The Predator (2018)

Shane Black (who had a small role in the original film) writes and directs this sequel to the franchise, which marks a bit of a return to form after Predators. 

After an alien ship crash-lands on Earth, a captured Predator escapes from a lab and wreaks havoc on the city, while a biologist and motley crew of rejects attempt to contain the threat. It's...fine. I struggle to get excited about these movies because it always seems to go down about the same. I'm being fairly generous with my rating here because I enjoy looking at Olivia Munn's face.

2 hounds out of 5

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

With his past adventures behind him, Indy grapples with his destiny as an older man on the verge of retirement, when adventure comes calling once more...

Nostalgia goggles on. Indiana Jones is my favorite film franchise of all time, so I'm clearly biased, but this is still a solid action-adventure flick. The only thing this movie has going against it is its bloated runtime, but since this is purported to be the last in the series (Ford is 81 and claims the character will die with him), I will give it a pass. With its ruminations on life and death, this is the kind of movie that will age well as you revisit it again later in life and realize: Yes, I know exactly what they were trying to say about getting older. Life ain't all sunshine and roses, even when you're the world's greatest hero. It doesn't diminish the legacy of the character at all, despite the heavy subject matter. Harrison can still kick my ass up and down the block.

4 Tuk-Tuks out of 5

Note: For the sake of completion, I would give the first three films 5 out of 5, and the fourth would get 3 out of 5. This one is still not quite as divisive as the previous entry.

A Complete Unknown (2024)

Bob Dylan rolls into town circa 1961 to meet his musical heroes and play some folk songs in order to make a name for himself. Apparently, the logical progression is to jump directly from Willy Wonka to Bob Dylan, but Timmy C. gives it his all, inhabiting the role of the enigmatic singer-songwriter and providing all the instrumental and vocal performances himself. While the film succeeds in dispelling some of his aloof persona, it doesn't shy away from revealing the prickly idiosyncrasies front and center. Bob wants to do what he wants and he pisses people off in order to remain true to himself. That sort of strategy only works if you've got the raw talent to back it up. As such, there's not a lot of stakes involved (there are two women at the center of this story), and at the end of the day, I don't really feel like I got a very good sense of the man, nor have I come away with any kind of revelation. Which I guess remains true to its title. There's a lot of artifice involved in biopics; you really have to suspend your disbelief, because I was aware the entire time that Chalamet was just doing his best Dylan impersonation. At no point did I feel like he lost himself in the role. James Mangold has experience in this genre with Walk the Line, but I found this to be a wholly inferior effort. It's got a lot of good tunes and strong performances, but I wasn't exactly bowled over by any of it.

3½ Times They Are A-Changin' out of 5