Posts Tagged ‘Froy Gutierrez’

THIS IS NOT A TEST: 3 STARS. “brings some life to this story of the undead.”

SYNOPSIS: In “This is Not a Test,” a new zombie movie starring Olivia Holt, and now playing in theatres, a small group of high school students take cover in their high school as their hometown is overrun with zombies.

CAST: Olivia Holt, Luke Macfarlane, Froy Gutierrez, Carson MacCormac, Corteon Moore, Joelle Farrow, Chloe Avakian, Jeff Roop. Directed by Adam MacDonald.

REVIEW: Based on Courtney Summers’ YA novel of the same name, the 1990s-set “This Is Not a Test” is a bloody mix-and-match of” The Breakfast Club” and “Night of the Living Dead.”

When we first meet Sloane (Olivia Holt) her family life is a mess. Her older sister is about to move out, leaving her at the mercy of her abusive family. In despair, she contemplates taking her own life, but before she can act on her suicidal thoughts, a zombie apocalypse grips her town. “This is not a test,” says a radio reporter. “Lock all doors and cover all windows. If you encounter anyone you suspect to be infected, do not attempt to assist them.”

Heading for cover, Sloane and a small group of classmates hide out in the local high school. As death and destruction closes in, Sloane’s survival instincts kick in, giving her a new lease on life.

“This is Not a Test” does not scrimp on the zombie action. Those scenes are visceral, bloody and nasty and deliver the kind of undead violence you expect from a zombie apocalypse movie.

More interesting than the gooey, gory stuff, however, is the dynamic between Sloane and her classmates.

Sloane’s dilemma is the film’s most interesting psychological twist. How does one summon the will to survive when they think they have nothing to live for? It’s a compelling arc for a main zombie flick character and Holt transcends a scream queen performance to give Sloane layers.

Like the others she has no survival skills, but while they are scared and becoming desperate, Holt differentiates Sloane in a risky performance that relies on quietness and emotional detachment as much as it does her action scenes.

“This is Not a Test” has some pacing problems, and some clunky dialogue, but Holt and co-star Luke Macfarlane, as a skeevy English teacher, help bring some life to this story of the undead.

THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1: 2 STARS. “sucks away the menace of the premise.”

Nihilistic and nasty, “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” part one of a proposed rebooted “Strangers” trilogy of films, and now playing in theatres, doesn’t deliver on the promise of it premise.

After a quick prologue and an F.B.I. public service announcement on the frequency of random violent crime—“There have been 7 acts of violence since you’ve been watching this film,” a title card screams—the action begins with a good looking young couple, Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez), on a road trip from New York to Portland, Oregon. Things turn creepy on day three of their trip when they veer off the main road to grab a bite in the least friendly town in America, Venus, Oregon, population 468.

It’s a strange place, with judgy locals, a menacing car mechanic and weird kids who stare at them as they perform the cardinal sin of ordering vegetarian food in a country diner.

After an uncomfortable dinner, their car mysteriously won’t start. One busted alternator later, they’re stuck in Venus for the night. A local suggests they stay at the local “internet house,” an Airbnb cabin in the middle of nowhere.

As they settle in, romance blossoms. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” Maya says.

Trouble is, that might not be very long if the masked, axe and knife wielding killers lurking outside have anything to do with it.

The promo for “The Strangers: Chapter 1” promises to reveal how the terrifying trio of masked marauders became the Strangers, but this isn’t an origin story. It’s more like a 90-minute trailer for the next part, which may, or may not be a bit more forthcoming about the backstory.

This movie is more about the randomness of the violence and the endlessly stupid decisions made by Maya and Ryan. The leads are so bland, and their actions so inexplicable, you actually find yourself rooting for the killers so the couple’s ordeal, and by extension, the audience’s ordeal will end.

The randomness of the violence has always been the calling card of “The Strangers” films, and director Renny Harlin squeezes whatever juice is left out of “The Strangers” IP, building a bit of tension here and there, but the film’s slow pace, repetitive action and decidedly non-gruesome violence sucks away the menace of the premise.