Movies
It's well accepted by now that horror films can be vehicles for pretty much anything. I generally don't have a problem with that, unless it takes away from the horror itself, and that's where this Candyman sequel becomes a complete disaster. The horror is absolute crap, which takes down the rest of the film. The Candyman legacy lives on. Anthony is a young artist who is struggling to paint, until he bumps into the story of Helen Lyle. He becomes infatuated by the story and decides to pursue it, hoping it might give him some inspiration for his next work. What he doesn't know is that he awoke the Candyman by doing so. There are some visually inventive moments (like the shadow puppets and the upside down urban photography), but they are overused and don't add much to the overall mood. The murders are boring, the Candyman isn't scary at all, the horror is just drab. Peele's unsubtle messaging is pretty grating too, though that's the least of this film's worries. A disappointment.Read all
I've long since lost track of how the Marvel films are connected, so I'm not sure if this is a sequel to Captain Marvel or just some stand-alone thing, but after pandering to the black and Asian communities in the US, this is Marvel's attempt to reign in the Indian fans. You'll have to ask them whether it was successful. Ms Marvel is a big fan of Captain Marvel, and fate will bring them together. When Monica touches a galactic portal that is stuck, she creates a trinity where the three of them switch places when using their powers at the same time. Captain Marvel crosses paths with the Kree again, and she'll need her new companions to beat them. Who says India says Bollywood, and yes, there is a song and dance scene here. Yay for that. The plot is bland, the performances are pretty bad, and having another kid in the lead didn't improve things. The only good thing about The Marvels is that is clocked in well under two hours, making it a little less painful than some of Marvel's other stinkers.Read all