Grant's Movie Log - 2019

This is where I'll log all of the films I watch in 2019. You can view my 2018 thread here.

Ratings Overview:
It should also be noted that my ratings are a bit of a hybrid: part of my rating comes from how much I enjoyed the film, and part of it comes from how well made the film is. I also factor in re-watchability.

I also like to use a school grade system as a base for my ratings system.
For example: 0-50 (0-2.5 Popcorn Boxes) = Unsatisfactory; 60-69 (3 Popcorn Boxes) = It's okay; 70-79 (3.5 Popcorn Boxes) = Decent, but far from excellent; 80-89 (4 Popcorn Boxes) = Very solid, but not quite as good as it could be; 90-100 (4.5-5 Popcorn Boxes) = Fantastic.

2018 Film Count
Fresh: 57
Rotten: 24
70% Fresh
Average Rating: 69%

2019 Film Count
Fresh: 4
Rotten: 3
57% Fresh
Average Rating: 64%

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My Letterboxd

1. Bumblebee (2018)

(66%)
Director: Travis Knight

The story is nothing new and follows a pretty standard formula for origin/coming of age stories. It's predictable in every way, but I will admit that it's well done. The action is solid, and Hailee Steinfeld is great. Some of the comedy works, some of it doesn't, but even the jokes that don't land aren't as cringey as Michael Bay's Transformers films. I think that if they can build on what they've established in this film, Transformers may become the beloved franchise it was always meant to be.

2. Minding the Gap (2018)

(84%)
Director: Bing Liu

It comes off as a little aimless at first, but this documentary about some skaters really starts to take shape after the first 20 minutes or so. It's extremely personal and heartfelt, and by the end you'll find yourself more invested in the story than you probably ever thought you would be. Really an excellent documentary.

3. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

(68%)
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

The short story format of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs ultimately leads to a mixed experience. There are three good, almost great, stories, one story that isn't so great, and two stories that are honestly pretty bad. It was a rollercoaster of a viewing experience, and unfortunately the good parts this film couldn't completely save it for me.

4. Vice (2018)

(75%)
Director: Adam McKay

This is a very entertaining film to watch. Adam McKay was able to take what could be a fairly boring and drawn out story and made it into something quite enthralling. Unfortunately, although it's well shot, pretty dang funny at times, and interesting, there are several issues that hold this film back from being the Oscar contender that it could have been. The pacing is odd and at times feels clunky with the flashbacks and different timelines, there were several scenes left in this film that could have been cut but weren't which led to a much longer runtime than necessary, and some of the humor doesn't necessarily come across as I think McKay intended it to. Further, the scene that plays right after the first line of credits made me cringe, and it left a bad taste in my mouth which ultimately hurt my viewing experience. In the end, the positives outweigh the negatives, but there was far more potential here than what we got.

Am interested to see if we agree on each separate story if you care to elaborate.

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Here is how I'd classify them.

The Good: All Gold Canyon (4th story), The Gal Who Got Rattled (5th story), Meal Ticket (3rd story)

The Meh: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (1st story)

The Bad: Near Algodones (2nd story), The Mortal Remains (6th story)

My fave was your #2. Only one that I loved.

All Gold was good. Meal Ticket SO creepy.

Hated the 1st story. Dreadful. Love James Franco, but bailed out of his segment. I was meh on Mortal Remains. Seemed to have a meaning that went over my head, but it wasn’t bad by any means.

5. To All The Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

(62%)
Director: Susan Johnson

This is a very enjoyable teen romance film from Netflix. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't really do anything out of the box or original. You know what the arc of the story will be about 15 minutes in. However, it never really slips up or has any big cringe moments. It's well done, and if you are looking for a teen romance movie...this one isn't a bad choice.

6. The Endless (2018)

(74%)
Directors: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead

Given a bigger budget, I think that The Endless could have been one of the biggest sci-fi films of this year. However, the smaller budget does show at times, as some of the effects are a little too ambitious for what they had to work with. The story is fantastic for about 80% of the runtime, and the mystery is enthralling from the start. Unfortunately, the ending jumped the shark for me. It's not a terrible ending, but it cheapened the rest of the film for me. If the ending had connected better with the rest of the film, I think this would be one of my favorite films of 2018.

7. Disobedience (2018)

(70%)
Director: Sebastián Lelio

Disobedience is very well made. The cinematography, dialogue, and acting is fantastic. The story, however, is rather simplistic. I think it was intentional as it's very clear what message this film is trying to get across, but it left me searching for more in the end.

8. Wildlife (2018)

(94%)
Director: Paul Dano

Paul Dano's directorial debut is downright fantastic. It's beautifully shot and tells an unremarkable, but extremely relatable, tale about a family living in the 1960s. Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan acted their butts off in this one. Wildlife is a great watch that I can't recommend enough.

9. Beautiful Boy (2018)

(71%)
Director: Felix Van Groeningen

Beautiful Boy tells the story of Nic Sheff and his struggles with drug addiction in a very realistic way, which I do appreciate. However, I found the story's emotional impact to be a little lacking, which I think it was relying quite a bit on, and as a result it made the repetitiveness of the story less tolerable to me.

Wildlife was an awesome debut from Dano. Can't believe it's not getting much awards buzz.

10. Aquaman (2018)

(48%)
Director: James Wan

Aquaman is definitely a departure from the dark visuals of most of the DCEU (apart from Wonder Woman), which is a nice change. Jason Momoa is entertaining as always and visually it looks pretty great. However, I found it to be so incredibly cheesy that it got to the point where I just wasn't enjoying it anymore. The story is also a paint-by-numbers superhero tale, and honestly I'm starting to get a little tired of the same ol' thing every time. It's not absolutely horrible, but I don't think I'll ever have a desire to watch this one again.

11. The Mule (2018)

(54%)
Director: Clint Eastwood

This film is so incredibly bazar. The story is unbelievable and believable at the same time, and Clint Eastwood's overblown perception of himself (and his...odd sense of humor) definitely came through the screen and slapped me a few times as I watched it. It also drags on far longer than it needed to, and an unnecessary amount of time is spent just watching Clint drive down roads in his car. But, I also didn't walk out feeling entirely disappointed? Just....weird.

12. How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2018)

(37%)
Director: John Cameron Mitchell

Oof, this one right here, officer. How to Talk to Girls at Parties is one of the worst films of 2018. The concept is cool, and the acting is decent, but the execution of the story just misses the mark by about three miles.

13. Unbreakable (2000)

(75%)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan

One of the most "different" superhero films I've ever watched, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I can't say I was absolutely blown away, though.

14. Split (2017)

(81%)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Split is a great thriller in which James McAvoy is just downright incredible. It's a wild ride that ends with the twist that connects it to Unbreakable, and sets up Glass. I think this one is the best of the trilogy.

15. Glass (2019)

(58%)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Glass takes a bit of a different approach to the story than I expected. I appreciate how it all comes together in the end with Mr. Glass, but a lot of what happens before that (including "the twist") left me scratching my head. I also found David Dunn's arc to be incredibly disappointing. It's a mixed bag, but I am glad that M. Night Shyamalan was able to end this trilogy how he wanted.

16. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

(80%)
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Inside Llewyn Davis follows a folk singer as he struggles to make it in an industry that doesn't place much value on folk singers. This film has incredible music, a great script, and next level acting. The story is relatable and sorrowful, but there's also a lot of humor throughout the film as well. Unfortunately, though, the story didn't grip me quite as tightly as I was hoping. If I felt how I think I should have when the credits rolled, this would easily be one of my favorite films that I've watched in a long time. But somewhere along the way it lost my attention a little bit, and while I still enjoyed it and look forward to watching it again sometime and maybe gaining a different perspective, I don't think it's quite as good as a lot of other people say it is.

17. Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

(20%)
Director: Dan Gilroy

Velvet Buzzsaw starts out as an intriguing indie-like film, and then it devolves into a psychological horror film that is worse than most low budget Blumhouse projects. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a decent performance (for what he has to work with), but nearly everything else just continuously gets worse and worse as the film drags on. One of the worst films I've watched in a long time.

18. Whiplash (2014)

(90%)
Director: Damien Chazelle

Whiplash left me satisfied with the ending, frustrated with the ending, and utterly impressed in almost every other way. Tremendous performances by Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, fantastic music, and an enthralling story that doesn't have much fat to it. I can't believe I waited so long to watch this one.

19. The Spectacular Now (2013)

(76%)
Director: James Ponsoldt

This is actually a fairly fresh and real take on the teenage romance genre. An alcoholic teenage boy starts to fall for the quiet girl, and we get to see how their relationship progresses. It's solid all around, although it didn't necessarily rock my world in any specific way, either.

20. Blazing Saddles (1974)

(73%)
Director: Mel Brooks

Some jokes hit hard and left me in pain from laughing so hard, while others missed completely. Inconsistent comedy and mediocre story aside, though, the ending is one of the most meta things I've ever seen.

Good reviews from Grant. Have no desire to see Blazing Saddles. Haven’t seen Buzzsaw yet, but the other movies are great.

21. Shark Tale (2004)

(50%)
Directors: Rob Letterman, Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson

Some of the songs bring back memories of my childhood, but the story leaves so much to be desired when watching as an adult.

22. Happy Death Day 2U (2019)

(53%)
Director: Christopher Landon

Happy Death Day 2U is an unnecessary sequel that never reaches the level of entertainment or creativity of the first film, and the ending drags on so long that it becomes silly.

I was about to say this too :'D

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Just seen Buzzsaw. Nothing memorable, but I enjoyed it.

23. Atlantis: The Lose Empire (2001)

(61%)
Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

While Atlantis: The Lost Empire is overall an entertaining, nostalgia filled film that does have a few high moments, the story itself is ultimately a bit bland and isn't on the same level as many of Disney's other animated films.

24. Apollo 11 (2019)

(100%)
Director: Todd Douglas Miller

This film is absolutely incredible. The footage is gorgeous and at times looks like it could have been shot in modern times because the quality is so good, and despite this being a documentary it has no narration and instead relies on telling the story itself, and it vastly exceeds expectations in that department. This is a must watch. Crap, it may only be March, but this will probably be a contender for my favorite film of the year.

25. Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

(66%)
Director: Robert Rodriguez

Alita: Battle Angel is a fun time at the theater. The story is entertaining and the action scenes are fantastic. The only pitfall is that much of the dialogue is horribly written. Some of the most consistently cheesy dialogue I've heard in a film in a long time. Pay more attention to the visuals and the overall story, though, and it's well worth the price of admission.

Will put Apollo 11 in my Netflix Q ASAP.

26. Captain Marvel (2019)

(83%)
Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

I found Captain Marvel to be a much better film than most people are giving it credit for. It’s one of the funnier Marvel films in recent memory, and while it is a fairly typical origin story there were a few twists along the way that I quite liked. The action was also solid and I think it sets Carol up well for the big role she will inevitably have in Avengers: Endgame. I thouroughly enjoyed it.

27. Would You Rather (2012)

(55%)
Director: David Guy Levy

Honestly, this film is not good in a lot of ways. The script is a little weak, each character's decisions are predictable in every way possible, and the concept had so much more potential than what the film ended up being. But I watched this film with a group of friends and ended up enjoying it quite a bit. This is definitely one of those films that would be a bit of a disappointment if you watch it alone, but becomes far better if you watch it with a group of people.

28. Us (2019)

(73%)
Director: Jordan Peele

Us had almost everything going for it. The score, acting, direction, and cinematography are fantastic. Unfortunately, I have two problems with it that drastically affected what I think about the film. First is the humor. In some scenes, the comedic relief is perfectly timed and adds a lot to the film, and the jokes land. But there are also some scenes where it feels out of place or forced. There isn't a need for a dad joke every time a scene is getting a little serious. Secondly, the story itself felt incredibly average to me. Is the social message meaningful? Sure, but the story that presents the social message to us felt more like a traditional slasher film. It didn't particularly grab me in any way, and I found myself disappointed with the ending. Whereas Get Out was a great movie with a meaningful message attached, Us feels more like a meaningful message with an okay movie attached.

I laughed at Would You Rather, thought it was comically bad. It's a simple premise for a simple film.

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