Jackie Chan and longtime collaborator Stanley Tong strike out miserably in their seventh film together. Vanguard is a bumbling CGI spectacle with a ludicrous plot, terrible acting, and strained nationalistic themes. The fight scenes are decently choreographed, but lost in the barrage of cartoonish gun violence. The film elicits minor chuckles with fleeting moments of
Freaky is a teen slasher comedy that blends multiple classic genre storylines. It takes the body switching premise of Freaky Friday, then combines it with the bloody carnage of Prom Night and Scream. It pokes fun at generic horror tropes and stereotypical characters with a cleverer than expected script. Vince Vaughn is hilarious as a
Fatman offers a decidedly dark and twisted take on the holiday season. Christmas cheer is replaced by an evil kid, ruthless assassin, and a beleaguered Santa Claus with a budget deficit. The film is being marketed as a bleak action comedy, but is a surprisingly thoughtful satire. Fatman reflects the worst instincts of modern times.
Rival grandmothers fight for the custody of their grandson in a slow-burn, neo-western thriller. Let Him Go builds simmering tension until an explosion of graphic violence. The film takes the time to establish serious character depth before throwing its leads off the deep end. The pacing gets a bit sluggish, but revs up for the
The True Adventures of Wolfboy is a touching coming-of-age story about acceptance in a cruel and exploitative world. Jaeden Martell stars as a teenager with hypertrichosis, a condition that causes excessive hair growth all over the body. His dog-like appearance is the subject of constant ridicule; which has left him introverted and filled with self-loathing.
Sacha Baron Cohen returns to provocateur greatness in a hilarious, but deeply troubling satire. He reprises his role as kooky Kazakhstani reporter, Borat Sagdiyev; in the aptly titled mockumentary, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. This time he’s returned to America to curry
The Borat 2 reviews have landed. It’s been 14 years since we’ve seen the iconic Sacha Baron Cohen character on the big screen, and many have wondered if his schtick still works in 2020. The movie, which is officially titled, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious
A pair of New Orleans paramedics encounter a designer drug that alters the spacetime continuum. Synchronic is a complex science fiction film with engaging lead characters. It wraps an intense personal drama around mind-bending metaphysical concepts. A dark color palette and trippy visuals significantly add to the overall experience. Not every aspect is successful, but
Sofia Coppola scrapes the bottom of the pretentious barrel in her latest turn as writer and director. On The Rocks has a wealthy Manhattanite succumbing to her aging lothario father’s misgivings about her marriage. The plot of a poorly written sitcom is stretched like taffy into a vapid character study. The result is a painfully
The Kid Detective is a noir crime drama with a fascinating protagonist and an absolutely mind-blowing climax. What begins as a story about a washed-up investigator in a small town takes a dark turn with several stunning reveals. The plot builds tension with a slow boil. There are points in the film where you wonder