The Last Voyage of the Demeter
SimilarBlade Runner (1982) Blindness (2008), Carrie (1976), Carrie (2002), Children of Men (2006), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Die Hard (1988), Dr. No (1962),
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) From Russia with Love (1963) Goldfinger (1964), Gorky Park (1983), I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016),
Jackie Brown (1997) King Kong (1933),
Live and Let Die (1973) Lord of the Flies (1963), Mystic River (2003), Patriot Games (1992), Poseidon (2006),
Rebecca (1940) Shaft (2000) Shooter (2007), Starship Troopers (1997), Swimming Pool (2003), The 39 Steps (1935),
The Name of the Rose (1986) The Perfect Storm (2000), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Silent Partner (1978),
War of the Worlds (2005) Wild at Heart (1990), You Only Live Twice (1967),
Watch afterAmerican Fiction (2023),
Barbie (2023) Gran Turismo (2023), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Meg 2: The Trench (2023), Talk to Me (2023), The Nun II (2023),
The Last Voyage of the Demeter feels like a movie from a different era. To a point, it is—writer Bragi Schut first drafted his adaptation of the 'Log of the "Demeter"' sequence in Bram Stoker's Dracula in the early 2000s. It's a capital letters Hollywood Creature Feature—a grimmer straight horror cousin to 2004's action/horror hybrid Van Helsing. At its best, it's an admirably gnarly monster flick—bolstered by sturdy craft from director André Øvredal and consistently good performances from a game ensemble. At its worst, it loses confidence and resorts to bumbling attempts to guide its audience by the hand—most notably in its prologue and epilogue. Continue Reading →
Happiness for Beginners
Similar2 Days in Paris (2007), 50 First Dates (2004), A Lot Like Love (2005), Amélie (2001), Annie Hall (1977), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Life Is Beautiful (1997), The Apartment (1960), You've Got Mail (1998),
Happiness for Beginners happens when hundreds of hours of labor come together over months to create something so bland and ineffectual it feels years old even on a first watch. Continue Reading →
Cobweb
SimilarA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Constantine (2005), Jacob's Ladder (1990), Silent Hill (2006), The Omen (2006), The Ring Two (2005),
StudioLionsgate, Point Grey Pictures,
As horror movies fans, we (and I’m very much including myself here) talk a good game about wanting to see something new and different in the genre, but there are plenty of old reliable tropes that still work with us. Zombies, kaiju, masked killers, all of those have a better than good chance of drawing in audiences, without trying too hard to bring a fresh new angle to anything. We also love child in peril and creepy kid movies, and Samuel Bodin’s Cobweb manages to incorporate both, to mixed results. Continue Reading →
No Hard Feelings
SimilarAnnie Hall (1977), Billy Elliot (2000), Cars (2006), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Italian for Beginners (2000), Kolya (1996), Madagascar (2005), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Pretty Woman (1990), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Talk to Her (2002), Toy Story 2 (1999),
StudioColumbia Pictures,
As big tent blockbusters like superhero movies and other franchise fare battle it out for screens and box office returns, the traditional mid-budget comedy has become increasingly rare. With adult comedies squeezed off the schedule, there are far fewer opportunities for performers who don’t want to don a cape or end up described as “the live-action version” of a cartoon. That’s part of what makes Gene Stupnitsky’s No Hard Feelings such a breath of fresh air. Continue Reading →
Elemental
SimilarBorat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), Ocean's Eleven (1960), Poseidon (2006), Snakes on a Plane (2006), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Volver (2006),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
Over the years, Pixar has enlisted a variety of creatures to populate their wholesome stories of love and acceptance. There have been toys, monsters, cars, disembodied souls, and even the occasional human. In their new film Elemental, the characters are personifications of the four elements. It’s a choice that may leave you asking, “Have they run out of ideas at this point?” Continue Reading →
Watch afterElemental (2023), The Flash (2023),
It's so, so wonderful that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse loves comics. Not just their characters (though it does) or the superhero genre (though it does)—the medium of comics itself. Comics are an infinitely flexible form. They can engage in dialogue with popular works in other mediums! They can use space to shape their readers' perception of time! They can use form and illustration style to capture the difference between perception and reality! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is, amongst other things, a celebration of comics and their possibilities. It is glorious. Continue Reading →