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