REDCAPJACK'S "Year in Horror Reviews, 2020"

This year in horror Reviews. 

10. Impetigore - 

 A woman inherits a house in her ancestral village, but she’s unaware that members of the community have been trying to locate and kill her to remove the curse that has plagued them for years. From the director that brought us Satan's Slaves, Joko Anwar continues to build on his horror resume.

9. Yummy 

 Some days, a nice little gross out zombie movie is just what the doctor ordered. So, heading into a shady Eastern European hospital, our two leads run straight into just that sort of trouble. Allison (Maaike Neuville) and Michael (Bart Hollanders) are looking for breast reduction surgery on the F cup-sized Allison, who is tired of having men ogle her. Her mother is accompanying them and hoping to get some touch-up work for her own beauty needs. There they meet Daniel (Benjamin Ramon) who would really like to show Michael around the hospital (And snatch some pharmaceuticals in the process) while the ladies go under the knife. Then... a zombie gets loose and hilarity ensues.

8. The Mortuary Collection 

A well done and fairly standard Horror Anthology with a stand out performance from Mr. Krabbs himself, Clancy Brown. 

7. Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight 

An almost standard Slasher in the woods film is made a little stranger by way of some truly strange scenery and bizarre encounters through the woods. And it is good to know and remember that every country has redneck hillbilly backwood psychopaths running around. 

6. Castle Freak 

 After she’s permanently blinded in a tragic car accident, Rebecca receives some bizarre news: her long-lost mother has recently passed away, leaving her their family’s ancestral castle in rural Albania.And with this remake comes some more blood, guts, and gruesome Lovecraftian nightmares.

5. Ju-On: Origins (I know it's technically a series, but it was good and the series owed me after their theatrical fiasco earlier in the year. What the HELL was that "reboot" supposed to be???) 

  I was pleasantly freaked out throughout most of the runtime- the series begins by stating it is "based on the events that inspired" the original film series. That, on the surface, feels like a load of trash unless you are actually paying attention to the background.

4. VFW 

A stellar cast and some brutal violence makes this one a bit of a stand out in the "siege" horror category. A bit more action for some, but it fits right in there with Night of the Living Dead and Assault on Precinct 13. 

3. Blood Quantum 

 Gory. Brutal.

The title of the film is taken from a Colonial term for the measurement to determine one's indigenous status. In this film the term twists in this zombie film where the members of a distant tribe are rendered immune to the disease, but are quickly overwhelmed by the survivors and the undead both. The Reservation's Sheriff tries to maintain control while his two sons are divided by their approach to the crisis.

2. Underwater 

Surprisingly tight and well done horror film with more than a slight allusion to Lovecraftian monsters. 

1. Color Out of Space 

Insanity, madness, horror, beauty, and surreal existential dread thread it's way through this atmospheric nightmare! The movie opens with adapted text from the original work of Lovecraft, setting the mood with his rhythmic prose and a hauntingly atmospheric wilderness where shadows creep and what little light there is streams in on clear beams that catch the pollen and makes them sparkle like stars in the daylight.

And here are some Honorable Mentions: 

 Tremors Shrieker Island (Beastly Freaks, I know it's cheesy) 

Guns Akimbo (Not, technically, horror) 

Host 

Becky 

Scare PAckage

My New album

My New Album

The Old Guard (Netflix original)

Charlize Theron stars as Andi, an immortal warrior who has existed since before the dark ages. As the film begins, she wonders "if this will be the last time" before introducing us to her world. She leads a group of four immortals who are being tracked by a pharmaceutical company looking to exploit their genes.

The film is filled with action, lots of gun-play and sword fighting. Theron has remained one of Hollywood's great action stars over the past few years and this one is another notch in her belt. She gives a multilayered performance, at times gruff, bitter, and angry- but also very fragile. A warrior at the end of a very difficult journey through centuries of heartache.
 
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Copley, a former CIA agent currently employed by a pharmaceutical company to track down and capture the four immortals. Formerly a man of honor who is now broken by the passing of his wife to a disease that he believes can be cured by examining the immortals.
In a normal year, this should be a major Hollywood release. Delivered straight to Netflix, I feel something is missed by not having it screened on a large screen. As a streaming film, it probably shouldn't be missed by action fans.

The Beach House (2020, on Shudder)

I am a huge fan of Lovecraftian Horror. And many social media accounts were promoting Shudders newest acquisition as inspired by Lovecraft (Quickly becoming a buzz word), leading me to sit and give this one a quick spin on the ol' Roku device. I settled in for a fun ride...

Emily and Randall are a troubled couple on a romantic vacation for the weekend. They are staying in Randall's family beach house, but their time away is interrupted by an older couple who had made plans through Randall's father (unaware his son was staying in the house). The two couples make the best of it, but there is something strange about their environment and an infection begins to spread and transform the people around the lake.

I can see why people saw influences from Lovecraft, with similarities to "The Color out of Space" and "Annihilation", but there is much more in common with Cronenberg "body horror" here and the psychedelic horror of "Altered States". The transformations are gut churning, but ultimately feel less driven by an unknowable terror and much more based on the random chance of biological science. The movie even has a character who explains everything that is about to happen in a brief discussion regarding her college studies.

Otherwise, the film was an enjoyable middle of the road picture with some good gory bits. Mild recommendation

Ju-On Origins : Netflix Series

Six episodes in to the first season, the series somewhat abruptly ends with far more questions then there are answers. If this is really the entirety of the first season, then I feel less than satisfied with the conclusion. But I was pleasantly freaked out throughout most of the runtime- the series begins by stating it is "based on the events that inspired" the original film series. That, on the surface, feels like a load of trash unless you are actually paying attention to the background.

The series begins in 1988 and the most alarming story on the news is that of the discovery of a body found sealed in an oil drum. This is regarding the well publicized Junko Furuta story. We fast forward about one third through the series and find ourselves in 1992 when the news is dominated by the Sarin Gas attack from the Aum Shinrikyo cult. We end the series in 1997 and the news is once again covering the Kobe Child murders that took place at that time. These horrifying moments were the inspiration for the horrifying ghost tale that reflects the rage of on the Ju-on series.
 
What unfolds is the usual terrifying story of terrifying and angry ghosts who have died so horribly that they are trapped in their rage, grief, and horror. We follow the story of a paranormal researcher, a working class actress, and a teen girl as they encounter the famous house in a period of time that supposedly takes place before the deaths of Kayako, Toshio, and Takeo Saeki. The house is a location for other deaths, grief, pain, and suffering stretching back through several decades and several characters.

This is a slow burn horror and each episode leads up to various horrific moments. It also addresses issues of rape, addiction, and trauma in ways that many will find uncomfortable (especially with America's current political climate) so viewer beware. But it's a brutal reimagining of the series and it's origins while taking into account various other moments that have haunted Japan in the past.

Yummy review (Shudder Exclusive)

Some days, a nice little gross out zombie movie is just what the doctor ordered. So, heading into a shady Eastern European hospital, our two leads run straight into just that sort of trouble.
 
 Allison (Maaike Neuville) and Michael (Bart Hollanders) are looking for breast reduction surgery on the F cup-sized Allison, who is tired of having men ogle her. Her mother is accompanying them and hoping to get some touch-up work for her own beauty needs. There they meet Daniel (Benjamin Ramon) who would really like to show Michael around the hospital (And snatch some pharmaceuticals in the process) while the ladies go under the knife. Then... a zombie gets loose and hilarity ensues.

The movie packs some gory and disgusting gags, the sort of things that would make a dog gag. Our two protagonists are often separated for the purpose of sending them on a series of short misadventures that almost always bring them back together again. The film is ultimately very nihilistic, however. In the vein of Very Bad Things, things get progressively worse as the film builds to it's eventual climax that may shock some but felt more like par for the course with my experiences.

This is a mild recommendation for most horror fans, with emphasis for fans of gross out humor and gore.

6.5 out of 10. 

Centennial (A 12 Part Miniseries 1979) PART THREE

(WARNING!!! SPOILERS TO PREVIOUS EPISODES INVOLVED!!!)
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CHAPTER 3: THE WAGON AND THE ELEPHANT

Our story takes us East, to the Pennsylvania Mennonite community and young Levi Zendt. Falsely accused of sexual assault, Levi refuses to abide by the punishment decreed and heads west with his friend Elly and the two are soon married with a child on the way. They are headed toward Oregon to start their new lives together, joining a full train with other travelers; Oliver Seccombe (Timothy Dalton), Captain Maxwell Mercy (Chad Everett) and trail leader Sam Purchas (the ever menacing Donald Pleasance).

The story here takes an interesting turn because so much of the series has, so far, depended so much on our relationship with Pasquinell. But Levi Zendt steps into familiar shoes with a very different journey and approach to life. Where Pasquinel came at life with passion, Zendt is steady with compassion and warmth. Where Pasquinel faced things head and faces the mountains, Levi allows the mountains to seep into him. His road converges at a trading post with McKeag, with whom he will develop a stronger bond as the episode continues.

Of all the characters in Centennial, Levi Zendt has always been my favorite. Gregory Harrison is great in the role, but as an adult I can't quite speak to the quality that brought Levi to life in my young eyes. He was modest, he was secure, and in a later episode he would be described as a "serious man", and none of that usually speaks to a quality that most young men would gravitate toward. But, more than anything, he was also reasonable and courageous and he was just "good"... which appealed to me then and appeals to me now.

It's important to note that this episode acts as an anchoring point for several of the characters who would have larger roles to play in the series as time wears on. We find out that Maxwell Mercy, for example, is the husband to Lissette Pasquinel (The "white" daughter of our series initial lead). His struggle to balance the two worlds of the Native and the Settlers will carry through the next few episodes as well, including strong interactions with the Pasquinel Brothers.

3.5 out of 5, as this is the most episodic of the series so far without a true conclusion- it leaves our main protagonist in a bit of a cliff-hanger and urges continued watching with the fourth in the series.

Centennial (A 12 Part Miniseries 1979) PART TWO

(WARNING!!! SPOILERS TO EPISODE ONE INVOLVED!!!)
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THE YELLOW APRON

The second episode of Centennial picks up where the first left off, with Pasquinel having married both the daughter of his partner in St. Louis and the daughter of Lame Beaver. Our courier Quebecker is caught between two worlds. And it's that division that forces the story to focus on those who are affected by this division the most.

Clay Basket (played beautifully and brilliantly by Barbara Carrera) is a woman torn between two men that she both loves and respects. Pasquinel, who has given her two strong sons in Jacques and Marcel, and the golden-bearded McKeag, with whom she has always held a special affection. The hope for gold and the free life in the frontier brings her husband back to her time and again.


Lise Pasquinel (the always fantastic Salley Kellerman) draws the trader back to the "White Man's Civilization", such as it is. She raises a daughter and keeps the home fires burning with love for a man she knows she cannot keep in one place.




And, trapped between both worlds is McKeag. He sees the pain and anguish that Pasquinel leaves behind in his desire to have everything and live without compromise. But when the trader tries to bring both worlds together, it leads to disaster that will seep through the series for generations. It drives McKeag away and the Scotsman lives alone for years before finally returning to civilization with a Jamboree where tribes, mountain men, trappers, and traders all converge without need to travel to the big city.

Running at just over an hour and a half, the second episode in the long-spanning series expands and starts to show us the rippling effect that men like Pasquinel and Lame Beaver will have on other characters as they are introduced and take larger parts in the narrative. We also see the corrupting influence of wealth on good people, we see the growing encroachment of european settlers, and we see the tribal divisions that were so brutally exploited. But we also see the efforts of good people to deal in good faith and with well-intentions. But the importance of this episode is to show us how deeply some scars can run, how deeply it can hurt, and how important it is that we find a way to heal.

9 out of 10 and again, a definite must-see.

Centennial (A 12 Part Miniseries 1979) PART ONE

Based on the novel by James A. Michener, "Centennial" was an incredible television event that featured an all-star cast and over 26 hours of Television. It aired on NBC in 1979, from October through February. Over the next few days (Maybe weeks), I will be re-watching the series in it's entirety and trying to share my thoughts on the film some 41 years after.

I first watched the series around 1985-86 or so... it had been in the video collection of a family member who was very enthusiastic about the show and its characters. She allowed me to come over and watch over the course of some two weeks at a time when I was struggling in my own life. The series helped me get through a rough patch after a particularly traumatic experience. So the series has always held a warm spot in my memory.

EPISODE ONE: Only the Rocks Live Forever

The title is based on an Arapaho saying that the young Lame Beaver is told when his father dies in battle. Some narration provides explanation to the tradition of "counting coup" and that Lame Beaver's father had tied himself to a stake while in war with the enemy Pawney tribe. The young man grows up to be a leader (Michael Ansara) and a great warrior, and it isn't long until he meets a French fur trader named Pasquinel (Robert Condrad). The story weaves through the relationship between these two men and the land that will one day become the town of "Centennial".

Pasquinel is a veritable force of nature and pure strength of will. Conrad commands the screen and we are immediately spellbound, but it isn't until the introduction of his future partner that we start to see his darker side in contrast to that of McKeag. As the first episode follows the two men building a fur trade empire with the aid of a local silversmith investor (Raymond Burr), it cuts with the slice of life experiences of an aging Lame Beaver as he strives for a warriors death against the enemy Pawney tribe. Both stories divest and converge in a gut wrenching finale that foreshadows the dark and light of the American Frontier to come.

Alexander McKeag is played well by Richard Chaberlain, who acts as a sort of surrogate for the audience's experience in learning about the frontier, the various tribes, and the ruthless ambition of men like Pasquinel. Despite the deep guilt McKeag feels for a past transgression, he is largely an innocent and inexperienced man in the world. Without Pasquinel, he would be dead. But how long can the Scottish immigrant exist under the swagger and brass of his best friend?

As the first episode draws to a close (with over two and a half hours of runtime, three hours during it's original broadcast with commercials), there are certainly a lot of unanswered questions and the audience is left cold with expectation for the continued story of both Alexander McKeag and the man only ever known as Pasquinel.

A perfect 10 out of 10,

Blood Quantum on Shudder

Gory. Brutal.

The title of the film is taken from a Colonial term for the measurement to determine one's indigenous status. In this film the term twists in this zombie film where the members of a distant tribe are rendered immune to the disease, but are quickly overwhelmed by the survivors and the undead both. The Reservation's Sheriff tries to maintain control while his two sons are divided by their approach to the crisis.

This film goes for the jugular from the outset, the film opening in the outset of the crisis with a gruesome exhibition of guts and blood. The film has a lot to say about Colonialism- Too much to unpack in one review, but the film isn't subtle about any of it. But it never allows the message to overwhelm the absolute horror of the story itself.

8 out of 10, strong recommend. 

The Unholy Four

I found Enzo Barboni's first film streaming on one of those free streaming Roku channels tonight. I was enjoying the film when I decided to look up who he cast and crew were and discovered that first interesting fact. George Eastman I recognized, as well as Woody Stroke . But seeing the name Enzo Barboni really piqued my interest. As a huge fan of the Trinity series and other works in comedy, I was in for a surprise with this decidedly much more serious approach to the Spaghetti West.

Everything about this film speaks to a Barboni's masterful craftsmanship as a cinematographer. He sets his western apart with an immediate departure from the high desert sands with a high summer sun and decides to set this film in the deep autumn, muddy and cold. The characters look cold and the film print on the channel seemed a bit washed out.

After a bank robbery, the thieves set fire to the local hospital and four inmates of the sanitarium escape in the confusion. Among the escapees is a man named Chuck Mool, an amnesiac with no memory of who he is or where he comes from. Recognized by one of the thieves, it's only then that Chuck is told his name that he remembers the town he comes from and the three other men join him in his quest to regain his lost memories.

But it's not going to be a fun or breezy adventure, despite the light-hearted music playing. And the people in town are eager to take advantage of the situation.

6 out of 10

middle of the road... Birds of Pray +2 streaming films.

 BIRDS OF PREY: or The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

A spin-off (of a sort) following the cinematic adventures of DC Comics character Harley Quinn and introducing the Birds of Prey characters. Margot Robbie reprises her performance from the Suicide Squad feature film. While attempting to somewhat crib from Marvel/Sony success with the Deadpool character, Quinn constantly breaks the fourth wall and the film stretches for an R rating in the over-saturated "Super Hero" genre that will certainly please some audiences. Creative set designs, some funny gags, and a charismatic performance from the film's starring attraction are not enough to distance itself from the hackneyed script (Noted "Bumblebee writer: Christina Hodson, who is capable of SO MUCH BETTER!!!) and poor character choices.

Mockingbird (Jurney Smollet-Bell) has the most to do as the driver and part time singer for noted crime boss, Black MAsk (Ewan McGregor, hamming it up WAY over the top). Her Hypersonic Scream became almost an after thought and she was often struggling to find a real purpose in the film itself. Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) was largely lost in the shuffle and was often treated like the punchline of a running joke. Renee Montoya (Capably handled by Rosie Perez) was a total mystery in that she was never really a Bird of Prey in the comics AND she didn't really become one in this movie either. But the film REALLY drops the ball when introducing Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), a fairly standard "Street Urchin" who needs to be saved by Quinn and the other Birds when she mistakenly pickpockets the Plot Device.

Cassandra Cain, as a comic book character, is one of the deadliest assassins in the world and would wear the Batgirl cowl for a time. She would later take the Orphan moniker and, while serving as a Bird of PRey at one point, is largely wasted in this film as a damsel in distress for the other characters to rally around.

If you are not fans of the comic book, you are likely to enjoy far more of this film than those who are familiar with the comics themselves. 

5.5 out of 10 and not really a recommend unless you've seen everything else.

THE MARSHES

Released by Shudder in the US market, The Marshes tells the story of a trio of scientists head off on a research project in a maze-like marshland. Originally released in 2018 in it's native Australia, it manages to feel like a murkier and more confusing take on the joint Stephen King/Joe Hill project "In the Tall Grass", complete with a psychopathic killer and all the other reality distortions found in the original short story.

Pria (Dafna Kronental), Ben (Matthew Cooper), and their undergraduate assistant Will (Sam Delich) are collecting specimens out in the marsh. There they encounter a pair of poachers hunting boar, worry about malaria, and taunt one another about the mysterious "Swag Man" killer that lurks in the deep dark murk. The film tries, at various points, to suggest everything may be a fever dream concocted by Pria or that there is something supernatural at hand here. All of it becomes muddled and the tension doesn't exactly fit quite right here.

There are some pretty gruesome scenes once the actual Swag Man enters the scene, but we're already several tropes involved in two different horror stories and the third just feels forced and confusing.

5 out of 10

HUMAN LANTERNS

I have seen much better films from Shaw Brothers, but probably nothing quite as strange, gruesome, and sadistic. When a famous swordsman visits a small town, he is shocked when he is embarrassed by a local noble man named Tan. He vows revenge and turns to a former rival who is now a lantern maker in the same village. But the Lantern Maker as scores of his own to settle, and it isn't long before the village is terrifid by a recent spat of disappearances. The choreography is great, as we come to expect with Shaw Brothers- but it's the creepy vibe the killer sets off that really captures the imagination!

Chia Tang (Shaolin Intruders and Return of the Sentimental Swordsman) handles the fight choreography in this film,  which is notable for the absolutely insane "monkey" style movement of the masked killer. The set design of the Killer's lair uses shadows and gruesome color contrasts. Skin is torn from a living victim in one scene, the flesh draped in a horrifying menagerie throughout the caves.

5.5 and a recommend.

color out of space

WHAT THE FUCK?!?!!

Insanity, madness, horror, beauty, and surreal existential dread thread it's way through this atmospheric nightmare! The movie opens with adapted text from the original work of Lovecraft, setting the mood with his rhythmic prose and a hauntingly atmospheric wilderness where shadows creep and what little light there is streams in on clear beams that catch the pollen and makes them sparkle like stars in the daylight. It is shortly after this that we are introduced to the Gardner family.

Having recently left the "City", the Gardners hope to adapt to their country living and use the rich farmland around them to raise alpacas. First we meet Lavinia (Madeleine Arthur), the earthy and somewhat new age teen daughter. Her older teen brother, Benny (Brendan Meyer) is a pot head sneaking tokes in the barn. Her youngest brother, Jack (Julian Hilliard) is an adorable scamp. Their parents are Nathan (Nicholas Cage) and Theresa (Joely RIchardson). The family has just experienced the prolonged death of Nathan's father by cancer while Theresa is still recovering from her own cancer treatments.

Also living on the property is an aged hippy, Ezra (played to brilliant effect by Tommy Chong). Ward Phillips (Elliot Knight) is a young researcher performing tests on the Water tables in the area for an upcoming project that will dam the surrounding region  and provide a major source of water to the surrounding area.

Into these lives comes a meteor that crashes in the back yard of the Gardner home, spreading an iridescent "Color" that defies description- at times seen in hues of purple, pink, hints of gold, and sometimes even blues- this color seeps into the soil, melts into the water, and slowly begins to transform everything it comes in contact with. And forget what you think you know about horror films- you won't see the quick jumps every ten minutes, you won't be beaten over the head with an explanation, and most of the film barely holds together with a constant thread that allows the viewer to fully understand everything that's happening. This is the real horror of Lovecraft- the inability to describe what the experience is but to know that you are experiencing it. And there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Color out of Space takes liberties with the story itself, but it hits on all the familiar points where the story goes. The vegetation grows quickly, lushly, and large- but it's foul and does not nourish. The animals are changed- at first only slightly, and then more dramatically- and horrifically. The almost slow and methodical burn finally explodes when something happens near the barn, and the film never lets go from there. Cage's performance, which could be over the top and ridiculous, works in a film like this- where his erratic behavior is part of the transformation the entire family is experiencing. The finale is breath-taking, beautiful, haunting, and terrifying.

10 out of 10

The Grudge (2019)

This is the Grudge as I never thought I could see it. The formula is completely different- instead of a husband having killed his wife and son, this story apparently eschews tradition and the wife is responsible for killing the husband and the daughter. Very different from before in that they just switched the genders. Also, remember how the croaking from the first film came from the death rattling last breath of the victim with the broken neck? This time, it comes from all the ghosts and especially from the drowning victim who didn't have a cat. Totally different. And remember the creeping, crawling, moving closer within inches ghosts from the previous films? This time they appear out of nowhere and show off spastic shaking heads as if they were lead guitarists in a speed metal band. And only for a split second before cutting to show us they're not "really" there. Totally different.

This version of The Grudge is entirely different from any of the others in that it wasn't really a Grudge film as much as it was a Smudge film, just sort of barely recognizable as the Grudge and only if you squint real hard and remember the first film.

The story, on the other hand, works perfectly well and is suited to the original material. The performances aren't bad and the pacing is at least consistent. A detective mourning the loss of her husband moves to a new town with her young son, she is immediately drawn into a mystery when a body is found on the outskirts of town. The body's last known address was at the house where a recent string of deaths (Murders and suicides) have taken place. Lin Shaye continues to solidify her increasing reputation as the Godmother of Horror and should start to be spoken of with the same reverence as Vincent Price Peter Cushing, and Boris Karloff with her appearances in the genre. She is a true horror Icon.

So I am unsure of whether I've spoiled the whole thing for you, but I insist that the numbers 9 and 4 should be repeated ad infinitum in every Grudge movie from now until eternity. There's plenty of room for an improvement... maybe from watching the first Grudge film and maybe trying to do the things that actually WORK from those films rather than pretending any of this mess did.

5.49 and not a strong recommend, but not necessarily an "avoid". Still, I can't really insist that it's anything great.

2019 TOP TEN LIST

Here is my best of the year, with a countdown. 2019 was a challenging year. I'd rather not dwell on it as I nearly cut my blog out entirely, but I still enjoy watching films. I really love maintaining my lists on Letterboxd.

10. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Long live the King! Kaiju madness erupts in this incarnation of Godzilla, which picks up where the last film left off and finds humanity struggling to survive and explore the giant monsters that lurk beneath the Earth. Enter Mothra, Ghidora, Rodan, and others- a total of 17 Titans are mentioned to have been found and humanity's time on our little sphere may have come to an abrupt end.

9. Polar:

Based on a graphic Novel produced by Dark Horse comics, "Polar" is a fairly standard Assassin taking out his former employers story. Mads Mikkelson is the Assassin, and it's a fiarly kinetic, fun, and amusing little comic book style story.

8. The Furies

A gruesome and fairly twisted flick about several women who are kidnapped and hunted by several masked killers for the sport and entertainment of others. It's a gory spectacle that is elevated by the pure artistry in the gore effects, including a terrific defacing of one victim.

7. It: Chapter Two.

While it doesn't succeed in capturing the same momentum of the first film, the continuing story manages to remain faithful to the book and has a few decent sequences of it's own. Bill Hader's performance is terrific and Jessica Chastain carry the weight of the majority of the film, but James McAvoy somehow manages to fail in capturing the charm of Bill.

6. Shazam!

So few films are willing to embrace the warmth, innocence, and pure fun that comics have long held for children. Many of our current films try to twist these heroes with jaded and "edgy" interpretations, from the Justice League to the Avengers- there is a sense of something dark and haunting about our heroes. Then- There's Shazam! And Billy Batson is the pure and unadulterated look at what it should mean to be a child in the eyes of a child, even one as frustrated and edgy as Batson.

5. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark:

Based on the collected works compiled by Alvin Schwartz, this film manages to creep, crawl, and worm it's way into the imagination to become one of the most effective genre films of 2019. It's PG-13 rating doesn't work to diinish the creepiness of the film and it's lack of patently offensive gore and vulgarity does not reduce the impact of the scares.

4. Avengers: Endgame

Pure spectacle, Endgame brings back our heroes for another go-round in the MCU. Five years after their failure to stop Thanos, the Heroes reunite to try and set back that which went wrong. They don't want to change the past as much as return those who have been lost to the world they left behind. Fun adventure, lots of plot holes, a number four on my list for good reason.

3. REady or Not

Pure fun.

2. Alita Battle Angel

Holy crap, this movie had EVERYTHING in it!

1. One Cut of the Dead

If there was one film I want people to see from this year, this movie is it. But you have to stay with it for the whole run- you can't leave because you think it's boring, you can't leave because you don't quite get what's happening... everything is answered in the movie and it's well worth the wait and the watch. I guarantee you have never seen anything like this before.