Categories
2020 Drama Thriller

Promising Young Woman

               The trailers for Promising Young Woman promised a rape-revenge film and I figured that could go one of two ways. It could be an artsy feminist film or it could go the route of gritty exploitation, along the lines of something like I Spit on Your Grave or Ms. 45. If you’re familiar with […]

Categories
2020 Superhero

Wonder Woman 1984

               I finished 2020 by spending an afternoon at the movies and seeing a double feature of Promising Young Woman (review forthcoming) and Wonder Woman 1984, so I ended the year on a theme of strong women and fucking lies. In both cases, I did not get the film that was promised by the trailers. […]

Categories
2020 Best of Comedy Crime Drama Mystery

The Kid Detective

               If you’ve never heard of this movie, then you’re not alone. I had (very reluctantly) planned to see The War with Grandpa yesterday but I checked the theater listings desperately hoping to find something else to watch. Lo and behold, this was playing. I had never read a word about it, never saw a […]

Categories
2020 Comedy Drama Worst of

Kajillionaire

               It was slim pickings at the theater this week, leaving me choosing between Kajillionaire and a documentary about BTS. In retrospect, I made a poor choice and may been closer to the target audience for a movie about Korean pop music than this pile of pretentious nonsense. Writer/director Miranda July is a darling of […]

Categories
2020 Action

Vanguard

               Folks, this is the kind of bad movie that I can get behind. Vanguard is a delightful disaster. Although the action is disappointing for a movie starring Jackie Chan, the film is so inept that its almost charming. From the editing to the performances to the special effects (which I will dwell on shortly), […]

Categories
2020 Superhero Thriller

New Mutants

We finally made it here, America. We’ve all gone through some dark days, but I always knew this light remained shining, as dim as it may have seemed at times, at the end of the tunnel. Yes, you know what I’m talking about: The New Mutants has finally been released in theaters.                I have […]

Categories
2020 Best of War

1917

              1917 is a technical marvel of a film with a lot of heart and very little story. The film’s cinematic gambit of creating the illusion of a single, unedited shot is either a bold gambit or a gimmick that seriously limits the narrative, depending on how you want to look at it. It deserves accolades […]

Categories
2020 Horror Supernatural Worst of

The Turning

               This is just a goddamn mess. The Turning is a new adaptation of Henry James’ 1898 novel The Turn of the Screw, which was already adapted as the 1961 film The Innocents. The Innocents is often cited as one of the best haunted house movies ever made, alongside films like The Haunting and The […]

Categories
2020 Horror Supernatural

The Grudge (2020)

               Alright, I guess we’re doing this again. You might remember The Grudge from 2004, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. You might even be aware that that movie is a remake of a Japanese movie. You probably think that’s it. You would be wrong. This is the fourth American Grudge movie and there are eight (fucking […]

Categories
2020 Superhero

Birds of Prey

               To begin on a positive note, the conveniently-titled Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is a better movie than Suicide Squad. However, one must keep in mind that Suicide Squad is one of the worst things ever; not one of the worst movies ever, but one of the worst […]