đ Happy Monday! Hope you had a fantastic weekend. And if youâre new here, welcome!
Weâre kicking off a new theme this week and since Martin Scorseseâs surprisingly funny new gangster film The Irishman is out this Friday â stay tuned â Iâm going to be talking about crime comedies đŤ.
Okay, hereâs day 1ď¸âŁ.
Todayâs movie: Game Night
STREAMING ON PRIME VIDEO
What itâs about: Married couple Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) and their group of friends think theyâre a part of a highly realistic kidnapping mystery game night when Maxâs brother (Kyle Chandler) is taken by dangerous gangsters. Little do they know itâs all real and theyâre at the center of a criminal conspiracy.
Why itâs great: Game Night perfects what I call stupidly smart comedy. The actual jokes and gags are so silly and broad that anyone will find joy in them. However, theyâre also brilliantly constructed setups and punchlines â some of which take the entire movie to pay off. There are countless iconic one-liners that youâll find yourself quoting all the time â Rachel McAdamsâ delivery of âoh no, he died!â is a favorite of mine. Even better, the actual plot is interesting. Still, youâre there for the comedy and there isnât a minute where you wonât be laughing your head off.
Details: đŹ John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein // âł 100 minutes // đ 2018 // đş Trailer
Fun fact: Some scenes are inspired by classic games like Jenga, Guess Who, Hot Potato, and Operation. Keep an eye out for them đ
Also available on: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
What I (re)watched this weekend: Us âď¸
Iâm going to try out periodically giving my informal thoughts on movies Iâve been watching/rewatching lately. Let me know what you think!
This weekend, I watched Jordan Peeleâs Us for the third time. Partly because my sister hadnât watched it yet and partly because I feel I should like this movie more than I did. Well, this watch was a mixed bag.
What itâs about: A family (Lupita Nyongâo, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex) vacationing at their beach home is targeting and terrorized by their red jumpsuit wearing, golden scissor carrying doppelgängers. Watch yourself.
Some thoughts:
The first half is brilliant. Itâs a perfectly paced slow burn home invasion thriller with tons of Hitchcockian tension.
On the other hand, the second half was a struggle for me. It almost feels Peele knew where he wanted the story to go, but wasnât sure how to get there.
Itâs infinitely scarier than Get Out, but that means its moments of levity stand out a bit more â and not in a good way.
The social commentary is there and lands, especially around class. The plot just doesnât support it as much as it did in Get Out.
Two words: Lupita. Freaking. Nyongâo. Wait, thatâs three. Her first scene as her doppelganger is absolutely *terrifying* and cements her performance as one of the best in a horror movie⌠well, ever. For both characters she plays, every move, vocal inflection, and facial expression feel so purposeful.
Worth the rewatch? Yes and no. The first hour or so is excellent enough to warrant more than one viewing. Where it leads is a bit more disappointing.
Details: đŹ Jordan Peele // âł 116 minutes // đ 2019 // đş Trailer
Fun fact: Peele made the cast watch ten horror movies before filming: The Birds (1963), The Shining (1980), Dead Again (1991), Funny Games (1997), The Sixth Sense (1999), A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), Martyrs (2008), Let the Right One In (2008), The Babadook (2014), and It Follows (2014).
Available on: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
Thatâs all for today! H/t to Mike Sykes, who runs the excellent The Kicks You Wear newsletter, for the shout out:
If youâre enjoying what Iâm doing here, itâd mean the world to me if you could share it with your friends, family, and favorite movie dates:
See you Wednesday! đ¤
Karl (@karl_delo)
đ Iâm also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find all my reviews here.