1- ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD: "But I'm curious; will this be like the rewrite of history that Inglorious Basterds was and we'll have Brad Pitt and DiCaprio hunting down and killing the Manson family members?" I wrote that about this film last January. I guess it was fairly obvious that's how the film would end, but I did predict it. The ending (Pitt and DiCaprio killing the Manson followers) is, kind of surprisingly, the worst moment in the film. It's a geyser of violence and wild but it just doesn't feel right, it feels strange instead of being what's it meant to be; a cathartic change for the better by defeating the boogeyman. I did enjoy some of the story with DiCaprio and Pitt in old Hollywood, and I think a much better film would have involved them without the tired Manson plot overshadowing it. And while the film is too meandering and fairly plotless, "Pulp Fiction" was too but was much, much better. Why? "Pulp Fiction" had better music, better dialogue, and felt fresher. It was also more compelling and had numerous great sequences. I think the ultimate point is that any good artist makes all of their great work early and then fades. Sad but true. **
2- STAR WARS: EPISODE IX: Reviewed. **1/2
3- SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME: The chemistry between Peter Parker, his friend, and his maybe girlfriend, is so fun and entertaining that I kind of wish they'd just go make a buddy comedy without any action featuring those three. And while this is a super entertaining film, it's not as good as the first, and all of the big, sci-fi action spectacle stuff is simply more of the same. ***
4- IT: CHAPTER 2: This is entertaining and well made, and has a stellar performance by Bill Hader, but, man, there's just way too many special f/x in this movie. Do they not realize that a scary clown is good enough? They don't need to have lame special f/x showing him flying around or getting bigger or running around like a spider. I think I liked the first one better but, honestly, they're pretty much the same. **1/2
5- GLASS: Shymalan's last film, "Split," was good, so of course he returns with a bad one. There's a big reveal in this that is just about as dumb as the-monsters-are-just-people-in-costumes twist from "The Village." I saw this a year ago and kind of forget what the reveal even was, that's how fucking incredible it was (something about a corporation that keeps super heroes out of the public view or something?). I didn't really like "Unbreakable" anyway, so I guess I shouldn't have expected much out of the sequel. *
6- THE GOLDFINCH: I said last year that'd it be hard to fuck this up. I said that because the novel wasn't just well written, it also had a great story. Well everyone hated this film so I'm never going to waste my time watching it. Just go read the book. It's a masterpiece.
7- GODZILLA 2: KING OF THE MONSTERS: I never really thought that you could make a boring Godzilla film, but by God they did it. How is that even possible? This one even features other monsters, and the special f/x are great. I guess the problem is the awful plot and awful characters. Just have Godzilla destroying a city, is it that hard? 1/2*
8- THE NEW KING OF COMEDY: Stephen Chow had such a legendary run of awesome, funny, highly entertaining, bonkers, insane, wildly cinematic films that I guess it was bound to end. This film is the type that feels like he was just punching the clock to fulfill a contract or something. It's just lazy. *
9- ZOMBIELAND 2: This is super entertaining. The four main characters are like the trio from "Spider-Man: Far from Home." I'd be just as entertained simply watching them sit in a room and bicker and joke for two hours, forget any kind of plot or action sequences. Alas, the film falls apart by the end during the gigantic action spectacle, but for awhile it's as fun and entertaining as they come. I died laughing at the "Elvis' actual shoes" joke. Hopefully we don't have to wait another ten years for part 3. ***
10- JOKER: I mean...the director of "The Hangover" movies made this...so what did we all really expect? I love Joaquin Phoenix, but even he gives a forgettable performance. I'll give them some advice if they do a sequel: add Batman. **
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