Yet it is just as equally misguided, and for all its good intentions, star power and expert cinematic craftsmanship, Irresistible is a milquetoast political satire I refuse to endorse.

The didactic preachiness is too toothless to become truly tiresome, and in some ways that might just be the most disappointing and frustrating facet of The Hunt of them all, making this satirical safari unworthy of any more of my attention.

The drama, comedy, satire and commentary don’t merge into anything meaningful, Greed a stiflingly discombobulated letdown that can’t pay its entertainment bills without going into the red.

But this new Black Christmas is a heck of a lot more than a talented filmmaker beating a socially-conscious drum. Takal has manufactured a monstrously entertaining horror riff that intelligent audiences of all backgrounds, races and genders will hopefully find just as much fun to watch as I did, this merry little not-really-a-remake remake a gleefully malevolent horror gift I’m happy I took the time to unwrap.

Rian Johnson’s marvelous who-done-it (and how’d-they-do-it) all-star murder mystery Knives Out is more than just a witty modern-day riff on a familiar Agatha Christie-like scenario.

As amusing as Seven Psychopaths can be, as inspired as much of its grotesque carnage is, I’m not sold on the finished product.

Cosmopolis may be a mess, but it’s still something of a glorious one, and for those willing to take the ride they’ll have ridden shotgun in a journey they’re unlikely to forget anytime soon.

While not great satire, The Dictator is still pretty good, and it doesn’t take a despot to urge those partial to this type of humor to take a chance on the comedy and buy a matinee ticket.

His Dark Shadows is an odd duck, never really finding solid footing yet still offering up plenty of laughs, some of them the biggest the director has crafted since Beetlejuice. It goes to some highly intriguing places and isn’t afraid to slow dance across a blood-red floor.