Men in Black: International - 3/5

It’s kind of dumb, but it’s a lot of fun. It follows in the steps of Ant-Man, where it keeps to its own rules for the main storyline but abandons them when it wants to make a joke. That being said the jokes land, for the most part, and it’s flashily cinematic in all the usual places. Instead of having a boring, predictable plot it changes up the formula by keeping the audience guessing which of the myriad tropes they’re going to fall into. This is the least weird and most stylish of the Men In Black franchise, and the second best one of the lot because of it.

Closest comparison: Thor and Valkyrie in a buddy cop movie with aliens.

Setting: Weird Sci-Fi
Plot: Buddy Cop
Tone: Comedy

The Dead Pool (1988) - 2/5

Not to be confused with Deadpool (2016), this fifth and final installment in the Dirty Harry series is lackluster at best. It forgets to be exciting and instead muddles through the plot just to get to the end. A few simple action scenes and lots of tired hard-boiled detective beats make this movie old hat, even for the era in which it was made. The most fun aspect of it is seeing Liam Neeson and Jim Carrey in bit parts before they were as famous as they are today. On the whole, though, it only amounts to the last gasp of better films.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Netflix) - 5/5

It’s bizarre and amazing, funny and tragic, beautiful and nerve-racking all at the same time. Or rather, in succession, but and it knows what it is every step of the way even if the audience is still trying to figure it out. The Coen brothers lead their audience expertly through various stories, keeping the emotions just where they want them every step of the way. It’s very violent in parts, sometimes played for comedy, sometimes for tragedy. If you like Coen brothers movies it’s a must-see, if you like Westerns don’t let the beginning throw you off. This movie touches on all the different aspects that are central to other Westerns, somehow without giving them short shrift, and there’s nothing else like it.

Krull (1983) - 4/5

This movie is definitely campy, but once you accept that it's gem after gem after gem, from plot to writing to cinematography to acting to special effects. Of course, there are flaws in all of these areas, too, but the great moments far outshine them. It's a wonderful fantasy sci-if romp, and criticizing it for its campiness feels like faulting a geode for being rough around the edges.