Review: Look out, Buzz. There's another good toy movie out

There are two movies opening this weekend that feature iconic anthropomorphic dolls. Be very careful which one you choose.

"Toy Story 4" has the usual gang of lovable toys led by Woody and Buzz. (Bring tissues.) Then there's the remake of "Child's Play," which has Chucky, the freckle-faced homicidal doll who likes stabbing things. (Bring a strong stomach.)

The reviews for "Toy Story 4" are pretty good and you might be surprised to find that the "Child's Play " reboot is actually pretty solid, too. It's a winking, self-aware horror movie that will make you laugh even when things are drenched in blood.

From left, Gabriel Bateman, Aubrey Plaza and Mark Hamill, cast members in "Child's Play," pose together at the premiere of the film at the ArcLight Hollywood, Wednesday, June 19, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

The original "Child's Play" came out in 1988 and featured the nightmare-creating concept of your dolls coming to life and harming you. It was a fairly straight-ahead horror flick with a dash of commentary on consumerism. But the franchise — six sequels — gradually grew camp, most recently with "Cult of Chucky" in 2017.

The reboot this summer has sidestepped Chuck's real dad — the writer and director Don Mancini — and freshened the concept for 2019: Chucky is no longer possessed. Now he's a cloud-connected, self-learning AI doll with wide powers: He controls the lights, TVs, Roomba, cars and other electronic devices. Underneath the gleeful horror is a commentary on our dependence and the interconnectivity of our devices.

Director Lars Klevberg and screenwriter Tyler Burton Smith don't pretend the killer doll trope hasn't been done before. They fully dive into it, gently mocking the genre as they exploit it and signal to the audience all along what they're doing. "You're my best friend," says Chucky when he's taken out of the box. To which his new owner naturally says: "It's kind of creepy."

This image released by Orion Pictures shows the character Chucky from the horror film, "Child's Play." (Orion via AP)

This time, Chucky is created by the nefarious Kaslan Corporation, which has a range of interconnected products. A sweatshop worker in Vietnam tasked with assembling the dolls disconnects one of its security protocols in a fit of pique. It ends up in the hands of a single mother (Aubrey Plaza) and her lonely son, Andy (Gabriel Bateman). Chucky tries to understand human behavior but stumbles at subtlety. He's imprinted to Andy and lashes out at anything that Andy dislikes, whether that's the family cat or his mom's new boyfriend.

The filmmakers have left little Easter eggs throughout the film, from references to "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" to "Office Space." They have a jokey tendency to use old-school lightning whenever they want to signal something ominous is happening. The final climactic fight scene happens in a dark basement sporting industrial spinning fans with light and smoke pouring out of them. At one point, there's a "Star Wars" joke that is extra funny because Mark Hamill is voicing Chucky.

There's so much tongue-in-cheek humor that even though the body count mounts — and some in the audience may be surprised that death comes to animals and beloved figures alike — there's really no dread. Somehow, despite "Silence of the Lambs"-level carnage, the gore level doesn't shock, inoculated as we are by being in on the joke. Riffing off that, composer Bear McCreary leans in on "Omen"-like, ever-building horror music.

Mark Hamill, left, and Gabriel Bateman, cast members in "Child's Play," pose together at the premiere of the film at the ArcLight Hollywood, Wednesday, June 19, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

The film's tautness comes and goes, to be honest, never really building to edge-of-your-seat stuff. And it could have had more glee messing with our love of digital convenience. But it takes care of fans of the franchise. The doll comes up with the name Chucky for itself, even though plenty of other options are available. It's owning its past.

Plaza, known for her comedic chops on "Parks and Recreation," shows off a winning dramatic side, while Bateman proves to be an actor to watch, able to play alienated teen, surrogate brother, aghast victim and vengeful son. Brian Tyree Henry once again makes the most of his small role as a kindly cop. And Hamill goes to his creepiest place to say things like "Are we having fun now?"

Surprisingly, we are having fun. While most of the oxygen will be taken up this weekend with "Toy Story 4," credit goes to "Child's Play" for turning in a solid valentine to the darker side of what "Toy Story" also does — including movie posters that drag the bigger franchise.

Brian Tyree Henry, a cast member in "Child's Play," poses at the premiere of the film at the ArcLight Hollywood, Wednesday, June 19, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

"Child's Play," an Orion Pictures release, is rated R for "bloody horror violence and language throughout." Running time: 88 minutes. Three stars out of four.

MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — At least 90 people were injured in Argentina's capital when a passenger train struck an empty boxcar on the tracks and derailed Friday, authorities said, a rare collision that fueled questions about basic safety.

The train was on its way from Buenos Aires to the northern suburbs when it derailed around 10:30 a.m. on a bridge in the trendy neighborhood of Palermo, safety officials said.

While it was not immediately clear why the idled boxcar had been on the bridge, Argentina's railway union said several meters (yards) of copper cable used to carry power along the tracks had been stolen from the railway, disabling the signaling system intended to prevent such accidents.

Union leaders fiercely opposed to libertarian President Javier Milei's economic austerity blamed the government for its failure to invest in public infrastructure.

“We have been demanding for 10 days that the stolen signaling cables be repaired," rail union leader Omar Maturano told the country's independent Radio Con Vos station. “The government said there was no money for spare parts.”

Prosecutors said they were investigating.

“There is not enough information about the mechanics of this accident,” Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri said from the crash site where he praised the swift evacuation of victims.

Dozens of injured were treated at the scene and 30 people taken to hospitals in moderate to serious condition, at least two by helicopter with chest trauma and broken bones.

Alberto Crescenti, director of the city's emergency service, said rescuers with police dogs had helped 90 people trapped in the derailed train, lowering some by rope from the highway overpass scattered with twisted metal and shattered glass.

Dazed passengers staggering out of the derailed boxcars told local media the train had stopped on the bridge for several minutes before starting up again and slamming violently into the other train, jolting passengers and veering off the rails in a jumble of sparks and smoke.

Officials at the Argentine rail authority, Trenes Argentinos, said service on the popular rail line had been suspended, complicating travel for many commuters.

The collision brought increased scrutiny to rail safety in Argentina, where a string of train crashes from 2012-2014 left over 50 people dead and hundreds injured. It emerged at the time that outdated infrastructure, delays and human error had left the railway system vulnerable to crashes, prompting the government to invest in new safety and braking systems.

With Argentina's economy spiraling and anti-government protests gripping the streets, the crash quickly spawned contradictory narratives, with both government officials and leftist union leaders using the incident to further their agendas.

“The rail company has been totally degraded because there's no budget," said Maturano, from the rail union.

President Milei reposted comments on social media blaming his left-leaning predecessors for neglecting public infrastructure and running up a massive budget deficit.

In the midst of Argentina's worst economic crisis in two decades, police have repeatedly reported would-be cable thieves being electrocuted in the act. Those who succeed wreak havoc on the rail system in stealing metal to sell to scrapyards, where local media says the going rate is about $7 a kilogram ($3.18 a pound).

The Argentine website Infobae in February called copper cable theft “a trendy crime for the crisis.”

Police tape off the site after a passenger train collision in the Palermo area of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A paramedic transports an injured commuter after two trains collided in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Railway workers inspect a passenger train after it collided with another in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Franco Dergarabedian)

Railway workers inspect a passenger train after it collided with another in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A police officer talks to a commuter who was injured when two trains collided in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A train wagon that collided with another stands on the rails in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Paramedics transport injured commuters after two trains collided in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)