In January, I declared Monolith as one of the dumbest movies I’d have ever seen; despite it being an entertaining flick. I secretly felt that no other movie released in 2018 could top its foolishness. Little did I know Rob Cohen’s disaster movie The Hurricane Heist was waiting around the corner, ready to blow me away.
By: Nick van Dinther It’s so difficult to pull off a horror film that’s truly frightening. Many movies rely on jump scares or violent deaths, but the results rarely stick with you after the fact. It’s a genre that’s incredibly divisive between both fans and critics, and fails more often than it succeeds for both. A filmmaker needs to bring something genuinely special and memorable to the table to appeal to all. Writer/director Ari Aster…
By: Trevor Chartrand It’s refreshing to see original scripts can still make their way to the big screen! Between the endless tirade of superhero movies, novel adaptations, sequels, remakes, and reboots, it’s rare to see something that’s actually fresh. Films aren’t often greenlit without a built-in fanbase – and even when they are, they rarely rise above mediocrity. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with Drew Pearce’s Hotel Artemis. The film isn’t going to revolutionize cinema…
Another Soul will remind viewers of other movies. It’s an echo of supernatural horror stories told before featuring demons, possessions, conflicted parents, and exorcisms. But, Another Soul is also a shoestring effort working with limited resources that no one would truly want to slam because the cast and crew are simply “doing their best”. This, perhaps, could’ve acted as an excuse to criticize Paul Chau’s film on a curve, but I’m afraid the Paranormal Activity franchise has…
Juggernaut has an element it excels in – troubled characters gradually bringing their brooding funk to an explosive spill. I’d like to believe writer/director Daniel DiMarco is aware of how his film works, but the filmmaker consistently sidesteps around this area of strength. I don’t think DiMarco is clueless, but he’s making too much trouble for himself to seek out a challenge.
The Wasting is a small film with large misfires. It’s an unfortunate directorial debut from documentary writer Carolyn Saunders and, boy, what a reluctant debut it is.
Cruel Summer, a film based on a tragically wrongheaded crime, is a knockoff of Larry Clark’s Bully. I’m fine with that; following that model isn’t necessarily problematic.
Mom and Dad is a touchy sell, even if the film is up front with its maniacal plot about parents killing their children and how it shoots for the moon in terms of dark comedy.
Why can’t George Clooney make a movie that’s “simple”? I don’t mean “simple” as in unremarkable quality, but “simple” as in accessible entertainment.
