“Something is wrong with Chucky,” says 13-year-old Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman) in the new horror movie “Child’s Play.” Anyone who grew up in the ten-year Classic Chucky era—1988 to 1998, from “Child’s Play” to “Bride of Chucky”—knows exactly what is wrong with the cute red-haired Chucky “Good Guys” doll; that he is actually a murderous piece of plastic containing the soul of a serial killer. Seven movies, a television series, comic books and video games later comes a new Chucky menace, starring Aubrey Plaza and Mark Hamill as the voice of the killer doll.
Plaza is Karen Barclay, a widower and mother of Andy. Looking to make a new start in a new town they relocate. “I know this move has been really touch,” she says to him, “but you said you were going to try and make new friends.” To help smooth the transition Karen buys Andy a new toy, a robotic Buddi doll that can connect to and control everything. “Remember, it’s refurbished,” she says, “so it may not work perfectly.”
The two become BFFs but playtime comes to an end when strange, deadly things start happening. As the bodies pile up Detective Mike Norris (Brian Tyree Henry) believes the boy and not the toy may be behind all the trouble.
“Toy Story” this ain’t.
“Child’s Play” takes liberties with the ideas from the original Chucky movies but retains the silly slasher fun that made this franchise so much fun in the first place. By cleverly updating the Chucky’s possessed scenario to involve technology gone amok, it’s a clever, blood-splattered commentary on our reliance on social media to fill a gap left by personal relationships. Add to that some 80s gore-inspired effects and a “Goonies” style cast of supporting characters and you’re left with a film that rides the line between retro and completely up to date.
Richard sits in on the CJAD Montreal morning show with host Andrew Carter to talk the new movies coming to theatres including two very different movies starring toys–“Toy Story 4” and “Child’s Play”–and the coming-of-age story “Wild Rose.”
Richard sits in with CTV NewsChannel anchor Marcia McMillan to have a look at the weekend’s big releases including ‘Alita: Battle Angel,’ ‘Happy Death Day 2U,’ and ‘Level 16‘ and ‘Isn’t It Romantic.’
Richard has a look at the romantic satire “Isn’t It Romantic,” the CGI cyborg of “Alita: Battle Angel” and the time spun “Happy Death Day 2U” with CFRA Morning Rush guest host Kristy Cameron.
From ctvnews.ca: Film critic and ‘Pop Life’ host Richard Crouse reviews three new movies this week: ‘Alita: Battle Angel,’ ‘Happy Death Day 2U,’ and ‘Level 16‘ and ‘Isn’t It Romantic.’ Read the whole things HERE!
A weekly feature from from ctvnews.ca! The Crouse Review is a quick, hot take on the weekend’s biggest movies! This week Richard looks at anti-rom-com “Isn’t It Romantic,” the cyborg actiooner “Alita: Battle Angel” and the time warped “Happy Death Day 2U.”
Richard sits in on the CJAD Montreal morning show with host Andrew Carter to talk about the romantic satire “Isn’t It Romantic,” the CGI orgy of “Alita: Battle Angel” and the time spun “Happy Death Day 2U.”
When we last saw Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) she was a sharp-tongued Bayfield University trapped in a time loop, forced to relive the day of her death again and again. As the main character of “Happy Death Day” she died over and over again, blossomed spiritually all while figuring out who her masked killer was.
In the beginning of the sequel, “Happy Death Day 2U,” Tree is back to normal. The “Groundhog Day” style murder and mayhem has stopped and she’s an everyday student who no longer has to live (and die) in fear.
At least that’s how it starts. Tree wakes up one morning to discover she’s back in the deadly twilight zone. This time is different, however. The loop seems to be caused by a time machine built by Ryan (Phil Vu), roommate to Tree’s inter-dimensional boyfriend Carter (Israel Broussard). How does it work? Imagine a piece of paper folded into six equal squares and punch a hole through the middle. Unfold it. Six squares, six identical holes. That’s the multi-verse, Tree is the hole amid duplicate realities separated only by space and time.
The new loop sees Carter dating ultimate mean girl Danielle (an underused Rachel Matthews) and Tree’s deadly roommate Lori (Ruby Modine), now alive and no longer evil. The creepy killer is back but so is Tree’s late mother. “People say I Love you all the time,” Tree says, “but it was until you can’t say it to their face but you missed it.” Despite the masked killer mayhem Tree wants to stay stuck in the loop and foster a relationship with her mother, a situation that provides challenges for everyone. “I thought I could have it all but I couldn’t,” she says.
There are some movies where a sequel seems inevitable. They are stories that need a few extra acts to expand already interesting ideas and then there is “Happy Death Day.” The original was a tight slice of fantasy that mixed horror with humour to form a charming, complete package. The sequel takes the premise and the appealing actors from the first one and wastes them in an unnecessary follow-up that will only work if you’ve seen the original. Convoluted and not nearly as laugh-out-loud funny or as tense as the 2017 film, it zips along at the speed of light, piling twist on top of twist.
The idea of a multi-verse so articulately expressed in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is messy and drawn-out here, dumbed down to simple repetition rather than richly imagined varied splinters of the main story.
It’s a shame because the core cast, Rothe, Broussard and Vu, all have faces John Hughes would have loved and work hard to make sense of a story that meanders through time. At best “Happy Death Day 2U” makes you wish you could go back in time to experience the sugar rush of the first film again for the first time.
“Something is wrong with Chucky,” says 13-year-old Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman) in the new horror movie “Child’s Play.” Anyone who grew up in the ten-year Classic Chucky era—1988 to 1998, from “Child’s Play” to “Bride of Chucky”—knows exactly what is wrong with the cute red-haired Chucky “Good Guys” doll; that he is actually a murderous piece of plastic containing the soul of a serial killer. Seven movies, a television series, comic books and video games later comes a new Chucky menace, starring Aubrey Plaza and Mark Hamill as the voice of the killer doll.
