2021 OCTOBER MOVIE RANKINGS

Yet another movie rankings posted in the middle of the next month. Wonderous. The latter half of the year is certainly breezing by, as we are almost halfway through November and well on our way to December. Have you busted out the Christmas music yet? Or do you wait until after Thanksgiving? Maybe you’re a scrooge and don’t listen to those holiday jams at all. Whatever the case, I’m ready for the most wonderful time of the year.

Here’s how October stacks up…

#4- “Rambo: Last Blood”
65%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Entertaining, some cool action sequences, quite ballsy in its story content, and at times unpredictable.
Cons: Felt rushed, leading to some humorous moments (that were meant to be serious). It also felt like most of the movie was throwaway just so we could have an action bloodbath on a farm at the end (like the ending was pitched first).

#3- “Poltergeist” (1982)
83%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Fun family film, solid practical effects, good performances, and an all-around well-balanced thriller flick.
Cons: Has an extra fifteen minutes tacked on at the end that I thought wasn’t necessary, and it holds certain plot devices/character archetypes we have seen plenty of times before (keeping in mind that this is a movie that inspired others).

#2- “No Time to Die”
85%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Beautiful locations and cinematography (especially when seeing it in IMAX), strong performances, great score, killer action scenes, and a nice final outing for Daniel Craig.
Cons: The villain wasn’t as prominent as I would’ve wanted, and it took a bit for me to get a grip on the plot (being that I haven’t seen the other ones).

#1- “Gremlins”
89%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: A fun, humorous, heartwarming experience. Original, great practical effects, iconic design of gremlins, and a classic Christmas (and potentially Halloween if you felt so inclined) flick.
Cons: I mean… it’s pretty goofy, and there are some plot devices that are quite cliche (like the romance angle), but that’s apart of the style that makes up the film.

Boy, do we need to get some new blood into this Movie of the Year race. “Gremlins” claims October, and will go on to face “When Harry Met Sally…,” “Coherence” (2013), “The Elephant Man” (1980), “Dead Poets Society,” “Drive,” “A Quiet Place Part II,” “Unforgiven,” “You’ve Got Mail” (1998), “Frances Ha,” and the rest of the monthly winners for one epic showdown.