A decent number of films for December with 10 new films, but are they any good?
Mank
#FF20 Mank is an ode to classic cinema. It takes on the look, movement, audio etc, down to lens choices.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 6, 2020
The cast are excellent, with Oldman and Seyfried the stand-outs.
The back-and-forth structure doesn't work for me, but I understand the why.
A solid movie.
Inheritance
#FF20 Inheritance is not a good movie.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 6, 2020
At every turn, the characters make bizarre choices, driven by handwaved issues, that simply do not make sense.
The performances are so-so, with British actors doing American accents that fall apart pretty consistently.
Skip.
Ava
#FF20 Ava is a fairly forgettable film about an assassin who starts asking too many questions. A solid main cast doesn't help a cliched plot, especially with a dull family b-plot in the background.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 13, 2020
A few okay action moments, but you can safely skip this.
Archenemy
#FF20 Archenemy fails to deliver much beyond some mildly interesting visuals, a contrast between neon and grimy grain.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 20, 2020
The story is predictable, and the dialogue dull. There's little to care about here, and a lot to dislike.
Avoid.
Yes, God, Yes
#FF20 Yes, God, Yes is a fairly limp light comedy about a Christian high school retreat, and some of the hypocrisy around sex.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 20, 2020
It doesn't have enough teeth to deliver a message, or enough laughs to be particularly entertaining.
Skip.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
#FF20 Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a fantastic performance showcase for both Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman; both very different, but captivating.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 27, 2020
Some of the longer monologues feel a little out of place, but are well executed.
Very good.
The Midnight Sky
#FF20 The Midnight Sky gets more disappointing the longer it goes on. It begins beautifully, and slowly.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 27, 2020
What should have been a quiet, contemplative movie about what we've done to the world and second chances, gives way to cliche and unnecessary contrivance.
Skip.
Wonder Woman 1984
#FF20 Wonder Woman 1984 squanders a good cast on a mess of a film.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 3, 2021
Overlong, dull, dumb, and badly paced. It's a real slog.
Even the action is uninspired, badly edited, and visually poor. Suprising, given the original.
There’s little to recommend here. Avoid.
Greyhound
#FF20 Greyhound is an unusual film.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 3, 2021
It doesn't have much of a defined structure: focussing on the constant but quiet action of this kind of naval combat.
It's quite human, despite most of the people being abstract figures on distant ships.
Grounded, steady, solid. Watchable.
The 2nd
#FF20 The 2nd is one of the worst films I saw in 2020.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 3, 2021
Nonsensical plot, bad action, bad acting; the works. None of it makes any sense, and it's not even particularly entertaining along the way.
Big avoid here.
The December Winner
There was a surprising amount of bad stuff this month, but Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a more than deserving winner, for those excellent lead performances.