Movie #15 of 2022: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) When I first saw this picture in theaters six years ago, I raved that it was “My favorite sort of prequel, that slots neatly into the existing continuity without the need for retconning AND enhances the viewer’s appreciation of certain elements in the original …
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Movie #9 of 2020: 13th (2016) A decent overview of how America has continued to marginalize its black population after the abolition of slavery, first through discriminatory Jim Crow laws and now via mass incarceration that disproportionately targets African-American men. I particularly appreciate the insights into the corporate interests keeping the growing prison system full, …
Movie #8 of 2018: Doctor Strange (2016) I watched and reviewed this movie last year, and my thoughts are about the same: I’m still happy with my decision to wait until Doctor Strange was on Netflix to watch it (so as to hurt box office returns in protest of the casting). But having now finally …
Movie #4 of 2018: Hidden Figures (2016) Great cast and soundtrack, in service of the little-known true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA during the 1960s space race. There are some plot elements that strike me as a bit oversimplified, especially having read the book that the script was based on, and some …
Movie #24 of 2017: Bad Santa 2 (2016) It’s hard to really justify this movie’s existence. The first Bad Santa movie (2003) wasn’t exactly a modern classic, but it was a funny spin on the darkness that can underlie the holidays with a surprising amount of heart to it. This one is mostly just mean …
Movie #20 of 2017: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) If you consider this movie as an attempt to recapture the magic (pun very much intended) of Harry Potter, it’s hard to see it as anything but a failure. The stakes are muddled, this version of the Wizarding World feels more hazily drawn, …
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Movie #17 of 2017: La La Land (2016) I liked this movie, but I certainly didn’t love it or think it deserved all of its awards and accolades. I think a lot of my reaction stems from Ryan Gosling’s character, who I never thought showed anything close to a redeeming quality. (Seriously, he gets fired …
Movie #9 of 2017: Moana (2016) This movie was so flipping cute I am beside myself. Honestly, there are no faults here. Moana’s a great hero, the songs are fantastic, Maui in particular is hilarious, every human character is a POC, there’s no awkwardly shoehorned-in love story, it repeatedly passes the Bechdel test… This was …
Movie #7 of 2017: Doctor Strange (2016) I’m still happy with my decision to wait until Doctor Strange was on Netflix to watch it (so as to hurt box office returns in protest of the casting). But having now finally seen the thing, I will freely admit that it was a pretty good movie in …
Movie #3 of 2017: Suicide Squad (2016) A complete mess, squandering some pretty good actors who make the most of the bad material they’re given. I’m not particularly invested in the DC Extended Universe in the first place, but this movie gave me absolutely no reason to rethink that decision. ★☆☆☆☆
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