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Hail, Caesar! - I quite enjoyed it myself. Great cast and a fun story. 7.5/10
The Nice Guys - I've seen it twice and it was a blast both times. I like Crowe a lot in it, but I definitely prefer Gosling. 8.5/10
Star Trek VI - a pretty good entry in the series. 7/10
Taken - haven't seen it recently enough to rate.
First Time Viewings:
Me, Myself & Irene (2000, Bobby and Peter Farrelly)
A cop with dissociative identity disorder mus protect a woman on the run from her ex-boyfriend and his associates. Jim Carrey leads the way with a fun performance and the supporting cast are all quite good as well. The film probably doesn't need to be as long as it is, but it's funny and entertaining throughout and I enjoyed the story.
7/10
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995, Steve Oedekerk)
I wasn't a big fan of the first film, but I figured I'd give this one a shot anyways. Once again Jim Carrey plays the title character and while he does provide some laughs, I'm still not big fan of the character. The film itself is pretty stupid, but mildly entertaining throughout. I'd put it on about the same level as the first one.
6/10
Okja (2017, Joon-ho Bong)
In this Netflix original a young girl tries to protect her pet (a giant super-pig) from a powerful multi-national company. I liked the story and the film boasts a strong cast, with fun turns from Jake Gyllenhaal and Tilda Swinton. It's a pretty unique movie, but that's part of why I enjoyed it.
7/10
Christine (2016, Antonio Campos)
This one is based on the true story of a 1970's TV reporter that struggled with depression and professional frustrations as she tries to advance her career. Rebecca Hall gives a fantastic performance in the lead role, for which she was surely robbed of an Oscar nomination and I found the film to be a fascinating character study. It's well made, the supporting cast is strong, and it has a lasting impact.
7.5/10
The Belko Experiment (2017, Greg McLean)
In this one 80 people are locked in their office building and told over the intercom that they must kill each other. I wasn't really expecting much from this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. It has some great scenes here and there, the cast is solid, and it's not just a mindless gore fest, it actually has some good social commentary on human nature.
7/10
The Lost City of Z (2017, James Gray)
Based on a true story, this one is about a British explorer that went searching for a lost Amazonian city in the early 20th century. The film is beautifully shot, has good sets and costumes and a strong lead performance from Charlie Hunnam (who I found incredibly bland in Pacific Rim). I did feel the pacing could have been better in parts and most of the characters don't get much development, but overall I liked it.
7/10
Repeat Viewings:
Fight Club (1999, David Fincher)
This classic is always a great watch, with a terrific script, unforgettable characters, great performances, and an awesome soundtrack. One of my top 20 favorites of all time.
10/10
The Prestige (2006, Christopher Nolan)
This one is about a bitter rivalry between two magicians in the 19th century. Christian Bale and High Jackman both turn in strong performances and the supporting cast is very good as well. The film is well shot, has a good score, brilliant editing, and I just love the story. There are many fantastic moments throughout, including a terrific finale, with some excellent twists. One of Nolan's best.
9/10
Robin Hood (1973, Wolfgang Reitherman)
This Disney film is a take on the classic tale of Robin Hood. It's full of great characters, has good music, and it's just a fun movie overall.
7.5/10
The Tree of Life (2011, Terrence Malick)
I wasn't a big fan of this when I first saw it, but I wanted to give it a second chance. I'm glad I did, because i liked it more this time. The cinematography is stunning, it has great music, a solid cast, and some great scenes. Some parts still don't entirely work for me, but overall I'm a fan now.
7/10
The New World (2005, Terrence Malick)
Here's another one from Malick that didn't fully work for me the first time around. Though I found the third act to be weaker than the first two, I enjoyed this one a bit more this time. It looks amazing, has great music choices, and is an interesting take on the Pocahontas story.
7/10
The Thin Red Line (1998, Terrence Malick)
For me, this is easily Malick's best work. The cinematography is incredible, the combat scenes are some of the best ever, and the score is beautiful. I do think the second act is considerably better than the first and third, but there's great stuff throughout.
8/10
Evan Almighty (2007, Tom Shadyac)
In this spinoff/sequel to Bruce Almighty, Steve Carell returns as Evan Baxter, who has just become a congressman, when God tells him to build an ark. I saw this several years ago with my family (even though we hadn't seen Bruce Almighty) and I remember enjoying it. This time around, I found it to be pretty weak overall. Carell is good and carries it, but the story just isn't as funny and inventive as the first film. There are still some laughs and it goes by fairly quickly.
5.5/10
Movie Awards:
BEST FILM - Fight Club
BEST ACTOR - Edward Norton (Fight Club)
BEST ACTRESS - Rebecca Hall (Christine)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Brad Pitt (Fight Club)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - John Toll (The Thin Red Line)
BEST SCORE - Hans Zimmer (The Thin Red Line)
BEST SCRIPT - Jim Uhls (Fight Club)
BEST DIRECTOR - Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line)