[7.50/10] No Time to Die (2021)

No Time to Die (2021)

Quick Review: A solid send-off for Daniel Craig, who delivers his most restrained turn as Bond so far, "No Time to Die" may be patchy, uneven and free of memorable set pieces, but thanks to Fukunaga's slick and nifty direction, remarkable variety of settings, appealing new characters, and expertly-staged action scenes, it's a rousing and emotional finale to Craig era that succeeds as both -- a hearty love story and a thrilling '007' affair, even if it wastes the potential of Malek's creepy villain.

[5.50/10] Love Hard (2021)

Love Hard (2021)

Quick Review: If you can get over Dobrev's annoying trying-too-hard-to-be-funny overacting and the lack of credible romantic chemistry with her co-star Jimmy O. Yang, whose character is as endearing as he can get, you may find "Love Hard" cute, heartfelt, and amusing for a reason -- it's pretty sweet, it has heart, and it delivers a few good laughs, but in the end, it's a typically predictable Christmas rom-com with 'catfishing' twist, and a corny 'personality over looks' moral-ish lesson.

[6.75/10] Army of Thieves (2021)

Army of Thieves (2021)

Quick Review: Executed with flair, shot with tasteful sense of style, and led by a quirky, nerdy, and alluring protagonist played by Schweighöfer himself, who displays as much talent in front of the camera, as he does behind it, the zombieless prequel to Snyder's "Army of the Dead" hardly breaks any new grounds into the 'heist' movie genre, but the actual robberies are intense, exciting, and loads of fun, and the subtle touch of romance adds warmth and charm to the whole stealing affair.

[6.00/10] The Beta Test (2021)

The Beta Test (2021)

Quick Review: A spicy mix of dark satire, real thought-provoking social commentary on online privacy, and a funnily cynical look at Hollywood entertainment industry, "The Beta Test" is yet another egocentric show by Jim Cummings, who co-directs and stars in it, and tough he does a solid job behind the camera with his co-star PJ McCab in keeping us entertained and amused, in front of it, it often feels like he's trying too hard to play a deranged pretender with raunchy obsession.

[6.75/10] The Manor (2021)

The Manor (2021)

Quick Review: Led by an alluring turn from Hershey, this horror puts a clever twist or two on the 'haunted house' genre, and offers a riveting point of view through the eyes of an old lady, who experiences ghastly events, but the scariest aspect of "The Manor" is not the supernatural side of the story, it's the questioning of elder's sanity, lack of trust, and loneliness that hit the hardest -- the rest is all about 'spooky fun', even the devilish reveal and the wickedly satisfactory conclusion.

[5.50/10] Finch (2021)

Finch (2021)

Quick Review: Long, slow-moving, dragged out, and neither funny, nor thrilling, nor action-packed, nor very moving, apart from the tear-jerking finale, yet well-made and led by a solid turn from Hanks, "Finch" is a road trip survival drama about the relationship between a lone human, his dog, and his droid invention, set against the barren post-apocalyptic backdrop of sun-burned Earth, but nothing much happens, apart from cute and curious robot Jeff bonding with the struggling Finch.

[4.00/10] The Djinn (2021)

The Djinn (2021)

Quick Review: Taking place in a dark and tiny flat, and featuring only a couple of characters, "The Djinn" is tedious by these criteria alone, but when you add to that a bunch of cheap 'jump' scares, some cheesy demonic imagery, and the script's poor attempt to play tricks with your mind by making you wonder, if the little boy is experiencing something supernatural, or he is just grieving, the latter results in an ill-conceived ambiguity leading to an ending that makes you feel cheated.

[6.50/10] The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

Quick Review: Jessica Chastain is an absolute chameleon in her truly devoted, emotionally diverse turn as Faye, and witnessing her physical transformation throughout the years with the help of some phenomenal makeup is spectacular, but the way her life story full of rises and falls is depicted is too subtly to match with Tammy's eccentric personality, the greatness of the acting, or the film's glossy cinematography and opulent retro production design.

[5.50/10] Good on Paper (2021)

Good on Paper (2021)

Quick Review: 'Mostly based on a true story told by its lead star, this one boldly attempts an interesting approach at mixing an anti-rom-com story with some stand-up comedy, the latter of which is overused and not particularly funny, but in spite of some mildly amusing moments and a pretty engaging turn by comedian Iliza Shlesinger, "Good on Paper" is a bit of a mixed-bag that ironically lives up to its title -- it's neither as hilarious, nor as entertaining, nor as sweet as it wants to be.

 

[6.00/10] The Harder They Fall (2021)

The Harder They Fall (2021)

Quick Review: A pretty uneven 'all black' western with flashy opening, sluggish middle and messy third act, "THTF" overstays its welcome, and features tons of well-acted, if nasty characters, none of which is easy to connect to, but thanks to the fresh approach and audacious direction, full of interesting creative decisions, such as the use of reggae music, excessive blood splatter, and over-the-top gun battles, the film remains relatively fun throughout.

[3.50/10] Bad Trip (2021)

Bad Trip (2021)

Quick Review: It's mildly amusing to watch the people's unpredictable reactions to the real hidden camera pranks, and deep down there is a tiny bit of heart in this 'road trip' buddy comedy, but those expecting something hilariously witty will surely have a bad trip with "Bad Trip", as this improvised attempt at a show is so utterly moronic, annoyingly over-the-top and painfully unfunny, it's excruciating to sit through, and so tasteless and ugly, it hurts the eyes just as much as the ears.

[5.75/10] Night Teeth (2021)

Night Teeth (2021)

Quick Review: The posh interiors, neon color palette, fancy lighting, and attractive leads make it easy on the eyes, but despite its slickness, some hot cameos, and a sweet and likable protagonist you care about, beneath its stylized visuals, "Night Teeth" is a generic modern vampire story with more cheese than teeth, and though Ryan and Lendeborg make it watchable due to their solid chemistry, their mawkish romance takes away from the bloody fun that the film could have been.

[6.50/10] Minamata (2021)

Minamata (2021)

Quick Review: Depp delivers one of his very best performances yet, and he's nearly unrecognizable as US photographer W. Eugene Smith, and although "Minimata" deserves kudos for dealing so gently with its sensitive subject, this sad, tragic, and scary real-life story deserves a more intimate depiction that should have focused on the poisoning and its grisly consequences, rather than on W's 'battle' against the chemical company, which slightly takes away from the overall impact.

[6.50/10] The Deep House (2021)

The Deep House (2021)

Quick Review: Underwater creep-fest that deserves to be seen for its ominous waterlogged setting alone, "The Deep House" submerges you into fear, panic, and claustrophobia along with an audacious couple that explores a flooded house that turns out to be haunted and with a grisly history behind it, and it's a dreaded aquatic descent soaked with ghastly imagery, disturbing discoveries, and plenty of scares that will have you peering into the murky water for the next frightful occurrence.

[6.00/10] Sounds Like Love a.k.a. Fuimos canciones (2021)

Sounds Like Love (2021)

Quick Review: Lighthearted in feel and fresh in looks, this charming mix of romance and buddy comedy set in wonderful Madrid, doesn't break any grounds in the rom-com genre, even if it tries to with the whole 'talk to camera' approach, but thanks to its attractive cast and goofy sense of humor, "Sounds Like Love" is a crowd-pleaser that follows the ups and downs of love, friendship, and work through the eyes of the truly likeable Maca and her get-over-him journey to self-discovery.

[6.75/10] Raging Fire (2021)

Raging Fire (2021) 

Quick Review: Despite its pacing issues, Benny Chan's uneven, but truly engrossing last movie is a pure love letter to '90s HK action flicks -- from its classic 'cop vs. former cop turned criminal' plot and profound protagonists with history, who Yen and Tse portray equally as strong, to the frenetic fights, crazy chases, big explosions, relentless shootouts and deft stunts -- everything about "Raging Fire" is executed, directed and acted to a pretty high standard of Chinese film-making.

[5.50/10] The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)

The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)

Quick Review: Sure, there's a lot of frenetic action scenes, silly gags, and slapstick humor, that make it an enjoyable and fast-paced romp that even attempts to demonstrate heart with all the 'family is very important' message, but despite that, and the finely-executed energetic animation, "The Boss Baby: Family Business" never feels as sweet, amusing, and refreshing as the first movie, and it may be a bit too manic for little kids to follow or get fully into.

[7.75/10] The Trip a.k.a. I onde dager (2021)

The Trip (2021)

Quick Review: A wild, wacky, and witty mixture of black comedy, home invasion thriller and break-up drama packed with macabre violence and drenched in blood, "The Trip" puts a bonkers spin on 'cabin in the woods' terror, and the result is a hilariously brutal mayhem with a cleverly built plot which arguments itself through short backstories, and a killer cast, who give a fair amount of depth to their zany characters in this twisty 'weekend getaway' trip full of thrills, gore, action, and laughs.