Elizabethtown isn’t Cameron Crowe’s strongest work but has some heartfelt moments, plus some nice scenes between Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst, though the plot at times felt a little disjointed.
Beetlejuice is still a fun and creative movie from Tim Burton featuring Michael Keaton giving it his all in his few scenes as the titular character.
Glengarry Glen Ross, after all these years still holds up so well, with sharp, pointed dialogue that only David Mamet can write without coming across as pretentious. Beyond that, top notch performances all around, especially Jack Lemmon.
30 Rock is a hilarious show, probably the funniest one I’ve come across since Seinfeld and Frasier. The ensemble was pitch-perfectly cast headlined by Tina Fey and even Alec Baldwin, along with Jack McBrayer, Jane Krakowski and Tracy Morgan.
The Hunt for Red October isn’t a favorite of mine within the film franchise but is still a well done, submarine-based thriller and Alec Baldwin made for a fine Jack Ryan, just a shame he couldn’t continue beyond this film.
Motherless Brooklyn is a nice little passion project from Edward Norton and you can see that come through with his direction and performance. However, that same passion also made for an overly long film.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout is another rounding success in this long-running franchise and for actor Tom Cruise himself who continues to push it up a notch with the action sequences and stunts to go along with a strong enough story to carry it across the finish line.
The Jack Ryan Collection is a solid release from Paramount for what I consider a nice franchise, however there never was one that stoodout, each being fine filmmaking and storytelling and nice performances from the respective actors.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is another successful entry into the long-running franchise. There are some fun nods to the original series and previous films, yet makes a mark in its own right. Tom Cruise once again is incredible with his stunt work and the villain this time around was at least devious enough.
Although Alice isn’t to me top shelf Woody Allen material, the film does feature a charismatic and engaging performance from Mia Farrow and at least an interesting, fantastical premise.
Concussion is, technically speaking, a well made film and features a good performance from Will Smith, but in spite of what works, at its core the movie is missing a soul. In the hands of a more skilled filmmaker it could’ve been emotionally charged and instead it’s rather forgettable.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is another successful entry into the long-running franchise. There are some fun nods to the original series and previous films, yet makes a mark in its own right. Tom Cruise once again is incredible with his stunt work and the villain this time around was at least devious enough.
The Shadow had plenty of potential but thanks to budgetary constraints and a screenplay that probably could’ve used a polish, that’s all this film is left with. But now 20 years later, it receives new life on Blu-ray to the point hopefully it finds a new audience and Hollywood takes another stab considering the advancement in visual effects with value to the dollar.
To Rome with Love had potential with an impressive cast, which Woody Allen always manages to bring together, intriguing/bold stories and an absolutely beautiful locale that never gets old seeing on screen. However, with these multi-stories going in and out, the pacing is at times dreadful and when really only one of the stories is the least bit entertaining, it can be tough to get through the others.