Red Sparrow is a 2018 spy-thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence who worked with Jennifer Lawrence (the star here) on a couple of the Hunger Games movies, but this is a very different beast. Jennifer Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova (in, it has to be said, a not entirely convincing Russian accent), and Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenarts and Charlotte Rampling star as the film's secondary characters. This one is a pretty big departure from what Lawrence has done in the past, although it has to be said that she's making some pretty bold career choices. I'm not the first one to say that, and for a good reason: it's true. After last year's Mother! it appeared as if she was trying purposefully trying to appear in more "mature" films, and believe me, it doesn't get much more mature than Red Sparrow. The film plays out like one of those schlocky exploitation from the seventies, in that there's sexual violence, sex, violence, torture, and all manner o
Happy Death Day is a 2017 horror-comedy film directed by Christopher P. Landon who is most famous for writing a bunch of the Paranormal Activity films. Scott Lobdell was in charge of writing this one, and it stars Jessica Rothe, who had a small role in La La Land as one of Emma Stones' friends.
So, Jessica Rothe's Tree (short for Theresa) wakes up hungover in a college dorm, much to her dismay, and then ditches the man she believes slept with her. She then goes back to her sorority house, and on the way she acts pretty bitterly towards a bunch of people. We find out straight away that it's her birthday, and for some reason that's unknown to the audience, she dislikes birthdays. On the way to a frat party, she's murdered by a killer wearing a baby mask and then wakes up, still alive, in the same dorm room, on the same day. What follows is a kind of murder mystery in which she must discover her own death, all the while keeping the people she knows on her good side.
Happy Death Day was produced by Blumhouse Productions, who've funded some pretty great films in the past. I loved Get Out, Whiplash and The Gift. Not all of their films are as good as those three, but Blumhouse is slowly becoming a name synonymous with well-made and original horror films, or at least films with a bit of an edge to them. Because of that, I was expecting pretty good things from Happy Death Day.
As is common for Blumhouse productions, the film isn't at all what I was expecting. This is a horror in the loosest sense of the term. It is creepy when it has to be, but honestly, this is more of a satire of the slasher genre and the slew of time-loop films that have come out in recent years. It's never explained why exactly Tree is stuck in a time loop, but there was no need - it's become such a well-known cinematic trope that audiences these days just take it for what it is. There are a lot of clever jokes in the film, and each repetition is just varied enough for the film to remain fresh and interesting.
The person that deserves the most commendation for this film is Jessica Rothe. Without someone as likeable and skilled as her in the main role, this film could have easily become tedious. But she delivers the jokes with a lot of style, and handles the more emotional parts of the film well, too. The comedy is what makes this film good, but the fact that Tree has something to strive for other than the preservation of her own life elevates it to an above-average film. I don't want to spoil anything, but Happy Death Day does have a very strong emotional centre.
Overall, Happy Death Day isn't exactly a groundbreaking movie, but I don't think the filmmakers intended it to be. It's a fun, well-acted, well-written and surprisingly cine-literate film. I think it's going to be appeal to a very wide audience. If you have even a passing interest in horror, I'd recommend this one.
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