I can give some credit to writer-director Damien Chazelle’s vision and what he was trying to accomplish, and it does seem this was a passion project but with a 3-hour running time, there was a good chunk that could’ve been removed.
Cool World was an interesting concept and had some fun visuals but the characters were as thinly developed and the story felt sloppy, if not also uninteresting. Had potential but the end result was a mess and not a surprise why I never bothered to re-watch since its release.
The Lost City is a perfectly watchable action-adventure-comedy that combines Romancing the Stone and Uncharted and while I can’t say it’s anything amazing or even memorable, it’s fine as a one-time viewing and rental.
Inglourious Basterds is a standout film amongst the other greats from Quentin Tarantino with sharp dialogue and incredible performances, especially from Chrisoph Waltz.
This is an odd-pairing, even under the “Girls Night In Double Feature” edition as one is a romance-drama with fantasy while the other is just a typical romance-comedy, but even so both films are alright and at a cheap price worth picking up.
12 Monkeys is a unique time-traveling sci-fi drama that features some great performances from Bruce Willis (showing what he can do when he cares), Madeline Stowe and Brad Pitt in one his more unique roles.
The Focus Features: 10-Movie Spotlight Collection is a good selection of dramas, some better than others and one that is a personal favorite of mine (Lost in Translation). That being said, this is only worth picking up if you don’t own any of the 10 films, though the cost per movie is reasonable.
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood may not be Tarantino’s strongest film though I did enjoy this experience more than The Hateful Eight thanks to his attention to detail for the era along with some fun performances by both DiCaprio and Pitt.
Mortal Engines is to say the least imperfect and I suppose even disappointing considering Peter Jackson was involved as a producer and co-screenwriter, and indeed it’s not very well written and yet I did find myself relatively entertained.
Kalifornia is one hell of a road trip of a movie that excels thanks two amazing performances from Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis, and if this film had found any traction, Pitt at the very least should’ve gotten an Oscar nomination.
Fury isn’t the best war drama around, not even in the top 5, but it’s still well made and features a great cast, with Brad Pitt delivering a fine performance (one of his best in some time), that elevates the writing while Ayer’s direction keeps the pacing just right.
This Robert Zemeckis helmed WWII romance-drama doesn’t exactly live up to its potential. While the production and costume designs were impressive, I found the performances particularly that of Brad Pitt, to be stilted and a story that failed to connect emotionally.
The Big Short was easily my favorite movie of 2015. The strong cast helped but the writing by Adam McKay and Charles Randolph was sharp and in conjunction with Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling’s performances made for one fun yet thoughtful flick that worked so well from beginning to its bitter end.
Fury isn’t the best war drama around, not even in the top 5, but it’s still well made and features a great cast, with Brad Pitt delivering a fine performance (one of his best in some time), that elevates the writing while Ayer’s direction keeps the pacing just right. The Blu-ray released by Sony has excellent video/audio transfers while the bonus material is quasi in-depth with 50+ minutes of deleted/extended scenes.
World War Z isn’t a bad movie, far from it, as it efficiently entertains from beginning to end though Brad Pitt more or less sleepwalks through his role. However, this film is the epitome of wasted opportunities as this could have been one of the best in the genre to come out but instead it’s just a safe movie.