Life

As expected, this was a slightly above-average space monster film. It was successful at creating some great tension, and I really enjoyed the third act, but the film never really excelled at anything.

7/10

The World's End [Revisit]

Completing the Cornetto Trilogy, the team is back and they bring all of the excellent dialogue and action with them. I can't stress enough how well these films are crafted, and each one is just so damned fun.

9/10

Hot Fuzz [Revisit]

The team that tackled the zombie genre returns in this film with a fantastic look at the buddy-cop action genre, and again, knock it out of the park. Some familiar tropes and throwbacks to SHAUN OF THE DEAD, paired with great action and brilliant writing, made this a wonderful experience.

9/10

10 Cloverfield Lane [Revisit]

Incredibly tense and well-acted, with the highlight being an awesome performance from John Goodman, but really everyone shines here. The plot is paced expertly, and I love that all the character motivations make sense.

9.5/10

Power Rangers (2017)

A campy, fun, though at times darker than expected look back at a childhood favorite. I had a lot of fun with this film, and the marquee performances from Cranston and Banks were wonderful.

7.75

Shaun of the Dead [Revisit]

A great comedy with lots of fresh takes on the zombie genre. I love the use of repetition in this film, calling back to earlier scenes and lines of dialogue for comedic effect works wonderfully.

8.75/10

Exam

A very nice fishbowl film that kept me guessing until the end. This film evoked shades of the film Cube and real-life escape rooms for me, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

7.5/10

O Brother, Where Art Thou? [Revisit]

This is the Coen Brothers near the height of their powers. They produced an incredibly fun adventure film with wild characters and great dialogue. It's bonafide!

9.25/10

20th Century Women [Revisit]

Annette Bening should have won Best Actress for this performance. This film is simply beautiful, with an excellent soundtrack and fantastic performances. The fact that I've watched it twice in as many months should speak volumes.

9.5/10

The Belko Experiment

This film is exactly what you think it is. Literally every single thing you think is going to happen, does in fact happen. There is still a little fun to be had here, but given the absurd level of predictability, it certainly isn't much.

4.5/10

(500) Days of Summer [Revisit]

This one has actually dropped a bit in my estimation. I love all of the small quirks the film features; the great soundtrack, the full-on dance sequence out of nowhere, the nonlinear narrative, the scene transitions, the interviews with other characters, the sage-like little sister, and especially the 'Expectations vs. Reality' sequence. There is a lot to like here.

But on this most recent viewing, JGL's character seemed a lot worse than I had remembered, and he and his friends have some problematic 'women are objects' dialogue that stuck out of an otherwise beautiful film. The ending also felt a bit too cheesy this time around.

That being said, I still really love this movie.

9.25/10

Inside Out [Revisit]

An absolute masterpiece, in every respect. Pixar's finest, and most important film to date.

10/10

The Fifth Element [Revisit]

The world-building is incredible, but lots of this movie doesn't age well, especially the soundtrack. Still a fun adventure film, to be sure, but at times the cheesiness was too much.

7.25/10

Kong: Skull Island

The human characters are archetypal and flat, but when this film is being a big dumb monster movie, it is an absolute blast. John C. Reilly threatens to steal the show every time he is on screen, and there are some shots that will drop your jaw in awe of the beauty.

8.5/10

Brick [Revisit]

This is an incredibly great neo-noir tale that is surprisingly set in a high school. Though the effects are a bit dated and reflective of the budgetary restrictions, the film is just oozing style and confidence. It's a home run in every way.

10/10

Headshot

This martial-arts film tried a lot of interesting things with its camera, some of which worked wonderfully. Others, though, obscured some really great fight choreography. The successor the The Raid this is not, but was still an enjoyable action film.
7.25/10

The Appointment

A fairly rote plot of screwed-over hitman seeks revenge, with the notable twist of the inciting act being a sex-change operation forced upon our hero. This film has a lot of really strange ideas, but it all ended up feeling very silly and not worth the time.

4/10

Logan

This is a really dark, heavy, and brutal film, which was a pleasant surprise. This film felt much more true to Wolverine the character. The performances are fantastic, and the story was compelling throughout.

9/10

The Girl With All the Gifts

A really excellent and intriguing take on a specific genre (which is a minor spoiler in-and-of itself, hence the lack of detail). Lots of very effective things here, and great performances to back it up.

8.75/10

Catfight

The plot is somewhat interesting, but the rest of the film is too campy and poorly-done. There are several fight scenes, but the punches don't even come close to looking realistic, and the sound effects are just silly.

4.75/10

The Big Short [Revisit]

An excellent and highly entertaining look at a very complex issue. The performances here are fantastic, specifically Carell and Bale, and the story is incredibly compelling.

9.5/10

The Red Turtle

I had no idea that this film has essentially zero dialogue, and that was a unique experience. Luckily, the beauty and quality of animation was more than enough to carry the film.

8/10

I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore

I found this to be a wildly surprising and very fun film. Lynskey and Wood are a pleasure, and the climax is really something else.

8.5/10