Old (2021) - 3/5

This movie is a high-concept sci-fi about what it means to live a fulfilling life, wrapped in uncomfortable psychological horror vestments, executed in a rough indie stage play aesthetic. Most people are going to be turned off by at least one of these elements. It manages to cram in an expansive itinerary of tragic life events, and dwells on them more than the cerebral sci-fi aficionados and armchair philosophers will be comfortable with. I’m not sure who this movie is for, but it’s just well-executed enough that whoever that is will probably enjoy it quite a bit.

Content warning: brief female nudity, infant death

Closest comparison: It’s like Life is Beautiful by way of Split.

Setting: Vacation Adventure
Plot: Cerebral Sci-Fi
Tone: Psychological Horror

Rush Hour - 3/5

This movie is one of the better examples of Jackie Chan’s foray into western moviemaking. It directly addresses the east-meets-west nature of the film and makes it the central narrative conceit. As always the martial arts is great and Jackie gets several scenes in which to show off his moves and it’s filmed well enough to give the audience a good view of the action, unlike many of his other western films. Chris Tucker’s humor is annoying to me, but if you enjoy him you should definitely check out this movie.

Closest comparison: It’s like Shanghai Knights with cops instead of cowboys.

Setting: Buddy Cop
Plot: Police Procedural
Tone: Action Comedy

Saw (2004) - 4/5

This is the horror movie that defined its decade. Despite being a low budget endeavor James Wan is able to make the most of his resources and deliver a grimy, tensely horrifying experience due to an exceptional script. The way information is revealed throughout the movie is like watching a master class in pacing, constantly uncovering some interesting detail or plot development while maintaining the tension. Completely innocuous sequences become terrifying in this context and the great acting sells every minute of it. The gore is likely to turn off many viewers, but Shayamalan-esque ending cops the lot.

Content warning: gore

Closest comparison: It’s the movie that spawned the escape room craze.

Setting: Grimy Horror
Plot: Thriller Horror
Tone: Slasher Horror