The best part about this summer is the continuation of the creativity to experience classics. I saw the 1998 comedy and action flick Rush Hour outside in the Music Box Gardens lounge of Chicago. What made this experience nostalgic was that it felt like watching a film in a drive-in atmosphere, but instead with tables outside and a screen right in front of us in the outdoors. I loved laughing with many of the other cinema aficionados who was watching this film as well. I also felt like I was brought back to the era prior to how advanced our technology is. The funny moments between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker were such pure joy, and I have not laughed that hard to Rush Hour in ages.

To recap the plot of the film, Rush Hour gears on Lee and Carter (Chan and Tucker). Lee is an inspector and Carter is a detective. Lee is calm and goes by the rules, Carter (on the other hand) is obnoxious and reckless as a detective, and thinks he is a hot shot. They are both paired up to rescue a Consul’s kidnapped daughter and take down a dangerous crime lord. However, as their mission goes further, Lee and Carter learn a lot about each other and have their witty moments. Lee teaches Carter many tactics, and Carter does the same for Lee. That is where the film is hysterical and entertaining, because it is culture clashing and it is a joyride of laughs. The laughing outside made all the fun echo around the garden of the Music Box.

This is the type of film experiences that are still awesome to have (even post-pandemic). That is because it makes many of us have a chance to experience our favorite cult-classics for a second time, or even the first time. I have Seen Rush Hour before, but this still felt like a first, because I never saw this in a cinema. The outside experience felt like a treat. The entertainment was endless.

This is the year to be back in the cinema scene (while being safe). Music Box has had such a creative team behind what cinema enthusiasts love, and how they can still love cinema when resources are limited. I am also excited for the many events that Music Box has planned throughout the coming months (both outside and inside). I had a fun time with this classic. Three and a half stars for Rush Hour and a night of cinema entertainment.

In Antonio Campos’s The Devil All the Time, the title speaks for itself with the direction the film starts with once the film begins. The Devil All the Time is chronological with a set of sinister scenarios that impacts one another throughout the film’s timeline. Campos’s theme of religion is the dark and unsettling concept of The Devil All the Time. What makes the film more mesmerizing is the characters that can portray sinister elements. The sinister elements will bring many unexpected surprises.

The Devil All the Time takes place in the rural areas of Ohio and West Virginia. The era is also at the end of World War II around the 1960s. The film introduces us to a variety of twisted characters set after World War II. The film introduces us to Willard Russell (played by Bill Skarsgard), a veteran that is having psychological problems and has a wife that is on the verge of death due to cancer. From there, there is Carl and Sandy Henderson (played by Jason Clarke and Riley Keough), a couple that are serial killers that act as photographers and find people to pose for photos and then they demolish them. A preacher named Roy (played Harry Melling) and his sidekick Theodore (played by Pokey Lafarge) running from the law. A new pastor with a dark side is now a part of the church and he is Preston (played Robert Pattinson). The one though that is the main character in front of all this is Arvin Russell (played by Tom Holland). Arvin is one that grows to be mature, but from his past and having a psychotic father, he is known to have violence in his own self. As he comes to realize the outcomes in his life due to corruption, he grows to put the pieces together and take risks in his own hands.

The Devil All the Time has tons of psychotic characters, but many are just thrown in rather quickly. I felt the new sinister characters were off-putting when they were introduced. Examples of this would be the weird scenarios coming up after the characters being in the film for a generous amount of time for its viewers to have an idea of them. Also, a random murder would just come around out of the blue, when I thought the focus was one or two other elements. Therefore, I felt I had to back track from time to time of why a character decides to be insane. The murders may come up at inconvenient moments, but the acting is superb. Especially with the tension between Holland and Patterson. Both have evil sides that create the tone to expect evil judgment towards one another to happen. Another element that adds to the psychotic behaviors, the undefined murders, and disturbing personalities is religion. That is because many of the characters are insane, but also religious. That made me realize that they feel their beliefs of evil is good, which it is not, and that is why The Devil All the Time challenges the mindsets of its characters.

The Devil All the Time left me with questions. I was also left wondering why the characters made scary choices, but also wondering how it links to their past. That is why I said earlier, some of the unexpected violence was off-putting, because I still ask myself what drives the crazy of some in the film. Regardless of its unprecedented timing, The Devil all the Time is worthy of a viewing. The acting, the cinematography, and the setting all fits to be a ride of terror, tension, political, and a twist of religious beliefs. Three stars for The Devil All the Time.

This is one of those films where I thought it was going to be just a disaster thriller. However, Those Who Wish Me Dead is (moderately) entertaining. The film is like a 90s thriller where the concept seems original and has unexpected outcomes and plot twists. Director Taylor Sheridan has the approach of a hunting trail as he did with his previous thriller Wind River (2017). I liked Wind River a little more than Those Who Wish Me Dead, because of its setting and originality. Those Who Wish Me Dead is a bit of a mess, but a captivating ride.

Those Who Wish Me Dead gears on Connor (played by Finn Little), a boy who is a murder witness after his father dies in front of him. His father is assassinated Patrick and Jack (played by Nicholas Hoult and Aiden Gillen). Despite the death of Connor’s father, Connor is the target to assassinate next and he ends up stranded in a forest of treacherous forest fires. He finds hope for his chances of survival when he meets Hannah (played by Angelina Jolie). Hannah is an expert of nature survival and takes the safety of Connor into her own hands. The conflict though is there is limited resources, authorities, scattered forest fires and Patrick and Jack are on the trail to find Connor despite the dangers.

Those Who Wish Me Dead had me in moments to being curious towards which portions of forest nature can benefit Connor and Hannah. That is because throughout the film they find themselves needing to find alternatives for their safety as they continue to make it to safety. Those moments were visually enthralling because of the shifting of the forest conditions and the unexpected dangerous attacks that happen both with the assassins and with the forest. I found myself hoping the forest conditions would worsen to put more danger towards Patrick and Jack so Connor can survive. The game of Tetris for survival is critical in Those Who Wish Me Dead.

I felt this film was realistic because of its nature setting. I find that conflicts that can occur in real-life are more visually captivating in these disaster movies. Especially with the other disadvantage of little to no signal to reach for help technologically. That puts the protagonists and the antagonists to think of their conflicts logistically. That is where the chance of survival starts to make Those Who Wish Me Dead extraordinary in many moments of the forest fires and the hunting of the protagonists. Get ready for a nature battles and enemy battles.

Overall, Those Who Wish Me Dead was way better than I expected. The premise was chilling, and the structure was setup properly to follow along with the suspense. Still predictable in fragments, but still a fun and daring ride of craziness. I had a fun time with Those Who Wish Me Dead. Three stars.