87.) Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 [12/23/2015]

The fourth movie based on the dystopian trilogy of novels was as expected: there was a battle between "good" guys and obviously bad guys and the good-guys won, putting a nice bow on the long running series; this movie lacked some of the more clever themes of the first three (propaganda, the role of fashion and spectacle in oppression), but if you liked the first three, you'll like this one.

86.) Creed [12/23/2015]

This might-as-well have been called Rocky Redux, since it was essentially the same story (though, the boxer's backstory was different); like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this was another entry in a franchise that returned to the well, and like Star Wars, this looked to capitalize on the audience's nostalgia for the original film rather than build a compelling narrative within that establish narrative; surprisingly, Sylvester  Stallone was incredibly charming and nuanced, and not surprisingly, Michael B. Jordan was good.

85.) Star Wars [12/19/2015; 3D IMAX 12/26/2015]]

I saw this twice, and I really...REALLY...wanted to like it (Star Wars sits right in my interest wheel-house), but I just can't bring myself to give the film a glowing review; I liked it well-enough (who doesn't like dog fights with Tie Fighters and X-Wings and light saber battles, and JJ Abrams knows how direct an epic space ship battle), but the first installment of the new trilogy, so heavily steeped in nostalgia, was built on the viewers love and knowledge of the original trilogy, jumping from big nostalgic set-piece to big nostalgic set-piece (literally flying through the ruins of ATATs and Star Destroyers) rather than taking time to build the relationships between the new central characters; that said, I loved Rey, Finn and Po, and I look forward to some more films where I might be given a story that gives me a reason to care about these people.

84.) Sisters [12/18/2015]

I love Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, so I was really looking forward to what seemed like a Trainwreck-style comedy which examined how women move into middle-age; unfortunately, it played out more like a Judd Apetow movie, with ad libbed jokes that ran on for just a bit too long (though, some were funny); still...it was nice to see two leading women drive a film which focused on their relationship; the style of comedy just isn't my bag.

83.) In the Heart of the Sea [12/15/2015 - IMAX]

There have been a few movies in which I get to watch a person die while voluntarialy doing something immensely and obviously dangerous, most notably Everest, which occasionally still haunts my waking life, and Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea is another such film in which a person flirts with death in a breath-takingly beautiful place; unlike Everest, where Rob Hall's motivations were so tragically human and understandable his death had some sort of resonance, I didn't care for any of these characters, so while everyone on the boat is wasting away from starvation with death looming overhead, I didn't have that same deep, resonant sadness (even with all the amazing cinematography, which just becomes beautiful window-dressing to an ultimately meaningless set of tragic circumstances).

82.) Brooklyn [12/10/2015]

This movie received a lot of buzz early as an Oscar contender, and with a Nick Hornsby script and a cast of great actors, my interest was certainly piqued; it was, however, a bit disappointing: I was glad that Hornsby's adaptation (I haven't yet read the book) didn't kowtow to Hollywood's insistence on neatly wrapped packages and perfect endings; however, the cinematography felt claustrophobic and I questioned some of the directorial decisions; Brooklyn was good, but it wasn't great.

81.) Trumbo [12/1/2015]

The Oscar-contenders are out in full-force as the year draws to a close, and a film about Hollywood with an All-Star Cast of dramatic actors is bound to be considered for Best [Something] (likely film); this movie did not disappoint: Bryan Cranston (as Dalton Trumbo) managed to sermonize without being ham-fisted, the characters were well-rounded and developed, and the whole film was rife with parallel metaphors for how the language we use to disagree with others can have terrible consequences for those ostracized (refugees, Planned Parenthood, Liberals V Conservatives, et. al).

80.) The 33 [10/21/2015]

This was an interesting story told in an overly dramatic and predictable way; it might have had something to do with the amount of Latino actors in it, or the script they were given, but the whole, overly-long, film sounded and felt like a Spanish Soap Opera, including overly poetic dialog, and over the top emotional outbursts (and it was really, really long).

79.) Spectre [11/19/2015]

Does anyone remember when Michael Jordan retired, won three more championships, and then after a second retirement, he played for two more unremarkable years with the Wizards?  That's a nice analogy for this, unnecessary, though occasionally-fun-to-watch fourth installment in the James Bond series; it was wrapped up so cleanly with Skyfall, that everything about this movie, from the action scenes (save one fight with Dave Bautista) to the romance to the dialog felt forced and tacked-on.

78.) Suffragette [11/17/2015]

The struggle about voting rights for women is full of interesting and courageous women, and several of those were featured in the film, including Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep) and Emily Davison (Natalie Press), the last of who literally gave her life for the cause, but strangely, none of these people were the protagonist of the film; instead, Carey Mulligan played a fictionalized character who really had no impact on the movement or voting rights, leaving me to wonder why the film focused so intently on her.

77.) Steve Jobs [11/8/2015]

The second of the Steve Jobs bio-pics was less concerned about the principal actor looking and walking like Steve Jobs, and more concerned about telling a balanced story; Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle worked well here, and the movie was both beautiful and well-told. (This was out of order, sorry.)

76.) Burnt [11/13/2015]

Like Whiplash, this movie examined the nature of perfection (this time in the kitchen instead of the stage), and what is necessary to become the best; it's hard not to like anything with Bradley Cooper in it, and this subtle movie was well-written, well-shot, and well-worth the time.

75.) Our Brand is Crisis [11/11/2015]

As interesting as this movie seemed (watching Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton politically maneuver to get opposing politicians elected seems inherently interesting), but the film never gave me a reason to care about anyone or anything: I didn't care who won, I didn't follow Bullock's character arc, and when the twist hit at the end, I wasn't moved as the film suggested I should be; this movie is ultimately forgettable, which is sad since both Bullock and Thornton were pretty good.

74.) The Last Witch Hunter [11/10/2015]

This movie was ridiculous (as anything about a dream-walking set of witches and the immortal man with a loose sense of morality who hunts them would have to be), but like Pacific Rim and Godzilla before it, the film was so fun to watch, I didn't care (too much) about the plot holes and inconsistencies; watching Vin Diesel act out what was likely his last D&D campaign in real life made it that much more enjoyable.

73.) The Martian [10/3/2015]

This was one of my favorite books this year, and when I heard that Matt Damon was cast to play Mark Watney, I was excited to see the movie; unfortunately, what I liked about the book (all the meticulous scientific description, his relationship with inanimate objects, etc.) just were not in the film; it did a good job of fleshing out Watney's personality, but the story was flattened out in exchange.

72.) Bridge of Spies [10/31/2015]

Sometimes, the most unexpected person can accomplish exceptional feats, and James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks, in a role reminiscent of Charlie Wilson's War) was an extraordinary man; the movie, which was quite good despite the slow nature of the narrative, shows how he began to change, initially unwillingly, from a decent insurance lawyer to one of the most successful international crisis negotiators in American history by clearly distinguishing between what is right and what is just; this movie is a reminder of how America used to lead by example, affording even the most reviled of foreign agents with the fullest dignity of the Constitution.

71.) Freeheld [10/29/2015]

The on-screen chemistry between Ellen Paige and Julianne Moore felt forced and unrealistic, but despite this seemingly problematic handicap, this was an incredibly moving movie; it's hard to imagine that as few as ten years ago, anyone would have to die to make a point, but by dying, Laurel Hester exemplified a simple truth: everyone should be treated fairly.

70.) The Walk [10/28/2015 - 3D]

There are few movies that actually evoke a physical response from me, and there are fewer movies I think need or deserve to be in 3D; The Walk was both, and with a great cast, an interesting narrative device (the whole experience felt like a carnival, but with more serious stakes), and stunning cinematography, this was a far more enjoyable experience than I anticipated going in.

69.) Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials [10/27/2015]

If you saw the first Maze Runner film and liked it, then you would probably like this one: same characters, same basic premise (escape from unclear and murky evil to find that everything is connected), lots of running, and then it ends clearly pointing to the next thing that needs to happen; the characters are likable enough, and the action is engaging, but I took some issue with the zombies who, like those in I am Legend and World War Z, got faster and stronger as they decayed.

68.) 99 Homes [10/20/2015]

If you have never seen a Michael Shannon movie, do yourself a favor and rent Take Shelter (2011), then go see 99 Homes; this movie, which followed the lives of those profiting off the misery of others after the housing crash of 2006, pulled off a rare feat: Rick Carver (Michael Shannon) was both despicable and relatable as he does terrible things to people for reasons which the viewer both hates and understands.

67.) Sicario [10/18/2015]

The Oscar contenders are out in full force, and Sicario could be a sleeper for Best Actor (Benicio Del Toro); while criticism levied against the film for it's depictions of Mexico as a run-down slum full of violence and decapitated bodies is certainly well-founded, as a film, the movie is an intense examination of the war against crime which is steeped neck-deep in grey, and Benicio Del Toro brings a difficult character to life in a way that he is both reviled and admired.

66.) Black Mass [10/15/2015]

I have been weary of Johnny Depp movies since The Tourist and Transcendence, but I am always a sucker for Boston-based crime movies (see: The Drop, The Town); this movie was great, and largely because of Johnny Depp playing a menacing Whitey Bulger scamming the FBI to grow his crime ring; the movie was so good, it rekindled my disappointment in Depp's less-than-stellar work.

65.) The Intern [9/30/2015]

Maybe I am expecting too much: Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway were both pretty good, the story had some interesting elements, and I wasn't bored, so I should probably call this a win; that said, for a movie that went as far as to have the characters state, loudly and often, that women could have it all, it sure focused a lot on a dude, albeit a helpful one, who underwent no significant life changes while a woman with a complete arc about self-acceptance and forgiveness was literally marginalized; with a few narrative shifts in focus, this might have been a really great, uplifting movie about women in the work place, but instead we get a movie about an old guy who helps people by just being himself.

64.) Pawn Sacrifice [9/29/2015]

Chess as a metaphor in films has been done before, and I generally find them tedious; here, though, the complexity of chess is far more nuanced, and thus its use as a metaphor for the enigmatic (and problematic) is more nuanced than the typical motif of chess-as-war conceit; Toby MacGuire does crazy pretty well as he works to distance himself further from Spider-Man, and Liev Schreiber is a nice counter-balance to that insanity (as I am sure Spassky was to Fischer).

63.) Sleeping with Other People [9/24/2015]

This movie was tricky to review: Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis made for pretty good leads in this fast-talking romantic comedy about two impossibly charming people with conflicting attitudes about sex and relationships; I remember liking it, but I feel like I'll likely forget I saw the movie (which would be a shame, because I remember liking it when I left the theater).

62) No Escape [9/23/2015]

Set against the vague backdrop of a rioting Asian country, this movie featured a lot of running with little context as to why anything was happening (why was Owen Wilson taking a shady job when he had a nearly successful patent; what was Pierce Brosnan supposed to be; why were the Asian people rioting; etc.), leaving the movie feeling tense, but mostly confusing; surprisingly, Luke Wilson was okay as the frantic action star, and it's always nice to see Lake Bell get work.

61.) Everest [9/19/2015]

Like Into the Wild, this was a movie about the most predictable tragedy imaginable, but unlike Chris McCandless, Rob Hall seemed like a thoughtful and careful person who was caught in an unfortunate (though not unpredictable) circumstance; it was, not surprisingly, a difficult movie at times, watching what seemed like a really good guy freeze to death.

60.) A Walk in the Woods [9/17/2015]

An old-man version of Wild but lacking the clarity in metaphors and character arcs; if you liked all the walking scenes in The Hobbit but hated the fantasy aspects of the film, then A Walk in the Woods is for you.

59.) Mistress America [9/15/2015]

Noah Baumbach again releases a movie where someone (this time co-writer and star Greta Gerwig) is living a stunted adulthood, refusing to see the world as it is while aimlessly drifting through life and being admired for it; so if that is your bag, this will probably be alright by you; Gerwig is pretty good, though the machine gun dialogue is full of pretty words that mean nothing (which might be the point).

58.) Dope [9/10/2105]

I missed this the first time it came through, and then it inexplicably came back; the love child of Super Bad and Napoleon Dynamite, this was an incredibly charming and funny movie about kids who refuse to fit in (in this case, with the culture of South Central LA), and fight for their right to be weird and different; I loved this movie.

57.) Straight out of Compton [9/3/2015]

Having been a young teenager when NWA released their first album (and during the LA riots against which the film is set), a lot of this movie rang true to what I remember (though, being a white Midwestern suburbanite, it did fill in some pretty huge gaps in my own understanding, like how completely horrifying Sug Knight is and how bold a move Ice Cube made leaving NWA); that said, it did significantly gloss over some of the more unseemly bits that conflicted with the narrative, like how Dr Dre beat a lot of women and how Eazy-E was sort of a scuzzy dirtbag, which gave the group a bit more of a rosy shine than it deserves.

56.) The End of the Tour [9/1/2015]

End of the Tour, the bio-pic about author David Foster Wallace, was an interesting exploration of not just the reclusive and troubled writer, but of what makes some people great (even if they don't want to be) and what makes some people forgettable (even if they're trying not to be); I put Infinite Jest on my Amazon wishlist so I can be like everyone else who owns it but hasn't read it, so there is that.

55.) Diary of a Teenager Girl [8/29/2015]

This  film, a sort of Lolita-meets-Juno exploration of the sexual awakening of a teenager from the perspective of a girl in love with her mother's boyfriend (20-year age gap notwithstanding), refreshingly opted for an honest look at all the confusion and excitement that comes at such a time for a young woman (I assume, not being a woman and all) as opposed to a preachy stance; like Lolita, the main character was a child, and there were several explicitly sexual parts in the movie that were really unsettling keeping that in mind, but I like movies that can generate an emotional response, including discomfort, and realize that this movie might not be for everyone.

54.) The Man from UNCLE [8/26/2015]

A film in which Superman and a blonde block of wood revisit the 60s Cold War spy era (while current international relations depressingly resemble the 60s Cold War) and tell the typical origin story for two seemingly mismatched people forced to work together; a passable and at times entertaining movie which most fans of Guy Ritchie won't hate.

53.) American Ultra [8/22/2015]

What seemed like it was going to be Pineapple Express meets the Bourne trilogy (and, no, I am not counting the fourth movie as a Bourne film), American Ultra just didn't commit to the stylized , quirky film it set out to be; it wasn't bad, but it could have been more like John Wick in it's commitment to a unique style.

52.) South Paw [8/20/2015]

Jake Gyllenhall surprised me with Nightcrawler, and he was surprisingly good here, as well (as was Rachel McAdams); that said, the movie was just okay on a whole (nothing new was brought to the boxing movie), and certainly not for anyone squeamish about dudes getting punched in the face.

51.) Fantastic Four [8/14/2015]

This movie could be read as an extended metaphor for itself: a self-centered but super intelligent Reed Richards (here: Fox) doesn't understand what he has (here: the Fantastic Four franchise) and he ends up hurting himself and those who love him (read: the audience); while trying to fix it they end up making things worse and inadvertently unleash Dr. Doom on the world (here: rebooting the franchise); it wasn't the little things (they sent video and audio across interdimensional space with no time lag, there was a super busy highway running along side the super secret military base, Dr Doom's world ending destruction machine was made of rocks, Reed Richards could stretch his face into a different ethnicity, etc.) which piled up and distracted from the movie, it was that the movie took all the right pieces and still managed to make something so shitty that it manages to disappoint even those with the lowest of expectations - like a child who takes all the ingredients for pancakes but instead makes some ungodly concoction so terrible that the parents question ever having had children to begin with. 

50.) Trainwreck [8/9/2015]

I've been burned by Judd Apatow films before (the decidedly unfunny Funny People and This is 40), so I went to this one nervously, to say the least; it turns out Amy Schumer can carry a film, even the trainwrecks (see what I did there) that Apatow puts together (though this had some really funny moments, most of which did not feature Lebron James).

49.) Paper Towns [8/7/2015]

This movie was built on the assumption that the female lead was exciting, alluring, and an independent free spirit, and the lead male character was a romantic for trying to piece together the clues and find her when she mysteriously (and excitingly) disappears; 16-year-old Keegan might have found her exciting, but 34-year-old Keegan found her to be tedious, petulant, narcissistic child with with an inevitably disappointing life ahead of her when her friends and family realize how terrible she is and leave her to "find herself" alone.

48.) Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation [8/6/2015 - IMAX]

On the spectrum of excellent spy-movie franchises, this sits just below the Daniel Craig Bond films and the first three Bourne movies, but it is far better than Jeremy Renner's Bourne and Pierce Brosnan as Bond; this was a fun, thrilling, summer-time action movie, and thankfully, Ethan Hunt seems to be aging in this universe, as the espionage is taking it's toll on him both physically and mentally, which, while it runs counter to everything old-man-action movies tend to stand for (see: The Expendables), suggests that the franchise is aware that the conceit is ridiculous and not tenable.

47.) Ant-Man [7/31/2015]

If there was a time it became clear that Marvel no longer was interested in telling good stories which happen to feature superheroes, and instead is more interested in telling "Marvel" stories (whatever that might be), Ant-Man would be the ground zero for that epidemic; here was an opportunity for Marvel to right the ship which has started to drift towards mediocrity with Avengers 2 by letting a unique director tell an interesting story in his own stylized way, but instead they went with Iron Man featuring ants, which is the safe and retread territory.

46.) Irrational Man [7/30/31]

Woody Allen has one central trope in a lot of his later movies: a young girl falls in love with an older man, which is fine, but at times can be distracting; this movie had a clever central conceit (which I can't talk much about since it will give away the whole film), but it was lost in an unnecessary love triangle in which a broken older man who is a known radical and misunderstood by most, a clear stand-in for Woody Allen, was caught between two women ready to abandon their committed (and seemingly decent) relationships.

45.) Mr. Holmes [7/27/2015]

It's hard not to like Ian McKellen, and this was a role which seemed to be written for him; that said, the movie, which examined the role of memory and the nature of knowing along the backdrop of post-WWII Europe, seemed really muddled in places with ideas and story pieces feeling undeveloped (which left me to wonder if the book, A Slight Trick of the Mind, might be a better way of telling this story), and also the movie also didn't need to have Sherlock Holmes in it, as there was nothing particularly unique about the detective in the film; in short, no bad, but not really good either.

44.) Terminator: Genisys [7/6/2015]

The Terminator franchise is built on the idea that the end-game for robots and artificial intelligence is human extinction, so that this movie trots out that tired and worn trope is not surprising; what was surprising was how good Arnold Schwarzenegger was in such a bad film, stuffed with unnecessary complications, poor performances, and a dogged reverence to the original series.

43.) Inside Out [6/28/2015]

We've come to know Pixar as a studio that creates tear-jerking cartoons  with a wide audience appeal (see Up, and Toy Story 3 as prime examples), and Inside Out, a movie about a little girl (an only child, no less) as she deals with moving, is ready-made to just make people emotional; nicely, the movie's understanding of the processes of the brain seemed rooted in science, which is a nice touch.

42.) Jurassic World [6/26/2015]

Despite all of the narrative problems and issues with the characterization, this train-wreck of a film did not diminish my love for the original Jurassic Park; overly sentimental about the least interesting aspects of the original and forgetting what made that movie successful to begin with, Jurassic World sets out to answer the least interesting question raised by the premise of a theme park full of killing machines: who could win in a fight - giant dinosaur A or giant dinosaur B?

41.) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl [6/25/2015]

It was as if John Green, Wes Anderson, and Diablo Cody teamed up to write the most charming, poignant teen-dying-of-cancer movie possible; though it was more-densely allusive than a pop-culture version of T.S. Elliot's The Wasteland, the movie avoided being overly pretentious, giving the viewer a charming story about insecurity, acts of kindness, and the difficulties of self-awareness. 

40.) I'll See You in my Dreams [6/22/2015]

This was essentially About Schmidt, but without an RV or a naked Kathy Bates, and a woman instead of a man who loses a loved one and spends the whole movie trying to find herself; despite the troubling implication that Blythe Danner needs male companionship in order to be happy, this is a decent version of the old-people-who-discover-life-is-still-worth-living film.

39.) San Andreas [6/18/2015]

This movie was, nearly plot-point-for-plot-point, the same film as 2012, sans the government conspiracy subplot coupling with the destruction of the world; Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was a better lead  than John Cusack for this sort of movie (really, The Rock is the best lead for this kind of movie always), and some of the camera work was nicely Godzilla-esque; however, for the most part, this was a summer action movie that, while worth the nearly two hours of earth-quakey goodness, will make the rounds on FX in a couple of months.

38.) Pitch Perfect 2 [6/14/2015]

If you like Pitch Perfect, you'll probably like Pitch Perfect 2 slightly less; there is a lot I could say about the flawed narrative, but really, who goes to this movie for plot and characterizations?

37.) Love and Mercy [6/12/2015]

Growing up with Full House, I have always had a soft-spot for the Beach Boys, even as I grew up and realized most of their songs were about being high on the beach; this excellent bio-pic of the genius behind the group, Brian Wilson, and the album that broke him, Pet Sounds, was quite excellent and enjoyable, due in no small part to John Cusack (his best acting since High Fidelity), Paul Dano (his best since Little Miss Sunshine) and Elizabeth Banks (maybe her best ever).

36.) Tomorrowland [6/7/2015]

With a retro-sci-fi feel, George Clooney, and the promise of epic jet packing, I really was looking forward to Tomorrowland; unfortunately, the ham-fisted socially conscious message and undeveloped characters bogged down what could have been a really fun movie about jet packs, the future, and the survival of mankind on a slowly burning planet.

35.) Mad Max: Fury Road [5/30/2015]

There is a lot that can be said about this film: the feminist (or faux-feminist) undertones, the stellar acting by Charlize Theron and the mostly mute Tom Hardy, the incredible and mostly-practical special effects, the written dense with metaphor and poetry, and all of this in an action movie; in the end though, Mad Max: Fury Road is just fun, pure and simple.

34.) Aloha [5/29/2015]

I was really looking forward to this movie: Bradley Cooper, Bill Murray, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski - what's not to like about that line up, especially in a movie written and directed by the guy who brought us Almost Famous and Jerry McGuire; in actuality, the movie was just okay and could have benefit from about another half-hour of explication to round out the character and plot development; still though, the performances by the above mentioned actors turned what was just a half-decent film into a watchable, if not ultimately forgettable, movie.

33.) Avengers: Age of Ultron [5/14/2015]

As far as movies with robots go, it was not as good as Ex Machina, and for superhero ensemble movies, it wasn't as good as the first Avengers movie (and a far shade paler than Guardians of the Galaxy); likely, though, this is a movie that fails by comparison, as my expectations for Marvel movies might now be untenable; I didn't dislike it (James Spader was great), but it just wasn't as good as others they've put out, and because of that, it feels more disappointing than it probably was.

32.) Ex Machina [5/7/2015]

There have been a lot of films about AI recently: Transcendence, Her, even Lucy to an extent, but Ex Machina is the one that most realistically deals with the question of cognizant machines; the whole cast was great, the film was stuffed with haunting imagery (particularly the scene concerning Oscar Isaac's closets), and the writing was great (the most Alex Garland-y of Alex Garland movies), so if you like deeply probing films about robots, than you should love this one, as I do and did.

31.) Child 44 [4/27/2015]

Set in Stalin's post war Russia, Child 44 examined the flaws inherent in the denial of societal realities (particularly Stalin's notion that there could be no murder in paradise or that Russia's brand of dystopian paranoia was paradise); Tom Hardy is, as per usual, excellent, though I wonder why there weren't more Russian actors in lead roles.

30.) Age of Adeline [4/25/2015]

In all honesty, I'll likely forget I've seen this movie in a few months if it weren't for this blog; there was nothing particularly bad about this romance with touches of magical realism that cribs heavily from Tuck Everlasting, and some parts were even interesting or entertaining; however, in the end, it was ultimately forgettable. 

29.) While We're Young [4/24/2015]

Like a lot of Noah Baumbach's movies, While We're Young explores getting older with characters that seem hesitant to do so, and this movie, specifically, examines the metrics used to judge one's success at being an adult; if you liked his other movies, particularly Greenberg, then you'll like this one.

28.) Woman in Gold [4/11/15]

A rare dramatic role for the charming Ryan Reynolds (paired with the always amazing Helen Mirren), this movie was about how the Nazis attempted to completely erase the Jews - in body, in culture, in spirit; this excellent film examined the nature of memories and the need for metaphors to help move on.

27.) Furious 7 [4/3/2015 - IMAX]

Let's be honest: no one goes to see these movies for the plot or the acting or any number of other things for which people go to see movies, rather people go to see beautiful people drive cars and fight, and in that respect, this movie provides what it offers, and only that; as a movie, it was terrible and convoluted, but as a touching goodbye from a group of friends to Paul Walker, it was a really touching film (particularly the re-shot ending).

26.) Run All Night [4/1/2015]

This one was genuinely, surprisingly enjoyable old-man crime movie in which an incredibly menacing Ed Harris faces off against a drunken, bumbling Liam Neeson over a family dispute despite deep personal connections; it was a different role for Neeson, within, of course, his typical oeuvre but a far cry from the confident, self-assured murder machine in Taken 1 - 8, or whatever; and though I felt like some of the scenes were out of order, I walked away liking what was a subtle, often moving film (less than The Drop but far more than 88 Minutes, to put it in perspective).

25.) Gunman [3/30/15]

There were some unncessary plot devices that muddled the whole thing, but otherwise, The Gunman was a pretty predictable hitman-cum-politics movie; there were two surprises: 1) Sean Penn looks great (though his acting is not as well-developed as his musculature), and 2) Idris Alba was in that movie, though I don't know why. 

24.) Insurgent [3/24/2015 3D IMAX]

I liked Divergent well enough, though I have never read the books, but this sequel wasn't as tightly written or directed, feeling rushed at times and leaving a lot of questions unanswered without the benefit of narrative digressions which prose allows (like why the hell Viola Davis took a bit part in an uninteresting part of the movie);  though I did walk away feeling like it was mostly filler to get to the next, possibly more interesting part of the story, I have a soft-spot for dystopic fiction and Shailene Woodley, so I didn't hate the film.

23.) The DUFF [3/23/2015]

This film was at an unfair advantage, as I came of age during an era when the teenage romantic comedy (think, American Pie, Varsity Blues, Can't Hardly Wait, etc.) was at its artistic pinnacle; as a poor man's She's All That (itself a modern retelling of My Fair Lady), The DUFF added very little to that conversation, save allowing some of the pretty people to be decent, well-rounded humans, but Mae Whitman was engaging enough to make it worth a look if it ever comes on cable TV.

22.) CHAPPiE [3/11/2015 - IMAX]

The love-child of Robo-Cop and Short Circuit was a heaping pile of science-fiction tropes: artificial intelligence, government oppression, hopeful and idealistic scientist/engineer faces down bigger, stronger militarized force who wants to use the first's ideas to further oppress, and so on; it only brushed against most of these without fully delving into any one, leaving the film to feel unrealized, and what was left was essentially a two-hour music video for Die Antwoord that was still, somehow, better than Transcendence.

21.) McFarland USA [3/8/2015]

Finally, cross country gets the Remember the Titans treatment, where a scrappy team from the wrong side of the tracks surprises and warms America's heart; while utterly predictable and, at times, overly-dramatic, McFarland tells an interesting story about a community who needed a win, and the reluctant coach who gave it to them.

20.) Focus [3/5/2015]

This was a role outside the box for the generally squeaky-clean Will Smith, but he took to it well; the movie, an Oceans 11-style society of theives heist movie/Dirty Dancing-style female-driven coming-of-age film, was pretty enjoyable by being just clever enough to keep my interest, but not so clever as to be ridiculous. 

19.) Still Alice [2/26/2015]

This winter seemed ripe with films about tragic diseases (ALS, Alzheimer, chronic pain, depression); Still Alice was a mediocre film with one especially amazing performance (Julianne Moore's deservedly Oscar winning's portrayal of the title character, Alice Howland, but it's worth seeing, though, as Moore convincingly and subtly portrays the flustering and discouraging nature of the heartbreaking progression of the neurological disease.

18.) Project Almanac [2/25/2015]

As the film studio that gave us Joe's Apartment and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, MTV Studios isn't known necessarily for "great" movies (or even "watchable" movies), but I was relatively surprised by this time-travel-story-meets-teen-drama; besides the obviously plot holes that come with the found-footage style films (see: The Blair Witch and Apollo 18) and the overly-long music video scene, it was a fun movie about jumping around in time and the problems that inevitably creates, which, admittedly, is not the most original idea or the most original way to film it, but here it all came pleasantly together for an enjoyable afternoon movie.

17.) The Kingsmen

This had all he ingredients of a movie I would love: action, spies, violence, explosions, Colin Firth and Mark Strong, but like a poorly made cake, it took all these ingredients and made something that looked ldelicious but tasted terrible; a movie about subverting expectations to effect change that ends with nothing changed and expectations fully realized. 

2014 Top Ten

Having seen 100 movies last year, and with awards season in full swing, I threw together my Top 10 list for 2014.  A few notes on the list: 1) these were movies I had seen, so The Babadook, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and several other popular movies with very narrow releases were not considered; 2) some of the movies that had limited releases in 2014 and have since had wider releases after the New Year were not considered, like Still Alice, American Sniper, Selma, and several others.  A full list of films I had seen in 2014 is available by idly flipping through my Facebook feed, but no one really wants to do that.

10. The Lego Movie - Pure fun, from front to back.

9. Imitation Game - The best of the late year bio-pics.

8. Birdman - Not without it's flaws, but incredibly interesting and well produced.

7. Big Hero 6 - This is what all kids movies should be like.

6. The Drop - A menacing thriller with a slow burning plot.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy - Who would have thought a movie with a talking tree and racoon would be so good?

4. Snow Piercer - I always have time for absurdist films, particularly with Alison Pill

3. Locke - Proof I would watch Tom Hardy read the newspaper.

2. The Grand Budapest Hotel - The most Wes Anderson-y action movie ever. 

1. Whiplash - Great music, great performances, and incredible writing. My favorite of the year.

Some honorable mentions:

1. Foxcatcher for the most surprising casting choices and performances.

2. A Most Wanted Man for making me miss Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

3. Theory of Everything for Eddy Redmayne's performance of a man suffering with ALS (personal attachment there).

4. Godzilla for being the most-fun monster movie in forever.

5. Stalingrad for being the worst movie of this year or any year, past or future.

If you agree or would like to tell me how wrong I am, feel free to comment.  I love to tell people how wrong their opinions are.

16.) Deux jours, une nuit [2/10/2015]

I have a lot of time for Marion Cotillard; she was nominated for best actress for this film (which is as much about social anxieties as social charity and personal responsibility), and she deserved it; reading a movie, though, leaves a lot to be desired, but this slow, deliberate film allows for such distractions.

15.) A Most Violent Year [2/9/2015]

I wanted to really love this film: it had some actors (Oscar Isaac from Inside Llewyn Davies) and a vibe (1970s gangsters) that seem right up my alley; in the end, it was just alright: everything was good, but nothing was great.

14.) Black or White [2/8/2015]

I was surprised by this one, in that I didn't hate it; tonally, the movie was all over the place and it could have used a more subtle lead than a Kevin Costner, but it tried to be more than just a surface examination of race and family which gave Catherine and I something to talk about. 

13.) Jupiter Ascending [2/6/2015]

What could have been essentially King Ralph in space took all the worst parts of the three Star Wars prequels and boiled it down to a tangy reduction of convolution; I can only imagine a frightened CG artist starting the process with the Wachowskis standing behind him or her, asking with some trepidation how many space ships to render, and the Wachowskis answering in unison: "All the ships. Render for me ALL THE SHIPS!"

12.) Game of Thrones: Season 4, ep. 9 & 10 [2/4/2015 -IMAX]

I couldn't pass the opportunity to see one of my favorite shows on the biggest of screens; plus, the exclusive extended trailer for season five got me all excited for the coming Spring; if you are a fan, it was definitely worth it.

11.) Black Sea [2/4/2015]

The film is worth it just to listen to Jude Law's unironically awesome Scottish accent, as well as the tense-as-shit second and third act that ramps up the action in such a way that I barely noticed when my heart stopped beating. 

10.) Mr. Turner [1/29/2015]

An incredibly slow, almost book-like biography of the British painter who could be considered the grandfather of the Impressionists; the film, unfortunately for me, expected I know a lot about art, history, and late 19th Century Britain, thus making it, at times, impenetrable.

9.) Cake [1/26/2015]

Cake was a bit plodding at times (down right painfully slow at others), and not without its narrative flaws, but, in the end, the (overly) ambitious film was alright; the role was a departure for Jennifer Aniston (one which people have been trumpeting for months now), and she was good enough that I hope it leads to other, maybe better, roles.

8.) The Wedding Ringer [1/24/2015]

Like Hitch but for bros, and lacking a good chunk of the charm; that said, if you are looking to rent an incredibly simple comedy, one could do worse.

7.) Black Hat [1/22/2015]

Do you remember in Live Free or Die Hard when Justin Long's character, Matt Farrell, "hacked the internet" on his T-Mobile SideKick, and the collective audience groaned at the writer's perceived lack of understanding when it came to the internet; this was that, but without the advantage of a car being driven into a flying helicopter, which is to say it was dumb without redemption.

6.) American Sniper [1/21/2015 - IMAX]

Leaving aside some of the personal information about Chris Kyle that has floated to the surface since the release of this movie and the book before it, this was a really moving film about the effects of trauma, and the impossibility of normality once a war (or the soldiers time in it) is up; Bradley Cooper provides a depth to both the character and the story which may not have existed in his real life, but was needed to tell this story.

5.) Into the Woods [1/20/2015]

At times clever, Into the Woods would probably be rated pretty highly by people who like musicals, but I'm not that person; I did find Chris Pine to be surprisingly nuanced, and I am now convinced that Emily Blunt can do anything. 

4.) Selma [1/9/2015]

2014 was full of excellent bio-pics (Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, Wild, even Unbroken was fairly good), and Selma continued that trend; it was carried by an excellent performance by David Oyelowo and great direction by Ava DuVernay.

3.) Top Five [1/6/2015]

Birdman:Michael Keaton :: Top Five:Chris Rock, re: art imitating life; a surprisingly entertaining and genuinely funny film.

2.) The Gambler [1/6/2015]

Someone wrote the most Sam Rockwellian of Sam Rockwell characters for a deeply philosophical movie exploring ideas of identity, existentialism, and valuation (while drastically misunderstanding the life and pay scale of a tenured faculty member of an English Department); then, Mark Wahlberg was cast instead of Sam Rockwell and the wheels fell off what could have been an amazing film.

1.) Big Eyes [1/2/2015]

As much as a story about how Americans consume art as it was about the bizarre relationship between Walter Keane his wife, Margaret; at times, this highly stylized film could have used more subtlety, which is not in Tim Burton's toolkit, but it was an enjoyable film with great performances from Amy Adams and Cristoph Waltz.