Incredibles 2 (2018)
Directed by: Brad Bird
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener
Rated: PG for Action Sequences and Some Brief Mild Language
Running Time: 1 h 58 m
TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Pacing, Animation, Style, Messages
WEAKNESSES: Similarities to Original
Mr. Incredible is left at home with the kids while Elastigirl gets a new job saving the world.
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Hotel Artemis(2018)
Directed by: Drew Pearce
Starring: Jodi Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Charlie Day, Dave Bautista
Rated: R for Violence and Language Throughout, Some Sexual References, and Brief Drug Use
Running Time: 1 h 33 m
TMM Score: 3.5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Jodie Foster, Original Concept, Some Writing
WEAKNESSES: Zachary Quinto, Needless Characters, Some Writing & Plotholes
Set in the near future, during a riot in LA, a “members only” hospital caters to criminals and lowlifes. What could go wrong?
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Upgrade (2018)
Directed by: Leigh Whannell
Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Richard Anastasios, Rosco Campbell
Rated: R for Strong Violence, Grisly Images, and Language
Running Time: 1 h 40 m
TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Practical Effects, World Building, Pacing, Some Original Ideas
WEAKNESSES: Acting, Some Writing
A futuristic thriller about a man trying to track down his wife’s killer using the help of an implanted computer upgrade.
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As The Gods Will (2014)
Directed by: Takashi Miike
Starring: Sota Fukushi, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Shota Sometani
Rated: NR (Best Guess: R)
Running Time: 1h 57m
TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5 (I liked it)
STRENGTHS: Ingenuity
WEAKNESSES: Length, Shallow
Shun Takahata is a typical bored teenager, but when his high school is forced to play supernatural deadly playground games, he must come to grips with the the value of his and his friends’ lives.
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Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Directed by: David Lean
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
Rated: PG
Running Time: 3 h 47 m
TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Cinematography, Story, Acting, Writing, Directing, Pacing
WEAKNESSES: Also Some Pacing
The true story of T.E. Lawrence, an English officer who united the Arab tribes to fight the Turks during the first World War.
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Adrift (2018)
Directed by: Baltasar Kormakur
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin
Rated:PG-13
Running Time: 1h 36m
TMM Score: 1 star out of 5
STRENGTHS: None
WEAKNESSES: Acting, Editing, Pacing, Predictability, Writing
When a tropical storm tears her ship apart, inexperienced sailor, Tami, must limp the boat back to shore while caring for Richard, her brutally wounded finance’.
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King Arthur (2004)
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgard
Rated: (Reviewing Director's Cut- Suggested Rating R)
Running Time: 2 h 22 m
TMM Score: 3.5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Pacing, Action, Characters, Moral Dilemma
WEAKNESSES: Cliche Storyline, Acting, Some Writing
A retelling of the King Arthur legend.
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Revenge (2017)
Directed by: Coralie Fargeat
Starring: Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, Guillaume Boudeche
Rated: R for Strong Bloody Gruesome Violence, A Rape, Sexuality, Graphic Nudity, Drug Use and Language
Running Time: 1 h 48 m
TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Directing, Style, Acting, Cinematography, Practical Effects
WEAKNESSES: Gruesomeness Will Turn Away Viewers
A wealthy man brings his young mistress to an exotic isolated location, but things take a turn for the worse when the man’s friends arrive a day earlier than their supposed to.
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Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke
Running Time: 2h 15m
Rated: PG-13
TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5 (I liked it)
STRENGTHS: Set Pieces, Some Characters
WEAKNESSES: Length, Pandering, Some Characters, Uncertain Tone, Cinematography
A young Han Solo goes on a series of adventures that were all set up in the O-G-Tril-O-Gee. How did Han meet Chewie? What EXACT hand in Sabaac won Han the Millennium Falcon? Did Han get his cool gun from some random dude? Get ready for answers to all the questions you assumed wouldn’t be very interesting.
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Porco Rosso (1992)
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Shuichiro Moriyama, Tokiko Kato, Bunshi Katsura Vi
Rated: PG for Violence and Some Mild Language
Running Time: 1 h 34 m
TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Whimsy, Artwork, Unique Story, Music
WEAKNESSES: Meandering Plot, Low Stakes
Set in 1930’s Italy, a veteran World War I pilot cursed to look like a pig fights off air pirates and goes on other whimsical adventures.
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Deadpool 2 (2018)
Directed by: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, Julian Dennison
Rated: R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout, Sexual References and Brief Drug Material
Running Time: 1 h 59 m
TMM Score: 2.5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Some Special Effects, Pacing
WEAKNESSES: Some Special Effects, Writing, Characters
Deadpool teams up with a group of superheroes to save a boy named Russell from the time traveling villain, Cable.
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The Hidden Fortress (1958)
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara
Rated: NR (Suggested PG-13)
Running Time: 2 h 19 m
TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Writing, Characters, Blocking, Cinematography, Directing
WEAKNESSES: Pacing
Two peasants help a general and a princess sneak across enemy lines while carrying two hundred pieces of gold.
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Seven Samurai (1954)
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima
Running Time: 3h 27m
Rated: NR (best guess, R)
TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Character Development, Cinematography
WEAKNESSES: Pacing. Maybe.
Bandit raids have brought a dirt poor village of farmers to the point of starvation. Are there any Samurai of honor who will help because of principle rather than pay?
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Ran (1985)
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu
Rated: R
Running Time: 2 h 42 m
TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Writing, Directing, Acting, Production Design, Cinematography
WEAKNESSES: -
Akira Kurosawa’s spellbinding adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear.
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Deadpool (2016)
Directed by: Tim Miller
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, TJ Miller, Ed Skrein
Rated: R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout, Sexual Content and Graphic Nudity
Running Time: 1 h 48 m
TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Meta-Writing, Pulls No Punches, Surprisingly Sweet
WEAKNESSES: Familiar Story, Rather Forgettable Villain
An irreverent mercenary undergoes an experimental surgery that grants him superpowers and cures his cancer, only to find out the surgeon is a sadistic villain who plans on selling him into slavery when he’s cured.
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Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman... (Too many to list)
Rated: PG-13 for Intense Sequence of Sci-Fi Violence and Action Throughout.
Running Time: 2 h 29 m
TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Visual Effects, Writing, Pacing, Stakes
WEAKNESSES: Also Stakes, Alienates Viewers That Haven't Seen All Marvel Movies
The Avengers face off against their deadliest foe: Thanos.
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Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper
Running Time: 2h 49m
Rated: R
TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Everything
WEAKNESSES: Maaaaaaybe some pacing issues? Maybe?
Captain Miller and his squad, after surviving the assault on Normandy, must cross France in a desperate search for Private Ryan, whose three brothers were killed in action.
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Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Allison Doody
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 2 h 7 m
TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Pacing, Directing, Character Chemistry, Music
WEAKNESSES: Plausibility (?)
When Indiana Jones’s father goes missing while in search of the Holy Grail, our titular hero takes a trip around the globe in search of his father and the truth about what happened to the Grail.
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Jurassic Park (1993)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
Running Time: 2h 7m
Rated: PG-13
TMM Score: 5 Stars
STRENGTHS: Everything
WEAKNESSES: Maaaaaaybe some logic problems?
An accident at a new tourist attraction leads a group of scientists to investigate the wisdom of a theme park which showcases real-life dinosaurs.
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Jaws (1975)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw
Rated: PG
Running Time: 2 h 4 m
TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Pacing, Direction, Writing, Music
WEAKNESSES: -
The Sheriff of Amity Island teams up with a marine biologist and a local captain to hunt down a shark that’s terrorizing the beaches.
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