Movie Review

Teen star gives first-class performance in coming-of-age film Eighth Grade

For many people, the middle-school years are among the most awkward ones of growing up. The hormones, the changing bodies, the ever-moving social politics — they all combine to make that time one of emotional survival, even for those who appear to have all the confidence in the world.

As such, writer/director Bo Burnham couldn’t have picked a better subject for his debut film, Eighth Grade. It centers on Kayla (Elsie Fisher), who’s heading into the last week of 8th grade. Shy on the outside, Kayla is trying her best to be more outgoing, a side that comes out in a series of YouTube advice videos she records.

At school, though, she can barely summon the courage to look others in the face, much less speak to them. She must deal with ultra-popular girls who won’t give her the time of day, an unrequited crush on a boy, her dad being embarrassing, and the soul-crushing “honor” of being named the “Most Quiet” in her grade.

Burnham’s film not only gets right to the universal truths of what it’s like to be that age, but also feels so of-the-moment that you’ll be cringing in your seat at what kids are experiencing these days. Modern elements like ever-present cell phones, social media like Snapchat, and the numbing reality of school shooter drills are all a part of the film, adding layers of depth that didn’t exist even 10 years ago.

For many, especially parents, watching the film will be like watching a slow-motion car crash. You can’t bear to look, but you also can’t look away. That goes double when the film broaches sexuality on several occasions. Seeing how Elsie and others navigate waters that they shouldn’t even attempt to wade into until years later is excruciating, but also illuminating.

Fisher is no showbiz newbie — she was the voice of Agnes in the first two Despicable Me films and was Kevin Costner’s daughter in McFarland, USA — but this will likely be a breakout role for her. She makes you feel every inch of her emotional discomfort, leaving you aching to protect her. She may be playing someone her own age, but it’s a fully realized performance that ranks among the best of the year.

You can go ahead and put Eighth Grade into the pantheon of coming-of-age movies. Its unique focus, clear and heartfelt emotions, and near-perfect lead character make it required viewing for anyone who claims to love movies.

Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade.

Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade

Photo by Linda Kallerus, courtesy of A24

Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade.

Movie Review

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is better than the first but not by much

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

Blumhouse

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

Blumhouse Productions first made their name with the Paranormal Activity series, establishing themselves as a leader in the horror genre thanks to their relatively cheap yet effective movies. In recent years, they’ve added on “soft” horror films likeM3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s to draw in a younger audience, with both films becoming so successful that each was quickly given a sequel.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 finds Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) still recovering from the events of the first film, with Abby particularly missing her “friends.” Those friends just so happen to be the souls of murdered children who inhabit animatronic characters at the long-defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, children who were abducted and killed by William Afton (Matthew Lillard).

A new threat emerges at another Freddy Fazbear’s location in the form of Charlotte, another murdered child who inhabits a creepy large marionette. Mike, distracted by a possible romance with Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), fails to keep track of Abby, who makes her way to the old pizzeria and inadvertently unleashes Charlotte and her minions on the surrounding town.

Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Scott Cawthon (who also created the video game on which the series is based), the film tries to mix together goofy elements with intense scenes. One particular sequence, in which the security guard for Freddy Fazbear’s lets a group of ghost hunters onto the property, toes the line between soft and hard horror. That and a few others show the potential that the filmmakers had if they had stuck to their guns.

Unfortunately, more often than not they either soft-pedal things that would normally be horrific, or can’t figure out how to properly stage scenes. The sight of animatronic robots wreaking havoc is one that is simultaneously frightening and laughable, and the filmmakers never seem to find the right balance in tone. Every step in the direction of making a truly scary horror film is undercut by another in which the robots fail to live up to their promise.

It doesn’t help that Cawthon gives the cast some extremely wooden dialogue, lines that none of the actors can elevate. What may work in a video game format comes off as stilted when said by actors in a live-action film. The story also loses momentum quickly after the first half hour or so, with Cawthon seemingly content to just have characters move from place to place with no sense of connection between any of the scenes.

Hutcherson (The Hunger Games series), after being the true lead of the first film, is given very little to do in this film, and his effort is equal to his character’s arc. The same goes for Lail, whose character seems to be shoehorned into the story. Rubio is called upon to carry the load for a lot of the movie, and the teenager is not quite up to the task. A brief appearance by Skeet Ulrich seems to be a blatant appeal to Scream fans, but he and Lillard only underscore how limited this film is compared to that franchise.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is better than the first film, but not by much. The filmmakers do a decent job of making the new marionette character into a great villain, but they fail to capitalize on its inherent creepiness. Instead, they fall back on less effective elements, ensuring that the film will be forgettable for anyone other than hardcore Freddy fans.

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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters on December 5.

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