Friday, September 4, 2020

Love, Guaranteed (2020)



Streaming Services: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Love, Guaranteed (2020)
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Length: 90 minutes
Rating: NR
Production/Distribution: Netflix
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Writer: Elizabeth Hackett, Hilary Galanoy
Actors: Rachael Leigh Cook, Damon Wayans Jr., Heather Graham, Caitlin Howden, Brendan Taylor, Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez, Sean Amsing, Lisa Durupt, Alvin Sanders, Jed Rees, Kandyse McClure, Keisha Haines, Natalie von Rotsburg, See Jay Jackson, Colin Foo, Quynh Mi, Nick Fontaine, Claire Hesselgrave, Flossie McKnight, Amitai Marmorstein

Blurb from IMDb: To save her small law firm, earnest lawyer Susan takes a high-paying case from Nick, a charming new client who wants to sue a dating website that guarantees love. But as the case heats up, so do Susan and Nick's feelings for each other.


Selina’s Point of View:
I thought Love, Guaranteed was adorable.

This film was a little unexpected. From the trailer, I thought I was going to be getting something cute, but cringe-heavy. They definitely spent a lot of the coming attractions showing the embarrassment humor. As expected, there were a few awkward scenes; there just wasn’t nearly as much cringe as they’d advertised. Which, for me, is a good thing.

Honestly, it was sweet. It was like a modern-day fairy tale. It didn’t go above and beyond to give us something new, but it did give us an interesting interpretation of the familiar.

I really enjoyed some choices that the creators made here. The way Damon Wayans Jr.’s (Let's Be Cops, How to Be Single, New Girl) character found Rachael Leigh Cook’s (The Lodger, Red Sky, A Midsummer Night's Dream) was believable, for one. They could have easily left that bit of information out and just let us assume whatever we wanted. Most flicks would have.


One of the things that really hit me a little harder was a scene early into the love affair of the main characters where it seemed like they would kiss. Most directors and writers would have gone straight for it, and I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. In this case, they had Wayans kiss Cook on the forehead instead. It seems like such a tiny change, but I can’t tell you how much it resonated with me and elevated the scene. It hit differently – stronger, even.

In that one moment, the movie took a simple change and used it to add so much more meaning to the entire film.

Now, I’m not saying this is the best rom-com I’ve ever seen. It’s not. It’s formulaic, it’s on the corny side, and they do take the safe road for most of the film. However, it doesn’t try to be something it’s not.

Love, Guaranteed is just a feel-good, romantic comedy. You get exactly what you’re promised and, when the movie ends, you feel uplifted.

Is there really any other point to a rom-com?


Cat’s Point of View:
At the outset, I felt like Love, Guaranteed was likely going to be another one of those rom-coms that could fit right in on the Lifetime Channel, or something like that. The trailer painted the picture of a cute movie with heart (not to pun). It didn’t seem like it would buck expectations.

Now that I’ve watched the movie, I can confirm that it generally falls into that category. The story was fairly predictable. If you read the blurb or watched the trailer, you already know what’s generally going to happen.

That being said, I didn’t really mind.


Sure, it’s got a lot of the staple tropes of the genre, but it’s crafted in such a way that I still found myself invested in the story and its characters. I am, admittedly, a bit of a sap, though. I occasionally cry at the odd sad commercial – much to the amusement of my husband and teen. So, take this with a grain of salt.

I just really enjoyed the cast helmed by Damon Wayans Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook. Their story brings you through a gauntlet of feels from WTF, straight through to adorable – with a liberal dash of comedy thrown in. All of the supporting characters were also interesting, and I think that’s part of what elevated this film above your run-of-the-mill romance flick.

If you’re looking for a good movie to watch, during a night in with some warm fuzzies and a few good laughs, Love, Guaranteed might be just the thing.


Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 50%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 53%
Metascore – 39/100
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 5.6/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating3/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating3.5/5

Trust the Dice Parental Advisory Rating: PG

Movie Trailer:

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

The Wandering Earth (2019)



Streaming Services: Netflix
Movie Name/Year:  The Wandering Earth (2019)
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Length:  125 minutes
Rating: TV-MA
Production/Distribution: Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communications Company, Base FX, Beijing Culture, China Film Company Limited, China Film Group Corporation, Tencent Pictures, United Entertainment Partners, CMC Pictures Holdings, China Film Company Limited, United Entertainment Partners, Beijing Culture, Kidari Entertainment, Netflix
Director: Frant Gwo
Writers: Gong Geer, Junce Ye, Yan Dongxu, Frant Gwo, Yang Zhixue, Jingjing Shen, Cixin Liu, Ruchang Ye
Actors: Jing Wu, Chuxiao Qu, Guangjie Li, Man-Tat Ng, Jin Mai Jaho, Mike Kai Sui, Hongchen Li, Jingjing Qu, Yichi Zhang, Haoyu Yang, Zhigang Jiang, Huan Zhang, Jiayin Lei, Arkadiy Sharogradskiy, Hao Ning, Yi Yang

Blurb from IMDb: As the sun is dying out, people all around the world build giant planet thrusters to move Earth out of its orbit and sail Earth to a new star system. Yet the 2500-year journey comes with unexpected dangers, and in order to save humanity, a group of young people in this age of a wandering Earth fight hard for the survival of humankind.


Cat’s Point of View:

When The Wandering Earth appeared on Netflix, I was instantly drawn to the premise of the movie. As some of you may know, I’m a huge fan of science fiction. I love a good interstellar tale, and good ones are sometimes hard to come by. I will admit that I put off watching this film for a while – mostly because I was assuming that I’d be watching with subtitles. Foreign language films just require a bit of extra focus that I don’t always have. (Thanks ADHD.) On a whim, recently, I poked at it and found that the movie was dubbed in English! Now I feel silly for waiting so long, but I digress…

Needless to say, I dove right in.

My first comment in the wake of experiencing this movie is that too many critics aren’t giving The Wandering Earth a fair chance. I’ve seen comments that the film is too graphic heavy, and others simply write it off as Chinese propaganda. Really? For the love of Bob, did they even watch it?


Sure, this movie relies heavily on CGI, but it’s really the only way this story would be feasible. There’s little that could be done in practical effects that would convey the massive undertaking of scale. It would have looked cheap and hokey if they had tried. This was also China’s first foray into this particular genre, and it was a gamble. In fact, mid-production, one of the primary investors for the film backed out. One of the leads, Wu Jing (Badges of Fury, Wolf Warrior, Looking Up), who plays the space-station-bound father, stepped up and agreed to waive his pay for the movie, and even further invested in it to ensure the production could be completed and reach screens. I’d say the risk was worth it and has been well rewarded.

The visuals are simply stunning. I believed every moment of the nuanced and rich environments – from the underground cities to the frozen wastelands of the surface, and even the vastness of space. The planets were executed well, and I even felt a sense of dread as I watched the Earth’s precious atmosphere trailing away through the dark vacuum. Even the tech looked real and something that might actually be attainable with the capabilities of human engineering.


You’ve got to give credit to the author of the novella this movie is based on. Turning the actual Earth into a spaceship to avoid casualties because of economic castes is a brilliant concept. Sure, the science isn’t exactly feasible – but that’s why this is fiction, right? There are enough details that make it easy to suspend disbelief for the duration of the film. It’s a fantastical tale, not a how-to procedural after all. (For anyone interested in how the actual science stacks up to the movie’s premise, I found a neat and informative video on YouTube you can watch here.)

Let’s put politics aside, shall we? This wasn’t an attempt to sway the world towards the Chinese political agenda. The film centered on Chinese characters because that is the setting and perspective of the story. Period. To say that this is propaganda is taking it a bit too far – and far too seriously. Some of the reviews I’ve seen have had me seeing red – but not because of the flag behind this movie. It’s because I’m angry that everything has to be politically driven these days.


Back to the movie.

In spite of the fact that you really don’t get a moment to catch your breath once events start taking off, the story still allowed me to invest in these characters. I cared about their plight. I laughed at the occasional levity woven into the fight-for-survival tale. I mourned their losses. There was a good balance here of both small scale moments and massive ones.

I would likely watch The Wandering Earth again with my daughter; and I anticipate I’ll find new details to enjoy the second time around. Fans of space-oriented sci-fi should give it a chance. As you can tell, I’m already over the moon about it. 


Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 69%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 48%
Metascore – 57%
Metacritic User Score – 5.5/10
IMDB Score – 6.0/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

Movie Trailer:

Monday, August 31, 2020

Top 20 Movies to Look Out For In September (2020)

According to: Selina

Image By: mohamed_hassan

We keep hearing that theaters are going to reopen and then finding out there’s been another postponement. (Wear your damn masks!) We’re going to be optimistic and keep to our original format for the Top 20. We’re considering all films coming out – whether digital, straight to DVD, or in theaters – as eligible for this list. However, we felt the need to still include a disclaimer. (Once theaters are fully opened, this disclaimer will no longer be used.)

There are certain states that meet all the requirements to reopen, and are doing well. In those states, we absolutely support people going to the movies, as long as they remain cautious and the theaters are following all safety precautions.

However, a lot of states are opening before medical experts believe they should.

If you live in one of those states, especially those with rising COVID-19 cases, we urge you to stay home. There are a lot of great movies that continue to be released digitally, and we hope you stick with those. We understand that cabin fever is setting in with everyone right now, we’re not immune to it, but put your health and safety – and the health and safety of your family – first.

That said, all the release dates mentioned are tentative. Revisit this article throughout the month, we'll post small updates about postponed films as we are alerted to the delays.

Thank you for sticking with us through these strange times.


20 – Evil Takes Root (9/15)


Production/Distribution: Elevate Pictures, Genre Labs, UP & AWAY Productions, Distributors, Mill Creek Entertainment, Carnaby International
Director: Chris W. Freeman
Writer: Chris W. Freeman, Aaron Mack
Actors: Nicholas Gonzalez, Sean Carrigan, Stevie Lynn Jones, John Churchill, Adetokumboh M’Cormack, Constance Brenneman, Reagan Belhorn, Thomas Downey, Jane Mowder, Laurence Hokes, Deanna Sherman, Jeffrey R. Newman, Debbie Doebereiner, Meghan Garber, Chloe Garner, Michael Compton, Frank Sundquist II
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated: NR
Length: 91 minutes

IMDb Blurb: A paranormal investigator arrives in a sleepy Midwest town to investigate the mysterious loss of his old lover and reconcile sins of the past. He discovers she fell victim to the Batibat, an ancient evil that followed her home from the Philippines.

Evil Takes Root looks a little basic. That said, I’m just really looking forward to horror films lately. Especially the paranormal type. I want some good, creepy, escapism. I want something I can turn my brain off and just enjoy, without getting too deep. It looks like this flick meets my requirements.

I think it’s a bonus that I’m not familiar with the writers/director, too. That means I get exposed to something that looks a little familiar, but in a new voice. Who knows? Maybe they can elevate it to become something amazing.

My mind is open, and I’m looking forward to it.

19 – Coastal Elites (9/12) – HBO Max


Production/Distribution: Home Box Office (HBO), HBO Max
Director: Jay Roach
Writer: Paul Rudnick
Actors: Dan Levy, Sarah Paulson, Kaitlyn Dever, Bette Midler, Issa Rae
Genre: Comedy
Rated: NR
Length: 90 minutes

IMDb Blurb: Five characters make confessions under quarantine that touch on their lives during the 2020 pandemic and living in a world of deeply divided politics.

I don’t know how I feel about this socially distanced comedy’s content… but I do know that I’ve never seen anything quite like it. That’s why it’s here.

It’s clearly political, it’s clearly topical – but that’s really all I get from the trailer. I don’t know what the point is. Until I read more about it, I didn’t even realize it wasn’t a documentary. I don’t know. Is it anti-trump propaganda? Is it a mockumentary? Is it just a basic slice of life?

That last option may seem unlikely, but considering all our lives are mostly isolated and ruled by the pandemic at the moment, it very well could be. Our new reality is changing art. Cinema was bound to start evolving to our new circumstances. We saw it in Shudder’s Host (2020). This just seems to be that evolution attempting to be more high scale and dramatic.

I’m more curious than anything else. I don’t know what to expect at all.

18 – Kajillionaire (9/25)


Production/Distribution: Annapurna Pictures, Plan B Entertainment, Focus Features, Apollo Films, Universal Pictures International (UPI), Universal Pictures Spain
Director: Miranda July
Writer: Miranda July
Actors: Evan Rachel Wood, Debra Winger, Gina Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins, Adam Bartley, Diana Maria Riva, Patricia Belcher, Mark Ivanir, Challen Cates, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Madeleine Coghlan, Rachel Redleaf
Genre: Crime, Drama
Rated: R
Length: 106 minutes

IMDb Blurb: A woman's life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they're planning.

This is another weird trailer that I’m having trouble pinning down. It’s like a crime, comedy, coming of age film?

Gina Rodriguez (Elena of Avalor, Big Mouth, Jane the Virgin) makes a face near the end of the trailer that accurately expresses how I feel about this movie.

Mostly I included this flick because of how the trailer confused me.

It seems original and different. I have no idea how Kajillionaire will turn out in the end, because I don’t even know what recipes it might use. I like that. There’s a huge sense of potential in anything that’s truly new and different. This is that.

17 – No Escape (9/18)


Production/Distribution: Escape Productions, Vertical Entertainment, Film & TV House, GEM Entertainment, Capelight Pictures, Dutch FilmWorks, Polyfilm Verleih, Front Row Filmed Entertainment
Director: Will Wernick
Writer: Will Wernick
Actors: Holland Roden, Ronen Rubinstein, Keegan Allen, Pasha D. Lychnikoff, Denzel Whitaker, Emilia Ares, Kimberly Quinn, Ravil Isyanov, Sierra Swartz, Inja Zalta, Dominic Pace, George Janko, Emily Hinkler, Elizabeth Hinkler, Dimiter D. Marinov, Daniyar, Stephanie Wong, Siya, Brett Justin Koppel, Travis Caverhill, Andrei Runtso, Tristan Lee Griffin, Yevgeniy Kartashov, Tia Valentine, Sebastian L Hunt
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated: R
Length: 88 minutes

IMDb Blurb: A social media personality travels with his friends to Moscow to capture new content for his successful VLOG. Always pushing the limits and catering to a growing audience, they enter a cold world of mystery, excess, and danger.

No Escape looks pretty decent. It’s got some definite ‘torture porn’ aspects to it, along with some clunky dialogue in the beginning of the trailer, but otherwise it looks like something I’d enjoy.

It’s got an interesting ‘Hostel (2005) on social media’ feel to it.

Honestly, it’s not the kind of film I’d have been super looking forward to seeing in theaters, but I’ll definitely take a peek at it once it hits a streaming service.

16 – Enola Holmes (9/23) - Netflix


Production/Distribution: EH Productions, Legendary Entertainment, PCMA Productions, Warner Bros., Netflix
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Writer: Nancy Springer, Jack Thorne
Actors: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, Fiona Shaw, Adeel Akhtar, Frances de la Tour, Louis Partridge, Owen Atlas, Gianni Calchetti
Genre: Adventure, Crime, Drama
Rated: PG-13
Length: 123 minutes

IMDb Blurb: When Enola Holmes-Sherlock's teen sister-discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord.

Sherlock Holmes has always been an interesting character to me. He’s imperfect, but still remembered as the most brilliant detective character in literary history. The success of shows like House (2002-2012), indicates that the same type of character would still intrigue audiences today. Even though the Holmes character was created as long ago as the late 1800s.

Enola Holmes, the sister of Sherlock, is a much newer character. She was created in 2006 and was represented through a series of books that portrayed a much more empathetic version of Sherlock.

The trailer looks fun. At the very least, it will make a much-loved character more accessible to a younger generation. I always think that’s a good thing. That said, the film is steeped in a bit of controversy.

Netflix and the author of the Enola Holmes books, Nancy Springer, are being sued by the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There are claims that the Sherlock books the Springer stories come from aren’t part of the public domain just yet. That means that the creators of the Enola Holmes books, and this film, might be held accountable for copyright infringement. I don’t know if that will change anything, and that does put this movie at risk of being delayed at the last minute. Keep that in mind.

15 – Love, Guaranteed (9/3) - Netflix


Production/Distribution: Netflix
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Writer: Hilary Galanoy, Elizabeth Hackett
Actors: Rachael Leigh Cook, Heather Graham, Damon Wayans Jr., Jed Rees, Clare Filipow, Christian Sloan, Brendon Taylor, Lauren McGibbon, Quynh Mi, Kallie Hu, Sasha Hayden, Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez, Milo Shandel, Caitlin Howden, Sean Amsing, Claire Hesselgrave
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rated: NR
Length: 90 minutes

IMDb Blurb: To save her small law firm, earnest lawyer Susan takes a high-paying case from Nick, a charming new client who wants to sue a dating website that guarantees love. But as the case heats up, so do Susan and Nick's feelings for each other.

A lot of the romantic comedies I’ve seen on Netflix have gone pretty well. They feel more modern than the films I’ve seen from other sources. They take into account challenges that people are facing today, where dating is concerned. The stories they bring to the screen include more modern technology and more relatable characters with flaws that represent modern society better.

I just keep thinking back to Set it Up (2018) which was one of the most memorable rom-coms I’ve seen in a long time.

My only issue is that the director of this film is the same that was responsible for Daredevil (2003). That gives me enough cause to worry.

Basically, I expect that a recipe will be followed here… but I also think that the humor will be riskier. At the very least, I think it’s worth a gamble.

14 – The 2nd (9/1)


Production/Distribution: Fury Film Franchise, Lucid Film, Momentum Pictures, The Wonderfilm Media Corporation, Turbo Panda Productions, Voltage Pictures, Front Row Filmed Entertainment, GEM Entertainment, Leonine Distribution, The Movie Partnership
Director: Brian Skiba
Writer: Eric Bromberg, Paul Taegel
Actors: Samaire Armstrong, Casper Van Dien, Ryan Phillippe, William Katt, Richard Burgi, William McNamara, Jack Griffo, Jennifer Wenger, Chris Jai Alex, Gene Freeman, Vincent De Paul, Nicole Reddinger, Jacob Grodnik
Genre: Action
Rated: NR
Length: 93 minutes

IMDb Blurb: Secret-service agent Vic Davis is on his way to pick up his estranged son, Shawn, from his college campus when he finds himself in the middle of a high-stakes terrorist operation. The daughter of a Supreme Court Justice, and his son's friend, is the target and this armed faction will stop at nothing to kidnap her and use her as leverage for a pending landmark legal case.

The 2nd is just a pure, gratuitous action flick.

I normally enjoy action quite a bit, but at the moment it may even temporarily be my favorite genre. I have this desperate need to turn off my brain more and more this year. Between anti-maskers causing this pandemic to last longer than it should and the perpetual bad news machine – I just want some fucking explosions and chase scene.

That’s what this is.

I highly doubt that there’s going to be any ginormous twists or complicated story elements. If anything, it may even just mimic action scenes of the 80s, which I’m down for.

The trailer looks a fun ride. Ryan Phillippe (Shooter, Catch Hell, Reclaim) is a good actor, and I love Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers, Stripped, G-Loc). Judging by the writers and director, I’d assume the film will have a somewhat campy tone to it. Which is something I’m also fine with – but it means that The 2nd might not be for everyone.

13 – Spiral (9/17) – Shudder


Production/Distribution: Digital Interference Productions, Hadron Films, Strong Casting, William F. White International
Director: Kurtis David Harder
Writer: Colin Minihan, John Poliquin
Actors: Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Ari Cohen, Jennifer Laporte, Lochlyn Munro, Chandra West, Ty Wood, Thomas Elms, Paul McGaffey, David LeReaney, Darius Willis, Aaron Poole, Darius Savon, Megan Tracz, Jasmine Nagy, Lara Taillon, Michele Wienecke, Jaron Melanson
Genre: Thriller
Rated: NR
Length: 90 minutes

IMDb Blurb: A same-sex couple move to a small town so they can enjoy a better quality of life and raise their 16 year-old daughter with the best social values. But nothing is as it seems in their picturesque neighborhood. And when Malik sees the folks next door throwing a very strange party, something shocking has got to give.

Not to be confused with the next part of the Saw series, Spiral, coming out in 2021. This film is not related.

The clip shows some pretty obvious ties into the story, and feel, of films like Rear Window (1954). As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing wrong with that. I tend to enjoy movies that draw inspiration from that particular thriller.

This flick was bound to speak to me. I just moved from the city to a small town in order to provide a better quality of life to my daughter. That right there is half the blurb. Aside from that, anyone who’s ever made that kind of move can probably tell you that there’s a serious culture shock that comes with it.

Every single one of my neighbors seems to be incredibly sweet. It feels like a pod-people situation after spending over 30-years in Brooklyn.

It’s because I get how someone could fall to the anxieties involved in a move like this, that I really am looking forward to it.

Sure, it could just be a basic suburban-cult plot – but there could easily be some psychological twists involved as well. There’s potential. I’m seriously looking forward to it.

12 – Misbehaviour (9/25)


Production/Distribution: Pathé, BBC Films, British Film Institute (BFI), Ingenious Media, Left Bank Pictures, Rococo Films, Shout! Studios, Shout! Factory, BIM Distribuzione, Cinemundo, Entertainment One, Pancinema, Paradise Group, Paradiso Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Pathé Distribution, Tanweer Alliances, Vértice 360, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Front Row Filmed Entertainment
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe
Writer: Rebecca Frayn, Gaby Chiappe
Actors: Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Greg Kinnear, Daniel Tiplady, Kajsa Mohammar, Stephen Boxer, Justin Salinger, Jessie Buckley, Ruby Bentall, Lily Newmark, Maya Kelly, John Heffernan, Rhys Ifans, Keeley Hawes, Lesley Manville, Eileen O’Higgins, Amanda Lawrence, Suki Waterhouse
Genre: Drama, History
Rated: NR
Length: 106 minutes

IMDb Blurb: A group of women hatch a plan to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty competition in London.

I love movies like this that explore two different sides of an argument.

In this case, we see feminists fighting against the sexism of beauty contests on one side, with the first black South African contestant on the other, fighting for representation. I find it pretty difficult to argue with either one of them.

This is a period piece that takes us back to 1970. It wasn’t that long ago, but both black representation and respect for women were still incredibly low.

In 1970, we were still a year away from the blaxploitation movement that gave us films like the original Shaft (1971). Ignoring the negative parts of that movement (which there were many, hence the mash-up word including ‘exploitation’ as an inspiration), that was when black actors started to take on powerful protagonist parts.

However, the women’s rights movement was still fighting for equal rights during that time, as well.

In this film we get to see the two subjects clash. It shows the system/society of the time as the antagonist, but still pits the good guys against each other.

I think it’s going to be very interesting.

11 – The Owners (9/4)


Production/Distribution: Blue Light, Logical Pictures, Wild Bunch, XYZ Films, RLJE Films
Director: Julius Berg
Writer: Julius Berg, Mathieu Gompel
Actors: Maisie Williams, Sylvester McCoy, Rita Tushingham, Jake Curran, Andrew Ellis, Ian Kenny, Stacha Hicks
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rated: NR
Length: 110 minutes

IMDb Blurb: A group of friends think they find an easy score at an empty house with a safe full of cash. But when the owners, an elderly couple, come home early, the tables are suddenly turned.

Any film that features a situation where a crime is flipped back on the antagonists and causes them to become the victims, makes me happy. I know it’s become a bit of a trope in recent years, but I don’t care. I like to see a good revenge fantasy played out. It’s cathartic and enjoyable to me.

In this case, I think the plot will be more complex than what we’ve seen in previous incarnations of this trope. It doesn’t seem like it’s just about a couple of older targets being well skilled and more formidable than expected. It feels like there’s more to it. Maybe there’s a cult situation. That would be my guess.

Either way, The Owners looks like it will be a good film that scratches that thriller itch.


10 – Secret Society of Second Born Royals (9/25)


Production/Distribution: Disney Channel, Disney+
Director: Anna Mastro
Writer: Alex Litvak, Andrew Green, Austin Winsberg
Actors: Elodie Yung, Skylar Astin, Greg Bryk, Julie Nolke, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Alli Chung, Isabella Blake-Thomas, Olivia Deeble, Niles Fitch, Ashley Liao, Noah Lomax, Shiva Safari, Kenny Wong, Faly Rakotohavana, Christina Orjalo, Jadiel Dowlin
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Rated: NR
Length: Unknown

IMDb Blurb: It follows Sam's adventures at a top-secret training program for a new class of second-born royals tasked with saving the world.

I expect this film will have a very Descendants (2015) feel – which I don’t hate.

The movie looks epic.

It’ll undoubtedly have some of that live-action Disney Channel cringe, but otherwise it should be a decent teen action flick. The graphics look pretty decent and there’s a good cast behind it. I’m not yet familiar with a lot of the younger actors, but I’ve always liked Skylar Astin (Ghosts of War, Acting for a Cause, Pitch Perfect) and I adore Elodie Yung (Daredevil, Gods of Egypt, Narcopolis).

I don’t have too much to say here. I think the target demographic for this film is going to flip for it. Whether or not parents will be able to enjoy it as much, will depend on what kind of humor they put in.

9 – The Babysitter: Killer Queen (9/10) - Netflix


Production/Distribution: Boies / Schiller Film Group, Wonderland Sound and Vision, Netflix
Director: McG
Writer: Dan Lagana, McG
Actors: Bella Thorne, Leslie Bibb, Ken Marino, Emily Alyn Lind, Robbie Amell, Judah Lewis, Jenna Ortega, Hana Mae Lee, Amanda Cerny, Andrew Bachelor, Maximilian Acevedo, Juliocesar Chavez
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Rated: NR
Length: 101 minutes

IMDb Blurb: Two years after Cole survived a satanic blood cult, he's living another nightmare: high school. And the demons from his past? Still making his life hell.

I’ll admit, I chose this flick for the top 10 part of this list based more on what I thought of the first one more than the coming attractions.

Sure, the trailer looks alright. It looks campy and kind of basic. So did the trailer for the first one. I did not expect just how good The Babysitter (2017) would be. Based on that, I’m going to give The Babysitter: Killer Queen a little more benefit of the doubt.

Since I already would have wanted to see it because it’s a sequel to a film I enjoyed, and I would have been interested in it just based on the trailer alone, I have to consider that the movie might be a lot better than those facts suggest, based on precedent.

The majority of the cast is returning, which is great. Though I was a bit disappointed to see the modern-day scream queen, Samara Weaving (Guns Akimbo, SMILF, Bill & Ted Face the Music), absent from the cast list. Until I read a little further down.

I don’t think IMDb has the full story.

Although Samara Weaving is not on the cast list, there is a stunt double listed as “stunt double: Samara Weaving”.

That puts some intrigue into not just the story, but who’ll be appearing.

I’m looking forward to this film, and hoping to see some of Weaving in it, even it winds up just being an after-credits scene.

8 – Ava (9/25)


Production/Distribution: Freckle Films, Voltage Pictures, GEM Entertainment, Belga Films, Impuls Pictures, Independent Films, Shaw Organisation, Spentzos Films, Front Row Filmed Entertainment, Joy n Cinema, Madman Entertainment, VVS Films, Vertical Entertainment
Director: Tate Taylor
Writer: Matthew Newton
Actors: Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Common, Geena Davis, Jess Weixler, Ioan Gruffudd, Diana Silvers, Joan Chen, Colin Farrell, Efka Kvaraciejus, Christopher J. Domig, Michel Muller, Martin Lee, Simonne Stern, Steve Gagliastro, Joe Sobalo Jr.
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Rated: R
Length: 96 minutes

IMDb Blurb: Ava is a deadly assassin who works for a black ops organization, traveling the globe specializing in high profile hits. When a job goes dangerously wrong she is forced to fight for her own survival.

Most hitmen movies are pretty much the same thing. I’m not talking about old-guy-in-an-action-flick hitmen films, because in those they’re retired. I mean the kind where the organization turn against the protagonist and that person becomes hunted by the people who trained them.

Honestly, this doesn’t look different where that is concerned. However, I can’t ignore the minor details that I believe could make Ava worth watching.

The first thing that I think of is how the main character seems to act. It seems like she may have trained all her life as an assassin, but knows that something is off with what she does. She needs to rationalize why people are on her list to be killed, and so she asks questions.

That’s not entirely different than what we’ve seen before. What instantly springs to mind is Wanted (2008). Of course, the character that really follows that plot in that film is Angelina Jolie’s (Maleficent, Come Away, By the Sea)… not the protagonist. I wouldn’t have minded seeing things from her perspective in another film though – which makes me think this plot is worth exploring.

You also just cannot ignore this cast: Jessica Chastain (It Chapter Two, Molly’s Game, Interstellar), John Malkovich (Space Force, Valley of the Gods, Velvet Buzzsaw), Common (The Kitchen, The Informer, Ocean’s 8), Geena Davis (GLOW, Grey’s Anatomy, Don’t Talk to Irene), and Colin Farrell (Widows, Dumbo, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). Those are some epic names. In fact, the last time I saw Farrell in an assassin flick, it was In Bruges (2008) and that movie became one of my all-time favorites. Granted, he’s playing a much different character here, but I’ve decided it’s relevant (it’s probably not).

I expect a few twists along the way, I highly doubt this will be a fully ‘turn your brain off’ film. I can’t quite explain why, it’s just a gut feeling. I think there’s more to the story than is shown in the trailer.

7 – Blackbird (9/18)


Production/Distribution: Busted Shark Productions, Eclectic Pictures, Millennium Films, SF Studios, Film & TV House, GEM Entertainment, DeAPlaneta, Dutch FilmWorks, Leonine Distribution, Eagle Films, Joy n Cinema, Screen Media Films
Director: Roger Michell
Writer: Christian Trope
Actors: Mia Masikowska, Kate Winslet, Sam Neill, Rainn Wilson, Susan Sarandon, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Lindsay Duncan, Anson Boon
Genre: Drama
Rated: R
Length: 97 minutes

IMDb Blurb: A terminally ill mother arranges to bring her family together one last time before she dies. A remake of the 2014 Danish film 'Silent Heart'.

I find the subject of this film to be intense and interesting. Although there are a ton of movies out there exploring the emotion behind terminal illnesses – not a whole lot go into euthanasia. It’s a controversial topic to discuss, and I imagine it will be divisive as a film plot.

I’ve thought about it, I’ve had debates on it, but I’m still not sure where I stand on the issue. I can understand arguments from both sides.

I’ve seen people lose themselves to sickness. I knew a brilliant scientist that suffered a brain injury and stayed conscious and alive for a few years after, watching himself fade away to the point that he couldn’t take it. I’ve met people who deal with complete wide-spread pain that keeps them from thinking straight for days, weeks, or even months at a time. I’ve also seen people come back from some of the darkest places.

Blackbird is going to examine the different lanes of thought involved in this difficult topic. At the very least, I expect it to be fascinating. At the most, it could wind up being a classic – especially considering the level of talent shown in this star-studded cast.

If you watch it with friends, expect to have something to debate in the end.

6 – Greenland (9/25)


Production/Distribution: G-BASE, Anton, Riverstone Pictures, STX Films, Thunder Road Pictures, Truenorth Productions, STX International, Film & TV House, GEM Entertainment, CatchPlay, Diamond Films, Elevation Pictures, Golden Village Pictures, Impuls Pictures, Joyncontents Group, Kinomania, Metropolitan Filmexport, Roadshow Film Distributors, Roadshow Films, Square Box Pictures, TGV Pictures, The Searchers, Top Film, Vertical Entertainment, Encore Films, JL Vision Film, The Filmbridge
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Writer: Chris Sparling
Actors: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn, Randal Gonzalez, Rick Pasqualone, Nicola Lambo, Alan Pietruszewski, Scot Poythress, Claire Bronson, Madison Johnson, Gary Weeks, Tracey Bonner, Merrin Dungey
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rated: PG-13
Length: 119 minutes

IMDb Blurb: A family struggles for survival in the face of a cataclysmic natural disaster.

Even in the middle of a bunch of mini apocalyptic events, I still really love an apocalypse movie. Yeah, I have a bit more difficulty sitting through the virus plots right now, but a good, old-fashioned, meteoric extinction event? Sign me up.

…I mean, it’s going to make me a little more nervous about the asteroid that’s supposed to hit on November 2, but I think I’m numb enough to 2020 that it shouldn’t matter.

I’ll be the first to admit that there’s very little that seems to separate Greenland from all other apocalypse flicks. Still, it looks good and I’m a fan of both Gerard Butler (How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Geostorm, London Has Fallen) and Morena Baccarin (The Flash, Deadpool, Homeland).

The trailer makes it very clear that the action’s going to be outstanding, even if it does follow a recipe. I’m looking forward to it.

5 – The Devil All the Time (9/16) – Netflix


Production/Distribution: Borderline Films (II), Nine Stories Productions, Netflix
Director: Antonio Campos
Writer: Antonio Campos, Paulo Campos, Donald Ray Pollock
Actors: Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Haley Bennett, Harry Melling, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Sebastian Stan, Mia Wasikowska, Eliza Scanlen, Jason Clarke, Douglas Hodge, Given Sharp, Drew Starkey, Lucy Faust, Abby Glover, David Maldonado, Cory Scott Allen, Kristin Griffith, Michael Banks Repeta
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rated: R
Length: 138 minutes

IMDb Blurb: Sinister characters converge around a young man devoted to protecting those he loves in a postwar backwoods town teeming with corruption and brutality.

I’ve been hearing bits and pieces about this film since the lockdown started. I couldn’t really put any of the info into context until recently, when I saw the trailer.

I had already wanted to see it. I’d heard of the cast and I just couldn’t look past it. It could have been about anything, and it still would have been destined to make my list.

As it turns out, the plot seems harrowing and the film looks gorgeous. Not only that, but I’m thinking a lot of corrupt characters get what’s coming to them in this film and I’m so looking forward to watching that. There’s a lot of bullshit in the world lately, and I think it’ll be like watching a fantasy to see those kind of unscrupulous character-types be brought to justice.

I’m also a big fan of seeing Tom Holland (Onward, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Edge of Winter) in a darker role. He’s an amazing actor and seeing him in more diverse parts tells me that he’s going to have staying power. I want to see that. In forty years, I want to see him as a 60-year-old in that month’s old-guy-in-an-action-flick. Without stretching outside his box, like he is here, that’s not something I’ll see.

I have incredible faith in this one. I wish I could have put it higher, but a lot of really great films have been postponed, until now.

4 – Antebellum (9/18)


Production/Distribution: Lionsgate, QC Entertainment, BF Distribution, Bir Film, Central Partnership, DeAPlaneta, Encore Films, Golden Screen Cinemas, Golden Village Pictures, Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK), Lark Films Distribution, Meloman, Mongrel Media, Monolith Films, Movie Cloud, Pro Video Film & Distribution Kft., Roadshow Film Distributors (NZ) Ltd., Roadshow Films, Splendid Film, Ukrainian Film Distribution (UFD), Vertical Entertainment, WW Entertainment, Eagle Films
Director: Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz
Writer: Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz
Actors: Janelle Monáe, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Eric Lange, Kiersey Clemons, Gabourey Sidibe, Lily Cowles, Robert Aramayo, Marque Richardson, Tongayi Chirisa, Betsy Borrego, Devyn A. Tyler, Choppy Guillotte, London Boyce, Grace Junot
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated: R
Length: 105 minutes

IMDb Blurb: Successful author Veronica Henley finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it's too late.

I’ve already gone into why I think Antebellum should be high on my list last month. It was delayed, but my reasonings are all the same. In fact, it’s position on my list is still the same as well. For a more in-depth view of why it’s this high, see last month’s Top 20

3 – Robin’s Wish (9/1)


Production/Distribution: Quotable Pictures
Director: Tylor Norwood
Writer: Scot Fitzloff, Tylor Norwood
Actors: Robin Williams, Shawn Levy, David E. Kelley, Rick Overton, Susan Schneider, John R. Montgomery
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Rated: NR
Length: 77 minutes

IMDb Blurb: An intimate portrait of Robin Williams and his invulnerable spirit, Robin's Wish is the story of what really happened to one of the greatest entertainers of all time - and what his mind was fighting.

Documentaries don’t make my list often. If this movie were about anyone else, it probably wouldn’t. Really, whatever the trailer looked like didn’t matter. What matters is that it’s about Robin Williams (Absolutely Anything, Happy Feet Two, Death to Smoochy).

Williams was a titan in the comedy genre. He almost single-handedly made dramedy what it’s become. I’m convinced that without him, there would be a sad lack of comedy in all our dramas.

I grew up on him. His comedy has always been something that me and my mom could bond over. We’re two very different people and it’s hard to find something we both enjoy enough to share. Recently, I got to show her one of my favorite films of his – The Birdcage (1996). I know, it’s an old film, but my mom doesn’t like movies. She’s super picky about the ones she’ll tolerate. But if Robin is in the cast, she’ll let me show her anything. (She wound up really liking the film, and we had a lot of fun watching it.)

I miss Robin Williams. His death was a huge shock. There is no way I can ignore a documentary based on him. Not with as influential and unifying as he was.

2 – Mulan (9/4)


Production/Distribution: Walt Disney Pictures, Jason T. Reed Productions, Good Fear Content, China Film Group Corporation (CFGC), Blitz Film & Video Distribution, Blitz, Forum Hungary, Kinomania, Meloman, Disney+, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Argentina, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing (WDSSPR)
Director: Niki Caro
Writer: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Elizabeth Martin, Lauren Hynek
Actors: Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Li Gong, Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao, Pei-Pei Cheng, Xana Tang, Ron Yuan, Jun Yu, Chen Tang, Doua Moua, Jimmy Wong, Nelson Lee, Hoon Lee, Crystal Rao, Elena Askin, Vincent Feng
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Rated: PG-13
Length: 115 minutes

IMDb Blurb: A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father. A live-action feature film based on Disney's 'Mulan.'

Mulan’s been delayed so often that there’s not much left for me to say about the film itself. What I do want to talk about is why I’m kind of angry at it.

If the theaters were all open, and it was being released on the big screen, there’d be nothing to talk about. Hell, if it was just being released on Disney+ without any caveats, this would still be a shorter section. Unfortunately, Disney made a decision here that just doesn’t make any kind of real sense.

I pay for a Disney+ subscription. I pay the subscription amount because I want to stream Disney content. Even if I personally didn’t enjoy watching nostalgic, and superhero, favorites – I have a 2-year-old daughter that would melt into a puddle of tears if she lost access to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006-2016), DuckTales (2017- ), and the whole Frozen collection (2013- ). The point is, I pay what I pay in order to have full access to their streaming content. Everything from Avengers: Endgame (2019) to Doc McStuffins (2012- ). Full stop.

So, with Mulan hitting the streaming app this month, I expected to be able to watch it.

Unfortunately, Disney apparently spent way too much on the film for that.

After the subscription cost, anyone interested in watching the film will then need to come up with an extra $29.99 to see it. That is more than most of us would have had to spend to see it in theaters. I live in New York. Cost of living here is absolutely insane. One ticket for me would be about $18.00 (some of the nicer theaters go up to $20/22). That means that Disney came up with this price by assuming the majority of us are watching with our entire families. The problem is, that’s not what I think is going to happen.

First of all, the movie is PG-13. That alone means that I’m not going to be throwing it on for my daughter. I’m sure some parents still will, but it wasn’t going to be the kind of film parents flock to bring their non-teen kids to. Secondly, the majority of people who’ve been super excited for Mulan are kids of the 80s and 90s who are dying to see a live-action, more honest, portrayal of the Mulan historical figure. The majority of us, especially because the world is burning around us, have no money.

My husband and I are lucky enough to be able to work from home. We also work in fields less affected by the lockdown, but even we’ve had money issues while this is all going on. With the amount of people losing their jobs, it’s a lot more likely that people won’t be able to afford the extra fee. They’ll have to choose between eating and watching this film. True, a few people might choose Mulan in that situation, but not nearly as many as Disney thinks.

It’s very possible they could have done just as well as they would have in the theaters if they’d lowered the price. They could have offered to show Mulan for $29.99 without the subscription and $20.00 with the subscription, and a LOT more people would have done it. I firmly believe they screwed up on the pricing. I think that’s going to hurt the opening of Mulan, and it’s not going to be the movie’s fault at all.

What I’m saying is that Mulan deserves to be on this list, based on its merits. Unfortunately, because Disney has put it so far out of reach for the majority of us, I have reservations.

They have, however, just added the option for Disney+ members to watch the film for free, but not until December. Some of us will just have to wait.

1 – Tenet (9/3)


Production/Distribution: Syncopy, Warner Bros., Karo Premiere, Kinomania, NOS Audividuais, Warner Bros. Pictures Germany, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Singapore
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Actors: Elizabeth Debicki, Robert Pattinson, John David Washington, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kenneth Branagh, Clémence Poésy, Fiona Dourif, Michael Caine, Himesh Patel, Andrew Howard, Wes Chatham, Dimple Kapadia, Martin Donovan, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Jonathan Camp, Anthony Molinari
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Rated: PG-13
Length: 150 minutes

IMDb Blurb: Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.

Does anyone remember that South Park (1997- ) episode where Cartman got an amusement park and then put out ads telling people they weren’t allowed in, so it blew up and became the most popular thing in the world?

Yeah.

Tenet has always looked like an amazing film. I remember seeing the trailer for the first time in the theater some time in March or late February. It was just a teaser, no more than 20 or 30 seconds long. It showed barely anything and you couldn’t really get a hold on what the plot would be… and it still looked incredible.

Now that I’ve seen more, and it’s been delayed over several month, I’m looking forward to seeing it even more than I probably should be.

I want to know everything about this damn film. I want to understand the time bending, I want to get to know the characters… I’m dying to jump right into it. Unfortunately, although there are theaters open elsewhere, mine aren’t. They thought they would be, but they’re not. So, I’m personally going to have to wait a little longer.

Movies to Look out For
According to: Cat

The 2nd .20
Verotika .19
Switched .18
Spiral .17
Dream Horse .16
The Owners .15
Guest House .14
Critical Thinking .13
No Escape .12
Misbehaviour .11
Antebellum .10
Coastal Elites .9
The Devil All the Time .8
The Babysitter: Killer Queen .7
Secret Society of Second Born Royals .6
Red Shoes and Seven Dwarfs .5
Greenland .4
Ava .3
Enola Holmes .2
Mulan .1

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