Movies Graded

Director: Craig Johnson Stars: Daniel Doheny, Madeline Weinstein, Antonio Marziale Runtime: 99 minutes Synopsis:  Alex's plans to lose his virginity to his girlfriend Claire go awry when he meets Elliot at a party. Performances: 4/10 Why? None of the characters felt genuine for me. And while they were not given the greatest of material to work with, the actors had their share of the blame as well. They approached their roles with more of a comedic approach despite the film's very real and important themes. They weren't the movie's biggest problem, but definitely not part of the solution. Screenplay: 2/10 Why? A missed opportunity to say the least. When I read the synopsis of the film while browsing for a movie to watch on Netflix, it immediately reminded me of the plot of "Call Me by Your Name", my favorite film of 2017. But what I got instead was a cliché, goofy film that was focusing more on being this cheesy teenage drama than a...

Director: David Yates Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint Runtime: 153 minutes Synopsis: In his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry comes into possession of a mysterious book written previously owned by the Half-Blood Prince. Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Special Effects: 9/10 Costumes/Makeup: 9/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  9/10 Verdict: ( SPOILERS AHEAD! ) "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is David Yates' second film of the franchise and the sixth chapter in the Harry Potter series. Much like in its predecessor, Yates opted for a darker tone that goes wonderfully well with the state of the situation the characters are going through. This movie feels and looks a lot like "Order of the Phoenix", to the point where, if played back to back, you probably wouldn't really notice that they are two different movies. Obviously and as you probably already know, a lot happens in this film. And ...

Director: Ari Aster Stars: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff Runtime: 127 minutes Synopsis:   After the family matriarch passes away, a grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences, and begin to unravel dark secrets. Performances:  5/5 Screenplay:  4/5 Editing:  5/5 Cinematography:  5/5 Score/Soundtrack:  4/5 Verdict:  Before the much-awaited "Midsommar" is released in theaters, a rewatch of Ari Aster's widely acclaimed directorial debut "Hereditary" was obviously in order. The horror movie was featured in my best of 2018 list, and my second viewing certainly cemented its place not only as one of my favorite movies to come out last year but also as one of my favorite horror movies to come out in the past decade. Revolving around a family struck with grief and haunted by an unknown presence that's tearing its members apart, Aster, rather than throwing the main focus of the film on the supernatural eleme...

Director: Susan Johnson Stars: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish Runtime: 99 minutes Synopsis:  A shy teenager's love life is turned upside down when letters she wrote to 5 of her crushes are sent to them. Performances: 5/10 Why? While I didn't hate Lana Condor's take on Lara Jean, I never really felt that her performance elevated her character's representation. I also didn't buy her male co-stars' (Noah Centineo and Israel Broussard) acting at all. They both lacked emotional range and were plainly reciting lines for the entirety of the flick. However, I enjoyed Anna Cathcart as the feisty Kitty, Lara Jean's younger sister. Screenplay: 6/10 Why? Light, fun, and sweet. The movie checks all the boxes of a perfect Netflix film to watch when you have an hour and a half to kill. I found myself enjoying the romcom more than I was expecting to, and that is despite some convenience and inevitable clichés. The characters are likable...

Director: Lauren Miller Rogen Stars: Kristen Bell, Kelsey Grammer, Danielle Davenport Runtime: 103 minutes Synopsis:  A workaholic woman is joined by her father who abandoned her at a young age on her honeymoon instead of her fiance who left her at the altar. Performances: 5/10 Why? Bell and Grammer played their roles well and even had a couple of scenes where they were able to showcase their acting abilities. However, the material they were given didn't really help them develop their characters or give them any depth. The supporting cast wasn't on par with the two leads, unfortunately.  Screenplay: 2/10 Why? Cheese? Check. Unoriginal story? Check. Predictable outcome? Check and check. The film never was able to grasp me, but instead succeeded to bore the hell out of me. The characters were unlikable and underdeveloped. The jokes were all safe and poorly incorporated (except for one that I found amusing). Costumes/Makeup: 4/10 Why? Nothi...

Director: Baltasar Kormakur Stars: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Thomas Runtime: 96 minutes Synopsis:  The true story of Tami Oldham who, while on a boat trip with her boyfriend, had to face a hurricane that completely destroyed their ship.    Performances: 6/10 Why? In a movie that relied a lot on Woodley and Claflin's performances to showcase their respective characters' desperation and mental status, I felt that the acting was too two dimensional, especially from Claflin's part, too truly deliver these feelings. Woodley had some strong scenes, though.  Screenplay: 3/10 Why? While the story of Tami is one that deserves a big screen adaptation without a doubt, the screenwriters made the weird decision to focus a lot on her romance with Richard, to the point of altering her actual story to better include it. The film turned into a Nicholas Spark-like romance flick really fast, and I didn't care for it at all.  Special Effec...

Director: David Yates Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint Runtime: 138 minutes Synopsis: Harry and Dumbledore's warnings about Voldemort's return are not taken seriously by the Ministry of Magic, leading both parties to take drastic measures.  Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Special Effects: 7/10 Costumes/Makeup: 10/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  9/10 Verdict:  ( SPOILERS AHEAD! ) "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is the first film in the franchise to be directed by David Yates, who has been in charge of it ever since. Prior to that project, the British director never helmed something of that magnitude, and the fact that he pulled it off the way he did is an incredible achievement. I can safely say that Yates' directorial style, which is close to Cuaron's, is the one I found to work best with the series. The greyish blue color palette sets up a tone that immediately tells the audien...