Mark Ruffalo Archives - Movieman's Guide to the Movies

Collateral might not be an overly ambitious crime-drama from Michael Mann but it was a nice, slow ride (no pun intended) thanks to two great performances by Cruise and Foxx.

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.

Dark Waters is a well made, legal drama that’s in the same vein as 1999’s The Insider and while I don’t feel it’s as effectively directed by Todd Haynes, it is still well worth checking out.

Shutter Island is an effective psychological-thriller featuring some good performances from an impressive cast, but what stood out to me was Scorsese’s precision direction.

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.

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.

Thor: Ragnarok was a refreshingly great, even semi-retooling, of the franchise with more aims at comedy than the outlandish plot which bogged down the previous entries, the second especially. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would gladly re-watch in the future.

Now You See Me 2 is not the type of movie that will tax your mind but instead is a perfectly serviceable caper-comedy, one that succeeds more on the chemistry with the ensemble, with newcomer Lizzy Caplan being the highlight, rather than anything to do with the thin plot, though I did appreciate some of the magic even if it’s CGI-generated.

Spotlight might not be at the top of my best of 2015 list but it’s still a well made film all around from the efficient direction, tight writing and brilliant performances (save for Ruffalo in the one scene) so I have no qualms with its recent win for Best Picture and say it’s well worth purchase.

Begin Again is one enjoyable movie about the music industry without too many inclusionary or referential backgrounds, unlike something like High Fidelity (which is a great movie on its own), and instead is a light-hearted character drama with some catchy songs and actually, Knightley isn’t a half-bad singer. Basically, this is a fun movie that’s neither challenging nor forgettable at the same time.

Blindness might not have been my kind of movie but I appreciate it for the fine performances, excellent cinematography and a story which is at least captured my attention for the film’s duration.

The Brothers Bloom is writer-director Rian Johnson’s follow-up his surprisingly fantastic 2005 film, Brick starring Joseph Gordon Levitt. But often sophomore efforts after promising starts tend to greatly disappoint but Johnson’s latest once again surprised me as it wasn’t your typical con genre flick.

>> READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW <<

Zodiac is a fantastic film and probably one of my favorites from director David Fincher. It’s a fascinating mystery/crime drama with excellent performances that were sadly overlooked by the Academy. Of course, it didn’t help that Paramount released this in March rather than December.

Movieman's Guide to the Movies

Collateral 4K Ultra HD Review

Focus Features: 10-Movie Spotlight Collection Blu-ray Review

Dark Waters Blu-ray Review

Shutter Island 4K Ultra HD Review

Avengers: Endgame Blu-ray Review

Avengers: Infinity War 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Review + BD Screen Caps

The 6 Degrees Collection

Thor: Ragnarok BD + Screen Caps

Review: Now You See Me 2 UHD + Screen Caps

Review: Spotlight BD + Screen Caps

Begin Again Blu-ray Review

Blindness Blu-ray Review

Review: The Brothers Bloom BD

Zodiac: 2-Disc Director’s Cut Blu-ray Review