The Virgin Spring (1960)
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max Von Sydow, Birgitta Valberg, Gunnel Lindblom, Birgitta Pettersson
Rated: Running Time: 1 h 29 m
TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Directing, Acting, Cinematography, Symbolism, Pacing
WEAKNESSES: -
A young virgin and a jealous servant make their way to a church to deliver candles, but along the way they encounter trouble.
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Sicario (2015)
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Daniel Kaluuya
Rated: R for strong violence, grisly images, and language
Running Time: 2 h 1 m
TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: writing, directing, acting, cinematography, soundtrack, pacing
WEAKNESSES: -
An FBI agent is recruited by a shadowy agency to help fight the cartels.
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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Directed by: J. A. Bayona
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Cromwell, Toby Jones
Rated: PG13
Running Time: 2h 8m
TMM Score: 2 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: It is a movie.
WEAKNESSES: The emptiness inside when you leave the theater.
The now abandoned Jurassic World Theme Island's existence, and all the dinosaurs on it, is threatened by a volcanic eruption so do-gooders, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady are off to save the animals from a second extinction event. I wonder if some dishonest businessmen will double cross them at some point?
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The Trip to Spain (2017)
Directed by: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon
Rated: Running Time: 1 h 48 m
TMM Score: 3.5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Humor, Cinematography, 'Writing'
WEAKNESSES: Pacing, Some Jokes/Gags
Two old friends embark on a vacation across Spain, stopping for delectable cuisine, discussing culture and history, while telling jokes and doing impressions.
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American Animals (2018)
Directed by: Bart Layton
Starring: Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Ann Dowd
Rated: R for Language Throughout, Some Drug Use and Brief Crude/ Sexual Material
Running Time: 1 h 56 m
TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Writing, Directing, Style, Acting, Innovation
WEAKNESSES: Some Pacing
Four college students plan a heist to steal rare books worth over twelve million dollars from their college library.
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Ocean's 8 (2018)
Directed by: Gary Ross
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 1h 50m
TMM Score: 2 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Star Power?
WEAKNESSES: Boring, Character Development
When Debbie Ocean gets released from the slammer she gathers a gang of thieves to steal a 150 million dollar diamond necklace from round a debutante’s neck at the Met Gala. Maybe she can even get back at an old flame along the way.
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My Life As a Zucchini (2016)
Directed by: Claude Barras
Starring: Eric Abbate, Nick Offerman, Will Forte
Rated: PG13
Running Time: 1h 10m
TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Animation, Unique Voice
WEAKNESSES: Unexpectedly Serious
When young Zucchini accidentally kills his single alcoholic mother he is placed in a foster group home where he meets other children who are all in a similar plight and don’t know what to think of the new kid.
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Pom Poko (1994)
Directed by:Isao Takahata
Starring:Shincho Kokontei, Makoto Nonomura, Yuriko Ishida
Rated: PG for Violence, Scary Images and Thematic Elements
Running Time: 1 h 59 m
TMM Score: 3.5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Originality, Humor, Animation Style
WEAKNESSES: Length, Finding Target Audience
A group of shape-shifting “raccoon dogs” fight against the humans who plan on turning their forest into a development.
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Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
Directed by: Makoto Shinkai
Starring: Hilary Haag, Corey Hartzog, Leraldo Anzaldua
Rated: TV-14
Running Time: 1 h 56 m
TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Animation Style, Originality, Design, Soundtrack
WEAKNESSES: Pacing, Legnth
A lonely young girl meets a mysterious boy on a mountain. When he disappears into a world beyond, the girl follows him and eventually discovers things about both her past and the boy’s.
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Falling Down (1993)
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey
Rated: R for Violence and Strong Language
Running Time: 1 h 53 m
TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Writing, Acting, Concept, Message, Characters
WEAKNESSES: -
A disgruntled man becomes fed up with the world around him and decides to take matters into his own hands.
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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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The Sword in the Stone (1963)
Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
Starring: Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorensen, Junius Matthews
Rated: G
Running Time: 1 h 19 m
TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Message, Charm, Animation, Pacing
WEAKNESSES: Episodic Storytelling, End Abruptly
A whimsical wizard takes a young boy under his wing to groom him for his future.
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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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