Al's Top Rated Films: 2021
My favorite films of 2021. I'll continue to add more as I see them.
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- DirectorIlya NaishullerStarsBob OdenkirkAleksey SerebryakovConnie NielsenA docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss.Killer action-packed crime drama/thriller from Derek Kolstad (writer of the John Wick films) that follows a the routine and mundane life of a suburban husband and father of two. One night two thieves break into their home and get away after injuring their son, leaving his kids disappointed in his conservative actions. The incident triggers his mysterious past as a ruthless and skilled assassin that he has tried to leave in his past. After getting into a deadly altercation with a gang of Russian thugs on a city bus, his life and family are put in serious risk when the Russian crime syndicate involved with the thugs wants him dead. This film is similar to the John Wick films in many ways, but also has plenty of unique points, a great story, gripping dialogue, and great performances from everyone involved. Ilya Naishuller direction and shots really elevated the film. Bob Odenkirk delivered an absolutely stellar lead performance. Christopher Lloyd, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath, Ilya Naishuller, and many others had great supporting roles.
- DirectorAdam McKayStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJennifer LawrenceMeryl StreepTwo low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn humankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.Excellent comedy drama from Adam McKay that exhibits his signature brand of comedy, drama, and satire that he's known for. Great story that follows an astronomy grad student and her professor who make an alarming discovery, that an enormous comet in our solar system is on a direct collision course with earth, and has the ability to completely wipe out the planet. They have less than 6 months before it's supposed to make impact, but nobody seems to believe or care about the information these astronomers have, until people start seeing things in the sky that reveals the comet is real. With the world population in a panic, the government urges the public to ignore whats in the sky and "don't look up", while scientific experts develop a plan to destroy the comet before it reaches earth. I thought it was brilliantly done, and it's scary to think the government could lie to the public and possibly make the decisions they made in this doomsday scenario. Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio both deliver a couple of their best lead performances to date. Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Melanie Lynskey, and many others had great supporting roles.
- DirectorReinaldo Marcus GreenStarsWill SmithAunjanue Ellis-TaylorJon BernthalA look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard.Excellent sports biopic about groundbreaking tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, and their father/coach Richard Williams, who uses his determination and a 78-page plan of success he built for his daughters to triumph at all costs—despite growing up in a poor, rough, and crime-ridden area of Compton, California in the early 1990s. It's an incredible story of breaking barriers that brings them from their humble beginnings to the renowned 1994 Wimbledon tennis tournament against top-seeded Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. I've never seen a film about tennis before, and the story and action was fantastic all around. Will Smith arguably delivers the finest role of his career. He nailed his performance perfectly. Saniyya Sidney (Venus), Demi Singleton (Serena), Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn, Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew, Daniele Lawson, Layla Crawford, Christopher Wallinger, Chase Del Rey, and many others had great supporting roles.
- DirectorMegan ParkStarsJenna OrtegaMaddie ZieglerNiles FitchHigh schooler Vada navigates the emotional fallout she experiences in the wake of a school tragedy. Relationships with her family, friends and view of the world are forever altered.Underrated drama from Megan Park that follows a 16-year-old high school student named Vada Cavell. One day when she's taking a bathroom break during class, her and another 16-year-old student named Mia Reed hear horrific gunfire, yelling, and screaming, as they frantically run into a bathroom stall to hide. A few moments later, a boy named Quinton Hasland covered in blood from his murdered brother busts into the bathroom stall they are hiding in, as 6 minutes of terrifying gunfire and murder takes place. The film follows all three as fear and anger cause major struggles and inhibits them from moving froward with life. Very powerful story and dialogue with a cast that feels very real. Jenna Ortega delivered an amazing, layered, and complex lead performance as Vada. She was magnificent, and I can't wait to see her in my films. That's what this film really excelled at—every actor who has a significant character in the film delivered at least one strong and heartfelt acting scene, if not more. The cast was seemingly perfect all around. Maddie Ziegler, Niles Fitch, Lumi Pollack, John Ortiz, Julie Bowen, Will Ropp, and Shailene Woodley all delivered excellent supporting roles.
- DirectorShawn LevyStarsRyan ReynoldsJodie ComerTaika WaititiWhen Guy, a bank teller, learns that he is a non-player character in a bloodthirsty, open-world video game, he goes on to become the hero of the story and takes the responsibility of saving the world.Excellent and uniquely done video-game inspired comedy adventure that takes place in the world of a popular video game called "Free City" and follows a NPC (video game lingo for non-player character) named Guy that plays a bank teller in the game. Guy spends his days wishing he was one of the cool characters in Free City, and his life gets turned upside down when he meets a mysterious human character in the game named Millie, and falls in love. His findings end up greatly affecting his life, the game, and the real world around him. I never imagined a video game could come to life quite like this. Excellent story, special effects, and acting all around. Ryan Reynolds continues to move up my rankings with great roles like this. He delivered one of his finest lead performances. Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Taika Waititi, Channing Tatum, Aaron W Reed, Britne Oldford, Camille Kostek, Mark Lainer, Mike Devine, Anabel Graetz, Ric Plamenco, Chris Evans, and many others had great supporting roles.
- DirectorSian HederStarsEmilia JonesMarlee MatlinTroy KotsurAs a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.Excellent indy music-inspired coming-of-age comedy/drama that follows a young girl who is the only hearing person in her family among her deaf parents and older brother. Now a senior in high-school, she learns she has a talent and passion for singing after joining the choir, and lands the opportunity to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music. However, being the only hearing person in her family brings a massive amount of stress and responsibility, as she is the main communicator with every sort of business they need to take care of in the family; which weighs heavily on her decision to leave home and pursue her dreams. The relatively unknown cast put on phenomenal performances all around. The power of emotion they pulled from some of the signing dialogue was phenomenal. Excellent story throughout. Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant were all fantastic, among a great supporting cast.
- DirectorShaka KingStarsLaKeith StanfieldDaniel KaluuyaJesse PlemonsOffered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.Powerful historical biopic set in 1966, and follows a 17-year-old man named William O'Neal who takes a plea deal from the FBI after attempting to steal a car. The deal is to go undercover and infiltrate the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and gather information on the chairman, Fred Hampton. After diving deeper into the party's issues and philosophies, William eventually becomes torn on who to support. LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya both deliver excellent lead performances. Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Martin Sheen, and many others had great supporting roles.
- DirectorJames GunnStarsMargot RobbieIdris ElbaJohn CenaSupervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.This is my kind of superhero movie! Great story from James Gunn about a unique bunch of supervillains and convicts that agree to take on a bloody and deadly mission in exchange for lighter prison sentences. At first glance, it looks like too many characters to focus on, but that's not the case at all. Tons of hilarious comedy, great action, blood and gore, and a nice soundtrack. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), and Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) are the main bunch, and they are all great characters and have excellent performances. Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Michael Rooker, Flula Borg, Pete Davidson, Steve Agee, and many others had great supporting roles.
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsHenry CavillBen AffleckGal GadotDetermined to ensure that Superman's ultimate sacrifice wasn't in vain, Bruce Wayne recruits a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.Epic action adventure and one of the best group-superhero films I've seen. Nice story that follows Batman and Wonder Woman as they attempt to build a team of superheroes with special powers to defeat the evil team of Darkseid, DeSaad and Steppenwolf from collecting all 3 Mother Boxes, that could destroy the planet if synchronized. The story was nice and focused, and didn't dart off in any confusing directions for casual DC viewers like myself. At 4 hours in length, it was long; but I was thoroughly entertained throughout, and the story was great. The cast was excellent throughout: Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), Henry Cavill (Superman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Jeremy Irons (Alfred), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Ciarán Hinds (Steppenwolf), and several others had excellent performances.
- DirectorSimon StoneStarsCarey MulliganRalph FiennesLily JamesAn archaeologist embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938.Excellent historical biopic set in 1939 Suffolk, England; and follows a wealthy widowed landowner named Edith Pretty, and a local archaeologist-excavator named Basil Brown that she hires to dig out large burial mounds on her land. Their incredible finds include a buried ship and historical treasure that dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period, which dates from 410 to 1066 AD. After the news comes out, much of the film involves conflicts over who should take control of the treasure, and who was responsible for the findings. Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan both delivered excellent lead performances. Johnny Flynn, Archie Barnes, Lily James, Ben Chaplin, Arsher Ali, Ken Stott, James Dryden, Joe Hurst, Monica Dolan, Danny Webb, Eamon Farren, and others had great supporting roles.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsTahar RahimNouhe Hamady BariSaadna HamoudMohamedou Ould Slahi fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.Great biography from Kevin Macdonald set in the wake of the September 11, 2001 New York World Trade Center terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda. The story follows the life of Mauritanian national Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who's been been detained and sent to the Guantánamo Bay detention camp (Gitmo) after they find a mysterious link between him and Osama bin Laden. The United States government has now given these Gitmo soldiers free rein to use merciless and forceful torture to get prisoners to talk, and prevent another 9/11. In 2005, defense attorney Nancy Hollander decides to take his case and fight for his freedom, which would prove to be one of the longest times someone has been detained without ever being charged for a crime. Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster bothe delivered excellent lead performances. Shailene Woodley and Benedict Cumberbatch also delivered great starring roles. Denis Ménochet, Corey Johnson, Zachary Levi, and others also had very nice supporting roles.
- DirectorRebecca HallStarsTessa ThompsonRuth NeggaAndré Holland"Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.Excellent drama from Rebecca Hall set in 1920s New York, and follows an upper-class black woman (Irene) who runs into an old high-school friend (Clare) who lives a lie as black woman pretending to be white, with bright blond hair, light skin, and a lifetime of lies that convinces her white husband that she is also white. Clare desperately wants to be part of the black community again after she asserts herself into Irene's family and home life, which causes nearly unbearable tension when Irene suspects Clare and her husband are having an affair. Great story with a very unforeseen ending. Tessa Thompson is one of my favorite actresses, and I she arguably delivered her best lead performance. Ruth Negga and André Holland also had great lead roles, with Bill Camp, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, and many others delivering nice supporting roles.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMatt DamonAdam DriverJodie ComerThe Knight Jean de Carrouges must settle the dispute over his wife Marguerite by challenging his former friend to a duel to the death.Excellent action-packed historical drama from Ridley Scott set in medieval France during the 1300s. The story follows an extremely strong and dedicated knight named Jean de Carrouges who plunges himself into combat and war every chance he can get to financially survive. He ends up marrying a woman named Marguerite in hopes of gaining land and wealth from one of her family's valuable estates, which ends up failing due to the greed of the powerful Count Pierre d'Alençon. When Jean's old friend and Pierre's trusted advisor Jacques Le Gris is accused of raping Jean's wife Marguerite, it's decided that Jean and Jacques must duel to the death to settle the dispute, which will have horrifying consequences from Marguerite if he loses. Great story all around, with a nice structure that delivers the point of view of the main three characters. Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer all delivered excellent lead performances. Harriet Walter, Ben Affleck, Alex Lawther, Marton Csokas, and many others also had great supporting roles.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsBen FosterBilly MagnussenVicky KriepsAfter World War II, Harry Haft is a boxer who fought against his peers in concentration camps. Haunted by memories, he tries to use fighting legends as a way to find his love.Excellent historical sports biopic from Barry Levinson on the life of a Polish-Jewish boxer named Harry Haft, who was a real-life survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp where he was forced to box fellow Jewish inmates to survive the horrifying 6 months he was held captive. The film jumps back and fourth from his time in Auschwitz in 1943, his brief boxing career in 1948 New York, the pursuit of his girlfriend who was captured by the Nazis, his marriage and family life, and the past demons he faces on an every day basis. Fascinating and well done story throughout. Ben Foster is rendered nearly unrecognizable with his weight gain, weight loss, and complete transformation into Harry Haft. He delivered one of his all time best lead performances. Saro Emirze, Billy Magnussen, Vicky Krieps, Peter Sarsgaard, Danny DeVito, John Leguizamo, Dar Zuzovsky, Paul Bates, and many others had great supporting roles.
- DirectorNora FingscheidtStarsSandra BullockViola DavisVincent D'OnofrioA woman is released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime and re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past.Great crime drama that follows a woman who is released from prison after 20 years for manslaughter after killing a sheriff who came to evict her and her 5-year-old sister Katie. While trying to back to a normal way of life, society deems her crime as "unforgivable" and won't let her wounds heal. Vert nice story with an unexpected plot-twist and great ending. One of the better Netflix films out there, and a great lead performance delivered by Sandra Bullock. Vincent D'Onofrio, Viola Davis, Jon Bernthal, Aisling Franciosi, Neli Kastrinos, Emma Nelson, Richard Thomas, Linda Emond, Will Pullen, Rob Morgan, and several others had great roles among a solid supporting cast.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsJake GyllenhaalRiley KeoughPeter SarsgaardA demoted police officer assigned to a call dispatch desk is conflicted when he receives an emergency phone call from a kidnapped woman.Excellent crime drama/thriller from Antoine Fuqua that follows a police officer who's been downgraded to the 911 dispatch call center after an incident that occurred 8 months earlier. He ends up getting a call from a woman who's been abducted, and he makes it his mission to help track down the vehicle she's in before time runs out. This is a remake of the 2018 Danish movie of the same title. While I haven't seen the original, I really enjoyed remake. Jake Gyllenhaal is one of my favorite actors, and he delivered a fantastic lead performance as expected. He gets almost all the screen time, and he was excellent. Christina Vidal, Riley Keough, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ethan Hawke also delivered nice minor supporting roles.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsDon CheadleBenicio Del ToroDavid HarbourA group of criminals are brought together under mysterious circumstances and have to work together to uncover what's really going on when their simple job goes completely sideways.Great crime drama/mystery from Ed Solomon and Steven Soderbergh that follows three professional criminals that are brought together to do 3 hours of supposedly simple kidnapping/babysitting work for a huge pay day when it turns out they've been double-crossed, and puts two of the men on the chopping block as they weave through the lies and deception to make an even bigger score. Very nicely written with a great cast throughout. Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro both delivered excellent lead performances. Brendan Fraser, David Harbour, Julia Fox, Kieran Culkin, Amy Seimetz, Craig muMs Grant, Noah Jupe, Jon Hamm, Ray Liotta, and Matt Damon all had great supporting roles.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsBradley CooperCate BlanchettToni ColletteA grifter working his way up from low-ranking carnival worker to lauded psychic medium matches wits with a psychologist bent on exposing him.Very nice crime drama/thriller from Guillermo del Toro. This is a remake of the 1947 film of the same name. While I haven't seen the original, I really enjoyed this film. Set in In 1940s New York, and follows a grifter/con-man working in a carnival, and becomes fascinated with the horrific lives of carnival "geeks" and working a clairvoyant act starring "Madame Zeena" while a psychologist works to expose his secrets. Bradley Cooper was excellent, as I've come to expect from him. Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, David Strathairn, Willem Dafoe, Tim Blake Nelson, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and many others had great roles among a solid supporting cast.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsLady GagaAdam DriverAl PacinoWhen Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel their legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately...murder.Great crime drama/biography from Ridley Scott set in 1978 Italy, and follows a beautiful working-class woman named Patrizia Reggiani who works for her father's modest ground transportation business. She ends up falling in love and marrying the wise and eccentric Maurizio Gucci of the highly respected and wealthy Gucci family, who has become famous for their dedication to the finest quality of designer apparel. This upsets Maurizio's father, Rodolfo, who disowns Maurizio and cuts him out of his will for marrying what he believes is a gold digger. They are forced to live a normal middle-class life, and are very happy. But one day Maurizio's uncle Aldo makes contact with Patrizia and Maurizio, and is able to help mediate the issues with his father and get him back in the family fold. From there on, it's a tangled web of deceitful and self-serving egomania as the family sabotages each other to no end, which reaches a boil and results in tragedy. Fascinating and well-don film overall, but it was a bit long and slow in some parts. The casting was fantastic. Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, and Al Pacino all deliver excellent lead performances. Jared Leto and Jeremy Irons also had great starring roles. Jack Huston, Salma Hayek, Camille Cottin, Vincenzo Tanassi, and many others also had great supporting roles.
- DirectorJohn Lee HancockStarsDenzel WashingtonRami MalekJared LetoKern County Deputy Sheriff Joe Deacon is sent to Los Angeles for what should have been a quick evidence-gathering assignment. Instead, he becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer who is terrorizing the city.Great crime drama/mystery from John Lee Hancock set in 1990, and follows Bakersfield (California) based veteran police detective Joe "Deke" Deacon, who is sent to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) to collect evidence related to a recent murder. He used to work for the LASD, and finds similarities between the type of killing and torture found in this new case as he has in a past serial killer case he was never able to solve. Deke begins to form an obsession with solving the case once and for all, and he's helped along by lead detective Jimmy Baxter, who ends up taking on the same obsessiveness in wanting to solve the case as Deke. Their main suspect is a creepy guy named Albert Sparma, who loves toying with their minds. Solid story with a nice ending to payoff on the mystery. Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto all deliver great lead performances. Chris Bauer, Michael Hyatt, Terry Kinney, Natalie Morales, Isabel Arraiza, Glenn Morshower, Sofia Vassilieva, Judith Scott, and others also had very nice supporting roles.
- DirectorRawson Marshall ThurberStarsDwayne JohnsonRyan ReynoldsGal GadotAn Interpol agent successfully tracks down the world's most wanted art thief with help from a rival thief. But nothing is as it seems as a series of double-crosses ensues.Great action-packed comedy thriller that follows the FBI's top criminal profiler (Dwayne Johnson) as he sets out to track down the world's most wanted art thief (Gal Gadot). In his pursuit, he finds him in the middle of a heist with another extremely talented art their (Ryan Reynolds), who he must partner up with to catch his suspect. It unfolds nicely with a nice plot-twisting ending. This film doesn't take itself too seriously, and was just a lot of fun all around. I would definitely watch a sequel. Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot all put on excellent lead performances. Ritu Arya and Ivan Mbakop also had nice roles among a solid supporting cast.
- DirectorTing PooLeo ScottStarsVal KilmerJack KilmerMercedes KilmerA documentary centering on the daily life of actor Val Kilmer, featuring never-before-seen footage spanning 40 years.Fascinating biography/documentary on Val Kilmer's life, host by his son, Jack Kilmer. It's sad to see how much he's suffering since diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, but he was interesting throughout the picture. All of Val's home movies he's saved over a span of 40 years really made this documentary better and more special than I thought it would be. There's lots of great archive footage of celebrities on movie sets and elsewhere in their prime. Mercedes Kilmer and Joanne Whalley also had nice insight in addition to Jack's commentary.
- DirectorGeorge ClooneyStarsBen AffleckTye SheridanDaniel RanieriA boy growing up on Long Island seeks out father figures among the patrons at his uncle's bar.Nice coming-of-age story starting in the 1970s that follows a boy growing up in Long Island who's father has been out of the picture his entire life. He finds joy in visiting patrons in his uncle Charlie's bar, and relies on their advice and life stories to give him fatherly guidance in life. The story was good, but slow and a bit long in some spots. The soundtrack was excellent throughout and gave it a nice time-period feel. Ben Affleck had a great standout performance. Tye Sheridan (JR) and Daniel Ranieri (Young JR), Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, and many others had nice supporting roles.
- DirectorNia DaCostaStarsYahya Abdul-Mateen IITeyonah ParrisNathan Stewart-JarrettA sequel to the horror film Candyman (1992) that returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend began.Very nice horror/mystery from Nia DaCosta and
Jordan Peele that follows the Candyman returning to his newly gentrified Chicago neighborhood of Cabrini-Green projects, which stems from the 1990s legend of Helen Lyle burning to death in a bonfire after going on a murderous rampage and kidnapping a baby. Artist Anthony McCoy becomes enamored with the story, and finds inspiration to create painting on the subject. But when the secret to summoning Candyman back from the dead is revealed, a murderous rampage starts once again. Very solid story and horror flick overall. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris both delivered great lead performances. Colman Domingo, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Kyle Kaminsky, Vanessa Williams, Brian King, Miriam Moss, Rebecca Spence, Michael Hargrove, and many others had very nice supporting roles. - DirectorSimon McQuoidStarsLewis TanJessica McNameeJosh LawsonMMA fighter Cole Young seeks out Earth's greatest champions in order to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.Very nice action-packed fantasy adventure based on the classic video game that follows a MMA fighter named Cole Young who's looking to take down some of the world's fiercest warriors in a battle for his family and the future of the universe. Great cinematography and awesome action. This was a fun watch and really brought back memories of playing the original Nintendo game when I was a kid. Lewis Tan (Cole Young), Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Josh Lawson (Kano), Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), Mehcad Brooks (Jax), Tadanobu Asano (Raiden), Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion), Chin Han (Shang Tsung), Ludi Lin (Liu Kang), Max Huang (Kung Lao), Sisi Stringer (Mileena), and others had great performances.
- DirectorAdam WingardStarsAlexander SkarsgårdMillie Bobby BrownRebecca HallThe epic next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse pits two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against each other--the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong--with humanity caught in the balance.Solid action-packed sci-fi thriller that finds the prehistoric reptilian monster Godzilla facing off against the monstrous gorilla-like creature King Kong. There was some awesome action and special effects involved in the fight scenes and elsewhere throughout the film, but overall the sci-fi storyline really slowed it down for me. Not a bad film for fans of the genre, but not one I'd watch again. Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, and plenty others had very nice performances.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodDwight YoakamDaniel V. GraulauA one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder takes a job to bring a man's young son home and away from his alcoholic mom. On their journey, the horseman finds redemption through teaching the boy what it means to be a good man.Solid western directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. It's set in 1978 and follows a washed up rodeo star who agrees to transport the 13-year-old son of his ex-boss, away from his alcoholic mother, and back to his home in Texas. While Clint Eastwood fits into this role perfectly, at 91 years old, he just isn't as sharp of an actor as he once was. That said, he did a fine job for his age, but it still wasn't the compelling lead performance he is known for. And I also can't say I really liked Eduardo Minett as a lead character. There was also plenty of slow spots in the story.