Still, when the movie connects, like in the ridiculous and kinetic "motorball" sequence which finds our hero fending off brutish attackers in a violent game of X-Games tag, it's as exhilarating as this type of reality-altering, money-burning sci-fi blockbuster gets. (Cameron was originally going to direct Alita but he got sidetracked by the world of the Na'vi.) Compared to Avatar, or other recent colorful acts of gonzo-world-building like Jupiter Ascending or Valerian: City of a Thousand Planets, Alita: Battle Angel moves in fits and starts, occasionally struggling to merge Cameron's hyper-earnest, ponderous sensibility with Rodriguez's more garrish, ironic approach. Alita, a cyborg discovered in a junkyard by a possibly mad scientist consumed with grief over the death of his daughter, is played by the actress Rosa Salazar, who appeared in two of the Maze Runner YA adaptions and last year's Netflix hit Bird Box, but she's brought to uncanny life via technology Alita producer and co-writer James Cameron developed for his alien environmental opus Avatar. Why it's great: The first thing you notice are the large eyes, beckoning like portals to another dimension. Where to watch: Stream on Hulu rent on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, and YouTube ( Watch the trailer) 20th Century Fox FilmĬast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson, Mahershala Ali Despite some repetitive interviews, Hail Satan works as a funny, thoughtful primer on a group that only trolls with the best intentions. Using archival material of Sunday school cartoons and news programs, Lane gives the viewer a crash course on Satanism's place in history while also emphasizing the activist nature of modern Satanists. (Justifiably, the Satanic Temple does not like when governments install the Ten Commandments in State Capitals.) Though they wear black and often enjoy heavy metal, these aren't the Satanists of the Satanic Panic in the '80s, which gets a CliffNotes treatment here, or the robe-wearing fanatics from horror films. The spokesperson for the group, Greaves speaks with authority and humor about the organization's larger political, social, and theological goals, which center around religious freedom and the separation of church and state. Why it's great: While Satan has been around for a long time, the Satanic Temple, the primary focus of this sly documentary, was founded in 2013 by Malcolm Jerry and Lucien Greaves. Where to watch: Stream on Hulu rent on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, and YouTube ( Watch the trailer) Magnolia Pictures Even when the jokes don't land, which happens quite a bit in the more satiric sections, she finds the perfect note. Much of the energy comes from Cate Blanchett's full-tilt performance in the central role: She attacks the many monologues the script gives her, often delivered as dictated emails into her cell phone, and she never backs away from verbal overload of the dialogue. What exactly is this peculiar movie up to? Richard Linklater's adaptation of Maria Semple's comic novel, which centers on a neurotic architect named Bernadette, is perhaps best viewed months later as an intriguing experiment, one of those movies that juggles ideas, tones, and locations, including tech-obsessed Seattle and ice-covered Antarctic, with a rewarding gusto. Why it’s great: Back in August, Where'd You Go Bernadette arrived in theaters after months of speculation about its ever-shifting release date in the press and was mostly met with puzzlement by those who saw it. Annapurna PicturesĬast: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Emma Nelson, Kristen Wiig New year, new movies: check out our list of the Best Movies of 2020, Best Action Movies of 2020, and Most Underrated Movies of 2020. (We also have genre-specific lists for horror, action, comedy, and science-fiction if the offerings below don't quite scratch the movie itch you have.) These are the 50 best movies of the year. In giant blockbusters and smaller films, 2019 provided so many opportunities to get lost that I couldn't stop at a conventional top 10 or top 20 list. Sometimes that means you're zooming across the galaxy to another planet with Thanos, vacationing to a creepy Swedish solstice festival, or barreling down the sidewalk in Manhattan's Diamond District. What do the best movies do? They transport, challenge, and entertain. Whether that location is a movie theater or a crater-like section of a couch remains a subject of passionate debate, but even as traditional film distribution transforms, the fundamental appeal of the movies hasn't changed. In a time of scrolling feeds and streaming content, it's valuable to have a place to go where the outside world simply stops.
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