I’m not a big fan of the It’s Alive Trilogy or anything but understand its appeal amongst the horror crowd, especially in its simplicity given, at least in the first movie, you really don’t see the monster baby very much.
Game Night might not be one day some comedy classic but it is an awfully fun movie that features plenty of laughs and a entertaining ensemble cast led way by Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams and, albeit a small part, Michael C. Hall.
The Matrix isn’t as philosophical as it wants to portray itself, and there are certainly silly moments, but it is still a lot of fun and most of the visual effects still hold up rather well nearly 20 years later.
Desolation isn’t a great indie thriller but has a few moments of actual suspense and I did mostly like the cast, otherwise it’s a forgettable film destined to be deeply discounted at some point.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a fun sci-fi/comedy/fantasy excelling with the chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter as well as a great performance from George Carlin in a supporting role.
Braveheart is one hell of a film with a powerful performance from Mel Gibson, even when his Scottish accent wasn’t always the best. Beyond that, his direction was well done with some great choreographed battle scenes reminding you, just as it did on Gladiator, of old school epic Hollywood.
Black Panther isn’t a great comic book but a culturally significant one and does at least hold some entertainment value with a so-so plot though the villain portrayed by Michael B. Jordan was certainly the highlight.
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.
12 Strong is a well done action-war-drama that tells an unknown story since the mission was previously classified. The performances from the core cast is well done with Chris Hemsworth showing off the grit and charm for the role and Michael Shannon always does.
This Drama 4-in-1 Collection is another fine compilation from Mill Creek especially considering the low SRP and getting some at least okay John Travolta movies, though I believe these all were already released on Blu-ray in the past.
Please Stand By is a heart-warming and important movie that, from my reading anyway, realistically presents a person with autism rather realistically and respectfully, and Dakota Fanning’s performance was tremendous.
Dear Dictator certainly is an interesting concept and sometimes biting satire, that never really comes together, not to mention Michael Caine, for as charming as he is, was ridiculous, though I guess he had a good old time. On the positive side, I did like Odeya Rush who seems to be the next up-and-coming star.
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.
Bent isn’t a very good crime-thriller to be sure, but despite the clunky plot, I did enjoy aspects of it and having Karl Urban starring certainly helps along with Andy Garcia in a smaller role.