Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
Directed by: Morgan Neville
Starring: Fred Rogers, Joanne Rogers, Francois Scarborough Clemmons
Rated: PG-13 for Some Thematic Elements and Language
Running Time: 1 h 34 m
TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Pacing, Editing, Story, Morals
WEAKNESSES: -
A documentary about the children’s show, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, and its host, Fred Rogers.
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The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
Directed by: Blake Edwards
Starring: Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk
Rated: Running Time: 1 h 43 m
TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Peter Sellers, Humor, Pacing
WEAKNESSES: Farfetched Premise
Charles Dreyfus escapes a mental institution and threatens the world with destruction unless someone can kill Inspector Clouseau.
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Dumbo (1941)
Directed by: Samuel Armstrong
Starring: Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy
Rated: G
Running Time: 1h 4m
TMM Score: 2 stars out of 5 (didn't like it)
STRENGTHS: Good for its day
WEAKNESSES: It's not 1941 anymore
A newborn circus elephant is separated from its mother and must find its own way under the big top.
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Sicario:Day of the Saldado (2018)
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabel Moner, Catherine Keener
Rated: R
Running Time: 2 h 2 m
TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Acting, Writing
WEAKNESSES: Cinematography
After it is discovered that one of the cartels is smuggling terrorists into the US, Matt Graver reteams with Alejandro to pit the cartels against each other again.
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The Seagull (2018)
Directed by: Michael Mayer
Starring: Annette Bening, Saoirse Ronan, Corey Stoll, Elisabeth Moss
Rated: PG13
Running Time: 1h 38m
TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Acting, Writing
WEAKNESSES: Pacing, It's a Play
In this adaptation of the Anton Chekov an aging actress and her son, a rising writer, butt heads over their art, societal place, and choice of romantic interests. As a holiday by the lake unfolds so do their dysfunctions and fears.
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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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Dressed to Kill (1980)
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Starring: Nancy Allen, Angie Dickinson, Michael Caine
Rated: R
Running Time: 1 h 45 m
TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Directing, Cinematography, Acting
WEAKNESSES: Some Pacing
After a call girl witnesses a murder, she becomes the next target of the murderer.
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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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Tag (2018)
Directed by: Jeff Tomsic
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm
Rated: R for Language Throughout, Crude Sexual Content, Drug Use and Brief Nudity
Running Time: 1 h 40 m
TMM Score: 2.5 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Hannibal Buress, Some Jokes/Gags, Real Footage
WEAKNESSES: Predictable Storyline and Jokes
Based on a true story of a group of friends that have been playing the same game of tag for almost thirty years.
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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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F is for Fake (1973)
Directed by: Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, Francois Reichenbach
Rated: PG (does include nudity)
Running Time: 1h 29m
TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Editing, Writing
WEAKNESSES: Subject
In this pseudo documentary of sorts, director and pontificator, Orson Welles guides the viewer through a series of stories meant as a meditation on the nature of truth, falsehood, and art, focusing on painters, forgers, biographers.
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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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