From Woodsboro to NYC, Ghostface Makes a Big Move

Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, 
Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding
in "Scream 6"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

A little over a year ago, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett brought the “Scream” franchise back to the big screen with its fifth installment.  Although there was some skepticism over how they would handle the series with this being the first “Scream” film since director Wes Craven’s (who directed the previous four installments) passing in August 2015, the duo delivered a highly entertaining entry that took a stab at the latest horror trend, and movie trend in general: legacy sequels.  With a mixture of new and returning characters, it gave us hope that the series was in good hands.

Bertinelli-Olpin and Gillett now bring Ghostface and his victims to the Big Apple with “Scream 6,” a fast-paced, thrilling, and witty continuation of their new trilogy.

After the events of the last film, Samantha Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega), and their friends Mindy and Chad Meeks (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding) have left Woodsboro and are attending college in New York City.  When a new string of Ghostface killings begins, this quartet of survivors have to figure out who’s behind the mask before they become the latest victims.

Barrera and Ortega continue the superb work they gave in the last film, showing a sibling relationship that’s now strained due to Sam’s overprotectiveness of Tara, following their ordeal in Woodsboro.  They provide engaging chemistry that continues to build the emotional center of this new trilogy, offering enough drama that mixes well in between the scares.  Aside from that, the two of them exemplify the fighting spirit that Neve Campbell displayed as former franchise lead character Sidney Prescott, springing into action and showing ingenuity when it comes to outsmarting the killer.  

Despite Campbell not returning as Sidney, the cast proves that they can carry a “Scream” film without being over-reliant on legacy characters, just like in the previous film.  The only returning characters from the four Craven films are Courteney Cox and Hayden Panettiere.  While Cox is still a lot of fun as reporter Gale Weathers and Panettiere is a welcome, long-awaited return as Kirby Reed from “Scream 4,” it’s the returning characters from the fifth installment and the new additions in this film who do the heavy lifting, with newcomers such as Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Tony Revolori, and Samara Weaving all being given some memorable moments alongside what we see with Barrera, Ortega, Brown, and Gooding.  

As always, Roger L. Jackson is chilling and entertaining as the voice of Ghostface.  The way in which he uses his intonations to be both scary and humorous is what makes his phone-call scenes so unsettling.  Having provided the vocals for Ghostface for all six films, he hasn’t lost his ability to place us on edge as the voice toys with its victims before the killer strikes.

The screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick (both of whom wrote the previous film, with the latter also being a co-writer for Bertinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s 2019 horror comedy “Ready or Not”) has a meta angle that feels a little forced, but it makes up for that by offering a bigger scale with its location and plenty of new victims/suspects.  Although the characters are in college, the writers don’t use the college as the main setting, like it was done in “Scream 2” in the original trilogy.  Instead, they do something different and take us throughout the city and use it to stage some pulse-pounding scenarios that are a great break from the Woodsboro setting that’s been used for three of the five other movies.  Aside from the frightening scenarios Vanderbilt and Busick create for the characters, they also make time for some dramatic moments between Sam, Tara, Mindy, and Chad as they try to deal with what happened to them in the previous film, giving us scenes that show the growth of their bond that engages us in what they’ve faced and what they’ve yet to face.

As directors, Bertinelli-Olpin and Gillett take full advantage of the cityscape, staging sequences that rank with some of the series’ best.  Whether it’s a chase through an apartment or an extended sequence on a crowded subway, the filmmaking duo uses their talents to give this trilogy its own unique visuals from what came before.  They re-team with their “Ready or Not” and “Scream 5” cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz and “Scream 5” editor Jay Prychidny to construct thrillingly shot segments that will make you tense up as they prove that there’s still plenty of creativity to be mined from this 26-year-old series.

If this latest trilogy can close out with as much humor and frights as it has accomplished in these last two movies, then Craven’s films will be able to sit with respectable, and scary, company.

Grade: A-

Predictions for the 95th Academy Awards

Best Supporting Actor: Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”; Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway”; Judd Hirsch, “The Fabelmans”; Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”; Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Ke Huy Quan in
"Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Will Win and Should Win: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - Although all of the comeback-story discussions this award season seem to have mostly revolved around Brendan Fraser, Quan is another actor who has experienced quite a year in terms of excelling in a great role that relaunched his career, which helped him become one of this year’s many first-time acting nominees.  As the shy, yet endearing husband of the film’s main character, Quan is supremely entertaining to watch as he succeeds in both the film’s quieter emotional moments and its extravagantly choreographed sci-fi action sequences.  Out of all of the acting categories this year, he’s the one who has his Oscar sewn up.  Although he lost to Keoghan at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, that was barely a stumble, seeing as Quan has won countless accolades from critics groups, as well as wins at the Critics’ Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.  At this point, it’s safe to say his comeback year will deservedly end with an Oscar.

Best Supporting Actress: Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”; Hong Chau, “The Whale”; Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”; Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”; Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Jamie Lee Curtis in
"Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Will Win: Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - This is definitely one of the trickier categories to predict.  Condon has received most of the attention from critics groups and Best Supporting Actress at the BAFTAs; Bassett won the Critics’ Choice Award and the Golden Globe, and Curtis won the SAG Award.  At this point, either of these three could end up winning.  However, the one who has the slight edge is Curtis.  Seeing as this is her first Oscar nomination in a decades-long career, many people might want to reward her performance as the lead character’s enigmatic IRS inspector.  Again, this race could go either way, but don’t be surprised if all of this good will pushes Curtis to the stage on Oscar night.

Kerry Condon in
"The Banshees of Inisherin"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Should Win: Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin” - Although Condon’s facing some equal competition, it would be great to see her take home the trophy.  As the caring and humorous sister of Colin Farrell’s main character, Condon offered a glowing presence as someone who’s protective of those whom she loves, but won’t hold back if she needs to straighten them out.  The recognition that she’s received so far for her performance could help her win on Oscar night.  It isn’t guaranteed, but it would be a terrific win for the first-time nominee.

Best Actor: Austin Butler, “Elvis”; Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”; Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”; Paul Mescal, “Aftersun”; Bill Nighy, “Living”

Austin Butler in "Elvis"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Will Win and Should Win: Austin Butler, “Elvis” - When you watch this movie, you’ll see how this is the latest example of someone who disappears into a role.  As the iconic rock ‘n’ roll legend, Butler has been dominating awards season with his screen-busting performance.  While Butler hasn’t had much luck with the critics groups and lost the SAG Award to Fraser (who received a lot of love from critics groups), he’s fared much better with the big awards ceremonies, coming out on top at the Critics’ Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs.  When you mix that with the film being a box office smash, this could very well end up being a win for the first-time nominee.

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, “Tár”; Ana de Armas, “Blonde”; Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”; Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans”; Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Cate Blanchett in "Tár"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Will Win and Should Win: Cate Blanchett, “Tár” - Just how Best Actor has come down between Butler and Fraser, this race has come down between Blanchett and Yeoh.  While Yeoh won Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Comedy at the Golden Globes and Best Actress at the SAG Awards, Blanchett won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival (where the film premiered), the Critics’ Choice Award, Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes, and the BAFTA, as well as a slew of wins from the many critics groups.  As an acclaimed composer and conductor who’s placed under the microscope after some startling allegations come out against her, Blanchett delivers one of her best performances as a cold, understatedly unsettling individual who takes her fame too far.  Yeoh could pull off a last-minute win after her triumph at the SAGs and the film’s overall success during the awards season, but this award will likely go to Blanchett.

Best Director: Todd Field, “Tár”; Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”; Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”; Ruben Östlund, “Triangle of Sadness”; Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans”

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, directors
of "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Will Win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - Given how inventive and ambitious this movie is, it isn’t any surprise that Kwan and Scheinert have been picking up some major wins during this award season for directing their sci-fi multiverse odyssey.  While they lost the BAFTA to Edward Berger for his remake of “All Quiet on the Western Front” and the Golden Globe to Spielberg, that won’t stop their momentum.  Aside from gaining a lot of love from critics groups, they won at the Critics’ Choice Awards and picked up the coveted Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film.  At this point, it’s safe to say they’ll take home the gold.

Todd Field, director of "Tár"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Should Win: Todd Field, “Tár” - As much as I loved Kwan and Scheinert’s work this year, my personal favorite is Field, who made an explosive return to the director’s chair following a 16-year gap between his second film and his latest.  He hasn’t had any luck from neither the critics groups nor the major awards shows, which is unfortunate because of how astounding it is that he made an epic-length, disquieting, and layered character study that’s his most ambitious film yet, both in its themes and technical aspects.  Despite this being only his third movie in over 20 years, he shows that he has too much talent to become rusty after extensive breaks between movies.  Field exhibits a dynamite command of his biggest canvas yet, and if he somehow pulled off a win, he’d deserve it 110-percent.

Best Picture: “All Quiet on the Western Front”; “Avatar: The Way of Water”; “The Banshees of Inisherin”; “Elvis”; “Everything Everywhere All at Once”; “The Fabelmans”; “Tár”; Top Gun: Maverick”; “Triangle of Sadness”; “Women Talking”

"Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Will Win: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - Although this movie isn’t my personal pick for the biggest award of the night, it’s hard to ignore how much of a success this movie was.  Aside from its superb reviews, it’s an original, out-of-the-box story that became the breakout indie hit of the year, which is now a difficult feat for smaller-budgeted films, given how most movie theaters these days are inundated with franchise films.  Despite it losing Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy to “The Banshees of Inisherin” and the BAFTA to “All Quiet on the Western Front,” it’s found tremendous success elsewhere.  It received quite a bit of Best Picture recognition from critics groups, while also winning at the Critics’ Choice Awards, the SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and the Producers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Producer for Theatrical Motion Pictures, the latter of which is a good indicator of who’ll win Best Picture at the Oscars.  While there’s still some room for another nominee to come out on top, expect the award to go to 2022’s biggest indie success story.

"Tár"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Should Win: “Tár” - Although “Tár” hasn’t had any Best Picture success at the major awards shows, it has fared very well with the critics groups, particularly being only the seventh film in history to win the top honor from the nation’s three foremost critics groups: National Society of Film Critics, New York Film Critics Circle, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.  Unfortunately, that most likely won’t be enough to have it capture a win from the Academy.  With a masterful performance from Cate Blanchett, accomplished direction from Todd Field, a discussion-worthy screenplay, and disquieting atmospherics, this is a movie that deserves multiple viewings as you study the film and go deeper into the narrative’s themes and what the movie says about its titular character.  Everyone involved with this movie is working at their peak, and I wasn’t able to take my eyes off of it.

The 95th Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 12, at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC.

In a Forest, People Experience Wild Wildlife

Keri Russell in "Cocaine Bear"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

One of the best things about watching movies is when you see something play out that focuses on true events.  Although some creative liberties may be taken, that doesn’t lessen the impact of what’s being portrayed, so long as the movie itself is well-made, of course.  However, there are times when you might walk into a movie knowing that it’s based on a true story, but go through moments when you might think, “Wait, this actually happened?”  Such instances like that can add quite a bit of vigor to the viewing experience.

The new horror comedy from Elizabeth Banks, “Cocaine Bear,” uses that latter sentiment, although just for the setup.  What she does is take the story from said setup and have it unfold with countless cheesy, fun, energetic B-movie embellishments that has equal parts blood and laughs.

In 1985, circumstances arise that have a drug smuggler drop a cocaine shipment into the Chattahoochee-Ocanee National Forest in northern Georgia.  This soon leads to a groups of cops, drug dealers, tourists, and teens trying to survive the rampage of an American black bear who has ingested large amounts of cocaine.

There are humorous performances from the whole cast, which is led by Keri Russell as a nurse who ventures into the woods to save her daughter (Brooklynn Prince) and her friend (Christian Convery), the latter two of whom have witty chemistry.  O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Alden Ehrenreich play another of the film’s comedic duos who have a fun on-screen connection as two drug dealers who go through the woods to find any cocaine that can be salvaged.  Isiah Whitlock Jr. has an entertaining turn as a veteran detective who takes on the case.  However, the standouts are Margo Martindale as a park ranger and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as a wildlife activist.  With the two of them sharing much of their screen time, they offer a lot of the film’s biggest laughs, with their characters showing a commitment to their work, but with blaring ineptitude.

The screenplay by Jimmy Warden may be a one-joke premise, but he doesn’t write this movie to be any longer than it has to be.  He knows the simplicity of the story with which he’s working and keeps up the momentum with fun dialogue between the characters.  Warden has many people to introduce, but once he does, they all get to the opportunity to have memorable moments in the frenetic scenarios that you’d expect from such a premise.  It’s one outlandish set-piece after another, and despite the thinness of the story itself, you can’t deny the shocks and humor that they provide.

As a director, Banks goes for the full-on cheesy blood-and-gore with each instance where the characters encounter the bear.  She maintains the energy that such a story requires, never letting the ridiculousness of the action nor the absurdist nature of the characters waver.  While the plot may be basic at its core, Banks makes up for that by doing whatever she can to have the human vs. bear scenes be as memorable as possible.

“Cocaine Bear” is a solidly entertaining movie where you don’t get anymore than for which you paid, but it still manages to be enough.

Grade: B