It Was Just an Accident

An all around story that keeps you on your toes. The direction from Jafar Panahi is some of the best of the year. The way he lingers on everything almost pulls your eyes into the screen and I couldn’t wait to see where this story went. I will never forget the final moments of this film.

4.1

The Mastermind

Slow and methodical. Two words you probably wouldn’t use to describe a heist, but that’s how this one plays out. It smartly uses its dumb characters to play out this story. The framing (ha) of this picture is beyond words. If only it was showing something fully intact.

3.3/5

Bad Guys 2

DNF


Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

My least favorite of the franchise and it’s still a blast. At times it gets a little heavy handed with its mystery, but the characters make this one run like always. Would you be shocked to hear that Daniel Craig isn’t the best at his craft in this? That’s because Josh O’Conner is doing something I’ve never seen before, and that’s to make religious characters fascinating. The costume design is top notch, it’s hilarious, dramatic, and it stays loyal to the franchise while still keeping you guessing. Even though you can feel the length, I’m envious of the superb level of seductiveness this ensemble cast brings to the table.

3.8/5

Sentimental Value

I know this is going to sound too negative, but I found this to be a little dry. After The Worst Person in the World my expectations were so high, clearly too high. Everyone involved in an acting sense is so tremendous. Respectfully, they’re all doing some of their best work and deserve the highest of praises. That being said, I was waiting for the big, or multiple small, emotional moments, and they never fully came. I hate saying this, but it requires a second watch for me, but still lands in my top 20 on the year.

4.1/5

Rental Family

The sweetest Bredan Fraser has ever been. Fraser and the rest of the incredible cast steal your heart immediately with a lovely story that goes in a direction I was happily surprised with. In many ways this can be compared to Lost in Translation, except the people are likeable. Prepare your eyes for tears and your mouth for smiles, Rental Family is the feel good movie of the year.

4.2/5

V/H/S Halloween

Porn has better acting than most of these segments. The camera has become a crutch to the point where this franchise is overwhelmingly forced and repetitive. It’s no longer fun or scary to watch these, which is a shame when 2 is one of my favorite modern horror films. What used to be some of the most original anthology pieces has now become a yearly laughing stock at home. I don’t even know if I should say laughing stock, because I honestly get no physical reaction out of these anymore.

0.8/5

The Plague

Mysterious? Sure. All that mystery ultimately leads to no payoff. The pool scenes are incredible to look at and I really dug the vibes. If someone would have told me equal parts Full Metal Jacket and Let the Right One In came together in a movie, I would have been stoked. Too bad it’s all edging. As always, I was hoping for more Joel Edgerton on screen.

2.5/5

Kiss of the Spider Woman

This movie is so unintentionally funny because Jennifer Lopez is the worst aspect of her own movie. I get why they made this partially a musical, but it only detracted from the things that were remotely interesting. The story in the prison with Diego Luna and Tonatiuh is actually captivating but its impact is shortened every time it cuts back to whatever JLO was doing. This is a story that deserved to be told, just in a different way.

2/5

The Roses

Multiple levels of unfunny comedic bashings that continually try to no avail. Its unrealistic nature ruins the realistic setting that could have worked if you played to any of the actors strengths. I never saw The War of the Roses, but this feels like a slap in the face to it. This is all such a shame when most of the people involved have the capabilities of being funny and entertaining. Really hard to watch at times.

1.5/5