Where The Crawdads Sing (2022)

 

Probably not a great idea to cross a girl who has been surviving since a young age alone in the swamps. You’ll have to be patient for the big reveal at the end. 

Rating: C

Army Of The Dead (2021)

 

Reanimated leftovers from a genre that doesn’t have much left to give. A team was assembled one by one, then later eaten one by one. No one to really root for or miss after they died. Empty calories. 

Rating: C-

Braven (2018)

A wilderness action flick where a logger faces off against drug dealers. It holds your attention, but the premise wasn’t all that believable. Drug dealers aren’t as dumb as the guys portrayed in the film. Felt a bit flat.

Rating: C-

No Country For Old Men (2007)

The Coen Brothers deliver a disjointed film that could have been great. The period and set location are spot on. Performances are great, from the lead characters, all the way down to the one-scene extras. Some of my favorite lines were delivered from gas station and hotel attendants.

The film moves at a disturbing pace, with flashes of violence coming at you in regular intervals. My complaint is that things started to get fuzzy the last quarter of the film. Scenes which were implied should have been shown, and others were simply ignored. It was as if the director opted to rip several chapters at random from the book and pretend as if everything was ok. It wasn't.


This, combined with a lackluster ending—chalk full of loose ends—will leave the viewer feeling robbed of a satisfying movie experience. Don't tease us with greatness and then under deliver.

Rating: C+

The Believer (2001)

Based on the true story of a Jewish boy who becomes a Neo-Nazi. Tough movie to watch at times. Ryan Gosling puts on an amazing performance, one he probably should have been rewarded for. A fascinating look at a troubled kid who hates himself and his people. Worth checking out.

Rating: C+

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

A bit slow and documentary-like, but engaging at the same time. A fascinating look at a piece of American history nonetheless. Is it wrong if I spent half the movie wishing for another season of Deadwood?

Rating: C+

Looper (2012)

I find most time travel movies frustrating, as they rarely make sense or stick with their own rules. Looper is a bizarre hit man tale that doesn’t make any effort to explain time travel; using it as a plot device instead. The story is engaging, albeit confusing at times. I thought it could have been edited with more focus on the main story. Not bad as far as time travel movies go.

Rating: C

The Road (2009)

I love love love post apocalyptic films. Unfortunately, most of them are crap. This one is good, but quite dreary. I think I'd rather have the earth covered by zombies than the gray world depicted here. It held my attention, but at a price.

Rating: C

Winter's Bone (2010)

A drearier, less exciting cinematic version of FX's Justified. Jennifer Lawrence and the rest of the cast do a fine job in their roles. There is some great tension throughout the film, but for me there needed to be a couple more climatic events to win me over. Thanks goodness Justified got renewed for another season.

Rating: C+