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