The Town - 4/5

This movie is a modern heist classic, focusing more on the camaraderie of the lowlife thieves than on the sleuthing of the detectives tracking them down or even the thrill and mechanics of the heists themselves. It’s fun to watch the four main leads fully immersed in their characters and bouncing dialogue off each other. In that there’s a playfulness to the drama that doesn’t sacrifice the impact of the story to engage the audience.

Content warning: brief female nudity

Closest comparison: It’s like Four Brothers by way of American Heist.

Setting: Crime
Plot: Heist
Tone: Lowlifes

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) - 3/5

After a long and unnecessary preamble this movie eventually becomes exactly what its title promised. The fights are bashy, fun, and not nearly as dumb as the talky bits with the humans. The visuals aren’t as gorgeous as they were in the previous film, but here the fight choreography feels more grounded and brawly and less wide-shot cinematic. Fortunately the human plots are only cardboard pablum, not aggressively offensively stupid like King of Monsters and Skull Island, so it’s an improvement. The first 45 minutes are so completely disposable I recommend coming to the theater late to save yourself the boredom.

Closest comparison: It’s like Godzilla: King of Monsters and Kong: Skull Island got together to play Pacific Rim 2.

Setting: Exotic Adventure
Plot: Homeward Bound
Tone: Kaiju

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