Movies Graded

Director: Christopher Nolan Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart Runtime:  152 minutes Synopsis:   When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice. Performances: 9/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack:  9/10 Entertainment Factor:  9/10 Verdict:  "The Dark Knight" is considered by many to be the greatest superhero movie ever made. Some even go as far as to say that it's one of the best movies ever made (its number 4 spot on IMDb's Top 250 list proves it). And while I think that the second assessment is a little extreme, I can definitely get behind the first one. I had my fair share of issues with "Batman Begins", and as a result was a little nervous revisiting its sequel for the first time in nearly a decade. I was scared that it would be the Heath Ledger show and that the...

Director: Makoto Shinkai Stars:  Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Shun Oguri Runtime:  112 minutes Synopsis:  A high-school boy who has run away to Tokyo befriends a girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather. Animation: 9/10 Screenplay: 5/10 Editing: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10 Verdict:  With "Your Name" being one of my favorite animes of all time, Makoto Shinkai's follow up project became naturally one of my most anticipated films of 2019. I didn't know much about it, but it very much seemed similar to its predecessor in terms of concept with it being a love story between two teenagers brought together by some kind of supernatural connection. This time, it wasn't a body switch that served as the basis of their relationship, but rather a direct link to Tokyo's unnatural and intense rainy weather. I found "Weathering with You" to be a very cute watch overall enhanced by a beautiful score and impressive work in the animation department (the way th...

Director: Youssef Chahine Stars:  Farid Shawqi, Hind Rustum, Youssef Chahine  Runtime:  77 minutes Synopsis:  A newspaper salesman at the train station in Cairo develops an unhealthy obsession with a woman who sells refreshments. Performances: 7/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  8/10 Verdict: (Visiting 23 countries in 23 days from the comfort of your own home sounds like an impossible task. But through the power of film, #TheFreshPotatoesClub found a way to defy physics and plan a trip around the world through the #CrossingTheOneInchBarrier event. So sit back while I serve as your guide to a country with an immensely rich history: Egypt.) Oddly enough, Youssef Chahine's "Cairo Station", also known as "The Iron Gate", serves as my introduction to Egyptian Cinema, and quite frankly, I had no idea what to expect from it. I chose it purely due to the fact that it holds a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes and watched i...

Director: Steve McQueen Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender Runtime: 134 minutes Synopsis:   In the antebellum United States,  Solomon Northup , a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Performances: 5/5 Screenplay: 5/5 Costumes/Makeup: 5/5 Editing: 5/5 Cinematography: 5/5 Score/Soundtrack:  5/5 Verdict: "12 Years a Slave" is no easy watch. In fact, it's possibly one of the most depressing movies of the current century. But similarly to "Schindler's List", I'd qualify it as an essential watch that needs to be experienced at least once by everybody. The movie follows the true story of Solomon Northup who, despite being a respected free man, was kidnapped and sold to slavery in the mid-1800s. Directed by Steve McQueen, the film paints this dark era in human history in a brutal, upsetting way that makes the experience of watching it an intense and unsettling one. McQu...

Director:  Abbas Kiarostami Stars:     Babek Ahmed Poor ,  Ahmed Ahmed Poor ,  Khodabakhsh Defaei Runtime:  73 minutes Synopsis:   An 8-year-old boy must return his friend's notebook he took by mistake, lest his friend be punished by expulsion from school. Performances: 8/10 Screenplay: 8/10 Editing: 7/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Verdict: The first installment in the unofficial Koker trilogy directed by legendary Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami proves that a simple premise can sometimes be very rewarding. "Where Is the Friend's House?" follows the journey of young Ahmed who, after noticing that he packed his classmate's notebook by mistake, decides against his mother's will to wander around the streets of a nearby village in order to find that friend's house and save him from being expelled the next day. Shot on location only 3 years before a devastating earthquake hit that same village, the movie...

Director: Christopher Nolan Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe Runtime:  140 minutes Synopsis:  After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption. Performances: 6/10 Screenplay: 5/10 Editing: 4/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack:  7/10 Entertainment Factor:  5/10 Verdict: 15 years ago, a young British filmmaker on the rise was trusted with a task no one thought was achievable. Christopher Nolan, who only had 2 hits to his name ("Insomnia" and "Memento"), was successfully handed over the Dark Knight franchise less than a decade after the debacle that was "Batman & Robin". And for many, the first installment not only redefined and legitimized comic book adaptations for years to come but also propelled Nolan's name among the most promising filmmakers in Hollywood. It wasn't until recently that I thought to myself that I hadn't revisited this trilogy since its last ins...

Director: Michael Showalter Stars: Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, Paul Sparks Runtime:  86 minutes Synopsis:  A couple (Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani) experiences a defining moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. Performances: 5/10 Screenplay: 2/10 Editing: 6/10 Cinematography: 4/10 Score/Soundtrack:  5/10 Entertainment Factor:  2/10 Verdict: At one point in the movie, a character called the leading couple "annoying" twice, and it was the only time I even slightly related to anything that was going on in this new Netflix comedy/romance/thriller/crime/mystery. I'm a fan of Kumail Nanjiani and actually really loved "The Big Sick", which was his previous collaboration with director Michael Showalter, but their newest pairing just didn't work at all for me. I don't really have much to say about it, and that's because I feel like I said it a million times before when talking about a million other movies that f...