My life at the movies.
Directed by Patty Jenkins. Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, and Pedro Pascal.
Gadot radiates charisma, but can’t overcome the nonsensical script overflowing with emotive melodrama but devoid of emotional stakes. The two-hour-plus runtime feels like the first cut of a first draft screenplay. Best part goes to the end-credits tag.
Directed by Tommy Wirkola. Starring Geir Vegar Hoel, Ørjan Gamst, Martin Starr, and Jocelyn DeBoer.
Picks up where Dead Snow ends. That film’s lone survivor must stop Nazi zombies from destroying a small Norwegian village. Continue reading...
Directed by Tommy Wirkola. Starring Jeppe Beck Laursen, Charlotte Frogner, Jenny Skavlan, and Geir Vegar Hoel.
Norwegian pre-med students travel to a remote snowbound cabin where they encounter that most heinous of evils: Nazi zombies.
The location photography lends a polished sheen while the over-the-top mix of black humor, cartoonish violence, and gore had me cackling throughout. I loved it.
Followed by Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead.
Directed by Michael Dougherty. Starring Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, and Allison Tolman.
“Santa’s Shadow” Krampus and his nightmarish helpers descend on a dysfunctional suburban family. Great creature effects and solid performances compensate for an unfocused script lacking resonance.
Directed by Jalmari Helander. Starring Jorma Tommila, Onni Tommila, Peeter Jakobi, and Tommi Korpela.
Bad title, good movie.
Okay, the title’s great once you’ve seen the movie, but as an attractor, it falls short. Might I suggest You Better Watch Out instead? Continue reading...
Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik. Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis, and Johnny Galecki.
I wanted to give this one five stars. I saw it in theaters during its original run. It’s a holiday tradition. A must-watch every Christmas. Except, it isn’t. I’ve only watched it two times in the last eight years. While I love it, Christmas Vacation is not aging well. Continue reading...
Directed by Karyn Kusama. Starring Logan Marshall-Green, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Michiel Huisman, and Tammy Blanchard.
Logan Marshall-Green plays a man invited to his estranged ex’s house for a dinner party. He brings his new girlfriend. As the evening unfolds, he withdraws, suspecting something sinister afoot. Is he right, or has his troubled past caught up with him? Continue reading...
Directed by Drew Goddard. Starring Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, and Fran Kranz.
Five college kids head out for a weekend in a remote cabin secluded deep in the woods. There, one unleashes a supernatural evil. Continue reading...
Directed by Ivan Kavanagh. Starring Rupert Evans, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Hannah Hoekstra, and Kelly Byrne.
Rupert Evans plays a film archivist worried his supermodelesque wife is cheating on him. When she turns up missing, he suspects a malignant force living in the walls of his home. Continue reading...
Directed by Niels Arden Oplev. Starring Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Ewa Fröling, and Lena Endre.
Michael Nyqvist plays a disgraced journalist recruited by an aging tycoon to investigate a forty-year-old murder. Noomi Rapace, in a fearless performance, plays a troubled investigator drawn to Nyqvist and his investigation.
More mystery than thriller, the competent cast and location photography held my interest, but couldn’t overcome the low narrative stakes.
