Glass Onion (2022) - 1/5

This movie is starts off fairly strong, but finishes abysmally. The cinematography, costume design, sets, acting, etc. are all top notch but their impact all hinges on the solution to the murder mystery, and the solution here is simultaneously stupid, ignorant, and insulting. The film is also continually horny, and seems to exemplify the thing it’s mocking which is never a good sign. There’s an overt political subtext that overtakes the narrative at a certain point, and in the end many of the carefully laid clues don’t make sense.

Closest comparison: It’s like an attempt at a mystery like Knives Out, as clumsily executed as The King’s Man, with a veneer of Fool’s Gold.

Setting: Mystery
Plot: Mystery
Tone: Mystery

Knives Out (2019) - 5/5

This is one of the most clever whodunnit films I’ve seen, and probably the most intricate. Nevertheless, Rian Johnson makes it straightforward and easy to follow, as all good murder mysteries should. The story somehow manages to escape the tired old formula while meticulously maintaining its trappings, keeping the dialogue snappy and the sordid family affairs more fun than sordid. There is a fair amount of partisan politics in this movie, but it’s pretty evenly split and is relegated to character quirks, refusing to make a definite statement. It’s old and new, clever and simple; it’s Rian Johnson at his best.

Closest comparison: It’s like an Agatha Christie story for a new generation.

Setting: Murder Mystery
Plot: Murder Mystery
Tone: Mystery Comedy

Looper - 4/5

Even though there are some logical holes that can be poked in the time-travel explanation used in this movie, it maintains the rules it sets up in the beginning. Of course a few plot contrivances are needed in a story like this, but it’s so well told that they’re easy to forgive. Lots of fun action and a hauntingly impressive scene illustrating the time-travel rules in this story, there’s certainly a lot to like here. Good performances really sell the world Rian Johnson created without needing a lot of heavy-handed exposition. For a more mature, action-oriented take on a Back to the Future version of time travel, look no further.

Closest Comparison: It’s Brick (2005) by way of Back to the Future

Setting: Action
Plot: Sci-fi
Tone: Action

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.