Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of October 3, 2022
Bros
Rated R for strong sexual content, some drug use and language throughout
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
In Theaters
From writer/director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Neighbors) and Producer Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) comes this highly lauded raunch com being touted as the first ever mainstream gay romantic comedy. The story places co-writer and star Billy Eichner as a lonely podcaster living in New York City who falls in love with a seemingly boring hunk, played by Luke MacFarlane. Getting past a series of hilarious mishaps and fails, a sweet relationship blossoms, allowing them both to get past their own insecurities and reservations. In that description, it seems like a traditional hetero romantic comedy. But the whole nature of the film makes you quickly understand why it is not, and what makes it unique and special. I would go as far as to say that this is a gay romantic comedy designed for a hetero audience. It’s a movie meant to tear down walls and shows that love stories of all kinds are important, no matter who is in love. As I’m reviewing this a few days after its opening, it’s also obvious that this is a film that is having a tough time finding an audience. Part of that is opening in October, when good horror films are finding huge success. But part of it is also that audiences might not be ready. I hope the second part is wrong, but with a $5 million dollar opening in spite of huge publicity and phenomenal reviews and word of mouth, this might not turn into the hit that Judd Apatow and Nick Stoller are used to. Still – it’s worth a go. It’s a terrific date movie whether you are gay or straight and if you venture to take a chance, regardless of your comfort level, you will find yourself laughing hysterically while also having your heartstrings plucked. A-
Hellraiser
Rated R for sexual content, graphic violence and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
Streaming on Hulu
Earlier this year, Hulu released the spectacular Predator film Prey, giving a stale franchise a lift. With their new Hellraiser reboot, they hope to follow suit. This new take on Clive Barker’s 1987 haunter follows a young woman (Odessa A’Zion) dealing with addiction who finds a puzzle that brings around a host of evil beings called Cenobites every time it finds fresh blood. The Cenobites, led by a new female Pinhead, attempt to get her to do their bidding by bringing them fresh souls to torture in exchange for her choice of gifts. As someone who doesn’t really like what I call torture porn, this movie isn’t my cup of tea. But this one doesn’t necessarily follow the slasher model and instead presents itself as more of a super violent inter-dimensional monster movie. For its creativity alone, I found it watchable. The story is a vast improvement upon its predecessors, as it tries to actually present a plot rather than just scaring you with creatures to haunt your dreams. Is it bound to revive the franchise? I actually hope not as I do find it a bit too disturbing for my comfort level. But for those that really love this type of flick, it might scare up a big audience while simultaneously bringing on lots of new nightmares. B-