Mank (2020)


1930’s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.

Mank truly is a time capsule of 1930s Hollywood, while yes it is about Citizen Kane it also focuses on some of the politics and basically how 1930s Hollywood was. Mank is something completely different from any of David Fincher’s previous work, you get that sense from the very beginning. The movie is absolutely beautiful from the filming, to the black and white it’s all there. It blends so well together to make the film represent a 1930s film heck the sound of the characters talking matches very well, it’s the little things that really help this movie become stronger as it progresses. Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried and Lily Collins are the standouts (at least for me) they all did an incredible in their roles especially Seyfried. They really matched who they were playing and dived deep into their roles. The direction is absolutely incredible, as I said earlier it’s a lot different from Fincher’s other films so this was sort of a risk but I feel Fincher nailed it. The best way to describe Mank is that matched a 1930s film really well, from the incredible amount of detail and stacking up the little things it’s quite the accomplishment. It’s a huge lover letter to old Hollywood and succeeds at doing that! Mank is definitely not going to be for everyone which is completely understandable, but this is definitely one I highly recommend checking out!

9/10 A

Euphoria: Trouble Don’t Last Always (2020)

In the aftermath of being left by Jules at the train station and relapsing.

For the last several days I’ve been debating if I should count Euphoria: Trouble Don’t Last Always as something I would put on my 2020 Movie Ranking list. I eventually decided I will mostly due to two factors, one Sam Levinson himself said originally this special episode and the next one (January 24th) were going to be a movie (I would love to see Euphoria have a movie somewhere down the line) and second I’ve seen a lot of other people count it so why not? Besides this is one of the best written and well directed TV or Film of the year, Euphoria is one of the best TV series in recent memory the first season was fantastic and even got Zendaya a Emmy Win. So Trouble Don’t Last Always had a lot to live up to and it did a magnificent job, everything about this was truly perfect. Zendaya and Colman Domingo’s performances were absolutely incredible, this gave Domingo’s character Ali time to really shine, it’s some of the most beautiful acting and the most raw I’ve seen all year. Every single moment you believe everything that is going on, the conversation that Rue and Ali have in the diner feels very down to earth it really tackles drug addiction and does that beautifully. I remember crying at least three different times while watching this, it’s some very powerful stuff that truly gets to you. The arguments of the episode being “boring” is completely ridiculous Euphoria as a series is not all about glitter and drama, it tackles several issues and in this case it tackles one large issue that gives a massive amount of character development to Rue and Ali, it’s helping connect to season 2. Sam Levinson’s direction is absolutely beautiful and truly shows why he’s quickly becoming a director that’s going to end up having a very large career. I’ve heard Malcolm and Marie is going to be very similar like this special so not only might that get Zendaya an Oscar nomination (for Malcolm & Marie) but could see the potential of getting a best picture nomination. Overall Trouble Don’t Last Always is masterful, I just wanted to go over the basics because I definitely don’t want to spoil this for anyone, it’s truly something you must experience! I do recommend watching the first season of Euphoria as well!!

10/10 A+

Black Bear (2020)


A filmmaker at a creative impasse seeks solace from her tumultuous past at a rural retreat, only to find that the woods summon her inner demons in intense and surprising ways.


Black Bear is a very interesting film about the horrors and process behind filmmaking, it also shows Aubrey Plaza who is the lead deciding what she wants to do with her movie and making decisions she doesn’t want to. Everyone in the cast does a really good job, but Aubrey Plaza truly gives something special her performance is haunting and powerful at the same time. The film makes you question what’s actually happening and is this all just Plaza’s character’s imagination, It’s a wonderful film that really goes in several different directions. The setting creates a haunting atmosphere that has you at the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next, the best way to truly experience Black Bear is go into the film knowing as little as possible. Which is why this review might be kind of a mess but trust me when I say it’s definitely worth watching. I’m really hoping Aubrey Plaza is recognized by the academy for her performance.

10/10 A+

Tenet (2020)


Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.


I apologize in advance if this review is sort of a mess, I’m going to have NO SPOILERS in this review. So I’m really going to keep things short and basic for this review, anyway Christopher Nolan really doesn’t need a introduction he’s made several fantastic films over the years, Tenet is definitely one of his most interesting! For starters John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and the rest of the cast all do a fantastic job. Especially when you combine their roles with the writing it leads to some incredible moments, the story itself I can easily see why some people aren’t a huge fan of it. But I really do think the story works really well, you just have to give the movie a bit of time to fully get into it. Tenet is wonderfully made from the filming, atmosphere, the sound and editing it’s quite incredible. Everything in Tenet really blends together well and creates this mystery of what this movie actually is, there’s a lot of different ways to look at this film and it’s definitely one of those movies that might need a few rewatchs. Direction wise Christopher Nolan hits it out of the park again, his style is captivating and really blends well into the movie. Overall Tenet is a very strong film, it’s definitely one of Nolan’s more divisive films to but it’s definitely something I recommend checking out.

9/10 A

Red, White and Blue (2020)


Spotlights the true story of Leroy Logan, who at a young age saw his father assaulted by two policemen, motivating him to join the Metropolitan Police and change their racist attitudes from within.


Red, White and Blue is the third of five films in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series, It might be the weakest so far of the series but that doesn’t really mean anything when all the films so far have been incredible. John Boyega gives his best performance of his career so far, he really does a fantastic job of really diving into Leroy Logan. The film itself is incredible from the acting and writing to showing tons and tons of corruption, that’s one thing I do find very interesting Mangrove focused on the court, Red, White and Blue focuses on inside the police department and shows the corruption and racism. The writing feels incredibly raw and shows that not really much has changed at all, I do feel the film does kind of rush towards the end. But even then the message is loud and clear, Steve McQueen as always hits it out of the park when it comes to getting the messages and topics across and here is no exception. As I said it might not be as good as Mangrove and Lovers Rock but it’s still one of the best of the year.

8/10 B+

Ammonite (2020)


1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.


Remember when I said Peninsula was the most disappointing film of the year? Well I think Ammonite has topped that, it’s very unfortunate but this movie feels like a huge missed opportunity. Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan are both great in their roles and do what they can with a script that really does not give them much to work with. The movie looks great meaning the filming, the setting all work really well and compliment each other well. The major problem is the movie doesn’t make you feel anything towards the characters, the emotions are just not there, the rawness is just not there a lot of it is missing. It’s very unfortunate because there are a few moments that do seem genuine (the last couple minutes have a very strong scene) the relationship between Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan just doesn’t feel raw, it feels way too forced and doesn’t come off as genuine. The writing really doesn’t help either sure there’s a few moments with some clever writing but a lot of it just feels very very basic and doesn’t dive deep into the main character’s relationship. There just really isn’t much to talk about here and that’s a shame, because Ammonite definitely had loads of potential. It’s by no means a bad movie, as I said there are plenty of good things about it. But it’s not a film that I will ever consider watching again and definitely not one that I’ll remember in the coming years.

6/10 C+

All My Life (2020)


A couple’s wedding plans are thrown off course when the groom is diagnosed with liver cancer.

All My Life actually surprised me, it’s another one of those sick boy/sick girl movies. I already talked about how way many of those movies came out this year. Going into All My Life I was very worried it was going to remain the same and while in some cases it most definitely does the star power is what helps this movie. Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr. both give very solid performances and have pretty strong chemistry. One thing that should be noted is it is based off of a true story and the movie tells it well enough, there are some real emotional moments that worked due to the chemistry, the writing is definitely not the best it does suffer from some of the characters being TOO perfect. Which really takes you out of the movie at times, it’s also bizarre seeing that this is from Marc Meyers the director of We Summon The Darkness and My Friend Dahmer. If you like these types of movies you already know what to expect with All My Life, just don’t expect anything very different.

6/10 C+

Godmothered (2020)


A young and unskilled fairy godmother ventures out on her own to prove her worth by tracking down a young girl whose request for help was ignored.

One thing Disney+ really needs to work on is advertising their original films, this is another case like Togo, Clouds and a few others where the advertising was just nonexistent. As for the actual movie it’s actually not too bad, Godmothered is essentially this year’s Noelle only that I would say it’s much better. Godmothered also does feel like a clone of Enchanted as it does borrow a lot from it, but at least the movie is fun and has some very genuine moments. Isla Fisher and Jillian Bell both do a very solid job in their roles, there are some jokes that surprisingly do work sure some of it is very Disney Channel type humor. But then you have some moments where the jokes are actually quite okay, speaking of which Godmothered does fall on the line between Disney Channel Original Movie and Disney+ Original Movie, but that’s not necessarily a bad case here because the movie embraces it. Godmothered knows what it wants to be and is straight to the point about it, it doesn’t try to be more then it really is or any less. Overall I say give Godmothered a go it’s a quick and easy watch!

6/10 C+

Free Lunch Express (2020)

A satirical look at the life of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, from his youth in Brooklyn, N.Y., to presidential candidate.

There’s those moments in film where you find movies that leave you left wondering “how does this exist” Free Lunch Express is one of those movies, it’s a parody about Bernie Sanders. Every single joke in this movie is child like insults and playground humor. It’s bottom of the barrel garbage how anyone looked at the script and thought “wow this is hilarious! Better release this!” Is just amazing to me. For whatever reason Malcolm McDowell is in this, he plays some narrator character but he’s barely in it and he usually just makes some unfunny side comments so it really doesn’t matter. Free Lunch Express ultimately reminds me of that garbage parody movie area the film industry was going through you know like Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, Meet The Spartans and a few others. Nobody really tries to pull off a somewhat tolerable performance, the only reason to actually watch this is to actually believe this is real. Overall Free Lunch Express is garbage you can find much more enjoyment from Jib Jab videos that do parodies off of political figures.

Disgrace To Cinema F

Anything For Jackson and Castle Freak (2020)


A bereaved Satanist couple kidnap a pregnant woman so they can use an ancient spellbook to put their dead grandson’s spirit into her unborn child but end up summoning more than they bargained for.


Anything For Jackson was actually pretty surprising, Shudder originals are known to be a huge hit or miss and I thought this was going to be one of those misses, luckily with a small but great cast that shows some really strong acting and powerful atmosphere this movie is able to standout! At times Anything For Jackson is actually disturbing, which is especially surprising, I believe the last time I was disturbed by a Shudder original was Revenge. But at the same time there is something truly beautiful about this movie, it has a lot to do with how it was show and just the story plus how it plays out. The story gets very interesting towards the end of the film and it’s wrapped up very nicely, I also appreciate how the film tackles themes such as the willingness to make sacrifices. Overall I highly recommend going into this movie knowing as little as possible about it, definitely give this one a watch!

7/10 B


An Albanian castle with bloodthirsty creatures is inherited by a young woman.

Earlier this year we lost a huge horror icon Stuart Gordon, he made a lot of remarkable films in his career and was devastating to hear that he passed away. Castle Freak was one of his films that I like a lot but it’s not my favorite of his, what it did not need was a remake or reimagining, Castle Freak (2020) really does not do much at all, it’s another terrible remake/reimagining that did not need to happen. The acting is terrible and the writing really feels rushed, it doesn’t help that the pacing is way too slow the movie for whatever is 106 minutes and feels like it’s 2 hours long. Gordon’s Castle Freak (1995) is 95 minutes long and goes by very quickly. I’ll give points to some of the filming and the effects, those are at least enjoyable for what they are. But that’s where the praise ends for me. Everything else is terrible and really has little to offer, it at least tries to do something different then the original but it ultimately fails. Give this one a pass.

3/10 D-