No Country for Old Men is certainly a solid western-drama that features tremendous performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem, the latter especially making for a quiet but nevertheless menacing villain. That said, this probably being my third viewing, it’s not one that entirely gripped me.
Dune is a movie that has plenty of technical achievements by director Denis Villeneuve and his team but very little emotion at its core, even with a respectable cast.
Although I have not fully grasped the cultural influence The Goonies has had over the past 35 years, I still found the movie to be a fun, adventurous romp with one of the better ensemble gathered who had such great chemistry with one another.
Although at its core I don’t think Avengers Endgame was as strong compared to Infinity War, the emotional aspects however more than made up for it, and the biggest impact was Robert Downey Jr.’s fantastic performance.
Deadpool 2 for me actually was slightly better than the first film even when this sequel didn’t technically have a central villain. Ryan Reynolds continues to be in his element and the addition of Josh Brolin as Cable was great, though Zazie Beetz, while fun, was underdeveloped.
Avengers: Infinity War was an amazing feat for comic book movies and although I don’t believe it’s the greatest one, it’s still a great accomplishment from all involved.
The 6 Degrees Collection is another cheap hodge-podge set of movies already released by Mill Creek Entertainment and for those who don’t already own a few of them, it might be worth the $10 price tag as the picture quality was fine and audio adequate enough.
Hail, Caesar for me was a major misstep for the Coen Brothers even with what certainly passion behind their love letter to 1950s Hollywood. Outside of George Clooney and Tilda Swinton, the other cast members were more or less cameo appearances.
Sicario is one of the best movies of 2015 thanks to the direction, cinematography and Del Toro’s brilliant performance which bizarrely was overlooked by the Academy. Beyond that, it’s just a well paced thriller that never lets up yet still some nice character moments.
Needless to say, Everest isn’t exactly a lighthearted adventure flick but in spite of that, and some so-so writing, the performances from the ensemble cast, Jason Clarke and Josh Brolin especially, makes it worthwhile, though for myself, I’m not sure if I’d ever revisit it. The Blu-ray released by Universal offers excellent video and audio transfers and a fine selection of bonus material.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For not only is a movie a few years too late, the narrative isn’t quite as strong as the first and the acting, save for a few of the key players, isn’t all that memorable, though Rourke, under seemingly heavier does of make-up, is the biggest highlight with Eva Green taking a close second for her performance and… ahem… assets.
Labor Day is a fairly dull and despite the best intentions by Reitman, Brolin and Winslet just never resonated on an emotional level plus an inane, ridiculous and unbelievable plotline.
Best Laid Plans isn’t a great film but I suppose one could call it a gem of a crime-thriller. The movie is held up thanks in large part due to the performances from Alessandro Nivola and Reese Witherspoon as well as some slick writing by Ted Griffin.
Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad no doubt blew the opportunity to be a special crime-drama and instead it stumbles trying to emulate other gangster movies in the past. Still, I couldn’t help but enjoy the movie especially the performances from Brolin, Gosling, Robert Patrick and Sean Penn that it makes for a worthwhile viewing even with its flaws.
MIB3 is a fine outing in the series and helps put the lackluster sequel in the rear view mirror and with the addition of Josh Brolin, really injected life into a relatively aging franchise. The script, interestingly enough, despite having three screenwriters (at least), was fairly coherent. I don’t think this is a great film and might not quite measure up to the first movie, but it’s still entertaining. Even so, the movie is still a lot of fun.