We've got a unique weekend, folks, with three movies that have decently actually caught some zeitgeist despite not having anything to do with any franchises or explosions. Well, mostly. It really just feels like the lull before the great storm of Infinity War (2018) in a few weeks, and even though Ready Player One (2018) is a decent hit, it's definitely Black Panther (2018) who is THE blockbuster of the year so far. More and more it just feels like we're biding time in between big Disney hits.
But enough about that crap. There are three films of varying values and interests dropping this week, and although I doubt any will hit the big time blockbuster-wise, they ought to all make enough dough to get by in their own niche. Let's start with an adult period drama - Chappadaquick. Or Chappaquiddick (2018). Actually, I think I've been reading it in my mind and calling it Chappadaquick for years.
The movie centers around a really dark and evil story of Teddy Kennedy. There are varying takes and I'm curious to see which one the film centers on, but my understanding is that the Senator got blasted at a party, tried to drive a young woman home, lost control the vehicle, then abandoned it and the girl as it sank into Nantucket Sound. She died. It was decently big news and marred Kennedy for a while, but because it was 1969 and she was a woman, nobody really cared. It's the kind of thing that could really derail someone today. Unless of course, it was our actual current President.
It really sucks that one of the biggest shining light Democratic dynastic families in the 20th-Century were really a crew of disastrously awful people. We've heavily mythologized the Kennedy clan for a century, which is so misguided. I'm a huge Democrat, but I'd like to think I can still tell right from wrong. This is a tough scenario to remember, especially because for some reason Teddy was in office for almost another forty years. How is any of that okay? There's some merit here that I'm curious about, although it's still a difficult subject for liberals to rectify and live with, while if it's not simply a smear campaign, Republicans may not be interested in. I'm actually getting myself more interested as I speak, although I don't necessarily get the impression it'll do anything bold or revolutionary.
Next we have...Chicken Blockers? That is apparently the official title. Or Cockblockers. Or Blockers (2018). I had no idea this movie existed until a month ago when I was forced to get Hulu (long story, folks) and saw adds nonstop. During every fucking commercial break despite paying for it. How is that still a thing. Anyway, it seemed really dumb and even reductive towards young female sexuality, but apparently it may actually be somewhat redemptive? Or even possibly show the viewpoint of a generation struggling to rebel against its strict and helicopter upbringing? I get why the marketing may need to focus on John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, and Leslie Mann being stereotypical goofy parents who don't want their precious daughters having sex, like any movie ever, but I'm way more interested if there's more to it than that. And it's currently at an absurd 83% on Rotten Tomatoes! The critics really like this thing!
We've been starved for a real classic comedy for a while. A long while. 2016 didn't quite have any standouts, unless Deadpool counts. Or, Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping, honestly. 2017 maybe you have Girls Trip or The Big Sick, but neither of those are really like, the classics. Could fucking Blockers join them? I think no, but we need something. If this could hit a vein, then yeah, have a great April!
Last we have A Quiet Place (2018), from reknowned horror director, "Jim from The Office." It's amazing how much John Krasinski has done since The Office (even during his run on the show) and how little anyone has cared. Is anyone here a big fan of Leatherheads (2008)? License to Wed (2007)? 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)? His two previous feature directorial efforts are Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009) and The Hollars (2016). Yep. Exactly.
But damn that trailer. Let's just post it here:
It looks fucking sweet. A pretty cool idea with some genuine terror and suspense. If you take anything from Krasinski's efforts above you can kind of see how un-Jim like a lot of his recent work is. I also just watched Detroit (2017) and Krasinksi shows up as the lawyer defending the racist cops with twenty minutes left to go and OWNS it. In a horrible, terrible racist way, but you totally buy in that Jim is this dickish prickish no-nonsense lawyer. It's kind of amazing. The Office's goodwill only keeps rising, honestly, which is also crazy because there's only about three and a half good seasons in there. Even towards the end Jim became pretty assholey. Maybe Krasinski is actually good at playing assholes.
Of course, we should also mention his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, who I'm always struck by how much better her career is. He knows this. Her films are waaay more successful in every possible way. I'm glad they stick together. She's also about to explode with Mary Poppins Returns (2018). I get some Looper (2012) vibes from this role, but Blunt brings such strength as well as a decent variety to everything she does. It's amazing that they've never worked together, and you get the feeling that this is a personal passion-project type film for Krasinski, which will probably make it better.
I'm weirdly excited for all three of these films, and if you read this site at all, you know that never, ever happens. I'll probably be slitting my wrists come Sunday, but for now the vibe is good. See? I'm not just a bridge troll hurling feces at everything. Good films are good films and more importantly, rare films. What's caught your eye this weekend? Drama, comedy, or horror?
But enough about that crap. There are three films of varying values and interests dropping this week, and although I doubt any will hit the big time blockbuster-wise, they ought to all make enough dough to get by in their own niche. Let's start with an adult period drama - Chappadaquick. Or Chappaquiddick (2018). Actually, I think I've been reading it in my mind and calling it Chappadaquick for years.
The movie centers around a really dark and evil story of Teddy Kennedy. There are varying takes and I'm curious to see which one the film centers on, but my understanding is that the Senator got blasted at a party, tried to drive a young woman home, lost control the vehicle, then abandoned it and the girl as it sank into Nantucket Sound. She died. It was decently big news and marred Kennedy for a while, but because it was 1969 and she was a woman, nobody really cared. It's the kind of thing that could really derail someone today. Unless of course, it was our actual current President.
It really sucks that one of the biggest shining light Democratic dynastic families in the 20th-Century were really a crew of disastrously awful people. We've heavily mythologized the Kennedy clan for a century, which is so misguided. I'm a huge Democrat, but I'd like to think I can still tell right from wrong. This is a tough scenario to remember, especially because for some reason Teddy was in office for almost another forty years. How is any of that okay? There's some merit here that I'm curious about, although it's still a difficult subject for liberals to rectify and live with, while if it's not simply a smear campaign, Republicans may not be interested in. I'm actually getting myself more interested as I speak, although I don't necessarily get the impression it'll do anything bold or revolutionary.
Next we have...Chicken Blockers? That is apparently the official title. Or Cockblockers. Or Blockers (2018). I had no idea this movie existed until a month ago when I was forced to get Hulu (long story, folks) and saw adds nonstop. During every fucking commercial break despite paying for it. How is that still a thing. Anyway, it seemed really dumb and even reductive towards young female sexuality, but apparently it may actually be somewhat redemptive? Or even possibly show the viewpoint of a generation struggling to rebel against its strict and helicopter upbringing? I get why the marketing may need to focus on John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, and Leslie Mann being stereotypical goofy parents who don't want their precious daughters having sex, like any movie ever, but I'm way more interested if there's more to it than that. And it's currently at an absurd 83% on Rotten Tomatoes! The critics really like this thing!
We've been starved for a real classic comedy for a while. A long while. 2016 didn't quite have any standouts, unless Deadpool counts. Or, Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping, honestly. 2017 maybe you have Girls Trip or The Big Sick, but neither of those are really like, the classics. Could fucking Blockers join them? I think no, but we need something. If this could hit a vein, then yeah, have a great April!
Last we have A Quiet Place (2018), from reknowned horror director, "Jim from The Office." It's amazing how much John Krasinski has done since The Office (even during his run on the show) and how little anyone has cared. Is anyone here a big fan of Leatherheads (2008)? License to Wed (2007)? 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)? His two previous feature directorial efforts are Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009) and The Hollars (2016). Yep. Exactly.
But damn that trailer. Let's just post it here:
It looks fucking sweet. A pretty cool idea with some genuine terror and suspense. If you take anything from Krasinski's efforts above you can kind of see how un-Jim like a lot of his recent work is. I also just watched Detroit (2017) and Krasinksi shows up as the lawyer defending the racist cops with twenty minutes left to go and OWNS it. In a horrible, terrible racist way, but you totally buy in that Jim is this dickish prickish no-nonsense lawyer. It's kind of amazing. The Office's goodwill only keeps rising, honestly, which is also crazy because there's only about three and a half good seasons in there. Even towards the end Jim became pretty assholey. Maybe Krasinski is actually good at playing assholes.
Of course, we should also mention his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, who I'm always struck by how much better her career is. He knows this. Her films are waaay more successful in every possible way. I'm glad they stick together. She's also about to explode with Mary Poppins Returns (2018). I get some Looper (2012) vibes from this role, but Blunt brings such strength as well as a decent variety to everything she does. It's amazing that they've never worked together, and you get the feeling that this is a personal passion-project type film for Krasinski, which will probably make it better.
I'm weirdly excited for all three of these films, and if you read this site at all, you know that never, ever happens. I'll probably be slitting my wrists come Sunday, but for now the vibe is good. See? I'm not just a bridge troll hurling feces at everything. Good films are good films and more importantly, rare films. What's caught your eye this weekend? Drama, comedy, or horror?
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