Photo © Warner Bros. Entertainment
Channing Tatum in ‘Blink Twice’
Channing Tatum in ‘Blink Twice’
Blink Twice
(In Theaters Aug. 23)
Ordinary girls Frida and Sarah (Naomi Ackie and Adria Arjona) are thrilled to be invited to a party on billionaire Slater King’s (Channing Tatum) private island. It’s a star-studded event that includes known actors, great food and all the champagne and drugs a partygoer could want. While Slater recently stepped down as CEO of his company for doing something out-of-line, he’s happy to “let the good times roll” for his guests.
As the days progress, Frida and Sarah realize they can’t remember any of their nights on the island. Also strange are the male visitors who repeatedly ask whether the women are “having a good time.” Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Kyle MacLachlan and Geena Davis all show up as guests or staff in this screenplay co-written and directed by first-time helmer Zoë Kravitz. She weaves horror and humor into the women’s experiences, as they strive to replace their lack of money and power with ingenuity. (Lisa Miller)
The Crow
(In Theaters Aug. 23)
The original The Crow was a box office success in 1994. Brandon Lee’s charismatic Crow was further elevated by the actor’s death due to an onset accident. This reboot differentiates itself from the first film with more blood and more gore along with more of the great romance between musician Eric Draven/The Crow (Bill Skarsgard) and Shelly (FKA Twigs). Director Rupert Sanders serves up nonstop violence in response to a ruthless gang of thugs murdering these lovebirds. To right this wrong, a sympathetic crow resurrects Draven to take revenge on all of those responsible for their murder. Doing so will bring Shelly back to life, though Draven is told that he must die. He readily agrees, but unlike “The Raven’s” “Nevermore,” this script leaves Draven’s Crow a path for ever-more box office receipts in the sequel. (Lisa Miller)
Sherlock Holmes
(Severin Blu-ray)
This two-disc set gathers “all surviving episodes” of the 1968 BBC-TV series. Peter Cushing, on leave from Hammer Studio, stars as a gaunt-faced Holmes, despairing of the lack of stimulating crime—but the crimes keep coming. Cushing is adept in the role, maintaining a barely restrained hauteur in the face of the easy assumptions, and rush to judgment, of the police. Nigel Stock costars as Dr. Watson, the affable sidekick and everyman whose fumbling allows the audience to keep up with Holmes’ astounding power of observation. The staging of this in-color series was simple compared to the elaborate BritBox productions of today, but visually effective. (David Luhrssen)
