Here to take a look at the films coming out in wide and limited release this coming weekend. I’ll give you my thoughts to help you decide what’s worth checking out.
- John Wick – If you’re into action flicks where someone gets set on a mission of scene after scene of ass-kicking this is right up your alley. Keanu Reeves plays a man who’s got nothing to lose after his wife passes away and ends up working his way through a crime syndicate, taking down many men via many bullets. I caught a screening of this and will have a review up tomorrow, but this is a fairly solid movie of its kind. It’s been done better and would probably be fine with just a home viewing, but if you want a throwaway fun movie in theaters you should be pleased.
- Ouija – Every Halloween there’s got to be one teen-geared horror movie to draw in those high schoolers. It’s just tradition. The idea of basing it around a ouija board isn’t awful (they were actually a thing before they were sitting next to Scabble and Monopoly), but what they’re doing with it looks so unoriginal. The effects and concepts of the spirits look like we’ve seen them before. It doesn’t particularly seem scary. I can’t imagine giving this more than a random watch on cable
- Laggies – This latest quirky feature from Lynn Shelton (Your Sister’s Sister, Touchy Feely) hasn’t gotten the strongest reviews so far but it does have Sam Rockwell. I am really liking Keira Knightley in modern roles (like Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) since she seemed to always be in period pieces. She plays a 28 year old who is struggling with becoming an adult and figuring out exactly what that means. Sure it’s been done plenty of times and is pretty first world problems but it is relatable. In this, Knightley befriends Chloe Moretz and hides out from her life with this teenager for awhile, that teen’s dad just happening to be Rockwell. Might not be stellar, but I’d like to give it a go.
Opening in select theaters. - Dear White People – This is one of the most interesting looking movies to come out this year. It’s a satire that takes on the concept of African American identity and certain issues in perception that are still prevalent. It comes from a first time director who is starting his career on a very big note, willing to make a statement. The film also just looks cool in the way it was filmed and the retro style. If it matches up to all the high praise it has received than I think it’s a must see movie this year.
Opening in select theaters.
