WINDFALL
Set in one gorgeous spot, Jason Segel, Lily Collins, and Jesse Plemons star in an absurd kidnapping story that roams too much for too long. It’s centered around a guy who breaks in to a remote vacation pad owned by a tech mogul who shows up with his wife and catches him in the act – instantly becoming hostages in their own home. What follows is a lot of squabbling between thinly written characters with nothing really happening. Co-written and directed by Charlie McDowell, this half-baked noir never really feels like a thriller until maybe the very end. And by then it fails to drum up any excitement and makes hardly any sense. The trio of performances, particularly Plemons as a blowhole billionaire who sees all of this as one huge inconvenience, is the only reason to watch. Even then it still may not be totally worth it.
THE ADAM PROJECT
Hot off the heels of Free Guy, director Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds join forces once again for a sci-fi action comedy that’s unexpectedly emotional and highly entertaining from start to finish. The older Adam (Reynolds) is from 2050 and is trying to get back to 2018 to save his wife (Zoe Saldana). Though he is stopped short after getting shot, crashing down in 2022 to encounter his younger self (a terrific Walker Scobell in his first feature). They are obviously one in the same, their mouths continually getting them into trouble while having their fair share of zingers for one another. At the same time, they teach other about loss, anger, forgiveness, and love in a fun adventure where time traveling exists but must be destroyed.
Co-starring Jennifer Garner, Catherine Keener, and Mark Ruffalo as the Adams’ father who invented going back in time – the action is good and the jokes hit just right because of the crackerjack chemistry between Reynolds and Scobell. But it’s the heavy, heartfelt moments throughout that really resonate and provide deeper feelings than what we usually expect from a Reynolds lead movie. There’s a wonderfully warm scene towards the end with Ruffalo, Scobell, and Reynolds that will wreck you. For there to be so much to balance in its storytelling – Levy, the script, and the excellent performances keep everything working at a phenomenal pace. This Reynolds and Levy creative partnership is grand and hopefully continues for years to come.
WORST ROOMMATE EVER
From Netflix and Blumhouse TV, this true-crime docuseries is terrifying and twisted. Consisting of five episodes, these tellings of four wrenching stories (dating back to the late 1980s) are all about sharing a home with seemingly harmless strangers who turn out to be pure evil. Serial killers, serial squatters, and toxic love – we know who’s guilty from the get-go, rather it’s the why and how we want to know. Not every episode goes in to the same amount of depth, yet all of them are shocking on several levels – especially the last one, Roommate Wanted.
They all start relatively the same, with a trusting individual deciding to live with another who couldn’t be a more normal or nicer human being. That is until they’re not. Their victims soon regret their decision as the lies pile up and a darker side of them is unleashed. The most affecting thing the series does is having its focus stay on those whose lives were turned upside down by such monsters. There’s no way after watching this that you won’t swear off roommates for the rest of your days.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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