This week at the movies: A creepy grandma, a creepy boyfriend, and a homeless Richard Gere. Uplifting!
The Visit
An M. Night Shyamalan production, The Visit is not a return to form of the great movie, The Sixth Sense, that psychological thriller with a twist that no one saw coming. But it’s not as bad as The Happening or Lady in the Water, two mega bombs. The premise: two kids are going to hang with Grandma in Pennsylvania, but instead of warm, fun times, Grandma’s kinda creepy.
Perfect For: Fans of haunted house thrillers; Paranormal Activity; and possession horror movies.
What the Critics Say: Not quite as terrifying as it should be, but scary enough to make you jump a little. Writes the Village Voice: “The best studio horror flick in recent years, combining the but-what's-in-those-shadows? immersion of The Conjuring, James Wan's basement-wandering simulator, with the crack scripting and meta-cinematic surprises of Shyamalan's best early films.” And says the Wrap: “Startling but never terrifying, "The Visit" may make a little money, but it does not mark a return to long-lost greatness for Shyamalan. It's more of the same, presented on a smaller, cheaper canvas where you can see every flaw all the more clearly.”
Our Take: Nope.
The Perfect Guy
Leah (Sanaa Lathan) breaks up with her boyfriend Dave (the ridiculously handsome Morris Chestnut) because he’s not ready for kids. So she finds comfort in another ridiculously handsome and seemingly perfect guy, Carter (Michael Ealy) – hence the title. But when she sees how much he changes when he gets angry, she pulls back. This, however, makes him go Full Stalker mode.
Perfect For: You like a lot of handsome man eye candy to go with your boyfriend-stalker dramas; you like movies like Sleeping With the Enemy.
What the Critics Say: No reviews! Not usually a good sign.
Our Take: If they hadn’t shown the entire movie in the trailer, we might have considered going, but...nope.
Time Out of Mind
Richard Gere stars with Jenna Malone in this forlorn tale about a mentally ill homeless man (Gere) trying to reconnect with his daughter (Malone). There’s not so much a plot, but rather, the film is an examination of life on the street.
Perfect For: Fans of socially conscious drama. You aren’t at the movies to be entertained, but educated.
What the Critics Say: Heavy, perhaps a little too much so. New York magazine: “[the director] is attempting something hugely ambitious with Time Out of Mind: a socially conscious, existential-displacement art movie. I think it would have worked better with a little less rigor and a little more intimacy.” New York Times: “This movie's best and truest quality may be its wandering, episodic rhythm, which is intriguing in its own right and reflects the experience of the main character.” The Hollywood Reporter: “Tedium quickly sets in and is only sporadically relieved in this labor of love that simply doesn't reward even the patient attention of sympathetic viewers.”
Our Take: It’s the best movie offered up this weekend.
