LEAVING ON A JET PLANE // A FILM REVIEW OF "SURVIVE"

BY MATEO MORENO

The new streaming app Quibi, created by Jeffrey Katzenberg, has officially launched, and the platform is offering a 90-day free trial through the end of the month. Prefect timing for all of us (re: nearly everyone) who's stuck at home. Each program, and they have movies, TV shows and reality television so far, offer each "episode" in 10-minute small bites, which are released one at a time daily on weekdays. One of the starry new offerings is the action thriller SURVIVE, starring Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins (soon to be seen in the big screen version of IN THE HEIGHTS).

Turner plays Jane, a very troubled young woman who's been living in a recovery home called "Lifehouse." She has suicidal ideation and has convinced her counselors that she's recovered. However, she is far from it, and is planning on swallowing a handful of pills on the plane ride home, slowly falling to sleep in the air. However, fate had other plans for her. The plane taking her home violently crashes in the snowy mountains of the Northwest. Once she comes to, she realizes she is one of two survivors; the other one being Paul (Hawkins), a man she already had a few moments with at the airport and who was oddly sitting right next to her on the plane. Together, they gather what they can and head off into the mountains - to survive.

The concept of someone who wanted nothing to do with survival now having to fight for it is an intriguing one, and both actors are certainly up to the task. Sophie Turner's early scenes at "Lifepoint" and pre-crash are gripping and harrowing. With very little time, Turner gripes your heartstrings and plunges deep into the character. Post-crash, however (at least so far - I've seen only a handful of episodes so far) her character is more one-note and even a bit grating. Hawkins is also a great presence on screen whose character also suffers slightly once the crash happens.

Being that this is a film "in progress" and more episodes are to come, these character flaws, as I see them, could very well make more sense in the grand scheme of things. But as of now, right when the story should be the most gripping, it's become the most formulaic (they also drop an interesting "breaking the fourth wall" narrative structure once the crash happens). And each episode varies wildly in style and feel, making the experience a bit more jarring than necessary. The actors and the story are interesting enough that I'll keep tuning in, but it's going to need to come together sooner rather than later to keep viewers wanting to stay stranded with them.

GRADE: B-

WRITTEN BY Richard Abate, Jeremy Ungar DIRECTED BY Mark Pellington STARRING Sophie Turner, Corey Hawkins. NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON Quibi.

RUNNING MAN // A FILM REVIEW OF "MOST DANGEROUS GAME"

BY MATEO MORENO

The new streaming app Quibi, created by Jeffrey Katzenberg, has officially launched, and the platform is offering a 90-day free trial through the end of the month. Prefect timing for all of us (re: nearly everyone) who's stuck at home. Each program, and they have movies, TV shows and reality television so far, offer each "episode" in 10-minute small bites, which are released one at a time daily on weekdays. One of the starry new offerings is the running man thriller MOST DANGEROUS GAME starring Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz.

This high octane thriller starts off without any set-up. We meet Dodge (Hemsworth), our main protagonist as he is meeting with a business man by the name of Miles Sellers (Waltz) who runs "The Tiro Fund." Dodge is hoping that Sellers can help him out with a loan, as he is badly in need of money, with a baby on the way and Cancer treatment eating away at him. However, Sellers isn't interested in giving a loan. What he is interested in is Dodge participating in a game. The most dangerous kind of game, in fact, where he himself would be hunted by rich people who enjoy that kind of thrill. It would take place over the course of 24 hours and should he survive, he'll have more money than he could even dream of. In fact, each hour he survives, more money will automatically be wired into his account. Should he not survive the 24 hours and a hunter catches up with him, they would actual kill him and the game would be over. At first, Dodge rejects the request outright, saying he'll go to the cops. However, Dodge is a desperate man and in the end, he agrees to the insane request.

Since this is on Quibi, I've only seen the first few chapters and can't fully review the film in its entirety. But from all of the offerings I've seen on the new streamer, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME is one of the strongest, anchored by the magnetic Chritoph Waltz and a very game Hemsworth. The game has just begun where I'm at so far, but I'm definitely invested and drawn in by the stylish directing of Abraham and the literal "thrill of the chase." This kind of show seems perfect for 10-minute episodes, drawing your excitement just enough to draw you into the next chapter. This is a new way to experience a thrill ride like this, and I'm completely game for it.

GRADE: B+

WRITTEN BY Nick Santora, Josh Harmon, Scott Elder, DIRECTED BY Phil Abraham STARRING Liam Hemsworth, Christoph Waltz, Sarah Gadon, Zach Cherry. NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON Quibi