The Lego Movie (2014)
with Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks
The innovative art style and wealth of creative ideas make The Lego Movie a standout among kids’ films, though its humor leans too often on slapstick and cameos.
Movies
23 reviews (23 movies) with an average rating of 3.3
8-Bit Christmas (2021)
with Winslow Fegley, Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Zahn
8-Bit Christmas leans heavily on nostalgia, but the NES hunt feels like a generic MacGuffin — swap it with any childhood obsession, and you'd get the same movie — while the predictable storyline and overly sentimental ending fail to leave a lasting impression.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
with Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
A movie that knows exactly what it wants to be, Deadpool & Wolverine delivers all the self-referential humor, surprise cameos, and raunchy one-liners you could hope for, though it stumbles a bit when figuring out what story it wants to tell.
Immaculate (2024)
with Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco
While I didn’t dislike the premise, Immaculate filled the first two-thirds with cheap, unoriginal jumpscares, and though I enjoyed the ending, not even Sweeney’s remarkable acting could save the film for me.
The Last Stop in Yuma County (2023)
with Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Richard Brake
The Last Stop in Yuma County feels like an extended version of Pulp Fiction's diner scene, drawing all its staying power from constantly answering, "Wow, could this get any worse?"
The Invisible Man (2020)
with Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer
Though overly reliant on the 'make you pay close attention to the background so we can jumpscare you more easily' trope, the movie still manages to pull the occasional delight out of its invisible hat.
Her (2013)
with Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johannson
Director Spike Jonze paints a visually stunning future (hauntingly empty outside of the protagonist's social sphere and depressingly plausible) and uses it to tell a captivating and thought-provoking story with a poignant and refreshing ending.
The Thing (1982)
with Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David
The relentless paranoia, visceral body horror, and still-amazing-fourty-years-later practical effects add up to a fantastic movie that does not allow you even a minute to catch your breath.
Dungeons & (2023)
with Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page
A movie that captures the feeling of actually running a D&D adventure — complete with random magical objects that the characters forget to mention until the minute they need them — would have been a perfect experience, were it not for the slight tendency to overuse one-liners.
Sicario (2015)
with Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro
Kate Macer's constant, largely futile search for answers, the bombastic, bone-rattling soundtrack, and the movie's unwillingness to relieve the tension with a comforting finale made sure I did not take my eyes off the screen once.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
with Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Sakura Andô
Besides an amazing portrayal of the Big Boy himself, Minus One also weaves a story about national trauma, personal loss, cowardice, and bravery — while suffering from a couple (minor) bad plot twists aimed at ensuring a happy ending.
Arrival (2016)
with Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Arrival presents one of the most expertly crafted science-fiction movies I've ever seen, using outstanding cinematography, a flawless score, and breathtaking creature design to tell a story about humanity that unexpectedly brought me to tears at the end.
The Fall Guy (2024)
with Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
A relentlessly funny popcorn movie — featuring a trivially predictable murder mystery — that skillfully sets the stage for Gosling and Blunt to act their hearts out.
The Menu (2022)
with Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult
The utter pretentiousness of fine dining made it plausible for the characters to play into the plot for a while, but ultimately, I ran out of suspended disbelief before the movie's underwhelming ending.
Game Night (2018)
with Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler
Stellar camera work and solid acting elevate this movie to a level that even the constant need of the script to one-up itself can't drag itself down from.
His House (2020)
with Sope Dirisu, Wunmi Mosaku, Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba
Dirisu's and Mosaku's flawless performance elevate a "haunted house" horror movie by exploring the trauma of fleeing from war and the kafkaesque nightmare of being a refugee.
Slither (2006)
with Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker
An unapologetically disgusting body-horror movie with hilariously stoic deliveries by Nathan Fillion that reminds me of VHS horror classics, but sadly fails to provide any novel takes.
Madame Web (2024)
with Dakota Johnson, Sidney Sweeney, Isabella Merced
A friend and I watched this to make fun of a mediocre movie, but the squandered potential of an admittedly fun premise made us wish we would have spend those 116 minutes doing literally anything else.
Planes (2013)
with Dane Cook, Carlos Alazraqui, Val Kilmer
The only positive thing I can say about this movie is that it gave me and my three-year-old an excuse to eat popcorn.
Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse (2023)
with Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry
The sequel elevates the quirky and inventive artstyle of its predecessor to an electrifying (get it?) level, while also introducing new characters that fit the storyline and make me excited for the third part.
Death on the Nile (2022)
with Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Kenneth Branagh
While I enjoy Branagh's take on the Poirot character and had a good time watching this movie, the murder mistery is so utterly predictable and extensively telegraphed that it took away from my enjoyment a little.
6 Underground (2019)
with Ryan Reynolds, Mélanie Laurent, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
This movie is so over-the-top, so Michael-Bayey, and so utterly forgettable that neither Ryan Reynolds nor the cool parkour stunts were able to save it.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
with Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish
While quickly settling on one joke (“Nicolas cage is playing himself”), even the great chemistry between Pedro Pascal and him doesn't quite rectify the fact that the movie has no idea which story it wants to tell.