Movies Graded

Director: Tomas Alfredson Stars: Michael Fassbender Runtime:  119 minutes Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 1/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 3/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4/10 Verdict:  "The Snowman" is a fascinating movie. Fascinating because I have rarely seen a project that bad with so many talents involved in it. Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, J.K. Simmons, Val Kilmer, and Toby Jones all star in this Martin Scorsese-produced film that was also edited by Thelma Schoonmaker (Raging Bull, The Wolf of Wall Street, Hugo) and shot by Dion Beebe (Memoirs of a Geisha). I honestly cannot tell you what the movie is about since the director himself publicly said a few weeks ago that the plot made no sense whatsoever. He also claimed that about 15% of the scenes were not even shot due to scheduling problems, and that really shows in the end product. This not only affected the narrative w...

Director:  George Clooney Stars: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac Runtime: 105 minutes Performances: 5/10 Screenplay: 3/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4 /10 Verdict:  A lot of moviegoers despised "Suburbicon". Some even labeled it one of the worst movies of 2017. Part of me agrees with that statement, and another part doesn't. While the film definitely had its issues, it also had some enjoyable moments. First of all, George Clooney does a good job behind the camera, making this project, just like any project he helmed in the past, aesthetically interesting and fast-paced. Some of the performances, especially from the main actors, worked well for me, while others didn't quite live up to their reputation. The problems I had with the movie came mostly from the script. It didn't know what it wanted to be. The film was sort of split into two stories, one of them being thi...

Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein Stars:  Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler Runtime:  100 minutes Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict:   “Game Night” is John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s second project behind the camera, the first being 2015’s painfully bad “Vacation”. Knowing that, you can understand my skepticism going in, and my surprise going out. I honestly laughed way more than I was expecting to, and was invested in the story from beginning to end. This comedy is centered around a group of friends who are unwillingly launched into the adventure of their lives when a murder mystery night goes horribly wrong. One of the big elements that made the movie work so well for me were the performances. Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Kylie Bunbury, Lamorne Morris, and especially Jesse Plem...

Director: Sean Anders Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson Runtime: 100 minutes Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 2/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 4/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4/10 Verdict:  A slightly better copy of " A Bad Moms Christmas ", which is not really saying much. Final Grade:  3/10

Director:  Ildiko Enyedi Stars: Geza Morcsanyi, Alexandra Borbely, Zoltan Schneider Runtime:  116 minutes Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10  Verdict:  "On Body and Soul" is an Oscar-nominated Hungarian film that follows the romance between a disabled slaughterhouse worker and one of his colleagues, who happens to be an autistic woman. The romance was initiated when they discover that they were meeting in their dreams, giving the movie a supernatural vibe I didn't feel was needed for the picture to work. The relationship between the two characters amazingly portrayed by Geza Morcsanyi and especially Alexandra Borbely was so natural and organic that this out-of-this-world element felt like a weight on it, negatively affecting their connection and the ending of the movie, which in my opinion would've been much better had this element not in...

Director: Martin McDonagh Stars:  Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell Runtime:  115 minutes Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10 Verdict:  "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" was one of my most anticipated movies of 2017. This dark comedy stars Frances McDormand as a mother who lost her daughter in a horrific way and is demanding justice using three billboards located on an almost deserted road, sparking tensions in the fictional town of Ebbing, Missouri. With this entry, Martin McDonagh's proved without a doubt that he knows how to make consistently good dark comedies, and it wouldn't be exaggerated to compare his work to the Coen Brothers'. The way he manages to balance laughs and shocks really showcases his writing abilities. Outstanding performances by Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and especially Sam Rock...

Director: Joachim Trier Stars: Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Henrik Rafaelsen Runtime: 116 minutes Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10 Verdict:  When the credits started rolling at the end of the movie, I thought to myself: "This might be one of the best films I've seen in a while". And then I started thinking about it. "Thelma" is a Norwegian production that tells the story of, well, Thelma, a college student who has been living her entire life in a strict religious household, and that suddenly began experiencing weird seizures when she started developing feelings towards one of her female friends. Eili Harboe plays the title character, and she's absolutely brilliant in it. She's truly believable as this girl held captive by her own feelings and emotions. Ola Flottum's score was also superb, perfectly capturing the creepy atmos...

Director: Zack Snyder Stars: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa Runtime:  120 minutes Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 3/10 Special Effects: 5/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict:  Zack Snyder returned to direct his third DCEU film after "Man of Steel" and "Batman v. Superman". Well, kind of. As you probably know, Snyder had to leave the project mid-production due to a family tragedy, and was replaced by the man who gave us both Avengers movies: Joss Whedon. Makes sense since the Justice League is DC's equivalent of Marvel's Avengers, right? False. Whedon's style, as seen in many of his previous projects, including the Avengers, is light and comedic, the exact opposite of Snyder's approach, which is famously dark and gritty. This resulted in "Justice League" being a heterogeneous mess, with both directors' visions clearly clashing in an ugly way. Another issue ...

Director: Jameson Brooks Stars: Dave Davis, Glenn Morshower, Logan Huffman Runtime: 95 minutes Performances: 5/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10  Verdict:  "Bomb City" is the true story of a hate crime that took place in a small town in Texas back in 1997. The narrative is told mostly through flashbacks, with only a few scenes occurring in a courthouse where the case of that crime is being presented. And this leads me to the first problem I had with the movie. The courthouse scenes were much more interesting than the flashbacks, and I can't help but feel that had the script focused more on it, the film would've been much more compelling. However, I do get what the screenwriter was trying to accomplish via these flashbacks, which was to humanize and develop some of the main characters, but it didn't really work for me. Instead, the characters came across a...

Director: Ryan Coogler Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o Runtime: 134 minutes Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 6/10 Special Effects: 7/10 Costumes/Makeup: 9/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  9/10  Verdict:  In 2016, the world was introduced to and immediately fell in love with the character of Black Panther, who played a key part in the Civil War that divided the Avengers. Two years later, the new king of the fictional African country of Wakanda came back to the big screen in his inevitable own movie, helmed by the very talented Ryan Coogler. "Black Panther" has a ridiculously rich cast that includes stars like Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Laetitia Wright, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Forrest Whitaker, Angela Basset, Andy Serkis and Forrest Whitaker. All of them were incredible in their respective roles, pulling off African accents beautifully without ever sounding unnatural...

Director: Stephen Chbosky Stars:  Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts Runtime: 113 minutes Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4/10 Verdict:  "Wonder" follows August, a boy who suffers from mandibulofacial dysostosis and as a result had to undergo numerous surgeries which left his face terribly scarred, and his struggles as he has to face the terrible world that is middle school. The movie was directed by Stephen Chbosky, who crafted "The Perks of being a Wallflower", a film I actually really enjoyed, and stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, and Jacob Tremblay, three actors I consider myself a fan of. All this, in addition to the wonderful reviews "Wonder" got (pun intended), convinced me that I was in for a treat. But unfortunately, I was left with incredibly mixed feelings when the credits started to roll. My disappointment was mos...

Director: Dan Gilroy Stars: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo Runtime: 122 minutes Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 5/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict:  "Roman J. Israel Esq." stars Denzel Washington as the title character, a lawyer whose life changes drastically when his mentor and partner suffers from a heart attack, which forces him to join a big law firm where a series of tempestuous events ensues. I absolutely loved the first half of this movie, which reminded me a lot of "Nightcrawler", Dan Gilroy's previous project and one of the best films to come out in 2014 in my opinion. Denzel Washington delivered one of the best performances of the year, Colin Farrell as George Pierce, Roman's boss, was also very good, and the very well shot and edited story was full of intrigue and kept me on the edge of my seat. The second half, however, felt like ...

Director:  Michael Showalter Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter Runtime: 120 minutes Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  N.A. Verdict:  Famously written by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, "The Big Sick" depicts the story of the couple's relationship and the obstacles they had to surmount. I have watched this movie twice already and loved it both times, and this is mostly due to the excellent script. Nanjiani and Gordon not only beautifully told their story using intelligent dialogue and extremely likable characters, but also used this opportunity to draw attention to some traditions that may be considered dated in today's world, but are nevertheless still practiced. The movie also perfectly uses comedy to lessen the tension in some scenes. Kumail Nanjiani as himself, Zoe Kazan as Emily and Ray Romano as her dad gave all sincere and ...

Director: David Bruckner Stars: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier Runtime: 94 minutes Performances: 4/10 Screenplay: 2/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict:  "The Ritual" is the story of four friends who go on a hiking vacation in Sweden, where they become victims of a threatening presence. The presentation of this movie is by far the best aspect of it. It looks absolutely gorgeous. David Bruckner really picked a great location to shoot his film (in a Romanian forest), which at times reminded me of the setting of a similarly themed flick: "The Witch". Unfortunately, all of it was wasted on a mediocre script and some wooden acting. The four main characters had no chemistry whatsoever, were really annoying, and made some rather questionable decisions that, like in many horror movies, made me internally scream at them. The dialogue written for them did not help...

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson Stars: Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Adam Devine Runtime: 88 minutes Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Special Effects: 4/10 Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict:  I remember watching "The Cabin in the Woods" back in 2012 and laughing my ass off. I had never watched a movie that made fun of the cliches you find in most horror flicks so well. "The Final Girls" falls into that same category of films, but I have to admit, it's nowhere near the quality of the Drew Goddard directed comedy. Taissa Farmiga plays Max, the daughter of a struggling actress who once starred in a slasher horror film that became a cult classic. An unfortunate accident results in Max being stuck in that same movie with a bunch of her friends, and she has to survive its plot to return home. "The Final Girls" is filled with poor editing work, over the top acting, atrocious s...

Director: Julius Onah Stars:  Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Bruhl Runtime: 102 minutes Performances: 5/10 Screenplay: 3/10 Special Effects: 7/10 Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict:  Cambridge Dictionary defines a paradox as being a statement that seems difficult to understand because it contains opposite facts, and I couldn't think of a better way to describe "The Cloverfield Paradox". The movie is about a group of astronauts testing a device that could solve Earth's energy problem, but ends up doing something else entirely. On paper, the premise of the film, which was to explain how the events of the first two Cloverfield movies originated using alternate universes theories and quantum physics paradoxes, could've been a fun one to explore. But unfortunately, the end result was a huge, nonsensical mess filled with exposition scenes and topped with a useless subplot that includes o...

Director: Doug Liman Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena, Laith Nakli Runtime: 88 minutes Performances: 5/10 Screenplay: 3/10 Special Effects: N.A Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  N.A. Verdict:  "The Wall" is the story of Allen Isaac, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who finds himself trapped behind an unstable wall with an Iraqi sniper aiming at him and talking to him on the radio. This movie reminded me a lot of Joel Schumacher's very entertaining thriller "Phone Booth". What made "Phone Booth" as enjoyable as it was, in my opinion, was the engaging dialogue between Colin Farrell and Kiefer Sutherland's characters. And this is what was cruelly missing in Doug Liman's first of two movies that came out in 2017. The conversation between the two main characters was very plain and tensionless. Other than that, Aaron Taylor-Johnson did a fine job but didn't feel essential to th...

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Stars: Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville Runtime: 130 minutes Synopsis:  Set in 1950s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover. Performances: 10/10 Screenplay: 10/10 Costumes/Makeup: 10/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack:  10/10 Verdict:  Supposedly Daniel Day-Lewis' last picture, it's safe to assume that if that really is the case, then the three-time Oscar winner left the film industry with a resounding bang. His second collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, which really shouldn't come as a surprise considering the history of the two Hollywood legends. "Phantom Thread" follows the toxic relationship between a renowned dressmaker and his newly found muse. Reynolds Woodcock (I swore I wasn't going to make a joke) l...

Director: Doug Liman Stars: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright Runtime: 115 minutes Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict:  "American Made" is based on the crazy true story of Barry Seal, America's most famous delivery man, and stars Tom Cruise, Domnhall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, and Jesse Plemons. I wouldn't describe this movie as a cinematic masterpiece, since I found some of the shots to be flat, and felt that the editing was sloppy at times, but I did enjoy Doug Liman's decision to make it look like a documentary, which kept reminding me that what I was witnessing was based on real events. "American Made" was a lot of fun, the story told in it is mindblowing, and is Tom Cruise's best film since "Edge of Tomorrow", also directed by Liman. I can't wait to see what the pair's next project is going ...

Director: Stanley Kubrick Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden Runtime:  95 minutes Performances: 10/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10 Verdict: This is not a movie that should have worked. Only Stanley Kubrick could successfully make a comedy about a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1964, only two years after the Cuban missile crisis which saw the peak of tensions between the two superpowers. "Dr. Strangelove" stars the comedic genius Peter Sellers in not one, not two, but three roles. He masterfully plays Lionel Mandrake, a Group Captain trying to convince a crazy General to abort an order he made which could trigger a nuclear war, Merkin Muffley, the President of the United States, who ordered a meeting in the War Room and is talking to his Soviet counterpart to warn him about the situation and try to avoid what ...

Director: Richard Linklater Stars: Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburn, Steve Carell Runtime:  125 minutes Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 5/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict:  Richard Linklater is one of my favorite directors working today. The "Before" trilogy might be my favorite trilogy of all time, and I consider both "Boyhood" and "Everybody Wants Some!!" to be two of my favorite coming of age films in recent times. However, "Last Flag Flying", Linklater's latest addition to his filmography, was probably my least favorite of the lot. Steve Carell starred as Doc, a Vietnam veteran who recently lost everything and wants to reconnect with his old friends, played by Bryan Cranston and Laurence Fishburn. Carell proved once again that he's one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood, and can shine in both dramatic and comedic roles. Crans...