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.
Pitch Perfect 3 is the conclusion to a trilogy that honestly didn’t need one. I can’t precisely remember why I enjoyed the first two only to say that I did (according to my ratings on IMDb) but this one was pointless and even the music doesn’t overcome a disorganized plot, even though the cast at least seemed to be having a good time.
Even though I did find Justice League entertaining enough, there’s no denying there was a certain amount of disappointment leading to the build-up and not being able to see what was originally intended, not to mention the deleted footage seen in the various trailers. If you go in just expecting a insubstantial popcorn flick, it’s fine, but it certainly did not live up to the title.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life is a half-baked and poorly made sequel that lacked the fun and thrills of the first film though Angelina Jolie appeared to give it her all, or at least her stunt double did, but the action itself was lackluster outside of the opening action sequence.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a fun and entertaining action-adventure, in the cheesy kind of way that features a charismatic performance from Angelina Jolie who seemed to have been made for the part and some absurd CGI to go along with Daniel Craig’s laughably bad American accent.
Daddy’s Home 2 might not be very good and some Christmas comedy-classic-in-the-making this is not, but I did manage to chuckle a few times here and there and I did genuinely enjoy seeing Mel Gibson generally being a dick, otherwise it’s an unmemorable film.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is a solid entry into the vaunted DC Animated Universe line that excels with some great Victorian-style animation and two top-notch voice acting by Bruce Greenwood and Jennifer Carpenter.
10 Cloverfield Lane is a strong sci-fi thriller that, even though it’s been many years since I last saw it, equals the original and had the added bonus of not being in the found footage style and features better characters. I’m not sure how well this will hold up in the long run however but at the moment I found it to be thoroughly entertaining.
Cloverfield has held up pretty well since the (nearly) 10 years since its release. Sure, the dialogue isn’t the sharpest and T.J. Miller got on my nerves, but the suspense is well done and there was some actual emotional resonance with these characters.