Tag: VioletMcGraw

The Life Of Chuck

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Based on the 2020 novella by Stephen King and directed by Mike Flanagan comes a life affirming story about a man called Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay and Benjamin Pajak). Told in backwards chronological order, we get to know Chuck through all the important moments of his life.

King and Flanagan are usually known for their various horror projects. People don’t think that they are behind other, more contemporary stories too. This was one that I went into mostly blind and I’m glad that I did. I knew that this was going to be an emotional roller coaster and in order to completely absorb it, I needed to be completely open minded.

Deciding to tell the story in reverse order was a bold choice. It won’t work for everyone and it certainly threw me off at first. As a result, the audience may think they’re watching a different film from what it actually ends up being. The pieces of the puzzle only really come together in the final act when Chuck is a child that we get all the answers. The little nuggets that help tie it together are really smart too.

The cast are absolute standouts, delivering solid performances. While Hiddleston may be the titular Chuck and features on the film’s poster, he isn’t actually featured that much. Still, his scene and the dance sequence that occurs during it is probably one of the best in all of cinematic history. Karen Gillan and Chiwetel Ejiofor are a divorced couple who spend the last day on Earth together. Mia Sara and Mark Hamill are brilliant as Chuck’s grandparents Sarah and Albie. Matthew Lillard, Rahul Kohli, Violet McGraw, Kate Siegel and Samantha Sloyan all had small but important roles in the story of Chuck’s life. It was nice to see some familiar faces from Flanagan’s previous works.

Overall, The Life of Chuck is a peculiar film that packs quite the emotional punch. The storytelling was well done and I love how it drove home the importance of appreciating the smaller moments in life because they are what truly matters. Just because the film focused on Chuck doesn’t mean he’s any more special than anybody else. He contains multitudes like we all do and that was quite something to take away.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

M3GAN 2.0

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It’s been two years since M3GAN’s (Jenna Davis) destruction. Gemma (Allison Williams) vowed never to dig up the past. Unfortunately she has no choice when she’s asked to take down Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), a mass military weapon built using M3GAN’s blueprints.

The first M3GAN was a runaway smash hit that made me appreciate the genre. I remember how excited I was about it; the campiness and absurdity of it all just worked. Hearing that a sequel was on the horizon seemed inevitable and I could not wait to see what our favorite killer robot would get up to next. I never could have imagined this.

It’s important to note that if you are going into this film expecting horror, you will be disappointed. The complete shift in genre is one that had many fans, including myself, scratching their heads. While the storyline itself was actually interesting and it dealt with the very topical subject of AI, I’m not sure why they went down this route.

All the familiar faces of the original are back. Williams reprises her role as Gemma and I liked how her character ended up developing throughout this instalment. Violet McGraw, as Gemma’s niece Cady, took a bit of a backseat though her special bond with M3GAN was still very evident. Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps, Cole and Tess respectively, are vital members of Gemma’s team. I couldn’t imagine these films without them.

The titular M3GAN is, of course, the main event once more. From the moment she is resurrected, the audience is put under her trance yet again. While I was missing her murderous ways, I can understand their reasoning for making her more human. It fit with the new story. Though I wish we’d had one of her epic dance routines, there is a scene that rivals Titanium which had me in stitches.

Overall, M3GAN 2.0 is a decent enough film as long as you can wrap your head around the complete tonal shift. I do wish it had stuck more to the root of what made it so lovable in the first place, however, I respect the choices that were made to focus on another vital situation. It may not have been what I wanted, but I will always tune in for another adventure with M3GAN.

Rating: ♥️♥️.5

M3GAN

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Creepy dolls are given a whole new meaning in Blumhouse Production’s new horror flick M3GAN. Gemma (Allison Williams), a robot engineer, is caught off guard when she is suddenly given custody of her nine year old niece Cady (Violet McGraw). Hoping it will solve all their problems, Gemma decides to pair up her prototype with Cady. But when M3GAN begins taking on a life of her own, the situation takes a concerning turn for all involved.

Truth time: before today I had never seen a horror movie in the cinema. Having only recently gotten into the genre and by that I mean to a certain extent, I always thought it would be a struggle for me to watch something like this on the big screen. I’m used to hiding behind a pillow, or closing my eyes and blocking my ears when a jump scare occurs and I didn’t think I could do that in public. However, there was something about M3GAN that peaked my interest since the trailer was released last fall and I’m so damn happy that I bit the bullet and went to see it.

I can’t even begin to pinpoint exactly why I enjoyed this movie so much. A large part of it had to do with how camp it all was. The over the top theatrics are something that probably shouldn’t have worked, but totally did. Because of that, I didn’t feel scared at all while watching and instead embraced the entire experience even more. There were some moments throughout where everyone in the audience giggled at some of the one liners and also the scenarios that were unfolding.

The way in which M3GAN herself was designed was jaw dropping. She looked and seemed so real, which okay, was definitely the point, but even I was entranced by her. I thought it was brilliant to have two different young ladies (Amie Donald and Jenna Davis respectively) portray this killer robot. They completely brought her to life. The rest of the cast did great jobs too. Williams was perfect as engineer Gemma and I thought that McGraw gave it her all as Cady. I also liked the additions of Gemma’s work team in Tess (Jen Van Epps) and Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) as well as her boss David (Ronny Chieng).

When I woke up this morning, there was no way I thought that M3GAN could possibly get such a high rating from me, but I can’t ignore that impression it left me with. One week into the new year and we are off to a great start!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️