Before we continue, I'd like to acknowledge and the death of legendary journeyman filmmaker Milos Forman (the man who made classics such as Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). He was an important artistic voice and it felt inappropriate to say nothing about losing him. May he rest in peace. Anyway, on with the show...
A QUIET PLACE
A Quiet Place earns a snug spot alongside 10 Cloverfield Lane when it comes to great cinematic bottle episodes. Even if it's only his second feature as a director, Krasinski comes out swinging like a champ both in front of and behind the camera. At times, the pacing is inconsistent and the jump scares are hit-and-miss. Aside from making the case for how a PG-13 rating doesn't indicate a horror film's quality, it wrings some genuinely nerve-wracking moments with it's intelligent use of sound and is definitely worth seeing in a crowded theater.
[RATING: 4 Malfunctioning Hearing Aids out of 5]
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!
Entertaining humanization of dudebro characters some would argue aren’t worth the effort to humanize. The young cast is incredibly charming (one of the guys is a dead ringer for a young Laurence Fishburne) and it’s lackadaisical, carefree vibes are hard to resist. Still debating whether or not I’d say this is better than Dazed and Confused; but, it’s definitely a worthy successor to that picture rather a pale imitation in a new coat of paint.
[RATING: 4 Beer Kegs out of 5]
THE DARK TOWER
What should have been a sprawling epic with every resource available put behind it (a la HBO's Game of Thrones) has been butchered and mangled into a 90-minute cluster of mediocrity. It’s not without a few positives. Some of the out-there concepts from Stephen King’s novels haven’t been lost in translation, the action sequences are fairly well done, and Idris Elba works as Roland (even if making his character arc second to Jake is bizarrely miscalculated). Still, a lot of those positives are undone by editing via meat cleaver, thinly sketched imitations of the rich characters from the novel and a miscast Matthew McConaughey who jerks back and forth from stilted to puzzlingly unnatural. By no means is it a disaster; but, it sure is a disappointment. One that quickly extinguishes its few flashes of potential.
[RATING: 2.5 Awesome Gunplay Scenes out of 5]
CAT PEOPLE (1942)
Perhaps the strongest example of atmospheric filmmaking from the Golden Age of horror cinema that didn’t have the names James Whale or Tod Browning attached to them. The black-and-white cinematography is immaculate and it has a lot more on its mind than some of it’s contemporaries did. If you’re interested in checking out classic cinema outside of the icons everybody is well aware of, this would be a good place to start.
[RATING: 3.5 Creepy Alleyways out of 5]
POINT BLANK
Crime cinema boiled down to its basic elements before Walter Hill perfected the art come the turn of the next decade. A high point in filmic storytelling of the 1960s and one of the all-time great tough guy movies. There isn’t a moment wasted and even the more laidback moments have their charm. Lee Marvin is at peak badassery here, taking names from scum bags and looking cool while doing it. It all looks like a million bucks and it has the cocksure, masculine swagger only a John Boorman picture can offer.
[RATING: 4 Angry Lee Marvins out of 5]
FRIDAY THE 13th (1980)
Early 80s slasher fare is proof that influence on a genre doesn’t equate to what can genuinely be called a “classic”. It does have a tendency to wander off on boring tangents when nothing is on its mind (which is admittedly pretty often) and the screenplay feels like it was scribbled onto a cocktail napkin. A few moments here & there provide atmospheric scares, Tom Savini’s gore effects are as awesome as usual, and Betsy Palmer does really well as the movie’s secret weapon. Certainly not the best picture in the franchise; but, a decent foot to start out on. Also, Kevin Bacon's in this flick. So, that’s a plus.
[RATING: 3 Dead Kevin Bacons out of 5]
DAVE MADE A MAZE
A strange creature whose quirky, handcrafted charms more than make up for its amateurish faults. The style and atmosphere is completely unique (the cardboard aesthetic makes the proceedings look recognizably cheap and delightfully off-kilter). Usually, this phrase is used as an insult; but, in this case, I use it as high praise. Dave Made A Maze feels like a teenage fan-film and I mean that as a compliment. It’s all made with the youthful energy of something you might’ve shot in your basement with a few buddies at the age of 15. Honestly, I can’t think of a single moment during this where I didn’t have a pleasant little smile on my face.
[RATING: 4 Giant Cardboard Forts out of 5]
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