A Haunting In Venice Provides Audiences With A Spooky Halloween Treat

     

      Looking for a fun mystery thriller that has a spooky feel to it? If so, then look no further than 20th Century Fox's A Haunting in Venice. Following Death on The Nile and Murder on The Orient Express, the third film in the Kenneth Branagh directed trilogy has him reprising his role as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Released during the fall season to coincide with Halloween, Venice provides audiences with a seasonal treat that's both darker and spookier than the previous films with the story still maintaining the same Clue-like mystery feel to it that's accompanied by visuals as well as another star-studded cast. 

      Based on Agatha Christie's bestselling novel Hallowe'en Party, Venice has detective Poirot, now retired and living in Italy in a self-imposed exile. He reluctantly attends a seance at a decaying haunted palazzo where he soon gets thrust into a sinister mystery when one of the guests is murdered. Darker than the previous Poirot stories and full of sinister secrets involving key players in the story, A Haunting In Venice takes the mystery aspect of its plot to the next level, though doesn't quite outdo the previous Poirot tales. It is within the performances from its strong ensemble along with stellar production values, which give the film a spooky vibe and ultimately make it work with Branagh's directing that remains as enthusiastic as ever in telling these slick mystery stories. 

    With any Poirot cinematic mystery, it's the work of the film's ensemble cast that plays a significant part in keeping the audience engaged. The cast presented here plays their roles with complete devotion towards telling the story with the strongest work coming from Branagh, Tina Fey, and Michelle Yeoh. Branagh once again commands the story with a classy performance as retired world-renowned Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who once again uncovers something sinister lurking in the shadows. Tina Fey impresses as Poirot's friend Ariadne Oliver, who happens to be a crime novelist. Michelle Yeoh also delivers impressive work as supposed psychic medium, Joyce Reynolds with her performing one of the film's most intense moments. Other notable performances from Venice's impressive cast include Kyle Allen as Alicia Drake's ex-fiance Maxime Gerard, Camille Cottin as Rowena's housekeeper Olga Seminoff, Jamie Dornan as Dr. Leslie Ferrier, Jude Hill as Dr. Terrier's precocious son, Leopold, Kelly Reilly as Alicia's mother Rowena, Rowan Robinson as her deceased daughter, Alicia, Riccardo Scamarcio as Poirot's bodyguard Vitale, and Amir El-Masry as a young man named Alessandro, who seeks Poirot's help. Though Venice's cast isn't as star-studded as the previous films, the ensemble here shines in churning out fantastic performances.

      With Venice's directing, Branagh creates a spooky mood while doing an excellent job of showcasing Italy's exotic locations. Given his heavy use of dutch angles, Branagh uses them throughout the course of the film in addition to making the atmosphere appear much darker than the previous films. He does a stellar job of building up the suspense while filling it with numerous jump scares and key graphic sequences such as a character being pushed out of a window and impaled on a statue below or another committing suicide by stabbing themselves. There's one sequence in particular which involves a Halloween seance that proves extremely effective in driving up the audience's anxiety regarding the mystery behind the story. As far as directing goes, Branagh once again establishes himself as being an expert filmmaker who can take classic literature and present it on the screen while giving it both a rich and grand feel. Though audiences may find the films beginning portion to move a bit slow, they'll find themselves being engaged once the stories spook factor kicks in.

      Whereas Murder On the Orient Express and Death On The Nile both had their stories be murder mystery centered, Venice sticks to the same formula while exploring themes including truth, regret, sin, tragedy, ghosts, and happiness vs. satisfaction with the overall story showing how heartbreak can ultimately lead to desperation. The script is well-written to where it doesn't make it obvious who the killer is and paints each main character as being a possible suspect with dark secrets behind revealed as Poirot is thrusted into a double homicide murder case. While the writing succeeds at making the film feel like one giant puzzle that audiences will enjoy piecing together, it's third act leaves something to be desired after the first two acts being reliably strong.  

      As good as the film goes about solving the latest murder mystery, it doesn't quite feel as satisfying as the previous stories. However, as a faithful adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic novel and as a film meant to serve up a delicious Halloween treat this fall moviegoing season, A Haunting In Venice satisfies while pushing its established formula to the limit. 

Final Verdict: Worth seeing if you're a fan of Agatha Christie's work or Kenneth Branagh as an actor and director. 

The Nun ll Conjures Up A Fun Yet Flawed Sequel That Improves Upon Its Predecessor

      It's a rarity for horror sequels to be as good as the originals or even manage to surpass their predecessors. Generally speaking, most follow-ups end up paying in comparison with fans wishing that they were never made. Surprisingly though, that isn't the case here as The Nun ll arrives in theaters and presents itself as being a significant improvement over its mediocre original. Though it still falls victim to the same issues regarding predictability and a heavy abundance on jump scares that plagued the first, the sequel still proves itself to be an effective horror sequel that's bigger, darker, and more entertaining this time around.

      Picking up four years after the original , the sequel plac s Sister Irene once again coming face-to-face with Valek, the demon nun after the latter murders a priest in 1956 France. The Nun ll feels like a legitimate improvement over its predecessor with more creativity and thoughtfulness being put into the films jump scares despite its plot bearing the same issues in regards to lacking originality. Where the film struggles in terms of predictability, it more than compensates by establishing an atmosphere that's creepy and ultimately serves up some genuinely decent scares with most horror fans finding it to be a more satisfying experience than the first (Though that isn't saying much given  the originals lackluster quality).

      As far as acting goes, the cast proves dependable in delivering solid performances that help to maintain the audiences attention towards the story, as well as keeping them at the edge of their seat. Taissa Farmiga reprises her role from the original Nun and shines with delivering a delightfully terrific performance as Sister Irene, that becomes the heart of the film. Jonas Bloquet also returns as Maurice with his character now working at a boarding school and even becoming possessed at one point. Both Farmiga and Bloquet make for sympathetic leads as the audience recalls their previous experience with battling the demon. Other impressive performances include the fantastic Storm Reid as Sister Debra, Anna Popplewell as Kate, and Bonnie Aarons being absolutely chilling as The Demon Nun, Valek.

      Directed by Michael Chaves who previously helmed The Curse Of La Lorna and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, he creates a genuinely creepy atmosphere and maintains it throughout the course of the film. In terms of graphic imagery, the sequel is more darker and violent than the first film in comparison. Some of the creepy images shown include the scary demonic nun, a goat monster, a priest catching on fire and burning, and a corpse lying in a huge blood puddle. One of the sequels key areas of improvement over its predecessor is its pacing. The story moves at a solid pace and feels more confident in where it wants to insert its numerous jump scares, while also generating a feeling of dread that maintain the audiences engagement with the story. Despite Chaves work being his strongest out of the three Conjuring films in the series, it isn't perfect as some of the jump scares don't always achieve their desired effect. 

      Although the writing marks a noticeable improvement over this time around, it's still bound to many of the numerous issues that plagued the originals script. The plot still leans towards feeling relatively thin and key themes such as embracing one's fears and doing so while facing extraordinary odds are treated as being afterthoughts rather than being given the proper exploration. For its main characters, the script works well as being an extension of their story from the first film with Sister Irene and Maurice coming face to face again with the demon nun. Irene is presented as being a stronger female character this time around with her having both the courage and perservance to fight the demonic nun, along with Sophie appearing sympathetic to audiences. Along with the scripts strong elements including its immersive prologue and an intense chapel sequence that happens midpoint, it has numerous setbacks that keep it on the level of being serviceable such as the films strongest sequences ending in a lackluster fashion, a heavy reliance on exposition that ultimately makes the scriptwriting feel uneven, and numerous side characters often feeling like generic characters in other horror films. 

      Whereas the first Nun didn't have audiences feeling genuinely scared or thinking it to be anything other than passable horror entertainment, The Nun ll provides a more satisfying experience this time around with it being more darker, violent, and creative in terms of generating an unsettling atmosphere that sticks for the most part. It doesn't do much to improve its predecessors reputation, but it works to atone for its past sins and checks off all the required boxes to conjure up a more enjoyable experience that works for the spooky season. 

Final Verdict: A more satisfying than the first Nun though still isn't great. Worth watching if you're a fan of the series.

Images Courtesy Of Warner Bros. Pictures

The Equalizer 3 Delivers A Fitting End To A Solid Rebooted Trilogy

      It seems that both fitting and acceptable endings to popular Hollywood franchises are hard to come by nowadays. Generally, most finales have audiences feeling a sense of disappointment with how they go about concluding their respective stories. That doesn't appear to be the case here as Sony Pictures has Denzel Washington and series director Antoine Fuqua concluding their popular rebooted  Equalizer trilogy in a thrilling fashion, delivering high-octane action that's comparable to that of the John Wick franchise. The Equalizer 3 delivers electrifying action as well as a satisfying curtain closer for Washington's character Robert McCall, that makes it the most solid action film released this year next to John Wick: Chapter 4.

        Loosely based on the television series of the same name, the plot has Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) giving up his previous life as a government assassin and living in Southern Italy. His life of peace is soon halted when he discovers that his newfound friends are being terrorized and controlled by local crime bosses. Known for the disbursing of justice on behalf of those oppressed, McCall becomes the local neighborhood protector by single-handedly taking on the mafia himself. Equalizer 3's plot feels like the perfect way to wrap up McCall's story by bringing everything full circle and allowing audiences one last opportunity to see him in top form. Although the story comes across as being formulaic, there's enough stunning action displayed along with beautiful scenery and a commanding screen presence from Denzel Washington to make up for any shortcomings the film carries with the end result being a solid action fare.

      With an action franchise like Equalizer, acting performances are crucial in regard to selling the intensity of the action as well as the believability of the story. Washington once again proves that he was born to play the role of Robert McCall with him depicting his character as being haunted by his past actions as a former government assassin yet finds himself being sucked back into the action while seeking peace in Southern Italy. He commands every scene that he's in and his reunion with Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning is a true delight to watch with the latter further demonstrating her talent as CIS officer Emma Collins, who gets tipped off by McCall regarding a winery's role in the illegal drug trade disguised as normal am business transactions in Sicily. Her chemistry with Washington remains spot-on with the audience genuinely feeling the excitement of seeing the two reunite nearly twenty years after their previous collaboration. The rest of the cast delivers terrific work with Eugenio Mastrandrea as local carabiniere Gio Bonucci, who rescues McCall after being shot. Other notable performances include David Denman as Collins CIA partner, Frank Conroy, Sonia Ben Ammar McCall's love interest Chiara Bonucci, Remo Girone as Enzo, Andrea Scarduzio as head of the Camorra, Vincent Quaranta, and Gaia Scodellaro as McCall's ally and doctor Aminah.

      In terms of directing, Fuqua brings the same style of kinetic action to the threequel while allowing Denzel to have enough free reign to dominate the screen. With the action, Fuqua keeps the violence relatively sparse but makes those moments notably effective with excessive amounts of gore being used. Some examples include individuals being shot, stabbed, and blown up in graphic and bloody fashions with over-the-top bits including a man having a fun shoved through his eyeball and several shots travelling through his head. The films cinematography stunningly captures the versatility and beautiful landscape of Italy. At 109 minutes, the story never feels like its slow-moving or boring with the action keeping audiences at the edge of their seat as they anticipate McCall to take out the Italian Mafia. Given that this marks both Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua's fifth collaboration together, it seems as if both men have a legitimate understanding of how to utilize the other in bringing out the best work possible. The latter delivers strong directorial work that audiences will unquestionably find to be skillful.

      The Equalizer 3's plot heavily revolves around themes pertaining to drug trafficking, the Mafia, pain, grief, vigilantism, and finding peace which McCall's character finds during his stay in Italy. Both the storyline and dialogue come across as being powerful at times with it legitimately feeling like the end for McCall's story. When it comes to the rest of the films characters, they come across as being thinly developed though serviceable figures whom the audience have seen before in other similar action features. The films Italian Mafia comes across as appearing rather simple and dull with them being the typical generic mafia henchmen, who hurt others for financial gain with nothing else shown beyond that. Although their characters aren't interesting, their actions help move things forward while building the audiences suspense in wanting to see them get killed off by McCall. While Equalizer 3's script doesn't do anything innovative with its story and finds itself largely sticking to formula and familiar character tropes, there's enough good elements present to make up for any of it shortcomings. 

      If one enjoyed the previous Equalizer films, they'll also do so here as it offers more of the same while giving more insight into McCall's mind. The stories most effective moments are those in which his character reflects on his past deeds, while also being shocked at the injustice surrounding him as he slowly realizes that he must clean up the streets once again. At one point in the film, he tells one of the main Italian monsters "I'm preparing you" as he prepares to take matters into his own hands. That warning serves not just the main villains, but the audience as well given that they know what's coming and will be anticipating the climax with pure adrenaline and excitement. It may not be as strong of a series capper as John Wick: Chapter 4, but as one that aims to conclude its own story, The Equalizer 3 respectably does so while leaving fans reasonably satisfied.

Final Verdict: A must see for action fans and those who enjoy Denzel Washington as an actor.

Images courtesy of Sony Pictures

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Provides Enjoyment And Fun For The Whole Family

      It feels as if it's been forever since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has had a solid film released that properly captured the spirit of the characters. Besides the classic 1990 live-action feature (Which still holds up today) and its fairly decent sequel, The Secret Of The Ooze, the series has experienced its share of ups and downs in regards to their recent film's overall quality with the 2007 TMNT animated film managing to be serviceable, and both Michael Bay produced adaptations committing a major disservice to the source material. With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Paramount Pictures avoids the same fate and delivers what's arguably the best reiteration of the story in years. 

      Mutant Mayhem has the Turtle siblings going on a hunt in pursuit of a mysterious crime syndicate, but trouble arises when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them. Much like the 1990 live-action Turtles, Mayhem is less of an origin story and more of a reintroduction of the classic characters this time in animated form. Though nothing still tops the 1990 live-action classic, Mutant Mayhem successfully brings the series up to modern day standards while maintaining the spirit, charm, and heart of the characters that makes it an extremely enjoyable experience for the whole family while exhibiting massive visual appeal.

      When it comes to the voice performances, Mutant Mayhem's cast delivers terrific work with each actor/actress being completely spot on with nailing their characters personalities. Michah abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon all churn out terrific work as the four goofy and fun-spirited turtle brothers with Jackie Chan making for an ideal casting choice as Splinter along with Ayo Edebiri as a younger and more relatable April O'Neil. Other noteworthy voice additions to Mayhem's cast include Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom, Seth Rogen and John Cena as Bebop and Rocksteady with Rose Byrne as antagonist turned protagonist, Leatherhead, Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut, Giancarlo Esposito as mad scientist Baxter Stockman, Paul Rudd as antagonist turned Turtle ally Mondo Gecko, and Ice Cube as the Turtle's main antagonist, Superfly. Mayhem's charismatic cast, everyone does fantastic work here and brings something to the story that makes it feel fresh and energetic with the core four's chemistry being on-point.

      When it comes to the animation, director Jeff Rowe crafts a unique visual feast that's hard to take your eyes off with the films colors being extremely vibrant with the images being well-textured in a way that makes the images come alive and engulf young audiences in its world. The violence shown ranks as being standard for an action-packed animated film with lots of hand-to-hand combat shown along with characters being blown around during explosions. With a 1 hr and 39 minute running time, the story is always kept moving at a fast-paced with the soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross doing an effective job of matching the films gritty feel as well as providing an energy that matches that of the new teenage heroes. While the films animation doesn't rank as being anything groundbreaking nor stand out on the same level as Across The Spider-Verse, it still provides a visually striking experience that its young audience will undoubtedly be drawn to.

      With Mayhem's script, the story explores themes pertaining to family, acceptance, and the desire to fit in. The Turtles are shown to have been sheltered from the human world for most of their upbringing by their father-figure Splinter, whose reasons for mistrusting humans is explained in a powerful flashback. At it's heart, Mutant Mayhem's story is about the Turtle siblings setting out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and ultimately be accepted by society as normal young teenagers. The relationship between the Turtles and April O'Neil is well-deserved, and stays true to the comic book storyline with the latter helping them take on the mysterious crime syndicate much like the 1990 live-action film. Whereas that film has Shredder be the main villain of the story, the newest reboot has the Turtles battling an army of mutants that have been unleashed upon New York City. As a whole, Mayhem's script is well-written and reintroduces the Turtles in a way that makes them relatable to today's newer generation. Along with the films action and heart is a ton of hilarious gags and one-liners delivered by the Turtle siblings that captures their wacky sense of humor along with making them feel like actual teenagers. 

       As a whole, Mutant Mayhem entertains audiences while delivering a poignant message for children which says that it's ok to not fear something that's different and how people can change for the better if given the opportunity. The friendship that the Turtles share with April O' Neil is an example of this and adds an emotional layer to the story that both Bay produced films were largely devoid of. It doesn't beat the previous best Ninja Turtles film (The 1990 film still proudly wears that crown), but as a reimagining of the Ninja Turtles story that isn't afraid to embrace the modern era with little bits including kids using Tik- tok or April O' Neil being switched to African-American, or the addition of numerous Easter eggs for fans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem represents a welcomed return to form for the franchise as well as its ironic heroes in a half shell. 

Final Verdict: A must watch for fans of the series and a totally enjoyable experience for families. 

Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures