Gladiator II (2024)

 

Son of Maximus hits the gladiator circuit, making a name for himself while undermining the elites. It’s more of the same, and as good a reason as any to go to the theater over the holidays. 

Rating: C+

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

This is both fun and extremely gory. It's a romantic comedy set against the backdrop of a zombie invasion--British style.

Rating: B

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Yet another reminder that style is nothing without substance. The movie looks amazing. The characters are unique and colorful, yet I don't care about any of them. There's absolutely no depth to be found. A bunch of talking animals and ridiculous looking people interact on screen, but none of them evoke the slightest emotional reaction from the viewer.

The biggest blunder of all is that the film has no audience. With the PG rating, you'd think this was created for kids, however, this would simultaneously bore and scare kids to tears. Adults? Nope. We were unstimulated and confused. Teens? There's no romance or believable action. Burton took the same unmarketable path as Jonze did with Where The Wild Things Are. Self gratification over audience appeal.

Rating: F+

Bridesmaids (2011)

There are far too few funny, raunchy female helmed comedies. Good ones. The only one that comes to mind is The Sweetest Thing, and that came out forever ago. Bridesmaids was hilarious. The scene following the dress fitting—you know the one—was one of the funniest things I’ve seen on screen in years. I laughed so hard I could barely breathe, my sides hurt, and tears were streaming down my eyes. This isn’t exactly high art, but it’s all you could ask for in a comedy.

Rating: B+