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Our Bad Dads Marathon continues with the ultimate bad father, Godzilla. If Kaiju S exists, they most certainly be called on Goji in the way he hits his son in order to teach him the basics of atomic breath. Like all the Showa era films, we have a human story at the center of this distracting us from the more pertinent business of monster fighting. Also, as the Showa era progressed the human stories became increasingly fantastical leaving post-war Japan heading into the Space Age. The story here is frustratingly pointless with scientists on an island with big insects that get even bigger after their experiment fails, also coincidentally Godzilla has stashed an egg there, in typical absentee father fashion, that eventually gets found by the huge insects in order to attack it of course because that's what big insects do. There's a shot when Godzilla is wrestling with the huge mantis monsters where for a brief instant the top of the beautiful blue-sky backdrop is visible. Very silly in a harmless way, I appreciate that they didn't need to get the mainland involved, giving the citizens of Tokyo a much needed break. So far my least favorite entry in Godzilla's initial run of films.

Today, on the eve of Father's Day, I foisted upon my family a Bad Dads Marathon kicked off by this movie. It had been over 10 years since I had revisited this, knowing that the impression this movie makes the most is how inconsistent the effects are. Even for 2003 this effects feel a bit off, maybe because of how ambitious it was as a project and partly because it relies on a CG character as its hero in a way viewers have never been used to. The year before this came out audiences were entertained by Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (with effects that also don't hold up very well) that was able to use real actors in costume for many shots, even a dummy in costume for one infamous shot. This movie could not have moments of a tactile, in-the-flesh hero because of the nature of the character mixed with the scale of the film. One fatal flaw was having the Hulk grow on screen commensurate with his rage, an idea that's great just executed poorly here. Ang Lee and James Schamus also decided that they wanted to treat the material in a serious manner, elevating the story to their level which leaves a lot of the audience behind. Rewatching it now, I can appreciate the Shakespearean tragedy they were going for with a nice metaphor for generational trauma, most of which worked it's just hard to take too seriously in a movie with a mutant poodle. I found myself once again very annoyed with the very unnecessary comic book framing in certain scenes...comic books do this in order to move action forward, you know like a movie not to confuse the reader about which they should be watching. This was a solid attempt that failed because the filmmakers are at odds with their own story trying to make themselves and the audience happy, the end product feeling more like a compromise than a cohesive work of art. For all its criticism, it still reigns as the best Hulk movie...sorry Ed Norton not all of your split personality movies are going to be good.

The anti-authoritarian message of this movie is as important as it has ever been. Just a perfect movie all around, I've never felt 2 hours fly by so quickly. There's an obvious reason why I don't want the movie to end, one other reason is just the insane chemistry of the cast with Jack Nicholson anchoring the film as well as teeing up his co-stars to shine. Everyone was pulling their weight creating a near verisimilitude of human interaction and mental illness. I didn't Scatman Crothers was in this, he nearly steals the movie in his few scenes, he was probably underutilized as an actor in his time. Louise Fletcher represents a perfect embodiment of absolute power corrupting absolutely, in the scene when she suggests the patients vote then pulls the rug out from under the group is exactly what relying on your elected officials feels like. I had considering showing this movie to my 7 year old because of how wonderful it is, luckily I didn't since I forgot how lyrically vulgar it is at times. As much as I love Amadeus, I think this is my favorite Milos Forman. I need to watch more of his movies though I doubt any of them come close to this. Beautiful 4k restoration done by the Academy that I'm looking forward to owning later this year.

If I've watched this movie more than twice before I'd be very surprised. I believe I rewatched it at some point in the last 15 years, I just don't meaning I have a stronger memory of watching it when it came out in theaters. I was 12 when I first watched and I being impressed by the visuals, I was probably still in the process of shedding my fear of scary movies so it's possible the movie creeped me out a bit. I know I didn't have the appreciation of film noir that I currently have back then to truly enjoy the aesthetics of the film. This movie feels like a neo-noir crossed with Brazil, there's some very similar imagery. The Orwellian nature of The Strangers, with their need to rewrite reality to suit their needs is something I noticed this time. Another movie that this draws comparisons to is The Matrix, they have similar bones in a way. I prefer The Matrix for many reasons, though I can now have a higher opinion of Dark City on its own merits. The production design here is spectacular, with most of the practical effects holding up wonderfully. The movie has some computer effects shots that have aged, a lot, all of them feeling unnecessary as if they felt they needed to include modern effects in order to keep current rather than necessity. We really didn't need to see what The Strangers looked like under their skin suits, it would have been better left to the imagination. I also love that this is a mid-budget, original film that studios just don't allow themselves to make for theatrical distribution. All the performances are great, Rufus Sewell has a perfect American accent and looks like a sexy Peter Lorre that adds to the noir vibes. William Hurt adds some credibility to the movie in a role that he owned instead of phoning in. Jennifer Connelly is just one of the most beautiful women to ever live, looking sexier than ever in monochrome, sadly given the wife role to create a mostly unnecessary love story when you consider the stakes and reality of what's happening to the characters. I'm glad I revisited this, watching the Director's Cut which is widely considered superior. Alex Proyas has never been able to top this, maybe he should have just stopped here...Arrow Video has done a great job of giving this movie a respectful release with all the bells and whistles you could want including an audio commentary by Roger Ebert easily the most fascinating special features. He was a huge fan of the movie, even going so far as to write that he finds it to be superior to The Matrix, quite a hot take, one that I can respect now more than before. Arrow, like many other boutique labels, understands that physical media means going the extra mile not just in the presentation of the film but in celebrating the film with extras and box art. Treating movies with reverence because if you love a movie enough to own it then you want to ensconce yourself in it entirely, something an Arrow release knows how to do. Highly recommended edition that's worth the upgrade.

This movie automatically is off-putting by having Nick Kroll play a homosexual, of course I have am cursed to watch it because I have an A-List hip. The movie takes its sweet time building to the moments that are completely spoiled by the trailer rendering this whole thing moot. Why cut a trailer that ruins the entire meat of the film? Even if it hadn't gotten spoiled it still would have been a very poor man's Tucker & Dale Vs Evil, with way less likable characters. One star for properly creating a sense of dread around the main characters that when they finally hold a baby I was genuinely concerned how the movie would end. This was totally a nothing movie.

I was really looking for to this movie because I love a good shark movie, I even love a bad shark movie, sadly this is neither. From the trailer I knew that this wasn't a traditional shark movie, giving us the tried and true trope of man being the most dangerous animal, I just hoped there would be more sharks. Jai Courtney should be commended for a good performance, one that was surrounded by a weak script. Horror movies have to have a pretty interesting volition in order to thrust the story forward, this movie didn't have that. The number of coincidences that have to happen in order for anything in this movie go outside the scope of reason. You are allowed a certain amount of "gimmes" in order for things to make sense but if your movie is built entirely around them then the suspension of disbelief totally collapses. In this day and age commenting on a woman's looks negatively is not a qualified critique, in this case our lead is supposed to be a street smart drifter, tough as nails, a snake or a shark (depending on the mixed metaphor the movie wants to believe) thrust into an impossible situation that will take all her wits and grit to overcome. That's great, love to see a strong female lead, it's just when you want me to believe all that about a woman with Instagram face it just doesn't work. The actress playing Zephyr wasn't bad, she just physically didn't fit the role in a credible way. The movie also has one of the worst CG shots in recent history, I know this is an independent movie, I don't care, that shot was unforgivable when you consider how great this movie looks. Doesn't lean in to any of the horror tropes it contains in order to justify a recommendation. The scariest part of the movie was when my car key fell out of my pocket and there were 2 minutes where I couldn't find it, had me on the edge of my seat because I was sitting on it.

I've owned this movie on DVD and Blu-Ray but I think this was my first rewatch since it came out, which is crazy considering how great this movie is. I obviously love it enough to own it, it's crazy that I don't when I last revisited it. I watched it when it came out, I was in middle so naturally I attempted my own short-lived Fight Club with my friends if only so I could recite the rules in order to feel like a badass. I clearly didn't understand the point of the movie at 14. Luckily, my media literacy has only improved with this rewatch being precipitated by me finally reading the book. Author Chuck Palahniuk is openly gay and the book can very much be read as a queer love story, the movie being even gayer. The movie cheats the conceit of the characters being the same person, whereas the book presents it way more realistically with Tyler Durden way more clearly delineated by sleep. For visual storytelling purposes, strengthening the misdirect, and obviously getting more use out of Brad Pitt. I didn't mind the way the movie handles the situation, it just impacts your viewing experience when you know the twists and you're trying to figure out what's actually happening, especially in that car scene. Other than that the movie holds up extremely well, in this age of the male loneliness epidemic the movie absolutely works as a critique of toxic masculinity/performative masculinity. You know that Joe Rogan wishes he was Tyler Durden, just lacking the backbone to do any of the things he does. Zodiac is my favorite Fincher, with this movie probably in second place due to its style and script.

Missed seeing this last year at the New Bev, luckily I didn't miss it again because they played it during the family matinee which was perfect meaning I could share the movie with my son. He'd seen it before, when he was around 3 ie: he didn't it at all. The effects in this movie are extremely impressive, thanks to the Jim Henson Creature Shop, and are perfectly suited to be enjoyed on film. As excited as I am for the recently announced 4k release, I'm worried that it might highlight the seams more than the craftsmanship. I loved this movie as a kid, receiving the VHS from an uncle when I was around 5 or 6. I have no previous memory of watching the original in a theater which makes me think that the VHS was a gift based on my love of the cartoon. The VHS box disintegrated from excess use, with the tape itself showing wear. I think the confluence of Golden Harvest martial arts prowess, Jim Henson technical ingenuity, and Steve Barron's respectful treatment of the material come together to create a movie that's way better than it needed to be. The sequels are great examples of how this property could be treated as cash grab films in order to make a profit on opening weekend. It's a testament to this movie that have more than 3 decades of adaptations this remains the best one with the recent Mutant Mayhem a close second. I'm mostly positive that this was my first time seeing this on a big screen, really satisfied with the experience as the print was fantastic. I'd love for any live action reboot to use these turtle designs as they are iconic and easily the best. Extra star for Elias Koteas who nearly steals the movie as the unofficial 5th turtle. I still can't believe Kevin Clash is Splinter, he's great in this, my son doubted me when I told him that it was the same performer as Elmo.

Classic Silly Symphony short that confusingly starts with a Mickey title card even though it's a standalone short. I love the lines on the main character models. Looked fantastic on 16mm, even if the sound was out or sync. Great gags, especially with the tortoise. The face my son made when he saw it was an old Disney short was extremely cute. I've raised him right.

Quentin Tarantino once called this movie his The Killing, referencing the genre moreso than the content as it's not a remake though it is arguably an homage. Another similarity is that they are early films in the filmography of great directors that are as good as their later works. One big difference is that The Killing only uses the n-word once and it was actually used for a purpose in order to drive the story forward, whereas Reservoir Dogs uses it several times in order to show how awful most of these guys are, even if they are written as some of the most likable cons you've ever met. This is still my favorite Tarantino movie because of how wonderful the cast interacts and the simplicity of the story, working with a non-linear structure that isn't just for style purposes as it is used to reveal information at crucial points. This is one of the first movies I ever upgraded, having the crappy Artisan DVD then getting the Mr. White slip-cover for the special edition DVD a few years later, all while I was still in high school. I in sophomore year having a few friends over to watch it in my room, being the cool guy that had seen it already introducing them to it. A very cool feeling that to this day was a highlight of my teen years. The execution of the movie is like a great crime novel which is probably why it holds up so well, better than Pulp Fiction in my opinion since it's not trying as hard to impress you with style. In high school I also considering producing Reservoir Dogs as a school play, bummed I never followed through on my Max Fischer moment. The confidence of this movie is why it is still so good, I'm glad QT chose to do this first instead of True Romance both movies being exactly the best versions we could have gotten. This movie also announces Michael Madsen as a screen presence that he never was able to live up to sadly.

There are so many movies that I watched pretty much whenever they were on TV from age 5-10 it would be hard to rank them in order of how much I liked/watched them. Growing up in the golden age of cable you couldn't flip the channels for less than a minute without hitting a classic 70s/80s movie that would suck you in instantly. I can't tell you how often I watched this movie but it was one that I loved very much, really wanted a Phone Booth Time Machine toy in order to play my own excellent adventures. The premise of the movie is fun and simple, carried gloriously on the shoulders of the two most righteous dudes in history. It's a shame that Alex Winter didn't go on to have a career like Keanu's, as he is just as fun to watch. I'd been wanting to share this movie with my son for a while, and he seemed to enjoy it. Obviously it's not as good as the Back to the Future movies, (possibly better than the third) it didn't leave quite the same impression on him as those movies. He asks to watch the BTTF movies occasionally, we all got sucked into Part II on cable during a recent hotel stay. A mark of success will be if he asks to rewatch it, time will tell. He did like that I compared this movie to a live action Phineas & Ferb episode, a pretty apt comparison. It should be commended that the movie has not only held up, but is held in high regard considering it came out the same year as Back to the Future Part II. Like any 80s movie geared towards teenagers this isn't without problematic moments, it's actually pretty okay until one moment that has aged horrendously. Was very happy to revisit this, I the sequel being wackier which I look forward to. Nostalgia might be rating this higher than it deserves, I just think it is a very well executed romp that's totally bitchin'.

This movie isn't really much of anything, except exactly what you think it will be. That's neither good or bad, to its credit I will say that of all the John Wick clones we've gotten over the years this spinoff is surprisingly above average. Of course when the average is pretty low then that's not really the compliment it seems to be. The most interesting part of the movie was spoiled by the trailer, which shows you how much faith Lionsgate had in this. Ana De Armas is very believable as a badass, so she's fun to watch. I just wish they had given her a better story than your typical revenge caper, especially when you consider revenge is like John Wick's whole thing. Genuinely impressed this wasn't worse considering it was a Len Wiseman t. Will I watch the sequel to this in theaters? Yes, unfortunately I'm already disappointed in the set-up for it. Shout out to the cool dad that brought both of his under-10 years old kids to this.

Based on what I've seen online, I'm very much in the minority on Mike Flanagan. I don't really care for the stuff of his that I've seen, with this movie being no different. I've watched 2 of his Netflix shows and 2 of his previous movies, with Oculus being the one I probably enjoyed the most, to be fair I found Doctor Sleep to be sacrilegious in its attempt to be a sequel to Kubrick's classic which hampered my enjoyment. Life of Chuck had a very mysterious trailer that I knew had more to it than was d, some sort of twist that would make things a bit different. Then the movie ended and left me cold and confused as hell, after thinking about it for a few minutes I finally figured it out, making me feel super dumb for not understanding it at first. It's the simplicity of it that I found insulting. The movie also contains one of the most literal interpretations of the phrase "I contain multitudes" I've ever seen, probably one of the dumbest elements of the movie. A line that is delivered by Flanagan's wife explains this (it's in the trailer), a woman with a face that has no place in a period piece. Flanagan also has a directing style that allows actors to perform in an overstated way, as if saying the lines is more important than how they say the lines. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Carl Lumbly, and Mark Hammil were good in this, Karen Gillan too. Most of the other actors could have been directed better. I don't think this movie will play well on rewatch, even for those that enjoyed it. One star for the performances I liked, an extra star for stumping me with its ridiculous twist. Nick Offerman's narration got old/pointless fast.

I being very excited for this movie when it came out, we went as a family to see it. I was 14 going on 15 and I found this movie to be extremely cool. Watching it as a grown up, 25 years later I find that it's cool just not extremely as it's more derivative than original. It has a fantastic soundtrack that keeps the story moving forward in a fun way. I can't help but think how miscast and underutilized Benicio Del Toro and Brad Pitt are, with both of them standing out for who they are as actors moreso than their performances. The addition of Dennis Farina makes this feel like a British Elmore Leonard movie, extra star for that. I liked it more than I thought I would, if only because it took me back to the days when Guy Ritchie could make an entertaining movie. I probably won't revisit any time soon though now I'm curious how well Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels holds up.

I love The Simpsons, I have been watching since the beginning. I watching some of the early episodes as they first aired. Then in syndication I was afforded the opportunity of watching 2, sometimes 3 hour blocks of the show per weekday all throughout elementary school and middle school. I continued watching semi-regularly until about 2010 when I really didn't find myself laughing all that much. I hear that an occasional episode that's decent or even good still squeaks by. From what I've watched on those exclusive Disney+ shorts recently I find that hard to believe, and even if the episodes were great most of the cast has aged to the point of sounding nothing like their ageless characters. When this movie came out I was still a pretty hard-core fan, buying into the hype bummed that I didn't live near one of those converted 7-11's that looked like the Kwik-E-Mart. I also really loving this movie, feeling like it was the culmination of a lifelong fan's love. Unfortunately as I've gotten older the movie hasn't aged all that well, there are moments that feel uniquely classic Simpsons yet you also see many hints of the lazy writing and easy jokes that plagued the more recent seasons. I think the good outweighs the bad and this is a fun watch, it just can never live up to its glory days of the show or that feeling of anticipation of watching this movie for the first time.

that episode of The Simpsons where Homer s a cult and he's forced to watch a movie that he zones out of creating a more exciting movie in his head? That's how I felt watching this with the movie in my head being hella awesome. Meanwhile this movie sucks a lot because it's shot like a horror movie, sounds like a horror movie, and even has horribly telegraphed jump scares yet isn't scary in the least. This should have been a straight up drama since it's "based on true events". I always find it funny how respectful demons always are of Catholicism. Also pretty funny? How prevalent Botox was amongst nuns in the 1920s. Anyway this movie is full of cliches and tropes from better movies amounting to a not very entertaining experience. One star for a couple of unintentionally funny moments and casting Patrick Fabian from the much better The Last Exorcism, making this a quasi-prequel for me.

Not as bad as it was d, just not very good either. I can see what people mean when they say it borders on self-parody. Zsa Zsa Korda is written in a way where he could be replaced by Steve Zissou or Royal Tenenbaum and you wouldn't know the difference. That's not necessarily a bad thing and Benicio Del Toro is fun to watch, he's probably the only part of the movie that worked for me. The convoluted story about a grand business scheme put a rather bad taste in my mouth with everything that's happening in this country I found myself not very compelled. With some reworking this could have been more of an adventure story with an Indiana Jones type plot thrust that I would have found more satisfying. The structure and much of the presentation of this movie (which could be said of many recent Wes Anderson movies) felt almost like a kid's movie, in fact my 7 year old son found the trailer to be interesting to him (I didn't take him to watch it in case you wondering though he did ask me to). I've always been a strong proponent of movies being anything that the filmmakers' imagination can conjure successfully on screen. I just feel that Wes Anderson's choices have been blending into one another so much lately that it's starting to feel monotonous. I don't think I laughed out loud once with most of the better jokes being in the trailer. Definitely the worst of his movies so far, with enough flair and whimsy to still be worth a watch at least once.

I holding this movie in high regard when I watched, of course that was nearly 20 years ago and much like a magic trick once you know its secret it is no longer entertaining. I recently read the book thinking that even if I know the twists that it might be a fun read. It wasn't, it was boring with a similar non-linear narrative (just like Nolan likes them) with a few added twists, one of which adds an almost supernatural angle while still being based in the story's fantastical "science". Nolan fixes a lot of issues with the book, streamlining things to his precise needs, just not enough to make this that much better than the novel. One great choice is jettisoning the parts that are set in the present, used as a wraparound in the book. Most of that was pointless, only adding to the layers of confusion with a unsatisfactory conclusion. One reason the movie is better is that it gives the female characters more agency and development, something rare in Nolan's filmography which isn't really saying much. The focus of the film is the rivalry between two great magicians that's presented in a rather boring way. The movie really doesn't show us why they are great, telling us more instead of painting a vivid picture something that would have added a better sense of spectacle. In fact we really never see why these acts are any better than the lesser acts they came from earlier in the story. The greatest trick in the movie, Borden's Transported Man, is hardly ever shown. When The Great Danton copies the act using a double I think it's to the movie's detriment that they had Hugh Jackman play that role. It actually takes you out of the movie like seeing a magic trick on stage with the seams showing. Ultimately the execution of this feels limp and knowing the twists kills any real rewatchability. Extra star for being better than the book and having David Bowie (who is somewhat wasted here).

One of the most mesmerizing experiences I've ever had watching a movie. Every frame was impressive making me wonder how this was accomplished. The amount of patience that must have been required to achieve the end result deserves praise on its own, that the movie is extremely entertaining is just a huge bonus. I can't recommend this enough, a Disney epic before that was even a thing. Lotte Reiniger was a brilliant filmmaker, her name should be as known as any of the greats of animation. Seek this out any way you can, it's currently on the TCM app and most likely available on Kanopy or Hoopla. Fantastic work of imagination and craft, glad I watched it.

The craziest thing about this movie is that a woman upended her whole life, moving across the country for a restaurant job. I don't when was the last time I watched this, probably in childhood catching it in bits and pieces on cable for many years afterwards. The director of Rocky, the most famous underdog story of the 70s comes back with the biggest underdog movie of the 80s that was one of the most successful movies of 1984...the year that brought us Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, and Temple of Doom to name a few. The movie holds up pretty well, taking its time to get to the actual karate part which I found interesting albeit somewhat frustrating. I watched it with my 7 year old, who seemed to be engaged with the main character. Ralph Macchio is very charming and fun to watch, he doesn't even seem to be very good at karate, but that doesn't matter because you're rooting for him to win because of how likable he is in relation to how despicable the villains are. I don't have a lot of nostalgia for this movie, my only connection being that it was my older sister's favorite movie when she was younger. She even had a Karate Kid lunchbox. Had this been about 20 minutes shorter I would have enjoyed way more.

This movie had a rocky start for me because I didn't like Chris Isaak, and for a bit I was worried that he was going to be the star. What saves this movie is the actual star, Sheryl Lee. She's really good in this, better than she was on the show, of course she was playing a different character in the series for the most part. You also have to appreciate the balls on Lynch, ending the show on a cliffhanger then announcing a movie that's a prequel. I don't know how necessary of a prequel it was, considering the last days of Laura Palmer's life are pretty well documented in the show. Ultimately, Sheryl Lee's performance and the overall execution of the movie makes this a very entertaining watch that doesn't add to the mythos just gives you that same Twin Peaks feel while still being its own thing in a good way. Had this been an episode or two of the original run they would probably be my favorite. I didn't mind the recasting of Lara Flynn Boyle, in fact I preferred Moira Kelly. What I did miss was Audrey Horne's presence, it is excusable in my mind because I feel her character is more intertwined with Dale Cooper than Laura Palmer. Extra star for seeing my boy Leland being his freaky self, love that guy. I don't know that I've seen enough of David Lynch's films to rank them, I will say that this is a close second behind Mulholland Drive for me so far...

It's always a good sign when a horror movie causes the audience to have audible reactions. Very well behaved crowd tonight, no phones were present, and there was an across the board sentiment of being taken for quite the ride. I had a very good time with this movie, which was great considering this was one of my most highly anticipated movies of the year. I loved Talk to Me, so I went into this with realistic expectations taking into consideration a sophomore slump for this directing team. This movie isn't as scary or even as visceral as their previous effort, but it definitely brings it. Instead of trying to top Talk to Me, they went with something that's more of a slow burn building tension, feeling more like a psychological horror film with supernatural elements. The supernatural elements are very clear, something I usually enjoy, they just didn't feel as far removed from Talk to Me to feel wholly original. In fact if you downplayed the other worldly stuff to the point of ambiguity then I think you'd still have a terrifying movie with a more grounded story. There were even parts of this that reminded me of Hereditary. This has been the only horror movie I've watched this year to fill me with a genuine sense of dread, extra star for that alone. I feel that sadly this movie will get lost in the shuffle, not being as big a hit as Talk to Me, hopefully that doesn't impact the career of the Philippou's as I look forward to whatever they do next. Ozploitation is back baby!

I was genuinely surprised by the movie's plot structure, giving us a slow build to our hero deciding to take on the 5 Boroughs Tournament. It gave us interesting emotional stakes, albeit very rote and predictable ones, on which to rely through to the climax. I was also surprised how much of this movie isn't what was marketed. I was expecting something wholly reliant on nostalgia in order to keep its momentum. In many ways this works as a standalone film that is only improved by adding the crossover characters instead of depending on them. Were they necessary? Not really, in fact the movie had its own characters that could have helped train our hero to victory, though knowing what kind of movie this is it's not overly distracting when Danny-san walks into the picture. Complaining about the story in a movie like this is pointless, you know exactly what's going to happen beat for beat, what matters is whether or not you like the characters on the journey. For the most part all of the actors are fun to watch, if anything the directing is failing them here since I enjoyed watching them despite their shaky line deliveries, with Jackie Chan being the only consistently good actor in the whole movie. Also, Joshua Jackson with a New York accent was embarrassing and should have been stopped on day one. I'm rating this movie low but I'd still be excited for a sequel. Does this mean I have to watch Cobra Kai?

With Pride Month around the corner there's no better way to get started than with one of Hitchcock's gayest movies. While I feel that maybe Strangers On a Train is a bit gayer, this movie almost throws out any subtext by having our leads be a couple. The movie doesn't even explain why or how they are living together which was exactly what Hitchcock wanted. Being subversive is as Hitchcockian as the suspense/tension in this movie. There is something very gratifying about the simplicity of this movie's set up. Apparently Hitch dismissed this movie due to the gimmick of it but the movie works beautifully. The scenario, interplay, and dialogue are all built to get under your skin, with every moment landing like clockwork. Farley Granger is the only weak link in this, tipping his hand a bit too early instead of a steady build for him to be totally unglued by the end. John Dall and Jimmy Stewart's back and forth being my favorite part of the movie, with Dall's cocky arrogance being his undoing. Great watching this on a big screen with a fun crowd. My 7 year old was totally confused by this movie not changing locations, Die Hard being the closest to a Chamber Piece as he's ever experienced, although he itted he was kind of rooting for the bad guys. I don't necessarily disagree with him, as all the tension is based on them getting caught which you should want yet you kind of don't. I think this is Farley Granger's saving grace, you do pity him feeling as if he's been forced into this against his will. I also love the backdrop changing from day to night, it's a detail that could have been handled differently or easily which instead was given meticulous attention in order to add to the illusion. I love watching the clouds. Just because Hitchcock downplayed Rope doesn't mean you should, give it a chance especially if you love gay murderers.

Watched on Wednesday May 28, 2025.

Watched on Monday May 26, 2025.

Based on the trailer I thought I was going to like this romantic comedy, if only because the genre has been sorely missed. The movie could be described as cute in a pejorative manner. It just didn't have enough substance to make it interesting, worst of all it felt very predictable. At one point I was hoping that the movie had secretly switched from being the narrative we were watching to the novel being written by the main character. I think I would have preferred that since I just couldn't suspend my belief for most of what happens. There were a few absurdist touches here and there, more of a tease then a film style. I felt the main character's action and motivations weren't consistent and I really didn't like her romantic lead, he felt like a typical dry Englishman that offered her nothing aside from being a typical dry Englishman. I think the only reason this is getting a modest distribution is because there's a lot of spoken English, especially for a French movie reducing the amount of subtitles Americans have to read. It wasn't terrible just not credible or interesting, I started to get quite sleepy about an hour in. Maybe if you're a Jane Austen fan this will work better, I've only read one of her novels so I can't really say...what I can say is that it was better than this. Extra star for the performances hampered by a weak script.

One major association I have with this movie is that I thought Andy Garcia was the villain based on the trailers, having never been introduced to Mark Strong before. I also really loving the fact that an American actor was playing a famous British character, turning the tables on the more common case of Brits playing famous American heroes. Of course things aren't quite even when all we have is Robin Hood and these movies while the Brits have Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man, just to name a few. The only thing that could possibly make things even is an American playing James Bond...your move Amazon. I digress, going back to this movie which is diverting enough to revisit just not on a regular basis. I showed it to my 7 year old this morning because he loves RDJ thanks to the MCU, making me believe he'd be into this. With about 40 minutes to go he asked me how much was left because he was over it. I told him it was almost finished and he stuck it out. Which is mostly the movie's fault as it does feel a bit too long, taking its time with all those extremely obvious reveals of Sherlock's mind/tricks. The movie was well regarded on release, warranting a sequel, so much so that I think it's the reason Guy Ritchie still has a career, somehow. If you loved this when it came out you still might, if you were lukewarm you'd probably be okay never watching it again.

This was exactly what I thought it would be, ultimately being an exercise in futility. Having enjoyed Marcel the Shell, I thought that maybe this would be different with that level of creativity being brought to this by Dean Fleischer Camp. I have no doubt that given free reign, the director could have been able to try something unique, since there's a corporate entity involved, there's no way Disney would allow this to stray too much from the formula that worked before. This movie doesn't really feel like anything greater than any Disney+ movie, maybe it had a slightly bigger budget, I really couldn't tell. The girl playing Lilo was great and while the special effects didn't convince me that Stitch was real, her performance made the relationship with him real. Pleakley in alien and human form also worked for me. Everything else wasn't really up to snuff, making me glad that Disney is putting a pause on the live action remakes. My son enjoyed it enough however we did a double feature of this and Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning, with M:I 8 being his favorite of the two. Egregious theater behavior alert: a dude was filming the opening minutes of Lilo & Stitch in portrait mode no-less until I asked him to stop. Also, one would think that a 9:45pm show would be baby free...nope there were at least 2 with different families. The one that was nonstop crying was with the man that was filming, leaving his wife to struggle with the baby the entire movie without helping at all. Quite impressive to be that useless as a partner/father. I guess he doesn't know the meaning of Ohana, which is equally impressive since this movie shoves that message down your throat a million times...

When you have movies with Tom Cruise in them you can't go wrong! I had heard the bad buzz on this movie which allowed me to temper my expectations. I think I would have been more disappointed had I not heard that critics didn't love this, of course this wasn't made for critics, it was made for the fans. That was the issue with this movie as it goes out of its way to provide fan service, it was pretty distracting. These moments don't actually reward fans when they keep cutting to scenes from previous movies like some sort of feature length clip show. Those moments aside, another issue I had was that this movie took a while to get going with all the plot momentum leading up to the two major set pieces making this movie feel like the least action packed of the series. I wouldn't mind this normally but when the trailer heavily promoted those sequences one hopes the movie was saving a few surprises, it really didn't. A lot of this movie felt like a polished Fast & Furious movie which is not the worst comparison because I love those movies, I just expect more from Cruise & McQ. Also, I don't believe we're not getting any more of these movies, maybe not for a while just there's no way these will be sunsetted. Still overall this was a fun time at the movies, which is all you really need especially compared to a lot of the crap that's out there.

Next to The Iron Giant, this is one of the animated films I regret most not having watched when it released. My siblings and I were older when this released, we only watched Pixar and DreamWorks computer animated films because they were for more mature audiences, even had some sneaky adult humor. Had I known that hand-drawn animation was going to die and some gorgeous work was going to be overlooked I would have gone, I really would have! I'll never forgive myself for contributing to the downfall of an art that brought me hours of joy. In fact one of my childhood dreams was to be a Disney animator, why did teenage me have to become such a huge comedy nerd!!?? Anyway, these wonderful, lush visuals created with watercolors around a pretty unique subversion of the ET trope. What if ET was an asshole? Stitch makes Alf look like a choir boy. The movie makes ample use of the Hawaiian setting, not just for beautiful backgrounds but it helps the plot. I'm not looking forward to watching the remake, unfortunately I'm out voted by my family meaning it's something they want to watch. I'll give it a shot, it's just impossible for it to be better or even as close to as good as this modern masterpiece.

Thanks to John Wick we get cutesy little, hyper-violent action movies about once a month now. Some are fun, some are derivative, some have gimmicks, and some bore you to tears with their predictability. This is definitely the "bore you to tears" type. At no point was I surprised or entertained, there was a reveal towards the end of the movie that shows you which organization has been monitoring the crazy situation that felt extremely poorly handled/bizarre. I don't like Josh Hartnett, I feel he has a pretty limited range. I didn't like him in Trap, though I'll it he was fun to watch whereas here he was mugging for the camera the entire movie. In fact there's a point in the movie where his overacting was justified unfortunately he had already jumped the shark within the first act rendering that pay-off ineffective. It's not a just comparison, however I should note that I walked out of the 28 Days Later rerelease straight into this movie making it feel that much worse. Danny Boyle did better action on a camcorder nearly a quarter of a century ago than whatever was happening in this turd. I didn't love Bullet Train but this movie makes Bullet Train feel like a masterpiece. Another element missing is having some familiar faces in the rogues gallery on the plane, couldn't they have gotten Danny Trejo or someone of that caliber to play an assassin??? One star for Katee Sackhoff, although she was sorely misused.

This movie holds up extremely well you don't care that Danny Boyle shot it on GameBoy Camera. Cillian Murphy carries this movie on his shoulders amazingly, you watch this thinking he's an established star yet realize that he and Naomie Harris were relative unknowns in America. Both of them are really good in this, showing us that the career longevity they've achieved is well deserved. The most striking thing to me watching this again all these years later (first watch was probably around 2010 give or take a few years btw) is how much Walking Dead cribbed from it. One can only wonder what that comic/show would have been without this movie assuming it would have existed at all...I've seen this movie before, maybe even a couple of times, despite that I'm still wrapped up in the tension, suspense, and emotional beats because of how well crafted this all is. As much as I'm looking forward to the new movie, I doubt that it will live up to this. Danny Boyle has a pretty stacked filmography with this movie safely towards the top of the list. Glad I rewatched on the big screen,even if it looked awful in the digital projection age making me wonder how much better this would look on film. Another reason this movie is good is how it plays against expectations with the characters. Brendan Gleeson could have easily been a villain, Christopher Eccleston a hero...instead horror movie tropes are flipped in a satisfying way. Hopefully Danny boy brings it home later this year, if he doesn't then who cares since this movie still exists. Shout out to the loudly breathing guy sitting next to me that left the theater about 10 minutes in, that would have been annoying to sit next to so thanks!

Watched on Wednesday May 21, 2025.

Watched on Sunday May 18, 2025.

The Vista played a great print of this for their weekend matinee that unfortunately had a very highly degraded soundtrack. A lot of dialogue, mostly exposition was hard to understand. I pointed this out to a fellow fan in the audience and they said the visuals are what's more important, seeing Luciana Paluzzi on the big screen pretty much s this argument. I had heard that this movie was Sean Connery's favorite, I'm not sure why. Maybe he likes scuba diving or loves how sexually aggressive Bond is in this one. It's not even in my Top 3 Connery Bond films, mostly because of how slap-dash this story feels. Bond feels shoe-horned into the opening act that should have been dedicated to the villains on their own. The evil plan is pretty nifty and one of the most plausible, feeling like something the modern Mission: Impossible movies would do. Bond then follows the action on a hunch that really could have used some investigation, they could have even tied some firm evidence as to the location of the villains to the spa from the first act. Oh well, these movies aren't known for being logical, it just feels like things were starting to get silly from this point on. My 7 year old son was not impressed, this being his 3rd Bond movie, 1st Connery film to date. Of course he's spoiled by the M:I films and the MCU, not realizing that cable marathons of these movies were pop-culture highlights of my generation's life.

If you don't like Bogie & Bacall, then brother you don't like movies. Their chemistry keeps this rather murky melodramatic thriller afloat, plus the movie is almost entirely just the two of them for most of the runtime, don't check my math on it though. Of course the most interesting part of the movie is that it's based on a novel (which I haven't read yet) that had a plot similar enough to The Fugitive TV show that the author sued successfully...sort of. I really don't like subjective POV films, they just come off as gimmicks and spoil the acting. At least this movie uses it for effect having to do with the character, I didn't mind it too much. The ending works out too perfectly, making me wonder if the book has a more interesting denouement. I have read a book by Dave Goodis before giving me hope that it most likely is more interesting than this. Glad I watched this, if only to confirm that so far The Big Sleep is the best Bogie/Bacall collaboration.

Watched on Saturday May 17, 2025.

Watched on Saturday May 17, 2025.

This franchise has been missed and has been gone for too long. I could see how these movies could get stale, so it was probably for the best that they gave the series a breather. In the time that it's been gone though our multiplexes have been filled with horror movies for the masses that can't pull off decent kills. We've gotten elevated horror movies, made by great directors, showing us that genre filmmaking can be taken seriously. Meanwhile the B-movies have only gotten worse, in most cases they don't even try to compete with streaming movies in of quality. That's not to say that this movie isn't much better than your average Netflix horror film, it's just executed exactly as you'd expect from this franchise. I did find it a bit distracting that I didn't recognize a single actor in the main or ing cast. Tony Todd was the only name in the movie, you could do a lot worse, of course he's hardly in the picture. I laughed my ass off watching this because the death gags have Looney Tunes-like precision that always get me. Extra star for having moments of actual entertainment a cut above your average slasher.

Watched on Friday May 16, 2025.

The visuals were great and while I'm not usually bothered with movies that have thin narratives, this just wasn't much of anything for me to get into. The Weeknd contributed to this script, as this was a vanity project for him, making me wonder how much of this is a fantasy or even a reality. Either way it's an interesting look into his psyche, which I'd appreciate more if I was a bigger fan of his work. From the trailers I assumed that he was playing an artist not unlike himself only to discover that he was just playing himself, as a character obviously. Jenna Ortega's role is what really bogs this movie down, seeing her in this makes it feel more like an extended music video rather than a real movie. There was something about her that just reminded me of seeing famous actors in music videos in the 90s. Of course calling this a music video is a stretch because there isn't as much music as you would think, despite a few needle drops and a derivative score. I didn't hate this, I just feel that this wasn't for me. I'd like to watch this director's other films, I watching It Comes at Night but was one of the majority that felt the trailer was a bait & switch. He's definitely talented and I Waves got very good reviews. I will say I'd rather have more movies like this in theaters over movies like Shadow Force, though oddly enough they were both distributed by Lionsgate. Curious to know what hardcore Weeknd fans feel about this.

When you have movies like Until Dawn in theaters or even the movie I watched right before this one, Shadow Force, then a meta-slasher about killer clowns becomes a breath of fresh air. I didn't love this but I found myself entertained and even a bit surprised. I loving Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil so I was hoping Eli Craig would offer another subversion of horror tropes that isn't like the Blumhouse/Screen Gems slop we seem to get every month. He did not disappoint. I even enjoyed the young cast, directed to play their roles as convincingly as they could despite the movie's tongue-in-cheek tone. If you have an A-List subscription then I would highly recommend watching this over some of the other non-Sinners/Thunderbolts* currently playing. I wouldn't be surprised to see this on some end of the year best-of lists, they might be some niche lists but still. One issue I had was the constant soundtrack, mostly of songs that I've never heard of and hopefully will never hear. This movie is the movie that Thanksgiving thought it was.

Outside of a cute performance by a child this movie really doesn't do anything all that well. The action isn't very good, the comedy isn't funny, and while this is a stacked cast they are all so poorly directed that the only credible actor is Method Man of all people. I feel bad that Mark Strong is relegated to this type of movie, he deserves a better career. Also he has a great American accent without having to have a Southern twang or East coast flavor, his scenery chewing here felt more sad than menacing. The movie tells instead of showing in many places making this feel like a first time screenplay, it's not. Joe Carnahan really had one solid movie in him with diminishing returns ever since. There were some awful effects in this too with characters being blasted offscreen like cartoons. I had to very strongly fight the urge to sleep while watching this at a 5:30pm show. One star for having a silly Wu-Tang reference.

Watched on Monday May 12, 2025.

Formulaic cartoon about a kangaroo disguising as a large mouse that will never not be funny. I know there's a few Sylvester cartoons like this but there might also be a few Tom & Jerry's like this as well. Great gags and very cute character design. Hilarious that this short starts with a mouse considering suicide.

The trailers promised nothing less than a feature length ITYSL sketch and it delivered wonderfully. Tim Robinson is allowed to do his thing, playing the character you expect from him hilariously to the hilt. Paul Rudd is one of my favorite comedy actors, he fit perfectly in this world that's slightly off from daily reality, slightly heightening the mundane and bizarre while still feeling relatable. From the trailers I was worried his character was going to be some sort of false guru that toys with Tim Robinson's Craig, instead we get a more grounded character that serves more as a catalyst rather than a driving force. This is one of the most consistently funny comedies I've seen in a theater since Bottoms. I really don't an audience this raucous since then, especially the crowd at the Vista tonight. There were dudes there that were primed to laugh the moment Tim showed up on screen, in fact it was pretty intense for the first 10 minutes or so with everything that was said getting huge laughs feeling like we were all in an ITYSL sketch. If the goodwill this man has garnered from his hit show could be harnessed into energy we could power a small nation, of course what we can do is pour that energy into enjoying his comedy which was exactly what happened at my screening. I feel like Tim Robinson should make some sort of two-hander with Connor O'Malley, their scene in this movie was not just a personal highlight, you could tell the audience was eating it up. From what I could gather, director Andrew Deyoung has no involvement on ITYSL making me curious if he tailored the project to Tim Robinson or if they collaborated because this movie nails the tone of the show perfectly utilizing his casting to maximum effect. I also felt this movie was influenced heavily by the King of Comedy and that viral YouTube video of a badger and a coyote playing. Adult friendships are extremely difficult as any adult over 30 can tell you, watching this borderline horror-comedy strikes a nerve mining comedy out of the drudgery of existence. Believe the hype, it's worth it.

Kurosawa was truly the best to ever do it. I read the novel this movie is based on and he elevated a paperback crime novel to an exploration of class in the guise of a gritty crime drama that feels like the template for movies like this. I read the book and had no idea where this movie was going because of the changes in order to tell a more compelling narrative that explores the impact and aftermath of crime. I loved how the story delved into the investigation, motivated to catch the criminal as much as to help get the victim's life back on track. Seeing what felt like an exaggerated version of Tokyo's seedy underbelly, which could very well have been accurate, was fascinating. I am excited for Spike Lee's version because I'm hoping that he'll take the basic idea and truly do his own thing. I had been wanting to watch this movie for a long time and it lived up to my expectations in the best way. There's something very cozy about this movie that reminded me of Zodiac because I love the investigation in that movie which probably says something about me.

I read the book this movie is based on to my son, he was very engaged in the novel because of my excellent voice work. In the book the dragons talk to each other and Hiccup, which stretched my range a bit. I hadn't seen the movie since it came out on Netflix DVD in 2011, though it held up in my memory enough that I could tell how different it is from the book. The book was cute, even attempted an emotional arc with Hiccup and his father as well as with Hiccup and Toothless. It just isn't as impactful as the movie because the book was very silly with jokes about boogers and bad dragon breath. The movie takes things more seriously, creating a more tangible emotional core allowing you to truly care about the characters and stakes. The animation holds up pretty well, obviously not as polished as modern animated film or even the sequels though still having some great fluid motion. Toothless is flawlessly animated being the most fun character to watch in the whole movie, even reminding me at times of another Chris Sanders creation, Stitch. Was happy to revisit this movie, truly one of DreamWorks's best movies. Not looking forward to the remake all that much, hopefully the flying sequences are cool in IMAX.

Frustrating movie about a character that is making the most annoying decisions that when you get to a scene where he's decided to eat a rat you're rooting for him to do it rather than be disgusted or even concerned. Nicholas Cage was way too unhinged in this, you'd think he'd be a perfect fit but he ends up tipping the scale in the wrong direction. I really didn't care for this character, feeling like I was hoping for his demise more than anything. The movie ends somewhat ambiguously not because of the ending itself but more to do with an unreliable narrator. I was worried that staying in the same location would get boring fast, boy did it. This movie felt longer than it was for its repetitive nature. One star for some impressive visuals of Australian wildlife as well as the overall look of the film.

My ranking of the Mission: Impossible films, should you choose to accept it.

1. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
2. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
3. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
4. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
5. Mission: Impossible III
6. Mission: Impossible
7. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
8. Mission: Impossible II

Instead of doing a full series ranking, which would require a full series rewatch...I'd rather just rank my favorites.

1. From Russia with Love
2. Skyfall
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
4. Goldfinger
5. Casino Royale
6. Dr. No
7. You Only Live Twice
8. GoldenEye
9. Thunderball
10. The Spy Who Loved Me

• Rushmore
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
• Isle of Dogs
• The Royal Tenenbaums
• Bottle Rocket
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Darjeeling Limited
• Moonrise Kingdom
• The French Dispatch

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My Top 100 Favorite movies, this is a living document.

1. Ghostbusters
2. The Godfather
3. Macario
4. To Kill a Mockingbird
5. Pinocchio
6. GoodFellas
7. The Matrix
8. Rushmore
9. L.A. Story
10. Groundhog Day

...plus 90 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Spider-Man 2
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Kill Bill: Vol. 2
• The Incredibles
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
• Fahrenheit 9/11
• The Sea Inside
• Closer
• A Very Long Engagement

• All Dogs Go to Heaven
• The Princess and the Frog

My favorite movies from 2005 that I watched in a theater.

1. Me and You and Everyone We Know
2. Constantine
3. The 40 Year Old Virgin
4. The Beat That My Heart Skipped
5. Layer Cake
6. Good Night, and Good Luck.
7. March of the Penguins
8. The Squid and the Whale
9. Howl's Moving Castle
10. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

2014 was the year I fully immersed myself in LA film culture, experiencing the Cinerama Dome for the first time. I being chastised by a snobby ex-friend for being excited for The Lego Movie. That person is dead to me but The Lego Movie is on this list, really makes you think...

• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Under the Skin
• The Lego Movie
• Nightcrawler
• The Skeleton Twins
• Snowpiercer
• Edge of Tomorrow
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Gone Girl
• Godzilla

Ah, the year before the pandemic when we took going to the movies for granted. I think I had Movie this year before it imploded the first time.

• Uncut Gems
• Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
• Avengers: Endgame
• Parasite
• The Lighthouse
• Hustlers
• Ad Astra
• Queen & Slim
• Jojo Rabbit
• The Last Black Man in San Francisco

I discovered going to the movies with a baby this year, sometimes that was fun. That baby saw a lot of movies with me and now he loves going to the movies, is there a good version of generational trauma?

• Isle of Dogs
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• The Death of Stalin
• Sorry to Bother You
• Hereditary
• BlacKkKlansman
• Annihilation
• Won't You Be My Neighbor?
• Upgrade
• mid90s

• Phantom Thread
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Coco
• Blade Runner 2049
• The Shape of Water
• Good Time
• Get Out
• Lady Bird
• Dunkirk
• Ingrid Goes West

In 2013 I watched a bunch of movies at LACMA as part of my Film Club hip back when that was thing, I kind of miss it but thankfully my A-List is a great consolation.

• s Ha
• Frozen
• Pacific Rim
• Her
• American Hustle
• 12 Years a Slave
• The Way Way Back
• The Place Beyond the Pines
• No
• The Lone Ranger

2012 is a movie year that is up there with the best of them. I moved to LA this year so it's funny looking at this list and seeing which ones I watched in NYC and which ones I watched in LA.

• The Master
• Dredd
• Django Unchained
• The Avengers
• Wreck-It Ralph
• Skyfall
• The Raid
• The Cabin in the Woods
• ParaNorman
• John Carter

2010 was a movie year I loving and has held up pretty well.

• Toy Story 3
• Inception
• Cyrus
• The White Ribbon
• The Social Network
• The Fighter
• Kick-Ass
• Shutter Island
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Exit Through the Gift Shop

2009 was one of my favorite years ever as a grown-up, also a pretty good movie year.

• Up
• Inglourious Basterds
• Moon
• The Road
• District 9
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Hurt Locker
• (500) Days of Summer
• The Wrestler
• The Informant!

2007 had 3 of the best movies ever made released. Put respect on this year's name.

• Zodiac
• No Country for Old Men
• Pan's Labyrinth
• There Will Be Blood
• La Vie en Rose
• Superbad
• Hot Fuzz
• Volver
• Death at a Funeral
• Ratatouille

2006 was a very weird year for me in general, it's crazy that it would stand out as most of my years feel weird but it does. Solid movies this year.

• Children of Men
• Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
• The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
• Inside Man
• Casino Royale
• The Prestige
• Little Miss Sunshine
• Happy Feet
• Babel
• The Departed

I watched most of these movies on initial release, very proud to say that. Man Who Wasn't There was watched a few months ago for the first time but deserves to be on this list because it rocks.

• The Others
• The Royal Tenenbaums
• Monsters, Inc.
• Moulin Rouge!
• The Devil's Backbone
• Zoolander
• Amélie
• Mulholland Drive
• A.I. Artificial Intelligence
• The Man Who Wasn't There

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Overshadowed by the extremely impressive year in film that was 2004, this year had some great movies that have stood the test of time.

• Lost in Translation
• Kill Bill: Vol. 1
• Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
• Finding Nemo
• Elf
• School of Rock
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• Narc
• Big Fish
• Once Upon a Time in Mexico

2002 was such a crazy year in movies that I struggled narrowing it down to 10 but I felt that I needed to go on a personal level, choosing movies that spoke to me in different ways for different reasons. Most of these were watched in theaters except for Adaptation, which was rented on home release once it was available at Blockbuster.

• Punch-Drunk Love
• Blade II
• Adaptation.
• Catch Me If You Can
• Black Hawk Down
• Spider-Man
• Road to Perdition
• Jackass: The Movie
• Frailty
• 8 Mile

In the year 2000 (in the year 2000!), I was 14 going on 15 so I didn't watch all of these movies in theaters and one of them I watched for the first time a few years ago. There are several acclaimed films from that year that I still haven't seen but I think this ranking will likely not change.

• Traffic
• Unbreakable
• American Psycho
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• Best in Show
• Wonder Boys
• Billy Elliot
• The Emperor's New Groove
• X-Men

A list of my favorite older movies that I watched for the first time. I'm bored and filled with dread, this distracts me.

• Ran
• The Exterminating Angel
• Double Indemnity
• Cat People
• Kiss of the Spider Woman
• The Lure
• Sullivan's Travels
• Hard Eight
• The Man Who Wasn't There
• The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

In no particular order.

• Rushmore
• The Royal Tenenbaums
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Tootsie
• WALL·E
• Brazil
• Some Like It Hot
• It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
• Traffic

...plus 44 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Movies with time travel in the 3rd act, even though the movie isn't about time travel.

• Superman
• Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
• Galaxy Quest
• Interstellar
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Lost in Space
• Shrek Forever After
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

My favorite movies I watched that were released in the USA in 2024.

1. Origin
2. Love Lies Bleeding
3. La Chimera
4. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
5. The Apprentice
6. Sing Sing
7. Evil Does Not Exist
8. Robot Dreams
9. Kneecap
10. Conclave

• An American Werewolf in London
• After Hours

My favorite Disney animated films, definitely the ones I watch the most often. Except for Pinocchio, it makes me cry too much so I watch rarely making it extra special therefore my favorite.

• Pinocchio
• Fantasia
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Robin Hood
• The Great Mouse Detective
• Dumbo
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• The Little Mermaid
• Aladdin
• Frozen

Annual list of Zorro's favorite movies, he's 7 now.

• Godzilla Minus One
• Godzilla
• Shin Godzilla
• Batman
• Jurassic Park
• Godzilla vs. Kong
• Ghostbusters
• Men in Black
• Godzilla Raids Again
• Mothra vs. Godzilla

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Finally got around to this.

• Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Turning Red
• Decision to Leave
• Bones and All
• Barbarian
• Fire of Love
• Jackass Forever
• Three Thousand Years of Longing
• The Inspection

I'm bored and decided to revisit this very weird year in movies. Theaters finally stayed open post-pandemic which was great. A very sad year for me personally, some great movies though.

• Zola
• Flee
• The Green Knight
• Pig
• Red Rocket
• Licorice Pizza
• No Sudden Move
• The French Dispatch
• Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar
• Candyman

Favorite movies of 2023, which was a pretty interesting year in film.

• Killers of the Flower Moon
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
• Saltburn
• ages
• Talk to Me
• Bottoms
• Monster
• Inside
• Radical
• Godzilla Minus One

• WALL·E
• The Fall
• The Dark Knight
• Let the Right One In
• Tropic Thunder
• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
• Synecdoche, New York
• Be Kind Rewind
• Cloverfield
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army

My son's favorite movie list for this year now that he's 6.

• Jurassic Park
• PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
• DuckTales: The Movie – Treasure of the Lost Lamp
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
• Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
• Fast X
• Jaws
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Meg
3. Jurassic World
4. Jurassic World Dominion
5. Pinocchio
6. The Spy Who Loved Me
7. Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension
8. The Land Before Time
9. Jaws
10. Pokémon Detective Pikachu

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My 4 year old son ranked his favorite movies of all time as of October, 2021.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. PAW Patrol: The Movie
3. ¡Three Amigos!
4. King Kong
5. The Empire Strikes Back
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
7. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
8. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
9. Ghostbusters
10. Back to the Future

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Possessor
• The Invisible Man
• Tenet
• Swallow
• Sound of Metal
• First Cow
• The Assistant
• Relic
• American Murder: The Family Next Door
• Kajillionaire

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• The Lobster
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople
• Zootopia
• Manchester by the Sea
• The Neon Demon
• The Nice Guys
• Midnight Special
• Green Room
• 10 Cloverfield Lane
• Shin Godzilla

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Anomalisa
• Sicario
• The Hateful Eight
• What We Do in the Shadows
• Ex Machina
• It Follows
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Macbeth
• Welcome to Me

• Drive
• The Tree of Life
• The Future
• Rubber
• Rango
• Beginners
• Our Idiot Brother
• Source Code
• Shame
• Take Shelter

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This was an amazing year for movies but for the purposes of this list I only included movies I watched in theaters that year but many would be on this list if I wasn't in middle school at the time and had easier access to the cinema.

• The Matrix
• Toy Story 2
• Fight Club
• Bowfinger
• Three Kings
• Galaxy Quest
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
• Man on the Moon
• Analyze This
• Mystery Men