Enter the Battlefield

This is a wonderful documentary about a world in which I've spent countless hours. I place a tremendous amount of value in this game and competitive scene, so it was exciting to have a (hopefully) fantastic thing to demonstrate this to those not in the know.

I greatly enjoyed this documentary, but it's hard to discern if I would find so much enjoyment as someone unfamiliar with the community. I'm very interested to hear thoughts from muggles, as it were.

8.25/10

Everybody Wants Some!!

I found it difficult to connect with most of these characters, which hurt the overall impact of the film.

Linklater's dialogue-heavy style of filmmaking is once again on display, providing fun, light conversations that subtly hint at deeper meanings, although the characters in this film don't go down that road nearly as much as in previous works. This felt like a much lighter film from Linklater, more of a slice-of-life romp than anything else.

7/10

Hardcore Henry

Hardcore Henry is exactly what you think it is. No, actually, somehow it's even more like what you think it is. There are some great bits in here, and some truly funny elements as well. The action was pretty fun, although there were definitely moments I wished I could watch what was happening in third-person. The plot is bare-bones and not particularly good, but nobody bought a ticket to this film for the plot. If nothing else, it is an interesting experiment, and one I wasn't sad that I saw.

7.25/10

The Jungle Book (2016)

Any review not starting with the stunning and breath-taking visuals is burying the lead. They are, simply put, some of the very best ever put to the screen.

The plot is the same we all know and love, and it's mostly fine. The voice acting was great, although I found the King Louie scene to be a bit confused tonally. I didn't connect with any of the characters in particular, otherwise this would've been a near-perfect film. As is, I walked away thinking it was a gorgeous, but mostly just fine film.

8.25/10

Midnight Special

A sleek throwback to 80's sci-fi, Midnight Special is a smart, subtle thriller that doubles as an allegory for raising children. It is gorgeously shot and led by some beautiful and truly touching performances.

9.25/10

Demolition

Demolition is yet another playground for Jake Gyllenhaal to show off his incredible talent. Jean-Marc Vallee, director of WILD and DALLAS BUYER'S CLUB, delivers a very similar film that seems as if it should feel more important and profound than it actually did to me. I connected with this topic more than his previous works, as the idea of dismantling as an exercise in self-reflection was very resonant for me, but I did feel like the film could have impacted me more. The cinematography and editing are fantastic, though, and worth the ticket price alone.

7.5/10

Eye in the Sky

The performances are fairly great, but the plodding pace and knocked this down a bit for me. The subject matter is quite heavy, and the few moments of levity seem jarring and out of place, but the film builds the tension of the situation well, and was an enjoyable experience overall.

8/10

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

The visuals are incredible, the performances across the board are fantastic, and the score is excellent.

However, the narrative structure of the film is far too bloated, and character motivations far too thin too often. There are too many goofy, immersion-breaking moments that caused some people in my audience to laugh out loud at the nonsense they were being asked to accept. The conclusion to the nominal showdown is hilariously and offensively dumb.

That being said, there is plenty to like about this film. If you can avert your eyes from those large issues, the film is a decent amount of fun. The action is pretty great, and I was sufficiently sold on upcoming DCU films. But man, this could've and should've been so much better.

6.5/10

Eddie the Eagle

If you had asked me my opinion after the first 15 minutes, I'd have said something north of a 9/10. Unfortunately, the film sagged in the middle and fell into almost every trope imaginable; the stuffy old guard not letting the scrappy up-and-comer in, the disapproving father, the loving and encouraging mother, and the formerly-great-but-now-drunken-and-reluctant coach. The list goes on and on.

That being said, Taron Egerton is fantastic, and the film finishes just as strongly as it opened. Backed by a synth-fueled, very 80s score and a great message about competition, the film reflected the man on which it was based; plucky, uncompromising, and determined.

8.75/10

The Brothers Grimsby

Sacha Baron Cohen makes films that are silly, disgusting, and juvenile. And if I ever stop laughing at them, I'll know all traces of my inner-teenager are dead.

The Brothers Grimsby was very enjoyable for what it was, but stay away if you don't like toilet humor and gratuitous nudity and violence.

6.75/10