Film Review : Candy Man 2021

 

Originally  slated for a 2020 release, Covid the theater releases off kilter and tis movie which would have ridden the coat tail of the more topical issues of the year, instead was laid bare with the grievous issues in it's writing glaring like the open wounds depicted over the course of the film. This is a sequel that ignores the other sequels so it is a re-boot in that sense. This short story by Clive Barker had already been milked for all it's worth. Lagging behind "Hell Raiser" and "Lord of Illusions" in terms of film adaptions of Barker's work, this movie would have done best if Jordan Peele had been left as a producer only and not allowed to participate in the writing.

They key to good writing of ay kind and perhaps the golden rule of story telling is to show me do not tell me. Instead we get the sub text of topics like gentrification pushed too heavy handed into the fore front, so it felt like you were being preached at rather than watching a horror movie. These topics came up in a more organic fashion back when Barker originally write this. Well not this particular piece, though they would have done better if it had. The start of the movie could have been OK, but as the film progressed rather than creating a sense of dread, things took a jagged turn. I called the protagonist's  descent early on and nothing felt like an unexpected turn. Some of the shots were ok and perhaps some where on the cutting room floor there is a better edit of this movie. 

Much like the emperor not wearing any clothes there will be those who want this to be a good movie so badly due to the nostalgia they have attached to the original that they will even tell you this is a good movie. I have seen people post things on line as absurd as it's the best horror movie of the year, which if this was remotely true would be a sad state of affairs' for horror in 2021. When you strip away the politics this movie is unsure how they want want to tell the story they are trying to tell and hope winks at their homage is enough to make you forget this. Well you can fool some of the the people some of the time, but you can not fool all the people all the time. In short , I would not pay theater prices to see this movie, even if "Candy Man' is your favorite movie which in that case I hope you would be able to be objective enough to raise the bar higher for what you want to see when this property is brought to the screen,. but these days that might be asking too much from people.   

Film Review : "the Green Knight"

The trailer for this movie had my hopes high along with the fact it is the same production company that brought you the VVitch , which is one of my favorite movies. This fact is deceptive since Eggers the writer and director has nothing to do with this movie. Read that again, this has nothing to do with the VVitch in terms of being a horror movie or what went into the writing and directing of this film. Writing wise it is based on the Arthurian Legend of the Green Knight , so I am still game given the fact that  swords and castles are firmly in my wheelhouse of interest. 

If I had instead gone into this knowing how  proud they are of the  fact they have vegan costumes , then I might have been more prepared for the tone of things to come. Lets start with the protagonist. The first Arthurian “hero” who does nothing heroic, in fact he has no redeeming qualities at all. He can not fight. If you let the kid from “Killing the Sacred Deer’ rob you then you are beyond a pussy and have no right to hold any sword or be considered a knight. By the end of the movie we are rooting against him. At least I was hoping he would get his head chopped off. Most of the movie he runs from his own shadow like a little bitch and while he does dive in the water to find a skull that is about all he has going for him. 

Then there is the fact that he makes this pilgrimage for nothing. Its a slow movie that leads to nothing. Sure there is some creepy atmosphere and some cool shots, but if I had paid 15 bucks to see this in the theater I would have been pissed as hell. I am pissed that I wasted the time that I did not watch it,. That is two hours of my life that would have been much better spent doing something else. If you see this on anyone’s top 10 horror movies of 2021 list , do not trust another word that person writes. Terrible might be a strong word as it made me feel something which was pissed, I would say worthless is a better term for this film.