Host, billed as the first movie filmed and released during quarantine, follows a group of friends staging a Zoom seance with an uninvited guest Quick cut: At just 57 minutes, Host is far from overly long. Although it certainly stretches its interesting premise to the max. Still, it achieves an anxiety-inducing atmosphere coupled with genuinely…
Project Power takes place in a world where an illegal drug gives its user superpowers for five minutes—three strangers team up to stop it Quick cut: Project Power loses steam almost as quickly as the drug at the center of it. Though it's visually dazzling, its paint-by-the-numbers plot is exacerbated by hamfisted political commentary and…
The Rental follows two couples who get more than they bargain for when they Airbnb a beautiful oceanside house for the weekend Quick cut: Dave Franco's directorial debut isn't a groundbreaking slow-burn thriller, but it is a competently made, supremely acted, and satisfyingly effective one. ★★★ Unlike many other feature debuts, especially those from actors…
In Anything for Jackson, a couple of elderly Satanists try to bring their grandson back from the dead and instead unleash horrifying spirits into their home Quick cut: Anything for Jackson doesn't take its premise of Satanists performing a reverse exorcism as far as it could go, however its complex protagonists make it a devilish…
Joker is an example of the mental toll that the struggle to adequately perform emotional labor can have on a person who is already struggling. In The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling, by Arlie Russell Hochschild, (1983) Hochschild defines emotional labor in the following way: "This labor requires one to induce or suppress feeling…
Parasite follows a poor but clever family's attempt to climb up the social ladder by cozying up to a wealthy family. One-sentence review: Parasite is unlike any movie that's existed — at the same time funny, terrifying, thrilling, and relevant — and one of the best movies of the year. Details: ? Bong Joon-ho //…
Happy Monday! I have a question for you: Do you remember the 21st night of September? Today’s movie is the 1985 vampire horror-comedy Fright Night—streaming on Prime Video. Like last week, I’m including a full review with an added “10-second cut” section for those of you that like shorter reviews. Here’s the trailer. ⏱ 10-second cut: Fright Night is…
From serial killers to ghosts to zombies, these are the best horror movies of the 21st century that keep us up at night! From the slashers of the early 2000s to the renaissance of ghost stories and monster movies of the 2010s, the 21st century has been a rollercoaster for the beloved horror genre. However,…
The Old Guard follows a group of immortal mercenaries as they find themselves as the targets of a nefarious plot Quick cut: Director Gina Prince-Bythewood uses her keen sense for character to make The Old Guard a one of a kind groundbreaking Hollywood blockbuster that feels like a new, exciting direction for the action genre.…
Starred Up, David Mackenzie's eighth film, is a brutal and emotional prison character study about a father and son ? This review originally appeared in my weekly movie newsletter. You can sign up for it here. Happy Thursday! Hope this week is great. I’ll be taking next week off for some mental clarity, but you…
