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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]

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