Quick Review: Captivating in its monotony and morose visuals, yet perplexing and bizarre, "ITOET" is a surreal trap in one's mind, depicting hopelessness and loneliness in a way so vague, it's hard to figure out its actual purpose, and though the abstract final act subtly reveals it all, it's the eerily awkward 'parents visit' that remains the strongest bit in this frustrating, but finely-acted cerebral horror, which has a lot on its mind, but very little in its heart.
Quick Review: Devoid of any logic, sense, and realism, but in the most mind-fucking way possible – playing cool tricks with the parallel times it deals with, and blending past and present skillfully enough to intrigue you with all the confusion it creates, "The Call" compensates for the big lack of scares with suspense, gore, and diabolical twists, as it effectively forces you to question who's good and who's evil, and it is exactly the audacious approach that makes so gripping in its absurdity.
Quick Review: Lacking the vibrant spirit of the novel, and partially told from a talking-in-her-head horse's perspective, which is a lot more odd and inept on film, then it's on paper, despite Winslet's solid voice work, "Black Beauty" is about the genuine bond between a girl and her horse, who share similar sad fate, which is supposed to be touching, but the sappy script evokes limited emotion, and the bland direction exudes zero passion, even in the mildly thrilling, better-looking third act.
Quick Review: Intelligent it is not, nor it works as a humorous social commentary on 'technology mania' as it delivers its message clumsily, but purely as a rom-com involving a despotic A.I., "Superintelligence" is mostly watchable due to McCarthy's comedic talent, even if the middling script never allows her to be full-on, but as 'the most average person on Earth', she's charming and likable enough to inject heart in this sweet, mildly amusing, yet hardly poignant tech-inspired romance.
Quick Review: The fiery chemistry shared by the two leads defines the restrained passion their characters have for each other, and the acting by Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet is hard to fault, with the latter truly shining in her deeply reserved, yet captivating turn, but in spite of all that, "Ammonite" remains a sluggish and slowly unfolding 'doomed love' type of lesbian romance with bleak and depressing period visuals that displays explicit sex but never packs a true emotional punch.
Quick Review: Little about it feels believable or realistic, and it leans more towards action romance than a heist film, which is refreshing in a way, but for what it is, "Honest Thief" is a zestful, violent, and slick little thriller with a few decent twists and turns, which works mainly because it never takes itself seriously, daring to show FBI in a very daft light, plus, it features a truly likable good-bad- guy protagonist, played with flair by Neeson, though it's Walsh as Annie, who shines the brightest.
Quick Review: A soulless, plotless, senseless martial arts sci-fier about a bunch of shallow warriors battling 'alien ninjas' brought from space by a comet, "Jiu Jitsu" is a tackily-shot nonsense with clumsily staged and lousily performed action, laden with overuse of sleazy slow-mo, which wastes the skills of its action stars-riddled cast, making even Tony Jaa looking average at best during the combats, and putting Cage in yet another ridiculous role that reminds of Seagal's worst period.
Quick Review: Despite the rather inventive 'witch' twist, this Spanish chiller hardly brings anything fresh to the table, recycling the same old 'haunted house' tropes, and utilizing typical 'jump' scares in its attempt to frighten, but that being said, "Don't Listen" succeeds in balancing out horror and drama well enough, as it deals with a tragedy that leads to the horrific events later on, plus, all the scratchy sounds, eerie imagery, and "Insidious'-esque vibe enhance its ominous atmosphere.
Quick Review: Thanks to its fairly original concept and clever ideas, it avoids most genre tropes, plus, the chemistry between the protagonist and her love interest is sincere and charming enough, but frankly, "The Broken Hearts Gallery" works better as a comedy than as a romance, despite a few truly moving bits, with Viswanathan displaying some huge comedic talent, boosted by a funny script injected with a big dose of wit, raunch, and wackiness.
Quick Review: As nonsensical and cheesy as a disaster movie can get, yet hardly disastrous, "Skyfire" may be about a mortal volcano eruption, but ironically enough it fails to bring up the heat, therefore any genuine thrills, due to its sabsurd plot, dodgy execution and sloppy effects, not to mention it is crowded with one-note characters, and yet its biggest fault is that instead of providing a blazing visual spectacle backed with truly dramatic moments, it ends up being a sentimental hot mess.
Quick Review: As much about self destruction and toxic family relations as it is about achieving your goals regardless of your background, this adaptation hardly benefits from its uneven, jumpy 'present vs past' plot structure, with the latter being the more engaging and affecting of the two, but thanks to Adams and Close who both give masterclass in acting, in spite of their troubled characters, "Hillbilly Elegy" remains a watchable drama whose true story leaves less impact than it should be.
Quick Review: A fun-filled, smart- ass, blood-soaked, cut-throat teen slasher that puts a 'killer' spin on its familiar body swap premise, but also pays homage to '80s genre classic, "Freaky" balances terror, slaughter, and comedy very deftly, having the right amount of grisly death scenes and goofy humor, plus, it's a delight seeing the two leads playing each other's personalities: Vaughn being hilarious as the girl in a murderer's body, and Newton -- freakyliciously badass as 'the butcher'.
Quick Review: It puts a clever 'jew' spin on religious horror and it's dark and sinister -- actually so dark, you can barely see what is going on, blindly waiting for the 'boo' scares, but those flaws aside along with the unsatisfying finale, "The Vigil" is an atmospheric take on haunted house movie about a troubled man fighting a supernatural battle with his inner demons as well as the ones he is trapped with, which works better on a psychological level because of its very ambiguous nature.
Quick Review: Subdued in tone, if refined in style and subtly ravishing, and with a simple key plot elevated by narrative intricacy and profound characters – the ruthless villain and the mystically stone-cold, yet valiant protagonist having greater depth – this Joseon-set Korean wuxia tale of heroism is dramatically riveting, but it is the snappy and sharply-staged swordplay that thrills it up, notably the kinetic first duel, the bloody Tae- Yul vs. the squad stylized mayhem, and the fierce final fight.
Quick Review: Tad overlong, and dragging in places, yet fascinating, colorful, and vibrant, "Jingle Jangle" is a visually exuberant musical with cheerful numbers that captures the spirit of Christmas in an enchanting way, as well as a delightful fantasy filled with wondrous toy inventions brought to life by top-notch effects, but it's the heart it possesses, the uplifting message it brings, and the appealing characters that combined bring the biggest magic.
Quick Review: Funny, warm, and daring, but also free of cheese and sugar-coating, and led by Stewart's charmingly low-key turn, "Happiest Season" puts a fresh queer spin on Christmas rom-coms, managing to do both - depict a lesbian love story in a genuine and brave way with all of its ups and downs, including the struggles of coming out, but also to work as a holiday dramedy loaded with cheer, fun, and domestic drama due to some crazy family dynamics and awkward situations.
The Christmas Chronicles 2 (2020)
Quick Review: A little less fun than the first, but more dramatic, going in an unexpected direction with a dark edge, while also exploring the origin of Santa in a curious way, this one loses some of its Christmas magic, but thanks to the alluring presence of Russell and Hawn as Mr. & Mrs. Claus and some enchanting visuals such as the eye-candy village filled with live, joy, cheer, and thousands of cute CGI elves, "TCC 2" remains a sheer holiday delight.
Quick Review: The gorgeous royal interiors and exteriors meshed with the lavish and exuberant Christmas decorations and highly enchanting holiday atmosphere make this one a big feast for the eyes, and give it a proper fairy tale feel, but that aside, along with Vanessa Hudgens' sweet, fun and versatile triple performance, "Switched Again" is a mildly amusing and fabricated sequel offering more of the same, comically, romantically, story-wise, or otherwise.
