Mary Queen of Scotts Review

Mary Queen of Scots was an okay movie boosted by a great lead performance. This movie is about Queen Mary Stuart’s rivalry with her cousin Elizabeth I, the Queen of England. Saoirse Ronan gives a great lead performance. She carries this entire movie and keeps things mostly interesting. Margot Robbie is shockingly mediocre here. She has one or two decent scenes but most of her acting is just bad and out of place.  Jack Lowden and David Tennant give fantastic performances in their supporting roles. The movie automatically got better whenever they were on screen. Josie Rourke did a good job directing. The movie looks great visually thanks to fantastic set and costume design. However, other than a unique war scene, the direction is very dull. The script is a mixed bag. When it is focused on Queen Mary it is intriguing, but everything with Elizabeth is a straight up bore. The editing is also some of the worst I have seen in a while including an awful 4^th wall break that ruins the scene. At 125 minutes the pacing starts off good but keeps getting slower the longer the movie goes. Overall, Mary Queen of Scotts is a mediocre movie that is held up by a great lead performance.

6/10

Welcome to Marwen Review

Welcome to Marwen will not be for everyone, but I found it to be a charming and unique film. This movie is based on the true story about a man who loses all his memories after being the victim of a hate crime. As a form of therapy, he creates a WWII doll town named Marwen. Steve Carell gives a fantastic performance. You care about his character and want him to recover. Leslie Mann gives a good performance. The direction they take her character is unexpected, but it works well. The massive supporting cast all turn in good performances in small roles. Robert Zemeckis did a great job directing. The way he integrates the doll animation sequences with real life was practically flawless. The doll animated sequences left me a bit in awe with how incredible they looked visually. However, there are one or two moments where the doll integration comes across as forced and corny. The script is really good, though occasionally gets too weird. Despite that, I was always rooting for Carell’s character and invested in the story. There were even a few almost tear-worthy moments. The editing is mostly great, but there are a few jump scare moments that just do not work. At 116 minutes the pacing was very good moving at a consistent pace and never got dull. Overall, it is not for everyone, but Welcome to Marwen was a charming and unique film.

7.5/10

Second Act Review

Second Act is not without a few redeeming elements, but the bad far outweighs the good. This movie is about a grocery store worker who goes to work for a big makeup company after a fake resume’ gets her in the door. Jennifer Lopez gives an okay performance. She has a few decent moments, but she does nothing to make us care about her character. Vanessa Hudgens is easily the best part of this movie. She makes her character likable and is the only character with any substance. Leah Remini and Treat Williams give passable side performances but never do anything to standout. Peter Segal does a competent job directing. His direction is very bland, but there was nothing noticeably bad about it. The script is a huge mess. Jennifer Lopez’s character is written so poorly that it is nearly impossible to root for her. Hudgens’ character is much more interesting, but some story turns with her make very little sense. There are a few funny moments but for every funny joke there are ten that miss. At 100 minutes the movie drags on for a long time and is just downright boring at times. Overall, Second Act is a big miss due to an unlikable main character and just not being funny.

4/10

Bumblebee Review

Bumblebee is a great return for the Transformers series and might win over some new fans as well. This movie is about a girl named Charlie who discovers Bumblebee in a junkyard in the 80s. Haliee Steinfeld gives a fantastic performance. She makes her character immediately likable and is very easy to root for. She also does an excellent convincing us that she had a friendship with Bumblebee. John Cena gives a really good performance as our military lead. He is playing it more over the top, but it fits well with the tone of the movie. Some of his one liners are absolutely hilarious. Jorge Lendeborg Jr. gives a decent performance. He is good in the role, but his chemistry with Steinfeld is a bit forced. Jason Drucker, Pamela Adlon and Stephen Schneider give okay performances as Steinfeld’s family. However, by the end of the movie I was warming up to them. Angela Bassett and Justin Theroux give great villainous voice performances. Peter Cullen and Dylan O’Brien give good voice performances in small roles. Travis Knight did a fantastic job directing. The action sequences are coherent and easy to follow everything going on. The script is the right mix of emotional and cheesy. The character work between Steinfeld and Bumblebee brought me to tears, while John Cena’s military plot keeps things light and fun. There are quite a few laugh out loud moments here. However, there is one bully subplot that feels unnecessary. The cinematography is overall quite good, but occasionally reminded me too much of a Nickelodeon movie. The visual effects are fantastic. All the transformers look great and you believe they are there. At 114 minutes the pacing is very good, though it does occasionally feel a bit long. Overall, I had a fantastic time with Bumblebee and recommend it to Transformers’ fans of all ages.

8.5/10

Mary Poppins Returns Review

Mary Poppins Returns is a fun family film, but its lack of memorable music holds it back from greatness. This movie is about Mary Poppins who returns to the Banks’ household decades later to help with Michael’s kids. Emily Blunt gives a fantastic performance. You buy her as the character from the moment she comes on screen.  Lin-Manuel Miranda gives an incredible performance as Jack, now an adult, who also had Mary Poppins as a nanny. The movie just comes to life with so much energy whenever he is on screen. Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer give great performances as the Banks’ kids grown up. Whishaw in particular does fantastic work in some key emotional scenes. Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and Joel Dawson give incredible performances as Michael’s young kids. They are never annoying and sell the emotion and childlike wonder perfectly. Colin Firth gives a good performance in a supporting role. However, the way his character is written is just one giant cliché. Meryl Streep is awful in her small supporting role. Her character serves zero purpose to the plot and is tonally inconsistent with the rest of the movie. Rob Marshal did a great job directing. The movie looks beautiful visually and the dance choreography is spectacular. The script is good, albeit, very predictable. All the main characters are likable, and you are rooting for them. As for the music, it is very underwhelming. Meryl Streep’s big musical number is just straight up awful. All the other music is perfectly fine, some of it is even pretty good, but there is not a single memorable song. My favorite part of this movie is easily the 2D animated sequences. These segments frequently left me just staring at the screen in awe. They are easily among the best scenes in any movie this year. At 130 minutes the pacing is good though does occasionally slow down a bit too much. Overall, Mary Poppins Returns is a charming family film, but due to its underwhelming music it never achieves greatness.

7/10

Aquaman Review

Aquaman was a fantastic addition to the DC univerise and is a course correction done right. This movie is about Aquaman who must retrieve an ancient artifact to stop his Atlantean brother from going to war with the surface world. Jason Momoa gives an incredible performance. He is very charismatic and sells the dramatic scenes as well as the action scenes. By the end of this movie I could not picture anyone else playing the character.  Amber Heard gives a great performance. She makes her character her own and is never helpless. Her dynamic with Momoa is one of the films strongest aspects.  Patrick Wilson gives a really good performance as our main villain. He had believable motivation and felt like a legitimate threat. Yahya-Abdul-Manteen did a fantastic job playing Black Manta. From the moment he appears on screen, he feels like a threat and is a great foil to Aquaman.  Willem Dafoe and Nicole Kidman also impress in small supporting roles. James Wan did an incredible job directing. He fully embraced the campiness of Aquaman while still having a great story.  The action sequences might be some of my favorite I have seen this year. All of them are filmed extremely wide so you can see everything and feel so energetic.  The script is great, filled with likable and believable characters and a fun adventure story.  The VFX and cinematography are fantastic. A few poor visuals aside, this is one of the most visually unique and beautiful movies of the year. At 143 minutes the pacing is very good and consistent, never feeling too slow or too fast. My only other flaw is there is a forced environmental message early on that feels out of place. Overall, Aquaman was a fantastic superhero movie that I look forward to revisiting many times.

9/10

The Mule Review

The Mule was a good movie, but never comes close to greatness.  This movie is about a 90-year-old flower enthusiast and war veteran who becomes a drug mule for the Mexican drug cartels.  Clint Eastwood gives a really good performance. While he does the best he can portraying his character, the script gives him very little to work with. Bradley Cooper gives a great performance in a supporting role. Michael Pena, Andy Garcia and Laurence Fishburne all impress in their respective smaller roles. Clint Eastwood did a good job directing. While there are some scenes that feel very tense, they are few and far between. The script leaves a lot to be desired. While the basic story is quite good, there are just far too many sequences where nothing happens. And herein lies the biggest issue, this movie moves at a snail’s pace and is boring rather often. At 116 minutes it feels like it is three hours long.  This is one of the most poorly paced films I have seen in a long time.  Overall, The Mule was still good thanks to its performances, but is a rather big disappointment from Eastwood.

6/10

Mortal Engines Review

Mortal Engines is a fun action thriller with a great premise held back by a mediocre script. This movie is about a post-apocalyptic world where cities are on wheels and eat each other to survive. When two young people meet in London, they go on a quest to stop the evil leader of the city. Hera Hilmar gives a good performance.  Her character does not talk a ton, but she sells the role very well physically and you care for her personal struggle.  Robert Sheehan gives an okay performance. He is never awful, but he never does anything to stand out and has almost no chemistry with Hilmar.  Jihae gives a fun performance in a small supporting role.  Hugo Weaving is easily the best performance in this movie. He is clearly having a ton of fun hamming it up as the villain.  Christian Rivers did a great job directing.  This is a beautiful looking movie and the action scenes are all fantastic. Specifically, a thrilling chase scene in first 20 minutes that had my heart racing. The script is where this movie’s problems lie, the characters have very little development and the script assumes you know way too much without filling you in on basic information.  At 128 minutes the pacing is a mixed bag. The first act flies by and the third act moves quickly as well. However, the second act of this movie really drags. Overall Mortal Engines is a fun action movie, but with a better script could have been something really special. 

7/10

Once Upon a Deadpool Review

Once Upon a Deadpool is an interesting experiment of a movie, but is not for anyone except the most hardcore Deadpool fans. This movie is a PG-13 Recut of Deadpool 2 with some extra footage used as a framing device. Deadpool has kidnapped Fred Savage, the young kid from the Princess Bride, grown up and is reading him the story of Deadpool 2. Let's just go ahead and start with this, all the new additional scenes with Fred Savage are incredible and absolutely hilarious. However, in total they probably only equal around 15 minutes. The rest of the movie is a PG-13 Recut of Deadpool 2. Now I love Deadpool 2, it is one of my favorite films of the year. However, edited down this movie makes zero sense unless you have seen the R-Rated cut which completely defeats the purpose of a PG-13 cut. Overall, my advice is, unless you are a massive Deadpool fan, just wait 2 months for the additional scenes to be on Youtube.

6/10

Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse Review

Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse is a great superhero movie for families and adults. This movie is about Miles Morales who is struggling to learn how to become Spider-Man when a villain opens up a a portal to other dimensions and now there are numerous Spider-Men. They must get everyone back to their own dimension in order to save the world. Shameik Moore did a fantastic job voicing Miles. They do a good job making you care about him as a character and his family dynamic. Jake Johnson does a great job voicing a very different Peter Parker. While his voice took getting used to, I loved him by the end. Haliee Steinfeld did a really good job voicing Gwen Stacy. Nicolas Cage, Kimiko Glenn and John Mulaney did an incredible job voicing the other Spider-Men making them funny and likable. Liev Schriber did a fantastic job voicing the villain. Mahershala Ali and Brian Tyree Henry did a great job voicing Miles’s family. The animation is incredibly unique as it looks like a comic book on screen. However, as a creative choice, sometimes the backgrounds are out of focus compared to the main characters and that can strain your eyes. If your eyes can handle it though I highly recommend seeing this movie in 3D, it is a stunning experience that way. The script for the most part is great. The big emotional scenes all work well and the characters play off each other well. However, there are some early character setup scenes that I just found to be absolutely awful and they really took me out of the movie. Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman all did great jobs co-directing. At 117 minutes the movie moves at a good pace though there is the random bad scene that really hurts the flow of the story. Overall Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse is a great animated Spider-Man movie, but with better character setup early on could have been a masterpiece.

8.5/10

The Front Runner Review

The Front Runner is good political drama with a fantastic lead performance. This movie is about Gary Hart and the scandal surrounding him in the 1987 presidential race. Hugh Jackman gives an incredible lead performance. This movie only works because of him. He makes Gary someone worth rooting for even through the scandal. Vera Farmiga gives a really good performance playing Hart’s wife. She does not have a huge role, but her scenes left an impact. J.K. Simmons gives a great performance as Hart’s campaign manager. You really sympathize with his character through the entire plot. Jason Reitman did a great job directing. The movie constantly has an 80s feel and he brings a sense of energy to the story. The script is good but never crosses into greatness. It is an effective political story, but it never does anything unique. At 112 minutes the pacing is good though it does feel a bit long at times. Overall The Front Runner is a good political drama thanks to a fantastic lead performance.

7.5/10

Green Book Review

Green Book is a great drama/comedy led by two fantastic lead performances. This movie is about Tony Lip, a bouncer in the 60s who is hired to drive and protect an African American pianist on his tour in the Deep South. Mahershala Ali gives an incredible performance. You really grow to care for his character over the course of the movie. Viggo Mortensen gives a fantastic performance. His story arc makes him very likable and has fantastic chemistry with Ali. Mortensen and Ali’s back and forth is easily the strongest aspect of this movie. Linda Cardellini gives a great performance in a supporting role as Mortensen’s wife. Peter Farrelly did a good job directing. While his direction is perfectly fine, it does come across like a TV movie at times. The script is fantastic filled with believable character development and a surprising amount of good humor. This is a shockingly funny movie and the humor never felt forced or out of place. At 130 minutes the pacing is good, but could probably lose around 10 minutes. Overall Green Book is a great drama/comedy with excellent performances.

8/10

Creed 2 Review

Creed 2, while a step-down from the first film, is still a great sequel. This movie is about Adonis Creed and Rocky, who must face ghosts of their past, when Ivan Drago’s son challenges Creed to a fight. Michael B. Jordan gives a fantastic performance. He is extremely convincing in the boxing scenes and also sells the emotional moments. Sylvester Stallone gives a great performance. While he has less to do this time around, he remains as compelling as ever. Dolph Lundgren and Florian Munteanu impressed me with their performances. They take what could have been a very cheesy side plot and ground it in reality. Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad give really good performances in supporting roles. Their characters are crucial to Creed’s story and they play off Jordan well. Steven Caple Jr. did a great job directing. The boxing scenes are well shot and thrilling to watch. The script is overall quite strong with characters that are easy to root for. At 130 minutes the pacing is good, but flawed. The first half is good, but never reaches greatness. The second half is much improved with an absolutely incredible finale that took my breath away. Overall, while Creed 2 is not quite as good as the first, it still is a great sequel, especially for Rocky fans.

8/10

Wreck-it-Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet Review

Wreck-it-Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet is a hilarious and heartfelt movie throughout. This movie takes place six years after the first film and is about Ralph and Vanellope going on a quest to the internet to fix her game. John C. Reilly gives a great performance. His voice fits the character perfectly, though due to some writing choices, he can come across as unlikable. Sarah Silverman gives an incredible performance. Her character is hilarious and adorable, yet she is also able to carry some heavy emotional moments. Gal Gadot gives an excellent performance. She makes her character very memorable without a lot of screen time. Taraji P. Henson and Alan Tudyk give fantastic performances in supporting roles. Directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston do a great job directing. The movie is filled with a sense of fun and adventure from the moment it starts. The script is filled with plenty of laugh out loud hilarious moments and some heartfelt ones as well. The more you know about internet culture, the harder a lot of the jokes will hit. However, they do make Ralph come across as extremely unlikable at times which hurts the movie. The animation is fantastic. Everything is so bright and colorful and yet unique looking. At 112 minutes the pacing is good though the first half is stronger than the second. The highlights of the movie are anything involving the Disney Princesses. Any scene involving them was comedy gold. Also, make sure to stay all the way through the credits for two well worth it scenes. Overall I had so much fun with Wreck- it Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet that its small flaws rarely affect the experience.

8.5/10

Robin Hood (2018) Review

Robin Hood (2018) is a lot of fun thanks to exciting action scenes and a great lead performance. This movie is another retelling of the classic story as Rob, a crusader returning from war, becomes a thief to get revenge on the Sheriff of Nottingham. Taron Egerton gives a fantastic performance. He does an incredible job in the action scenes and has a perfect sense of comedic and dramatic timing. Jamie Foxx gives a great performance as a new interpretation of Little John. His character motivation is great and his back and forth with Egerton is a highlight. Ben Mendelsohn gives a really good performance as the villain. He is not doing anything new but is easily despicable and a lot of fun to watch. Jamie Dornan and Eve Hewson give okay performances in supporting roles. They do their job, but their characters are not developed enough to care much. Tim Minchin is a lot of fun in a small supporting role. Otto Bathurst did a great job directing his first Hollywood movie. The action sequences are well shot and thrilling. However, they do occasionally rely on using slow motion too much. The script is good but nothing special. The story is simple and easy to follow with a few fun twists on the classic story. The editing is great, though a couple of scenes have a few too many quick cuts. The cinematography was very cool and unique giving the movie a realistic and fantasy feel simultaneously. At 116 minutes the movie moves at a fairly quick pace rarely slowing down. As for flaws, while I enjoyed the first act, the movie really picks up once the Robin Hood part of the story begins. Overall Robin Hood (2018) is a lot of fun and might be the best live action interpretation of the story yet.

7.5/10

Instant Family Review

Instant Family is a funny and heartwarming comedy perfect for the holiday season. This movie is about a young couple who decide to start a family by fostering a child. They end up with a rebellious teenager and a young boy and girl that might be more than they can handle. Mark Wahlberg gives a fantastic performance. He is believable as a dad while still bringing his signature comedy style to the role. Rose Byrne gives a great performance. She has great comedic timing and has fantastic chemistry with Wahlberg. Isabela Moner continues to impress with another really good performance. She especially sells her emotional scenes well. Gustavo Quiroz Jr. and Julianna Gamiz are adorable and likable as the two small kids of the family. Octavia Spencer is a lot of fun in a small supporting role. Sean Anders does a competent, albeit, unspectacular job directing. There is nothing bad about it, but it is very bland and standard. The script is fantastic. Almost every single joke made me laugh and the likable characters have plenty of heartfelt moments. At 120 minutes the pacing is good. While the movie never flew by I was never bored either. Overall, Instant Family is a hilarious and heartwarming gem that deserves to be seen this holiday season.

8.5/10

Widows Review

Widows is a thrilling heist movie with fantastic acting held back by some poor directorial decisions. This movie is about four women who must perform a dangerous heist to fulfill their dead husbands' debts. Viola Davis gives a fantastic performance. She makes a very complex character as relatable as she can. Elizabeth Debicki gives an excellent performance. Her character had the most development and you believe her character growth. Michelle Rodriguez gives a great performance. She plays a very realistic role really grounding everything in a sense of realism. Cynthia Erivo gives an okay performance. She is doing her best, but the script gives her very little to work with. Brian Tyree Henry and Daniel Kaluuya give good performances playing standard, but menacing villains. Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall are great in small supporting roles. Steve McQueen does a decent job directing. The action and heist scenes are so tense and thrilling. However, he makes some baffling creative decisions during simple dialogue scenes that come across as pretentious. The script is fantastic, filled with compelling characters and a plot that constantly keeps you guessing. The editing is overall fine, but there are a few truly terrible editing choices. At 128 minutes the movie moves at a consistent pace though it does occasionally slow down. Overall Widows is a great heist thriller with compelling characters despite some directorial problems.

8/10

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Review

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is yet another fun exciting addition to the Wizarding World.  This movie is about Newt Scamander as he must race against time to find a boy, Creedence, before Grindelwald gets to him. Eddie Redmayne gives a great performance.  He is not the typical protagonist, but he remains lovable and compelling. Dan Fogler remains delightful as the main source of comedic relief. Alison Sudol and Katherine Waterson give really good performances. However, their characters are given much less to do this time around. Ezra Miller gives a unique performance. He is forced to convey numerous emotions at once, but he does it well. Claudia Kim gives an okay performance, but the inclusion of her character is pure fan service. Callum Turner gives a great performance in a smaller supporting role and I am excited to see where they take his character. Zoe Kravitz gives a really good performance though her character is mainly used for exposition dumps. Jude Law gives a fantastic performance playing young Dumbledore. He steals every single scene he is in. Johnny Depp gives a great performance as our villain. He plays the role very subtly and becomes infinitely more menacing because of it. David Yates continues to be an excellent director for this series. He is a pro at directing the magical action sequences by this point. J.K. Rowling's script is great, albeit, a bit overstuffed. There are plenty of likable characters with great development and plenty of great plot reveals. However, due to the sheer amount of information given here, I do highly recommend rewatching the first film as this movie jumps right in. The visual effects are all fantastic and really help transport you into this magical world. The costume and set design are stunning. The cinematography is also incredible. This is a visual feast for the eyes in all aspects. As for flaws, the movie starts off rough and it takes about 15 minutes to get going. At 134 minutes the pacing moves at a good pace, though slower than the first film. However, the movie ends on a strong note with one of the best third acts of the franchise. Overall, I had an absolute blast with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and recommend it to all fans of the Wizarding World.

8/10

The Girl in the Spider's Web Review

The Girl in the Spider’s Web is a very mediocre movie saved by a strong third act. This movie is about Lisbeth Salander as she gets caught in a government conspiracy ring while also dealing with the ghosts of her past. Claire Foy gives a decent performance. She is not doing a bad job, but she rarely ever completely grabbed me. Sverrir Gudnason gives a good performance. He did not blow me away, but he kept me engaged. Sylvia Hoeks gives a weak performance as our main villain. Lakeith Stanfield gives a great performance. Everything with him was easily my favorite part of the movie. Fede Alvarez did a good job directing. Some of the action scenes were unique and thrilling, but some were filled with so many quick cuts I could not tell what was going on. The script is a mixed bag with a story that is sometimes engaging and sometimes dull with weird character decisions. At 117 minutes the pacing is all over the place. The opening 15 minutes are really intriguing and then the movie barely touches on it again. There are some fun, thrilling scenes sprinkled throughout but for the most part, everything just felt mediocre. Thankfully the last 20 minutes come to life out of nowhere with an extremely strong and unique finale. Overall The Girl in the Spider’s Web is a mediocre movie saved by an extremely strong third act.

6/10

Overlord Review

Overlord has a slow second act, but overall is a big dose of crazy fun. This movie is about a group of American Paratroopers, on the eve of D-Day, who is on a mission to destroy a Nazi communications tower. However, when they discover a secret lab they must face horrifying creatures created in a Nazi science experiment. Jovan Adepo gives a great performance. He has the only character arc in this movie, but it is a compelling one. Wyatt Russel gives an excellent performance. He is playing a very straightforward action role, but he plays it perfectly. John Magaro and Iain De Caestecker give good performances in supporting roles. Mathilde Ollivier gives a great performance in her film debut. Julius Avery did an excellent job directing. He is able to successfully blend multiple genres seamlessly. The script is very straightforward but keeps you engaged throughout. The cinematography is great and is able to constantly keep you excited and tense. The action sequences are well shot and extremely thrilling. The visuals and practical effects are all incredible, especially the creature design. At 110 minutes the first and third acts are fantastic and fly by. However, the second act while still very good, definitely has some slower moments. Overall, I had so much fun watching Overlord and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun unique movie experience.

8/10

The Grinch Review

The Grinch is a fun extended look at the classic story kids will love. This movie is about the Grinch who hates Christmas and one year decides to steal it from the residents of Whoville. Benedict Cumberbatch did a great job voicing the title character. His voice blends with the character well and I never found it distracting. Cameron Seely did a good job voicing Cindy Lou. I was not sold on her character changes at first, but I bought it by the end. Pharell Williams did a good job narrating the movie. Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier did a great job directing. The movie has a Christmas feel from the start. The script is essentially an extended version of the classic special. There are plenty of funny and heartfelt moments to keep you from getting bored. However, I was not a fan of some of the character updates to make the story more modern. The best part of this movie is easily Max the dog and Kevin the reindeer. Every scene with them is an easy highlight. The animation is great and beautiful to look at, especially the scenery shots. At a short 90 minutes, it does drag at times as the basic story is very short. However, despite the fact that the pacing does slow down, I was never bored. Overall The Grinch is a perfectly innocent and fun update of the classic story for a new generation.

6.5/10

Bohemian Rhapsody Review

Bohemian Rhapsody has a ton of problems, but still remains a fun film for Queen Fans. This movie tells the true story of Freddie Mercury and the rise of the band, Queen. Rami Malek gives a great performance. He plays Freddie perfectly, making us love him and hate every poor decision he makes. Gwilym Lee did an excellent job portraying Brian May. Out of all the other band members, he stood out the most. Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello round out the band with serviceable performances. Lucy Boynton and Allen Leech give really good performances in crucial supporting roles. Aidan Gillen and Mike Myers give fun performances in smaller supporting roles. Bryan Singer did a great job directing, especially in the concert scenes. You can feel the energy and enthusiasm for Queen’s music during those moments. The script is good, but has a lot of flaws. They nailed the banter and relationship between the band members. However, for a movie that takes such a deep look into Freddie’s romantic interests, its portrayal of his sexuality can be problematic at times. The sound design is excellent getting you completely immersed in every musical sequence. At 135 minutes the pacing is all over the place. I found the first act, before the band got together, extremely dull and boring. Once the band gets together the pace picks up quite a bit. The highlight is easily the third act which is an exact replica of their famous Live Aid concert performance. Overall Bohemian Rhapsody is a good movie that has a few, rather big flaws saved by a fantastic lead performance.

6.5/10

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Review

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is not without its charms, but overall does not work. This movie is about a young girl, Clara, who is transported to a magical world based off the Nutcracker Ballet. Mackenzie Foy gives a great performance. She makes her character instantly likable and carries a lot of this movie by herself. Jayden-Fowora-Knight gives a really good performance playing the nutcracker soldier. Morgan Freeman and Hellen Mirren give okay performances, but the script gives them very little to do. Kiera Knightly gives an awful and extremely weird performance. She is talking in this weird high-pitched baby voice that is super distracting. Co-directors Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston do a very mediocre job directing. The flow of the movie feels very unfocused. The script is very scattershot with so many random sequences and poor writing decisions that leave you baffled. However, I must admit the opening 15 minutes are quite good, but I lost interest quickly. The visual effects are overall great though a few moments are really poor. The costume and set design should be applauded for how unique and beautiful it is. At 93 minutes the pacing is really odd, yet thankfully never super slow. Overall The Nutcracker and the Four Realms has some strengths, but not enough to earn a watch.

4.5/10

Nobody's Fool Review

Nobody's Fool was a surprisingly funny comedy, but did not achieve greatness due to getting too serious at times. This movie is about a woman who reunites with her sister after getting out of prison. As she bonds with her sister, she suspects that her online boyfriend may be fake. Tifanny Haddish gives a really funny performance. Her comedic timing is spot on here and is a huge reason why any of this movie works. Tika Sumpter gives a good performance, but the script seems determined to make us dislike her as much as possible. Omari Hardwick and Amber Riley give okay performances, but are just there to give the main characters someone to interact with. Whoopi Goldberg is a lot of fun in a small supporting role. Tyler Perry did a competent, albeit unspectacular, job directing. For the most part he wisely just sets the camera down and lets the actors’ just play off each other. However, this movie does include one of the most hilariously awful sex scenes I have seen in a long time. The script is filled with dumb character choices and way too serious in parts. However, I cannot deny there are numerous moments in this movie that had me gut-busting with laughter. Around 70% of the jokes hit with 30% making me laugh really hard. At 110 minutes the pacing is decent, but definitely slows down in the second half. Overall Nobody’s Fool was not even close to a great movie, but it made me laugh a lot so I left the theater satisfied.

6/10

Mid90s Review

Mid90s is a unique and fun film despite its lack of story. This movie is about a 13-year-old boy named Stevie. As he searches for where he belongs, he finds a home at a local skate shop. Sunny Suljic gives a fantastic performance. You care about his character immediately and he carries you through the weaker moments. Na-Kel Smith gives a great performance. While his character appears one dimensional at first, his development grows as the story progresses. Katherine Waterson and Lucas Hedges give okay performances. However, their roles are so small they never stand out. All of the other skaters give a decent performance, but none of them are memorable. Jonah Hill did a good job with his directorial debut. He shoots the movie in 4:3 boxed ratio and while I never loved it, I was never distracted by it either. The script is good but overall pretty hollow. Outside of a couple emotional moments, it is just nonstop 90s references and skating lingo. Also worth noting, there were a couple of scenes in the third act that I found uncomfortable and unnecessary. At 84 minutes the pacing is good, but sometimes slows down too much. Overall, I had a good time with Mid90s even though it never rises above its surface level entertainment.

6/10

Hunter Killer Review

Hunter Killer is a serviceable action thriller despite its sluggish pacing. This movie is about an untested American submarine captain who must team up with the Navy Seals to rescue the kidnapped Russian president. Gerard Butler gives a great performance. He brings a good sense of gravitas to his character even if he has played this role 100 times by now. Michael Nyqvist gives an excellent performance in his final role. Common and Linda Cardellini both give really good performances in supporting roles. Gary Oldman gives an okay performance, but plays his character way over the top. Donovan Marsh does a great job directing. The action scenes are well shot and thrilling to watch. This movies weakness is in the script. While the core characters and plot are good, there is just way too much filler here. It is almost halfway through the movie before the main plot gets going. At 121 minutes this movie has really bad pacing. The first half moves at almost a snail pace at times. Thankfully the second half does pick up and becomes much more enjoyable. Overall Hunter Killer will satisfy those looking for a decent action thriller, just be warned it takes a long time to get going.

6/10

The Nun Review

The Nun is a fun, horror, adventure film held back by an overuse of jump scares. This movie is about a nun and a priest who travel to an abbey where a nun mysteriously committed suicide. While there, they encounter the evil entity known as Valek. Taissa Farmiga gives a good performance. She makes her character likable and sells the terror well. Demian Bichir gives a great scenery-chewing performance. He plays the role with just the right blend of craziness and seriousness. Jonas Bloquet gives a fun supporting performance. However, his character is extremely underdeveloped. Corin Hardy did a great job directing. This movie is packed with a heavy sense of creepy atmosphere from scene one and it keeps it up throughout. The script is good with a fun simple story and some good scares, but it is not without its stupid moments. The cinematography is beautiful with plenty of gorgeous scenery shots. There are plenty of scares, but the constant jump moments can get annoying at times. At 96 minutes the pacing is fast only occasionally slowing down. Overall, The Nun is not perfect and is filled with plenty of forced jump scares. However, it is still a fun horror adventure especially for fans of the Conjuring films.

6/10

The Sisters Brothers Review

The Sisters Brothers is an entertaining and unique western. This movie is about an infamous duo of assassins known as the sister's brothers as they hunt down a gold prospector across 1850s Oregon. Joaquin Phoenix gives a great performance. I'm not normally a fan of his, but I thought he played a cold killer perfectly. John C. Reilly gives a good performance and proves he can be a serious actor while still delivering comedic moments. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a fantastic performance. His character takes some unique turns, but he sells it well. Riz Ahmed gives a decent performance in a simple role. His acting is perfectly fine, but nothing great compared to rest of cast. Jacques Audiard did a great job directing. The way he directs the shootouts is extremely cool to watch and I have never seen anything like it. The cinematography is beautiful with plenty of wide scenery shots that are stunning. The script is overall pretty good filled with developed characters and some comedic elements. As for pacing, this movie is definitely a slow burn. The first 2/3 moves at a pretty consistent pace, but then hits the brakes for most of its third act. However, though, despite its 121-minute runtime and slow pacing I was never bored. Overall The Sisters Brothers is a fun and unique western despite slow pacing.

8/10

Halloween (2018) Review

Halloween (2018) is a return to a simpler time for this franchise and is overall a lot of fun. This movie is about Laurie Strode confronting Michael Myers, a masked killer, who has haunted her thoughts since she narrowly escaped him 40 years ago. Jamie Lee Curtis gives a fantastic performance. She is by far the best part of this movie and brings a heavy sense of vulnerability and strength to the role. James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle do a great job bringing Michael Myers to life. Judy Greer gives a good performance though some of the writing with her character is a bit baffling. Haluk Bilginer gives an okay performance but his character is pointless. Andi Matichak gives a really good performance, but her subplot is one of the film’s worst aspects. Jefferson Hall and Virginia Gardner both give great performances in smaller roles. David Gordon Green did an excellent job directing bringing a heavy dose of atmosphere and tension. The script is pretty good, but definitely has some weaker aspects. Every attempt at humor is forced and falls flat. Also, the subplot with the granddaughter and her boyfriend is pointless and did not belong in this movie. The cinematography is great and builds a sense of paranoia. The music is fantastic. The classic theme returns and I loved hearing it on the big screen. At 106 minutes the pacing is fast only really slowing down in the second act. The highlight of this movie is the fantastic tense and thrilling third act. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The kills are brutal but never gross. Overall Halloween (2018), while not perfect, was extremely fun and a fantastic return to form for the series.

8/10

The Hate U Give Review

The Hate U Give is a great drama filled with fantastic acting and a heavy dose of political commentary. This movie is about a girl named Starr who witnesses the shooting of her best friend at the hands of a police officer. As tensions rise, Starr must stand up for her friend. Amandla Stenberg gives a fantastic and powerful performance. This is an extremely difficult role to play correctly and I thought she was perfect. Russel Hornsby gives an excellent performance as Starr’s dad. The relationship between Hornsby and Stenberg is powerful and believable. Common gives a great performance in a crucial supporting role. His key monologue is one of the film’s best scenes. Anthony Mackie and K.J. Apa both give really good performances in smaller roles. George Tillman Jr. did a great job directing. He wisely increases the tension as the film progresses culminating in a scene that had me holding my breath. The script is fantastic with well written and likable main characters. The cinematography is cool and unique utilizing very different colors depending on the scene. At 133 minutes this movie moves at a surprisingly fast pace rarely slowing down at all once it gets going. As for flaws, there were a few scenes early in the first act that felt very out of place. Overall The Hate U Give is a fantastic drama with some powerful and emotional moments.

8/10

First Man Review

First Man is a great biopic despite its extremely slow pacing. This movie is about Neil Armstrong and the legendary space mission that led him to be the first man on the moon. Ryan Gossling gives a fantastic performance. While it may not be what people expect, his quiet subdued performance is very powerful at times. Claire Foy gives a really good performance. The scenes with her were not among my favorites, but she had a few standout moments. Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler, and Jason Clarke all gave great performances in crucial supporting roles. Damien Chazelle did a fantastic job directing. The space sequences are easily the films best as they are equally tense and breathtaking. The script is very strong, though quite minimalistic. There are many sequences with no dialogue at all. While these more artsy moments will not work for everyone, I found a few of them to be impressive and emotional. The visual effects are amazing. All of the space sequences are visually incredible. The cinematography utilizes shaky camera work to simulate a documentary style film. While that will not work for everyone, I overall liked the choice. At 138 minutes this movie moves at a snail's pace. While I was never bored at all, there are many slow scenes with very little happening. Overall First Man was a great Neil Armstrong biopic, if you do not mind the extremely slow pacing.

8/10

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween Review

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is not quite as good as its predecessor, but still remains a fun fast paced Halloween film for kids. This movie is about two boys who face an onslaught of monsters led by a talking dummy. After all of Halloween comes to life the boys must race against the clock to save the town. Jeremy Ray Taylor gives a good performance. Madison Iseman gives a great performance. Her dynamic with Taylor feels like a real brother-sister relationship. Caleel Harris gives a good performance as Taylor’s best friend. The two of them have a fun and believable dynamic. Jack Black does a great job voicing Slappy, the talking dummy. Black also reprises his live-action role in a much smaller capacity and steals the film in his few scenes. Ken Jeong is also a lot of fun as the crazy neighbor in a small supporting role. Ari Sandel’s directing is competent, albeit, unspectacular. The script is simple, but is filled with plenty of light scares and laughs for the kids. There are also a couple of jokes that only adults will get that are quite funny. The visual effects are fine, albeit, extremely cartoony so they're not too scary for kids. At a short 90 minutes, this movie moves at an extremely fast pace almost never slowing down. Overall Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is not perfect, but is a fun film for families looking for a lighter film this Halloween season.

6.5/10

Bad Times at the El Royale Review

Bad Times at the El Royale is a great mystery thriller despite its long running time. This movie is about seven mysterious strangers who meet at the El Royale hotel in the 60s. Jeff Bridges gives his best performance in years. Newcomer Cynthia Ervio gives a really good performance and her scenes with Bridges are among the strongest in the film. Jon Hamm gives a decent performance, but I wish his character had a larger role. Caile Spaeny gives a good performance in a smaller role. Lewis Pullman delivers a complex star-making performance. Dakota Johnson gives a great performance. Her character is one of the most layered and interesting people in the film. However, the star of this movie by far is Chris Hemsworth. He steals every single scene he is in and all the film’s best moments involve him. Drew Goddard did a fantastic job directing. He definitely is taking inspiration from Tarantino but he makes it his own. The script, also written by Goddard, is a complex mystery filled with compelling characters. If it were not for a few moments that do not deliver on the full potential, the script would be flawless. As is though it's extremely well written. The cinematography, especially in the outside scenes, was beautiful to look at. The editing, while nothing stood out, was good as well. The music was fantastic and really helped build the unique atmosphere of this world. At 140 minutes the movie could easily lose 15 minutes to tighten up the pace just a little bit. Also, while necessary, the first hour does move quite slow. Overall I had a great time with Bad Times at the El Royale and recommend it especially for mystery fans.

8/10

Venom Review

Venom has issues but it gets the important things right to deliver an exciting and funny superhero film. This movie is about Eddie Brock, a reporter, who gets infected with a mysterious symbiote known as Venom that can take control of Eddie. Tom Hardy is giving a very unique cartoony performance here. For me though, it was great and worked with the style of this movie. He also did a great job voicing Venom. Riz Ahmed gives a good performance as the villain. He plays a stereotypical corporate villain, but it worked fine. Michelle Williams gives a decent performance as Eddie’s ex-girlfriend. Jenny Slate and Reid Scott both give great performances in their supporting roles. Ruben Fleischer did an excellent job directing. All of the action sequences are well shot and very exciting. The script overall is great, but it does take a little too long for the main plot to kick in. However, they absolutely nailed the Venom, Eddie Brock dynamic. The character development outside of Eddie and Venom is practically nonexistent though. There is also a surprising amount of humor in this movie. Thankfully almost all of it is funny with a couple of lines being fantastic. The visual effects are great. Venom and all the other symbiotes look fantastic. At 112 minutes the movie does take a bit too long to get to Venom but for the most part, flies by. Overall Venom has quite a few issues and will not work for everyone. For me though, I had a huge smile watching it and it is some of the most fun I have had with a film this year.

8.5/10

A Star is Born (2018) Review

A Star is Born is a very good movie with great acting, but it is not without its flaws though. This movie is about a famous musician named Jackson Maine who falls in love with a struggling artist named Ally. As Jackson helps launch her career into the spotlight, the personal side of their relationship struggles. Bradley Cooper gives a great performance. He does an excellent job making you love and hate his character simultaneously. Lady Gaga gives an incredible performance in her first leading role. Her relationship and dynamic with Cooper is easily the highlight of the movie. Sam Elliot and Dave Chappelle give great performances in supporting roles. Bradley Cooper did a very good job as a first-time director. However, a few of his choices during the musical scenes do not work.  The script is great overall, but way too long. There is a lot of filler in this movie. The editing is excellent with one edit in particular near the end that is one of the best I have seen in a long time. The cinematography is overall quite good though some of the shaky camera work during the concert scenes could be nauseating. As for the songs themselves, Bradley Cooper did a great job singing and Lady Gaga was fantastic. Shallows is a incredible song and will easily win the Oscar for best song. However, all the other music, while good, was extremely forgettable. At 135 minutes the pacing is pretty bad. The first twenty minutes were unfocused and poorly written. Once the script brings Cooper and Gaga together the movie picks up quite a bit. However, any time they are not on screen together the movie slows to a halt. Overall A Star is Born is a very good movie with great acting, but its poor pacing holds it back from greatness.

7.5/10

White Boy Rick Review

White Boy Rick is a well-made, compelling, true story film with great acting. This movie is about the true life story of teenage Richard Wershe Jr. who was an undercover informant for the police in the drug trade during the 80s. Newcomer Richie Merritt gives a fantastic performance in the lead role. Matthew McConaughey gives an excellent performance playing the dad. His relationship with Merritt felt like a real father-son dynamic. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bel Powley, and RJ Cyler all give great performances in supporting roles. The rest of the cast all put in good performances. Yann Demange did a great job directing overall. The first half of the movie keeps up a sense of fun, fast paced energy. The second half things get a bit more standard but still good. The script is fantastic with plenty of character development while also telling a complete story without rushing it. The editing in the first half, especially, is unique and very strong. At 116 minutes the pacing is good overall, but the second half is slower than the first. Overall White Boy Rick was a great true story film filled with excellent performances.

8/10

Hell Fest Review

Hell Fest is a serviceable, fun, slasher film to start the Halloween Season. This movie is about a masked killer who begins murdering innocent patrons at a horror theme park who think it is fake and part of the show. Amy Forsyth gives a great performance. Her character is likable and she sells the horror scenes well. Reign Edwards and Bex Taylor-Klaus give decent performances as Forsyth’s friends. Christian James and Matt Mercurio give okay performances. They are never given enough development to care much about them. Roby Attal gives a good performance. His chemistry with Forsyth is cute and believable. Gregory Plotkin did a great job directing overall. However, a few of his decisions in the third act deflate the tension too much. The script is serviceable with just enough character development that we know which character is which before the killing starts. The kills, for the most part, are unique and brutal. One, in particular, made me cringe watching it. The set and costume design here is fantastic. Our killer has a simple but creepy look. The park itself sets up a cool, yet creepy vibe very quickly and keeps up the tone throughout. At 89 minutes the pacing is good and does not take long to get to the violence. Overall while Hell Fest is nowhere near cinematic art, it accomplishes its goal of being a fun slasher film to kick-off the season.

6/10

Smallfoot Review

Smallfoot is a fun innocent kid’s film for all ages. This movie is about a Yeti who is convinced that a mythical creature known as a small foot, a.k.a. humans, exist and goes on a quest to prove it. Channing Tatum gives a great performance voicing our lead. James Corden also gives a fantastic vocal performance. Zendaya gives a good performance in a supporting role. Common is a lot of fun voicing the Yeti leader. Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry, and Jimmy Tatro all give decent performances in their smaller roles. Karey Kirkpatrick and Jason Reisig did an okay job directing. There is nothing unique about it, but they did not do anything wrong either. The animation, while never stunning, is still quite good. The script is serviceable with likable characters and a few funny moments. There are five musical numbers with varying quality throughout the film. The opening number and Common’s rap are easily the highlights. At 96 minutes the movie moves at an okay pace. The first act was a little too slow, but it picked up in the second act. Overall Smallfoot is targeted towards younger kids, but I still had a fun time.

6/10

Night School Review

Night School is a fun comedy with likable characters. This movie is about a guy who must attend Night School after never getting his GED. He must deal with misfit students, his worst enemy from high school and a strict teacher. Kevin Hart gives a great performance. He is playing his typical character, but it works well for this movie. Tiffany Haddish gives a good performance. She plays the more grounded character to Hart’s craziness and their dynamic is fun. Rob Riggle and Taran Killam give hilarious performances in supporting roles. Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anne Winters, Romany Malco, and Al Madrigal round out the supporting cast with good performances across the board. Malcolm D. Lee did a fine job directing. While he does not do anything unique, nothing stands out as terrible either. The script is overall pretty good. The story is simple with a focus on fun character interactions. As for the jokes, around 80% of them landed with a few huge laughs along the way. At 111 minutes the movie never overstayed its welcome. It moves at a good pace never getting serious for long with plenty of jokes to keep you entertained. Overall Night School is not a great film, but is a fun comedy especially for fans of the cast.

7.5/10

The House with a Clock in Its Walls Review

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a fun albeit tonally inconsistent horror adventure film. This movie is about a young boy named Lewis who moves into his Uncle's house after his parent's death. His life is turned upside down once he learns his uncle is a warlock. Owen Vaccaro gives a good performance. He sells the sense of naiveté and wonder enough for us to care about him. Jack Black gives a fantastic performance. He is not doing anything new here, but he remains entertaining nonetheless. Cate Blanchett gives a great performance. All the scenes of her and Black just talking are easily the film’s best. Kyle MacLachlan and Sunny Suljic also give good performances in smaller roles. Eli Roth did a great job directing. He manages to bring a creepy, but still fun tone to the film. The script is overall good, but has plenty of problems. The dialogue between Black and Blanchett is hysterical and we are given enough backstory that we care about them. The overall adventure story here is also well told and interesting. However, in the second half, the tone shifts around constantly. One moment will be potty humor and the next moment will involve a demon and cursed rituals. It does not mesh very well at all. The visual effects are a mixed bag. Overall they are quite good, but a few moments are terrible. At 105 minutes the movie runs a little too long. The first act drags on forever with almost nothing happening. The second and third acts do pick up though. Overall The House with a Clock in Its Walls is heavily flawed and tonally inconsistent. However, I do still think it’s a fun horror adventure for families with tweens and up.

6/10

Assassination Nation Review

Assassination Nation is not for the easily offended, but for those willing to stomach it will find an extremely fun genre film. This movie is about Lilly and her three friends whose lives are turned upside down when a hacker starts releasing the entire town’s personal info online. As things begin to descend into madness, Lily and her friends are left wondering if they can survive the night. Odessa Young gives an excellent performance. She plays the vulnerability of her character well and you buy into her character arc. Suki Waterhouse gives a really good performance. However, her character is given the least to do out of the main group. Hari Nef gives a great performance. She makes us care about her character with only a few key moments. Abra gives a good performance in her film debut. While not given a big role she does have a couple of standout moments. Bill Skarsgard and Joel McHale both give fantastic performances in smaller roles. Sam Levinson did a great job directing. He brings an extremely unique style to the film immediately. The action sequences are also very well done and a one-take home invasion sequence in the third act is extremely thrilling. The script, while not subtle at all, works extremely well. This movie is very political and does not hide it at all. As for character development, I cared about all four of the main leads and wanted them to survive. The editing is very unique utilizing a split screen technique often early on. For the most part, it works well though. The cinematography is very good as well, especially in the third act. The score here is also a highlight. It is very techno electronic based, but I thought it complimented the film perfectly. At 110 minutes the movie moves at a good pace with a few issues. The first act does drag on a little too long and the third act ends too soon. I wish the movie was twenty minutes longer to really flesh out the finale. Overall Assassination Nation will offend the vast majority, but for those that can stomach it will have one of the most fun and unique theater experiences of the year.

8/10

Life Itself Review

Life Itself is not without its moments, but overall is a giant mess. This movie is about a young couple’s journey and the effect their lives have through multiple generations. Oscar Isaac gives a really good performance. We are given just enough information about him to care about his character. Olivia Wilde gives a great performance. She has fantastic chemistry with Isaac and you care about them. Olivia Cooke gives a bad performance. However, the script gives her nothing to work with. Mandy Patinkin gives a really good performance. Annette Bening gives a decent performance in a small side role. Antonio Banderas and Laia Costa give  great performances. All the scenes they share with each other are highlights. Sergio Peris-Mencheta gives a decent performance. However, his work is held back by the script. Alex Monner also gives a good performance in a smaller role. Dan Fogelman’s direction is fine, though a few choices are baffling. Fogelman’s script is where the issues with this movie begin. The script is extremely cluttered, not spending enough time on certain moments and far too much time on things that do not matter. The storyline is extremely emotionally manipulative. It goes for shock every chance it can. While some of these moments are effective, a few are laughably bad. Also for a story where everything is supposed to connect at the end, he stretches believability to make that happen. The editing here is some of the worst I have witnessed this year. It is extremely choppy and makes the timeline even more confusing than it already is. At 118 minutes this movie feels way longer than it is. At the same time, it is nowhere near long enough to tell the story it is attempting to. Overall Life Itself is filled with so much potential, but fails upon delivering outside of the rare moment that works.

5/10

A Simple Favor Review

A Simple Favor is an extremely compelling thriller with a dark sense of humor. This movie is about a mom who joins her best friends’ husband when she goes missing. Anna Kendrick gives an incredible performance. She played the naiveté of her character perfectly while also making us question her motives. Blake Lively gives a fantastic performance. This is the best she has ever been and the dynamic between her and Kendrick is a highlight. Henry Golding gives a great performance as Lively’s husband. He had excellent chemistry with Lively and Kendrick. Linda Cardellini also gave a good performance in a smaller role. Paul Feig did a fantastic job directing. Immediately the film has a unique style that immerses you in the world. The script is overall great with a few small issues. The character development for the main cast is all fantastic and the movie constantly kept me guessing. The film also has a dark sense of humor which added a much-needed sense of fun. The first act, while never boring, is a bit slow though. At 117 minutes the pacing is good and flies by once the second act begins. Overall I had a blast watching A Simple Favor and recommend it to thriller fans.

8.5/10

The Predator Review

The Predator is a bit of a mess but overall is a fun action film. This movie is about a young boy who accidentally triggers the predators return to earth. Once arrived, it is up to a disgruntled crew of ex-soldiers and a scientist to save the human race. Boyd Holdbrook gives a great performance. You care about his character and he is fantastic in the action sequences. Jacob Tremblay continues to impress as a young actor. Olivia Munn gives an okay performance. Her character is likable but given very little to do in the plot. Sterling K. Brown gives a good performance as the human bad guy. Yvonne Strahovski gives a really good performance in a small role. Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Alfie Allen, and Thomas Jane all give great performances as the soldiers trying to kill the predator. Their chemistry as a team was easily a highlight. Shane Black did a great job directing. The action scenes are a lot of fun and extremely brutal. The script is filled with a lot of humor that mostly works and just enough character development to make you care about the character’s fate. The editing is the biggest issue. It is extremely choppy and you can clearly tell scenes have been removed and reshot. However, it never detracted too much from my enjoyment. The visual effects overall are very good with only a few poor moments. At 101 minutes the movie moves along at a good pace despite a bit of a slow first act. Overall The Predator feels like a mess, but remains an extremely fun action movie throughout.

7/10

Searching Review

Searching is not perfect, but it is a compelling thriller with great performances. This movie is about a dad who breaks into his 16-year-old daughter's laptop after she goes missing. This movie takes place entirely on computer screens. John Cho gives a fantastic performance. He is 100% convincing as a dad who will do anything to find his child. Debra Messing gives a great performance as the detective assigned to the case. Michelle La gives a good performance as the daughter. She makes us care for her just by watching videos of her on her laptop. Aneesh Chaganty did a fantastic job directing. He fills the movie with tension early on and keeps the tension high throughout. The script is filled with characters you care about and a compelling story that keeps you guessing. Due to the computer screen format of this movie, some sequences feel a bit forced but overall the format works extremely well. At 101 minutes the movie moves along at a good pace. It occasionally slows down, but it was never long before the movie pulled me back in. Overall Searching is an extremely compelling thriller filled with great performances.

8/10

Peppermint Review

Peppermint is a perfectly serviceable revenge thriller with a great lead performance. This movie is about a grieving mother who becomes a vigilante after her family is murdered. Jennifer Garner gives a fantastic performance. She sold her transition from grieving mom to highly trained killer extremely well. John Gallagher Jr and Annie Ilonzeh give good performances as the detectives following the case. Juan Pablo Raba gives an okay performance as the villain. However, his character is written extremely bland and uninteresting. Pierre Morel did a great job directing. The action sequences are satisfyingly brutal and well shot. The script is a bit of a mixed bag. Any of the scenes that follow Garner are great. The detective story, while a bit standard, is entertaining. However, any character development scenes for the villains drag and feel pointless. At 102 minutes the pacing is good, but occasionally slows down for too long. Overall Peppermint rises above its standard script thanks to fun action and a great performance from Jennifer Garner.

6/10

Kin Review

Kin is an extremely mixed bag of a movie. This movie is about a young boy who finds a space gun while on a road trip with his ex-con brother. Miles Truitt gives a really good performance. His character is sometimes annoying, but always compelling. Jack Reynor gives a great performance. Reynor and Truitt have a good dynamic and their relationship as brothers is believable. Zoe Kravitz gives an okay performance. It feels like significant parts of her character were edited out of the movie. Dennis Quaid gives a good performance in a small supporting role. James Franco gives an extremely campy villain performance. His character sometimes works but rarely poses a threat. Johnathan and Josh Baker did a good job directing. The action sequences are particularly strong for first-time directors. The script is where this movie’s problem lies. The first act is slow paced and feels like it is going nowhere. The second act, while an improvement, is still filled with random pointless scenes. The saving grace of this movie is an absolutely fantastic third act. It is filled with great action scenes with genuine moments of heart and tension. The cinematography is good and gives the movie a slightly futuristic feel. At 102 minutes the pacing is all over the place with some scenes lasting forever and others moving way too fast. Overall Kin has a lot that does not work, but due to great performances from our leads and a strong third act earns a light recommendation.

6/10

Operation Finale Review

Operation Finale is an extremely well-acted true story film held back due to some pacing issues. This movie is about the true story of Israeli secret agents who tracked down Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Holocaust. Oscar Issac gives a terrific performance. He is able to add multiple layers to a very straightforward character. Ben Kingsley gives a fantastic performance. The scenes with just him and Issac talking are among the film’s best. Melanie Laurent and Haley Lu Richardson both give really good performances in their smaller roles. Chris Weitz did a great job directing. He mostly succeeds at keeping the tension high. The script is really good, though drags some moments on for too long. At 122 minutes the movie moves at an okay pace, but slows down too much in its third act. Overall Operation Finale is an extremely good movie but does not reach greatness.

7.5/10

Beautifully Broken Review

Beautifully Broken, while not without its flaws, was a compelling true story drama. This movie is about a family of refugees from Rwanda and how their life intersected with two other families. Benjamin A. Onyango gives a great performance. His character is by far the most compelling part of the movie. Scott Winters gives an okay performance. He has a few great moments, but a lot of his performance is cheesy. Emily Hahn gives a really good performance. Not all of her moments work, but she has the best moment in the whole movie. All the other performances are very mediocre but watchable. Eric Welch’s direction is serviceable. However, some of the editing choices are downright terrible. The script has some cheesy moments, but overall has a good plot with characters I cared about. At 108 minutes the pacing moves fairly well only occasionally dragging. Overall Beautifully Broken, while not perfect, was a compelling true story with good characters.
6/10

The Happytime Murders Review

The Happytime Murders was an enjoyable comedy that never achieved its full potential. This movie is about a disgraced puppet detective who must team up with his old human partner to stop the murders of the puppet cast from an 80s kids TV show. First thing I want to stress immediately is this movie is Rated R. Just because it involves puppets does not mean this is a family movie. Melissa McCarthy gives a good performance. Her chemistry with the puppets was extremely believable. Maya Rudolph and Leslie David Baker are a lot of fun in their supporting roles. However, this movie belongs to the puppets. Bill Barretta gave a fantastic voice performance and his work as a puppeteer is incredible. All the puppeteer work from the entire cast was extremely well done. Brian Henson’s directing is good, especially in the scenes that only involve puppets. The script is a bit of a mixed bag. While there are hilarious moments to be found here, they do not come as frequently as you might expect. However, thankfully due to likable characters and a compelling plot, I never lost interest. At 91 minutes the pacing is good, but could have been improved with a few more big laughs. Overall The Happytime Murders was not as great as I had hoped, but I still had a fun time.

6.5/10

A.X.L. Review

A.X.L. is a mediocre, albeit serviceable, kids movie for its target audience. This movie is about a teenage boy whose life is changed forever when he comes across a highly advanced robot dog known as A.X.L.. Alex Neustaedter gives a good performance. He has a likable screen presence and his friendship with AX.L. is fun to watch. Becky G gives an okay performance. Her character is very simple, but she has good chemistry with Neustaedter. All the other performances from smaller characters are corny and out of place. The script is very mediocre. The lead characters are likable enough and A.X.L. is fun to watch, but the movie lacks a compelling plot. Oliver Daly’s direction is competent but nothing more. The visual effects are mostly great though a few terrible moments remain. At 100 minutes long the pacing is all over the place with some scenes going way too fast and others lasting way too long. Overall A.X.L is a serviceable kids film, but has too many flaws for me to recommend seeing this in the theater.

5/10

Alpha Review

Alpha is a terrible movie and was heavily mismarketed. This movie is about a young caveman injured in a hunting accident, who befriends an injured wolf. First of all, this is not the family movie it was advertised to be. This is a slow-paced PG-13 movie that is completely subtitled with no dialogue in English. Kodi Smit-McPhee gave an okay performance in the lead role. All the other performances were horrible. Albert Hughes direction is average at best and occasionally terrible. The script is atrocious and pointless. There is no character development and I cared about no one other than the wolf. Also, there is barely any semblance of good storytelling. Some of the scenes with the wolf are cute, but they are rare moments. The cinematography is by far the best part of this movie. Some of the scenery shots looked absolutely stunning. At 97 minutes the movie drags through the entire runtime. The first half is nearly unwatchable. However, the second half slightly improves with a few decent moments. Overall Alpha is a horrible movie that I recommend to no one and is one of the worst movies of the year.

3/10

Mile 22 Review

Mile 22 was an intense thrilling action film. This movie is about a secret group of Special Forces operatives who must escort an informant 22 miles. Mark Wahlberg gave an incredible performance. He plays his typical fast-talking character and was fantastic in the action scenes. Iko Uwais gave a great performance in his American film debut. He played off the cast well and did an incredible job in every action scene. Lauren Cohan gave a really good performance. She does great in the action scenes and you care about her character. Ronda Rousey gave an okay performance. However, in my opinion this is her best performance yet.  John Malkovich is also a lot of fun in his smaller performance as the group's commander. Peter Berg did a fantastic job directing. The action sequences were frequent and thrilling to watch, though they did occasionally include too many quick cuts. The script, while simple, was really good. The characters are developed enough that you care about them and the plot kept me guessing. At a brief 90 minutes, this movie flew by extremely fast. Even during the setup, I was fully engaged in the plot. Other than some questionable editing, I had no other flaws with this movie. Overall Mile 22 was a great action thriller with an intriguing plot and good characters.

8.5/10

Crazy Rich Asians Review

Crazy Rich Asians is a culturally significant, albeit, underwhelming entry into the romantic comedy genre. This movie is about a rich guy who takes his girlfriend home to meet his family. However, the girlfriend is unaware that the family is extremely wealthy. Constance Wu gave a fantastic performance. She did a good job selling a character that is just as lost as the audience. Henry Golding gave a great performance. He had fantastic chemistry with Wu and they were a believable couple. Michelle Young gave an incredible performance. She brought multiple layers to a straightforward character. Awkwafina gave a hilarious performance and all her scenes are high points in the movie. Jon M. Chu did a great job directing. He especially handled the large-scale scenes well as they were truly stunning at times. The script, however, is good but not great. There are so many characters that I struggled to keep up with who was who. Also, there is a ton of filler including numerous sequences of just the family showing off their wealth. However, the main romance story is sweet and believable. The comedy when it is there hits. For me, though I felt the movie could have used more jokes as there are long periods without any. At 121 minutes this movie is far too long and really drags at times. You could easily compact the script down to 90 minutes and the movie would be stronger for it. The big discussion around this movie has been about the fact that this is the first Hollywood movie in 25 years to have an all Asian cast. To that fact, I am happy this movie exists for a culture that is far underrepresented in Hollywood. Overall I had a good, but not great, time with Crazy Rich Asians.

6/10

BlacKkKlansman Review

BlacKkKlansman is an extremely well-made interesting movie, but some minor flaws prevent it from greatness. This movie is about the true story of an African American police officer who successfully infiltrates his local chapter of the KKK. John David Washington gave a fantastic performance. He is an extremely charismatic presence and handles the dramatic moments well. Adam Driver gave an excellent performance. His dynamic with Washington is great and the highlight of the movie. Laura Harrier gave a good performance, but I was not a fan of her side-plot. Topher Grace gave a fantastic performance. He disappeared so much into the role; I did not realize it was him until after the movie was over. Spike Lee did a great job directing and bringing his unique style to the story. The script is overall very good. When it is focused on the main story, it is quite strong. However, the side plots are nowhere near as compelling. At 135 minutes the movie is very much a slow burn. The pacing would improve if you shave 20 mins off the running time. Overall BlacKkKlansman is a really good movie and a fascinating true story despite its minor flaws.

7.5/10

The Meg Review

The Meg is dumb summer fun though it never achieves its full potential. This movie is about a rescue diver who accidentally unleashes a megalodon, a seventy-foot shark, believed to be extinct. Jason Statham gives a great performance. His character is likable and he does an excellent job selling the action scenes. Rainn Wilson gives a really good performance. However, his character is nothing more than a massive stereotype. Li Bingbing gives a good performance, though too frequently her character is neglected. Ruby Rose and Robert Taylor give okay performances even though the script gives them very little to work with. Cliff Curtis gives a really good performance for his smaller role. Shuya Sophia Cai is delightful in a smaller, but funny role. Jon Turteltaub did a great job directing. The action scenes are well done and easy to follow. The script, however, is a mixed bag. The characters are likable enough and there are plenty of really fun moments. However, there are too many attempts at taking the movie seriously. Also as dumb as the story gets, I wish it fully committed and went insane. The visual effects are mostly great except for few moments when the green screen is obvious. At 113 minutes the movie moves at a good pace only occasionally slowing down too much. Overall while The Meg definitely is not perfect, it works as dumb summer fun and is best seen with a crowd.

7/10

Dog Days Review

Dog Days is one of the most mediocre movies of the year.  This movie is about a group of people in Los Angeles who are brought together by their love for dogs.  Nina Dobrev gave a good performance. Vanessa Hudgens gave an okay performance.  Finn Wolfhard gave a great performance. Adam Pally and Thomas Lennon gave hilarious performances in their respective roles. I was not a fan of Eva Longoria’s performance; her character did not work for me.  Ken Marino’s direction is competent albeit unspectacular.  The script is an extremely mixed bag. For every genuinely funny moment, there is an equally cringe-worthy moment.  The characters range from fun and likable to extremely annoying.  My biggest flaw with this movie is the pacing. At 112 minutes it moved extremely slow and felt closer to three hours long. Overall Dog Days is mostly watchable, but has too many flaws to earn a recommendation.

5/10

The Darkest Minds Review

The Darkest Minds was a surprisingly enjoyable movie. This movie is about a group of children who now have superpowers after a virus wipes out 98% of the world’s kids. Amandla Stenberg gives a great performance. She plays the vulnerable side of her character extremely well. Harris Dickinson gives a really good performance and has a believable chemistry with Stenberg. Miya Cech gave a good performance, especially for a character who never speaks. Skylan Brooks was a lot of fun as the sidekick of the group and was given a few standout character moments. Jennifer Yuh Nelson did a great job directing her live-action debut. The action sequences are thrilling and extremely well done. The script, while it definitely has weaker moments, is filled with enough likable characters to keep you invested. However, the romance events got particularly cheesy at times. At 105 minutes the movie moves at a good pace overall. The first and third acts are very strong. The second act does slow down quite a bit, but never to the point of boredom. Overall The Darkest Minds was a lot of fun and I would gladly watch the possible sequels.

6/10

Eighth Grade Review

Eighth Grade has some good performances and a couple standout moments. However, overall it is not a good movie. This movie is about a thirteen-year-old girl named Kayla and her attempt to survive the end of 8th grade. Elsie Fisher gives an okay performance. She does the best with what she is given, but her character has no depth. Josh Hamilton gave a good performance as Kayla’s dad. Their relationship is one of the few things that work here. Bo Burnham did an okay job as a first time director. There is nothing special here, but it is perfectly competent. However, his script is rather weak with very little character development. He seems more concerned with creating a realistic depiction of 2018 middle school than compelling characters. However, some of the realism choices are extremely questionable. This movie has two standout sequences both in its third act. At 94 minutes this movie is an absolute drag at times. Overall Eighth Grade was a big disappointment and not worth your time and money.

4.5/10

Christopher Robin Review

Christopher Robin is an absolute delight from start to finish. This movie is about Christopher Robin, who is now grown up, reencountering Winnie the Pooh who helps remind him what is important in life. Ewan McGregor gives a fantastic performance. You really believe that he is talking to Pooh and not special effects. Hayley Atwell and Bronte Carmichael give great performances as Christopher Robin’s wife and daughter. All the voice work in this movie is excellent. Jim Cummings is a pure joy as Pooh and brings an excellent sense of energy to Tigger. Nick Mohammed, Peter Capaldi, and Toby Jones are all a ton of fun in their smaller roles. However, Brad Garret’s Eeyore stole the movie for me. Every single moment with him was perfection. Director Marc Forster did an excellent job directing and bringing an almost dreamlike feeling to certain scenes. The visual effects on every character are fantastic and true to the classic looks. The script is fantastic; filled with great character arcs and plenty of funny moments. At 105 minutes the movie moves at a slow but good pace. However, the first thirty minutes are heavy on necessary character work and may bore young kids. Overall Christopher Robin is a pure delight to watch and fun for the whole family despite some slow moments early on.

8/10