January 2024 Review: The Best Movies I Saw Last Month
January hit me like a ton of bricks. Unfortunately, work obligations left it so I couldn’t watch nearly as much as I wanted. I am happy to say that I have caught up on a lot of my writing which has made it easier to allow myself time to watch movies in the future. This month I only got to watch 12 first time watches but thankfully at least 6 of them are worth the time. And here they are!
Re-Watch Highlight: None
BEST #6) Good Boy (2023); Director: Viljar Bøe; Norway
Please check out the full review here.
Overall Score? 6/10
BEST #5) Lockdown Tower (2023); Director: Guillaume Nicloux; France
Please check out the full review here.
Overall Score? 6/10
BEST #4) #ChadGetstheAxe (2023); Director: Travis Bible; United States
Please check out the full review here.
Overall Score? 7/10
BEST #3) A Christmas Tale (2006); Director: Paco Plaza, George A. Romero; Spain
A group of troublemaking kids spend their days wistfully playing around their town without adult supervision. The neighborhood is alive with suspicion over the news that a wanted bank robber may be on the loose. After stealing two million dollars, police suspect she was able to sneak away by donning a Santa Suit. Their paths cross when the kids, on one of their daily adventures, stumble across the criminal injured and stuck in a hole in the forest. As the children argue about what to do, the woman gets further agitated leading to a terrifying game. A Christmas Tale is a solid “kids on bikes” horror that has sufficient teeth to earn its scares. Strong character work of both the children and the criminal allows the tension to rise in interesting yet grounded ways. Its extended chase scene finale set in the abandoned theme park makes for some gnarly thrills before ending on a satisfactory note. This underseen Spanish Christmas gem deserves your attention and will certainly add to your holiday movie marathon should you take a chance on it.
Overall Score? 7/10
BEST #2) The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023); Director: Bomani J. Story; United States
Please check out the full review here.
Overall Score? 7/10
BEST #1) Donnie Darko (2001); Director: Richard Kelly; United States
When a plane engine falls out of the sky and lands directly in his bedroom, Donnie Darko is unsettled, to say the least. Pulled away at the last second by a strange entity that speaks to him in visions, Donnie begins committing a series of crimes thanks to the manipulation of this man in the rabbit suit. With his death imminent, Donnie struggles to maintain a hold on his sanity. A disturbing and cerebral mind fuck, Donnie Darko is an excellent sci-fi mystery horror that gets under the skin. Mixing a variety of fantastic elements, Richard Kelly creates a truly unique and spellbinding production that works because of its simplicity and depth. Its fantastic cast, anchored by an incredible lead performance by a young Jake Gyllenhaal, elevate the film to soaring heights. Worthy of multiple rewatches to truly understand the weight of the story, Donnie Darko is a cult classic you need to catch now if it’s still on your watchlist.
Overall Score? 9/10
