Superintelligence (2020)


When an all-powerful Superintelligence chooses to study average Carol Peters, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. As the A.I. decides to enslave, save or destroy humanity, it’s up to Carol to prove that people are worth saving.


Superintelligence serves as a very forgettable release, Ben Falcone who has directed Tammy, Life Of The Party and The Boss (all terrible movies) continues his streak of garbage. At this point Falcone’s movies boil down to putting Melissa McCarthy in different situations, slap in some terrible comedy and call it day. Superintelligence is uninteresting and painfully unfunny, the only couple positives I can give it is Melissa McCarthy like in all of these movies is really trying her best with what she has to work with. Then there are maybe one or two moments that I found pretty okay but that’s really about it, James Corden is honestly just whatever. He gives a very basic performance that really doesn’t have anything special going for it, the writing is awful which leads into the humor which as I said before is not funny. My major problem with this movie is that some of the jokes go on for far too long, the movie painfully stretches out unfunny jokes to the point where it becomes painful and a chore to watch. The fact Superintelligence was intended to be a wide theater release just scares me, the movie is the very definition of a modern unfunny comedy. Please give this one a pass..

3/10 D-

Taylor Swift: Folklore The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020)


In “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions,” Taylor Swift performs each song in order of her album, “folklore,” and reveals the stories and secrets behind all 17 songs.


I’ll keep this brief! This is the second film featuring Taylor Swift that has come out this year and just like Miss Americana this one is just as fantastic! It’s concert film featuring of all Taylor Swift’s songs from Folklore, an album that is massively different from Taylor Swift’s other work. Just hearing Swift talk about the songs in a brief but informative detail is quite great, she explains the songs with very little words but you as the viewer completely get it. Plus the songs themselves are all fantastic they remind you of why and how Taylor Swift is such a talented young artist, the location chosen by Taylor Swift and the crew was an excellent one and matches the tone the songs are going for. It gives you this cabin with a fire going out in the middle of the woods type feeling, it’s truly a nostalgic feeling type film which works on every single level! Overall this is an excellent film that I highly recommend watching especially if you are a fan of Taylor Swift!

10/10 A+

Let Him Go (2020)


A retired sheriff and his wife, grieving over the death of their son, set out to find their only grandson.


Let Him Go is another pretty big surprise from this year, it’s from Thomas Bezucha who directed Monte Carlo which was the previous movie he directed and I have to say this was quite the jump. Let Him Go is very atmospheric with tons of very thrilling moments that catch you off guard, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Lesley Manville are all pretty fantastic here. They give some really incredible performances, Diane Lane plays a villain straight out of The Texas Chainsaw movies (to specific the the 4th Texas Chainsaw Movie) but only this time it’s meant to be taken seriously….and it somehow works? There’s a balance between her acting full on psycho and her being grounded. Lesley Manville does such a fantastic job of doing just that, the writing was also pretty strong it definitely has it’s not so good moments but it still really works. I do feel some scenes dragged on for a little too long and the movie does struggle to find it’s place at times. But when it does find it the movie does really well. As I said before the atmosphere really works, it’s just the right amount of tension that gets the audience invested. Overall a very satisfying thriller that’s definitely worth watching!

8/10 B+

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder (2020)


A portrait of singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes’ life, chronicling the past few years of his rise and journey.


Shawn Mendes: In Wonder sort of feels like it came out of nowhere and at the wrong time as well. Not only has this year been a fantastic year for documentary films it’s been kind of crowded or singers getting their documentary you have Miss Americana that will most likely get tons of nominations for best documentary. Then you have Blackpink Light Up The Sky which was beautifully crafted and directed. Shawn Mendes: In Wonder is in a very tight spot, it’s certainly not a bad documentary as it does give a decent introduction to people who don’t know who Shawn Mendes is or know of him but don’t know a whole lot about him. The problem is a lot of the information in this documentary is either common knowledge or something that doesn’t scream “make a documentary about this” With Miss Americana it told the audience a lot of information, Taylor Swift has been around for a good awhile so there was a lot to work with. Blackpink worked mostly because they are newish meaning not a lot of people aren’t familiar with them so it was a good time to introduce each member of the group and their personalities. Shawn Mendes as I said before is stuck in a weird situation where he’s sort of new but then he’s not, as for the documentary itself it’s really nothing special. It’s done pretty decently but nothing really mind blowing, my biggest flaw with this film however is how manufactured it felt. Again going back to Miss Americana and Blackpink Light Up The Sky, those two documentaries felt personal to the artists and the directors which made them interesting and well crafted films. With Shawn Mendes: In Wonder you don’t get that at all, there really just isn’t a whole lot to discuss in great detail about this film. This is only going to strictly appeal to major Shawn Mendes fans and that’s really about it, otherwise I would recommend watching something else.

6/10 C+

The Christmas Chronicles 2 (2020)


Kate Pierce, now a cynical teen, is unexpectedly reunited with Santa Claus when a mysterious troublemaker threatens to cancel Christmas – forever.

As far as Christmas Netflix Original movies go this one is pretty okay, the first Christmas Chronicles was fine enough and this one is on pretty much the exact same level. Kurt Russell is still pretty solid as Santa Clause and at least they changed the story up a bit even if it’s not very original at all. What bogs this movie down is the villain he’s really not interesting at the slightest in fact he’s very annoying and really holds the movie back from being anything other then “fine” the humor is really not great a lot of the jokes are a huge miss or just don’t make any sense at all. On the top of my head I can remember only 1 or 2 jokes I laughed at during this movie. Despite what I said I can definitely see kids loving this movie, it has all the elements it needs to be a very safe kids/family Christmas movie and sometimes that’s really all you need. Also this is a huge step up for Chris Columbus since the last movie he did was Pixels.

6/10 C+

Girl and Fatman (2020)


A young woman returns to her small hometown intent on killing her abusive father only to discover someone murdered him the day before. As the girl searches for answers, she uncovers a family legacy more dangerous than she’d imagined.


’m actually surprised Girl is not that bad, Bella Thorne gives by far her best performance in her career and having Mickey Rourke in the film as well is also pretty great too! As far as the writing it’s passable, it’s not anything you haven’t seen before in fact some of it is very predictable but it does lead to some genuinely well directed scenes from Chad Faust (his directional debut) the pacing is going to turn people away and rightfully so. Because Girl takes awhile to get going, it’s going for this gothic slow burn type film and while it does work in several scenes in some scenes it doesn’t come together. Overall Girl is a very average thriller, it’s nothing new but at least it’s engaging unlike some other thrillers that have been released this year.

6/10 C+


A rowdy, unorthodox Santa Claus is fighting to save his declining business. Meanwhile, Billy, a neglected and precocious 12 year old, hires a hit man to kill Santa after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking.


Fatman has the most strangest type of criticism I think I have ever given a movie yet…it’s not bad enough. The trailer sold it as some movie that sounded completely stupid and ridiculous that it could land in “what the hell am I watching” territory but also at the same time it showed the movie wanted to be taken seriously. Sadly Fatman for most of the movie takes itself way too seriously and doesn’t embrace the ridiculous premise, while yes the acting from Mel Gibson is actually not bad and the movie is decently made the rest of the film is just not interesting. I will say the final act sort of embraces the silliness of the premise but that’s really being generous, the acting from everyone else is not anything special the same can be said for the writing. Definitely not bad but not exactly anything interesting or good either. Overall Fatman just does not have a whole lot to it, it’s a very forgettable movie with a premise that could have been a lot more fun.

4/10 D+

Run (2020)


A homeschooled teenager begins to suspect her mother is keeping a dark secret from her.

Aneesh Chaganty director of Searching one of the best films of 2018 is back! This time he directs Run a thriller that is a lot like Misery but manages to be it’s own thing. One important thing about Run is the actress Kiera Allen who has her first role in this film, plus in the film she plays a character who uses a wheelchair what’s special about this is that Kiera Allen actually really does use a wheelchair. According to Variety.com this is the first time an actor or actress that uses a wheelchair has been in thriller in 70 years! That is insane and something definitely worth mentioning, on top of that Kiera Allen is fantastic, she does a fantastic job in her role! Her performance feels very raw, Sarah Paulson is also pretty fantastic as well. This is by far one of Sarah Paulson’s best roles, sure she often plays an insane type character. But with Run it honestly feels much more raw, sure there are one or two over the top moments. But for most of the movie her character feels very grounded, the atmosphere also compliments the film extremely well. It gives the movie this suspenseful feeling that catches the viewer quickly, as I said before the story definitely feels familiar in some areas. However Chaganty manages to make the film his own and manages to actually tackle the film’s premise far better than a lot of other films that came before it. Overall I highly recommend Run it’s definitely one of the standouts of the year and one of those thrillers that will get under your skin.

9/10 A

Mangrove (2020)


Mangrove tells this true story of The Mangrove Nine, who clashed with London police in 1970. The trial that followed was the first judicial acknowledgment of behavior motivated by racial hatred within the Metropolitan Police.

Mangrove is the first part of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series on Amazon Prime. Mangrove is the first of five and it’s a fantastic start, it’s based off of a true story of The Mangrove Nine in 1970 and the trial was followed by huge amounts of racial hatred within the Metropolitan Police. Steven McQueen really hits it out of the park here, he’s one of those directors who truly brings a lot of emotion and energy to his film. A lot of that can be displayed with the acting from everyone involved Leitia Wright, Malachi Kirby, Shaun Parkes and a lot of others do an incredible in their roles. The writing is flawless it really makes you feel like you are inside the courtroom seeing everything happen before you, McQueen does a fantastic job of connecting the audience to the film, the racism really angers you throughout the film to the point where you want to throw something. The filming is incredibly well done there’s tons of tense and very well done shots in the film that really make it standout, as I said before Steve McQueen’s direction is phenomenal he really does a fantastic job of showing what happened and how corrupt the Metropolitan Police plus how much racism went on. Each and every detail feels impactful and truly makes the film that much stronger. Overall Mangrove is a fantastic film and definitely one of my favorite films of the year! I definitely recommend giving this one a watch!

9/10 A

Come Play (2020)


A monster named Larry manifests itself through smart phones and mobile devices.

Come Play is surprisingly not that bad, is it breaking any new ground? Definitely not the movie is filled to the brim of cliches. But I feel what helps this movie out is mostly the acting, everyone all around gives very decent performances, the writing is solid enough. It does have it’s weak points such as having a very rough start at the beginning, which should be noted it does take a bit to get going. Which is definitely going to turn some people away, Come Play is much more story based rather than focusing on a lot of the horror elements. There are some genuine creepy moments that work well mostly due to the atmosphere, the biggest flaw Come Play has is it does have a very hard time standing out among a lot of other movies in the genre. It doesn’t do anything really unique or incredible to make it memorable. But for what Come Play is it could have easily been worse, if you are bored and looking for something quick to watch this is definitely not a bad watch. Just don’t expect anything groundbreaking.

6/10 C+

Dolly Patton’s Christmas On The Square and Jiu Jitsu (2020)

An embittered “Scrooge” of a woman plans to sell her small town, regardless of the consequences to the people who live there.

Dolly Patton’s Christmas On The Square is basically A Christmas Carol but Dolly Parton thrown in and I honestly don’t mind that at all. This movie might not be anywhere near good, but there is seriously a lot to like about this movie. Some of the songs are quite great and surprisingly have some emotion to them which I really did not expect. Christine Baranski is actually not too bad in her role, the same can be said with Dolly Parton. Every single time Parton comes on screen you can’t help but smile, with that said yes the writing is super cheesy and a lot of the acting is not very good. But I just couldn’t help but have a lot of fun with this movie, it’s definitely one of the Netflix Christmas Original movies that could keep my interest, knows what it’s goal is and at least embraces what it really is. A severally flawed but a blast of fun musical!

6/10 C+


Every six years, an ancient order of jiu-jitsu fighters joins forces to battle a vicious race of alien invaders. But when a celebrated war hero goes down in defeat, the fate of the planet and mankind hangs in the balance.

Jiu Jitsu runs into so many problems it’s not even funny, I was hoping this would be one of those it’s “so bad it’s hilarious” type films. Unfortunately that is not the case, Nicholas Cage doesn’t even appear until halfway into the film. Plus there aren’t any memorable Nicholas Cage moments in this movie, leaving it as a terrible action movie that falls apart very quickly. The acting and writing are both garbage, the costumes feel like they are straight out of Power Rangers. Nicholas Cage is hands down the best part about but he can’t even save it, Frank Grillo is just sort of there and it’s easily his worst performance in awhile. Overall there really isn’t much to Jiu Jitsu it completely misses the opportunity to be absolutely stupid and fun.

1/10 F