Star Wars - 10/10
Jesse James - Great stuff. 9/10
A Rainy Day in New York - I enjoyed it. 7/10
Hard Eight - His weakest film for me, but still pretty good. 7/10
THX 1138 - 7/10
8mm - I'm a fan. 7.5/10
Bee Movie - 6/10
First Time Viewings:
Blood Rage (1987, John Grissmer)
This one is a slasher that takes place on Thanksgiving. I think the story actually had potential, but I found it poorly directed and acted for the most part. It is fairly amusing in its badness, but bad nonetheless.
4.5/10
The Set-Up (1949, Robert Wise)
Pretty good film with a nice short running time and good performances.
7/10
Don't Bother to Knock (1952, Roy Ward Baker)
This one takes place in a hotel and is done in real time. I found it engaging and the performances are good.
7/10
Emma. (2020, Autumn de Wilde)
I watched the 1996 adaptation of this Jane Austen story earlier this year and I think it's the better telling of the story. This one is well made on a technical level and Anya Taylor-Joy is good in the lead role, but the supporting characters weren't made memorable or interesting enough.
6/10
Fatman (2020, Eshom Nelms & Ian Nelms)
Pretty enjoyable twist on the story of Santa Claus. Mel Gibson and Walton Goggins are fun here.
7/10
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020, Jeff Fowler)
More enjoyable than I expected, but I don't think it quite comes together fully. Jim Carrey is a blast though.
6.5/10
Hillbilly Elegy (2020, Ron Howard)
Amy Adams and Glenn Close are damn good, but the movie isn't as powerful or moving as it should have been. Part of it is that the main character isn't as interesting character wise or performance wise as the Adams and Close characters.
6.5/10
Dutch (1991, Peter Faiman)
A mostly enjoyable Thanksgiving road trip movie written by John Hughes. In that sense it's pretty similar to Plains, Trains & Automobiles. What holds it back is how predictable it is.
6.5/10
Pieces of April (2003, Peter Hedges)
Another Thanksgiving themed movie. I found this one well acted and engaging, with a nice mix of comedy and drama.
7/10
On the Rocks (2020, Sofia Coppola)
I found this one pretty enjoyable, with some good work from Rashida Jones and Bill Murray.
7/10
Red Road (2006, Andrea Arnold)
It gets better as it goes along, but I don't think it quite comes together. The potential was there, but wasn't reached.
6.5/10
Repeat Viewings:
JFK (1991, Oliver Stone)
One of the most engrossing films ever made. It's nearly 3 1/2 hours, but it doesn't feel like it. It's wonderfully made and boasts one of the best ensemble casts out there.
9.5/10
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962, Robert Aldrich)
Very good film with some great moments. Bette Davis is excellent here and Joan Crawford is really good too.
8/10
Movie Awards:
BEST FILM: JFK
BEST ACTOR: Kevin Costner (JFK)
BEST ACTRESS: Bette Davis (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Tommy Lee Jones (JFK)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams (Hillbilly Elegy)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Robert Richardson (JFK)
BEST SCORE: John Williams (JFK)
BEST SCRIPT: Oliver Stone & Zachary Sklar (JFK)
BEST DIRECTOR: Oliver Stone (JFK)