Downhill

In 2013 Nat Faxon & Jim Rash directed the criminally underrated The Way Way Back, so with their new film, Downhill, i was stoked. The first act was great, but once the avalanche hits you're sort of stuck with characters you don't really like, and not in a Seinfeld/It's Always Sunny sort of way but a "let me speak to your manager" sort of way. The last act got a bit sappy and ultimately the film as a while felt pointless.

The Lodge

The Lodge will have minimal thoughts as discussing it really needs spoilers. This is a film about two sides of the same story, or is it? This is a film that basks in disorientation and build up tension until the very end. It shows the pain of mental illness and the horrors of religion. With the tight script and terrific acting this is a huge strep up from Goodnight Mommy. This is a slow burn with some jolting moments and is the best Hammer film in a long time. I really wish i could say more but seeing the film will help you understand why i can't.

Fantasy Island

Doing a horror version of Fantasy Island sounded like a great idea on paper. and with Jason Blum producing? Well, Blum has proven in the past not to be bullet proof, and neither was this film. There are some great ideas in the story, but the script is too weak, too contrived and too stupid. With that said, i had a fun time with it. It is easily so bad it is good, i'd totally watch this at a midnight screening and crack wise. If you're looking for tits and gore, you wont find it, if you are looking for logic, you will not find it, but if you want to laugh(usually unintentional) then this is it! Honestly i would be down for a sequel, because unlike the Turning or the Grudge, this here wasn't torture, this here was Troll 2, okay maybe that is too much credit. Also the douche bros were easily the best part of the film, and without them the film honestly might have been total shit.

Sonic

Admittedly I am more of a Mario guy than a Sonic guy, but i always loved playing the game. I was one that didn't care about the look of Sonic in the original cut but i am glad they switched the look, he looks better. Many thought the film would be trash and it easily could have been but the fun script helped elevate essentially a kids flick. Jim Carey is fantastic in this, alot of his work seemed ad libbed and he was obviously having a blast. This isn't high art but it is a fun time. The Paramount   logo was sweet as was the Sega intro, not to mention the end credits and the stinger. That is two fun video game films in the past year, keep that up!

High Fidelity

Wow, so alot of shows just aren't needed, alot of remakes just aren't needed, but some remakes work as TV shows. High Fidelity is a remake that works, High Fidelity is a TV series that works. Every episode is tightly directed with scripts that contain wit & heart, the acting is great, and the setting is familiar with people many of us see daily. Those characters have layers, some episodes you like em, other times you don't, it all feels real. Zoe Kravitz play a similar yet different version of Rob than that of John Cussak , the gender swap works great here. It has the grungey & hipstery spirit i wanted that i felt wouldn't truly feel authentic in today's world where it is the norm. I loved this season and hope for season two!

Horse Girl

Jeff Baena is an eclectic film maker, Life After Beth was a charming zombie comedy, The Little Hours was an offbeat period piece, an now he has Netflix's Horse Girl, starring a very nude Allison Brie(also a co writer). Horse Girl is already the weirdest film of 2020, not that there is much competition, and is Baena's best film yet. Brie delivers a creepy performance in a film where you question reality but also shines a light on mental illness. It's at times a deep film but it doesn't present itself in a pretentious way. This isn't a film for everybody, this is a film for lovers of both quirky comedies and surreal cinema might dig this. It isn't quite Lynchian but i'd compare it more to Room 104, which makes sense since the Duplass Brothers served as executive producers on this.

The Rhythm Section

Reed Morano impressed me two years ago with I Think We're Alone Now, it was a very inspired film. Her follow up, the Rhythm Section is a bland, muddled, contrived, and choppy film with wooden acting and sloppy fights. What influenced her to make a film like this after a quirky and odd previous films is beyond me. I kept trying to find something to like in this film, but i just could not. Of the female assassin films of the past 3 years this is easily the weakest.