Mortal Kombat seemingly wastes no time giving us what we want. Simon McQuoid’s directorial debut, which adapts the immensely violent and popular video game franchise into a rebooted universe, shaves the fluff and cuts straight to the bone, but with its flimsy storytelling, paper-thin characters, and sloppy pacing, this new iteration loses its way quickly. Too self-serious and without Paul W.S. Anderson’s cheeky irreverence and cult sensibilities, Mortal Kombat is as empty as most video game adaptations; even its primary selling point - its mindless, sanguine action - is mostly a disappointment. Minor spoilers ahead…

If you’re here for “giant lizard vs. big monkey,” then Godzilla vs. Kong will give you exactly what you’re looking for…eventually. Horror veteran Adam Wingard applies his astute eye for action and spectacle in a marked improvement over 2019’s much-maligned Godzilla: King of the Monsters, even if the film learns only half of the lessons imparted by its predecessor. You get your promised kaiju action, and it’s just spectacular enough to cover up the film’s interminably inert subplots. Minor spoilers ahead…

Amazon’s new animated series goes through familiar superhero motions, but its well-crafted and jaw-dropping twist will keep you engaged. Based on The Walking Dead scribe Robert Kirkman’s comic book of the same name, Invincible captures its source material’s tone and charm; its clean animation, talented voice cast, and big moments do a lot of heavy lifting, even if some of its storytelling and tropes feel dated. Three episodes watched for review. Minor spoilers ahead…

My coverage of SXSW continues. Ambitious, exhaustive, and utterly entrancing, Kier-La Janisse’s three-hour-plus treatise on folk horror is an education in a bottle. A deep, dark rabbit hole that examines the power of storytelling and tales inherited, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched is more than a mere documentary, it’s an essential text.

My 2021 SXSW coverage begins here! Horror legend Barbara Crampton takes the spotlight in Travis Stevens’ sanguine vampire comedy, Jakob’s Wife. Embracing its B-movie trappings, the film tackles its themes of empowerment with the subtlety of a stake to the heart, but Crampton makes everything work with a hypnotic, career-best performance. Jakob’s Wife is camp horror brought to rousing life with blood spilled and guts strewn, and the fun everyone is having is infectious. Minor spoilers ahead…

Welcome to my coverage of 2021’s Sundance Film Festival! Far away from the hustle and bustle of its usual Park City home, this year’s festival - like many before it - has been transformed into a virtual experience due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t diminish the caliber of its offerings. This year’s festival sees a variety of special film events, such as a robust short film program, a wide selection of genre showings, and gala presentations. This year marks my first year as accredited press at Sundance, and I’m so excited to be able to review a selection from the festival. You can find my entire coverage here.

Leaving behind the hexed sitcom world of WandaVision, the next Disney Plus foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe looks into the two complex figures of Captain America’s legacy: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Balancing out adrenaline-pumping action with quieter character moments, the series is surprisingly effective at tackling its themes of trauma, guilt, and patriotism in a post-Blip world. One episode watched for review. Minor spoilers ahead...

What can only be described as a fervently anticipated reclamation of an artist’s vision, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a unique beast not just among comic book adaptations, but filmmaking in general. More than just a simple director’s cut, Justice League - or The Snyder Cut, as it’s been affectionately dubbed by fans - is a lumbering, bloated, and generic superhero epic, but it’s also a massive improvement over its 2017 iteration. Stripped of its director’s trademark grimness and imbued with a surprising amount of heart, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is finally the big screen team-up worthy of its iconic characters. Minor spoilers ahead…

Gorgeously realized with Disney’s signature heart and warmth, Raya and the Last Dragon is another feather in the animation studio’s cap, even if its muddled representation and thin plotting occasionally get in the way of its emotional beats. An epic action-adventure with an all-Asian voice cast, Raya balances its huge stakes with human moments and particularly charismatic performances from Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, and Gemma Chan. Minor spoilers ahead…

Bloated, over-produced, and underwritten, the Russo Brothers’ latest film - based upon Nico Walker’s novel of the same name - is a self-indulgent exercise in filmmaking hubris. The very definition of style over substance, Cherry is a lurching homunculus of artifice that never feels authentic, not even for a second. With nothing to say about any of the serious subjects it broaches, Cherry is prime contender for one of the worst films of the year. Minor spoilers ahead…

Rosamund Pike shines in J Blakeson’s pitch-black neo-noir, I Care a Lot. Biting, cynical, and featuring a welcome return of the villain protagonist, the film finds exhilaration through wickedness and hairpin turns, even if its messaging remains muddled. I Care a Lot balances on the knife’s edge - not always successfully - with its unrepentant characters, but through slick construction and a bevy of crackling performances, it’s remarkably efficient at finding glee in moral vacuum. Minor spoilers ahead…

After a much-maligned turn remaking Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca for Netflix, filmmaker Ben Wheatley returns to form with the brutal and psychedelic In the Earth. Lush and violent with tinges of Annihilation and Wicker Man, Wheatley’s latest is a harrowing meditation on man and nature. Contributor Diego Andaluz reviews the latest from Sundance 2021. Minor spoilers ahead…

Whether it’s the gala premieres or its NEXT and Midnight titles, there’s plenty of genre fare to go around at Sundance. I watched a ton of films at the festival this year, and even though I would like to, it’s impossible for me to write full-length reviews for everything. So, here’s a special edition of Strange Harbors Capsule Reviews, covering the wide range of this year’s genre films at Sundance. Minor spoilers ahead…

Our Sundance coverage continues with a review for Jerrod Carmichael’s directorial debut, On the Count of Three. With strong performances and impressive construction, the film is deft at combining melancholy with levity, but not all of its humor lands. Our contributor DarkSkyLady reviews the film. Trigger warning: discussions of suicide/attempted suicide. Minor spoilers ahead…

Our Sundance coverage continues with a review for Sion Sono’s gonzo, post-apocalyptic Western, Prisoners of the Ghostland. A refreshing respite from a festival full of heavier fare, the Japanese auteur forms a marriage of his cult sensibilities with the American master of cult performances: Nicolas Cage. A whirlwind of wild violence, candy-colored dystopia, and a plot light on logic but heavy with style, Prisoners of the Ghostland is a cult classic in the making. Contributor Valerie Thompson reviews the film. Minor spoilers ahead…

Our Sundance coverage continues with a review for Rodney Ascher’s documentary on simulation theory. A film that amplifies all of Ascher’s most grating tendencies as a documentarian, A Glitch in the Matrix takes the tedious navel-gazing of Room 237 - Ascher’s cult account on hidden meanings within Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining - and cranks it up to eleven. Largely ignoring a storied bibliography of research, philosophy, and the logical complexities on the subject of simulation theory, A Glitch in the Matrix instead finds satisfaction in a glib slinging of memes and crackpot theories. Minor spoilers ahead…

Our coverage of Sundance continues with Pascual Sisto’s John and the Hole, an arthouse thriller with a style that heavily outweighs its substance. A selection from the festival’s U.S. Dramatic Competition, the film has a unique premise and a disquieting atmosphere, but they aren’t enough to save the it from its thin main character and plot. Contributor Carolyn Hinds reviews the film. Minor spoilers ahead…

Welcome to the Strange Harbors coverage of the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Siân Heder’s heartfelt curtain-raiser kicks off this year’s program, a radiantly warm tale of a teenage girl navigating the tension-filled territory between individuality and the bonds of family. An American adaptation of the French dramedy La famille Béllier, Coda wears its coming-of-age tropes on its sleeve, but its confident construction and tender performances strike at the heart of what makes convention so effective. Minor spoilers ahead…