Dune (2021)

My main problem with the book is that it was, for me, just exhausting. I stopped caring about what I was reading because I just wanted to be done with the dang thing. This film distilled all of the threads so that they were easy to keep straight. The characters came alive in distinct ways and I actually cared about them. But... it's not a complete story.

I know that it clearly says "Part 1" at the start -- that it's not intended to be complete -- but it really should stand on its own. Since we'd not spent any real time with the Fremen, meeting one of their bands and immediately rolling credits was completely unsatisfying.

C+

Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019)

Zach's dreams of becoming a late night talk-show host depend on whether he can meet an arbitrary deadline set by Will Ferrell. So, he's off on a cross-country road trip with three staff members, interviewing celebrities along the way.

The interview segments are extremely funny, but the half-assed story in which they're embedded isn't worth the time. 

C+

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

This should be the main exhibit in the "Style Over Substance" museum. Slow-mo explosions and slow-mo bullets tearing through bodies and slow-mo GoPro running shots. It's just exhausting. Yes, it's clever and quippy too, but mostly just tiresome.

C

Children of the Damned (1964)

Six children, each from a different country, are discovered to have intellect far beyond that of their peers -- and even adults. They can solve complex puzzles in seconds, seem to have no emotions, and can control the actions of others, both animal and human. Cool. Or it should have been.

Instead of doing anything fun with this, the script has the children hole up in an abandoned church while government agencies, scientists, and military try to figure out what to do by talking. The only thing frightening about this is how deadly dull it all is.

D

Beetlejuice (1988)

Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis are at peak charm and beauty in this classic about a recently-deceased couple navigating both death and the new family now living in their house.

This was my third or fourth viewing, but Gary's first. Seeing it through his eyes, I was cringing a bit at the pretty terrible green screen effects of the desert as well as the claymation work, but he was unbothered -- enjoying it to the full degree that I've always enjoyed it. It's just a "turn off your brain and laugh" good time.

B

8 1/2 (1963)

Writer/director Guido is in pre-production for his new film -- but he hasn't yet come up with an idea. He's spending time at a spa and with his memories while fending off the constant interruptions of the crew and cast wanting to know what they should be doing. He's also juggling his wife and his brassy mistress.

This just felt like a jumble to me. There were interesting moments, but not enough of them hung together to create a cohesive whole. By the midway point, I was just looking for the finish line.

C+

Vivarium (2020)

Tom and Gemma are pressured by an estate agent to tour a house they're pretty sure they'd never buy since it's in a cookie-cutter development from hell... possibly literally. Despite their best efforts, they cannot find their way out of the neighborhood, but they're getting regular deliveries of "food" and, eventually, a baby is delivered... in a cardboard box.

Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg are great as the couple. But, while the setting was unique, the conclusion was no surprise at all. From the moment we met the agent, it was fairly obvious that he was far from normal.

C+

Solo (2019)

Based on the true story of Alvaro, who drove to a remote location alone to surf but suffered a fall. The landscape and his very serious injuries strand him there, making him more desperate as time slips by.

The structure of the film is a problem -- I didn't understand what, exactly, I was seeing. At first I thought he and his girlfriend were revisiting the site of his trauma for some closure or something... but, apparently, he was just hallucinating her there to get him through his situation. And the guy himself is a problem since he's one of those selfish sport bros who thinks he's invincible. I didn't much care if he survived and, since that's the whole story, I just wasn't interested.

C-

Twice-Told Tales (1963)

Three short films based on stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne and all starring Vincent Price. The first is about enteral youth, the second is doomed love, and the third is a family curse spanning more than a century. None are worth the time and the sets look like they were put together for a pretty decent high school play.

D-

I Used to Go Here (2020)

Kate, a newly-published novelist, is invited back to her alma mater for a few days to do a reading and mentor some creative writing majors. She's going through a tough time: her friends are all happily pregnant, she's recently broken up with her fiance, and her book sales are not going well, so she welcomes the distraction. Though she has high hopes for the visit, a critical NYT review of her book and her ex's instagram posts of his new girlfriend cause her to literally revert.

I think there could have been a good movie in here somewhere -- a critique on trying to keep pace with your friends, the romanticizing of the "good ol' days" etc. -- but this film doesn't live up to its potential. I wore a cringe face for a lot of it. There was one delightful bit that I'll probably remember for a long time, though: (Tall) Brandon's evening of funny YouTube videos and souffle-making with his roommate's mom.

C

The Woman in the Window (2021)

Amy Adams is an agoraphobe Rear Window-ing her new neighbors. When she sees a crime, she can't get anyone to believe her. And, you know, she's not sure that she trusts herself either.

Generally, unreliable narrators annoy the crap out of me. Every once in a while, however, a story comes along that utilizes this device beautifully. Not this time, mind you, but I know it's possible.

C-

Anon (2018)

In the future, facial recognition and automatic uploads of what was seen from an individual's perspective have basically wiped out privacy. But at least one person has figured out how to remain anonymous and has used that knowledge to become a highly-sought "fixer." 

It's a very cool idea that should've been much more engaging. After watching, Gary and I were saying things like "if they'd have only..." and "we should've seen..." etc. The script just got too bogged down in mechanics and forgot to make us care.

C+

Larceny, Inc (1942)

Maxwell, a recent parolee, buys a luggage shop next door to a bank to tunnel into the vault. Though he has no intention of successfully running the shop, the Christmas season and the machinations of his niece make it difficult not to turn a buck... so why bother with crime?

Plenty of plot holes, but its silly charms make it worth the watch.

B 

The Wild One (1953)

Is this title ironic? Because Brando, as the leader of a motorcycle gang, is more brooding than wild -- and his gang is about as threatening as a pack of junior high school boys annoying the hell out of their science teacher.

C-

Uncle Frank (2020)

In 1973, Beth is in her freshman year at college where her uncle is a professor. She's only just discovered that Frank is gay when her grandfather (his dad) passes away. They decide to road trip, and Frank's partner Wally decides to follow.

There are some lovely moments, but most have been hit earlier and better in other stories. What makes this film worth the watch are the honest performances by Paul Bettany and Peter Macdissi as the gay couple forced out of their secrecy.

B-

Arctic (2019)

A man is stranded in a frozen wasteland after his plane crashes. We join him weeks into his ordeal -- he's got fishing lines going and has been attempting to send radio signals from various locations in the vicinity. Eventually a potential rescuer becomes another survivor for whom he must care.

Mads Mikkelsen is fantastic as our hero. In the first half, I was riveted. Once the story became a trek, however, it got to feeling a little monotonous. Also, I kept wondering how his companion was peeing and pooping.

B

American Ultra (2015)

A stoner who suffers from panic attacks is targeted for elimination by the CIA. But, by the time operatives show up to carry out the order, the stoner (actually a sleeper agent) has been activated and -- well -- we're gonna need some new CIA guys, I guess.

I'm almost ashamed at how much I liked this movie. It's got all of the standard elements, e.g. a way over-the-top "asshole in charge," and few plot surprises, but it's just fun. The action is well-choreographed and I was rooting for the leads.

B