A charming shell of a picture with not much substance at its center, “Adult Life Skills” makes a run at several interesting themes and tropes yet veers away from each before any contact is made. An arrested development recipe with dashes of grief processing thrown in for flavor, the cinematic stew doesn’t ever come together, largely owing to half-baked character and narrative work. And while a deft directorial touch and magnificent performances elevate the material, it’s all in the service of a story whose dots just don’t connect.

Continue reading ‘Adult Life Skills’: Jodie Whittaker’s Outstanding Performance Elevates The Otherwise Thinly-Plotted Film [Review] at The Playlist.

We want to be more enthused about what’s coming to theaters this month, but following the whirlwind of the fall/Christmas season, an overwhelming onslaught of continual great cinematic output, it’s difficult not to feel the January slump. Time of the year doesn’t as frequently dictate quality, as it used to, seeing plenty of films with February and March release, dates that both critically and commercially flourish, but January still can’t shake the dumping ground mentality for films that studios didn’t quite know what to do with.

Continue reading 10 Movies To See In January: ‘Glass’ ‘Serenity’ & More at The Playlist.

Film fans have no doubt seen the premise of an adult living in their parents’ basement, unable to cope with the outside world and mature into a responsible human before. But this time, the story stars Jodie Whittaker, who makes little movies with her thumbs (yep, you read that right), and doesn’t live in her mom’s basement, instead choosing a shed in the backyard, in the film “Adult Life Skills.”

In the trailer for the film, we meet Anna, an adult living in her mom’s shed that is desperately trying to avoid life after the death of her brother.

Continue reading ‘Adult Life Skills’ Trailer: ‘Doctor Who’ Star Jodie Whittaker Attempts To Grow Up & Stop Making Thumb Videos at The Playlist.