'The Invisible Man' gets a lot of mileage out of Moss, simple premise

From the very opening shot of the new horror film The Invisible Man you're riveted by what you're seeing. It opens with what could be described as a mini silent movie that tells you all you need to know about the horrific situation the lead character (played by Elizabeth Moss) finds herself in.

She is clearly in an abusive, controlling relationship with a man who has a lot of resources, dabbles in high tech and whose home feels like a very stylish prison.

If you've seen the trailers you know that Moss escapes, the husband appears to have killed himself and she is now stalked by an invisible entity that certainly behaves like her brutally toxic ex.

The fact that none of this plays campy is an amazing testament to writer-director Leigh Whannell and especially its star Elizabeth Moss, whose been fantastic for years on both the big and small screen, but finally here gets the role that should make her a major movie star.

She has one of the most remarkably expressive faces in movies -- and this movie requires her to work every muscle of it as she is gaslit, terrified and eventually driven to righteous fury. In a just world, a performance like this would be in the awards conversation at the end of this year, but alas genre bias will probably doom it.

It should be a huge commercial hit though -- this is the perfect kind of audience pleasing entertainment. It's premise is pretty irresistible. It has a great, sympathetic performance at its center. And there are enough genuine surprises to keep you guessing even if you start to predict where the invisible man may surface next.

Whannell's camera does wonders -- creating dread in the corners of ever frame. The movie is also incredibly well designed sonically. Everything is working here to maximum effect here and it's a blast.

I'm sure this is one of those movies where if you start thinking about it too much it starts to fall apart from a logic perspective. And Moss' character probably does too much exploring when her life is danger. But these are minor quibbles.

The effects here are fantastic but it's really the film's willingness to grapple seriously with domestic abuse and the commitment that Moss brings to her lead role that make this movie special.

This is supposed to be a reboot/relaunch of sorts of Universal's legacy monsters brand (Tom Cruise's critically reviled The Mummy was the ill-fated first foray). I certainly hope that continue on this path -- making relatively grounded, adult-skewing horror thrillers that are both frightening and make you feel something.

The most anticipated movies of 2020 (from my perspective)

Last year was a pretty strong year for movies -- it was very hard to come up with a top 10 and gratefully, some of the movies I was most excited about in April of last year ended up not disappointing -- like Midsommar and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

This year's slate is chockfull of movies that at least right now I can't wait to see. A lot is going to depend on how trailers look and most importantly what the reviews are.

Here are the top movies I'm keeping my eyes on (in no particular) order:

Tenet - Christopher Nolan's mysterious new thriller looks to be yet another complex exploration of time, following his Oscar-nominated Dunkirk. I'm thrilled that Nolan has put the promising young John David Washington in the lead role and this promises to be yet another epic with real stunts at its center and some very compelling concepts on its mind.

The French Dispatch - After several years, director Wes Anderson finally returns to live action filmmaking with this tribute to traditional journalists. He's assembled an even more eye-popping, star-studded cast than usual for this one (in addition to some of his regulars like Bill Murray and Owen Wilson) and if the first trailer is any indication, this may be his visually most inventive movie yet.

Bill Murray on set with Sofia Coppola

Dune - Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic has been infamously difficult to adapt (see David Lynch's ill-fated 1984 version) but if there's anyone I trust to do it it's Denis Villeneuve. He has demonstrated his ability to making heady sci-fi with both Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, and it looks like he has the budget and the technology to make what's on the page feel vital and real on-screen.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife - I am very cautiously optimistic about this one. The toxic debate around the last attempted reboot really sullied the franchise, but this attempt to bring it back to its roots seems heartfelt and original. Still, I wish that trailer had a single laugh in it.

Antebellum - The first trailers have a very mysterious but riveting way about them. Very little is divulged except for the fact that this horror film seems to have something to do with people of color being sucked through a portal perhaps into the slavery area. It is sure to be controversial -- but it may be as illuminating as Jordan Peele's first two directorial efforts. Also, I'm excited to see Janelle Monae's anchoring her own movie.

No Time to Die - Daniel Craig's swan song as James Bond looks like a doozy. Even though I'm not thrilled that it appears to be something of a direct sequel to Spectre, I'm just so excited to have 007 back. And this new film feels like the first one in years that might be genuinely unpredictable. Will they kill off Craig's Bond (as is rumored) and replace him with an African-American woman? If so, there will be an uproar, but if the movie is great it might not matter.

On the Rocks - Seventeen years after Lost In Translation, Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola are finally reuniting for this father-daughter drama co-starring Rashida Jones. Murray is long overdue for the kind of committed semi-dramatic performances he's definitely capable of delivering, and Coppola's best work was arguably with him. I am hoping this a real Oscar play and not just an indie curio, but only time will tell.

Da 5 Bloods - Following his Oscar-winning success with BlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee has the opportunity for another breakout hit with this Vietnam war drama starring Chadwick Boseman. Lee has stumbled in the past with a war film (Miracle at St. Anna) but my hope is that he will be in the conversation this coming awards season and will remain relevant as a major filmmaker for years to come.

A Quiet Place Part II - The first film -- directed, starring and co-written by John Krasinski -- was such an unexpected critical and commercial smash that it's easy to write it off as a fluke. And who knows, it might have been. But something tells me that the ongoing saga, centered on survivor Emily Blunt and family, will only be more ambitious than its predecessor. It's such an elegant, simple premise that still has so much potential if handled just right.

Promising Young Woman - Early buzz out of the festival circuit suggests that this black comedy that seeks to turn toxic masculinity in on itself is a can't miss and a showcase for a revitalized Carey Mulligan. Certainly the trailer captures for your attention. I always love a good zeitgeist-y movie that gets people talking and this one appears to fit the bill in spades.

Black History Month: The best (of the few) black history movies

Films about African-American history are sadly few and far between and far too many are told from the perspective of white people. That's just a sad fact. Things may be started to change, slowly, but the quantity and quality need a boost.

That being said,  it is Black History Month -- and it's worth taking a look at what historical (or inspired by history) films about African-American culture are out there.

Selma - The movie that put Ava DuVernay on the A-list is riveting and emotional. She wisely decides to document Dr. Martin Luther King's valiant efforts to persuade the country to get behind the 1965 Voting Rights Act instead of trying to tell the entirety of MLK's story. David Oyelowo humanizes Dr. King beautifully and the film feels sadly relevant to this day, given prolonged efforts to dismantle the heroic work Dr. King and his followers did.

Hidden Figures - For some reason, there seems to have been some buyer's remorse for this inspirational true story about the black women who had enormous impact on the space program in the 1960s albeit behind the scenes. Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae and Octavia Spencer are all note perfect as fiercely intelligent women who made their presence known at a time where much of society wanted to deny their humanity. Even it's got some hokey moments, it's hard not to root for his movie.

4 Little Girls - I've said it before and I've said it again -- this is simply one of the most emotionally overwhelming documentaries I've ever seen. Director Spike Lee documents the horrific domestic terror attack on a Birmingham church by white supremacists at the height of the civil rights movement, taking the lives of four innocent schoolchildren. Lee not only conveys the historic importance of his even but really illuminates the lives of these fully rounded young people who had so much promise.

Malcolm X - Spike Lee's most epic, ambitious film -- a full realization of Alex Haley's seminal Autobiography of Malcolm X. It didn't matter at the end of the day that Denzel Washington looked nothing like him -- he captured his spirit perfectly. The film doesn't shy away from all the darker aspects of the man's life, but it also gives you a full portrait of the more complex person he would become. A moving and provocative film, which remains one of my personal all-time favorites.

Glory - The movie that really established Denzel Washington as a major star. It tells the remarkable story of the first all black regiment to be drawn up to fight for the Union in the Civil War. Sure, the narrative is to some degree told through the lens of white lead Matthew Broderick, but the wonderful performances from Denzel, Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher (among others) steals the show and makes the black soldiers -- rightfully -- the center of the story.

Unforgivable Blackness - Ken Burns isn't everyone's cup of tea but I unabashedly love him and this shorter doc (than usual for him) is a fantastic look at not just the boxing career but the cultural impact of Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion who happened to have a preference for dating white women -- no small thing at the turn of the century. Witty and thoughtful, this film has slipped through the cracks with a lot of people and it deserves a wider audience.

Fruitvale Station - Oscar Grant probably never anticipated that he would become a historic figure of significance but his brutal killing at the hands of a transit officer ignited a movement and inspired a whole generation of activists to start speaking out about the dangers of police violence, especially targeting unarmed black men and women. Michael B. Jordan's beautiful performance captures a flawed person to be sure, but someone who didn't deserve to die.

13th/OJ Made in America - DuVernay's masterful documentary about the racist roots of our modern criminal justice system is a stunning piece of history in its own right. I link it to the similarly fantastic OJ Made in America because it also came out in the same year and also, admittedly in a very different way, dealt with the tragic nexis between race and crime, with a dash of celebrity thrown in. Both are extensive, exhaustive and exhilarating.

'Emma': A pleasant period picture that doesn't elevate genre

The trailers for the new adaptation of Emma had me fooled. It looked like a fast-paced, somewhat modernized take on the Jane Austen classic. In reality the final product is unassailably likable, a sumptuous production with some winning performances.

But it fails to reinvigorate a story that's been told several times, and so for me it was a bit of a letdown.

I was hoping for either a fierce counterpoint to the staid traditional style of movies like these, which I got in The Favourite. That was a movie that was so deliciously modern even if it had some of the trappings of a stuffy, white period film. It was one of the funniest, most savage movies of 2018.

On the other end of spectrum there was last year's Little Women, which was considerably more earnest, but still invigorating because director Greta Gerwig decided to really interrogate the text she was adapting and she found ways to make us look at the story in entirely new ways.

This version of Emma doesn't take any risks. It has some nice, charming laughs -- but far too often I found myself playing Clueless (which was loosely based on Emma's narrative) in my head. I kept thinking how superior and inventive that movie was, and it's not even a particularly big favorite of mine.

I don't mean to be too harsh about it -- I am definitely not the target audience for this kind of thing. I think Ana Taylor-Joy is a wonderful leading actress, the kind of performer who can really hold the screen with just an expression. Her timing is terrific and she is totally credible in this.

The reliably funny Bill Nighy is fantastic as her father. He steals every scene he is in and appears to be acting in a much funnier, less predictable comedy.

There is no suspense in Emma, no discovery. It goes where it's supposed to go exactly when you expect it to. It's not that you don't have any fun along the way -- it's very cute and warm-hearted. But when I watch movies like these I can't help but wonder why they exist.

I get that the book it's based on is considered a classic, but why does this story need to be told now?

And then I think about how hard it is to get movies about people of color made and seen. And how if a film about our lives clears that threshold, it has to be very heightened (think Black Panther) or pretty universally appealing (think Crazy Rich Asians).

At the end of the day I don't regret seeing Emma, but I am not sure it was essential.

When Hollywood squanders an incredible true story

I'd been avoiding Netflix's scripted Ted Bundy drama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile  because the reviews were bad. But I've been reading the true crime book The Stranger Beside Me -- which tracks his mercurial personality and I'd revisited Netflix's excellent documentary about the serial killer and so I figured why not complete the triad.

Save for a potentially interesting choice to cast heartthrob Zac Efron in the lead, I can now say say that Extremely Wicked... is an unmitigated disaster. It's title is a misnomer -- the movie strangely sidesteps Bundy's actual crimes until the very end. In fact, if someone were to enter this movie cold having been uninformed about Bundy's horrendous acts and history, might think he was an innocent man until the final few minutes. Was that the movie's intention? I have no idea.

What was frustrating about all this is that a very interesting, worthwhile movie could be made about this bizarre chapter in history. Bundy is a one of a kind character -- an arrogant, sociopath who was a master manipulator and one of the most abhorrent criminal figures in American history. Efron, who has shown flashes of being a potentially strong actor, might have done something compelling here if he was given the chance to really play a character, but instead we only get snippets hinting at Bundy's eccentricity.

The movie attempts to share focus with the two women who were most devoted to Bundy in his life -- which is interesting -- what kind of person stands by a man whose been accused of murdering, dismembering and raping numerous woman -- but they are so thinly drawn that they become totally uninteresting.

What's galling about all this is Netflix's own documentary on this subject is chockfull of compelling footage of the real Bundy and remarkable moments from his wacky trial (where he acted as his own attorney!) and not only does the scripted film ignore many of those moments, they also do a terrible job of recreating the ones they do attempt to replicate (the stunt casting of John Malkovich as a judge is more oddball than inspired).

I would love to see a film about the trial alone -- the circus atmosphere -- the early glimpse at the kind of fame for fame's sake celebrity culture that has now become a codified part of our lives. The semi-controlled madness of the man and the attorneys trying in vein to represent him while he keeps undercutting their case.

When this kind of thing happens it squanders an attempt to tell this story right -- and even when a better version comes along it can feel like tainted goods (think Steve Jobs the Michael Fassbender version, vs. the Ashton Kutcher one). Even though I have yet to see it, I feel like Harriet falls into this category. An amazing movie about Harriet Tubman could and should be made, but apparently the film settles for a cookie cutter version, cheapening one of the great historic figures of all time.

This is just the worst. I get that bringing true stories to the big screen is an always fraught process -- any deviation from the actual events is treated with extreme scrutiny (especially now) as is every somewhat unconventional casting choice (believe it or not a lot of people opposed the idea of Denzel Washington playing Malcolm X, that is until they saw the movie).

But sometimes I feel like filmmakers haven't figured out why they were making a film about a certain moment in time before they get on set. I have no idea what the makers of Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil and Vile are trying to convey.

Taken at face value -- it appears to simply show that Ted Bundy appeared to be a very likable, warm and generous guy but it turns out he wasn't. Ok...

There's one real life story I've always thought would make for an AMAZING movie. And years ago there were rumors that it would be turned into a vehicle for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (which would have been perfect casting) but for some reason the project never came to fruition.

In 1973, two Yankees pitchers literally decided to swap wives and families! One lived happily ever after -- yes, he's still married to the woman he 'swapped' for -- and the other was apparently bitterly disappointed.

It has everything sex, sports, the 70s... I would still love to see this movie made (I could see DiCaprio and Ruffalo in the leads... a little Shutter Island reunion). But I don't want it to be made badly. Because then it'll be ruined for me and for people who are new to the story.

I've got my fingers crossed that someone will tell that story at some point, but do it with some creativity and thought, and an eye on a larger theme they want to tap into and a more relevant link to the world we live in now.

2010 Flashback: My favorite movies from 10 years ago

When I eventually got around to making my favorites of the decade list at the end of last year I was surprised at how few, if any, 2010 movies made the cut.

I didn't remember it being a particularly weak year -- but in retrospect it kind of was.

You have two bonafide classics -- The Social Network and Inception -- some very strong films and two very rewatchable broad comedies. All in all, this was a year where I didn't have too many favorites outside of my top 10.

I do remember being stunned by the tremendous success of two prestige movies that on paper you wouldn't think would be moneymakers: Black Swan and True Grit. And I remember being appalled that the utterly vanilla King's Speech triumphed at the Academy Awards over the clearly superior Social Network, but of course that was just the beginning of a decade's worth of baffling choices there.

Anyway, here's my top 10 for the year 2010.

10) The Ghost Writer - Roman Polanski is reprehensible -- that being said, this is his last terrific movie worth seeing. A bit of a throwback to the twisty thrillers that made him famous, it centers around a writer (played by Ewan McGregor) who gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to write the autobiography of a disgraced UK lawmaker clearly based on Tony Blair (played exceptionally by Pierce Brosnan). No big pyrotechnics here, but a killer ending is very satisfying.

9) MacGruber - What a strange trip it's been for this totally nutty, gloriously stupid and unapologetically raunchy this SNL-inspired movie. It was an enormous, colossal bomb at the box office, but little by little people have discovered it, found it to be quotable as hell and graced with a kind of a kind of madcap spirit (I love the running gag about MacGruber's obsession with a driver who wronged him). I'm proud to be a part of this movie's cult.

8) The Other Guys - This may have been the last truly inspired Will Ferrell comedy vehicle I'm sad to say and I love the guy. Adam McKay makes this feel like a real throwback buddy action comedy (with Mark Wahlberg proving he is a much better comedic actor than a dramatic one) in the Beverly Hills Cop vein with the two leads as opposites united in their own ineptitude. Scores extra points with a scene stealing Michael Keaton as their captain and its not-so-subtle commentary on the financial crisis amid the mayhem.

7) The Town - This was the movie that made a lot of have to bite our tongues and admit that Ben Affleck is talented. Of course, he hasn't been this hungry since to prove his mettle which might be why this bank robber action drama is so good. He's assembled an impressive cast, including a very hot at the time Jeremy Renner, and created real atmosphere within the underbelly of Boston, which he knows so well from experience. Just a solid from start to finish thriller that doesn't reinvent the genre but gets the job done with vigor.

6) True Grit - The biggest crossover hit of the Coen Brothers career is a very faithful adaptation of the terrific Charles Portis novel of the same name (which became famous as a previous big screen vehicle for John Wayne). Hailee Steinfeld was the breakout star, and rightfully so. Meanwhile, Jeff Bridges is a salty and soused delight as the one eyed marshall she teams up with to hunt down the killer of her father. Straightforward and even a little old fashioned, this is a grand, attractive piece of mainstream entertainment,

5) Toy Story 3 - I came into this second sequel (over 10 years since the last one) pretty skeptical and left thinking it was the best of the series (and one of the best Pixar movies, period). An elegy for growing up couched in a fast-pasted, frequently moving adventure. By now, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen's Woody and Buzz Lightyear have become dear friends that we are invested in, and the finale where they are passed on to a new generation is just one of the most moving scenes that I've ever seen. I haven't watched it in years, but I assume it holds up.

4) Black Swan - Natalie Portman won the Oscar for her incredibly physical performance in this mind bending ballerina drama with elements of horror and surrealism. I'll never know why this batshit crazy movie caught on and director Darron Aronofsky's later exploration of the creation theme Mother!, but I'm thrilled it found an audience and broke through. Portman has done mostly strong work since, but I'd be intrigued to see her and Aronofsky team up again for something strange and beautiful.

3) Shutter Island - A bit of divisive one. A lot of people didn't think much of this Martin Scorsese thriller about an investigation within an old fashioned madhouse that turns out to be as much about the investigators themselves as it is the case they're "on." The twist works for me, as does the film's themes of violence and regret. It's definitely a downer of a movie, but it's fun to see Scorsese working in a milieu that's a little outside of his comfort zone. And DiCaprio is dynamic as yet another one of his wounded, vulnerable heroes.

2) Inception - What a year for DiCaprio! After Shutter Island was a smash early in the year, his Inception (directed by Christopher Nolan, rapidly becoming his own brand at this point) became the most buzzed about movie of the summer. It took me two viewings to fully get it's dream within a dream within a dream logic. And of course if you think about it too hard it's a completely ludicrous premise -- but what an exciting, visually enthralling movie with a gorgeous score, killer cast and some of the most riveting action scenes I've ever seen. It was just the beginning of Nolan's time themed epics, and it's still a blast.

1) The Social Network - This movie instantly felt like a era defining classic and it may be the peak of David Fincher's brooding, stylized filmmaking. Sometimes the movie is mistaken as romanticizing Mark Zuckerberg, but I think it clearly views him as a pathetic figure. It's a fascinating, funny and ultimately infuriating story full of (mostly) reprehensible people acting purely out of self interest. Little did we know that that behavior would continue be normalized and that Facebook would only become more of a bad actor in all our lives. Still, the movie is stunning.

PAST TOP 10 FAVORITE LISTS
1974 #1 movie - The Godfather Part II
1975 #1 movie - Nashville
1976 #1 movie - Taxi Driver
1977 #1 movie - Star Wars
1978 #1 movie - The Deer Hunter
1979 #1 movie - The Jerk
1984 #1 movie - Ghostbusters
1985 #1 movie - Fletch
1986 #1 movie - Blue Velvet
1987 #1 movie - The Untouchables
1988 #1 movie - Coming to America
1989 #1 movie - Batman
1994 #1 movie - Pulp Fiction
1995 #1 movie - Heat
1996 #1 movie - Fargo
1997 #1 movie - Boogie Nights
1998 #1 movie - The Big Lebowski
1999 #1 movie - Eyes Wide Shut
2004 #1 movie - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005 #1 movie - A History of Violence
2006 #1 movie - Casino Royale
2007 #1 movie - There Will Be Blood
2008 #1 movie - The Wrestler
2009 #1 movie - Inglourious Basterds

Hurray for 'Parasite'! And other thoughts on the Oscars I didn't see

For my entire adult life and much of my childhood I never missed an Academy Awards. As silly as it sounds, I really cared about the results. But this year, I was so offended but what felt like the systematic erasure of many of the best performances of people of color I gave up and essentially boycotted the show.

It didn't help that there was next to no suspense in many of the major categories. Brad Pitt in particular was seemingly assured a win the moment Once Upon a Time in Hollywood debuted (that said -- it's deserved, the performance is the perfect distillation of his star image). The only race that seemed up in the air was best picture, and even that seemed likely to crown the solid but also very safe WWI film 1917.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when easily one of the most accomplished, original and acclaimed films of last year -- Parasite -- actually triumphed in that category (as well as Best Director). I mean, for once, the right movie won. The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood were more sentimental favorites of mine, and he either of those won I'd have been equally thrilled, but this victory feels very special. Not only is this the first foreign language film to win Best Picture, it's a smart, timely meditation on class that feels relevant, in the way that the impeccably made 1917 was not.

I'll also admit that I didn't want to see an undeniably very good director like Sam Mendes win a second Best Director Oscar when Scorsese only has one and Tarantino had none. I'd much rather see a rising talent like Bong Joon-ho (who will now have his pick in terms of what he does next) get the prize.

I'm happy to see Laura Dern finally win one, even if I think her performance in Marriage Story is a little one note and the movie itself didn't move me in the ways it was supposed to. I'm glad Joaquin Phoenix finally won a long overdue Best Actor Oscar for admittedly a very polarizing movie but one that will be discussed for quite some time (which I think was the intent behind it).

It's wild that a little over a decade ago, any movie with comic book origins would have been unthinkable as an Oscar movie and now we've seen two incredible actors win Academy Awards for delivering two remarkable, and wildly divergent takes on the Joker.

I'm very bummed that The Irishman was completely shut out. It was, for me, the best movie of last year -- a profound meditation on the toll a life of violence can take -- and one of Scorsese's most epic movies. I don't know what happened there. Was it bias against Netflix? Was it the constant griping about its male-centered story or its ambitious length. I know it's found a wide audience on Netflix and will likely be in the legendary director's top 10 when all is said and done, but I'm stunned that it didn't get any recognition at all.

I am also sad for Tarantino, who didn't even get his customary screenplay love this time around. That said, one of the most satisfying victories was seeing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood win for its remarkable production design. Again, these awards rarely 'get it right' and there was no movie more deserving of this trophy.

I still can't forgive the Academy Awards for completely ignoring Us, Uncut Gems, Dolemite Is My Name, Hustlers and whole host of other totally worthy movies and performances, and I don't know if I'll tune in next year. But I am pleasantly surprised that when the dust settled on this year's awards season I'm not as a bitter as I expected to be.

Nicolas Cage continues hot streak with 'Color Out of Space'

Nicolas Cage is in an interesting phase of his very long, incredibly durable career. He doesn’t get to headline blockbusters anymore so he largely makes indistinguishable direct to streaming genre movies. Apparently he is so deep in debt this is a necessity for him.

But there is another type of movie he has been making: uncompromising indie movies that take full advantage of his batshit crazy persona.
Color Out of Space is one of those movies.

His performance in Color Out of Space frequently ventures into camp and he brings back the higher pitched nerd vocal register he once deployed in Peggy Sue Got Married with a dash of Vampire’s Kiss. This may not be your cup of tea, but if you are a Cage fan like I am, you’ll enjoy this new film as a worthy follow up to his last sci-fi horror romp Mandy.

He plays the patriarch of a pretty oddball family (the daughter practices witchcraft and he is raising alpacas) that only grows stranger when a meteorite like object crash lands in their front lawn.

It emanates a striking magenta type light and writer/draw Richard Stanley (who has been on some kind self imposed exile from Hollywood for years) does a terrific job of creating both an alluring and unnerving visual tapestry.

Fairly quickly and for reasons that are never fully explain the family begins to fall apart figuratively and literally. And rather than going heavy and dreary it turns darkly comic (a younger Tim Burton might have done wonders with it) as Cage tries mightily to maintain the status quo when chaos is erupting all around him.

I wasn’t familiar with the HP Lovecraft material going in so I don’t know how closely Stanley’s film tracks but I will say he does a terrific job of creating a sense of inevitable dread about what this strange color (emanating from the point of the crash site outside their home) will do to this family.

What happens in the last act is truly grotesque and unpredictably scary. I appreciate Stanley’s commitment to using practical effects while possible and avoiding horror movie cliches (I’m looking at you It: Chapter Two).

The movie also manages to be very fun — even when it ventures into more grisly territory. It probably might do well with a more mainstream audience if it were marketed the right way.

Hopefully people will find it and pass on the word. For me, this is the first great new movie of 2020 and yet more proof that with the right material — Nicolas Cage is still one of the most riveting actors in the movies.

RIP Kirk Douglas: Hollywood legend reshaped leading men

I'm a little late to this but the legendary Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas passed away yesterday at the impressive age of 103.

He was not just an icon but he was probably the last surviving A-list studio star of the film industry’s golden age. 

He’ll probably be best remembered for his tough guy roles in movies like Spartacus and while he indeed enjoyed a macho man persona (Sylvester Stallone has cited him as an inspiration) he also had a lot of range and made risky choices, even at the height of his career.

He paved the way for a new kind of antihero leading man — the kinds of parts that his famous son Michael Douglas would later excel in. Here are some of his best roles worth seeking out:

Out of the Past (1947) - One of Douglas’ rare villainous roles has him going toe to toe with Robert Mitchum in one of the most influential and acclaimed film noirs of all time.

Ace in the Hole (1951) - A pitch black takedown of ravenous media figures that was ahead of its time. Douglas plays a journalist exploiting a tragic situation for fame and fortune. An edgy classic. 

The Bad & the Beautiful (1952) - A great example of Douglas’ unconventional leading man persona. His Hollywood exec character in this backstage drama is a real bastard, but you can’t take your eyes off him.

Paths of Glory (1957) - The first of two classic collaborations with director Stanley Kubrick is a powerful and painful look at the futility of war. The WWI trench sequences are spectacular, but the real fireworks emanate from Douglas’ compelling, heroic performance.

Spartacus (1960) - In my opinion, the best and probably the most watchable sword and sandals epic ever made. Although director Stanley Kubrick's trademark style was clearly suppressed, this is a great star vehicle for Douglas, who shows off his impressive physicality and noble bearing here in spades.

Lonely Are the Brave (1962) - An interesting little character study about a cowboy refusing to conform to modern life and apparently a favorite role of Douglas. It's a revisionist western -- in some ways playing against expectations of audiences who knew Douglas from more straightforward roles.

Seven Days of May (1964) - A taut political drama that feels weirdly prescient considering the current occupant of the White House. Douglas plays the voice of reason amid a military plot to stage a coup to depose a doveish sitting president. A smart and effective movie.

The Fury (1978) - Wildly over the top and entertaining Brian De Palma thriller with a still very fit Douglas running around trying to reunite with his supernaturally gifted son. Certainly silly, but also stylish and watchable from start to finish. This may be Douglas' last great leading man role.

Super Bowl: 'Any Given Sunday' actually holds up really well

It's probably hard for younger moviegoers to believe this but there was a time where Oliver Stone was one of the most exciting directors at the movies.

I'm not exactly sure when his slide into mediocrity began -- and, of course, he was never many cinephiles' cup of tea. His films have no subtlety and their veracity are often called into question.

But his 1999 hit Any Given Sunday feels like an exception to the rule when it comes to the back half of his career. I remember seeing it in theaters -- mainly for Al Pacino, one of my favorite actors of all time -- and really having fun with it.

Sure, it's overlong and the gladiator metaphor hit a few too many times -- but what a cast! And, what a prescient portrayal of the highs and lows of professional football that could have come out today and largely been the same.

The film doesn't shy away from the racial stereotyping of black quarterbacks and their style of play, the cutting corners when it comes to the safety of the players and tensions between the front office and the men who truly love the game.


The film also shows how exciting and gratifying great football can be. It's a sport that often doesn't translate well in movies, but Stone figured out a way to shoot scenes in the huddle and on the playing field with just the right amount of chaos and beauty.

It helps that actors Dennis Quaid and Jamie Foxx feel credible in their respective roles as an aging QB and his upstart replacement 'Steamin' Willie Beaman. This was squarely in the beginning of Pacino's descent into self parody (which he valiantly recovered from this past year in both The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). But he's not silly or campy in this film. He plays a truly broken man -- whose only affectionate relationship is with a prostitute he's begun to see regularly.

He attempts, poorly to connect with Foxx but the racial and generational divide makes their characters clash and while the film is pretty heavy handed about serving up a lesson about teamwork trumping self aggrandizement, there's no denying Pacino's legendary locker room speech, which is simply one of the most moving pieces of acting he's ever done.

Meanwhile. a who's who of stars and non actor stars like Lawrence Taylor all make strong impressions and hit it out of the park. Probably Cameron Diaz is the least well served by her role, she's largely playing a misogynist trope of the so-called 'power hungry woman'. But I especially enjoyed James Woods as a team medical trainer and the great Jim Brown in a tailor-made role as a take no prisoners defensive unit coach.

Sure, it all culminates with the cliched big game -- but so what. It's exciting, chock full of colorful characters and frequently quite funny: Willie Beaman's music video is a spot-on bit of satire.

All in all, the movie effectively communicates the conflict and ambiguity a lot of feel towards the game of football. That tension is personified in the fate of Taylor's character. A man who's ignored dire medical warnings and indulging in illegal substances just to make one more play and get his contract bonus. He succeeds, in fairy tale fashion, but you can't watch his scenes now and not think about the life that awaits him after the game, even if he survives it.

It's sobering to see how little has changed in 20 years and impressive to see how sharp Stone's filmmaking could be at the time when he had his hands on the right kind of material.