I admit I was curious. Can any film be as bad as the reviews say?
All in Fantasy
J.J. Abrams' STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Sure, I enjoyed seeing the old characters, but it’s the new ones I really enjoyed.
Zack Snyder's BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE
I think “sequels” to this film will have a hard time topping this one.
Guillermo del Toro's CRIMSON PEAK
What a fun gorgeous movie!
Peyton Reed's ANT-MAN
Another positive factor is the movie’s tone. Good versus evil is presented without excess cruelty or bloodshed.
Amazon's THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE (Season 1)
Oddly enough, as much as this show twists history, I think you will appreciate it even more if you do know the details of the events that are being twisted.
Jaman Winan’s INK
Seeing INK reminded me of my guardian angel days as it explores the conflict between good and evil and the shadowy netherworld of dreams, nightmares, and overlapping timelines.
Matthew Vaughan’s KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
Check it out and prepare to crank up the sound; the bigger the screen the better. Be prepared to be amazed.
Brad Bird’s TOMORROWLAND
The ending is convoluted and prolonged — does the world really need another giant robot fight? — but Tomorrowland is different and definitely worth reviewing, if only for the amazing sets, visuals, and ideas.
Pete Docter & Ronaldo Del Carmen's INSIDE OUT
This is definitely a movie to see in the big screen. It’s not just the detail, it’s the vast scope of the landscapes presented — keeping in mind that all of this is supposed to be taking place inside the head of an 11-year-old girl!
George Miller's “MAD MAX: FURY ROAD”
Speaking of stunts, it is interesting to compare what’s on display here with a Buster Keaton movie like The General which was released on February 5, 1927. That movie involved an extended locomotive chase along with amazing stunt work that still make one’s jaw drop.
I wonder what Keaton would think about this movie?
Darren Aronofsky's “NOAH”
While there’s a lot here that’s “true to the Bible,” the movie also make sense as a fantasy set in a time and place far far away. We can’t help but wonder about the morality of such a world where the vices of humans are met not with forgiveness but with genocide on a planetary scale.
Out of this genocide emerges a new and greener world.
Alexandre Aja's HORNS
There is nothing subtle about this film. Everything seems done to excess.
Peter Jackson's “THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES”
Peter Jackson and crew should be proud of what they and WETA have created.
Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, & Lana Wachowski's CLOUD ATLAS
What a gorgeous movie to look at this is! Plus, the intertwining stories and jumps in time provide amazing and often confusing food for thought.
Akiva Goldsman's WINTER'S TALE
I’m a sucker for well done but romantic time travel films. This one compares favorably to the romantic classic Somewhere In Time.
Francis Ford Coppola's TWIXT
I started out this film not realizing Francis Ford Coppola made it just a few years ago.
Ari Folman's THE CONGRESS
Ari Folman’s THE CONGRESS is a feast for the eye and the imagination. On it I hereby bestow my coveted ONE OF A KIND tag though I must admit that some of the other films in that category seem now to pale in comparison with Folman’s masterpiece.
Doug Liman's EDGE OF TOMORROW
I was unprepared for how really good this movie is.
Stephen Sommers' “ODD THOMAS”
What makes the movie enjoyable despite its familiarity are the characters, the dialog, and some very well scripted action sequences.