Recently Reviewed Movies

Tightly written, not a moment is spared. Tea Gives you all the twists, even if they aren't obvious on the first watch. There are a _lot_ of time jumps, maybe too many. I imagine it's hard to follow on a first watch. But the whole thing comes together so excellently it's hard to say the editing didn't work. There's never been such an excellent story of determination, rivalry, obsession, and revenge.

Killer sequel to a movie I generally enjoyed. It's less of a halloween mystery and more of a time loop rom com thriller (but with murder). Enjoyed it all the same though! It took itself a little less seriously, which served it well.

I enjoyed the heavily stylized action scenes and the plentiful practical effects. The overall concept was a little thin and the non-action parts had weak dialogue, but it was a fun ride overall.

A fun premise bolstered by a truly unhinged Jim Carrey performance. The physicality, the facial expressions, the frenetic babbling. No one else can have such an impassioned conversation with a blue pen. He was such a force in his heyday.

Builds lot of tension without much resolution. Like, it has a sort of unsatisfying ending and then the credits roll, but there's never any explanation or closure. It just sort of stops.

It's one thing to make a great, high-concept thriller. But to do it again? With an identical premise?? Amazing.

Sets itself apart from the original while keeping close to what worked. I liked the ensemble and how much they explored the rules of everything. Leaned more funny than tense, but it was a great ride top to bottom.

Holds up better than I thought it would. Manages to be consistently unsettling without having many traditional "horror" elements until pretty late in the film. Resolution is a little fast, but everything comes together nicely.

Loved the premise, enjoyed the execution. Fight scenes felt long and too beholden to the rhythm of attack-rebuttal-etc. But it moved along nicely and certainly kept the audience on their toes. First half was stronger than the second.

One of my favorites. Walks the fine line between parody and example perfectly, catering to both crowds. Funny, scary, well thought out, and a breath of fresh air. I really liked their adherence to the rules they set up in the world. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right!

A fun premise that actually seemed like it was written by someone who had played a videogame. Loved the idea of sentient NPCs. Lots of cute visual references and nods to existing games. But the story itself fell flat for me. They put so much energy into building that world only for the actual plot to be a forgettable series of chase scenes with a love story hamfistedly woven in. It's not a bad watch overall (especially if you love videogames) but it felt like a missed opporunity. Also the climax was underbaked.

Extraordinary in its chaos. Zucker is the perfect (sort of) straight man amongst the other acts. Though I didn't love every one of them, everything moved so quickly that there wasn't time to dwell on any individual bit. The camera moves really supported how frenetic everything felt. Decidedly earns its "nudity" warning, too.

Raises the bar for musical proshots. Has a great mix of close and wide shots, letting you see both the face acting that would be hard to spot from the audience and the grandeur of the motion on the big stage. The band sounded great, as did all of the cast. You don't get to watch the dance breaks when listening to the sidetrack. They also made great use of the rotating floor and elevator. Not sure how much of Patrick Page's slinkiness was because of his boot, but it lead to some funny characterization.

Same as when we saw the stage show, I didn't _love_ the lack of dialogue or the minimal set dressing. It fits some scenes well, but makes some plot points (and the passage of time) hard to follow.

But the whole thing is nicely put together and is a terrific watch, so it's hard to commission too much!

A funny mishmash of genres. Bothered me less than movies like A Simple Favor, but it also made the film feel disjoint. There are a lot of moving pieces that acknowledge each other rather than building each other up. Main cast is great though, especially Kidman.

On its surface, it's sort of a doofy movie. The typing scenes are overwrought and there's an undercurrent of casual misogyny that probably fit right into 90 hacker culture. I didn't really get it at first (and my early reviews reflect that).

At the same time, it's just so earnest. It takes its characters at their word, no matter how silly they're being. It paints them almost as jocks, never talking down to or belittling them. The costuming and roller blading is so over the top, yet utterly charming and cool. The villain is the same, but you just love to hate him. A truly masterful performance. The hardware is so 90s and overall vibe is just impeccable. I've really come around to the film as a chaotic, energetic expression of computer-focused joy. It holds a special place in my heart.

HACK THE PLANET

I think it's got the worst treatment of its female characters of the Bonds so far, but everything else kind of rocks. The underwater scenes are cool and the plot felt like it had real stakes while advancing the world of Bond. The climax maybe went on a little long, but some of those stunts are cool even today. It was a fun one.

Manages to stand on its own as a touching action movie, but also cash in on nearly 20 years of Spider-Men in film. It's just such a delight. A crushing, emotional delight.

As an unapologetic lover of the Pirates movies, this one is always a bit of a letdown. It's got its moments and a top tier cast (as usual) but it's a little too cheeky. It treads on winks to the series rather than serious character work. It does some passable work expanding the world of the Golden Age of Piracy, but it's mostly limited to a couple of lines. It's also pretty crowded - a LOT of factions show up to the climax. There are good bones in there and it's not a total loss, but there are better outings.

Perfectly paced. Great performances all around. Lots of cute moments. Some truly dangerous pranks. Where are the adults at the camp??

Still a little goofy in that way 60s movies were, but has a pretty straightforward plot and some fun action. Good humor too, he's cheeky. The series is really starting to come together!

Returned to the frenetic pace of the first one, which I like. It dipped a bit, especially with so many flashback clips. But the story was good and it was a light, exciting watch.

RIP Sam Neill. Great movie though, per usual. So many fun details. And wild how it just established what a T-Rex sounds like. Everyone just agrees now.

Sort of a slow, fascinating movie. Wish I had seen it years ago so I could watch it again now, with current context.

I admired its tiny cast, but never felt myself connecting with the protagonist. It's just sort of a story that happened, but not one that got much of an emotional rise from me. It's near-future sci-fi setting was neat though, as was its beautiful cinematography. And it ended in an interesting place. I can't say that it really succeeds as as an enjoyable movie though (other than it's prescience, which makes it worth watching).

Certainly has its charms. Feels like we're starting to inch closer to the modern Bond experience. There's a great spy vs spy scene and then a bunch of goody nonsense stuff too. Interesting to see that's it's regarded by as many as a favorite- it was fun, but not especially memorable for me.

An excellent blend of sports and family drama. Many movies make you care about the protagonists, but it's a special movie that makes you care about everyone. All time classic

This felt like they made Fame, but well. Everyone is earnest and over the top. You know where it's going, but the dry humor and unstoppable theater kid energy make it a delight.

Got to be one of the best book adaptations ever. Immaculately cast, covers its heavy bits well, and everything comes together nicely. Great watch in the TX summer.

I don't usually enjoy drug trip movies, but this was excellent. It felt like a cross between 21 Jump Street and Community, dialed up to 11. The segments of ludicity provided some nice character moments while the drug portions could be as goofy as they wanted. I loved the densely interwoven storylines- everything is set up and paid off with aplomb. Is totally absurd while still having real stakes. It all comes together swimmingly. It could have used a better title, but if that's my biggest complaint, I think that's a promising sign.

Silly, touching, and beautiful. Paints a charming picture of 50s America and the characters really pull their weight.

Sort of charming little humorous character drama. Tracy Ullman steals the show. I might have liked a little more plot but it wraps up nicely.

Truly the best. A classic for a reason!

A comedy of errors with a little more error than comedy. All of the scenes are funny, but some land better than others. At some point it's hard to root for anyone as they all reveal themselves to be pretty heartless. It works out in the end though and there are a couple of truly funny scenes in there. Great ensemble, too.

Gets a little preachy towards the end (ironically) but stays fun and funny throughout.

A pretty chill classic spy movie that does what it sets out to do. Establishes a lot of classic Bond things unironically, which is charming. Plus, it's way less problematic than you might expect the first Bond movie would be. Not spotless, but pleasant.

Much less fun than part one. The added songs are duds, unfortunately. The direction and staging/costumes are great though, and the cast certainly pulls their weight. It just leaves a ton of time for dark emotional adventure while, even at its darkest, the musical is still a broadway musical (with the expected level of fun). The movie lacked some of that charm, instead feeling more like a moody fantasy drama with some songs. Good songs, but still.

A touching story of lifelong friendships. Sort of odd, musically, but charming in its own way. The actual filming was odd- lots of super zoomed shots that you wouldn't get on the stage. It's not bad, just a different emotional experience. Great that more people get to see it though.

Did an admirable job adapting a dense, hard-science book into a very approachable movie. I thought it zoomed through some plot moments to save time for wordless visuals, which is not the choice I would have made. The visuals (both in and out of the ship) were superb though, so it makes sense they'd want to really feature them.

They nailed the core relationship between the main characters, but provided little explanation for everything they worked through. I didn't expect the full book's worth of detail (the movie felt long as it was) but the film had a remarkable dearth of figuring things out. They seemed to solve everything immediately and always use their first intuition. It hit the core emotional beats, but tread more on vibes than explanation. This is maybe as technical of an adaptation as you could get without losing the core audience, but I wonder if non book-readers could follow everything.

But it does a lot right and is worth seeing on the big screen. There are a lot of little details to enjoy, and Gosling is great, per usual.

Visually striking. Moves along at a brisk pace. There's a lot of character in these characters and a ton of small animation touches. Cute music too!

Some funny parody, but it felt slow and light on actual plot. His writing just may not be for me. The music sounded great though and the cast is unreal. And boy did I not care for Eugene Levy's character. He played it well, but he was just uncomfortable to watch

Holds up so so well. Songs are bops, it's dense with jokes, and it the animation is beautiful. Gospel music has no place working as well as it does for a Greek mythology movie, but it hits!

A pleasant reunion, but it feels like they need a little time to get their sea legs. Nonetheless, it's fun to see them back at it!

It feels like all time loop movies, this included, have an undercurrent of psychological horror. Nonetheless, it does a lovely job exploring the actual rules and mechanics behind the loop. It's also darkly funny and gives a lot of minutes to the emotional effect the loop has had on its participants. It's a fun, if introspective outing though, and Samberg does a pleasantly surprising amount of acting.

Beautiful costuming and some delightful performances make this a great watch. The story is sweet, too. The leads are cute together.

I liked the framing with the production of Romeo & Juliet. While seeing Shakespeare write one of his play has been done a lot of ways, this one is moving and bittersweet.

I love movies about love, and this does a great job playing with its different forms. It also takes a narrative stand with its ending that impressed me.

Is more of a "problem play" than any other genre, really. It's a romcom, but there's a lot of turbulence along the way. Blisteringly funny though, and full of bit parts for actors that were (or would go on to be) big deals. Also obviously it's a big plus for me that so much of it is set around Ann Arbor. Worst thing is that its second act drags, but there's a great payoff.

Just as good the second time! Such dense dialogue and performances.

Funny enough, but tonally inconsistent and it's comedy did a disservice to its drama. Needed more LeBron.

Hadn't seen it in ages. Walks the line between charming comedy and existential horror well. It never occurred to me, but before this movie people wouldn't have described time loops as Groundhog Day experiences, which is something I've always just taken for granted.

It's sort of wild how this movie mixes a spectacularly raunchy comedy with a truly touching story about family and friendship. I'm not convinced it wouldn't be improved by focusing in on one or the other, but both of its disparate halves are excellent. There's just a bit of whiplash swapping between them.

A feel-good classic. Though, and maybe I'm just getting old, it's sort of crazy how irresponsible everyone in this movie is and how it all gets waved away because of how good their concert is. Unreal casting though, especially with the kids.

Leans heavy on the cheese and is a little crowded, character wise, but felt more coherent than the last movie. Definitely sticks with the theme of "makes sense until you think about it too much" but I enjoyed it for what it was. The little heists were fun and everything was beautiful and smooth in motion.

Absolutely rocks. Strikes the perfect balance between self-aware and genuinely fun plot. They make a great team.

Gets a little too caught up being clever about its structure and not enough time on magic and character development that makes sense. It's a fun ride when you want to relax though. Has a couple of super memorable moments, especially the nutty vault scene. Also markedly less of a "wealth distribution" theme than the first one, which is a shame.

All flash and little bang. It remains a fun watch, you just can't think about the plot points too much. Instead, sit back and enjoy the ride for what it is, not what it could be.

Murderers row of a cast, but the storylines were underbaked to fit everyone. I like Garry Marshall schlock, but even this was a little heavy handed.

Doofy premise, but honestly a cute time. Performances are great for a budget this size. Not especially Christmas-y though

Has pleasant farce elements, pretty good actors, and a fun Christmas message. Funny concept, too. Pleasant all around!

Cheesy, but cute. Lots of funny little lines that remind me of Lord and Miller gags. The wolves steal the show

The music is catchy and the dancers are great, but the thing that clicks with me the most is how you see how much behind the scenes for the haunt. It's the same thing I like about the game Portal. Just fun worldbuilding.

Not terrible, but is a little too cheesy for its action movie positioning. Huge budget well spent though. Doesn't forget what it's there for and has some decent jokes. Fairly forgettable overall, but a good time.

A sharp farce with amble wordplay, swashbuckling, and a standout performance from Kaye. A holiday tradition!

An irreverent take on a classic story. I've always loved how naturally they make everything go wrong while being in perfect control. The ending is a little less focused than most of their work, but lands on a very cute note. I just love this theater company.

Great watch that balances plot with laughs effortlessly. The leads all kill it and there's a satisfying ending to cap it off. Another Christmas classic!

A lackluster outing overall, but amazing performances out of both kids. Plot was exactly what you'd expect and doesn't end up being all that fun.

Everyone (rightfully) remembers this movie for its trap-laden climax, but most of the runtime is actually a touching family comedy with relatively few hijinks. The cast is great and though Kevin's line deliveries are pretty stilted, it's such an iconic cadence that it's hard to really mind them. Really does earn its spot as a Christmas great. Some good messages about forgiveness in there too. Honestly feels like two movies in one.

Adored it. It's saccharine, but it's heartfelt and consistently cute and funny. Great soundtrack, too!

It's easy to rag on the over reliance on CGI comic relief animals, but there's a really kind core to this movie. It really nails the Christmas spirit without a hint of irony. Just good vibes and the belief that there is good in the world.

Great familial ensemble comedy (with a killer cast). Leans hard into familial disfunction as a part of the holidays. Some usual decisions by the characters that they sort of gloss over, but it's both hysterical and touching which makes for a great time

Has a stronger first half than second, when it starts feeling disjointed. Good theme of wonder and Santa belief though. The person who cast all the kids knocked it out of the park.

While every joke doesn't land, Buddy's absolute sincerity buys this movie a lot of leeway. It nails the "Christmas Spirit" part of the assignment more than most movies and I adore it for that.

Was a passable heist movie (eventually) but totally lacking in Christmas cheer and chemistry between its leads.

There's a really interesting, prescient plot about whether machines can make decisions. Unfortunately, it's buried under a pair of leads that lack chemistry and a bunch of characters decisions that make no sense. There is some cool 80s phone phreaking, but there are also a lot of long shots of light bulb panels. It's fun for what it is, there are better computer movies out there.

Rian Johnson strikes again! I liked the core mystery a ton. The ensemble was well-cast, but the supporting characters were pretty underbaked. But the parts that work (which is most of it) REALLY work. It's both deeply religious and very tied to 2025, which is fascinating. It's also shot beautifully, as all of his work is. Brolin, O'Connor, Close, and (of course) Craig all hit absolute home runs.

Hammy supporting cast and a pretty good pair of leads. Story was silly, but cute. It's a fun watch.

Forgettable characters and a derivative script made this more of a slog than I hoped for.

The gold standard for legacy sequels. Pacing was a little slow, but the story was pretty decent and they clearly had a great time with it. And well-acted as always! And killer cameos, top to bottom. We had a nice time with it!

Great performances and a touching, if trite, climax. Bring on the next one!

Still an all-timer. Beautiful fight choreo, a great message, and genuinely funny jokes. The full package.

Killer cast and a fun little plot. A worthy adaptation that manages to be both sweet and fun.

There was both too much and too little superhero stuff. Like, the scenes they had were only ok, but the rest of the movie felt like a lot of chatting and planning with no action. The characters were underdeveloped even if the casting was great. And they made some BONKERS choices that didn't make any sense for how smart they were supposed to be. The production design was killer though. Not a bad watch, but doesn’t feel like it’ll stick with me.

Enjoyed it overall! As farces go, it did well. There are some killer jokes and the requisite number of subtle visual gags. I think it was about 10% too silly (jokes for jokes sake instead of using them to advance the plot) but it was a worthy outing nonetheless.

A schlocky retread of the first one?? That makes two sequels Anna Kendrick is in that are basically the same plot as the first one. The cast is good and there are some fun performances, but the twists were fairly predictable. Balanced the tone a little better than before, at least.

Infectious style and presentation. Story is pretty good, but falters a little near the end. Music is catchy. Generally liked the messaging. Little animation touches were great- there are a ton of silly little faces and moments. It's a fun watch!

Felt like a return to Marvel form (finally). The villain is a little underdeveloped going into the third act, but the action is good and the writing is coherent. It's a good (if crowded) ensemble that play off each other well. Great casting all around.

Watched the Keira Knightley / Jack Davenport audio commentary, which was fun and silly. There's some fun trivia in there, plus a lot of talking about where things were filmed.

A fun watch. A little all over the place tonally, but it keeps its core while staying weird.

A great documentary about one of the greatest raw athletes of all time. Just an interesting dude. Nicely put together!

Mackie does a decent job trying to drive the emotional core of the movie, but it feels scattered and emotionally unfocused. Carl Lumbly turns in the only noteworthy performance and he's hardly in the dang thing. There are 3x the characters they need and none of them have enough depth. And basically everything going wrong being explained by magic mind control makes for an unsatisfying plot. There are 5 credited screenwriters and it shows. The fight scenes are neat, but it spends the whole time trying to cash in on a series of emotional payoffs it hasn't come close to earning.

Is there some troubling masculinity on display here? Sure. But it's also a pretty fun concept with a great set of performances driving the whole thing. There's a lot of great jokes while still delivering a pleasant, if well-trod, story.

Cool documentary about the making of The Emperor’s New Groove. Very Sting-focused, since his wife made it. It’s funny though, since I don’t think of hims as basically part of that movie at all. Interesting to see where they started vs where they landed. Wish we got a little more about the film itself, but seeing into the creative process is always fascinating. Centering the narrative around Sting, who is sort of an outsider to the whole process, is a pretty good angle.

Does a great job developing the relationship between Jim and Silver. Not to mention the stellar cast- I don't know how they kept putting these together! Also an extremely Martin Short performance. Beautiful animation, to boot.

Besides being funny with an unreal cast, I'm always impressed by its intricacy. Every little joke, every visual gag, every little reference. The whole thing is a delight.

Cast, especially Anna Kendrick, kills it. But the tone is all over the place, so each of its vibes (thriller and goofy comedy) water each other down so only mush remains. The costume department must have had a blast though

Charming overall, but runs pretty long. Great cast and more songs than you remember. Still a good message, but could be edited down without losing much.

Hadn't seen this since I was a kid. It holds up pretty well! The animation and fight choreo is great (save some spotty CGI) and the story is light but fun. Great cast and a fun soundtrack. Great for what it is!

Utterly original execution. Hijinks that really pick up steam after the first third of the movie. Runs a little long, but goes to some truly unexpected places. I think some of what makes Looney Tunes so perfect is their short duration. This is a ton of them stacked together, which loses some of that brevity. Still a cool time though.

Cheesy but fun.

Stronger first half than back half. Some clever writing and a tropey story make for a cute, if predictable outing.

Awesome, over the top action, a big ensemble, and some fun characters moments make for a great time.

A nicely done documentary about the importance of the Coast Redwood. Does a good job justifying why the trees are important to their ecosystem and the people (both native and otherwise) of California. I liked the information about the history of the trees and how their parks came to be. Has some good interviews with subject matter experts, but leans a little heavily into people forming emotional connections with the trees themselves (which is fine for them, but made for a less convincing argument). There's also some interesting social science around these trees and the effect of Awe, which was neat, but maybe hard to replicate.

Absurd and irreverant while having a great heart at its core. Lots of moving pieces, but the narrative comes toegther well. Light and fun, just like summer should be.

I've really got a new appreciation for it after watching the documentary. They took a classic story, mixed in some pretty heavy emotion, plenty of laughs, and a killer soundtrack to make something truly special.