billmarkm

Think of this as John Wick in an alternate timeline. His wife didn’t die, she never got him a puppy, and they instead had two kids and lived a quiet, suburban life for 16 years. Oh, and in this alternate timeline, John Wicks looks really go downhill, but he’s a better actor, so, he has that going for him.

Impeccable production design, riveting performances, and a cast of unlikeable characters. Like most things that are good for me, I’ll appreciate it more later on.

An admirable attempt - just enough self-aware nods, but the story made as much sense as a Lana Wachowski interview. I kept waiting for the plot to come into focus but it never did. Imagine Neo leaping from one rooftop to another and allllllllmost making it before falling to the pavement below: It’s exciting to watch, it looks cool, but, ultimately, you gotta chalk it up as a fail.

I’m incapable of judging this movie on any objective criteria. If you grew up in the 80s, chances are it will speak to you. Deeply. And, to those of us to whom it speaks, understand that we must - MUST, I say - forgive John Cusak his many future crappy films. No matter how many there might be. And there are so many.

Take Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and mate it with David Fincher’s Se7en, and you’ll have a rough idea of how this latest incarnation of the Caped Crusader plays out, at least in terms of tone and the police-procedural nature of the plot. And this Gotham could easily be the nameless city where Se7en took place, including the incessant precipitation. The talent that Matt Reeves assembled for this one is beautifully apparent, from the set design to the cinematography (so many shots deserved to be paused and marveled at), casting to scripting (the script’s frequent use of silence to convey meaning is masterful), and his direction is spot on. Easily one of the best Batmans out there, but the suffocating dreariness of it leaves me wondering how often I’ll want to watch it again. And I have to ask - are we SURE that was Colin Farrell?

A thing of beauty - with a major flaw that reveals itself in the final act and then ripples back, revealing a fault line that runs through the whole story. You’re going to have to decide if that flaw will ruin this for you or if you can ignore it and enjoy the ride. The level of disbelief that Mr. Peele asks the audience to suspend, all the questions that the big reveal leaves us with and that Peele asks us not to wonder about - it left me feeling frustrated. But I’ve watched it a few times now, and the riveting performances within it, the masterfully fluid shifts in tone; I can’t help but love this. I’ve decided to love it for what it is instead of resenting it for what it might’ve been.

A movie no one was asking for, and yet no one expected it to be so...pretty good.

A coming-of-age story built around a mystery of, "Who the **** is this dirtbag?" The more we find out about McConaughey's Mud, the more the protagonist figures out about life; it's a plot that flows beautifully and the performances are stellar all around. If you can ignore McConaughey's fake chipped tooth* (I kept waiting for it to start whistling like Gob's in Arrested Development) this is a couple hours well worth your time. *Apparently, McConaughey said he was willing to chip it for real, but the director opted for a prosthetic. He should've let Matt go for it.

When did everyone start pretending that Sam Raimi is a great director? I feel like I missed a meeting.

A well-made, slow-burn thriller. Worth your time, and, bonus!: Watching it will piss off the man-boy Rogan-ites who are afraid that people will watch this and like it.

This movie was a blast! It was so worth it - a fun ride, and it will get you pumped to see Endgame next month. 2022 Revisit - Gotta say that I have to temper my first review after subsequent rewatches. This is decent, mid-level Marvel fare - better than, say, Thor: The Dark World, but that's setting the bar pretty low. How about we say it's approaching the neighborhood of Black Widow good-ness?

Not a perfect movie by any means, but a good time, even if it's a step down from the Force Awakens. Yes, the tone is a bit uneven and that part with Leia in outer space was unintentionally funny, but this installment has solid character development. The new characters were given their due, and Luke and Leia had some wonderful moments. Bottom line, it's not as good as the Force Awakens, but it's light years better than episodes 1-3 (and Return of the Jedi).