The Batman (2022) - 4/5

This movie is yet another reinvention of Batman, this time both more grounded and more gritty than Nolan’s trilogy. It chooses style over convention many times, which could have made the chase scenes hard to follow, for example, but the direction masterfully guides the audience to keep up with the action. Pattinson is good as Bruce Wayne but really shines as Batman, and the script focuses on the intimidatingly silent detective more than the super-human super-rich super-hero. The Riddler’s riddles aren’t sublime, but they’re more than good enough to carry keep the audience intrigued until the answers are revealed. This film’s primary sin is its length, clocking in at four minutes shy of three hours, when a deft editor could have trimmed it down by a solid half hour if he had been allowed to do so.

Closest comparison: It’s like Batman Begins by way of Joker (2019).

Setting: Crime
Plot: Detective
Tone: Thriller

Venom: Let There Be Carnage - 2/5

This movie is similar to its predecessor, but with a darker, true crime vibe. Half of the runtime is dedicated to tracking down a serial killer’s past, which will be more engaging for some audience members than others. The fight scenes are fine in theory but are destroyed by shaky cam, which is especially bad given that it’s basically all CGI. But the movie really goes off the rails in the final battle, where the plot comes together just to fall apart.

Closest comparison: It’s like Venom (2018) with a dash of Se7en.

Setting: Super Hero
Plot: Super hero
Tone: True Crime

The Prestige - 5/5

What Shayamalan did for plot twists in cinema Nolan did for mind-bending narratives, and here he brings that treatment to the late 19th century illusionist genre. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman bring a profound subtlety to their characters that make repeat viewings of this film very rewarding. The intricately compelling of the plot is riveting to the point that it eclipses outstanding performances from Andy Serkis and the late great David Bowie.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Illusionist (2006) by way of Memento.

Setting: Mystery
Plot: Rivalry Tragedy
Tone: Thriller

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (Netflix) - 4/5

This is what Disney’s The Jungle Book (2016) should have been: much more thoughtully constructed, more emotive facial animation on the animals, and an all-around more engaging story. The voice acting is so good I couldn’t tell who anyone was (except Cate Blanchett), and was astonished to see the cast list in the end credits. In Disney’s version Mowgli looks like he has never been outisde before and timidly walks around fallen logs. In this version Mowgli is running on all fours and diving off treebranches. This is a microcosm of the difference in quality between these two movies. Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is a bit darker than its Disney counterpart, and even though it’s still a family-weight film some parts may be frightening to young children.

Closest comparison: It’s a better version of Disney’s The Jungle Book (2016)

Black Panther - 4/5

The design in this movie is awesome; it's a pleasure to look at. It's Guardians of the Galaxy-level colorful (if not more), and the costume design is some of the best Marvel's ever put on screen. The fight scenes are choppier than they needed to be, but they're not bad. The message is solid and well delivered, which is difficult to do in such a shaky social and political climate. It's a relief they took the high road.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - 2/5

So much of this movie doesn't make sense, ranging characters' motivations to what people can actually do with the Force. It has a few really good shots of cinematography, and Adam Driver's acting was spot on. Most of the rest was problematic. There were 3-4 times I thought, "That was cool", but there were a good two dozen times I thought, "That was stupid". It's too long, and there's too much talking without people saying anything. Sorry guys, the movie's just not good.

Honestly, this one was right on the border for me between a 2/5 and 3/5. There was just too much that was downright stupid in it. There were three separate times during the movie when I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes, shaking my head because the movie just made no sense.

War for the Planet of the Apes - 3/5

It's about as good as the second one. High points are a few beautiful visuals and enjoyable character moments. Low points are grueling, bleak prison sections and immersion-breaking plot holes. There were many missed opportunities as well, where a sceneaccomplished very little and I started to get bored, but it could very easily have been dynamic, interesting, and powerful. Great CG on the apes, as always, and a standout performace from Steve Zahn.