Ford v Ferrari - 3/5

This movie is too long. It’s well executed on a technical level, of course, fine acting and cinematography etc., but it has more corporate jockeying than actual racing and the conflict is too straightforward to bear that out. There are lots of gratuitous shots of racecars and it ends up doing for cars what Top Gun did for fighter jets. Some of the humor is mean-spirited Schadenfreude, with a few short scenes are completely shoehorned in and not only break the flow of the movie but are strange diversions for the characters. On the whole it manages to hold audience attention as a perfectly serviceable historical drama about racecar drivers.

Closest comparison: It’s like Top Gun by way of Hidden Figures.

Setting: Racing Drama
Plot: Sports Drama
Tone: Corporate Drama

The Punisher (Netflix, Season 2) - 3/5

There’s a lot to like here, but like all Netflix shows there’s 6 episodes of content stretched into 13 episodes. The action scenes are well executed, for the most part, but consistently fall into the trap of having the Punisher start each fight by getting beaten to within an inch of his life and then somehow rallying and taking everybody out so competently that it begs the question of how he got himself into this situation in the first place. It’s not as intellectually interesting as the first season so its main appeal will be for those who are invested in the character already. Overall it’s just too long with not enough to say, despite some great moments.

Closest comparison: It’s like John Wick meets Logan, but as a drier, drawn-out TV show.

Setting: Action
Plot: Vigilante
Tone: Crime

The Punisher (Netflix, 2017) - 4/5

It's ultraviolent and there's too much sex, but ultimately it's all used very powerfully to tell an intense but good story. A few great twists and one exceptional episode in particular make it rise above the lesser Marvel Netflix crossovers. I rank it just below Daredevil (Season 1) and just above Luke Cage. If you can stomach the violence, definitely give it a try.

Sicario - 4/5

Denis Villeneuve (the director) has a tendency to just let his movies trail off, which I don't particularly appreciate but which works better in this film than in his others. The acting is precise, the cinematography as always is beautiful, and the tense traffic jam scene is fantastic. While the story is engaging I find myself wanting more of a take-away than this film provides, especially with the themes it deals with. Some of the characters' motifcations were more said than acted, which I would have liked to have seen done better. All in all, though, I understand why this was so well received initially, and I recommend it to people who like modern police thrillers (and can handle seeing some cut-up bodies).

Baby Driver - 5/5

First of all, this is not a comedy -- it's a thriller. There are laughs, sure (because it's Edgar Wright) but there are more white-knuckle sequences than there are comedy sequences. Secondly, I've been waiting for a movie like this ever since I saw the trailer for the movie 9. It's got great music as an integral part of each scene, choreographed beautifully in time with the on-screen motion. In parts the acting is a bit wooden, but it really doesn't detract from the film as a whole and I can't think of any other reason to drop this below a 5.

The Accountant - 3/5

This is a perfectly servicable (and forgettable) action movie. With a more gripping script and a method actor in the lead role (think Leonardo DiCaprio), this could have beccome something like the new Jason Bourne franchise. Oh well, still enjoyable and if you're wathing it I'll watch it with you.