This movie purports to be an action comedy, but every joke is just something sad that the audience is expected to laugh at. The action is passably mediocre, and the narrative twists and turns are boring.
Closest comparison: It’s like Tears of the Sun by way of Four Brothers.
Setting: War
Plot: Tragedy
Tone: Drama
This movie is a modern noir with impeccable aesthetics and a solid story. The telling of that story, however, gets a little convoluted and some of the rabbit trails seem more like a waste of time than interesting diversions. It’s a little too self-absorbed, a little too horny, a little too distracted, but the overall impact is still fun and it lands the ending which carries a lot of water for this film.
Closest comparison: It’s like the Maltese Falcon by way of Love, Death, and Robots.
Setting: Sci-Fi
Plot: Detective
Tone: Noir
This is an unusual film, taking the story of Christ’s resurrection from the perspective of a roman soldier investigating “the case of the missing Jew”. It’s very grounded in its presentation and has excellent production values, unlike almost any other Christian movies. It doesn’t contradict any of the historical accounts but fills in the gaps with practical speculation to tell a story. If you haven’t seen it and you’re even a little bit interested it’s definitely worth a watch.
Closest comparison: It’s like The Passion of the Christ by way of The Eagle (2011).
Setting: Sword and Sandal Epic
Plot: Investigation
Tone: Action/Drama
It’s hard to compare this movie to The Shining, because they have different directors and a different core story. If you haven’t seen The Shining (1980) you may still enjoy this movie, but you’ll be taking a lot of the explanations at face value. It branches out a bit more into the greater Stephen King mythos and ties it in very well to his other stories even beyond The Shining. This one was as scary for me as its predecessor, and although that will definitely vary from person to person there is a long, drawn-out scene of a child being tortured that makes this movie the more uncomfortable of the two. The acting, sound design, and special effects are all top notch, and if you like psychological horror you should give this movie a watch.
Content warning: child torture
Closest comparison: It’s like Logan (2017) by way of the darker parts of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, in the trappings of The Shining.
Setting: Teen Supernatural/Other World
Plot: Cat-and-Mouse Thriller
Tone: Psychological Horror
Not only is this movie gorgeous right out of the gate, it also has a top notch slow burn thriller pacing. The musical score is definitely pulling its weight here, bringing both the weight of grandeur and a beautiful framework for the story, all the while digging its spurs into the tension. This movie is solidly character-driven and never loses sight of the mission, but keeps practicality always in the forefront of the story. For solidly tense sci-fi that’s also fun to watch you can’t do much better than this.
Closest comparison: It’s like a cross between U-571, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and parts of The Fountain..
Setting: Sci-fi
Plot: Disaster
Tone: Thriller
