Geez! I knew I was going to be busy at the end of summer here, but I did not know how much it’d be impacting my movie watching time! I certainly didn’t make up for last weekend, but at least got to watch a bunch of cool new stuff!
Trap – This was one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and even with some scathing reviews from my sister and some friends, I finally got to go see it by myself in a packed theater and I really, really liked it! I know it will sound crazy, but this reminded me a lot of Twisters in that it was a “fun” summer blockbuster, though this one checked the boxes better for me for whatever reason. Cooper is taking his daughter to a Taylor Swift-esque concert when he learns it’s actually a set-up by the FBI to trap him, aka the Butcher. The rest of the film is taut with Cooper trying to find a way out. In my opinion, the third act of the film really ups the ante and the tense factor, though all of the scenes at the concert were really stressful! Josh Hartnett totally wins as this serial killing father.
Cuckoo – Ah, I love a good European horror film. And this was a truly unique one! I also know it was good because my sister and our friend couldn’t stand it. Gretchen is recently forced to move to some remote resort in Germany with her father, stepmother, and stepsister, only for things to get more bonkers by the day. She’s being hunted, but by what is what makes the film creepy. Also, the forces behind this creature are truly yucky. Everyone gives A-plus performances that are both tense and at times, hilarious. Isn’t the best horror also good at humor? I usually find that to be the case, and the Europeans must know the same thing. Glad I got to check this out in cinemas. Also, bonus points for being just bizarre enough that some people left halfway through and never came back.
The Instigators – I’d only very recently heard about this action-comedy film featuring huge names in Matt Damon and Casey Affleck as its leads. Those brief advertising glimpses I got failed to mention that the rest of this large cast was STACKED. I don’t know that all plotlines got their fair dues, but the film overall was very fun. Damon plays Rory and Affleck plays Cobby, two men who find themselves on the same heist job that goes awry even in the very first stages. All they’re trying to do is steal some money from a crooked Boston mayor, but there ends up being some dead bodies, some willing hostages, and lots and lots of sarcasm. I felt Affleck was the shining star here, and I loved his banter with Rory’s psychiatrist, Dr. Rivera. I’d love to see what a date between those two look like. Not the strongest plot, but it was so much fun that I can’t really complain.