Black Widow - 2/5

This movie could have been so much better than it is. Taskmaster is completely wasted as a villain, never getting the choreography and cinematography to showcase the fighting skills that make the character unique. Florence Pugh is easily the best part of this movie, and while that’s great and I would gladly see a Marvel movie starring her as Yelena, it overshadows Scarlett Johansson’s erstwhile time in the sun, though this is also Scarlett’s weakest performance as Black Widow. The script also keeps trying to redeem characters without earning the turn-around, and it sours the overall story.

Closest comparison: It’s like Close (2019) by way of X-Men: The Last Stand.

Setting: Espionage
Plot: Super Hero
Tone: Action

Isle of Dogs (2018) - 4/5

This movie is predictably funny, sweet, quirky, and occasionally a bit harsh in the signature style of Wes Anderson. It’s an evolution of The Fantastic Mr. Fox visually, but the story is more classic rescue adventure fodder with some fantasy and sci-fi elements thrown in. Its quirkiness will impact audiences differently, but where Darjeeling Limited and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou had the quirkiness on full display Isle of Dogs relegates it more to the deeper levels of story and narrative structure.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Fantastic Mr. Fox with a more grounded story.

Setting: Near Future Sci-Fi
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Quirky

Marriage Story (Netflix, 2019) - 2/5

This is a well-crafted film that would have been better named Divorce Story. It’s slow and sad, focusing on realism in the portrayal of the characters than it does on having an interesting or meaningful story. It often seems to actively avoid portraying anything meaningful, and instead portrays nihilistic existentialism as the inescapable norm. It’s solidly produced in all other respects.

Closest comparison: It’s like While We’re Young (2014) with more futile shouting.

Setting: Modern Drama
Plot: Family Drama
Tone: Nihilistic Drama

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

Jojo Rabbit - 5/5

This is a masterfully executed film that strides effortlessly between gut-busting comedy and gut-wrenching tragedy. Instead of poking fun at the hardships of German civilians in World War II as its main source of comedy the movie uses comedy to underscore the seriousness of the situation. The acting, score, and cinematography are all excellent, but the editing stands out and at times makes the movie feel like something directed by Wes Anderson or Edgar Wright. It’s deeply fascinating and bone-chillingly accurate in its absurdism.

Closest comparison: It like a cross between Moonrise Kingdom and The Pianist (2002).

Setting: Wartime
Plot: Coming of Age
Tone: Comedy / Tragedy

Avengers: Age of Ultron - 4/5

This movie is fantastic, but introduces too many metaphors to pay off by the end. Director Joss Whedon stated in an interview that he challenged himself to make it shorter than The Avengers (2012), and it shows. This movie tries to do more in less time, and although it does an incredible job with what it has, an extra 10-20 minutes could have made this a 5/5. That being said the action is dazzling, the concept is solid, and they even managed to squeeze in three new characters that went on to appear in other MCU movies. With so much crammed into one movie, it definitely improves with multiple viewings.

Closest comparison: It’s the troubled middle child of the Avengers franchise.

Setting: Super hero
Plot: Super hero
Tone: Super hero

The Avengers (2012) - 5/5

This movie does Character better than almost any other. Joss Whedon accomplished the almost insurmountable task of combining the six main characters and several side characters in a way that lets each of them shine unimpeded by the others. The brilliance of the one-on-one confrontations each main character gets with the villain that highlight the unique strengths they bring to the team cannot be overstated. It also contains one of the most dynamic and multi-faceted arguments ever put to film. It combined three existing character-based film franchises, reinvented a fourth, and added in two main characters to boot. And it did it so well that it became the gold standard by which all action films and all team-up films are measured.

Closest comparison: It’s the super hero team up movie that started them all

Setting: Super hero
Plot: War Spy
Tone: Action Adventure

Iron Man 2 - 3/5

This movie does social sparring very well. Most of the time when characters are talking they are continually vying for social dominance, thrusting and parrying not so much with words as with emotions. Mickey Rourke is fantastic as Whiplash, and while his fight scenes are spectacular they always end in more of a fizzle than a crescendo. The biggest flaw with this movie is giving Tony Stark little to do except aimlessly act out, though Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal is pitch perfect as always. Sam Rockwell also captures all of the subtlety of being an off-brand Tony Stark, but in true reflection his character also has little to do, aimlessly wandering around the plot like a lost, sassy child.

Closest comparison: It’s the gentle sequel to Iron Man (2008)

Setting: Super hero
Plot: Super hero
Tone: Action