The Tomorrow War (2021)

 

A family man is drafted to fight in a future war where the fate of humanity relies on his ability to confront the past.

Big-budget, heavily derivative sc-fi alien invasion thriller does entertain, if you don't give any thoughts to the involved time-travel aspects of the story, and the third section is also a bit humorous.

Jennifer's Body (2009)

 

A newly possessed high school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates.

A horror film wrapped up in a feminist message works both ways as genre movie and as political statement, but some male audiences might not notice.

Maltin**: "Attempt to layer horror-movie tropes onto a story of female friendship (and the roles young women inhabit) doesn't work. Written by Diablo Cody, but this teenage outsider isn't as easy to embrace as the heroine of JUNO." 

Dark Skies (2013)

As the Barrett family's peaceful suburban life is rocked by an escalating series of disturbing events, they come to learn that a terrifying and deadly force is after them, one which may have arrived from beyond the stars.

Derivative sci-fi horror thriller has an good cast and some atmosphere, but not much new to add to the genre.

Maltin*1/2: "Starts well, but becomes a boring suspenseless fantasy based on UFO mythology. As always, Simmons is welcome and completely plausible."

The Accountant (2016)

As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.

Obvious attempt to establish an autistic superhero works as a standard action thriller, but less so with its premise and the plotholes it creates, althoughBen Affleck is convincing in the title role.

The Words (2012)

A writer at the peak of his literary success discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man's work.

Although based on a good premise and although the three stories are skillfully intertwined, and there are some good performances, the tale becomes sentimental and finally botched by the disappointing background story rendering everything else meaningless.

Maltin**: "At the core of this wildly illogical tale is a good idea that flowers in one key scene, when Irons (in a terrific performance) confronts Cooper...The rest is drivel, made worse by a superfluous framing story..."

The Astronaut Farmer (2006)

A NASA astronaut, forced to retire years earlier so he could save his family farm, has never given up his dream of space travel and looks to build his own rocket, despite the government's threats to stop him.

Slow-paced, good-natured satire, implicitly celebrating American wayward entrepreneurship; Billy Bob Thornton is perfectly cast in the title role.

Maltin**1/2: "Thornton is ideal...Capraesque story...is beautifully rendered; only problem is that the guy in question is nuts!"

Justice League (2017)

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.

Above-average superhero tohobohu entertains with good special effects, lots of action and, especially, a healthy amount of humour.

Patriots Day (2016)

The story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath, which includes the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists responsible.

Meticulous reconstruction of the actual events, wonderfully managing multiple subplots and a large cast of protagonists, doesn't add anything to the well-known facts.

Terminator Genisys (2015)

When John Connor, leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline.

Despite Schwarzenegger's reappearance in the series this entry is merely a well produced, but uninspiring sci-fi adventurer; like its plot, a dead-end detour to the main timeline.

The Way of War (2009)

A target of his own country due to the volatile knowledge he now possesses, a highly trained government assassin attempts to stay out of the crosshairs long enough to expose the truth and ensure that justice is served.

The movie has some pretensions about saying something about war and does have a slow, brooding atmosphere, but the narrative is full of ellipses and quite incoherent.

Whiplash (2014)

A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.

An extremely well-made and intense drama with a grand performance by J.K. Simmons; unfortunately, it seems to consider jazz (and music, for that matter) to be some kind of competitive high performance sport, and the ambitious student is nearly as disagreeable as his sadistic mentor.