The Sundance 2021 Movies We Can’t Wait to See

January 4, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews, Lists Tagged A Glitch in the Matrix, Censor, CODA, Coming Home in the Dark, In the Earth, In The Same Breath, John and the Hole, Land, Mass, On the Count of Three, Passing, Prisoners of the Ghostland, Sundance, Sundance 2021, sundance 2021 movies to see, Sundance 2021 Movies We Can't Wait to See, The Pink Cloud, Violation, Wild Indian 1 Comment

Each and every year, figuring out what to watch at the Sundance International Film Festival is a journey in and of itself. Last year, I saw a good smattering of my favorite films of the year in Park City, including Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor and others that played the fest, like Dinner in America, later made its way onto that same list. This year, things are different. For the first time in its celebrated history, the entire festival will be conducted online. While this means no late-night parties, no skiing on those powdery Utah slopes, no rubbing elbows with your favorite celebrities, and less standing in blisteringly chilly queues, it also means enjoying Sundance from the comfort of your own couch. Read More

Top Ten Films of 2020

December 31, 2020 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged Another Round, Best of the Year, Dinner in America, First Cow, Kajillionaire, New Order, Palm Springs, Possessor, Soul, The Invisible Man, The Painter and the Thief, Top Ten Leave a comment

Even though the theaters were closed for the vast majority of 2020 (at least where I live), I still managed to see nearly as many new releases this year as I did last year. In fact, I only saw five less, despite taking a six-month break from reviewing film. A small silver lining in all the nightmarishness of the year that would not end. Though it concluded rather…inconspicuously, 2020 started with a bang with my attending Sundance Film Festival (for the fifth time) and looking forward to an exciting year of personal and professional growth. Welp, that mostly ended in the gutter but here I am knocking out a Top Ten list because I know it is my sacred duty as a reviewer of film to produce such an annual list so produce I shall. Read More

The 25 Best TV Shows of 2020

December 21, 2020 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged 2020, Best TV, Better Call Saul, Bojack Horseman, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dark, Dave, I Hate Suzie, I Know This Much is True, I May Destroy You, Mythic Quest, Normal People, Ozark, Pen15, Ramy, Schitt’s Creek, Servant, Ted Lasso, The Boys, The Flight Attendant, The Great, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Mandolorian, The Outsider, The Queen’s Gambit, The Umbrella Academy, What We Do in the Shadows 2 Comments

What can be said about 2020 that hasn’t already been said? It has been a nightmare year where routines were upended, social outings curbed, vacations put on indefinite hold. And with movie theaters around the country shuttered to slow the spread of COVID-19, the only sense of adventure for many was on the small screen. At home. On the couch. And thank god that the year in television was as good as it was. Read More

10 Great Apocalyptic Movies on Prime Video to Make You Forget COVID-19 (For a Lil Bit)

March 21, 2020 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists Tagged A Quiet Place, Annihilation, Bellflower, Frozen, Lists, Resolution, The Big Sick, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Lighthouse, The Return of the Living Dead Leave a comment

We’re in week two of the national lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and, assuming you’re like me, you’ve probably been scrolling endlessly through streaming services to find that next batch of must-watch flicks. Last week, we shared the 10 Perfect Isolation Movies to Stream on Netflix During Your Quarantine and it’s time for a little more #StreamAndQuarantine. This week, we’re shifting over to Amazon Prime and running through the list of coronavirus-appropriate movies that’ll make the catastrophe we’re in seem mild by comparison. The ten films serve as a reminder that things could always be even worse. Read More

10 Perfect Isolation Movies to Stream on Netflix During Your Quarantine

March 16, 2020 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists Tagged 10 Cloverfield Lane, A Ghost Story, Backcountry, Contagion, Freaks, Gerald's Game, Hush, I Am Mother, It Comes at Night, Room, Snowpiercer, The Rover 2 Comments

As of writing this, the city that I live in (Seattle) is almost entirely shut down. And, as I’m sure you’re aware, this trend of citywide closures is spreading even faster than the virus. From restaurants and bars to fitness clubs and movie theaters, amenities that we’ve long taken for granted have shuttered their doors. For now. So whether you’re working from home or in self-isolation or recovering from the coronavirus known as COVID-19, here’s a selection of movies about isolation, apocalypse, and quarantine that’s sure to apply to, well, just about everyone right now. Read More

The Top Ten Films of 2019

December 19, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged Ad Astra, Climax, Her Smell, In Fabric, Midsommar, Parasite, The Lighthouse, Top Ten, Uncut Gems, Us, Waves Leave a comment

One hundred and fifty. That’s the final tally for new release movies I’ve seen this year as of writing this here article. The shot clock is up. The endpoint to officially putting my selection for the top ten films of 2019 is kaput. The decision is written into stone. Out into the ether. That means I had to give the old Thanos snap to 140 movies in the process and this year’s selection sumo-wrestling was just as painstaking and awful as any other. The things I do for clicks. ‘Twas a fine year for film with a smattering of highlights, from magic rock dramas to alligator horror, anime blockbusters to feminist comedy, with critical darlings and box office hits often coming from the least expected of corners. Oh and Disney cleaning up at the bank per usual. Read More

HORROR MOVIES TO SCARE THE SH*T OUTTA US IN 2019

March 7, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists Tagged 3 From Hell, Brightburn, Child's Play, Crawl, Grudge, Horror, It: Chapter 2, Little Monsters, Ma, Midsommar, Pet Semetary, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Hole in the Ground, The Lighthouse, The Lodge, The Nightingale, Us, Wounds Leave a comment

2019 is already off to a hot start when it comes to my favorite genre: horror. Between Gaspar Noe’s wrecking ball of a breakdown with Climax, the highly overlooked creeper The Prodigy, and Nicolas Pesce’s anti-love body horror cat and mouse game Piercing, 2019 is off to the races with fantastic offerings for the genre. Even the slight (and only tangentially horror) Happy Death Day 2 U was a fun theatrical distraction. But the year is long and the number of potential horror hits higher than ever. There is no doubt that a handful of these will be joining our countdown of the 100 greatest horror films of the decade come the end of the year. Check out the breakdown of what to expect for horror for the remainder of 2019.

Do note that this is not a comprehensive list of all 2019 horror movies to come as I’ve intentionally left off fare like the second untitled Annabelle sequel (first time director and a checkered past with the franchise has me thinking it won’t be very good) and The Curse of La Llora (the trailer was simply awful, hoping the film is much better.) Similarly I don’t have New Mutants on here (not convinced it’ll ever see the light of day at this point honestly) and the 47 Meters Down sequel (does not look inspired in the least bit). So don’t come after me.
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The 100+ Greatest Horror Films of the 2010’s

January 24, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged Best Horror, Horror, Lists 8 Comments

Love ’em or hate ’em, horror movies are more popular now than they have ever been. And for great reason. This decade has delivered a multitude of diverse horror options, smashing box office records, and even earning a slew of major awards nominations along the way. What’s more, the genre of late has taken a notable step forward out of the schlock, ceaseless sequels, and torture porn of the decade that preceded it and instead allowed fresh voices to give the genre a fresh coat of paint. Whether you prefer plain-ole slashers, psychological thrillers, sensual vampires, classic possessions, evil haunted houses, or even killer mermaids, the 2010s have delivered in spades. And then some. Read More

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The Best Movies of 2018 You Never Saw

January 6, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists Tagged Cold War, Hearts Beat Loud, Lean on Pete, Leave No Trace, The Endless, The Kindergarten Teacher, The Rider, The Sisters Brothers, Thoroughbreds, You Were Never Really Here Leave a comment

With my Top Ten Best Films of 2018 officially done and out of the way, it’s time to highlight a few other films that flew under the radar in 2018. This time around, I wanted to highlight movies that, for some reason or another, did not connect with audiences, that were shuffled off to the periphery, failed to perform at the box office, and, by and large, are met with responses of “Huh?” whenever you mention them to anyone outside of the inner circle of filmoholics. Read More

Silver Screen Riot’s Top Ten Films Of 2018

January 2, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged A Quiet Place, Annihilation, Blindspotting, Bodied, First Reformed, Hereditary, If Beale Street Could Talk, Mission Impossible: Fallout, The Favourite, Top Ten, Top Ten of 2018, Tully 1 Comment

It’s that time of year again. The time to whittle down the 147 (as of writing) movies in 2018 I’ve seen into a somewhat arbitrary and totally non-definitive Top Ten list. Each and every confounded year, us critics fold ourselves into pretzels to construct these things and year in and year out, usually end up regretting a number of the choices, particularly as time moves on. Hell, I’ll probably regret half this list once I hit the publish button. I totally reserve the right to reverse these choices in the future so don’t hold my feet to the fire if my tastes have changed in 2021. Or 2020. Or January 4, 2019. But such is life and here we are, forced to complete arbitrary rankings in the hopes for improved SEO and reader’s delight. Read More