[6.25/10] Vivarium (2020)

Vivarium (2020)

Quick Review: Undeniably unique and hauntingly surreal, this Twilight Zone-inspired horror mystery initially impresses with an inventively loopy setup and bizarrely sterile all-green setting of identical suburb houses in a vacant neighborhood, but despite that and Poot and Eisenberg spot- on acting, "Vivarium" goes nowhere really, choosing not to provide any answers to its baffling 'wtf' plot with otherwise inevitable outcome, hence it becomes frustrating to watch after the captivating first act.

[6.00/10] The Way Back (2020)

The Way Back (2020)

Quick Review: Yes, it features Ben Affleck's most emotionally versatile, and arguably his best performance, convincingly portraying his troubled, grieving, and lonely protagonist who is struggling with alcoholism, whilst trying to light up his life, couching a local basketball team of youngsters, but "The Way Back" is too focused on Jack's depressing personal story to work as an uplifting sports movie, and that, along with the dismal tone, turn the whole thing into a somber drama devoid of passion.

[6.75/10] Swallow (2020)

Swallow (2020)

Quick Review: A tastefully-crafted genre hybrid with nifty use of color and settings, but also a thematically unique one, which explores a weird obsession in a stuck-in-your-throat uncomfortable, if mesmerizing way, "Swallow" kicks off as an unsettling horror with potentially grisly results, then shifts into a feminist break free thriller, and finally ends as a tense family drama, with Bennett giving a nuanced portrayal of an oppressed, lonely and disturbed, yet undaunted pregnant young woman.

[4.75/10] Blood on Her Name (2020)

Blood on Her Name (2020)

Quick Review: It really wants to be a tense and naturalistic crime thriller with sort-of neo-noir feel and look, which revolves around all the guilt, true fear, conscience, confusion and anxiousness its mentally disturbed protagonist is living through after an accidental murder, who also deals with alienation from her father, but despite Bethany Anne Lind's utterly uneasy and emotional turn, "Blood on Her Name" ends up too shallow, simplistic, underdeveloped and thrill -free, to make an impact.

[7.00/10] Underwater (2020)

Underwater (2020)

Quick Review: Borrowing its ideas from superior creature features set in the space or the sea, this one is far from original, but all its familiarity aside, the technically-deft, stylishly- shot, and well-directed "Underwater" is a tense and thrilling into-the-deep sci-fi horror whose drenched, dark, turbid, and claustrophobic setting is more effective than the jump scares throughout, and the film's strongest asset, followed by the grisly-looking, fearful sea monsters, and Steward's feisty lead performance.

[4.75/10] The Goldfinch (2019)

The Goldfinch (2019)

Quick Review: The golden-ish tint, stylish cinematography and elegant, real sophisticated production design make this one visually enticing, but what "Goldfinch" flaunts in looks it sadly lacks a lot in narrative, as this poorly-rendered adaptation delivers the intriguingly intricate story of its source material in a muddled, bland, clumsy, and perplexing way, turning its lengthy runtime into a patience- demanding, dull experience that not even the great cast can help making it emotional or involving.

[5.25/10] Spenser Confidential (2020)

Spenser Confidential (2020)

Quick Review: A tonal mess that just can't decide whether it wants to be serious or funny, as it's nonstop shifting between a grisly cop affair involving corruption and kills, and an action comedy with flat attempts at humor and clumsy, hardly exciting fight scenes, "Spenser Confidential" is watchable thanks to Wahlberg's appealing presence, but the movie's identity crisis, along with the lack of direction, flair, wit and thrills, make it a middling crime mystery.

[5.00/10] Bloodshot (2020)

Bloodshot (2020)

Quick Review: The nifty final fight is the film's highlight, flashing some elaborate stunts elevated by swanky CGIs, but everything that leads to it is pretty questionable, as apart from a few snazzy action bits and cool hi- tech effects, "Bloodshot" is a rather stale and cheesy superhero flick let down by a rip-off-ish, over-repetitive plot with familiar, thrill-free twists and lack of distinctive villain, with the stiff Vin Diesel being overshadowed by both Gonzalez's beauty and Morris' nerdy goofball character.

[6.75/10] Spies in Disguise (2019)

Spies in Disguise (2019)

Quick Review: As energetic and fast-paced as it's crisp, nifty-looking and visually vibrant, not only "Spies in Disguise" is a delightfully geeky animated flick featuring an adorably nerdy protagonist and tons of cool gadgets, and boasting with one of the most fun, entertaining, inventive, and exciting action sequences since "The Incredibles", but its full-of-life and adventurous, yet hardly original story also has a heart, being driven by the growing friendship between Walter and agent Lance.

[7.25/10] Onward (2020)

Onward (2020)

Quick Review: Although it creates a whimsical fantasy world that mixes quirkily magical and modern through its rich animation, the film's CGIs are far from Pixar's slickest, most stylish and outstanding, but the constantly charming, sporadically inventive and often touching "Onward" makes up with a fast-paced, adventurous plot, sweet characters, light humor, and a heartwarming third act in which the poignant 'family is everything' moral message gently takes over the zippy 'magic is fun' conception.

[7.00/10] The Platform (2020)

The Platform (2020)

Quick Review: With an inventive 'communal experiment' plot that's as much of a mental challenge as its a hunger game, as well as exploring the darkest places of human soul, boldly exposing men's ugliest traits such as greed, selfishness, and lack of solidarity, but also conveying a very thought-provoking message by utilizing its gritty, storey setting as a metaphor for different social classes and layers, "El hoyo" may be nasty, gory and gruesome but it works best as an alarming allegory.

[6.50/10] The Hunt (2020)

The Hunt (2020)

Quick Review: Over-the-top brutal, wildly erratic, ultra violent, bloody as hell, and utterly sick-in-the head, yet totally ludicrous, "The Hunt" doesn't succeed as a social commentary, in spite of its satirical approach, but its campy and demented 'nasty game' type of plot full of random kills, gore splatter, and exploding guts is crazy fun, along with all the crude action throughout, especially the ferocious, Kill Bill-inspired, all-girl kitchen fight in the final act, not to mention Betty Gilpin absolutely kills it.

[4.00/10] Brahms: The Boy II (2020)

Brahms: The Boy II (2020)

Quick Review: It looks pretty 'okay' mostly due to the murky filters which creepify the tone, plus, it's always a pleasure to watch Holmes, even if she doesn't have much to work with here, dealing with an insipid script, but "Brahms: The Boy II" turns out to be an inferior sequel to a lackluster original, recycling a vastly overused 'creepy doll' concept with inevitably unsatisfying results, as it generates more dullness than fear, because of its corny plot, cheap scares, lack of tension, and silly ending.

[4.50/10] Lucy in the Sky (2019)

Lucy in the Sky (2019)

Quick Review: More about Lucy's emotional breakdown on Earth, her ill ambitions and her fascination with space, not only "Lucy in the Sky" is a superficial character study which showcases its 'real life' protagonist as a hysterical and mentally wonky persona, nearly wasting Portman's talent and dedication, but it's also a senseless, muddled, underwhelming and painfully overlong experience of tedious melodrama with little to zero emotional gravitas and flat plot with no entertainment value.

[5.50/10] Clemency (2019)

Clemency (2019)

Quick Review: Yes, Alfre Woodard delivers a truly commanding, albeit reserved performance, portraying a character that's equally as tough on the outside as it's fragile within, but the film's quietly grim tone, heavy atmosphere, and extremely difficult subject matter turn "Clemency" into an excruciating experience through the real-life horror of death row, and the mental consequences it leaves on prison wardens as part of their everyday job, that's way too morbid and depressing to bare.

[6.00/10] All the Bright Places (2020)

All the Bright Places (2020)

Quick Review: Putting a grim spin on the common teen romance, one more somber than expected, "All the Bright Places" is all about the fragile characters, suffering from trauma, and their delicate relationship that develops in a tender, heartfelt, and moving manner as the plot unfolds, with Fanning and Smith sharing a genuine chemistry, but then again, the film's depressing mood, gloomy tone and tragic consequences make it more bitter than sweet.

[4.00/10] The Grudge (2020)

The Grudge (2020)

Quick Review: A couple of creepy images aside, and a talented cast that is, sadly, totally wasted due to a subpar script they have to work with, Pesce's useless reboot is a poorly-conceived, insipidly-shot and largely derivative horror film with disjointed blandly built-up 'slow burn' wannabe plot-line, major tonal issues that will leave you numb and confused, and 'soggy' scares which feel too been-there-done-that to be effective, not to mention "The Grudge" is anything but fun, or entertaining.

[6.50/10] Isi & Ossi (2020)

Isi & Ossi (2020)

Quick Review: Indeed, most of the characters are total stereotypes and its unruly-rich-girl-falls-for-low-class-sporty-guy plot feels hackneyed and corny, but "Isi & Ossi" has so much energy about itself, the contrasting urban Mannheim scenery is so truly refreshing, and its characters are so genuine, fun and full of life and zest, and the chemistry between them so credible, it's a pure joy to watch this 'break free' German romance about love and dreams, filled with passion, laughs, tears and drama.

All Movies Rated 9.25 out of 10 Not Featured on the Site

[5.25/10] Frankie (2019)

Frankie (2019)

Quick Review: Set in breathtaking rural Portugal, whose pretty interiors and lush exteriors partially make up for the static camerawork and Sachs insipid direction, "Frankie" is indeed eye-pleasing and allows its top cast to drive the film, with Huppert giving a nuanced performance, but the film plays it too safe, never providing an in-depth look at its characters, nor giving real substance to its flat, dull, and pretentious story of friendship, family, fame and fading, which lacks any dramatic momentum.

[6.75/10] Guns Akimbo (2020)

Guns Akimbo (2020)

Quick Review: An extremely gory, outrageously violent, heavily stylized video game-like shoot-em-up action comedy with bonkers fight-for-your-life 'online lethal game' concept and flashy execution to back it up, the set in cool Auckalnd "Guns Akimbo" is a fun, fierce, thrilling, and savage death chase that moves at frenetic pace, features loads of over-the-top combats and benefits from Radcliff's loser-turned-killer role, but above all from Weaving's wicked turn as the gonzo badass chick, Nix.

[5.00/10] To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020) 

Quick Review: Essentially ruining the endearing relationship we fell in love with in the first, being all about insecurities and second guessing its cute protagonist's feelings because of a former amour, this sequel loses most of the charm and sweetness of its predecessor, but "P.S. I Still Love You" remains relatively pleasurable, mostly thanks to Condor's appeal as well as some light humor and crisp visuals, even if the whole thing feels contrived and often cold.