The Gray Man (2022)

 

Terrible title. Sounds like a sad senior sitting alone at your local Denny’s. The Russo Brothers gave Michael Bay a run for his money with a hefty portion of explosive action sequences, with only a light dollop of story development. 

Was it entertaining? Sure. Did it make a whole lot of sense? No. Characters magically teleport from place to place. They get sliced and diced, but carry on like it was a small scratch. Various factions in the C.I.A. kill one another (and other law enforcement) without the slightest hesitancy. 

This thriller is not a deep thinker, but it packs a punch. 

Rating: C

Gifted (2017)

A feel good film about trying to do what's best for a gifted little girl. There’s no perfect answer except to maybe find the right balance, which is ultimately where things land. A talented young actress. 

Rating: B-

Knives Out (2019)

An Agatha Christie style murder mystery that will have you guessing some of the twists, while others are so convoluted that they aren’t worth guessing.

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+

Snowpiercer (2013)

An ultra-violent actioner that takes place in a self-contained super-train in a post-apocalyptic world where people are segregated by class, both figuratively and literally? Sign me up!

The train turned out to be cooler than I thought. Themed cars such as a marine aquarium, steam saunas, hair salon, greenhouse, and nightclub. Unfortunately, the end of the train and the end of the movie both turned out to be a disappointment. Great ideas for movies rarely have great endings. Snowpiercer was not an exception.

Rating: C

The Losers (2010)

Shallow. All sizzle, no flavor. A helicopter full of 25 kids blows up and I, as a viewer, don't really care. A good action film requires depth of character so that you care who lives and who dies. This doesn't have that.

Rating: D+

Sunshine (2007)

What on Earth, or should I say, the sun, inspired Danny Boyle to do a space flick? I'm not complaining, it just seemed an odd pairing. The result is a high tension space drama with a unique mission—reignite the sun.

I liked 75% of the film. The last great moment was when the ship computer reveals there are still 5 people on board, not 4. (You'll understand when you see it) But after we find out who it is, things go downhill fast. Suddenly plot holes appear everywhere, and a tight drama is replaced with cheap horror. This star faded.

Rating: C

Fantastic Four (2005)

Not as bad as I expected it to be. Some cool special effects and action sequences make it a fun popcorn flick. Plus, Jessica Alba.

Rating: C

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Like nothing you've seen before. It's hip, funny, quirky, and a bit juvenile. Video games infiltrate every part of the production. I really liked the characters and their quick witted interactions.

A miss for me was the focus of the entire film—Scott fighting the 7 evil ex's. If I want to see cartoonish fights, I can watch schlock like Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Still, it was refreshing to see something different brought to screen.

Rating: C+

Street Kings (2008)

It's hard to impress audiences these days with a dirty cop thriller, what with The Departed, Training Day, and F/X's The Shield. How do you live up to those? You got to give Street Kings props for making a worthy effort. Things start out a bit convoluted, but improve as the film progresses.

Rating: C+

The Avengers (2012)

I made a fatal error before watching this latest super-budget superheroes movie. I became aware that it received rave reviews. With artificially raised expectations, I went in hoping for something on par with the first two X-Men films.

Sadly, it was ludicrous from the opening scene. Cheesy dialogue and glowing cubes of power. Run-of-the-mill Marvel schlock. ScarJo is appropriately hot in her skintight leather fighting suit, but her expertise as a trained killer is about as believable as Zeus’ brother teleporting through a wormhole to our planet in order to take it over.

The plot is trite and tired. Not even Stark’s snark can save it. What really bothers me about almost all superhero movies is that a clean headshot from a sniper would bring an abrupt end to all the crime fighting. I’m looking at you Captain America. Avengers is filled to the brim with unrealistic CGI fights and battles. It’s a repackaged Transformers movie. A few steps away from being a cartoon.

Rating: D

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

As with most superhero origin stories, the backstory and buildup was far superior to the big battle in the second act. That’s when the wheels come off, things get unrealistic, and plot holes open up continuously. It’s a clichéd mess by the end. I was impressed with the way they made Chris Evans look scrawny at the beginning of the film though.

Rating: C-