Top 10 Movies of 2018

Every year I say the same thing: This list gets harder and harder to make every year. There were a lot of great films I wanted to put on this list, but after a lot of thinking and careful analysis of each film I reviewed, I was finally able to rank the top 10. Just because a film isn't on this list doesn't mean I didn't like it, it simply means there were better films. (Please don't burn me at the stake for not putting "Black Panther" on here, OK?)

10. Pacific Rim: Uprising: This was just as good as the original, and I'm hoping there's a 3rd one soon.
9. Ocean's 8: Great cast, great story, great score. A worthy successor to the 2001 film.
8. Ready Player One: There is something for everyone in this film, whether they grew up in the '80's or not. Well done, Spielberg!
7. Solo: I can already here your hate comments being typed. This felt like classic "Star Wars". Just enough grand scale, without going over the top. Alden Ehrenreirch felt genuine as Han Solo, and I look forward to seeing him in more films.
6. Venom: Surprisingly funny, great action scenes, great acting.
5. Teen Titans Go to the Movies: Hilarious movie on par with the "Lego" films.
4. Ralph Breaks the Internet: What "The Emoji Movie" wishes it was. Had great story, a lot of heart, and a lot ( and I mean a LOT) of Easter Eggs and In-Jokes.
3. Bumblebee:  The first great Transformers movie. A great call back to the '80's that proves "Transformers" movies don't need to be big or over the top, and can tell a great story with a lot of heart.
2. Spider-Verse: Everything about this movie was great. It had a great story, great animation, and is the ultimate Spider-Man film (no pun intended)


And the number one movie of 2018 is.....





1. Avengers: Infinity War:  A conglomeration of over 20 movies, with 30 main characters more or less. By all rights, this should not have worked. And yet it did. This is one of the best Marvel movies ever, one of my personal favorite Marvel movies, and I'm proud to rank it as the best movie of 2018.

Bumblebee

Finally, a great Transformers film! Now, I'm one of those people that enjoyed the Transformers movies for the most part, but this blows all of them out of the water! This is what they should have done the first time! This isn't just giant robots blowing stuff up for 3 hours. This actually has some heart and quiet moments to it. It's not exactly what I think of when I think "Transformers", but it was still fantastic! This feels like an '80s' movie. It reminded me a lot of "E.T" or 'The Iron Giant". I was skeptical that since Bumblebee doesn't talk, he wouldn't be able to carry a movie on his own, but this proved me wrong. His scenes are some of the funniest I've seen in these movies. I'm impressed that this is only Travis Knight's second film, and he's already 2 for 2. Rumor says that Marvel is thinking of hiring him to direct 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' and after seeing this, they definitely should. I also must praise Knight for focusing on telling a story and not objectifying the female characters in any way! This is the most family-friendly Transformers movie. If I had kids, I'd let them watch it. Up to now, I have never heard an audience cheer during a movie that wasn't a superhero or ''Star Wars"movie. My audience went crazy! I think this is the only "Transformers" movie that got a standing ovation from my audience. If you grew up in the '80's you'll definitely love this film! Even if you haven't seen the other movies or know nothing about Transformers, you can still follow it pretty well. It stands on its own as a terrific film!

Grade: A+   10/10   5/5 stars

Holmes and Watson

At the time of publishing this review, this currently has a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, and I'd be lying if I said I couldn't see why. The modern day references in what is supposed to be the 1800s can be a little annoying at times, but I still laughed at this movie. I'm a bit of a sucker for goofball comedies, and I got pretty much what I expected with this. Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly actually do make a pretty funny duo that reminded me of old comedy duos. Some of the jokes were kind of eyeroll groaners, but the ones that worked worked pretty well. Like I said, the modern slang and references do feel out of place, but some of them were actually kind of funny and thought provoking. There's actually some pretty funny commentary on society today compared to society in the 1800s, although some of it did feel a little preachy which annoyed me. There's also this musical number during the last 3rd of the film that is just out of nowhere, and adds nothing to the film, and honestly should have been cut. I didn't hate this movie, but I won't be watching it again anytime soon.

Grade: C     7/10     3/5 stars

Mary Poppins Returns

This is one of the few sequels that is on par with the original. Emily Blunt is fantastic as Mary Poppins, which is a hard feat because Julie Andrews set the bar so high! She is just as good as Julie Andrews. She feels like the same character. I also enjoyed the clever bits of foreshadowing in the film that paid off later. Lin Manuel Miranda is by far the best part of this film! He is so fun to watch! Every scene with him gave me a big grin on my face! And he does a very convincing Cockney, something Dick Van Dyke could not do. (Sorry.) This has all the magic of the original, and the songs, while not as memorable, were still catchy. I was humming a few of the tunes when I left the theater. Will the songs be remembered as fondly and be as timeless as the original? Probably not, but they were still a good attempt. My one negative critique is that some of it did feel like a bit of a retread. Some lines from the original were repeated word for word as if to wink to the camera and say "Hey, remember how much you loved the original?" Overall, it's still an enjoyable flick and definitely a worthy sequel. 

Grade: A-      9/10    4/5 stars

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Last year, I said that "Spider-Man: Homecoming" was the best Spider-Man movie ever. I was wrong. This is! It has the perfect amount of action, drama, and comedy. Allegedly, the directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were fired from the Han Solo movie because their vision was "too comedic." This movie proves they can balance drama and comedy perfectly, and I'm hoping this film opens the floodgates for them with other studios wanting to hire them. The animation took some getting used too as it is computer-animated, but meant to look like a comic book not quite completely CGI, but not quite completely hand-drawn either. What was clever about this very unique animation style was in certain close-up shots you could see the little dots that you would see in the pages of a comic book if you zoomed in with a magnifying glass. This movie already blew my mind, but if it had come out when I was 6, it would have blown my mind even more so. This is the Spider-Man movie I would have wanted as a kid, and I can't help but feel jealous of kids today who are my age when the original Spider-Man movie came out in 2002. The backstories for the various Spider-people are told very well, and even if you're not familiar with all the various iterations of the character, you still don't feel lost. (and this movie barely scratches the surface of the Spider-Man lore. There are still many, many, versions of Spider-Man that can be touched on, and I look forward to seeing them in the sequel). This is perfect for kids and adults! If this is not nominated for an Oscar next year, something is wrong with the Academy. There was absolute nothing about this movie to complain about!
Grade: A+   10/10   5/5 stars

Aquaman

Note: I got a pre-screening exclusively for Amazon Prime members, which is why this review is a week early. 

This was fin-tastic! In my "Justice League" review last year, I praised the way they handled Aquaman, and made him cool instead of the butt of the joke that he's been for the past 75 years. He's just as cool here. From the opening battle to the final battle, his awesomeness has no end. The story is pretty good, though I did feel like I'd seen a lot of it before, but it's such a fun journey, that I didn't care. The action sequences, at least when they're grand scale battles with wide shots or pan-shots, look gorgeous. The hand-to-hand combat stuff, not so much. The way those are shot made me feel like I was watching someone play the "Injustice" games. Some of the dialogue is pretty corny, but that's the case with most DC films lately. They're trying to be live-action Saturday morning cartoons. I have no problem with that in the action aspect, but some of the dialogue really needed some re-writes. I usually complain about CGI in Warner Bros. movies saying how it always looks like a trailer for a PS2 game from 2004, but that's not the case here. Ok, there were some parts underwater that were very obviously green screen, but those were few and far between, at least not to the degree of "Wonder Woman" where I could tell when things were CGI. Most of the cast is pretty good, but I do need to complain just a little bit about Amber Heard. During the fight scenes, she was great, but anytime she had dialogue, her lips came up into a sort of sneer, like she was smelling rotten eggs. It didn't matter what the line was. It always looked like that, and it was distracting, and a bit funny. A lot of times it also sounded like she was trying to imitate Scarlett Johansson with the line delivery. In fact, if I closed my eyes, I could almost mistake her for Scarlett Johansson. The movie also had a lot of unnecessary figurative hand-holding for the audience. Every time there was a new location it felt the need to tell you where you were, despite the fact that most people could figure it out from visual context clues. It's obvious we're in Atlantis, it's obvious this is the Sahara. You don't need to have the text on the screen tell us. We're not dumb. We can figure it out in the first 5 seconds of seeing the location. By far the best part of this movie is the directing and cinematography. The wide shots are just gorgeous and the non hand to hand battles are well directed too. For a movie called 'Aquaman' where the main character's power is talking to fish, this was a lot better than it had any right to be. This is definitely, surprisingly, one of DC's best. 

Grade: B    8/10     4/5 stars

Ralph Breaks the Internet

If "Incredibles 2'' beats this for Best Animated Film at the Oscars next year, I'm going to be so ticked! I'd say not only is this one of the best animated films of 2018, it's one of the best films of 2018, period. The plot was not predictable, there were lots of in-jokes and Easter Eggs. This is what "The Emoji Movie" wishes it could be. The film doesn't have much going for it in terms of plot, the plot is pretty simple, but I don't think that was the point of the movie. I think this was supposed to be more "Let's see how many jokes we can make in 100 minutes." Do all the jokes work? No. Some of them actually fall really flat, and there were some elements I think could have been expanded more. This is more akin to "Lego" movies than anything else. The scenes with the Disney princesses being exaggerated parodies of themselves is worth the price of admission alone. (It actually makes me want a Disney Princess "Avengers" type movie.) And there are plenty of other jokes for Marvel and Star Wars. This is probably the hardest I've laughed at a movie this year. It's the rare sequel that in some ways is  slightly better than the original.

Grade: A-    9/10    4/5 stars

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I had mildly low expectations for this movie. I've kind of been over the Harry Potter franchise since Deathly Hallows Part 2 came out, and Fantastic Beasts ended up being a delightful surprise, but I doubted they could make this one as good. They did. Ultimately I was worried that Johnny Depp would ruin the movie because at this point he's almost playing a parody of himself, but for once, Depp does not play Jack Sparrow in a different outfit. The character of Grindelwald is fiercely acted by Depp, and even gives Lord Voldemort himself a run for his money.  This franchise got dark really fast. The "Potter" movies didn't got dark until the 4th outing, but this one did not hold back. It earns the PG-13 rating, which was surprising since the first one was more of a fun fantasy romp. It was refreshing to see a film in this franchise where I did not know the general plot going in, since this is not an adaptation of a book, so there were some great surprises. There were some moments where I thought "Ok, that's really stupid" but overall, the story made sense. I really wish these films would stop ending on cliffhangers. I understand about wanting to make another franchise, but unless it has been set in stone that the story will conclude like "Lord of the Rings", don't do that. Each film should feel more-or-less self contained. Let's say this movie doesn't do well enough at the box office to warrant a 3rd one. It ends up being a waste of time.  I do hope we get a 3rd one, because I'm excited to see where the story goes, and if my theories from this film are right. 

Grade: B    8/10    4/5 stars

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The visuals and costumes are stunning. That's literally the only positive thing I have to say about this movie. Everything else about it is bad. It's a shame, because the director has made some really great stuff. (Captain America: The First Avenger, and 1995's "Jumanji".). The main issue was the plot. The plot was all over the place. I remember very little about it. It was a muddled mess of a movie. The acting was way over the top. Keira Knightly usually does so well, but, sadly she is the worst one here. Every single line is over enunciated or overacted. I think doing all those Pirates movies with Johnny Depp rubbed off on her, because it's like watching a female Johnny Depp. The film, rather than telling the story of the Nutcracker, which is a fine story, and if they had stuck with the original story it probably would have been fine, decides to tell a completely different story, that is very, very, loosely tied to the story. I think the only thing it shares with the original story is the title. It was trying to imitate too many other fantasy movies. Wizard of Oz, 2010's Alice in Wonderland, Narnia. It spent too much time trying to distract with flashy visuals, when it should have been focusing on the story  and acting, and it suffers greatly for it. This movie has no audience. Kids won't like it, because the scary visuals will scare them, and adults will find it boring. This movie is probably the closest thing to being on acid that I will ever experience. Skip this one. See if a local theatre is doing a production of the original "Nutcracker" instead. And if not, I'm sure there are many taped versions out there that are a better way to spend your time than with this movie.

Grade: D     6/10      2/5 stars

The Grinch (2018)

This film was certainly better than the one with Jim Carrey. That one was mean spirited, and he looked down right scary. This one, if you'll put nostalgia aside and just take a look, I think you'll find is much truer to the book. Yes, it's true that this version still has filler plot, but it's luckily just enough, not a whole lot. Now this next statement may cause you to give me guff, but one of my problems was the Grinch wasn't mean enough. In the cartoon and other movie, he's abusive to Max. But in this version, that is something it lacks. The Grinch in this version isn't mean, just kind of a jerk. And I feel that is something that just did not work. But the animation is gorgeous and full of life. The live action version's colors were muted, which caused me great strife. The voice acting by Benedict Cumberbatch was a delight, although at times his voice just did not sound right. "Overconsumerism is bad": The film's message rings clear. Although with all the marketing and tie-ins, the irony seems to be lost here. It's pretty cookie cutter, there aren't many surprises. It did not make my heart grow nor shrink three sizes. It's pretty good animation for a $75 million budget. Though everyone looked a bit like a CGI Muppet. This is still a good attempt by Illumination, for, for all of it's flaws it at least had dedication.
Grade: C   7/10    3.5/5 stars

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

This is the rare sequel that manages to be on par with the original. This felt like a long episode of the tv show. (That's a good thing). Unlike the first, where they just threw in every Goosebumps monster and villain they could think of, this feels more like watching the characters actually live a Goosebumps story. There were some good laughs, and there were actually a few genuinely scary moments. This has all the fun and cheesiness you'd expect from a Goosebumps property.  Although the film did work well with its own original story, part of me keeps hoping that one day they'll do an anthology movie where they adapt at least 3 Goosebumps stories into one movie. There were a few dumb moments in this movie, but they weren't so dumb that I was facepalming or groaning. They fit with the tone of the film, because that's what this film is: Dumb, but fun dumb, not bad dumb. 

Grade: B     8/10     4/5 stars

Venom

I was a bit skeptical when they announced this movie. Could a Venom movie work without Spider-Man? The whole reason the character even exists in the first place is because of Spider-Man. Surprisingly, this movie worked, and it worked well. Yes, the origin story has for the most part been changed, but it still made sense and still worked. Tom Hardy is great in everything he does, and this is no exception. Some of the dialogue is really stupid, and I feel certain scenes could have had more potential, but the stuff that was great was really great. The CGI was terrific, as were the action scenes. The story took a while to get going, but once it did, it really got going. I think this is one of those movies that has enormous potential, but it will never be fully realized, and everything it's setting up will sadly be cancelled. This has happened with "Cirque Du Freak", "Valerian", and others, and I feel this is going to join the "Potential franchise ends up being one and done" club, which is a shame. I want to see more of this!
Grade: B     8/10     4/5 stars

The House With A Clock In Its Walls

This is going to be a very mixed review. The acting is pretty good, and the story is reminescent of a Goosebumps book, but one thing that was omitted from all the marketing was all the Satanic imagery and themes throughout the movie itself. "Harry Potter" and "Goosebumps" this is not. This is an attempt to sell Satanism to children. There's even a part where the main child character performs a Necromancy ritual. (Yes, you read that right.) Granted, he raises the villain from the dead, and later lives to regret it, but still...the fact that this was shown, step by step, in a CHILDREN'S  movie is inexcusable! And there are other Satanic images and themes throughout the movie as well, and NONE of them are subtle. I was extremely disappointed in this movie, because I thought I was going to get a fun "Goosebumps" or "Harry Potter" type Halloween movie, but what I got was much, much darker. I cannot, in good concsience, recommend this movie. Some parts of the movie were enjoyable, (Jack Black and Cate Blanchett had some great back-and-forth insult comedy dialogue and Renee Elise Goldsbury of "Hamilton" fame as one of the villains was a great choice), but I am not going to recommend this movie, and personally, I hope it bombs.
Grade: C    7/10  2/5 stars

Christopher Robin

This was delightful! The detail on the stuffed animals was exquisite, but it's confusing as to why Owl and Rabbit look like a real owl and rabbit, but the others look like stuffed animals. The plot is very sweet and has good intentions, but it is cliche and is also very similar to "Hook". Overworked dad rediscovers childhood joy and learns to be a better father, blah, blah, blah, we've seen this before. It is still done very well, though. What doesn't make sense is that the animal characters do actually speak, and people outside of the Hundred-Acre-Wood freak out when they hear them speak, which is just weird. This didn't really feel like a "Disney" movie. It just didn't have that certain something that Disney movies have. I feel like any studio could have made this. It's still a very cute movie, and a lot of time and care was put into this. The first 15 minutes are more-or-less the style of the books, and there are lots of cute little references to the stories. This definitely isn't a kids' movie, though. It's not inappropriate, kids will just find it boring. There were a lot of kids sleeping at my showing, but the adults sure enjoyed it. Keep that in mind. The average 5-year-old audience may not be entertained.

Grade: B     8/10     4/5 stars

Teen Titans Go to the Movies

If you hate the show, don't read this review. I don't want to get hate mail because I loved this movie. (Prepares for death threats)

This film was hilarious! It's a superhero movie for people who don't like superhero movies, or at the very least, think there are too many too quickly. This film makes fun of everything! The superhero genre as a whole, the actors in the film, the studio, it goes on. And the jokes are well written, smart, and at times pretty subtle. Adults will definetly get more out of it than kids. The songs in the film are catchy and clever, and there are countless blink-and-you'll-miss-it visual gags. Do all the jokes work? No, but none bomb particularly hard, and the jokes that do work more than make up for the ones that don't.
Grade: A+  10/10  5/5 stars

Mission: Impossible: Fallout

As far as plot goes it was pretty much the same as the others. Hard to follow, high stakes, same old same old. But we don't go to "Mission: Impossible" movies for the plot, we see them for the action scenes, and boy did this film deliver! The action sequences were fantastic! Henry Cavill and Tom Cruise have a great dynamic in the film. A lot of the plot seems a bit overstuffed and some characters a bit unneccessary. The humor is unexpected for this kind of film, and it's great. Simon Pegg has some of the funniest lines here. Definitely one of the best entries in the series.
Grade: B   8/10   4/5 stars

Hotel Transylvania 3

I didn't care too much for the second "Hotel Transylvania", so I went in with my expectations pretty low for this one. I was pleasantly surprised. Yeah, it's predictable, but it's a kids movie. There were a few times I laughed. The animation is fast-paced and fun to watch. The plot is at least somewhat interesting this time around. Not all of the jokes worked, (in fact, some were completely out of nowhere and made no sense) but the ones that did really worked. The villains were pretty interesting, and there were a lot of really clever visual gags. It's at least an improvement on the second one, because stuff actually happens in this one. I rather enjoyed this. I would definitely at least rent it.
Grade: B     8/10     3.5/5 stars

Skyscraper

I really wanted to at least mildly enjoy this movie. The trailers didn't impress me that much, but I thought "It's a "The Rock" movie. It will at least be a fun kind of stupid." It's not even that. It's just stupid, stupid. I knew from the trailers that it was basically "Die Hard" and yeah, it is. But it's a poor man's "Die Hard". Like, if that movie were a TV movie on the Syfy channel. The writing is absolutely terrible. The characters are bland and one-dimensional. There are no character flaws to overcome. I thought "The main character has a mechanical leg. Is that going to be his crutch in the movie, both literally and figuratively?" Nope! If anything, it gives him an advantage. He also never sees his mechanical leg as a flaw that he learns to appreciate. I thought "Surely, as cliche as this trope is, he's going to be the dad that puts his career ahead of his family and learns to appreciate them?" Nope. He's pretty decent. There are no character flaws to overcome, which makes for boring characters, which makes for a boring movie. The only cool thing about this movie were the action sequences from several thousand feet up, giving me a sense of vertigo, but even those wore thin very quickly. This would have worked better as an amusement park ride. It's not even worth a rent. It's as generic as generic can be. I felt like I was being trolled with how absolutely stupid this movie is.
Grade: D    6/10    1/5 stars

Ant-Man and the Wasp

After the depressing bloodbath that was Infinity War, we needed something lighthearted to make us feel better, and this film delivered. It had all the humor of the first one, but also knew when it needed to be serious. Some of the running jokes do get old after the 4th time, but some still work. The action sequences are some of the most fun I've seen this year. The villain, while very cool, did some kind of generic in terms of motivation, and I saw the twist coming. Many people were worried this was going to be SJW propaganda, but it is not. It does what "Incredibles 2" should have done. There were too many villains in this movie, too. I think Marvel, in terms of villains, is starting to suffer from DC-itis. Overstuffing the movie with too many characters just for fanservice. There is also one moment in the film where there is a race against time, and when the time runs out...nothing happens, thus rendering the stakes useless. Overall, it was about on par with the first movie, and still had lots of great humor. If you want to see a superhero movie that's borderline parody, but never quite that, than this is the film.

Grade: B     8/10      4/5 stars

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

 In every "Jurassic" movie there are 2 certainties. The T-Rex is always built up until at least the second half, and the T-Rex will show up at the very end, usually saving the main human characters in what I've dubbed "Deus Rex Machina". This "Jurassic" installment breaks the mold by having neither. (Good. These films were starting to get a bit predictable.) Parts of it still feel a bit too familiar, mostly because the first half of the film is essentially a remake of "The Lost World" Jurassic Park movie, and some of the "twists" are really, really stupid, even for this franchise. And yes, there are a lot of really dumb decisions made by the characters. The action sequences are edge-of-your seat, the danger and stakes have been upped significantly, and the second half turns this from action movie into horror movie, and it is intense! The CGI really needs to stop though. The first "Jurassic Park" looks better than this, and that came out in 1993. After watching "Park" and then this, the CGI really stands out in a bad way. They really need to go back to using practical effects. This is still a very fun movie, despite being more of the same, and I'd say it's at least worth a rent.

Grade: B. 8/10  3.5/5 stars

Incredibles 2

Although the plot is not as good as the first one, it is still worth the 14 year wait. The first half could have been improved immensely though, because  for the first hour or so it feels like a gender-swapped rehash of the first one, and plays more like a direct-to-video sequel like the ones Disney used to put out. The first half still has its moments though, particularity the ones with Jack-Jack and the trouble he gets into. A lot of the humor in the first half does come from those scenes, and is more visual based. After the first hour, the plot definitely picks up and reaches a satisfying conclusion. There is still plenty of great action, and the villain, while not as good as Syndrome from the first movie, does deliver a pretty great monologue that makes you think for a moment that their goal isn't so bad, but simply the methods they are using to reach that goal. When it finally is revealed who the villain is though, it does feel stolen from a certain Marvel movie that shall remain unnamed so as to avoid spoilers. The animation is still gorgeous, (though the character of a newscaster does look like an animated caricature like the ones you would get drawn of yourself at a carnival and he just looks creepy), and some of the best voice acting is from Bob Odenkirk. He is one of the best characters in the film. It is disappointing that the film, in terms of plot and character development, had to take a bit of a step backward. What made the first film so unique was seeing the family dynamic and the family using their powers to help each other out. Here, we get very little of that. It has the typical "The dad is stupid and hapless and needs the mom to fix all his mistakes, har dee har" stuff that's done to death in just about every sitcom on tv, and that's disappointing, especially from a so-called "family" company like Disney. Haven't we as a society moved past this? In a world where everyone is crying for "equal rights and representation", shouldn't we get true equality? Equality does not mean superiority at the so-called "privileged" individual or party's expense,and that's disappointing to see here. It also had some unnecessary (albeit mild) profanity, which was also disappointing. (Again, "family" company) Overall, it is worth seeing. Just don't expect it to be as thrilling as the first one.

Grade: B     8/10     3.5/5 stars

Ocean's 8

After 'Ocean's 12' and '13' left something to be desired, I went in with my expectations fairly low. I'm happy to say, this is the worthy successor to "Ocean's 11" that we've been waiting 17 years for. It has all the fun and thrill of 11 and is just as smartly written. The cast, for the most part work very well off each other, and there's lots of great twists. Unlike the recent "Ghostbusters'' remake this isn't a gender swapped cash grab just for the sake of doing it. It has connections to the original, and while you don't need to have seen the original to understand it, it definitely helps. (Keep an eye out for cameos from some of the original cast). The premise is pretty much the same as 11 except instead of a bank the crew is robbing a necklace off of a high profile individual at the Met Gala and will divide it among the 8 of them. The "Ocean" in this one is the sister of Danny Ocean and she's putting her own crew together to continue his legacy. Even though Steven Soderbergh is not directing this time around (he retired after directing "Logan Lucky") he is an executive producer and you can tell his influence is all over it. It's a fun romp that was better than I expected.

Grade: B     8/10      4/5 stars

Ocean's 13 (2007)

After the slog that was Ocean's 12, I'm glad to see this one learned from the mistakes of its predecessor and got back to the roots of what made Ocean's 11 so fun. Don Cheadle finally gave up on his terrible Cockney accent, and 3 out of every 4 of his lines are said in an American accent. A lot of the heist moments were really smart, and it was a just an all around good "Robin Hood" type story. The villain was a real scumbag, and that made it easy to root for the main characters even though they aren't the best people either. This film was missing a lot of the heart that "Eleven" had and that was disappointing. I feel there should have been more drama between the characters and story. This was an improvement over "Twelve" but not as good as "Eleven".

Grade: B     8/10     3.5/5 stars

Ocean's 12 (2004)

People are going to hate me for saying this, but I didn't think it was bad. It wasn't as good as the first one, but I still enjoyed it. There are some awkward moments of stilted dialogue and awkward pauses, and at times the plot can be hard to understand,  and there is way too much dialogue that really just builds up to nothing. But there were still some moments I found fun. The moments of metahumor and self awareness towards the second half of the film made me laugh, there were still some good action moments. It just wasn't as investing as the first one. It wasn't awful,  but it wasn't great.
Grade: C    7/10    3/5 stars

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Finally got around to watching this, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It took a while to get going, but when it did , I was hooked. I enjoyed the film's many twists and smart writing. I had forgotten about things that were set up early on that ended up paying off later. There were several moments where I found myself going "Oh no. How are they going to get out of this one?" Much like the vault the main characters try to rob in the film, it had many twists and turns. It was just an all-around good old fashioned heist movie though a bit dated. You can definitely tell by the pop culture references, lighting, fashion/hairstyles, and cinematography that this was made in 2001. But maybe it was cool at the time. I don't know. The banter between the main characters is witty. I'm excited to see what happens in the sequels and the reboot/sequel opening this week.
Grade: A-   9/10    4/5 stars

Eagle Eye

What a fantastic thriller this was! It was an edge-of-your-seat film that was exciting from beginning to end. Some elements were a little far fetched, but for the most part I enjoyed it. I loved the build up of the first half that was paid off by an even better second half. It really was food for thought about government surveillance and technology. I was not bored once! This is probably one of the best thrillers I have ever seen. I know the film is 10 years old, but no matter how old a film is, spoilers are still spoilers. That's why I'm being vague. I'm trying not to give too much away, because this is a film you want to go into knowing as little as possible. This was Mission: Impossible mixed with Minority Report. (which makes me wonder why Tom Cruise wasn't cast in this one as well.) Not that I didn't enjoy Shia LeBouf, but it seemed like he was channeling Cruise from those films. Despite its problems, of which there are few, I highly recommend it!
Grade: A-   9/10    4/5 stars

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Surprisingly, one of the best parts of the movie is....Alden Ehrenreich. I know! All these years of people complaining that he was "going to ruin the character" and he actually did a great job. It took me about 45 minutes to get used to him, but once I did, I finally accepted that he was a young Han.

This was a lot better than I was expecting. After hearing mixed reactions and reviews, I thought it was going to be just okay, but it was fantastic! I don't know why some people have said that the first half is boring. I thought it was just the right amount of action, and slowed down when it needed to. I'd even go so far as to say it was a nearly perfect movie. Nearly. The only thing I didn't like about the movie was the character of a droid named L3. She was annoying and unneeded. It's like taking out the comedy of K2-SO and dialing up  the annoyingness of C3PO and maybe even Jar Jar Binks. The movie would have more or less played out the same without her. What Harrison Ford has said about Alden Ehrenreich is true. He is "a brilliant young actor" and I do see him getting more roles in the future. Donald Glover was the perfect choice for a young Lando. He even does a spot-on Billy Dee Williams impression. Pretty much everyone in the cast did a great job. This movie was unexpectedly fun. Ignore the haters. Go see it.

Grade: A-  9/10  4/5 stars

Avengers: Infinity War

200th Post! Yay me! 

It seems fitting that I started this blog with a review of "Iron Man 3" and now my 200th post is "Avengers: Infinity War". I was a bit worried about this film. Yes, Marvel is nearly perfect, but I was also worried that we would have another "Spider-Man 3" or "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" situation where it's too overstuffed with characters that it becomes hard to follow. This is not the case. It does jump around from place to place frequently, and I wish the plot had flowed better, but I was still able to follow what was going on. This has possibly the best villain in all of the MCU! Thanos is the Darth Vader of this franchise! He's the villain you love to hate and are genuinely afraid of. The actors bounce off of each other very well and the dialogue is as fast-paced and witty as we've come to expect from Marvel. While at times, it does feel like watching a bunch of video game cutscenes edited together, the movie is so enthralling that my first reaction to the credits (other than pure surprise for reasons I don't dare spoil) was "It's over already?! It just started 20 minutes ago? What? It started almost 3 hours ago?! How is that possible?" That's how much this film pulled me in! It's well worth the 10 year wait! It's amazing to see all these characters interact with each other! There are some really amazing shots and moments, which again, I won't spoil. There's a reason Marvel was unusually secretive with this film. Other than the story not flowing as well as it should have, there isn't anything to complain about with this film.

Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

A Quiet Place

For the love of gravy, do NOT bring loud concessions into this movie. People WILL hear it and you will ruin the movie for everyone. This is definitely one of the best thrillers I have ever seen! It's like an M. Night Shamalayn movie back when he still cared about his career. (Although he is slowly redeeming himself with films like "Split"). Very few scary movies will illicit a reaction from me. This was one of them. Without spoiling anything, something happens in the first 5 minutes that lets you know that this film is NOT playing around. There is very, very little dialogue. Most of the story is told through sign language with subtitles and it works very well. It's a movie where you can put yourself into the characters' situation and understand why they make the choices they make. This movie needs to be nominated for "Best Sound Mixing" and/or "Best Sound Editing" when the 2019 Oscars roll around. Definitely worth seeing. Just hope that your audience isn't loud and rude, which will ruin the movie for you. And please turn off your cellphones. 

Grade: A+    10/10   5/5 stars

Rampage

This is what I call a "junk food" movie. There's little value or substance to it, but that doesn't mean it's not good. It's big, dumb, loud fun, on par with the Rock's typical schtick. If you enjoyed his other action films, you'll probably enjoy this one. It's "King Kong", "Jurassic World", "Planet of the Apes" and "Godzilla" all in one. It's a great way to kill 90 minutes and turn off your brain on a lazy weekend. It's like a live action Saturday morning cartoon. There were actually quite a few funny lines in the movie as well, along with some dark humor that you might feel bad for laughing at, but can't really help it. The Rock was by far the best part of this movie. He knows what kind of movie this is and acknowledges how dumb (in a good way) it is. The plot is silly and doesn't make much sense, but man, is it fun! 

Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

Ready Player One

Well done Spielberg! I did not live in the 1980s. (1997), but now I know how those kids felt when they went to go see "Back to the Future" or "E.T." for the first time. This really captures the feeling of an '80s film, with futuristic technology. If you have the chance, go see this in IMAX or the local equivalent of an IMAX (like I did, because my IMAX is very far, but my closest theater has a screen about the size of one) because it is HUGE. There is one scene in the beginning that was worth the extra $2. My one nitpick that I can give away without spoilers is that while Ben Mendehlson is great as the villain, I really wish they had let him keep his British accent, because his "American" accent is distracting. (And let's be honest. Villains are more intimidating when they're British). I've complained about Warner Bros' CGI before and how it seems to me like they always cheap out when it comes to that aspect. (To me it always looks like cutscenes or trailers to a PS2 game from 2003.), but here, it was believable. I am so glad I was the only one at my screening, because I would have been kicked out for fanboying so much otherwise. This is a film where when I buy it on Bluray, I am going to need to pause it and analyze it frame-by-frame to get all the background references. The plot relies heavily on pop culture references but that's what makes it so great. It's a movie for fans (of anything) by fans. If you've ever had an obsession with pop culture (and almost everyone has at some point), this is the film for you. If you grew up in the '80s, this is definitely the film for you. You will weep with nostalgic joy.

Grade: A-   9/10    4/5 stars

Pacific Rim: Uprising

I went it with mild expectations, because I had heard mixed reviews. The general consensus seemed to be "meh." I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Was it perfect? No. Could some of the writing have been better? Absolutely. But I knew what kind of film I was going into. I wasn't going into some intellectual film made to made you think. I was going into a cheesy popcorn flick, with action. And that's what I got. My expectations were met. I got exactly the kind of film I was hoping for. Was the first one better? Yes. Do I still like this one? Yes. It's a live action Saturday morning cartoon. Nothing more. If the first one was "Transformers" mixed with "Godzilaa", this is more of that, but with "Power Rangers"  thrown in there as well. Without spoiling anything, I will say I wish the last scene had been left out, or put on the Bluray as an alternate ending, because if the studio decides they don't want to make a 3rd one, that last scene was pointless and I will be disappointed. John Boyega was one of the best parts of this movie. His character is well written and you understand why he does what he does. He was actually the most interesting character in the movie. John Boyega has come a long way since "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and that was only 3 years ago. (He was also producer on this film as well. Good for him!) If you enjoyed the first one, you'll get pretty much of the same. Nothing more. Nothing less. It is on par with the first one. Neither better nor worse.

Grade: A-    9/10    4/5 stars

Tomb Raider (2018)

I went in with my expectations really low. This is a video game movie, after all. I went in with my expectations low and was still disappointed. I wanted to find something to enjoy about this movie, but I found nothing. The plot, when it finally got to the plot after an hour, was a beat-for-beat rip off of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." There's an ancient tomb/coffin, the bad guys (who in this one are not called Nazis but are basically Nazis) want to open it to unleash the power to control the world, archeologist tries to stop them, blah blah blah, you know the rest. This should have been called "Tomb Raiders of the Lost Ark". (Hey, Honest Trailers, I found your title for this movie.) The main character is so bland. She is such a Mary Sue. The actress did a fine job, it was just a badly written character. Lara Croft has no character flaws. She does everything perfectly. She's one-dimensional. She's boring. She is a knock off of Indiana Jones and Katniss Everdeen. (She even has the same bow and arrow!) The action sequences were filmed with the cursed shaky cam so you can't even tell what's going on when something is happening. I went with my friend who actually played the games, and even he thought it was terrible. I didn't play the games, and thought this movie was terrible. So if it can't satisfy fans of the game, and it can's satisfy a casual moviegoer, that should tell you all you need to know. This movie is better off buried and forgotten.
Grade: F+     0/10     0/5 stars

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

I try to keep these reviews spoiler-free but since this is based on a book that has been out for over 50 years, I think I have a little bit more free reign. If you haven't read the book or seen the 2003 movie, be warned of mild spoilers. I try not to reveal anything too major, but some of the story must be spoiled mildly in order to compare/give my thoughts. If you want zero spoilers, do not read my review until after you've read the book or seen the movie.

I don't understand the critics' hate on this. I really enjoyed this movie. Almost all the acting was good, the effects were as trippy as they should have been, and the story was more-or-less the same as the book. My only complaints are that the actor who played Charles Wallace was not as creepy in the second half as he should have been. (But he's still a child, so I'm not going to be too harsh). I was worried when Michael Pena was cast as the villain, because generally his roles are comedic, and even when he's playing a villain, like in ''My Little Pony: The Movie" it's as the main villains' sidekick/comic relief. Surprisingly, he did a good job. The character in the story is supposed to be an allegory for the devil, and while he wasn't as creepy as I would have liked, he did add another element to the character by posing as friendly in order to tempt the main characters more. They also got rid of the part of the story with Aunt Beast. (Yay! Seriously. What were those things? Chewbacca's second cousins? Whatever they were, I always hated that part as I felt it slowed the plot down and added nothing. By cutting that part they proved how unnecessary it was and the story still works without it.) Being a Disney film, they of course toned down the creepiness of the planet Camazotz. (Boo!) I would have preferred it to be as scary as the book and 2003 film. It was still a bit unsettling, but not as much as it should have been. Overall, I thought this was a fine adaptation, albeit a slightly flawed one.

Grade: A-    9/10     3.5/5 stars

Black Panther

This movie was awesome! Black Panther was one of my favorite parts of "Captain America: Civil War," and this film shows why. This is "Batman" meets "James Bond." One review I read complained that the film didn't have enough action. I disagree. It had just the right amount. A film doesn't need action every scene to be good, it just needs a good story, and this film delivers. This film gives us the best MCU villain since Loki. He's one of the few villains that I can sympathize with. I'm not justifying his actions, but I get where he's coming from. The technology in this film is really cool. There's one scene in particular that I won't spoil but I thought it would make a great ride at EPCOT. The last 30 minutes alone were worth the price of admission. The final battle is so good and really drew me in! The dialogue is also very well written. This is one of the best films of the MCU. And it's not just a great superhero movie, it's just a great movie. Period.

Grade: A+   10/10  5/5 stars 

Batman Forever

Given that this is the same director of that absolute garbage "Batman and Robin", I went in to this with my expectations extremely low. This actually ended up being pretty decent. It's not amazing, but it was at least fun.  It actually managed to find a balance between silly and serious. The problem with "Batman and Robin" was that it was all silliness,and was just cringeworthy throughout. This showed restraint (for the most part). Some of the dialogue is corny, and some of the acting is over the top (Jim Carrey), but I enjoyed this film. Obviously, it did well enough that they gave Shumacker another Batman movie to direct, and that was the one that ended up being there downfall, but this was a pretty good attempt. Some of the plot didn't make sense (Why is Robin in his late 20s here, when in the comics he was 15?) and the effects aren't the best (but this was 1995, I'll give it a pass). This is like the Adam West "Batman" show mixed with the Tim Burton "Batman" films. I think the best part of this movie was Tommy Lee Jones. He managed to ham it up as Two-Face, but also managed to show restraint when it was needed. Unfortunately, Jim Carrey as the Riddler did not show restraint and was just annoying. Think Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" but about 10 times worse. I'd say this movie is at least worth a watch, but for goodness' sakes, stay far, far away from "Batman and Robin".

Grade: B     8/10      3.5/5

Peter Rabbit

This was delightful! It was a lot better than I expected. At most, I thought this was going to be mediocre, given that this film is from Sony, who thought “The Emoji Movie” would be a good idea. This was actually quite enjoyable. Is it as good as, say, a Pixar movie? No, but there was some effort put into this. The acting was great, the story was better than I thought it was going to be, given that it’s a 20 page children’s book turned into a 90-minute movie. The soundtrack felt a little out of place, which is my big critique. There isn’t very much score in the film. Instead, the scenes are accompanied  by top 40 pop songs. They felt so out of place. They really should have just scored the film instead. The film was cute. I enjoyed myself. Addressing this so-called “controversy.” The thing people are making a big stink about is how Peter uses Mr. McGregor’s allergy to blackberries against him. It’s 5 seconds of the whole movie and Peter later feels remorse and apologizes. If there were no consequences, that would be one thing, but there are consequences. I’m more concerned by the fact that Peter and his crew nearly kill McGregor several times, whether it be through electrocution, or other means. The violence level is really no different than “Home Alone”, which is basically what this is: “Home Alone” with animals. It’s a fun, cute movie and I recomend it. Hop on over to your local cinema as soon as you can.
Grade: A-    9/10.  4:5 stars

The Maze Runner: The Death Cure

I read the books, so I knew what to expect with this one. To be honest, I thought the book was lazy, so I expected the movie to be about the same. It wasn't. It was great! The opening scene alone was one of the best parts of this movie. It really does not slow down. It's intense action, and thrills! There were times where I was on the edge of my seat and felt my stomach drop. (I saw this in my local equivalent of an IMAX, so the screen was bigger than normal, so that may have had something to do with it.) Certain scenes drag out the inevitable "boo!" quite effectively. I very rarely jump at jumpscares anymore because they've become cliche, but there was one that actually made me jump. Sometimes the plot was a little too convenient and a little redundant. It seems like the goal has been met, but then the characters need to reach that same goal again. They end up in danger, get deus ex machina-ed,  end up in danger again, get deus ex machina-ed, repeat for whole movie. It could have used more variety in the plot, but that's more-or-less how the book was, so I can't blame that too hard. Aidan Gillen does a great job as the villain. He's chilling, yet you like him for his charisma.  There were twists and emotional moments that actually made me cry. Bring tissues, because you will cry at the end. (If you read the book, you know what I'm talking about). I'm sad to see this series end, but have enjoyed the journey since the very first one. It's a bittersweet ending, that's still very satisfying. It's the finale this trilogy deserves.
Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

Tomb Raider (2001)

I know nothing about the games. Going in, I was expecting this to be a fun, silly, stupid but fun stupid movie and that's exactly what I got so I can't really complain. It does have a lot of problems, particularly from the story. It doesn't make a lot of sense, there are subplots that are never resolved, and it's just lazily written, and it was really just an excuse for action scenes and slow-mo shots (which are awesome, by the way). The acting isn't really all that great, particularly from Daniel Craig, but this was one of his first big movies, so I'll be more forgiving of his performance. I just wish they hadn't cast a Brit to do an American accent and an American to do a British accent. It feels like Jolie and Craig had a contest between takes where they would try to one-up the other's true accent, and it's just distracting and silly. Would I recommend it? Not really, but if you want to get some feel for what Tomb Raider is (which doesn't even really do that, since they don't really raid tombs in this movie. False advertising) before you see the remake in March, it's ok. It was pretty much exactly what I expected, so I can't complain a lot, but I'm hoping the remake tries a little harder.
Grade: C    7/10    3.5/5 stars

Before I Wake

I applaud the screenwriter for making this a horror film without any of the traditional horror tropes. Yes, there are a few jumpscares, but it doesn't rely too heavily on them. The story took a direction during the last 20 minutes that I didn't see coming. It didn't end the way I thought it would and the way it did end, ended up being very creative, and somewhat bittersweet. Some of the acting can be a bit wooden at times, but that's only from the adults. The child actor was the only one who ended up sounding genuine the whole time (go figure). The effects could have been a bit better, and until the end I thought the monsters looked silly, and not scary but by the end I forgave that because there's actually a reason for it, which I won't dare spoil. This film hearkens back to the old days of M. Night Shamalayn (specifically 'The Sixth Sense') and at times reminded me a bit of the 'Doctor Who' episode "Night Terrors" which is one of my favorites. Definitely worth checking out on Netflix.
Grade: B    8/10    4/5 stars

Paddington 2

2018 is off to a great start. This movie was great! I wouldn't say it's better than the first one, but I still enjoyed it. The acting was great. Brendan Gleeson as a prison chef is particularly delightful. The CGI is some of the best I've seen. The plot jumped around at points, and made it hard to keep track of what was going on, but the payoff in the end was satisfying. At first, I thought this would be just a cute kids' film, nothing more, but there was actually some substance to it. Even a lot of the adults in my screening were laughing, and laughing hard. The slapstick humor was a bit over the top at points and slowed the film down as filler, and was unneeded, but when it did shift focus back to the story, it was good. I enjoyed Hugh Grant's performance as the villain. He wasn't as good as Nicole Kidman's portrayal of the villain, (she was far more evil and her intents were actually sinister. Grant's character is a bit sillier.) but he was still enjoyable. (There was one scene in particular during the end credits that had me laughing pretty hard.) Considering this is 1. a sequel and 2. a sequel to a kids film, this had more effort put into it then there needed to be. It deserves its (surprising) 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It's a delightful film, and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
Grade: B   8/10   4/5 stars

Brigsby Bear

I have to give credit to the filmmakers. It's nice to see a film with an original story. It's very refreshing. The story was unique, and there was this kind of sweetness to it. The main character had a genuine innocence to him, and his personality was so great! I enjoyed Mark Hamill's (albeit brief) performance as the villain, although I wish he would experiment with different voices when he plays villains, because no matter what, I always hear Joker. He did have an entertaining performance, though, despite being in the film for 10 minutes at the most. This film was inspiring to me as a hopeful filmmaker. This film shows that you don't need fancy effects or lots of money, or even big stars. You just need a good story, and a passion for what you are doing. Just like the film itself. I enjoyed the main character's passion for his "fandom." I related to being the only person who watches something, and people looking at me like I have two heads when I talk to them about it, and also eventually getting them into the fandom as well. This happens to a lot of people, and I think almost anybody could relate to this story. I really hope this is eligible for Academy Award nominations or at the very least some film festival nominations. It certainly deserves them. It was a weird movie, but it was endearingly weird, and I finished it with a big smile on my face! This is the perfect film for budding filmmakers, or anybody passionate about fandom.
Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

Mars Attacks!

For people who don't like this film because it's "too corny", they are missing the point. It's supposed to be corny. There's movies that are bad in the sense that there was no thought or effort into them, and there are movies that are intentionally bad, meaning the style is supposed to be all in good fun. This is the latter. Even for a movie that's "intentionally bad", it's still pretty good. I was laughing the whole time. There were a few plot holes here and there, and things that seemed like they were setting up for a payoff, but never did. Despite these problems, I still enjoyed myself. The Martians' design and language were unique, the story was enjoyable, and the actors seemed like they enjoyed themselves. The score was also really good. I may go back and listen to the soundtrack with how epic the score was. Honestly, the score had more effort put into it than there needed to be. The ending was a bit silly and just felt like "We need to end this, so let's end it as soon as possible" and was honestly a bit of a cop out. There are some questions I still have about things left unexplained. Even with these factors, it's still worth a watch just for a fun time. See it and enjoy yourself.
Grade: B    8/10     3.5/5 stars

A New Direction for 2018

I don't want to wait until late January/early Febuary to do reviews of Maze Runner 3 and Black Panther, because they are weeks away and I don't want interest in my blog to fade due to lack of activity. So, I'm going against the norm. I'm going to start reviewing older films that I haven't seen. I will take inspiration from Doug Walker aka Nostalgia Critic on Youtube and try to review whatever movie he's reviewing. He's putting out his review of Mars Attacks today, but I'm going to have to hold off until I've seen/reviewed it for myself. The website says that next week he'll be reviewing the old Tomb Raider movie next week in preperation for the remake coming out in March. I have placed these films in my Netflix queue and they should be here this weekend. Keep an eye out for those reviews sometime this weekend/early next week. Hopefully, this will keep my blog alive in the "slow months" until March when almost every week has a big release. I may not review every movie Doug reviews, but I will try to cover as many as possible. This will be a fun, new experience reviewing older films I haven't seen. I did this once or twice back in 2013 when I started the blog, but those posts didn't generate as much activity,so I stopped. I'm going to get back at it and start reviewing more "retro/vintage/classic" films.
My guidelines for this are as follows:
I can not have already seen the movie (meaning I have to review movies I've never seen. I can't review films I own.)
With very few exceptions, my reviews will not be of R rated films. 
Other than that, anything goes. Feel free to share your recommendations and I'll take a look at them if I haven't already seen it.
As always, you can also follow this blog's Facebook for the latest news/trailers. 

https://www.facebook.com/Movie-Madness-164804263854283/