National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 - 4/5

This movie is a self-aware all-out parody that loves its over-the-top silliness and doesn’t hold back. The comedic timing, though somewhat subjective, is on point here and Emilio Estevez is in top form as the self-serious straight man along with Samuel L. Jackson being himself. The references to other films of the era are direct and overt, but the gags are broad enough to still be funny out of context. The gratuitous nudity scene typical of National Lampoon is not present in this movie, and the bedroom humor is all direct scene parody of its contemporary films. There’s a lot to like here and its short runtime doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Closest comparison: It’s like Lethal Weapon by way of Police Squad.

Setting: Buddy Cop
Plot: Buddy Cop
Tone: Screwball Comedy

1917 - 5/5

This movie is impeccably acted, with a compelling story and empathetic characters, but the main draw comes from the fact that the entire thing is a oner. Of course there are several cleverly hidden cuts and one plot-based one, but the effect is more than just window dressing; it brings the audience with the characters on their urgent journey. The main characters have a few lucky escapes from bad marksmen, but that’s a minor quibble at best in a film like this. The period costuming and set design is jaw-dropping, and everything comes together in an impressive and epic package.

Content warning: war violence

Closest comparison: Where Dunkirk (2017) shuffled its timeline, 1917’s is seamless.

Setting: War
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Thriller

The Mandalorian (Disney+) - 4/5

This show is the best Star Wars to come out since Return of the Jedi (1983). It starts off strong, then dips to its worst episode in episode 4, then climbs back up to finish strong in the final two episodes. Not only are the stakes small enough to care about but the job-a-week format keeps the plot moving to new and exciting places, both physically and metaphorically. The music is outstanding, not relying on any of the previously established themes, and the cast is mostly character actors that settle comfortably into a flushed-out world.

Closest comparison: It’s like a mix of Have Gun Will Travel (1957) and Lone Wolf and Cub (1970) with all the trappings of the original Star Wars trilogy.

Setting: Sci-fi
Plot: Western
Tone: Adventure

Uncut Gems - 4/5

This movie is an expertly crafted cacophony of chaos. There are constantly two or three conversations happening overtop of each other throughout the movie and the ‘80s synth soundtrack revving everything up to frenetic mania makes for a stressful moviegoing experience. This synergizes with the plot and brings the audience in to the world of the protagonist in an very effective way. Unfortunately, by the end all we’re left with is a story of a guy who did some things, and no further substance or food for thought. Adam Sandler gives the best performance of his career, convincingly as despicable as everyone else in this sordid tale of gray market shennanigans. Those who enjoy the ‘bad people doing bad things’ genre will likely enjoy this film more.

Content warning: sexuality, language, Adam Sandler’s colon

Closest comparison: It’s like Taxi Driver by way of Snatch (2000), but with less slick polish.

Setting: Inner City Crime
Plot: Bad people doing bad things
Tone: Thriller

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) - 4/5

This is one of the top College Comedy-style movies to come out in its decade and has rightly become a classic as a result. The raunchiness isn’t the focus, taking a back seat to situational workplace shenanigans and relying on comedic writing and delivery. Will Ferrell is good but Steve Carell steals the show whenever he’s on screen. It’s an all-out laugh fest that prides itself on its over-the-top antics.

Closest comparison: It’s like Network (1976) by way of Dodgeball (2004).

Setting: Workplace Comedy
Plot: Biographical Drama
Tone: Sketch Comedy

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - 2/5

This is the Donald Trump of movies; it immediately begins dismantling everything its predecessor did. At least a dozen of the biggest plot holes from the last movie get directly addressed, which is a noble attempt but ends up making for a choppy, uneven film. It’s crammed to the gills with about three movies worth of plot and the first third especially plays out almost like a montage. Visually it’s not as stunning as The Last Jedi and its plot meanders, only knowing where it doesn’t want to go. So there’s good news and bad news. The good news is it’s much better than Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the bad news is it’s still not very good.

Closest comparison: It’s like Dragonball Z by way of Indiana Jones.

Setting: Sci-Fi
Plot: Fantasy
Tone: Adventure

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) - 3/5

This is a solid sequel with great locations and action setpieces in the same vein as its 2017 predecessor. Because of the nature of these films there’s an aspect of the acting that amounts to the actors doing impressions of each other, hamming it up as they go, and that is much more varied in this film. The main characters are doing impressions of multiple people throughout the runtime and it’s fun and funny to watch. The action / adventure part gets predictable and unrealistic in several places, but here it’s funny instead of irritating because of the video game premise. It’s not as good as the previous installment, but still a lot of fun.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Saint (1997) by way of Indiana Jones.

Setting: Adventure
Plot: Action Adventure
Tone: Adventure Comedy

Richard Jewell - 4/5

This movie is an intimate character portrait that masterfully juggles story, character, and pacing. It’s slow in places to get the audience into the headspace of the protagonists so that when everything starts happening at once we can follow what’s really going on. Of course Sam Rockwell and the legendary Kathy Bates are fantastic, but the true standout performance is Paul Walter Hauser who disappears into the starring role. The film is appropriately tense and somber but lets out the tension enough to keep from being too depressing. This is the way docudramas should be made.

Closest comparison: It’s like a cross between The Blind Side (2009) and The Fugitive (1993).

Setting: Family Drama
Plot: Biography
Tone: Tragedy

Frozen II - 2/5

This movie is unable to escape from the shadow of its predecessor. For one thing, it is careful to ensure that all of the characters you might have liked from Frozen are back, regardless of whether they fit into the story this movie is telling. The songs are big, centerpiece moments but none of them are able to recapture the phenomenon that was ‘Let It Go’, despite their best efforts. The visuals are gorgeous again, and if your kids love the first one then it’s a pretty harmless way to pass 103 minutes; adults are likely to be much less impressed.

Closest comparison: It’s the best ‘2’ from Disney Animation Studios, for whatever that’s worth.

Setting: Fantasy
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Family

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

Klaus (2019, Netflix) - 4/5

This is a solid re-imagining of the origins of Santa Claus. It’s pleasant and funny without being obnoxious (for the most part), though there is an overbearing anti-tradition subnarrative that’s shoehorned in. Apart from that there’s a lot to like: alternate explanations of Santa lore, endearing characters with growth, and gorgeous animation. It’s bound to become a classic in some households, but in any event it’s worth a watch.

Closest comparison: It’s like Frozen by way of The Emperor’s New Groove.

Setting: Adventure
Plot: Rich Jerk Get a Heart
Tone: Family Comedy

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

One Body Too Many (1944) - 3/5

This movie is a fun, straightforward whodunnit comedy, though over time the film quality has degraded to a pretty sorry state. Still, the performances from great actors like Jack Haley and Bella Lugosi come through mostly cleanly and carry the film. On the downside there are too many characters that are too similar to one another, and without more solid introductions they tend to run together. They seem to be having a lot of fun with the script and 75 minutes it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Closest comparison: It’s like Clue by way of Laurel and Hardy.

Setting: Murder Mystery
Plot: Murder Mystery
Tone: Comedy

Always Be My Maybe (Netflix) - 3/5

This movie is a pretty standard post-modern West coast rom com with all the witty anecdotes and unusual-but-not-unbelievable situations you’d expect. Everyone is sleeping around, for one thing, and the film provides an unexpected sardonic evisceration of the high class West coast lifestyle which may hit audiences differently depending on differences in personal worldview. The humor for me was more smirk than laugh out loud, which will hit everyone differently, but the inevitable awkward humor wasn’t as forced or as awkward as I was expecting so it was a fun watch overall.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Big Sick, but with food instead of chronic illness.

Setting: Yuppie Drama
Plot: Will They Won’t They Romance
Tone: Romantic Comedy

Midway (2019) - 3/5

This is a straightforward account of one of the major battles in the Pacific Theater of World War II, starting with the attack on Pearl Harbor and ending with the fight to defend the Midway Atoll. It’s an entertaining way to learn about historical events and as such the pacing is more that of a history book than a blockbuster action movie. The acting is fine; stilted in a few places, but on par for a military movie. The battles are multifaceted and interesting, and the film does a good job of keeping the audience apprised of the current tactics and stakes.

Closest comparison: It’s like Ford v Ferrari for WWII buffs.

Setting: War
Plot: War
Tone: War

The Running Man (1987) - 3/5

This movie is a solid entry in the pantheon of ‘80s Schwarzenegger action movies, complete with mostly passable acting, workable plot, and fun action. It combines Orwell and Huxley into the familiar Hunger Games dystopia, but 25 years earlier. It neither promises nor delivers any surprises, but instead provides an enjoyable, if disposable, stock action flick.

Closest comparison: It’s like Total Recall by way of The Hunger Games.

Setting: Sci-fi Adventure
Plot: Action Adventure
Tone: ‘80s Action

Ford v Ferrari - 3/5

This movie is too long. It’s well executed on a technical level, of course, fine acting and cinematography etc., but it has more corporate jockeying than actual racing and the conflict is too straightforward to bear that out. There are lots of gratuitous shots of racecars and it ends up doing for cars what Top Gun did for fighter jets. Some of the humor is mean-spirited Schadenfreude, with a few short scenes are completely shoehorned in and not only break the flow of the movie but are strange diversions for the characters. On the whole it manages to hold audience attention as a perfectly serviceable historical drama about racecar drivers.

Closest comparison: It’s like Top Gun by way of Hidden Figures.

Setting: Racing Drama
Plot: Sports Drama
Tone: Corporate Drama

The Lighthouse (2019) - 4/5

This movie is an artsy drama that lets the audience go a bit mad along with the characters. It’s surprisingly funny in quite a few places, made all the more unusual by using it neither as bathos nor as a jarring juxtaposition. The dialogue may seem unusual at first, but the filmmakers have taken great lengths to replicate authentic antiquated verbiage and it lends a lot to the overall feel of the performances. Above all this film is atmospheric and it encases the story in its claustrophobic isolation. It’s an excellent, strange, sometimes harsh curiositie with enough ambiguities to keep the audience thinking long after leaving the theater.

Content warning: masturbation, brief female nudity

Closest comparison: It feels like M (1931), but written by H.P. Lovecraft and directed by Wes Anderson.

Setting: Nautical Thriller
Plot: Decent into Madness
Tone: Stage Drama

Snakes on a Plane - 3/5

Some movies are so bad they’re funny, but this one is in on the joke. It never misses an opportunity to play off of a colorful character or set up an obvious jump scare, but it is careful not to overstay its welcome. It has dodgy CGI but generally covers it up with judicious use of light and shadow. The snakebites are surprisingly brutal for how minor they could have been and the plot is a by-the-numbers witness protection airplane disaster movie, acting only as a backdrop for the fun of the movie to play out against. The heart of the film lies in its comedy value, and that it delivers in spades (especially if you’ve had a drink).

Content warning: female nudity

Closest comparison: It’s like Sharknado by way of Airplane! (1980).

Setting: Action Thriller
Plot: Witness Protection
Tone: Comedy Action

Doctor Sleep - 4/5

It’s hard to compare this movie to The Shining, because they have different directors and a different core story. If you haven’t seen The Shining (1980) you may still enjoy this movie, but you’ll be taking a lot of the explanations at face value. It branches out a bit more into the greater Stephen King mythos and ties it in very well to his other stories even beyond The Shining. This one was as scary for me as its predecessor, and although that will definitely vary from person to person there is a long, drawn-out scene of a child being tortured that makes this movie the more uncomfortable of the two. The acting, sound design, and special effects are all top notch, and if you like psychological horror you should give this movie a watch.

Content warning: child torture

Closest comparison: It’s like Logan (2017) by way of the darker parts of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, in the trappings of The Shining.

Setting: Teen Supernatural/Other World
Plot: Cat-and-Mouse Thriller
Tone: Psychological Horror