Not sure which film to pick among the fray out in theaters right now? Allow the members of the Houston Film Critics Society to assist you with their reviews below:
Parasite
Cary Darling (Houston Chronicle) — “Many of the best elements from [Bong Joon-ho’s] previous films are on display here, and if there’s one film that should serve as an introduction to his style, it’s this one.”
Dustin Chase (Texas Art Film) — “… likely works better as a discovery film or severely managed expectations rather than something that’s guaranteed to blow audiences away.”
Chris Sawin (Bounding Into Comics) “… is deliciously mischievous and a masterwork of pure and utter deceit with a mesmerizing conclusion that leaves you breathless and reflective.”
Alan Cerny (Vital Thrills) — “… is a masterpiece, and an essential film for our times.”
James Cole Clay VII (FreshFiction.TV) — “… a gloriously twisted story about class, greed, and deception.”
Donna Copeland (Dr. Donna’s Movie Reviews) — “This film will make you squirm, tense up, and chuckle, even horrify you—all reasons enough to see it.”
Pete Vonder Haar (Houston Press) — “… is a triumph by a director who still hasn’t really made a misstep.”
Jason Escamilla (EskimoTV) — “Beyond the plot being entertaining and communicated wonderfully well, there is a message about social classes.”
Mark Schumann (The Reel Dad) — “The genius of Parasite is not how it tells its story, it’s how Joon-ho lets us decide how we want that story to end.”
SEEN! Twisty, tasty & timely are one sirloin ram-don bowl and one exhiliratingly biting tale about the wealth between us — the two starring items of Bong Joon-ho’s latest home run aka #Parasite. Won’t be easy to shake this one, from the memories & during awards season. pic.twitter.com/6VfRnyYL9e
— Hall 🎃Nguyen 🎞 (@nle318) October 23, 2019
The Lighthouse
Dustin Chase (Texas Art Film) — “… pales in comparison to Eggers previous film The Witch, keeping his audience anticipating some climax that never arrives.
Alan Cerny (Vital Thrills) — “It is difficult to create an atmosphere of dread in a film. But atmosphere is just that – air. It’s the filmmaker’s responsibility to fill that air with something tangible and meaningful, and The Lighthouse fails.”
James Cole Clay VII (FreshFiction.TV) — “… an unapologetic depiction of how repulsive people can be.”
Donna Copeland (Dr. Donna’s Movie Reviews) — “This lighthouse doesn’t give off much light, either literally (it’s mainly dark gray) or metaphorically.”
James Roberts (Glide Magazine) — “
The Current War: Director’s Cut
Dustin Chase (Texas Art Film) — “This script is an infuriating mess, not because I care if this movie is good or bad, but because there was so much potential in this story.” [ORIGINAL CUT]
Nguyen Le (The Young Folks) — “Gomez-Rejon’s direction never fails to invigorate the film.”
Dolemite Is My Name
Jason Escamilla (EskimoTV) — “The biggest strength of Dolemite Is My Name is seeing the strong resilient character never give up.” (video review included)
Alan Cerny (Vital Thrills) — “… uproariously funny, inspiring, and full of that dreamstuff that we see movies for.”
Joe Friar (Victoria Advocate) — “This is Eddie Murphy at his R-rated best delivering an Oscar-worthy performance reminiscent of ‘Raw’ and his days as a standup comic.”
Adam Sanders (Nerdlocker) — “The buzz is real. ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ is one of the best films of the year.”
SEEN! Through #DolemiteIsMyName, Eddie Murphy snatches the award’s mane. A breathtaking performance in this riotous, flashy & omni-popping — & semi-wistful, even — show about the inner fire’s search for the right furnace. When Wesley Snipes is in, the house’ll go down! [A-] pic.twitter.com/Qvrx1jqKZV
— Hall 🎃Nguyen 🎞 (@nle318) October 25, 2019
Black and Blue
Dustin Chase (Texas Art Film) — “[Naomie] Harris is exceptional in a film that has zero interest in nuance or underlying themes, only action and suspense.”
By the Grace of God
Joe Friar (Victoria Advocate) — “Ozon does an excellent job of telling these victims’ stories without sensationalism or the need to put the Catholic religion on blast.”
Pain and Glory
Cary Darling (Houston Chronicle) — “The quiet, deliberate and slowly building ‘Pain & Glory’ may not have all the exuberant cinematic flourishes for which Almodóvar is known but its power rests in its restraint.”
Joe Friar (Victoria Advocate) — “One of the best pictures of 2019.”
James Cole Clay VII (FreshFiction.TV) — “… an elegant film from an assured filmmaker.”
Dustin Chase (Texas Art & Film) — “When he’s good, he’s really good! Almodóvar’s most personal is also one of his most profound.”
Mark Schumann (The Reel Dad) — “Like the best of Almodóvar films – including All About My Mother and Talk to Her – this new piece is at his best when the moviemaker brings his own fears to the characters he creates.”
