Finally! Back in the theaters with some options that intrigued me!
Strays – I will say, the trailer for this did not really appeal, though I did laugh at a few parts. In my mind, this is like Sausage Party only with animals. Part of me thinks I might have found it more funny if their mouths didn’t move, but that technology has come a lot further than it used to look. It was your run of the mill raunchy comedy featuring Reggie, who’s trying to get home to his abusive loser of an owner. He makes some easy friends, and they reluctantly accompany him back home. I found the most enjoyment out of trying to place the voices of some of the one-off dogs that came on screen. I’m sure if you’re a dog lover or owner, a lot more of this will be comical to you.
Blue Beetle – I love Cobra Kai, so you know I was going to go support this new DC vehicle starring Xolo Mariduena as the titular character! He plays Jamie Reyes, a recent college grad trying to get his family a better life. Easier than it sounds. A distant crush and the chance for a good job gets him tangled up in some evil woman’s plans, but obviously it was for the best. He gets his hands on a scarab, and soon enough, it gets its hands on him! Most of the film is Jamie trying to get his bearings, and there were plenty of action sequences to go around. What really set this film apart from other superheroes entries is the involvement of his entire family. There were a couple scenes that really had me choking up, but there were plenty of other scenes that really had me laughing.
Sympathy for the Devil – Nicolas Cage is at his best as an unhinged character, so you know I had to check this one out! We meet him when he gets into David’s car and tells him to start driving at gunpoint. David just wanted to get to his wife, who’s in labor at a Vegas hospital! Along the journey, we don’t learn much about either man, really. The stranger just keeps blabbing on and on about stories and facts that are somewhat unrelated and David keeps exclaiming that he’s not who he thinks he is. The most interesting scene comes in a diner, where the coloring and violence are both very pleasing to the eye, stylistically. There’s a fun twist at the end, though I kind of had their number a lot earlier than I would have liked. Not Cage’s best, but certainly a fun film.
Upgrade – Seeing a little beetle-looking thing attach to a kid’s spine and become symbiotic with him immediately had me thinking of this incredible sci-fi horror film. Again, I can’t get over how perfect this film is! Grey becomes paralyzed after a car accident and an incident with some thugs left his wife dead. He wants nothing more for than his life to be over, but a strange, rich scientist offers him the chance at a new life. A new life means Grey is going to figure out just who killed the love of his life. Turns out the chip letting him live again has other plans. This movie goes in places you wouldn’t expect, and is equal parts hilarious and gruesome. I really hope the television spin-off pans out soon!