VOD: The Grudge (2020) (dir: Nicolas Pesce, 2020)

"How did something like this ever happen?"

The Grudge franchise always somehow seemed better as a concept rather than the actual movies, but this latest entry is very weak.  With the action transported to the USA, a lot of the cultural interest has been lost and the horror elements never really hit the mark.  There never feels like a real grip on the tone, the pitch of the performances, or the through-line of the time-hopping (unlike the strong TV series Ju-On: Origins from this year also), making the film quite a test of patience to sit through.