Kevin is back to review the recent films that he watched in the ‘Se7en with Kevin’ series.

#Se7enwithKevin #MovieReview

The Adam Project – 2.5 out of 5 – An interesting science-fiction premise quickly fizzles out. This is one expensive looking film that loses steam over the course of its run-time.   There are many great actors here whose abilities can’t elevate the unevenness of the direction and the messy script. If you are a fan of Ryan Reynolds’s constant quips, you will be entertained, if not, it is just another annoyance that the film provides.

Umma – 2.5 out of 5 – Thank God for Sandra Oh and Fivel Stewart, who play mother and daughter in this lame duck horror film. Both actresses are way above this story of a mother haunted by the spirit of her sadistic mother. The film has plenty of jump scares that don’t make you jump but just make you roll your eyes. Thankfully, it is a relatively short film.

Where the Crawdads Sing – 3 out of 5 – The best-selling novel, produced by Reese Witherspoon, is a straightforward murder mystery with an impressive performance by Daisy Edgar-Jones. Jones creates a sympathetic character who’s the walking definition of a simpleton. It is a beautiful looking film with pretty people, which takes away with grittiness that this film could’ve benefited from.

Laal Singh Chaddha – 3 out of 5 – The Hindi remake of Forrest Gump is a valiant effort that does capture some of what made of the original work. For those interested in the history of the country that this takes place in, the movie nicely injects real life events into the film. Aamir Khans’ performance juggles between genuine and feeling like a bit of parody. Some of the changes do work nicely, while others will make you scratch your head. If you are a fan of Bollywood or the original source material, give it a look, it isn’t a terrible attempt.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile – 4 out of 5 – I never thought that a singing reptile would have been one of my favorite characters in film last year. Shawn Mendes, playing the personified snapper, gives him the charm, genuineness, and depth to make this a heartwarming family picture. Scoot McNairy gets to let loose as the father of the human family clan.

The Invitation – 3 out of 5 – A “B” horror movie with an A-level performance. Natalie Emmanuel is giving this WAY more than it deserves.

Matilda – 2.5 out of 5 – The stage musical, based upon the popular novel, is adapted to the big screen with mixed results. The entirety of it feels to staged for the silver screen, but Alisha Wier, who plays the title character, is fantastic. So good that she covers many of its shortcomings.

White Noise – 3 out of 5 – A chaotic, disjointed, and interesting experience that is based upon a novel that seemed hard to fully translate to the big screen. Though some of it doesn’t work, much more of it does thanks to the reliable direction and writing by Baumbach. Adam Driver solidifies himself as one of the better actors working today by providing a performance that perfectly falls in line with the film’s odd tone.

A Man Called Otto – 4 out of 5 – It is an extremely predictable film, but Hanks and the cast make this more lovable than I thought it would’ve been. Despite the tragic nature of the lead character’s life, it is the ultimate feel-good movie. Truman Hanks, son of the famous actor, provides a fine performance as the younger Otto.