Poor The New Mutants, the movie that has been delayed since the beginning of time. I remember years ago when I saw the teaser and it conveyed a new way to make an X-men movie: as a horror movie. I thought it was a great concept and a fun new twist on the genre, and I couldn't wait to see it. Little did I know I would wait and wait and wait. By the time it did finally make its way in front of audiences, any horror elements that had been in it had been watered down to basically nothing. The New Mutants follows Dani, a girl with special powers who wakes up one day in a special facility and discovers other teens like her. They don't get many answers to their questions about how long they've been there, why they are there, and why can't they go. Together they must utilize their strengths and work together to find a way out. It's hard to know what went wrong with The New Mutants. Was it always destined to be this way because it just wasn't good, or was there just too much studio interference before and after the merger of Fox into Disney. Whatever the case may be, the movie we're left with just isn't good. I say that as someone who generally really likes Fox's take on X-men and who has even been forgiving of some of the duds they've done already. Sadly, while the idea of a horror superhero film intrigued me, this one was not it. FILM RATING: 5/10

New on Netflix today is Holidate, a fluffy little rom-com starring Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey about a pair of strangers named Sloane and Jackson, who meet on boxing day at the mall whilst attempting to exchange Christmas gifts. The two commiserate over their terrible holiday and the fact that neither of them have dates for the impending New Years Eve, so they concoct a scheme to be each other's dates for every holiday of the upcoming year. They set some ground rules to keep it strictly platonic and both agree to not ever get physical. And since this is a romantic comedy, things get complicated when they start falling for each other. Hollywood romantic comedies are so rare today, they almost feel like spotting a unicorn. But now with the rise of streaming platforms they're making their comeback again...albeit at perhaps reduced quality. As far as rom-coms go, you could do a lot worse than Holidate's premise...in fact I'd go so far as to even say the idea is fun! But the concept certainly needed to be in more talented hands all the way around if it ever wanted to be anything more than forgettable. Less crassness certainly would have helped a lot too. Emma Roberts plays Sloane as neurotically single and hopelessly pining over her ex-boyfriend...but not necessarily likable. Meanwhile, Luke Bracey mostly relies on his Australian swagger to do his legwork as a leading man. The two have some sparks of chemistry here and there, but nothing electric. RATING: 5.5/10

For those who don't recall my Star Wars history, let me give you a quick recap before getting into my review of the 8th installment in the Skywalker story (and 9th film overall in the franchise,) The Last Jedi. When I was ten years old the original trilogy was re-released for the 20th anniversary, and seeing it for the first time in theaters I instantly fell in love with this series. Throughout my teenage years the prequels came out, and the love for this series only grew stronger, even though others would ridicule me for including these films in my passion (and still continue doing so to this day.) In retrospect, those films weren't perfect, but I still love the story at the heart of them and will continue to defend them. I was happy for that to be the end of the series...and then George Lucas sold the rights to Disney. I had incredibly high expectations for The Force Awakens, because we were finally reuniting with these characters I loved. The story could be taken anywhere! They could have done anything! And then.....I sat and watched how JJ Abrams instead decided to just remake A New Hope while erasing the happy ending of Return of the Jedi and regressing all of our old heroes. I wasn't just disappointed. I was seething. A year later, I was able to enjoy Rogue One a lot more because it felt far more original and less like anything we had really seen in a Star Wars movie before. It had its flaws, but I wasn't sitting in the theater with anger. I declared that The Last Jedi would be the film that would make or break my interest in the saga going forward. It could redeem The Force Awakens for me. This was the film that had the opportunity to explain the head scratching decisions of Abrams. Will we find out why Rey is so powerful? Will we learn who the mysterious Snoke is and how he was able to sway Kylo Ren to the dark side and murder his own father? This time though, I ended up finding out the answers to those questions before I even walked into the theater, and boy it helped! If I hadn't, I probably would have been seething even more than I was two years ago. The Last Jedi picks up almost right where The Force Awakens left off. Except first there's a joke to start off the movie that feels so incredibly un-Star Wars (and right out of the Marvel playbook) that made me settle into my seat and worry what was in store. After that's over then we get back to Rey (Daisy Ridley) and her cliffhanger atop an actual cliff, where she meets Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and attempts to give him back his lightsaber. She wants to learn more about the force, but Luke has become disenchanted with it and feels instead that the Jedi have only caused more bad than good to the galaxy, and that it's time for their religion to end. But Rey's raw power both impresses and frightens him to possibly reconsider, especially as she's finding herself inexplicably drawn to Kylo Ren (Adam Driver.) Meanwhile, the rest of the gang fights with the First Order and desperately fights for the Rebellion's survival. The Last Jedi introduces the audience to several new characters, none of whom are really worth knowing. Finn's subplot is kinda cool in the sense of seeing a new environment in the galaxy, but it's also a little preachy and eyeroll inducing (also complete with weird CGI creatures.) Ultimately this subplot was better suited for the cutting room floor. His new counterpart Rose was incredibly miscast and I'm not really sure why any of the romantic angles they're pushing in this series are all completely devoid of chemistry. Honest to goodness, Poe and Finn really do have the most chemistry here of anyone. That or Poe & Leia. Heck, Oscar Isaac just has chemistry with anyone (even BB-8 for that matter.) Anyway, as for the rest of the cast, the standouts are definitely Ridley, Driver & Hamill. They're giving this their all and it shows in their scenes. There's an unmistakable (and ridiculous) Mary Popppins moment in this movie, so in that vein I shall just say "spoilers help the medicine go down, the medicine go down, the medicine go dowwwwwn." Luckily, already knowing the bad things helped me really appreciate the good this movie had to offer, because unlike The Force Awakens, a lot of this was new territory and did feel like a brand new chapter of Star Wars and not a total retread (though that's not to say that it doesn't have its scenes that do feel like a direct copy here and there.) But with that said, even though I knew them beforehand, there really are a lot of really puzzling decisions made in this film that might color the experience for you. Also, while I was hoping that The Last Jedi would make The Force Awakens a stronger film, I have to say that it really doesn't. The things that people kept saying "well maybe it will be revealed in 8 that such and such happened to make this make sense" never happened; so things just are the way they are in this trilogy without rhyme or reason. If anything, the decisions here only make that worse. Getting more specific would require spoilers, and I'm not gonna do that. So all in all, there were some true Star Wars moments here, mixed with a lot of baffling decisions that really don't validate this new Disney trilogy at all. Disney seems adamant to do away with the past and focus on a "anyone can be a hero!" theme as opposed to who we've been focusing on in the rest of this series. For a saga that's always had the Skywalker family at its heart, I'd much prefer you hold off on that theme until you make your own trilogy that doesn't build off on what came before. RATING: 7/10

With October 2019 drawing to a close and the decade of the 2010's not far behind it, I was inspired take a look back at some of the great horror offerings (thanks Baconsale) of the decade and admire what a great time it is for the genre. 10. IT: CHAPTER ONE I always had fond memories of the 90's miniseries version of It growing up, but watching it nowadays, it doesn't really hold up. Luckily the 2017 version focuses entirely on what was the best part of the 90's version: the Loser's Club in their youth. The movie does a great job of balancing horror & comedy, even if sometimes it leans a little harder on the funny side. But the young cast is all awesome and perfectly inhabits their characters, while Bill Skarsgard is absolutely terrific as Pennywise (bringing a totally different, but arguably equally great take as Tim Curry's version.) 9. A QUIET PLACE John Krasinski directs and stars along side his wife Emily Blunt in this horror thriller that's very reminiscent of golden era Shyamalan. In a world where alien creatures detect and hunt down their prey by sound, a young family must learn to live in complete silence if they're going to survive. Seeing this film in the theater was an unforgettable experience because during the entirety of the film it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop (or rather, the munching of theater snacks,) as well as the collective gasps and sighs of relief that the audience as a whole would release. The film isn't too scary, so it's the perfect movie to recommend to those who aren't too acquainted with the horror genre. 8. SINISTER True crime journalist Ellison (Ethan Hawke) moves into real life murder houses to study and write about the gruesome crimes committed there. One night, exploring his new home's attic, Ellison discovers some gruesome home movies of families killing themselves. I watched Sinister by myself one late October night on a projector in my theater room. This movie scared me so much, I didn't even know if I could finish it. Each video Ellison watches manages to be more horrific and unsettling than the last. The film would have scored much higher on my list if it wasn't for its disappointing ending, which took me out of the film a little bit, but luckily doesn't ruin it as a whole. 7. GET OUT Get Out took critics and audiences by storm in 2017. Previously known only for his comedic chops shown in Key & Peele, Jordan Peele announced himself as a director to watch with his debut film Get Out. An interracial couple, Rose and Chris (Allison Williams and Daniel Kaluuya,) spend the weekend together as Rose decides to introduce her black boyfriend to her white family. The film makes some fascinating social commentary on race, particularly as the plot begins to unravel and the audience starts to learn what's really going on underneath the surface niceties. The film is incredibly clever and layered; it's the type of film that absolutely lends itself to repeat viewings. 6. THE BABADOOK The Babadook follows the tale of a widow who is haunted with grief and her son who just might drive her crazy. One day an evil children's book called The Babadook appears out of nowhere in their home and tells the tale of their gruesome fate. Together, they must find a way to prevent the story in the book from coming true. Essie Davis turns in a powerhouse performance as Amelia, while Noah Wiseman joins the hall of fame of annoying kid characters in cinema. In the end, the film becomes a powerful allegory of the effects of dealing with trauma and grief which makes it feel a bit more substantial than your typical fright fest. 5. THE CONJURING James Wan delivers the perfect haunted house movie with The Conjuring. I vividly remember the first time I saw the teaser trailer for this film and was in awe of how scared it made me just in those few short minutes. What sets it apart from all other haunted house movies is that it's based on a real life paranormal investigating couple named Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.) The film is said to be based on one of their most horrific cases and James Wan certainly depicts that here. The Conjuring became a bonafide hit that has already inspired countless sequels and spinoffs, but none reach the heights of the film that started it all. 4. MIDSOMMAR After an unspeakable family tragedy, Dani tags along on her boyfriend's guys trip to Sweden. There, he and his roommate hope to study a small community and their midsummer traditions. But soon they discover that these people are not all that they seem. Midsommar gave me one of the most unique horror viewing experiences I've ever had. While it didn't scare me much at all, it filled me with a feeling of absolute dread all throughout, and even hours after the film had actually ended. This movie literally gave me a physical reaction of a pit in my stomach for hours that I could not shake. Unlike most horror films, it takes place almost exclusively in the daytime, so there aren't the usual things that go bump in the night, which makes it all the more impressive how effective it is at creating such intense feelings in its audience. Seeing the end where such pure human emotions (like the need for empathy and acceptance) are twisted into something ugly, unnatural and horrific was honestly mind blowing to me. The first viewing I definitely felt the length of the film, but after a second time watching the even longer director's cut I was absolutely enthralled from start to finish. Also it must be said that in Ari Aster's sophomore feature he once again brings out an unforgettably fantastic performance from his lead actress. Florence Pugh is incredible and raw in her portrayal of Dani and her performance joins the ranks of the all-time greats in the horror hall of fame. 3. DON'T BREATHE Three burglars get more than they bargain for when they rob the house of a blind man, who is not as helpless as he appears. Don't Breathe is an absolute thrill ride and adrenalin rush. The title happens to be completely fitting as the audience barely has a chance to catch their breath the whole film as the characters are being hunted nonstop. It's an absolute blast of a film that I can't really find a single fault with. 2. THE WITCH In the 1600's young Thomasin and her family is banished from their village and settle in the woods where an evil presence looms. The Witch will always be one of my favorite Sundance memories. Going into this movie I had no idea what to expect because it wasn't listed in the horror section. But surely I thought a movie titled The Witch might possibly have a horror element right? But then again, maybe it was just a drama about The Salem Witch Trials. Luckily it wouldn't be long before I found out that this movie was in fact a horror film, even if not a jump scare filled one. The Witch is a pure slow burn horror story that ends with one of the most disturbing and haunting endings I've ever seen put to film. 1. HEREDITARY Hereditary follows Annie (Toni Collette,) a woman who just lost her mother, a woman she was never really close to. Soon after her death, some strange occurrences start happening to Annie and her family. Sundance reallly knows how to pick them! No other movie scared or surprised me this decade quite like Hereditary. I thought I had this film figured out early on, and then I had my expectations subverted in such a way that I had no choice but to let the movie take me on its journey even though I had no idea where we were going to go. For a horror movie, nothing is more terrifying and thrilling than the pure surprise of heading into the complete unknown. Toni Collette gives the performance of her career as Annie and you can't take your eyes off of everything she's doing in every scene. She's absolutely electric. Hereditary shocks you early on and never lets up. While some may take issue with its finale, it's as horror movie as they come. But wait! There's more! I would be remiss if I did not honor the three best horror comedies of the decade as well.... BONUS: THE BEST HORROR-COMEDIES 3. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary that focuses on three Vampire roommates as they navigate life in the 21st century. The comedy here is very dry, but if you're like me and you loved Flight of the Conchords, you'll find the majority of this to be very hilarious. 2. CABIN IN THE WOODS Five friends spend the weekend in a secluded cabin in the woods where spooky things start to happen. Little do they know there's someone else trying to control their fates. Cabin In the Woods is a treasure trove for fans of the horror genre. The film is packed with so many easter eggs and hidden gags that you can practically find something new every time you watch. While the ending leaves a lot to be desired, I've come to appreciate over the years for the metaphor it tries to spell out. 1. TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL In Tucker and Dale vs Evil, a group of college kids on Spring Break mistake an innocent pair of hillbillies for mass murdering psychopaths. Tucker and Dale is a flat out hilarious film and made me laugh harder than I can even remember. The film turns the horror genre on its head as it subverts all the common tropes we've come to expect in our slasher films. Both brilliant and hysterical it is a must for lovers of the horror genre.

When I saw the trailer for Last Christmas I was both surprised and delighted to see a big budget rom-com headed to the big screen. Finding these movies in theaters seems about as likely to spot a unicorn in the wild. It's a long dead genre that now only seems to exist on Netflix or worse: The Hallmark Channel. There wasn't anything in particular that made Last Christmas look in any way particularly distinctive, but it looked like comfort movie food all the same. To its favor, it does have Paul Feig at the helm (Bridesmaids) and the always winsome Emilia Clarke in the lead role. Clarke stars as Kate, a selfish girl whose life is in perpetual chaos. She works in a year-round Holiday store by day, and aspires to be an actress by night. She most decidedly does not have her life together and uses everybody around her just to get through each day. In short, she's a hard character to root for and one who has quite a lot of growing up to do. Luckily she soon meets the too good to be true Tom (Henry Golding) who helps her learn how to bring out the best in herself. The laughs in Last Christmas aren't exactly of the refined variety, but I have to admit that I did in fact laugh. Now admittedly there's not much here that's too different than your standard Hallmark holiday romance; this movie's plot easily feels at home among the like (in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this exact movie has already been made by them before...) Nevertheless, for what the movie is I found enjoyment to be had. Yes the climax of the film is pretty dumb (my first thought *mild spoilers* was "wow they really took that song literally didn't they??") but I can't say I didn't have a fun time with the movie. Sometimes, especially these days, you'll just take whatever rom-com you can get. RATING: 6/10

Martin Scorsese's grand epic The Irishman is available on Netflix now. The film spans decades as it follows the recollections of a lifelong career of an established mob man, Frank Sheeran. The film is three and a half hours long and doesn't exactly move at a brisk pace; in short it's not a movie for the faint of heart. It requires a lot of patience, but it's very worthwhile. The fact that The Irishman works so well is that it rests on the shoulders of three really fantastic performances: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Each performance is so different and so vital to the film. De Niro's is the least flashy and most subtle, so I really hope he doesn't get overlooked when awards season comes. Pesci came out of retirement to be a part of this film and I'm so glad he did. Al Pacino plays Jimmy Buffet as a larger than life personality and seems to be having the best time in years playing this role. All men play themselves at all ages of their lives depending on some CGI de-aging technology, some at which feels a little distracting at first. Robert De Niro's in particular didn't always look perfect, but Joe Pesci's always had me convinced. All in all the special effects were an impressive effort, even if sometimes they couldn't cover up the way these old men moved. While it definitely takes awhile to see where the film is ultimately headed, I didn't have a problem with the meandering pace. It really felt like a grand life being personally recapped to me. With The Irishman Scorsese gives a window into a world we all try not to think about existing: the world of organized crime. We see firsthand how important loyalty to that family is and the dangers of stepping out of line. While it's certainly an investment of your time, it is very much worth it. RATING: 8.5/10

After a tidy happily ever after at the end of 2013's Frozen, where exactly did that leave the story to go with a sequel? The answer to that of course is only places that are completely unnecessary...however if there's one thing we know about Hollywood it's that money talks and a sequel to a movie that makes a billion dollars is inevitable. So here we are six years later with Frozen II. The film begins with Anna and Olaf cheerily singing a song about the constant dependable things in life, which immediately cues the audience that all their fortunes are about to change. Meanwhile, little does Anna know Kristoff is working up the courage to propose, but just can't seem to find the right moment. But soon Elsa hears a call to adventure that she just can't ignore, where the two sisters will learn more about their past and their parents. Frozen II is a completely unnecessary sequel. Its sole purpose for existing is to create more costumes for Elsa to be sold to millions of little adoring girls everywhere. The film feels cobbled together of 3-4 ideas the writers came up with for a sequel and threw them all into the same script. That's not to say the film isn't watchable. It's very entertaining and a lot better than most animated films out there, it's just not very memorable. The animation itself is fantastic and beautiful just to watch. The music is good, but none of it ever matches anything from the first movie, which is really the sequel's main problem overall: it never surpasses the height of the original, let alone reaches them. BOTTOM LINE: Overall Frozen II really doesn't need to exist, but you could certainly do worse in terms of children's entertainment. At least it's pretty to look at and the familiar characters are fun to spend time with again. RATING: 7/10

After dividing audiences with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson is out with a new wholly original film Knives Out. For his follow up to the mega popular space franchise, Johnson gathered a hugely talented ensemble cast for a love letter to the whodunnit murder mystery. Can this film win back those who had a sour taste left in their mouths from The Last Jedi? Wealthy patriarch Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his home one morning by one of his servants in an apparent suicide. The case seems open and shut until someone mysteriously hires famous detective Benoit Blanc to investigate the death more closely. Once he's on the case he discovers that nearly everyone in the family had a positive motive and things aren't what they seem. Unsurprisingly, the best asset Johnson has here is his stellar cast. But unfortunately midway through some of them kind of fall to the wayside as the film focuses more and more on the character of Thrombey's nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas, who does a lot of heavy lifting here and is excellent.) She's excellent, but it leaves great character actors like Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Michael Shannon with little to do for much of the film. MILD VAGUE SPOILERS: In somewhat of a twist, or rather subverted expectation as Johnson would love to say, they reveal things quite early on which I had some mixed feelings about. On the one hand it shook things up and made the movie less of a mystery and more of a survival. But it did also take away some of the intrigue and made some things a little predictable, even though the goal was to make it unpredictable. On its surface, Knives Out is an entertaining and enjoyable ode to the stories of Agatha Christie. And on that level, I did find myself enjoying it. However, when I looked a bit more closely beneath the layers of what Johnson was getting at the film certainly becomes a whole lot more self righteous. In interviews Johnson stated that he wrote this film as a response to the haters of The Last Jedi and when you look at the film with Marta as a place holder for Johnson himself, and the family representing the general views of the internet as a whole, it's hard to unsee and hard not to roll your eyes at. Bottom line: if you shut off your brain and don't look at the deeper metaphor underneath, Knives Out is a harmless fun whodunnit, if not a little predictable. But when you look a little closer it seems more like a pretentious exercise from a director who can't really handle criticism. RATING: 7/10

I'm basing this post on a popular tweet template making the rounds where everyone picks their favorite films of the decade by the year. I still plan to make a more comprehensive best films of the decade ranked, but I still thought it'd be fun to take a look back and see all the films that topped my best list for their respective year. 2010: INCEPTION (Runners Up: The Social Network, Scott Pilgrim vs The World) 2010 was a really solid year for film with five of the movies on this list being totally worthy of the top spot. In the end, it has to go to one of the most creative and inventive blockbusters ever made and my absolute favorite film of Christopher Nolan’s: Inception. Check out my 2010 list HERE 2011: 50/50 (Runner up: Melancholia) 2011 on the other hand, was a pretty weak year and going back and reading my top ten, I think I’d rank some things very differently while leaving others completely off my list. But at least my top pick 50/50, the cancer drama comedy still holds up. The fact it is able to pull the heart strings while simultaneously making you laugh is quite the feat and makes it stand out among everything. Check out my 2011 list HERE 2012: The Impossible (Runner Up: Life of Pi) This true story of a family vacationing in Thailand who becomes separated when a gigantic tsunami hits their resort. This movie is not only physically brutal to watch but also completely heart wrenching. I ugly cried several times. Check out my 2012 list HERE 2013: The Way Way Back (Runner Up: About Time) 2013 gave me one of my favorite coming of age films of the decade in The Way Way Back. This movie is both funny and poignant; the ending gets me every time. Check out my 2013 list HERE 2014 Interstellar (Runner Up: Whiplash) 2014 was another really strong year for cinema with many worthy options of the top spot (including Boyhood, Whiplash & Gone Girl) but I had to go with the film which provided the most amazing cinematic experience: Interstellar. On a big screen, the visuals here are spectacular and the score is incredible. This movie just filled me with so much wonder and was unforgettable. Check out my 2014 list HERE 2015 Room (Runner Up: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) No movie made me feel as much in 2015 as Room. Jacob Tremblay gives such a genuine performance as a small boy whose mother (Brie Larson, also giving the best performance of her career) was kidnapped when she was a teenager. He's only ever known a life in captivity, until he's given the chance to see finally discover everything the world has to offer. This film is both touching and thrilling. Easily the best movie of 2015. Check out my 2015 list HERE 2016 Sing Street (Runner up: La La Land) This was one of the closest races to call of all the years for the top spot. In January 2016 I saw I saw Sing Street at Sundance and fell in love. The whole year, nothing could beat it until La La Land, and at the last minute my love for Sing Street prevailed. Both musicals are whimsical and wonderful. Sing Street doesn't have the same artistry as La La Land, but it has so much heart. Check out my 2016 list HERE 2017 Baby Driver (Runner Up: The Big Sick) After an incredibly strong year of endlessly great films in 2016, 2017 felt like a year that didn't have nearly as many great films. My favorite came midway through the year and nothing really ever managed to top it, even when Oscar bait season. Baby Driver was a thrilling action picture and an editor's dream film. I loved how stylish it was and I came out of the theater on a total high. Check out my 2017 list HERE 2018 Hereditary (Runner Up: A Star Is Born) In 2018 I saw my favorite movie of the year in January at the Sundance Film Festival, and all year long nothing managed to top it. Usually horror films, as much as I adore them, don't usually manage to grab the top spot of the year when they come out, but Hereditary was THAT good. Toni Collette is amazing and I love that this film grabbed my attention, threw out my expectations and took me on a wild ride. Check my 2018 list HERE 2019 Parasite (Runner Up: Midsommar) Parasite had a LOT of hype when it came out and thus had quite a lot to live up to. To be honest, I thought there was no way it could be as great as everyone was claiming it was... and yet it totally was. It's a hard movie to talk about, because you want to recommend it to everyone, while still saying nothing about it to preserve expectations and keep things mysterious. So honestly, I won't say much here... just trust me, this movie is so worth seeing. I still have a few films to catch up on the rest of the year, so it's possible this one might get knocked off... but I have a hard time picturing it. And there we have our decade in review, but please stay tuned as I promise to do a proper ranking of ALL of my favorite films of the decade, as well as my best of list for 2019.

Arriving today on Netflix is the much anticipated semi-autobiographical film by Noah Baumbach called Marriage Story. The film has had Oscar buzz for months, for not only the film but the lead performances by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Contrary to what the title suggests, it doesn't follow the story of a marriage, so much as it follows the dissolution of one. By the time the film begins, the titular marriage of Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) is past saving and both wish to move forward with their lives. What the film actually chronicles is their messy bi-coastal divorce and their fight for custody of their only child, Henry. Hoping for a quick resolution, Nicole hires a savvy divorce lawyer named Nora (Laura Dern,) and before Charlie knows it his life is a living hell spiraling out of control. Forced to lawyer up, Charlie soon learns you have to fight dirty to get what you want. The film certainly pulls no punches in portraying how ugly divorce can be from a legal standpoint alone. As a child of divorce, this was not an easy film to watch! I found myself feeling surprisingly emotional at different points in the story as I witnessed their legal and emotional nightmare. But while I found it a hard watch, it was still extremely worthwhile and well-made. Though heartbreaking, the end gave the glimmer of hope and normalcy that life does go on. Adam Driver is always solid and was really great here, but I have to say how nice it was to see Scarlett Johansson in a role that really requires something of her. She hasn't displayed this much heart in sometime and it was really great to see. Bottom line: Though heart wrenching to watch, Marriage Story still manages to be worthwhile and cathartic. It's one of the best movies of the year. RATING: 9/10