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We had a pair of smaller anticipated films in theaters last weekend, but were they worth checking out? I give my take below. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me @knighthawk7734 on Letterboxd.

Eddington (Theaters)
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, and Austin Butler
Synopsis: For those of us who lived through May of 2020, it’s probably not a time we want to revisit eagerly. We were living in the midst of a pandemic. There was great Civil unrest. And people were at odds all over the country. In the new film Eddington, from director Ari Aster, we are transported back to that tense and fractured time. The film, from A24, opened in theaters on Friday. It’s set in a small New Mexico town where, though the town is dying, things have reached a fevered pitch. We follow Sheriff Joe Cross (Phoenix), who has been part of the law enforcement community for years, succeeding to his position after the death of his father-in-law. He’s not an impressive man, and he has a fractured marriage to Louise (Stone), who is mired in trauma. Some of that relates to a bad relationship years earlier with Ted Garcia (Pascal), now the mayor.  All that creates strain for Joe and Ted. They don’t like each other, and they don’t see eye-to-eye. Ted is a political climber, trying to push for projects that come from other levels of the government. Joe is a simple man who doesn’t believe in COVID and believes that any forced conditions are government over-reach. This is one of many ways he and Ted differ. Soon, pushed to a breaking point, Joe runs for Mayor. But with his personal life in shambles, and nationwide protests taking over Eddington, tensions run even higher. Like most people, I don’t have fond memories of the Spring and Summer of 2020. Doubtless, this will dredge up some painful memories. That’s especially true if you lost a loved one during that time or were a victim of brutality surrounding the protests that erupted after the death of George Floyd. This film brings those events to life in a real way that takes you right back to that time. But it soon becomes clear Aster isn’t aiming to make some kind of definitive statement about these varying ideologies. No, this is a fictional story that wants to explore the way a man—in this case Joe—spirals out of control as the events around him descend into chaos. And that part of the story, at times, soars. Phoenix gives a great lead performance. He is the center of this film with the rest of the cast—Stone, Pascal, and Austin Butler, among them—playing a supporting role. This is about Joe and it’s about the way he loses himself along the way. It’s a fascinating story that plays out in some interesting ways. I especially enjoyed the action sequence in the final act. That being said, it’s a rough watch. The COVID and protest pieces leave a bad taste in my mouth, especially as they felt somewhat disconnected from what becomes more of a personal breakdown for Joe. From that standpoint, it makes sense that some have loved the film, and some have been turned off. For my part, I thought the craft and the lead performance were great. There are some incredibly well shot sequences. But the overall arc of the film leaves me uneasy.
Rating: Rated R for strong violence, some grisly images, language, and graphic nudity.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

I Know What You Did Last Summer (Theaters)
Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Madelyn Cline, and Chase Sui Wonders
Synopsis: We’re in an era where everything old is new again. Sometimes that comes in the form of sequels. Sometimes it comes in the form of reboots. And sometimes it’s a sequel that wants to borrow heavily from the legacy of the past. This includes locations, stories, and characters. That last camp is where we place, I Know What You Did Last Summer. This isn’t the first time we’ve gotten a horror film with that name. Back in the 1990s, in the wake of the success of Scream, there was a wave of similar horror films. One of those that followed was I Know What You Did Last Summer, released in 1997. It came from Kevin Williamson and Lois Duncan, set in a small coastal town of North Carolina. It centered on a group of friends who made a mistake, tried to cover it up, and then things went sideways. What’s old is new again as we once again have the same basic set up set in the same place out this weekend. This new film introduces new characters, a new mistake, but the same old consequences. And, like other legacy sequels, it brings back some familiar faces to transport audiences right back to where they were 28 years earlier. But does it work? This new one is set in Southport and as we pick up, Ava (Wonders) is back home to attend the engagement party of her best friend, Danica (Cline). Danica is engaged to Teddy (Tyriq Withers), who is best friends with Ava’s high school boyfriend, Milo (Jonah Hauer-King). As they enjoy the celebration, the four friends united decide to go out to watch fireworks for the Fourth of July. They reunite with their other old friend, Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon). As they’re out, an accident happens. Due to careless behavior, a motorist flies off the cliff in a truck, plunging to his death. The friends are split on what to do, but decide to keep it quiet to protect themselves, as Teddy gets his father (Billy Campbell) to help cover things up. Flash-forward a year, and Ava is back in Southport again. But this last year has changed them all. She’s here for Danica’s bridal shower, but Danica’s life has also changed. She and Teddy split, and now she’s preparing to marry Wyatt (Joshua Orpin). But before that happens, she gets a letter. Someone knows about their secret. Soon, Ava learns that this has happened before. She reaches out to Julie James (Love Hewitt) for advice, while Stevie leans on her boss, Ray (Prinze, Jr.). Can they find a way to fight back before it’s too late? This film follows the formula of the first closely. It has a few new wrinkles in the crime, the characters, etc. But it’s set in the same place where the events of 1997 are not only history, but they’re also liberally referenced. We’ve seen this model before, as Scream itself applied it a few years back to reboot the franchise. But here, it works dreadfully. In part that’s because the story of the new characters isn’t compelling. In part, it’s because the performances aren’t great. And, in part, it’s because the twist is beyond ridiculous. While this film takes a turn in Third Act and clearly has designs on restarting a franchise, it remains to be seen if there will be enough of an audience. It’s not all dreadful. I really enjoyed Love Hewitt, who only appears occasionally through most of this film but is clearly part of the future. She sinks back into the part and has some fun lines and moments. So, too, does a surprise cameo from another of the stars of the original film. I won’t ruin the surprise but suffice to say this return brought an energy that most of the film was missing. Aside from that, the formula and the kills were as uninspiring as these new characters. The whole thing felt like a tired return that didn’t offer much for audiences. It’s been a summer that’s featured some wonderful and delightful films. This sticks out like an underwhelming sore thumb.
Rating: Rated R for bloody horror violence, language throughout, some sexual content and brief drug use.
Verdict: One star out of five