The Sleepover - a silly, predictable caper

movie review

The Sleepover

Starring: Sadie Stanley, Maxwell Simkins, Cree Cicchino, Lucas Jaye, Ken Marino, Joe Manganiello, and Malin Åkerman

Directed by: Trish Sie

Tagline: To rescue their parents, they need to get a clue.

The ongoing pandemic may have forced cinemas to shut down but Netflix has made sure that we stay entertained even during these strange times. The streaming service has been releasing movies all summer, including fun new films for viewers of all ages. Its latest family-friendly adventure arrives in the form of The Sleepover, a new action comedy that relies mostly on old tricks.

The film revolves around the Finch clan – school lunchtime supervisor Margot (portrayed by Malin Åkerman), her pastry chef husband Ron (Ken Marino), and their kids, teenage cellist daughter Clancy (Sadie Stanley) and imaginative son Kevin (Maxwell Simkins). The family may seem average when we first meet them, but their lives soon take an exciting turn.

Secrets are revealed when dangerous people show up at the Finches’ house and kidnap Margot and Ron. It turns out that Margot used to work with criminals. Her old associates now want her to take part in one more heist and threaten to hurt her family if she refuses.

When the kids find out that their parents have been abducted, they set out on a quest to rescue the grownups. With the help of a couple of their friends, Clancy and Kevin must follow the clues that their mom has left for them, stop the bad guys, and save their parents (who are, by this point, trying to steal a crown with the assistance of Margot’s handsome old flame, Leo (Joe Manganiello)).

It’s a fun-filled journey that entertains but doesn’t do anything particularly different or surprising. So many elements of the movie feel familiar; you are more likely to find the tale exciting if you haven’t already seen similar films, like the Spy Kids series. Also, there are a few ideas that the movie doesn’t take full advantage of. It could have, for instance, done more with the cool gadgets that the youngsters discover while trying to find their parents. 

Still, even though this isn’t the most creative project, The Sleepover does keep you engaged, thanks in part to its charming cast who make sure their characters remain likable. If you are in the mood for a silly adventure with some witty banter and a few amusing hijinks, then The Sleepover just might be worth a watch.

- By Sameen Amer

Young World, Dawn - 26th September, 2020 *

In the picture: The Babysitter: Killer Queen

movie review

McG gives us more of the same in his sequel to The Babysitter

The Babysitter: Killer Queen

Starring: Judah Lewis, Emily Alyn Lind, Jenna Ortega, Robbie Amell, Andrew Bachelor, Leslie Bibb, Hana Mae Lee, Bella Thorne, Samara Weaving, and Ken Marino

Directed by: McG

Some films are created to express artistic ideas, engage viewers emotionally or intellectually, and/or hold a mirror to society. Others just aim to provide silly, escapist fun. The Babysitter falls firmly in the latter category. It may not have been a masterpiece by any means, but the 2017 comedy horror flick did manage to have quite a bit of fun with its R-rated Home Alone premise that revolved around a young boy trying to outwit his occultist babysitter and her minions. The characters now return for another zany, gory adventure in the sequel, Killer Queen, a retread that sticks to the style and tone of the campy original.

Things get off to a slow start as we are reunited with Cole (Judah Lewis) who is trying to navigate the hell that is high school two years after the events of the first movie (although he seems to have somehow aged about a decade during this time). Not only is he carrying the trauma of dodging death but he is frustrated by the fact that no one believes a satanic cult led by his former babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving), really tried to kill him. His only ally is Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind), his neighbour and best friend, who witnessed some of the events during the fateful night.

The story finally makes some headway when Cole joins Melanie and her friends for a lake party where things take a fittingly crazy turn. Familiar faces return, and another attempt to perform the wish-granting demonic ritual ensues. New student Phoebe (Jenna Ortega) soon joins the action, as Cole tries, once again, to defeat the cultists.

If you have seen The Babysitter, then you know exactly what to expect from this sequel. There are plenty of silly jokes, random pop culture references, lots of gore and over the top kills. We also get several callbacks to incidents and gags from the original, flashbacks that show us how each of the baddies were recruited in the cult, and the ending gives us some closure although the film leaves the door open for a sequel/spin-off.

But the proceedings aren’t quite as entertaining as they were the first time around. For starters, the action takes a while to get going; the initial high school setup isn’t particularly interesting, and it takes a while for us to get to the craziness. And, perhaps even more importantly, the initial absence of a primary character makes the movie less engaging than its predecessor; as ridiculous as it was, the previous outing did have a more solid emotional core than the sequel does up until the final act.

All in all, the campy gorefest of The Babysitter: Killer Queen isn’t going to impress you with the depth and dexterity of its filmmaking but it is likely to please fans of the original who just want another dose of silly horror comedy.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 20th September, 2020 *

In the picture: I'm Thinking of Ending Things

movie review

A captivating build-up leads to an unsatisfying conclusion in Charlie Kaufman’s latest drama

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Starring: Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, David Thewlis, and Guy Boyd

Directed by: Charlie Kaufman

His style may not vibe with everyone, but Charlie Kaufman’s idiosyncratic storytelling has certainly made him a fascinating filmmaker. And while his latest project – the eerie I’m Thinking of Ending Things – is as intriguing as you would expect, the psychological thriller is just as likely (if not more so) to confuse viewers as it is to captivate them. 

On the surface, the film appears to tell the story of a young woman (portrayed by a perfectly cast Jessie Buckley) who is going on a journey with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to meet his parents (Toni Collette (wonderful, as always) and David Thewlis) while thinking of ending their six-week relationship. But Kaufman soon makes it abundantly clear that things aren’t exactly as they seem.

Glitches and anomalies enter the tale as the narrative soon degenerates into what feels like a fever dream. Details, ages, personas, behaviours, settings. circumstances … everything keeps shifting. But what exactly is going on?

It’s hard to tell. 

It all seems like (to borrow from Winston Churchill) a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. And it is a riddle that the average viewer does not have a reasonable chance of decoding, not without a superhuman ability to decipher vague clues anyway, or, barring that, at least some prior knowledge of either the Iain Reid novel the movie is based on or the many works the film references. There are some elements that are fairly obvious from the get-go (like the double meaning of the title, for instance) and other things you can pick up on if you pay close attention, but a cohesive whole remains elusive even after the end credits have rolled.

The acting is brilliant, the visuals are stunning, the creepiness is riveting, the execution is artistic and creative. But by the end, the obtuseness is frustrating and how the story is handled feels unsatisfying. In making things inaccessible, Kaufman strips the film of the impact a more comprehensible ending could have delivered. 

Ultimately how you feel about I’m Thinking of Ending Things will come down to how much you enjoy abstract filmmaking. You’re probably going to need to give this one time to fully appreciate it. The more you think about or discuss or read up on the movie (or novel – Reid’s original does seem more powerful than this adaptation), the more admiration you are likely to develop for the poignancy of its tragic tale. A second viewing thereafter is likely to be a more rewarding experience (although admittedly, if you didn’t enjoy the slow-burn drama of this movie the first time around, then you probably won’t want to sit through 134 minutes of this dark strangeness all over again).

Rating: 3 out of 5

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 13th September, 2020 *