I got to watch an eclectic mix of films over this long holiday weekend, with some new ones, old ones, and ones I wanted to revisit. Let’s jump into the cadre!
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – What better way to start off a holiday weekend than with an action-packed new Marvel film?! This new entry introduced us to Shaun, who’s living life like a regular old Joe, parking cars with his best friend Katy. Not too much time passes before his secret fighting skills get unearthed. But before all the real action starts, we’re first introduced to the ten rings, but they belong to Shang-Chi’s father, who found them thousands of years ago. We learn that he was power hungry before meeting Shang-Chi’s mother, and the two decided to give up their respective powers for each other. When she died though, Shang-Chi’s father resumed his power-grabbing ways. He’s only re-inserted himself into Shang-Chi’s life because he wants to steal the amulet that leads to his mother’s land. He is convinced she is calling to him. So, his father isn’t really all that evil, but all of the intensely intricate fighting sequences seem to make up for a sort of sub-par villain. Either way, this is a very entertaining film and those post-credits scenes make me excited to see him in the near future!
The Whole Truth – This is an older dramatic thriller that I’ve had sitting on my DVR for quite some time (found out later it’s also on Netflix), so I decided to give it a go! Keanu Reeves plays Richard Ramsey, a defense attorney, who’s introduced representing the son of a family friend. Only awkward thing about it is that the son, Mike, is being tried for stabbing his father to death. Yikes. Mike’s playing mum, and as the prosecutor’s evidence keeps mounting up, we’re also slowly fed flashbacks that eventually lead up to the stabbing. There are times when it seems like Mike is the only one who could have done it, but there are plenty of other red herrings thrown out. Oh yeah, and a bunch of freaking liars! The payout on this film was maybe a little obvious as the end inched closer, but I was definitely intrigued the whole time.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow – I watched this movie at some point last year, and despite its simplified-seeming concept, I really enjoyed this horror film! The fact that some black comedy was also thrown in helped it out as well. A small town in the middle of winter is being plagued by what seems to be a wearwolf. There’s no denying the thing doing the attacking is huge, but you’ll just have to wait until the end to see. Unfortunately, only the women are paying the price, which is a hilarious nod to this cliché in other horror films, especially when you hear about the specifics of the attacks. Write/director/actor Jim Cummings plays the son of the police chief and his world seems to be coming apart at the seams personally, so he just dives aggressively into his work. Now that I’ve seen Cummings’ first feature film, Thunder Road, I can definitely see the similarities between those two characters, but there is a terrific supporting cast that helps out this time around. Really fun film that you all should see!
Seven – My dad kept telling me to watch this David Fincher thriller film, and since I’m reading a pretty great crime novel at the moment, this weekend was the perfect time to watch it! To be fair, I have seen this movie in the past, but it’s been so long that I hardly remembered anything about it. The story follows Detective Lieutenant Somerset and Detective Mills as they hunt down a serial killer whose victims all represent the seven deadly sins (gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, wrath). I have to say that some of those murder scenes are not the easiest to stomach, but the sloth death was particularly unsettling. I loved it. There’s also a magnificent twist at the end that I won’t dare to ruin even though this film came out it 1995. This is showcasing Freeman and Pitt as the super stars they are, and if you’re a Fincher fan, then this is a must-see.
Doubt – Another movie I watched eons ago, but don’t really remember the story too well. This came out while I was in high school, so I don’t think this is something I would have seen at the time, but a couple years later this made it onto my radar and I remember being shaken to the core with how great it was. The Academy took notice, too, so that’s how you know it’s good. At a Catholic church in the Bronx in the 1960s, we’re introduced to the amiable Father Flynn, preciously nice Sister James, and the stuff of Catholic kids’ nightmares, Sister Aloysius. We also meet the only Black student at the school, Donald, who seems to be struggling in a myriad of ways, but Father Flynn has taken it upon himself to sort of protect Donald. After saying as such to Sister Aloysius, she tells Sister James that she believes Father Flynn is sexually abusing Donald. The rest of the film sets out tensely as Sister Aloysius tries to get Father Flynn removed from the church. The ending of this film made my jaw drop both times. It deserved all of the awards!