It’s Next Chapter: The Longest Yet

While we’re not in the year where everyone is terrified by clowns outside of the theater (and may we avoid having another clown attack in this decade), we still have to worry about the clowns inside the theaters and on our television screens. The sequel to clown horror of 2017 came when It: Chapter 2 hit theaters, somehow managing to feel longer than the 1990 miniseries (and I’m not saying that lightly, as someone who had the bright idea to start the miniseries at 11 o’clock at night) and also pack more into 2 hours and 49 minutes than perhaps it needed to. It’s a long movie, and it’s so fill of flashbacks that you wonder why some of this information couldn’t (and wasn’t) covered in the original film. But that does not mean that It: Chapter 2 is an unworthy successor. While It (2017) is arguably the better story, or at least organized better, It: Chapter 2 is larger, and in many ways, scarier because of where it is allowed to start. You may have to put up with story decisions that don’t necessarily matter or even add to the film’s plot, but when the movie wants you to be scared, you will be scared.

A Simple Favor is Simply Fine

Ocean’s 8 took us on a heist ride with a female crew, and now A Simple Favor takes us through a femme fatale, film noir thriller (with just a splash of comedy) with two strong female characters. The best part about both of these movies? Despite the fact that they are female lead, it’s not the main point. Both take the opportunity to have fun with their genre, rather than make a statement or prove a point, and this makes them enjoyable ways to spend the day. Does that mean that A Simple Favor is a great example of filmmaking (or film noir as a genre)? No, but that’s okay. It’s enough that we can sit back, kind of enjoy ourselves, and roll our eyes when things get a bit cliché because the story isn’t anything fantastic.