After the Hunt (2025)

A college student accuses her professor of inappropriate conduct. What kind of inappropriate conduct? The fuck if I know. I found this movie completely insufferable and infuriating, especially how everybody intellectualizes and talks circles around the issues without ever saying anything of value. The whole thing seems poised to generate controversy, yet I still have no idea what point it was trying to make. That everybody is a piece of shit? That was my general takeaway. I could have told you that without wasting two hours.

2 ulcers out of 5

The Amateur (2025)

A bookish CIA code breaker takes the law into his own hands as he seeks revenge for his wife's murder in this increasingly convoluted conspiracy thriller. Rami Malek was excellent in Mr. Robot, one of my favorite TV shows, but his performance lacks in this standard, formulaic action flick that quickly wears out its welcome and lags in the second half. While the initial premise is intriguing, it feels curiously low stakes and I just kept waiting for it to be over.

A remake of the 1981 film, based on Robert Littell's novel of the same name.

2½ Inquilines out of 5

The Instigators (2024)

A crime caper involving a half-baked scheme and a couple of dopes who are ill-equipped to deal with it. It's enjoyable in all of its incompetence and is capably carried on the shoulders of its charismatic leads. With an all-star supporting cast, it's not a bad way to spend 90 minutes, but it's the type of disposable entertainment you won't remember a day or two later.

2½ therapist hostages out of 5

ARRIVAL [2016]

Director Denis Villeneuve's weighty cerebral sci-fi Arrival is everything I wanted from his film-making and more.
After twelve monolithic spacecrafts situate themselves in random spots on Earth, a linguistics professor is summoned by the U.S. military to communicate with the mysterious beings.
While most films about the arrival of space-folk are grand in scale, Villeneuve opts for a more personal story that thrives on intellectual and emotional stimulation, while still managing to keep us in the dark from what is really going on.  When working with Villeneuve, composer Jóhann Jóhannsson always seems to have a magnificent way with inserting his soundscapes deep into the pulse of the film giving it a life all it's own.  Hardly interested in alien interstellar travel, the film invests it's time in the heart of humanity or the lack of.  You'll decide when all is said and done.

5 communication traps out of 5

DOCTOR STRANGE [2016]

The 60's era Pink Floyd badge that director Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange wears is swimmingly earned through the mind-bending special effects alone.
The 2nd film in the MCU's Phase 3 (and 14th film all together) follows arrogant neurosurgeon Stephen Strange who discovers an ancient world of mystical arts after a car accident leaves him with irreparable damages to his hands.
Not since Robert Downey Jr's Tony Start has an actor embodied their character with perfection as Benedict Cumberbatch has so gracefully done.  However it's the rest of the actors who are left little to work with behind Strange and the mind-boggling visuals.  The special effects look like Inception, The Matrix & Dark City all dropped acid together and lost all sense of reality, which begs for the IMAX 3D treatment.  Doc Strange isn't the MCU reinvention Marvel seems to think it is but it's still a pretty fun trip to take.

3 interstellar overdrives out of 5

TRUMBO [2015]

Austin Powers director Jay Roach takes a more serious approach to film with the lively biographical period-drama Trumbo.  

Bryan Cranston shines as acclaimed 1940's screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was famously blacklisted from Hollywood, for his communist beliefs, but continued to work and win major awards under a pseudonym.
The script has a tough time justifying itself, with so much going on it never really gives us a clear example as to why Trumbo was such a genius, unless you're already quite familiar with his work.  It's riddled with tired clichés that are all thankfully made a little more digestible with an amazing ensemble cast that is boiling over the edge with appeal.

3 grumpy tubby times out of 5

STEVE JOBS [2015]

Director Danny Boyle & screenwriter Aaron Sorkin together craft a near-perfect autobiographical drama about priggish Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs.
Broken up into three distinct parts, the film follows Jobs' three major demo launches: the Macintosh, NeXT PC & the iMac G3, all while trying to juggle the troubles that surround his personal life.  
The film interestingly choses not to allow the settings take place anywhere else rather than back-stage of each launch given it a torando-esque feel of enticing dialogue and a fittingly hurried pace that never misses a beat.  Boyle knows the script is the star here and allows his usual frantic style of film-making to take a back-seat (apart from a few distractions) and resorting to using some subtle techniques only film-lovers will probably pick up on.
It's the welcome type of movie that isn't too heavy.  Isn't too light.  It's really just right.

4 Judy Jetson Easy-Bake Ovens out of 5

MEN IN BLACK 3 [2012]

After a 10 year absence, Agent J & K are back in the third installment of the Men In Black series.

It's nice to see Will Smith & Tommy Lee Jones back in black but it's Josh Brolin who steals the show as a younger version of Jones' Agent K character.  The film starts off pretty slow but once Smith jumps back in time things pick up and never slow down.   Rick Baker's alien designs are particularly disgusting this time around causing extreme delight in this gorehound.  

It's not as great as the first film but lightyears better than the second.  

3 pug mugs out of 5

A Serious Man (2009)

There's no one who knows how to find the funny in the horrible quite like the Coen brothers. They're unafraid of putting the characters in A Serious Man through the wringer, but the film never feels bleak or depressing the way it might in other films. Instead, the film is heartfelt in its horribleness, and humorous no matter what happens.

This isn't one of the Coen brothers' best. The dialogue isn't as sharp as I'd expect from them, and not all of the film's non-sequiturs work for me. However, even a so-so movie from the Coens is pretty swell, and the powerful performance from Michael Stuhlbarg makes it even better. It isn't a must-see, but it's worth your time.

3 members of the airplane out of 5.