Death Wish is quintessential 1970s crime and grit and with the performance of Charles Bronson makes it a classic in its own right. It’s a fairly thought-provoking flick as well about vigilante justice and its effect on society.
Prey for the Devil is just another run-of-the-mill possession-horror-thriller offering nothing much new to the genre outside of the idea of the Catholic Church’s exorcism school which doesn’t get fully utilized here.
The Italian Job may have an iconic chase sequence and a strong performance by the wonderful Michael Caine, but having now seen this twice, I didn’t think it was anything especially entertaining yet still watchable.
Black Adam is the latest installment within the DCEU and while I was at least moderately entertained, the story felt disjointed but it’s worse offense is the introduction several new characters, most notably the Justice Society.
Twilight is a perfectly watchable neo-noir crime drama thanks in large part to a great cast with Newman, Sarandon and Hackman giving great performances, however the script isn’t the best and really not much memorable with the direction either.
While Pulp Fiction isn’t a masterpiece of filmmaking as some might contend, it’s still a very well made picture with the sharp writing we expect from Tarantino and one of the better ensemble casts put together.
Mystery Men had some potential but the execution and script made for a less than entertaining experience, although some of the jokes at least got a chuckle out of me, but after that I found it rather dull at times.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is still a fantastic, hilarious and, in John Hughes fashion, heartwarming film. For me and my family, it hasn’t quite risen to the traditional yearly viewing that Christmas Vacation has become, but certainly this should be required viewing as well.
Escape from Alcatraz is an all around entertaining suspense-thriller, pretty simple and straight forward though enough character development to get the viewer to care about these men.
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons isn’t a great animated movie nor does it really move the needle in terms of storytelling but the animation was solid and I was entertained throughout.
Fall is a well done survival thriller that features two fine performances and a simple but effective story and makes for an entertaining watch on a quiet weekend.
Scream 2 might not hold up compared to my memories seeing it in theaters back in ’97 but it’s still a solid slasher and has some fun and gory moments to make it a good sequel in the series. Available Tuesday, October 4th.
This “Deluxe Edition” of Batman: The Long Halloween might not have a whole lot in terms of bonus features but putting together the two parts does make for a lengthy but entertaining film that might not be as good as The Dark Knight Returns but it’s still a solid on its own.
When Worlds Collide is an entertaining enough 1950s sci-fi disaster thriller that isn’t great and only scrapes at the human element and the end of the world, however it’s a short watch and the performances weren’t half bad for what it is.
The War of the Worlds is an impressive movie from the technical standpoint though I felt the writing wasn’t the best and the ending was terribly abrupt and not especially satisfying.