Quick Review: A supposed-to-be moving story about an asocial misfit who, by mistake, makes up a post mortem 'friendship' with a suicidal guy and, as a result, things go out of control, "Dear Evan Hansen" has good intentions and tries really hard to demonstrate heart, but sadly the whole 'lie' is a bit too cruel to evoke sympathy for Evan, as there are far too many negative consequences, not to mention how out-of-place the singing feels, and how wasted both Moore and Adams are.
Quick Review: An inventive, sleek, and atmospheric take on 'haunted house' formula that also works as a social commentary, as it deals with the struggles of young immigrants, particularly the fragile Ambar, which Rodlo's alluring turn makes easy to connect to and sympathize for, this effective blend of personal drama, ghost story, captive thriller, occult horror and creature feature is equal parts emotional, creepy, grisly, gory, violent, and frightening.
Quick Review: A pretty forgettable German thriller revolving around a bunch of friends getting hunted by a woman during a trip into the woods, "Prey" attempts to make sense by revealing piece by piece a dull 'love triangle' backstory that further on leads to an inner conflict between two of the characters, but none of it is particularly intriguing, thrilling, or something to care about, and when the supposed payoff finally arrives, it's baffling, somewhat random, and completely unsatisfying.
Quick Review: A disturbing, brutal, and uncompromisingly violent Kiwi horror thriller that features some of the most intimidating, often terrifying intruders-turned-ruthless-killers you will ever see, and whose gritty looks suit its savage nature, "CHitD" loses some of its tension as it goes, but the raw acting and the shady twist that makes you question who's bad, who's good and who deserves what in this situation will keep you glued until the fatal conclusion.
Quick Review: The whole 'creepy host' scenario is both disturbing and great fun, with the fancy mountain villa in a remote location makes it being even more so, and Gillam is more than convincing as the loud, moody, obsessive, and batshit crazy Rebecca, who hides a dark, violent side behind her friendly attitude, but the problem with "Superhost", aside from its predictability, is that she is more likable than the phony vlogger couple we are supposed to root for, but don't mind them die.
Quick Review: The escape rooms are even more clever and creative than the ones in the first, and "ToC" sustains the tension throughout and wow us with the visual execution of the deadly traps, but what makes it a lotmore fun is the fact that no one other then Zoey is there to care for, so there's a level of guilty joy during the kills, even if the film ends on a bad note with an explanatory final act that's too silly and far-fetched to work as a 'dark' ending.
Quick Review: Though as generic as 'female assassin' action thrillers go, "Kate" kind of makes up for all the genre tropes used in its overly simplistic plot with cool visual style, a moody location of neon-lit Tokyo, and some absolutely savage, gore-splattering, cut-throat fist, knife, and sword fights, but what really makes it watchable, despite the inevitably bitter finale is Winstead as the 'killer babe' Kate and the relationship she builds with the sassy little Ani, who actually steals the show.
Quick Review: Balancing out fine humor with strong emotional depth, "Fatherhood" tells its real-life family story of loss, love, and care in a delicate and sensitive, if sweet and humorous manner, with the driving force of the film being the endearing dad-daughter relationship between the cute Maddy, played candidly by Hurd, who builds a strong chemistry with Hart, the latter delivering one of his most pleasurable performances so far, in the talented company of a brilliant supporting cast.
Quick Review: Soderbergh's worst effort in years, "No Sudden Move" has a brilliant A-list cast, who do the best they can with the material, but sadly they are all wasted in a dull, purposeless, and lackluster vintage crime thriller devoid of any intrigue and tension that is very convoluted in plotting, but goes nowhere really, plus, the choppy editing and irritant use of fish-eye lens don't do the movie any favors either, leaving the fine period production design being the only technical merit.
Quick Review: Packed with goofy humor, fantastically digitized visuals, ridiculous action sequences, tons of film and pop culture references, and surprise cameos, "Free Guy" is a delightfully nerdy trip into the world of video gaming and the obsession of playing, brought to life by flashy CGIs, and a bunch of playful, often cheesy acting -- Reynolds levels up his foolish side as the likable NPC-gone-viral, Waititi's overacting is so-bad-it's-fun, and Comer is a badass as Guy's romantic crush.
Quick Review: Part relevant social commentary, part body horror, part supernatural slasher, part homage to the genre from '90s -- all brought together in an urban legend fashion with art-inspired concept, and linked to the first through beautifully eerie papercut flashbacks, "Candyman" is a neatly-shot, smooth in style, and fairly gory sequel that mixes old and new in a refreshing, if hardly scary manner, working better as an origin story or deep moral tale, rather than a blood-minded sequel.
Quick Review: The 'rapid aging' is an interesting, if unoriginal idea, as this concept has been used before, but what really prevents "Old" from being a fun 'no-brainer' is the poor acting, and terrible dialogue, as the characters are too silly to figure out the time issue this easily, not to say the latter affects some of them in a senseless way, and the though film attempts to bring it all together with a 'scientific' twist, it's still misfire that could make uneasy gerascophobic viewers afraid of aging.
Quick Review: A period piece set in '20s Montana, recreated nicely by the muted grittiness, earthy tones, and picturesque scenery, "TPOTD" deals with themes such as jealousy, manipulation, toxic masculinity, and self-repressed sexuality, but it relies too much on Cumberbatch's stellar performance to take us slowly and subtly through the incoherent read-between-the-lines chapters, none of which is very eventful, and lead us to a perplexing conclusion with little clearance or any impact.
Quick Review: As an eclectic mix of vivid Japanese-flavored sets and "Mad Max" style scenery, the movie doubtlessly has a level of artfulness about its visuals, but that and some cool katana fighting in the third act aside, it's an inadequately directed and written dystopian nonsense with sluggish pacing, bizarre characters, and humdrum plot with no trills that neglects Boutella in favor of Cage, who wants to be a badass, but looks incapable of being one.
Quick Review: A technically slicker albeit less impactful remake of the 2018 Danish "Den skyldige", "The Guilty" changes little to nothing from to the original, being the same low-concept thriller relying on a single character and engrossing dialogue to make out the best of its simplicity and limited setting, but what makes it watchable is Gyllenhaal's nerve-racking and constantly intense turn as the 911 operator with dark secret who single-handedly generates and maintains the suspense.
Vacation Friends (2021)
Quick Review: Ranging from silly, raunchy, inappropriate, and hugely embarrassing to sweet, feel-good, and heartfelt, "Vacation Friends" is filled with sexual gags, and awkward situations that deliver laughs along the way, but what's surprising is the heart it demonstrates in the wild, yet endearing relationship between the two couples, who the four leads play sincerely while having fun, and in the end, you can't help but dream of having such goofy, if frank and loyal friends as Ron and Kyla.
Malignant (2021)
Quick Review: Wan's '80s-inspired supernatural fusion of slasher, body horror, and a creature feature with Giallo-style feel and stylishly trashy B-grade look is not only refreshingly original and completely bonkers, but it knows its ridiculousness is meant to entertain rather than scare, and though the twist is semi-predictable, the big reveal is still nasty, but what follows in the over-the-top third act is a gore-filled carnage of savagely inventive action, and a tricky ending that is not what it seems.
Quick Review: As superficial and shallow as a teen rom-com can get, this gender-swapped remake of '91 "She's All That" attempts to put a 'relevant' update on its cheesy and predictable 'makeover' scenario that feels very yesterday, but being all about social media followers makes it more sad than romantic, even if it tries to redeem itself with a moral lesson later on, but the only decent thing about it is Buchanan's likability factor, in contrast with Rae's corny, obnoxious performance.
