 Denzel Washington. Rami Malek. Jared Leto. What could go wrong? Well, just watch "The Little Things" and you'll find out.
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 Open Road Films, 2021. If you've been a fan of other recent Liam Neeson action films, then "The Marksman" will hit the mark. Yes, it's another in a series of generic action films starring the Oscar-nominated actor ("Honest Thief," "Cold Pursuit," "The Commuter" and of course the "Taken" films), but of them, "The Marksman" is at least passable entertainment, if nothing more.
 Lionsgate, 2021. A "not quite" remake of the legendary thriller, "Fatal Attraction," the new film "Fatale" starring Hilary Swank and Michael Ealy never rises above generic-level genre tropes, despite its twisty premise.
 STX Films, 2020. Through no fault of its own, "Greenland" is not exactly the movie that the world needs right now. Delayed from its original theatrical release and now landing on VOD, a disaster movie about an apocalyptic event wiping out humanity isn't exactly the kind of film that offers an "escape" during a global pandemic. At a different time, it might be a passable popcorn blockbuster, but in 2020, its just a major bummer.
 Megabox Plus M, 2020. South Korea produced last year's Oscar-winner for Best Picture, "Parasite," against all odds. That film was the South Korea's first in history to garner any accolades from the Academy, so naturally in its wake, people have been awaiting the next gem to come out of the country. That gem has arrived with "Beasts Clawing at Straws," a black-comedy crime thriller that will be available on VOD Tuesday, December 15th, 2020, and is most-worthy of seeking out.
 Focus Features, 2020. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane last appeared on-screen together as Ma and Pa Kent in the recent Superman film, "Man of Steel." They team up again in the tense drama "Let Him Go" as grieving grandparents whose only care in the world is their missing grandson, and each other.
This time, it's their turn to be super. (Mild spoilers to follow).  It's a horror film, no doubt. The worst, most effective form of horror, in that it doesn't feature bogeymen or faceless, raging killers. The monsters in "Antebellum" are real. Disappointingly for a film tackling such important, timely issues such as racial inequality and injustice, its gimmicks undercut its efforts, leaving the viewers to pick up the messy, disconnected pieces where they fall. By the end, you realize the puzzle wasn't even worth putting together, and that the filmmakers - while well-intentioned - don't seem to know the most effective way to handle the material.
 IFC Films, 2020. The title "Rent-A-Pal" may suggest that what you're about to watch is some sort of screwball, buddy-comedy. That couldn't be further from the truth. Instead, what you'll find is a surprisingly gripping psychological thriller, one that is definitely worth watching but somehow feels like it doesn't live up to its fullest potential.
 Netflix, 2020. Charlie Kaufman may very well be better and smarter than us, but man is it annoying when he rubs our faces in his self-proclaimed brilliance. In adapting the 2016 novel by Ian Reed, his "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is inaccessible, gloriously bland and shamefully pretentious at only a level that Kaufman could ever possibly reach.
 IFC Films, 2020. Other than the spooky background music, the first two-thirds of the new thriller, "The Rental," plays like a soap opera. But it's an intriguing film that will make you think twice before ever renting out your next AirBnB.
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tom santilli movie reviews
Tom Santilli is a professional film critic, TV personality, host and
the Executive Producer of Movie Show Plus.
He also is the film critic for WXYZ Channel 7 Action News in Detroit,
and appeared weekly on FOX-2 in Detroit from 2016-2020.
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