Review of “Zola”

This is a film that’s been on my radar since last year- based on a story told in a series of tweets that I (along with many others) followed back in 2015. Would a long string of tweets be able to hold up in the form of a full length feature film? Director Janicza Bravo set out to say definitively that she- along with her crew- is more than capable of delivering a quality performance.

Review of “The Father (2020)”

In my return to the theater for the first time since March of 2020, I decided to see what I figured would at least be an interesting experience: The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman. I was not let down, and this might be a contender for one of my favorite 2021 films so far.

Review of “Pieces of a Woman” (2020)

So, I meant to watch this earlier this month when it finally arrived to Netflix, but I was on an extended break from reviewing films after my latest marathon. And then, for a week, buzzers in my building kept me from wanting to watch anything because I could hear them in my apartment. With those issues fixed, I sat down to watch a film I’ve seen receive high praise all over my timeline- and while it certainly deserves some accolades, I’m not convinced it lives up to the numerous 10 out of 10 scores some have given it.

Halloween in December: “The Call (2020)”

Day 28 of the Halloween in December marathon and I finally got around to watching this film that was released on Netflix last month. However, based on the movie I watched, I really wish I had just kept going on about my life and watching things worth my time. This film certainly doesn’t respect your time, and it definitely isn’t anything of quality like so many reviews I’ve seen online praise it to be. It’s too bad I can’t make a phone call to warn past me to just watch something else and save myself two hours.

Halloween in December: “Amulet (2020)”

Day 11 of the Halloween in December marathon is here, and today’s selection is one from only a few months ago: the full length directorial debut of Romola Garai, Amulet. Starring a familiar face in Carla Juri (most known for Blade Runner 2049) and a less familiar face in Alec Secareanu, this horror/mystery delves into the story of two people whose living conditions have forced them into a decaying house outside London.

Review of “Happiest Season”

Hulu has been deadset on promoting this film on basically every social media platform I’m on, and even though I opted to give myself a huge task of watching a ton of horror movies this month, I decided to go ahead and dive in to this new release. Its marketing did not spark positive buzz for me, and even provided backhanded inspiration to write about meaningful drama. While this film makes a plethora of mistakes, it’s not entirely without charm, humor, or warmth.

Review of Mother/Mazâ (2020)

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Netflix has become a larger venue of releasing films outside of theaters. More recently, that has included I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, one of my favorites of the year thus far. This has also given window to a number of Netflix exclusive films to come out with a bit more attention to them, including this one, titled Mother and directed by Tatsushi Ohmori. Given how the year has shaped up, it’s been a prime window for films to get an online release and receive plenty of attention, so how does this hold up?

Review of “Enola Holmes”

In what is the first in an establishment series of films for Netflix, a combination of new and old comes forth to deliver a frustrating polarizing experience that leaves much to be desired. But in what ways, and where are the mistakes this film made that perhaps can pave the path forward?

Review of “Rebecca” (2020)

Likely the biggest adaptation attempt since Hitchcock’s 1940 masterpiece, Ben Wheatley had big shoes to fill entering this project. Casting Lily James was a good step, as was Kristen Scott Thomas. How does the rest of this modern day try hold up? Not nearly as well as it should.

Review of “The Haunting of Bly Manor”

Billed as a “gothic romance” (but advertised as a horror series), The Haunting of Bly Manor debuted last week on Netflix and appeared quickly on top of Netflix’s Top 10 list. Following the success of the decent The Haunting of Hill House series, most figured some kind of sequel series would be in the works. Instead of a direct sequel, Mike Flanagan instead delivers an anthology series much more rooted in similar core design but taking a significantly different artistic direction. These differences didn’t amount to improving the quality of the series, both in the short and long term, giving us an ultimately serviceable but largely mediocre end result.