Sexy Beast (2000)

Ben Kingsley is truly frightening in this movie. I was on edge for most of it. He was able to use brute force with only his voice, but then backed it up with some violence as well. A pure antagonist. Cinematography, directing, and editing were superb. Everything was very crisp and at just the right angle. This is a nice indie, but be prepared for some detailed violence as well as some very descriptive language.

Rating: B+

Freaks Of Nature (2015)

A fun mishmash of zombies, vampires, humans, and aliens. Smarter than I thought it was going to be. And funny too. A good balance between cartoonish violence and character development. Surprisingly good.

Rating: C+

Ip Man (2008)

I didn’t realize this Chinese martial arts movie was based on a real man. To be fair, most of the story is complete fiction. In many regards it acts as a Chinese propaganda film. The Japanese aren’t exactly painted in a positive way. Despite its faults, the fight scenes are quite competent and make Ip Man bearable to watch.

Rating: C

Creed (2015)

I generally don’t care for boxing movies, or boxing in general, but this is a nominated film, so I made an exception. Let’s be honest. Boxing is boring as hell. Movies make it way more exciting than what it really is—two dudes hugging it out. Thank goodness MMA became a thing.

Stallone does an admirable job in his role. Best actor? Not by a long shot. Leonardo in The Revenant is the clear-cut winner. Decent movie.

Rating: C

The 5th Wave (2016)

A hodgepodge of stolen pieces from other teen angst ridden post-apocalyptic movies. Too much time spent on unimportant smoldering romances and not enough time filling in enormous plot holes.

Rating: D+

Amy (2015)

The story of Amy Winehouse. It’s a fairly straightforward telling. A lot of tragedy, much of which could have been avoided with better parenting and management. Glad I got to see her live before she passed.

Rating: C

Spirit Of The Marathon (2007)

Somehow I expected more. I've run a number of marathons and I was excited at the prospect of a film that sought to capture the mystique surrounding this magical distance. Spirit of the Marathon fell short. I thought they could have done a much better job choosing the runners they followed. A couple were interesting, but most came off quite boring. Not a total failure, but definitely a false start.

Rating: D+

The Dressmaker (2015)

The first ¾ of this film is a quirky Australian treat, especially when the topic is dressmaking. Unfortunately things go off the rails in the final act, becoming increasingly bizarre and less entertaining. I was ambivalent about Kate Winlett’s casting until the love story started up between her and Hemsley. Then it got plain creepy. In the movie, I believe they are half brother and sister. But that wasn’t even the creepy part—she looked old enough to be his mother. He looked like People Magazine’s sexiest man of the year. Their “romance” didn’t make sense and became distracting. I could have forgiven all that if they hadn’t blown the ending so badly. What was on track to being something special instead ends up with a…

Rating: C

The Hunted (2003)

Went in with low expectations. Turned out to be pretty good. Plenty violent, average plot, and some good suspense. 

Rating: C

Steve Jobs (2015)

Not the Steve Jobs film I thought I’d be seeing. It was almost a theatrical play, mainly taking place at product launches, revolving around a few key players. Sorkin dialogue is rampant, as one would expect. Jeff Daniels reprising his The Newsroom role drove the point home. Acting is sharp. Nominations likely deserved. Screenplay is noteworthy too. That’s about as far as I’m willing to go.

Rating: C+

K-PAX (2001)

I hate movies where things are left mysterious and vague. I want to know how the story ends, not play guessing games with what the writer/director were thinking.

I thought Kevin Spacey did an admirable job as an alien, and I liked Jeff Bridges as well. The story was interesting, and the plot was well developed. I only wished they would have acknowledged the fact that he either was or wasn't an alien.

Rating: C

Spotlight (2015)

A lot of heavy hitters show up in this Oscar-bait docu-drama. They do a solid job of turning investigative journalism into a compelling story. It’s mind boggling how anyone could stand in the way of this story getting told without everyone around them pointing a finger and saying—hey, stop supporting pedophilia asshole! Important film.

Rating: B

Meet The Mormons (2014)

An international perspective of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Some interesting stories from everyday people around the world. Enjoyed it.

Rating: C

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Like all the other Star Wars films, it was packed with coincidence, improbability, and lasers. Cheap thrills over content. The new droid was cute. The girl-power box was checked. Light speed was attained. One Storm Trooper was redeemed. The rest got massacred. Sabers were crossed. Not exactly sure why everybody’s having a wet dream over this.

Rating: C

Rambo III (1988)

After a lackluster sequel, the third manages to tell a much more compelling story with credible characters that don't smack of a Jr. High stage production. Rambo has been chilling with some Buddhist monks in Thailand, doing a little stick fighting on the side, when Col. Trautman sucks him back into another war.

Once again, the Russians are the bad guys while Rambo fights with the people of Afghanistan. Despite more high-tech battle scenes, they still managed to keep the carnage creative. My personal favorite: The guy Rambo hung by the neck into a cave and then exploded into bits with a grenade.

Thankfully, there was no token "love interests" to get in the way this time... come to think of it, I don't recall any women in this film with lines at all. After that dreadful Thai actress in the second film, it's just as well. Almost as good as the first.

Rating: C+

The Big Short (2015)

The Big Short could very easily have been a documentary about the worldwide financial meltdown of 2007-2008, but instead they decided to go full Hollywood with it, making a compelling motion picture with heavy-hitting actors. If only we could learn from our mistakes, but I doubt it. 

Rating: B

Meet Bill (2007)

Watched with lowered expectations on my way back from Malaysia. It managed to keep me awake and entertained, so that's saying something. Enjoyed most of the cast and story. A bit cliché in parts.

Rating C

Straight Outta Compton (2015)

I’m a sucker for these music origin stories—Eight Mile, Hustle & Flow, etc. This film painted an entertaining historical picture of West Coast rap. The first half was fun and tightly written. The second half was lazier, and could have used some editing.

Rating: C

The Hot Chick (2002)

Funny despite being incredibly dumb.

Rating: C