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This Week at the Movies (Jan. 10, 2020)

Here are some reviews of films coming out at the theater this week as well as others that may be in theaters or newly on home video.

Opening: Jan. 10, 2020

Wide (United States)

Underwater

Expanding (United States)

Just Mercy

Limited (United States)

Inherit the Viper

• Excerpt: While the film might not say a whole lot about the opioid crisis, the performances and strong direction keeps the story engaging and the suspense exciting.

Invisible Life

• Excerpt: The two actresses are both engaging, although the vivacious Stockler has the advantage of a more fully developed character.

Les Misérables

• Excerpt: The film serves as both caustic update to Victor Hugo’s monolithic novel and cautionary tale about the future.

Les Misérables

• Excerpt: Ly had been filming on his own streets since the age of fifteen, supported by the Kourtrajmé collective, so it is notable that while his feature film debut echoes Hugo’s classic for modern times, it is also a fine example of the French policier procedural.

Three Christs

• Excerpt: Despite a strong cast, the film is narratively disheveled, introducing subplots only to drop them and coming to no strong conclusions about the success of Stone’s experiment.

2020 Films In Theaters Now In Select Areas

Reviews: Underwater (2020)

Here are review links for this film submitted by our members:

• Excerpt: Rad B-movie schlock, this feels like an artifact from the late-1980s and delivers exactly what I hoped it would.

Reviews: Just Mercy (2019)

Here are review links for this film submitted by our members:

• [New] | Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
  
  
  • Excerpt: Cretton delivers his most disappointing work to date, a mediocre, cliché r >[New] | Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
    
    
    • Excerpt: This compelling movie boasts a couple of suspenseful courtroom scenes, but most of the drama relates to hard work and a dedication to making sure equal justice prevails regardless of race or class.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Reviews: 6 Underground (2019)

  
  
  
  Here are review links for this film submitted by our members:
  
  
  
  
  • Marco Albanese @ [Italian]
  
  
  • [New] | Blake Howard @ Dark Horizons
  
  
  • Benjamin Kramer @ The Voracious Filmgoer
    
    
    • Excerpt: It’s cranked up and spat out at the audience in balletic brutality and eye-popping intensity
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Brent McKnight @ Giant Freakin Robot
    
    
    • Excerpt: Bonkers action, frenetic camera work and editing, raging excess, off-the-rails violence, questionable morality, puffed-up chest-thumping; if Bay was cocaine, it would be the pure shit before it gets stepped on.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Aaron Neuwirth @ We Live Entertainment
    
    
    • Excerpt: Even if the film constantly risks collapsing under its weight due to constant “Bayhem,” 6 Underground still has the feel of a movie belonging uniquely to one filmmaker.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • João Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
    
    
    • Excerpt: So bad it hurts more than the 1000 action sequences in the film…..
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Reviews: Clemency (2019)

  
  
  
  Here are review links for this film submitted by our members:
  
  
  
  
  • Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality & Practice
    
    
    • Excerpt: An emotionally rich drama that explores the moral and ethical impact of the death penalty on those required to enforce it.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • [New] | Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
    
    
    • Excerpt: In a chilling scene, [Woodward] recites execution day steps to Anthony like an automaton, her voice rising like a customer service rep making a sales pitch whenever he is allowed to choose an option.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Herman Dhaliwal @ Cinema Sanctum
    
    
    • Excerpt: Anchored by a brilliant Alfre Woodard performance, Clemency is a hard hitting character study that touches on complex themes in an effective way.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Candice Frederick @ The Wrap
  
  
  • Jared Mobarak @ JaredMobarak.Com
    
    
    • Excerpt: This isn’t a film for everyone because many can’t have sympathy for people who choose to work [on] death row. [But that] shouldn’t negate the human story Chukwu created.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • [New] | Bev Questad @ It’s Just Movies
    
    
    • Excerpt: A strong, seasoned, ensemble cast inhabit the story by a deeply brilliant writer, Chinonye Chukwu, a Nigerian-born, Alaskan-raised screenwriter, producer, and director.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  From Our Members’ Desks (Jan. 7, 2020)

  
  

  Ofcs members don’t just write film reviews. Here are several articles you might find interesting.

  
  

  Best of Lists

  
  

  13 of the Most Underrated Music Documentaries of the Decade

  
  

  The 20 Best 3D Movies of the Decade

  
  
  
  
  • Excerpt: Here’s a look at 20 films that stood out when it came to presenting a meaningful use of 3D to a movie’s presentation (with an emphasis on technique over overall film quality), beyond just a surcharge at the box office counter.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  The 20 Best Black Films of the Last Decade

  
  

  The 50 Most-Anticipated Movies of 2020

  
  
  
  
  • Excerpt: We may not get flying cars in 2020, but there are a crap ton of movies to look forward to.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Aaron Neuwirth’s 19 Favorite Movie Scenes of 2019

  
  
  
  
  • Excerpt: Going from knife fights to moon chases to Sondheim, Aaron Neuwirth lists his favorite movie moments from 2019.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Aaron’s Outstanding Top Ten Films of 2019

  
  
  
  
  • Excerpt: Some films were instant favorites, others stuck with me and only managed to grow on me over time. All of that in mind, the following is the list of films that resonated with me most.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Best Films of 2019

  
  

  The Best Films of 2019

  
  

  Brent’s Top Ten Movies of 2019

  
  

  My Top 10 Movies for 2019

  
  
  
  
  • Excerpt: Here are 10 examples of when I left the theater in an emotional state – be it shock, joy, sadness or elation.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  My Top Ten Films of 2019

  
  

  Notable documentaries of 2019

  
  

  Notable Feature Films of 2019

  
  

  Notable Feature Films of the Decade

  
  
  
  
  • Excerpt: It’s hard enough to pick ten films out of the many thousands released in the years 2010-2019, and I frankly can’t imagine ranking them as well. So here’s a list of ten notable feature films from the last decade, in alphabetical order, along with a description of why each deserves to be on this list.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  The Year in Film–Mysteries of 2019 Edition

  
  
  
  
  • Excerpt: Who thought a live remake of Aladdin was needed? Bonus question: Who ever told Will Smith that he could sing?
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Interviews

  
  
  
  
  

  Ofcs Presents: 23rd Annual Awards for 2019

  
  

  23rd ONLINE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED

  
  

  “Parasite” is the film of the year according to the OFCS

  
  

  January 6, 2020 — Taking home six awards, including Best Picture of the Year, “Parasite” was the clear favorite of the Online Film Critics Society. “Us” and “1917” were the only other films to earn multiple awards.

  
  

  In their twenty-third year, the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) continues to recognize the most superlative achievements of the year with no higher honor being presented by a body of film critics whose work appears predominantly online. This marks the second consecutive year that a non-English language film has taken their top prize.

  
  

  Confirming the overall quality of Bong Joon-ho’s work on “Parasite,” the Korean production also won awards for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, a special award for its production design, and Best Film Not in the English Language. Bong was co-writer of the screenplay (with Jin Won Han) based on his own idea.

  
  

  Other feature awards went to Josh Cooley’s “Toy Story 4” for Best Animated Feature and Todd Douglas Miller’s “Apollo 11” for Best Documentary. Director Olivia Wilde won Best Debut Feature with “Booksmart”.

  
  

  Steven Zaillian won Best Adapted Screenplay for his screenplay for “The Irishman”. This was Zaillian’s second nomination from the OFCS. The previous citation was in 2012 for “Moneyball.” This is his first win.

  
  

  Seven years after her OFCS victory for “12 Years a Slave,” Lupita Nyong’o won a second award from the OFCS, this time in the lead actress category for her dual role in “Us.” Adam Driver’s third OFCS Awards nomination in four years yielded his first award for Best Lead Actor for his performance in “Marriage Story.” The supporting awards went to Brad Pitt on his second nomination for “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” and Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers,” her first nomination.

  
  

  “Us” was also the winner of the Best Original Score award while fellow Best Picture nominee “1917” was given the award for Best Cinematography. In addition to these three creative categories and the award to “Parasite” for its production design, five special achievement awards were given for technical achievements.

  
  

  “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” was honored for its stunt coordination, “Ad Astra” for its visual effects, “1917” for its production design, and “Knives Out” for its acting ensemble.

  
  

  Each year, the OFCS also asks its members to nominate people and organizations for special recognition. These special achievement awards are given to achievements that aren’t directly related to filmmaking or even to the film industry itself. This year, the OFCS has chosen to honor the Agência Nacional de Cinema (the National Cinema Agency of Brazil) for their work supporting art against attacks from their fascist government.

  
  

  The OFCS also recognizes five individuals each year who have given tremendously to the art of cinema over lengthy careers, representing various aspects of the filmmaking process including this year’s honorees: actors Julie Andrews and Olivia de Havilland, producer Roger Corman, director Martin Scorsese, and multi-hyphenate John Waters.

  
  

  The OFCS, which represents 284 film critics from around the world, recognizes the global nature of film and encourages international producers to screen their films for U.S. Audiences. To that end, the OFCS recognizes ten films each year that have not yet been released in the United States. These films represent a broadly diverse set of nations from Brazil to Russia to Japan.

  
  

  And Then We Danced (A European co-production)
  Bacurau (Brazil)
  Bait (United Kingdom)
  Beanpole (Russia)
  A Good Woman Is Hard To Find (United Kingdom)
  A Rainy Day in New York (USA)
  The Truth (France-Japan)
  Vitalina Varela (Portugal)
  The Whistlers (A European co-production)
  Zombi Child (France)

  
  

  In addition to films that haven’t seen release in the United States, they also want to recognize films that are released on digital platforms, but which are not afforded theatrical distribution. This list includes narrative features and documentaries alike.

  
  

  Between Two Ferns: The Movie
  The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
  El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
  Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
  Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror
  Little Monsters
  One Cut of the Dead
  The Perfection
  See You Yesterday
  The Wind

  
  

  Based on the votes of our members, the following are the year’s top ten films based on their ranked voting during the awards process.
  1. Parasite
  2. The Irishman
  3. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
  4. Marriage Story
  5. Knives Out
  6. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
  7. Us
  8. Uncut Gems
  9. 1917
  10. Jojo Rabbit

  
  

  About the Online Film Critics Society
  Established in 1997, the Online Film Critics Society continues to support and champion the best of global online film criticism. With an international membership, work is published in over 15 languages and covers cinema from around the world. More information can be found at www.Ofcs.Org.

  
  
  
  
  

  > January 6, 2020 Governing Committee Leave a comment

  
  

  Here are our latest reviews of films on DVD.

  
  
  
  В итоге: Online Film Critics Society This Week at the Movies (Jan. 10, 2020) Here are some reviews of films coming out at the theater this week as well as others that may be in theaters or newly