Leave No Trace (2018)

Slow paced and thoughtful. Quite good acting from the daughter. 

Rating: C

About Adam (2000)

I tasty Irish treat. A tale of love and the curvy road it takes to get there; woven perfectly by the director.

Rating: B

Triple Frontier (2019)

What happens when greed leads you off the right path and you fail to course correct.

Rating: C

Instant Family (2018)

The highs and many lows of foster parent life. Not overly sentimental, but also not afraid to tug at your heartstrings. It’s a feel good ending, but isn’t that what you really want?

Rating: C+

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

The pairing of Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. was a good match. Gritty action reminiscent of Snatch combined with the wit and sarcasm of Downey. I was a bit surprised by the dark nature of the plot, but eventually got on board towards the end of the film.

Rating: C+

Joyride (2001)

Scary and fun. Making CB radios creepy again.

Rating: C

Venom (2018)

Better than I thought it was going to be. Sure, it followed the same pattern as all superhero movies, where the good guy fights a bad version of himself at the end, but there were a few creative twists that made it worth the ride. I’d watch a sequel.

Rating: C

Date Night (2010)

Truthfully, I get more enjoyment out of an average episode of The Office or 30 Rock than I did this movie. It was ok, but many of the jokes fell flat. The writing wasn't particularly clever. Not enough fun cameos to make up for it either.

Rating: C

The Founder (2016)

Just a pure entrepreneurial delight to behold; that is until the mid-point of the film, when Ray Croc turns out to be an alcoholic, lecherous, asshole. Still, it’s an interesting bit of American history.

Rating: C+

Godmoney (1999)

Watched this one only because I came across the soundtrack and liked it. The movie wasn't very good.

Rating: D+

The Meg (2018)

China left no doubt who was financing this film. A lot of people die via shark, then the shark dies. About what you'd expect.

Rating: D+

My Summer Of Love (2004)

Emily Blunt is such an underrated smoke-show. Both female leads are great in their roles. A bit dark and claustrophobic for my taste.

Rating: C

Downsizing (2017)

A very unique premise that was fun to explore through film. I thought this was going to be a comedy, but it turned out to be a drama. The story was not at all what I expected. Much more thoughtful and character driven.

Rating: B

Ralph Breaks The Internet (2018)

Creative and fun when it’s being creative and fun. More overbearing than the first in parts. The Disney princesses were a nice touch.

Rating: C

Hamlet (2000)

I kind of liked the updated version of Romeo & Juliet, so I thought I'd give this one a shot, since it received the same treatment. Watching a Shakespearean movie is like watching a foriegn film to me, I need subtitles just to figure out what the hell they are saying. And even when I do follow the jibberish, it usually turns out to be some flowery diatribe about misery and incest.

I freaking hate Shakespeare. Pure crapola. Even though this movie had an incredible cast, it still wasn't enough to overcome another dreary, tragic plot.

Rating: F

Isn’t It Romantic (2019)

A promising, cute premise that never quite came to fruition. The script either needed to be darker or funnier.

Rating: C-

Alpha (2018)

A boy and wolf survival movie set way way back. Very pretty to look at. Suspenseful enough to hold your attention.

Rating: C+

The Work of Director Stéphane Sednaoui (2005)

Stéphane's background is in photography, and it certainly showed. My favorites were Give it Away  and Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I also liked his class presentation at NYU. Most of the other videos weren't really my style.

Rating: C-

The Brothers Bloom (2008)

A very beautiful and unique film, at least for the first third. Things got a little sketchy after that. I liked the characters and direction. Reminded me at times of "Pushing Daisies", but less cartoony.

Rating: C

Equalizer 2 (2018)

This movie is all about waiting for those flashes of violence. I grew up with the television show and the Denzel films are a fun continuation of that--albeit more violent. The plot wasn’t anything special, but more coherent than most action movies.

Rating: C+

Cradle Will Rock (1999)

Written and directed by Tim Robbins with an all star cast. Tells the story of the Federal Theater Movement during the Great Depression. Good acting and witty dialogue.

Rating: C

Star Trek (2009)

A lunar surfaces' worth of plot holes didn't help this reboot win me over to the franchise.

Rating: C-

Enigma (2001)

Don't waste your time with this anti-thriller. Confusing plot with boring characters and no excitement. Hard to stay awake.

Rating: D-

Incredibles 2 (2018)

Baby Jack makes the movie. Fun for kids and adults alike. 

Rating: C

Nerve (2016)

Like an teen reboot of The Game, but with a much weaker ending.

Rating: C-

Rocket Science (2007)

A smart comedy about a stuttering debater attempting to come out of his shell. Some really competent performances. Nice direction and writing. Consistently funny; often laugh-out-loud.

Rating: B

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

The Hollywood story of Queen. Great music and of course a fantastic performance from Rami Malek.

Rating: C+

Fyre (2019)

Documentary about the disastrous Fyre Festival and it’s Trump-like founder Billy. Highly entertaining to watch, as most slow moving car crashes usually are. The film shines a light on America’s two biggest exports--scam and glam. Protect yourself from both.

Rating: C+

The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys (2002)

Reminded me of Stand By Me and many other "group of young boys who get into a lot of trouble" movies. Jodie Foster was pretty good as the cranky nun, but Vincent D'Onofrio was wasted as the priest. Kieran Culkin continues to nab interesting roles.

Rating: C

Mandy (2018)

Really slow pacing. Took a half hour for anything of note to happen. On top of that, it was really weird. Deeply strange and dark. Second half is quite gory. You’ve been warned.

Rating: D

Darkest Hour (2017)

My first impression was that I was watching another episode of The Crown, only with slightly different actors. I then found myself asking--does this film rise above the level of an episode of that TV show? Perhaps. But interestingly enough, it also ties into another nominated film: Dunkirk. It’s as if all these programs were working in cahoots with one another to help us brush up on our world history.

Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Winston Churchill was on point. Likely Oscar worthy. It’s quite amazing how a bunch of rich, pasty, hanky-waving old dudes managed to come together to save the world from Hitler. Sadly, more often than not, it’s those same old white dudes who get us in trouble to begin with.

Rating: C+

Elektra (2005)

Her small role in Daredevil was much better than this entire film. Terribly written and very shallow.

Rating: F

Uncle Drew (2018)

Predictable fun with some great basketball mixed in. No harm, no foul.

Rating: C

Winter Sleepers (1997)

An early Tom Tykwer film released before Run Lola Run. While his potential is evident throughout the movie, I wasn't moved like I was in his other films. My least favorite of his so far.

Rating: C-

Thirteen Days (2000)

Long movie. They could have shaved 30-40 minutes off easy, but still a decent flick.

Rating: C

Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)

Much of the originality and fun from the first film got lost on the road to this sequel. My question about what a person eats to stay alive for decades in the quantum realm was never answered. Most of the “science” in this movie is highly suspect. I can tolerate an average amount of preposterousness that comes with superhero movies, but it seems like they’ve gone to extreme levels lately. The second half of the film was pure lunacy. 

Rating: D+

Righteous Kill (2008)

Dark and moody. Far too stylized to be believable. Just a long buildup to the inevitable twist ending. Unsatisfying and over acted.

Rating: D-

Under The Tuscan Sun (2003)

Delightful. Really enjoyed the cinematography and story. I passed through Tuscany on my travels in Europe, but seeing this film makes me want to go back and spend more time. 

Rating: B

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Felt rather disjointed overall. The script left a lot to be desired. Entertaining enough to muster an average rating. 

Rating: C

Zach Galifianakis: Live at the Purple Onion (2006)

I've been a longtime fan of Zach's brand of comedy, so I laughed a lot during this "movie". On a cinematic level, it's nothing special, but if you like dry, sometimes dark humor, and get beard envy, this is a fun way to kill an hour.

Rating: C

War Dogs (2016)

Perversely entertaining despite knowing the real joke is on everyone watching the film. At least our wasted tax dollars help fund the story this film is loosely based upon.

Rating: C+

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

One implausible action sequence after the next, held together with unfailing luck and an army of guardian angels. At any given moment I barely knew what was happening on screen, and after the movie ended, I could only tell you it had something to do with nuclear bombs and espionage. How this got a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is the real Mission Impossible. I suspect Tom Cruise and Scientology were involved.

Rating: D

Fast & Furious (2009)

Like a moth to the flame, I return to this franchise knowing I'm going to fry my brain. The original cast is back together for some car chases and explosions. Terrible plot filled with holes. Dialogue sucked. Acting was mediocre at best. What did I expect?

Rating: D-

Black Knight (2001)

Thank goodness for Dollar Movie Nights at the theater. Worth a few chuckles.

Rating: D+