Movies Graded

Director: Anders Walter Stars: Madison Wolfe, Zoe Saldana, Imogen Poots Runtime: 106 minutes Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Special Effects: 6/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict:   Based on Joe Kelly’s graphic novel, “I Kill Giants” follows Barbara, a child convinced that giants are real, and who made it her mission to defeat them. The first 15 minutes of the film checked all the boxes of yet another safe and boring movie made for children that emphasized the importance of having an imaginative mind. But the more time passed, the darker the picture got, and eventually the true much obscure themes - which are escapism and mental illness - became apparent and excellently integrated. The movie is also pretty to look at and has a pretty well-written score to accompany it. However, the person who truly stood out in a sea of talented people was Madison Wolfe, the young actress who played the role of ...

Director: Philippe Van Leeuw Stars: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bou Abboud, Juliette Navis Runtime: 85 minutes Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 6/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  N.A. Verdict:   Written and directed by Philippe Van Leeuw, “In Syria” invites the audience to experience the horrors of the Syrian Civil War with a family trapped in their apartment as bombs are constantly falling from the sky, and snipers covering every corner of their street. This is a very unsettling film that excellently captures the inhumane treatment of innocent civilians victimized by the conflict, and this is thanks to both the mostly great performances, especially by Diamand Bou Abboud, and Van Leeuw’s direction. The Belgian director, who is better known for his cinematography skills, decided to minimize the use of music, which successfully heightened the tension and gave the movie a much more realistic at...

Director: Carlos Saldanha Stars: John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Cannavale Runtime: 108 minutes Animation: 4/10 Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 3/10 Editing: 4/10 Cinematography: 4/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict:   Amateurish animation, annoying characters, a cheesy story and jokes obviously written for a younger audience. I only watched “Ferdinand” to see why it got an Oscar nomination instead of the two far superior Lego movies that came out last year, and I still don’t have a valid answer. Final Grade:  3/10

Director: Michael Gracey Stars: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron Runtime:  105 minutes Performances: 5/10 Screenplay: 2/10 Special Effects: 3/10 Costumes/Makeup: 5/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10 Verdict:   I love musicals. And when the cast of “The Greatest Showman” was announced, I immediately added it to my watchlist. The movie follows P.T. Barnum and his ambitious project to start the very first circus by hiring “freaks”, causing a big part of New York to stand against him as the project was deemed unethical. The best aspect of the film is by far the very catchy songs written by the same team who made the soundtrack of one “La La Land”. However, I was very disappointed with the musical from a technical point of view. The dialogue was too cheesy and predictable, the costumes too boring, the editing, acting and choreography too safe, and the narrative too messy. But what annoyed me the most was the inorganic...

Director: Armando Iannucci Stars: Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor Runtime: 107 minutes Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict:   Comedies centered around sensitive subjects are always a gamble since they can either go really well, or really wrong. “The Death of Stalin” is the latest addition to the genre and follows the Soviet dictator’s last days, while giving us a look at the day to day operations conducted by his regime. I laughed a lot more than I was expecting to watching this movie, and this is mainly due to the performances by the likes of Steve Buscemi, Jason Isaacs or Simon Russell Beale. Director Armando Iannucci made the decision of not having the characters speak with a Russian accent, which I found weird and honestly a bit distracting at first, but later on praised that call since a lot of the laughs were due to exce...

Director: Martin Scorsese Stars: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott Runtime: 109 minutes Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict:   Martin Scorsese may be my favorite director of all time. It was movies like “Goodfellas”, “Raging Bull”, or “Taxi Driver” that made me fall in love with the art form and want to delve into it more deeply. “The King of Comedy”, which follows comedian Rupert Pupkin’s quite literally insane journey to stardom had been on my watchlist for years, and boy am I glad I finally got to watch it. The film stars Robert De Niro in the lead, and he delivers what I think may well be one of the finest performances of his (very) rich career. He’s absolutely perfect as Pupkin, making the character both disturbing and fascinating. Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, and Sandra Bernhard are all also excellent in their roles. However, what...

Director: Andrew Jay Cohen Stars:  Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Ryan Simpkins Runtime: 88 minutes Performances: 4/10 Screenplay: 2/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 4/10   Editing: 3/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack: 3/10   Verdict:  If you find Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler funny, chances are you'll like "House", where they play a couple who run an underground casino to pay their daughter's college tuition. If like me, you don't, you probably won't laugh once and find most of the jokes repetitive and lazy. Final Grade:  3/10

Director: Drake Doremus Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Laia Costa, Danny Huston Runtime: 112 minutes Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 3/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 5/10 Editing: 4/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  3/10 Verdict:   “As long as it doesn’t get cheesy in the end.” These words are muttered by Nicholas Hoult’s character, and ironically coincided with my mentality before watching the film. To that, I’m just going to respond with another quote from the movie: “It’s too boring, predictable.” Directed by Drake Doremus, “Newness” follows a couple who met via a dating app, and the struggles they encounter when their relationship start to get a bit more serious. What bothered me most while watching the film was how seriously it was taking itself, even though the script offered nothing new (oh the irony) and was for most of the runtime cringe-worthy. Nicholas Hoult and especially Laia Costa as Martin and Gabi played their parts pretty we...

Director: Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher, Bob Logan Stars: Jackie Chan,   Dave Franco, Fred Armisen Runtime: 101 minutes Animation: 9/10 Performances: 7/10 Screenplay:  7/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10  Verdict:   After the excellent “LEGO Movie” in 2014 and the very enjoyable “LEGO Batman” earlier in 2017, the bar was set pretty high for “The LEGO Ninjago Movie”. The movie follows Lloyd, son and enemy of the evil Garmadon, as he tries to defeat his father and save the city of Ninjago with his ninja friends. I don’t know if it’s because the Ninjago name is not as popular as Batman’s, or because some moviegoers are growing tired of the franchise, but a lot of people found the third entry in the Legoverse disappointing, which I found surprising because I had an absolute blast watching it. Very much like its predecessors, the movie can be appreciated by both children and adults. The childish and ridiculous jokes will c...

Director: Wes Anderson Stars: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray Runtime: 87 minutes Animation: 10/10 Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Special Effects: N.A. Editing: 9/10 Cinematography: 10/10 Score/Soundtrack:  10/10 Verdict:  With "Isle of Dogs" just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to revisit Wes Anderson's first stop-motion motion animation film: "Fantastic Mr. Fox". Based on the famous Roald Dahl children book, the movie follows a fox whose obsession with stealing from nearby farms gets him and his surrounding in big trouble. George Clooney voices the titular character and honestly, I can't imagine a better fit for the job. His charm and charisma fit perfectly with the character of Mr. Fox and made him incredibly likeable despite him putting his loved ones in danger countless times. Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Willem Dafoe voice supporting characters and all of them deliver as well. But t...

Director: Roar Uthaug Stars: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins Runtime: 118 minutes Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 2/10 Special Effects: 6/10 Costumes/Makeup: 5/10 Editing: 3/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4/10 Verdict:   Not at all a fan of the original Lara Croft starring Angelina Jolie, and having never played the popular game the movie is based on, I went in to watch “Tomb Raider” with pretty low expectations, expecting a less than decent action flick that I was probably going to forget in a week or two. And this is exactly what I got. Alicia Vikander took over the role of the heroine who, after her father mysteriously goes missing, is determined to finish what he started and find the tomb of an ancient Japanese emperor. Just like its predecessors, the movie checks all the boxes of a disposable action flick you’ve most likely seen a million times before. Add to that a poorly written script, topped with cheesy one-liners, dumb ...

Director: William Wyler Stars: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert Runtime: 118 minutes Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 9/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict:   “Roman Holiday” is one of the best romantic comedies ever made. The film follows Princess Ann, who, tired of her always full schedule, runs away in the streets of Rome where she meets Joe Bradley, a journalist who sees in this opportunity a chance to write the scoop of his life. The picture was famously and exceptionally written by Dalton Trumbo (whose story is beautifully told in “Trumbo”, starring Bryan Cranston) and was deservedly rewarded with an Oscar, which he only received posthumously in 1993 due to him being blacklisted by Hollywood at the time of the original ceremony. Gregory Peck, as usual, gave a great performance as Bradley, but it’s Hepburn that stole the show in her first ever lead role, providing h...

Director: Trish Sie Stars: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow Runtime: 93 minutes Performances: 5/10 Screenplay: 1/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 4/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict:   I enjoyed the first “Pitch Perfect”, but wasn’t a big fan of its sequel. So naturally, I was a bit skeptical before watching the third installment of the franchise, since I wasn’t really sure which route they’d be taking. The Bellas reunite one last time (supposedly) to perform in a singing competition across Europe, but are faced with their toughest competition yet: musical instruments. Out of three films, “Pitch Perfect 3” was, unfortunately, my least favorite, and this is due to a very, very weak script. The movie had so many exposition scenes that at one point, one of the characters actually jokingly pointed it out. It also features all the clichés in the book, subplots and characters that come and go every couple...

Director: Alexander Payne Stars: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau Runtime: 135 minutes Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 6/10 Special Effects: 7/10 Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict:   Alexander Payne is without a doubt a talented director, but there's a reason why his most acclaimed films ("The Descendants", "Nebraska" or "Sideways") are based on best-sellers rather than original stories: his clear difficulties when it comes to writing. "Downsizing", written by Payne, had all the components of a great, or at least fun, flick. It stars Matt Damon and is set in a world where a solution to overpopulation is found in the form of a procedure that allows people to become only a few inches tall. The concept is a brilliant one, and the first 30 minutes of the film, despite a few hiccups, are pretty interesting. And then it became gradually worse. The story started to dra...

Director:  Simon West Stars: Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight, Iain Glen Runtime: 100 minutes Performances: 3/10 Screenplay: 1/10 Special Effects: 3/10 Costumes/Makeup: 4/10 Editing: 2/10 Cinematography: 3/10 Score/Soundtrack:  3/10 Verdict:  The Lara Croft reboot starring Alicia Vikander comes out in a couple of days, and I thought it would be fun to revisit Angelina Jolie's original take on the character. "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" sees the heroine racing against a group of villains to find ancient artifacts that could end the world as we know it. I think. Video games adaptations have a bad reputation in Hollywood, and that particular installment is one of the reasons why. The film checks all the boxes of a cliche action flick with no substance, and even adds a few boxes of its own. The story makes absolutely no sense, and is topped with ridiculous dialogue that made me cringe for 90 minutes. The characters are not given even a little bit of depth...

Director:  Paul King Stars:  Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville Runtime: 104 minutes Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 5/10 Special Effects: 6/10 Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10  Verdict:   “Paddington 2” set the record for being the best-reviewed movie of all times on Rotten Tomatoes. Currently, it still stands at a perfect approval rate of 100% (based on 191 reviews). The film sees Paddington finding the perfect birthday gift for his aunt Lucy in the form of a pop-up book containing some of London’s most famous monuments, only for it to be stolen by Phoenix Buchanan (played by an excellent Hugh Grant), setting the Brown family on an adventure to retrieve it, and clear the little bear’s name who is falsely accused of the theft. The set designs, dialogue, score, and cinematography made me feel at times that I was watching a toned down Wes Anderson film, which I have mixed feelings...

Director: Fritz Lang Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Frohlich Runtime: 153 minutes Verdict:  I decided not to do a traditional review for this movie simply because it came out in 1927, and I thought it would be unfair to compare it to more recent films. "Metropolis" is considered to be the godfather of the Sci-Fi genre, and is one of the first pictures that proved that with a camera and a few tricks, anything is possible. This silent classic is set in the year 2026 and depicts a city where the gap between the working class and the city planners is more than ever apparent, causing tensions and riots in the city of Metropolis. What baffled me most while watching the movie was how much, 91 years later, it still holds up. The clear message the film successfully delivers is one that is still relevant today, and the subject it tackles features one of the first and most famous artificially intelligent humanoids, which is still something very much discussed in ...

Director:  Brian Taylor Stars: Nicolas Cage, Selma Blair, Anne Winters Runtime: 86 minutes Performances: 4/10 Screenplay: 1/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 5/10 Editing: 1/10 Cinematography: 4/10 Score/Soundtrack:  1/10 Verdict:  "Mom and Dad" is exactly what you'd expect from a movie directed by the maker of films such as "Crank" or "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance", and starring the one and only Nicolas Cage. And this is why I loved it. Cage and Selma Blair play the parents of Carly (Anne Winters) and Josh (Zackary Arthur), who find themselves in the middle of a mass hysteria that sees parents everywhere turning against and eventually murdering their children for no apparent reason. From a technical point of view, the movie is a complete disaster crowned with over the top performances, hilariously bad editing, a soundtrack that's all over the place, and a script that is on the level of classics like "The Ro...

Director: Ari Sandel Stars: Adam Devine, Alexandra Daddario, Shelley Hennig Runtime: 97 minutes Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4/10 Verdict:   I watched this movie at like 2 in the morning. I was tired and couldn’t sleep, so I decided to put on a film that doesn’t really require a lot of brain power, even though I was fully expecting to hate it. And boy was I wrong. “When We First Met” is the story of Noah (Adam Devine), who much like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day”, finds a way to relive over and over again the night he met his crush in, and uses this opportunity to try and change the course of time and eventually end up with her. Yes, the movie had cringe-worthy scenes, predictable jokes, a logic that doesn’t make sense whatsoever and a gimmick we’ve seen a million times before (Groundhog Day, Source Code, Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day…), but damn i...

Director:  Craig Gillespie Stars:  Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney Runtime: 120 minutes Performances: 9/10 Screenplay:  8/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 9/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict:   “I, Tonya” is the true story of Tonya Harding, a figure skater who was involved in an incident that shocked the world during the 1990s. However, the movie doesn’t take the easy road by focusing solely on that incident which, let’s face it, is the reason a big majority of moviegoers went to see it in the first place. Instead, it serves as a study of Harding’s character, and studies her relationship with her abusive mother and spiteful husband. The title character was played by Margot Robbie, while Allison Janney portrayed her abusive mother LaVona, and they were both incredible in their respective roles (and rewarded with Oscar nominations and a win for Janney along the way). The rest of the ...

Director: Agnès Varda Stars: Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray Runtime: 90 minutes Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 9/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  9/10 Verdict:  A lesson in storytelling. Very much like Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Birdman", "Cleo From 5 to 7" is told in real time and follows Cleo, a worried singer who's waiting for her test results to see if she has cancer in 1960s Paris. The movie is divided into chapters, with each one happening for a few minutes only and showing her interactions with different members of her surroundings. Agnès Varda truly made a masterpiece that is not talked about enough today. The dialogue the characters have is riveting, and Corinne Marchand's performance makes us care about Cleo, and worry with her. Varda even rewards the audience with a small cameo-filled silent film near the middle of the classic...

The 90th Academy Awards I have now watched almost every Oscar-nominated picture and feel confident predicting who's going to take each of the big awards. However, my predictions are not necessarily my personal picks, and this is why, for each category, my guess will take the form of a percentage that I feel best represents the nominee's chances of winning the award, and my picks will be in  italics . Please note that the nominated movies I still haven't watched are "All the Money in the World", "The Breadwinner", "Ferdinand", "A Fantastic Woman" and "Victoria and Abdul". Picture: Call Me by Your Name  -  10% Darkest Hour -  2% Dunkirk -  5% Get Out -  5% Lady Bird -  10% Phantom Thread -  5%  The Post -  3% The Shape of Water -  30% Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri -  30% Actor in a Leading Role: Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name -  15% Daniel Day-Lewis, Phanto...

Director: Ruben Ostlund Stars: Claes Bang. Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West Runtime: 142 minutes Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Special Effects: N.A. Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10 Verdict:  Ever since "The Square" won the Palme d'Or at Cannes a few months ago, I have been eagerly waiting to watch it. This Swedish production was directed by Ruben Ostlund, the man behind 2014's "Force Majeure", a film I enjoyed very much, and that was centered around the themes of love and marriage. His newest project was similarly crafted, as it also revolved around themes rather than a well-structured story with a beginning, middle, and end. This time, Ostlund, who also wrote the script, decided to focus on subjects like freedom of speech, art, and humanity, which are quite sensitive topics very much discussed in today's world, and I absolutely loved it. This is a movie with a clear message, exc...