In this week’s Criticize This! we take a look at a very unsettling Nicolas Cage, a lacklustre movie that fakes history, and why Chris Pratt needs to stop talking.

THE BIG ONE

If you’re a fan of movies like Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, then you are going to thoroughly enjoy the chilling atmosphere and anxiety-ridden feeling of total dread that Longlegs has to offer.

Directed by Osgood Perkins, and starring Maika Monroe (It Follows, Villains) and Nicolas Cage in his most nightmare-inducing role to date, Longlegs tells the story of a satanic serial killer and the FBI agent assigned to track him down.

As of this writing, the film is sitting at a solid 92% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes with a 7.7 out of 10 on the IMDb. Critics are mostly praising the movie because of the excellent performances from the two main actors.

“Monroe makes a compelling, competent, and tough heroine,” Andrew Parker wrote for The Gate, adding that Cage “has modulated his particular style of gonzo acting to hone in on a menacing, vampiric frequency that’s memorably insane and off-putting to look at.”

WATCH: Trailer for Longlegs

For the sprinkling of bad reviews Longlegs has received, most complain that it’s too much like the movies that inspired it and not enough of its own original storytelling.

“It’s a handsomely sewn patchwork imbued with zero meaning of its own,” Richard Lawson wrote in Vanity Fair, while another critic called it “a grab bag of ideas and tricks that can’t be coerced into anything resembling a whole.”

Our take: Longlegs is the perfect summer thriller to see in the theatre with an audience. There’s no doubt that it will be talked about for many years to come, so take the ride and enjoy!

Longlegs is currently playing in theatres.

IN THEATRES

Fly Me to the Moon

Fly Me to the Moon is an “absolutely awful” comedy about the 1969 Moon landing that offers up an alternative history of what went on behind the scenes. While the chemistry between stars Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum has earned it an okay 64% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes so far, a lot of reviews are giving it the thumbs down, with one critic saying it “feels as false as its plot.” It’ll be on Apple TV+ in a few weeks so save your money and watch it at home if you really want to see it.

Kinds of Kindness

Critics might be embracing Kinds of Kindness, Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow-up to Poor Things (which also stars Emma Stone), but audiences are not digging the “weird and disgusting” nearly 3-hour long romp. Since opening on June 28, the movie has earned a 72% critics score and an abysmal 49% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If you’re not a die-hard fan of Lanthimos’ work, it’s probably best to just ignore the existence of this one completely.

TOP BOX OFFICE

1. Despicable Me 4
2. Inside Out 2
3. A Quiet Place: Day One

STREAMING

The Garfield Movie (VOD)

There are a lot of things wrong with The Garfield Movie, but it’s Chris Pratt’s voice in particular that made us shut it off after only 15 minutes! His voice worked as Emmet in The Lego Movie, and we were fine with him as Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but listening to him as Garfield was like hearing nails on a chalkboard (the terrible script and animation didn’t help either). If anyone in Hollywood is listening, please ban Chris Pratt from voicing animated characters in the future!

Sorry/Not Sorry (VOD)

Sorry/Not Sorry is a documentary that dives into comedian Louis C.K.’s fall from grace after being accused of some disgusting actions towards female comics, and how he was able to brush it off and return to the stage within months of it all. Rachel West writes in her review on That Shelf that the film “excels at building a picture of Louis C.K., whose arrogance exudes off of him in waves,” and that the doc prompts “discussion that should extend beyond the film’s end credits.”

Also streaming this week: IF, starring Ryan Reynolds, is on Paramount+, Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black is on Prime Video, Descendants: The Rise of Red is on Disney+, and The Exorcism, I Used to Be Funny, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and The Bikeriders are all available on VOD platforms.

COMING SOON

Piece by Piece is a biopic on the life of musician and music producer Pharell Williams all told via a world of LEGO. We’re expecting this one to be an extremely fun and unique watch when it hits theatres on October 11.

Check out the trailer and let us know if you’ll be seeing this one or not?

4K BLU-RAY

Let us start by saying that Madame Web is not a good movie. But, if you’re in the mood for a cheesy, big-budget B-movie that you can make fun of with a group of friends, it’s actually quite perfect!

Watching Madame Web on 4K Blu-ray also helps make it more bearable as the visuals are crystal clear and the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 sound mix is solid. Special features include a gag reel, deleted scene, Easter Eggs, and two making-of featurettes. A regular Blu-ray version of the movie is also included.

Madame Web is currently available to purchase on Amazon.ca for $34.99.

Other 4K Blu-ray titles worth checking out include The Matrix Trilogy, Watchmen: Ultimate Cut, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and Civil War.

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