“Nope” is the latest movie written and directed by Jordan Peele and I feel it is his best so far. He has put together a top-notch horror movie, that is about more than you expect, and will leave you thinking. The movie’s first shocking scene will make you wonder what it has to do with the rest of the movie, but by the end, all will be clear. The basic premise is that brother and sister horse wranglers run a stable in an isolated, high desert-like area of California. Odd things have happened. There are strange power drains, horses are running away and they soon find something very mysterious is happening up in the clouds, which may or may not be an alien presence. Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer), the extroverted sister, is sure it’s UFO’s, and wants to get pictures in order to become famous and make money. Her introverted brother (Daniel Kaluuya) is more interested in the well-being of the horses than the notoriety, but reluctantly agrees to help. Other people who are interested in this possible UFO are Steven Yeun as a former child actor who is living on the past notoriety of a family tv show gone horribly wrong; Brandon Perea, an unhappy electronics and tech expert who becomes a key member of the little team they establish, and Michael Wincott as an older and supposedly wiser photographer they need to capture the phenomena on film, whatever it might be. I have tried to tiptoe around the plot, because I don’t want to give too much away, and it is so much fun to speculate about what is happening. This movie will keep you wondering for the entire 2 hours and 10 minutes. It is well-written, superbly acted, and highly suspenseful. The lonely, solitary stable evokes an atmosphere of impending danger and helps build the fear. If you see it, I would love to hear what you thought in the comments.
Toy Story 4
Toy Story 4 is everything you want in a Toy Story movie. Of course, Sheriff Woody (so endearingly voiced by Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (enthusiastic Tim Allen) are back. So are the usual gang, Bo Peep, Jessie, Hamm, Rex, Slinky and The Potato Heads just to name a few. The new characters introduced, really too many to mention, are all well-acted and well-animated for that matter. One of the standouts is Forky, as voiced by Tony Hale, who thinks he is trash but learns to accept his destiny as a toy. The other standout characters are Ducky and Bunny as voiced by the hilarious Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. The story is funny, heart-warming, has an unexpected twist, and even brings a tear to your eye at the end. Add in music by Randy Newman and you have a movie that people just can’t complain about. Everyone will enjoy. I brought my 82 year old Mother who had never seen the other ones and she loved it! Kudos to everyone involved to create a movie that everyone can go to and still enjoy!
Us
Ask M. Knight Shyamalan how hard it is to make a second movie when your first effort is a great movie like “The Sixth Sense.” His next outing was not well-recieved and further movies never quite measured up. Well, there’s no sophomore jinx for Jordan Peele ! “Us” is a compelling and worthy successor to “Get Out.” “Us” is the story of a typical American family, headed by Adelaide (a dazzling Lupita Nyong’o) and Gabe (Winston Duke), who are on vacation with their two kids near the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Adelaide had a scare in a house of mirrors at that very same beach when she was a kid, which has left her very traumitized. So she is more than a little paranoid about her family’s safety and well being when they stay in a vacation rental close by the beach. And sure enough, after her son runs into a very strange character and approaches the mirror house, the next night they are stalked by a family of shadowy doppelgangers who want to harm, and perhaps take over, the lifes of those they resemble. Most of the rest of the movie is bloody, scary, suspenseful and provocative. There is a lot to think about in this movie, including the title. Us can also be inturrpeted as U.S. In fact, the doppelgangers call themselves Americans at one point. Is it as good as “Get Out”? I would say no. partly because it is a little disjointed and contains a few plot holes (but so do a lot of pretty great movies) and partly because there was so much hype. But it doesn’t matter because this is a top-notch horror film, and even if I did guess the “twist,” it was still well-worth the ride to get there. Does the ending open up the possiblity of a sequel? Definitely. If another “Us” is indeed in the works; I will definitely be there!
Get Out
Who knew that Jordan Peele could write and direct a horror-thriller that brilliantly skewers race relations in modern America? Well I am here to tell you that he can AND he did! Get Out is highly entertaining and heart-pounding from beginning to end. Daniel Kaluuya plays Chris, a sensitive black man who agrees to accompany his white girlfriend to her family’s estate for the weekend. Chris find some creepy goings on as the parents (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) and perhaps even his girlfriend, may have sinister intentions. Peele’s script is top-notch and infused with wit and unexpected but welcome humor. Chris’s best friend played by Lil Rey Howery is a delight as the TSA agent who doesn’t give up on his friend. If Alfred Hitchcock were alive today, this is the kind of movie he might have made. Well done Mr. Peele!