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Hello, Yahoo readers! My name is Brett Arnold<\/a>, film critic and longtime Yahoo editor, and I’m back with another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n This week, Black Phone 2 <\/em>hits theaters alongside Good Fortune,<\/em> the directorial debut of comedian Aziz Ansari.<\/p>\n At home, you can rent or buy the Colin Farrell-Margot Robbie vehicle A Big Bold Beautiful Journey <\/em>or the most recent installment of The Strangers<\/em> horror films.<\/p>\n There are plenty of options on streaming services you’re already paying for, including a new Netflix true crime documentary The Perfect Neighbor <\/em>and a moving documentary about the lives of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, directed by their son, Ben Stiller.<\/p>\n Read on, because there’s more, and there’s always something for everyone!<\/p>\n Why you should maybe see it: <\/strong>Black Phone 2 <\/em>is a bold and ambitious sequel that takes the budding franchise into a more supernatural direction. The vibes may feel a bit too familiar to fans of the Nightmare on Elm Street <\/em>movies.<\/p>\n In the film, bad dreams haunt Gwen, who is now 15, as she receives calls from the black phone and sees disturbing visions of three boys being stalked and killed at a winter camp. Accompanied by her brother, Finn, they head to the camp to solve the mystery, only to confront the Grabber (Ethan Hawke) \u2014 a killer who’s grown even more powerful in death.<\/p>\n The original movie, based on the Joe Hill short story, was a sleeper hit, unexpectedly becoming one of the biggest horror hits of 2021. The more surreal and dreamlike sequel, further unencumbered from sticking to any sort of text, is an improvement, even if it still feels like it owes a lot to Freddy Krueger. I’m torn between appreciating the very clear homages and being annoyed that it’s so blatantly a rip-off.<\/p>\n The biggest surprise is how little the Grabber is actually in the movie; the story is way more focused on Finn and Gwen. Hawke delivers what is almost entirely a vocal performance, to the point where you may wonder if he was ever actually under the mask on set. He’s appropriately menacing in the role, even if the prop does a lot of the heavy lifting.<\/p>\n Its message about surviving trauma would likely go down easier if every horror movie in the past decade weren’t also about that, but if you are invested in these characters, it’s effective enough. The film’s best asset is its texture; the analog, grainy look that differentiates the dream sequences from reality is striking, and the merging of these two worlds is compelling visually.<\/p>\n Black Phone 2 <\/em>is a case where the atmosphere, look and feel of the movie are strong enough to make up for whatever it lacks on a story level, though the degree to which it wants to be a Nightmare on Elm Street <\/em>sequel mostly just left me wanting the real thing.<\/p>\n What other critics are saying:<\/strong> The reaction is mixed-positive. Benjamin Lee at the Guardian<\/a> writes, “Black Phone 2,<\/em> like M3gan 2.0 <\/em>before it, is a needlessly long and hugely unconvincing argument for the birth of a new franchise. The next time it rings, I recommend not answering.” Variety’s Peter Debruge<\/a>, however, calls it “remarkably scary, considering the deliberate pace … which I credit to how all bets are off when dealing with dreams.”<\/p>\n How to watch: <\/strong>Black Phone 2 <\/em>is now in theaters nationwide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Get tickets<\/a><\/p>\n Why you should see it:<\/strong> Good Fortune <\/em>has its heart in the right place, which goes a long way in making up for the clunky plotting, familiar insights and lack of a true lead character. Thankfully, there are plenty of laughs along the way and a particularly terrific and charming performance by Keanu Reeves.<\/p>\n In the writer-director debut of comedian and actor Aziz Ansari, a well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker Arj (Ansari) and Jeff, a wealthy capitalist (Seth Rogen).<\/p>\n The movie is incredibly class conscious, so much so that it comes off as didactic. It more often than not tells, rather than shows us, how the rich have it easy and the poor are barely hanging on by a thread. Its anger feels righteous even if it’s all fairly obvious stuff. It never comes off as too\u00a0<\/em>preachy because it’s more interested in making you laugh.<\/p>\n The idea of an angel who is bad at his job sounds one-note, but by the time Gabriel is attempting to show Arj that his life is worth living, A Christmas Carol-<\/em>style, and failing miserably, you realize how much comedy is inherent in the premise. It’s even funnier that the plot kicks into motion because Reeves tries to impart a “being rich isn’t all it’s cracked up to be” lesson, and it turns out being rich does <\/em>make life easier, and Arj would much rather stay in that reality.<\/p>\n Good Fortune<\/em> is formulaic and owes a lot to films like Wings of Desire <\/em>and A Life Less Ordinary <\/em>and even Trading Places, <\/em>but the marketplace should absolutely welcome old-fashioned high-concept comedies such as this.<\/p>\n What other critics are saying:<\/strong> It’s a mixed bag! The AP’s Lindsey Bahr<\/a> says “it ambles around between absurdity, social realism and Apatow-esque antics trying to find its groove. And yet nothing is ever quite laugh out loud funny, which is shocking considering the people involved, and its messages are essentially toothless.” Michael Rechtshaffen at the Hollywood Reporter<\/a> dug it, praising Reeves specifically, writing “summoning those deadpan days of Bill & Ted\u2019s Excellent Adventure<\/em> and Parenthood<\/em>, Reeves\u2019 determined but out-of-his-depths Gabriel consistently scores as the film\u2019s comedic secret weapon.”<\/p>\n How to watch: <\/strong>Good Fortune <\/em>is now in theaters nationwide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Get tickets<\/a><\/p>\n But that’s not all…<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\ud83c\udfa5 What to watch in theaters<\/strong><\/h2>\n
My sort-of-recommendation: Black Phone 2<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
My bonus recommendation:<\/strong> Good Fortune<\/em><\/h3>\n