The Fall Guy
Directed by David Leitch
Written by Drew Pearce
Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman who decides to abandon his career after a severe injury on set. One year later, he is brought back into the fold to track down action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who has mysteriously gone missing. As the enigma unfolds, Colt finds himself in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy, which he fights to unravel, while also rekindling a past romance with director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).
What I most admired about this movie is that it shines a light on stunt performers. Oftentimes, stuntmen have the hardest jobs in the film industry and rarely get the credit they deserve. Having previously been a stunt coordinator himself, director David Leitch showcases just how physically demanding and potentially life threatening the profession can be. I also read that none of the stunts in the movie contained CGI, which is a remarkable achievement. From 225-foot car jumps to hellicopter high-falls, there is definitely no shortage of dazzling stunt sequences to be found here.
Another aspect of the movie I enjoyed was the soundtrack. As a big KISS fan, I was pleasantly surprised to see that their song “I Was Made For Loving You” was a recurring part of the movie. Admittedly it’s far from my favorite song from the band (that’s a subject for another post!), but it added an extra layer of energy to the action sequences.
The film didn’t quite hit all of its marks though. While the meta humor was witty, it didn’t always seem to land with the audience I saw the movie with. The romance between Gosling and Blunt’s characters also felt a tad thinly drawn, but the actors brought enough charisma and chemistry to make it feel believable enough.
All in all, The Fall Guy was a fun popcorn flick that I’d recommend seeing.
The Strangers: Chapter One
Directed by Renny Harlin
Written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland
Madelaine Petsch and Froy Guttierez star as Maya and Ryan, a couple who are venturing across the country to celebrate their five year anniversary. All seems to be going well until their car breaks down in the small town of Venus, Oregon, forcing them to stay in a remote AirBnb in the woods. When strange visitors begin to show up, they are forced to battle for their lives as a reign of terror ensues.
I must admit that I’m not the biggest horror aficionado, and I actually haven’t seen the original movie this is based on. I thought going into this with a clean slate might benefit my viewing experience, as I wouldn’t constantly be comparing it to what came before. As it turns out, it neither helped nor hindered it.
The Strangers: Chapter One is a very middle-of-the-road effort. Creatively, it did little to differentiate itself from the usual formula you’d find in a home invasion thriller. There were certainly moments of tension and unease, but it just didn’t add up to a satisfying whole — especially when the beginning of the movie claims we’re about to see the “most brutal crime ever committed.”
Not all was bad, though. I was a fan of Madelaine Petsch’s work on Riverdale, and it was exciting to see her on the big screen. A decent chunk of the movie consists of her alone in a cabin, where we see her character’s optimism slowly wither into fear and paranoia. She plays all the emotions well and does her best to elevate the flat material she has to work with. Co-star Guttierez also does well as the skeptical, asthmatic boyfriend.
The Strangers: Chapter One isn’t the worst way to spend 90 minutes, but as we see in the film, our time on this planet is finite. If you feel inclined to watch it, I’d recommend waiting until it hits streaming.
Conventional Relations 