Werewolves

 

I honestly don't have much to say about Werewolves. I love Frank Grillo and getting to see him back in his Purge Anarchy goodness but with Werewolves is indeed a treat. It is a fun flick but i never felt invested into it, which is fine. Not everything needs to be great or be loved, this was a good and fun flick, nothing more nothing less. I wanted to love it but i don't feel underwhelmed either. Think SyFy channel fun! 

Dear Santa

 

Well the Farrelly Brothers have both dropped in quality this year. Peter dropped the most with Ricky Stanicky but Bobby made the worse film with Dear Santa. It tries to have heart much like Stanicky did but it fails. Jack Black is (purposely?) obnoxious and there is no chemistry with the cast. If you want Jack Black at Satan stick with Pick of Destiny. 

Match of December

Women's Iron Survivor: Deadline

Drew Vs Sami: Saturday Nights Main Event 

Fraxiom vs No Quarter Catch Crew: Deadline

Men's Iron Survivor: Deadline 

Gunther vs Finn vs Priest. WWE Title. Saturday Nights Main Event 

Tulsa King s2

 

Much like the first season, Tulsa King continues to be the best gem on the air. The plays for the families are Game of Thrones levels, the dark humor works, and the acting is top notch. The finale tied everything together even if the cliffhanger was a bit derivative.

A Complete Unknown

         

James Mangold had once again proven to be the master of the biopic. With A Complete Unknown he has crafted a great look at 60s New York, the folk scene and the meshing genres of music. Timothee Chalamet morphs into Bob Dylan and gives so much depth to his various sides.

Nosferatu

 

Robert Eggers has crafted his masterpiece with Nosferatu. It oozes gothic atmosphere, has a epic scope and knows how to use visuals....and keep images in the shadows. Great acting throughout and I loved the portrayal of Orlok and possession. I hope to see a full on black and white version! 

Getting Lost

 It's no secret that Lost is my all time favorite show. The amount of times i have watched it all the way through is insane, it is a show that i love all the way through, even the weaker moments with characters i truly cared about and writing that blew my mind. Getting Lost is a doc that celebrates the show, the cast, the fans and the community it spawned. This is a show where you hopped online after and discussed it for hours reading clues and this film highlights the fandom in such a perfect way. It also doesn't shy away from the toxicity of the writers room, and it hits you in the gut and not in the way this show does....but then it goes and hits you in the gut again but in terms of joy. Thank you to the filmmakers for this slice of fandom! 

Chasing Chasing Amy

 I love Kevin Smith, I love Chasing Amy. Behind Clerks and Clerks 2 it is my favorite film of his, it is definitely his best. Chasing Chasing Amy is a film about discovery of the film and ones sexuality. Queer cinema and finding yourself through this great film, only it tackles, and rightfully so, the problematic issues within the film.....a CIS man turning a lesbian straight. We hear from Smith fans aswell as the LGBTQ community. Some of it seems like a hit piece at times and yes, Smith was writing what he knew.....and not how it should have but he himself is CIS. Alyssa Jones had many men before Holden, but for some reason people are hung up that Holden "turned her straight" there is more to it than that. The problem with Amy falls more on to insecurity than homophobia. The film even acknowledges that and Smith owns up for what he wrote. This film is interesting but it really felt unbalanced......but then again perfectly balanced with viewpoints.  Even if that View is Askew. 

Megalopolis

 

I don't know what the fuck I watched, but I admired it. Francis Ford Coppala crafted his most ambitious film since Apocalypse Now only it is a disaster. He thinks the film is more artsy than it is...and it definitely is artsy, but at times it feels like info dump scenes from an MCU film, which knowing Francis, he would hate. It is style over substance and it makes no sense, but hey we get Aubrey Plaza being eaten out by Dominic Mysterio, I mean Shia Lebouf. I just wish aliens bad shown up to some hot make sense of this. 

Nightbitch

 

Nightbitch is a body horror without the horror. At the core it is a film about motherhood and all women must go through.  It uses morphing into a dog as a way to brilliantly talk about the primal rage inside. It is a touching and unnerving film, the unnerves come from the reality of struggles more so than the animalistic moments, but the touch comes from that same factor. This is a film about love and how you can still grow in your 30s and 40s. 

Kraven

 

What a crazy past 5 years it has been for cinematic comic book universes. DCEU ends....and with a joke that sums up the entire series....and I enjoyed the series. The 20th Century Marvel films ended by being tied into the McU Multiversaly. Now we get the end of the....Sonyverse? Sony will continue SpiderMan but no longer his spin offs. Venom was a fun conclusion and should have ended everything, Madame Web existed....and Kraven.....should have not been made. These were all cash grabs no one was asking for and Kraven might be the most boring of the bunch.  Wooden acting, choppy action, cringe dialogue.  Good bye, and hello MCU and DCU....I guess. 

Lord of the Rings

 

I love Lord of the Rings, i grew up watching the animated films, read the books and i find the Peter Jackson trilogy to be some of the best crafted films ever produced. The Hobbit trilogy was fun but lacked the punch of the OG. Ring of Power i could not get into so i wasn't really stoked for an animated film but if it was any bit as fun as the old animated films then i'd be there.....it was not. In fact it is the opposite of fun, it is rather boring. The animation style i thought would have some epic shots but it just looked bland. 

Nosferatu A Symphony of Horror

 

Nosferatu is public domain and sadly many films suffer from this, look at Mickey & Winnie. Next week Robert Eggers will bring us a film that looks masterful, this here....is not not. This is the other Nosferatu, and it stars Doug Jones whom just seems to sleep walk as if he were a zombie in this. Sadly this film is just plain boring and generic. 

Heavier Trip

 

Heavy Trip was one of the more fun little surprises of the past 10 years. The sequel however is quite the chore. The charm & general fuckery of the first is gone and instead we get a forced film that thinks itis edgier than it is. 

Carry On

 

Jaume Collet Serra is not a director i love, or even like. I have enjoyed films of his but he is truly a director for hire, case in point, Carry On. Another case.....stop watching everything. Sometimes enjoying a directors films makes you realize in whole you don't really care for their filmography and it carries over....to Carry On. Jason Bateman is pretty damn good but everyone else sleep walks. 

Aggro Dr1ft

Harmony Korine is an interesting film maker. Most of his films i admire, but very few do i love. Spring Breakers looked interesting and my old roommate was stoked to see it, so even after not loving his previous films, i checked it out and loved it. I also loved Beach Bum, so i was stoked for Aggro Dr1ft. It is experimental and only on the Edglrd site so i checked it out. I admire this film but fuck is it a chore. I would call it pretentious but it has a middle finger up in the air the same time towards pretention. 

Yule Log 2

 

Two years ago Adult Swim gave us the Yule Log and that was one if the most insane films in recent years. Now they have a sequel, no longer told in the yule format but rather a Hallmark movie and it works as both a spoof of those films and a worthy sequel because while not as bonkers as the first it is still full on insanity.

Salem's Lot

 

Salem's Lot had a rough production.  Would it ever be released? Would WB burn it? Well it came out this year on Max and kind of went under the radar. Part to do with streamers pumping out content others to do with no one cared. I finally watched it and it is well made but it feels like many King adaptations, cheap and lackluster. It kicks in at the end but even then it feels more like modern horror TV than a straight up film. Not a bad thing but this is an empty lot.

Cuckoo

 

Cuckoo is a film that looked great, then reviews said it gets pretty bonkers. While it is a well crafted film it is pretty standard. Dan Stevens as usual is great,  as is the entire cast but ultimately the film felt jumbled. Any time it gained momentum it lost it, but the last act picks up quite a bit, but at the end it doesn't stick to landing  

Black Cab

 

Black Cab is an interesting film, part character study, part supernaturl, part could be slasher. Nick Frost's character is deranged, is he a killer? Is he haunted? THe haunted imagery is quite striking, as it Frost's cold performance. It is a light watch yet a bleak and effective film. 

Rita

 Rita is a beautiful film on Shudder with some gorgeous imagery and a unique concept. As the case with many Shudder films, especially foreign titles, the pacing is a bit off. There were moments i beyond bored but i was captivated at the same time. 

Match of November

 Men's War Games 

Bron vs Sheamus vs Ludwig

Women's War Games 

Y2K

      

Kyle Mooney knocked it out with his debut Y2K. This is a cheesey and funny nostalgia trip that combines Sci fi and horror into a nice coming of age package. The entire cast seems to be having fun, the character tropes fit perfectly for the time period. It pokes holes into how mad the 99 and 00 were and pokes more holes into hacker films of that time. This is a fast paced quick watch that is one of the most entertaining of the year. 

Red One

 

Red One is a film that takes itself too seriously. It is a bore to sit through, feels generic and the cast looks like they are cashing a paycheck....and that was an insane paycheck due to the cost of this film. If you want a fun family action Christmas film then check out Christmas Chronicles instead. 

Street Trash

 

The original Street Trash is trash....and i mean that in the best way. The new Street Trash is trash but is that a good thing?  It is enjoyable but not very good, it knows what it is and for that reason it is bullet proof but it still feels like many post Grindhouse films.There is some cool effects and badass moments but overall it felt like a chore. 

Nutcrackers

 

Nutcrackers, the latest from David Gordon Green, is a bit of a throwback for him being comedy and all.....as well as a throwback for Ben Stiller. Sadly this is no Pineapple Express nor a Zoolander and it is every bit the mess that everyone assumes the Halloween movies are. 

The Unbreakable Bunch

 

I LOVE wrestling, i LOVE horror. Having wrestlers vs aliens is a dumb idea but one that could and should be fun. Instead we get a film that feels like a doc.....having wrestlers play....wrestlers and discussing life on the road....that is cool.....only IF it was a shoot. The aliens...."aliens" pop up here and there and carry things, that's about it. Then they have their blow off....and it was a blow off alright. This feels under Wild Eye, under Full Moon, under most screeners. The Unwatchable Bunch. 

Hellboy: The Crooked Man

 

When Neil Marshall's Hellboy came out 5 years ago, people freaked. The Del Toro films aren't untouchable by any means, nothing is. While the Del Toro flicks are a blast, Marshall's was not. Now we have another Hellboy....and this one went so under the radar that no one seemed to care. The trailer looked so generic and like a fan film that i kept forgetting about it. Upon seeing it, it feels like one and it doesn't know when to end. The acting is wooden, the action is choppy, the effects are non existent, this is hell....boy.