This weekend’s movie slate is heavy on creature features. Three new films hit theaters and streaming Friday, spanning sci-fi, family animation, and musical drama. Greg Russell, film critic for movieshowplus.com, broke down the lineup on Live in the D’s Reel Talk.
‘The End of Oak Street’ transplants a Detroit suburb (Royal Oak) - along with its bickering neighbors - straight into the prehistoric era. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star as a married couple scrambling to survive dinosaurs and figure out how to get home. Writer-director David Robert Mitchell, a Michigan native, grounds the sci-fi spectacle in Midwestern familiarity.
Russell called it “fun,” though not without reservations. “Everybody kind of gave like a 3.5,” he said. “3.5, okay, down the middle.” Despite the middling consensus, Russell had a simple pitch for Michigan audiences: “Support somebody from Michigan.”
‘Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie’ delivers exactly what its title promises, sending Ryder and the pups on a prehistoric rescue mission. Russell reported the target audience gave it full marks. “Actually, talking to the kids and their parents coming out, they enjoyed” it, he said - and noted that the kids knew all the characters by name, which he considered the real test.
“It’s almost like the Paw Patrol - they run into dinosaurs too,” Russell said of the coincidental weekend theme.
‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ is the emotional standout of the week. The film follows a high school senior who lands the lead in her school play just as her mother’s cancer returns, forcing her to weigh her dreams against family duty. Sadie “Sonny” Sandler - daughter of comedian Adam Sandler, whose Happy Madison Productions backs the film - plays the lead.
“She does a wonderful job,” Russell said. The film resonated personally with the critic. “It’s just very touching, especially for those of us who ever had to deal with” a parent’s illness, he said.
Russell awarded it his highest rating of the weekend - four reels - saying simply: “It does, it moves you.” The film is available to stream on Netflix.
Greg Russell’s full interviews with Hollywood stars are available at movieshowplus.com.