Thor (2011) - 3/5

This is Marvel’s first attempt at mashing up two different genres, and all things considered it works really well. The action is quite good, the story is solid, and the CGI is fine, kept in dark environments as needed. The Shakespearean dialogue is essential to the core of the Asgardian characters, evoking the sense of royalty with ease and meshing perfectly with the ‘royal drama’ nature of the plot. And no review would be complete without mentioning the Dutch Angles that are just everywhere in this movie, but only work well about half of the time.

Closest comparison: It’s the bisection of the line between He-Man and K-Pax, but with much better production values.

Setting: Fantasy
Plot: Super hero
Tone: Action Comedy

Iron Man (2008) - 4/5

Not only is this a solid character piece and action movie, but it also laid the foundation for the next 20 Marvel movies, even overcoming the problematic Incredible Hulk that was released a month later. It showcases great action and character moments with witty dialogue that has held up very well over time. The plot with the villain is slightly more convoluted than it needs to be, and the villain himself was only good, not great. That coupled with a lack of depth beyond the scope of the film itself are all that keeps this out of the 5/5 spot.

Closest comparison: For some odd reason it works out to feel like Behind Enemy Lines by way of Mission Impossible (1996).

Setting: War
Plot: Action
Tone: Super hero

Dumbo (2019) - 2/5

This movie has some fatal character problems. While Colin Farrell is excellent and Danny DeVito steals every scene he’s in, the young girl (Nico Parker) shows the personality of a plank of wood. The villain only does villainous acts when the plot calls for it, and it’s never consistent for his character. Telling the most powerful person in the movie who has always treated his employees well until today that he has never had any power is weak and trite, and is emblematic of the scene-centric approach to this film that ignores character development. Of course the CGI elephant is good and the costuming is great, but movies live and die on plot and character.

Closest comparison: Just another in a line of poorly-conceived Disney live-action remakes.

Setting: Musical
Plot: Super hero
Tone: Drama

The Incredible Hulk (2008) - 3/5

The action scenes are pretty fun, though they don’t always make much sense. The plot is kept simple and plays out decently enough, though it also sometimes doesn’t make sense. Characters often act in a mildly confusing way, but luckily their core motivations are easy to track and land them right where the movie was going all along. The CGI doesn’t really hold up over time, but I can’t fault a film for being a product of its era. Edward Norton and Liv Tyler are pretty bland, but fortunately Tim Roth comes through with a solid performance to balance them. Still, if you’re in the mood for a thoughtless action superhero movie, it’s certainly watchable.

Closest comparison: It shifts from a bad Jason Bourne imitation to Venom-style CG fight scenes.

Setting: Military Thriller
Plot: Spy Thriller
Tone: Action

Train to Busan - 4/5

The cardinal sin this movie commits is having characters frozen in fear by the zombies, standing still in shock instead of doing literally anything else, and it does this in most scenes. If you can get past that, though, everything else about this movie is great. Zombies on a train presents a myriad of interesting situations, and this movie goes through them one by one. It’s everything we’ve come to expect from a zombie movie done very well in an interesting location.

Closest Comparison: It’s 28 Days Later by way of Snowpiercer

Setting: Zombie Apocalypse
Plot: Feel-good Family Drama
Tone: Action

Chinatown - 3/5

Film Noir used to be a morally gray private eye investigating an unusual murder, wrestling with the morality of it all but ultimately doing the right thing in the end. By the ‘70s it turned into a genre where the endings were instead nihilistic and grim. This movie is the epitome of that turning point. The bleak plot and tone are balanced out by the superb acting and dialogue. It’s the kind of movie that students watch to understand historical context, but nobody watches just for fun.

Closest comparison: It’s in between The Maltese Falcon and L.A. Confidential, both tonally and temporally.

Setting: Film Noir
Plot: Mystery
Tone: Thriller

Do the Right Thing - 4/5

This movie carefully and thoroughly paints a scene of the dangers of racial tribalism and the destruction it causes in otherwise peaceful communities. It sets up the opposing ideologies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, then dismantles the latter in a tense demonstration of the chaos that that ideology brings to the table. Every character is vibrant and, though now very dated, still clearly motivated and relatable (to an extent). Some of the acting comes off as stilted and there are a lot of pop culture references that didn’t age well, but that doesn’t interfere with the point the film is trying to make.

Closest Comparison: It’s like a ‘90s rendition of Crash (2004)

Setting: Day in the Life
Plot: Thriller
Tone: Drama

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro - 3/5

Even though he didn’t create the story himself, Miyazaki brings his own personal flair to the mix. It’s a colorful movie, both visually and in its characterization of the main cast. Some antics are more Looney Toons than Princess Mononoke, but the overall effect is still fairly consistent. Ultimately, though, this movie suffers from a lack of a point; it’s all motion and no destination. Still, it’s a fun romp that makes me smile.

Closest Comparison: It’s a thief adventure by Miyazaki, more like Howl’s Moving Castle than Spirited Away.

Setting: Adventure
Plot: Heist
Tone: Comedy

Illang: The Wolf Brigade (Netflix) - 3/5

There are some really cool action scenes in this movie, but most of the runtime is composed of dour, dejected people in long, slow conversations. And although the cinematography was lackluster the shot composition was incredible, with beautiful use of color and crisp, clean blocking. Plot-wise the movie has a Red Riding Hood thing going for it, but it’s unfortunately never able to bring it around to mean anything by the end.

Closest Comparison: It has the theme resolution issues of Valerian with action more akin to a Tom Clancy movie.

Setting: Political
Plot: Action
Tone: Drama

Disenchantment - 2/5

In theory a Simpsons- or Futurama-esque show set in a medieval fantasy world should be great, but in practice it falls flat. Most of the cast is unlikeable, including the main character, and in a character-based comedy that spells death. There is too much plot for the jokes they’re telling, and a lot of the setup for the situations doesn’t really make sense, so the impact of the satire it’s going for is lost. Some improvements on the animation style from the Simpsons are all that this show has going for it.

Closest Comparison: It does to Futurama what American Dad did to Family Guy.

Setting: Fantasy
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Comedy

Velvet Buzzsaw (Netflix) - 3/5

This movie’s production values are very high, so if you like the subject matter more than I did you’ll probably love the film. It has great acting all around, with a funny script that delivers biting satire of the art industry. That coupled with the supernatural horror elements makes this an absolutely unique experience. Lots of weirdness coupled with intermittent gore and some sex will keep this from rising above cult classic status, like much of the John Carpenter backlog. Still, it’s much better than the majority of its peers and avoids the slowness that plagues many Netflix endeavors.

Closest Comparison: It’s as if David Lynch directed a John Carpenter movie.

Setting: Drama
Plot: Horror
Tone: Drama, then Horror

Zombieland - 4/5

This movie is pedal-to-the-metal funny from start to finish. Of course, it’s zombie-themed humor so if that turns your stomach then definitely skip this one. The action is fun, but it’s the interpersonal dialogue that is the real highlight of this movie. It was one of the first movies to heavily feature text digitally inserted into the space of the scene, and its comedic impact hasn’t been matched since. And it has a pitch-perfect mid-movie character turn that raises the whole movie to another level.

Closest Comparison: It’s the fun comedy version of movies like 28 Days Later and I Am Legend.

Setting: Post-Apocalyptic
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Comedy

The Asphalt Jungle - 3/5

A solid entry in the heist genre, but little more. This movie is more matter-of-fact about its goings-on than most of this genre, with practical problems considered and addressed. In a genre flooded with far-fetched setups and over-the-top heists it’s refreshing to have more grounded story with characters that feel like they’ve been peeled up off the street

Closest Comparison: It’s like Rififi but with a less-impressive heist.

Setting: Crime
Plot: Heist
Tone: Adventure

Captain Marvel - 2/5

There’s not a lot to redeem this movie. It seems to confuse ‘mean’ with ‘funny’, and does so repeatedly. The main character is unlikable and arrogant, which is a bad combination. Ben Mendelsohn steals the show, which is how badly the writers portrayed Sam Jackson’s character. The action scenes are dimly lit and shake around like the camera man is afraid he’ll miss something; that combined with choppy editing makes them a jumbled mess. The skrull make-up is phenomenal, though, and the plot turn is actually not half bad. The tone was very different from other Marvel movies and felt much more like J.J. Abrams’ Start Trek movies, so if you like those movies you’re in luck.

Closest Comparison: They tried to make Wonder Woman, but made Green Lantern instead.

Setting: Sci-fi
Plot: Action
Tone: A messy mess of Superhero, Action, and Comedy

Click here for ThinkySushi’s in-depth analysis

The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) - 4/5

This show is primarily about family drama, which I don’t usually appreciate, but here all the characters are not only vivid but intriguing. Their idiosyncrasies relate directly to the plot in crystal clear ways so their actions are always believable, even when completely inadvisable. Any political messages are toned down to the particulars and come naturally out of the characters and situations, where a lesser show would generalize. Netflix flexes its wallet by getting top-tier music in every episode and excellent tv-quality special effects when needed. The ending was good but not great, and even though it left me wanting another season it could have wrapped some things up better. Disclaimer: It’s a weird show, but watch the second episode before deciding whether to continue; that’s where things really kick off.

Closest Comparison: It’s like Heroes Season 1 (2006) by way of Watchmen (2009)

Setting: Family Drama
Plot: Sci-Fi
Tone: Drama/Action

Inside Llewyn Davis - 3/5

This look at a folk singer’s life in the ‘60s is sometimes funny but mostly just depressing. The humor comes primarily from irony, but the inescapable facts of each situation make it more often sad than funny. Still, the acting is spot on as a host of top-tier actors fill out their idiosyncratic characters in what amount to a series of extended cameos in true Coen Brothers fashion. Like A Serious Man the plot seems to meander, but here it supports the reality of the protagonist’s life. The lack of a point to the film is counterbalanced by the soulful, emotional music throughout, which makes it worth a watch.

Closest comparison: Crazy Heart by way of A Serious Man

Setting: Indie
Plot: Biopic
Tone: Drama

A Serious Man - 1/5

This is what happens when you take interesting, quirky characters and do nothing with them. It’s full of cringe comedy and nothing else, which just emphasizes the hopelessness of the characters’ lives. It’s too vicious to be funny, too dry to be interesting, and too boring to be memorable. Of course it’s competently acted and filmed, but if nothing happens what good is it?

Closest comparison: It’s the community drama of Edward Scissorhands and the family drama of My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding but with none of the life, color, alacrity, or interest.

Setting: Drama
Plot: Drama
Tone: Drama

Ocean's Eleven (2001) - 4/5

This is a classic and for good reason. It’s one of the most fun heist films out there and it keeps the action snappy by pairing it with an incredible soundtrack. And it boasts some classic lines like “gaudy monstrosity” that rank right up there with other all-time greats like “you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off”. That being said, it has its flaws. Julia Robert’s character arc is rushed and even thought the heist itself is witty there are aspects that don’t make sense upon close inspection. None of that is enough to keep this from being one of the most fun heist movies ever put to film.

Closest comparison: It’s the casino heist movie by which all others are measured.

Setting: Heist
Plot: Heist
Tone: 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

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World - 2/5

There are a few great moments between Toothless and the new dragon with some legitimately beautiful cinematography, but the story overall is only mostly passable. The main supporting characters are so aggressively obnoxious that even if someone else were watching this movie I would only stick around for the scenes with Toothless. The movie is going for irritating humor, and if you enjoy that then you will probably get more mileage out of it than I did.

Closest Comparison: The same thing is happening to this franchise as happened to Shrek.

Setting: Fantasy
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Comedy