Runtime: 2 hours, 13 minutes Rating: PG-13 Director: Paul Greengrass Quick Impressions: The theatrical trailer for Captain Phillips has been stressing me out for weeks now. Every time I see it, my stomach ties in knots. That moment when Barkhad Abdi says, “I am the captain now,” sends shivers down my spine …
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes Rating: PG-13 Director: Alfonso Cuarón Quick Impressions: I’ve been so excited about watching this movie that I bought advance tickets in 3D and considered putting in my contact lenses. (That’s when you know the film is something special because in the fall, the leaves turn …
Runtime: 2 hours, 3 minutes Rating: R Director: Ron Howard Quick Impressions: I still want to see Don Jon for two big reasons: 1.) Joseph Gordon-Levitt never makes a bad movie, and now that he’s written and directed one himself, I’d like to support him as thanks for all the times his …
Runtime: 2 hours, 33 minutes Rating: R Director: Denis Villeneuve Quick Impressions: Prisoners is one of the darkest movies that I’ve seen in a long time, and (rather surprisingly given its nightmarish premise) it’s also one of the most cerebral. For months, I’ve been feeling conflicted about the previews. On the …
Runtime: 1 hour, 51 minutes Rating: R Director: Luc Besson Quick Impressions: Back in college, my friends and I all went to see Luc Besson’s The Messenger. I may have been the only one who liked it—in the entire world. (No, just kidding. But I do remember the film getting …
This is it. In previous posts, I’ve commented on every film I saw this summer except my top five. I don’t think this last entry needs a long introduction. In ascending order, here are the five final films of my Summer Movie Review 2013: 5.) Despicable Me 2 (A/A-) Why …
At this point in my rankings, I’ve basically come to a count down of my top ten films of the summer, though there are technically eleven movies in these top two tiers. (Had I included Blue Jasmine (which I saw in September) and Mud (from back in April), there would be thirteen films to …
Runtime: 1 hour, 59 minutes Rating: R Director: David Twohy Quick Impressions: Last night I dreamed that Cate Blanchett’s character from Blue Jasmine was walking through a dark cave with some guys wearing futuristic gear. Suddenly, Jasmine froze and inhaled sharply. For some reason, the man next to her slit her throat. …
This is the tier I can’t stop rearranging. It’s made up of films that either disappointed or surprised me. Two of them could not possibly meet the high hopes I’d developed over months of near-rabid expectation. One of them impressed me despite my complete non-investment in it, and the other turned out to …
Tier Four (B-) Last summer, I noticed a more pronounced separation between excellent films, good movies, mediocre ones, and Battleship (which I experienced as an attack rather than entertainment, though it was my son’s clear favorite). This year brought markedly fewer excellent films, but far more good ones. Even though this is …
