It's that time again! I still haven't gotten around to seeing everything from 2021 I was hoping to before compiling my list, but I knew I couldn't wait any longer to make it. Besides, when I actually got down to ranking the films, I realized I had a hard time seeing that anything else might topple what was already a really strong list. In fact, a lot of movies I really loved just barely missed it (so don't forget to check the honorable mentions). So without further ado (seriously, sorry that it took so long!) here are my top ten favorite films of 2021. 10. THE GREEN KNIGHT The Green Knight is such a visceral experience, it is easily one of the most memorable films of 2021. Though I was unfamiliar with the Arthurian legend which it depicts, I absolutely loved how authentically medieval, yet fantastical it all felt. Visually, The Green Knight is stunning and it's really easy to be swept up in its tale, even if not every moment of the journey completely worked for me. I loved how this was told almost like a poem, broken up into segments that essentially form their own verse. All of these short vignettes come together as stepping stones in the ultimate quest for Gawain (Dev Patel) to prove himself a noble and worthy knight as he faces his destiny--to live with cowardice and shame, or to die with dignity. Dev Patel is as wonderful as ever here and really gives this role his all. Truly, fantastic work by everyone involved. 9. BELFAST Belfast is such a beautiful, yet simple film. Belfast tells the story of childhood memories amid the backdrop of a civil war between Protestants and Catholics in Belfast in the 1960's. Since it's mostly told through the eyes of a child, it never goes into quite the depth you're maybe expecting or wanting...but honestly, its simplicity was so surprisingly effective. I tend to hate when I feel like films are unnecessarily in black and white, but the cinematography was so stunning, and the times when color was incorporated felt so effective. Many themes in Belfast really resonated with me on a personal level, and I was very touched by the film, even shedding a tear or two. The performances all around the board here are wonderful and the moments of love and kindness make Belfast the lovely and timely movie that it is. 8. SAINT MAUD You know I'm a sucker for horror and Saint Maud was the perfect movie to scratch that itch in 2021. Saint Maud follows the devoutly religious titular Maud, a nurse who becomes obsessed with saving her dying patient. Saint Maud is so unnervingly creepy, it is bound to get under your skin and haunt you for days. Morfyyd Clark is sensational as Maud and imbues her with so much horrific self-righteousness it makes anyone viewing it feel uncomfortable. Saint Maud is the definition of a slow burn horror, and the ending's terrifying imagery is everything. 7. NINE DAYS Released during the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, Nine Days was finally released in 2021. The premise is uniquely interesting--a man who seems to live a monotonously normal life, is actually charged with the supremely important task of determining which souls should get a chance at a life on earth. Nine Days was one of my favorite films of the festival in 2020 because it was such a beautiful celebration of life and how lucky we are to experience it. Winston Duke gives such an understated performance in the lead role here and does a lot of the heavy lifting in the emotional scenes. Nine Days left me moved and in awe. 6. LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Last Night in Soho follows Eloise, a first-year fashion student hoping to make a splash. After a clash with her roommate, she opts to find a place of her own in the city. She rents an attic room from a nice elderly woman and soon discovers it has a secret--every night when she falls asleep she wakes in the eyes of a former tenant, living her seemingly best life in the 1960's. As I said in my horror list, Last Night in Soho to many is a love it or hate it type of film and how one receives it all seems to come down to how they feel about that final act. While I definitely had some moments in the middle wondering if Edgar Wright was gonna pull it off, I truly felt like the ending is where the film completely came together and made me love it. Thomasin McKenzie and Anya-Taylor Joy are both wonderful here and the editing between their two perspectives is just magical. 5. MALIGNANT I don't think I had more fun with a movie all year than I did with Malignant. After Madison blacks out to find her husband dead after an apparent break-in, she soon finds herself connected to the murderer's next steps as she discovers she's able to look into the world he sees when she sleeps. Malignant is preposterous and magnificent all at once. It's one heck of a ride and one I'd gladly take again. I was so worried the trailers had given away too much, but luckily all of the best was yet to come. James Wan is incredibly purposeful with every decision he makes and somehow, no matter how outlandish it is, it just works. I was so blown away with its campiness and how far it was willing to go in its ode to schlocky giallo horror. We haven't seen a horror movie be this unapolagetically audacious since Drag Me To Hell and I just can't help but admire it. 4. THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD The Worst Person in the World is truly a remarkable film. While it ended up at #4 on my list, I seriously contemplated and shuffled it around all of the top 4 spots at one point before letting it settle here. The film is told in chapters, much in the way our lives all have chapters. Here, we're following Julie, a woman who never seems to feel satisfied--whether it's with what she's pursuing as a career or who she's dating. She never knows quite how to find herself, which sometimes leaves a lot of wreckage in her path. The Worst Person in the World was beautifully whimsical, yet totally authentic to life. The struggles of Julie feel real and completely make sense. Whenever I felt like I would have a handle on where the story would go, it would always shift and surprise me (again...much like life.) The ending, in particular, which had some serious echoes to La La Land, really got me. Relationship dramas--particularly ones told in a fantastical way--are my absolute favorite and The Worst Person in the World was all that and more. 3. MASS Mass was probably one of the most difficult films to watch of the year because its subject matter is undeniably heavy. Mass is essentially one long conversation between two sets of parents with a lot to discuss. The son of one of the sets of parents was responsible for shooting the son of the other, during a mass shooting at the high school the two boys attended together years ago. The meeting we as an audience witness, is the first time they've come face to face to discuss the events that changed all of their lives. The performances here are among some of the best of the year, and the fact that they aren't getting any awards attention is a complete travesty. Mass puts you through the ringer of emotions as you see all stages of grief on display and you're filled with compassion for all the players involved. Mass is truly a masterpiece (see what I did there?). 2. CODA CODA the film which opened last year's Sundance Film Festival was just a warm hug of a movie and it stayed with me all year long. CODA stands for "child of deaf adults" and follows Ruby, the only member of her family who can hear. She's torn between her duty to her family in helping them succeed in their fishing business and following her dreams to pursue a college education, and her passion to sing. Her family doesn't understand her interests and can't always relate to Ruby, so she constantly feels torn on how to live her life. I'm a total sucker for coming-of-age indie dramas, and this one had all the heart and the charm to become a personal favorite. Newcomer Emilia Jones impresses in a role that required so much from her, yet she makes look entirely effortless. 1. DUNE Honestly, all of my top four here are almost interchangeable and I had a really tough time trying to shuffle which movie would go where. Dune grabbed the top spot and edged out the other contenders because of how utterly cinematic it is in every way. Movies like this don't come around every day, but I thank my lucky stars when they do. Dune brings the sci-fi literary epic to life with style that only Denis Villeneuve can bring. Every element of the film from the score, sound design, cinematography, production design--you name it--is bringing its A-game to this movie. Everything came together so incredibly perfectly, it just blew me away. While it is very much a movie in need of a sequel so we can see where it goes (darn those cliffhanger endings!), I still very much loved Dune and the ride that it was. HONORABLE MENTIONS: Bo Burnham: Inside (which I adored with all my heart, but couldn't bring myself to include it in a list of movies since it was a comedy special), The Last Duel, Zack Snyder's Justice League, Spencer, Cyrano, Nightmare Alley, Power of the Dog, Spider-man: No Way Home (purely for the Andrew Garfield of it all if I'm being honest), and Tick Tick...Boom!

Over the last few years, creating "Worst" lists has become something of a no-no among film elites. Everyone always just wants to be positive and not add more negativity and hatred into the world. While I get that sentiment...I think opinions--positive and negative--should be discussed...and quite frankly there were a lot of movies this year that just begged me to create this list. Please don't take it personally, it's just one gal's opinion. So with that... let's get to the list! 10. ETERNALS It's no secret that I'm not the biggest Marvel fan, though in the last few years I've enjoyed more of their films than usual. But Eternals was such a snore and managed to be my least favorite Marvel film...well, ever. None of the characters were in any way memorable, and two months later, the only character I would be able to name off the top of my head is Sersi, and purely for the irony that her character was involved with two actors from Game of Thrones. Eternals is incredibly ambitious, yet exceedingly dull. With such an ensemble cast and lofty visions of the scope of the story they wanted to tell, it would have worked far better as a series on Disney+. Instead, it will become the most forgettable Marvel installment to grace the big screen, and I can't imagine it leaving much of an impact. 9. LAMB I will be the first one to admit that Lamb likely earns a spot on this list for being a victim of high expectations. Its bizarre trailer had me hooked, but unfortunately, the final film just wasn't quite the oddball horror I was hoping for. What was it exactly instead? An intriguing premise that, while it could have made a decent short film was stretched way beyond what was actually interesting. There were so many effective moments, that if leaned into could have been really interesting. Instead, Lamb decides to just be a weird family drama about grief that just doesn't really connect. The events are so incredibly outlandish, yet it is played completely straight. This, honestly, makes the audience lose their mind. I suppose that is intended as part of the beauty?? When you finally feel like you get a payoff after all you just endured, it just feels too little too late. 8. DEAR EVAN HANSEN After Cats, it should have been clear enough that some hits on Broadway just do not transfer well to the big screen. Dear Evan Hansen takes an outlandish plot that was able to work on stage, and turns it into one of the cringiest train wreck movies I've had the pleasure to see in some time. Somehow I felt like it could never get more awkward and horrible, yet the very next scene it would manage to top itself. I kept finding Evan's actions so incomprehensible to the extent that he had to be a sociopath because no one in their right mind would act this way. Suspension of disbelief in a film vs a stage musical are worlds apart. It's one thing if a film is able to capture the whimsy and magic that a musical needs to work--to explain the unexplainable--but this one's direction was so lifeless that each song fell flat on its face even if the music itself was good. And let's not even get STARTED with how old Ben Platt looks. What were they thinking with that hair??? 7. ANNETTE While Dear Evan Hansen had some nice songs at least, here in Annette, the second consecutive musical to make the list, the songs are like nails on a chalkboard. Of all of the films on this list, this may have been one of the most actively tedious to sit through. I felt like Elaine Benes in her hatred of The English Patient when Adam and Marion sang "We Love Each Other So Much" monotonely over and over. Honestly, it was so absurd I almost found myself loving it when certain punchlines happened with Baby Annette, but I had endured too much by that point to feel anything of fondness for the film. Points for creativity and being unlike anything I've seen, but unfortunately just because something is so off the wall, it doesn't make it good...or enjoyable. I understand the love people have for it, on one hand, because I found myself weirdly respecting it, but it was also just too off-putting. 6. ZOLA From its opening line, Zola promises an insane story of betrayal with twists and turns that you can't believe...and instead doesn't deliver on anything it teases. While Riley Keough gives a fantastic performance, it's the only thing Zola has going for it. Zola isn't as juicy or as jawdropping as it pretends to be. It's honestly just unpleasant and made me worry I had somehow contracted an STD just by watching it. Seriously, some of the most disgusting montages I can remember in recent memory. 5. CHAOS WALKING I am not exaggerating when I tell you that it took me DAYS to get through this movie. The plot is silly sci-fi at its worst. The premise here is that the thoughts of all the men on the planet are audible (and in some cases, visible) to everyone else. This makes for a lot of embarrassing and awkward moments for Tom Holland's plucky character, Todd, who is almost instantly smitten with Daisy Ridley's Viola when she crash lands on his planet and becomes the first woman he's ever seen. I'm pretty ambivalent in regards to Ridley as an actress, feeling like while she was generally pretty endearing in The Force Awakens, she was pretty bland in the other two Star Wars sequel trilogy films. Here in Chaos Walking she is pretty atrocious. She and Holland have zero chemistry, which maybe is what they were going for since she constantly rebuffs him and acts continually confused by his bizarre behavior. There's a scene about an hour in where she and Holland are supposed to have a nice moment that is so unintentionally hilarious in its stupidity that it instantly earned its spot on the list. 4. BINGO HELL I honest to goodness have NO idea who this film was made for. A gore-filled horror fest starring senior citizens playing BINGO? Why did I watch this film? I do not have an answer for that, I really don't. Do I regret it with my whole soul? Yes. 3. SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY Is there a more spiritually bankrupt film than Space Jam: A New Legacy? If there is, I don't want to know about it. I'm pretty sure my whole soul left my body at some point while watching this film. It must have vacated the premises because it's hard to truly recollect all of the awfulness that occurred during its runtime. But what I do remember? A shameless constant tour through Warner Brothers' intellectual properties, as well as Don Cheadle playing an evil algorithm personified, is more than enough to place it so high on the list. 2. HOME SWEET HOME ALONE I will tell you that it was a real nailbiter picking the #1 spot and Home Sweet Home Alone just missed it by the teeniest amount. Home Sweet Home Alone is without a doubt, one of the worst legacy sequels/requels (reboot sequels) of any franchise ever. The ingredients of a Home Alone film are not hard to understand, but here it's like the filmmakers mixed up the salt with the sugar. While, yes, the home invasion traps are a necessary ingredient to any Home Alone film, no one wants to see the protagonists of these films tortured! The humor only comes from seeing people who deserve it get pummeled. Here, the incomprehensible decision is made to twist the formula so the story focuses on the pair who inevitably find themselves in the burglar role rather than showing it through the eyes of the kid in the Kevin role. Only this time, the "burglars" are completely innocent and only trying to get something back that was rightfully theirs to begin with. So naturally, they deserve to go through excruciating pain?? This was just a miss in every possible way and an embarrassment for all involved. 1. CINDERELLA It was really tough to choose between Home Sweet Home Alone and Cinderella in the top spot, but I think I was ultimately more entertained by how bad Home Sweet Home Alone was, whereas this was more just obnoxiously eye-rollingly bad. I get wanting to tell a modern retelling of a fairy tale (see A Cinderella Story), or to update your fairy tale to perhaps add some modern elements and make your heroine stronger (Cinderella 2015), but if you're telling a fairy tale story....please just keep it as a fairy tale instead of turning it into a girl boss story. Since this Cinderella is so concerned with the optics of updating the story to be progressive, it forgets that Cinderella is also a love story. Subsequently, it gives us a half-hearted attempt at romance that certainly makes that "happily ever after" incredibly underwhelming. But aside from all of that, the music is bad and the whole thing just comes off as completely uninspired. For a story that's been told so many times, with so many other wonderful versions that exist...I think this version of Cinderella was better left on the shelf.

In theaters now is The 355, a spy-thriller directed by Simon Kinberg featuring an incredibly strong cast (Jessica Chastain, Lupita N'yongo, Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz, and Sebastian Stan). The trailer portrayed a fun, entertaining action-driven team-up film starring some of the best actresses working today. What we actually got...was something far more boring, and pedestrian. I'm sad to say it but, if you're looking for the blandest, most uninspired female-centric spy thriller, The 355 is just the movie for you. After a job goes wrong, CIA agent Mace (Jessica Chastain), goes rogue in order to seek the truth of what really happened. But she'll need some help from other international agents in order to succeed...and maybe they'll even take down the patriarchy while they're at it. It's not worth getting into the details any more than that, because the plot you witness in The 355 you've seen a hundred times before in other, better thrillers. I'm convinced that anyone who watches this film, in a week's time will have no memory of anything that happened here. On paper, this film had the potential to be good. In reality, it is a staggering misfire that is a waste of its fine cast's time and talents. It takes some real buffoonery to squander so much talent, but here we are as I sit here trying desperately to find more ways to describe how dull this movie was. Unfortunately, there's not much more to say than that because this film only inspires apathy, not passionate thought-provoking hatred. There is no more to discuss because there's simply nothing more to the film than its nothingness. RATING: 2/10

A new year is upon us, and thus a slew of new movies, which means it's time to take a look at what the new year has in store for us. There's a lot in 2022 to look forward to with many of my favorite directors having new films to share. 10. JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION Okay, the track record for movies in this franchise goes one masterpiece and a lot of mediocrity that followed. I have no reason to expect this movie will be good, but I'm sure it will be entertaining. All I care about is seeing some good DINO ACTION and you can't get that anywhere else but here. 9. ROSALINE This movie has been in development hell for a little over a decade now. After I fell in love with (500) Days of Summer, I always kept a close eye on what the writing team of Michael Weber & Scott Neustadter were working on. Rosaline, a retelling of the classic Romeo & Juliet story, this time told from the perspective of Romeo's ex was in development quickly after (500) Days but never seemed to take off. Many actresses had been attached to star over the years, but finally, it's happening with the always reliable Kaitlyn Dever in the titular role. 8. BLACK PHONE I'm really excited to see Scott Derrickson's return to horror and his reunion with Ethan Hawke. Their previous collaboration, Sinister was one of the scariest horror movies of the last decade, so naturally, I can't wait to see what Black Phone has in store. The trailer was incredibly creepy and it looks really promising. 7. NOPE Jordan Peele's third outing directing horror is sure to be another can't miss cinematic experience. Nothing is known about the plot so far, all we have to go off of is a very cryptic teaser poster and a solid cast. Here Peele once again reteams with Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) as well as adding Steven Yeun (Minari) and Keke Palmer (Scream Queens). 6. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 7 For the last few years (ever since Christopher McQuarrie began taking the helm), Mission Impossible has been one of the most reliable franchises around. Fallout was an insanely perfect action film and I can't wait to see how Cruise and McQuarrie try to top it. Tom Cruise's dedication to this role and the franchise, as well as the incredible stunts he's willing to do for it, are truly incredible. 5. SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE PART ONE Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse was one of the nicest surprises of 2018, so I'm really excited to see a follow-up. I opted to forgo watching the trailer, though I heard a lot of very positive reactions. I'm loving the confidence to boldly declare this film a part one and I hope it delivers. With Phil Lord and Christopher Miller involved with anything, I expect greatness. 4. THE NORTHMAN Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse) is back, this time with an incredibly stacked cast including Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, and Ethan Hawke. The trailer for this looks absolutely fantastic (though maybe gave a little too much away). The Witch was one of my favorite horror movies ever, while The Lighthouse was so ambitious I found myself admiring it more than really connecting with it. The Northman looks like it brings the strengths of Eggers's first two films and meets somewhere in the middle. I'm also really excited to see him reteam with Anya-Taylor Joy. She's become a bonafide star since The Witch, and I'm excited to see her work with the director who discovered her once again. 3. BABYLON As I said, so many of my favorite directors seem to have movies coming out this year and Damien Chazelle is yet another. It's pretty incredible to have two masterpieces under his belt already with Whiplash and La La Land, so essentially anything Damien Chazelle is working on is high on my radar. Though I was a bit underwhelmed with First Man, his follow-up Babylon has a pretty insane cast it's hard not to have really high hopes. With Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Margot Robbie, Katherine Waterston, Olivia Wilde, and Samara Weaving, Babylon has got a lot working in its favor...even if I have no idea what it's about. 2. THE BATMAN Does the world need another gritty Batman film? Maybe not since Christopher Nolan's trilogy is so perfect...but since The Dark Knight Rises is turning ten this year, there's really no time like the present to get back in the batmobile and go for another round! But what really has me excited this time is having Matt Reeves behind the wheel who is a more than worthy successor. His Planet of the Apes films were some of the best blockbusters of the past decade and I will absolutely not bet against him. The latest trailers for this look incredibly strong and this film looks like it could be every bit as great as the movies Nolan created. 1. DISAPPOINTMENT BLVD. Of all the talented directors who have new films in 2022, the one whose movie I'm most looking forward to seeing would have to be Ari Aster. Hereditary has to be one of the strongest most assured debuts of a director I've ever seen, and Midsommer was an incredibly strong follow-up which made me only more impressed with his talents. Disappointment Blvd is described as a comedy, drama, horror film, and coming from his mind I can only imagine what that might entail. Here Aster has tapped Joaquin Phoenix to star and I can't imagine a more perfect pairing. Though there's no firm release date, I eagerly await its premiere. Honestly, that's just scratching the surface because there are so many more exciting movies coming our way. So long live cinema and have a happy new year!

Five years ago, Sony attempted to resurrect the Ghostbusters franchise with a gender-swapped reboot in Paul Feig's Ghostbusters. His film wiped out the original Ghostbusters film and its sequel, and mimicked the story beats, just with women in the roles this time. Though critically it fared well, many fans were offended with the disregard to the original being remade and the film was a box office bomb. So here we are years later, where Sony is testing fate again, but this time playing it much more safely. With Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jason Reitman (son of the original Ghostbusters director, Ivan Reitman) pays tribute to the original films in a very reverential, nostalgic way--too much perhaps even for the films' own good. Ghostbusters: Afterlife follows Phoebe (McKenna Grace), her brother Trevor, (Finn Wolfhard), and her mother (Carrie Coon), who, after her grandfather passes away, move into the farmhouse he left them far away in the countryside. Phoebe had never met her grandfather before since her mother told her that he left when she was just a child. Phoebe yearns to learn more about her grandfather as she explores more of the house and learns that her grandfather was a scientist, a passion she shares as well. After a precocious kid at school named Podcast (Logan Kim) befriends her, they learn even more about Phoebe's grandfather; they learn he owned a lot of specific equipment designed for catching ghosts. Their summer school teacher, Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd), fills them in on the history of the Ghostbusters, and with all the equipment in tow, they decide to have a bit of fun. They soon discover, however, that Phoebe's grandfather had a very specific reason to live where he did, and that he was playing watchdog in the event that something truly terrible (and paranormal) would happen. The problem with trying to make a sequel to the original Ghostbusters film is that it was such a lightning in a bottle kind of movie that it is impossible to duplicate. The magic of the original cannot be recreated, no matter how hard anyone tries. It wasn't the props, costumes, and music alone that made Ghostbusters what it was then and still is today (though they certainly contributed to the charm). Rather, it was the comic talents of the original cast, and how they interacted together that made Ghostbusters an instant classic. It was seeing truly great comedians in their prime deliver some of the funniest lines in movie history with their pitch-perfect comedic timing. In short, Ghostbusters has a je ne sais quois about it that no one can just stumble upon. So with that in mind, Afterlife cannot feel like an organic sequel because it's truly impossible to, but that doesn't mean it's not a fun, pleasant film that constantly goes out of its way to honor the original. However, the film is at its best when it's trying to do new things, and as a result, it gets bogged down when it tries to play the original's greatest hits all over again. The film's final third, in particular, recycles way too much. Overall though, I had fun with this sequel, even if it felt impossible to truly match the tone of the original. Here, the film is much more family-oriented and kid-focused, which honestly was a great move. No group of adults will ever feel like Ghostbusters, so might as well let the kids have some fun...even if it makes it feel more Goonies than Ghostbusters. I have a lot of thoughts on the ending, but I don't want to put spoilers in my review, so I'll leave it at that. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a fun, loving tribute that never tries to erase, but to elevate what came before. RATING: 7/10

When I first heard another Matrix sequel was in development, I was so perplexed as to why. The answer of course to that was to make money, so my bigger question than "why" was "how"? How can you make a sequel to something that ended so definitively in The Matrix Revolutions which packaged up the story and tied it with a nice bow? I thought it would be impossible to bring a plausible belated sequel to The Matrix...but somehow with all that insane pressure, Lana Wachowski makes it look easy with The Matrix Resurrections. It's hard to get into even the basics of the plot without revealing too much, but Resurrections follows some similar beats to the first Matrix film, where, Mr. Anderson (Keanu Reeves) lives a fairly normal life until all at once he has a choice placed before him whether or not to follow the metaphorical rabbit down the rabbit hole. Does he listen to his therapist (Neil Patrick Harris) who tries to help him see reality, his boss (Jonathan Groff) who tells him to keep his head down and keep focusing on his all-important work, or a stranger (Jessica Henwick) who reminds him that things aren't what they seem? Perhaps the aspect of The Matrix Resurrections that is the most fun, is how incredibly meta it plays it. This is absolutely Wes Craven's New Nightmare meets The Matrix and that may or may not work for audiences. Some will embrace this sense of humor with how it handles the story, while others will be turned off by how it recontextualizes the franchise as a whole. For me, it really worked and while it wasn't something I was expecting, in retrospect I can't picture successfully telling the story in any other way. For me, it works because we feel almost as confused as Mr. Anderson in knowing what is reality and what isn't inside the film. Wachowski's answers to what everyone has been up to make sense to me and totally work to reignite the story. That's not to say every decision made in the film works for me. There's a definite over-reliance on footage and callbacks to the previous films, which honestly makes me really miss some of the cast members not included here (Hugo Weaving and Lawrence Fishburn to be more precise). Jonathan Groff is clearly having a ball here, but it's hard not to feel Hugo Weaving's absence as his Mr. Smith was so incredibly done. While the previous Matrix sequels added more worldbuilding and rules to almost an exhaustible extent, Resurrections boils the story down to its simplest terms and focuses all of its energy on the love story between Neo and Trinity. To me, this works as their connection was always what grounded the previous films as well, so seeing their connection continue to grow and persevere is special. Storywise, The Matrix Resurrections feels more like a jumping-off point for new adventures than necessarily an epic adventure itself, but it has me excited for the future of the franchise should they choose to pursue it. RATING: 8/10

When I first heard that Steven Spielberg wanted to remake one of the all-time great movie musicals, West Side Story, I just didn't understand why. Spielberg brings a new diverse cast to the proceedings that is certainly welcome, but apart from that, he really couldn't improve on a movie that did everything else so right. He had to know that his version would be compared endlessly to that which came before, so thus I present a review that mostly does that--compare his film to one of cinema's greatest achievements. Sorry, Steven, it was inevitable. West Side Story follows the love story of Tony and Maria, young lovers who both have ties to rival gangs in the 1950s. Tony and his best friend, Riff (Mike Faist), started the Jets, while Maria's brother, Bernardo (David Alvarez), is the leader of the Sharks. The two gangs hate each other and are constantly fighting for control of the streets. Riff plans to challenge Bernardo to a rumble, to determine who will finally get control, but little do they know that meanwhile Tony and Maria have a newfound love and that will soon pose problems for both sides. Spielberg assembled a fine enough cast and their vocal talents are nothing to sneeze at. There's not a Pierce Brosnan in the group, thankfully, and everyone is able to carry their tunes just fine. Everyone does a great job, though no one necessarily feels like an upgrade either from the previous version (which, hey, both of the leads were dubbed, so they obviously used the strongest singers they could find). Ariana DeBose seems to be the standout here. She's fun to watch which is easy, really, because Anita is pretty much the best role. Speaking of Anita, Rita Moreno (who played Anita in the '61 version, and fills a Doc-like role here as Valentina) does fine, but feels more like a gimmick than anything else. Anytime she's on just feels like a distracting wink-wink, nudge-nudge to the audience. This is Steven Spielberg's first musical and he chose to tackle the best one out there. While Spielberg does a fine job with the musical numbers' staging and choreography, he fumbles the most important element of the story, the crux of which everything depends-- the love story. One huge mistake happens right off the bat as we're introduced to one of our two leads, Tony (Ansel Elgort), as he sings his "I want" song with Something's Coming. In the 1961 version, he sings it to himself as he ponders all the possibilities that await him if he decides to listen to Riff and attend the dance. You truly feel like he's singing about his destiny. I get chills every time I hear it. Here in Spielberg's version, Tony isn't alone, but rather, he sings his song playfully to Valentina (Rita Moreno) rather than contemplatively to himself. Spielberg seems to be afraid to play it sincere and serious when it comes to the seeds of the romance, and always chooses to make the solos in this film a bit more lighthearted by including intentional or unintentional audiences. But by taking away the feeling of Something's Coming--that Tony has forces greater beyond himself pushing him to be at the dance--the meeting with Maria (Rachel Zegler) when it finally happens doesn't have the same impact. Tony and Maria don't come off as star-crossed lovers who were destined to find one another in this telling, they're much more two kids who just met and developed an instant crush. Sure, that's one way to tell the story of Romeo & Juliet, but it certainly lessens the impact of all their love stands for. With their fizzled meet cute, nothing that follows feels as believable or worth the tragedy that soon occurs, and for this story, that's a big problem. The '61 version benefits from some amazing chemistry that Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer share (despite hating each other in real life!) as well as the otherworldly visual depiction that destiny is pushing them together. Everyone fades away when they're together and it's magic. In this version, they don't have that same chemistry. Their meeting is cute, but mostly a bit awkward. In the original, you feel the passion when they have their moment on the balcony singing Tonight. Here it definitely makes you wanna say, "But you two barely know each other." It's fine to read the text this way and point that out if that's the commentary Spielberg wanted to make, but it makes the decisions the pair make near the end of the film a lot more shallow and incomprehensible. It makes me wonder if Spielberg saw West Side Story as a musical street fighting gang movie first and a love story second. He certainly prioritizes other parts of the story, which, is his prerogative, but the film suffers for it. If you, for whatever reason, really can't stomach watching a movie not made in this century, then by all means some West Side Story is better than none and this movie is a serviceable telling of the story. Otherwise, just watch the original because it is so much better. RATING: 6/10

With Spider-man No Way Home now in theaters, it is now time to revisit all the previous cinematic adventures starring our friendly neighborhood Spider-man and see how they stack up against each other. Let's take a look back at all the adventures Peter Parker has been through, starting from my least favorite leading up to the cream of the Spider-man crop. 9. SPIDER-MAN FAR FROM HOME PROS: Look, I certainly won't complain about European scenery...even if Spider-man belongs in NYC. Jake Gyllenhaal has some fun chewing the scenery. Ned's side romance is somewhat amusing. Fun to see JK Simmons back. Illusion sequence with Mysterio. CONS: Peter's undying love for MJ that came from literally nowhere. Peter's motivations; He either comes off as selfish or incredibly dumb the whole movie. Some of the action scenes feel like they came straight from a Disney Channel Original Movie. Not adequately going over the aftermath of Avengers Infinity War & Avengers Endgame. Spider-man's story is too intertwined with Iron-man; he never feels like his own hero. Underwhelming finale fighting drones. 8. SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING PROS: Tom Holland is solid, even if in a golly gee-willikers kinda way that falls short of his predecessors. Michael Keaton is fantastic. The reveal that they already he and Vulture were already acquainted was good. CONS: Iron-man basically cleans up all of his messes, Spider-man never really feels heroic. MJ's role is terrible and having another love interest when we're supposed to buy her as his true love over the next two movies was a mistake. 7. SPIDER-MAN 3 PROS: There are actually some really cool action sequences in this one-- despite it juggling too much overall, it's still fun to watch. Thomas Haden Church was a great addition and did a good job. I even had fun with Topher Grace. I love these characters even if this isn't their strongest outing and there's unnecessary drama. CONS: CGI in some scenes has aged poorly. Overstuffed with plotlines and villains. Don't love the MJ/Peter drama. Emo Peter is...ridiculous but hey at least he's meme-worthy. Harry's amnesia. 6. SPIDER-MAN NO WAY HOME PROS: [SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! SKIP THIS ENTRY IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN NO WAY HOME] All the returning greats! MVP's gotta be Willem Dafoe and Andrew Garfield for me. Dafoe doesn't miss a beat and Andrew really is making his appearance count as some closure for those who loved him in the role. Finally letting Spider-man be Spider-man and giving him his Uncle Ben moment....even if they opted to go with Aunt May. Peter experiencing tragedy and relating with the other versions of himself was a true highlight. All the spider-men interacting with each other was very special. CONS: Really hard to suspend disbelief with some of the plotlines. Really feels like just a means for the second half to happen. I don't feel like at this point in his story the world would hate Spider-man after being a part of the Avengers and maybe one of them could have stepped forward to help clear things up? [Spoilers! Highlight to read] 3 movies in and I just didn't feel anything when Aunt May died, but glad they're putting Spider-man on the path to be more who he needs to be [/end spoilers] 5. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 PROS Gwen & Peter's love story continues to be the highlight of these films. They have some truly romantic moments here. The final battle and Gwen's fate is perfectly done. Probably the most tragic scene in a Spider-man film. Once again, Andrew is giving it his all (see next entry). Even though No Way Home has some really fantastic moments in the second half, I gotta give my preference still to these films ahead since as films overall I just prefer the leads here more. CONS Too many villains to juggle. This movie just bites off more than it can chew all the way around and suffers for it. Too much studio interference. I enjoy Dane DeHaan here, but wish he and his relationship with Peter had been given more setup. Electro definitely has some cringey moments. 4. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PROS: Andrew Garfield is a FANTASTIC Spider-man. His first scene as Spidey feels so right. He's nothing short of magical. Emma Stone is so likable as Gwen Stacy. Her chemistry with Andrew is just wonderful. Peter and Gwen's love story feels so real and refreshing. Maybe the best Stan Lee cameo ever, this sequence is so much fun. Some fun action sequences all around. Love the soundtrack. CONS: Spotty CGI for the Lizard. The Lizard's "evil plot" is a bit silly and doesn't make a lot of sense. The storyline is a bit messy. A lot of plot threads aren't seen through to the end. Peter's a bit too careless in keeping his identity secret. 3. INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE PROS: Stunning animation. The story feels so fresh after all the other films and works as an incredible origin story. I love the family drama with Miles and his Uncle. Doc Ock is great. Climactic battle here is one of the best of all the films. CONS: I don't love all of the various Spider-men... namely the anime & Spider-ham versions. They just feel a bit gimmicky. 2. SPIDER-MAN PROS: This was the one that started it all! It's such a perfect origin film and one of the best ever made. You feel Peter's joy as he's discovering his powers and you are truly along for the ride. Willem Dafoe is marvelous as Norman Osborn and his alter ego, Green Goblin. Tobey was really an inspired choice, even if I slightly prefer Andrew as Spider-man...Tobey is just wonderful as Peter Parker. Sam Raimi's direction & Danny Elfman's score together are just top-notch. CONS: Some of the CGI doesn't hold up, though it was groundbreaking at the time. There's some cheesy dialogue, but it's so comic booky that it's easy to forgive. 1. SPIDER-MAN 2 PROS: This is one of the best superhero movies of all time. The action here is thrilling and stunning. Everything with Doc Ock is simply incredible, he's just a fantastic villain and his villain origin is true horror within a superhero film. The ending with MJ is one of my all-time favorite superhero movie endings, showing how a superhero really can have happiness. The drama with Harry just works as he inches closer and closer to his secret. CONS: Honestly...I can't think of a thing. It's perfection. After No Way Home, Spider-man's future seems brighter than ever, so we'll eagerly await the future adventures that are in store for our favorite webslinger (with Across the Spider-verse Parts 1 & 2 shortly to come to make us re-evaluate our lists all too soon!) But until then, this is where they fall for me!

Out today is the Jordan Peele produced horror sequel/reboot Candyman. Contrary to popular misconception, Candyman is not Jordan Peele's directorial follow-up to Get Out and Us despite his name plastered all over the marketing. This re-imagination of Candyman is directed by Nia DaCosta and follows a young black artist named Anthony (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who is in desperate need of inspiration for his next art show. One night he and his girlfriend Brianna (Teyonah Parris) invite her brother over to dinner and he asks them if they want to hear a scary story. He recounts the urban legend of Candyman, a ghost who can be conjured if you look in the mirror and say his name 5 times. Anthony becomes transfixed by the story and is convinced the Candyman just might be his new muse, so he begins a quest to learn as much as he can about who Candyman was. He'll soon learn that he'll get more than he bargained for as Candyman starts infiltrating his life more and more each day. As someone who really likes the original Candyman from 1992, I was really excited about this direct sequel reboot to that film (we really need to come up with a better term for those since they seem all too common nowadays). One thing that I felt was really great about that film was how the protagonist Helen found herself in a living nightmare that did more than simply threaten her bodily harm, Candyman ruined her life in every possible way. Part of his torture was destroying everything around her and making her look like the one responsible. In this film, they have ample opportunities to attempt their own version of this which they even set up (and with a black male protagonist in today's political climate would have been very interesting), but they shy away from it. Now, I'm not saying it should have been a carbon copy, but this was one of the aspects of Candyman that made him different. One element I struggled with also, from a horror film perspective, is that since Anthony is so obsessed with the idea of Candyman he never really is afraid of him...and so neither are we. The scares essentially all happen to secondary characters we don't care about so it's almost impossible to feel any tension. But the ending is the most problematic because it mostly attempts to be shocking without making any sense. It's like the filmmakers thought that a series of reveals would bring everything together when instead it just leaves the audience scratching their heads. Ultimately Candyman is a disappointment. Despite strong performances from its leads and some interesting ideas (because honestly, the idea of Candyman as an art exhibit was incredibly cool) it just fails at the most important aspect of a horror movie: being scary. RATING: 5/10

Sometimes you just want a fairy tale to be a fairy tale. Cinderella has to be the most adapted fairy tale in the history of film. There are many versions of it to treasure (in fact, I did a whole series on this just a few years ago examining all the different adaptations), and quite a few that leave something to be desired. The most recent adaptation by Disney in 2015 was absolutely charming with a lovely performance by Lily James. Did we really need another so soon? Amazon studios thought so, and so we have Cinderella (2021) starring Camila Cabello. Don't worry, this time it's different though because Cinderella sings breathy pop songs and is a girl boss! Unlike other iterations of this story, this Cinderella doesn't care about going to the ball to meet the prince (Nicholas Galitzine). Here she just wants to start a fashion business and show off her designs in hopes of making a career for herself. Like other Cinderellas before her though, she does suffer from the wrath of her stepmother (Idina Menzel) and bullying of her stepsisters (played here by Maddie Baillio and Charlotte Spencer). She also does have a fairy godmother, or rather fabulous godmother (played by Billy Porter who seems like the only one who had any energy for this project) who instead of creating a dress for her from scratch, makes one of the dresses she previously sketched into a reality. Cinderella is a disaster. It definitely doesn't help that it (relatively) comes off the heels of the 2015 Lily James version, so it can't help but be compared to it, but this movie just really does not have much going for it. The music (aside from Idina Menzel's songs) sound like nails on a chalkboard. The leads are unlikable and the romance fizzles because it's hard to buy into it when it comes second to all its agenda. The filmmakers were so focused on making it modern that they lost all sense of what actually makes the story timeless. Cinderella is best left to be forgotten and if you're in the mood to see the story come to life watch one of the other countless versions that get it right. RATING: 2/10