While the men are nothing more than uninspired archetypes, the leads keep the film humming at a quiet and subtle pace.
Spotlight is a well made film, the acting, directing, and script are hard to find complaint with. Then why did it fail to enrapture me? Am I not able to appreciate fine film making?
Delightfully shot, the keen humor and excellent writing makes for a stylish and well-rounded emotional film.
"really funny style... leaving a somber feeling"
Excessively vulgar and filled to the brim with notable performances, the film adaption of a memoir is a bold, detailed take on life's twists.
Tense and well performed, Ex Machina is as acutely humorous, smart, and engaging as its characters.
Though it falls victim to cliches it helped create, My Sassy Girl is written and acted with effective poise.
Dizzying in both plot and viewing experience, Jason Bourne delivers unsatisfying action and screenplay.
While the solid writing and poignant acting make for an overachieving start, the plot couldn't help but be undermined by cliche.
While nothing about the film stands out in particular, there are good ideas and potential behind it all.
UPDATE: After watching Shutter Island: Why Perspective is Everything by Storytellers on YouTube I discovered that the film is subtly detailed and would benefit from a rewatch. As it stands I rated the film based on my first viewing experience.
The anticipated sequel manages to be fresh while maintaining integrity. While this is great news for fans, for those less enthused by the world it's nothing particularly exciting.
With the heavy handed cinematography and ceaselessly drawling expository, The Grandmaster has some stylish moments but is otherwise tiresome.
Reviewing a film two decades after release is a fickle matter, and while the initial impact and cultural context are lost to the new viewer, the themes and messages aren't. Princess Mononoke is a proud and patient venture into the literary familiar.
An honest first directorial attempt that surely doesn't execute as well as planned.
La La Land shifts between musical and movie without warning without taking full advantage of both formats. The film is a feat of cinematography and directing, but anything more is the power of rose colored nostalgia.
Moana sticks to Disney's tested way and continues their second renaissance with effective flair.
If a society's progress can be measured by the empathy of it's citizens, then Moonlight is a shining beacon. The generic characters are emboldened by strong performances and the subtle, yet effective script and cinematography bring another man's life to life.
The sprinkles of technical and acting excellence can't stop this otherwise mindless thriller.
Striking presentation and sensible decision making brazenly brings the beloved series to the masses.
The film has intriguing and stylish elements but lacks the nuanced depth to take full advantage.
Masterful cinematography allows Lixin Fan to open a window into the raw and genuinely human costs of a surging soulless economy. Last Train Home poignantly leaves the viewer to reactions and questions; on both the grand scale of socioeconomics and the intimacy of family.
Delightful wit and visual spectacles makes Guardians of the Galaxy fresh entertainment.
Intelligent and purposefully directed, Arrival succeeds in its' ambitious themes despite sedate pacing and uneven characterization.
The sequel's bigger ambitions and budget shine through with savage action and superb camera work, though unclear plot lines, overabundance of characters, and borderline excessive gore bog it down.
Charmingly clever, Over the Garden Wall undershadows its cute presentation with dark tones of surprising depth. Like the world the characters explore, there is more than meets the eye.
With it's animation quality control and pacing issues, the anime adaption just cannot match the game's sense of tension, discovery, and momentum. But despite all of this there are brief moments of excellence to start a die-hard's tears welling.
