Previous Rankings
#191-209
#171-190
ENCOUNTER is very “meh,” but Riz Ahmed continues to prove he’s one of the best actors working today. CANDYMAN is alright for the first two acts or so. But a rushed finale messes up most of anything good it had built up until then. PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND looks incredible on paper, like a movie tailor-made for Nicolas Cage. And there are shades of that movie, but it doesn’t go all in, which hurts the final product.
I know I’m on the outside looking in regarding THE HUMANS, but it’s just such a bore. The acting is fine, I guess, but that’s really about all it has going for it. DON’T LOOK UP has been super divisive (at least among critics; general fans seem to like it). But it feels like you’re being talked down to for 2.5 hours. Not fun. There are some legitimately funny bits, but not enough to bring it up much more.
I’m admittedly probably a little higher on WITHOUT REMORSE than I should be, but I enjoyed it. I honestly don’t remember much about FLASHBACK, just that it was okay, though largely forgettable. THE ICE ROAD is exactly what you’d expect it to be. But if what you expect is Liam Neeson kicking ass as always, then you’re in business.
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE is a full-on nostalgia kick, and it’s worse off for it. Constant moments of “Remember this? What about that?” wears thin pretty fast. McKenna Grace is great in it, though. CASTLE FALLS is better than it has any right to be. Sometimes, some simple, good, dumb fun action is all you need.
THE WORLD TO COME is well-acted; having Vanessa Kirby, Katherine Waterston, and Casey Affleck will do that. But it doesn’t offer anything new or unique to help it stand out. BECKETT should have been good. The energy is seemed to be made with didn’t match the script or story which gave a disjointed feel to the whole thing. NIGHT TEETH is a cool enough idea, but the movie doesn’t do – or even try to do – nearly enough with it.
The Saw series needed to end a long time ago, and SPIRAL is the latest example of that. HALLOWEEN KILLS is dull, which is a sad thing to say for such a storied franchise. Though to be fair, it’s been riding high off the original for decades.
There hasn’t been a good erotic thriller in a long time, so there was for sure a void for THE VOYEURS to fill. Unfortunately it misses the mark. One thing an erotic thriller should never be is boring, and The Voyeurs mostly is. It also features Justice Smith with one the worst, most bizarre choices for a voice I’ve seen in a while. THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS was completely up its own ass. Meta movies can be good and fun, but it was a completely new route for this franchise, and it flat out didn’t work. Self-referential to a fault, the “jokes” came off as though Lana Wachowski and the team were pissed the movie even was made in the first place.
THE LITTLE THINGS isn’t anything special, but game performances from the three leads (even if Jared Leto is a little bit predictably over the top) help smooth out some of the rough edges. SWEET GIRL was trending towards average until a late twist destroyed any goodwill it had built up. OLD is the M. Knight Shyamalan we’ve come to know and not love. Horrendous dialogue and an extremely unsatisfying ending.
This about does it for the downers. every movie from here on out will be at least average (a C letter grade, 60/100 or more).
