Halloween Kills (2021)

A very stupid sequel that dumbs down all the characters. The only redeeming quality are some decent brutal kills. Unfortunately, the ending really fucks up any goodwill leftover from the previous film. The biggest thing this movie had going against it was announcing that it was a trilogy ahead of time, so there were no stakes here. This one is only biding its time until the inevitable conclusion.

1½ mental patients out of 5

WILSON [2017]

Based on director Craig Johnson's previous cynically sweet films I think it's safe to say he's the perfect candidate to adapt Daniel Clowes' Wilson graphic novel to the screen.
Woody Harrelson is great as the overly-honest misanthropic title character who finds out he's the father to a teenage girl after he reunites with his troubled ex-wife, played with graceful skill by Laura Dern.
If not for the charms of it's leading actors it'd be a lot more difficult to enjoy spending time with unpleasant folks like these.  Unfortunately the film seems to wander around aimlessly and never makes the emotional impact it seems to strive for.  Some moments are drawn out for too long and some are far too rushed to allow it's sentiment to really sink in.

3 epiphanies at the urinal out of 5

ORDINARY WORLD [2016]

Writer/director Lee Kirk directs Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong in his first leading role in the genre-confused Ordinary World.
Armstrong portrays a musician turned husband & father who's lost in life as he's about to turn 40, which leads him to make some midlife crisis inspired choices that don't bode well for him.
Armstrong's performance goes back and forth between horribly forced to some touching moments that feel genuinely organic.  However it's Kirk's writing and directing that let the whole film sink.  He's not sure if he's got a crazy out-of-control party movie, a coming-of-age story or a warm 'n fuzzy family film on his hands and only proves Judd Apatow actually knows what he's doing when he seamlessly mixes all those elements together.  It's a mess of a film that barely holds together with it's generally likable cast of characters and predictable but warm good-heartedness.

2½ dogs in the hallways out of 5

ANT-MAN [2015]

Marvel's final film in their Phase Two series comes in the immensely entertaining form of director Peyton Reed's Ant-Man.
The always likable Paul Rudd is a talented thief who must pull off an intricate burglary with the aid of a suit that shrinks him to the size of, you guessed it, an ant.  The film might be light on substance and makes no attempt to reinvent the wheel but thanks to it's great cast, lightweight humor and dizzying Pixar-esque action sequences, it manages to hold together pretty well.  The movie knows it's a silly concept and it runs with it with flying colors never missing a chance to indulge in it's ridiculousness.  The behind-the-scenes trouble is evident but never detracts from the messy enjoyability of it all.  It takes all the fun of a Saturday morning cartoon, super-sizes it and then shrinks it down into something quite unique.  The New Avengers team is going to be a real breath of fresh air, if this is any indication of what's to come.

3½ web-heads out of 5

JURASSIC WORLD [2015]

Safety Not Guaranteed director Colin Trevorrow makes a huge career move with Jurassic World, the fourth film in the popular film franchise.
Returning to the island in the original film, the new Dino-park is fully functional and brimming with happy-go-lucky tourists ready to see reptiles devour other reptiles from the safety of the other side of the bars.  We all know where this is going and, boy, are we ever ready for it.  It never comes close to the terrifying magic of the first two films but finally after nearly 15 years, we're able to get rid of that bitter after-taste of the third film.  There's a few memorable pieces and potentially great ideas spread throughout it's cringe-worthy corniness and predictability.  It's big, dumb dino-fun that's purely out to razzle-dazzle those who are open to it.

3  poor little piggies who never made it home out of 5

JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME [2011]

Stepping away from their mumblecore roots, Mark & Jay Duplass dip their feet into the mainstream with the light drama Jeff, Who Lives At Home.
With a few hints of comedy, Jeff is mainly a character piece that depends largely on the goofy charisma of it's leads, Jason Segel and Ed Helms.  The Duplass Brothers have always been ones to focus on the smaller moments in life to build a story and with this style of film-making it almost works if not for the feeling like it's been over-polished.  It's still sweet, realistic and genuinely funny but something isn't quite right here.  While it passes the time by quite nicely, it's just as forgettable as well.

2½ signs from M. Night out of 5

CARRIE [2013]

Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Pierce goes for a third adaptation of Stephen King's classic thriller/tragedy novel Carrie.
Unfortunately Pierce finds nothing new to explore within King's story and gives you no reason to give it much thought.  Besides the formidable performances from Chloë Grace Moretz in the title role and Julianne Moore as her batshit crazy mother, the only other thing that held my interest was how were they going to set-up the iconic prom scene.  It pleases with ruthless carnage and horror that probably had Mister King himself squealing with glee.  As a stand alone film it's all right, as yet another adaptation it's feels pretty pointless.

2½ YouTube sensations out of 5

CURSED [2005]

Director Wes Craven reteams with writer Kevin Williamson for the werewolf thriller Cursed in hopes of recreating the success of their Scream franchise.
They pretty much fall directly on their faces with this mess of a stinker.
Sadly it feels like they might have had something but it got lost in a sea of obvious reshoots and rewrites that hurt the flow & tone of the film.   I genuinely liked the characters and the actors did a fine job at portraying them but the storyline was such an unfocused mess it became boring and uninspired.  Not once was I thrilled or chilled and that is something to be expected from this team.

1½ wolfy middle fingers out of 5

LOVE & OTHER DRUGS [2010]

Director Edward Zwick takes a bit of a turn for himself in the romantic drama genre with Love & Other Drugs.

Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal have a fantastic chemistry together, that I fear without them, the whole film might have fallen apart.  The story is predictable, although there are some interesting new elements thrown into the tired formula, but the relationship between the two is so well written it kept my interest.  It's not everyday a film perfectly captures an adult relationship like this and not come off as overly phony.

Not a great film but in the end, you realize it could have been A LOT worse.

3 crutch drugs out of 5

The Descendants (2011)

Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt) directs George Clooney (looking more and more like Cary Grant as he grows older) in this dramedy about a man coming to terms with his wife's imminent death. Faced with the prospect of being taken off life support (as per her will), it sends him on a journey across Hawaii, dealing with the emotions of friends and family and digging up buried secrets along the way. Even though the subject matter can be heavy at times, there are enough moments of well-placed levity to take you away from it all.

4.5 cold-cocked black eyes out of 5

Peep World (2010)

Great ensemble cast of actors come together to toast their father's 70th birthday, amidst sibling rivalry involving the youngest child's choice to document their lives in a tell-all exposé novel (which is now being produced into a movie). Now forget about all that and focus on each character's neuroses and you've got some fine acting and character work. I somehow was able identify with each one of them, which just goes to show how fucked up they are.

3 Dysfunctional Families out of 5 agree