Black Panther (2018)

Over-hyped. Not the usual origin story, but it seems all superhero movies end up in the same place, with the hero fighting an evil version of himself. Everything is CGI heavy without much depth. The plot was implausible--more so than most from the genre. Mildly entertained.

Rating: C-

Creed (2015)

I generally don’t care for boxing movies, or boxing in general, but this is a nominated film, so I made an exception. Let’s be honest. Boxing is boring as hell. Movies make it way more exciting than what it really is—two dudes hugging it out. Thank goodness MMA became a thing.

Stallone does an admirable job in his role. Best actor? Not by a long shot. Leonardo in The Revenant is the clear-cut winner. Decent movie.

Rating: C

Chronicle (2012)

Where to start. I have nothing against the recent outpouring of shows and movies involving “normal” people receiving superhuman powers. Some are really good (Misfits, The 4400). However, it feels like most of the good stories and scripts have already been green lit, and now we’re down to the dregs. Hello Chronicle. Three apparent tools receive amazing abilities and commence telekinetic horseplay.

The decision to have the film shot by the actors doesn’t really bring anything extra special to the production, except for maybe a higher level of obnoxiousness. They should be focusing on their acting, since it’s atrocious. Plot holes abound. The film is completely pointless for the first half and mimicked Iron Man in the second half, only without the suits. Stupid ending.

Rating: D-