Silver City (2004)

What a waste of good talent. The movie is very slow to arrive at nowhere in particular. I've enjoyed John Sayles movies before, but this one is a stinker.

Rating: D-

Brittany Runs A Marathon (2019)

A personal story of self-worth and transformation, but with comedians. I’ll always love Jillian Bell from her Workaholics role. This was flawed but fun.

Rating: C

Prospect (2018)

Looks better than it’s likely small budget would lead you to believe.

Rating: C+

Closer (2004)

Overrated! Sure, the acting was top notch, but the story was difficult to like. Most audience members will have a hard time relating to the characters. They are strange people who lead strange sex lives. By the time the credits rolled, I was left feeling unsatisfied and slightly depressed. My sweet, innocent Natalie Portman is innocent no more.

Rating: C

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

Despite a ridiculous title, it was a mostly heartwarming and occasionally funny adventure film.

Rating: C+

Anna And The Apocalypse (2017)

Not generally a fan of teen musicals. Song numbers felt like lip synced American Idol tryouts, although the dirty Santa song was clever. As a zombie movie, it doesn’t work at all. Too cutesy. Reactions to the apocalypse are overly laissez-faire. Acting is poor. Script is weak.

Rating: F+

Mortal Engines (2018)

I was immediately impressed with the slick Transformer/Voltron-like way in which the mobile cities came apart and back together. I almost wanted to watch that part in slow motion just to see the realistic detail that went into making these effects. The concept and aesthetic vision they were going for was achieved, which is quite impressive.

Taking the story and acting out of the equation, I enjoyed watching this film just for the execution of the future dystopian steampunk vision come to life. With that said, the story and acting were ok. Reminded me of Mad Max on steroids.

Rating: C+

The Village (2004)

M. Night brings together a fantastic group of actors for one of his most original films to date. Suspenseful and surprising. If only all of his films were this good.

Rating: B

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

Picking up from where 2 leaves off, John Wick is on the run and being hunted by what appears to be half the city. In the JW Universe, hit-man is a popular career choice. If you’re in the mood to bathe in violence, John Wick will be seeing you.

Rating: C

Lean On Pete (2017)

I wasn’t really sure where this film was going, but it won me over in the end. Charlie takes a less-than scenic route to his final destination in Wyoming. Lean On Pete, the horse, has an even bumpier ride. Sometimes sad and raw.

Rating: C+

Border (Gräns) (2018)

A strange Swedish film that I would love to see as a television police procedural series. A crime solving troll with a super sniffer is a show I’d watch.

Rating: C

Train To Busan (2016)

This is a terrifyingly well done Korean zombie movie. Some quick character development makes you care enough about those in danger. The violence is real too. These zombies are of the fast variety. It’s a literal tsunami of zombies that devour anything in their path. Few survive. It’s fast paced and thrilling. Great acting too, especially by the little girl.

Rating: B+

Aladdin (2019)

Only survived 10 minutes and two schmaltzy songs before I’d had enough. Found it more and more grating by the second and called it quits.

Rating: F

In Good Company (2004)

Loved it. Paul Weitz hits it out of the park again after About A Boy. Great casting. Credible actors. Witty dialogue. Good drama. Laugh out loud comedy. Emotion. The soundtrack is phenomenal.

Rating: B+

Overlord (2018)

I thought this was a nice mix of realism, mayhem, and horror. Surprised at how much character development they squeezed in between violent deaths and explosions. Quite enjoyable.

Rating: C+

Wonder (2017)

It wasn’t bad, but much of the film felt forced, cliched, and manipulative. Not up to par with Lucas or Mask. 

Rating: C-

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

Another slow buildup to a wild finale like Hateful Eight--but with more buildup. For a while I was afraid the entire film would simply be Brad Pitt running errands.

At the same time, it was fun to see old Hollywood so meticulously recreated. The end is a bloody trip. Not one of Tarantino’s best, but still unique and fun. 

Rating: B-

Stake Land II (2016)

Didn’t impress me as much as the first one, but it didn’t necessarily let me down either.

Rating: C

Bumblebee (2018)

The reviews on this were quite complementary, which tricked me into seeing it. Maybe this Transformers offshoot had a bit more storytelling than the rest of the franchise, but that didn’t make it any more watchable. The acting wasn’t great. The plot was Zzzzz. Dialogue was cheeseball. Action was ridiculous and trite. Best thing going for it was the soundtrack.

Rating: D-

Mean Creek (2004)

I enjoyed the acting and character development, but the movie ended without really taking us anywhere. Some story development would have been helpful.

Rating: C-

Crawl (2019)

They got me on every jump cut, but that’s about all it had going for it. Bad decisions with bloody consequences.

Rating: C-

Icarus (2017)

Incredible documentary about the widespread doping of athletes across all sports and the Olympic games going back decades. It specifically focuses on Russia’s state sponsored doping program. It will essentially ruin all spectator sport for you, as it has me.

Rating: B

A Star Is Born (2018)

I’ve always found alcoholism depressing to watch on screen. That applies to this film as well, but there are other more inspiring bits to keep it from falling into Leaving Las Vegas territory.

Rating: C

The Purge: Election Year (2016)

A more compelling story than the first two films, with a few returning characters. Still a lot of senseless violence around a premise--the purge--that doesn’t make a whole lot of logical sense. Of course, I choose to watch anyway.

Rating: C

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Somewhat intriguing to see what tricks Robert Rodriguez came up with technologically, but the rest of the film left a lot to be desired. Mildly entertaining.

Rating: C

The Bodyguard (2004)

No, not the version with crack addict Whitney Houston. This Bodyguard is over-the-top Thai actioner with Petchtai Wongkamlao. He wouldn't be most writers and directors first pick for the lead role, but when you are casting a film you wrote and directed yourself, it's easier to get away with it.

The humor is very Thai, which means you will only get about 50% of the jokes, and half of them are awkwardly at the expense of gay men. I recognized a couple actors from Ong-Bak, a far superior film, but this was still fun.

Rating: C

Eighth Grade (2018)

Ugh. Teens are the worst. Especially these new teens with their Snapchat filters and YouTube channels. All their most annoying attributes are amplified 100% more than ours were. This movie would have been easier to watch if nearly everyone in it wasn’t so annoying. Also, most of the film is completely awkward, which I realize was the point, but that doesn’t make it any more enjoyable to watch.

Rating: D

Hostiles (2017)

Some top notch performances that were overlooked by the award shows. A gritty Western that holds very few punches. Mainly a tale of redemption and forgiveness.

Rating: B

Sorry To Bother You (2018)

You’re going to be bothered. This is an F-ed up movie. I won’t spoil it for you.

Rating: C

Avengement (2019)

Dumb movie title. This is my second Scott Adkins film in the same night, so I have something fresh in my mind to compare it to. Avengement was actually a couple steps up from Accident Man, which is an even worse title. I look forward to his next film.

Rating: C

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Fun, but not magical. I may be too grounded to get carried away in this kind of fantasy.

Rating: C

Better Watch Out (2016)

The payoff at the end wasn’t satisfying enough for having to sit through a young serial killers' wet dream. Hard pass.

Rating: D-

Bird Box (2018)

A spin off of M. Night’s The Happening, with more coherency. I thought they did a pretty decent job of fleshing out the premise and keeping things suspenseful.

Rating: B-

Hidalgo (2004)

A "based on a true story" action movie. Pretty good.

Rating: C

Adrift (2018)

A tale of ocean survival based on a true story. Also a sad love story.

Rating: C

Glass (2019)

This trilogy was unique in that it was the second film, Split, that was superior. Glass tried to fuse two disjointed films together into a coherent narrative. It succeeded in a few places, but most of it felt unnatural. Forced. Was hoping for more. 

Rating: C-

Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)

More like Average Times At The El Royale.

Rating: C

Band Aid (2017)

Cute and funny in parts. Some songs hit, others miss. Fred Armisen as the drummer/weird neighbor was fun.

Rating: C

Willow (1988)

Funnier than I remember it being as a kid. Special effects are crap, but that adds to the fun. The next generation enjoyed as well.

Rating: C

Christopher Robin (2018)

Mildly entertaining. I’m pretty sure everyone would be much more freaked out if stuffed animals started talking. This could have easily been turned into a horror film.

Rating: C-

Team America: World Police (2004)

This is one fucked up puppet show. Some parts were entertaining, but I'd rather watch an episode of South Park.

Rating: C-

Dungeons & Dragons (2000)

Sad to see so many good actors in such a bad movie. Not since Dragonheart have I seen this kind of wasted talent in a dragon movie.

Rating: F

Hereditary (2018)

Dark, depressing, and disturbing. Not my type of horror film. 

Rating: D

Anthropoid (2016)

Bleak and depressing. Not a fun way to spend a Friday night. 

Rating: C-

Daybreakers (2009)

Fantastic premise. If Vampires are superhuman, of course they will overrun the Earth, exterminating every human along the way. But what happens when they suck their food source into near extinction? That's where this movie picks up. Things were rolling for the first half. It wasn't spectacular, but it was going places. The second half, things took a turn for the lame and gory. Felt more like a bad zombie movie at times. A weak ending didn't help.

Rating: C-

Assassination Nation (2018)

I didn’t buy the premise at all. When we have a president who shamelessly screws porn stars and tweets out filth directly at people he doesn’t like, how are we supposed to believe that people would be so bothered by the airing of dirty laundry that they’d care enough to get up off the couch and do something, let alone go on a murdering spree?

This played out more like The Purge--where the premise is stupid, but the nihilistic thrill of watching everyday people try to kill one another is what keeps you watching. Unfortunately they didn’t even do that very well. The last 10 minutes were B-level dreck.

Rating: D

Us (2019)

A lot of hype going into this one after Peele’s great Get Out. Us definitely had a creepy vibe with an unusual premise, but ultimately it unraveled after a series of disappointing reveals.

Rating: D+

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

A really long space chase filled with lasers and droids. I appreciated the few bits of humor they sprinkled in to give me a reprieve from all the “Who’s that again?”, “How do they know each other?”, and “How come Leia didn’t freeze in space and explode into a bazillion pieces?” It was a typical Star Wars flick, and at 2 ½ hours long, it was challenging to get through.

Rating: C-

Hearts Beat Loud (2018)

It was alright. Would have liked it more if the father and daughter had got along better and spent the film collaborating on music remotely rather than just a week before she left.

Rating: C

Fishing With John (1991)

John Lurie goes fishing with various famous people in strange and exotic places. There are like 6 episodes on the DVD, and I guarantee you've never seen a fishing show like this one. Just plain odd. The humor is very subtle sometimes, and the average viewer might be bored, but I enjoyed them. Famous guests included Dennis Hopper, Matt Dillon, William Dafoe, and more.

Rating: C+