TheMovieman

Hired to Kill (1990)

Uneven but still decent little drama featuring nice performances by Marie-Josee Croze and Rachel McAdams as well as Franco, though he did have creepy, serial killer eyes in some scenes that took me out of the movie. Still, it's effective enough with great visuals. ***/*****, (C+, 6.2/10, 2.5/4)

Just another bad and forgettable supernatural "horror" film. *¾/*****, (D+, 3.6/10, 1.25/4)

Not bad at all. Keeps up the tension throughout and the acting was well done especially on the part of Goodman. I haven't seen Cloverfield in years so I can't compare, though I do appreciate it wasn't the found footage style. ****/*****, (A-, 7.9/10, 3.25/4)

Just watched this again tonight and although it's certainly on the silly side, the adventure aspects are a lot of fun and for Cage, it's a time when he was still trying. It's nothing overly special and doesn't hold a torch to the Indiana Jones franchise (well, 1-3 anyway, I'd watch this over Kingdom of the Crystal Skull any day) but it's perfectly entertaining. ***¾/*****, (B+, 7.4/10, 3/4)

Every Thing Will Be Fine (2015) The Other Side of the Door (2016)

Wasn't bad but hardly a Disney classic. I did like the animation and the voice acting wasn't bad either but the story, as good of a message as it has, hits you over the head to the point my natural cynicism turned back on. I'm also not sure when I really want to revisit this. ***¾/*****, (B+, 7.6/10, 3/4)

Didn't like quite as much but I generally agree. I actually thought it wasn't that political outside of a one or two lines, the bulk of the 2+ hours was building up the characters and then the Bay action sequences which were well directed, conveyed the chaos really well. Oh, and John Krasinski turned in one hell of a performance, can't wait to see him in that Jack Ryan TV series. ***¾/*****, (B+, 7.6/10, 3/4)

Get a Job (2016)

Overlong and overused CGI, Gods of Egypt might not be terrible, even passable in spots, but with a director like Alex Proyas this could have been great or at the very least memorable. I will say, Gerard Butler put his heart and soul into his performance, chewing scenery as he might have been, but he probably the most enjoyable part. **½/*****, (C, 4.8/10, 2/4)

Didn't care very much save for some good atmosphere and a solid performance from Anyay Taylor-Joy otherwise I found a few scenes to be actually unintentionally funny. Honestly, it was a bit of a chore to sit through and will not revisit at all... **/*****, (C-, 4.0/10, 1.75/4)

Benjamin Asher: Was that necessary? [after Banning kills a terrorist as his brother listens via radio] Mike Banning: No. Doesn't pretend to be anything other than a shoot 'em up and although weaker than its predecessor, I was at least entertained for the short 90-minute running time. ***/*****, (C+, 6.2/10, 2.5/4)

I generally agree. Worse of all, it was dull as hell. Let me put it this way, I laughed twice while watching the god-awful Zoolander 2, that's twice more compared to Hail, Caesar. The only good thing about it was the production, costumes and Deakins' cinematography, otherwise I couldn't wait for it to end. Not sure how this was written and directed by the same brothers from Fargo, The Big Lebowski and Inside Llewyn Davis is beyond me. *¾/*****, (D, 3.5/10, 1.25/4) Yeah, he was the best part.

It's a stupid comedy but only succeeded in the stupid part and forgot the comedy. I laughed, or more accurately, chuckled a couple of times and the rest of the time I just stared at the screen not in disbelief but indifference. I should admit, I didn't think the first movie was any classic but at least had some amusing moments but this sequel just did not work at all. IMO, it's even worse than those spoof movies because there was an actual budget behind this one while the others are slapped together to make a quick buck. */*****, (D-, 2.2/10, 1/4)

Good, entertaining movie. Nothing more, nothing less. The performances were mostly good and the story was fantastic and, from what I read now, fairly accurate (save for the relationship between Bernie and Miriam who were already married and she was home sick). Also one shouldn't overlook the effects which were well done. ***½/*****, (B, 6.7/10, 2.75/4)

Finally got to see it and... well, it was entertaining... for the most part, but it's middle of the road when it comes to Marvel films. It didn't help that I actually zoned out a few times and frankly, I felt Spider-Man wasn't even needed, though I do like the actor and am interested in his solo film (which presumably was the reason for him even being in it, much like Wonder Woman in BvS). The film also had some pacing issues for the first hour. By the end, I left somewhat satisfied so I guess that's a win? This does not come anywhere near Winter Soldier or Galaxy but is a good step up from the Thor movies (which I generally didn't like). ***¾/*****, (B/B+, 7.4/10, 3/4)

Hadn't seen the movie in many years so decided to pop it in and enjoyed it a lot more than before. Great performances all around and top notch writing. It is, however, a cold ass film, lol. ***¾/*****, (B+, 7.7/10, 3/4)

Admittedly tame for a zombie movie, and should've gone all out and just be rated R for violence, and for horror fans not nearly enough of the undead, I still found this adaptation, for a novel I've never read mind you, do be fairly entertaining mainly for the main actors, Lily James and Sam Riley. ***½/*****, (B-, 6.8/10, 2.75/4)

Stay sane BOT. Nothing changes. It's a Captain America titled movie, so it's a solid number.

Backtrack (2016)

My hope is with the box office failure of The 5th Wave and lackluster returns for The Divergent Series: Allegiant and Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (though the latter did fine business overseas), that these YA adaptations will come to a stop. This movie wasn't terrible but it didn't need to exist. The story was ho-hum (at best) and it seemed to be haphazardly stitched together. On the plus side, Chloe Grace Moretz probably was the best thing about it and I was more interested in her story than the side-plot with the military. Liev Schreiber meanwhile was vastly underutilized but fulfilled the role of having an adult name actor in a villainy character (see: Patricia Clarkson in Maze Runner, Julianne Moore/Donald Sutherland in Hunger Games and Kate Winslet/Naomi Watts in Divergent). **½/*****, (C, 4.9/10, 2/4)

Nothing great but still passable Western-Thriller with solid performances from Portman and Edgerton. Also, I didn't even recognize Ewan McGregor. ***/*****, (C+, 5.8/10, 2.25/4)

I actually saw this before but it's been at least 20 years so seeing it again, just all around thrilling and one of Cruise's best performances, perhaps second only to Magnolia. The action scenes were so well directed by Tony Scott and although it is formulaic, there wasn't a moment I wasn't entertained. ****¼/*****, (A-, 8.4/10, 3.25/4)

Yeah, it was OK. I'd say it's worthy if only to know about CTE and for Will Smith's performance but otherwise it's kind of paint-by-numbers. It also seemed kind of soft on the NFL, it's not like The Insider and tobacco industry. IDK, should've been a whole lot better. ***/*****, (B-, 6.3/10, 2.5/4)