Friday’s here, and your “See It or Skip It” crew is picking up the phone and calling out some good picks of the week. Tomatometer-approved critic Patrick Beatty, as well as Rebecca Frost and Kent Dunn, dig into the supernatural terror of “Black Phone 2”, to the heavenly chaos of “Good Fortune”, and Julia Roberts in “After the Hunt”.

Then on streaming, learn about the life and craft of the auteur himself in “Mr. Scorsese” on Apple TV, the horrifying truths of “The Perfect Neighbor” on Netflix, and the comedic intrigue of “The Chair Company” on HBO Max. We’re covering theater, streaming, docs, and genre. Let’s get into it.

In Theaters

Black Phone 2 (R)

Continuing from the first film, which centered around Finn, a boy who is abducted by a killer known as “The Grabber” (Ethan Hawke) and placed in a room with a landline rotary phone. This phone, somehow, is able to give The Grabbers’ victims a way to communicate through it to Finn, leading to his eventual escape. Now 17 years old, we see Finn still processing the events of his abduction, while his sister Gwen is having dreams and visions of three children who want her to find them in the sleepy, cold, and snowy camp known as “Alpine Lake”.

Scott Derrickson has primarily centered his career on horror films and has an impressive list of hits to reference. From “Sinister” (also an Ethan Hawke-led film), “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”, to big-budget movies with horror influences like Marvel’s “Dr. Strange”. In Black Phone 2, Derrickson releases his inner Freddy Krueger and delivers a moody, twisted, and a perfect Halloween movie for this season.

The film has such a fun ’70s style to it, jumping from the real world to the dream world by changing the visual style from crisp HD to a Super 8MM Camera that’s full of grain and mystery every time it takes over. Is it reminiscent of Derrickson’s “Sinister”? Yes, but it works perfectly for this film.

All performances from our leads, Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw, are great. There are a lot of monologue-driven scenes, specifically from Madeleine’s character, that she executes very well, especially for the story centering around her this time, as opposed to Finn. Mason Thames clearly has sprouted into a leading man with the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon,” and in this gives a powerful performance as a kid dealing with intense trauma while still trying his best to protect those he loves.

There are some creative and fun moments with The Grabber, and ultimately this is what I was wanting from this film. A fun, creepy story where we elevate this murderer to a supernatural level that is both scary and full of personality, and this team absolutely did it. It does go on a little too long, I’ve got some nitpicks with how they used the score or didn’t use it, and when the writing wants to tell a good foul-mouthed insult, it can lose its 1970s, 1980s vibe due to the writing feeling too modern.

But overall, “Black Phone 2” shouldn’t work… but boy did it for me. Twisted, tense, and just the right amount of Freddy Krueger. They brought back that ’70s nightmare and hit *69, and it is a perfect movie for this Halloween season to check out.

See It or Skip It? See It

Good Fortune (R)

When a low-level guardian angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) decides to break protocol and help an out-of-work tradesman named Arj see that his life is worth living, he hatches a wild plan, swapping Arj’s life with that of his wealthy new boss, Jeff, a tech mogul who’s never known struggle. But when the plan spirals out of control, Gabriel must convince Arj to give up the riches and return to his real life… even if money seems to have finally solved everything.

Keanu Reeves has already achieved “Saint” status in the real world, so it might not seem like a stretch to have him play a literal Angel. I loved him in this and think it’s one of the best roles he’s played in a long time. By far, Gabriel is the most interesting character in the movie, and I was so curious about why he wanted to step out of his comfort zone and the hierarchy of angels and their duties; all of it was fascinating. He’s also hilarious, playing up a naive innocence that works really well for playing against the greedy Arj and Jeff.

Arj & Jeff are two sides of the same coin; both Aziz and Seth have good chemistry together. Keke Palmer, while showing up and delivering the best she can as usual, doesn’t have a lot of autonomy in the story. I wish she had more to do to be involved in the wacky moments of the story.

The film wants to explore what struggling in today’s world is like with bills, rent, and generally surviving. It’s not really delved into deep enough for me, especially once Gabriel shows up, but that’s not a bad thing, just something that could’ve had more.

“Good Fortune” is Keanu’s movie, hands down. A funny and unique story, mixed with some heart. Certainly worth checking out and in theaters.

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After the Hunt (R)

A respected college professor’s world unravels when her (Julia Roberts) brightest student (Ayo Edebiri) accuses a fellow faculty member (Andrew Garfield) of misconduct. This forces her to choose between loyalty and truth, while her own past claws its way to the surface.

Strong dramatic performances from Julia, Andrew, and Ayo, director Luca Guadagnino (“Challengers”, “Call Me By Your Name”, “Queer”) deconstructs three terrible people who, at the end of the film, you just can’t root for. There’s no balance or unbiased perspective when it comes to who the film finds to be more logical or worthy of taking seriously, and that makes the premise itself feel disengenuous.

I am a big fan of Luca and these actors, but sadly, “After The Hunt” is too full of itself to make a compelling argument for its existence other than to talk down to its audience.

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What’s Streaming?

Mr. Scorsese

This 5-part docuseries explores the filmography and life of Hollywood’s greatest living director, Martin Scorsese. The series begins with his upbringing and the influences that led to iconic films, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, & Goodfellas, as well as his struggles with addiction, fame, and creative vices, and his personal relationships with longtime collaborators Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.

“Mr. Scorsese” is a fascinating look from the man himself about his struggles within the Hollywood machine, and looking back at his legacy, his partnerships, and his love of movies. Director Rebecca Miller focuses more on the first 4 episodes, centering on his early works, and his time with DeNiro, saving the last episode for I would argue a time period that could’ve been stretched out to at least 3 episodes. While I wanted to see more of that era, there’s no doubt this is expertly directed and a fun, informative series that’s easily bingeable this weekend.

See It or Skip It? See It

The Perfect Neighbor (TV-MA)

Directed and produced by Geeta Gandbhir, “The Perfect Neighbor” explores the killing of Ajike Owens, telling the events leading up to and after the tragedy via Police bodycam footage.

I felt physically ill at the end of this, and that’s in part due to the visceral and bold visual storytelling that keeps you both completely engaged but actively wanting to look away because of the situation. Greeta Ganbhir does a good job of cleverly editing and utilizing the bodycam footage in a way that was narrative-driven, and I appreciated the messages surrounding “stand-your-ground” laws and what can happen when people easily misinterpret or misuse them to hurt others.

“The Perfect Neighbor” is a tremendous documentary, but not one I wish to ever revisit. If you love the genre, this will be in your top films for this year, but people looking to have a more casual viewing experience will find this hard to watch, however excellent it is.

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The Chair Company

Currently in its second week, “The Chair Company” revolves around an employee who gets embarrassed when his chair gives out on him in front of his coworkers. He goes on a hunt to find where this chair came from, but in the process may have uncovered a dark and sinister corporation that might not let him survive with what he knows.

Those of you familiar with Tim Robinson’s work already know to an extent what you’ll be getting yourselves into with this show, and I had a great time with the now signature uncomfortable and awkward humor that Robinson excels in. Will report more once the season completes! Watch Sunday nights on HBO Max.

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Did you see any of the shows reviewed this weekend? Leave a comment if so, and make sure to follow us on all our social media platforms and listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.