There really was no need for a Bad Santa 2 as the original has become a holiday cult classic and it has been 13 years since. Sure, it does have the mean streak that made the first popular, unfortunately the humor mostly falls flat.
Contract to Kill is just the latest example of the downhill spiral in Seagal’s career with lazy stunts and even lazier acting. Beyond that, the screenplay was terrible and dialogue somehow even worse. I suppose if you’re into these so bad it’s bad films, it might be worth a rental if only to witness a train wreck.
Manchester by the Sea is a film that excels on the performance by Casey Affleck with honorable mentions toward Michelle Williams in her brief role and the young Lucas Hedges in one of his first major stint.
While not the strongest of the numerous MCU films so far, Doctor Strange at least is still a fun flick helped more by the charisma of both Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton more than a routine, thin plot and another forgettable villain.
Nocturnal Animals might not have engaged me on an emotional level, the writing and storytelling from Tom Ford are still fantastic and the performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams and Michael Shannon were amazing and, at least in Shannon’s case, award-worthy.
Love in the Afternoon is a fun little romance-crime-comedy that excels on the charms of its stars, Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn. The Blu-ray released through the Warner Archive’s Collection doesn’t have much in the way of features but the video and audio transfers are both well done.
Dirty Dancing is a cheesy but incredibly fun flick propelled on the charm and all around charisma of its two leads, Patrick Swayze (RIP) and Jennifer Grey, as well as a fantastic 1980s soundtrack that still holds up today.
American Pastoral receives, let’s say, mediocre reviews but for my money, I found all of the performances genuine and the story rather compelling, if not outright depressing and sad; for his first outing as director, Ewan McGregor did a fine job.
I still actually prefer the remake (if only for Nic Cage), but the original Gone in 60 Seconds is pure entertainment for the car chases and that it was independently made. The acting isn’t the best, nor is the writing, but the stunt work was impressive.
These three movies by Claude Chabrol range from dark, to black dark to more light-hearted and each are, simply, well done with probably my favorite being The Swindle as I tend to enjoy crime-centric movies a bit more, however each feature great performances, most notably though Marie Trintignant.
The Edge of Seventeen might not be the second coming of the John Hughes teen-dramedy, though Kelly Fremon Craig was certainly inspired by the late great writer/director, but with such an obnoxious main character, it was hard to care about her however portrayed by Hailee Steinfeld, it does make the movie more tolerable.
Although it could’ve flowed better with some more editing, Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man is still a fine documentary that consists of the man himself and some interviews with those in the music industry so if that’s your thing, this is probably worth a watch.
Although I didn’t think Arrival was a masterpiece critics, and audiences, claimed it to be, there’s no denying that it is one of the more unique sci-fi films I’ve come across in that it’s less sci-fi and far more character driven with a positive message behind it.
Well intentioned as it might have been, and telling a World War II story that’s probably not familiar to the average American, USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage features lazy performances, especially by Nicolas Cage though he does have a couple okay scenes, and some laughable visual effects.
Queen of Katwe is a charming, uplifting true life drama featuring some fine performances by Madina Nalwanga and David Oyelowo under Mira Nair’s quality direction. The Blu-ray released by Disney offers up great video, solid audio and a nice selection of bonus material.