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: 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: 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: Agnieszka Smoczynska Stars: Marta Mazurek, Michalina Olszanska, Kinga Preis Runtime: 92   minutes Synopsis:  In Warsaw, a pair of mermaid sisters are adopted into a cabaret. While one seeks love with humans the other hungers to dine on the human population of the city. Verdict:  A gory horror musical about two mermaids who visit the surface with different goals in mind, “The Lure” is the type of movie that will stick with you no matter how you feel about it. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s guaranteed to leave a trace due to its unique blend of genres an unusual sense of direction. Quite obviously based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid”, Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska perfectly understood how to remain faithful to the original story’s themes without it feeling like a rehash of the countless adaptations we already have. No pun intended, but it truly did stand on its own two feet thanks to its uncomfortable atmosphere, intimida...

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: Enrico Casarosa Stars: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman Runtime: 95   minutes Synopsis:  On the Italian Riviera, an unlikely but strong friendship grows between a human being and a sea monster disguised as a human. Verdict:  To Pixar’s latest project, I have two words to say: Mamma Mia! First-time director Enrico Casarosa managed to exceed all my expectations by delivering the feel-good movie of the summer in “Luca”, a half-autobiographical coming-of-age story that takes place in a small Italian village during the 1960s. It follows two young sea monsters, voiced by Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer, in their constant search for adventure away from the depths of the sea. Exposure to air transforms them into human children allowing them to blend in with the city’s residents, all of which have been hunting their kind down for years now as they perceive them as threats. With its gorgeous landscapes, relaxing music, odes to Italian culture, and subtl...

Director: David Lynch Stars: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph Runtime: 89   minutes Synopsis:  Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child. Verdict:  I understand that David Lynch’s debut “Eraserhead” is a favorite amongst fans of the filmmaker but a relatively divisive film overall. Some admire the surreal world it creates to tell the story of Jack Nance’s enigmatic existence that deals with themes of sexual frustration and parenthood above all, while others condemn it for being too inaccessible and ostentatious. For now, I’d put myself in the no man’s land area between the two camps. The film’s setting being the awkward protagonist’s subconscious, it was primordial for Lynch to capture an atmosphere of dread and unease, something he proved capable of achieving masterfully thanks to an unmatched attention to details. “Eraserhead” is a visual and auditory feast, a ban...

Director: David Lowery   Stars: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara Runtime:   92  minutes Synopsis:  In this singular exploration of legacy, love, loss, and the enormity of existence, a recently deceased, white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to try to reconnect with his bereft wife. Verdict:  An ungodly amount of my time is spent at my desk, at home. It’s the place where I get my work done during the day and the place where I escape to my little world of movies in the evening. Right in front of me, two pictures that I constantly glance at are hung: a photograph of my late grandfather holding a younger and unrecognizable version of myself, and a polaroid taken decades later on a night out with some friends. While one holds a much greater emotional significance to me, they both serve the same purpose of capturing a memory I’m not quite ready to let go of just yet. David Lowery’s “A Ghost Story” is a meditative exercise comparable to staring at a moving polaroi...

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: 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: Philippe Lacôte Stars: Bakary Koné, Steve Tientcheu, Jean Cyrille Digbeu Runtime:  93  minutes Synopsis:  A young man is sent to "La Maca", a prison of Ivory Coast in the middle of the forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners. Verdict:  Located in the depths of the African jungle lies an old, overcrowded, and clearly under-maintained edifice. “La Maca”, as they call it, is a prison unlike any you’ve encountered before. Not only does it violate every imaginable sanitary regulation on the planet, but it’s also run by a senior inmate labeled Dangoro who, as tradition states, must take his own life when he is struck by an illness. Barbe Noire, which is French for Blackbeard, knows that his reign as Dangoro has reached its end as he walks around with an oxygen bottle. But before he meets his demise, an opportunity to organize a night of storytelling p...

Director: Amy Seimetz Stars: Kate Lyn Sheil, Jane Adams, Kentucker Audley Runtime: 86 minutes Synopsis:  Amy thinks she's dying tomorrow...and it's contagious. Verdict:  What makes us human? Many philosophers dedicated their entire lives to attempt to answer that complex yet fundamentally important question. "I think, therefore I am" famously argued René Descartes in his Discourse on the Method, today considered a pillar in modern philosophy, but it's his compatriot Albert Camus that is quoted in Amy Seimetz's "She Dies Tomorrow" as saying "Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is". But what is he? In this confusing existential crisis of a film, a fictional version of the promising director suddenly becomes convinced that she will meet her demise the next day. These thoughts seem to be contagious, as anyone who comes in contact with her starts developing similar apocalyptic thoughts. Taken literally, the film doesn't make a...

Director: Patty Jenkins Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig Runtime:   151  minutes Synopsis:   Rewind to the 1980s as Wonder Woman's next big-screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah. Verdict:  Unlike its predecessor, "Wonder Woman 1984" garnered mixed reactions upon its release. With it being one of the rare blockbusters that stuck to their 2020 release, Gal Gadot's return as the Amazonian warrior was awaited by many but didn't meet the expectations set by both audiences and critics alike. For that reason, I went in expecting the typical, messy superhero movie that has been consuming theaters for a decade now... only to get a pleasant surprise out of a film that despite being two and a half hours long, never felt like a drag to get through. While still suffering from tired tropes regularly found in the genre, one wasted villain, and an underwhelming finale, I found this sequel's biggest strength to be its personalit...

Director: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers Stars: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton Runtime:   100  minutes Synopsis:  A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself. Verdict:  Have you ever taken a bite out of a pizza slice and found the crust to be fresh and crusty but the toppings to be lacking in flavor? Because that's what watching "Soul" felt like. Borrowing some elements from 2015's "Inside Out", the film touches on heavy material by exploring themes such as the meaning of life. In it, we're introduced to Jamie Foxx's Joe Gardner, a jazz pianist struggling to reignite his love for music. An unfortunate incident detaches his spirit from his physical body and sends it to the Great Before, where he teams up with an unborn soul in the hopes of finding his way back to his earthly being in time for a career-defining gig. It's an ambitious co...

Director: Henry Selick Stars: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara Runtime:   76  minutes Synopsis:  Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion. Verdict:  Whenever December is around the corner, I promise myself to go on a binge of Christmas movies to get into the holiday spirit... only to end up watching one or two. This year was no exception, and considering the current status of the world, I found it most appropriate to put on the movie whose title best encapsulates it: "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Now, this is not my first time watching what I thought for a very long time to be a film directed by Tim Burton, though I believe that I've only seen it once a while ago. I was eager to check if it held up to this day, and I'm glad to report that it absolutely does. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" contains some of the best stop motion animation and char...

Director: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart Stars:  Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean Runtime:   103  minutes Synopsis:  A young apprentice hunter and her father journey to Ireland to help wipe out the last wolf pack. But everything changes when she befriends a free-spirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumored to transform into wolves by night. Verdict:  Set in Ireland during the Middle Ages, "Wolfwalkers" follows a young hunter named Robyn whose perception of large canines she once viewed as a threat to the society she belongs to is challenged when she befriends a young girl with mysterious powers living among them. More than just a fairy-tale-like adventure led by two extremely likable characters, the film also serves as a commentary on the persecution of innocent minorities in authoritarian regimes that is still going on to this day. While wolves are the sad victims here, it is made clear that what they represent is a much larger community doomed to live out t...

Director: Don Hertzfeldt Runtime:   62  minutes Synopsis:  Bill struggles to put together his shattered psyche, in this new feature film version of Don Hertzfeldt's animated short film trilogy. Verdict: The very thought of watching Don Hertzfeldt's unified collection of three shorts has terrified me for years. Even though I knew that I was going to love it, and even though its short runtime of only an hour encouraged me more than once to contemplate putting it on, I had the feeling that it was the type of film that was going to stick with me for much more than only 60 minutes, without necessarily putting me in a good mood. I knew that, by the end of it, I was going to be struck with an existential crisis like very few movies manage to achieve, and I was never sure that I was in the right mood to be able to handle it. That changed today. I finally gathered the courage to view "It's Such a Beautiful Day", a two-dimensional animated film mostly know for its simplisti...

Director: Raja Gosnell Stars: Mattew Lillard, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar Runtime:  86 minutes Synopsis:  After an acrimonious break up, the Mystery Inc. gang are individually brought to an island resort to investigate strange going on. Verdict:  The live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo is simultaneously the best and worst thing to exist. Worst because it is objectively a bad movie that was justifiably trashed by critics upon its release. And best because it knows it, and uses it to its advantage in the best possible way. Written by James Gunn and directed by Raja Gosnell, the film is essentially a parody of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" in which the perfectly-cast gang travel to an island resort to come to the bottom of sinister things going on there that may or may not be initiated by an underground cult. The self-aware approach to the story, which somehow got away with a PG rating, is, to me, the only correct way to make a live-action adaptation ...