It’s January, nothing good is coming out, and I’ve still got Star Wars on my mind. Really, this was inevitable.
What’s It About? A chance encounter leads young Luke Skywalker from his home on the desert planet of Tattooine to the front lines of a rebel operation to strike at the evil Galactic Empire.
STRAIGHT UP: A timeless piece of modern mythology. I still love it. 4.5/5
Oscar bait so obvious, even I had to bite. Besides, the trailers were incredible.
What’s It About? A wounded scout, Glass, must survive the wilderness in order to track down and get revenge on Fitzgerald, the trapper who killed his son and tried to kill him.
STRAIGHT UP: Works better as art than as a story. 3/5
As a casual fan of Quentin Tarantino, I wanted to take a look at his newest film.
What’s It About? Eight strangers, each carrying baggage from the Civil War, hole up in a cabin together to escape a blizzard, and begin to discover that most of them have very good reasons to want to kill each other.
STRAIGHT UP: Too self-indulgent, despite its technical merits. 2/5
This might be the biggest movie of all time. Let’s compare notes.
What’s It About? Scavenger Rey and ex-Stormtrooper Finn inherit a droid carrying information about the missing Luke Skywalker’s whereabouts, and get mixed up in a plot to determine the fate of a galaxy.
STRAIGHT UP: Great action and characters elevate a familiar plot. 4/5
A new Shakespeare film offered the perfect opportunity for me to return to writing reviews and to my roots as a college English major.
What’s It About? After a chance encounter with a mysterious group of witches, Scottish warrior Macbeth is driven to murder his king and seize the crown for himself, with dire consequences for all involved.
STRAIGHT UP: Somber and violent, soulless and boring. 2/5
A special screening in D.C. gave me the chance to see this movie, which beat Jurassic World head-to-head at the Japanese box office.
What’s It About? Nine girls who found fame performing as pop stars at their high school must deal with the consequences of their now-global popularity.
STRAIGHT UP: This is all it took to take over Tokyo? 3/5
A special review – this film, released in Japanese theaters earlier this year, was shown with English subtitles on my recent All Nippon Airways flight to Tokyo.
What’s It About? Haunted by a classmate’s mysterious death and dissatisfied with the police investigation, Ryoko Fujino decides to hold a trial at her school to find out if one of her fellow students is a murderer.
STRAIGHT UP: Like a two-hour trailer for a different, better movie. 1.5/5
I saw this one on a whim – no fanfare, no expectations.
What’s It About? Trapped in a sunken submarine full of stolen Nazi gold, twelve men fight the elements – and each other – to survive and escape with the riches.
STRAIGHT UP: A decent thriller marred by some narrative oversights. 7.5/10
I’m not a religious man, but I make a point of seeing Nicolas Cage films.
What’s It About? When the Rapture causes millions of people worldwide to spontaneously disappear, those left behind – including airliner pilot Rayford Steele – find themselves in perilous situations.
STRAIGHT UP: Poorly made and void of interest. I hated it. 1/10
An evening with Eva Green seemed like a good remedy for boredom.
What’s It About? Dwight, Johnny, Marv, and Nancy face their demons in a city full of violence, corruption, booze, and loose women.
STRAIGHT UP: Neither inspiring nor awful. 6/10
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