2018 Movies
OSCARS Won/Nominated
IMDB Top 250
IMDB Top 250
Action Point
Dir: Tim Kirkby. Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius I am an enormous fan of the Jackass movies. They had a camaraderie and a spontaneity that was hilarious and infectious. The idea to use these absurd stunts and write them into a narrative was a neat idea...but this movie is a complete disaster from beginning to end. First...if you have seen the trailer...then you have seen EVERY SINGLE stunt. I couldn't believe it. Every stunt was in the god damn trailer. The rest of the runtime was story of which I couldn't give less of a shit. Secondly, and even worse, is that these stunts are engineered stunts to serve a narrative purpose. The genius of Jackass was that you never knew how a stunt would turn out...this had a stagey feel that even though I know they are "real" stunts...everyone involved knew exactly what was going to happen...they just prayed the stars could withstand the pain. I hated every single solitary second of this movie and I was ashamed of myself that I wasted time on it. F |
Anna & the Apocalypse
Dir: John McPhail Stars: Ella Hunt Damn this movie is fun. Imagine High School Musical combined with Shaun of the Dead. It isn't a perfect marriage of those two genres, but it is pretty damn close. It takes a bit of patience to get through the first couple teenage angst songs (though Hollywood Ending is fantastic). But when the zombie apocalypse comes...it is a real hoot. Not only that...but the movie actually has some balls to go dark when it makes sense to go dark. I would have to say...that this is the best Christmas Zombie Musical ever made. B |
Annihilation
Dir: Alex Garland Stars: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez Alex Garland is one of the best sci-fi filmmakers around. His work with Danny Boyle is phenomenal (28 Days Later & Sunshine) and his Ex Machina was definitely something special. He makes these thrillers assuming the audience is as smart as he is, and rewards people for paying attention. In his new movie, wonderfully acted by a great cast of women, is about a "shimmer" that has been expanding across the landscape and anyone who crosses the barrier never returns. The film follows this band of 5 women as they enter and try to figure out the mystery...and the film is gorgeous, thought-provoking, frightening, and ultimately and astonishingly vague. To have a movie open to interpretation can be wonderful, and sometimes it can be frustrating, and this film skirts the line between the two. Say what you will about what this movie MEANS or is ultimately ABOUT...the journey is exciting and unnerving. B |
Anon
Dir: Andrew Niccol Stars: Clive Owen, Amanda Seyfried, Colm Feore Andrew Niccol is one of the best at creating sci-fi dystopias, even if his films don't quite pull them off completely. In his new Netflix film, he gives us a world where technology exists within everyone's eyes that record everything you do and feed all relevant information on everything you see directly into your field of vision. Owen is a detective investigating a series of murders where the killer seems to have hacked the victim's vision so there is no record of the act. It is hard to explain...but Niccol's realization of this world where there is literally no privacy is fantastic. It is sharp, clean, and technically understandable, and when people hack into others' "Mind's Eyes", it's pretty thrilling. My problems with the film are that hit slows WAY down in the second act to the point of boredom and Seyfried is terrible. I always like Owen so he does fine...but Seyfried has no charisma or depth to the point like it felt like she was swindled into being in this film. Still...pretty damn cool and creative. B |
Ant Man & the Wasp
Dir: Peyton Reed Stars: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Hannah John-Kamen, Michelle Pfeiffer Thor: Ragnarok's stakes were the destruction of Asgard. Black Panther's stakes were the destruction of Wakanda. Avengers: Infinity War's stakes were the destruction of half the universe. So when piddly little Ant Man and the Wasp comes along and the only stakes are bringing Janet Van Dyne back from the Quantum Realm...it is impossible to get excited or invested in the proceedings. The original film was also small stakes, but that was because it was an origin story. With all that behind these characters...they just seem to be spinning their wheels in this grandiose MCU. Rudd and Lilly are still fun, and Michael Pena steals the show with his whole truth serum schtick, but it all feels so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Certainly not bad...just seemingly unnecessary. That mid-credits sequence though? Maybe the best of all the MCU films. B- Bluray |
Apostle
Dir: Gareth Evans Stars: Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen One has to start off by characterizing Apostle as batshit crazy. Would you expect anything else from a period-piece from the man that brought us The Raid: Redemption and its sequel? Imagine a kind of better-made Wicker Man where Dan Steven's version of psycho Nicholas Cage actually works. Stevens plays a man whose sister has been kidnapped by a religious cult with their own isolated island. He has travelled to said island to try and rescue his sister. What he finds on the island is pretty ridiculous. So ridiculous in fact that it makes the movie a bit disposable and silly. Still, it looks great, has incredibly fun performances from Stevens and Michael Sheen, and pretty gruesome carnage here and there. C+ |
Aquaman
Dir: James Wan Stars: Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe At times, Aquaman is a fun-as-hell spectacle. At others, it is a ridiculous absurdity. Jason Momoa brings an undeniable swagger to the lamest of the DC comics superheroes. However, I found everything in Atlantis, though gorgeously rendered, goofier than anything I have seen in a long time. When he and Amber Heard are off on National Treasure-style adventures, its great. Then Black Manta shows up and it is stupid. It is a film full of peaks and valleys with an incredibly long run time. James Wan is a talented director, and that doesn't change with Aquaman. He threw it ALL up against a wall...and it was so much...that enough of it stuck. B |
OSCARS
Best Visual Effects
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Original Score
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Avengers: Infinity War
Dir: The Russo Bros. Stars: Every Avenger Ever except Hawkeye and Ant Man IMDB #28 We have been given 10 glorious years of 19 movies among the MCU...and none of those movies ever dipped below a B-. This is what it has all culminated too, and I was as satisfied as I think I could have been. The cast and story are so epic, with so many threads brought together, that it is nearly impossible for it to be perfectly cohesive...but it is pretty outstanding. While the movie does well fleshing out a few characters (Thor, Hulk, Dr. Strange, Scarlet Witch, Gamora), it inevitable leaves a handful by the wayside (Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Star Lord). Even so...Thanos is an incredibly entertaining and nefarious villain and the runtime of 2.5 hrs is basically 85% climax. It is breathless, hyper-stimulating, touching, and has a lot of "Holy Shit" moments peppered throughout so that it never really falters. I am happy it has all come to this, and I can't wait until the conclusion comes out next year. B+ Bluray |
Bad Times at the El Royale
Dir: Drew Goddard Stars: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth I dug the HELL out of this movie. Drew Goddard, of The Cabin in the Woods fame, weaves a rich tapestry of a movie, full of great design, performances, and a dark Tarantino-style narrative. There are several patrons of the El Royale hotel which lies directly on the California/Nevade border. We are told snippets of story as "Room 1", and "Room 5", and so forth...but they all come gloriously and excitingly together. On top of all that, with the old fashioned Wurlitzer constantly pumping out the best music this side of Guardians of the Galaxy, this film just oozes coolness. Sure it may be a BIT long...but I didn't mind it for a second. A- Bluray |
OSCARS
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Costume Design Best Original Song |
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Dir: Joel & Ethan Coen Stars: Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan, Brendan Gleeson It says something that the Coen Brothers' worst film is better than many other filmmakers' best film...and I do think this is their worst film. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a western anthology film whose stories get worse and worse as it goes along, until you are left bewildered, bored, and angry. The opening segment is perfection, and if the entire film continued with that snippet, it may have been my favorite film of the year. James Franco's story is fun but ultimately pointless. Liam Neeson's Meal Ticket is also astonishingly effective. Tom Waits as a grizzled prospector is fine. Then we get The Girl Who Got Rattled (unfortunately, the longest segment) and The Mortal Remains. These were nearly unwatchable and unaccessible...almost totally ruining all that came before. I'd say stop watching after All Gold Canyon. C+ |
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Supporting Actor
|
Beautiful Boy
Dir: Felix Van Groeningen Stars: Steve Carell, Timothee Chalamet, Maura Tierney, Amy Ryan My affection for this film springs from my experiences dealing with a family member's addiction and how it affects a family. Beautiful Boy is heavy, devastating, and actually hard to watch. However, it is also one of the most honest looks at addiction I have ever seen on film. Steve Carell is at his very best as David Scheff, a man whose son has been in the throws of addiction for years. The fact that Timothee Chalamet was not nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar is a travesty. There are scenes in this film that moved me like I have never been moved before, and so I love it whole-heartedly. A |
Before I Wake
Dir: Mike Flanagan Stars: Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay Mike Flanagan has neat ideas for his horror movies (Ouiji: Origin of Evil, Oculus) but they just don't seem to get their feet underneath them to raise them up beyond mediocrity. This movie, about a couple who lost their son and take in a foster child who apparently has the gift to manifest his dreams. The first half is far superior, due to the story, the performances, and because every time I hoped it wouldn't fall into cliche, it didn't. But the simplicity of the manifestations makes it all become hokey and the film devolves into every other scary movie out there and concludes in a ridiculous, unsatisfying end. This guy will pull it off eventually. C |
Behind the Curve
Dir: Daniel J. Clark Flat-Earthers are fascinating in their ignorance. But is it ignorance? Or is it hyper-cynicism as a way to create a sense of community? Beyond the Curve seems to try to touch upon those ideas within the Flat Earth movement, but it fails. Instead, the film simply exhibits these people and their insane distrust of science as a fish-in-a-barrel mockery. It gets old pretty fast. I wanted to try and understand why these people are the way they are...not just told what they believe and that they are crazy. It is pretty lazy filmmaking. C+ |
The Beyond
Dir: Hasraf Dulull Quite the clever science fiction film, even if the style doesn't quite make sense with the story. This is the story of an anomaly that arrives outside our atmosphere that appears to be a wormhole to a distant planet. The "Space Agency" realizes that humans can't survive a wormhole journey so they create "Humans 2.0", robotic bodies fused with human brain. All of this is very good, because it is treated as possible and serious...effectively touching on each and every problem you may think up with this technology. Also, the films narrative progresses like TV's The Office, where most of the time there is an invisible documentary crew filming everything with some asides that is not the talking head portions. It is an entertaining device, but it doesn't make much sense if you think about it. Why is there a documentary crew if this is one of the most secret technologies and missions in history? I found that odd. Still...it is an exciting film, with grand ideas. B |
Bird Box
Dir: Susanne Bier Stars: Sandra Bullock, John Malkovich, Trevante Rhodes, Sarah Paulson Bird Box is a perfect compliment to A Quiet Place for a 2018 thriller double-feature. The latter film dealt with killer entities that will kill you if you make a sound. Bird Box revolves around killer entities that will kill you if you look at them. On paper, this entire premise is a bit cheesy. A bunch of people hiding out in a house because they can't look outside spliced in with a woman and two children navigating a river while blindfolded. Absurd. However, this is Sandra Bullock we are talking about here. With her phenomenal performance and Sussane Bier's tense, precise direction, Bird Box became my favorite thriller of the year...even beating out A Quiet Place. I was so tense throughout the film that I could barely stand it. A- |
OSCARS
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BlacKKKlansman
Dir: Spike Lee Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Laura Harrier Spike Lee is more confident and artistic than he has been in years with BlacKKKlansman. The film is done like a 70s exploitation film, but the handling of the story is anything but. It tells the story of a black Colorado police officer who successfully infiltrates the KKK with the help of his Jewish partner. The music, the editing, and both Washington's and Driver's performances make the film a fantastic experience. There are plenty of laughs, but there are gasp-inducing points of bigotry that Lee is famous for. All the allegories to modern day racism are poignant and disturbing, but always deftly handled. It isn't until Spike Lee can't help himself at the end when he rams those allegories down our throat with a modern montage of racist events. It is so jarring that it really spoils how delicately it was all handled before. Still, this is the best Spike Lee joint in several years, bar none. B+ |
OSCARS
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Production Design
|
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai, Gurira, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Marvel can do no wrong. They just have a talent machine with all of the moving parts working perfectly. This is a dazzling, heartfelt, wonderfully realized adventure. It builds Wakanda as a world better than the Thor movies have done with Asgard over 3 movies. The action sequences are exciting and grounded. And my only complaint, if it can be considered a complaint, is that the supporting cast is so phenomenal that they completely overshadow Chadwick Boseman to a point where he is just a figurehead. He is effectively a Maguffin that all the other characters act around...and it is a dynamic that has never been equaled in the Marvel Universe. Another smash hit. B+ Bluray |
Blockers
Dir: Kay Cannon Stars: Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz There are a few real problems with this movie. One...the premise of the parents trying to stop their daughters from losing their virginity on prom night is a little creepy. Mann and Cena play their characters as aloof, clueless idiots that have no idea how horrible an idea this is. Ike Barinholtz is the exception and he is definitely the comedic high point of the film. Also...the three girls who make the sex pact have ZERO chemistry or development. So what we have here are main characters you can't root for who are out to stop secondary characters (who you don't care about) from having sex. It just doesn't quite work. That all being said...the movie does fall ass-backwards into a handful of big laughs...so it wasn't a complete disaster. C |
OSCARS
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Bohemian Rhapsody
Dir: Bryan Singer Stars: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Tom Hollander There are two very significant pluses to Bohemian Rhapsody that make is a passable film. First, Rami Malek's portrayal as Freddie Mercury is exceptional. All of his mannerisms, physicality, and gravitas are perfectly captured. Second, say what you will about the man personally, but Bryan Singer's direction is pretty on point. other than that, the film suffers from an incredible level of cliche and lack of grittiness. If you played Bohemian Rhapsody alongside Walk Hard, the storytelling beats would be identical. Yes...it is as by-the-book as a parody of musical biopics. Still...it is fun enough. Props to the filmmakers to have the courage to exhibit the Live Aid concert so thoroughly, even if it does start to get cinematically boring by the end. B |
Boy Erased
Dir: Joel Edgerton Stars: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton Boy Erased is a beautiful movie. But let me make it clear, the movie is beautiful through it's story and performances. It is atrociously terrible in regards to Edgerton's direction. On the surface, it is a nearly unwatchable, DARK, unfocused movie. It was astonishing. It made it nearly impossible to get into the story. But man, the story is amazing. To watch Lucas Hedges navigate the touchy world of Gay-conversion therapy is a masterclass. Not to mention, Kidman and Crowe give their best performances in years. Also, the film is not black and white. Crowe is ignorant and just wants to save his son, because that is all he knows. Hedges doesn't hate himself, he is just confused. Kidman isn't weak and subserviant, she just does not know what to do. The dynamics are wonderful...just it would be that much better if you could actually SEE the movie. B+ |
Cam
Dir: Daniel Galdhaber Stars: Madeline Brewer Sure, Cam is incredibly exploitative and titillating, but I kind of dug it (my wife did too so I'm not a total creep). It follows a cam girl and what she does on screen to earn money. It is a little pervy, but it certainly is empowering toward Madeline Brewer's Alice. The dynamics of the cam girl life and the competition within the industry is pretty intertesting. Then it happens, Alice's account is hacked and now there is a girl that looks EXACTLY like her performing on her cam channel. Its intriguing, but the movie ultimately fails the viewer. Cam takes the time to have us like Alice, invest in her, and root for her when things go wrong. Then it is like the movie just gives up and ends. What a shame. C+ |
OSCARS
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor Best Adapted Screenplay |
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Dir: Marielle Heller Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant McCarthy and Grant save an otherwise unremarkable movie. The film tells the story of Lee Israel, a former best-selling writer who has fallen on bad luck. When her writing no longer can get published, she turned to forging letters and correspondences of famous writers and personalities. Fine...I guess. However, McCarthy really shows that she is fantastic in dramatic roles...much maybe even more so than in her comedies. She brings such gravitas and vulnerability to the role of Lee. You just want to give her a hug. Also, Richard E. Grant lights up the screen as her flamboyant partner-in-crime. That being said...when all was said and done, I all just felt unimportant. When you boil it all down, it is a story of someone pretending they have famous letters and sells them. There is a bit of "who cares" with this movie...but it is perfectly fine. B |
The Christmas Chronicles
Dir: Clay Kaytis Stars: Kurt Russell What a magically entertaining, classic Christmas fantasy. The story is simple enough. Kids capture Santa on film, stowaway on the sleigh, and upon startling him, he crashes the sleigh, loses the reindeer, loses his sack of presents, and loses his magical hat. The kids better help him recover it all to save Christmas. Well...what rises above the simplicity is Kurt Russell's grandiose performance and the exceptional production design. Need a shot to the arm of some Christmas spirit? This movie will do the job perfectly. B |
The Cloverfield Paradox
Dir: Julius Onah Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Bruhl, Chris O'Dowd, Ziyi Zhang The worst bait-and-switch movie I have ever seen, to an insulting degree. This is so obviously an Event Horizon/Solaris ripoff that was retro-fitted into the Cloverfield narrative through a single news story early on, cutaways to Roger Davies dealing with SOMETHING on Earth while 98% of the film occurs on the Space Station, and a final shot. I felt lied to and cheated. You could easily have CGI'd the Cloverfield monster into Transofrmers: The Last Knight and made that a Cloverfield movie too. It seems to be easy. Take all that cheating nonsense out of the equation? The movie has NOTHING original to show us. D |
The Commuter
Dir: Jaume Collet-Serra Stars: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson I really wanted to like this movie, because I am a fan of the Neeson/Collet-Serra team-up with Non-Stop. This one never clicked into high gear though. The setup is weak at best. The effects are goofy and sometimes terrible. And the spare use of the supporting cast not only made me feel cheated, but it telegraphs the endings and any surprise that could come from it. It is a good thing that Neeson is still Neeson, and the direction of the action is absolutely superb. The fights are brutal and creative, with fluid camerawork that made it exciting. It is just sorta silly. C+ |
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Supporting Actress
Best Costume Design |
Crazy Rich Asians
Dir: Jon M. Chu Stars: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh When a Hollywood studio released a romantic comedy starring a completely Asian cast, it was very significant. It is a poorly represented minority in American cinema. What this movie shows us is that Asian filmmakers and actors can give us a cliche fest with the best of them. This is an amazingly pleasant experience, with wonderful performances by the down-to-earth central cast (the caricature performances are cringe-inducing) and perfect production design. However, nothing that happens will surprise you, and every beat of the story you can see a million miles away. Still...it is a heart-warming, jovial movie made with a huge amount of talent, exuberance, and fun. Michelle Yeoh and Gemma Chan are the standouts, but everyone is doing a fine job here. It is nearly impossible not to like this movie at some level. B |
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, TJ Miller, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz Ryan Reynolds has created quite a franchise here, because it gives us superhero movies that are different than anything else the genre offers us...and when it DOES slip into the cliches, it goes full-on-meta and references it, is self-depracating, and injects a fresh outlook on it. Wade Wilson is back and is more dangerous, and more subversive. The central conceit of the film is more-or-less Looper, but there are so many different jokes, action sequences, and absurdities that you never know where the film is going to go. Watching these movies are just so much fun. I would say this is right on par with the first film...and that's tough. Also...this definitely has the best post-credit sequence of all time...and I can't imagine that anyone can argue otherwise. B+ Bluray |
The Death of Stalin
Dir: Armando Iannucci Stars: Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Isaacs, Michael Palin I just don't think I get nor appreciate Iannucci's cinematic style. I don't see how his previous In the Loop is part of my "1001 Movies" project. Here, his comedy about the Soviet bureaucracy reeling after Stalin's demise can be fun at times, and I appreciate the choice to just have his stars use their own accents (not fake russian ones). However, simple absurd mayhem does not automatically translate to comedy. Too much of this movie was just zaniness...without translating to smart or funny. C+ |
Death Wish
Dir: Eli Roth Stars: Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Elizabeth Shue, Dean Norris My positive reaction to this movie is almost all because I was pleasantly surprised by how perfectly competent it is. Willis has been phoning it in for a paycheck in garbage movies for many years., but I actually rented this flick because of Eli Roth, who I have some respect for. There is nothing new here. Average man loses family member and turns into a violent vigilante because of it. It's been done many times and Death Sentence with Kevin Bacon is my gold standard...but Willis does a decent job as a surgeon out for vengeance. The acting is fine, the violence is fine, and it takes itself seriously enough that it can get a bit exciting. It's better than is has any business being. B- |
Destination Wedding
Dir: Victor Levin Stars: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder I liked this movie. There is not much to it, but it is perfectly pleasant to sit through. Keanu Reeves' estranged brother is getting married. That brother is Winona Ryder's ex. These two disillusioned wedding guests cross paths and spend the weekend together discussing life, criticizing each other, and eventually jonesing on each other. It is kind of an irreverant, funnier Before Sunrise, though not nearly as emotional as that film. Watching Reeves and Ryder battle with their silvery tongues is a lot of fun. It won't change your life, but you will chuckle and get the feels, almost effortlessly. B |
Dumplin'
Dir: Anne Fletcher Stars: Danielle MacDonald, Jennifer Aniston If you live on Mars, then you haven't seen any movies about how it is not how pretty you are on the outside...it is inside that matters. Well, I don't live on Mars, and I have seen a million of those movies. Dumplin' is just another one of them where the rotund, ugly daughter of a former beauty queen sets out to sabotage her mother's pageant. There are a few laughs and moments of cleverness, but this movie offers almost nothing you haven't seen before. It comes across as incredibly bland, lazy, and familiar. C |
Eighth Grade
Dir: Bo Burnham Stars: Elsie Fisher Who knew that comedian Bo Burnham had such a brilliant, beautiful, heartfelt movie under his belt. Elsie Fisher is a marvel as Kayla, the young girl who is trying to navigate through her last week of 8th grade in preparation for high school. It may sound simple to watch Kayla awkwardly interact with her father & schoolmates and post her hypocritical life advice on social media, but it is anything but. It says something that a grown-ass man like me can be brought to tears through the emotions and experiences of a 13 year old girl. The film is that effective. It has been a long time since an adolescent narrative has been so perfectly realized. A- |
OSCARS
Best Documentary Short
|
End Game
Dir: Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman There is not much cinematic about this Oscar-nominated documentary short, but if you are in the mood to cry uncontrollably for 40 minutes or so...then this is the movie for you. What else would one expect for a quick exhibition of one institutes palliative/end-of-life care philosophy. Some people are at peace, some are scared, some are angry...and they are all going to die very soon. It is soul cleansing to get out a cry like I did with this film, but it is pretty manipulative. B |
The Endless
Dir: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorehead Stars: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorehead Benson & Moorehead are creative and daring filmmakers. Their previous film, Spring, was an oddly courageous melding of sci-fi and romance. Their newest film isn't quite a success...but it shows their knack for quirky, mind-bending science fiction. It follows two brothers, survivors of an apocalyptic death cult, who return to the compound after 10 years. All sorts of weird things are going on. There are several moons in the sky, people have tug-of-wars with an unknown beast in the distance, and there are many instances of people seemingly stuck in some sort of time loop. It never really becomes cohesive, but I can't deny that I was interested. C+ |
Escape Plan 2: Hades
Dir: Steven C. Miller Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista, Jesse Metcalf, Titus Welliver. It was too good to be true. Redbox offered a double feature of Escape Plan/Escape Plan 2: Hades. I had heard Escape Plan was fun, and it was, so I figured I would just continue with the sequel. What trash. Stallone is hardly in it and the movie is obviously just an Asian market cash grab. There is no explanation of the purpose, geography, or composition of this new prison...so the escape plan portion is nothing other than smash & grab. The first movie took its time, and had some clever ideas, and kept me interested....this was just mind-numbingly terrible. D- |
Fantastic Beasts:
The Crimes of Grindelwald Dir: David Yates Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Johnny Depp, Juse Law, Ezra Miller, Zoe Kravitz What an unmitigated disaster Crimes of Grindelwald is. Sure, the $200 Million dollar budget provides the patented effects, production design, makeup, and costumes...but this film is a boring, pointless placeholder, and nothing more. The plot? don't get me started. Depp wants wizards to rule the world and Ezra Miller is important to that. The End. I'm serious. We are constantly told how important he is, not shown, and when the big reveal comes, I was like....AND???? You can literally cut out several characters and change nothing about the film. Cut out Jude Law? Same movie. Cut out Kravitz? Wouldn't change anything. Even cut out Redmayne and the movie is the same. It is like walking around the Wizarding World in Universal Studios. Everything looks great but there is no cohesive narrative or purpose. D+ |
OSCARS
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The Favourite
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos Stars: Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, Nicholas Hoult I was never on The Favourite bandwagon that seemingly all of the film lovers' world was on. I just never bought into it...at all. With the exception of Olivia Coleman's superb performance as Queen Anne, the rest of the cast feels, wooden, artificial, and anachronistic. It is as if all these actors and actresses simply wanted to play in the wacky, perverse, Yorgos Lanthimos sandbox. I never saw Lady Sarah or Abigail. I saw Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone playing on Lanthimos's quirky world...and therefore, I NEVER became emotionally involved in their plight or their rivalry. The story is fun enough, where two ambitious women are vying for the Queen's attention, but it was stuffed with so much artifice that I could not have cared less. C |
OSCARS
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First Man
Dir: Damien Chazelle Stars: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Corey Stall, Kyle Chandler It goes without saying that Damien Chazelle is a marvelous filmmaker. However, it seems like his movies are trending in the wrong direction. They are getting bigger in scale, smaller on impact. Here, he goes all Paul Greengrass shakey-camera on us to tell the story of Neil Armstrong. Technically, First Man is masterful. The space sequences are terrifying and riveting. However, most of the earthbound stuff is dull. Armstrong never really comes across as a person rather than a figurehead in history. Something HAS to be wrong when I could not get at all emotionally invested in one of the greatest historical events mankind has ever achieved. B |
The First Purge
Dir: Gerard McMurray Stars: Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade Finally, they did The Purge exactly right. The massive problem with the first 3 films is that it takes place in a society where The Purge is a thing. So people make incredibly dumb decisions to put themselves in harms way, decisions people of that kind of society would NEVER do. This film takes place on Staten Island, where the new government is conduction and "experiment". When people are put in harm's way, it is understandable, because no one know what the purge will be like or believe American's would participate in such brutality. Thus, this film is intense, scary, and has heavy themes about government oppression. It is the Purge story I've been waiting for from the start. B+ |
OSCARS
Best Original Screenplay
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First Reformed
Dir: Paul Schrader Stars: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer, Paul Schrader's First Reformed is an exquisitely written, hypnotically acted film. It follows the story of a priest in a small church in upstate New York. One of his few parishioners asks him to talk to her husband, who has become erratic in his despair about humanity's impact on the Earth and bringing a new life into the world. Following Ethan Hawke and how this encounter bleeds over into his own crisis of faith had the ability to create my favorite film of the year. I hate to talk about how the absolute last scene can ruin a movie for me. But that essentially happened here. During the final climax, something could have happened. If it did, favorite movie of the year. Then something else could have happened. If it did, favorite movie of the year. Then something DOES happen, and it was so infuriatingly off-base and stupid that it spoiled everything that came before. So disappointing. B |
OSCARS
Best Documentary Film
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Free Solo
Dir: Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vesharhelyi Technically, Free Solo is spectacular. The camerawork and cinematography is equally parts beautiful and terrifying. The problem I have with the film is that I had little to no emotional investment in its protagonist. Alex Honnold made it his life's mission to climb El Capitain without any ropes or safety harnesses. OK. But the film never let me into his head to sympathize and/or empathize with his desire and obsession. Jimmy Chin's previous film, Meru, is a far better exercise in this. I felt like I was on the mountain with those climbers. C+ |
A Futile & Stupid Gesture
Dir: David Wain Stars: Will Forte, Domhnall Gleason, Martin Mull, Emmy Rossum, Thomas Lennon, Joel McHale I Love me some David Wain, and he seems to have matured a bit with this historical comedy about the founding of the National Lampoon. It is a story I was not aware of, and Forte and Gleeson do a good job with their respective roles of Douglas Kenney and Harold Beard. But this movie starts out in the stratosphere, with hysterical dialogue, great 4th-wall breaking, and clever storytelling...but then it just slows down, and slows down, and gets more and more boring...and then it seems to end way too early in the History of the National Lampoon name. Still, there is a lot to laugh about, and a bit to get emotional about. B- |
Game Night
Dir: John Francis Daley Stars: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Jesse Plemons, Kyle Chandler I laughed a lot with this film...but my main concern is that it shot it's wad way too early. If you have seen the trailer...then you know the presise is that a group of friends always gets together for "Game Night"...until one night, a murder mystery party goes south when it all becomes too real, and the guests think what is real is all part of the game. Fine...but they realize it isn't a game way too early...and the movie quickly turns from a yuk-fest of naive suburbanites to an action/comedy/thriller of a bunch of suburbanites way in over their head. I saw that before with Date Night, and I was only mildy amused then too. Still...there are some very funny gags and situations in this film...especially with the hysterical Jesse Plemons as the cop next door who is more than suspicious he is being left out of Game Night. B- |
Game Over, Man
Dir: Kyle Newacheck Stars: Adam Devine, Anders Holm, Blake Anderson I never really clicked with Comedy Central's Workaholics, but the guys behind that show have come back with this comedy. The easiest way to describe this film is Die Hard via Pineapple Express. A trio of idiot hotel cleaning attendants get in over their head when their hotel is locked down and overtaken by terrorists. It is literally Die Hard in that respect. It is literally Pineapple Express in the fact that one of them is constantly puffing salvia. Add in some absurdly over-the-top gore that would make Edgar Wright and Tarantino blush and you have an oddly enjoyable farce here. This is a film, having been made by Netflix, that has the balls to go that extra depraved mile. Bombs strapped to dogs, severed penises, tossed salads...they are all here...and their audacity makes you gasp, laugh, and kind of appreciate it. B- |
OSCARS
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Green Book
Dir: Peter Farrelly Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini Green Book is probably the most crowd-pleasing movie of the year...and for some reason people think that is a negative. It tells the story (accurate or not, who cares...THIS story is great) of a Brooklyn muscle-head hired to drive an African American classical pianist through the 1960s south. Sure, Viggo Mortensen is a little broad and comical and some of the racism points are right on the nose, but it all goes down so smooth. Then there is Mahershala Ali, who runs the gamut from stoic, dignified elitist to scared, vulnerable little boy. Some of his facial expressions in this film will destroy your sole. Director Peter Farrelly has really matured...but he can still make you laugh. Just now...you will cry a little as well. B+ |
Gringo
Dir: Nash Edgerton Stars: David Oyelowo, Joel Edgerton, Charlize Theron, Sharlto Copley, Amanda Seyfried, Thandie Newton I tried so hard to enjoy this movie...and I can't quite put my finger on why I never got into it...but I felt like this zany action-comedy had no life in it. I liked almost every performance in it, and I actually really liked the story too...of a guy who has been taken advantage of for too long and is out to play dirty to get what he thinks he deserves. But as the story moves along...I was just bored by how little enthusiasm was on screen. There were laughs, cringes, fun, but it just felt sloppy and unimportant. Still...what was good was good, and that is why it barely gets a pass. C+ |
Halloween
Dir: David Gordon Green Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Will Patton Even though it is great to see Jamie Lee Curtis pour her heart back into her role of Lori Strode, this film is incredibly pointless and unnecessary. David Gordon Green does his best to emulate John Carpenter, but in doing so, it makes this even MORE of a simple retread. The only difference? Curtis is less of a simple victim. The end. There are even points the movie almost admits its own superfluousness, like when a characters talks about how 5 murders, in today's world, isn't too impressive. Or when Lori calls Michael's doctor "The new Loomis". That's a bit too much hitting the nail directly on the head. C |
The Happytime Murders
Dir: Brian Henson Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Joel McHale, Maya Rudolph Someone forgot to tell Brian Henson that R-rated puppets aren't inherently funny. Sure, they are unexpected, but they aren't funny just because they aren't kid friendly. He should know better because he has done Muppets well before. Muppet Christmas Carol is one of the best Muppet films ever. Also, Melissa McCarthy is not inherently funny either. If you don't give her a good script with good material, she is just awful. So here is The Happytime Murders. It is basically a one-joke premise of someone murdering Muppets from an old television show in a kind of Who Framed Roger Rabbit universe. That all being said...It was more dull than it was BAD. It DID manage to sneak in a few good jokes. However, it is all just so uninspired. C- |
Hell Fest
Dir: Gregory Plotkin Stars: Amy Forsyth I'll always give these trashy horror movies a shot, because I can usually drudge up some entertainment from them. That was tough with Hell Fest. The premise is good enough. A group of friends heads to an amusement park's "Hell Fest" for some Halloween festivities. There is also a masked killer stalking them but no one knows because he blends into the atmosphere. Fine. But that's it. Nothing clever, no killer motivation. The group is totally one dimensional. I found myself riveted a few times and a few of the kills are gloriously grotesque, but the film is completely disposable. C- |
Hereditary
Dir: Ari Aster Stars: Toni Collette, Bagriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro What a fantastic chimera of a thriller. Ar Aster's wonderfully patient, yet deeply unsettling debut film not only tells one of the best horror stories in years, but it is a meditation about grief. Toni Collette not being nominated for an Oscar is a travesty, as this may be the best performance of her career. Tragedy upon tragedy falls upon her head, and it is rotting her family unit from the inside out. On top of that, there are terrifying occurrences happening to her and her teenage son. Sure...some of the DETAILS of what is happening are deliberately left vague, but it still chills you to the bone despite it. A- |
Hold the Dark
Dir: Jeremy Saulnier Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgard, James Badge Dale, Riley Keough This is a film that takes place in a cold depressing place about cold depressing people. But is it is Jeremy Saulnier film, so you just know that it is going to haunt you and occasionally shock you. A woman contacts Jeffrey Wright because her son has been taken by wolves, and Wright wrote a book about tracking a killing a wolf. As he arrives in Alaska, you think you know exactly where the movie is going. You don't. When there is a twist about the woman and her son, you think you know where the film is going. You don't. If this movie was able to stick the landing instead of ending in an enigmatic vague way, it may have been the best of the year. As it is, it is classic Saulnier, full of mood, patience, and nearly unbearable violence. B+ |
Holmes & Watson
Dir: Etan Cohen Stars: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall, Ralph Fiennes Yes...Holmes & Watson is as bad as you have heard. It is almost amazing that such a surefire pairing of Ferrell and Reilly as the titular pair can fail so triumphantly. Actually...this movie almost goes past bad and onto performance art. Almost as a piece of modern art displaying the poor state of comedy. There are a lot of talented people involved here...so I found myself chuckling a few times...almost by accident. But those anachronistic jokes are so cringe-worthy...I can see how Netflix didn't even want to buy this film flat out from Columbia after everyone knew it was awful. D |
Hotel Artemis
Dir: Drew Pearce Stars: Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Charlie Day, Sofia Boutella, Dave Bautista, Jeff Goldblum, Zachary Quinto I really do love the premise of this film, but the filmmakers kind of botched it. Taking an inspiration to the John Wick hotel where assassins can hang out without fear of death, the Hotel Artemis is a criminal hospital. You pay your admission fee and you are admitted. Cool. The problem with the film, which is always referenceing the "rules" and regulations of the hospital, feels like a sequel to a film that doesn't exist. There is even a poster of the rules on the wall, but we never get to read them. What this movie needed was a rookie criminal that had never been there before. This extraordinary cast is full of people that are thoroughly familiar with the inner workings of the Artemis, leaving the audience ignorant and kind of lost. It is a shame, because the actors and the production design are top notch. C |
I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Cohn & Marc Silverstein Stars: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Busy Phillips, Lauren Hutton I have a serious problem with this movie as I do with Shallow Hal. Shallow Hal has a similar premise whose logic insists that every good-looking person is bad and every ugly person is good. This film similarly insists that all good-looking people are assholes and treat all the lesser-looking people like garbage. Also...every stage of Amy Schumer's character arc is unpleasant and makes the movie icky and not fun. Before the accident...she is an asshole to people because they are hot. Right after the accident that makes her think she is the most gorgeous person in the world...she treats everyone else like shit and is so full of herself that she is intolerable. After she is back to normal...she is so depressed and pitiful that it is impossible to laugh at. So what else is there? Well...a few laughs here and there will barely keep you interested...but Amy Schumer is just not for me. C- |
OSCARS
Best Animated Film
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Incredibles 2
Dir: Brad Bird Voices: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener I am the biggest fan of the original Incredibles. It is the best Fantastic Four movie that has ever been made and probably will be made. It was because the action was superb, the villain was fantastic, and there was an emotional poignancy behind Bob seeking purpose and the need to protect your family. It is now 14 years later and Pixar has given us a sequel, kicking off right after the old one ended, and it is perfectly fine. The visuals and action are right on par with the last film and the role reversal storyline is good. But I didn't feel that Pixar gravitas that their best movies have. Sure...Bob is exasperated watching the kids now that Helen is out being the famous superheroine...but that is kind of stale. Also...the villain's identity and motivation is so blatantly obvious so early that it took a lot away from the excitement. This is just a popcorn action movie, albeit a well-done one, plain and simple. Pixar is still capable of creating magic...and there are wonderful bursts of it here...but a lot of the heart is missing...and that is always so crucial to a Pixar film's success. B |
Inside the Manson Cult
Dir: Hugh Ballantyne For a documentary that constantly prides itself on how it got ahold of hundreds of hours of footage about the Manson cult, it sure does do a LOT of re-enactments. I didn't expect anything from this documentary, as it was relegated to airing on FOX of all places, but I had to watch it because I was going to attend True Crime Obsessed Live and it was the doc they were focusing on. It's just terrible. There is an infinite amount of interesting things about the entire Charles Manson saga, but this documentary just fails to capture any of it. It is just so amateurish. D+ |
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Dir: J.A. Bayona Stars: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Ted Levine, Toby Jones, James Cromwell, BD Wong There is no other way to describe this newest Jurassic installment as disastrous. Gone is the majesty of dinosaurs and we get this odd mishmash of a summer blockbuster that sort of gives us everything we want up front...and then just forgets about what the franchise means to people and why people love it. All the actors seem bored by everything and the story is so weak and stupid that I had NO investment in the story. They had a great idea in the beginning, saving these creatures from certain death as the volcano on the island...and those scenes are fine. Then it turns into a gothic mansion thriller and all the life is sucked right out of it. Not a single person came to this film to see Dinos in a bunker and in cages. We came to see them stalk people in the jungle. There were so many problems with this thing that it actually angered me. D+ |
The Kissing Booth
Dir: Vince Marcello Stars: Joey King "A high school student is forced to confront her secret crush at a kissing booth." Yeah...that's very silly. But the fantastic Joey King and her electric costars make this cheesy romantic comedy better than it should be. Sure...the problems that arise could always be solved by a simple conversation...but this is romatic comedy...that doesn't happen. Also...it properly leans into its TV-14 rating and shows a bit of subversive scenes and ideas. That is kind of refreshing. B- |
The Last Sharknado: It's About Time
Dir: Anthony C. Ferrante Stars: Iam Ziering, Tara Reid, Cassandra Scerbo, Judah Friedlander, Vivica A. Fox It is not that I don't get the joke and what the Sharknado people are trying to do. They are making a movie stupid and bad on purpose...but there are ways to do that and ways not. The first couple Sharknados had a plot, just like a million other disaster films do. There was a tornado with sharks in it that has to be stopped. Simple. So bring on the dumb cameos, absurd special effects, awful acting, and outrageous stunts. It was fun enough. Well...this final installments has no semblance of anything that can be considered a plot...because the plot they discuss in the outset is not what is happening on screen. The movie is just mayhem that makes zero sense. So it can't be so bad it's good. It is just BAD. D- |
Lifeboat
Dir: Skye Fitzgerald Lifeboat is another nominee for the Best Documentary Short Oscar for 2018. It is certainly an interesting short. It follows a few vessels whose jobs it is to rescue and round up the African refugees that are risking their lifes to cross the Mediterranean Sea on route to Europe. Interesting, but not very cinematic. It is not much but a chronicle of a few of those rescues. It instills sympathy, shock, and heartache for sure. But without any kind of through-line about the crisis or what happens after the rescue...it isn't much beyond a showcase. B- |
Love, Simon
Dir: Greg Berlanti Stars: Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Tony Hale, Not since Easy A, and probably not even then, have I thoroughly enjoyed a film about the High School dynamic so much. This story was such a fun adventure...because every action, every character (other than one), and every development felt real, felt mature, and resonated. The story surrounds a high-schooler who is gay, but not out to his family or friends. He doesn't think they will actually be upset or mad but he doesn't want his near-perfect life to change. He notices an anonymous gay confession on the school message board so he strikes up an anonymous relationship with the poster. Nick Robinson is fantastic as he tries to navigate his life and solve the mystery of his secret pen-pal...and I loved the directorial choice to show him daydreaming about different people he imagines to be "Blue". I laughed a lot, I cried a decent amount. It just seemed to get it all right. A- |
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again
Dir: Ol Parker Stars: Lily James, Amanda Seyfried, Andy Garcia, Dominic Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters The thing about the Mamma Mia! is that they are just so effortlessly enjoyable. They don't have too much depth, but they are a delicious confection of fun and joy. There is a massive Meryl Streep-less void in this sequel, but it is filled nicely with the chipper Lily James. James is playing a young Donna and showing how she met Sam, Bill, and Harry when she was young. That is one half of the film. The other is Sophie planning a grand re-opening of her mother's hotel in the Greek isles. The Abba music is here, the corny romance, jokes, and coincidences are all back. Again...it is so easy to like. B |
The Meg
Dir: John Turtletaub Stars: Jason Statham, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Cliff Curtis This movie is a complete mess. It just didn't know what it wanted to be. Did it want to be a goofy throwback monster movie like Tremors? Or did it want to be serious and scary like Jaws or Cloverfield. Well, it couldn't decide so not much of it works. The scary aspects are not scary. The silly aspects were dumb instead of funny. Also, Jason Statham just looked like he wanted to be ANYWHERE else but in this movie. Just a misfire. C |
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Editing
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Mission: Impossible Fallout
Dir: Christopher McQuarrie Stars: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett IMDB #169 It is undeniable...but this is a near perfect action movie. It has the glorious stonework and action competency of Ghost Protocol and the screenwriting brilliance, with all the twists, turns, surprises, and misdirections of the original 1996 installment. I was exhausted after watching this new Ethan Hunt adventure...and Tom Cruise, again, proves there really is no one else like him. With a few exceptions during the outrageous climax, the stunts, fights, and effects are perfect. The moments of levity and poignancy are wonderful. The surprises are many and well handled. At over 140 minutes plus...the movie blows by in no time at all. I was a giddy fool as I watched everything unfold. The best hand-to-hand combat in years, the best bomb countdown scenario possibly ever, and the solidification of a legacy that Tom Cruise will have. Ethan Hunt is officially his icon, just as Indiana Jones is Harrison Ford's, and there will never be a better one. A- Bluray |
Mom & Dad
Dir: Brian Taylor Stars: Nicholas Cage, Selma Blair Brian Taylor has an uncanny ability to elicit excitement through his style of direction...but this movie is completely half-baked. I liked the premise where something is making parents have the undeniable urge to kill their children, and there is one perfectly terrifying scene in the hospital. However, I don't understand the reserved nature of it. I guess because the direction is so frenetic, but these is little gore or good kills. Plus...Nicholas Cage isn't around enough...but when he is, he is gloriously ridiculous. And the movie just abruptly ends. I expected a good 20 minutes more to help flesh the film out a bit. As it sits...its a premise and a development. There is no conclusion or denouement. It was frustrating actually. C |
The Mule
Dir: Clint Eastwood Stars: Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Michael Pena You enjoyment of Clint Eastwood's newest film The Mule hinges almost SOLELY on how much you enjoy his grizzled persona he continues after Gran Torino & Trouble With the Curve. Me? I love it...so I found myself oddly captivated about this story where and Octogenarian falls backwards into becoming one of the most successful drug mules for a powerful cartel. There are extraordinary story beats, no plot twists, and Bradley Cooper is not given much to do...but watching the screen legend command the screen once again is more than enough for me. B |
New Year, New You
Dir: Sophia Takal Stars: Suki Waterhouse I actually think Suki Waterhouse is decent in this film...but the film is stupid nonsense. One member of a girl group has become an immensely popular social media influencer. The group is now getting together for NYE. A bunch of resentment, jealousy, and murderousness boils to the surface. I didn't believe a second of it. SOME of it is somewhat interesting, but it is ultimately the pinnacle of dumb. Another Into the Dark failure. D |
Night School
Dir: Malcolm D. Lee Stars: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Rob Riggle, Romany Malco, Mary Lynn Rajskub Who on EARTH finds this nonsense funny? Kevin Hart has to get his GED so his friend can hire him in a financial firm. OK. I hated every solitary second of Night School. I just think that I am 100% over Kevin Hart, a man who does the EXACT same thing, without exception, in every one of his movies. Haddish looks like she is asleep in this movie. Also, none of the funny supporting actors have ANYTHING to do. I just sat in silence for an excruciatingly long 111 minutes, not even so much as grinning, it utter awe that I was watching a widely released Hollywood production. ASTONISHINGLY and INFURIATINGLY bad. F |
Ocean's 8
Dir: Gary Ross Stars: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Awkwafina, Mindy Kaling Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's movies really set the bar high with their easy-to-enjoy star-power, charisma, and complicated fun. I don't blame Gary Ross for trying a do a female version of it, but there were so many WHYs I had while watching this movie, even though it wasn't half bad. Bullock/Blanchett/Carter? Excellent trio that certainly compares to the Clooney/Pitt/Damon one. The rest of the cast was hardly ever given their moment to really define themselves like the previous films. Also...why not just do 13 again? It is like the movie cries out to be lesser and it felt so wrong. Why not connect it to the previous films in a way that doesn't anger the audience, be obviously pointless, or destroy the girl-power vibe the film has? Why slip in the romantic revenge subplot, just as the original did, when it is so completely unnecessary to the point where you forget why it is happening. It really is a shame because this movie is easy to enjoy with such a great cast, but it is so obviously less in every single way to the Clooney-led trilogy. B- |
The Outlaw King
Dir: David Mackenzie Stars: Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stephen Dillane There is not much emotion or depth of character in David Mackenzie's The Outlaw King, but it can be riveting. Robert the Bruce stood up against the English King and rallied his fellow Scotsman into taking castles one by one. At least, that is what I THINK he did, the film is never quite clear as to what he was doiung or why he was doing it. Still, it looks and sounds great, with wonderful battle sequences. Chris Pine does a fine job carrying the film with the appropriate gravitas. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays a battle-hardened psychopath, and somehow his crazy antics work. The film is enjoyable but certainly not the spiritual Braveheart sequel the filmmakers probably wanted it to be. B |
Overboard
Dir: Rob Greenberg Stars: Anna Faris, Eugenio Derbez This movie is just so disposable. Sure...there are a few chuckles here and there, mostly because Derbez is a pretty charming presence...but this gender swapped remake of the classic Kurt Russell/Goldie Hawn comedy does nothing new, nothing clever, and nothing particularly funny. Anna Faris is a shell of her former comedic self...offering almost nothing. The premise doesn't work anymore either...since in 2018...everyone would recognize the amnesiac world's third richest playboy immediately. And the movie kept cutting away to his meddling family dealing with his supposed death. WHO CARES?? It isn't insultingly bad as some comedies...but it is ultimately pointless C- |
Overlord
Dir: Julius Avery Stars: Wyatt Russell It is refreshing. In any given year, there are only a small handful of horror movies that know what they are and are just done RIGHT. Overlord is like that. It is a WWII, Nazi, zombie movie. But, it is scary, exciting, disturbing, and extremely well-crafted. The make-up and special effects of the Nazi serum victims are astonishing. Also, the opening sequence of the film is one of the most riveting action sequences of the year. It took me several minutes to calm down and get back in to the story as it unfolded. B+ |
Pacific Rim: Uprising
Dir: Steven S. DeKnight Stars: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Charlie Day, Cailee Spaeny, Burn Gorman Pacific Rim was not may favorite movie. Robots versus monsters as envisioned by Guillermo del Toro seemed like a slam dunk but Charlie Hunnam was terrible and everything just became repetitive and stale by the halfway point. I actually like the sequel a little better. I like Boyega. Newcomer Cailee Spaeny is perky fun. And there is a bit more excitement to be had because it isn't simply robot...monster...fight...another robot...a bigger monster...repeat. There are some rogue jaegers, drones, and some actual patience and creativity with the monsters and the fights. It still isn't great since it is pretty much sci-fi disaster porn...but I felt it was actually a slight improvement. C+ |
Peppermint
Dir: Pierre Morel Stars: Jennifer Garner It is another version of Death Wish. That simple. Jennifer Garner is a mother whose husband and daughter are killed. She seeks vigilante justice. These movies live or die on if they offer anything new. My favorite modern version of this trope are Death Sentence and Law Abiding Citizen. Peppermint is sort of a combination between those two...but definitely inferior. I love myself some Jennifer Garner, and it is great to see her kicking some hardcore, R-rated ass. However...there really isn't anything new here and Garner is less of a vengeance-fueled mother than she is a Terminator. C+ |
The Polka King
Dir: Maya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky Stars: Jack Black, Jenny Slate, Jason Schwatrzman, Jacki Weaver Jack Black can be very grating, and he is exceptionally so in this new film. Jan Lewan was a famous Polish Polka star in the 90s who operated a vast Ponzi scheme by bilking old people into "investing" in his corporation. It is a very interesting story, I have to admit, for the character of Jan is one of love and morality and only did his schemes, arguably unaware that they were wrong, to provide for his wife, his son, and his bandmates. He never comes across as greedy and I like that. But there is that performance. It is so big, ridiculous, and with that heavy accent, that it is impossible not to be annoyed by it. If it was smaller, or even with a different actor, I think this would have been a much more pleasant to endure. C+ |
Prospect
Dir: Christopher Caldwell, Zeek Earl Stars: Sophie Thatcher, Pedro Pascal It isn't that Prospect isn't well made, or even well acted (it definitely is)...it is just that is doesn't quite justify its own existence. The story is about a father and daughter who get prospecting rights on a distant planet. Fine. But they might as well be in a California forest instead of an alien planet. There aren't even cool effects or creatures. And the storyline feels like every other thriller you have ever seen. There just isn't a single aspect of the movie to have it stand out. But...that doesn't mean it is terrible in any respect either. C |
OSCARS
Best Sound Editing
Kevin's Pick
Best Sound Editing
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A Quiet Place
Dir: John Krasinski Stars: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds John Krasinski's handling of this film is nothing short of masterful. He sets up a scenario where backstory is irrelevant, and that is hard. It is a hyperfocused situation where there are monsters outside who hunt by sound...and sound...and they hunt violently and fatally. It is done so ridiculously well that any cough, crunch, or ringtone that was in my theater made my heart jump and feel the need to scream out, "You're going to get us all killed!!!" This is the most terrifying thriller in years. It has patience, artistic vision, and one of the greatest final 5 seconds in a movie that I have seen in a LONG time. A- Bluray |
OSCARS
Best Animated Film
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Ralph Breaks the Internet
Dir: Phil Johnston & Rich Moore Voices: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch This sequel to Wreck-It Ralph is clever, but not brilliant. It is fun but not exciting. It is funny, but not hilarious. Overall...it just seems like the effort was not there to make great animation...which is odd for Walt Disney Animation. If it weren't for the outstanding inclusion of all of the Disney Princesses (with most of the original voice talent) and Gal Gadot's solid turn as a version of her Fast and the Furious character, the entire thing would be forgettable. B- |
Rampage
Dir: Brad Peyton Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman I played Rampage in the arcade when I was a kid. It was a gorilla, a wolf, and a lizard knocking down buildings. It is a pretty flimsy premise for an entire movie and they try to inject any sense of natural responsibility and military science espionage into the prodeedings, it is just terrible. But when these enormous rage monsters make their way into the big city and start leveling it causing mayhem...its pretty damn fun. The Rock can carry a movie like this in his sleep...but even he can't elevate it too far above the weight of its own stupidity. C+ |
OSCARS
Best Visual Effects
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Visual Effects
Best Sound Editing Best Sound Mixing |
Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg Stars: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg This movie has flaws. There is too much exposition, the third act drags a bit, and some plot developments don't make a whole lot of sense. But what this movie also has is one of the most incredibly imaginative experiences I have ever seen. Only the incomparable Steven Spielberg can make a movie about a virtual reality existence where anything is possible, and ground it into a logical, understandable universe that I watched with more awe, jealousy, giddiness, and full-blown amazement than any other movie in years. I had dreams about this movie, both waking and sleeping, because this is a movie that is tailor-made for a person like me, a cinephile who is the child of the 80s & 90s. I had more anticipation and hope for this movie more so than any other film in recent memory...and not one iota of it disappointed me...and nearly everything impressed me beyond anything I could have expected. I wanted to stay in the theater and watch another screening the second the credits rolled...and I probably would have stuck around a third time. A Bluray |
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeremy Irons, Charlotte Rampling, Ciaran Hinds Jennifer Lawrence really is a star. This is a movie for adults, made with patience and doesn't rely on sensory overload to keep things going and to hold our attention. Lawrence is playing this role with such confidence that the entire movie really is her. I enjoyed it...because it was a spy movie where loyalties and reveals are changing on screen and in my head almost every few minutes. That kind of intrigue is entertaining to me. I forgive a lot of the issues, like the accents and the abrupt end of "Sparrow School" way too soon (the best part of the movie where Lawrence is learning to be a sexualized expert in espionage). It doesn't do TOO much that is unique or even distinguishing...but what it does do, it does well. B |
Robin Hood
Dir: Otto Bathurst Stars: Taron Edgerton, Jamie Foxx, Jamie Dornan, Ben Mendelsohn One thing our cinematic landscape does NOT need is ANOTHER Robin Hood Movie. Now I have seen 5, and it still has never been better than in 1938. I wasn't as critical of Ridley Scott's attempt in 2010...but that was more of a Crusade epic than the fable is should be. This time, Otto Bathurst (Whoever that is) injects the flashy, video-game modernization into the story and its a huge mess. It rushes along FAR too fast so that we don't get ANY kind of story development. The action is somewhere between interesting and nonsensical mayhem. If there is any saving grace to the film...it is Taron Edgerton. He is perfectly cast here at the titular character...but he is poorly directed. His charisma and charm keep it at a C and is the only reason to see the film. C |
OSCARS
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Picture
Best Director Best Actress Best Supporting Actress Best Original Screenplay Best Cinematography Best Foreign Film |
Roma
Dir: Alfonso Cuaron Stars: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira Alfonso Cuaron really is a master filmmaker. Roma is a pretty simple film, inspired by his experiences with his own caretaker in his childhood in Mexico. The film follows Cleo, and her interactions with the family she takes care of. At first, the film is a bit slow and simple. But I was not prepared for how Cuaron was priming my emotions. Where I was a bit confused and anxious for the film to get going, when things happen in the second half, I was an absolute, emotional wreck. It was extraordinary. A black-and-white, Mexican, slow-burn movie moved me more than any other work in 2018. It is an extraordinary piece of art. A |
Searching
Dir: Aneesh Chaganty Stars: John Cho, Debra Messing What a solid, cleverly filmed movie Searching is. The story is pretty straightforward, where a loving single father has lost track of his daughter and fears the worst. However, it is told almost completely through all the different modes of communication and social media programs that you can imagine. It is so refreshing and well done, and John Cho is better than he has ever been. I just wish that simple premise stayed true to itself, because every thriller, for some reason, feels that it needs a twist. This movie did not need it, so when it comes, it is more silly and corny than exciting. It takes away from the overall experience. B |
Skyscraper
Dir: Rawson Marshall Thurber Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell This action film is the height of absurdity, but when Dwayne Johnson is headlining an absurd movie, it always seems to work. Johnson is Will Sawyer, a double-leg amputee that is the security specialist for the largest, most advanced building in the world. The Pearl touches the sky in Hong Kong, and of course, in pure Die Hard fashion, everything goes south. It is pretty simple. Sawyer's family is inside the towering inferno, he has to get in. What follows is death-defying stunts, great special effects, and developments that are absolutely ridiculous. This is a popcorn movie through and through. The motivations of the villains are never quote explained and the "house of mirror" climax is so shoehorned in for no reason. Still...it is nearly impossible not to have a good time with this stupid nonsense. B |
OSCARS
Best Visual Effects
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Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Paul Bettany In my opinion, for the first time in the Disney Star Wars era, they have missed their mark. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy this movie...but it lacked the passion, fun, purpose that Force Awakens, Last Jedi, and Rogue One had. The roles are serviceable, but the only really fun performance is Paul Bettany as the big baddie. The story is ultimately pointless and forgettable, but it does give us a handful of fantastic action sequences. The strangest part of the movie? Chewbacca. I'm serious. To see Han and Chewie's intro and blossoming camaraderie has the most heart out of anything in the movie. Especially over the so-called love story between Ehrenreich and Emilia Clarke...which has zero chemistry. Ron Howard is a safe director, and makes a safe movie, and it will ultimately be pushed to the back burner of Star Wars lore. Not as insultingly childish and ridiculous as the prequels...but not in the same league of the recent successes. B Bluray |
SOMM III
Dir: Jason Wise I really dug the original SOMM. Watching a handful of wine-lovers study ffor hours and hours for what is considered the hardest test in the world, the Master Sommelier exam, was captivating. SOMM III feels pretentious, unaccesible, and more amateur. It tells the story of the Judgement of Paris, again. Sets up its own blind testing of Pinot Noir (not nearly as significant an event and no stakes), and has three of the most important figures in the wine industry talk about how important they are and taste wines no normal person will EVER have access to. While the original was inspiring, this one makes me feel like those people studying for the exam should do something else with their lives or they will turn into these snobbish people. C |
OSCARS
Best Animated Film
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Animated Film
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Spider-Man: In to the Spider-Verse
Dir: Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman Voices: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Kathryn Hahn, Liev Schreiber This is one of the most uniquely, beautiful animated movies of all time. The artistry that went into creating this Spider-Verse is unlike anything you have ever seen. If you pause the film at any point, it looks like a richly gorgeous page in a comic book. But that is just the visuals. Underneath that is a heartfelt, poignant story about the young Miles Morales and his origin story as a young, Black/Hispanic Spider-Man. Then there is the batshit crazy, barely comprehensible idea that Kingpin and Doc Ock opened a gateway to other dimensions and other Spider-Man versions (Peter Parker, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, and Spider-Pig) spill through. Even though it is hardly cohesive...it will absolutely seduce you and you will fall under its spell. A- |
The Spy Who Dumped Me
Dir: Susanna Fogel Stars: Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux Ugh...I feel like have seen this movie a dozen times before. Pretty girl gets dumped. Goes with friend to Europe. Gets caught up in espionage because ex is a spy. Kate McKinnon is funny...but when isn't she funny? Also, some of the fighting and stunts are superb. But Mila Kunis is sleepwalking her way through this movie and it is just all so lazy and predictable. C |
OSCARS
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Actor
Best Adapted Screenplay Best Original Song |
A Star is Born
Dir: Bradley Cooper Stars: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliot As a single vision and passion project, Bradley Cooper has pulled off this movie perfectly. His performance as the seasoned, substance-abusing rocker, Jackson Maine is a career best. Lady Gaga is a revelation as Ally, the girl he discovers and falls for. Cooper's direction is of single purpose and style, and it is extraordinary. On top of all that, the story is told with such maturity, such honesty, and so perfectly avoids melodrama and cliche that it was refreshing. It has been so long since I have seen such an adult movie that satisfies 100% on every level. This is Bradley Cooper's film through and through. He had a mission to bring this story that had been made 3 times before, and he pulled it off in a way I could never have imagined. I cried, I cheered, and I laughed. It all worked admirably. A |
The Strangers: Prey at Night
Dir: Johannes Roberts Stars: Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson The Strangers movies are odd. The point of these horror movies is that there is no point. There are just figures out to terrorize and kill for no reason whatsoever. Even if it provides good jump-scares (there is one that is outstanding here), some tension, and decent kills, the lack of any sort of plot or character turns it weird and exhibitionist...as if we were simply watching a video game. There is some fun to be had, and this movie is in love with putting violence of inappropriate slow-rock songs, but it there isn't much to get out of it. The movie wants to be without purpose...and it succeeds at that...and therefore it fails. C- |
Super Troopers 2
Dir: Jay Chandrasekhar Stars: Broken Lizard, Brian Cox, Rob Lowe, Will Sasso, Tyler Labine, Hayes MacArthur I really hate to do this, because I am a huge fan of the Broken Lizard boys, but this movie is a complete disaster. It is so illogical because they are funny guys, and they got a lot of money through a GoFundMe to make this sequel...but they simultaneously forgot everything about the original film that made it such a cult hit, and they drove some of the things that made the first film great right into the ground. This time around, they are patrolling Canada because of the situation where the border was drawn incorrectly...so now the troopers are doing hijinks on Canadians...and they overdo Canadian jokes WAY too much. Gone is the juvenile goofiness that we all loved like "Meow", and the German couple. We only get about a 3-4 minute montage with SOME of that stuff. Farva is now an incredible asshole instead of just the violent doofus that everyone teases and loves to hate. If there is one saving grace, it is the Sasso/Labine/MacArthur trio as Mounties...they are hysterical. The Broken Lizard guys have been gone for a while...and this dud, the worst of their filmography, is not going to bring them back in any big way. It makes me sad. D+ |
Tag
Dir: Jeff Tomsic Stars: Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Burress, Jeremy Renner If this were not a real story...it may come across as incredibly stupid...but this story is real...so it is actually a delight. To watch a handful of men, who have been playing the same game of Tag during the month of May for the past 30 years, provides a lot of laughs. It is goofy and silly, but it is light-hearted and never mean-spirited...and that is rare in modern comedy. The premise is that Jeremy Renner is about to get married, and is the master of the game who has never been caught. Renner has so much fun as the omniscient tag-avoider that it really elevates everything. His voice-over as he assesses the attack (a la RDJ in Sherlock Holmes) is definitely the highlight. I laughed a lot and I never rolled my eyes at anything for being dumb or too unbelievable. I'd say that is a success. B |
Tau
Dir: Federico D'Alessandro Stars: Maika Monroe, Ed Skrein, Gary Oldman Netflix is the place to go for small sci-fi movies, and some of them are just fine. This film has some things that work and some things that are huge problems. A pickpocket woman is kidnapped and held prisoner by a man who has put an implant on the back of her neck. Eventually she awakens and is in an ultra-advanced house run by Tau, an advanced AI system that is keeping her prisoner as her captor comes and goes. What worked? Tau itself. The evolution of this Gary Oldman voiced system from HAL9000 to Johnny 5 is actually compelling. What didn't? Well...Monroe is not much of an actress so it made it all very amateur. Also..Ed Skrein's villain is VERY poorly handled. If they made him 100% emotionless and treating her captor as a tool. That would've worked. If they made him an emotional mess who feels he NEEDS to do what he is doing and apologizes for it. That would work. As he sits...he is just a brilliant asshole, doing asshole-y things for no reason...making him a terrible villain. C |
Terminal
Dir: Vaughn Stein Stars: Margot Robbie, Simon Pegg, Dexter Fletcher, Max Irons, Mike Meyers This mess of a movie is as if the filmmakers were out to emulate a Richard Kelly film...and they succeed at that admirably...but that doesn't make it good. It is pretty, with goofy but intriguing performances, and it all operates with a severe secret that you know will be revealed so you stay on board. There are reveals, which are interesting if not exactly relevant...but this movie has something Richard Kelly movies don't have...the audacity to spend several minutes to explain what has been going on and why. It was clunky...but appreciated. I didn't love this movie because it really lacks cohesiveness...but I didn't hate it because it has a lot of style. C+ |
Three Identical Strangers
Dir: Tim Wardle Three Identical Strangers is one of the most unbelievable, stranger-than-fiction documentaries you will probably ever see. It tells the story of triplets, Robert, Eddy, and David, who were separated at birth. Then, through sheer ridiculous happenstance, they all find each other. The adventure these boys take, and the rabbit-hole their parents go down, is nothing short of extraordinary. It really does say a whole lot about nature vs. nurture, fraternal bonding, psychology, and medical ethics. In fact, it says so much, that it kind of hurts the film a bit. It goes from fascinating to mind-boggling to exasperating...but it is still a documentary like none you have seen before. B+ |
Time Trap
Dir: Mark Dennis & Ben Foster Stars: Andrew Wilson Neat little concept of a movie...but its a shame when the acting and dialogue is just terrible. The idea is that there is a cave...and when you enter the cave, time slows down to a crawl. So while you are inside the cave, the outside world is racing through time...leaving you behind. Cool enough. But these idiots that went into the cave looking for their professor are constantly stating the obvious in a way that is excruciating. There could have been a lot of opportunity for horror and terror...but it is played as confusion and simplicity. It was OK....but not quite smart enough to be good. C |
Tomb Raider
Dir: Roar Uthaug Stars: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu I was a player of the Tomb Raider video games and I loved them...but this movie just doesn't quite work. Vikander is an excellent actress...but she doesn't seem right for this role. She comes across as an agile kid in this movie instead of the strong, imposing heroine I feel she should. The movie starts off great with Lara Croft as the head of a bike chase through busy traffic...and then the action just goes downhill. The plot exposition about some ancient Japanese witch is so forced, and so silly, that I really stopped caring...and then when the "tomb" stuff finally began..it was all so corny and unbelievable. It looks good and I like Vikander...but this is a whole lot of blah. C |
Truth or Dare
Dir: Jeff Wadlow Stars: Lucy Hale It's not that I really hate the idea of this movie....but I hate how poorly it is executed and I HATE that this movie is rated PG-13. The story is kind of a rip-off on Final Destination..with the victims having a BIT of control over their faith. They are stuck in a supernatural version of "Truth or Dare" whereby if they fail to accomplish their task, they will die. It's dumb...but then again is most horror. But it is so sterile that it is not scare or exciting. If someone is about to die...you just know the camera will cut away before the really violent, graphic stuff is shown...and that sucks a lot of the peace out of the story. I won't even start talking about the attempts to break the curse and how people's relationships keep taking precedence over a killer, supernatural phenomenon that has been proven to exist. D+ |
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Original Screenplay
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Tully
Dir: Jason Reitman Stars: Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Ron Livingston, Mark Duplass Early on in this film, I was hooked by its realism. The way Reitman directs and certainly Theron's performance really portrays a real woman, at the end of her rope, now that she has given birth to her third child. Her well-off brother offers to buy her a Night Nanny, and it changes her life. All of this was very well handled...and then things take a VERY odd turn...and the explanatory reveal about said turn is certainly interesting, but it doesn't quite work. I feel like this movie could have been GREAT if a bit more attention was put on this turn. At only about 90 minutes...there was certainly time to flesh this idea out. Since it doesn't...it makes it a bit uneven. I still enjoyed Theron. She is so good working with Reitman. B |
Upgrade
Dir: Leigh Whannell Stars: Logan Marshall-Green Leigh Whannell has been an entertaining creative force for years. He wrote Saw, the Insidious franchise, and my personal favorite, Death Sentence. Well, this sci-fi film, that he also directed, is essentially a science fiction version of Death Sentence, where the revenge that the main character seeks is guided and assisted by an implant in his spine that can, on command, take over his body. It is a simple plot, and it is awfully predictable, but the action choreography and directorial flair is incredible. The way Whannell locks the camera in certain ways and has it follow Logan Marshall-Green's robotically controlled body is breathtaking. The climax is simultaneously exactly what you'd expect and poorly explained...so it left me a bit dissatisfied...but my jaw was on the floor for a lot of this film. B |
Venom
Dir: Ruben Fleischer Stars: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate What a ridiculous pile of nonsense this movie is. First of all, any Venom movie should have Spider-Man in it...plain and simple. Second, this movie should be rated R. If you are going to have your creature constantly biting heads off...do it gruesomely (this is directed by Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer after all). However, Tom Hardy seems to be daring the filmmakers to tell him to tone it down. He is a riot in this dumbass movie. Finally...if you scroll up a bit, you will see Upgrade. That is a far superior version of this "guy controlled by an outisde entity" trope. C+ |
OSCARS
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Vice
Dir: Adam McKay Stars: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Tyler Perry Adam McKay has become a unique, exciting filmmaker. His follow-up to his superb film, The Big Short tells the dark, yet funny story about Dick Cheney. This film is not as vibrant, focuses, or enjoyable as McKay's previous outing...but it can not be denied that there is a lot of talent on display here. Christian Bale totally disappears into Cheney the way Gary Oldman did behind Churchill last year. To watch such a power-hungry, odious man get everything he wants and then some, is fascinating yet unnerving and depressing. I won't say Vice is a bad film, far from it. It is just not a fun film. B- |
The Week of
Dir: Robert Smigel Stars: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Rachel Dratch It just doesn't seem Adam Sandler is trying anymore. His Netflix tenure just gets less and less interesting. Here...we are given a story where he is a poor schmo (living in West Hempstead..REPRESENT!!) who is trying to throw his daughter a wedding on the cheap. She is marrying a young man whose father (Rock) is a very rich, California heart surgeon, who would be more than happy to chip in, but Sandler refuses. So obviously everything goes wrong, and it is hard to root for Sandler because his pride is definitely ruining his daughter's wedding. However, there are a handful of truly inspired, laugh out loud situations that save the movie from complete idiocy. But the lack of effort here is pretty disheartening...even Rock seems to not even care anymore. C+ |
Welcome to Marwen
Dir: Robert Zemeckis Stars: Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Gwendoline Christie Welcome to Warwen was derided when it was released in 2018. And I get it. This is an odd, unique movie whose central conceit is a bit hard to hook into. Well, I did. Those who don't aren't wrong, but if one doesn't...the film will seem silly and hollow. I felt the movie was INCREDIBLY sad, and affected me more than I thought it would. Carell plays Mark, a man who was beaten to an inch of his life. Upon recovery, he built a model World War II village in his backyard. He uses this model and the dolls that populate it as a way to cope with his debilitating PTSD. Again...it is weird, and tonally strange, and has patented, creepy Zemeckis animation...but I found myself mesmerized and devastated by Mark's story. B+ |
When We First Met
Dir: Ari Sandel Stars: Adam Devine, Alexandra Daddario, Shelley Hennig, Robbie Amell Three years ago, our goofball main character met the girl of his dreams, had the night of his life, and immediately got friend-zoned. Today is her engagement party to their mutual friend...and he can't take it and in a drunken stupor, goes to the bar and the photo-booth from that fateful night 3 years ago...bang, he arrives on that morning and can relive the date. This movie is equal parts Groundhog Day and Bedazzled and it is harmlessly charming and things turn out the way they should and the way you want. Adam Devine is no where near as obnoxious as he usually is and shows how good he is when he dials it back a bit. B |
Widows
Dir: Steve McQueen Stars: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Liam Neeson, Daniel Kaluuya Widows is a great example as to how great a movie can be with the right people at the helm and in front of the camera. The story is as cliche as you can imagine...in a way that I knew almost EXACTLY what was going on the entire film...and it was striving for twists and turns. However, McQueen's direction is absolutely outstanding...injecting excitement and meaning into scenes that could otherwise be nothing but filler (Farrell's uncut car ride). Also, the women at the center of this heist film are acting their butts off...and Debicki is best in show. But, even though she is outstanding as always, I found Viola Davis's character unlikable and unsympathetic, so I further found myself rooting against the film's protagonists. That was a problem...but this is still a solid achievement B+ |
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Documentary
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Won't You Be My Neighbor
Dir: Morgan Neville Growing up in the 1980s, Fred Rogers was a staple of my childhood. When I would watch PBS, if Sesame Street wasn't on, then I was watching Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. As an adult, the ideologue that is Fred Rogers is a fascinating subject. That is why I was incredibly excited for this documentary. Unfortunately, it kind of let me down. All the ingredients are there, great subject, talking heads, a lot of archival footage...but I had a hard time feeling any conflict in the Fred Rogers universe. When Congress wanted to cut his funding, he conquered them. When he insisted on withholding a cast member's homosexuality, I perked up and thought things were getting juicy, but it was just passed over and forgotten about. The man was the real thing, and objectively one of the greatest children's entertainers and icons...but this is a fluff piece that just further exhibits those facts...and I knew/felt that already. B- |
Zoe
Dir: Drake Doremus Stars: Ewan McGregor, Lea Seydoux, Theo James, Miranda Otto, Christina Aguilera Early on in this Amazon Original film, I thought I knew exactly where it was going...and in a way...I did...but it happened so early that I was excited to see where else this good little film would take me. McGregor plays Cole, a brilliant man at the pinnacle of AI and android technology at a company that commercializes love in three ways. First, it has an algorithm that scientifically calculates the probability you will stay with your mate. Second, it has a pharmaceutical branch that produces pills to simulate the feelings of love, and then they have the synthetics (androids)...where this movie focuses on. It isn't just the "Am I real" trope going on...but it is the converse "Can I love you though you are not real". I was engaged, mostly because of the performances, but there is so much philosophy to discuss surround those three branches...I kind of which this was a limited series. B |