-A catch-up of reviews that would’ve been written in April and May

Law school finals don’t really lend themselves to a consistent stream of reviews,  but this article will be a catch up of things I saw but haven’t written about throughout the end of March, all of April, and May. I’m just going to give a brief sentence or two of my thoughts and a score, and hopefully we’ll have some consistent content over the next few months.

 

SAW IN THEATERS:

Tomb Raider 

-Alicia Vikander and a few really cool action set pieces make Tomb Raider worth your time.

 

Love, Simon 

-a really surprising and well made teen film worthy of 2018.

 

Flower 

-Zoey Deutch almost saves this mess of a dramedy.

 

Ready Player One 

-Spielberg’s vanity project is almost good, but panders too much to pop culture fanboys.

 

Isle of Dogs 

-Wes Anderson returns to animation with a delightful dog journey that sputters at the end.

 

Unsane 

-being shot on an iPhone doesn’t mean the movie is good.

 

The Death of Stalin 

-this sophisticated comedy is a subtle, but sustainable, laugh riot.

 

A Quiet Place 

-John Kransinki’s horror project is a wonderful, eerie, and intense theater experience.

 

Blockers 

-Parents can still be really funny. Give this one a chance.

 

You Were Never Really Here 

-Joaquin Phoenix gets down in the mud in this brutal and powerful thriller.

 

Rampage 

-Round Two of The Rock versus The Jungle has a ton of human catastrophe.

 

Truth or Dare 

-I pick truth: this movie sucks.

 

The Avengers: Infinity War 

-I don’t know how they pulled this off, but Infinity War is just flat-out awesome.

 

Disobedience 

-a restrained but intensely intimate look at sexual repression.

 

Tully 

-Jason Reitman gets back on top in the mom drama of the year.

 

Deadpool 2 

-enough good gags to make this comparable to the original.

 

Solo: A Star Wars Story 

-A Han Solo movie is definitely unneeded, but it was fun while it lasted

 

Adrift 

-I almost drowned in my own boredom.

 

Upgrade 

-Robocop meets Venom goes pretty damn well for this indie sci-fi pic.

 

The Seagull 

-The changes to Chekov’s play aren’t needed, so the film drags at points.

 

 

RENTALS:

 

(2017 leftovers)

 

Daddy’s Home 2  

-Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg together in a Christmas comedy works more than it doesn’t.

 

A Bad Mom’s Christmas 

-A lame Christmas comedy with an overzealous cast.

 

Wonder 

-a really powerful story about the beauty of the human soul and the struggle of being different.

 

Coco 

-Pixar’s newest is well-made, culturally important, and fun for what it is.

 

Roman J. Israel, Esq. 

-Denzel’s worthy performance is largely washed away by a problematic screenplay.

 

Wonder Wheel 

-Woody Allen’s old-age touch continues to decline after a few misses in a row.

 

November Criminals 

-two decent lead performances are wasted in a story that doesn’t work.

 

Kingsman: The Golden Circle 

-Fun action doesn’t mix with a shoddy screenplay.

 

Mayhem 

-A fun office comedy that heads off the rails.

 

(2018)

 

Insidious: The Last Key 

-a tame and tepid horror franchise churns out its worst offering yet.

 

The Commuter 

-The Liam Neeson action sub-genre’s new entry is an uninspiring, average train ride.

 

Mom & Dad 

-a fun, ludicrous, but too long horror ramp about blood-thirsty parents.

 

Forever My Girl 

-a country music crybaby and his Nicolas Sparks wannabe romantic journey.

 

Ibiza 

-a party comedy that goes nowhere.

 

The Party 

-a really good cast and their dire relationships make this an entertaining dinner meet-up.

 

Golden Exits 

-a mysterious ingenue works her magic on two families in a pretty intense dramatic script.

 

The Tale 

-Laura Dern gives it her all in HBO’s disturbing and well-acted new television film.