The Invisible Man

I love Universal Monsters, i love the monsters and i love the atmosphere of them. The 2020 Invisible Man brings us a new version of the iconic character(loosely) and delivers the atmosphere. From the opening scene until the end the tension is built and you are forced to walk a line of anxiety the entire time. Fine acting, good amounts of gore and a fantastic score helped make this film. It might be from seeing it in Dolby but the score makes your heart race, the jumps come from the music. As i said this is loosely based on the Invisible Man book and film, it honestly resembles Hollow Man more than the Universal classic but the overall feeling you get has vintage horror written all over it. This is more of a psychological thriller fused with a slasher than a monster film. Leigh Whannell has not only directed two awesome films in a row, but he has upped his game this time around.

Color Out of Space

Color Out of Space is not my favorite Richard Stanley film but it might just be his best made. The first 30 minutes is almost too slow, then once the main plot kicks in it takes about another 30 minutes for the film to finally gain momentum. Nic Cage shows moments of insanity but i wish he went all out for it. The last act is nuts, colorful carnage, psychedelic gore and and an assault on the senses. Wish i had seen it in theaters for the experience but really only for the last act, the first hour was too boring.

The Wave

The Wave feels like the type of film i wanted to make in my early 20s. Drug driven, surreal, dark, and comedic. The first act is great, the second act is bonkers, it gets a bit jumbled at the end but the ending wraps everything up perfectly. Playing with time and locations helped set the hectic pace, it makes you feel as if you are tripping. The issues with drug use and the human mind are quite on point. Justin Long gives his best performance outside of Kevin Smith is quite some time as you go through this shitty trip with him. This is a Triple C laced piece of cinema, and honestly i'd love to watch this as a double bill with Southland Tales.

VFW

VFW is Joe Begos' best film. A neon lit grindhouse homage that doesn't feel forced, it feels inspired. Take away the fake sound pops and grain but add in a John Carpenter esque score and a Carpenter centric plot. Imagine the group from the Thing but instead of facing an alien they're in Assault on Precinct 13 with a dash of Jeremy Saulnier's Green Room. A fantastic cast with some of the best head shots in recent memory with easily the best gore of the year. This is less "exploitation homage" and more using vintage tricks to tell a badass story.

Come To Daddy

Come to Daddy is an odd film, a slow burn that gets dark, darker and nuts before letting the shit hit the fan before slowing things down again. I love modern Elijah Wood, this horror period he's been in the past decade has shown him in a new light and this film here gave him plenty of layers. This feels like if Tommy Wiseau actually made a good film, that isn't a knock on him nor this film, just how it felt. Characters are randomly introduced, folks exit in odd manners but it actually works here. Not a perfect film but easily the oddest of 2020 thus far.

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.

Birds of Prey

Well the DCEU is indeed an odd one, critics and fans both seemed to hate Man of Steel(misunderstood film in my opinion), same with BvS and Suicide Squad(both cluttered scripts), but the female lead Wonder Woman changed that, yet it got overshadowed by the Justice League, which also got a fair amount of hate. So are female DC films the way of the future? Could  be, i mean Birds of Prey is getting great reviews and everyone is loving it seemingly. Is is great film? No, it is flawed for sure but it is indeed a fun film. Fun has been what DCEU has given us since 2018. Aquaman was flawed yet fun, and Shazam was a blast, but BoP i rank above them all. The first act sets up characters well, but i wasn't hooked. It is not until act 2 when Harley Quinn must beat the shit out of a bunch of people that the film really takes off. The fight scenes are badass, and the sets & costumes are terrific, and the entire cast seems to be having a good time. Speaking of which, Ewan McGregor, this dude delivered so many great lines that said by anyone else might have felt cheap, flat or wooden but he nails it every single time. I honestly hope that this is the franchise that WB backs for the DCEU, and continue keeping the characters separate from each other. DCEU has always looked more stylish than MCU they just have had crap scripts for the most part, but this film didn't feel like a conveyor belt production from the House of Mouse, it felt genuine, it felt like the New 52!

Match of January

1. DIY vs Moustache Mountain: Worlds Collide

2. Imperium vs Undisputed Era: Worlds Collide

3. Naito vs Okada: Night 2 Wrestle Kingdom. IWGP Title

4. Naito vs Jay White: IC Title: Wrestlekingdom Night 1

5. Takahashi vs Will Ospreay: Junior Heavyweight Title: Wrestlekingdom Night 1

6. Okada vs Ibushi: IWGP title: Wrestlekingdom Night 1

7. Jericho vs Tanahashi: Wrestle Kingdom Night 2

8. Angel Garza vs Tyler Breeze: 205 Live

9. Nick Aldis vs Flip Gordon: NWA Title: Hard Times

10. Bray  Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan: Universal title: Royal Rumble

11. Keith Lee vs Dijakovic vs Damien Priest vs Cameron Grimes: NXT

12. Kay Lee Ray vs Toni Storm vs Piper Niven: UK Womens title: Takeover

13. Tyler Bate vs Jordan Devlin: Takeover

14. Eddie Dennis vs Trent Seven:  Takeover

15. Thunder Rosa vs Allysin Kay: NWA Womens Title: Hard Times

16. Dragunov vs Alexandre Wolfe. NXT UK

17. Gallus vs Grizzled vs Imperium vs Andrews and Webster: UK Tag title ladder match: Takeover

18. Roderick Strong vs Keith Lee: NA Title: NXT

19. Broserweights vs Grizzled Young Veterans: NXT

20. Dijakovic vs Damien Priest: NXT

21. Broserweights vs Imperium: NXT

22. Broserweights vs Andrews and Webster: NXT

23. Grizzled vs ReDragon: NXT

24. Grizzled vs Timesplitters: NXT

25. Swerve vs Lio Rush vs Tyler Breeze: NXT

26. Zach Sabre Jr vs Sanda: Night 2Wrestlekingdom: British Heavyweight Title

27. Jay White vs Ibushi: Night 2 Wrestlekingdom

28 Shingo and Evil vs Goto and Ishii: New Year Dash

29. Aleister Black vs Buddy Murphy: Raw

30. Walter vs Joe Coffey: UK Title: Takeover

Gretel & Hansel

Gretel & Hansel isn't a bad film, it is actually quite atmospheric but the plot is a bit dull and muddled for a feature, even doing it as a horror film. Honestly i don't have any real complaints other than the pacing and aforementioned dullness, the script needed some work but it is way better than the Turning and the Grudge, but still horror in 2020 isn't off to a great start but fuck it, it is only January. Honestly, stick with the Simpsons version.