The Big Lebowski - 3/5

Even though this quickly became a cult classic, it’s too weird and rambling to be truly great. Of course, there are some truly great moments and infinitely quotable dialogue, but then there are all the parts people forget about. It’s certainly worth a watch if you haven’t seen it, just for the cultural touchpoint, but it doesn’t even really have a point beyond ‘look at all the crazy stuff that’s happening’. This is what happens when ‘quirky’ goes too far and doesn’t have substance to back it up.

Closest Comparison: It’s like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by way of Fargo.

Setting: Modern
Plot: Thriller
Tone: Comedy

The Boondock Saints - 5/5

The message of this movie is direct and to the point, but its method of getting there twists and turns. The storytelling is some of the best I’ve seen, easily beating Pulp Fiction’s random chaos with the director Troy Duffy’s own carefully crafted character development. It’s crass and wild, but all with a laser-focused objective that it brings home with flying colors. It has a pan-genre soundtrack that will stick in your mind and excellent performances across the board, including Willem Dafoe as you’ve never seen him before (and hope to never see him again). Its combination of in-your-face style and attention to detail makes it easy to see why this became the cult classic that it is. Viewer discretion: extreme violence and language.

Closest Comparison: It’s like Scarface meets Pulp Fiction, but with a point.

Setting: Modern
Plot: Detective
Tone: Action

Once Upon a Deadpool - 4/5

This PG-13 re-cut version of Deadpool 2 does a great job of removing (most of) the blood and language. Framing the story in a ‘Princess Bride’ storytelling setting works brilliantly, allowing them to cut around the R-rated bits and throw in new footage and jokes where needed. There are several new scenes that work well, including a Stan Lee post-credits tribute, though if you’re not familiar with The Princess Bride those jokes may be underwhelming. The original cut of Deadpool 2 was slightly better, just because the timing and filming of the scenes was designed for it, but this is a better introduction to the character if you shied away from the other films for content reasons. It’s still irreverent and crass, but toned down considerably.

Castlevania, Season 2 (Netflix) - 2/5

This season is very inconsistent. The first five episodes are extremely dull and tedious, explaining everyone’s personal stance on everything at an excruciating pace. Then episodes six and seven are the amazing, action-packed spectacle that the entire show should have been, with awesome fights, weapons, monsters, locations, character moments, and spectacle. Then episode eight rewrites all the characters as the least interesting, most annoying versions of themselves with no consistency or relevance to the rest of the show. If you liked the first season, just watch episodes six and seven, and spare yourself the frustration; you’re not missing anything.

Content warnings: language, gore

The Predator (2018) - 3/5

To begin with this could have been a 4/5. It has a solid setup and a few interesting turns initially, but it quickly turns into just another action movie. It has better effects than some of the other installments in this franchise but used to less effect; it’s gorier but not more interesting. It adds a little to the Predator mythos and it’s always fun to see military guys running around trying to fight a powerful alien. The humor is ultimately what carries it this high, with well-paced jokes to keep the audience interested. Unless you’re already a fan of the other movies there’s no reason to watch this over any number of other summer popcorn action flicks.

Full Video Discussion

Tag - 3/5

It's mostly very funny, on occasion very irreverent, and every now and then a bit dull. Mileage may vary depending on how this combination hits you. The tag scenes are a blast, which is why the movie works as well as it does, and the filler is kind of entertaining, too. Knowing it is based on a true story is fun, though the real footage in the credits is somewhat underwhelming after just watching the high-gloss movie version.

Deadpool 2 - 4/5

The self-aware crassest superhero delivers again on everything we expect. If crass humor and ultraviolence don't bother you then you'll have a blast with this film. It's just about as good as the first one and in my opinion better in several regards, like better action scenes and more flushed out treatment of the villain(s). Surprisingly good performances where you least expect them with a few dashes of cameos for the fans. But you already knew whether you were going to see it before you read this.

The Hateful Eight - 2/5

Quentin Tarantino has always had an eye for cinematography and an ear for catchy dialogue, and this movie is no exception. From the title alone it should come as no surprise that none of the characters are particularly likeable (except for Tim Roth's Oswaldo Mobray who, while a villain, was enjoyable to watch). This movie goes straight for the shock value in a few places, as Tarantino does, but the payoff here is less of a twist and more of a "Yeah, I guess that makes the most sense" climax. I only recommend this if you're a die hard fan of his other movies.