THE WITCHES can’t conjure the original version’s charm
Another day, another “It’s fine, but the original was better” remake.
Author: Hannah Lodge
EVIL EYE and NOCTURNE step up the offerings from Amazon/Blumhouse
We look at Evil Eye and Nocturne, the most recent films from Amazon’s partnership with horror studio Blumhouse.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is even better than The Haunting of Hill House
The ingredients of the second series are basically the same as the first, though it’s a completely new story. Several cast members from The Haunting of Hill House have returned in new roles. On top of that you’ve got plenty of familial strife, a cast of characters each haunted in their own way, and the bones of it all: the haunted house itself.
THE SWERVE finds its horror in the mundane
Two kids. A husband. A house in the suburbs. Bowling. Apple Pie.
The Swerve introduces us to the dread of its world in everyday, comfortable objects.
THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD delivers, but may not live up to my great expectations
The Personal History of David Copperfield has been part of a parade of ‘oh-wow-are-they-making-a-movie-of-that-again?’ literary classic film adaptations to roll through the theaters (or, perhaps, our at-home-theaters) in the last 12 months.
REVIEW: THE BOYS Season 2 ups the ante on psychotic supes
The Boys Season 2 continues to do what it does best – highlight the narcissistic and capitalist greed surrounding the “branding” of superheroes – while adding a new layer of terror to the world’s least heroic do-gooders.
RELIC combines horror with heartache
Metaphorical psychological horror directorial debuts from Australian female filmmakers – do we have a future possible hyper-niche listing for viewers scrolling Netflix?
THE OLD GUARD would have made a better TV show than movie
The Old Guard had a lot of potential to be something special as a longer-form, character-based form of storytelling, with an intriguing core concept and stellar cast.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT feels like a parody – but isn’t
Could this be my House of Leaves ripoff in film format, at last?
Kickstart? Comeback? Either way – THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND is worth rooting for
Studio comedies like The King of Staten Island are becoming an endangered species these days. It’s even harder to find one that actually has heart.
THE HUNT can’t live up to its reputation
When The Hunt revels in its absurdity and violence, it’s far more entertaining than when it’s trying to be mysterious.
GREED succumbs to its own sin
Greed could’ve been great if it’d trimmed some of its broader ideas down, honed in on a clearer tone, and functioned as a ruthless takedown of capitalism and the billionaires who exploit it. But much like a tragic hero, it’s devoured by its own ambition.
2019 was the Year of Stress Films
The year is 2019, and the world is falling apart.
Movies reflect real-life events, societal trends, politics, and more. Sometimes, like a mirror, they do this with surprising immediacy. In other cases, like a shadow, films shortly follow behind reality’s wake. I’d argue 2019 wasn’t a singularly particularly devastating year for the country and the world as much as it is a bookend to a set of several taxing, tension-filled years.
QUICKTAKE: Love, Antosha
Love, Antosha does a lot with very little time, which is nothing if not fitting. Through a series of interviews with his family, his friends, and colleagues, the film chronologically explores the chapters of Anton Yelchin’s life.
LONG SHOT somehow makes it work
At first blush, Long Shot looks like exactly that. Political rom-com? Is that a thing anyone really wants right now? But somehow it has emerged as one of the better romantic comedies to get a theater release in the last year.