#timecrimes

Not to be confused with time travel movies. Also, I know I left off: Distant Strangers, Triangle, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Primer, and a few others since I figured they wouldn't get as many votes. I need 15 options, damnit! Also, I couldn't quite decide if Donnie Darko or Butterfly Effect counted as a time loop movie, so I left them off the list.

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Well, I should probably just go ahead and rebrand these to My Month in Reviews, now shouldn’t I? I’m not, but it’s an idea... a bad idea, but still an idea. Anyway, here are a few for you.

The Black Phone (Scott Derrickson, 2022)

I read Joe Hill’s short story after I saw this movie, so maybe I’d feel differently if it’d been the other way around, but I really liked the stuff they added for the film. It all fits without stripping any of what makes Hill’s story so effective in the first place. Ethan Hawke is great, but it might be the youngsters that steal the show, here. All are strong, and help make the parts that are painfully cliche bearable. And while it feels a bit too bloated in its second act, the entire third act really makes up for it. Straight-up stellar work by Derrickson in building up the tension to a wholly satisfying, unpredictable release. - 8/10

Timecrimes (Nacho Vigalondo, 2008)

A cool, little contained time travel thriller. I’d almost rented this dozens of times back when I worked at Blockbuster Video, but never pulled the trigger. It’s weird and twisty and surely ridden in plot-holes, but damn was it an enjoyable ride. - 7/10

Prey (Dan Trachtenberg, 2022)

Could’ve been slightly tighter, but this is an effective, interesting, and exciting rewind on the Predator formula. Amber Midthunder is great, as is her canine co-star, the design and ferocity of the Predator is quite badass, and Trachtenberg’s handling of the action is sharp and thrilling. - 8.5/10

Lightyear (Angus MacLane, 2022)

I get the outrage over Tim Allen not returning, but that doesn’t bother me. This is a completely different character, and Chris Evans does fine work with it. I don’t get the lukewarm response overall, though. This is a fun family film with likable characters, exciting sequences and plenty of heart. Sure, not quite as much heart as we’ve come to expect from Pixar, but still plenty of heart. That early montage that finds Buzz losing years and years in mere days tore my heart out, personally, though I’m a sucker for that kind of shit, so maybe it was just me. My one major issue is that Buzz wasn’t already familiar with time dilation. ::shrugs:: But, y’know, suspension of disbelief and shit, so I was able to get past that quickly enough. At the end of the day, I just really ended up enjoying the hell out of this one, which was especially nice seeing as all of the promotion for it left me feeling cold enough to skip it in cinemas. Also, I would kill for Sox. That is all. - 7.5/10

Enjoy!