{"id":29301,"date":"2024-08-22T22:03:33","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T05:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=29301"},"modified":"2024-08-22T22:03:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T05:03:33","slug":"blink-twice-is-intriguing-if-overly-familiar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=29301","title":{"rendered":"BLINK TWICE is Intriguing, But Features a Few Familiar Tropes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Running Time: 102 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This film from Amazon MGM Studios opens at cinemas on\nAugust 23rd<\/sup>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This reviewer has been going to movies for decades. If\nthere\u2019s one thing that can be learned from dozens upon dozens of genre films,\nit\u2019s that if someone asks you to go with them to a remote or secluded location\u2026\njust refuse the offer. In the movies, it never results in an unexpectedly\nwonderful experience. Just ask the characters in Blink Twice<\/em>, a thriller\nfrom actor-turned-director Zoe Kravitz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The story follows Frida (Naomi Ackie), a waitress working at\na party for a tech billionaire named Slater (Channing Tatum). Despite the\nfamous figure having recently gone through a public scandal, Frida seems to\nstill have a crush on him. When she and co-worker Jess (Alia Shawkat) sneak\ninto the celebration as guests, they encounter him. Slater tells them about an\nisland he owns and uses as a personal retreat, helping him with his therapy\nthat is led by Rich (Klye MacLachlan). Frida and Jess are invited to the lavish\nbut isolated resort along with Slater\u2019s friends (Christian Slater, Simon Rex,\nHaley Joel Osment, Levon Hawke). The two ladies try to befriend other female\nguests like Sarah (Adria Arjona) and note the odd behavior of staff. This\nincludes Slater\u2019s personal assistant Stacy (Geena Davis). It isn\u2019t long before\nthe trip takes a horrific turn.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This effort does benefit from a stellar cast. Ackie is a\nvery likable protagonist and, early on, the film makes it easy to see how a\nstar-struck individual could end up finding themselves in over their head with\na group of strangers. One does get a sense of being a fish-out-of-water as she\narrives in a new and strange place and attempts to fit in with those around\nher. The other stars are also effective in their roles, including Tatum as the\noutwardly friendly and considerate celebrity who may be masking odious\nqualities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Still, there are a few story issues. Truth be told, from the\nclothing supplied to the guests, to the behavior of Slater and his pals, it\ndoesn\u2019t take long for viewers to conclude exactly what is occurring during\nthese extended parties\/vacations. As a result, the failure of the leads to see\nthe red flags and figure it all out is notable. And after Frida and the others\ncome to understand the desperate scenario, there are odd tonal shifts. While\nthe central reveal should be traumatic for the protagonists, there are some\nunusual comments from the lead and others. Yes, the characters have to present\na false front in the company of Slater, but they also make seemingly\nout-of-place cracks among themselves. It may be to help themselves deal with\nthe situation, but the reactions still feel jarring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even if some story elements feel somewhat on-the-nose and\nbluntly delivered, the themes are intriguing and the script does, at times,\nshow just how nasty and sociopathic people in positions of power can be. It\ndoesn\u2019t go deep enough into the psychology of these awful figures (just a quick\nline or two is delivered to suggest where some of the abhorrent behavior\noriginated), but at least the movie is trying to present a picture of how it\nmight occur, and those within the faction who enable it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the climax features some entertaining and\nmessy retribution. There are a few tense and wince-inducing moments as the main\ncharacters confront each other. And while the major reveal is anything but a\nsurprise, a few minor twists, including Frida\u2019s history, as well as the fate of\na major character in the denouement, are effectively delivered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Blink Twice<\/em> works well enough as a thriller\/revenge\npicture. It does try to add a twist or two to a very worn formula and the\nperformers deliver the material with verve, but it\u2019s hard to completely\novercome the story\u2019s familiar plotting and a few other creaky elements. Those\naccepting this invite can expect a good chiller, but not an exceptional\none.   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Running Time: 102 minutes This film from Amazon MGM Studios opens at cinemas on August 23rd. This reviewer has been going to movies for decades. If there\u2019s one thing that can be learned from dozens upon dozens of genre films, it\u2019s that if someone asks you to go with them to a remote or secluded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":29306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[215,1028,1180,2989,2990,2991,2992,4103,4340,8141,8799,9319,11961,14551,18425,22825],"class_list":["post-29301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-215","tag-alia-shawkat","tag-amazon-mgm-studios","tag-blink-twice","tag-blink-twice-film-review","tag-blink-twice-movie-review","tag-blink-twice-review","tag-channing-tatum","tag-christian-slater","tag-geena-davis","tag-haley-joel-osment","tag-horror","tag-kyle-maclachlan","tag-naomi-ackie","tag-simon-rex","tag-thriller"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29301\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}