The Hitman’s Bodyguard is a bit uneven in terms of both the action and comedy, but with the dynamic between Reynolds and Jackson, it’s hard not to have a good time with the excessive violence and language, though the film hardly breaks new ground for the mixed-genre.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is perhaps one of my favorites of the series and kind of a shame director Alfonso Cuaron didn’t return to do more of these and it was a nice, and necessary, change-up as Harry’s storyline advances to darker territories.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is my least favorite of the series yet it’s still entertaining with a compelling enough mystery surrounding the plot and it was nice seeing the young cast becoming comfortable in their respective roles while the addition of Kenneth Branagh gives the darker tone, compared to Sorcerer’s Stone, some levity.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone might not be perfect, it was however the perfect way to introduce audiences to this world and characters we would follow for the next several years. Even so, I was thoroughly entertained and they really did a great job casting the three unknowns and surrounding them with some excellent talent.
Cars 3 is a fine conclusion to what I have found to be a lackluster series for Disney/Pixar that really shouldn’t have been a series to begin with. But as it is, and outside of the ridiculous and contrived finale, I did find this mostly entertaining.
Atomic Blonde might not have lived up to my expectations but it is still an entertaining Cold War spy thriller excelling both with some well done fight sequences and solid performances from Charlize Theron and James McAvoy.
The Emoji Movie is such a cynical, corporate movie with no genuine heart and a voice talent that is completely wasted, I’m honestly not sure how it even got made in the first place, but still managed to make over $200 million worldwide.
Westworld: Season One: The Maze isn’t perfect with some stretches meandering at times, but more than making up for it are some excellent performances from the likes of Hopkins, Harris, Newton and others.
Kick-Ass is a fun, hard-knuckled comic book movie that came many years before Deadpool became a hit it did. The highlights, beyond the R-rating language and violence, are the performances from a very young Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage and Aaron Johnson.
Warm Bodies is a breath of fresh air in what I consider to be the somewhat stale zombie sub-genre with a well written screenplay, based off of a novel, and two wonderful performances from Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer.
Transformers: The Last Knight is another poor entry into a franchise that just won’t die, though its $605M worldwide gross was the lowest so there is hope. In any case, I didn’t feel this was as bad as Age of Extinction but that’s not saying much.
Wonder Woman isn’t a masterpiece but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I loved it, perhaps even more on my second viewing. I know many have complained about the third act, but I felt it flowed nicely and had a thrilling fight sequence; Gadot isn’t a great actress however she was perfectly cast.
Conan the Barbarian isn’t a terrible movie by any stretch but it is one plagued with numerous lifeless action scenes, thinly written characters and at best average performances from the cast. The costume design is OK although nothing we haven’t seen on Xena and the like.
The Legend of Hercules gets to have the distinct pleasure of being the first flop of 2014 at the box office and with critics and audiences alike and for good reason. There’s nothing here save maybe for Gaia Weiss who, albeit in a limited role, was decent (and easy on the eyes).
E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial isn’t just a 1980s classic but a classic period and influential to many generations due to a tightly written script, characters we can actually care about and just an adorable little alien who evokes emotions from laughter to sadness. It may not be Spielberg’s masterpiece, but it is timeless.