The Shape of Water - I liked it a lot and didn't think it dragged at all. 8/10
Beauty and the Beast - a Disney classic. I like all the songs. 8/10
Before Midnight - currently my least favorite of the trilogy, but still great. 8.5/10
First Time Viewings:
Mom and Dad (2018, Brian Taylor)
This one is about a brother and sister who must fight to survive after an unknown mass hysteria begins where parents violently turn on their children. Nicolas Cage gives a crazy performance that was fun to watch and the film has its moments, but I feel like the concept could have been executed a lot better. It also ends a little abruptly.
5.5/10
Moonstruck (1987, Norman Jewison)
In this one a woman falls for the brother of the man she agreed to marry. Cher is really good in the lead role and the supporting cast is quite good as well. The film has some good laughs and is entertaining throughout.
7/10
The Post (2017, Steven Spielberg)
Spielberg's latest took a while for me to get into, but it got better and more interesting as it went along. The cast is good, the score has its moments, and overall I thought this was pretty good.
7/10
The Bounty (1984, Roger Donaldson)
This is the third film adaptation of this particular story, but I decided to check it out first mainly due to the cast which includes Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson, and Laurence Olivier. Naturally the film is well acted, has some beautiful cinematography, a very good but underused score, and great sets and costumes. It dragged a little in some parts, but nothing too bad.
7.5/10
25th Hour (2002, Spike Lee)
I've been interested in this one for several years, but for some reason never saw it until this week. I liked it a lot. I enjoyed the themes it addressed and there are some great character moments. The film is well made and acted and fully engaging throughout.
8/10
The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005, Rebecca Miller)
In this one a father an daughter live alone on a island, but the father invites his girlfriend and her sons to come and stay with them. Daniel Day-Lewis turns in a very strong performance and the rest of the cast is pretty good too. I liked the story and the soundtrack was pretty good.
7/10
The Swimmer (1968, Frank Perry)
This one is pretty unusual, but in the end I liked it. Burt Lancaster is very good here and though the supporting players are pretty good too, he carries the movie. The ending raises some questions, but on the whole I thought this was a pretty interesting movie.
7/10
Prick Up Your Ears (1987, Stephen Frears)
This one tells the story of playwright Joe Orton. Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina are both very good and the film has an interesting structure to it that I thought worked pretty well.
7/10
The Boxer (1997, Jim Sheridan)
Daniel Day-Lewis stars as a man released from prison after 14 years that tries to rebuild his life in his old neighborhood. The film is well made and acted, but the story didn't quite do it for me.
6.5/10
88 Minutes (2007, Jon Avnet)
I've always heard this one was pretty bad and it is. The plot had some potential, but the writing is a complete mess, with the last act in particular being pretty unbelievable. Al Pacino is good though and makes it better than it would have been with a lesser actor, but at the same time it's kind of depressing that he's in this piece of crap.
4.5/10
The Left Handed Gun (1958, Arthur Penn)
This one stars Paul Newman as Billy the Kid and he's really good in the role. The rest of the cast is solid as well and the film has a goof revenge story and it's well made and well paced with some great scenes here and there.
7/10
Brothers (2009, Jim Sheridan)
This one is about a man who comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan. The story was quite good and tackled some interesting themes and the film seemed to only get better as it went along. Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman are good and Tobey Maguire puts in the best performance I've seen from him.
7.5/10
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017, Dan Gilroy)
This one hasn't been getting the best reviews, but I was interested in it mainly for the director. Dan Gilroy's debut feature Nightcrawler is one of my favorites of the decade, so this was definitely a disappointment compared to that, but I thought it was pretty good overall. I found the story engaging and Denzel Washington turns in a damn good performance.
7/10
Repeat Viewings:
The Godfather (1972, Francis Ford Coppola)
A timeless masterpiece.
10/10
The Godfather: Part II (1974, Francis Ford Coppola)
The greatest sequel ever made.
10/10
Road to Perdition (2002, Sam Mendes)
Third viewing and I continue to like it more each time. It has a terrific ensemble, beautiful cinematography, a great story, and a fantastic score.
8.5/10
Movie Awards:
BEST FILM - The Godfather: Part II
BEST ACTOR - Al Pacino (The Godfather: Part II)
BEST ACTRESS - Cher (Moonstruck)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Marlon Brando (The Godfather)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Diane Keaton (The Godfather: Part II)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Conrad L. Hall (Road to Perdition)
BEST SCORE - Nino Rota (The Godfather)
BEST SCRIPT - Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather: Part II)
BEST DIRECTOR - Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather: Part II)