The Lost Daughter (2021)

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter was a film that hit me unexpectedly. I went in knowing very little about it. All I knew is that the film was adapted and directed by Gyllenhaal, and starred Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Jessie Buckley, and was categorized by Netflix as “cerebral, understated, intimate”. And that’s it. That’s all I had to go off of. I had no … Continue reading The Lost Daughter (2021)

Don’t Look Up (2021): So Close to Home That it’s Almost Hard to Watch

You know, I don’t know that I would classify Adam McKay’s new film Don’t Look Up a comedy, only because it emphasized that already hopeless feeling that I have for the state that our world is in today. Did I find it funny, though? Oh, of course I did. If I can’t laugh at the state we are in, then I’ll just end up crying … Continue reading Don’t Look Up (2021): So Close to Home That it’s Almost Hard to Watch

Tick, Tick…BOOM! (2021)

Tick, Tick…BOOM! is Lin Manuel-Miranda’s directorial debut. It’s also Andrew Garfield’s singing debut. And, honestly, both of them have done phenomenal.  Miranda, being both a lover of film and theater, was able to help translate Tick, Tick…BOOM! from stage to screen, with Steven Levenson’s screenplay adapted from Jonathan Larson’s stage musical of the same name. For those unfamiliar with the musical, Tick, Tick…Boom! was written and performed by … Continue reading Tick, Tick…BOOM! (2021)

Halloween Kills (2021)

Talk about an underwhelming film! For those that are new here, here’s my review on the 2018 Halloween.  Once again, I was really hoping to like this film. But, we are (again) presented with a film that relies on the viewer’s sense of nostalgia, rather than giving us a solid story to get behind. For the entire hour and forty five minute run time, Halloween Kills … Continue reading Halloween Kills (2021)

Candyman (2021)

I feel like I have been waiting so long for this sequel to come out. Although, let me just say, Candyman (2021) is definitely worth the wait. Directed by Nia DaCosta, Candyman picks up thirty years after the first Candyman film. We are introduced to an artist, Anthony McCoy, and his girlfriend, art gallery director Brianna Cartwright. Anthony, in trying to come up with some new work, decides to … Continue reading Candyman (2021)

Things Heard and Seen (2021)

It can be hard to sift through all the Netflix Original films to find a good one. There’s just so many that get released at once, that the choice of what to watch, alone, can be overwhelming. But, that’s why you have me! Consider me your “movie guinea pig”. Things Heard and Seen is a 2021 horror/thriller written and directed by Shari Springer Berman and … Continue reading Things Heard and Seen (2021)

Old (2021)

When will people stop letting M. Night Shyamalan adapt work into a screenplay? Did studios learn NOTHING from Avatar: The Last Airbender? Old is adapted from the 2010 graphic novel Sandcastles by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters. And, in true Shyamalan fashion, he adds his own twists and explanations that, I assume, he thinks are clever.  Old finds three groups of people traveling to a … Continue reading Old (2021)

F9: The Fast Saga (2021)

Did I go into F9 expecting to see a cinematic masterpiece? Absolutely not. Did I go into F9 hoping for a cohesive plot that obeys the laws of physics? Also no. But, did I go into seeing F9 with the expectation that I would see cars go fast and lots of explosions? Absolutely. And, on that end, I was not disappointed. The newest entry in the “Fast Saga” … Continue reading F9: The Fast Saga (2021)

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021): Monkey Fight

Did I go in expecting a thematic masterpiece of writing? No. Did I go in expecting the whole film to make sense? Also no. Did I go in solely anticipating watching a giant monkey fight a giant lizard and having it look cool? You bet your ass I did. Honestly, Godzilla vs. Kong was such a good choice as my first new movie back in the … Continue reading Godzilla vs. Kong (2021): Monkey Fight