Watched 02 Jan 2026

I was ready to like this! Alas, I did not. Wasn't horrible, just didn't do much beyond the basics of its premise (and even then...). Plot had next to no twists or reveals despite plenty of seeming foreshadowing of such. Acting fine, script thin, character tropes repetitive and shallow, special effects not great, tonally a mess. Has some really fun moments and ideas, but not enough to save it. Could have been a so-bad-it's-good if this first-time writer/director was only less competent.

Watched 28 Dec 2025

By far the most consequential of the Knives Out movies thus far, and yet it's the one with which I had the least fun. Rian Johnson continues to wear his socio-political leanings on his sleeve with another 4D chess puzzle of a murder mystery, and while I am on board with the skewering of religion and even redemption thereof, its murky bitterness was not saved by the series' sharp humor. I also wanted to spend way more time with the rest of the cast than with those that had most of the screentime.

Watched 27 Dec 2025

Really expected to dislike this from its reputation. I always thought this was a cynical, sadistic exploitation flick, and its role as the prototype of slasher movies had me anticipating senseless gore & fetishism. To be fair, it is that, but in a self-aware, sociologically insightful way. It's surprisingly feminist as heck, and it's low on violence and jump scares. It's sparingly intentional with spectacle, leaning more into building character drama and a disturbing, brooding tone. Great Film.

Watched 26 Dec 2025

It probably didn't help that I watched this not long after seeing Misery for the first time. They share some similarities, and in that space, I prefer Misery. This is solid, though. It seems to have a response to anything that seems like a lapse in logic, and I didn't have a problem with the ending the way some did. This was more intense and discomforting than I expected. I can't say I had a good time, nor can I say I came away with much more than a memory of the experience, but memorable it is.

Watched 26 Dec 2025

Went in purposefully blind. Also didn't know about any of the director's work beforehand (though it would have only prepared me so much). This is a wildly unique one. It goes all in on this whiplash of wholesome Christmas magic and brutal, gratuitous violence. I kinda gotta hand it to a film that can pay homage to Home Alone at one point in a way that is somehow more realistic and less realistic simultaneously. The humor is hit and miss, but it's a miracle that any of it works at all. Fun time.