Movies Graded

Director: Mike Ahern, Enda Loughman Stars: Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward, Will Forte Runtime:  94 minutes Synopsis:   In an Irish town you call Rose, the driving instructor, if you have ghost etc. problems. Martin's deceased wife bothers him, so he calls Rose, who's single. A levitating daughter makes him call again. Performances: 5/5 Screenplay: 4/5 Special Effects: 3/5 Editing: 4/5 Cinematography: 4/5 Score/Soundtrack:  4/5 Entertainment Factor: 4/5 Verdict: Well I certainly wasn't expecting to call Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman's directorial debut the funniest movie of 2019 and yet here I am. "Extra Ordinary" made me laugh more than any movie did this year, and I simply cannot believe how enjoyable I found it to be. Ahern and Loughman channeled their inner Waititi to deliver a film similar in comedic style to "What We Do in the Shadows", but with ghosts and witchcraft instead of vampires. It's awkward, realistic in its ...

Director: Céline Sciamma Stars: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami Runtime:  121 minutes Synopsis:   On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Verdict: I really, really, really wanted to love this movie. In fact, as soon as I heard about its reception at the Cannes Film Festival, it instantly became one of my most anticipated films of the entire year. And who knows, maybe I'll feel differently about it if I give it another shot one day, but right now, I can't say that I was as wowed by it as the vast majority of people who watched. Now I think it's important to keep in mind while reading this review that I'm fluent in French, and therefore watched the movie without relying on subtitles, which are great tools to watch films told in a foreign ...

Director: Bob Clark Stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder Runtime:  98 minutes Synopsis:   During their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger. Verdict: The original "Black Christmas" is cheesy, sloppy, poorly edited, and kind of dumb. And for all these reasons, I sort of love it. After all, would it really be considered a 1970s slasher film without all these elements? The movie takes place at a sorority house in which one of the girls goes missing after receiving odd phone calls from a stranger. As her father, friends and police look for her, weird things start to unfold as the phone calls intensify and get even weirder. The movie is certainly campy, but that doesn't mean that it isn't creepy and atmospheric as well. Some of the deaths are unsettling to see and the emotional weight of a father looking for his missing daughter eventually does get to you. Having said all that, I do believe that some of the co...

Director: Jay Roach Stars: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie Runtime:  108 minutes Synopsis:   A group of women decide to take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network. Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 5/10 Costumes/Makeup: 8/10 Editing: 4/10 Cinematography: 4/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Verdict: "Bombshell" recounts the story of one of the very first major take-downs of the Me Too movement. In it, a group of women, all employed at Fox News, come forward to denounce the toxic workplace atmosphere they've been subjected to and the horrible things they had to endure. And is it interesting, empowering, and inspiring? Yes to all these things. But is it a good movie overall? I honestly didn't think it was. Because amazing performances by Theron, Kidman, Robbie, and Lithgow, as well as convincing makeup work aside, the film was kind of a giant mess. It clearly struggled to find its identity an...

Director: Fernando Meirelles Stars: Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins, Juan Minujin Runtime:  125 minutes Synopsis:   Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 5/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 4/10 Cinematography: 4/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict: Nominated for 4 Golden Globes, "The Two Popes" has been one of the biggest surprises of this year's award seasons so far and yet another win in Netflix's books. The film, which stars Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis and Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict, is a dramatization of the latter's last days on the Chair of Saint Peter before his unexpected resignation and passing of the torch to the former. Directed by Fernando Meirelles, most known for his work on "City of God" back in 2002, the film does present a few interesting elements, espe...

Director: Robert Eggers Stars: Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson Runtime:  109 minutes Synopsis:   Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s. Performances: 10/10 Screenplay: 10/10 Costumes/Makeup: 10/10 Editing: 9/10 Cinematography: 10/10 Score/Soundtrack:  10/10 Verdict: "The Witch" being my favorite horror movie of the decade, I have been eagerly awaiting for Robert Eggers' return to his directing habits since 2015. Four years later and tons of research later, he finally came back with "The Lighthouse", a psychological horror film starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Defoe as two wickies stranded on a New England island in the late 1800s. And let's just say that the long wait was absolutely, irrefutably worth it. The film, which is based on both real life events and Greek mythologies, is a nightmarish, creepy trip that challenged my sanity and left me...

Director: J.J. Abrams Stars: Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver Runtime:  141 minutes Synopsis:   The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Special Effects: 8/10 Costumes/Makeup: 7/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Entertainment Factor: 6/10 Verdict: Another year, another controversial Star Wars film. Some people loved the conclusion of the Skywalker saga while others are considering it to be one of the worst entries in the franchise. And to be quite honest, I sort of understand both sides and, similarly to "The Last Jedi", fall somewhere in the middle. Now it's important to mention that I am not the biggest Star Wars fan, but have seen every theatrically released film at least once. I don't consider myself an expert of the universe by any means, and haven't even rewatched any of the franchise's previous...