Forget the “Ghostbusters.” It’s the doctors you’ll want to call after watching “We Have a Ghost.” A film about a dead father, this picture will give you more headaches than nightmares, more sulks than shivers. The film takes the premise of haunted house movies–the ones where a monster lives upstairs–and tries to update it for a younger crowd. It’s “Paranormal Activity” on YouTube, and it’s one of the more frustrating things we’ve seen all year.

Continue reading ‘We Have A Ghost’ Review: A Horror-Comedy That Delivers On Neither Premise at The Playlist.

The start of the year is never a good time for movies, so it’s a good thing we can count on dads to save the day periodically. Starting with “Taken” a decade ago, fathers have become the go-to action heroes, saviors who will go to any lengths to right wrongs and rescue lives. The latest example of this is “Little Dixie,” a February release that pins an increasingly hostile father against a Mexican cartel.

Continue reading ‘Little Dixie’ Review: Frank Grillo’s Latest Is Another Gritty ‘Taken’-Esque Revenge Flick at The Playlist.

As a sensory piece of wide-screen animation that’s as beautiful as it is unexpected, “The Sea Beast” is a gorgeous escape. But it’s not entirely unexpected, as the film is also the solo feature debut for animator Chris Williams, known for his work on “Frozen” and John Musker‘s splashy, Oscar-nominated “Moana,” a film with similar nautical pleasures.

“The Sea Beast” takes place on the azure plains of a magical world where beasts intermingle with humans and oceans sway with music.

Continue reading ‘The Sea Beast’ Review: Netflix’s Latest Animated Film Is An Escapist Adventure at The Playlist.

Honore de Balzac must have owned a time machine. When he wrote “Illusions Preludes,” there was no internet or Twitter or talk shows devoted to “hot takes;” there was no Stephen A. Smith yelling about Lebron James; there was no Tucker Carlson yelling about Hunter Biden. And yet he wrote a novel about that very same subject 200 years ago?

An assured and eerily prophetic work, “Illusions Preludes” is one of the great social satires and a potent meditation on the power of fame to corrupt and create, to divide and demolish.

Continue reading ‘Lost Illusions’ Review: Xavier Giannoli Directs One Of The Best Balzac Adaptations To Date at The Playlist.

Disney’s 1989 animated show “Chip ‘n Dale,” about two chipmunks-turned-detectives, has a lot of fans out there. It’s one of Disney’s most popular shows. But it was also kind of silly, kind of lame, almost pointless, and solely aimed at kids who find water fights funny.

READ MORE: Disney Continues To Bet Big On Streaming; ‘Raya,’ ‘Pinnochio,’ ‘Enchanted’ Sequel & More Headed To Disney+

Thanks to Disney, remakes are hot right now.

Continue reading ‘Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers’: A Messy, Meta Riff On A Messy, Mediocre Show [Review] at The Playlist.

Do you like movies? How about music? How about the film with music that blends the two in charming, unpretentious, and completely unsophisticated ways? If you answered “yes” to any of these, “Metal Lords” is about to come into your life and make it whole.

The latest entry on Netflix‘s Top-10 section, this indie film is low-key in concept–“a story about two people forming a band”–and thoroughly winning in execution.

Continue reading ‘Metal Lords’ Review: Peter Sollet Directs A Heavy Metal Version Of ‘Sing Street’ at The Playlist.

While they’re perennial favorites, snowy survival dramas are having a moment right now. In the past month, we’ve been offered five of them from various distributors, including Hulu‘s “No Exit,” Netflix’s “Against the Ice,” and now, the nearly-silent thriller “Infinite Storm” from Bleecker Street. This gripping, taciturn thriller set in a frozen landscape isn’t necessarily any different from the other titles, but the well-crafted drama is a good reminder of how tangible atmosphere can transcend predictable narrative.

Continue reading ‘Infinite Storm’ Review: Naomi Watts Chills In This Wintry Survival Drama at The Playlist.

There are a million ways to embarrass yourself at a party: you can blackout, you can throw up, you can lose in a game of dice, you can get skunked in a game of pong, you can pass out in the street or in a bathroom that hasn’t been cleaned in years. Not that any of these things are likely (unless you happen to be me), but there are always risks when it comes to drinking with the squad.

Continue reading ‘All My Friends Hate Me’ Review: A Hilariously Cringe & Nightmarish Look At Social Anxiety at The Playlist.

Why do we watch revenge movies? An often argued reason is catharsis. Revenge movies have a unique way of dredging up cultural anxieties and stabbing them in the back, so when the lights come up, we can feel safer about contemporary fears and issues. Howard J. Ford has managed to do this in crisp, low-budget ways with “Never Let Go” (kidnapped girls) and “The Dead” and “The Dead 2” (autoimmune viruses).

Continue reading ‘The Ledge’ Review: Howard J. Ford’s Latest Revenge Thriller Lacks Any Sort Of Tension at The Playlist.

In 2012, director Genndy Tartakovsky turned a silly premise into a monster hit. “Hotel Transylvania” was a commercial and critical success, anchored by the charms of megastars Adam Sandler, David Spade, Kevin James, and Selena Gomez, and the unique pleasure of watching them voice a bunch of monsters. Tartakovsky knows a good formula when he sees one. So the sequels simply offered more of the same: more stars, more beasts, more antics, more gallows humor.

Continue reading ‘Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’ Review: A One Joke Movie, With Still A Little Bit Of Bite at The Playlist.

COVID has changed our lives, our schools, our offices, and our habits. But January? Luis Prieto‘s “Shattered” is proof that January is the same as it ever was. It’s a twisty tale of secrets, cliches, and Lifetime characters that could only come out this month–it’s impossible to imagine this coming out in December, that’s for sure.

It starts on a surreal, almost laughable note when recently-divorced Chris (Cameron Monaghan) runs into a woman named Sky (Lily Krug), who is looking for a bottle of wine to get hammered.

Continue reading ‘Shattered’ Review: A Twisty Tale of Secrets, Clichés & Stock Lifetime Characters at The Playlist.

College apps: they’re the most stressful part of high school. For me, it was A) college apps, B) math, and C) talking to girls. “Try Harder!,” the Sundance award-winning documentary about a high school in San Francisco, is one of the most damning and entertaining documents of that stress. It is the most vital high school movie since “American Teen,” masterfully made and one heck of an emotional rollercoaster.

Continue reading ‘Try Harder!’ Review: A Damning & Entertaining Portrait Of High School Stress at The Playlist.

It seems we’ve all changed our minds on those made-for-cable holiday movies in the past couple of years. Since they’ve grown in popularity and criticism, Christmas movies are no longer considered guilty pleasures but bonafide films. While some would still rather claw their eyes out before watching two people fall in love under a blanket of snow, most of us are happy to sit back and enjoy the cinematic equivalent of a hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night.

Continue reading ‘A Castle For Christmas’ Review: Brooke Shields Tries To Buy A Castle From Cary Elwes at The Playlist.

Inspirational sports movies tend to be formula-heavy, and the football movie “National Champions” is no exception. Based on the true story of college athletes demanding to be equitably paid, “National Champions” is a formulaic and safe tale of teamwork, identity, and community, with soap opera-ish sensibilities to boot.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2022

Directed by journeyman filmmaker Ric Roman Waugh (“Shot Caller“), “National Champions” introduces us to the top-ranked Missouri Wolves, led by their fearless, stoic, and sometimes reckless leader LeMarcus James (Stephan James), known affectionately by his nickname, “GOAT.” Already a Heisman Trophy winner and on his way to becoming a number one NFL draft pick, he’s the kind of player who’s all-world, all-pro, and always ready.

Continue reading ‘National Champions’ Review: A Formulaic & Safe Sports Movie Takes No Risks at The Playlist.

Although “Hard Luck Love Song” has a unique title, the movie couldn’t be more familiar. Director Justin Corsbie’s new romantic drama is about a man who drinks, drives, fights and dabbles in every country music cliche imaginable. This is all fine—melodramas don’t necessarily need to be original—but the film doesn’t convincingly craft its own internal logic and falls back on far too many country music tropes. There are too many brawls, bums, juke-joints and aw-shucks cowboys, and not enough real human interaction.

Continue reading ‘Hard Luck Love Song’ Review: Justin Corsbie’s Drama Is An Uninspired, Country Music Cliché at The Playlist.

When “Surge” debuted at Sundance in January (a full nine months before its release) the Ben Whishaw-starring thriller seemed like a surefire success—a modern-day “Taxi Driver” or realistic “Joker.” But this week, the film has been dumped on VOD with a little advertisement, promotion, or reviews. With such an appealing star, genre, and set-up, how can this be?

READ MORE: Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films

Well, maybe because the filmmakers—director Aneil Karia, writers Rupert Jones and Rita Kalnejais—have completely botched the premise.

Continue reading ‘Surge’ With Ben Whishaw Is An Unempathetic, Exploitative Freakshow About Mental Health [Review] at The Playlist.

Han Kwang-Il knows what fans want. Audiences watch “The Witcher” because we want to see our hero go on a colorful quest, perhaps while fighting monsters, not for the dreary goings-ons of medieval life. Yet, the 2019 series “The Witcher” was heavy on the goings-ons, with only one bright spot in the entire show: Henry Cavill’s blonde wig. Kwang knows where that show went wrong, and offers a spectacle drenched in action, adventure, apologue and atmosphere.

Continue reading Netflix’s ‘The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf’ Is an Atmospheric Spectacle That Improves on the Live-Action Series [Review] at The Playlist.

“Salvator Mundi” is an enigma. It’s a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci that may or may not be painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, sold for record amounts of money.

READ MORE: The 20 Best Documentaries Of 2020

“The Lost Leonardo” is the latest documentary about the painting, and it might as well be a “whodunnit?.” To inject some suspense into this tale, director Andreas Koefoed has taken the story and wrapped it in a mysterious investigation that morphs into a marvelous revelation.

Continue reading ‘The Lost Leonardo’: A Compelling Art World Whodunnit [Review] at The Playlist.

Charles Dickens’ 1837 novel “Oliver Twist” is classic material: a boy escapes his workhouse to join a gang of pickpockets on the steamy, mysterious streets of Mudfog. Since its release, the novel has been staged numerous times, filmed as a movie starring John Davies in 1948 and adapted into a musical, “Oliver!” in 1968, among many adaptations. The only thing left to do to breathe new life into the classic tale: add parkour, apparently.

Continue reading ‘Twist’: Michael Caine, Lena Headey & Parkour Action Cannot Breathe Life Into An Erratic Riff On The ‘Oliver Twist’ Tale [Review] at The Playlist.

The studio pitch and mile-high concept of “Blood Red Sky”— “it’s ‘Snakes on a Plane’ with vampires, and a terrorist hijacking!”—is intriguing, potentially twistedly funny, and surely enough for Netflix to gamble on. Sadly, for filmmaker Peter Thorwarth, “Blood Red Sky” cannot live up to its core idea, not in a way that amplifies its outrageously wacky premise, nor in a way that makes it even a mildly entertaining watch.

Continue reading ‘Blood Red Sky’: Netflix’s Vampires On A Plane Premise Is Good, The Movie Sucks [Review] at The Playlist.

Of the claustrophobic thrillers inspired by the 1998 cult classic, “Cube,” “Meander” might just be the greatest and most realistic. That realism is part of what makes this movie work because, as directed by Mathieu Turi, the film gives the audience the feeling of being trapped in a tight and confined space. And that feeling is as thrillingly unpleasant as it is a sweaty-palmed nightmare.

Continue reading ‘Meander’ Is A Taut, Claustrophobic Thriller That Explores A Labyrinth Of Emotions [Review] at The Playlist.

If you’re in the mood for an action flick without imagination, then “The Misfits” is the film for you. Recycling genre tropes, characters, and camerawork, “The Misfits” feels like you’re watching a montage of better movies.

READ MORE: ‘Black Widow’: Natasha Romanoff Is Given A Final Farewell In Marvel’s Latest Entertaining, But Inconsequential Episode [Review]

Directed by “Die Hard 2” filmmaker Renny Harlin, the script by Kurt Wimmer feels as if it was written by a child.

Continue reading ‘The Misfits’: Reny Harlin’s Return To The Action Genre Is A Tired, Dull Misfire [Review] at The Playlist.

Kevin Hart’s transition from comedian to a dramatic actor just isn’t working. The comedian’s second turn in a more serious role, director Paul Weitz‘s “Fatherhood” for Netflix— 2019’s “The Upside” was his first — is all downside, and it’s missing some crucial elements.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021

Glaringly absent is the comedian’s beating heart and his manic soul, which can light up the screen and turn even the most mundane material into rip-roaring laughs.

Continue reading ‘Fatherhood’: Kevin Hart’s Transition From Comedy To Drama Could Use A Rethink [Review] at The Playlist.

Since its inception five years ago, Guillermo del Toro‘s fantasy series “Tales Of Arcadia” has grown into a franchise behemoth for Dreamworks Animation. Its three different shows on Netflix have earned countless Daytime Emmy, BAFTA, and Annie Award nominations. The critical success has spawned a series of YA novels, two comics, and a videogame. That’s not too shabby for a project that started as a book del Toro and Daniel Kraus collaborated on in 2015 in hopes that a studio would greenlight it as a series.

Continue reading ‘Trollhunters: Rise Of The Titans’ Trailer: The ‘Tales Of Arcadia’ Saga Comes To An End On July 21 at The Playlist.

“Dream Horse” is exactly what you expect from a movie called “Dream Horse.” It’s light, sweetly frisky, and warmly inspiring, with a lead performance from Toni Colette keeping things on track.

Colette plays Jan Vokes, who works in a supermarket by day and a pub by night. While her husband (Owen Teale) dozes off 24/7—he was laid off when the mines closed—he is invested enough in their marriage to go along with whatever Jan says.

Continue reading ‘Dream Horse’ Is A Light, Sweet Film With Yet Another Solid Toni Collette Performance [Review] at The Playlist.