‘Polaroid’ is an Average but Amusing Teen-Centered Romp

Bird (Kathryn Prescott) is your typical vanilla final girl whose friend Tyler (Davi Santos) gives her an old Polaroid camera from a yard sale. Unfortunately it’s a haunted camera–that’s bad. But it comes with film–that’s good! It also dooms everyone who has their picture taken–that’s bad. Can Bird solve the riddle of why the cameraContinue reading “‘Polaroid’ is an Average but Amusing Teen-Centered Romp”

‘Daniel Isn’t Real’ is a Real Must-See

Luke (Griffin Robert Faulkner) is a young boy whose parents are in the midst of divorce, which is exacerbated by his mother Claire’s (Mary Stuart Masterson) mental illness. During a particularly vicious fight, he flees the house and comes across the corpse of an armed gunman who was shot down by the police. That momentContinue reading “‘Daniel Isn’t Real’ is a Real Must-See”

‘I See You’ is a Wild Ride

A small town in Ohio is rocked by the kidnapping of two young boys. On the case is Detective Spitsky (Gregory Alan Williams) and Detective Greg Harper (Jon Tenney). The main focus of the film is Greg, his wife Jackie (Helen Hunt), and their teenage son Connor (Judah Lewis). The house is filled with tensionContinue reading “‘I See You’ is a Wild Ride”

‘Bloodline’: A Bit Predictable, but the Performances Make it Highly Watchable

Evan (Seann William Scott) is a social worker at a high school. He’s also a family man with a wife, Lauren (Mariela Garriga), and a young baby, Andrew, whom his mother Marie (Dale Dickey) moves in to help with. But Evan has a dark side: a la Dexter, he kidnaps less-than-moral dudes (in this case,Continue reading “‘Bloodline’: A Bit Predictable, but the Performances Make it Highly Watchable”

‘The Banana Splits Movie’: Yes, It’s a Horror Film

In real life, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour was a variety show from the late ’60s to early ’70s starring four dudes in animal costumes: Fleegle the dog, Bingo the monkey, Drooper the lion, and Snorkie the elephant. They performed comedy sketches interspersed with well-meaning but racist segments like the cartoon “The Arabian Knights” andContinue reading “‘The Banana Splits Movie’: Yes, It’s a Horror Film”

Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’: It’s Long and Challenging, but Ultimately Worth It

Dani (Florence Pugh) is a young lady who’s in mourning from the loss of her entire immediate family: her sister, while committing suicide by car exhaust, killed their parents as well. Meanwhile, her less-than-committed boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) has been planning a trip to Sweden with his buddies Josh (William Jackson Harper), Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren),Continue reading “Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’: It’s Long and Challenging, but Ultimately Worth It”

‘The Gallows Act II’: Fun and Occasionally Creepy, Especially for the Under-18 Crowd

Loosely following the plot of the first movie (if you need a refresher you can read an exhaustive synopsis here, or if you’ve never seen it and want a quick spoiler-free plot outline, here are some), it opens with a rainbow of doomed teenagers (’cause it’s okay to bother casting a racially diverse group ofContinue reading “‘The Gallows Act II’: Fun and Occasionally Creepy, Especially for the Under-18 Crowd”

Babak Anvari’s ‘Wounds’ is Profoundly Disturbing–in a Very Good Way

Will (Armie Hammer) is an apathetic bartender who finds a phone left by four college kids. He ends up bringing it home and becoming obsessed with it. His girlfriend Carrie (Dakota Johnson) pleads with him to turn it in to the police, as it contains gruesome pictures of murders as well as texts pleading forContinue reading “Babak Anvari’s ‘Wounds’ is Profoundly Disturbing–in a Very Good Way”

‘Girl on the Third Floor’: The Dangers of Being Overly Cocky

Don (C.M. Punk AKA Phil Brooks) is a disgraced former lawyer who defrauded his clients. He attempts to appease his pregnant and long-suffering wife Liz (Trieste Kelly Dunn) by buying a cheap murder house, with plans to renovate it entirely by himself. While Sarah works from their current home, he stays in the new one.Continue reading “‘Girl on the Third Floor’: The Dangers of Being Overly Cocky”

Deon Taylor’s ‘The Intruder’: It Makes a Tired Genre Great Again

Annie (Meagan Good) and Scott (Michael Ealy) are a happy well-to-do couple buying a fancy house in fancy Napa Valley. The owner of the home they’re buying, Charlie (Dennis Quaid) is sorry to let his house go, as he lived so happily with his deceased wife there, but his daughter really wants him to moveContinue reading “Deon Taylor’s ‘The Intruder’: It Makes a Tired Genre Great Again”

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