The Revenant (2015)

There were a a few dreamy/mystical elements that I think would've made the movie stronger if they'd been cut, but that’s not to say that the movie isn’t strong as-is. The problem was that -- especially early-on -- I wasn't able to separate reality from the flashback/dream portions. Perhaps I'm the only one who experienced that confusion, but it didn't add to the movie-watching experience.

DiCaprio was ferocious as a bear-attack victim pushing himself back from sure death to enact vengeance. Most of the film is his wordless struggle to eat, move, survive and that was more than enough. Actually, it was about 30 minutes more than enough.

B+

The Big Short (2015)

It took me a little while to put aside my initial annoyances, a few examples being: my distaste for Christian Bale as a person, my distaste for Steve Carell’s acting, the offputting storytelling style with quick cuts and music video clips acting as bumpers between scenes... But once I determined to watch rather than judge, it won me over. I came out feeling like I learned something while being entertained.

B

Joy (2015)

Joy’s a single mother, but only in the sense that she’s the only one bringing in any money and doing household chores. Her lounge-singer ex-husband lives in the basement, her soap opera-watching mother stays upstairs in bed all day, and her grandmother is around every corner with a worried look and a platitude. Her life is a never-ending loop of suckitude.

But then she gets a big idea. But she can’t get the money to make it happen. But then she does get the money. But then it doesn’t sell. But then it does sell. But then they can’t afford the manufacturing. And on and on and on, like the least exciting roller coaster ever. Not a single person was likable and David O. Russell has ZERO talent for directing children -- which is one of my pet peeves. Getting through it was quite a slog for me and, judging by the fact that my full theater actually trudged out in near silence, I'm pretty sure the no-fun night at the movies wasn't confined to my seat.

F

Brooklyn (2015)

Just an absolutely lovely film that's both relatable and foreign. A young Irish girl comes to America, as arranged by her older sister, so that she'll have a shot at a future rather than being stuck in the only available role back home: as a small-town shopgirl hoping for a husband.

It’s not easy going at first: she’s lonely and homesick and doesn’t quite fit in. But once she meets the adorable Tony, she starts to find her footing and actually feel a bit at home. Saoirse Ronan made me feel everything -- e.g. when she was reading her first letters from home and crying her heart out with homesickness, I had that big gulpy feeling as though, if I hadn’t been in a theater with dozens of others, I could have easily wailed aloud. What a face.

This is my favorite movie of the year so far. Small and true.

A

Spotlight (2015)

I’m amazed at how much story some films can pack into two hours; this one was filled to the brim. It's a horrifying story told so well. Reminded me (of course) of All the President’s Men, which has stood the test of time.

I think teenage me would’ve wanted to enroll in journalism school immediately after seeing this.

A

Carol (2015)

Older, well-off, married woman meets a wide-eyed young shopgirl and they’re drawn to each other. Though separated from her husband, he's not having it & threatens to take away their child if she doesn’t shape up.

To get this out of the way: yes, it’s terrible the way it used to be. The fact that sexual preference could be used as evidence of unfit for parenting is sickening as is the assumption that psychotherapy would be necessary for those attracted to the same sex. But change happens because we care about the people being hurt. Why are gays no longer maligned by non-mouth-breathers? Because we became aware that people we knew and loved were gay & always had been. We learned homosexuality is not an obscure/fearsome thing -- it's all around us.

So the weight of this story felt ill-served by the characters: a personality-free blank of a girl and a lofty ice goddess. Sure, blank ingenues and frigid matriarchs deserve the freedom to screw whom they want, but they’re not interesting subjects for a movie.

C

The Hateful Eight (2015)

I read recently that Tarantino’s mission is to make movies that will stand the test of time -- movies that college kids will be discussing in film school next century. Well, he’s got his work cut out for him as this effort didn’t even stand up through the 5-minute walk to our car outside the theater.

Spoiler: there are 9 people in one room, 6 of whom are in on a plan to free the girl and kill her captor. Seeing as the baddies slaughtered 5 other people without remorse when they first arrived in the room, there’s no reason to believe they would have any problem offing the two extra guys. So that means that the only reason they don’t do so immediately (or at least the minute the girl’s uncuffed from her bounty hunter) is because Tarantino’s more interested in tricking us -- the viewers -- rather than having his characters behave in any reasonable manner.

But the trick isn't clever at all. It's like pretending to throw a ball for your dog to fetch but not releasing it: the dog may take off running, but the ruse is short-lived and the dog trots back all "you got me... now FIX it and throw the damn tennis ball." But there's no way to fix this. The plot just falls to pieces if you think about it at all.

D+

What Maisie Knew (2013)

Self-absorbed unhappy parents of a six-year-old girl split up, marry others, and remain the same self-obsessed and unhappy people they always were. This wreaks havoc in their daughter’s life since, now, she splits her time between two homes and is often left waiting for one or the other to come and get her.

There were some strong performances here -- Moore is a powerhouse -- but, unfortunately, Maisie herself is not a strong presence and that weakens the whole shebang.

C+

Creed (2015)

Everyone -- Rocky, Apollo's widow, the girl next door, and the kid -- is good. The story is also pretty good, though I could've done without the cancer b-plot. In short: a serviceable franchise reboot. I'd watch another.

B