For a while now it has been accepted that cartoons are no longer for kids, and it can be argued that most of the popular animated shows now are more geared towards adults rather than kids these days.  I’ve grown up with The Simpsons, and I’ve enjoyed the run that Family Guy has had, but really these have been the only animated shows I’d consider myself loyal to.  Upon seeing some ads promoting Rick and Morty as well as hearing my friends talk about the show, I couldn’t help but think perhaps this could possibly be a new animated series I could get excited about. At first glance Rick and Morty seems like the perfected animated blend of Family Guy and The Simpsons, and for the other-worldly locations even Futurama.  The comparisons are hard to look past; after all, the family dynamic is just about the same, and the shows both are filled with their pop-culture references throughout, so what is that makes Rick and Morty stand out from the other shows?

The title characters, both voiced by their creator Justin Roiland, Rick (an elderly, alcoholic inventor) and Morty (well, let’s just say he’s slow-witted), are an unlikely duo who find themselves getting into trouble and adventures together, usually at the fault of an experiment gone wrong.  These adventures take them into multiple realities as well as distant planets (or not planets, in the argument of them travelling to Pluto).  The dynamic between the grandson and grandfather is one that is intentionally odd and uncomfortable at times but does allow for plenty of humor to arise.  For instance when Rick believes he and Morty are trapped in a simulator and the only way they can talk is if they strip down and take a shower together, it’s so wrong, but you can’t help but laugh.

The argument about violence in entertainment has been going on for decades.  Groups have always wanted to point the finger at music, television, books, and movies for being the cause of violence or inciting crime, and typically the creators of this art are the ones being blamed.  In the 90’s I remember the uproar about how Natural Born Killers  was going to create a generation of serial killers but had people been paying attention to the film and how the violence of real life was being exploited, but by the media.  Then even Metallica and Marilyn Manson were thrown under the bus for “creating” murderers in regards to the infamous West Memphis 3, who were accused of murder simply because of the music they listened to. Then there were the Columbine shooters, who were guilty because of the music they listened to and the movies they watched.  Only recently does it seem that the finger-pointing has gone the direction where it’s deserved -- towards mental illness.  That’s not to say that life doesn’t ever imitate art.  There is definitely some responsibility an artist has, and when they get into some more extreme topics, there is a fine line you have to walk.  Random Acts of Violence shows what can happen when the subject matter is put in the wrong hands, especially when art is exploiting real life and in turn is exploited again to create heinous acts of violence.  At first glance this may appear to be a simple slasher film, but there is certainly more to unpack as you look more closely at what is happening.

Though we may be used to seeing Jay Baruchel in comedy roles, he’s been establishing himself as a writer, director, and producer for some years now.  With Random Acts of Violence we get to see him not just act, but co-write, direct, and produce his first horror film, and it’s a doozy.  At first glance it seems over-stylized and filled with over-the-top violence and gore, but it’s something that is very necessary to achieve what he was going for with this film.  “Slasherman” is a very successful comic in this world, and the comic’s creator, Todd (Jesse Williams) is ready to put the character to rest, only he’s struggling to give the character the proper sendoff.  To get those creative juices flowing, Todd’s partner, Ezra (Baruchel) has arranged for a road trip/ publicity tour that happens to run through the real-life locations where the murders that inspired “Slasherman” occurred.  Along for the ride is Todd’s girlfriend, Kathy (Jordana Brewster), who is writing a book of her own that will focus on the victims of the real life I-90 killer, aka “Slasherman”; and then there is the assistant, Aurora (Niamh Wilson).  To a degree the setup sort of gave me vibes of the road-trip-serial-killer film Kalifornia (if you haven’t seen that film it’s one definitely worth hunting down), but the film definitely is going a different direction.

Ammonite was a very hard movie to stay interested in. In its defense, I don’t believe that I was the target audience for the film; I’m not really interested in period dramas, and the only things I know about paleontology I learned from Ross on Friends. There is also the fact that as a film it is very slow and dry, and the most interesting angle was the relationship that developed between characters Mary Anning and Charlotte Murchison. Granted this was an intriguing development, but before we are treated to this, we have to survive an hour of poignant silences broken up with very little dialog. There is also the fact that my research has shown that their historical accuracy of the characters’ relationship in the film has been called into question. So now as a audience member I am forced to question the only truly interesting thing about the film. Kate Winslet and Saiorse Ronan are top-level talents, but I fear that even they weren’t enough to make the film worthwhile for me. Essentially, Ammonite is only for those who enjoy slow-building period dramas.

If there is one thing this movie taught me, it’s patience. Watching the film, I really struggle with my commitment to finish the film. It was just difficult to find anything to enjoy about it, because as I mentioned earlier, there wasn’t a lot of dialog, and for the first part of the film, there wasn’t really much going on. I will say that the one line I did enjoy was when Winslet’s Anning, whose demeanor shows that she only barely tolerates other people, gets a sort of revenge on an obnoxious character by telling him that a prized specimen he collected was nothing more than fossilized feces. I will confess that made me chuckle, but that one instance aside, this was a really boring film for me. I initially hoped to share the film with my wife, but circumstances didn’t allow that opportunity. Even so, I have my doubts that she would have been interested either; perhaps by the later relationship, but she would have likely stopped watching long before we got to that.

Come Play is the most recent film to be expanded to feature length following a successful short project. With the moderate success of Lights Out, it’s no big surprise that a studio would want to take a chance on Come Play, whose short film, “Larry”, worked as a prototype for the feature it would become.  This kind of thing happens quite often with genre projects, but sometimes you have to wonder is there really enough story to expand a 5-minute short into a 90-minute feature.  Using the addiction to technology and its ever-expanding AI features, there is plenty of story to be mined from this.  Recently there was the update to Child’s Play that had AI technology seeking a new best friend it would kill to have, and in that film, Chucky was able to manipulate the technology around him.  Come Play somewhat takes the same approach but instead creates a boogeyman for the age of modern tech. Then factor in that it’s a film under the Amblin umbrella, a company that is responsible for Poltergeist, ET, and numerous 80’s and 90’s genre classics … well, it’s hard to not have some raised expectations.

Oliver (Azhy Robertson) is a young boy who has autism. This has made his life at home and school rather challenging and has made it difficult for him to make friends.  At home he spends his time watching Spongebob on his phone while his parents fight.  It’s easy to feel for the young boy, and the performance Robertson delivers is quite impressive for his young age. Most importantly, though, from the start of the film these characters feel grounded, and the result makes for many intense moments.  It doesn’t take long for Oliver to find a children’s story that seems to just appear on his phone. The story talks about a creature that like Oliver is rejected by society and simply wants to find a friend.  The creature calls himself Larry, but though his intentions seem innocent enough, very quickly we discover he’s simply up to no good.  Then there is the struggling mother, Sarah (Gillian Jacobs). Despite all her efforts, she can’t seem to help her son, and her marriage is falling apart.  Her struggles with her son have even affected her friendships, so when her husband prepares to move out, she feels even more alone.