Movie Reviews Index
Welcome to Anomalous Material! Here I will explain how I review movies as well as clarify my grading scale. Before I get started, a short disclaimer, my movie reviews are only my opinion on a piece of film-making. Watching a movie is entirely an objective experience and there is nothing more valuable than to make your own opinion by actually watching the movies yourself. Nevertheless, time and money are only a finite resource so that’s where I come into play
There is three big things that I tend to focus when I watch a movie. In order of importance, they are:
- Acting performances: Nothing annoys me more than mediocre acting especially from actors who are paid the big bucks. After all, all we are doing is watching people pretending to be some imaginary characters. If any one of them is not very good at pretending, then our suspension of disbelief is gone and the whole thing falls apart. On the other hand, nothing is better than acting that sweeps you off your feet. More often that not, a great lead performance is enough to save any movie from mediocrity but at the same time, it’s always sad to see an actor act his heart out on a sinking ship. Some of the question I try to answer are: How believable are the actors, individually and together? How difficult is the part? Is the actor performing at a high level despite an underwritten character? Has the actor been playing the same variation of the character before? Is the actor fully involved in the character or just going through the motions? Is the interpretation coherent with the direction of the movie?
- The ability from the film-makers to tell the story: This all starts with the director, who is the captain of the ship, but also include screenplay/plot/dialogue and editing. Story-telling is simply the ability from the people who made the movie to convey a story and emotionally engage the viewer as if he/she was part of the movie. The best story-tellers allow our imaginations to wander long after the movie is over. Some additional things I tend to ask myself are: Is the director clearly expressing his interpretation and is he conveying that effectively? Does he extract the best performances from his actors that are consistent with his concept? Does the screenplay have dead weight like underdeveloped characters or scenes that don’t advance the movie? Is the film well edited?
- Production value: Those are all the little things that add to the movie experience such as photography, cinematography, costumes, set design, CGI, sound, and musical soundtrack. Those only need to be good enough unless it’s a big expensive mainstream production in which case, the expectations are through the roof.
I don’t review every movie I see, hence you will probably not see a ton of grades in the D and F range simply because there is no reason for me to review bad movies. I like to stray off the beaten path and try to focus on less mainstream films but I do review those big Hollywood production when I feel like it. Finally, I despise reading reviews that don’t offer any constructive criticism and are basically veiled (or not) insults at the people who made the movie. I will try my best to avoid that.
Grading scale:
- A+: This grade will never be used. I have yet to see a movie that warrants an A+. It would have be mindbogglingly perfect and blow my mind away not for a few hours or days but my entire life.
- A: A masterpiece. Drop everything and see it now
- A-: A near-masterpiece. A must-see
- B+: Very good movie. Highly recommended
- B: Good movie but some minor flaws. Still highly recommended
- B-: Pretty good movie but some flaws make it less than satisfactory
- C+: Slightly above average movie. Some frustrating flaws but definitely worth a watch
- C: Average movie. Intermittently entertaining and worth a watch when bored
- C-: Mediocre movie. Has some things going for it but has some major flaws hamper the viewing experience
- D: Bad movie! Avoid at all cost
- F: Worst movie ever made. A total disaster. Significant danger of getting a stroke while watching said movie
| MOVIE | YEAR | REVIEW DATE | CASTOR | RED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (500) Days of Summer | 2009 | 12/23/2009 | A- | |
| 3:10 to Yuma: | 2007 | 2/24/2008 | A- | |
| 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days: | 2007 | 8/09/2009 | A- | |
| Across the Universe: | 2007 | 2/19/2008 | B | |
| Adventureland | 2009 | 12/14/2009 | C+ | |
| After the Wedding | 2006 | 11/29/2009 | A- | |
| Alice in Wonderland | 2010 | 03/09/2010 | B- | |
| All About Steve | 2009 | 02/05/2010 | D- | |
| All the Real Girls | 2003 | 02/24/2010 | B- | |
| Amelie | 2001 | 02/09/2010 | A- | |
| American Gangster: | 2007 | 3/17/2008 | B+ | |
| Antichrist | 2009 | 01/23/2010 | C+ | A- |
| A Serious Man | 2009 | 02/18/2010 | B- | |
| Atonement | 2007 | 04/29/2010 | B | |
| Avatar | 2009 | 12/18/2009 | B+ | |
| Away from Her | 2006 | 07/25/2009 | B+ | |
| Badlands | 1973 | 05/08/2010 | A- | |
| Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans | 2010 | 04/27/2010 | B+ | |
| Battle Royale | 2000 | 11/17/2009 | A | |
| Black Dynamite | 2009 | 05/18/2010 | A- | |
| Body of Lies: | 2008 | 5/5/2009 | B- | |
| Breach | 2007 | 9/9/2009 | B | |
| Brothers | 2009 | 03/30/2010 | A- | |
| Cache | 2005 | 12/23/2009 | B+ | |
| Casablanca | 1942 | 02/11/2010 | A | |
| City of God | 2002 | 11/09/2009 | A | |
| Cloverfield: | 2008 | 1/21/2008 | B+ | |
| Crazy Heart | 2009 | 01/12/2010 | B+ | |
| Dark City | 1998 | 07/30/2010 | A- | |
| Days of Heaven | 1978 | 07/03/2010 | B+ | |
| Deliverance | 1972 | 01/27/2010 | B+ | |
| Doubt | 2008 | 09/07/2009 | B+ | |
| District 9 | 2009 | 8/18/2009 | B+ | |
| Eagle Eye: | 2008 | 5/23/2009 | C- | |
| Empire of the Sun | 1987 | 03/01/2010 | A- | |
| Enchanted | 2007 | 12/4/2007 | B+ | |
| Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | 2004 | 02/08/2010 | A | |
| Extract | 2009 | 02/15/2010 | B | |
| Food, Inc | 2008 | 11/18/2009 | A- | |
| Freeway | 1996 | 06/24/2010 | B | |
| Funny People | 2009 | 12/3/2009 | C+ | |
| Gamer | 2009 | 03/16/2010 | C- | |
| GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra | 2009 | 11/10/2009 | C | |
| Gone Baby Gone | 2007 | 11/22/2007 | A- | |
| Gran Torino | 2008 | 5/23/2009 | A- | |
| Grave of the Fireflies | 1988 | 02/27/2010 | A- | |
| Great Expectations | 1998 | 07/25/2010 | B- | |
| Greenberg | 2010 | 04/05/2010 | D | |
| Grown Ups | 2010 | 07/21/2010 | D- | |
| Hancock | 2008 | 1/7/2009 | C+ | |
| Happy Go Lucky | 2008 | 6/13/2009 | B | |
| Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger | 2008 | 06/01/2010 | B+ | |
| Hoop Dreams | 1994 | 04/30/2010 | A | |
| I am Legend | 2007 | 12/21/2007 | A- | |
| Inception | 2010 | 07/18/2010 | B+ | A |
| Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | 2009 | 05/23/2010 | C+ | |
| I Love You, Man | 2009 | 10/20/2009 | B- | |
| Inglorious Basterds | 2009 | 8/26/2009 | A | |
| In Search of a Midnight Kiss | 2007 | 11/23/2009 | B | |
| Into the Wild | 2007 | 12/05/2009 | B | |
| Iron Man | 2008 | 5/6/2008 | A- | |
| Iron Man 2 | 2010 | 05/12/2010 | B | |
| Julie & Julia | 2009 | 12/15/2009 | A- | |
| Junebug | 2005 | 10/21/2009 | B | |
| Juno | 2007 | 1/2/2008 | A | |
| Just Like Heaven | 2005 | 05/28/2010 | B | |
| Kick Ass | 2010 | 04/22/2010 | B+ | B- |
| Kinsey | 2004 | 10/19/2009 | B | |
| Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | 2005 | 10/17/2009 | B+ | |
| Kissing Jessica Stein | 2001 | 10/19/2009 | B- | |
| Knight and Day | 2010 | 07/23/2010 | C+ | |
| LA Confidential | 1997 | 04/17/2010 | A+ | |
| Lakeview Terrace | 2008 | 5/23/2009 | B- | |
| Lars and the Real Girl | 2007 | 02/20/2010 | A- | |
| Law Abiding Citizen | 2009 | 03/28/2010 | B- | |
| Leap Year | 2010 | 05/06/2010 | C | |
| Legally Blonde | 2001 | 06/15/2010 | B | |
| Love Actually | 2003 | 02/07/2010 | C+ | |
| Married Life: | 2007 | 5/26/2009 | B | |
| Me and You and Everyone We Know | 2008 | 11/23/2009 | B+ | |
| Mean Girls | 2004 | 05/15/2010 | A- | |
| Mongol | 2007 | 11/24/2009 | A- | |
| Mulholland Dr. | 2001 | 12/04/2009 | A | |
| Never Back Down | 2008 | 05/17/2010 | C+ | |
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian | 2009 | 12/20/2009 | C | |
| No Country for Old Men: | 2007 | 3/14/2008 | A- | |
| Nothing but the Truth: | 2008 | 5/23/2009 | B | |
| Oldboy | 2003 | 12/10/2009 | A- | |
| Once | 2006 | 7/27/2009 | A | |
| One Hour Photo | 2002 | 11/26/2009 | B- | |
| Pan’s Labyrinth | 2006 | 7/31/2009 | A | |
| Paul Blart: Mall Cop | 2009 | 11/01/2009 | C | |
| Predators | 2010 | 07/15/2010 | C | |
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | 2010 | 06/10/2010 | D+ | |
| Rabbit-Proof Fence | 2002 | 11/19/2009 | A- | |
| Public Enemies | 2009 | 12/17/2009 | B | |
| Rachel getting Married | 2008 | 10/28/2009 | A- | |
| Remember Me | 2010 | 03/16/2010 | B+ | |
| Rendition: | 2007 | 11/22/2007 | C+ | |
| Restrepo | 2010 | 07/31/2010 | A | |
| Robin Hood | 2010 | 05/23/2010 | B+ | |
| Se7en | 1995 | 03/06/2010 | A | |
| She's Out of my League | 2010 | 03/20/2010 | C+ | |
| Sherlock Holmes | 2009 | 12/25/2009 | B+ | |
| Shutter Island | 2010 | 03/04/2010 | A- | |
| Sin Nombre | 2009 | 07/20/2010 | A- | |
| Slumdog Millionaire | 2008 | 3/7/2009 | A- | |
| Snatch | 2000 | 12/16/2009 | B+ | |
| Spirited Away | 2001 | 11/20/2009 | A | |
| Star Trek | 2009 | 5/9/2009 | B+ | |
| State of Play | 2009 | 9/9/2009 | B+ | |
| Sunshine Cleaning | 2008 | 10/18/2009 | B | |
| Sympathy for Lady Vengeance | 2005 | 11/24/2009 | B+ | |
| Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War | 2004 | 08/13/2010 | B+ | |
| Taken: | 2008 | 3/10/2009 | C | |
| Taking Chance | 2009 | 01/23/2010 | A | |
| Tell no One: | 2006 | 5/23/2009 | B+ | |
| Terminator Salvation | 2009 | 12/14/2009 | B- | |
| The Blind Side | 2009 | 04/21/2010 | B- | |
| The Counterfeiters | 2007 | 11/25/2009 | A | |
| The Crazies | 2010 | 03/01/2010 | B+ | |
| The Dark Knight: | 2008 | 7/23/2008 | A | |
| The Expendables | 2010 | 08/18/2010 | C | |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | 2009 | 07/29/2010 | B+ | |
| The Good Guy | 2009 | 07/09/2010 | B- | |
| The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard | 2009 | 12/09/2009 | C | |
| The Hangover | 2009 | 12/16/2009 | B+ | |
| The Hurt Locker | 2009 | 01/12/2010 | B+ | |
| The Kids Are All Right | 2010 | 08/04/2010 | B | |
| The Last of the Mohicans | 1992 | 11/20/2009 | A | |
| The Lives of Others | 2006 | 7/21/2009 | A | |
| The Lucky Ones: | 2008 | 4/10/2009 | B | |
| The Machinist | 2004 | 06/12/2010 | B | |
| The Merry Gentleman | 2009 | 10/20/2009 | B- | |
| The Namesake | 2007 | 02/23/2010 | B+ | |
| The Notebook | 2004 | 02/12/2010 | B+ | |
| The Proposal | 2009 | 05/18/2010 | B- | |
| The Quiet American | 2002 | 11/19/2009 | B | |
| The Road | 2009 | 06/03/2010 | B | |
| The Sandlot | 1993 | 05/04/2010 | B+ | |
| The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 | 2009 | 10/16/2009 | C+ | |
| The Thin Red Line | 1998 | 06/07/2010 | A | |
| The Time Traveler’s Wife | 2009 | 8/16/2009 | B | |
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon | 2009 | 03/25/2010 | D+ | |
| The Visitor | 2007 | 10/31/2009 | A- | |
| The White Ribbon | 2009 | 03/05/2010 | A+ | |
| There will be Blood | 2007 | 10/29/2009 | A- | |
| Timecrimes | 2007 | 12/10/2009 | B+ | |
| Titanic | 1997 | 02/08/2010 | B | |
| Tokyo Sonata | 2008 | 05/03/2010 | B+ | |
| Top Gun | 1986 | 02/18/2010 | C+ | |
| Toy Story 3 | 2010 | 07/04/2010 | B+ | |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: | 2009 | 6/28/2009 | C- | |
| Troll 2 | 1990 | 06/05/2010 | F | |
| Twilight | 2008 | 11/27/2009 | D+ | |
| Un Prophete | 2009 | 05/11/2010 | A- | |
| Up in the Air | 2009 | 03/12/2010 | B+ | |
| Wall-E | 2008 | 12/07/2009 | B | |
| When in Rome | 2010 | 08/19/2010 | D- | |
| Whip It | 2009 | 02/03/2010 | B | |
| Youth in Revolt | 2010 | 01/12/2010 | B | |
| Zach and Miri make a Porno: | 2008 | 5/23/2009 | B- | |
| Zombieland | 2009 | 10/12/2009 | B- | |





