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Fantastic Fest Reviews: “The True Adventures of Wolfboy” & “Homewrecker”

Martin Krejci’s “The True Adventures of Wolfboy”

The True Adventures of Wolf Boy

“The Adventures of Wolfboy features an all-star cast including Jaeden Martell, Chris Messina, and Chloe Sevigny. The film is about Paul (Martell), a young boy with Hypertrichosis – a disease that causes him to have hair all over him, making him look like a wolf. Paul is bullied and feels alone in this world, even though he has a supportive and loving father (Messina) who only wants to make Paul happy.

On Paul’s 13th birthday, he receives a mysterious gift from his estranged mother. He sneaks out of the house on a journey to find her, and hopes she has an explanation for his condition. In an attempt to make money, he stops at the local circus. He ends up gaining an enemy in Mr. Silk (John Turturro). While on the run, Paul eventually makes some new friends, including Aristiana (Sophie Giannamore). This adventure quickly turns into a wild ride.

The film is far from original, and it’s a pretty basic story. Luckily, there are one or two surprises in there that make up for its predictability. And even though the premise is familiar, “The True Adventures of Wolfboy” finds a sweet way to portray the message of self-acceptance.

Side note: This film’s soundtrack was the best of the fest!

Rating: 3.5/5

Zach Gayne’s “Homewrecker”

Homewrecker

Lifetime should pick up this movie right way. It is basically made for TV gold.

“Homewrecker” follows Michelle (Alex Essoe), a young woman who has clearly been stalked by a slightly older and unhinged Linda (Precious Chong). After a “chance encounter” at a cafe, Linda persuades Michelle to stop by her house for a business opportunity. What was supposed to be a quick visit, turns into a nightmare.

There are a lot of problems with this movie. The editing is questionable. Mainly the bath bomb transitions that throw off the flow of the film. The script is hardly original or good, and everyone besides the two leads are weak actors. At the same time, there’s a lot to like!

Essoe is a terrific actress; quite possibly too good for this movie. Chong does a fantastic job at playing a deranged stranger whose blank stares are enough to freak anyone out. It’s actually these two who make the film a pleasure. Watching these two go from one extreme to another is a lot of fun. Bouncing from a friendship, to jealousy, to hate, to sympathizing with one another, and the emotions go on.

This is honestly a ridiculous film and an avoidable situation. But somehow, Essoe and Chong make it work. So much so, that I didn’t want their madness to end. If you like the typical Lifetime movie formula, then you’ll enjoy the hell out of “Homewrecker”.

Rating: 3/5

Interview: John Travolta talks “The Fanatic”


John Travolta and Devon Sawa star in the new film, “The Fanatic”. Trust me when I say, you’ve never seen Travolta like this! It’s a psychological thriller that will have you questioning the difference between fan and stalker.

I got a chance to sit down with John Travolta and discuss when it’s appropriate to walk up to celebrities, who is his guardian angel, his favorite Travolta dance move, and more!

“The Fanatic” opens in select theaters on August 30 at the AMC Mesquite 30 and Studio Movie Grill Colleyville in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. It will be on Video-On-Demand and digital release September 6.

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Movie Review: “The Boy Next Door” is a Foolishly Redundant Tale

Men beware; just a taste of JLo can lead to an unhealthy addiction!

Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez) is a high school teacher in the middle of a separation from her cheating husband (John Corbett).  Amidst the stress and drama, she has only been able to focus on her work and her son, Kevin (Ian Nelson).  She hasn’t been on a date in years.  Somehow, this always made-up beauty hasn’t even felt wanted by a man since the split.  She is lonely and vulnerable.  (Yeah, right…)  Here comes the new hot, young, and extremely fit neighbor.  Noah Sandborn (Ryan Guzman) seems harmless.  He’s a sweet kid taking care of his elderly uncle, and now he’s even befriended Claire’s awkward, wheezing son.  After going on a horrible double date with her friend/vice principal of her school, Vicky (Kristin Chenoweth), she receives a phone call from Noah who is need of her assistance.  The evening escalates from inappropriate to disgustingly wrong within seconds.  Claire wakes up immediately regretting the whole thing, but it’s too late.  A night of “passion” with “Jenny from the block” has caused Noah to catch a fever that he just can’t shake.

The Boy Next Door is a story we’ve seen before, multiple times.  In fact, you could probably figure out the entire film, without ever watching it.  Writer Barbara Curry offers no originality to this script, unless you count the record breaking amount of cheese in the dialogue.  Director Rob Cohen (Fast and Furious, The Skulls) does serve a few moments of excitement movie-goers can look forward to, particularly the end sequence.

January is known to be the worst month for films, and The Boy Next Door is no exception to that rule.  However, it is a film that audience members could possibly, still, enjoy.  I went in with the mindset of knowing this movie would be ridiculous and just had fun with it.  The acting is embarrassing, and the storyline doesn’t always make sense. Yet, there is plenty to laugh about.  Take for example, how Jennifer Lopez never looks bad.  It doesn’t matter if she’s fighting for her life in a burning barn, or if she’s about to go to bed; her lip gloss is always intact.

Sadly, The Boy Next Door does not provide the same entertainment value as other popular teen /stalker flicks like Fear or SwimFan.  But, if you’ve already seen all of the Oscar nominated films, and you’re looking for a thoughtless, outlandish comedy, The Boy Next Door maybe worth the watch!

Rating: 2/5

The Boy Next Door opens in theaters today.