Parents is a cult classic of sorts and while the first half was a fantastic satire on 1950s suburbia and had some genuinely creepy moments (no surprise when it comes to Randy Quaid) but it quickly loses steam in the latter half and by the end, I found it unrewarding and didn’t find it quite as funny.
Masterminds is a poorly made comedy-caper that has a respectable cast in Galifianakis, Wilson, Wiig and, in a limited role, Sudeikis but both director Jared Hess and the trio of writers can’t make use of any of them with the majority of the jokes failing miserably.
Ballers: The Complete Second Season is a lot of fun especially if you’re either a fan of the NFL or Dwayne Johnson. The stories generally are compelling and this kind of material, given he was a player for the semi-professional Miami U, is right in Johnson’s wheelhouse.
Inferno isn’t terrible but it was an underwhelming addition to an otherwise entertaining, if not flawed, franchise. The saving grace, as usual, is with Tom Hanks who makes this entry watchable, otherwise it was a rather forgettable viewing experience.
The Whole Truth is more or less a Law & Order: SVU episode that somehow became a feature-length film. But even so, the acting, albeit nothing profound, was solid enough led way by Keanu Reeves and enough courtroom tension to make this a worthwhile watch.
Poltergeist III actually has some interesting ideas and that, like its predecessor, wasn’t executed very well but as third movies go, especially in the horror genre, this wasn’t half bad with Heather O’Rourke, when she was in it, delivers a fine performance right alongside Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen.
Poltergeist II isn’t as good as the original, no surprise there, but there’s still some fun entertainment value amongst some truly creepy scenes even if the tone isn’t exactly consistent.
The Accountant is a well done, albeit short of greatness, suspense-thriller from director Gavin O’Connor featuring a great performance from Ben Affleck with honorable mention for J.K. Simmons.
I can’t say I was entirely disappointed in Keeping Up with the Joneses but for the talent they had, Galifianakis, Hamm and Fisher in particular, the script does them no justice with humor that doesn’t quite land and a thin plot that can’t compensate for the lack of laugh-out-loud jokes.
xXx now going on 15 years later still is as dumb and ridiculous as ever… and entertaining as all hell. The stunt work is rather impressive and while Vin Diesel may not be some thespian actor, movies like this and Fast and the Furious is right in his wheelhouse.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back wasn’t quite an ill-advised sequel but it certainly was unnecessary. As someone who hasn’t read a single Lee Child novel, I never had a problem with Cruise’s casting but here this was a forgettable action-thriller that is worth a rental but nothing more.
Comes a Horseman is an oft forgotten western-thriller that features three amazing performances, particularly by Jason Robards, with beautiful cinematography from the late Gordon C. Willis (The Godfather Trilogy).
Panned by critics (29% on Rotten Tomatoes), Stanley & Iris rests almost entirely on the talent, and charms, of the two leads, Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro, rather than the script. Fans of either of these legendary actors will get something out of this rom-melodrama.
The Monster isn’t terrible, not even close, but for horror fans might be disappointed especially how the movie was marketed. There are some fine performances for sure, though, especially by Zoe Kazan and the young Ella Bellentine, just a shame the script didn’t do them any favors.
Two for the Road is a charming little romantic drama featuring two charismatic leads in legendary actors Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney (when he didn’t mumble his lines like he had as of late).