These styles first started in 1980 with Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust (1980) but didn’t gain major traction until The Blair Witch Project (1999). With social media being such a huge part of the majority of people’s lives, it was only a matter of time before it became a staple in the horror world. Movies like Unfriended and Searching (coming August 2018) seem to be examples of what’s up and coming in this subgenre.

Unfriended: Dark Web is the directorial debut of horror writer Stephen Susco. It’s presented in a similar format as its predecessor – mostly Skype and Facebook text and video chats. The film focuses on Matias (Colin Woodell) who thought it would be a great idea to take a laptop from the lost and found at a cyber cafe. After trying to install an app he’s created that allows him to video chat with his deaf girlfriend (Stephanie Nogueras), he discovers the hard drive is full and digs around to see what’s there. With the help of his computer savvy friend Damon (Andrew Lees) he unlocks hidden files and discovers the previous owner of the laptop was involved in some very shady things.

During his computer snooping, Matias is also in a Skype video call having a virtual game night with five of his friends. After discovering the creepy files (and sharing them with his friends) he is contacted by the owner of the laptop who wants it returned or else. Without giving away spoilers, this movie makes you immediately want to cover every webcam, disable your location on all your mobile devices, and google “how to live off the grid”. The story convinces you that if someone is motivated and technologically savvy, they can find you. The nerd in me was so annoyed that every website and program used had usernames and passwords saved, meaning one click and anyone can log in. If bad guy hadn’t had done this, this whole movie could have been avoided. The moral to this story is clear your browsing history, create hard to guess passwords, and don’t steal random laptops. Another thing that bothered me about this film is it felt like they had a “technology buzzwords” checklist to get through so they could validate the “Dark Web” in the title. They go into bitcoin, darknet, wardriving, swatting, etc.

I like that horror movies are incorporating social media as a scare tactic. It seems like a logical progression of the genre that will hopefully traumatize some of the younger generations into being smarter on the internet. Also, there are apparently two different endings to this movie. I did not know this going in, but according to other reviewers I saw ending A which is similar to the first movie and not as well liked as ending B. I read what happens in ending B, and it does seem to resolve the story better, so if you are given the choice of endings (my theater didn’t have it posted anywhere) I suggest ending B.

Overall, Unfriended: Dark Web is much better than the first movie. It’s not great, but it’s an improvement. I liked that the antagonist was not supernatural because it made the film more realistic. To be honest, the scariest thing about this film was the trailer for The Nun shown in the previews, but Unfriended did a decent job convincing me not to antagonize strangers on the internet and leave things from the lost and found alone. I’m not sure this latest film, of the “found footage/cyber” genre is perfected yet, but I like that people are experimenting with it, and I am very interested in seeing what comes next.

Overall Grade: C-

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