MOVIE PREVIEWS
THE HUNT
Rated: R
Release Date: 03/13/2020
Production Company: Universal Pictures

Cast:
Hilary Swank, Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz and Emma Roberts.

Crew:
Director: Craig Zobel. Producers: Jason Blum, Damon Lindelof and Jennifer Scudder Trent. Executive Producers: Craig Zobel, Nick Cuse and Steven R. Molen. Screenwriters: Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof. Cinematographer: Darren Tiernan.
Plot:
By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs

Universal?s controversial movie ?The Hunt? was scheduled for release last year on Sept. 27.

However, after the mass shootings in Dayton Ohio and El Paso, Texas and along with a wave of criticism surrounding it?s political messaging?some of the chatter even came from President Trump--the film was shelved.

Now, ?The Hunt? is on again. This time it?s being marketed not just as a dark, political satire, but also a horror/thriller movie. It kind of works on both fronts which isn?t all that surprising since it?s from Blumhouse productions the creators of the socially conscious movies, ?Us,? ?Get Out? and ?The Purge.?

With ?The Hunt,? director Craig Zobel (TV?s ?One Dollar?) and writers Damon Lindelof (TV?s ?Lost? and Nick Cuse (TV?s ?Watchmen?) build their story around America?s current cultural divide. ?The Hunt? is meant to be offensive.

It?s meant to shock and awe. It takes aim at liberals, conservatives, vegans, Jews, blacks/African-Americans, rednecks and the rest of those ?basket of deplorables.?

?The Hunt? is a loose update of Richard Connell?s classic 1924 short story, ?The Most Dangerous Game? where humans prey on each other for sport.

The reason? Politics of course. Both the left and right hate each other.

?The Hunt? begins when a dozen people wind up in a remote facility called The Manor House. Among the group is Emma Roberts, (TV?s ?American Horror Story?), Sturgill Simpson (?Queen & Slim?) and Ike Barinholtz (TV?s ?The Twilight Zone?) and Justin Hartley (TV?s ?This is Us?).

Their mouths are gagged, and they have no clue how they got there. There?s a giant, wooden crate nearby. They open it and find a ton of weapons and a live pig inside. No clue as to why the pig is there.

Within minutes, they?re being hunted by a group of elitists: (Steve Coulter, (?Just Mercy?), Vince Pisani, TV?s ?Legacies?), Glenn Howerton, TV?s ?A.P. Bio?) and Teri Wyble, (TV?s ?The Resident?) among others. They?ve devised all sorts of ways to kill them from using a spike pit and piercing arrows, to a barrage of high-tech weaponry.

These elitists revel in this deadly, bloody game that?s orchestrated by their leader, Athena (a terrific Hilary Swank, TV?s ?BoJack Horseman?).

The only person savvy enough to survive this onslaught is Crystal (a terrific Betty Gilpin, ?The Grudge?). There?s a reason Crystal is so tough. As this crazy and insanely violent movie rolls along we see why especially during a thrilling fight scene between them.

?The Hunt? is the kind of movie that Quentin Tarantino would undoubtedly love for its gratuitous violence and political incorrectness.

Even so, while ?The Hunt? has some exciting moments, it?s still just a solid B-movie and not quite the political juggernaut it was hyped up to be.

Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 1530 AM and 93.1 FM.

Check Out This Trailer For "THE HUNT"

Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics? Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.

OLD SCHOOL VIDEO PICK OF THE MONTH

<b>MAHOGANY</b> Title: MAHOGANY
Year Released: 1975
Running Time: 109
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Director: Berry Gordy, Tony Richardson and Jack Wormser
Director of Photography: David Watkin
Screenwriter: John Byrum and Toni Amber
Author: Lana K. Wilson-Combs

REVIEW: DIANA ROSS AND BILLY DEE WILLIAMS DAZZLE IN "MAHOGANY"

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to?
Do you know?
Do you get what you're hoping for? When you look behind you, there's no open doors. What are you hoping for? Do you know? "Theme from Mahogany...
  MOVIE TRIVIA
 
The "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" was sung by Diana Ross in the 1975 movie "Mahogany." But, who initially recorded the song in 1973?
"Roberta Flack"
"Natalie Cole"
"Deniece Williams"
"Thelma Houston"