Knives Out: A Sharp and Captivating Mystery

Detective Blanc (Daniel Craig) and Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas). 

I can't recall the last time we had a good mystery movie. I'm not talking about the psychological thrillers or neo-noirs like Gone Girl or Chinatown, I mean an old-fashioned whodunit murder mystery. The last one that comes to mind is the campy but enjoyable Clue movie from the eighties. Leave it to Rian Johnson, who after the success of Star Wars: The Last Jedi returns to his roots that began with his first film Brick, in a story that would make Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie proud.

Cinema Spotlight II – Taika Waititi (Part 6): ‘Jojo Rabbit’

Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) talking with Adolf (Taikia Waititi).

This isn't the first comedy to lampoon the Nazi Party. From Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, The Producers from Mel Brooks, even cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Donald Duck had their respective shorts in Herr Meets Hare, Daffy the Commando and Der Fuehrer's Face. Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful being the most recent and the only I believe that takes place during the Holocaust. Taikia Waititi gives his take in this loose adaptation of Christine Leunens' bittersweet novel.  

Better Late Than Never Vol. 6

It's that time of the year when all the highly anticipated movies start to arrive and I try to watch a couple I missed during the summer.

Parasite is a Powerful Parable

The movies from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho are never afraid to address hefty topics. The Host (not to be confused with the Stephanie Meyer movie of the same name) showcased environmental issues, foreign country relationships and media manipulation amidst the monster movie backdrop and family-drama plot. Snowpiercer (which is basically if Mad Max took place on a train during the Ice Age) displayed the clash between the privileged and the poor and Okja unveiled the horrors of animal abuse and corporate greed.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a Misleading Misfire

My what big horns you have.

While there have a been a few live-action Disney remakes that have been surprisingly good, I can't say the same for sequels of live-action Disney remakes. When was the last time 102 Dalmatians and Alice Through the Looking Glass were talked in a positive light? If you were expecting Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, to break that curse, you are sadly mistaken.