Movies Graded

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: 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 ...

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: 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: 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...

Director: Cate Shortland Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour Runtime: 133   minutes Synopsis:  A film about Natasha Romanoff in her quests between the films Civil War and Infinity War. Verdict:  Introduced during the early stages of the MCU's inception, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow quickly grew to become a fan favorite and, for a long time, remained the only female member of The Avengers. Girls all over the world looked up to her as she stood her ground in this exclusive boys’ club, so much so that they had rightfully been campaigning for a solo movie for their heroine for years. Their wish was finally granted 10 years after her big-screen debut in "Iron Man 2" in what unfortunately feels more like an entry in the MCU made more out of obligation than anything else. It was very clear from the get-go that “Black Widow” would be more filler than substance, and that its non-existent personality would turn it into a tedious, forgettable watch. This ...

Director:  Anno Hideaki Stars: Ogata Megumi, Hayashibara Megumi, Miyamura Yûko  Runtime:  87  minutes Synopsis: Concurrent theatrical ending of the TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995). Verdict:  When the end credits of the final episode of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” started rolling, I was left speechless in front of my screen. Calling the last 5 to 6 episodes of the anime mind-boggling would be doing them a disservice as I instantly understood that they exceeded anything I could’ve hoped for in a show about a young pilot recruited to keep the Earth safe from mysterious creatures called Angels. Divided into 26 chapters, Anno Hideaki’s creation takes its sweet time to properly develop the stakes of the narrative and deconstruct its protagonists. Shinji, Asuka, Rei, Misato, and every character taking part in the story is interesting in their own way, making their journey one I deeply cared about and connected with. Enhanced by the show’s stunning cinematog...

Director: Zack Snyder Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera Runtime: 148   minutes Synopsis:  Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries takes the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted. Verdict:  The thing that differentiates zombie flicks from other movies that fall in the vast monster subgenre is the fact that, for them to properly work, the focus needs to be turned towards everything surrounding the threat. Undead corpses roaming around are by essence boring to watch, which is why an effort must be made to develop the human characters tasked in confronting them as well as the general tone of the movie. The genre begs for creative input from the people working on them as its traditional horror atmosphere has been recycled into taking a more dramatic or even comedic turn over the years (“Train to Busan” or “Shaun of the Dead” respectively). In old Zack Snyder fashion, “Army ...

Director: Masaki Kobayashi Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita Runtime:   133  minutes Synopsis:  When a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity. Verdict:  Considered a landmark in the Japanese jidaigeki genre legitimized by names such as Kihachi Okamoto or, more notoriously, Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi’s “Harakiri” is a compelling 2-hour long watch that, instead of glorifying the Samurai code as many others do, questions its ethics and morals. Set during a time when desperate rōnins used to knock on the doors of palaces to request committing seppuku (or hara-kiri), a traditional suicide ritual, in their courtyards with the hopes that their masters would take pity on them and send them away with a few coins, the film tells the story of Hanshirō Tsugumo, the latest rogue s...

Stars: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell Synopsis:  Following the events of 'Avengers: Endgame,' Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities -- and their patience. Verdict: You just know it's a Marvel project when a little blood on a shield comes as a surprise to a lot of people for being "too gruesome compared to the rest of the universe". I'm just kidding (or am I?), but that was a little funny moment that pretty much summed up my whole experience with the show: it's yet another painfully average Marvel piece of media that knows how to generate hype on the short term but that won't be talked about anymore in a month's time (is anyone still talking about "WandaVision"?). That is not to say that I didn't enjoy a few aspects of it, because I did find its tone to be more appropriate than the other Disney+ show that preceded it. It was as if the creative minds beh...

Director: Peter Jackson Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen Runtime:   263  minutes (Extended Edition) Synopsis:  Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring. Verdict:  When I first saw the theatrical cut of the final chapter in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was blown away. Despite not falling for its predecessors, “The Return of the King” displayed an unprecedented level of technical achievement to recreate the scale of the journey’s conclusion. It’s an epic in every sense of the word, one filled with countless battles between all sorts of beings and a myriad of closures for character arcs. The mere fact that Peter Jackson pulled it off in a single feature (the two parts finale wasn’t a thing back then) is of itself a triumph that certainly didn’t go unnoticed, earning the film a record-breaking 11 Oscar wins (out of 11 nominations!) including for B...

Director: Peter Jackson Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom Runtime: 223   minutes Synopsis:  While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard. Verdict:  Following the events of the first film, the Fellowship sees itself divided as Saruman continues to build a gigantic army in his quest for ultimate power. Frodo and Sam stay loyal to their mission of destroying the one ring and continue their long journey to Mordor, Merry and Pippin befriend an anthropomorphic tree-like creature called Treebeard, and the rest of the companionship head to Rohan, where they are faced with a multitude of challenges and difficult decisions to make. Once again, the four-hour-long fantasy epic took a toll on me, and once again, I blame my lack of attachment to the lore for it. Despite this entry being much more accessible as it focuses more on the journ...

Director: Peter Jackson Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom Runtime: 228   minutes (Extended Edition) Synopsis:  A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. Verdict:  I was introduced to the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was in high school, about 10 years ago. Being one of the most popular franchises in cinematic history, I had to see for myself what all the fuss was about. So I put on the theatrical cut of “The Fellowship of the Ring” and vividly remember that I had to watch it in parts because I kept pausing it as I just couldn’t properly get into it. I felt detached from the journey to Mordor, disconnected from the massive lore that came with the Middle Earth universe. A few years later, I gave the books a shot, hoping that I’d get more out of them as I truly did want to familiarize myself with the world created by J.R.R Tolkien. Alas, I had to ab...

Director: Adam Wingard Stars: Alex ander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall Runtime:   113   minutes Synopsis:  The epic next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse pits two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against one another - the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong - with humanity caught in the balance. Verdict:  And now, for the greatest gladiator match in the history of the world. God vs. King. Lizard vs. Ape. Atomic Reptilian vs. Colossal Monkey! One of the most anticipated cinematic spectacles is finally upon us after countless postponements and to it, I only have one word to utter: Refund! With cinemas being still closed where I live, I had to resort to the much smaller screen of my laptop to watch the showdown between the two titans which had been building up for years and the release of 2014’s “Godzilla”. Many will point out that the setting was not ideal to which I’ll agree considering the scale of the project, but I’ve never been ...

Director: Ishiro Honda Stars: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada Runtime: 96   minutes Synopsis:  American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable, dinosaur-like beast. Verdict:  Around 200,000. That’s the number of lives lost in 1945 when the United States shocked the world by detonating two nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It’s an unparalleled massacre that left an entire nation mourning for their loved ones, a bloodbath that resulted in years of paranoia. Less than a decade later, “Godzilla” (or Gojira) was brought to the big screen. Revived and empowered by the radiation left by various nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean, he’s a clear symbol of destruction, maybe even the embodiment of the United States itself. The seemingly indestructible giant lizard’s only goal is to demolish whatever stands in its way including a number of Japanese cities inhabited by fearing civilians. But what captured my attention in this ...

Director: Zack Snyder Stars: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill Runtime: 242   minutes Synopsis:  Zack Snyder's definitive director's cut of Justice League. Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. Verdict:  In what feels like an eternity ago, comic book fans around the globe were excited to finally get to see the beloved Justice League in action. Zack Snyder, who had been up until this point the creative brain behind the DCEU, was hired to direct his third entry in the franchise after “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman”, but had to retreat well into production after tragedy struck his family. Following a battle with depression, his daughter Autumn took her own life in March of 2017 at the age of 20, forcing the director to take a step back to mourn his loss alongside his family....

Director: Zack Snyder Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams Runtime: 183  minutes (Extended Cut) Synopsis:   Fearing that the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the Man of Steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. Verdict:  When Batman’s logo appeared behind Superman’s iconic symbol at SDCC 2013 announcing that the follow up of “Man of Steel” would feature a confrontation between two of the most iconic superhero of all time, the room went wild. At the time, no one was expecting Snyder’s civil war to become one of the most divisive comic book movies of all time. 5 long years after its release, fans are still passionately debating whether “Dawn of Justice” is a work of genius or a complete flop. Personally, I can understand both sides of the argument but overall will admit that despite its many flaws, the movie was a pretty satisfying watch that did meet my expectations. Aided by an inspired casting choice, Batman’s...

Creator: Jac Schaeffer   Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn Synopsis:  Blends the style of classic sitcoms with the MCU, in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision - two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives - begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. Verdict:  Out of all the MCU projects that were announced recently (and boy are there many), the one that caught my eye the most was “WandaVision”. Not only was it going to be the first show to premiere on Disney+, but it revolved around my favorite character in the entire universe. Wanda was perhaps the only avenger to have a consistent and subtle arc, which is the reason why I was so drawn to her ever since her proper introduction in “Age of Ultron”. She didn’t lead an easy life, but her haunting past was never spoonfed to an audience who instead was treated with the result of those years of turmoil. But I was a fool to believe even for a second that Marvel would leave any stone unturned...

Director: Paul Greengrass Stars: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Tom Astor Runtime: 118  minutes Synopsis:  A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home. Verdict:  When a veteran stumbles across a little girl who doesn’t speak a word of English, he makes it his mission to deliver her to a safe place, even if that means traveling hundreds of miles to reach his destination. No, it’s not the plot of “Logan” I’m describing to you, but Paul Greengrass’ latest western “News of the World”. But while it is very clear that the two share many similarities, there is no denying that Hugh Jackman’s last hoorah as Wolverine is the superior road trip set in a western background. Starring Tom Hanks as Tom Hanks with a southern accent and the young Helena Zengel, whose on-screen presence was an impressive one to ...