Annihilation is one of the better surprises of 2018 as going in my interest levels were mild at best after seeing the lackluster trailers. But afterwards, it is a movie that has been on my mind for all the good reasons and is a highlight performance from Natalie Portman.
Terminator Genisys will (and has) no doubt pissed off plenty of fans but taking emotion out of it, I actually didn’t think it was awful. The action scenes, albeit generic at times, were at least well shot, and the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Guardian was welcome. In spite of those, it’s at least a passable and entertaining flick.
Darkest Hour is one of the better movies of 2017 and features a powerhouse, and Oscar-worthy, performance from Gary Oldman who proves once again that he is a chameleon no matter what role.
No doubt Die Hard still is an incredible action-thriller after all of these years and has great replay value, also reminding me of Bruce Willis’s charisma of being an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances (something forgotten in the later sequels).
The “Limited Edition” release of the current roster of the Jurassic Park franchise (that is until June) is a well done package by Universal, though the 4K transfers weren’t exactly incredible upgrades over their Blu-ray counterparts, outside of maybe the audio.
Fury isn’t the best war drama around, not even in the top 5, but it’s still well made and features a great cast, with Brad Pitt delivering a fine performance (one of his best in some time), that elevates the writing while Ayer’s direction keeps the pacing just right.
The Matrix isn’t as philosophical as it wants to portray itself, and there are certainly silly moments, but it is still a lot of fun and most of the visual effects still hold up rather well nearly 20 years later.
Braveheart is one hell of a film with a powerful performance from Mel Gibson, even when his Scottish accent wasn’t always the best. Beyond that, his direction was well done with some great choreographed battle scenes reminding you, just as it did on Gladiator, of old school epic Hollywood.
Gladiator is a tremendous movie that still holds up so well after all of these years, and this coming someone who really didn’t fully appreciate it upon its initial theatrical release. Seeing the “Extended Edition” version for a second time and thought it was remarkable.
Despite only having a relatively short 94-minute running time, Source Code is a far more impactful film than others that are a good 40-50 minutes longer, the reason in part is the efficiency of director Duncan Jones.
Saving Private Ryan is just one incredible experience from the amazing war sequences from the D-Day invasion to the Ramelle scene but in between are some excellent performances headlined by Tom Hanks, and should’ve taken home Best Picture especially over Shakespeare in Love.
Fifty Shades Freed isn’t bad enough to be fun and the lack of chemistry between Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan makes it so much worse to watch, thankfully this is the shortest one of the series, so there’s that.
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is another first-rate entry into DC’s Animated features line with a story that is on the thinner side, but worth watching if only for the colorful array of characters and full embracing of the R-rating with some great bloody violence.
Push is a movie that was less disappointing, mainly because I had no expectations either way, and more in the line of wasted opportunities. In any case, I did enjoy certain parts of the film, just not enough as a full recommendation.
Knowing did very much remind me of an M. Night Shyamalan movie (both times viewing now) but unlike some of his later works beyond The Sixth Sense, I think Alex Proyas did convey a level of authentic emotion that really worked.