4 out of 5 stars (One of the best of the year) Ready or Not is the horror-comedy I’ve wanted all year. A combination of The Most Dangerous Game and Get Out (but minus the latter’s political messaging), this is a fun, darkly humorous horror movie that balances solid gore and well-placed comedy without breaking… Continue Reading
Brightburn: Superhero Subversion a Bloody Good Time
3.4 out of 5 stars (slightly above average) Brightburn is Not a Superhero movie. It may be about a young boy who crash-lands on Earth from an alien spaceship to two well-meaning farmers, but this kid is no Superman. He’s a ruthless killer with superhuman abilities. Brightburn is a fun, bloody horror spin on the… Continue Reading
Us: Jordan Peele’s Bizarre Horror Story is Unique, Terrifying
5 out of 5 stars (Classic) Jordan Peele’s Us is the first standout horror film of 2019. The follow-up to his 2017 debut Get Out, Peele comes into his own here as a director, with hypnotizing camerawork and a white-knuckle script that sees star Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther) deliver her best performance to date. Us… Continue Reading
House With a Clock In Its Walls: Eli Roth Fantasy Lacks Magic
1.5 out of 5 stars (one of the worst of the year) Watching The House With a Clock in its Walls is like being on a massive sugar high: It’s way too fast, very confusing, and eventually causes you as a viewer to crash and fight falling asleep. Why horror director Eli Roth and Supernatural… Continue Reading
The Nun: Horror film is Predictable, but Fun
2.5 out of 5 stars (Decent) The Nun is the newest installment in the popular Conjuring film series, though you don’t need to have seen the other films to get it. While it certainly isn’t as good as The Conjuring 1 and 2, the film is a suitably fun Haunted House Movie (or, Haunted Abbey… Continue Reading
Wade into “The Shallows” For a Bloody Good Time
3.5 out of 5 stars (above average) I walked into The Shallows thinking it would be a borderline exploitative examination of star Blake Lively in a beautiful bikini, that just so happened to involve a shark. To my astonishment, the film provided a strong female character, gritty realism, and a career-best performance from Ms. Lively. The… Continue Reading