Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (2006)

Very entertaining for adults as well as kids. I laughed quite a bit, especially in any scene with Scrat. He has a must see bonus feature all of his own that is hilarious.

Rating: C+

Analyze That (2002)

Not as funny as the first. .

Rating: C

A Quiet Place (2018)

Simple, yet terrifying. Life in a world without noise doesn’t seem like very much fun; especially with killer space dino-bugs on the loose.

Rating: B-

Following (1998)

A little known black and white film from Christopher Nolan. It jumps around more than Pulp Fiction, but doesn't lose the audience while doing so.

Rating: C+

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017)

About what I anticipated. People kept saying how good it was, so I figured I’d think it was ok. It was. Funny enough to keep me entertained, but not overly compelling.

Rating: C

Annihilation (2018)

There’s a whole genre of films that follow in the footsteps of Jodie Foster’s “Contact”. Sci-fi movies that show promise of a rich, intricate plot, but then never deliver the goods. This is one of those. Ultimately pointless. Yet another director who thinks audiences will get off on asking themselves “What do you think the meaning was?” to one another after the credits roll. F that.

Rating: D-

The Family Man (2000)

This "It's a Wonderful Life" retread isn't too bad. That little daughter can act up a storm.

Rating: C+

Jarhead (2005)

If I wasn't interested in joining the armed forces before, I certainly am not interested now. Sadly, I believe this film gives a fairly accurate portrayal of the crappy life a soldier endures. It's like a frat house with high powered weapons. No thanks Uncle Sam. 

Rating: C

Ready Player One (2018)

I was hooked within the first 7 minutes. Brilliant idea and execution. I’d watch for the pop culture callbacks alone. A teensy bit cheesy and cliche towards the end, but still a lot of fun.

Rating: B

The Visitor (2007)

A worthy follow-up to Thomas McCarthy's The Station Agent, which I loved. The Visitor is a much subtler, slower paced film. What's unique about McCarthy is how he can make the most obscure hobbies into an entertaining, feature-length film. Trains, drumming, what have you. In the end, they are all just devices in which to paint rich characters around. Not as satisfying as Station Agent, but still good.

Rating: B

Malibu’s Most Wanted (2003)

Mindless fun. The outlandish plot doesn't get in the way of the enjoyment.

Rating: C

Blockers (2018)

Occasionally funny. Teens are stupid.

Rating: C-

Push (2009)

Push suffers from the same flaws as it's twin brother Jumper. A convoluted plot with very few dots connected. The potential was there, but TV shows did a better job of reaching it. Namely, the first two seasons of Heroes and The 4400.

Rating: D+

Split (2016)

Legitimately creepy. Hailing back to Night's work on The Village. James McAvoy does some fantastic acting work with his multiple personalities.

Rating: B+

Isle Of Dogs (2018)

Wes Anderson films are always a treat because you know you’ll be getting something unique, yet on brand. This tale of boy’s best friend was playful, sincere, and entertaining. I loved the Japanese cultural influences.

Rating: B

Riding In Cars With Boys (2001)

A true drama. Not terribly exciting or uplifting, but still a good story. Drew has never looked so bad.

Rating: C

My Best Friend’s Girl (2008)

It's what you expect and nothing more. It made me laugh really hard twice. You could do worse, and probably have if you are watching this.

Rating: C-

Tomb Raider (2018)

A bit of fun at best. A convoluted mess at worst. Unrealistic and pointless puzzles at every turn that eventually lead up to one impossible narrow escape after another. Come on Hollywood. These things need to be based in at least a modicum of reality for us to care.

Rating: D-

The Rookie (2002)

Predictable Disney tearjerker that doesn't suck.

Rating: C

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

Don’t watch with your mom. This is some violent stuff. On par with the first Purge.

Rating: C

The Commuter (2018)

Preposterous and ultimately pointless. Bottom of the barrel script. 

Rating: D

Special (2006)

They did a good job of using a small budget to their advantage. It actually adds to the film. A bit depressing despite attempts at an uplifting message at the end.

Rating: C

The Purge (2013)

Decided to watch the four films in this series since I started watching the USA television show. As suspected, the TV show pulls directly from the films. Interesting premise, although they never really addressed a fundamental flaw in the purge system, which is what happens after purge day when the people who tried to kill you, or vice versa, didn’t succeed. Is there supposed to be no lingering resentment or grudge just because The Purge is over? Unrealistic.

Rating: C

Game Night (2018)

I enjoyed all the pop culture references throughout the film. It definitely borrows a lot from other movies, especially The Game. Still, it was funny and entertaining.

Rating: C+

Ratcatcher (1999)

I know nobody has seen this little Scottish movie, and nobody probably will, but thought I'd let everyone know that is was interesting, but slow. Despite being in English, you'll still need to read the subtitles, as the accent is very thick and rural.

Rating: C-

Marwencol (2010)

Documentary about trauma, brain damage, recovery, dolls, therapy, and women’s shoes. Not the usual fare. Mildly interesting.

Rating: C-

Coco (2017)

A unique story with vivid animation and songs. I like that they sprinkled Spanish words into the dialogue. Held the attention of the adults and kids I watched with.

Rating: C

Havoc (2005)

This angle was already covered in a slightly better film called Black and White. Havoc felt like an amateurish rip off of it. There were glimmers of quality here and there, but in the end, it was the wrong movie for Anne Hathaway to show her gritty side by getting naked. Her perfect breasts could have gone to much better use in a different film.

Rating: D

Girlfight (2000)

Loved this at Sundance when it first premiered. Such a fantastic film.  Do yourself a favor and go rent it now. This is Michelle Rodriguez's debut acting role, and it's amazing.

Rating: A

Red Sparrow (2018)

That was a long movie to sit through for a mostly unsatisfying end. If anything, it drives home the fact that if Trump went to Russia, it’s a lock that he was compromised and is owned by Russian Intelligence--aka, Putin.

Rating: D+

Charlie Bartlett (2007)

This has the feel of a semi-autobiographical first time effort. I don't know if that's the case, it's just the impression I got. There's a "Running With Scissors" vibe to it, only this film was actually good. It flirts with being juvenile at times, but keeps it reigned in enough to maintain focus. You'll enjoy Robert Downey Jr. as always.

Rating: B-

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

It’s almost as if they built that pyramid specifically to be destroyed quite easily. Obviously, this latest installment starts out quite ridiculous and never comes back to Earth.

The special effects are quite amazing though. The Flash sequence was pretty cool. For me, I need a more grounded story-line based somewhat in reality. When every law of nature is thrown out the window and the screen is a blender of superpowers swirled together, I lose interest. It’s a shame everything went off the deep end after the first two X-Men.

Rating: C-

The Outlaws (2017)

A gritty Korean organized crime drama with violent turf wars, no-nonsense cops, and a lot of knife play, since they apparently don’t have guns over there. Fun despite its flaws.

Rating: C+

Basic (2003)

Plot was pure shit. I mean it. After the second or third twist, I lost interest and just waited for them to explain the convoluted story at the end. Even then I didn't really understand it, or care if I understood it. Several real poor performances, especially from Connie Nielsen. Miss this one.

Rating: F

Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Not exactly breaking new ground, but at least it's a decent renovation. I'll admit to screaming like a girl a few times and partially obstructing my eyes with my hands. Not sure why they even bothered with the "twist" at the end when it was so blatantly obvious.

Rating: C

Black Panther (2018)

Over-hyped. Not the usual origin story, but it seems all superhero movies end up in the same place, with the hero fighting an evil version of himself. Everything is CGI heavy without much depth. The plot was implausible--more so than most from the genre. Mildly entertained.

Rating: C-

Sugar & Spice (2001)

I wasn't expecting much, but I'm afraid I got even less than that. All the acting seemed forced and the generally weak lines missed much more than they hit. They couldn't decide whether this should be a cheerleader movie or a heist flick. They failed at both.

Rating: D-

Harsh Times (2005)

It's like going on a long car trip with a bunch of losers. You feel trapped, but there's nowhere to escape to. You keep waiting for something good to happen, but it never does. It's just a long, pointless, frustrating ride. Do yourself a favor and don't get in the car.

Rating: F

The House Bunny (2008)

I knew I was in trouble when the Happy Madison logo came up. I didn't realize Adam Sandler had his Zohan dipped into this production. Fortunately, Anna Faris can spin crap into comedy gold. If not for her, this movie would have been a 24 carat F. 

Rating: D

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

They did a good job matching the tone and slow pace of the original. This update was a bit more coherent. Joi kind of made me want to date a robot. The movie itself was ok.

Rating: C

The Sum Of All Fears (2002)

The first half of the movie is all build up. A lot of political spy talk that nobody, except the writers, really care about. When the action finally does come, it is anti-climatic. The characters meant nothing to me. Most were one dimensional.

Rating: D-

Mr. Jealousy (1997)

Terrific soundtrack. Decent romantic comedy. 

Rating: C

Tell No One (Ne le dis à Personne) (2006)

French mystery/suspense film with some great direction, twists, and editing. The score is good too. You may be confused through most of the film, but trust me, things will come together by the end. The film had a very different feel to it, which I liked.

Rating: B-

The Filth and the Fury (2000)

Didn't feel I knew enough about this band, Johnny Rotten, the orgins of UK punk, Sid Vicious and Nancy. Well, I do now. The format was choppy and unclear at times, much like the band.

Rating: C

Dunkirk (2017)

A fine war film touching on heroism, survival, and patriotism. Enjoyed.

Rating: B

Open Water (2003)

I wouldn't call this film good, since I spent most of the time being tense and uncomfortable. It's an original idea shot in a new way, but that doesn't make you feel any less depressed at the end.

Rating: C

Free State Of Jones (2016)

A dramatized piece of US history that I felt was handled well as a feature film. McConaughey went full swamp rat for his role. A lot of compelling themes throughout.

Rating: B

Run, Fatboy, Run (2007)

What a disappointment. Great cast, ok story, terrible script. 90% of the jokes fell flat. The humor is dull, recycled, and literally tries to hit you over the head with the punchline. A better writer and a few tweaks to the story could have saved it. David Schwimmer as a director probably didn't help much either.

Rating: D-

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Hugh Grant played a great dirty bastard of a boss. I read the book while in Europe and loved it. The movie wasn't as good, but did a decent job.

Rating: C

Big Fan (2009)

More of a drama than a dark comedy. It's a study of obsession and apathy. The film holds your attention but doesn't really entertain. 

Rating: C-