KatyOBrian – Credits Rolling

In a near futuristic world, Ben Richards (Glen Powell) has just been let go from his job. He desperately needs to find a way to make money to get some medication for his sick daughter. With no more choices, he joins a game show called The Running Man where contestants are allowed to go anywhere in the world while trying to escape the hunters who are hired to kill him. If he survives, he will win one billion new dollars.

I was not familiar with the book by Stephen King nor with the original 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. If I’m being completely honest I probably wouldn’t have checked this reboot out if it weren’t for Glen Powell as I have the biggest crush on him. I’m glad that I did though.

Powell was such a great choice for the lead. He’s like the new Tom Cruise, but better. His character had so much grit and determination to do whatever he needed for his family. He has more than proven his leading man status and I cannot wait to see what role he takes on next. Josh Brolin starred as Dan Killian, the creator of the competition. Manipulative and selfish, he mostly see him on screen and yet he’s still someone you wouldn’t want to mess with. Colman Domingo was a scene stealer as Bobby T, the host. He truly shined every time he was on screen. I only wish we had more of his backstory. The same could be said for Lee Pace, William H. Macy, Katy O’Brian and Michael Cera. Though they all played important roles, the audience didn’t get to know them very well.

Censorship and controlling media is a running theme throughout. As Ben continues on with the game, he learns more about the government and how they are trying to hide the truth of what is really going on. This is something that has been happening more and more in present day and I believe it will only continue. It’s scary to think of a reality where game shows of this nature could exist, but I could see it happening.

Overall, The Running Man was a thrilling and heart pounding blockbuster that kept me mostly on the edge of my seat. I do think that it lost some steam along the way however. The first half was engaging, but somewhere at the halfway point it stalled and the ending was a bit anti-climatic. That being said, I still had a good time with it and that’s all that matters.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Based on You’ve Got Mail and The Shop Around the Corner, Maintenance Required follows Charlie (Madelaine Petsch), who runs the mechanic shop that she inherited from her father. Together with her best friends Kam (Katy O’Brian) and Izzy (Madison Bailey) the business has become a staple in their neighborhood. When a big time car dealership moves in across the street, Charlie’s business is threatened. What she doesn’t know is that her business rival Beau (Jacob Scipio) just so happens to be the person she’s been confiding to online for months.

I really wanted to like this film. Romcoms are always a good idea and the fact that this one was a remake of one of my all time favorites certainly peaked my interest. Unfortunately it all fell apart for me rather quickly and I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It did have potential, but that potential just never really saw the light of day.

I have been a fan of Pestch’s since her Riverdale days (Cheryl Blossom was my spirit animal). Now that the show is over and done with, I have been looking forward to seeing what she would do next. While she’s already tossed her hat into the horror genre ring, I had not yet seen her do something more contemporary and I think it really suited her. The character of Charlie is one who is one hundred percent dedicated to her job. She’s so dedicated that she lets other parts of her life take a backseat. Although she had to make some difficult choices, she always stayed true to herself. I was not familiar with Scipio prior to this role and while I thought he and Pestch had decent enough chemistry, I did not like his character one bit. I know that was the point, but I wish we had seen more of a backstory to him to garner some sort of empathy.

What I did enjoy about the film was the friendship between Charlie, Kam and Izzy. You could tell that they had each others’ backs no matter what. The way that Kim and Izzy in particular would always show up for Charlie and help find ways to keep the business going was so sweet. Everyone deserves friends like them! Their scenes together really lit up the screen; that was the true love story.

Overall, Maintenance Required was not great. It had some flickers of promise, but it never came to fruition. It had some pretty big shoes to fill and yet it just fell short. There was a magical spark that I couldn’t help feel was missing and that just made watching it through difficult.

Rating: ♥️♥️