Sundance's midnight section debuted last night with an ode to 80's schlock horror with Censor. Censor follows Enid, a film censor who had a traumatic life event when she was a child that she doesn’t have a clear memory of. One day at work she comes upon a film that closely seems to mirror her past, so she does some investigating to find out if this filmmaker has the key to her memories. Censor, which is set in the 1980’s, is a love letter to trashy horror films of that era. It is both stylish and very cold, just like its protagonist. It keeps you at arm's length and leaves you almost unsure of what your opinion is of the movie until the very end. Luckily for me, the ending made everything that came before mostly worth how subdued it was. For a debut film, writer-director Prano Bailey-Bond is incredibly self-assured but perhaps plays it a little too safe throughout. She plays her cards very close to the chest which unfortunately takes away some of the tension because the viewer isn't quite as invested as they would be had a few more risks been taken. For having such a short runtime, the film did manage to feel a bit slow in taking its time, but it all feels very deliberate and composed...again just like its protagonist. Niamh Algar carries the film on her shoulders and gives a compelling performance, but since the film keeps us at a distance it's hard to care about her too much. Still, the ending was quite effective and brought my score up just a bit. RATING: 7/10

Sundance is underway with the first film in the dramatic category: CODA. Newcomer Emilia Jones plays Ruby Rossi, a girl who is the only member in her family with the ability to hear. She is a CODA, or child of deaf adults. She helps out with her family’s fishing business and is essential in their lives as both a daughter and an interpreter. But Ruby’s real passion and talent is to sing. Inspired by her enthusiastic choir teacher (Eugenio Derbez), Ruby is able to envision another life for herself, but separating herself from her family depending on her may be harder than she imagines. Coda was such a delight and a great way to start the festival. It was so warm and funny and the emotions felt so real. Coming of age films are some of my favorite films, especially at Sundance, but this one adds a family dramedy layer that gives it even more weight and heart. You feel for Ruby’s journey and you can understand everyone’s side in this. More than a couple of scenes towards the end made me tear up and really pulled at the heartstrings. Emilia Jones knocks it out of the park in her debut role, but the acting all around is stellar too. There’s not a false note in the cast and everyone gets their moment to shine. It also must be said that Jones has a lovely singing voice and I can't wait until the soundtrack is available. All in all, Coda is a winning film that has it all: humor and heart. See it as soon as you can. RATING: 8.5/10

Marvel is back with their second big screen release of the year, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Unlike Black Widow, Shang-Chi does not feature a previously introduced character as its lead, so this movie feels like an all-new adventure exploring uncharted territory. Much like Black Panther, Shang-Chi takes us into a whole new world with incredible action unlike anything in the franchise so far. Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings follows Shang-chi (Simu Liu), a man trying to run away from his heritage, so he now goes by Sean. He lives in San Francisco and works alongside his best friend, Katie (Awkwafina), wasting his potential as a valet. His mother passed away some years ago and he is now estranged from his father and sister. After some assassins attack Sean and Katie while riding the bus one day, Sean must reveal his hidden incredible abilities. He was trained as a martial arts master by his father and mother since he was a small child. Once he learns the assassins were sent by his father, he must reunite with his sister, Xialing (Meng'er Zhang), and confront their past...which includes finding a way into their mother's magical world. Together they must save it before their father destroys it. Shang-Chi has a lot going for it. As already mentioned, the action is fantastic; some of the action sequences here are the best that Marvel has ever done. In particular, the aforementioned bus sequence, as well as the action sequence quickly after he reunites with his sister keep your eyes glued to the screen for every second. The leads here are likable too, even if Awkwafina feels incredibly shoehorned into the last act. Not all of the humor here works, but it felt a lot less unobtrusive than in some other Marvel films. I also appreciated the hero/villain conflict between the father and son all throughout and leading to the last act, I just wish the finale wasn't so dependent on the CGI extravaganza that surrounds it. All in all though, Shang-chi is top-tier Marvel because it feels so unique. It doesn't feel as paint by numbers as some of the others and for that...it feels refreshing. RATING: 8/10

After taking some time to dip his toes into the world of superheroes with 2018's Aquaman, James Wan once again returns to his horror roots with Malignant. Originally slated to come out last year, the studio had been quite tight-lipped about even revealing any kind of synopsis. So I was quite surprised when the trailer came out and revealed what I thought to be far too much. Luckily I was wrong and the best parts of the film were not revealed in the marketing. I found that Malignant was a total ride that I was totally here for. That's not to say I wasn't skeptical of the film's purposefully schlocky B-movie tone...I really wasn't getting what James Wan was going for until it all clicked. There reached a certain point in this movie where I was just all in for whatever Wan decided to show us next. Malignant tells the story of Madison (Annabelle Wallis), a pregnant woman grieving the loss of her husband after an unknown killer enters her home and murders him shortly after a domestic dispute between the couple. Problem is, the cops can't find any evidence he was ever there as there was no forced entry. But shortly after the incident, Madison starts having waking dreams with a front-row view into the killer's world as she witnesses him commit a series of murders. It's up to her, along with help from her sister Sydney (Maddie Lake), to look back into her mysterious past to find the connection between her and the killer, before Madison becomes more and more implicated in his crimes. Malignant isn't so much scary as it is thrilling and it features one of the best action sequences of the whole year. Watching this movie was like riding a very intense roller coaster in the best possible way. Once it's over and you step off, you can't help but want to ride it all over again. My only complaint is I wish we could have used more practical effects along the way (as seen done much better with the backwards ghost in Anything for Jackson). While the action scenes toward the end are undoubtedly amazing, they also come off looking more like a video game than real life. All in all, while the film is definitely a nod to 80's B-movie horror, coming out now it just feels so fresh compared to mainstream horror that I can't help but love it in all of its bonkers glory. RATING: 8.5/10

Director Julia Ducournau follows up her audacious debut Raw, with Titane, no doubt trying to top the sheer lunacy in her first film by doubling down on it in her second. If I were to describe the plot to you, you'd ask me if I was on drugs. Honestly, knowing as little as possible is the way to go with this film though, so I'll try not to say too much. To boil it down to its simplest and most vague terms, Titane follows Alexia (Agathe Rousselle) a jaded woman who desperately must escape her life and the things she's done. She unexpectedly finds a new life and makes a connection that means more to her than she realizes. Titane begins with a bang and feels like nonstop lunacy for the first half-hour or so. Then it slows down and almost becomes a different film entirely. I think I eventually kind of admired the movie it became and I was certainly engaged all throughout, but it still also feels like the type of film that keeps its viewers at arm's length. Perhaps this is because of how cold our protagonist is, but it affects the whole film. I came out admiring the film on one level and really not liking it on another (honestly there is so much nightmare fuel in here to haunt my dreams for years to come...). There are a lot of poignant moments and real character development here. Ultimately I do believe there's an audience for Titane, I'm just not sure it is for me, and it's certainly not for everyone else either. Titane is definitely worth seeing...it just might make you scratch your head for quite a bit afterward. RATING: 6/10

It's been quite a long time that the world had to wait for Daniel Craig's swan song as James Bond in No Time to Die, but it's finally in theaters now for audiences to cherish one final adventure with Craig's 007. After two years of delays, the question can finally be answered of whether or not No Time to Die was everything the fans wanted it to be as the grand finale for Craig's Bond. In short, was it worth the wait? When Daniel Craig debuted as James Bond in 2006's Casino Royale, he completely revitalized a franchise that I honestly never had any interest in. I remember feeling great excitement at the possibility of where the series could go from there with him as a lead. Unfortunately, none of his subsequent films really got close to matching that same feeling I had from Casino Royale (though Skyfall came close). It's not that I didn't enjoy the other films or feel entertained by them, they just never reached those same heights again. Neither, sadly, does No Time to Die, though it definitely has its moments. No Time to Die picks up where Spectre left off (and unfortunately with such a gap between films, it's hard to remember exactly where that was). But all you need to know is Bond is happily in love with Madeleine Swan (Léa Seydoux) and ready to give it all up and be with her....until it appears she's betrayed him and he vows never to speak to her again. Years later and retired, he gets pulled into one last job where once again their paths will cross. There's a lot of great action to spare in No Time to Die, but the film's main problem is it's a bit bloated overall. The film easily could have shaved off a good 30 minutes or so and have been all the better for it. This is particularly frustrating when while the film feels way too long, it still manages to waste Ana de Armas by using her exclusively for one sequence. And I must also add that Rami Malek's villain just doesn't work here for me. His connection to James feels convoluted and his motivations feel far-fetched. He just wasn't intimidating to me at all. Still as a closer to Craig's stint as Bond, No Time to Die works and really actually does feel like one of the stronger films he's done even though it has its flaws. While his ending isn't completely satisfying, they definitely gave all the closure they needed to. While a lot of the films during his tenure were a bit uneven, Daniel Craig was a fantastic James Bond and we were lucky to have him. RATING: 7/10

In preparation for Halloween Kills, I went and watched every film in the Halloween franchise. Naturally, I had to rank them afterward. So from worst to best, let's take a look back at the adventures of Michael Myers from his most cringe-worthy appearances to his most chilling. HALLOWEEN RESURRECTION The Good: Laurie Strode...for like 5 minutes before they unceremoniously kill her off. The Bad: Literally everything else. This doesn't really feel like a Halloween movie at all...which is probably because it was just a generic horror script turned into one. The plot is bad. The characters are extremely unlikeable. Worst of all....it's incredibly boring. I nodded off more than a few times. HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS The Good: Um...Paul Rudd I guess? The Bad: All the crazy cult stuff. The plot is insanely convoluted. Seriously, whose idea was it to make Myers' evil tied to an evil cult?? Also killing off Jamie-- also unceremoniously-- is also not great (what is it with this series killing off good characters badly?) HALLOWEEN 5: THE REVENGE OF MICHAEL MYERS The Good: Jamie & Loomis. The Bad: Unlikable Tina as a final girl after Rachel is...you guessed it...unceremoniously killed off. The Nicolas Cage Michael Myers mask (seriously what is up with it??) Comic relief cops. HALLOWEEN (ROB ZOMBIE) The Good: Learning more about Michael's backstory. The Bad: Learning more about Michael's backstory. Sometimes I just want evil people to be evil and not to know why they're evil. Also, I just don't love Zombie's trashy grungy style. HALLOWEEN II (ROB ZOMBIE) The Good: I went back and forth between ranking this one ahead of or behind its sequel, and ultimately I do appreciate that it's doing more of its own thing and exploring a realistic scenario of how someone would actually deal with the aftermath of these events and how it would affect them personally. The Bad: All of the freaking visions of his dead mom and a white horse. I just can't. Aside from that, even though Laurie's trauma is certainly believable...goodness she is an unlikeable version of this character to be around. She's insufferable...maybe that's the point, but it's not a good time. HALLOWEEN KILLS The Good: I like this timeline, I like this cast. The Bad: Just feels like filler until we get to the finale. Sidelining Laurie was a mistake and all of the stuff with the mob is just...stupid. Seriously you can't tell the difference between a guy whose mugshot has probably been known in the town for 40 years and a guy who is probably 2 feet shorter than him, round & bald? I can only suspend so much disbelief. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS The Good: Jamie & Loomis. As a type of Halloween Lite, this formula works. The Bad: I don't love writing off Laurie's character because Jamie Lee Curtis didn't return. I also didn't love their shock ending which was immediately retconned in the next film. Also once again Michael's mask is comically bad here. HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH The Good: This is a fun, goofy 80s horror movie. The Bad: This is not really a Halloween movie at all despite the fact that it is! It's not even taking place in the same universe. HALLOWEEN H20 The Good: Jamie Lee Curtis is back as Laurie thus retconning some of the sillier installments (and creating alternate timelines for the franchise). She's got some great moments here and finally gets to finish Michael off in a way that was completely satisfying (until Halloween Resurrection ruined it and retconned it. Sigh.) The Bad: My biggest complaint here is the pacing. There's a lot of setup here and then by the time things really start to get going the movie is over. HALLOWEEN 2018 The Good: Retconning the sibling reveal from Halloween II. Feels like a fresh return to form and going back to the franchise's roots after Resurrection & the Rob Zombie reboots. Great to see Laurie return and her granddaughter Allyson feels like she's channeling Jamie Lee Curtis's girl next door vibes from the original. The Bad: Yeah it gets a little Home Alone-y toward the end and some people felt the humor attempts were out of place, but I didn't have a problem with it. HALLOWEEN II The Good: This one's tone feels closest to the original and watched back to back provides even more context to what a horrifying day that first Halloween was. I like the hospital setting here and evading Michael in this one felt truly thrilling and full of tension. The Bad: The sibling reveal. Was it needed? Was it convoluted? Opinions vary, but I didn't love it. For some, it added lore, for me it just wasn't needed. HALLOWEEN The Good: Nothing beats the OG. This is a slasher masterpiece and such an important milestone for the horror genre. The tension, the music...everything here is working together in the best possible way to create a nightmare so iconic and unforgettable. There's a reason it was oft imitated but never successfully duplicated. It has that certain je ne sais quoi that cannot be manufactured: lightning in a bottle. The Bad: Did you really think I was gonna talk smack about this horror classic? Be real. Time will tell where Halloween Ends ranks on the list, let's just hope it lands higher than Halloween Kills.

When I first saw the trailer for Lamb a few months back I instantly saw the potential of this oddball horror film from A24. The premise was a bizarre one: an Icelandic farming couple with no children find themselves as unlikely parents one day when they come upon a truly unique creature; a half lamb half-human child. The trailer was both offbeat and ominous. The movie itself? Incredibly boring. The movie never becomes more than its wacky concept and never chooses to reflect what kind of horror implications such a scenario could have. Instead, we just get to watch all the characters play house. Lamb goes nowhere with its crazy plot. Every time you think it will go somewhere, it chooses not to. It's a very frustrating film to watch. I'm not sure what Noomi Rapace saw in this film, but she is very reliable in a film that doesn't really deserve her reliability. I suppose there's an audience somewhere for this film (very much in the arthouse crowd), but I imagine it's quite sparse. RATING: 3/10

Okay, here's some quick thoughts on all the movies I saw on day 3 of the Sundance Film Festival 2021. MASS Two sets of parents both affected by the same tragedy, (one's son killed the other's during a school shooting), meet face to face for the first time to hash out their shared trauma. This is a simple premise that really plays out essentially in one long conversation, but the execution is so perfect and all the performances are top notch. This is such a powerful movie because these conversations are so raw, real, devastating and incredibly important. All performances were great, but Ann Dowd in particular blew me away. RATING: 9/10 THE SPARKS BROTHERS Edgar Wright directs this documentary about the two brothers who formed the band Sparks. You can tell this is a big passion project for him and his enthusiasm for the band is contagious. The documentary is a lot of fun, but I can't help but feel this was more made for huge fans than people who are uninitiated. Wright clearly was very attached to the material I think he may have had a hard time knowing what to trim as it feels very long. RATING: 7/10 EIGHT FOR SILVER In the late 1800's, a town realizes they might all be cursed after terrible things start happening to its residents. Eight for Silver is one of my favorite horror films to come out of this years festival (along with In the Earth), as it gives us such a fresh twist on a certain sub-genre of horror. It's best to go into this and let the movie reveal itself to you, but it's a lot of fun and very well done. The cinematography and practical affects in particular are the real standouts here. RATING: 8/10 COMING HOME IN THE DARK A family's life is changed forever while on vacation when they're confronted by two strangers with dark ulterior motives. This felt like a spiritual sequel to Killing Ground, a similar film that came out a few years ago also in the Midnight section...but unfortunately it isn't nearly as good. Though the film does have a bit of a twist that helps elevate it from being another Funny Games ripoff, but its ending isn't satisfying enough to take this journey. RATING: 6/10 IN THE SAME BREATH This documentary takes a look at the beginnings of Covid-19 in Wuhan, China, and the efforts the Chinese government took to cover it up. While still in the middle of this pandemic, it was fascinating to see where it all began and how things went so wrong. I think this was such a brave film to make and a very important one. Still I can't help but think there were so many things that could have been covered, I almost would have preferred this as a series than a one time documentary. RATING: 8.5/10

For the most part, I am not the biggest fan of Disney's live action remakes of their previously animated classics. Aside from 2015's Cinderella, I find them all to be uninspired cash grabs preying upon people's desire for nostalgia. Generally, they plagiarize their animated versions by trying to recreate the exact same results just with live action, instead of actually embracing the fact that the medium of a live action story can accomplish things in a different way than an animated story can. I've always felt that some of their stories in particular could lend themselves to a live action retelling better than others, and to me Mulan seemed to be the perfect candidate for such a retelling. Mulan's story has so much potential, so long as filmmakers really highlighted the action and focused less on what made the animated version work. I found myself in the minority when I heard people were disappointed about the filmmakers decision to drop the songs and Mushu. While great in the animated version, I really wanted to see if this iteration could do something different, stand on its own feet and be great on its own. As a young child, Mulan discovers a mystical power within herself called chi. Usually such a power belongs to males as it makes them cunning warriors, and Mulan is told to hide her power. Years later when her father is drafted into war, Mulan disguises herself as a man and sneaks into the army to take her fathers place and become a warrior. While far from being anything great, I appreciate that this movie mostly tried to do its own thing. There were nods here and there to the cartoon, and many scenes that echoed what came before, but things feel just different enough to feel fresh. Like I had hoped, the action is very prevalent with the movie attempting a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon lite version. The big complaint here though from most is changing Mulan from a young woman who works hard and through perseverance becomes a mighty warrior to a woman who was basically just naturally gifted with fighting superpowers. Here the lesson becomes more akin to Elsa in Frozen and just embracing your inner power and gifts instead of hiding them, but it's unfortunate to lose her previous arc which was certainly much more relatable and a better lesson. Does it ruin the whole movie for me? No... it just turns it more into a superhero movie than I would have liked. So perhaps I set the bar really low since I wasn't a fan of any of the other live action remakes and I was just happy this one did something different, but Mulan is one of the better one (if only for that lush cinematography & solid production design.) But then again, considering the rest of the remakes that's really not saying very much. RATING: 6.5/10