March movie reviews

In theaters:

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

Emerald Fennell started the decade with the great Promising Young Woman, but that's starting to look like a bit of a fluke. She no doubt takes a big swing with this film, and it's not some standard stuffy literary adaptation. But it is entirely a style over substance situation, and at well over 2 hours, it becomes quite dull. Margot Robbie tries. 

THE BRIDE

Speaking of a big swing by a female director that winds up way more style over substance, we have Maggie Gyllenhaal's Frankenstein movie. Jessie Buckley is a wonderful, now Oscar winning actress. But the wild overacting she does in this is just not in her wheelhouse. It's a film that occasionally comes to life (ha ha), but too often is just obnoxious. 

READY OR NOT: HERE I COME

Really liked the original Ready Or Not, one of those movies that makes it look easy. This belated sequel goes the John Wick route, expanding the lore in a big way. I'm not sure this is a case where the lore is that interesting, though. I wish they had kept it simpler, cause even though this is a retread sequel, the bread and butter violence and kills are still well done. Samara Weaving and new addition Kathryn Newton are great fun.

PROJECT HAIL MARY

The year's biggest hit so far, and deservedly so. A few minor issues aside, this is a very well-made and entertaining movie. It's from the same writer and source material as The Martian, and it's not quite as good as that, but it ticks a lot of the same boxes. Ryan Gosling is in full charismatic movie star mode. The alien character dubbed Rocky is just a fantastic creation. The visuals, a lot of it done practical, are great. It's funny, it's emotional at times. It's obvious why this has caught on. 

THEY WILL KILL YOU

Oddly similar to Ready Or Not, considering it arrived a week after its sequel, this is another movie with an unsuspecting woman (in this case the electric Zazie Beetz) being hunted by a collection of rich assholes in a contained space (a hotel here). I liked this more than RON2, cause it has its own bizarro energy and is way less tethered to reality. Basically I wanted to see Zazie be hot as fuck and beat the shit out of people, and that's what I got. 

Everything else:

JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME

John Candy was probably my favorite actor when I was a kid. And he died on my birthday. This doc is a terrific tribute to the guy, and man  they got EVERYBODY to go on screen and talk about him. 

ANATOMY OF A FALL

A very engrossing drama that got nominated for several Oscars a few years ago. 

THE SECRET AGENT

This got some major nominations this year, including best picture, but oh my god was this a boring, interminable 2 1/2 hour slog to get through. 

THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR

Nominated for best documentary, this is all compiled from police footage of an escalating situation involving a nosy neighbor, a true Karen. It aims to infuriate and it succeeds. 

HOUSE OF SPOILS

This horror movie with Ariana Debose as a chef whose new restaurant might be haunted is never scary (little gross, though). But Debose, yeah I'm gonna say it, cooks here, and carries the film to solid territory. And we get some Barbie Ferreira.