Rogue One - I can't really rate Star Wars movies other than knowing that the old ones are overrated and "episode one" with Jar Jar Binks was ridiculously shitty; but it just seems like they keep making the same movie over and over again. I am indifferent to these movies but other people want to go; 5/10 I guess.

Arrival - I liked the premise and Amy Adams is always good, but the whole thing also felt a bit... M. Night Shamylan-ish. Points for a unique idea of first contact but unpoints for hippie-ness and Deus Ex Machina. 6/10.

Nocturnal Animals - Mysterious without being all that compelling, but at least interesting, and Amy Adams gives a great performance again. Points for Michael Shannon, my favourite actor these days. 7.5/10.

Dr. Strange - Trailer looked trippy with Inception-type stuff going on so a good movie to see in theatres. Same old comic movie plot but Cumberbatch and Mikkelson are good and the attempt to visualize supernatural and other-dimensional stuff is interesting. 8/10

Passengers - Hadn't even seen the trailer just heard it was scifi, actually turned out to be really good. For a "space voyage" movie the script was a lot better than average and the design for the ship was nice. I tend to dislike it when they try to add romance elements to scifi but it seemed well done here. Chris Pratt was good (but nearly any role would be best replaced with Michael Shannon - lol at how that would change this movie). Jennifer Lawrence was good as usual. 8.5/10 

Just like Tronyn I went in without knowing what to expect but sci-fi. Unlike Tronyn, I thought the romance screwed this movie sideways. It's not that bad at first, even pretty good, but the end is simply ridiculous! [SPOILER]I mean once she knows what he did but still comes back crawling in his lap.[END SPOILER] Yeah, the ship has a badass design, some of its interiors would be a perfect fit for the Inspiration & Reference thread. 

I could think of several better endings for that movie, and the movie itself tricked me into thinking the ending was going to be different once or twice, but the endings I wanted would have been less crowd-pleasing. Still I was astounded to see how low the score is on Rotten Tomatoes, but apparently the particular ending pissed off critics because feminism. Even though the ending was also thematically consistent with the rest of the movie, many critics seem to take it for granted that the purpose of art is to reinforce moral opinions one already holds. I have to say, since apparently it's the same writer as Prometheus I have to admit he regained some respect from me. This movie was so, so much better than fucking Prometheus.

Then again you should probably disregard everything I said because I liked "Antichrist" - now THERE is a problematic ending. And yet it has a higher rating... lol. 

 

Barry Lyndon

and I'm a kubrik fan! /ashamed

this scene is phenomenal, imo 

La La Land - 7.5-8/10. Starts shakily, but then peaks very highly from the first song sequence with the two leads to 'City of Stars'. After that it settles into a nice rhythm but never really reaches the same peaks (or the same lows as the start). Made with considerable skill and with absolutely radiant performances, particularly Emma Stone. 

is his earlier stuff IMHO.

I never got the love for say Full Metal Jacket. The Shining I have more time for but it's still not as good as his earlier stuff. 

Barry Lyndon was filmed on one of my dream lenses. Seriously Kubrick used an ex NASA lens to film the candle lit interior scenes. Awesome shit. 

weren't only like 5 of those particular lenses made at the time? 

is his mid 60's to early 70's stuff, namely Dr. Strangelove, 2001 and A Clockwork Orange. His earlier stuff like Killer's Kiss already shows great technical and visual mastery, but it's just not as awesome as these 3.

Fun fact: I saw a picture of young Kubrick and couldn't help but notice his physical likeness to young George Harrison. 

but more stuff like The Killing and Paths of Glory (as well as Strangelove and 2001), those 4 are his best IMHO. 

Jackie - 8/10.

Unconventionally written and directed, this will not be everyone's cup of tea. For me, Chilean director Pablo Lorrain and writer Noah Oppenheim's approach was fascinating and very engaging, particularly in its ability to simultaneously convey conflicting emotions and tones. Natalie Portman was outstanding (as was most the supporting cast). 

Thanks for the heads-up. 

Yeah Full Metal Jacket I didn't think was that great. It had its moments of course.

Dr. Strangelove is easily my favourite Kubrick film, but I do think Eyes Wide Shut is very underated.

Barry Lyndon was difficult to get through without falling asleep. 

Always a good one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdVmnZ88ECM 

Moonlight - 7/10. Found it far too broad brushed to be really convincing but well acted and with some great moments, particularly in its sound design. 

"I tend to dislike it when they try to add romance elements to scifi but it seemed well done here."

"add romance elements" - oh boy, was there anything else ?? ;)
The whole scifi is there entirely to set up the romance, it being the entire point and hook of the movie. Its a cute light romance movie with a little original moral bend facilitated by the sci fi tech.

Good date movie for scifi guys to bring their not so scifi girlfriend to I guess ?

Its not close to harder sci-fi like Europa Report or Sunshine IMO.

That being said I thought it somehow ridiculous the prospect of progeny not being brought up, at least not explicitly - I mean what better way for them to pass the time than raising a tribe of future colonists on that ship ? :D Instead of growing stupid vegetation and raising chickens (which is cool too, sure) 

And mugwump is sorta right bu not really about the crawling back - at least we can give it tht the movie does a poor job of representing any internal struggle of "its either 90 years of solitude or suicide or forgive the fucker..." Only the guys struggle as to waking her is presented at the beginning. 

The whole romance is there entirely to set up the little original moral bend, it being the entire point and hook of the movie. Its a cute light sci-fi movie with a little romance facilitated by the plot.

There we go. Fixed that for you.

Forgot to post about this. I liked the film a lot more than I thought I would. Yes it's lightweight and yes it degenerates into action/disaster film cliches at the end, but romance aspect was essential to show the light/dark aspects of the situation, I actually found it (which was all happy and cutesy) to be quite uncomfortable watching know what underpinned it all, and the downfall came as a relief. It provoked a bit of discussion and pondering and the ship was done pretty nicely from the outside.

It is what is and they did a good job of it. 

There, Shambler is a better critic. Restart teamshambler reviews now. 

Split - probably the worst film I have seen in the last 5 years or so (not saying it's the worst film made in that period, just the worst that I have seen). The writing is horrible, the suspense non-existent and the final scene completes the insult.

2/10 

And the review fits each one of them?! 

My comments were about the Shymalan one. 

Silence - 6/10

Found it too austere and inert to be convincingly engaged with its ideas. Andrew Garfield's inconsistent central performance also did not help. There are however quite a handful of brilliant scenes scattered throughout.