There is nothing polite about brothers Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie’s newest hyper-adrenalized ticking clock drama Uncut Gems.
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.
This new Rabid definitely has bite, and while that it fails to draw any more blood than that produced by a pinprick is undeniably a problem, it’s not a big enough on that I can entirely dismiss what it is the filmmakers have done here.
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.
Queen & Slim is a nightmare romantic thriller ripped straight out of today’s headlines
Because Condon and Hatcher don’t drop any hints or noticeable clues as to what is going on this character-driven mystery comes perilously close to transforming into a ‘70s-style exploitation thriller for the AARP set, which might have been fine had I felt The Good Liar earned such a pivotal change in tone.
Burns has delivered a pulse-pounding procedural I could not resist, and I can’t help but think that audiences of all political persuasions will end up feeling the same just as long as they can put their differences aside in order to give The Report a look.
Charlie’s Angels is a celebration of diversity and empowerment that had me grinning like a happy 10-year-old.
While there’s the high probability that Paradise Hills will grow on me on re-watch, as magnificent as the visual elements are and as strong as the social commentary might be, that’s not near enough to overcome the places where this motion picture falls disappointingly flat.