Send Help (2026)

 

I’m a shallow man who is easily distracted by huge, unsightly moles, which makes seeing Rachel McAdams difficult to watch on screen. But putting the moles aside, the script choices in the second half of the film were beyond ridiculous. It stopped being fun and more of a slog. 

Rating: C-

The Notebook (2004)

 

A wonderful love story that is sometimes painful, but rewards you for the effort. Everything was just right. 

Rating: B+

State Of Play (2009)

 

A fair political thriller. Russell Crowe was slumming it. 

Rating: C

About Time (2013)

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat--the time traveling element makes no sense and defies all logic, which puts it on par with nearly all time traveling movies. This only annoys me when the plot of a film is scientific based, and they are making a real effort to make sense, but fail. 

In About Time, the jump backs are merely a story device, so I didn’t allow my mind to get bogged down in plot holes. The characters and relationships are all very sweet. It’s an upbeat ride for the most part. The ending is a little sad, but satisfying. It made me miss my dad. 

Rating: B-

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

The pairing of Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. was a good match. Gritty action reminiscent of Snatch combined with the wit and sarcasm of Downey. I was a bit surprised by the dark nature of the plot, but eventually got on board towards the end of the film.

Rating: C+

Game Night (2018)

I enjoyed all the pop culture references throughout the film. It definitely borrows a lot from other movies, especially The Game. Still, it was funny and entertaining.

Rating: C+

Spotlight (2015)

A lot of heavy hitters show up in this Oscar-bait docu-drama. They do a solid job of turning investigative journalism into a compelling story. It’s mind boggling how anyone could stand in the way of this story getting told without everyone around them pointing a finger and saying—hey, stop supporting pedophilia asshole! Important film.

Rating: B

The Hot Chick (2002)

Funny despite being incredibly dumb.

Rating: C

Southpaw (2015)

As a viewer, I feel like I’m supposed to like and root for Jake Gyllenhaal’s character. However, he’s such an asshole, I can’t help but feel he’s getting what he deserves.

And then there’s the matter of no police investigation after his wife is murdered. The cops asked him a few questions and called it a day.

The movie is kind of a downer. I found his relationship with his daughter, especially in the aftermath of the shooting, to be annoying. Even his comeback training was depressing.

He supposedly went undefeated and defended the belt multiple times, and he’s only now learning defense? Didn’t make sense.  Later he struggles through a charity exhibition fight against a nobody. He was an undefeated world title holder for crying out loud.

Some kid named Hoppy who had 2 minutes of screen time gets killed off screen and we are supposed to get emotional about it? No. The film is sloppily put together with unlikable charters doing things that don’t make sense. The whole project was mishandled by Fuqua.

Rating: D-

A Most Wanted Man (2014)

A well-crafted, but ultimately very frustrating espionage thriller.

Rating: C

Red Eye (2005)

Appropriately enough, I watched this one flying home from Vancouver. Mediocre plane thrillers are more fun in the air. Nothing new here. Watch if you are hard up for an ok action movie.

Rating: C

Wedding Crashers (2005)

What I saw advertised at the time was a juvenile, trite film about a bunch of womanizers. But after hearing such good word of mouth, I decided to check it out. Sure, it's juvenile and about womanizers, but there's a story too! Plus crazy characters and hilarious writing.

Rating: C+

Mean Girls (2004)

I'm a sucker for smart teen flicks, and this was a good one. Tina Fey before she ran out of good ideas. The story is fairly formulaic, but it's consistently funny throughout. Worth seeing.

Rating: C+

Midnight In Paris (2011)

I should start by saying I hate Paris and I could care less about the 1920’s. The very two things this film happens to be about. I don’t even particularly like Woody Allen movies, although I see quite a lot of them. With that said, I liked Midnight In Paris. It was sweet, funny, and had a nice message.

Rating: C+

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

The perfect balance of flashbacks and storytelling. It's a pretty film to look at. I felt a real chemistry between the two leads. Didn't read the book, but I felt the director paid justice to it. Touching and romantic. Bring a box of Kleenex for the last quarter of the film.

Rating: B

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

This series is a great fit for Guy Ritchie. He directs them with a hefty dollop of panache and fun. His camerawork and editing techniques enhance the story, rather than distract. The way Holmes devises a future outcome in his mind’s eye, for example. Fight scenes are entertaining and fresh. Dialogue is crisp and witty.

Not everything is perfect, however. The plot gets a bit convoluted. Positive outcomes are often too easily achieved to feel authentic. Timelines can be fuzzy. Still, the pros far outweigh the cons and earn this film a…

Rating: B-