Movies Graded

Director: Jeff Fowler Stars: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey Runtime:  minutes Synopsis:   After discovering a small, blue, fast hedgehog, a small-town police officer must help it defeat an evil genius who wants to do experiments on it. Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Editing: 5/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Entertainment Factor:  5/10 Verdict:  Pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a Sonic film aimed at a young demographic. It's a harmless, generic, over-the-top buddy cop comedy that does use many clichés in the book, recycled jokes, and modern pop culture reference, but never to the point where it becomes annoying. CGI was decent, and it was fun seeing Jim Carrey in a role similar to the ones that made a name out of him. Not good, not bad, not memorable, but there are much worse ways to spend 100 minutes. FINAL GRADE:  4/10

Director: Denis Villeneuve Stars: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro Runtime:  121 minutes Synopsis:  An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10 Verdict:  Denis Villeneuve, Taylor Sheridan, Roger Deakins, the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, and a cast of A-listers at the top of their game. That's one hell of a cinematic cocktail that most certainly made more than one drool with excitement, me included. "Sicario", which translates to Hitman in Spanish, sees an FBI agent, played by Emily Blunt in her best role yet, being enlisted by a governmental task force led by Josh Brolin's Matt Graver and Benicio Del Toro's Alejandro Gillick to bring down the ruthless leader of a Mexican drug cartel. As you'd expect from the talent behind it,...

Director: Takashi Miike Stars:  Masataka Kubota, Sakurako Konishi, Shôta Sometani Runtime:  108 minutes Synopsis:  A young boxer and a call girl get caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme over the course of one night in Tokyo. Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 6/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict: The only Takashi Miike film I've ever seen is "Audition", which is considered by many to be one of the most disturbing movies of all time. "First Love", while still having elements of gore and violence, sets itself apart from it by having an entirely different tone. The film follows a boxer as he becomes entangled in a shady drug-smuggling scheme that involves a young girl, whose life he coincidentally saves in the streets of Tokyo. Then follows a night of murder, revenge, over the top fight scenes and car chases that will leave our protagonists on the run for their lives. While being beautifully shot, care...

Director: Guillermo del Toro Stars:   Ivana Baquero ,  Ariadna Gil ,  Sergi López Runtime:  118 minutes Synopsis:   In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Special Effects: 5/10 Costumes/Makeup: 9/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict: (+) All round great performances, especially from Ivana Baquero, who plays the young bookworm Ofelia. (+) Displays the power of imagination for a child trapped in a world in which evil, here personified by her rigorous step-father, reigns. (+) Absolutely gorgeous costume design used to give life to some of the mythical creatures. (+) Exceptionally shot. The score by Javier Naverrete also blends well with the fantastical elements of the film. (+) The emphasis on the things happening in real life elevate the escapism implied in...

Director: Bong Joon-ho Stars: Donna Bae, Lee Sung-jae, Kim Ho-jung Runtime:  minutes Synopsis:  An idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict:  Dog lovers, look away! Bong Joon-ho's directorial debut is a dark comedy that nearly entirely takes place in one building and in which a resident, after getting irritated by the barking of one of his neighbor's dogs, decides to kidnap it and, well, let's just say that bad things start happening to it and maybe a few other canines. "Barking Dogs Never Bite" is not my favorite entry in the Korean filmmaker's filmography, but it's still a movie I found myself enjoying much more than I was expecting to, especially after the initial few minutes that got me a little worried about the direction in which the plot was going...

Director: Dan Scanlon Stars: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus Runtime:  102 minutes Synopsis:  Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there. Animation: 8/10 Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 6/10 Editing: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict: The issue I (along with many others) have had with the Disney approach to filmmaking over the past few years is simple: their movies felt like soulless cashgrabs constructed in scientific labs. Creative integrity was sacrificed to optimize box office gains, and while the experiment most definitely worked, it came with side effects that left many of us sour. Not counting the Fox acquisitions for obvious reasons, "Onward" is the studio's first theatrically released non-sequel/remake since "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" and first film based on an original story since "Coco", released in 2017(!) A...

Director: Gavin O'Connor Stars:  Ben Affleck ,  Janina Gavankar ,  Michaela Watkins Runtime:  108 minutes Synopsis:  Jack Cunningham was a HS basketball phenom who walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he may get one last shot at redemption. Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 5/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:   7 /10 Verdict: I'm not the biggest fan of Gavin O'Connor's work. I wouldn't describe any of the movies I've seen from him as bad, but none of them really stuck with me, even the ones I actually enjoyed such as "Warrior". In his newest project, Ben Affleck's character is a jobless mess who has succumbed to alcoholism after his separation from his wife. He has hit an all time low, but is given a second chance at redemption when offered a modest job as coach of a Basketball high school team. "The Way Back...