Movies Graded

Director: Lasse Hallstrom, Joe Johnston Stars: Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman Runtime: 99 minutes Synopsis:  While wandering around at a Christmas party, Clara finds herself transported to a magical world where an adventure awaits her. Performances: 5/10 Why? Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Mackenzie Foy... "The Nutcracker" is filled with names any person with basic film knowledge with would instantly recognize. Yet nobody's performance was even close to the talent associated we've grown accustomed to when it comes to these stars. Mirren and Freeman are barely in the movie at all, Foy sleepwalks through the entire thing and was never able to give life to a character that desperately needs some, and Knightley was so over the top that I sort of enjoyed until I didn't. There were some comedic moments, intentional or not, that I found were effectively delivered but other than that, there's nothing much to add here. ...

Director: Richard Donner Stars: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens Runtime: 111 minutes Synopsis:  A high profile politician suspects that his son is the Antichrist.  Performances: 9/10 Why? "The Omen" not only features Gregory Peck in a deeply personal role for him (he felt partly responsible for his son's suicide), but also has one of the best child performances of all time in the person of Harvey Stephens. The at the time 6-year-old was absolutely chilling in the role of Damien but had also an innocence that makes the audience feel bad for the kid. The person most people will remember as the main antagonist and most unlikable character will certainly be Billie Whitelaw's Mrs. Baylock, Damien's nanny and protector. She also gave the performance of her career, even though her role wasn't as emotional as Peck's or Remick's.  Screenplay: 8/10 Why? It's simple. Without "The Omen", modern horror classics such as...

Director: Spike Lee Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier Runtime: 135 minutes Synopsis:  The true story of an African American detective that manages to infiltrate the KKK. Performances: 6/10 Why? Apart from Adam Driver's, who gave one of the bravest performances of his career and solidified his status as one of the best actors working today, I found the rest of the performances to be rather dull. The acting was definitely not bad, just unspecial and not exactly memorable. I didn't entirely buy John David Washington (the son of a certain Denzel Washington) in the lead role, nor his romance with Laura Harrier's character. The actors playing the KKK members worked well most of the time but were still portrayed in an over the top fashion in a lot of scenes. Screenplay: 7/10 Why? Spike Lee does a great job balancing humor and drama in a movie that deals with a very heavy subject. Set in the 1970s and centered around an African American...

Director: Carlos Lopez Estrada Stars: Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar Runtime: 95 minutes Synopsis:  A man living the last days of his probation period witnesses an incident that will change his views and reevaluate his life choices. Performances: 9/10 Why? Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal deliver what are in my opinion two of the best performances of the year. They managed to give their respective characters the emotional range needed to make them as grounded as possible all the while adding the necessary amount of humor that also made them relatable and likable. They somehow turned two characters that could've easily been seen as over the top and even caricatural into ones I deeply connected with and felt that I have known for years. Screenplay: 9/10 Why? If Shakespeare was alive today and wanted to write something that emphasized the problems our society was facing, I'm pretty certain that he would've written something similar to th...

Director: David Gordon Green Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak Runtime: 106 minutes Synopsis:  Michael Myers returns to haunt Laurie Strode exactly 40 years after their first encounter. Performances: 5/10 Why? None of the performances really grabbed me or elevated the characters portrayed in any way. Jamie Lee Curtis was fine I guess, Judy Greer didn't do much, and the teen actors were genuinely bad in a lot of scenes.  Screenplay: 4/10 Why? I wasn't expecting much from the script going in since, like most people excited to see this sequel (yes, sequel), I was looking forward to watching one of the most iconic horror villains gruesomely kill a bunch of people. And it still managed to disappoint me. "Halloween" had a much serious vibe than the other more ridiculous and self-aware sequels and therefore had to at least present a more cohesive narrative with somewhat interesting characters. But all we got were disposable and forgett...

Director: Sylvain White Stars: Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Jaz Sinclair Runtime: 93 minutes Synopsis:  A group of friends is shaken by the disappearance of a friend after watching a creepy online video. Performances: 2/10 Why? Terrifying, but for all the wrong reasons. Granted, the writing did not really help the actresses do their job properly, but they also lacked everything, from charm to delivery, that makes a performance at least decent. In fact, they were so bad in some scenes intended to be suspenseful that I just couldn't take them seriously and even burst out laughing. Screenplay: 1/10 Why? "Slender Man" has got to be one of the worst movies of the year, and the script is the main reason why. I can't think of a single aspect of it that was even sort of acceptable. The dialogue felt written by a middle-aged man who just googled "how do teens talk these days", which eventually led to the characters being your typical high sc...

Director: Gareth Evans Stars: Dan Stevens, Richard Elfyn, Paul Higgins Runtime: 130 minutes Synopsis:  A man travels to an island to rescue his kidnapped sister from a dangerous religious cult. Performances: 8/10 Why? Dan Stevens like you've never seen him before. The actor showed an entirely different face that mixed rage and fear in this movie that had me excited for future projects of his. The rest of the cast was also exceptional. They all played a huge part in making the movie as realistic as it was. Screenplay: 6/10 Why? While there are lots of aspects I loved about the story, especially in its third act, I can't really say that it had me interested the entire time. I felt that it took quite a bit of time to really take off and start to get interesting. Some decisions made by the characters didn't make a whole lot of sense as well. However, the dialogue was extremely well written and beautifully mirrored the time at which the story takes place, a...