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Magnum Force contains a great idea for a follow-up to Dirty Harry but ends up disappointing in execution. Clint Eastwood's Detective Callahan is ordered off the case by his lieutenant so he spends the first half of the movie stopping a random hijacking and having women fling themselves at him while there are murders going on in San Francisco. He has a new catchphrase now but it doesn't hit the same as his iconic one. While Callahan was the cop that toed the line in the first film, the vigilante cops in this film take things even further. Callahan becomes the voice of reason and I wish the film dug into this hypocrisy to show how the character reconciles these cops that were emboldened by him.

The second half of the film picks up with some great action. There are some beautiful shots of the city and I love when the camera is locked onto the vehicles as they race down the streets. Clint gets in on the stunts too, which makes for some visceral sequences as he hangs off the hood of a moving car. The vigilante cops bring an imposing presence to the film. The sunglasses, helmets and motorcycles make them look like anonymous killing machines (I wonder if this look partly inspired Terminator 2). However, I found the final confrontation to be a little underwhelming. This is worth watching for some exciting, practical action but it's lacking as a Dirty Harry movie.

1973

Begin Again is another movie from John Carney about the joys of creating music for yourself and not selling out. We meet our characters when they have reached rock bottom then work backwards to see how we got there. There isn't much more to the movie then seeing these characters work on creating an album and they solve each other's problems pretty easily.

However, it is all very charming and had me smiling by the end. There are great performances all around and Carney imbues the film with some magical moments (like how Mark Ruffalo's music producer character composes songs in his head and the way a walk around New York City at night brought to life with music). I am glad that the film didn't force any unnecessary romance and just lets the characters exist. I still prefer Carney's previous film, Once, since that one felt more authentic but Begin Again is another charming celebration of music.

2013

I have watched only a handful of anime shows but I would probably rank Demon Slayer Season One at the bottom of the list. Although the concept of a world overtaken by demons was interesting, I wasn't particularly interested in the characters and it all felt a bit repetitive. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed this movie much more (which serves as a direct continuation and leads into Season Two). The movie is essentially a "monster of the week" story where Tanjiro and gang board a train to fight another demon. There is a whole lot of action but I preferred how streamlined the story was in the movie format. I like how we open to a series of dream sequences that helps to distill these characters to their most essential desires and qualities while leading to some Inception style, reality bending.

The proceeding action takes things to some absurd extremes that I wasn't expecting. However, it is a surprisingly emotional finale that won me over. The show and movie is at its best when it uses the demons to explore what makes humanity special. The mortality of humanity, when compared to the invincibility of the demons, is exactly what makes humans strong-willed and resilient, which the ending drives home well.

2021

This sixth installment of the Final Destination series matches the dark humor and elaborate kills that made the rest of the series so fun. It’s impressive that a sequel that comes 14 years after the last entry can pick up right where the series left off and feel like a cohesive continuation. Yet this one also makes two major improvements over the rest of the series. It’s a franchise that is know for having poorly developed and unlikable characters (everyone seems to be a creep, a jerk or a blank slate) but in this one, the characters are actually likable and feel like real people. It helps that this is the first time the victims are all part of the same family. The other enhancement is in the structure of the film. The first five movies often struggle with the downtime between the kills. The characters don’t know what is happening to them but the audience does, which can lead to some pacing issues. Since the inciting incident happens in the 1960’s, this one has a built in mystery as to what happened and why the family was able to survive. This allows the characters to be more proactive right at the start rather than just obviously going about their day for half the movie.

This entry certainly leans into the humor of the situations (Richard Harmon as the cousin with the nose ring was a comedic standout). I particularly loved how everyone becomes extremely cautious around even the most mundane objects as they imagine how those objects could kill them. It also adds a new wrinkle to have certain characters become experts at spotting potential death. The deaths here are particularly satisfying and lean on these ironic moments to drive home the elaborate sequences. The third act is perhaps the weakest part of the film but the investment in the characters propel you through to the end. This is probably the best installment of the series and I hope we get many more from this team.

2025 | Final Destination

The Amateur is the kind of movie that I will never say no to. It's an adult-oriented, crowd pleasing, action thriller with a great all-around cast and a solid budget to allow for some globetrotting. This one also has a solid hook: a computer guy for the CIA becomes motivated to be a field agent to track down his wife's killers. The film starts off on a very promising note with a focus on sneaking around the CIA headquarters, hacking and blackmail (although the movie leans a little too hard into showing us that Rami Malek's characters is a nerd). I love how he devises these Saw-esque traps with technology to take out his targets since he can't bring himself to use a gun (which is a bit ridiculous if you think about it but still a fun idea).

However, the film looses momentum as it goes along and fizzles out towards the end. It sets up so many pieces that could have lead to a complex chase around the world but they aren't paid off. The great cast (Laurence Fishburne and especially Jon Bernthal) is underutilized. The film also gets a bit repetitive as he tracks down a list of targets and the scenes can feel choppy (each scene feels like its only 30 seconds to a minute). I wanted to see more of him planning out each trap. But despite these shortcoming, it was still a fun time at the movies.

2025

Warfare could quite possibly be the most realistic war movie ever made, with every detail coming exclusively from the memory of Iraqi war veterans. The film’s sole purpose is to show you what it was like to be in the middle of the urban warfare of the Iraq War. I would say this is a hugely successful exercise. Filmed in real time, we see the downtime as soldiers camp out in a building until the silence is shattered by gunfire and explosions. There is no music, just the ambient noises of dogs barking at night and the ear-deafening explosions of an IED. There is no sensationalism or propaganda, it’s just a visceral and immersive experience that puts you right in the middle of the conflict.

The tactics and communication that the soldiers use all ring true. They repeat orders back to make sure there are no mistakes and plan out every little detail, even which way to turn after exiting a door. The “show of force” strategy of sending a fighter jet close to the ground to create a disorienting distraction made for some incredible moments. Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s direction serves to enhance the immersion, such as when they cut out the sound to show when the soldier’s senses are overloaded with everything going on. It is certainly a disturbing watch at times but it’s a fantastic war movie that takes a snapshot of this chaotic moment in recent history.

2025 | Alex Garland | A24

This review may contain spoilers.

It takes over an hour to get to the actual horror but it’s a sign of a good movie that I didn't mind. Sinners is a unique, original movie that combines a historical drama with a bloody and thrilling horror movie. For the first half of the film, we follow the Smokestack twins (both played by Michael B. Jordan) as they try to set up a business in the 1930’s American South. The twins are great characters. They both have an edge to them and a mysterious backstory but you can see that they have a close bond to their community. I could have just watched a movie solely about the twins bargaining and dealing their way to owning a business and be thoroughly entertained. Usually, having the same actor play two characters ends up distracting but they are seamlessly integrated here and I didn’t notice any of the filmmaking tricks to put them both in frame.

Once we get to the vampire action, it absolutely delivers on the genre goods. The action is visceral and bloody. The vampires not only make for a physical threat but a psychological one as the character’s loved ones turn into voices of temptation to give in and the collective. There are a couple of moments where I thought the twist would be that the vampires were actually good because they showed genuine sorrow when a character died instead of becoming a vampire (it makes for a unique dynamic). This movie is another case where I wished I had skipped the trailer. I basically knew most of the characters that were going to turn so the only real surprising sequence was that great scene where they were making everyone eat garlic (reminiscent of a similar testing scene in The Thing). Baked into this visceral vampire flick is a heartbreaking tragedy and very human story. The Smokestack twins simply wanted a place of their own where they can dance and have fun, yet as we see in the end, that was never even a possibility.

2025

Once is a heartfelt story about finding purpose in life through music. It's a stripped down, love story about an aspiring musician who meets a woman selling flowers. We see that while they live mundane lives, the hope and excitement of creating music together brings so much joy. Look no further than the opening scene: the musician (played by Glen Hansard) is belting his heart out to a song as people by without giving him a second glance. But he keeps doing it because that’s the only way he knows how to express himself. There is also a great scene with the flower girl (the characters aren’t named) walking down a dark and dingy street as she is lost in her own world, singing the lyrics to the song she just wrote.

It’s a charming romance where we want to see them together but hanging over everything is the echoes of their past loves. The film is shot on an extremely low budget with a hand-held documentary style, which all works in its favor. It feels like we are getting an authentic and candid glimpse into the lives of these two characters. I love how scenes let entire songs play out in one take so it feels like we are watching the music making process happen. It is made even more authentic because Glen Hansard is an actual musician who wrote and performed these songs. He also started dating his co-star, Markéta Irglová, so we are basically watching two real musicians falling in love in real time. It all makes for a tender and uplifting movie, the kind that makes your heart ache.

2006

My enthusiasm for the MCU has really dampened in the past couple years thanks to a string of disappointing movies and shows. Thunderbolts* is a nice little surprise that has piqued my interest in the franchise once again. What this movie does so well (and what the many recent MCU movies forgot to do) is focus on crafting relatable characters that people want to see again and again. We have seen movies before in the superhero genre that are about a band of misfits coming together to form a team while learning to work together. This one does it right by giving each team member a reason for being there. The team (which draws from a band of side-characters, assassins and anti-heroes from different corners of the MCU) are all dealing with some form of depression and struggle with self-worth.

Every team member makes a good impression. I enjoyed their natural chemistry and banter. David Harbour’s good natured antics bring a warmth to the proceedings; Hannah John-Kamen brings personality to Ghost, a character which didn’t leave much of an impression in Ant-Man and the Wasp; Wyatt Russell’s John Walker continues to be a fascinatingly complex character; Florence Pugh is highly entertaining and forms the heart of the film and Lewis Pullman as Bob absolutely steals the show. Funny enough, Bucky is the character that gets a little lost in the shuffle, not because Sebastian Stan does a bad job (he is excellent in the film and quite funny), but because the character has already gone through a large amount of character growth. His character serves more as an example of success for the other anti-heroes to aspire to.

I like how the first half of the film plays out an extended escape sequence from a trap-laden compound in the middle of the desert. It is so refreshing to see actors standing in an actual desert in an MCU movie rather than a green screen. I love the smaller-scale and more personal stakes. In fact, if I had to level a criticism at the film, it’s that it might be too small scale. You basically have the escape sequence in the first half that leads right into the finale. I could have used some other progression of the story in the second act to bridge things together and see the team in action. Nevertheless, the film affords quiet moments between characters that deliver true emotions. The villain deals with the same issues as our heroes and thus, the final confrontation focuses on internal struggle rather than your traditional CGI brawl. It’s a gut-wrenching sequence and one of the more authentic moments of emotion in the MCU. Thunderbolts* would have been the perfect film to follow Avengers: Endgame because it begins to answer the question of who will fill the void that the original Avengers left. It’s a step in the right direction and I hope the MCU continues this momentum.

2025 | MCU

Watching the 20th Anniversary showing of Episode 3 with someone who has never seen the prequels before was an interesting experience. Instead of watching the film as a loving artifact from my childhood, I was instead watching it with fresh eyes as though it was my first time. I was hyper aware of the clunky dialogue and stiff acting. Much of the motivations revolve around buying into the romance but the chemistry between Hayden Christiansen and Natalie Portman never materializes. I can certainly see why these movies disappointed audiences (even if this one is considered the best of the prequels and has seen a large revival in recent years).

However, the film still managed to sweep me up into the drama, especially in that last hour or so. The fall of Anakin is told in a grand and operatic fashion. The switching of point of view between the different planets as we draw closer to the inevitable conclusion makes for a great build up and shows the scale of the story. I still feel the tragedy and desperation of those final fights for control of the Republic. Anakin and Obi-Wan's final moments are full of so much pain and sorrow that it helps make up for the lack of depth in previous movies. It all sets the stage for the original trilogy in a surprisingly seamless way. Episode 3 is a flawed movie that may have benefited from another director that could shape these performances and smooth out the dialogue. However, you would lose George Lucas' grand vision of how to tie this saga together.

2005 | George Lucas | Star Wars

Mars and Beyond is an interesting watch if only to see Disney animators draw some wacky looking aliens. This is a documentary of sorts that speculates what alien life could look like and how humanity can eventually reach Mars. Much of it is nonsense but the final segment features the design of a spaceship and the flight to Mars as explained by a scientist that seems fairly plausible. But otherwise, this documentary is a bit scatterbrained and uneven.

Whenever people recommend the Black Mirror, they often include a disclaimer that you should either skip the first episode or not judge the show based on the graphic content that it covers. While it is certainly a disturbing episode, I think it captures the essence of what Black Mirror is. It's a reflection of how technology changes the way we act, told with a sense of dark humor, suspense and with twists and turns.

This episode is perhaps the most immediate of the entire series because it takes place is present-day and focuses on how we use social media. The way that people online react to serious situations with detachment and amusement rings true today. I feel a sense of dread watching this episode and knowing what is coming. The Prime Minister has the full power of the government at his disposal to resolve the situation yet you can feel the power of public opinion close in around him, sped up by the unstoppable power of the internet. This is not the most rewatchable episode of the series since it does rely on some shock value but it is a great way to kick it off the series.

Watched on Friday April 25, 2025.

Hotel Reverie is another Black Mirror episode about A.I consciousness and virtual reality but this time, the focus is less on the actual technology and more on recent trends in Hollywood movies. It's about remakes and using the A.I likeness of dead actors. Interestingly, the episode almost comes across as ive of these trends. Issa Rae plays a Hollywood actress who remakes the fake film Hotel Reverie (which is basically a stand in for Casablanca) in real-time by interacting with A.I simulations of the characters. The unintentional, organic chemistry that forms between the actors gives the movie they are making a deeper and more genuine meaning. I am not entirely sure what to take away from this and it doesn't reach the emotional heights of the best of the series but it’s a cool concept regardless. There are a few conveniences that need to happen to make this situation work (a dropped USB drive, an arbitrary time crunch and a coffee spill) but I liked the logistics and trippiness of being stuck in a real-time simulation of a movie. The recreation of a 1940s movie is spot on and Emma Corrin does a commendable job playing an actress from the era.

A comedic take on the zombie genre that mixes in elements from a raunchy teen comedy and coming of age story. This certainly takes inspiration from Edgar Wright when it comes to the presentation and character archetypes. I like that the characters use their skills as boy scouts to give them an edge during the zombie attack. The character drama about trying to be cool vs. keeping your friendships and interests is actually compelling but the story about getting the girl is rather predictable. There is a lot of juvenile humor that just doesn't work and the story follows the zombie movie formula to a tee so there is not much in the way of surprises. But it is still worth a watch to see some of the fun zombie scenarios it throws the characters into and the effective gore on a small budget.

2015 | Zombies

A heinous murderer squirms on the ground, screaming and crying that he has rights too. It's a provocative image in a movie that is full of them. Dirty Harry is the iconic police thriller of the 70's, following Clint Eastwood as Harry, the detective trying to track down the serial killer (who was based on the Zodiac Killer). It's a classic story of a vigilante taking justice into his own hands but it can also be seen as justifying police who use excessive force and by people's rights. But regardless, the film is undeniably entertaining, thrilling and well-crafted. I love the incredible score that is propulsive and haunting at the same time. The direction is gritty and wonderfully edited to maintain the tension of the chase. Yet there are also these surreal moments that highlight the sick nature of the murderer (I love that massive pull back shot from the stadium).

The image of Harry chewing a hot dog while casually blasting away at robbers on a crowded street is the epitome of what this movie is about. Eastwood gives an iconic performance where you can feel the anger bubbling under his cool exterior. Harry has so many iconic one-liners and there is a dark sense of humor to it all. Eastwood’s signature speech at the beginning and end of the film has rightfully taken its place as one of the most iconic lines of all time. Andrew Robinson plays a killer that is so despicable that Harry's methods feel like the only way to stop him. The first half is a fast-paced chase film but the second half makes you sit with this awful killer. It's a fantasy that we could have someone like Harry deal with the worst scum but it would be disastrous in reality. The film makes it okay to root for Harry to take matters into his own hands this one time.

1971

The first thing I must acknowledge is that A Minecraft Movie is mainly made for kids who have played the game to see things that they recognize on the big screen. And in that regard, it is a huge success, as indicated by the huge overperformance at the box office. There were three main groups of people that I observed in the theater: the kids who wanted to see their favorite game on the big screen, the teens who were there ironically, and the bewildered parents who had no idea what was going on. As for me, I have been a fan of the game since I was a kid but I didn't have much interest in seeing this due to lackluster trailers.

The first act contains some genuine charm. Jared Hess' quirky humor shines through and Jason Mamoa's character, Garrett, wouldn't be out of place in something like Napoleon Dynamite. Once we enter the Minecraft world, there is some novelty in seeing elements of the game brought to life. Of course, the first thing the characters do is punch a tree and build a rudimentary house to survive the first night. I smiled when I heard the distinct sighs of the villagers. However, for a game that is all about creativity, there is nothing creative about its cookie cutter and generic story. The heroes and villains are both after a mcguffin and the movie becomes a series of close encounters until the inevitable final battle. I can enjoy a “so bad it's good” movie like the next person too but this movie just bored me. It is lazy storytelling that completely relies on nostalgia while only featuring the bare minimum in character development and plot progression. Much of the humor consists of Jack Black saying words in weird ways. The least interesting thing about the game to me is the quest to get to “The End” and face the final boss. I much rather take my time to explore the beautiful world, get creative with building and mess around with friends. A Minecraft Movie feels like a speedrun straight to the boring stuff while forgetting what makes the game special.

2025

A fun send-up of buddy cop movies that also squeezes in a story about corruption in corporations (foreshadowing Adam McKay's turn into more serious fare in his later movies). The two ideas don't always mesh but I appreciate that the corporation story is used to add flavor to the plot (rather than just have a throwaway plot about drug dealers or Russian mobsters that is so common in action comedies). But mostly, this is a delightfully silly movie that focuses on the random background cops of movies rather than the would be flashy stars. Will Ferrell plays a meeker character than I am used to but all his hang ups as the paper pushing detective are still hilarious. Mark Whalberg is probably the best casting you can do if you want a stereotypical, shouty cop and the entire cast is rounded out by familiar faces.

I love the ad-libbed comedic tangents that the characters go on, which is a staple in Adam McKay comedies (like the introduction scene where Ferrell and Whalberg argue about a hypothetical fight between a lion and a tuna). However, as an action film, this doesn't really work. You can tell that there are real stunts that are filmed in real locations but they are shot with a shaky camera and edited to pieces. This is a spoof of buddy cop movies, which is interesting because buddy cop movies usually poke fun at action movies themselves. The film sometimes looses this thread as it goes down a variety of comedic pathways but it is still consistently entertaining.

2010

A sleazy thriller about two detectives tracking down a mass murderer. It's a bloody and grisly film that starts things off with bullets, blood and bodies. I love the tan and brown color palette and the showcase of the streets and sights of San Francisco. The opening scene is great: a wordless game of cat and mouse that makes you question who is stalking who. It is a set-up that is reprised in the thrilling finale where you have a solid car chase through the streets of San Francisco.

However, everything in the middle is a bit of a mess. I like how the pair of detectives (Walter Matthau and Bruce Dern) have to start with the victims and work backwards to find the killer. However, as they go to each dark corner of the city to question people, the story becomes more and more difficult to follow. The most interesting aspect is how the police deal with the groups of minorities that they run across. The police rely on them for information but they also look down on them. It isn't quite clear to me where the movie stands on this as we follow our main characters harassing people and slapping people around. The detectives are portrayed as flawed but there is also buddy cop humor thrown in the mix. Compare how this story ends to how The French Connection ends (which had consequences for the detectives actions and had a clear message). This film plays with some interesting ideas and it looks great but it didn't quite click for me.

1973 | Neo-Noir

Ash starts off like your typical low budget sci-fi film set in space. It largely consists of one character walking around a dimly lit set and wondering what is going on. Everything is bathed in one color to show that it is the future (but really it is to hide the limitations of the set). The slow pacing and structure makes it feel like everything interesting has already happened off screen. However, I urge people to stick with it if you like freaky body horror, crazy sci-fi visuals or psychological storytelling.

I don't want to over sell it too much because much of my enjoyment is derived from being pleasantly surprised at how hard the movie commits. The dialogue and acting is stiff and the film plays with tropes and ideas that have been done better in other films. However, it is presented with a genuine voice and just enough narrative misdirection to make it all feel relatively fresh. While many sci-fi films try to keep things grounded, Ash isn't afraid to keep escalating and trying new things. There are random intercuts of horrific imagery that keep you on your toes. The synthetic music and dream-like imagery create a distinct atmosphere. Each set-piece is approached from an interesting camera angle to keep things visually fresh (POV shots, found footage, top down). There are these interesting sci-fi ideas sprinkled throughout to keep the mind engaged. The film is directed by music producer and rapper, Flying Lotus, and I say give him a much larger budget to see what he can do. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw here, even though it can be a little clunky around the edges.

2025

Blades of Glory is a very dumb comedy that gets just enough laughs out of me to make it worthwhile. It comes in an era where they based movies solely on Will Ferrell being in different professions just because he was so funny. Most of the humor is just based on two guys skating together and performing over-the-top moves yet it somehow works. The skating routines and the chase scene are by far the best scenes while the underdog story (as simple as it may be) keeps the film chugging along through the slow parts.

The problem with this one is that you have Ferrell and Jon Heder both playing the man-child role. Sure, Heder plays a more naïve person while Ferrell constantly says inappropriate things but there isn't enough contrast between them. Ferrell is playing a character similar to Ron Burgundy from Anchorman (with the same bravado, random lines of dialogue and a spectacular fall from grace) but this character just isn't as well thought out. Both leads just come across as vaguely weird. It's not Ferrell at his best but even mediocre Ferrell is still quite entertaining.

2007

It is a little hard for me to get over the contrived scenario that doesn't make much sense if you think about it too much. Why did the parents decide that this was the best way to raise their children? It is an idealistic story for what should be a messy situation. But despite these issues, I can't deny that the film carries a certain amount of charm. Lindsey Lohan is a natural in her debut performance and I often forgot that both sisters were played by the same person. The film is at its best when both families unknowingly come together in the hotel sequence. It plays out a bit like a shell game where both Lindsey's switch back and forth to everyone's amazement. There are like 5 different scenes when family realize what is going on that are delightful and heartwarming. However, the film runs quite long and you could have shortened some of the other sequences that don't work as well (the opening summer camp sequence and the camping trip at the end both run long). I can see why this is a favorite for many who grew up with it, but the issues with the story keep me from fully loving it.

1998

The Woman in the Yard is a weird movie to pin down. The marketing completely focuses on the image of a mysterious woman in black sitting on someone's property. This focus on a high concept premise reminds me of recent Shyamalan movies (it even has one of those direct titles that tells you exactly what the movie is about like Trap or Knock at the Cabin). This can also be included in that trend of horror movies that are metaphors for greater issues. The family stuck in the house is clearly dealing with trauma, parenting problems and other issues that I won't spoil here.

The film initially plays out like a home invasion movie, except that the invader is just sitting in a chair that is gradually getting closer. It creates an uneasy feeling where the characters aren't sure how to respond. From there, the film becomes more and more convoluted, both in the logic of the story and the messaging of the story. However, the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (who has been a reliable genre filmmaker for 20 years) keeps the proceedings propulsive and stylish. I love the unnerving shots of the woman in the background and how the home invasion plays out through shadows. He has a lot of fun with crafting surreal sequences where you aren't sure what is real. Collet-Serra's sensibilities keep the tension flowing, even through a head scratching final act where you aren't quite sure what is going on.

2025 | Jaume Collet-Serra | Blumhouse

Captain America: Brave New World is about as undercooked and bland as an MCU movie has felt. The film desperately wants to replicate the political intrigue and hard hitting action of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. You have the same exact opening where Captain America drops in from an aircraft to rescue hostages. This is yet another plot that centers around mind control and you even get a scene set in a secret military base where a forgotten villain from a previous movie explains their master plan. It is clear that scenes have been stitched together to try to make the plot make sense. Giancarlo Esposito's Sidewinder (who was apparently added in reshoots) is the most obvious example of this: his character's sole purpose is to dole out exposition and we literally learn nothing about him.

Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross is the one saving grace of the film. Ford gives a surprisingly tender and committed performances as Ross, giving the character more nuance and complexity than he has been afforded before. I like the idea of a president under pressure and the uneasy alliance between Ross and Sam started off promising. The scenes where they try to find common ground are the best that the film has to offer yet the two characters are off doing their own thing for most of the film. The film brings in plot threads from other films, namely Eternals and The Incredible Hulk. I like the connectivity but it also makes this feel like a lesser spin-off. In fact, this is basically a sequel of sorts to that 2008 Hulk film, which begs the question: Why is this a Captain America movie? Sam doesn't get much of an arc here. The only reason he is in the story is because Ross asked him to start the Avengers (something that is never brought up again). Sam gets a brief scene where he doubts that he should be the next Captain America, but this was already covered in much more depth in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier tv show. As an action film, it is able I suppose but there aren't any action scenes that stand out. It was certainly a mistake watching Black Bag the day before this because while those two movies are technically both political thrillers, they couldn't be further apart.

2025 | MCU

This is the exact type of spy movie that I love. It’s all about actual spy craft and the psychological toll of being a spy. It trades in shootouts and combat for the thrills of watching a surveillance feed or taking a lie detector test (it is very much in the same vein as another one of my favorites, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy). It is mostly people in rooms talking but it is completely riveting. In the very first scene, British spy George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) meets with his who gives him (and the audience) everything he needs to know in three quick sentences: there is a mole, one of the suspects is your wife, and thousands could die if you don't find the mole. You have to love the pure efficiency of Steven Soderbergh!

On the surface, this might be a talky spy procedural but bubbling underneath is a juicy dose of drama that could even rival a soap opera. There is a running theme that spies can't have normal relationships with people because they have been trained to lie about everything. The characters spend the entire movie spying on each other, backstabbing each other and creating their own problems. Basically, they do everything besides what spies should actually be doing. In every scene, there is a constant tension of whether or not they can trust each other. It's like a game where whoever holds the most personal information on their colleagues holds all the power over them. There are many moving pieces to keep track of but the efficient script from David Koepp keeps things within grasp (it's a full course meal of spy goodness that miraculously fits into a 90 minute runtime). The mystery comes to a satisfying resolution that focuses on the personal fallout rather than the international implications.

On a side note, it is fun to see all the James Bond connections in this excellent cast. Of course, you have the former Bond Pierce Brosnan (playing an M like figure) and the former Moneypenny, Naomi Harris. Then you have Michael Fassbender who has been a popular Bond fan cast and Regé-Jean Page, who is a current Bond fan cast.

2025 | Steven Soderbergh

I caught this movie on tv as a kid and the premise of a contractor who works on secret corporate projects then has his mind erased afterwards has always stuck with me. Paycheck is a Hitchcockian "wrong man" thriller mixed with a sci-fi puzzle box and packaged as a slick action blockbuster with John Woo's signature operatic action scenes. The film is designed to create a slew of mysteries for the audience to chew on. What was the secret project that he was working on? Why did he reject his paycheck? Why did he send himself a package of random items? There are plenty of fun "wait a minute!" moments as the camera zooms in on Ben Affleck's face as he figures something out. Woo uses his dynamic camera movements and slow motion in service of paranoia rather than just the action.

Affleck and Thurman come across as a bit stiff in their roles but perhaps it has to do with the script. There is a time jump that creates a clever little moment but it also means that we miss out on nearly all of their development. Both characters are a bit of a blank slate. They are there to facilitate the intricacies of the plot forward (despite Woo's attempts to capture their romance with these moody flourishes). The film gets more and more generic as the questions are answered until we reach a perfunctory finale. I still quite enjoy this as a pulpy, sci-fi blockbuster but there are other adaptations of Philip K. Dick's stories that explore similar ground with more depth.

2003

This review may contain spoilers.

Original Review

Watching this one at home, I wasn't quite as swept away by the film's outrageous charms. My expectations going in had been so low that I was blown away by just how fun the experience was in theaters. However, on this watch the rough dialogue and choppy editing were harder to ignore. There is no build up to any of the action scenes and we cut back to the FBI agents on Jason Statham's tail a couple times too many.

I still had a blast watching this and love the commitment to escalating the threat all the way to the White House. I still the pop from the audience when we realized that the guy we are hunting is the son of the President. It is rare to see a revenge thriller of this nature expand its scope this much in the final act.

Re-Evaluation: 4 stars -> 3.5 stars

2024

An entertaining and informative documentary about the soft rock bands of the 70's and 80's that only later became known as Yacht Rock. I only know this music in ing but the documentary has peaked my interest to look up some of these artists. The documentary was produced by The Ringer, whom I know from their great podcasts about movies. They have a knack for defining different eras, tracing trends and contextualizing events to our greater pop culture, all in a humorous manner and that is exactly what you get here. You get an in-depth look at the artists that defined the era along with a generous dose of groovy music to tap your feet to. It's just as easy a watch as the music is to listen to.

The Monkey perfectly walks the tonal tightrope of being a nihilistic horror comedy about a toy monkey that kills people. It's a wild ride that fills the runtime with gory kills and dark humor. Based on a Stephen King short story, you can feel the 80's vibe in the presentation but I am glad the film doesn't go for the easy references and nostalgia. The Final Destination series certainly come to mind with how the kills play out. However, that franchise contends that everyone is fated to die a certain way (aka Death's Design) while this film's point is that death is just as random as someone turning a key on a toy monkey. Some try to find meaning in death but the film seems to say that it's better to just roll with it and live your life.

Osgood Perkins has perfected his directorial voice with this effort and with his previous film, Longlegs. The films are very different on the surface but share many similarities. They both evoke the styles of past films and exist in a place outside of today. They both have themes about flawed parenting and the effect it has on children (something that is certainly personal to Perkins, being the son of a famous actor). They also satirize elements of the horror genre to some extent: they have the air of arthouse filmmaking but Perkins gives a sense of fun and doesn't take himself too seriously.

The performances are all pitched just right towards this specific tone; deadpan reactions in the face of outrageously over-the-top gore. There are a couple of hard cuts to death that just had me cracking up with laughter. But as funny as the film can be, I still found it unnerving. The blank stare and movements of the monkey creates a sense of dread and there are some incredible shots of those eyes staring out from the darkness. This film certainly isn't for everyone, but if you can get on board with this very specific tone, you will be in for a crazy time.

2025 | Neon

Murder, My Sweet is notable for being the first major film to be based on the work of author Raymond Chandler and featuring his detective character, Philip Marlowe. It has all the elements that I have come to expect from watching other Marlowe films: a rich family with complicated relationships that hires Marlowe, a missing McGuffin, and not one but two femme fatales.

It's a complicated tale but the great direction and acting help carry it. I only knew Dick Powell from his singing and dancing roles in musicals but I was very impressed with his hard-nosed performance as Marlowe,. He stacks up favorably with others who later inhabited the role such as Humphrey Bogart. Powell nails the world-weariness of the detective as well as the wry delivery of some wonderful lines of dialogue. Director Edward Dmytryk also impressed me with how he crafts an atmosphere of dark streets where the time always seems to be 2 AM at night (I love the introduction of Moose as a reflection in the window, the clever transitions that mysteriously dissolve to black and a trippy dream sequence).

As the story becomes more complex, the film reaches a point where the progression of finding clues stalls out and (despite a welcome detour into surreal territory) Marlowe becomes more of a ive protagonist. The audience becomes resigned to waiting until someone tells us who killed who and who stole what (instead of actively trying to solve the mystery). I like how Marlowe basically its he has no idea what is going on either so that made me feel a little better. However, you do feel a drop off in the second half and it leads to an ending that is rather light and airy for the story being told.

1944 | Noir

There is something about the music of the Talking Heads that puts me in a good mood. Now I wouldn't necessarily put these songs on for casual listening but in the form of this concert film, I quite enjoyed myself. There is so much happening on stage from the weird choreographed moves to the random words and pictures flashing in the background. The film does an irable job at making it feel like you are seeing everything that is going on. David Byrne knows how to put on a good show!

Novocaine completely hinges on the great action concept of a regular guy who feels no pain, which leads to some highly entertaining sequences. But it also creates a character who has been understandably sheltered all his life and becomes quite relatable in his social awkwardness. It's a great performance from Jack Quaid as Nathan Caine, who is having himself quite the year after also starring in Companion. Quaid seems to have made a name for himself playing these lovably awkward, slightly wimpy characters with a nerdy charm. He can weaponize this in darker roles but here, he makes for the perfect everyman for today. The film provides well-thought out details about how he goes about his life to avoid accidentally hurting himself. I appreciate the extended first act that just lets us get to know his character and the charming romance with Sherry (his coworker played by Amber Midthunder). Once you get to the action, it is able to go more gory and brutal than you might expect because Nathan can't feel pain; he almost becomes a slapstick character who can take broken bones and horrible burns with indifference.

However, the bank robbery and kidnapping plot all just feels a little stale. The action clichés really start to stack up once you reach the finale. There is a little more to the story than what is initially presented, but this actually complicated my feelings about the characters. Things wrap up a little too neatly when there should be more complicated emotions at play. This feels like a case of the movie trying to fit the story around the message it was going for. But regardless, there is something charming about how low the stakes are and how earnest the characters are. It is still well worth a watch for the entertaining premise if you can roll with a generic plot.

2025

I knew a couple of Herb Alpert's songs through pop culture osmosis but I don't think I ever realized just how big he was back in the 1960's. His music has a unique sound and those silky trumpet melodies are very soothing. This documentary provides a nice overview of his career while also letting us hang out with the man now as he creates art in his home. There is plenty of footage of his performances (as well as backstage stuff) that makes this a great introduction to his music.

Sausage Party is a waste of a neat idea. I like the idea of sending up those Pixar movies that give sentience to objects (something that the studio has turned into a successful formula starting with Toy Story). If the items you buy at a grocery store were all alive and aware of what was happening to them, it would of course make for a horrific series of events. There are exactly two good scenes in this movie: the recreation of the D-Day scene from Saving Private Ryan and the horror sequence where the food realize their fate in the kitchen.

These are the only two good scenes because that is the only joke the movie has to offer. The rest of the runtime is lazily padded out with sex jokes, crude humor and food puns (I would have been more receptive to the puns if the other jokes weren't so abnoxious). The movie would have been better if things were played straight from the start and focused on being a parody of Pixar/Disney movies. But instead, we get a non-stop stream of pointless vulgarity that just isn't funny.

2016

Watched on Saturday March 8, 2025.

The Fly is less of a monster movie and more of a tragic love story and Twilight Zone-esque warning about technology. The film is structured in an interesting way, starting with a rather long framing device that starts the story at the tragic end. Normally, I wouldn't be a fan but in this case, it serves to add a mystery that wasn't there before and makes the audience pay attention to little details to figure out how we got there. You may think that Vincent Price will be our lead but he basically serves as the audience surrogate before David Hedison and Patricia Owens (playing the scientist and his wife respectively) take over the bulk of the story in a flashback. Hedison is particularly good as the Frankenstein-esque scientist who begins to play God. You believe his hopeful promise that his inventions will usher in a better era for humanity, which makes the fall all the more tragic.

The film does a good job showing just how little we know about how the world works and the hopelessness of the situation (I never knew that searching for a house fly could be this suspenseful but if you've ever tried to track down a fly buzzing around your house, you know how hard it can be). The film keeps us in the perspective of the wife so that we can only imagine what happened (which is probably scarier than what a film of this era could show). This builds up to the reveal of the fly that is shocking thanks to impressive prosthetics and a clever way of putting us in the fly's POV. The climax is certainly silly at face value but if you think about it, it is a terrifying piece of existential horror that actually unsettled me. Despite a hockey epilogue where the characters basically assures the audience that exploring new technology is actually a safe endeavor, I am glad the film was able to end on a dark note and with an ironic observation.

1958 | 50's Sci-Fi

Mickey 17, a satirical sci-fi tale about an "Expendable" person (Robert Pattinson) living on a distant colony that is reprinted every time he dies, is unmistakably a Bong Joon-Ho film. The futuristic setting as a construct of our society is reminiscent of Snowpiercer and the wacky performances and cute creatures are similar to Okja. That makes it all the more strange that the film doesn't quite land, especially considering Bong reportedly had final cut on the film following his massive success with Parasite. His movies are usually so tightly constructed down to the last detail but this one feels disted and juggles one too many subplots. The film is based on a sci-fi book of the same name and it almost feels like Bong got caught in the common trap of trying to adapt every storyline.

The first act features an overbearing amount of narration to explain the rules of the world and the Expendables, serving to stall things out right from the jump. Bong is also using this narration to imbue the film with a quirky sense of humor. The sharpest target of the satire is the idea that humans are seen as disposable commodities that governments and corporations can use for research and labor. Pattinson gives Mickey the lovably meek persona of someone who is just trying to get by but keeps getting killed for various reasons. However, there is also the more broad satire about government, religion and racism that comes across as too obvious and not quite as funny. The ethical and moral dilemmas that arise from cloning are explored memorably in a couple scenes but are otherwise obscured by the other subplots. Rather than play them out, these dilemmas are mostly used in service of goofy shenanigans that don't always land. I was waiting for the film to hook me emotionally but it never really gets there. But with Bong Joon Ho behind the wheel, there are plenty of craft and ideas here that still make it worth checking out.

2025 | Bong Joon-ho

The Conversation is weirder and more psychological than the sterile thriller that I was imagining. We follow surveillance expert Harry Caul (played by the late and great Gene Hackman) as he spies on a couple then goes to his empty apartment to play a melancholy song on the saxophone. He is someone who has the tools and skills to hear every conversation but can never be a part of one. He is lonely and his knowledge of the power of surveillance have made him paranoid. The film does a great job at making you feel the loneliness, whether it is locked down camera and the long lens shots or that sad piano score or Hackman's understated performance.

I sensed that the film was in conversation with some of Alfred Hitchcock's films. The subject matter is certainly similar to Rear Window but it has a similar dreamlike quality and obsessed character as Vertigo. The identity of the couple and the nature of his job is kept purposefully vague, which adds to the paranoia. The mystery feels just out of reach and you hang on every word as Caul cleans up the audio. The way that the snippets of the conversation are interspersed throughout the film to show Caul's growing obsession is brilliant, as is the gut-punching moment that it all snaps into place. The elements of a thriller are very much on the periphery. An ominous businessman staring at you from down the hall or the idea that a bug can be anywhere in your house is more tense than any shootout or chase scene. I love the detailed dive into the world of surveillance; it even takes things to a surveillance equipment conference that leans just a little into surrealism and comedic territory. It's a film that only grows stronger every day as we live in an increasingly isolated and less private world.

1974 | Francis Ford Coppola

The Day the Earth Stood Still is more in line with the morality tales of "The Twilight Zone" than the other UFO movies of this era. Through the eyes of a visiting alien, Klaatu, we see the mistrust and fear that blinds humanity as he is greeted with raised guns. Even though the film can be quite blunt with it's themes, it is an effective cry for humanity to come together. Even in the most immediate of catastrophes, it is near impossible for the governments of the world to put aside self-interest and work together, something that is no less true today. In a potential universe that is full of alien life, we are the weird ones and the ones to be feared, not the other way around.

The film wisely introduces a family that puts a face to the people that are at stake and gives the film a sense of hope. It makes sense that Klaatu would identify with the innocent and open-minded child over the jaded adults. You get some fun fish out of water comedy as Klaatu casually outsmarts Earth's brightest minds and becomes baffled by the backwards way humans act. Yet there is an interesting reveal makes you wonder just how "good" his civilization is as well.

You can see director Robert Wise's background in noir shine through in his direction and the cynical tone. He uses shadows to create an air of mystery and danger, like when Klaatu is shrouded in shadows when he first meets the family. The family drama reminds me a little of Shadow of a Doubt (with the suspicious stranger staying at an unsuspecting families' house) and of course, there is the manhunt (or alienhunt) element. Speaking of Hitchcock, frequent collaborator Bernard Hermann composed the playful but ominous score which seems to have become synonymous with UFO music. The film features great special effects for its time; the spaceship landing on the baseball diamond amid a crowd is blended seamlessly and still holds up. This is certainly one of the best and most thematically rich sci-fi films to come out of the 50's.

1951 | 50's Sci-Fi

This mockumentary following the Senate campaign of a populist candidate is not very funny for the simple fact that it feels so real and terrifying. It is hard to not draw a direct line to the political landscape of today. The statements and shenanigans of Bob Roberts' campaign which may have felt like satire at the time now just feels like everyday occurrences and talking points. The film satirizes how politics is just about who has the bigger personality and who tells people what they want to hear.

The mockumentary style feels nearly identical to a normal documentary. It nails the way that political speeches, press conferences and debates are filmed and an impressively stacked cast all give naturalistic performances. As the story unfolds, this almost becomes a political thriller as you catch more and more glimpses of the real person behind the mask.

1992

I didn't really like this as the sea adventure of the first half, but I quite liked the second half when it became a survival story. In the Heart of the Sea tells the true story that inspired the writing of "Moby Dick". The characters here are painted broadly and the main conflict of the story (the rivalry between the captain and the first mate) doesn't have time to unfold naturally. I either needed more character drama or more details about the operation of the ship to keep me invested in the first half.

I also wasn't a big fan of some of the directing choices. There were some weird coloring choices, erratic staging and distracting CGI backdrops that took away from the immersion. However, I did like when the camera was mounted on parts of the ship and on the back of the whale. The style of the film was better suited for the second half when the sailors become delirious and everything feels like a fever dream. The acting really shines here and you feel the hopelessness of their situation (Chris Hemsworth is particularly compelling in his role as the first mate). A framing device doesn't add much to the story but I liked the vibe of Brendan Gleeson telling a harrowing story through the course of a rainy night. There are some brief themes about man vs. nature and how companies will lie for profit but it is mostly a straight forward survival story that doesn’t fully land.

2015 | Ron Howard

Love Hurts features the reliably dynamic action as we have come to expect from 87North Productions, but this time, the generic and undercooked story is too much to overcome. It's yet another story about a seemingly normal person who is actually an assassin, a story that shares the same DNA as John Wick and most of the other movies from this production company. The entire story spins its wheels until the final fight between Marvin, a former assassin turned realtor agent (Key Huy Quan), and his criminal brother and goons who are out to get revenge on him for leaving. Each fight is inconclusive and leads to Marvin narrowly escaping until we get to the final fight. It's all very thin, without much in the way of story progression. Characters constantly talk about the events in the past that forced Marvin to hide his identity, events that probably would have made for a more interesting movie.

The film is packaged as a Valentine's Day themed action movie. Every character has love on the mind (even the two heavies that includes NFL player Marshawn Lynch, which is pretty amusing). However, Marvin and Rose (Ariana DeBose) don't have any chemistry, in part because the film forgets to show us why they love each other. Clumsy voiceovers from the minds of both characters try to convince us otherwise but this almost comes across as something that was hastily added in post production when they realized the romance was missing. Key Huy Quan is likable and handles the action well as he uses objects in his environment to stay alive in fun ways (I got a kick out of a boba stray being used as a weapon) but the entire movie surrounding him is stale.

2025 | 87North

So many famous musicians follow the same career path that the movies based on their lives end up feeling very similar. This film takes that idea to make a hilarious spoof of the musical biopic genre, jam packing every single trope into one movie with on-the-nose dialogue. Yet the funny thing is that this isn't much more blunt than the movies it is spoofing. The original songs here are actually quite catchy to listen to and I love how the lyrics spell out exactly what the characters are feeling. Every phase of a musician's career is poked fun at (like the phase where the musician makes experimental songs to truly express themselves, even though no one ends up liking it). It's impressive how consistently funny this is despite the fact that this is basically one big SNL sketch. But it deeply understands the subject that it is spoofing and fully commits to telling the inspirational story of the fictional Dewey Cox.

2007

Even with a location change, a casting change and a director change, Paddington in Peru is just as charming and heartfelt as ever. You can perhaps feel a small drop-off in quality but Dougal Wilson does a great job continuing the whimsy of Paul King's direction. Plus, the change in location from London to Peru means that there is less opportunity to do the "Wes Anderson lite" framing and colors that we saw in the first two films. Instead it is replaced by a CGI jungle (although it doesn't look as noticeable as most blockbusters and they apparently filmed parts on location). Wilson finds enough ways to liven things up visually, like a fun musical number and the backstories of explorers searching for the treasure presented in different styles.

The globe-trotting, adventure through Peru provides plenty of different opportunities for fun, referencing movies like Indiana Jones in the process. This time the Brown's are the fish out of water and it makes for a fun dynamic (I especially enjoyed Mr. Brown's effort to be more daring). Just like the first two films, each family member has something going on in their lives that ties into the story in an emotionally satisfying way by the end. This is a classic third film in a trilogy, as Paddington returns to his roots and finds out about his heritage. Paddington is given a nice arc as he grapples with the idea that he has two homes and it all wraps up in a wonderful manner that brought a tear to my eye.

2025

When you think of musical biopics, Walk the Line is the one that usually comes to mind. These type of movies aren't usually my favorite since they need to cover so much information in a limited runtime but they can be enjoyable when done right. This one tells a story of redemption as it recounts the many issues that Johnny Cash ran into during his life. It is certainly a performance-driven film first and foremost. Joaquin Phoenix tracks the evolution of Cash with impressive dedication; everything from how his stage presence develops to his slide into drug use and increasingly erratic behavior. Reese Witherspoon is just as good as June Carter and their complex relationship is the best part of the film. They both find themselves drawn to the tour and judged in the public eye.

The presentation of the story follows that traditional "rise and fall" template, although it feels like there is a lot of the "fall" as we see Cash portrayed as a very troubled person. You don't really get to dig deep into anything since there is a lot going on but I found the themes about religion clashing with the content of the music to be an interesting thread. The music sequences are well handled and let most of the songs play in their entirety. I only have a ing familiarity with the songs of Johnny Cash but I gained a greater appreciation for his music, especially seeing how he used it to express himself.

2005 | James Mangold

Heart Eyes is another in the recent trend of holiday themed slashers with a tongue-in-cheek tone and a generous helping of gore. This one is structed like a romantic comedy that keeps getting brutally interrupted by a guy with a heart eyes mask killing couples on Valentine's Day. The first twenty minutes or so was a little rough and had me wondering if the film was just going to feel like a comedy sketch. However, things settle in the second act and delivers on some gruesome kills and a pleasant chemistry between leads Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt. You get some amusing, over-the-top versions of common rom-com tropes like the "meet cute" and making the ex jealous. Some of the kills make a big impact, thanks to the sound design and editing that makes you feel each impact. However, the color palette of some scenes is muted, which can lessen some of their impact.

Scream and Thanksgiving are big reference points when it comes to the film's structure. I was hoping it had something a little more clever up its sleeve when it came to combining the two genres. However, it hits all of the predictable beats that you would expect and the reveal of who is behind the mask is underwhelming. This had a lot of potential to do to rom-coms what Scream did with slashers. For example, there is the classic, rom-com scene where one of the lovers rushes to the airport to stop the other from getting on the plane. I thought there would be some sort of subversion or that this would be incorporated into a set-piece but it ends up just being a reference and the film quickly moves on. But this is still a solid slasher that is worth a watch, even if it doesn't do much to surprise.

2025 | Slashers

The third Naked Gun film isn’t really spoofing the noir and action movies that the first two films did. Instead, it follows the trend of the series by going broader and sillier with the humor, spoofing everything from gangster movies to the Academy Awards. I prefer the series when it focuses more on the deadpan humor and visual gags but at least this one doesn’t follow the template of the first two movies and does something different. Some of the jokes don’t land and are outdated but there is some really good stuff in here like the long legs gag and the entire prison escape sequence that parodies The Great Escape.

1994

The second Naked Gun movie leans heavier into the physical comedy as Frank Drebin wrecks havoc in every room and situation he walks into. This follows nearly an identical structure to the original film and plays all of its greatest hits (Frank has to win Jane back from the bad guy again, he disguises himself as a singer again and there is the over-the-top love scene). Yet the renditions of these gags are still quite funny, even if they aren’t as fresh. Frank and his crew disguising themselves as a mariachi band then performing intricate choreography is a hilarious subversion of the joke. I enjoyed the zoo animals gag that has perhaps the most delayed payoff of any joke but is well worth the wait. There is also a political angle to the humor where the bad guys are oil tycoons who want to prevent renewable energy from becoming mainstream (along with a fun spoof of George Bush Sr.).

1991

This is a fun spoof of film noir and 80's action films, with a little bit of James Bond in there too. Much like this filmmaking team's classic spoof Airplane, the key ingredient is the deadpan delivery from Leslie Nielsen. Everything around him is silly but he is acting as if he is in a serious police drama. I also view this as a spiritual successor to The Pink Panther series where you also have an oblivious detective making a mess out of every room he walks into (the difference being that The Naked Gun has a focus on puns and visual gags as opposed to the silly physical comedy of The Pink Panther).

The fun is all in the anticipation of the gag. When businessman Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban) explains in detail all the priceless artifacts in his office, you know that they will somehow be destroyed by Frank Drebin. The question is how he will manage to do it in the most hilarious manner. If I correctly, the show that this is based on was a little more focused on wordplay and visual puns. The film version allows for more broad humor and slapstick which is still mostly funny. But the film is at its best when you have the driest dialogue possible with hilarious things happening in the background.

1988

This review may contain spoilers.

Companion takes two sub-genres that have become popular in recent years and combines them to make something fresh. The first is the horror/thrillers that take a more nuanced look at toxic relationships and the so-called "nice guys" who feel entitled to women (movies like Promising Young Women, Fresh and Don't Worry Darling come to mind). Josh (Jack Quaid) feels like he has paid his dues by being a "nice" guy and deserves a woman so he rents Iris (Sophie Thatcher), the robot companion that he treats like property. This is where the second sub-genre comes into play: the sci-fi film that questions whether artificial intelligence is just as alive as a human. This film covers similar thematic ground to Ex Machina as Iris is shown to have sentience.

But even though Companion dabbles in these genres, it uses them to create a fun and stylish thriller rather than be any sort of deep exploration. After some misdirection, the film reveals itself to be a crime story that cleverly takes advantage of having a robotic character. The trailers pretty much spoil this initial twist but luckily, the film has a couple more revelations to keep things fresh. One of my favorite moments was when Iris switches her language settings to German to hide the truth since she is unable to lie. It makes for a uniquely hilarious and tense scene. It was also fun seeing all the iterations of the fake memories that the androids are given to convince them they are human (another fun twist on a popular trope). The film applies the same type of unpredictable and self-aware energy to the sci-fi genre that has been so popular with the horror genre lately. Great soundtrack too!

2025

1. Ex Machina
2. Warfare
3. Annihilation
4. Dredd

   According to Karl Urban, Alex Garland essentially directed this film in addition to writing it which would make this his unofficial debut film.

5. 28 Days Later
6. Sunshine
7. Civil War
8. Men

Highest Grossing Film: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Best Picture Winner: Chicago

2001 < Lists > 2003

1. Adaptation.
2. The Pianist
3. Minority Report
4. The Bourne Identity
5. Spider-Man
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
7. Panic Room
8. Signs
9. 28 Days Later
10. Insomnia

...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Movies taking place after the fall of civilization that I have seen (sorted chronologically for now).

• Deluge
• Things to Come
• Robot Monster
• Planet of the Apes
• Beneath the Planet of the Apes
• The Omega Man
• Battle for the Planet of the Apes
• Dawn of the Dead
• Mad Max
• Mad Max 2

...plus 26 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Star Trek
• Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• The Dark Knight Rises
• Monsters University
• Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
• 10 Cloverfield Lane
• Captain America: Civil War
• Ouija: Origin of Evil
• A Quiet Place

...plus 157 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film (US): The Exorcist
Best Picture Winner: The Sting

1972 < Lists > 1974

1. The Exorcist
2. Paper Moon
3. Charley Varrick
4. Soylent Green
5. Sleeper
6. Jesus Christ Superstar
7. Fantastic Planet
8. Mean Streets
9. Live and Let Die
10. The Laughing Policeman

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Dawn of the Dead
2. Shaun of the Dead
3. Night of the Living Dead
4. Train to Busan
5. The Return of the Living Dead
6. Zombieland
7. 28 Days Later
8. Planet Terror
9. Dawn of the Dead
10. Day of the Dead

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: Frozen
Best Picture Winner: 12 Years a Slave

2012 < Lists > 2014

1. Prisoners
2. Locke
3. Enemy
4. Her
5. Evil Dead
6. Snowpiercer
7. Gravity
8. Coherence
9. The Dirties
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

...plus 29 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Franchises ranked by my average scores of the films (see notes for the scores as well as links to Franchise lists). Only franchises where I have seen and reviewed four movies or more are listed.

1. Toy Story 2

   Toy Story (21.5/5)

   4.30

2. Evil Dead II

   Evil Dead (21.5/5)

   4.30

3. John Wick: Chapter 4

   John Wick (17/4)

   4.25

4. Mad Max 2

   Mad Max (21/5)

   4.20

5. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

   Mission Impossible (28.5/7)

   4.07

6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

   Spider-Man (40.5/10)

   4.05

7. Raiders of the Lost Ark

   Indiana Jones (20/5)

   4.00

8. Avengers: Endgame

   MCU (103.5/26) *estimated

   3.98

9. Scream

   Scream (23/6)

   3.83

10. Star Wars

    Star Wars (42/11)

    3.82

...plus 28 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Castle in the Sky
2. My Neighbor Totoro
3. Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro
4. Angel's Egg
5. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
6. Gauche the Cellist
7. Akira
8. Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
9. The Animatrix

Highest Grossing Film: Spider-Man: No Way Home
Best Picture Winner: CODA

2020 < Lists > 2022

1. Dune
2. Pig
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home
4. Malignant
5. The Mitchells vs. the Machines
6. No Time to Die
7. The Suicide Squad
8. Luca
9. A Quiet Place Part II
10. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

...plus 62 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Final Destination Bloodlines
2. Final Destination 2
3. Final Destination 3
4. Final Destination
5. Final Destination 5
6. The Final Destination

2024 < Lists

1. Black Bag
2. Warfare
3. The Monkey
4. Companion
5. Sinners
6. Thunderbolts*
7. Presence
8. Final Destination Bloodlines
9. Paddington in Peru
10. Novocaine

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. The Lighthouse
2. Ex Machina
3. Uncut Gems
4. Enemy
5. Hereditary
6. Warfare
7. The Witch
8. First Cow
9. Locke
10. Bodies Bodies Bodies

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Every spy film I have seen. Sorted chronologically for now.

• Spies
• Secret Agent
• Foreign Correspondent
• Undercover: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines
• Notorious
• Casino Royale
• North by Northwest
• Dr. No
• From Russia with Love
• Goldfinger

...plus 69 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Directors ranked by my average score of their films (see notes for the scores as well as links to their lists). Only directors where I have seen and reviewed 5 or more of their films are included. My favorite from the director represents them on this list. Not exactly accurate when it comes to my favorite directors but it's close enough for a general guide (for example, Hitchcock is one of my favorite directors but since I've seen so much from him, it drags the average score down).

Similar lists that inspired mine: Fabian, TajLV, ScreeningNotes

1. Inglourious Basterds

   Quentin Tarantino (45/10)

   4.50

2. The Big Lebowski

   Coen Brothers (27/6)

   4.50

3. Arrival

   Denis Villeneuve (40/9)

   4.44

4. Interstellar

   Christopher Nolan (53/12)

   4.42

5. Whiplash

   Damien Chazelle (22/5)

   4.40

6. The Incredibles

   Brad Bird (25.5/6)

   4.25

7. The Terminator

   James Cameron (34/8)

   4.25

8. The Godfather

   Francis Ford Coppola (29.5/7)

   4.21

9. It's a Wonderful Life

   Frank Capra (21/5)

   4.20

10. Mad Max 2

    George Miller (21/5)

    4.20

...plus 69 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• 10 Cloverfield Lane
• 12 Angry Men

  Criterion

• 1917
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• 2010
• 21 Jump Street
• 22 Jump Street
• 2 Fast 2 Furious
• About Time
• The ant

...plus 595 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Best Picture Winner: The Departed

2005 < Lists > 2007

1. The Departed
2. Casino Royale
3. The Prestige
4. Inside Man
5. Once
6. The Host
7. Mission: Impossible III
8. Idiocracy
9. Final Destination 3
10. Slither

...plus 18 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Avengers: Endgame
2. Avengers: Infinity War
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
6. The Avengers
7. Iron Man
8. Spider-Man: No Way Home
9. Spider-Man: Homecoming
10. Thor: Ragnarok

...plus 27 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Star Wars
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
6. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
7. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
8. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
9. Solo: A Star Wars Story
10. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My most anticipated films of 2025. Created Jan 2025.

1. Weapons
2. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
3. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
4. Predator: Badlands
5. The Running Man
6. Mickey 17
7. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
8. Superman
9. The Monkey
10. F1 The Movie

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Picture Winner: Spotlight

2014 < Lists > 2016

1. Sicario
2. Ex Machina
3. Inside Out
4. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
5. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
6. The Witch
7. Mad Max: Fury Road
8. The Hateful Eight
9. Steve Jobs
10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

...plus 22 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film (US): Fiddler on the Roof
Best Picture Winner: The French Connection

1970 < Lists > 1972

1. The French Connection
2. The Andromeda Strain
3. A Clockwork Orange
4. Dirty Harry
5. Duel
6. THX 1138
7. The Last Picture Show
8. Escape from the Planet of the Apes
9. Shaft
10. Vanishing Point

...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: Toy Story 3
Best Picture Winner: The King's Speech

2009 < Lists > 2011

1. Inception
2. Shutter Island
3. Toy Story 3
4. The Social Network
5. Incendies
6. Megamind
7. Insidious
8. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
9. Devil
10. Iron Man 2

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Mind-bending, psychological nightmares.

1. Mulholland Drive
2. The Shining
3. The Lighthouse
4. Eyes Wide Shut
5. Enemy
6. Synecdoche, New York
7. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
8. Coherence
9. The Trial
10. Ash

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

All the neo-noirs (1959 and onward) I have seen, ranked. See my list for classic noirs here.

1. Se7en
2. Memento
3. Zodiac
4. The Conversation
5. Chinatown
6. Blade Runner
7. Blade Runner 2049
8. Taxi Driver
9. Blood Simple
10. The Limey

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Movies I've seen that take place for a good portion in space, are about space travel, or take place on another planet. Sorted chronologically for now.

• Woman in the Moon
• This Island Earth
• Forbidden Planet
• Fire Maidens of Outer Space
• Nebo Zovyot
• 12 to the Moon
• First Spaceship on Venus
• Assignment: Outer Space
• The Phantom Planet
• Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

...plus 73 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ranking of all the sports films I have seen.

Boxing/MMA - 3
Racing - 3
Basketball - 3
Football - 2
Baseball - 1
Hockey - 1
Pool - 1
Track and Field - 1
Golf - 1
Sailing - 1
Tennis - 1
Skating - 1

1. Challengers
2. Raging Bull
3. Ford v Ferrari
4. Moneyball
5. Warrior
6. Miracle
7. The Color of Money
8. Gran Turismo
9. The Freshman
10. The Way Back

...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Best Picture Winner: No Country for Old Men

2006 < Lists > 2008

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Ratatouille
3. Zodiac
4. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
5. Hot Fuzz
6. Sunshine
7. National Treasure: Book of Secrets
8. Planet Terror
9. Death Proof
10. Charlie Wilson's War

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: Armageddon
Best Picture Winner: Shakespeare in Love

1997 < Lists > 1999

1. The Truman Show
2. The Big Lebowski
3. Saving Private Ryan
4. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
5. Out of Sight
6. Sphere
7. Mulan
8. Snake Eyes
9. He Got Game
10. Following

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Whiplash
2. Get Out
3. Upgrade
4. The Invisible Man
5. Insidious
6. The Hunt
7. M3GAN
8. Hush
9. The Black Phone
10. Creep

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Carry-On
2. Non-Stop
3. Unknown
4. Black Adam
5. Jungle Cruise
6. The Woman in the Yard

Steven Soderbergh is an innovator that is always looking to push the technologies and structure of film. Much more than just "the guy who directed Ocean's 11", Soderbergh has put out a consistent output of creative films from a variety of genres. Yet all his films do something unique; they are often told in untraditional ways that remove the Hollywood-ness, they have a stripped down, matter-of-fact quality with a documentary-like visual style yet they are almost always entertaining and worthwhile experiences. After slowly checking out his other films, I can confidently say that this experimenter of cinematic language is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors working today.

Lists | Directors

1. Ocean's Eleven
2. The Limey
3. Black Bag
4. Out of Sight
5. Erin Brockovich
6. Contagion
7. The Informant!
8. Logan Lucky
9. Ocean's Twelve
10. Kimi

...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: Inside Out 2
Best Picture: Anora

2023 < Lists > 2025

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Challengers
3. The Substance
4. Anora
5. Hundreds of Beavers
6. Oddity
7. Inside Out 2
8. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
9. Strange Darling
10. Red Rooms

...plus 47 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: E.T the Extra-Terrestrial
Best Picture Winner: Gandhi

1981 < Lists > 1983

1. The King of Comedy
2. Blade Runner
3. The Thing
4. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
5. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
6. Deathtrap
7. Gauche the Cellist
8. Tron
9. Airplane II: The Sequel
10. Halloween III: Season of the Witch

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Best Picture Winner: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

2002 < Lists > 2004

1. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
2. Memories of Murder
3. Finding Nemo
4. School of Rock
5. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
7. Elf
8. X2
9. Final Destination 2
10. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Parasite
2. Pig
3. Anora
4. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
5. The Monkey
6. Presence
7. Possessor
8. Palm Springs
9. Immaculate
10. Longlegs

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Starting from 1920.

1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
2. The Kid
3. Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler
4. Safety Last!
5. Sherlock Jr.
6. Battleship Potemkin
7. The General
8. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
9. The Last Command
10. Woman in the Moon

...plus 97 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film (US): Going My Way
Best Picture Winner: Going My Way

1943 < Lists > 1945

1. To Have and Have Not
2. Lifeboat
3. The Woman in the Window
4. Ministry of Fear
5. Arsenic and Old Lace
6. Murder, My Sweet
7. Ivan the Terrible, Part I
8. Christmas Holiday
9. When Strangers Marry
10. The Whistler

All the noirs from the classic period (1940-1958), plus proto-noirs that paved the way for the genre, that I have seen. See my list for neo-noirs here.

1. Vertigo
2. Citizen Kane
3. M
4. Touch of Evil
5. Shadow of a Doubt
6. Notorious
7. Sunset Boulevard
8. The Stranger
9. To Have and Have Not
10. Nightmare Alley

...plus 39 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: Captain America: Civil War
Best Picture Winner: Moonlight

2015 < Lists > 2017

1. La La Land
2. Arrival
3. 10 Cloverfield Lane
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. Hell or High Water
6. Train to Busan
7. Don't Breathe
8. Zootopia
9. The Conjuring 2
10. Doctor Strange

...plus 27 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Godzilla
2. The Thing from Another World
3. The Incredible Shrinking Man
4. Forbidden Planet
5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
6. The Day the Earth Stood Still
7. The Fly
8. Them!
9. The Quatermass Xperiment
10. The Blob

...plus 19 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: South Pacific
Best Picture Winner: Gigi

1957 < Lists > 1959

1. Vertigo
2. Touch of Evil
3. Elevator to the Gallows
4. The Big Country
5. The Fly
6. The Last Hurrah
7. The Blob
8. Macabre
9. King Creole
10. Fiend Without a Face

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Bong Joon-Ho is one of the most acclaimed and popular directors working out of South Korea today. His films tell dark stories about the institutions of government and capitalism but often with a comedic edge and genre bending sensibilities. His characters are often morally complicated. His best films emotionally hook you in unexpected ways and leave you feeling many emotions by the end.

Interestingly, his three English language films come across as a bit more messy and feature at least one truly bizarre performance while the films produced in his native country tend to be more tightly constructed thrillers.

1. Parasite
2. Memories of Murder
3. Snowpiercer
4. Mother
5. The Host
6. Okja
7. Barking Dogs Never Bite
8. Mickey 17

1. The Godfather
2. Apocalypse Now
3. The Conversation
4. The Godfather Part II
5. Tucker: The Man and His Dream
6. Megalopolis
7. The Godfather Part III

Highest Grossing Film: The Towering Inferno
Best Picture Winner: The Godfather: Part II

1973 < Lists > 1975

1. The Conversation
2. Chinatown
3. Blazing Saddles
4. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
5. The Godfather Part II
6. Phantom of the Paradise
7. Black Christmas
8. Young Frankenstein
9. The Parallax View
10. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

The best Best Pictures. A rather impossible list to rank but here it my attempt anyway.

Every Best Picture Winner

1. The Godfather
2. Oppenheimer
3. Parasite
4. The French Connection
5. The Departed
6. No Country for Old Men
7. Rebecca
8. Amadeus
9. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
10. Gone with the Wind

...plus 17 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Run for your lives! It's my ranking of every disaster movie that I have seen.

1. The Andromeda Strain
2. Airplane!
3. Titanic
4. Contagion
5. The Birds
6. The Poseidon Adventure
7. Twister
8. The Towering Inferno
9. The Cassandra Crossing
10. Twisters

...plus 31 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film (US): Quo Vadis
Best Picture Winner: An American in Paris

1950 < Lists > 1952

1. A Place in the Sun
2. Strangers on a Train
3. Othello
4. Alice in Wonderland
5. The Thing from Another World
6. The Day the Earth Stood Still
7. The Enforcer
8. Scrooge
9. The Man from Planet X
10. Lost Continent

All the movie trilogies I've seen and reviewed, ranked.

When a series continues to four entries, the films will be removed from this list and can be found here: Franchise Index

I will leave trilogies on the list that are found within larger franchises if they feel distinct enough.

1. Star Wars
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark
5. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
6. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
7. The Evil Dead
8. Evil Dead II
9. Army of Darkness
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

...plus 80 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Highest Grossing Film: Aladdin
Best Picture Winner: Unforgiven

1991 < Lists > 1993

1. Reservoir Dogs
2. A Few Good Men
3. Wayne's World
4. Army of Darkness
5. Bob Roberts
6. Aladdin
7. Raising Cain
8. El Mariachi
9. The Muppet Christmas Carol
10. Chaplin

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.