Ready Or Not

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin’s and Tyler Gillett’s Ready Or Not is the epitome of a dark comedy.

In fact, I would label it a dark red comedy because there’s a lot of blood after Grace (Samara Weaving) from a common background marries Daniel (Adam Brody) from a wealthy family that made its money from games.

Part of the family tradition is that anyone entering the family must draw a card and play the game specified.  Unfortunately, Grace draws the Hide & Seek card which indicates she must be hunted and killed before dawn or the family members will supposedly die.

Writers Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy have crafted an amusing and sometimes hysterically funny script around this macabre story.

Samara Weaving steps up to the task and viewers will certainly be rewarded with this tale.   

The only faults I found her Colorist Chris Wallace’s too stark a tone to the print that, too me, dilutes the comic style.  Also, Weaving’s makeup artist needs to go back to school. Samara is far more attractive than she’s made to look.

If you’re into dark comedy, you’ll enjoy Ready Or Not.  I give it a 3.9 out of 5.

Blinded by the Light

Writer/Producer/Director Gurinder Chadha’s Blinded by the Light is one of the finest “feel-good” films of this or any summer.

It’s the story of Javed (Viveik  Kaldra), a teenage Pakistani, living in 1987 Luton, England, who is subject to his domineering father (Kulvinder Ghir) and finds liberation through the music of Bruce Springsteen.

 

It’s joyous, happy, sad and absolutely wonderful.

The cast, especially Meera Ganatra, who plays Javed’s mother and Rob Brydon, who plays his best friend’s dad, is endearing and the music is, of course, super.

I give Blinded by the Light a 4.3 out of 5.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold

 Director James Bobbin’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold is an absolutely delightful fantasy adventure film that should appeal to both young and old. 

Thanks to Matthew Robinson and Nicholas Stoller’s interesting and amusing screenplay, plus an excellent cast, including young Isabela Moner, Madeleine Madden, Michael Peña and Eva Longoria, it, actually, is more interesting and, certainly, more fun than many of the adult action thrillers of this season.

If you enjoyed films like the Paddington films, Christopher Robin and/or Peter Rabbit, you’ll thoroughly enjoy Dora and the Lost City of Gold.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.