Movies Graded

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: 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: 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: Gaspar Noé Stars: Béatrice Dalle, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Abbey Lee Runtime:   minutes Synopsis:  Two actresses, Béatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg, are on a film set telling stories about witches - but that's not all. 'Lux Æterna' is also an essay on cinema, the love of film, and on-set hysterics. Verdict:  Those familiar with Gaspar Noé’s body of work will tell you that the French filmmaker’s strengths don’t lie in his storytelling abilities. The scripts he works on are often only a few pages long, and he’s known in the industry to heavily rely on his crew’s improvisation skills to carry his projects. He has perfected imperfection so well that his movies always push the boundaries of filmmaking, providing the audience with an unforgettable experience that some adore, some loathe, but none forget. Just like the rest of his filmography, “Lux Æterna” is guaranteed to divide moviegoers. It may have an unusually short runtime of 51 minutes, but Noé makes the mos...

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: Darren Lynn Bousman Stars: Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella Runtime:   93  minutes Synopsis:  A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw. Verdict:  One of the many lessons we’ve learned over the past couple of years is that reforms in the now tainted law enforcement sector need to happen as soon as possible. Chris Rock’s reimagining of the “Saw” franchise, titled “Spiral”, doubles down on that topic and sees a Jigsaw copycat kidnap corrupt members of the police force to put them through brutal traps aimed at setting their records straight. The movie was set to be released in May of 2020, only a few days before the Black Lives Matter protests erupted following George Floyd’s horrific murder at the hands of disgraced policemen, but was ultimately postponed due to the closure of cinemas caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Had it kept its original release date, I have a suspicion...

Director: John Krasinski Stars: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy Runtime: 97   minutes Synopsis:  Following the events at home, the Abbott family now faces the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path. Verdict:  I don’t usually enjoy ranting about something that doesn’t have to do with the movie I’m talking about in my posts but, this time, I unfortunately feel obliged to. “A Quiet Place 2” marked only the third time I watched a film in theaters during this rocky calendar year. Even though I didn’t fall in love with its predecessor, I won’t deny the fact that its reliance on an atmosphere built around sound – or rather the lack of it – categorized it as a flick that was enhanced by the theatrical experience. So imagine my frustration when I found out that only a couple of rows in front of me sat a pack of insufferable pre-teens who ma...

Director: Michael Chaves Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O'Connor Runtime: 112   minutes Synopsis: The Warrens investigate a murder that may be linked to a demonic possession. Verdict:  The third installment in the Conjuring franchise drops the haunted house outline of its predecessors to make room for a supernatural investigation based on a real case that shocked Connecticut during the early 1980s. In it, the Warrens work together to prove that the murder of a local landlord was not an intentional crime, but rather the result of a demon’s possession of the defendant’s body and mind. While it may sound like an intriguing concept on paper, “The Devil Made Me Do It” unfortunately fails to deliver on its promise due to a crying lack of tension and an insensitive approach to the true story. Directed by Michael Chaves, the film clearly marks a departure from James Wan’s vision that had horror lovers on the edge of their seats thanks to its non-stop creative frights and ...

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: Joe Wright Stars: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie Runtime: 100   minutes Synopsis:  An agoraphobic woman living alone in New York begins spying on her new neighbors, only to witness a disturbing act of violence. Verdict:  I’ve never been a big admirer of Joe Wright’s work. I tend to find his films to be stale, bland, and rather dull. For that reason, and the fact that its production encountered countless obstacles that led to it being fished out by Netflix, my expectations for his latest thriller starring Amy Adams and a bunch of other A-listers that include Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, or Bryan Tyree Henry were not exceptionally high. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, “The Woman in the Window” tells the story of an agoraphobic child psychiatrist who witnesses the murder of her neighbor while spying on her and her family from her apartment. The story feels very familiar, and chances are that if you’ve seen any movie with a similar plot, th...

Director: Paul Schrader Stars: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric Kyles Runtime:   113  minutes Synopsis:  A minister of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns, and a tormented past. Verdict:  Will God ever forgive us? I’m no religious person myself, though I believe that this question is one that everyone should ask themselves for moral reasons at the very least, just as they did when they were younger and wondered if their actions would get them in trouble with their parents or guardians. It’s enough to take a rapid look around us to conclude that we, as a civilization, have not been kind to our gifted Earth, a home that is quickly deteriorating to make room for a shortsighted world consumed by greed. We have turned our planet into a ticking bomb that will detonate in the not-so-distant future, leaving our entire existent in the hands of the unknown. Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” will go ...

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: Kevin Macdonald Stars: Jodie Foster,  Tahar Rahim,  Shailene Woodley Runtime: 129  minutes Synopsis:  Mohamedou Ould Salahi fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years. Verdict:  I hold a soft spot for well-made legal dramas, especially those that fall under the political umbrella. Like “Official Secrets” a few years ago, they have the power of keeping me on the edge of my seat for their entire runtime. Kevin Macdonald’s “The Mauritanian” tells the true story of Mohamedou Salahi’s long stay at Guantanamo Bay with no charges brought against him. Close to losing all hopes in a fair and just trial, he finds unlikely support from lawyer Nancy Hollander and her associate Terri, respectively played by the excellent Jodie Foster and Shailene Woodley. It’s an eye-opening tale that offers a sneak peek at the abhorrent treatment reserved for inmates of the Cuban prison. An affirmation that true justice i...

Director: Akira Kurosawa Stars:  Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Tatsuya Nakadai Runtime:  110 minutes Synopsis:  A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town. Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Editing: 9/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Entertainment Factor:  8/10 Verdict: A skilled Ronan walks into a town and the first thing he sees is a dog walking towards him while holding a human hand. This can only signify one thing: trouble awaits him there. Soon, he learns that the town is controlled by two gangs whose ongoing war is keeping its residents hostage. Instead of fleeing, he sees a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation by pretending to be one of the gang's bodyguard, or Yojimbo in Japanese, in exchange for a reasonable sum of money. I watched this movie right after Sergio Leone's "A Fistful of Dollars" which I learned was a blatant rip-off of ...

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn Stars: Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves Runtime: 117 minutes Synopsis:  An aspiring model, Jesse, is new to Los Angeles. However, her beauty and youth, which generate intense fascination and jealousy within the fashion industry, may prove themselves sinister. Verdict:  The film's tagline, borrowed from a line uttered by Alessandro Nivola's character, couldn't be any clearer: "Beauty isn't everything. It's the only thing". And believe me when I say that if this was truly the case, then Nicolas Winding Refn's "The Neon Demon" would now be considered a cinematic masterpiece. Starring Elle Fanning as an aspiring model whose first steps in the fashion industry lead her down a sinister path, the movie's biggest asset is most definitely its very rich style. I'd even go as far as to say that it's one of the most visually stimulating projects of the current century, achieved using stunning neon imagery...

Director:  Emerald Fennell Stars: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie Runtime: 113 minutes Synopsis:  A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path. Verdict:  "Promising Young Woman" has been gathering quite a bit of praise ever since it debuted in theaters a few weeks ago. I'll be honest, I knew nothing about it back then and decided to avoid watching any trailers or reading any synopsis since the poster alone had me sold. I wanted to go in completely blind, and somehow managed to do so despite having to wait for its VOD release as lockdown is still very much in effect where I reside. The film's opening scene was promising indeed. It was a stylish, energetic, and colorful way to introduce us to our protagonist, played by a fantastic Carey Mulligan. Cassandra is a young woman whose turbulent past has led her to a life mostly dedicated to taking action against despicable men who like to take advant...