Infinite (2021)

 

A man discovers that his hallucinations are actually visions from past lives.

Highly derivative and uninspired hodgepodge of much better sci-fi and spy movies offers a lot of action and CGI, but never really thrills.

 

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.

All the Money in the World (2017)

The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.

A well-made movie with little suspense, since the actual events are so well-known; Christopher Plummer is excellent as the miserly and heartless billionaire.

The Fighter (2010)

Based on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.

Colourful and lively boxing drama is convincing - and entertaining - due to good ensemble performance.

Maltin***: "Flavorful potrait...this film has atmosphere to burn and showy performances - where did they find those women who play Micky's sisters - thought it peters out a bit in the final act."

Deepwater Horizon (2016)

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.

Lone Survivor (2013)

A Navy SEALS team is set out on a mission to capture or kill a notorious Taliban leader, but are left to fight for their lives in one of the most valiant efforts of modern warfare.

Warfare drama very successfully tries to recreate the actual feelings an reactions the team are confronted with in a hopeless ambush with emphasis on the personal interactions and omitting any political depth.

Maltin***: "...film manages to convey not only the brutality but the intense loyalty and feeling of brotherhood that exists among the SEALs."

Deepwater Horizon (2016)

A dramatization of the disaster back in April 2010, when the offshore drilling rig called the Deepwater Horizon created a giant explosion, which created the worst oil spill in American history.

Excellently staged catastrophe drama that manages to combine action and thrills with a political invective to those repsonisble for an ecological disaster.

The Lovely Bones (2009)

A young girl is murdered and watches over her family - and her killer - from purgatory.

Although obviously made with a lot of talents involved the director overdid the phantasmagorical elements on the verge to kitsch.

On renewed viewing: I still think this movie could have been better.

Maltin **1/2: "Well-made, well-acted adaptation of Alice Sebold's bestseller suffers from overabundant, heavy-handed images of an Edenic afterlife that don't connect with the rest of the film."

The Perfect Storm (2000)

In the Fall of 1991, the "Andrea Gail" left Gloucester, Mass. and headed for the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. Two weeks later, an event took place that had never occurred in recorded history: a giant storm.

The story is told presenting the crew of the ship as simple fisherman who become heroes. But the only true hero in this movie is the storm.

On second viewing: it's watchable mostly for the storm scenes.

Halliwell*: "There are some astonishing visual moments here - notably the small boat attemting to climb an impossibly high wave - but the crew members, each equpiied with a personal crisis to fill in the gaps between the waves, are no more than stereotypes so that their elemental struggle remains uninvolving."

Maltin**1/2: "...drenched with special effects and noisy, exciting seagoing action, but its characters and story points are bathed in cliche'."

Planet of the Apes (2001)

An Air Force astronaut crash lands on a mysterious planet where evolved, talking apes dominate a race of primitive humans.

Great production and visual splendor can't save this superfluous remake of the 1968 classic with its uncharismatic hero and a disappointingly contrived riddle ending.

Halliwell (no star): "Burton claimed this was a 're-imagining' of the original movie; with its glum hero and turgid action, all it demonstrates is the poverty of his imagination."

Maltin**1/2: "Entertaining if forgettable rethink of the 1968...A good yarn with great production design and impressive make-up by Rick Baker. Finale, with Rod Serling overtones, is the major letdown."

Four Brothers (2005)

Four brothers look to avenge their foster mother's death.

Despite a quite far-fetched plot this revenge has a very good ensemble of characters, lots of action, suspense and some bits humour.

Maltin***: "Violent, somewhat overlong action-thriller veers toward melodrama but maintains rooting interest for its rough-and-tumble "heroes" from start to finish. Flanagan is a standout in her few scenes as the boys' good-hearted mother. As widely noted, this plays like an updated urban version of THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER."