“Elvis” Grade: A (94%)
Austin Butler won a Golden Globe for his depiction of Elvis Presley, and it’s well-deserved. He will undoubtedly be nominated for an Oscar as well, and so should the film for “Best Picture”. Let’s just put it this way…when Tom Hanks is probably the lowest quality aspect of a film, you know it’s damn good. For a two and a half hour movie, the pacing and editing were a Masterclass in film. If you’ve not had a chance to check this gem out yet, it’s on HBO Max and well worth your time.
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” Grade: A- (93%)
Mix “Deadpool”, “The Matrix”, and anything Jackie Chan and you get this gem. For the first 30 minutes of the movie, it’s hard not to actively think: “what the hell am I watching?”, but stick with it. Artistically, this is pure gold and it prompts some interesting thoughts about existence and reality. A rare A-lister movie in my grade guide; go check it out if you haven’t yet.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” Grade: A- (92%)
After 13 years in the making, James Cameron finally put out the long-awaited sequel to one of the greatest films of all time, and it’s a rare sequel that doesn’t disappoint. Was it as “good” as the first Avatar film? No, not quite (I gave the first “Avatar” an A+ (98%) for context), but it’s definitely not hyperbole to say that it definitely deserves its Golden Globe nomination for “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and its likely “Best Picture” nomination for the Academy Awards a few months down the road. However, I think this film hits a bit differently for parents than non-parents (e.g. it’s more powerful for parents as the narrative is highly focused on Jake and Neytiri Sully’s children and using them as vehicles for eliciting strong emotions). Non-parents may not be able to relate to many of these emotional ploys and thus, find parts of the film drawn out and “flat”. My only criticism of the film comes in its villain. I always tell aspiring fiction writers that a piece is only as “good” as its villain. Avatar 2’s villain is about as two-dimensional as it gets, and honestly, not creative in the least bit. But despite this, “Avatar: The Way of Water” is visually stunning (as expected), has great action sequences that make Marvel look like the garbage they are by comparison, and deep, powerful themes revolving around culture, race, love, loyalty, and respect that make you reflect on important social issues facing humanity. Yes, the movie is 3.5 hours long, but I wished it was longer – I didn’t want it to end.
“Fire of Love” Grade: A- (91%)
“The Batman” Grade: A- (91%)
Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. The entire end sequence with the mayor-elect almost ruined an otherwise legitimately awesome movie (I’m trying not to let it have too much of an impact on the overall grade here; I would get into specifics, but I like to keep my reviews as spoiler-free as I can), what I’m calling “Hulk” Batman (only seen in the end sequence of the film) is dumb af, and seriously, how many different ways can DC tell the same Batman story (between Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, the TV show Gotham, indirectly in Joker, and now Reeves’ The Batman series)? With all of that being said, “The Batman” delivers a rare March gem (this time of year is notorious in the industry for releasing films that the studios have deemed “failures”). The movie gives the city of Gotham a fresh and intriguing perspective despite the fact that any comic-savvy viewer knows the Batman/Bruce Wayne story like the back of their hand. The acting, all-around, is top-notch, as are the sets, costumes, and original score. Friends and family like to give me grief on how much of a “hater” I am on comic book-related films and TV shows in general, but I’ll say it again: “The Batman” is a legitimately awesome movie. DC usually puts out even stinkier garbage than Marvel (which is actually tough to do), but with “Joker” (on my short list of greatest films of all-time) and now “The Batman”, DC is showing the ability to absolutely crush Marvel whenever they please. “The Batman” is well worth your time and money to make a trip to the theater, get some popcorn, and enjoy the ride.
“Navalny” Grade: A- (90%)
“All Quiet on the Western Front” Grade: A- (90%)
As someone who has routinely taught the novel for countless years, I do wonder how those who know nothing about AQWF as a literary work would view this film. I suspect they wouldn’t quite grasp the context and meaning of select scenes, but that the overall anti-war message (in an incredibly war-filled movie) would still land well. This rendition of AQWF (the other film based on the novel was released in 1930 and won “Best Picture”) features some absolutely stunning cinematography, sets, costumes, editing, sound editing, sound mixing, and special effects. The story, of course, is powerful from start to finish, but I do feel that this version of the film could have been cut down by 15 or 20 minutes without compromising its overall message or experiential meaning.
“Andor” (TV Series: Season 1) Grade: A- (90%)
If you loved “Star Wars: Rogue One” (and I did), you’ll also love this expanded look into Cassian Andor’s origin story. This kind of storytelling is what Star Wars “purists” crave, and honestly, what Disney NEEDS to do in order to save the Star Wars golden goose that they have been butchering through the absolute flops of “Kenobi”, “Book of Boba Fett”, “Force Awakens”, “Last Jedi”, and “Rise of Skywalker”. “Andor” is a gritty, well-thought-out, cinematically stunning work that easily competes with (if not exceeds) “The Mandalorian” (Season 1) as the best Star Wars series that Disney has put together. There are some blemishes to be sure (e.g. the lack of aliens in a universe that is crawling with creativity, and the drawn-out prison narrative), but this is the best thing Star Wars-related that has been put out in quite some time.
“The Bear” (TV Series: Season 1) Grade: A- (90%)
Thank you to those who recommended this show. It’s only 8 episodes long, with most episodes being 20-30 minutes in length, so it’s a quick watch, but it’s really well done. The acting is superb, the cinematography is terrific, and the story is genuinely interesting because of the writer’s devotion to character development. This show reminds me of the 2013-2015 show called “Graceland” on USA Network, except instead of taking place in a shared CIA beach house, it takes place in a kitchen. My biggest gripe with the show is that it is being promoted as a new comedy series, and honestly, it’s much more of a character-centered drama (I didn’t laugh once while watching it), so if you decide to give it a go, perhaps keep that in mind. But because of the ability to binge it in a hasty fashion and the high quality of writing and production value, it’s a show that I can’t wait for season 2 to be released in the Summer of 2023.
“A Christmas Story Christmas” Grade: B+ (89%)
When the 20th season of “South Park” aired, they introduced the term “member berries”, and it has been widely adopted by the entertainment industry when referring to any pop culture icons, bringing about nostalgic feelings for the supposed good times of the past. Hollywood has made a LOT of money off of “member berries”, and they generally are a ploy to get you to open your wallet, and more times than not, they disappoint. In the case of “A Christmas Story Christmas”, the entire film is one of the largest collections of “member berries” that I’ve ever seen (even down to replicating exact shots from the original film, “A Christmas Story”). But it works…really well. It’s one of the rare films that left me with tears streaming down my face at the end of it. If you love the cult classic original, this is a sequel that definitely doesn’t disappoint. Bumpus hounds, triple dog dares, neighborhood bullies, and all the rest while “saving” Christmas. Check it out on HBO Max.
“Women Talking” Grade: B+ (89%)
This film is cleverly shot mostly around one set (a barn), so you feel more like you are watching a play instead of a movie, and it has a powerful message related to an often hushed topic (violence against women) that ultimately works despite some of the overdramatic monologues throughout the movie. The movie can be quite uncomfortable at moments, but that’s by design, and it adds to the power of the piece. I can say with full confidence that if you are someone (primarily male, however) who tends to believe in and support traditional gender roles, doesn’t support feminism, or consider yourself to be firmly rooted in “conservativism”, you would HATE this movie.
“House of the Dragon” (TV Series: Season 1) Grade: B+ (88%)
For the most part, this is an excellent show, and “Game of Thrones” fans are rejoicing the fact that a new, high-quality adventure in Westeros has begun (although Season 2 won’t arrive until late 2024, unfortunately). The fact that they recast a lot of the show after 5 episodes really disappointed me as Milly Alcock was absolutely stunning in a lead role. Supposedly, they recast the show to be more accurate with the advance of time, and while the King’s character clearly ages, Matt Smith’s character doesn’t seem to age at all from episode 1 to the finale. My other issue with season 1 is that some characters clearly have “plot armor” in a universe (“Game of Thrones”) that is traditionally known for not allowing “plot armor” for its characters. Let’s just say that there were a couple of situations where characters should have definitely been killed off if this was old school GoT. Overall, I really enjoyed it even though episode 6 with all of the recast characters threw me for a loop. I wish we didn’t have to wait so long for season 2.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” Grade: B+ (87%)
Now here’s a piece of quirky, dark comedy that is, again, well-done from a technical standpoint, and narratively does just enough to keep you watching. The premise of the film is that one half of a best-friend relationship abruptly decides that he no longer wants to be best friends (or friends at all) with the other half for no deeper reason than he is “dull”. People are lauding Colin Farrell for his performance, but I personally think Brendan Gleeson steals the show in terms of acting (though I’ve always been a big fan of his). There’s honestly not a lot of action in the film, thus it drones on a bit in parts, so if you’re one that needs more of a faster pace in your movie-going experience, you’d be fine skipping this.
“Unrivaled: Red Wings v Avalanche” Grade: B+ (87%)
“The Sea Beast” Grade: B (86%)
“Jackass Forever” Grade: B (85%)
This was a difficult grade to assign because it’s not really a film per se. As many of you probably know, Jackass is a collection of ridiculous stunts meant to entertain, and in Jackass Forever, they certainly entertain. I genuinely enjoyed watching this as I laughed out loud (a rarity for me and movies) and cringed several times. One notable warning though if you are thinking about going to see this or letting your teens go to see this: there is A LOT of male nudity in this movie. As Steve-O says at the very beginning of the movie: “Nothing is funnier than dick pain.”
“Uncharted” Grade: B- (82%)
Let me start off by stating that this was a REALLY fun and entertaining movie. Certainly nowhere near Academy gold, but I really would pay to go see it again in theaters with a friend who hasn’t seen it yet – it’s that much fun. If “Uncharted” was a cake, the ingredients would be “National Treasure” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” with some “Lucky Number Slevin” iced on top. Yes, its MAGUFFIN CENTRAL plot can be hokey and tired at times, but Tom Holland proves that he has the capability to be a megastar outside of his Spideyverse, and normally, I don’t really care for Mark Wahlberg a lot, but he was outstanding in this one. Forget Marvel garbage, “Uncharted” is a true, quality popcorn action-adventure movie.
“Rescue Rangers” Grade: B- (81%)
Imagine if “Ready Player One”, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”, and “Detective Pikachu” had a strange love triangle baby and you’d have “Rescue Rangers”. I was a child of the 80s and admittedly loved Chip n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers as part of the Disney Afternoon cartoon block, and for that niche crowd, this may have an even better grade as the movie is chalked full of 80s and early 90s references and cameos that will make you smile and laugh (e.g. Vote for Senator Butthead on a bus bench). Though you might think this is a children’s movie before watching it, I would probably put a 10+ recommendation on it (my 6-year-old thought it was too scary in parts and stopped watching about halfway through), which actually works against it (I’m not sure how many teens and young adults without kids are sitting down to stream “Rescue Rangers” on Disney+). The story is MacGuffin-central (a Disney staple in all their properties) and predictable, but fun and humorous at the same time. It’s only available on Disney+ right now, and it’s worth a watch IF you were a fan of the original cartoon series back in the day.
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (TV Series: Season 9) Grade: B- (80%)
“Man in the Arena: Tom Brady” (docu-series) Grade: B- (80%)
This wrapped in March or April, but if you’re a fan of football (and yes, even if you don’t like Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, or the Patriots), it’s worth a watch. If you’re not a football fan, go ahead and skip. I wish it would have dived more into the rift between Brady and Belichick as chronicled and outlined in the excellent book “It’s Better to be Feared”, but alas, a lot of what this docu-series does is jog NFL fans down nostalgia lane.
“Top Gun: Maverick” Grade: C+ (78%)
Critics and audiences alike are absolutely LOVING this sequel, and yes, it can be a REALLY “fun” watch for its target audience. The film is a testosterone-filled wet dream, so if you’re the kind of person that loves cheesy one-liners, tons of fast action sequences, and an “easy” and nice-to-look-at love interest, then you’re also going to love “Top Gun: Maverick”. If you’re turned off by male chauvinism, macho-man fighting for hierarchical prowess, and/or shallow and predictable storylines, then you’ll find yourself rolling your eyes and looking at your watch over and over wondering when the movie will end. Bottom line: if you are part of the crowd that LOVED movies like “The Rock”, “Face/off”, “Con Air”, and “Broken Arrow” back in the 90s, you’ll likely find this movie pretty satisfying.
“Glass Onion” Grade: C+ (78%)
Full disclosure, I never saw the first “Knives Out” film because I’m a Rian Johnson movie hater because of the unmitigated, absolute mega-nuke-sized disaster he created in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”. And truth be told, I wasn’t going to watch this either for the same reason, but I couldn’t sleep one night and it was on Netflix, so…meh, why not? Although it has some entertaining parts in it, the movie really isn’t worthy of the 93% audience and critic rotten tomatoes rating that it is garnering. True to Rian Johnson form, there are plot holes that you could fly a Star Destroyer through, and the film violates my number one rule in writing: show, don’t tell. In a well-done mystery “whodunit” style movie, there are little hints throughout that the viewer can (in theory) figure out the mystery before it unfolds before them. In Glass Onion, any time there is some convoluted mystery building, Daniel Craig’s character suddenly just blurts out all of the answers (none of which the viewer could have possibly figured out on their own). Oh, and don’t get me started on Daniel Craig’s character…you remember that big ass chicken on looney tunes (Foghorn Leghorn is his name)? Reskin that chicken with Daniel Craig and “I say, I say…” If the movie wasn’t on Netflix and I had paid for it with theater pricing, I’d be a bit peeved.
“The Fabelmans” Grade: C+ (77%)
As someone who grew up loving Steven Spielberg films (e.g. Jaws, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, etc.), I was really looking forward to watching his latest film that featured his own life for the narrative. From a technical standpoint, the film was incredibly done, but in terms of meaningful substance, the film is nearly bankrupt, unfortunately. If you’re not one who actively appreciates the technical aspects of film, I’d advise skipping this one.
“Tar” Grade: C (76%)
Immediately after watching this film, my gut reaction was trying to weigh whether this was worse than the aforementioned “Triangle of Sadness” or not. It’s an incredibly “stuffy” and “snobby” film that doesn’t make a lot of the plot clear to the average moviegoer, and for that audience, this is the kind of movie that will bore you to tears. For the more technical and critical viewer that will stick through the whole 2.5 hours (that feels like 4 hours), there are some redeeming qualities and Cate Blanchett does a superb acting job. I usually try to keep my reviews spoiler-free, but if you are going to watch this, this is a spoiler that will seriously make your experience way more enjoyable: Blanchett’s character is being haunted throughout the film by the spirit/ghost of her former protege that committed suicide.
“Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” Grade: C (76%)
Pleasantly surprised with this one considering how bad the trailers made it look. Yes, it’s full of MacGuffins that are nonsensical and some plot points that leave the critically-minded saying “WTF”, but sadly, this has become the norm for Marvel movies. So why was I pleasantly surprised? Benedict Cumberbatch is a superb actor, there were some deeper themes to the story that Marvel rarely treads into, and the eye candy special effects were a lot of fun. For my money, it was certainly a “better” watch than the most recent Spiderman film that the younger generation loved. If you haven’t seen it yet and are thinking about it, I’d wait until Redbox or streaming on Disney+.
“Thor: Love and Thunder” Grade: C (75%)
I’m not sure how many of you saw the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms debut this past weekend, but I feel the same way about those as I do “Thor: Love and Thunder”; soooooo bad that it actually works in some nonsensical way. The good: incredibly artistic visually, some clever humor with personifying weapons, and I left the theater genuinely feeling like it was really “fun”. The bad: absolute trainwreck of a story. Like…wow bad, but this formula seems to be the new standard for Marvel. Visual eye candy, “fun” feeling, maddeningly stupid plot. Proceed with caution; if you have any interest at all in seeing this, I would probably wait for it to come out on Disney+.
“Real Time with Bill Maher” (TV Series: Season 20) Grade: C (75%)
“Hard Knocks: 2022 Detroit Lions” Grade: C (75%)
“The 355” Grade: C (74%)
“Jackass 4.5” Grade: C- (72%)
While I strangely enjoyed “Jackass Forever” quite a bit at the beginning of the year, this film takes all of the leftover scraps from the editing room floor and puts them together for audiences. It does have a few laugh-out-loud and cringy moments, but there’s a reason that a lot of this was left out of the original. Probably would have been better off spending my time elsewhere.
“Turning Red” Grade: C- (71%)
It didn’t really keep my attention and my 6-year-old wanted to turn it off halfway through. There’s a reason this was a straight to Disney+ and never saw a theatrical release. As far as Pixar films go, this was a disappointment.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Grade: C- (70%)
Classic Marvel formula of surface-level, Maguffin-centric, super predictable storytelling and a bunch of special effects with cheesy one-liners thrown in. Angela Bassett does turn in a stunning performance as Ramonda and the costume designer’s work is notable, but other than those two aspects, there’s nothing really compelling here. Save your money and skip this one; if you’re a Disney+ subscriber and you liked the first “Black Panther”, wait until this hits the streaming service in a couple of months.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” Grade: C- (70%)
There are some funny moments in the movie, and it does finally marry Marvel to Christmas (the best part of the film is probably the opening song), but if you’re expecting something wholesome and “good” while the chestnuts are roasting on an open fire, you’ll have to look elsewhere. This holiday special ultimately belongs on Santa’s naughty list.
“Willow” (TV Series: Season 1) Grade: D+ (69%)
While this is certainly NOT “good” by any stretch of the imagination, it sparkles and shines in comparison to the highly anticipated series of “Rings of Power” and “Obi-Wan” from 2022. If you’re okay with the campiness and cheese of the original film “Willow”, you’ll likely enjoy your foray with the TV series (as I did; except for the final episode… which was an absolute trainwreck that honestly dropped this a whole letter-grade in my book). The one “new” aspect of this series when compared with the original film was a large “teenage angst” factor. Cringeworthy moments throughout.
“Stranger Things” (TV Series: Season 4) Grade: D+ (68%)
The most recent season of “Stranger Things” starts off pretty solid for the first few episodes with some decent character development and a somewhat intriguing murder-mystery plotline, but then the wheels come spinning off significantly with major plot holes, and an entire sub-story arc that is head-scratching and forcefully stuffed into the show at best (with Hopper, Joyce, and Murray). Season 5 is reportedly going to be the last, and because I’ve watched the first four seasons, I’ll watch it, but if you’re someone who is on the fence about starting “Stranger Things” or not, I’d recommend not. There are MUCH better shows to devote your time to.
“Bullet Train” Grade: D+ (67%)
“Triangle of Sadness” Grade: D (65%)
There are always one or two films nominated for “Best Picture” every year that make you scratch your head and think: ‘Why the hell was that nominated?’ This is that film. It’s labeled as a “dark comedy”, which I tend to really enjoy as a genre, but there were very few laughs to be had here (unless you are a fan of vomit scenes – which I am not). The film is unnecessarily long (at over 2.5 hours long) and has no coherent ending. I’d avoid watching this – there are definitely much better ways to spend a few hours of your life.
“Life After Death with Tyler Henry” (TV Series: Season 1) Grade: D (65%)
Ruminating on what happens after we die and wondering if we can communicate with the spirits of the people we loved who have passed on can be an incredibly interesting topic. This show, however, should be filed away under “reality TV trash”. It follows a traditional reality TV blueprint, the editing is awful (e.g. there are countless times that it shows a shot from behind Henry’s head where you can see his mouth moving, but not matching the words being said audibly, showing that the show’s creators dubbed in other stuff during the editing process in an attempt to add drama or intrigue), and Tyler Henry (who is apparently a famous medium that can communicate with spirits) seems so fake, phony, and non-genuine. Not worth your time.
“Halo” (TV Series: Season 1) Grade: D- (62%)
Utterly uninspired storytelling mixed with a Master Chief that hardly ever wears his helmet (making Halo fans everywhere cringe), this can be tossed away into the heap of garbage that is video game to TV/movie adaptations.
“Dog” Grade: D- (60%)
I really wanted to give this movie a failing grade, but it does attempt to incorporate some feel-good elements throughout. However, this is a waste of your time. Channing Tatum can’t act, and the storyline is garbage (not to mention quite unrealistic/unbelievable).
“Prey” Grade: F (55%)
“Jurassic World: Dominion” Grade: F (50%)
This story is riddled with plot holes, MacGuffins, and Member Berries that simply don’t work on any coherent level. I love Jeff Goldblum, but c’mon man…talk about taking the money and running. Whatever awful sequels you can think of, this belongs in that category.
“Rings of Power” (TV Series: Season 1) Grade: F (46%)
What a trainwreck of a show. I know a lot of Lord of the Rings fans are up in arms about how the show messed up continuity and lore, but I can’t really speak to all of that (to a lot of people’s surprise, I’m not a Lord of the Rings nerd). My grade comes purely from a storytelling and technical perspective. My primary issue with the show is that NONE of the characters are compelling or relatable. Because of this, there’s no emotional appeal or buy-in from an audience standpoint. The amount of non-sensical plot holes riddled throughout made it difficult to watch and the acting is comparable to local dinner theater stuff. It truly was a waste of time and not something that I would have continued to watch if it weren’t for the amount of LotR friends who insisted I power through it to see how terrible it was. They weren’t wrong.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” (TV Series: Season 1) Grade: F (45%)
What an awful and epic disappointment this series was. It honestly feels like Disney didn’t care whatsoever about the writing of the show and merely wanted some cool visuals to entice more to become Disney+ subscribers. I’ll create a more detailed dive into everything that is “wrong” with the show on my blog, but I like to keep my FB reviews spoiler-free. Just know that the writing is baaaad. Like…”Rise of Skywalker” bad. For Star Wars purists (like me), this series made me feel like someone was degrading and torturing my childhood right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.