By Roger MooreFILM: PoltergeistCAST: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kennedi Clements, Kyle Catlett,DIRECTION: Gil KenanWell, the little girl gets it. Kennedi Clements plays Maddy Bowen, the child trapped between the real world and the afterlife in the new version of Poltergeist, and gives us wild-eyed terror we can hang onto and a blood-curdling scream that will haunt your nightmares.The rest of the players? They sort of shrug it off. Sam Rockwell, as the father of the missing child, lands his laughs. But he, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jane Adams (as a paranormal academic) and others under-react to the stunning evidence of a supernatural menace in a way one can only describe as blase.Were they unimpressed with the effects, to be added in later? Or perhaps they’re as over-familiar with this story as the rest of us; a subdivision, built over a graveyard, a house in which proactive poltergeists talk to a child through a static-ridden TV and snatch her through her closet.The 1982 Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg film is an oft-telecast classic. But generations have been exposed to the plot and its loopiness, thanks to reruns of The Simpsons. Hard to get too worked up about a “Treehouse of Horror” tale.David Lindsay-Abaire’s script is full of “We can’t go to the cops” excuses designed to explain why the family, whose little girl vanishes in the middle of a thunderstorm, doesn’t do so. The assault on the family, limited to the kids, comes all at once — after fraidy-cat middle kid (Kyle Catlett) has seen plenty of evidence the place is spooked. And the spooks themselves are not suggested, but revealed fully, lessening the fear even further.A nearby college conveniently has a “Paranormal Studies” department, but obvious foreshadowing tells us the TV ghost hunter Carrigan Burke (Jared Harris, not bad) will be “the cavalry” the Bowen family eventually calls in. —Tribune News ServiceFocus on action
FILM: Wolf WarriorCAST: Jacky Wu, Scott Adkins, Kevin LeeDIRECTION: Jacky WuIf one can excuse the silliness of the story or the transparency of the film’s national pride, there is still some above-average action to enjoy in Wolf Warrior. Sergeant Leng Feng (Wu Jing) is a top marksman chosen to join a Chinese Special Forces group known as the Wolf Warriors after he disobeys orders in order to take down an international drug lord. While on a training exercise with his new team of soldiers, Feng and his men are attacked by a group of mercenaries sent by the brother of the drug lord. Even though the point of the Wolf Warriors is that they fight in a pack, Feng takes the responsibility of warding off the attacks, becoming something of a lone wolf.Scott Adkins heads up the cast of mercenaries. This is a film that focuses entirely on the action, pausing only momentarily for the patriotic dribble. Fortunately, the fast pace along with some truly visceral action sequences serve the film well, never pausing long enough for the audience to contemplate the ridiculousness of the content.This is a film solely meant to inspire emotions, either for country or enjoyment of the spectacle. The brisk pace and well-choreographed sequences of unrealistic military action make this an enjoyable, albeit flawed, viewing experience. Shut your brain off and ignore the propaganda, and this is one of the more exciting gun-centric action films to come out of China recently. Nothing much to sing home aboutBy Michael PhillipsFILM: Pitch Perfect 2
CAST: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Rebel Wilson, Skylar AstinDIRECTION: Elizabeth BanksCan we please talk about the snottiness of Pitch Perfect 2? It’s seriously snotty. It’s a two-hour lesson in how to act like a frenemy to your alleged friends. And it’s not funny enough.Correction: For the sequel to become a global success, yes, it’s funny enough. And some of the vocals are choice. But I am not representing a cross-section of the planet’s Pitch Perfect fan base with this review, I’m representing myself, and I found the new movie snide and lazy instead of wittily sarcastic. Slight difference there, and even talented screenwriters and promising first-time directors can miss it.In the 2012 hit, screenwriter Kay Cannon (who wrote the sequel as well) let Anna Kendrick’s wary, guarded Beca run the show and negotiate the narrative complications with a light, dry touch. This time, by design, Kendrick fades into the ensemble woodwork and her character’s main dilemma is how long she can keep her recording studio internship a secret from the all-female Barden Bellas a capella group. It’s a dumb conflict — delayed secrets tend not to work when stretched across half a movie or more, even if you have Keegan-Michael Key aboard to play the music producer who becomes Beca’s mentor.The Bellas are laid low early on in Pitch Perfect 2, when Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson, and honestly, that character name is such a drag) had an embarrassing accident during a concert attended by Barack and Michelle Obama. Banned from their national tour but not from the world a cappella competition in Copenhagen, the Bellas must learn to regroup, relocate their sound and settle their romantic hash. In her first feature as director, Elizabeth Banks does well enough with spotty material and back in front of the camera as well, alongside John Michael Higgins as the snide colour commentators tracking the competition action. Hearing Kendrick and company harmonise once again on When I’m Gone (used in the first, rather better movie) is easy on the ears, and Hailee Steinfeld as the idealistic newbie is a breath of fresh air. For big fans of the first Pitch Perfect, the sequel will not aggravate or offend. But I swear, in one party sequence Kendrick appears to be stifling a yawn. It’s Wilson movie anyway, for better or worse. -Chicago Tribune/TNSDVDs courtesy: Saqr Entertainment Stores, Doha