Better Late Than Never Vol. #4

Insidious: The Last Key (B)

The second prequel in the Insidious saga, The Last Key has Lin Shaye, Leigh Whanell and Angus Sampson reprise their roles as the ghost hunting trio Elsie, Specs and Tucker. They receive a call that takes them to Elsie's childhood home in Five Keys, New Mexico where she must confront her haunted past. As usual, Sampson and Whannell provide the lighter moments and Shaye continues to excel as Elsie. While the sequels lack that James Wan touch, none of the Insidious movies have ever been bad. The Last Key is average if a bit hockey but brings the series in full circle and a fitting conclusion. (Hopefully).

Upgrade (B)

In what is second movie in the director's chair, Leigh Whannell crafts a solid sci-fi thriller of a man who gets implanted with artificial intelligence and uses it track down the criminals who murdered his wife. It's Ex Machina, meets Venom, with a pinch of Saw, that's a bit jumbled but manages to be effective in the end.

Mid90s (C+)

Feeling neglected at home with a mother (Katherine Waterson) never at home, and an abusive older brother (Lucas Hedges), 13 year-old Steve (Sunny Suljic) finds solace with a group of skaters learning some neat tricks and the harsh reality of life. A decent if juvenile directing debut from Jonah Hill who crafts a picture that could be described as a realistic South Park episode capturing many truths while incorporating some shocking scenes with some doses of humor.

I Can Only Imagine (C)

A feel-good movie that chronicles life of Bart Millard lead singer of the Christian rock band MercyMe. Props to J. Michael Finley as Bart and Dennis Quaid as his father. Like a majority of Christian movies it has heart, though filmmaking and story-wise could use a little work. What does hit home is the relationship between Bart and his father as we see it evolve from pain to redemption.

Widows (C+)

After their husbands are killed in a robbery gone wrong, their widows lead by a commanding Viola Davies are forced to finish what they started amidst a corrupt election taking place. The actors are fantastic and the action is intense courtesy of Steve McQueen in his first mainstream movie but follows the bleak route of Logan. No Country for Old Men and McQueen's last film 12 Years a Slave have proven that bleak movies can be effective as long as a linger of hope flickers. The movie juggles with so much on its plate that it literally crashes in its sadistic third act despite it's attempts to tie everything together with a happy-ish ending. Get Out actor Daniel Kaluuya steals the show with a terrifying presence, only to be terribly underutilized.

Hereditary (D-)

Disturbing and unintentionally hilarious at times courtesy of Toni Collete who is being praised by critics for her performance that I found goofy for the most part. While the dark message of a broken family is well-executed, I felt like Mermaid Man shouting "EVIL" at everything onscreen, coming off as a sick horror-themed exploitative film with a bigger budget. I'll give it credit that I didn't see the ending coming but movies like Deliver Us From Evil and The Conjuring 2 do a better job on showing that some things aren't meant to be messed around with and show some restraint on displaying such evils. 

Robin Hood (D)

I know its called Robin Hood but it didn't need to take the "hood" aspect literally. From Paul W.S Anderson's The Three Musketeers, Johnny Depp in The Lone Ranger The Legend of Tarzan, two King Arthur movies,and now three Robin Hood movies, the list just keeps growing with these awful iterations of well-known icons of cinema and literature. It wants to be hip for the younger crowd and attempts to be dark and edgy but only embarrasses itself and strips away what made these characters fun to watch. It's sad when the last good Robin Hood movie is the Disney version with anthropomorphic animals. Other than a couple of good action scenes and if you are in the mood of a good riff on the level of say Batman and Robin, skip this unmerry adventure.

Mortal Engines (B-)

Set in a post-apocalyptic future where human civilizations live on moving cities a la Howl's Moving Castle, an eager aspiring historian and a rogue assassin cross uncover a plot that could annihilate the world and are left for dead. Rather unwillingly, the two set on foot to find their way back home before its too late. Maybe it's because I read the book and a sucker for sci-fi flops, but I ended enjoying this movie.Everything from the book is beautifully translated onto the big-screen from the steampunk dystopian world and the characters. Like any adaptation, alot of elements are changed and omitted for the film. Some work, others not so much such as the villain played by Hugo Weaving, The ending received the biggest change as means to be relevant with its subject on breaking barriers.
From the looks of the box-office numbers, a franchise seems unlikely but it has spot on my list for best efforts in sci-fi pulp entertainment on par with John Carter and Titan A.E. and better than sci-fi stinkers like Jupiter Ascending and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.