The Big Lebowski (1998)

 

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Easy-going (like its titular character), serendipitous drama, full of black humor and numerous memorable sequences and with a colorful ensemble of eccentric characters is thoroughly entertaining; an instant cult classic.

Halliwell**: "A meandering thriller that provides a great deal of incidental pleasures on a journey to nowhere in particular."

Maltin**1/2: "One big shaggy-dog joke, courtesy of the Coen brothers...Mostly an excuse for off-the-wall character vignettes, some of which are amusing, some of which are just...strange. Minor Coen concoction with a most agreeable cast. Turturro is a standout as Jesus the bowler, but Bridges' Dave the Dude has become a pop culture icon." 

Atomic Blonde (2017)

An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.

Highly stylized comic adaptation delivers the goods with self-consciousness, but basically it's just the usual fist fights, car chases and shoot-outs.

Black Earth Rising (2018)

Kate Ashby was rescued as a child from the Rwandan genocide by her renowned international lawyer adopted mother Eve. Living in London and working for barrister Michael Ennis, Kate's mother takes on a case involving an African militia leader which will upend both their lives forever.

Compelling political drama with an excellent cast of characters uses the episodic form of a TV series to slowly reveal several layers of a conspiracy further complicated by the diverging interests of the former European occupiers of an African country.

Matinee (1993)

A small-time film promoter releases a kitschy horror film during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Loving homage to 50s nuclear-scare monster flics is a bit pedestrian and harmless, but full of enjoyable details, a genuine-looking film-in-film and a great performance by John Goodman.

Halliwell*: "An enjoyable celebration of the nuclear-inspired, gimmicky horror movies of the 50s, brilliantly parodied; but it is hampered by a teen romance, presented without apparent irony, which might have been lifted from any drive-in movie of the period."

Maltin***: "Goodman is delightful...Sweet-natured film, full of nostalgia and in-jokes for film buffs, but a little slow (and soft) until it gets rolling."

The Gambler (2014)

Literature professor and gambler Jim Bennett's debt causes him to borrow money from his mother and a loan shark. Further complicating his situation, is his relationship with one of his students. Will Bennett risk his life for a second chance?

Although this thriller is more conceived as a character study than it's interested in suspense, and it has a good cast and is professionally directed, the gambler himself is a most disagreeable narcissist for whom hardly anyone can root for.

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.

Argo (2012)

Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.

Well-crafted, entertaining political thriller with a good cast manages to mix tension and humour; however, the audacity of the true story seems more fascinating than what the movie actually offers.

Maltin***1/2: "Incredible true story...Affleck's sure-handed direction...manages to shift seamlessly from incredible tension in Iran and internecine politics in Washington, D.C., to the absurdity of the scheme in Hollywood. As the old pros in Movieland, Arkin and Goodman are hilarious, and every one of their punch lines scores a bull's-eye. Smart, enormously satisfying entertainment..."

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

A team of scientists explore an uncharted island in the Pacific, venturing into the domain of the mighty Kong, and must fight to escape a primal Eden.

Nicely assembled monster movie with a big budget; as so often: the creatures steal the show.

The Monuments Men (2014)

An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners.

An otherwise highly interesting episode of  WWII is (intentionally) treated like a Dirty Dozen-style war adventure complete with a good-humoured cast, light action and some sombre moments; mildy entertaining, though, it is.

Maltin**: "A great true-life story...gets surface treatment and the identities of its heroes is fictionalized, making it difficult to fully invest in their characters. Deliberately old-fashioned, the movie has its moments, and the charisma of its formidable cast carries it a long way."

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter with two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack.

Although the plot is not quiteinventive, the movie does make the best to turn this closed room drama into a psychological thriller; the cast helps, and John Goodman is  a treat.

Trumbo (2015)

In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs.

Good depiction of the effects of McCarthy's Hollywood blacklistimg concentrates on Dalton Trumbo's life, but gives enough details of the times; period detail and cast are excellent. 

In the Electric Mist (2009)

A detective in post Katrina New Orleans area has a series of surreal encounters with a troop of friendly Confederate soldiers while investigating serial killings of local prostitutes, a 1965 lynching and corrupt local businessmen.

Interesting as this great French director's first American production, but despite all talent involved, the plot goes in all directions and makes the story diffuse and without focus.


On second viewing: still agree that the story is vague and without focus, but the movie hold's one interst with atmosphere and a good cast.

Maltin **1/2: "Atmospheric and well cast, this police procedural with mystical undertones is highly watchable, although some of the characters and relationships seem a bit sketchy ..."

Fallen (1998)

A homicide detective witnesses the execution of serial killer, but soon after the execution the killings start again in the style of the executed murderer.

A great cast of stars and good production value can't help to make the story less silly.

Halliwell (no star): "A supernatural thriller that offers little in the way of frisson: the Devil may have the best tunes, but he still has the worst films."

Maltin**: "Hybrid of supernatural and cop-thriller genre doesn't pay off, despite creepy atmosphere and solid performances. It takes much too long to get where it's going, and the finale subverts the film's own "ground rules.""