Letterboxd — Your life in film

My pick. Gonzo is a good word for this forgotten ‘80s oddball comedy. The whole movie, including every performance, is pitched at such an insane level that you’ve almost got to see it to believe it. Best enjoyed under the influence and with a rowdy group of friends. A-bow-bow.

Some effective scares poke through the flimsy script, glum cinematography, and transferred trauma cliches that so many modern horror flicks utilize. Always good to see Messina, but he has very little to do here. Should satisfy most Friday night audiences though.

Well written and acted, occasionally amusing, but really slight comedy. Never overstays its welcome and the lack of stakes or major plot points is sort of its pleasure.

Meta and playful with its true story. Liked the romcom part of this just as much as the saving pinball part, and the movie does a nice job of seamlessly interweaving the two. Faust and Reed are both excellent.

This was a lot of fun. Great dancing. Sure, not everyone is the greatest actor but they’re all good enough. Better than the average teen flick or dance flick.

A little sweaty in the setup, but for about 45 minutes in the middle, this romcom is as good as most. Hudson and McConaughey have all kinds of chemistry. Hudson is so charming, just a knockout performance.

Everything under water in the first half is a trainwreck. The ghastly CGI, the pale imitation of songs from the animated original, Javier Bardem’s performance as King Triton - all almost render the film unwatchable. But it gets a lot more tolerable when it moves to land. The romance works, the Caribbean vibe is cool, and that new Scuttlebutt song is a bop. Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy are great and nail their characters, but to what end? What’s the point?

Overly talky but engaging and topical drama, with a fantastic performance by Tatum Matthews at its center. She’s awesome here and has a bright future ahead of her.

Tried to put the initial disappointment behind me on this rewatch. I can appreciate some of what Spielberg’s doing here. There’s some great shots. I actually don’t mind the “nuking the fridge”. But the Marion reunion is totally botched, and all the action in the Amazon looks like a cartoon. Koepp’s script is too convoluted and the last final 30 minutes are a bore. Apart from that awful Twilight Zone movie segment, still think this is Spielberg’s worst.

Hard to rate. Certainly makes an impression. No catharsis, even though I kept waiting for it. I liked how unpredictable it was and how the story kept changing. Gave me some Parasite and Barbarian vibes, but those flicks are way more fun. This is like anti-fun.

Still laughing. Maybe the funniest film so far this year? Insanely stupid, but gloriously so. That $340M budget is on screen. Momoa definitely understood the assignment. Every scene with him cooks. Same for franchise newbie Leterrier - this is one hyperactive action flick. Cena’s considerable charms as an actor are used to much better effect this go-round. I think I loved it? Bring on Part 11.

Oddly airless in between its opening and closing set pieces (which admittedly deliver the goods), especially coming from Justin Lin. Magnets? Cool. Cars in space? Less cool. Doesn’t understand the appeal of John Cena. I still give it a pass, but this is lower tier Fast.