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2018 Retrospective

This goal for this retrospective is to reflect on all the entries reviewed from 2018 until a certain point mid-January on Screening Spectacles. Throughout 2018, a lot of great films arrived that either stayed within their own genre or took risks to stand out by bringing something unique for the audiences. However, there was also a number of bland or terrible ones that either didn't try any effort or went into a direction that negatively affected the experience. Everything that has been analyzed from 2018 will contain the overall consensus section from their reviews along with my pros and cons to accompany them.

  • Bright (2017 Netflix Film): Bright relies on the strengths of its characters, solid performances, and mythology of environment for a unique urban fantasy experience, despite script problems. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
    • Pros: Fairy Lives don't matter today. "Show me a face when an Orc just shut the fuck up and don't say shit, and just drive to work". "Everywhere I go, why have Orcs always gotta be the bad guys?""Hey don't look at me, man. Mexicans still get shit for the Alamo". The decent car chase sequence. The world building aspect. Some of the character visuals visuals (Larika, Leilah). Leilah sniffing someone to speak their language. The explosive effect of someone touching the wand. 
    • Cons: The lack of chemistry with Ward and Jakoby. Too many fucks in the dialog. The cops being bland and stereotypical. The writing for some of the characters and the story, especially in the third act. 
  • Jumanji: Return to the Jungle (2017): Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is an enjoyable surprise that takes advantage of its talented lead cast, comedic banter, manipulation of video game elements, and solid fun action that manages to provide a great time. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿
    • Pros: The performances of the main cast. Karen Gillian trying to be sexy. The gruesome deaths of the characters. The sweet ending. The action sequences. Everything with Jack Black. The dynamics between the leads. 
    • Cons: The miscasting of Nick Jonas and Bobby Cannavale. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart often acting more as themselves rather than the teenage counterparts. 
  • Paddington 2: Paddington 2 improves from its already charming antecedent to an enjoyable adventure complete with hilarious interactions, heartwarming moments, likable characters, adorable visuals, and a well-balanced story. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿
    • Pros: The interactions between Knuckles and Paddington. The barbershop scene. Hugh Grant as the villain. The performances of the main cast.
    • Cons: The kids not getting enough screen time. Third act climax kinda slumps a little.
  • I, Tonya (2017):  I, Tonya manages to take a standard genre and ends up providing a crazy experience that's bolstered by the bizarre real life events and the performances of its lead actors. ⭑⭑⭑⭑
    • Pros: The performances of Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, and Sebastian Stan. The ice skating scenes. 
    • Cons: The comedic approach.
  • Black Panther:  Black Panther is an entertaining culturally important film with solid performances, a good moral message, strong production design and soundtrack, and a well-written antagonist. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
    • Pros: The supporting cast. Kilmonger as a villain. M'Baku. A good message. Dr Klaue.
    • Cons: Marvel story cliches. Some of the typical quips. T'Challa being the least interesting character. The third act climax. The lackluster romances. 
  • Early Man: Early Man shares some of Aardman Animations charm, talent for visual gags, and good animation but is overshadowed is forgettable characters, bland predictable story, and less than effective humor. ⭑⭑⭑
    • Pros: Tom Hiddleston as Lord Nooth. The messenger bird. The large bird. 
    • Cons: Unmemorable characters. Predictable plot.
  • Annihilation: Annihilation is mixed with good ideas/concepts, nice visuals, horror/suspense elements but struggles with a sluggish slow pace, underwhelming acting, bad writing, and off-putting directing. ⭑⭑⭑
    • Pros: The bear scene. The visuals in The Shimmer. The intrigue of the environment. The alligator scene.
    • Cons:  The slow pace. The performances of Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
  • Game Night: Game Night is an entertaining dark comedy that embraces its silly premise, has strong chemistry among that cast, great jokes, and solid cinematography. ⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿
    • Pros: The performances. The cinematography. Better car chase than in Black Panther. One shot mansion chase. Jesse Plemons stealing every scene he's in. 
    • Cons: The third act climax. Some of the jokes not landing. 
  • A Wrinkle in Time: A Wrinkle in Time's good intentions are dragged down by wooden directionless acting, sloppy editing, excessive CGI, wasted opportunities, horrible writing, obnoxious cliches, and lack of substance. ⭑1/2
    • Pros: "Shut up Meg!" The actors who portray Meg's parents. Good intentions.
    • Cons: Directionless wooden acting. Charles Wallace. A generic darkness with tentacle CGI. Saving the day with the power of love. The editing prevents any substance. Close up camera shots. 
  • Tomb Raider: Tomb Raider succeeds in delivering a developed heroine, good action, and solid casting performances despite suffering from predictable story cliches from the genre and bland script dialog. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿
    • Pros: Alicia Vikander's performance. The depiction of Lara Croft. The action scenes (particularly the boat and plane). A serviceable villain. The father-daughter relationship between Lara and Richard. The tomb's puzzles. The third act climax. 
    • Cons: The predictable plot. The bad dialog. The overused common zombie infection curse twist. 
  • Thoroughbreds (2017): Thoroughbreds thrives on its lead actors performances, great camera shots, and solid handling of its genre, but holds itself back with the payoff in the ending. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
    • Pros: The interactions between the main leads. The horror thriller camera shots. The performances of Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy.
    • Cons: Lack of payoff with the ending after the potential built up. The short runtime. Paul Sparks overacting. 
  • Isle of Dogs: Isle of Dogs accomplishes more than expected through strong performances, quirky canines, witty dialog, great narrative structure, beautiful visual storytelling, heartfelt emotion, and enjoyable comic relief. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿
    • Pros: The voice acting performances. Beautiful visual storytelling. 
    • Cons: N/A.
  • Ready Player One: Ready Player One is an entertaining action adventure filled with Spielberg's talent for action spectacle, visually fascinating environments, and a nice soundtrack, but suffers from lack of character development and story issues. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
    • Pros: Action sequences. The well-intended message. The performances of Ben Mendelsohn and Mark Rylance. The cool visuals of the Oasis. The Shining sequence. The soundtrack. 
    • Cons: Forced romance. Underutilized side characters. Over-the-top side villain performance. Some quick plot points that come out of nowhere. Most of the reality scenes lacking some kind of emotional investment. Bland stock main protagonists. 
  • A Quiet Place: A Quiet Place takes advantage of its fascinating premise by riding on the strengths of its actors, harsh environment, exhausting thrills, and solid visual storytelling. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿
    • Pros: The performances. The design and intimidation of the monsters. The death in the first 10 minutes. The waterfall scene. 
    • Cons: The ending is a little somewhat rushed. The young boy who afraid archetype. 
  • The Death of Stalin: The Death of Stalin satirizes its political subject matter well with strong dark humor, great cast performances, and a solid script. ⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿
    • Pros: The comedy. The performances.
    • Cons: Some moments that drag.
  • Rampage: Rampage struggles with tonal consistency in trying to be dramatic and corny simultaneously instead of sticking with one while having solid action, good leading hero, great CGI monsters but holds itself down with a horrible script and mixed acting. ⭑⭑1/2
    • Pros: Dwayne Johnson and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The climax. The bond between Dwayne Johnson and George. The intro sequence. The wolf forest attack sequence. 
    • Cons: The villains (and their actors performances). The terrible dialog. Wasted Joe Manganiela. Trying to be dramatic.
  • Blockers: Blockers embraces predictable cliches while adding new features to sex comedies with great cast performances, goofy jokes that can be hit or miss, and a fun spirit throughout providing a great hangout experience. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
    • Pros: The performances of Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz. Anything involving the teenagers. The touching emotional scene with Sam and Hunter. The jokes with Kayla getting drugged up. 
    • Cons: John Cena's lacking performance. Cheap vomit and nudity jokes. The ratio of adult/teenager scenes. 
      • Pacific Rim Uprising: Pacific Rim Uprising is a disappointing action sequel with an abundance of horrible writing, wasted actors, bland rushed storytelling, disrespect to its predecessor, and repetitively dull action. ⭑⭑
        • Pros: John Boyega and Cailee Spaeny chemistry. The fight scenes being more visible.
        • Cons: The bland script writing. The abrupt ending. Making Charlie Day the villain. Action feeling stale and boring. Telling instead of showing.  Killing of Mako More.
      • Avengers Infinity War: Avengers: Infinity War rewards fans of its cinematic universe by delivering desperate stakes, great performances, fast pace solid storytelling, and a roller coaster of awesome action. ⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿
        • Pros: The subplots for Team Iron Man and Team Thor. Thanos as a villain. The ending. The inverse of Civil War for action dialog. Team Iron Man vs Thanos. The boss battles against the Black Order. Creating Storm bringer. The Iron Spider suit. Thanos killing Loki and Heimdall. Better usage of Mantis
        • Cons: Team Captain America being underutilized. Bruce Banner/Hulk dynamic. The lack of emotional investment in Scarlet Witch and Vision. Peter Dinklage. The characters disappearing lacking some emotional weight.
      • Lean on Pete: Lean on Pete mostly delivers on a captivating journey through the casts great acting chops, simple but effective writing, realistic depressing tone, and a sympathetic protagonist worth rooting for. ⭑⭑⭑⭑
        • Pros: The performances of Charlie Plummer, Steve Buscemi, and Travis Pummel. The bittersweet nature. 
        • Cons: The runtime. Some filler drags.
      • You Were Never Really Here: You Were Never Really Here provides a solid psychological thrilling experience via stylistic editing, a powerful lead performance, and good visual storytelling, despite being somewhat incomprehensible in its execution. ⭑⭑⭑⭑
        • Pros: The performance of Joaquin Phoenix. The n
        • Cons:
      • Deadpool 2: Deadpool 2 is a good improvement from its predecessor through its comedic writing, great performances, insane action, and feel-good tone, despite issues with story and pacing.⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿
        • Pros: The performances of Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Julian Dennison, and Zazie Beatz. The zany action. The dynamic between Deadpool and Cable. The best end credits scenes ever. The soundtrack. The X-Force landing sequence.
        • Cons: A few jokes not working. TJ Miller. Some issues with the story. Benching Vanessa. Ethnic stereotyping with Dilpender
      • Life of the Party: Life of the Party strangles any comedic potential into oblivion with a lazy bland script, terrible direction, phoned in performances, predictable cliches, and sluggish pacing issues. ⭑
        • Pros: Gillian Jacobs. 
        • Cons: Melissa McCarthy phoning it in. The terrible direction. Wasting Debbie Ryan and Maya Rudolph. The ending. Stretching out lame jokes. The dance scene
      • Show Dogs: Show Dogs is another throwaway flick from the forgotten family animal buddy sub-genre that's plague with a bland script, horrible direction, wasted actors, shoddy storytelling, and terrible CGI. ⭑⭑
        • Pros: Unintentionally funny moments. The waxing scene. Will Arnett being awkward.
        • Cons: Horrible CGI. Bland predictable plot. Stanley Tucci's accent. Jokes about dog balls.
      • Tully: Tully is an endearing dramedy about motherhood that's strengthened through strong lead performances, brutally honest dialog, realistic portrayal of parenting, and an appropriate thought provoking nature. ⭑⭑⭑⭑
        • Pros: Charlize Theron and Mackenzie Davis' performances. The brutal honesty element. The portrayal of exhausting parenthood.
        • Cons: The twist complicating somethings from earlier in the movie. The dad situation not being addressed enough. 
      • Solo: A Star Wars Story: Solo: A Star Wars Story carries its solid lead performances, good action sequences, and nice visuals through a lackluster script with clunky predictable storytelling, lack of stakes, and urge to set up more films. ⭑⭑⭑1/4
        • Pros: The performances of Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover. Han letting Chewie go help Wookies during the mission. The action sequences, visuals, and soundtrack. Han and Lando's card games. 
        • Cons: L3-37 in general. Enfys Nest being another Phasma. Han getting his last name from the empire. A bland generic villain evil Vision. Lack of stakes. Moments of bad humor. Predictable checklist format. Lando's pansexual relationship with L3-37 being weird for his character. Shoehorning in the references.
      • Action Point: The potential for Action Point to become another guilty pleasure is squandered by focusing on predictable dull storytelling instead of creative raunchy stunts the franchise is known for. ⭑⭑
        • Pros: Chris Pontius. Some of the jokes working. 
        • Cons: Lackluster gags. Story leaving much to be desired. Repeated tired physical humor.
      • Upgrade: Upgrade excels at delivering clever storytelling through its strong lead performances, stylistic action, fascinating environment, dark humor, and good soundtrack, despite its character issues. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿
        • Pros: Logan Marshall-Green's performance. The choreography of the action scenes. The excellent ending. The dynamic between Grey and STEM. The near future setting.
        • Cons: Lack of character for the mercenary goons and supporting characters. 
      • Hereditary: Hereditary carries its dramatic strengths through an excellent lead portrayal, good camera shots, nice visuals, a few well-acted scenes, and good soundtrack, but suffers from a long runtime, terrible ending, and story pacing issues. ⭑⭑⭑1/4
        • Pros: The performances of Toni Collette, Ann Dowd, and Milly Shapiro. The visuals and camera shots. The dinner scene. The soundtrack. 
        • Cons: The ending. Alex Wolfe's performance. The long run time. 
      • Ocean's 8: Ocean's 8 balances its predictable cliches, familiar story structure, and limited script with the strengths of its actresses charm, nice looking costumes/sets, and summer heist escapism. ⭑⭑⭑1/4
        • Pros: The cast performances (notably Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter). The outfits. The heist target not being casino for once. 
        • Cons: Treading on familiar ground. Weak villain. Limited characterization
      • Tag: Tag is a fun friend hangout movie with good cast chemistry, funny action bits, and some good jokes but struggles with cliched storylines and some lackluster gags. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿 
        • Pros: The cast performances and chemistry. The comedic antics. The end credits cast song.
        • Cons: The love triangle subplot. Not learning more about the friendship the guys have with Jeremy Renner. 
      • The Incredibles 2: Incredibles 2 is a worthy followup to its predecessor that demonstrates growth in animation, good story progression, solid action sequences, fun comedy, and great writing, despite some character issues. ⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿
        • Pros: More spotlight for Elastigirl. The stay at home parenting subplot. 
        • Cons: Weak villain. Dash being underserved.
      • Won't You Be My Neighbor: Won't You Be My Neighbor is a kind hearted love letter to its subject matter that shows their honest good natured spirit whose actions shouldn't be underestimated and deserves recognition. ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿
        • Pros: The endearing 
        • Cons: N/A.
      • Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a frustrating waste of good actors and a solid director as it has lost its charm through its overcrowded screenplay, predictable cliches, and lackluster energy ⭑⭑
        • Pros: One of the dinosaurs looking cute. The horror scenes (notably in the beginning). Jeff Goldblum. 
        • Cons: The screenplay. Bland main protagonists. Lack of investments. Jackson Smith's annoying character. Filler on the ship. The dumbest feat ever with the lava. Lackluster villain. 
      • Back to the Future (1985): Back to the Future shines strong through its great script structure, relatable characters, abundance of light hearted humor, strong cast performances, and wonderful spirit. ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿
        • Pros: The cast performances. The dynamic Marty McFly has with Doc Brown and the younger versions of his parents. The comedy in trying to maintain the proper timeline. The third act climax. 
        • Cons: N/A.
      • Ant-Man and the Wasp: While Ant-Man and the Wasp doesn't reach the great quality of its antecedent due to a bloated script with subplots, it makes up for that with its playful tone, great lead cast portrayals, and fun action. ⭑⭑⭑3/4🍿
        • Pros: The performances of Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lily, and Hannah. 
        • Cons: Too many ingredients in the script. Walton Goggins being the most unnecessary character. The comedy being inconsistent. The rushed romance between Scott and Hope.
      • First Reformed: First Reformed thrives on great cast performances, well done cinematography, and fascinating subject matter but falters in its final third through weird and bizarre writing choices. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: The performances of Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried. The cinematography. Using no music in the first two thirds. The interesting conversations Tooler has with Mary, Michael, and fellow pastors. 
        • Cons: Using music in the third act. The weird choices in the dynamic between Tooler and Mary. The ending. 
      • Hearts Beat Loud: Hearts Beat Loud delivers a feel-good father-daughter viewing that's bolstered through the chemistry of its actors, a good script, and balanced with humor as well as familiar predictable drama. ⭑⭑⭑3/4
        • Pros: The performances of Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemens, Toni Collette, and Sasha Lane. The music. The chemistry between Nick and Kiersey. The lesbian romance. 
        • Cons: The dad's subplot being the weakest of the two. 
      • Teen Titans Go to the Movies: Teen Titans Go! to the Movies provides families with solid animation work, creative gags, and an entertaining villain, despite its toilet humor, predictable storyline, and over-exaggerated heroes. ⭑⭑⭑
        • Pros: Will Arnett as Slade. The fight scenes. The time travel shenanigans. The visual on the billboards and movie posters. The running gag of Raven's portal.  
        • Cons: The toilet humor. The over-exaggerated personalities of the Teen Titans. The pacing being way too fast. 
      • Sorry to Bother You: Sorry To Bother You is one of the most surreal science fiction comedies that's bolstered by great performances, a bizarre yet fascinating script, unique creativity, and hilarious visual jokes. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿
        • Pros: The great cast performances. The weirdness and absurdity of their environment. The comedy in how cartoony the characters are. 
        • Cons: Piling on too many story pieces in the third act. The twist. 
      • Mission Impossible: Fallout: Mission Impossible: Fallout gives thrilling experiences that's bolstered by great cast performances, excellent practical stunts, an engaging albeit familiar storyline, and intrigue within the spy genre. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿
        • Pros: The performances of Cruise and Cavill. All of the practical stunts. Every member of the team getting a chance to shine. The Halloween mask trick. 
        • Cons: The villain not being that memorable. 
      • Eighth Grade: Eighth Grade is an great portrayal of modern preteen anxiety surrounding transitional changes that's bolstered by a strong lead performance, great casting choices, solid writing, amusing comedy, and a heartwarming spirit. ⭑⭑⭑⭑3/4🍿
        • Pros: The performances of Elsie Fisher and the cast. The uncomfortable truth or dare scene. 
        • Cons: N/A
      • BlacKkKlansman: The good intentions of BlacKkKlansman relies on its leading actors great performances, relevant themes its focused on, and some solid story arcs, but suffers due to an overcrowded narrative structure. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: The performances of John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Laura Harrier.
        • Cons: Taking on too many subplots. 
      • Sherlock Gnomes: Sherlock Gnomes wastes any potential to be competent through too many subplots, lack of investment in its central characters, an awful screenplay, dull acting, and disregarding the charm from its predecessor. ⭑⭑
        • Pros: Being mercifully short in the runtime. Chewetil Elfijor's performance. 
        • Cons: Phoned in lead performances. Horrible screenplay. Lack of charm.
      • The Meg: The Meg gives a standard monster thriller experience that’s bolstered by some solid casting, good action, and a fun cheesy tone, while holding itself back by weak characterization, loss of potential, and lack of urgency. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: Rainn Wilson's performance. The corny fun tone. Nice action. 
        • Cons: Not living up to its potential. Weak characterizations. 
      • Crazy Rich Asians: Crazy Rich Asians had good intentions with its talented cast performances, a light hearted tone, and great production design, but it fails to reach its potential through its cluttered disappointing script and lack of investment in the main conflict. ⭑⭑⭑
        • Pros: Aquafina and Michelle Yeoh. Production design. 
        • Cons: Disappointing script. Lack of emotional investment. 
      • Predator (1987): Predator earns its iconic status in the action genre through great cast portrayals, solid suspense, awesome thrills, and treating the important elements of its story/characters with care. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2  
        • Pros: The great performances. Suspense-filled moments. Awesome action. 
        • Cons: Some of the special effects not aging well. 
      • A Simple Favor: A Simple Favor shines bright through great cast performances, an intriguing mystery, entertaining chemistry, and wild plot developments. ⭑⭑⭑⭑
        • Pros: The leading performances. Intriguing mystery. Twists involved. 
        • Cons: Moments of forced comedy. The last plot twist being too farfetched. 
      • Searching: Searching provides chilling thrills as the visual storytelling conveys strength via excellent lead performances, twisting turns in the mystery, and a solid underlying theme. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿
        • Pros: The great leading performances. Twists and turns in the mystery. Suspense of the unknown. 
        • Cons: The ending being a little hard to believe. 
      • Venom: Venom entertains through Tom Hardy's hammy performance and an interesting relationship but suffers through a terrible script, waste actors, and incompetent action. ⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: Tom Hardy's over the top performance. The weird relationship with the Venom symbiote. 
        • Cons: Dull tone. Horrible script. Boring action.
      • Smallfoot: Smallfoot surprises with its great message, solid physical comedy, quirky jokes, beautiful animation, and great character dynamic but suffers from some predictable cliches and minor annoyances. ⭑⭑⭑3/4
        • Pros: Nice physical comedy. Beautiful animation. Quirky jokes. Great message. Nice songs.
        • Cons: Annoying character. Predictable cliches.
      • The Sisters Brothers: The Sisters Brothers shines through great performances, humorous dark comedy, balance between drama and levity, fascinating dynamics, and harsh environment. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿
        • Pros: The lead performances. Humorous dark comedy. Balance with drama and levity. Interesting character dynamics. Harsh environment. 
        • Cons: The runtime. Some events being too much. 
      • A Star is Born: A Star is Born thrives on the chemistry of its charismatic leads, great performances, sweet songs, honest meta commentary, and solid effort in providing a music romantic drama experience. ⭑⭑⭑⭑
        • Pros: Great performances. Nice songs. Great chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.
        • Cons: Too much of a following of Oscar cliches. 
      • First Man: First Man does a great job with true telling of sacrifices to achieve an amazing fear in history and is carried by some good performances, despite suffering from pacing issues. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: Claire Foy's performance. The landing sequences. good cinematography. 
        • Cons: Ryan Gosling's standard performance. Bad pacing. 
      • Free Solo: Free Solo showcases a great athletic feat that's accompanied by intense camera shots, which is made compelling by depicting the subject matter in a grounded manner along. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿
        • Pros: The subject matter. The great camera shots of the climb itself.
        • Cons: N/A.
      • Bohemian Rhapsody: Bohemian Rhapsody carries strength through great acting, some realistic scenes, and energetic concerts, while suffering from pacing issues, predictable narrative, and historical inaccuracies hindering some emotional investment. ⭑⭑⭑1/4
        • Pros: Rami Malek's performances. The portrayal of Freddy's relationship with Mary. The concert sequences
        • Cons: Too formulaic. Historical inaccuracies. Lack of emotional investment
      • Mid90s: Mid90s thrives from its strong performances, character interactions, a familiar but interesting premise, and solid direction, despite the short running time and third act problems. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: Good performances. Character interaction. A nice premise.
        • Cons: Third act being rushed. Short running time.
      • Overlord: Overlord thrives on creating a thrilling action horror experience through solid acting performances, exciting sequences, smooth pacing, and chilling suspense. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿
        • Pros: Great performances. The amazing opening sequence. Solid suspense. Fun action.
        • Cons: Third act slump.
      • The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: The Nutcracker & the Four Realms only shines through its production design as it fails with its rushed script, unlikable bland characters, tired useless Disney cliches, and lack of spirit worth holding onto. ⭑1/2
        • Pros: The production design.
        • Cons: Rushed script that copies Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Unlikable bland characters. Bad lead performances. Tired useless Disney cliches. Lack of any holiday spirit.
      • Green Book: Green Book succeeds with its true story being depicted through great acting, a heartwarming plot, and a balanced tone shift. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: Great leading performances. Cheesy heartwarming fictional plot. A balanced tone shift
        • Cons: Fabricating the story, according to accusations from the family.
      • Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald suffers from a problematic script, terrible pacing, and lack of investment in the stakes, though it shines through nice visuals and solid music. 
        • Pros: Nice visuals and a good soundtrack. Minor improvements in Newt. The performances of Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Dan Fogler, and Allison Sudol.
        • Cons: Problematic crowded script. Bad pacing. Lack of emotional investment.
      • Roma: Roma is an excellent viewing that delivers on great performances, amazing cinematography, and beautiful visual storytelling told regarding the directors personal story. ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿
        • Pros: The cinematography. Excellent performances. The harsh moments that catch you off-guard. 
        • Cons: N/A.
      • Ralph Breaks the Internet: Ralph Breaks the Internet delivers on an endearing message, entertaining performances, and nice creativity but suffers from common sequel problems. ⭑⭑⭑1/4
        • Pros: A nice endearing message regarding friendship. Fun performances. Cool creativity.
        • Cons: Sequel-itis problems. Sidelining Fix-it Felix and Calhoun. The lack of excitement from the new racing game. Gal Gadot's acting. 
      • The Favourite: The Favourite succeeds through excellent acting, a smart witty script, hilarious humor, and a stylistic modernization. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿
        • Pros: Amazing acting from Olivia Colman and solid performances from Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. The bizarre weirdness. The witty dialog. 
        • Cons: The ending could have been executed better.
      • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is an amazing achievement through its stylish animation, compelling storytelling, great performances, and a fun experience worth the emotional investment. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿
        • Pros: Stylish animation. Compelling storytelling with emotional investment in the stakes.  Great action sequences. The bond between Peter B Parker and Miles Morales. A great execution of the alternate realities concept. 
        • Cons: Not enough usage of Kingpin. Could have used him a little more. 
      • Bumblebee: Bumblebee helps bring hope for a fallen movie series by the strengths of a lighthearted charm, great lead performance, solid action, and a good balance of a cheesy tone and heartfelt moments. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: Hailee Steinfeld's performance. The bond between Bumblebee and the main protagonist. Great action sequences. A nice balance of cheesy and heartfelt moments. 
        • Cons: John Cena's dialog and standard acting. Could have done without the brother. Kinda follows the family friendly route to a fault. 
      • Aquaman: Aquaman suffers through its busy screenplay but thrives on beautiful visuals, solid acting, old-fashioned fun, over-the-top action, and fascinating world building. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿
        • Pros: The portrayal of Aquaman's growth. Amazing visuals. Old-fashioned travel the globe treasure hunt. Over the top action (notably in the third act). Fascinating world building. Jason Mamoa's acting. Orm/Ocean Master as an interesting, complex villain. 
        • Cons: Clunky screenplay. The weak first act of exposition dumping. 
      • If Beale Street Could Talk: If Beale Street Could Talk boasts mostly good acting, a thoughtful message, and beautiful visuals that it stumbles in terms of pacing, conclusive storytelling, repetitive aspects, and a less interesting lead actress. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: Most great performances (notably from Regina King). Beautiful visuals. Nice if familiar theme).
        • Cons: Kiki Layne's weak acting. Inconsistent pacing. Too much repetitive hammering of its own message. The long runtime. 
      • Vice: Vice is strengthened by strong performances and some interesting insight on a controversial vice president, even though it sometimes gets hampered by its own style and writing. ⭑⭑⭑1/2
        • Pros: Christian Bales amazing acting. Interesting insight on Dick Cheney. The performances of Amy Adams, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Carrell. The great makeup work on Bale. 
        • Cons: Hampered by its own style and writing, notably in the third act.
      • Blindspotting: Blindspotting delivers on a brilliant traumatic premise through its great performances, balance with comedy & drama, profound themes in its storytelling, and great usage of modern racial prejudice. ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿
        • Pros: Great performances. Perfect balance of comedy and drama. Layered themes to analyze in the storytelling. Usage of modern racial prejudice. 
        • Cons: N/A
      • Holmes and Watson: Holmes & Watson is a comedic failure that suffers from a horrible script, bad jokes, weak acting, and an unenthusiastic direction. ⭑
        • Pros: John C Reilly trying his best.
        • Cons: Horrible script. Will Ferrell's acting and improv. Bad jokes. Weak acting. Unenthusiastic direction. Opening with a Hannah Montana quote.
      Superhero Movies Ranking
      1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
      2. Avengers: Infinity War
      3. Deadpool 2
      4. Black Panther
      5. Aquaman
      6. Incredibles 2
      7. Ant-Man and the Wasp
      8. Teen Titans Go! to the Movies
      9. Venom
      Top 10 Summer Movies of 2018 (May-August) 
      1. Eighth Grade
      2. Won't You Be My Neighbor
      3. Mission Impossible: Fallout
      4. Upgrade
      5. Sorry to Bother You
      6. Deadpool 2
      7. Avengers: Infinity War
      8. Tully
      9. Ant-Man & The Wasp
      10. BlacKkKlandsman
      Honorable Mentions:
      1. Incredibles 2
      2. Hearts Beat Loud
      3. First Reformed
      4. The Meg
      Top 10 Best Movies of 2018 
      (Has to be released to the US viewing public in 2018)
      1. Blindspotting
      2. Roma
      3. Eighth Grade
      4. Won't You Be My Neighbor?
      5. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
      6. Isle of Dogs
      7. Paddington 2
      8. Mission Impossible: Fallout
      9. The Favourite 
      10. Free Solo
      Honorable Mentions:
      1. Sisters Brothers
      2. Searching
      3. Deadpool 2 
      4. Upgrade
      5. Avengers: Infinity War
      6. Game Night 
      7. A Quiet Place
      8. Sorry to Bother You
      9. Green Book
      10. BlacKkKlansman
      Top 10 Worst Movies of 2018
      (Has to be released to the US viewing public in 2018)
      1. Life of the Party
      2. Holmes and Watson
      3. Show Dogs
      4. Nutcracker & The Four Realms
      5. A Wrinkle in Time
      6. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
      7. Sherlock Gnomes
      8. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
      9. Pacific Rim: Uprising
      10. Action Point
      Dishonorable Mentions:
      1. Venom
      2. Rampage  

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