Free Guy - 7/10
I thought it would be a run off the mill Ryan Reynolds being Ryan Reynolds kinda thing, but it was actually a lot deeper than I expected. Definitely a fun watch.
Behind Enemy Lines - 7/10
It has been years since I last saw this. I think I enjoyed it more now, than I did back then. A solid action film.
Spy - 6.5/10
I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Statham was pretty funny and so was McCarthy, especially her bodyguard-persona when she was a foulmouth.
Clear and Present Danger 4K - not as good as first two but still pretty classy. I miss Phil Noyce doing action films. PQ is ok
Get Out 4K - I love this film but there are some things that drive me nuts about it, the insistence on comedy at times doesn’t fit and the ending is quite pedestrian.
Romancing The Stone - I’m very subjective about this and adore it but I grew up with this film on constant replay. One of the first “adult” films I saw as a kid. So it surprised me to watch it with my kids and find it really isn’t that adult. Honestly thought the language was worse, the only bit the kids freaked out at was the crocodile biting the hand off and even then later they said it wasn’t that bad.
The Kings Man 4K - decent and like someone else said appreciated it delved into WWI history a bit more than I expected. But somehow I missed the crazy of the first two.
Halloween II 4K (81) - decent if uninspired and redundant slasher. Creating the connection between Laurie and Michael was the beginning of the end for this franchise. PQ is very solid.
Candyman (2021) - really terrific does a great job of honoring the first and forging new ground as well.
Uncharted - enjoyed it, insane ending but like everyone else says Holland is miscast.
Mad Max 2 4K - a perfect classic IMO. The 4K wavers unfortunately between just insane perfection and horribly grainy. I would probably put it down to different camera equipment and stock used for shots. Color seems a bit blown up. But the money shots are there. Kind of staggered how much Cameron seemed to steal from this film but there are also some moments that same seem ripped from Raiders?
I don't like how commissioner Gordon and the Batman sound the same when they talk. And I find there's a little too much Batman and very little Bruce Wayne in the movie
Transformers 7-10
Versus 5-10 (has not aged well)
Five Easy Pieces 6-10 (not even sure it deserves that high a score, but I enjoyed it)
The Batman 9 - 10
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - 8.5/10
A great comedy, wonderful in it's absurdity. Lots of great, memorable characters and quotes.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - 5.5/10
They overdid it.
Oceans Thirteen - 6.5/10 probably better than the second one, not as good as the first. Nice to see the Sea Of Love reunion, love that flick.
West Side Story (2021) - 8.5/10 holy smokes I thought this would be good but wow.
Scooby Doo - 6/10 decent kids entertainment with a couple of LOL moments. everyone is solid but Lillard kills it.
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed - 7/10 had not seen this before and it is clearly the superior film. I can only assume it was James Gunn’s script that made the difference. Again Lillard is the clear standout.
The Batman - 8.5/10 this could even be a 9. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be able to see so little on the screen.
Arguably the best Spielberg picture since Schindler's List. Watched this over several nights on HBO Max and then promptly had to catch it in the theater last night before it's off the big screen for good. I never cared for the original film but this one is an absolute modern classic with a truly timeless feel. Honestly every aspect of filmmaking/acting/singing/dancing was off the charts amazing. I'm blown away that Spielberg still had a film of this caliber left to make this late in his career.
This is how you make a Shakespearan epic with throwbacks to "old Hollywood" like what George was trying to do with AOTC and ROTS. I really want to see Spielberg tackle SW now.
Nightmare Alley -7.5/10
I really really wanted to love this but I didn’t. The cast is just stacked, Bradley Cooper is just sensational, it looks stunning. But the story is pretty obvious and well worn, I was excepting Del Toro to put a new spin on noir but he plays it very straight, almost bland. It kind of fails as pulpy noir as well because the 4K is just so gosh darn stunning. Maybe the b/w will improve it.
The King's Man: 5/10
Something just wasn't clicking for me in this one. Ralph Fiennes is always good, but it lacked dramatic weight, and the tonal shifts from, say, the wacky Rasputin dance fight to the high profile death in the trench scene and fallout were hard to reconcile. Pretty forgettable in my opinion. And I saw the first movie in the franchise, and get they are trying to retcon a history to the story there, but it feels forced and superficial to me.
The Batman: 8/10
Will need to process this one a bit more as time goes on, so this score could change in my mind, but I think a lot of what they did here worked really well. And what they did well was present the proper tone and approach to the 'Man himself. I saw someone above critiqued the movie for too much Batman and not enough Wayne, but I think that is exactly what Batman movie is supposed to be. 90%+ of Batman running around as Batman investigating crimes and periodically kicking butt. That Nirvana song was such a perfect fit, as well. I initially thought Nolan handled the gritty Batman about as well as it could be handled, but I think this movie did it better. I also liked how they raise questions about Batman's past, which in other stories always portrays his father as a pure, noble, altruistic hero. But here they portray as a flawed human being. That's more honest. My main critique is probably the event at the ending. Even that wasn't bad, but it felt less organic than the rest of the film, and seemed like a nod to the ending of Dark Knight (while the rest of the movie clearly like a heavy nod to Seven).
Bottom line, though, is that this movie felt really good and appropriate for Batman, in the way that the Netflix series was right for Daredevil. Pattison is excellent, Penguin and Gordon were also really well done. I look forward to whatever comes next.
Though I think it's a bit soon to bring the Joker into this "universe." Batman has such an extensive rogue's gallery, and we've seen Joker a hundred times now. Why not let this new franchise breathe a bit and do its own thing. That was actually another piece that I didn't like about the ending. It felt like a note from the studio, and seems like it may have even been meant to be a kind of post-credit's scene initially. This isn't Marvel Studios. Totally unnecessary.
I watched this at like 4 in the morning last night cause I needed something dumb to just turn my brain into mush and try to sleep. It was dumb.
But it was harmless...just a typical cookie cutter Hollywood rom-com.
But the weird thing that stood out to me was the leads' ages.....Charlie Day must be pushing 50, and Jenny Slate has got to be 40. And she LOOKS it. Her forehead and crow's feet around her eyes look like a prune. I think they actually might have used CGI to de-age her in a lot of scenes.
They're both supposed to be early 30-somethings that haven't figured life out yet, but my god, these people are already deep into middle age!
It's like that other crappy disposable rom-com from this year starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. They are definitely deep into their 50s. That's just crazy.
For all my cynicism and negativity, I do like a good rom-com when it's done right, but sadly nothing is ever gonna top "Annie Hall" and "When Harry Met Sally."
Well, as a guy who is getting older, I can actually appreciate studios going with older people in those roles And honestly, it may not be an accident. My wife watches Hallmark channel constantly, and the last thing people who watch that channel want to see is someone young and gorgeous, because that ruins the illusion that the viewer can put themselves in the shoes of the characters. But I hear your point that it may not fit the story, and relationships for older people are different of course.
Unfortunate that I have to re-evaluate everything Woody Allen has done in light of accusations against him, because Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Manhattan (despite the obvious creepiness of an older guy dating a high school girl [!]) are masterpieces in my opinion.
I watched the "scathing" HBO documentary that was supposed to be the smoking gun like "Leaving Neverland." But I also read his book.
It's really hard to say. He's clearly a hyper-sexual person who's attracted to younger women, but that's a far cry from being attracted to a tiny child.
And he HAS stayed with Soon Yi all these years. Some of the other kids in Mia Farrow's menagerie of adopted children have spoken out in Woody's defense and called her a lunatic.
I mean, the only thing I can say conclusively is that money talks, and ******** walks, and Woody threw a LOOOOT of money at the problem to make it go away.
I lean toward him being a dirty old man, but not necessarily a true child predator....but unfortunately the only person that really knows is HIM and he's insisting he's innocent.
Yeah. I never saw that documentary, and don't know if the pedophilia accusation is true, though oftentimes where there is smoke there is fire with powerful, unaccountable people.
And as you say, he's clearly been a creepy older guy for a long time. Personally, the Soon Yi thing alone is so horrific and cringe-inducing that as I get older it alone is harder for me to rationalize away as OK. I have always tried to divorce the art from the person (e.g., Roman Polanski, Phil Specter, Michael Jackson, the wrestler Chris Benoit who killed his wife and child), but there is some line somewhere that will just make the art too uncomfortable for me to be able to enjoy. I actually haven't tried to watch a Woody Allen movie in several years now, and it's partly due to this issue.
The Green Knight 7/10
Yeah I didn’t totally know what to make of this. I guess I liked it but might not have been in the mood for it. I liked the directors remake of Pete’s Dragon but this is very different. Not knowing much about Arthurian legend probably didn’t help.
Really slow burn to start but it is worth it in the end. The best thing I have seen Dev Patel do, he is fantastic and front and center the entire film. Joel Edgerton is always terrific and Alicia Vikander is, well, umm, phew.
And honestly, it may not be an accident. My wife watches Hallmark channel constantly, and the last thing people who watch that channel want to see is someone young and gorgeous, because that ruins the illusion that the viewer can put themselves in the shoes of the characters. But I hear your point that it may not fit the story, and relationships for older people are different of course.
