No Hard Feelings (2023)

An implausible script that veered too far into the ridiculous. Parts were funny, but as a whole it was a let down. 

Rating: C-

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+

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 Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

About as unsatisfying as Part 1. Bits of unrealistic action followed by long bouts of boring conversation. They could have done a lot more with the pods. The book has a lot for them to draw from. And what was with the multiple false endings. I thought the credits would never come. Way to end the series on a low note.

Rating: C-

Joy (2015)

Big fan of David O. Russell here. He makes the most of what he has to work with here, and much of it works. It’s a character driven movie that gives you more of an appreciation for those inventing and bringing products to market. Nothing blows you away, but it’s a solid film.

Rating: C+

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)

The third book was the weakest in the series, in my opinion. So breaking it up into two movies seemed a bit much. Part one is mostly setup for the big capital city breach. It’s filler.

Rating: C

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)

A time traveling superhero hodgepodge. All over the place, but entertaining enough.

Rating: C

American Hustle (2013)

A-list actors putting on a clinic of how it’s done. David O’ Russell, one of my favorite directors, makes the 70’s shine like it hasn’t in a long time. Nonstop eye candy on screen. The story played second fiddle to everything else going on, and I was ok with that. Certainly some nomination-worthy material here, although it wouldn’t be my pick for Best Picture.

Rating: B+

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

It followed the book quite closely and did a great job of bringing the story to life. Acting was all top notch, with my favorite still being Stanley Tucci. He’s glorious in that role. CGI and special effects were effectively used. They’ve handled the first two films adeptly, but they have their work cut out for them in the third.

Rating: B-

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

I did such a terrific job of avoiding all mentions of this film prior to seeing it, that I had myself convinced it was about a high school football coach leading his team to victory by using a set of special plays in the Silver Linings Playbook. Turns out I was way off, which is how I like it.

I love going into movies ignorant of what I’m about to see. So I instantly went from liking this movie to loving it once Jennifer Lawrence came onscreen. I enjoyed her character because I love girls who are honest, slightly crazy, and aggressive about what they want. (Ideally, that would be me, but it’s been a while since that was the case)

Anyway, all interactions and conversations between Jennifer and Bradley’s characters were golden. Smart, funny dialogue. We can thank David O. Russell for taking an average story and elevating it to an award winning level. After all, this is the man that brought us Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, and The Fighter. This is definitely the crowd pleaser I heard it was.

Rating: B+

Like Crazy (2011)

A very intimate story of love, relationships, and how complicated they both can be. I thought it was well done.

Rating: C+

The Hunger Games (2012)

Extremely hesitant about the making of this film, as I am with all great books that are reproduced on film. Casting is very strong, with standouts like Stanley Tucci as Cesar the host and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. I had another candidate in mind as Katniss, but Jennifer Lawrence isn’t a bad choice, despite being too old for the role.

District 1 looks more like rural Kentucky than what I envisioned when reading, but the capital city shines in all its CGI glory. The film stays true to the book for the most part. The pacing is great. They do an adequate job leading up to the actual game. The hair, makeup, and costumes of the capital citizenry was spot on.

But my biggest concern, aside from the game environments looking stupid, was them watering down the kid on kid violence to Harry Potter levels. Now I knew this had to be a PG-13 film as I was reading the book. That didn’t stop me from dreaming of what a hard R version might be like though. Imagine the brutality of the Japanese Battle Royale, with the acting, source material, and production value of a Hollywood picture. It could be amazing.

So what did we get? Cutaways. Lots and lots of cutaways. A blade flashed. Cutaway. Blood flies. Cutaway. Body falls. It’s a shame studios don’t release multiple rated versions so appropriately aged audience members can choose to see the one that fits with their moral compass. (or level of blood lust) Still, they showed as much as they could get away with and I commend them for it. A solid effort overall. I’m curious to see what they do with the next game environment and Capital City siege. The next two books will be harder to convert.

Rating: B-

X-Men: First Class (2011)

A solid origin story that takes after the excellent first two films in the series, helping to wipe that horrible 3rd installment from our memories. A rare summer action film that is worth seeing in the theater.

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+