Kathryn Newton

  • Freaky (2020)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, July 2021) Considering my overall loathing of slasher movies, I approached Freaky with reluctance. A body-switching horror/comedy in which a young woman switches bodies with a serial killer? Eh… But once it gets going, Freaky gets more interesting than I expected. Much of the film’s success goes to a smart script, decent direction and excellent casting. This is not the first movie to play off Vince Vaughn’s size, but few have done it so well, and none has even made good use of both his potential for intimidation and his gift for comedy — by the time he plays a cheerleader in a massive body (which is most of the film — Freaky doesn’t spend all that much time with him as a serial killer), we get some unusual acting. This also goes for Kathryn Newton, playing a bulky man learning how to use a young teenager’s body. (The film’s much-better original title, Freaky Friday the 13th, sums up much of its premise.)  The high school setting is almost used in interesting ways, with the script taking occasional pokes at the usual clichés. Freaky is also interesting that it is (one of?) the first body-switching film in an age of greater transgender acceptance, and that shows up in a few scenes that would not have been played the same way ten years ago. Some decent dialogues and characterization wrap it up (even if the camp gay character is a bit on-the-nose at first), although that’s not so much of a surprise coming from writer-director Christopher Landon, who seems to be carving a niche in spinning familiar premises into horror after the two Happy Death Day films. Where I reach my limit for my appreciation of Freaky is the choice to go equally hard on horror as comedy — there is a lot of gore here, and it does get in the way of enjoying the film as a romp. It also takes up one slasher cliché too many in adding a redundant climax-after-the-climax. But then again, you’d suspect a body-switching movie reviewer if I didn’t end up taking a few potshots at slashers in a slasher review.

  • Blockers (2018)

    Blockers (2018)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, December 2018) In the pantheon of comedy characters, the icon of a parent trying to stop their daughters from getting in trouble (for euphemistic values of “trouble”) ranks highly enough that Blockers not only based its entire premise on it, but multiplies the parent/daughter pairing by three for good measure. The film’s success starts with a decent script, but is fully realized by great casting with none other than Ike Barinholtz, Leslie Mann and the ever-dependable John Cena as the parents, as well as newcomers Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan and Gideon Adlon are the daughters. (Viswanathan, in particular, makes an impression.) The plot itself goes back to the good old prom day premise, as the daughters plan on losing their virginities and the parents vow not to let that happen. The rest is one comic episode after another, punctuated by such things as a spectacular car crash, wild parties, and bonding between the parents chasing their daughters. It all ends on a surprisingly mature note (especially by notoriously juvenile sex comedy standards), reflecting contemporary morality rather than questionable old-fashioned standards. The fast pace helps, as does a script that seeks to go beyond the easiest answers. Expectations may count for much here, as the film is significantly better than expected. Still, a good movie is a good movie, and Blockers does have the advantage of feeling like a 2018 movie, and not a 1980s one dressed-up with cell phones and new car models.

  • Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

    Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On DVD, March 2017) If you had been waiting for a true sequel to the first Paranormal Activity, then this fourth instalment almost delivers it. Fittingly enough for a series with a mythology as chaotic as this one, Paranormal Activity 4 picks up five years after the first one, through the viewpoint of a teenage girl who starts noticing strange things in her neighborhood. A murderous convent obviously show up in time, but not before a strange young boy and a ghostly presence. Paced more aggressively than its predecessors (with plenty of spooky moments throughout), this fourth instalment also feels a bit tighter. The use of webcams and a Kinect feels inspired, while Kathryn Newton makes for a sympathetic lead. It ends much like the previous volume, but there are a few chills and thrills along the way. This being said, I don’t think Paranormal Activity 4 has much to offer to those who aren’t already fans of the series … but then again, so it goes for horror series in general. I’m still reacting well to this franchise’s instalments, and part of it has to do with how they’re not glorifying the monster … at least not yet. On the other hand, I’m increasingly unsure that the series mythology will cohere into anything satisfying by the time they’ll milk the last drop out of it.