Two weekends of movies still didn’t add up to much as far as quantity goes, but I’ll tell you what, the quality was HIGH.
The Naked Gun – I’ll be honest and tell you that I’ve never seen any of the original Naked Gun films, so I had absolutely nothing to compare it to. But if what I was seeing all over the internet is true, they not only paid homage to those original films, but also managed to make this one pretty original. I think it helps that you had Akiva Schaffer of The Lonely Island as the director and a writer, as well as Seth MacFarlane as a prodcuer. Those guys almost never miss. I think for me what makes this film exceptional is getting action dude Liam Neeson in the lead role as Frank Drebin Jr. He is absolutely ridiculous in this film in the most hilarious ways possible. Equally matching his commitment is Pamela Anderson (and how cute is it that they are dating in real life now?!) – she totally nails the bit. All of the supporting cast are just as funny, but the jokes per minute are immense, with some not even being mentioned at all. They are just taking place in the background. I’m sure stuff like this can go over people’s heads, but there is also enough physical comedy that nothing ever seems dull. I think we’re lucky to get one really good comedy a year, but this one is it!
Weapons – Truthfully, when I left the theater after seeing this film, I told my friend I had no clue how I would describe it to anyone. And perhaps going in as blind as possible is for the best. Be as dumbfounded as I was. Experience the shock and the chaos. And the fear. What I can say is that there are definitely some similarities with this new film compared to Zach Creggar’s first feature, Barbarian. While that one shocked in its twist mid-way through, this one just kept adding layers with each shift in perspective. That particular style of filming was a good way of filling in some of the blanks, while also being able to push the story forward. But the premise is this: seventeen children in one woman’s classroom get up and leave their homes one night and never come back. Of course anger, grief, and sorrow plague the town, but the truth of what actually happened is not something I think almost anyone would be able to come up with. It’s unsettling in many ways, so if scary movies aren’t your thing, I don’t know that I’d recommend this one. Wild.
Freakier Friday – As an 11 year old when the original Freaky Friday hit theaters, of course I saw it too many times. In fact, I saw it so many times that I knew I wasn’t going to have to watch it again to go see its sequel 22 years later. The fact that that much time has passed absolutely makes me sad, but it was so, so cool to see so much of the original cast back in this film in some capacity. And the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis was so into this from the beginning makes the reunion that much sweeter. Tess is a grandma now, while Anna is a single mother to Harper. Soon, she starts a whirlwind romance with Eric and they are set to marry. One big roadblock to new familiar happiness is the fact that Harper and Eric’s daughter, Lily, are mortal enemies. When they run into a psychic and wake up in different bodies the next day, it’s really up to Harper and Lily to figure out how to find harmony in each others’ lives so they can get back to themselves. As this film went on I was struck by how happy it made me feel. Sure, nostalgia played a big role in that, but the jokes were constant and funny, and the story, while of course heavily relying on the original, still managed to make it fresh. Look, I’d take a Freakiest Friday in another 20 years.