Movie Review: "Hubie Halloween" (2020)

Image Source

Movie: "Hubie Halloween"
Director: Steven Brill
Year: 2020
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Well...no one can accuse Adam Sandler of being a bad friend.

Last year, the Sand Man appeared in "Uncut Gems" (2019), the critically acclaimed film by the Safdie Brothers, which showed that he could still be taken seriously as an actor and led to a host of awards buzz for him. During the lead-up to the Oscars, Sandler joked that if he didn't win an Academy Award, he would "fucking come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay. That's how I get them." Were his words merely empty threats, or was he frightfully serious? Sandler returns to his bread and butter of silly voices and fart jokes in his latest spooky spectacle, Netflix's "Hubie Halloween" (2020), directed by frequent collaborator Steven Brill.

Adam Sandler dresses up as a ghost in the original Netflix film "Hubie Halloween." (Image provided by Netflix)

For the first few minutes of "Hubie Halloween" (2020), we thought Adam Sandler might actually be fulfilling his promise to make the worst film of his career post-Oscars "snub." As the mustachioed busy-body Hubie Dubois (Sandler) bikes down the streets of Salem with a cartoonish voice and an oblivious disposition, local area children pelt him with eggs that he catches in his self-made-Swiss-Army-wonder-Thermos. He then shakes it up, drinks it, and promptly projectile vomits all over the road. It's a lot of cringe all at once and made for a bumpy start to this Halloween-themed comedy. As the movie goes along its runtime, we must admit, we found ourselves laughing on occasion at the ridiculousness of it all, but we think it would have been a whole lot funnier without Sandler's obnoxious, grating, tedious voice choice. The Swiss Army Thermos gag is a recurring joke that gets pretty old pretty quickly, but a couple of the choice gadgets did make us smile from time to time.

Make sure you know going into this movie that the script gravitates towards references to Sandler's other works in place of actual substance. Lines are recycled ("O'Doyle rules!" was originally from "Billy Madison"), actors play similar parts (Julie Bowen has once again been cast as Sandler's love interest), and characters reprise their roles (Ben Stiller reprises his "Happy Gilmore" role as Orderly Hal, and Steve Buscemi played a werewolf in "Hotel Transylvania"). When in doubt, go for the nostalgia factor, right? Just as we've come to expect (given the last two and a half decades of precedent), Sandler and fellow screenplay writer Tim Herlihy have found another vessel to help keep all of his friend (Kevin James, Blake Clark, Shaquille O'Neal, Maya Rudolph, Tim Meadows, and active SNL players Kenan Thompson, Mikey Day, and Melissa Villaseñor) gainfully employed for another year. Like we said, he's a top-notch friend.

We couldn't help but want more from "Hubie Halloween" (2020) because we're suckers for holiday-themed fare. This movie could be considered this generation's "Ernest Scared Stupid" (1991) or "Halloweentown" (1998). It's not something we would call "an uproariously hilarious annual necessity," but it's tolerable enough to view on Halloween afternoon with the older kids before the horror movies start playing. We say older kids because it might be awkward having to explain what a "Boner Doner" is to your younger children, as our good pal MannyInLofi would tell you personally.

Julie Bowen and Adam Sandler star in the Netflix comedy movie "Hubie Halloween" (2020). (Image provided by Netflix)

Netflix's "Hubie Halloween" (2020) is nowhere near as bad as we thought it would be, but that doesn't mean it's all that good. Still, it's a far sight better than most of Adam Sandler's other Netflix offerings. The best thing we can say about this movie is that we don't completely hate ourselves for having watched it, and that's a win where Sandler flicks are concerned. For people who are looking to turn their brains off for 102 minutes just to avoid the hellish nightmare that is 2020, Hubie Dubois, his cohorts, and their shenanigans might provide a much-needed escape this Halloween.

My Rating: 4.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 4/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.2/10
RT Rating: 47%
Do we recommend this movie: No.

Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!

Facebook | Instagram | Letterboxd | Pinterest | Twitter

Movie Review: "The Turning" (2020)

Image Source

Movie: "The Turning"

Director: Floria Sigismondi
Year: 2020
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

Waaaay back in 1898, author Henry James wrote the horror novella "The Turn of the Screw." Over the next 120 years, it would be adapted numerous times into stage plays and films. First and most notably was the 1961 adaptation by director Jack Clayton called "The Innocents." Five more works based on James's novella would be released over the years in 1972, 1985, 1992, 1999, and 2006, and that isn't even counting made-for-TV adaptations. Now, in 2020, "The Conjuring" writers Chad and Carey Hayes offer yet another version of the story with "The Turning," helmed by director Floria Sigismondi. The story centers on Kate Mandell (Mackenzie Davis), a teacher who takes a job as a governess to Flora Fairchild (Brooklynn Prince) after her previous tutor disappears. Kate gets more than she bargained for when Flora's older brother, Miles (Finn Wolfhard), returns home unexpectedly from boarding school. His return coincides with some unusual phenomenon, which makes Kate believe the Fairchild estate might be haunted.

Photo: Finn Wolfhard, Brooklynn Prince, and Mackenzie Davis star in the 2020 horror film "The Turning." (Image Source)

Maybe "The Turning" (2020) was doomed to begin with. The film first went into development back in 2016 as a passion project for none other than Steven Spielberg, though it had a different title, a separate director, and another cast at that time. Due to some rewrites Spielberg didn't agree with, he eventually pulled the plug, only for it to be restarted with a new director, a fresh cast, and the original script sand rewrites, resulting in "The Turning" (2020). It finished shooting in early 2018 and sat on the shelf until today. We now see why this was the case because it's an absolute mess. This project had all of the elements necessary to be a sleek, modern horror mystery. It has a talented cast, great writers, and an experienced director, but somehow, it doesn't come together at all. Director Floria Sigismondi tries her best to create an eerie atmosphere at a gigantic, isolated New England gothic estate. She attempts to build tension and develop an unsettling aura but fails entirely because instead of being a slow-burning mystery, it winds up being a boring snoozefest without any substance. It also relies on cliche, ineffective, ill-timed jump scares for its primary source of horror. The most infuriating thing about "The Turning" (2020) is that the "boo! gotcha!" moments in the script come from dream sequences, which we think is the ultimate horror movie cop-out. Using one, maybe two dreams might have been okay to plant a seed of doubt about specific characters. However, Sigismondi thought it would be a good idea to use dreams every 10-15 minutes for its whole runtime! Anything scary or supernatural that happens happens in la-la land/nightmare alley/an imagined sequence that never actually takes place. Sigismondi clearly wants the audience to question Kate's sanity, but there are many other visual cues and sections of dialogue uttered by other characters that contradict this hypothesis. This leaves gaping, glaring plot holes in place of an actual cohesive story. In spite of the best efforts of its talented cast, the narrative doesn't come together and left us wanting to go off into our own little dream-world where we could forget we had to sit through this insipid drudgery.

Photo: In the movie "The Turning," Barbara Marten shakes Mackenzie Davis's face and warns her about the Fairchild estate. (Image Source)

"The Turning" (2020) may have escaped with a slightly higher score if it weren't for the ending, which feels like everyone behind the scenes was waving a big middle finger in our faces instead of actually writing a proper conclusion. We can get behind an ambiguous ending under the right circumstances. In the proper hands, an open-ended finale can leave audiences discussing and debating details for years to come (see: "Annihilation," "Inception," hell, some people even think "Taxi Driver" is left open to interpretation). When done poorly, however, as is the case here, we left the entirely-empty-except-for-us theater showing yelling "fuck you!" at the screen. Any points this would have gotten immediately melted away when the filmmakers decided it was better to let us paint our own adventure instead of, you know, completing their goddamn movie on their own. It's not confusing, it's just literally NOT FINISHED. If you want to see a prime example of how not to end a film ambiguously, look no further than "The Turning" (2020).

My Rating: 1/10
BigJ's Rating: 1/10
IMDB's Rating: 3.7/10
RT Rating: 13%
Do we recommend this movie: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!

Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!

Facebook | Instagram | Letterboxd | Pinterest | Twitter

Movie Review: "The Grudge" (2020)

Image Source

Movie: "The Grudge"

Director: Nicolas Pesce
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

When a nurse returns to the United States after working in Japan, she brings a curse back with her. This "grudge" drives her mad and subsequently affects everyone who comes in contact with her house.

Movie Review: "Uncut Gems" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "Uncut Gems"

Director: Josh and Benny Safdie
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

A New York jeweler steeped in gambling debt tries to create one last deal for a big payoff that he believes will fix his problems and give him the monetary win that has so far evaded his grasp.

Movie Review: "Eve" (2019)

Movie: "Eve"

Director: Rory Kindersley
Year: 2019
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 16 minutes

A once well-known actress is sent down a road of madness when she loses a part she made famous to another performer.

Movie Review: "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" (1994)

Image Source

Movie: "Wes Craven's New Nightmare"

Director: Wes Craven
Year: 1994
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes

As director Wes Craven begins to work on a new film, actress Heather Langenkamp, who played Nancy in the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street," starts to believe that Freddy Kruger has left the silver screen and has entered the real world and is now targeting her and her family. 

Movie Review: "The Mangler" (1995)

Image Source

Movie: "The Mangler"

Director: Tobe Hooper
Year: 1995
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 46 minutes

A cop investigates a series of deaths at a commercial laundry business as workers keep getting injured and killed by the company's flatwork ironer that has been dubbed "The Mangler."

Movie Review: "The Night Flier" (1997)

Image Source

Movie: "The Night Flier"

Director: Mark Pavia
Year: 1997
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

A tabloid reporter investigates a series of bizarre murders said to be committed by a pilot that no one has yet been able to catch.

Movie Review: "Ready or Not" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "Ready or Not"

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

Grace has just married into the wealthy Le Domas family, but to be accepted into the fold, she must participate in a game on the night of her wedding. Many of the games are safe, but if she draws "Hide and Seek," a deadly version of the game will be played out, thanks to a family pact made over a century ago.

Movie Review: "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark"

Director: André Øvredal
Year: 2019
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes

A group of friends enters a haunted house with a sordid history on Halloween night. Inside, they find a cursed book of "scary stories." It is said that should anyone read one of the tales, it will be their last. When new stories start to appear in the book, all of the people who came in contact with it find themselves in danger.

Movie Review: "Secret Obsession" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "Secret Obsession"

Director: Peter Sullivan
Year: 2019
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

After being hit by a car while fleeing a knife-wielding stalker, Jennifer wakes up in the hospital with amnesia. Luckily, her loving husband is there to fill her in on the missing gaps in her life and take her home, where everything will be hunky-dory. However, as the days pass, Jennifer can't escape the feeling that there's something not quite right about her picturesque life in the country.

Movie Review: "The Curse of La Llorona" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "The Curse of La Llorona"

Director: Michael Chaves
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

A social worker and her family are haunted by a spirit that hopes to steal her children and drown them.

Movie Review: "Midsommar" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "Midsommar"

Director: Ari Aster
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 27 minutes

Dani and Christian are a long-term couple whose relationship is on shaky ground. After suffering a family tragedy, out of pity, Dani is asked to accompany Christian on a trip to a Midsommar festival at a village in rural Sweden that he and his college roommates were planning on attending. This celebration, however, may have more sinister intentions as Dani, Christian, and his friends get fully immersed in this village's strange customs.

Movie Review: "The Intruder" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "The Intruder"

Director: Deon Taylor
Year: 2019
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 42 minutes

A young couple purchases an estate in Napa Valley to start their dream of having a family life outside the city. What at first seems like an ideal acquisition becomes more trouble than it's worth when the home's former owner keeps showing up uninvited and unannounced. Though his presence seems innocent at first, things quickly take a more sinister turn.

Movie Review: "The Highwaymen" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "The Highwaymen"

Director: John Lee Hancock
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

Highwaymen Frank Hamer and Maney Gault are asked to come out of retirement to hunt down notorious mass murderers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.

Movie Review: "Murder by Death" (1976)

Image Source

Movie: "Murder by Death"

Director: Robert Moore
Year: 1976
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

The five greatest detectives in the world are invited to a remote mansion where they are tasked with solving a murder that has yet to happen as they are pitted in a game of wits with their eccentric host.

Movie Review: "High Anxiety" (1977)

Image Source

Movie: "High Anxiety"

Director: Mel Brooks
Year: 1977
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

Psychiatrist Dr. Thorndyke has just taken over as director of a prestigious Los Angeles mental hospital after his predecessor suddenly and mysteriously died. As time goes by, it becomes clear that there is something fishy going on in the sanitarium, and it turns out, his life may be in danger.

Movie Review: "Velvet Buzzsaw" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "Velvet Buzzsaw"

Director: Dan Gilroy
Year: 2019
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 1 hour, 53 minutes

A woman working in an art gallery finds numerous paintings in the apartment of an elderly neighbor who has just passed away. People seem to be drawn to this man's art, but it may have a curse upon it, one that will destroy all those who try and profit from it.

Movie Review: "Happy Death Day 2U" (2019)

Image Source

Movie: "Happy Death Day 2U"

Director: Christopher Landon
Year: 2019
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Tree Gelbman learns what was behind her strange time-looping phenomenon, which sends her back into a loop she thought she had escaped.

Movie Review: "Gaslight" (1944)

Image Source

Movie: "Gaslight"

Director: George Cukor
Year: 1944
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes

A man trying to hide a deadly secret from his past manipulates his wife and tries to convince her she is going mad.