https://youtu.be/eWakq9qQ6Ik 1/10 As a general (and incredibly consistent) rule of thumb, any time you see “Saban Films” at the start of a movie, get ready for a horrible time or better yet…just turn off whatever you are watching and pick something else. I may be wrong but I don’t think there is one great Saban … Continue reading #5 Film in 2023: The Old Way
#4 Film in 2023: Broker
https://youtu.be/vm3B-fDc9Xw 7.5/10 From writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda comes the touching story of a woman who gives up her baby in a “baby box” where parents (usually mothers) can anonymously drop off their babies that they didn’t want to abort but also aren’t fit to raise. When the mother So-young (Ji-eun Lee) finds out that two men, … Continue reading #4 Film in 2023: Broker
#3 Film in 2023: Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
https://youtu.be/9tfemzaMkoU 5/10 Another year gone and another generic musical biopic to forget about in a few weeks. “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” came out a whopping 15 years before this movie, lampooning the clichés of musical biopics but that film remains relevant all these years later as we get another run of the mill … Continue reading #3 Film in 2023: Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
#2 Film in 2023: The Pale Blue Eye
https://youtu.be/ddbL9jvg77w 8/10 Writer/director Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”, “Hostiles”, “Black Mass”) has been hit or miss in his filmography with not much in the way of consistency. His last movie, for example, 2021’s “Antlers”, (5/10) was extremely mediocre and Cooper’s weakest movie to date. Fast forward just one year (“Antlers” was delayed multiple times due to … Continue reading #2 Film in 2023: The Pale Blue Eye
#1 Film in 2023: Devotion
https://youtu.be/-2qpKUExOnE 6/10 The true story of Jesse Brown, the first black aviator in US Navy history, “Devotion” is like a fighter pilot’s flight in the sense that it has its ups and downs and despite not being the best ride ever, it gets you where you need to go. I will start off with what … Continue reading #1 Film in 2023: Devotion
#141 Film in 2022: Babylon
https://youtu.be/t7HT83wkVss 7/10 My 4th most anticipated film of 2022 (which got bumped up to #2 since two films in front of it were pushed to 2023), “Babylon” hails from one of the best writer/directors working today; Damien Chazelle. “Whiplash” put him on the map, “La La Land” made him the youngest person to ever win … Continue reading #141 Film in 2022: Babylon
#140 Film in 2022: Empire of Light
https://youtu.be/HdMPTgYi-0w 6.5/10 Another film unfairly lambasted by the “critics” on Rotten Opinions, writer/director Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light” may ill in comparison to some of his other films (“American Beauty”, “Skyfall”, “1917”) and have flaws, but there is a lot to admire, some brilliant performances and the top talent in all of Hollywood behind the … Continue reading #140 Film in 2022: Empire of Light
#139 Film in 2022: Avatar: The Way of Water
https://youtu.be/a8Gx8wiNbs8 3.5/10 I really want to like James Cameron. After watching his entire filmography, including his documentaries that no average movie goer saw, I did see many bright spots in the 1980s and 1990s. “The Terminator”, “Aliens” and “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” are all fantastic action films that helped define their respective decades and pushed … Continue reading #139 Film in 2022: Avatar: The Way of Water
#138 Film in 2022: Emancipation
https://youtu.be/wafyhTpWpUs 6.5/10 Despite its 46% on Rotten Opinions, “Emancipation”, while flawed, is actually a solid film. There are issues with trying to juggle too many balls at once in terms of genres and the film looking a little over produced/stylized for its subject matter but there is a lot to admire here with director Antoine … Continue reading #138 Film in 2022: Emancipation
#137 Film in 2022: The Mean One
https://youtu.be/9n9LmPRRmEw 3/10 Do you enjoy the 1957 classic Dr. Suess book, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” but think that it is lacking in brutal murder and horrific violence? Then look no further than this horror parody which doesn’t even have the rights to that literary classic with “The Mean One”. If you’ve seen the trailer, … Continue reading #137 Film in 2022: The Mean One