Movies Graded

Director: David F. Sandberg Stars: Zachary Levi, Jack Dylan Grazer, Asher Angel Runtime: 132 minutes Synopsis:   We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's case, by shouting out one word - SHAZAM! - this streetwise fourteen-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero Shazam. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 5/10 Special Effects: 6/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Entertainment Factor: 6/10 Verdict: The newest entry in the DCEU (or whatever it is at this point) certainly cements the fact that the universe is leaving behind its dark and gritty tone in favor of a more light-hearted one. Centered around 14-year-old Billy Batson's turn into the superhero Shazam, the best way to describe the movie would be by comparing it to Tom Hanks' "Big" (which is referenced in the film) in which he plays a child trapped in an adult's ...

Director: Harmony Korine Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher Runtime: 95 minutes Synopsis:   A rebellious stoner named Moondog lives life by his own rules. Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Entertainment Factor: 8/10 Verdict: From polarizing director Harmony Korine, "The Beach Bum" is a character-driven comedy about a stoner called Moondog, played by an incredible Matthew McConaughey, and his way of living life by his own rules. Filled with drugs, sex, and alcohol, "The Beach Bum" is definitely not a crowd pleaser. In fact, I can completely see the majority of people absolutely hating this movie that almost entirely relies on the audience sympathizing with Mattew McConaughey's despicable but hilarious character to work. A character I would describe as being the rated R version of Andy Samberg's Conner4Real from the very enjoyable c...

Director: Tim Burton Stars: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito Runtime: 112 minutes Synopsis:   A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer. Performances: 5/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Special Effects: 6/10 Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Entertainment Factor: 4/10 Verdict: Out of all the planned Disney live action remakes coming out this year, "Dumbo" was the one I was most excited about because it was the only one that had room for improvement by adding original content and storytelling. And while it is vastly different from its animated counterpart, I can't say that the added elements elevated the material in any way. Tim Burton's re-imagining wasn't all bad obviously. The set and costume designs captured well the 1919 circus se...

Director: Ingmar Bergman Stars: Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Margaretha Krook Runtime: 83 minutes Synopsis:   A nurse is put in charge of a mute actress and finds that their personae are melding together. Performances: 10/10 Screenplay: 10/10 Editing: 9/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict: Reviewing this Bergman classic in only a few lines is an impossible task. The seemingly short 85 minute runtime is only an illusion of the incredibly heavy content it holds that will take you days if not more, as well as more than just the one viewing, to entirely process. About the relationship between Elisabet, an actress who suddenly stopped talking, and her nurse Alma, the film tackles a number of themes that include duality, motherhood, or one's identity. All of these themes are perfectly captured by both Bergman's incredibly layered screenplay and the two leads' performances, who obviously understood the director's vision and were ...

Director: Mattew Heineman Stars: Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan, Stanley Tucci Runtime: 110 minutes Synopsis:   One of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontline of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 6/10 Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict: Marie Colvin. Not nearly enough people, including me before watching "A Private War", are familiar with that name to which I now associate honesty, courage, and just plain badassery. The journalist's story of covering war stories mainly in the Middle East is elevated by a terrific performance by Rosamund Pike in her best role since David Fincher's "Gone Girl". Pike captured the journalist's inner demons in a sincere, profound way that definitely was the highlight of a movie that otherwise didn...

Director: Anthony Maras Stars: Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi Runtime: 123 minutes Synopsis:   The true story of the Taj Hotel terrorist attack in Mumbai. Hotel staff risk their lives to keep everyone safe as people make unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and their families. Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict: Based on the horrific assault on the Taj Hotel by a group of terrorists that resulted in the death of dozens of people back in 2008, "Hotel Mumbai" is an essential watch that both condemns these cowardly attacks and celebrates the bravery of the heroes who fought back. Consider yourself warned. Maras' directorial debut is not an easy watch, especially when keeping in mind that everything you're witnessing on the big screen actually happened in real life. The film is tense, terrific, and terrifying at the same time and truly ...

Director: Jordan Peele Stars: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss Runtime: 116 minutes Synopsis:   A family's serenity turns to chaos when a group of doppelgängers begins to terrorize them. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Enjoyment Factor: 5/10 Verdict: It took Jordan Peele one movie to establish himself as a horror master. I mean, "Get Out" is on track to deservedly become a horror classic not only because it's a great horror movie altogether, but also because it included a certain depth to it with the social commentary it provided. A depth that was sadly not present in "Us". Don't get me wrong, the film is still a very well crafted one that did a great job setting up the creepy atmosphere with its effective cinematography and eerie main theme. The dual performances (since all actors play two vastly different versions of them...

Director: J.C. Chandor Stars: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam Runtime: 125 minutes Synopsis:   Loyalties are tested when five former special forces operatives reunite to steal a drug lord's fortune, unleashing a chain of unintended consequences Performances: 5/10 Screenplay: 3/10 Special Effects: 5/10 Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4/10 Enjoyment Factor: 2/10 Verdict: Directed by J.C. Chandor and produced by Katheryn Bigelow, "Triple Frontier" is about five commandos that come together to steal a drug lord's massive fortune. Despite being visually interesting at times thanks to well-chosen shooting locations, this action flick can be resumed in two words: Generic and dull. The movie lost me very early on and never managed to gain back my interest. Everything, from the acting to the dialogue, was uninteresting, cliché, and nothing we haven't seen a million times before in other s...

Director: Jim Cummings Stars: Jim Cummings, Kendal Farr, Nican Robinson Runtime: 92 minutes Synopsis:   A police officer faces a personal meltdown following a divorce and the death of his mother. Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict: Made with a budget of less than $200,000, "Thunder Road" is proof that good movies can be made with limited resources. The film follows a police officer's meltdown that is the result of the passing of his mother, a divorce, and a tough relationship with his daughter. The star of the film is without a doubt Jim Cummings who serves as the director, writer, lead actor, editor, and composer of this little gem. All of which he assumes in a very efficient way. However, I was most impressed by his acting and writing skills as he managed to do what very few are able to do nowadays: make an efficient comedy out of a deeply depressing ...

Director: Barry Jenkins Stars: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King Runtime: 119 minutes Synopsis:   A woman in Harlem embraces her pregnancy while she and her family struggle to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 9/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack:  10/10 Verdict: After the consecration, the confirmation. Fresh off his (very theatrical) Oscar win for "Moonlight" two years ago, Barry Jenkins once again proved that he's a force to be reckoned with when it comes to dramas that deal with sensitive issues. Because "If Beale Street Could Talk" is not a movie. It's cinematic poetry. Based on James Baldwin's novel of the same name, Jenkins' adaptation almost hits all the right notes to make it one that will be remembered for years to come. Elevated by last year's best score in my opinion by Nicholas Britell, "If Beale Street Could Talk...

Directors: Jimmy Chin,  Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Runtime: 100 minutes Synopsis:   Follow Alex Honnold as he becomes the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 ft high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, he completed arguably the greatest feat in rock climbing history. Verdict: When "Free Solo" was announced as the winner of the Oscar for best documentary at this year's ceremony, and upon looking up what the subject tackled was, I knew that I had to check it out. And boy am I glad I did. Following Alex Honnold's insane challenge of climbing the famous El Capitan wall without any ropes, "Free Solo" not only was thrilling to watch, but also was surprisingly multilayered. The build-up to the climb was as exciting as the climb itself, which is the main reason why I found this documentary fascinating. In fact, "Free Solo" throws its focus first of all on Alex himself, beautifully developing him and dis...

Director: Justin Baldoni Stars: Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Claire Forlani Runtime: 116 minutes Synopsis:   A pair of teenagers with life-threatening illnesses meet in a hospital and fall in love. Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Costume/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 4/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4/10 Enjoyment Factor: 6/10 Verdict: Starring Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse, "Five Feet Apart" is about an unlikely romance between two teenagers struck with life-threatening diseases. Yes, the movie's incredibly cheesy, but that's in the genre's DNA. If you go in expecting anything else than a Nicholas Spark-like teen flick, you're definitely going to come out disappointed. But for what it wants to be, "Five Feet Apart" does a pretty decent job that kept most of the audience in the theater invested the entire time. As for me, I usually do enjoy these types of romances when I'm in the right mood as ...

Director: Too many to cite Stars: Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, James Baskett Runtime: 64 minutes Synopsis:   Ridiculed because of his enormous ears, a young circus elephant is assisted by a mouse to achieve his full potential. Animation: 8/10 Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Editing: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  10/10 Verdict: Perhaps one of the most influential and culturally important films to ever come out, "Dumbo" still holds up for the most part almost 80 years after its initial release. Before Tim Burton's remake comes out, I thought it would be fun to revisit Walt Disney himself's favorite film about a young elephant mocked for having larger than usual ears. I haven't seen this film in probably more than 15 years, and boy am I glad I gave it a second watch. "Dumbo" made me feel like a kid again, with its great message, beautifully displayed themes, and gorgeous, simple animation that still manages to look better than...

Director: Nicolas Pesce Stars: Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa Runtime: 81 minutes Synopsis:   A man kisses his wife and baby goodbye and seemingly heads away on business, with a plan to check into a hotel, call an escort service, and kill an unsuspecting prostitute. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 6/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict: About a cat and mouse game between a psychopath brilliantly portrayed by Christopher Abbott and his victim played by Mia Wasikowska who gives the best performance of her career, "Piercing" was an extremely pleasant surprise that never ceased to entertain me. Following a rough debut with the mediocre "The Eyes of My Mother", Nicolas Pesce certainly upped his game in this horror/thriller based on a novel by Ryu Murakami. What truly set this film apart from your typical serial killer flick was the surprisingly comedic tone that worked like...

Director: Jason Reitman Stars: Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons Runtime: 113 minutes Synopsis:   In 1987, U.S. Senator  Gary Hart 's presidential campaign is derailed when he's caught in a scandalous love affair. Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 4/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4/10 Verdict: "The Front Runner" is Jason Reitman's second directorial feature released in 2018 following "Tully". And while the latter is one of my favorite movies of that year, this one's one of the most frustrating. The true story of Senator Gary Hart's presidential campaign in 1987 is not all bad. In fact, it has strong performances by notably Hugh Jackman in the lead, Vera Farmiga, or J.K. Simmons, as well as a couple of interestingly shot long takes here and there. And that's pretty much it. Everything else, from the film's presentation to the dialogue, struck me as bland and...

Director: Mamoru Hosoda Stars:  Moka Kamishiraishi,   Haru Kuroki ,   Gen Hoshino   Runtime: 98 minutes Synopsis:   A young boy encounters a magical garden which enables him to travel through time and meet his relatives from different eras, with guidance by his younger sister from the future. Animation: 6/10 Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Editing: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict: Directed by Mamoru Hosoda and distributed by Studio Chizu, "Mirai" is the first Anime nominated for an Oscar that wasn't produced by the legendary Studio Ghibli. About a young boy's magical journey of discovering his family's past, there's certainly a lot to enjoy about the film's concept. On paper, it had all the ingredients to become one of last year's better animated features. And while it does contain a few heartwarming moments especially towards the end, I was for the most part disappointed by the film's lack of charm. The story w...

Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck Stars: Brie Larson, Gemma Chan, Ben Mendelsohn Runtime: 124 minutes Synopsis:   Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Special Effects: 8/10 Costumes/Makeup: 6/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict: A longtime fan of the character of Carol Danvers, I was eagerly waiting for her big screen treatment. And while the film did pretty much follow the exact same formula most entries in the MCU did, it still managed to offer a few entertaining moments while showing the audience the extents of her powers. Portrayed by Brie Larson who does a decent job as the titular character, "Captain Marvel" also sees Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg return as younger versions of the universally beloved S.H.I.E.L.D agents Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. The de-aging ...

Director: Jonah Hill Stars: Sunny Suljic, Katherine Waterston, Lucas Hedges Runtime: 85 minutes Synopsis:   Follows Stevie, a thirteen-year-old in 1990s-era Los Angeles who spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life and a group of new friends that he meets at a Motor Avenue skate shop. Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10 Verdict: He has proven himself as a comedic actor. He has proven himself as a dramatic actor. And now, he has proven himself as a director. Jonah Hill's debut behind the camera sees him tackling the story of Stevie, a young boy trying to fit in with a group of skateboarders in 1990s Los Angeles. And it was nothing short of impressive. Through his direction, Hill was able to capture all the emotions felt by our protagonist despite working with a script that could've been more polished. I felt Stevie's entrapment through the very cl...

Director: Alex Lehmann Stars: Mark Duplass, Ray Romano Runtime: 89 minutes Synopsis:   An unlikely friendship between two misfit neighbors becomes an unexpectedly emotional journey when the younger man is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict: Starring Ray Romano and Mark Duplass as friendly neighbors who have to deal with the terrible news of the latter's terminal cancer diagnosis, "Paddleton" is an incredibly emotional journey that tackles multiple themes such as friendship, acceptance, and letting go. From the extremely layered and poignant performances to the very light and appropriately comedic tone, "Paddleton" explores beautifully the relationship between the two main characters and their struggle to deal with such huge news. Their relationship never feels cheesy or fake thanks to their chemistry that worked l...

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson Stars: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine Runtime: 89 minutes Synopsis:   A young woman disenchanted with love mysteriously finds herself trapped inside a romantic comedy. Performances: 4/10 Screenplay: 3/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict: A follow up to Strauss-Schulson's very enjoyable first meta project "The Final Girls" where a group of friends finds themselves trapped in a horror movie, "Isn't It Romantic", which uses the same approach as it follows a character's entrapment in a romantic comedy, was quite the disappointment. Starring Rebel Wilson as Natalie, the film's biggest problem was in its very unlikable and under-developed characters. Most of Wilson's jokes didn't land, Hemsworth seemed uninterested, and Devine was just playing the same character he's been playing forever. The dialogue, despite it being...