2022 Reviews
So... I swapped grading systems in September 2017! I've always hated that there are star-grading-systems out of 5 stars, and some out of 4, such that I always need to specify! And I've found that conversationally I use letter grades more often, as there are more grade options, allowing for greater specificity. So I figured that with my new approach of posting video-reviews on Instagram, now's a good time to swap grading systems. Heeeere we go: letter grades it is!
Also, if you think I'm too nice given that most of my reviews are rather positive, remember: I'm not a critic who's paid to see all movies including the bad. I only go to see movies that I think I will like, and I'm pretty good at gauging that :)
AFTERSUN (C+) I see why people were won over by this tender father/daughter tale, but I was massively bored. I felt it was all surface and tone, with little underneath to draw me in.
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (A-) [Instagram review]
AMSTERDAM (C) [Instagram review]
ARGENTINA, 1985 (A-) [Instagram review]
ARMAGEDDON TIME (B) [Instagram review]
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (B) [Instagram review]
BABYLON (A) [Instagram review]
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (A-) [Instagram review]
BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A FISTFUL OF TRUTHS (B+, for now?!) [Instagram review]
THE BATMAN (B) [Instagram review]
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER (A-) [Instagram review]
BLONDE (B-) [Instagram review]
BODIES BODIES BODIES (C+) [Instagram review]
BONES AND ALL (A-) [Instagram review]
BROS (A) [Instagram review]
BULLET TRAIN (A-) [Instagram review]
CAUSEWAY (B) Nice slice-of-life drama about the friendship between war vet Jennifer Lawrence and mechanic-with-a-missing-leg Brian Tyree Henry. Their performances are lovely, especially BTH's, and the movie is quality but nothing to write home about.
DEATH ON THE NILE (C+) [Instagram review]
DECISION TO LEAVE (A-) Excellent Hitchcockian Korean thriller - check it out! But, warning: it's very hard to follow, so get ready to pay attention.
DON'T WORRY DARLING (B) REVIEW COMING
ELVIS (B-) [Instagram review]
EMPIRE OF LIGHT (B+) [Instagram review]
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (A) [First Instagram review, B+] [Re-review, A]
THE FABELMANS (B) [Instagram review]
FIRE ISLAND (B) REVIEW COMING
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (B+) [Instagram review]
GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE (A-) This is a lovely and outstandingly acted two-hander with the great Emma Thompson having a series of visits in a hotel with a much younger sex worker (Daryl McCormack). It begins light, and just gets deeper & rawer, unfolding into a beautifully layered character study. One of Thompson's best performances, which is saying a lot.
THE GOOD NURSE (B+) [Instagram review]
GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO (B-) [Instagram review]
HIT THE ROAD (C) Despite being deemed "the Iranian Little Miss Sunshine" and a having a promising start, I found this to be a profoundly boring and underdeveloped movie.
HUSTLE (B+) [Instagram review]
THE INSPECTION (A-) [Instagram review]
LIGHTYEAR (B) [Instagram review]
LIVING (B+) [Instagram review]
A MAN CALLED OTTO (A-) [Instagram review]
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (A) [Instagram review]
MEN (B+) [Instagram review]
THE MENU (A-) [Instagram review]
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS (B) Cute, charming... Lesly Manville is a treat... Though I found it a bit uncompelling and fell asleep for a lot of it as I watched it on a plane...
MY POLICEMAN (B) [Instagram review]
NOPE (B) [Instagram review]
THE NORTHMAN (C-) [Instagram review]
THE OUTFIT (B) A perfectly entertaining and serviceable thriller with the inimitable Mark Rylance who finds himself, & his tailor shop, wound up in a mafia conflict, and works to keep himself safe from it all. It's nothing to write home about, but it's taut and solid enough.
PEARL (B) [Instagram review]
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN (B+) Based on the true story of a crane operator who lies on an application form (saying he's a professional golfer, when he surely isn't) and gets admitted to the British Open. Starring Mark Rylance, who's a delight in everything he does, this film is a sheer delight. It's a trifle, but a yummy one.
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (C+) The problem with the Pussiverse is that I'm wildly unfamiliar with it (no Shreks for me since Shrek 2 in 2004), and I find Puss to be an obnoxious character. Throw in a sleep-deprivation-induced nap through most of the first half, and a growing apathy for the carbon copy energy that most animated movies seem to have, and you have yourself a TD C+. BUT: I do see why most people are loving this movie (it is indeed moderately inventive), and I suppose I find it recommendable to most people who would consider seeing it. I just should have known better that this wasn't for me.
ROALD DAHL'S MATILDA THE MUSICAL (A-) [Instagram review]
RRR (A) [Instagram review]
SEE HOW THEY RUN (B+) [Instagram review]
SHE SAID (A-) [Instagram review]
SPIRITED (B) [Instagram review]
THE SON (C) It's sad to learn that actors I love as much as Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern aren't as bulletproof as I had thought - watching this film is an exercise in watching revered actors flounder through bad dialogue. It's too bad they didn't do more to right the off-course ship of Florian Zeller's poor writing/directing endeavor.
SPOILER ALERT (A-) [Instagram review]
TAR (B+) [Instagram review]
TILL (A-) [Instagram review]
THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING (D+) [Instagram review]
TO LESLIE (C) [Instagram review]
TOP GUN: MAVERICK (B) [Instagram review]
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (A) [Instagram review]
TURNING RED (B) Slightly sub-par Pixar, but a fun enough time.
THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT (B-) [Instagram review]
VENGEANCE (B+) [Instagram review]
WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY (A-) [Instagram review]
THE WHALE (D+) [Instagram review]
WHITE NOISE (B+) [Instagram review]
THE WOMAN KING (B+) [Instagram review]
WOMEN TALKING (A) [Instagram review]