City By The Sea (2002)

 

A cop drama with a lot of character development. Quality acting and a good story. 

Rating: C+

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

I'm not usually a fan of black and white films, but in the hands of The Coen Brothers, it looked beautiful. Smooth storytelling with cool narration from Billy Bob. I didn't care for the ending. 

Rating: C

The French Dispatch (2021)

 

Likely my least favorite of Wes Anderson’s films. The cinematography, sets, and editing were wonderful, but the story was a convoluted disaster. It felt like a computer program was fed all of Wes’ previous work and vomited out a script. Interesting to watch, but not up to par. 

Rating: C-

Nomadland (2020)

A very lonely film that will have you thinking about your life decisions and in what manner you want to live the rest of it. 

Rating: C

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

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

The excessive swearing, especially the Lord’s name in vain, was both unnecessary and distracting from the story. A story of sad, broken people inflicting cruelties upon one another. Charlie’s mom from Always Sunny In Philadelphia fit right in. Very dark and ultimately rather unfulfilling. I guess that’s the Academy’s sweet spot.

Rating: C

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Better than I thought it was going to be. Some fun adventure sequences make up for the predictability of the script. Beautiful animation.

Rating: C+

Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

I really enjoyed this one. I've got to hand it to Nicholson for taking challenging and age appropriate roles since 1997 when he did As Good As It Gets. About Schmidt was another great performance. I would rate these as three of his best films to date. Diane Keeton was wonderful too.

Well written and acted. 1-2 scenes were absolutely perfect. Nancy Meyers, the writer/director, has single handedly kept Diane Keeton in business, what with Baby Boom, Father of the Bride I & II, and now this.

Rating: B

Burn After Reading (2008)

I love the Coen Brothers as much as anybody, but seriously, this movie was all over the place. The only thing I can think of is that the point of the movie is that there was no point. It's pointless on purpose. An exercise in futility.

Dark humor only works if it's funny, and this script rarely was. A story unfolded which held my attention. That's all it did. I could have just as easily been watching the Home & Garden network for a couple hours.

Rating: D

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

I love Wes Anderson films, even if I don’t necessarily award them glowing reviews. They are always creative, interesting, entertaining, and quirky. These are commodities I appreciate in film. Moonrise Kingdom possessed all of these qualities, portrayed by the usual cadre of Anderson players. Cute story amidst a magical landscape.

Rating: C+

Æon Flux (2005)

Stupid previews and their expectation raising trickery. The film wasn't all bad. Some cool special f/x, hot costumes, and creative ideas. It was a weaker version of The Island, sort of. Truthfully, I enjoyed Charlize Theron much more in this season of Arrested Development.

Rating: D+