THE NEW MUTANTS
Rated: PG-13
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Director: Josh Boone
Stars: Blu Hunt, Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton
Plot: A group of young mutants try to figure out how to escape their situation and control their powers at the same time
Clint Says: Wait for the digital release and make someone else rent it
In theaters.
We waited five months for this film to finally be released in theaters. I would have been okay waiting another five months.
With the exception of the first 60 seconds of the movie, absolutely nothing happens for the first 40 minutes. It’s just a bunch of moody teens moping around while hating each other and everything else. It’s like a nightmare version of THE BREAKFAST CLUB.
When the action finally kicks in, and just when you start to think that the film might actually have a slight chance of redeeming itself, it manages to reverse course and make the movie even more unbearable than it was for the first half.
This is by far the worst film in the X-Men universe, and that is really saying something, because there have been some tremendous stinkers to hit the big screen before this one.
There are going to be a ton of flicks hitting the freshly opened theaters in the next few months. Don’t waste your money on this one.
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THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD
Rated: PG
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Director: Armando Iannucci
Stars: Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton
Plot: A young orphan overcomes the obstacles in his way to lead an extraordinary life
Clint Says: A fanciful and delightful return to the theater
In theaters.
This classic tale from the mind of Charles Dickens has seen its fair share of TV and film renditions. Some of them have been really good, some of them have been terrible.
This one may be the best of the bunch.
First and foremost, I want to give credit to the director, the studio, the casting director, and anyone else involved in the casting of this film. This is, as far as I can remember, the first ever wide-release film that doesn’t worry about the race of the actors or their characters. They simply hired the best people for the job.
It is so great to see a black woman with a white son, parents with children of different races, and people of all races interacting with each other as true equals. I hope this is the beginning of a new trend in Hollywood.
It is so great to see a black woman with a white son, parents with children of different races, and people of all races interacting with each other as true equals. I hope this is the beginning of a new trend in Hollywood.
As for the rest of the film, it is fun, fanciful, and entertaining for the whole family. My 10 year old daughter enjoyed it just as much as I did. It is filled with incredible visuals and delicious characters. Dev Patel is amazing, but Hugh Laurie completely steals the show. He is the best “crazy uncle we wish we had” to grace the screen in a long time.
If you are in the mood for a family-friendly, visually-inspiring, character-driven film filled with whimsy and inspiration you should go on an adventure, and see this in the theater.
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CENTIGRADE
Rated: R
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Director: Brendan Walsh
Stars: Vincent Piazza, Genesis Rodriguez
Plot: A couple, on a tour of Norway, get caught in a blizzard and trapped inside their car with no way of signaling for help
Clint Says: Suspenseful, but terrible characters
Streaming on all digital platforms, VOD, and some drive-in theaters.
One of the first rules of creating a great story is making sure the audience cares about your hero. The hero needs to be likable. The hero needs to be good. They need to be smart, or at least street smart.
In this film, the main characters were none of the above.
In this film, the main characters were none of the above.
From the first minute of the movie they are fighting, saying horrible things to each other, doing completely ridiculous things, and just being annoying. They are too mean to be likable and too stupid to survive, so five minutes into the movie I already didn’t care what happened to them.
Thankfully, just by the nature of the story, the movie is suspenseful, but I never cared about the people. It didn’t matter one way or another if they made it out alive or they were found as popsicles two years later. (Yes, on some level, I wanted them to survive just out of sheer human decency, but this is a movie, so decency doesn’t really count).
Thankfully, just by the nature of the story, the movie is suspenseful, but I never cared about the people. It didn’t matter one way or another if they made it out alive or they were found as popsicles two years later. (Yes, on some level, I wanted them to survive just out of sheer human decency, but this is a movie, so decency doesn’t really count).
I will give it to the director, though. Making a 90-minute film, that is shot with only 2 unlikable people in a car for 99% of the movie, that is even remotely watchable is a feat unto itself. I would not say that this is a good film by any stretch of the imagination. However, if you are looking for a decent and suspenseful story where you don’t care about the outcome, this one is worth a streaming rental.
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YOU CANNOT KILL DAVID ARQUETTE
Rated: R
Release Date: August 21, 2020
Director: David Darg, Price James
Stars: David Arquette, Patricia Arquette, Courtney Cox
Plot: David Arquette attempts a return to professional wrestling nearly two decades after the sport essentially ended his acting career.
Clint Says: Absolutely worth a watch
Available for streaming.
I thought this was a parody film when I first saw information about it. I’m not a wrestling fan, so I had no clue that David Arquette was once the WCW Heavyweight Champion of the World. I also had no clue that he was one of the most hated people in the wrestling world for the last 20 years, and that he had essentially been banned from Hollywood.
The good news is that whether you knew all of that or not, you need to see this documentary. It is a brilliant work of art detailing the struggle of a man to recover the biggest things no man wants to lose, his name and his dignity.
Watching him struggle is painful, but also inspiring because he starts from rock bottom, he doesn’t cut any corners, and he perseveres. It is a film that will inspire you to go after that thing in your life that you regret, or has kept you down.
You don’t have to be a fan of wrestling, you don’t even have to be a fan of David Arquette to enjoy this film. It is well worth your time and money.
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Get more information and past reviews at
clintsmoviereviews.com
clintsmoviereviews.com
