Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

A lonely girl romanticizes the gravesite of a young man who died 150 years prior. After pouring her heart out to him, a bolt of lightning strikes and brings him back as an undead creature. The rub? He can't speak and he's missing multiple body parts. So Lisa goes on a spree to complete her "creation."

This Gothic horror-comedy owes a lot of its inspiration and feel to the works of Tim Burton. It has a distinctly '80s vibe throughout and is a helluva lot darker than I was expecting for PG-13, especially given all the sexual references and casual murder. It's a weird movie though, and I liked that it tried to be something different. Kathryn Newton is inspired in the eponymous role. I'm sure it'll develop into something of a cult film, like a lot of Diablo Cody's work tends to do. Plus it was directed by Zelda Williams—daughter of Robin—in her first feature-length film, so it seems like she has a promising career ahead of her.

3 tanning beds out of 5

Young Adult (2011)

What would happen if you took the plot of Bad Teacher and placed it in the very capable hands of the writer and director of Juno? Well, you'd have a much better movie, for one. Former popular girl Charlize Theron now lives in shambles ghostwriting for a once popular young adult series and striving for some balance in her life. When she receives a "new baby" pic from an old flame, she decides to go back to her hometown and try to break up his marriage in order to be with him again. Believe me, it's a lot better than it sounds. Patton Oswalt is wonderful as the nerdy guy she once ignored. This is Diablo Cody's best work to date.

4 Ken-Taco Huts out of 5