Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Other than Denzel Washington’s performance there is not much else going on here. It wants to be a serious deep thinking-man’s thriller. It comes off as a wannabee Seven slog of a movie.

Silly, stupid and fun. Lots of familiar gags and faces but that is the point of a reboot I guess and we are constantly reminded of that. I like Kevin Smith and good to see him working in this universe again.

Another very good entry from the Pixar folks. It works on several levels, fun and entertaining as it tackles questions about mortality and the meaning of life.

It’s got the looks of a good movie and the noir-ish plot should’ve been interesting but it does not really work.

This is one of the best films from last year. The story of Ruben, the heavy metal rock drummer, who loses his hearing. It’s a movie with amazing performances all around especially by Riz Ahmed as Ruben and his girlfriend Lou played by Olivia Cook. The story is about how much we yearn for “normal” all the while missing the chance to hold on to the new life that lays ahead. Many of the best dramas give us an opportunity to learn about other people and communities. This one does exactly that when Ruben becomes part of the deaf community to help him learn sign language and acclimate to his new life. It’s not always an easy film to watch. It is heartbreaking, tender and does not always do what you might expect.

Good mixing of genre and themes in this rough, grimy, violent and excellent Brazilian film. It is not clear what it is going to be about till maybe a third of the way through. It’s like nothing else that I’ve seen. Sure it borrows from Seven Samurai and others I suppose but the location, a small town in Brazil, set in the near future (I think) and cast of impressive characters are unique. By the end of it the story it tells about a town standing up for itself in the face of invaders leaves quiet an impact.

I expected a horror movie, as in a haunted house type thing. It is not. It’s a much more effective tale about grief, guilt and how difficult it is to be a stranger in a strange country. Sure it has elements of the horror genre but like the best of them it is about much more than the surface. The actors do a great job and the first time movie maker creates a solid piece of work.

Some fun action scenes and a cool opening 10 minutes or so, but this is an overlong, silly, weird (not in a good way) mess.