Movies Graded

Director: Melina Matsoukas Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine Runtime:  132 minutes Synopsis:   A couple's first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over. Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Editing: 4/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  6/10 Verdict: Disappointing. After a solid start that sets the ground for a very heavy narrative tackling ongoing social issues, the film deviates into something not nearly as interesting or relevant. It becomes a Bonny & Clyde sort of road trip, a bonding journey between two characters that never leaves its comfort zone. It was long, taking way too many unnecessary detours that made the over 2-hour long drag much more than it needed to. I couldn't get behind many of the characters' decisions despite some pretty good performances, nor the convenience and cheesiness of some of the events, all of which further lessened the experience to me. Overall, I f...

Director: Denis Villeneuve Stars: Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Harrison Ford Runtime:  164 minutes Synopsis:  Young Blade Runner "K"'s (Ryan Gosling's) discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who's been missing for thirty years. Performances: 10/10 Screenplay: 10/10 Editing: 9/10 Cinematography: 10/10 Score/Soundtrack:  10/10 Verdict: "Blade Runner 2049" is much more than just a science-fiction flick or sequel to a movie regarded as ahead of its time. It's a landmark in filmmaking, a masterpiece that will be talked about and analyzed for decades to come. It's by far Villeneuve's most impressive work to date, a film no other director could've pulled off in the same way that he did. Not Scott, not Nolan, and not Spielberg would've been able to replicate (wink wink) the genius behind what was unfortunately considered a box office disappointment...

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Stars: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan Runtime:  121 minutes Synopsis:  Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister. Performances: 10/10 Screenplay: 10/10 Editing: 9/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack:  9/10 Verdict: Based on Euripides' Greek tragedy "Iphigenia at Aulis", "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" is unlike any movie I've ever experienced. It's disturbing yet funny, unnerving yet intriguing. The balance between dark humor and psychological horror is one perfected by Yorgos Lanthimos, whose vision on justice and responsibility will send shivers down your spine. From the very first interaction, it's made clear that the characters and dialogue are all over-the-top caricatures of what they are meant to represent, but that never took away...

Director: Riley Stearns Stars: Jesse Einsenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots Runtime:  104 minutes Synopsis:   After being attacked on the street, a young man enlists at a local dojo, led by a charismatic and mysterious sensei, in an effort to learn how to defend himself from future threats. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 4/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack:  4/10 Verdict: Riley Stearns' "The Art of Self-Defense" has been on my radar for quite a while now. The trailer seemed interesting and the reception it received was mostly encouraging. And while I definitely wouldn't call it a forgettable movie, I thought it was both promising and disappointing simultaneously. I was hooked as soon as we were introduced to Jesse Eisenberg's Casey, a typical loser-type outcast who on a quiet evening is robbed and left in a critical condition. After a few days of recovery, he decides to take Karate classes in order to be better ...

Director: Lorcan Finnegan Stars: Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris Runtime:  97 minutes Synopsis:   A young couple looking for the perfect home find themselves trapped in a mysterious labyrinth-like neighborhood of identical houses. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict: "Vivarium" is a literal nightmare of a movie. It's a horror film without the scares. One that relies instead on emphasizing the terrors of aspects found in our everyday lives to make the watch an uncomfortable one. Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg play a couple who found themselves trapped in a suburban neighborhood where all the houses look the same. In order to get out of this puzzle, they are tasked to raise a child they find in a box at the doorstep of their new house. Sounds kinda weird, right? Well, you haven't seen anything yet because weird doesn't even begin to describe what the film is...

Director: Ken Loach Stars:  Kris Hitchen, Debbie Honeywood, Rhys Stone Runtime:  101 minutes Synopsis:  Hoping that self-employment through gig economy can solve their financial woes, a hard-up UK delivery driver and his wife struggling to raise a family end up trapped in the vicious circle of this modern-day form of labor exploitation. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Verdict: Well God damn, I was not ready for that. I didn't know much about "Sorry We Missed You" going into it. I hadn't seen a trailer, read a synopsis, or even looked up who the director was. I wouldn't even have known of its existence if it wasn't for a random tweet calling it one of the best movies of 2019 that I stumbled upon a few days ago. And I hope that this post, much like this tweet did to me, pushes you to seek it out, because it's absolutely worthy of your time. The family drama is quite paradoxical in its nature. ...

Director: Patrick Brice Stars: Mark Duplass, Desiree Akhavan, Karan Soni Runtime:  78 minutes Synopsis:  A video artist looking for work drives to a remote house in the forest to meet a man claiming to be a serial killer. But after agreeing to spend the day with him, she soon realizes that she made a deadly mistake. Performances: 7/10 Editing: 6/10 Entertainment Factor:  5/10 Verdict: The sequel to the 2014 sensation starring the always excellent Mark Duplass as a creepy serial killer did something that very few other movies managed to achieved, and that is score a perfect 100% on the TomatoMeter (although with only 23 reviews to its name). Now do I think that it's deserving of that honor? No, not really. But as a someone who had loads of fun with the first "Creep", I'd definitely consider this one to be a worthy sequel. While I wasn't as charmed by the narrative and atmosphere as I was with its predecessor, the movie still managed to squ...