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We’re into the first week in April, which has afforded us a couple interesting new releases. Check out my take on the new movies released this week below. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Freaky Tales (Theaters)
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Ben Mendelsohn, and Tom Hanks
Synopsis: We’ve seen Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden do a period piece before. With their Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Captain Marvel, they took the action back to the mid-1990s. Now, they’re going even further back with their new action-comedy Freaky Tales. The film is set in Oakland in 1987 and follows a group of four short, inter-connected tales of life in the city. The stories are varied. The first tackles a group of punk enthusiast teens battling some Neo Nazi hecklers. The second focuses on a pair of young girls who have aspirations to be rap stars. The third finds Pascal as an enforcer for a local crime boss who is ready to retire. When a tragedy occurs, it forces him to take stock of his life. The fourth and final story, which kind of ties all the disparate characters together, involves a fictional take on NBA player Sleepy Floyd (Ellis). It involves the actual playoff series that took place that summer between the Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers, too. This is a stylized film. That’s one of the things that works for it. The film is shot in old-school boxed style, featuring a film stock and effects that take you back to the 1980s period. The look and feel match, too, as do other things like seeing VHS tapes and the clothes and cars.  The stories vary and your interest in them might vary, too. I was more sold on the ones that had good anchor performances. The third, which focuses on Pascal, was probably the most engaging. Both the story and the performances worked well. It also features a fun cameo from Hanks, who is probably the highlight of the whole thing for me. I really enjoyed his character and that scene in particular. The final story also works well thanks to Ellis and the wild nature of the story. It also features a heavy dose of Mendelsohn, who appears in three of the four stories. He does well with his role and helps you buy in. Those are the things I liked, but it isn’t all sunshine with this film. The stories are uneven, particularly the first two narratives. That makes it hard to get into the film. By the time you hit some more engaging fare, you’re more than halfway through the film. It’s also over-the-top all the way through, particularly when it comes to violence. That won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Still, there are a few moments that resonated enough to make it an interesting watch. Overall, Freaky Tales won’t be on a Top 10 list, but for those that enjoy period pieces, some violence, and a fun dose of Tom Hanks, this will have its moments.
Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout including slurs, sexual content and drug use.
Verdict: Two and a half stars

Hell of a Summer (Theaters)
Starring: Fred Hechinger, Finn Wolfhard, and Billy Byrk
Synopsis: Most of us experience summer camp at least once in our lives. It can be a time of fun and exploration, and a time to escape our regular lives. Some people love it so much they never want to leave. But what happens if things go wrong? That’s the case with Hell of a Summer, which comes from Wolfhard and Byrk, who co-wrote, co-directed, and co-star in the film. It follows a group of counselors arriving for a summer of fun but finding terror and death instead. We first meet Jason (Hechinger), who is a 24-year-old man. But he had so much fun at camp he’s returning as a counselor for the sixth time. His mom wants him to press forward into his real life, but he’s not ready to give up Camp Pineway yet. In fact, it feels more like home to him than anywhere else. That’s odd considering most of the counselors don’t think much of him. Still, as they start to arrive, Jason takes the lead and gets them settled in. Oddly, the Camp’s owners aren’t present. They’ve left a note, so Jason takes it upon himself to make sure everyone is having a good time. They make it through an afternoon of fun and dinner. But, after the bonfire, when one of the counselors turns up dead, Jason fears the worst. When more disappear, it’s clear something has gone terribly wrong. The hunt for a killer begins and the group has to figure out a way to survive the night. We’ve seen horror films set at camp before. In fact, naming the lead character Jason feels a bit on-the-nose for this type of story. But this is a film that liberally borrows from others in the slasher genre, blending them up and putting them back together in a newish way. It’s also a film that’s aimed at the modern moment with its references and its characters, one of whom appears to be a Social Media influencer. There are some fun sequences and some decent kills. We have some funny characters and moments, leading to a killer reveal that felt both surprising and a little underwhelming. In fact, that’s on brand for this film. It’s a blend of some clever ideas and moments with story elements that feel overly familiar. Wolfhard and Byrk have some fun bits in the script, and give themselves some fun roles, too. The overall arc of the film works well enough, and the kills are sufficient to breathe life into this kind of film. At just 88 minutes, it moves at a good clip and is entertaining enough to be a fun ride for those looking for a good slasher.
Rating: Rated R for horror violence, language throughout, and some sexual references.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

A Minecraft Movie (Theaters)
Starring: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, and Danielle Brooks
Synopsis: In the new Apple TV+ show The Studio, the executives are spending time trying to figure out how to monetize the big Kool-Aid movie. It’s basically a farce about any kind of recognizable piece of intellectual property being able to make big money at the theater. People enjoy what’s familiar to them. I couldn’t help but think about that arc while watching A Minecraft Movie, which is based on the popular game. I was in a packed theater, and when I went back later in the day to see something else, the theater was still packed. The brand brought the people out. The film will doubtless be a financial success. But is it any good? While that might seem beside the point to some, it’s worth considering, especially given that this film will likely make money and earn a sequel.  In this new movie, we’re introduced to Steve (Black), who as a boy wanted to be a miner but wasn’t allowed. As an adult, he returned to mining, finding an orb that unlocked the door to a secret world. There, he could build anything he wanted. So, he found a home. But, soon enough, he found another doorway to some place darker. It led him to send his faithful wolf, Denis, to hide the orb on Earth to keep his new home safe. Flash forward to the small town in Idaho that was once Steve’s home. His stuff is packed in a storage, sold to Garrett (Momoa). Garrett is down-on-his-luck, having once been a video game champion in the late 1980s. Now he’s a struggling business owner who is coasting on the glory of his former fame. Garrett connects with a teen, Henry (Sebastian Hansen), who is a new resident and a bit of a loner. But he’s wildly creative. Together, Henry and Garrett activate the Orb and follow it to the doorway. They’re joined by Henry’s sister, Natalie (Emma Myers) and her real estate agent Dawn (Brooks). All four are transported to another world, where they join Steve in a fight to save its existence and get back home safely. The plot here doesn’t totally matter. It’s an animated world that is meant to bring the audience into the world of the game and its quirks and inside references. I’m loosely familiar with Minecraft, but I’ve never played. Doubtless many of the references and jokes went over-my-head, and I’m sure that will be the case with a lot of adults and parents that get dragged along to a showing. This is a decent enough cast, with Black and Momoa trying to provide some energy. I’d hoped for a Jumanji-like experience, but this isn’t as clever or as fun as that. In fact, as a film it’s fairly ridiculous. The look doesn’t work and much of the humor—such as it is—falls quite flat. That last part is something of a shame. The film comes from Jared Hess, who’s given us Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, among others. He’s clearly trying to add some of that same quirk to this world, but it doesn’t land despite a decent cast that includes cameos like Jermaine Clement as well. Overall, this is a brightly colored dud that will likely appeal to its target audience of game players and kids. In terms of being a compelling, original film, it’s a complete misfire and one of the worst of the year so far.
Rating: Rated PG for violence/action, language, suggestive/rude humor and some scary images.
Verdict: One stars out of five