A more typical weekend means a more typical amount of movies. No fear! They were all pretty dang entertaining, so let’s get into it!
Fear Street Part II: 1978 – This time around we go back to Camp Nightwing in 1978. To get there though, Deena and Josh pay C. Berman a visit, hoping she can help them with the possessed Sam. Berman’s only advice is for them to run, and when they don’t listen she recounts the horrors that came to her courtesy of the witch back when she was at Camp Nightwing. In this story, sisters Ziggy and Cindy, are at each others’ throats for most of the time, that is until older sister Cindy’s boyfriend Tommy becomes possessed by the witch. From here on out it’s a fight for survival! Perhaps there are more kills than the first time around, but what’s scarier is that the death blows are being dealt to kids and preteens. Separately, the sisters try and get to each other, but when they finally do, Cindy sacrifices herself to save Ziggy. Although, it doesn’t appear to do any good because Ziggy gets stabbed by some other possessed entity. But, we all know that C. Berman was a survivor who died and then was brought back to life. The fact that it was Ziggy, whose real name is Christine, is what’s a little more surprising. Even more surprising? The town sheriff is her camp love! Back then, he had a reputation to uphold and chose to denounce Ziggy’s story. Based on the note he slipped through her mail slot though, it’s clear he knows she was telling the truth back then. So far, both Fear Street films have been surprisingly awesome, and I can’t wait to see how the final installment ties things up.
Black Widow – I feel like this film has been perpetually advertised, but that’s what a time-suck of a pandemic will do, I suppose. Finally, Black Widow gets her due even if it comes after she’s killed off in Avengers: Endgame. I don’t think I ever go into Marvel films with high hopes, but I should know better then to expect a low-quality film. In fact, this one was quite compelling! At the start of the film, we see Natasha’s “family,” whose sister is not really her sister and her parents are Russian spies. Pretty soon the two are put into torturous training to become “Widows.” From there, we are shuttled to the crux of this story which happens after the events of Avengers: Civil War. That means Natasha is on the run and in another part of the world her sister is living up to her training. Soon though, she’s exposed to some antidote and immediately reaches out to Natasha. From there the sisters team up and then reluctantly break their “father” out of prison. This is a Marvel movie, so not everything is cut and dry. What it is though is action-packed and that makes for supreme entertainment! That’s all I’ll say about it for fear of spoiling it, but if you’ve missed superheroes on the big screen, now’s your chance to head back to the theater.
The Tomorrow War – A film that could have benefited from a theatrical release? You got it: The Tomorrow War. Although personally, I don’t know if it would have made that much of a difference for me. Sure, Chris Pratt is a bonafide action star, but when the plot is this confusing, what’s even the point? There’s a war in the future, so Pratt’s character is met and drafted by future soldiers. The death count is high, which means his inner circle is small. I happen to really like that aspect of it, especially when it gives Sam Richardson an unexpected chance to shine! Other awesome supporting turns go to Betty Gilpin and J.K. Simmons, but this isn’t a movie I’ll ever come back to. In the future or not. If aliens are your jam, time travel, or war, this could be up your alley, but the jumps and conclusions it comes to are too rich for my blood. Easily the weakest of the weekend, but not terrible.