Movies Graded

Director: Tobe Hooper Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger Runtime:  83  minutes Synopsis:  Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw. Verdict:  With a runtime of only 83 minutes, Tobe Hooper’s classic slasher immediately throws its audience under the burning Texan sun under which a group of friends is driving themselves to a vandalized graveyard. Their already dire trip takes an unexpected turn when they stumble on a hitchhiker who clearly means trouble, leading them to a path that is as horrifying as it is shocking. Released in 1974, “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” paved the way for a generation of iconic slashers that include “Halloween”, “Friday the 13th”, or “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, making it easily one of the most influential horror films of all time. Despite it being one o...

Director: James Cameron Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver Runtime:  178  minutes (Extended Collector's Edition) Synopsis:  A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home. Verdict:  I remember once casually looking at a list of the most loathed movies ever made and was surprised to find out that James Cameron’s “Avatar” ranked pretty high in it. The reason - or rather 2.8 billion reasons - is clear as day, though I have a very difficult time getting behind it. Movies should not be defined by their box office success as it is in no way an indicator of their quality, and pretending otherwise only encourages Hollywood to keep pumping out the same calculated content to moviegoers, killing any ounce of creativity left in the industry. I’ve never jumped on the “Avatar” hate train, never complained about the fact that multiple sequels for it are...

Director: Karyn Kusama Stars: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody Runtime:  102  minutes Synopsis:  A newly possessed high school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror? Verdict:  “Jennifer’s Body” currently sits at a rotten score of 45% on the Tomato Meter and an aggressively average rating of 5.3 on IMDb. And quite frankly, I’m convinced that this is one of the biggest travesties in recent cinematic history. To be fair, it has achieved cult status over the past few years but boy oh boy do we owe director Karyn Kusama and writer Diablo Cody an apology for its initial failure. I remember watching it when it initially came out and liking it quite a bit. But it’s not until my most recent rewatch that I fully appreciated its clever direction and unique approach to a coming-of-age story built around themes of sexual assault and the deterioration of teenage friendships. Jennifer, pl...

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga Stars: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Rami Malek Runtime:  163  minutes Synopsis:  James Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. Verdict:  On paper, “No Time to Die” is far from being the best Bond movie in the franchise. It suffers from pacing issues, a formula we’ve grown accustomed to, structural inconsistencies, and a rather unmemorable villain in Rami Malek’s Lyutsifer Safin. But with this being Daniel Craig’s last hoorah in the role of 007, closing his arc was always going to be the film’s main focus, a mission that was handled effectively without sacrificing the essence of what these movies are all about. Built upon Billie Eilish’s award-winning theme and Hans Zimmer’s score, “No Time to Die” tells what is perhaps the most emotional and personal chapter of the ...

Creator: Mike Flanagan   Stars: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Kristin Lehman Synopsis:  An isolated island community experiences miraculous events - and frightening omens - after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest. Verdict:  Priests, angels, and bad make-up populate Mike Flanagan’s newest demonic Netflix limited series. Set on an isolated island where the population barely reaches 150 locals, it follows the events that unfold when a new, mysterious priest shows up to replace the community's old monsignor. His takeover coincides with a surge in miraculous happenings which result in an almost hysteric increase of faith within the residents. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that what cannot be explained right now shouldn’t immediately be labeled as God’s work. Miracles shouldn’t be treated as proof of the existence of a higher power, but merely as a reminder that no matter how much science progresses, humanity’s knowledge will always remain limited...

Director: Denis Villeneuve Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya Runtime:  155  minutes Synopsis:   Feature adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel, about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy. Verdict:  A few months ago, I took it upon myself to read Frank Herbert’s timeless masterpiece “Dune”. Written in 1965, the novel played a monumental part in redefining the modern science-fiction genre, paving the way for space operas such as Star Wars or Star Trek to reach new heights in the blockbuster business. It’s an important but also impressive piece of media that tells a captivating tale set in a meticulously crafted universe filled with various planets, a rich history, multiple characters, and a technology foreign to us. It benefits from a lore so dense that it was labeled for a while as being unadaptable for the big screen, a theory that was proven in 1984 when...

Director: Jane Campion Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons Runtime:  126  minutes Synopsis:  Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.   Verdict:  Applauded at every film festival it’s been screened at, Jane Campion’s first directorial effort since 2009’s “Bright Star” has proven that the Kiwi filmmaker has not lost her artistic touch despite her 12-year long hiatus. A western drenched in a sensual touch only she holds the secret to, it’s a period piece aimed at defying gender norms by exploring the relationship between an experienced, rugged cowboy and the softer son of his brother’s wife. Starring a menacing Benedict Cumberbatch and a convincing Kodi Smit-McPhee as well as one of Hollywood’s most overlooked couples in Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst, one of the film’s stronges...

Director: Ingmar Bergman Stars: Liv Ullman, Erland Josephson, Bibi Andersson Runtime:  169  minutes Synopsis:  Scenes from a Marriage chronicles the many years of love and turmoil that bind Marianne (Liv Ullmann) and Johan (Erland Josephson) through matrimony, infidelity, divorce, and subsequent partners. Verdict:  I never fully understood the reasoning behind marriages. They’re sold as being celebrations of love but they’re nothing more than legally binding contracts between two individuals that nearly always end in failure and heartbreak. Ingmar Bergman’s miniseries turned movie “Scenes from a Marriage” is an exploration of the relationship between Marianne and Johan over the course of a decade. More than being about the characters themselves, it serves as an honest study of the different stages of marriage and argues that it’s a legal document that tends to asphyxiate the romance within a relationship rather than allowing it to freely blossom, as exemplified by th...

Director: James Wan Stars: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young Runtime:  111  minutes Synopsis:  Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities. Verdict:  Back in 2004, a young filmmaker with a funky hairdo was given a budget of a little over one million dollars to make his feature-length debut. With that money, James Wan not only turned a profit of 100 times that amount but also changed the face of horror by directing the first chapter in one of the most iconic franchises of all time, “Saw”. He went on to become one of Hollywood’s hottest filmmakers and one I deeply admire due to the dedication and passion he pours into every one of his projects, no matter the genre in which they fall under. This is still very much the case with “Malignant”, the first original horror film he directs since 2013’s “The Conjuring”. Starring Annabelle Wallis as a dom...

Director: Paul Schrader Stars: Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan Runtime:  109   minutes Synopsis:  Redemption is the long game in Paul Schrader's THE CARD COUNTER. Told with Schrader's trademark cinematic intensity, the revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler haunted by the ghosts of his past. Verdict:  Once recognized as one of Hollywood’s most gifted screenwriters, Paul Schrader has since not only established himself as quite the witty Facebook troll, but also proven that he’s as talented behind the camera as he is behind his typewriter. One thing audiences must keep in mind when booking a ticket to his latest project is that they’re setting themselves up for disappointment if they’re longing for a riveting, fast-paced, poker-centric thrill ride a la “Casino Royale” or “Molly’s Game”. Because “The Card Counter” very much ticks the boxes of a traditional Schrader character study of a complex individual haunted by demo...

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Stars: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman Runtime:  95 minutes Synopsis:   A psychologically troubled novelty supplier is nudged towards a romance with an English woman, all the while being extorted by a phone-sex line run by a crooked mattress salesman, and purchasing stunning amounts of pudding. Performances: 5/5 Screenplay: 4/5 Editing: 5/5 Cinematography: 5/5 Score/Soundtrack:  5/5 Verdict: Dirk Diggler, Daniel Plainview, Reynolds Woodcock,... Paul Thomas Anderson truly has blessed us with so many iconic characters throughout his career. In "Punch-Drunk Love", he introduces us to yet another member of that gallery with Barry Egan, played by an unrecognizable and quite honestly scene-stealer Adam Sandler, who without a doubt delivers one of the best performances of his career by a clear mile, only matched by his recent outings in the Safdie's "Uncut Gems" and Noah Baumbach's dramedy ...

Director: Satoshi Kon Stars: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji Runtime:  81  minutes Synopsis: A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past. Verdict:  On the internet, anyone can become anything. We’re entirely in control of what aspects of ourselves we want to show the rest of the world and which ones we want to keep hidden. It’s a scary place where reality and fiction are one and the same, and where any user can easily lose track of what’s genuine and what’s not. This, to me, shapes Satoshi Kon’s directorial debut’s unsettling atmosphere. “Perfect Blue” follows Mima, a pop star turned actress whose career change turns out to be much harsher than initially anticipated. In order to complete her transition, she is asked to perform a vastly explicit scene in a TV show that will forever alter the public image she had built for herself in h...

Director: Stephen Chow Stars: Stephen Chow, Wei Zhao, Yat-Fei Wong Runtime: 112   minutes Synopsis:  A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage. Verdict:  Here's a fun little fact about me: I love football. Not the fake American variant in which neither feet nor balls are used but, in fact, the one in which 22 players kick a ball around for at least 90 minutes. I have been following, playing, and breathing the game for over 15 years, way before my love of movies began, but was never able to connect my two passions due to a severe lack of good films about the sport. I grew up on the Goal trilogy, vaguely remember watching Sylvester Stallone's "Victory" when I was younger, and maybe checked out a couple of indies like "The Damned United" or "Marvellous", but none of them really stuck with me as much as I wanted them too. With Stephen Chow's "Shaolin ...

Director: Leos Carax Stars: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg Runtime: 141   minutes Synopsis:  A stand-up comedian and his opera singer wife have a 2-year-old daughter with a surprising gift. Verdict:  To fully comprehend Leos Carax’s intentions with his latest absurdist project is a nearly impossible assignment. On the surface, it’s a one-of-a-kind musical in which the ever-so-talented Adam Driver shows off his vocal abilities alongside the lovely Marion Cotillard. He plays a stand-up comedian, she plays an opera singer, and together they form a romantic unit that fuses comedy with drama, providing the audience with the film’s tone along the way. Their relationship takes a brusque turn when their daughter, Annette, is born. Introduced as a wooden puppet, she alone symbolizes the narrative’s strangeness, a common trait in Carax’s body of work that will surely leave audiences divided. Even though I can’t say that I fully understood what the eccentric director’s...

Director: David Lowery Stars: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton Runtime:  130  minutes Synopsis: A fantasy re-telling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Verdict:  Now rise, Sir Lowery, for your take on the celebrated Arthurian fable of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is nothing short of a cinematic triumph. Set in medieval times, it stars Dev Patel as a soon-to-be knight who must finish a peculiar game he started with an odd-looking foe. His journey becomes one for the ages, shaped by themes of honesty, courage, manhood, vanity, or kindness, a true exploration of the meaning of knighthood in a literal and figurative way. While its weakest component has to be a script that could’ve benefited from more depth and less fooling around, this small-scale epic more than makes up for it in its optical department. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it may be the most visually striking film I’ve seen since Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049”. It’s...

Director: Martin Scorsese Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder Runtime: 139   minutes Synopsis:  A tale of nineteenth-century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin. Verdict:  Seriously, though, how many filmmakers can make one of the best gangster films of all time, a haunting psychological thriller, and a costume period drama back to back, all in the span of 4 years? By directing “Goodfellas” in 1990, “Cape Fear” in 1991, and “The Age of Innocence” in 1993, Martin Scorsese proved that he’s not scared of diving into uncharted waters and that he truly is one the most prolific auteurs of his generation(s). Now I’ll be honest, I’m usually not the biggest admirer of this particular type of dramatic period piece (emphasis on usually), even when they star the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, or Wynona Ryder as three New York upper-class membe...

Director: Eric Rohmer Stars: Patrick Bauchau, Haydée Politoff, Daniel Pommereulle Runtime:   89  minutes Synopsis:  A womanizing art dealer and a painter find the serenity of their Riviera vacation disturbed by a third guest, a vivacious bohemian woman known for her long list of male conquests. Verdict:  With “The Collector”, or its more appropriate female-specific original title “La Collectionneuse”, being only my second experience with an Eric Rohmer project, it’s still probably too early to make up my mind about the French director, considered a pillar of the French New Wave era of Cinema. But a recurring feeling I got from his 1967 color film debut and “Claire’s Knee” is one of relaxation and tranquility, all due to the exquisite summer vibes captured by the filmmaker. Between a sense of unmatched freedom and gorgeous scenery composed of luscious greenery and beaches, he truly invites the audience to partake in a trip of absolute meditation and escapism filled wi...

Director: Claire Denis Stars: Vincent Gallo, Tricia Vessey, Béatrice Dalle Runtime:  101  minutes Synopsis: Two American newlyweds in Paris experience a love so strong, it almost devours them. Verdict:  A pillar and prominent name of the New French Extremity and accompanied by filmmakers such as Gaspar Noé, Pascal Laugier, or, more recently, Julia Ducourneau, Claire Denis’ filmmaking approach shines in its ability to tell a lot by showing very little. Her movies are character-driven pieces, often supplemented by a cold, ambiguous atmosphere enclosed in themes of eroticism and sensuality. Likely to leave audiences with more questions than answers, it comes to no one’s surprise that they tend to be divisive amongst audiences and critics alike, and it’s not her unusual horror piece “Trouble Every Day” that will convince anyone otherwise. In fact, the film which stars Vincent Gallo and Béatrice Dalle was panned at the time of its release a couple of decades ago, scoring a sub...

Director: Isao Takahata Stars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi Runtime:  89  minutes Synopsis: A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II. Verdict:  Spoilers ahead. “Grave of the Fireflies” is the rare type of movie that encompasses a whole spectrum of emotions that will each hit you like a moving train. While it’s a mostly gloomy watch, it’s the few moments of wholesomeness and smile-inducing scenes that brand it as one of the most powerful films ever made as they truly emphasize what war looks like from the perspective of a child. The movie opens with a bittersweet scene that displays our protagonist’s fate. Seita succumbs to his fatigue and is reunited with his sister, Setsuko, in what seems to be some sort of afterlife. This is when the film’s main musical theme plays for the first time, a composition that remains to this day a personal favorite of mine due to its effective use within the story. The rest of the...

Director: James Gunn Stars: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena Runtime:  132  minutes Synopsis:  Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Verdict:  There are days when you just feel the need to turn off your brain and enjoy something mindlessly fun. I’ve been in that frame of mind for a week or so now, purposely avoiding any film that requires any sort of neuron overload or long-term reflection. James Gunn’s reimagining of the Suicide Squad checked all the requirements to exactly adhere to what I was looking for, and, for that reason, I had been eagerly waiting all week long to check it out in theaters. And it definitely gets the job done pretty neatly. It manages to subvert all expectations engrained by the countless recent superhero films by adopting a style of its own, giving i...