"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
[Note: These are the best films that we reviewed on Trust
the Dice in >year< that were released in previous years.]
10 – Above the Shadows (2019) Reviewed on: September 21 Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 51min Selina’s Rating: 4.5 Cat’s Rating: 3.5
IMDb Blurb: A young woman who has faded to the point of
becoming invisible must find her way back with the help of the one man who can see
her. Above the Shadows made it to our schedule because I saw
a clip of it on TikTok. It looked a little campy, but like it had a unique
premise. I was not prepared for what it actually was, though. Without the twist affecting the main character, it could
have been just about any sport romance film out there. Boxer loses his way,
falls in love and it inspires him to win. Basic, right? But Above the
Shadows shows the story from the view point of the love interest, who just
so happens to be invisible to everyone else in the world. That’s not something I’ve seen before. On top of that, there’s a depth to Above the Shadows.
It touches on grief and what happens when we lose ourselves in it. It’s a better film than I could have hoped, and worth a lot
more word of mouth than it’s had.
9 – Shadow in the Cloud (2020) Reviewed on: June 6 Genre: Action, Horror, War Rated: R Length: 1h 23min Selina’s Rating: 4 Cat’s Rating: 4
IMDb Blurb: A female WWII pilot traveling with top secret
documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the
flight. I always wanted to see Shadow in the Cloud, but I was
distinctly aware of all the hate it was getting from audiences. Anyone that’s followed the blog for any amount of time knows
that I tend to go with the audience, rather than the critics, when there’s a
huge discrepancy in how a film is received. Shadow in the Cloud is
sitting at a 77% with critics, but only a 32% with audiences. I’m ashamed to
admit that I let that influence me enough that I delayed watching it. This is the kind of movie that really shows that you can use
reviews and scores as a guide, but to always judge for yourself. Shadow in the Cloud was engaging, it had a couple of
great twists, and was incredibly suspenseful. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from
the screen, even if the creatures did look a little goofy.
IMDb Blurb: A young man arrives at a remote island to take a
post of weather observer only to find himself defending the watchtower from
deadly creatures which live in the island shores. Cold Skin was recommended to us, and I was eager to
add it to the schedule. I love when we get recommendations. Especially when I’ve
never heard of the film to begin with. It touched on all the ‘humans are the worst’ lessons that I tend
to love in a good fantasy movie, while also being an exceptionally tense watch.
It’s a dark, somewhat bleak, movie… so it’s not for everyone, but we took an instant
liking to it.
7 – Sing 2 (2021) Reviewed on: March 30 Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy Rated: PG Length: 1h 50min Selina’s Rating: 4 Cat’s Rating: 5
IMDb Blurb: Buster Moon and his friends must persuade
reclusive rock star Clay Calloway to join them for the opening of a new show. I enjoyed the first Sing (2016). It was cute and the soundtrack
was hard to ignore. It also had a lot more heart than I expected. When the sequel was announced, I couldn’t imagine where it
could go that wouldn’t feel like a complete rehash of the first. I teetered
back and forth on whether or not I even wanted to waste time watching it. We had
an opening in March and both of us were looking for something a little more
light-hearted. I figured it couldn’t hurt. Sing 2 wound up being an even better film than the
first. There was a more in-depth plot, and the show that the troupe put on was
even catchier. There was a bit of a ‘rehash’ feel in it, but not enough to
detract from the quality.
IMDb Blurb: Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a
small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with
dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element. I know. You see Dwayne Johnson’s (Black Adam, Red Notice,
Jumanji: The Next Level) name involved in a film and you figure it’ll be funny,
but kind of crap. Although I like him, I can acknowledge that he’s not the most
amazing actor in the world. That said, if he’s involved in a film that requires
all the puns and banter that he’s known for, he can still elevate it. That’s what Jungle Cruise was. It had a decent plot, and a couple of interesting twists,
but it was really all about the giggles and banter between Johnson and Emily
Blunt (Wild Mountain Thyme, A Quiet Place, Mary Popping Returns). It
just worked. It was a turn-your-brain off popcorn flick that was meant to
lighten the mood. And it did its job spectacularly.
5 – The Matrix Resurrections (2021) Reviewed on: January 14 Genre: Action, Sci-Fi Rated: R Length: 2h 28min Selina’s Rating: 4.5 Cat’s Rating: 5
IMDb Blurb: Return to a world of two realities: one,
everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a
construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson will have to choose to follow
the white rabbit once more. There are a lot of people who would disagree with this
entry. I will disagree with them to my last breath, though. The Matrix Resurrections was a deep dive into
nostalgia, but it also had a meta ‘fuck you’ to authorities in Hollywood. I
loved that. There’s something about the private joking at the expense of people
who deserve to be joked about that just speaks to me. Especially when the
writers let me in on it. Lana Wachowski (Sense8, Cloud Atlas, V for Vendetta)
was forced to do a nostalgia sequel to The Matrix (1999) and she maliciously
complied. I love it.
4 – Prospect (2018) Reviewed on: January 19 Genre: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi Rated: R Length: 1h 40min Selina’s Rating: 4.5 Cat’s Rating: 4
IMDb Blurb: A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote
alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They've secured a contract to harvest a
large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon's toxic
forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves
into a fight to survive. Forced to contend not only with the forest's other
ruthless inhabitants, but with her own father's greed-addled judgment, the girl
finds she must carve her own path to escape. We came across Prospect by complete accident. January is a rough month for new films, so we rely on stuff
from previous years to fill out the schedule. Most of the time we get those
from rolling dice on a list we’ve compiled from all the streaming services we
have access to. That’s how we came to Prospect. Neither of us had heard of it before, but the inclusion of Pedro
Pascal (The Bubble, The Book of Boba Fett, The Unbearable Weight of Massive
Talent) felt promising. In the end, as good as he was in this film, he wasn’t even
remotely the best part. The settings were grungy and gorgeous, everything seemed to
be created with practical effects, Sophie Thatcher (Blink, Yellowjackets, The
Tomorrow Man) owned her character completely. It was amazing to watch,
especially as the twists rolled in.
3 – The King’s Man (2021) Reviewed on: March 28 Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller Rated: R Length: 2h 11min Selina’s Rating: 5 Cat’s Rating: 5
IMDb Blurb: In the early years of the 20th century, the
Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out
millions. I’m on the side of audiences where The King’s Man is
concerned. Critics may be spitting all over it, but the audience knew they got
exactly what they should have expected from a film in the Kingsmen series. I read one review from a critic that called it, “a feature
length film of Drunk History where everyone was high on cocaine,” as if that
were a bad thing. He wasn’t wrong, it was outstandingly ridiculous. My question
is, why would you expect anything else from a Kingsmen film? They’re all ridiculous.
They harken back to a time when the Bond series was more camp and corn than actual
action. That’s literally what they set out to be. Even with that, there were times in The King’s Man
where I sat up and said – out loud – “oh shit!” It’s not often that a movie
surprises me on that level. It’s a great addition to the rest of the series, and has all
the glamorous fight choreography you could want. Critics be damned.
2 – Free Guy (2021) Reviewed on: May 4 Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy Rated: PG-13 Length: 1h 55min Selina’s Rating: 5 Cat’s Rating: 5
IMDb Blurb: A bank teller discovers that he's actually an
NPC inside a brutal, open world video game. We followed Ryan Reynolds (Spirited, Red Notice, Deadpool)
to Free Guy and it was one of the best choices we made the whole year. It
gave us all the glorious banter we could want alongside a great plot and some
extremely unexpected philosophical questions. That’s what threw me off the most. The philosophical
questions. When I watch a Ryan Reynolds comedy, the last thing I’m expecting is
to wind up questioning my entire existence. It was wild.
1 – Encanto (2021) Reviewed on: January 12 Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family Rated: PG Length: 1h 42min Selina’s Rating: 5 Cat’s Rating: 5
IMDb Blurb: A Colombian teenage girl has to face the
frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers. How could anything else possibly have been number 1? We saw Encanto
this year and the soundtrack has been a constant addition to my household
since then. My 4-year-old is in love with it, and I love watching it with her. Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights, Mary
Poppins Returns) is unbeatable and giving him Encanto was the best
choice Disney has ever made.
[Note: These are the worst new movies of the year that
we’ve reviewed on Trust the Dice. If it wasn't reviewed on the site, it's not
eligible.] 8 – Tall Girl 2 Reviewed on: February 23 Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family Rated: TV-PG Length: 1h 37min Selina’s Rating: 2 Cat’s Rating: 2.5
IMDb Blurb: After Jodi Kreyman gains popularity, her
miscommunications start causing rifts with those around her and now she really
needs to 'stand tall'. The first Tall Girl was full-on crap. It would have
been much higher on this list than number 10. So, although Tall Girl 2
was bad, it does show a bit of improvement. I guess. The story is still dumb. The scenes are still ridiculous.
Nothing about it is believable. Except one thing. Tall Girl 2 does work well to visualize anxiety. It
delves into that little voice in your head that says worse stuff about you than
any bully could. It does that really well, actually. I wish it were a better movie, because the parts about
overcoming those negative thoughts was good. 7 – The Bubble Reviewed on: April 6 Genre: Comedy Rated: R Length: 2h 6min Selina’s Rating: 1.5 Cat’s Rating: 3
IMDb Blurb: A group of actors and actresses stuck inside a
pandemic bubble at a hotel attempt to complete a film. The Bubble had a huge amount of potential. It had almost
no advertising before it was released, but it seemed like a meta story that
involved tons of big-name actors making fun of Hollywood. That is exactly the kind
of comedy that I gravitate toward. So, I was excited. The whole film was a mess. The actors phoned everything in,
the pacing was awful, and the jokes simply weren’t funny. I still wonder if Netflix released it as an April Fool’s
joke.
6 – Dark Glasses Reviewed on: October 10 Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 26min Selina’s Rating: 1.5 Cat’s Rating: 2.5
IMDb Blurb: Diana, a young woman who lost her sight, finds a
guide in a Chinese boy named Chin. Together they will track down a dangerous
killer through the darkness of Italy. I will admit that I liked the way this movie handled showing
how the main character adapted to being blind. We learned about her options and
the training she went through to be able to navigate her surroundings. That
part was decent. Dark Glasses was a bad film, but it wasn’t out-right
problematic. Really, it was just boring. It’s a shame, because the beginning really pumped me up for
what was coming, and then it just plateaued until the ending. 5 – A Banquet Reviewed on: May 23 Genre: Horror Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 37min Selina’s Rating: 1 Cat’s Rating: 2
IMDb Blurb: A widowed mother is radically tested when her
teenage daughter insists a supernatural experience has left her body in service
to a higher power. Even with the supernatural aspect, A Banquet was just
as exploitative of eating disorders as I worried it would be. On top of that,
it was near impossible to watch. The pacing was so slow that it was like
watching paint dry, except when it’s being down-right offensive. 4 – Brazen Reviewed on: January 26 Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery Rated: TV-14 Length: 1h 34min Selina’s Rating: 1.5 Cat’s Rating: 2.5
IMDb Blurb: When her sister is killed and her double life as
a webcam performer is revealed, Grace ignores the warnings of a cool-headed
detective and gets involved in the case. If you want awful over-acting and a predictable plot – look no
further than Brazen. I remember being very excited to see Alyssa Milano (Give Me
an A, You Are My Home, Insatiable) in a new legit film. When I finally got
to sit down and watch, though, I couldn’t have been more disappointed. It was
awful. Although it was supposed to be a mystery, there was none.
From the start it was obvious what was going on. The focus also seemed to be
more on the romance than anything else, and there wasn’t enough chemistry to make
that work. It was just a hot mess.
3 – The Long Night Reviewed on: June 27 Genre: Horror Rated: R Length: 1h 31min Selina’s Rating: 1 Cat’s Rating: 2
IMDb Blurb: A devoted couple's quiet weekend takes a bizarre
turn when a nightmarish cult and their maniacal leader come to fulfill an
apocalyptic prophesy. There were no saving graces for The Long Night. It
felt as long as the name implies. The acting was awful and the plot was trope-y.
There wasn’t anything to sink your teeth into.
2 – Carter Reviewed on: August 8 Genre: Action, Thriller Rated: TV-MA Length: 2h 12min Selina’s Rating: 1.5 Cat’s Rating: 1
IMDb Blurb: Thrown straight into a dangerous mission with
none of his memories intact, a man must escape death while trying to figure out
who he is, how he ended up here, and who is the mysterious voice in his ear
calling him "Carter"? The shaky cam involved in Carter was unnecessary. It was
so bad that it could make anyone vomit. Cat couldn’t even watch it in one
sitting. I thought Hardcore Henry (2015) went overboard with
it. Carter made that one seem steady.
1 – Reed’s Point Reviewed on: April 8 Genre: Horror Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 16min Selina’s Rating: 1 Cat’s Rating: 1.5
IMDb Blurb: A vehicle crash in the Pine Barrens leads to a
missing teen which raises conspiracy theories about the infamous Jersey Devil
legend. On the anniversary of the crash, Sarah Franklin, convinced her cousin
Kelsey is alive, goes out to the crash site with Alex, Kelsey's boyfriend, to
investigate. Things go downhill quickly as Sarah and Alex uncover what really
lurks in the woods. Finally, the worst movie of 2022… Reed’s Point. To be fair, I wasn’t expecting Reed’s Point to be
good. I was more hoping that it would fall into the ‘so bad it’s good’ category.
But it didn’t even do that. Just when I thought it had something to offer, it twisted
into an ending so bad that I gave myself a headache rolling my eyes.
IMDb Blurb: It's Christmas Eve and Tori just wants to get
drunk and party, but when a robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes
haywire and begins a rampant killing spree through her small town, she's forced
into a battle for survival.
I fell in absolute love with Christmas Bloody Christmas.
It was fun, bloody, and the banter was second to none. I can’t pass up a movie
with good banter, it hits me right in my funny bone. In this case, Christmas
Bloody Christmas also blessed us with a badass final girl and a robot with
laser beam eyes.
IMDb Blurb: A disgraced internet personality attempts to win
back his followers by livestreaming one night alone in a haunted house. But
when he accidentally pisses off a vengeful spirit, his big comeback event
becomes a real-time fight for his life.
This low budget flick took everyone by complete surprise.
There are other films that I could have put here in its place, but the way it
blew high above all expectations made me feel like it NEEDED to be here.
Deadstream is a found footage horror film that
negates all the reasons someone might not like a found footage horror. The
camera is steadier, there’s less jump scares that are meant to be fake outs,
etc.
It was a passion project by a husband-and-wife team, Joseph
Winter (V/H/S/99, It Came from the Lab, Abandoned in Space) and Vanessa
Winter (V/H/S/99, Studio C, Loving Lyfe), and it shows.
IMDb Blurb: A hard-working, blue-collar dad just wants to
provide a good life for his quick-witted 10-year-old daughter. His mundane San
Fernando Valley pool cleaning job is a front for his real source of income:
hunting and killing vampires.
Day Shift is a great example of why I think directors
that were once in stunts have a leg up on all other action directors.
Who else but J.J. Perry (F9: The Fast Saga, Bloodshot, John
Wick: Chapter 2), a highly experienced stunt coordinator, would have thought
to hire contortionists? It seems like such a small thing, but that one choice
caused the vampires in this film to be so much creepier than in most other undead
movies to come out in the last couple of decades.
I’m surprised that critics didn’t like Day Shift
much, because it DID kind of reinvent the wheel. It introduced a whole new level
of practical effects and casting to the horror genre.
Day Shift is a great movie that’s readily available
on Netflix.
IMDb Blurb: Two friends try to form a heavy metal band with
a cellist for a Battle of the Bands.
My all-time favorite movie is SLC Punk (1998). Part
of my love for it comes from my love for punk music and the punk scene. The
movie itself is a love letter to all of it. It has that ‘fuck the system’ heart
woven in with a killer story and some extreme acting.
That’s what Metal Lords is to the metalhead scene.
As I’ve mentioned, I’ve always leaned more punk than
anything else. So, I wasn’t really the target demographic for this metal love
letter. My best friend, however, is.
Even though he has a depth of hatred for coming-of-age
films, I forced him to sit down and watch Metal Lords. By the end of it,
he was glad that I annoyed him into it. For anyone with a love of all things
metal, Metal Lords is simply required viewing.
Cat, in all her gentle fluffiness, also has a love for metal
music – and so Metal Lords spoke to her more than it did to me. Still, I
can’t deny the parallels between it and my all-time favorite. I appreciate it
for what it is.
IMDb Blurb: A reclusive romance novelist on a book tour with
her cover model gets swept up in a kidnapping attempt that lands them both in a
cutthroat jungle adventure.
If someone were to design a high-budget parody of Uncharted
(2022) or Tomb Raider (2001), The Lost City is how it would turn out.
It’s a cute action film with characters that should never be
dropped in an action story. Who doesn’t like that kind of underdog tale?
Especially when there’s just a ton of humor woven throughout.
Daniel Radcliffe (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Miracle
Workers, Guns Akimbo) also makes a hell of a creepy antagonist. Gotta love
that for him.
IMDb Blurb: After a breakup, Wes ends up at a remote rest stop.
He finds himself locked inside the bathroom with a mysterious figure speaking
from an adjacent stall. Soon Wes realizes he is involved in a situation more
terrible than he could imagine.
Watching the trailer, you’d never expect Glorious to
live up to its name. Featuring two people stuck in a rest stop bathroom with a
touch of the supernatural sprinkled in might not be a description that attracts
all audiences.
I was not prepared for just how good it actually was.
J.K. Simmons (Night Sky, Marmaduke, Spider-Man: No Way
Home) has the perfect voice for a disembodied celestial being in a toilet
stall, while Ryan Kwanten (Expired, Section 8, 2067) has just the right
kind of clueless sense of humor to create a harmony. It was a short movie,
tightly edited, with no time to look away.
Glorious could have been a very basic story from
start to finish, and I still would have loved it. When the twists were woven
in, everything just got exponentially better.
This was one of the best movies we found on Shudder in 2022.
IMDb Blurb: A 13-year-old girl named Meilin turns into a
giant red panda whenever she gets too excited.
Turning Red is a cringe-filled, furry look at coming
of age.
If anything, it’s a testament to how far Disney’s come. The
starring family is full of culture, there’s talk of menstruation, and even more
discussion around breaking generational trauma cycles. Not all the comedy was
for me, but that was personal. Overall, it took the animated coming-of-age
story into our century, finally.
Nothing was sugar coated, but it was all still perfectly
crafted for pre-teens.
IMDb Blurb: When the CIA's most skilled operative, whose
true identity is known to none, accidentally uncovers dark agency secrets, a
psychopathic former colleague puts a bounty on his head, setting off a global
manhunt by international assassins.
Critics HATED The Gray Man, but I will stand behind it
with all my being.
It was a popcorn film that was fun, fast-paced, and had all
the glorious banter you could ever want. The sarcastic variety that Ryan
Gosling (La La Land, Drive, First Man) is a god at. Clearly, no one
making The Gray Man was worried about the critics. It was all about the
audience and I absolutely support that style of movie making.
It didn’t reinvent the wheel, but not every flick has to. It
was pure action.
Although it followed tropes, it never leaned toward the more
obnoxious variety, and even called out other actions films through little
sniping jokes in the script. I think, in a few years, it might be re-examined
by critics. Hopefully with some of the stick pulled out of their asses.
We’ve been quoting The Gray Man to each other since
we saw it. After all, who throws a loaded gun?
IMDb Blurb: When a sadistic serial killer begins murdering
key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's
hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.
I know a lot of people would argue with The Batman being
this low on the list. They’re not completely wrong. It’s a great movie with
some incredible performances.
Robert Pattinson (The Devil All the Time, Tenet, The
Lighthouse) made a better Batman than anyone could have possibly predicted.
Zoë Kravitz (Viena and the Fantomes, Kimi, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
had all the poise of a proper Catwoman. I can’t say enough about how Colin
Farrell (Ava, Thirteen Lives, The Banshees of Inisherin) disappeared
into the Penguin.
The actor that made the biggest mark on me, however, was
Paul Dano (Pantheon, The Guilty, Okja). There’s a part where his face is
moving in such odd ways that it gave me that awful uncanny valley feeling. I
had to actively look away from the screen while it was going on, because it
creeped me out so much.
The only reason I can’t put it higher on this list is
because it was just way too long. It could have easily been made into two
different movies, each over an hour and a half long. Together in one film, it
was impossible for me to sit through. Despite how good it was.
IMDb Blurb: Equipped with a gas mask and a crumbling map,
the Assassin, an iron-clad humanoid, descends into a rusty, peril-laden
underworld of grime, blood, and unsettling monstrosities. As the stealthy
invader meanders through the labyrinthine post-apocalyptic wasteland on a
mysterious mission, going deeper and deeper in the nightmarish realm, the
Assassin gradually reaches his final destination: the heart of this grotesque
tower of torture. But what cruel, vindictive deity allows fear and suffering to
take its most complete creation further and further into despair? Only a Mad
God would revel in humankind's ordeal.
This script-less entry was 30-years in the making. It was
fully stop motion and painstakingly created by Phil Tippett (Jurassic Park,
The Spiderwick Chronicles, Starship Troopers), and his students, over decades.
It’s full of horrific and gory visuals that sink into a masterpiece of world
building.
Every minute of Mad God is nightmare inducing. Every
second is something I guarantee you’ve never seen before, and never will again.
It’s a fascinating story told without dialogue by a master
of his craft.
IMDb Blurb: Doctor Strange teams up with a mysterious
teenage girl from his dreams who can travel across multiverses, to battle
multiple threats, including other-universe versions of himself, which threaten
to wipe out millions across the multiverse. They seek help from Wanda the
Scarlet Witch, Wong and others.
I’m a Marvel fan girl. So is Cat. That makes it a little
strange that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not higher
on this list. For me, that’s because it didn’t feel like a Marvel film. It felt
like a Sam Raimi (Ash vs Evil Dead, Rake, Drag Me to Hell)film.
That is not a bad thing. I love me some Sam Raimi, and the
movie was a great watch. It had all the mind-breaking moments you’d want from
Doctor Strange as a character, as well.
I loved seeing a character we’d all grown attached to turn
heel. It was about time we got something like that.
It was a solid offering from Marvel. Even if it’s not at the
top of our list.
IMDb Blurb: A basketball scout discovers a phenomenal street
ball player while in Spain and sees the prospect as his opportunity to get back
into the NBA.
Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems, Murder Mystery, The Week Of)
is a drama actor. That’s it. People need to stop thinking otherwise.
If you see a comedy released that doesn’t have drama as a
shared genre, and Sandler is in it – it might be better avoided. If his name is
mentioned in the same sentence as a drama, though, make sure to add it to your ‘to
see’ list.
Hustle destroyed any expectations I could have had
for it. What I thought was going to be a typical sports film had more heart in
it than anything else this year did. And Sandler knocked his performance out of
the park (sorry, I don’t know enough basketball to make the sports metaphor based
around it).
Cat doesn’t even like sports films, and she had to give it credit.
That says a lot.
IMDb Blurb: When a group of mercenaries attack the estate of
a wealthy family, Santa Claus must step in to save the day (and Christmas).
Violent Night was a late addition to our Best Movies
of the Year. It was the last movie we watched before our holiday break.
It left us off on a very strong note.
It was the perfect mix of Home Alone (1990) and Die
Hard (1988). David Harbour (Black Widow, Stranger Things, Extraction)
was bad-ass and brought a charisma to Santa Claus that could have otherwise been
lost in all the violence. Little Leah Brady (Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls, The
Umbrella Academy, Hunting a Documentary) was the perfect child actor to
work along side him, and brought an innocence to the film that made it easier
to watch.
The bloodiness of the action scenes juxtaposed against everything
that Santa Claus is was just as hilarious as expected. What caught me off-guard
was that it was still very much a Christmas movie. It had all the lessons you’d
find in a cut and paste Hallmark film, with none of the desire to slam your
head into a wall.
As far as I’m concerned, this is the new annual holiday film
in this house. Right after Anna and the Apocalypse (2017).
IMDb Blurb: After accidentally crash-landing in 2022,
time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self for a
mission to save the future.
Ryan Reynolds (Spirited, Red Notice, Free Guy) is the
king of banter. That’s why Cat and I follow him to every movie he takes part
in. We have very different senses of humor – but banter is the bridge. Both of
us go nuts for good, funny, fast-paced dialogue.
The Adam Project had that in spades.
It’s not the newest idea for a film, but it’s executed
expertly and hilarious.
We were both also impressed by Walker Scobell’s (Secret
Headquarters, Percy Jackson and the Olympians) ability to keep up with Mr.
Reynolds. That’s not an easy feat for anyone, let alone a pre-teen. He held his
own exceptionally well and proved that he has a hell of a career ahead of him.
IMDb Blurb: In 2003, a trio of mercenaries escaping a coup
in Guinea-Bissau take refuge in a hidden region on the Saloum river of Senegal.
But something from beyond the grave awaits them there.
This movie was one of the ones we received from Shudder in 2022.
I hadn’t heard anything about it, except through them, and didn’t really know
what to expect.
It started in the crime genre, and it was interesting, but
when it took that hard left into the supernatural, I no longer found it
possible to look away. I got to see a completely unfamiliar story from the
viewpoint of an African culture that I had never seen anything from. It was incredible.
Saloum did have the feel of a low budget film, but it
was backed up by big budget ideas, immersive acting, and a setting that played into
every bit of the story.
It’s still available on Shudder, and I couldn’t recommend it
more.
IMDb Blurb: A young Viking prince is on a quest to avenge
his father's murder.
The Northman is criminally underrated by audiences. I
know why, too. It’s grungy, dark, and bleak. There’s no mirth in it at all.
There’s maybe 30 seconds of cuteness in the beginning and then it all turns to
blood and vengeance.
In the past few years, humor has been what audiences have
flocked to. Is there any wonder why? The world has been a terrifyingly awful
place lately, and people just want to turn off their brains and laugh.
That is not what happens with The Northman.
Still, the story is entrancing, the cinematography is
gorgeous, and the action scenes are expertly choreographed. Alexander Skarsgård
(The Stand, Godzilla vs. Kong, Passing) is unrecognizably brutal in most
of his scenes, and impossible to not root for. Even as the story warps while
unfolding.
Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, The Witch, Brothers) has
proven himself, again, to be an irreplaceable writer/director.
I’m not surprised that critics loved The Northman. I
think audiences need to give it another chance.
IMDb Blurb: Two scheming demon brothers, Wendell and Wild,
enlist the aid of 13-year-old Kat Elliot to summon them to the Land of the
Living.
Henry Selick (Little Nightmares, Coraline, Monkeybone)
and Jordan Peele (Nope, Us, Get Out) are both geniuses. It’s not a
stretch to believe that something they worked on together would be brilliant.
Unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what Wendell & Wild was.
It was insightful, hilarious, beautifully animated, and it was
tied together by a killer soundtrack.
Wendell & Wild avoided tropes and was just impossible
to look away from. During a more emotional scene, it had me ugly crying in a
way I never thought something like this could. It was a comedy, after all.
If it were up to me, Wendell & Wild would be much
higher on this list, but I had to fight Cat to even get it here. It deserves to
be higher.
IMDb Blurb: After being abducted by a child killer and
locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a
disconnected phone from the killer's previous victims.
It is with The Black Phone that I decided I prefer
Joe Hill’s (Locke & Key, In the Tall Grass, Horns) stories to his
father’s. At least in movie form.
Granted, I haven’t read the short story this film is based
on, but if they didn’t drastically change anything then my statement stands. Stephen
King’s (Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, Firestarter, It) endings always tend to
leave something to be desired, but Hill nails it.
His antagonists are usually well rounded as well. And, in
this case, they couldn’t have gotten someone better to represent the Grabber.
Ethan Hawke (The Northman, Moon Knight, Tesla) gave
me literal nightmares with his performance. Normally that would be a bad thing,
but in this case it was unparalleled. He was creepy on every level. His voices,
his movement, all of it done without the help of facial expressions. I put his performance
in The Black Phone at the same level as Anthony Hopkins (The Son, Elyse,
Hitchcock) as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs (1991). It
was flawless.
The Black Phone was one of the most anticipated films
of 2022, and it was worth every bit of the hype.
IMDb Blurb: Naru, a skilled warrior of the Comanche Nation,
fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators
to land on Earth.
Prequels can be hit or miss. More often, if we’re honest, a
miss. That said, Prey managed to be everything we hoped for and then
some.
Not a whole lot was done to expand the Predator (1987)
world, but just going into the first appearance of the titular antagonist on Earth
was interesting. It gave us that feel of the original, while offering up cleaner
visuals and more in-depth characters.
Not only that, but Amber Midthunder (The Ice Road, The
Wheel, She’s Missing) revealed herself to be a superstar in the making. She
was absolutely glorious as the stubborn and capable Naru. She needs to see a
hell of a lot more screen time. Midthunder absolutely made this film as
fantastic as it was. Without her, there might be something different in this place
on the list.
IMDb Blurb: After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing
the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when
he leads TOP GUN's elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate
sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.
If I had to give an example of a nostalgia sequel that was as
close to perfect as possible, it would be Top Gun: Maverick.
I’m not even the biggest fan of the original Top Gun
(1986). Still, Maverick struck me as an amazing mix of the old with the
new. It held the feel of the original while offering more updated ideas, and
characters that the newer generations could attach themselves to. It widened
the world of the original by giving us insight into what happened to some
audience favorites.
As great as Tom Cruise (American Made, Edge of Tomorrow,
Mission Impossible) was in it, he didn’t overshadow anyone. Revisiting Val
Kilmer’s (Paydirt, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, Cinema Twain) Iceman and getting
to meet Jennifer Connelly’s (Alita: Battle Angel, Only the Brave, Aloft)
only discussed in the first movie, Penny, felt monumental. Anyone who didn’t
tear up at Kilmer’s scene is clearly dead inside. On the other hand, getting to
meet Goose’s son, played by Miles Teller (Whiplash, Divergent, Only the
Brave), felt like getting to meet the descendant of an old friend.
Top Gun: Maverick did everything right. It will stand
as the prime example of a nostalgia sequel for a long time.
