Denis Villeneuve (the director) has a tendency to just let his movies trail off, which I don't particularly appreciate but which works better in this film than in his others. The acting is precise, the cinematography as always is beautiful, and the tense traffic jam scene is fantastic. While the story is engaging I find myself wanting more of a take-away than this film provides, especially with the themes it deals with. Some of the characters' motifcations were more said than acted, which I would have liked to have seen done better. All in all, though, I understand why this was so well received initially, and I recommend it to people who like modern police thrillers (and can handle seeing some cut-up bodies).
IT (2017) - 5/5
This movie is terrifying. If you don't like horror movies do not go see it. However, the film making on display is absolutely outstanding. Cinematography, writing, editing, music, acting, everything is top notch. There is a lot of swearing (especially from the kids), and some kids get killed so, again, this film is not for everyone. But for what it's trying to do it does brilliantly.
Thor: Ragnarok - 3/5
Mileage may vary. The action is awesome, but only some of the humor worked for me. The visuals are stunning, but much of the plot only pays off mildly well. It's not a bad film by any means, but it's only 'fine' when it could have been 'great'. It's candy, not meat and potatoes. It's fun, flashy and fleeting.
Honestly the fact that the trailers ruined so much of the movie was very disappointing to me. There's like 20 minutes of build-up to "who is Thor going to fight?", but that was in the first 20 seconds of the trailer. And for as amazing as many of the costumes were, Valkyrie's costume was one of the worst I've seen in any super hero movie. Who thought "You know what's a badass color? Taupe."
Blade Runner 2049 - 2/5
It has great cinematography, but way too much nudity. There's a lot of grit, but with no payoff. You know there's a problem with a movie when you can completely remove the main antagonist without changing the plot. There are several plot points brought up that made me ask, "This is interesting. How is this going to resolve?" The answer was invariably, "It won't".
Being John Malkovitch - 3/5
It's weird, it's pretty good, it's weird, it's fairly classic, oh, and did I mention it's really freaking weird? Hilarious, certainly, but I imagine it's significantly better if you're high as a kite when you watch it. I was hoping it was going to be more profound or more neatly tied up at the end, but as it is it's just weird. And the more one thinks about it, the creepier the whole premise is, especially at the end.
Logan Lucky - 4/5
This movie is fantastic. Directed by Steven Soderbergh (dir. Ocean's 11) it's like what would happen if hillbillies pulled a heist. I was a bit worried it was going to be sardonic toward West Virginians but it's very much not, which I loved. It's actually really close to a 5/5 for me, but there is a small issue about who gets the money at the end and how it's divided that it would have definitely been a better movie if they had cleared up that point. But it's great, and if you like Ocean's 11 and West Virginia you should definitely go see it.
The Dark Tower - 2/5
It's too dark with no payoff. Great performances by Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, but all the best parts were in the trailer. It's sad, too, because it could have been really good.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - 2/5
It's not that bad, it's just bland. Its best use is as a guide for what not to do in editing, writing, and music selection. There were several clever things they tried to do, which is good, but the only parts worth watching again are the parts with the two main leads whose interpersonal chemistry was surprisingly genuine. It's about on the level of Spider-Man 3.
War for the Planet of the Apes - 3/5
It's about as good as the second one. High points are a few beautiful visuals and enjoyable character moments. Low points are grueling, bleak prison sections and immersion-breaking plot holes. There were many missed opportunities as well, where a sceneaccomplished very little and I started to get bored, but it could very easily have been dynamic, interesting, and powerful. Great CG on the apes, as always, and a standout performace from Steve Zahn.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - 3/5
The world building, visuals, and action scenes (basically the first half of the movie) are 5/5. But then there's the writing. Most of the characters are just not very likable, and the plot and story are problematic. The movie brings up some big topics as if it's going to address them (genecide, human trafficking, forgiveness, love) but only gives trite, meaningless answers that are ultimately insulting to the subject matter. So, if you can turn off your brain, you'll have a lot of fun watching this movie. If not, then skip it.
Dunkirk - 5/5
This movie is awesome to watch. Not 'fun' like a lot of other war movies try to be, but the experience is intense and I can't think of anything they should have done differently. There are very loud parts in this movie (and rightly so), but if you're sensitive to loud noises wait til it comes out on DVD. The cinematography is beautiful and the storytelling is fascinating. Also don't go if you have a weak heart; this movie is tense for most of its runtime.
Edit: On a second viewing there is a lot more to catch. I didn't realize quite so many of the secenes are played back later from a different perspective, and many of the earlier scenes take on a new meaning when you watch them knowing what's going on elsewhere/elsewhen. Still a great film, and I stand by my 5/5 rating.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - 5/5
Tom Holland is my new favorite Peter Parker. I'm glad they went back to a high school spiderman, and I think updated characters worked really well. The design on the Vulture was inspired, and I loved all the changes they made to the character because they made them for all the right reasons. Ultimately, I think I would give it a 4.5 out of 5, but since I don't do half points there were a few things that bugged me about the movie. They didn't cash in on some of the stuff they set up, and it would have been a really good payoff. Also Aunt May is pretty bad. But all in all, excellent movie, and I definitely recommend it.
Originally I gave this movie a 4/5, but over time the issues with Aunt May fade into the background of how great the rest of the movie is.
Baby Driver - 5/5
First of all, this is not a comedy -- it's a thriller. There are laughs, sure (because it's Edgar Wright) but there are more white-knuckle sequences than there are comedy sequences. Secondly, I've been waiting for a movie like this ever since I saw the trailer for the movie 9. It's got great music as an integral part of each scene, choreographed beautifully in time with the on-screen motion. In parts the acting is a bit wooden, but it really doesn't detract from the film as a whole and I can't think of any other reason to drop this below a 5.
John Wick: Chapter 2 - 3/5
They lost their way with the second one. It still has beautiful cinematography, some fun fight scenes, and memorable side characters. But the lack of specific motivation or creativity in resolving fairly straightforward conflicts makes it a definite drop in quality from the first one. I found the suit gimmicky and by the end they had really gotten John Wick's character wrong.
Wonder Woman - 4/5
The fight scenes are really cool, and they effortlessly walk a narrow line between the sexes. There really aren't many (any?) pandering shots of the title character, but they also don't fall prey to a feminist ideology. They did their heavy lifting early so some lines later on that could have come off as cheesy end up being actually meaningful. It's refreshingly fun and honest, definitely the best DC movie in the past 9 years.
La La Land - 4/5
Sorry, I can't go the full 5/5. It's the ending. It was ok, but kind of a let-down after the rest of the film. If I did half points it would be 4.5/5, but it is what it is. I'd say it's the best musical since Moulin Rouge, but not better than. The last 5 minutes of a movie are half the movie, and where Moulin Rouge's ending was poetic this just felt a bit rocky. That being said, I'll probably have the songs pop into my head for the next week.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword - 4/5
It's not nearly as bad as the other critics are saying. The music is really good, and the editing (except for one part) is exceptionally good. I really liked the non-linear storytelling, and Jude Law's performance is amazing. It helped knowing it was adapted from a graphic novel going into it. If you liked Timeline and you didn't hate Guy Richie's previous Sherlock Holmes movies, I think you'll really like this.
Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 - 3/5
First off, the good: lots of beautiful visuals and some great character moments with tertiary characters. The opening sequence is fantastic, and if the whole movie was like that it might have been a 5. Unfortunately, most of the humor in the film is mean-spirited, which for me is intolerable. And for a movie that is relying largely on the humor it's just painful.
The Third Man - 3/5
This1949 black and white classic is all about the cinematography. The acting is fine and the dialogue is quite good in that golden age of cinema kind of way. But all in all I don't see the appeal beyond film snob mineutia, though if you're into films it's one you probably should see for reference if nothing else. Better alternatives are Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, or The Maltese Falcon.
The Visit - 4/5
This is Shayamalan's second film after the Last Airbender fiasco. It's a return to his light horror and small, contained story roots. The acting and script were good, and combined with the hand-held mockumentary conceit it felt very real. If you like Shayamalan movies and scary movies about crazy old people, give it a try.