Late Night with the Devil

While I do condemn the use of artificial intelligence art, Late Night with the Devil is absolutely more than just that. This supernatural horror is told through found footage and documentary storytelling about a fictional talk show, specifically an episode on Halloween of 1977 and how its host invited a supposedly possessed girl to boost ratings. David Dastmalchian leads as Jack Delroy and absolute delivers, managing to capture the comedy of a late night host and the drama, tension, and fear of a man dealing with forces more powerful than him. With the direction, writing, and editing by Colin and Cameron Cairnes, this duo did an impressive job with their superb style, great use of tension, magnificent change in tone that starts out lighthearted and slowly but surely gets darker, and great editing evoking talk shows and the behind the scenes drama of the era. The Cairnes have certainly crafted a unique and incredible horror movie that knows when to build tension and when to deliver the scares. While Matthew Temple's cinematography also does a great job at capturing the style that talk shows had in the 70s. The rest of the cast, whether they play members of the show or guests, especially Ingrid Torelli, all give memorable, and at times terrifying, performances. As for the use of AI art, it is rather minimal and brief, being used just for animated commercial insertions. It never should have been done, but thankfully it doesn't take away from the production values, visual design, and aesthetics that do capture the area well. I'm willing to give Late Night with the Devil a pass for its brief AI art use, whether or not I enjoyed it or not, and hope that this serves as the line that no one will cross ever again. Over all: 99%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Late Night with the Devil

3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

4. The Book of Clarence

5. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

6. Drive-Away Dolls

7. Kung Fu Panda 4

8. Lisa Frankenstein

9. Argylle

10. Mean Girls 2024

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

King Kong and Godzilla reunite, or rather initially try to kill each other before fighting alongside against a bigger threat, in the Monsterverse's latest installment, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. When Kong explores more of Hollow Earth he discovers a tribe of his own species ruled by Skar King, a tyrannical ape who plans to use his army and an ice breathing monster he tortures to take over the surface of Earth. Initially beaten by Skar, Kong must reluctantly get help from a newly upgraded Godzilla in order to defeat him. All the while, Monarch has discovered survivors from the ancient tribe that lived in Skull Island and with their mystical abilities and a new enhanced glove for Kong, they aid in the Titans' fight. This film is over the top, silly, and really loves to pay homage to the sillier aspects of the 1960s and '70s Godzilla entries. The writing from Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater is not afraid to dabble into the absolute craziness that giant monster movies can be. Although a lot of the human based story is not as memorable as the monster stuff, their writing does manage to connect them to the Titans better than some other entries in the franchise. Plus it introduces Trapper, a veterinarian for Titans perfectly and delightfully portrayed by Dan Stevens giving off a bit of Ace Ventura. Director Adam Wingard returns from Kong and Godzilla's previous team up and outdoes himself when it comes to the monster battles. Whereas he previously gave the franchise a dark and serious tone with very standard fights, with this entry Wingard gives it the big budget equivalent of what the late Shōwa era would have been like. Giving Godzilla an upgrade that makes him pink, a robotic gauntlet that enhances Kong's strength, Mothra being summoned to aid the title characters, and at one point having the Hollow Earth fight happen in zero gravity is just the perfect amount of nonsense. Alongside Stevens you also get good performances from Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and a standout from Kaylee Hottle. Sometimes it's okay for a movie to just be a fun silly spectacle, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is that at its best. Over all: 94%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

3. The Book of Clarence

4. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

5. Drive-Away Dolls

6. Kung Fu Panda 4

7. Lisa Frankenstein

8. Argylle

9. Mean Girls 2024

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The paranormal investigators who research the strange and bust ghosts are back with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Three years after the events of the previous entry, the Spenglers and Gary Grooberson have moved to Manhattan to become the new Ghostbusters, with some aid from the original crew. Both the new and old teams have to contend with a new threat in the form of a ghostly god with the power to cause another Ice Age. Gil Kenan takes over directing duties from Jason Reitman, though both return as writers after already writing Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Their biggest flaw with the writing is that they introduce too many new characters whose developments are often rushed by the end, such as Kumail Nanjiani's Nadeem and Melody, a ghost girl that Phoebe befriends. There's also Trevor's use of him throughout the movie wherein he's just trying to capture Slimer and not much else. But other than that, Kenan and Reitman continue to bring some great new and unique ideas to the franchise. They do bring back old characters and have some references to the original films, but mostly do it in a quick way without harping on it for too long. Story's got a good combination of dark twists and hilarious jokes add to that Ernie Hudson's Winston becomes a real standout compared to the other original characters. The cast all give strong performances who capture the mix of comedy, drama, and terror incredibly well, especially the chemistry between McKenna Grace and Emily Alyn Lind. Another person to return is cinematographer Eric Steelberg whose work continues to give this franchise a look that continues to improve. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is another fun entry in the franchise, and while it may not be as strong as Afterlife, it still carries the heart. Over all: 90%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. The Book of Clarence

3. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

4. Drive-Away Dolls

5. Kung Fu Panda 4

6. Lisa Frankenstein

7. Argylle

8. Mean Girls 2024