My Film Notes

Movies watched in 2025: 83

Average rating: 6.4 / 10

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

I'm sure that someone loves this film, but man, Johnny Depp ruined it for me. His insane take and repeated costume changes might have been intended to suggest that the CIA engages in coups so regularly that they don't take them seriously, but it just kept… MORE

Rating: 4.5/10

Watched on Oct. 19, 2025 via Blu-Ray

Desperado

This film is still gorgeous, which is not what I think anyone intended it to be. El was recast with Antonio Banderas, a move that replaced the almost clumsy innocence of El with a whole lot of suaveness. And this might be peak Salma Hayek. The action gets… MORE

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on Oct. 18, 2025 via UHD

El Mariachi

Hadn't seen this before, but picked up the Mexico Trilogy from Arrow. I liked it. Rodriguez did an amazing job on what was basically zero budget. Nice to see where the 'this film is a folk tale' conceit and over-the-top action started from.

Rating: 5.5/10

Watched on Oct. 17, 2025 via Blu-Ray

Batman Begins

Been a while since I watched this one, but recently picked up the Nolan Batman trilogy on UHD, so gave it a whirl. It's wild watching this recontextualized with the MCU and the second (third?) attempt at starting the connected DC universe. It certainl… MORE

Rating: 7.0/10

Watched on Oct. 11, 2025 via UHD

TRON: Legacy

A lot of the points on this go wholly to the visuals. The film goes beyond art direction to establishing style and language that would ripple through video game culture for the subsequent decade. I think Mass Effect: Andromeda owes this one a beer. Th… MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on Oct. 5, 2025 via Streaming

King Arthur

A serviceable interpretation of the King Arthur story, attempting to align it closer with history. While watching I couldn't stop comparing the film to Lev Grossman's The Bright Sword - which certainly hurt the film. That book treated reality, religion, a… MORE

Rating: 4.5/10

Watched on Oct. 5, 2025 via Streaming

Play Dirty

It was fine. I typically try to avoid Wahlberg films, but the combination of LaKeith Stanfield and Shane Black got me to watch this one. The script and dialogue weren't nearly as tight as Black's initial return work (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Gu… MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on Oct. 3, 2025 via Streaming

Sneakers

A stacked cast puts in solid performances in a film I was worried wouldn't hold up having only seen it on VHS. This fits right into the middle of my mental spy trilogy of The Conversation, Sneakers, and Enemy of the State. Still, with Robert Redford, … MORE

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on Oct. 1, 2025 via Streaming

Red Sonja

This one was kind of doomed from the start with a budget that was too thin to pull off appealing to the comic fans, honoring the original, and appealing to a broader audience. Still, it was nice to see something shot on location, with real lights and … MORE

Rating: 5.2/10

Watched on Sept. 28, 2025 via Streaming

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

First Viewing I think I tried to watch this a while ago, but it didn’t click. This time it was enjoyable. A decent moderately pulpy, elegantly dressed period spy thriller. Not quite at the level of the modern Mission Impossible films in terms of action… MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on Sept. 20, 2025 via UHD

The Conversation

First viewing in a very long time. For as much as I recall loving this film, I was surprised to realize how much of it I'd forgotten. The Conversation had gotten fuzzy in retrospect - leaving me with only the broadest of strokes. So rewatching the fi… MORE

Rating: 7.5/10

Watched on Sept. 19, 2025 via UHD

The Andromeda Strain

I don't know what it is about technicolor, but films shot on it feel like childhood. Mind you, this was filmed almost a decade before I was born, and the only part that I'd seen during that childhood was the ladder scene, but the color, contrast, and … MORE

Rating: 7.1/10

Watched on Sept. 6, 2025 via UHD

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

I know we joke about this film having 30 endings, but after 11 hours of story and following a dozen solid characters, each with their own arcs in a well-realized fantasy world, the endings are cathartic. Looking back at the trilogy as a whole and less… MORE

Rating: 8.1/10

Watched on Sept. 2, 2025 via UHD

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Going against the grain on this, but Two Towers is my least favorite of the trilogy. It's not a bad film, and I understand why some of the pacing changes were made, but it does feel a little overly long at times, and the storytelling seems more 'and then'… MORE

Rating: 7.9/10

Watched on Aug. 31, 2025 via UHD

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Watching in late summer, when the morning fog starts to give way to morning mists paired with Bilbo's statements about the hobbits does make me feel like I self selected into the Shire. Height be damned. I think this viewing really drove home how well … MORE

Rating: 8.0/10

Watched on Aug. 29, 2025 via UHD

Heat

First time watching in 4k. The film continues to hold up as one of the best uses of sound mixing and surround sound ever - despite the 4k not being remixed into Atmos or the DTS-equivalent. This was also my first rewatch since reading the prequel/… MORE

Rating: 9.0/10

Watched on Aug. 23, 2025 via UHD

The Hit

Went into this one blind. Any film that puts John Hurt, Tim Roth, and Terrence Stamp into a car is worth a watch. For some reason, this one seemed to strike me as the exact center of a continuum that starts with Day of the Jackal and ends with The… MORE

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on Aug. 20, 2025 via Streaming

Sand Castle

First viewing Streaming Went into this one blind. Didn't realize it would be set exactly where I was in Iraq during the exact time when I was there. This made me super picky about a lot of the details, but overall it was a pretty good representa… MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on Aug. 16, 2025 via Streaming

Superman

Pretty good. It's VERY much a comic book in movie form and less a superhero movie. Nicholas Hoult is easily the best Lex Luthor ever and Edi Gathegi stole every scene he was in as Mr Terrific. Plot is exactly as silly as a comic book. Visually its… MORE

Rating: 6.8/10

Watched on Aug. 15, 2025 via Streaming

JFK

Director's cut Shout! Factory remaster First view since a kid. It's still a long one, but the photography was always well put together.

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on Aug. 9, 2025 via UHD

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter

First viewing Hammer 4k remaster Went in blind. Had an absolute blast. This is a film that I'm very glad I didn't see as a teenager, because doing so would have been traumatizing to my social lift. What's amazing about this film is how clearly it… MORE

Rating: 7.5/10

Watched on Aug. 6, 2025 via UHD

Barry Lyndon

Second viewing ever, first in HD - the Criterion remaster

Rating: 8.0/10

Watched on Aug. 3, 2025 via UHD

28 Years Later

Good film. Smaller than I expected, but did a good job establishing and expanding the world. Nice use of archival footage to tie in the use of bows to the history of England. Not sure how I completely feel about expanding some of the lore, and the spine r… MORE

Rating: 6.8/10

Watched on Aug. 2, 2025 via Streaming

Last Night in Soho

First time viewing. Home 4k UHD Blu Ray. This one brings me back up to completion on Edgar Wrights' feature films. I liked it. The act breakdown was rather obvious on this one, with the first and third acts each being 30 minutes, and the second ac… MORE

Rating: 7.0/10

Watched on Aug. 2, 2025 via UHD

Pi

25th Anniversary Edition First viewing since 2002 I was dubious about this Dolby Vision remaster on a black and white film originally shot on what felt like low budget stock, but it did really well at capturing the contrast. In some ways, this fil… MORE

Rating: 7.7/10

Watched on July 29, 2025 via UHD

The Fantastic 4: First Steps

Opening weekend, decently occupied theater. I think everyone's made the 'fourth time's the charm' joke - but this was the first time I ever cared about the Fantastic Four as characters and bought them as a family. The plot of predictable, as was t… MORE

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on July 27, 2025 via Theater

Paycheck

First viewing in more than 20 years For a John Woo film, the action is subpar. Even for a 2000s era action film, the action is poor. The color grading on my copy was also super red, giving it the feel of a poorly setup CRT from childhood. Plot … MORE

Rating: 4.0/10

Watched on July 26, 2025 via Streaming

Marshmallow

First Viewing This was a fun meta horror that played with the audience expectations and that actually seems to want two viewings - one straight, and then one to pick up on the clues. I figured out the first 'twist' pretty quickly, though the second… MORE

Rating: 6.3/10

Watched on July 26, 2025 via Streaming

Predator: Killer of Killers

It was a nice dive into the Predator world, and connecting everything together. Competent, might have worked better as a series than it did as a movie. It had that fake painted art style that always makes me feel like I'm watching a cut scene in a Dis… MORE

Rating: 5.3/10

Watched on July 21, 2025 via Streaming

Brain Donors

First viewing since I was a kid This was one of those frequent rentals when I would go to my dad's house for separation visits, so I haven't seen it in at least 30 years. I recall loving it as a kid and it's a nice homage to the Marx brothers with some… MORE

Rating: 5.0/10

Watched on July 19, 2025 via Blu-Ray

Dark City

First time viewing since the theater. First time viewing the director's cut. This was a good, dark, big brain movie that sort of kicked off a late 90's mini-trend of "what if reality isn't real" films (see also The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor). … MORE

Rating: 7.0/10

Watched on July 18, 2025 via UHD

Fire Birds

First viewing since being a kid This is what I expect from a Nic Cage performance. He leaned in and found an interesting - albeit unnatural - stance to take with his character. I don't know if that influenced Sean Young's performance, but her line deli… MORE

Rating: 5.0/10

Watched on July 16, 2025 via Streaming

The Lost Patrol

The storytelling is a bit unfocused, but competent. Film starts out ironic and eventually gives way to a surprising level of nihilism.

Rating: 5.5/10

Watched on July 11, 2025 via Streaming

Red Sonja

First 4k viewing Surprisingly small scale and tightly edited. The more these films feel like a D&D adventure, the more fun they are. By no means a great film, but very much a good time.

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on July 9, 2025 via UHD

Sinners

A good solid movie, showing the struggle of a community using vampires as a rather apt metaphor. The visual language was quite strong - the use of contrast was phenomenal as was the sound direction and Atmos mix. The story was fairly basic, but that serve… MORE

Rating: 7.3/10

Watched on July 6, 2025 via Streaming

Navy Seals

First watch in 4k This might be the best "Saturday on the couch with a beer" movie I've seen in ages. The first 2/3rds are a nice little action film that at least makes a pass at showing the lives of SEALs. And it includes at least passing references t… MORE

Rating: 5.5/10

Watched on July 4, 2025 via Streaming

6 Days

First viewing A nice small thriller - the kind we don't see much anymore. Contained space, realistic odds, understandable people and decisions. Well acted. The set design seemed really well done as did the costumes - but I'm not an expert there.

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on July 1, 2025 via Streaming

Oblivion

2nd viewing (first in at least a decade) Still gorgeous. This one aged really well visually. Felt like Destiny the Cut Scene. Plot was fine. Twist wasn't totally unobvious.

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on June 28, 2025 via UHD

The Thin Red Line

Third viewing, first in theater, second after the war on dvd, third Criteron blu-ray It might have been because I was younger, but I think I liked this movie more when I was fresh back from the war. The cinematography is still gorgeous - keeping Malick… MORE

Rating: 7.5/10

Watched on June 22, 2025 via Blu-Ray

The Accountant²

This movie is so over the top bonkers that it has an autistic man mastering country line dancing. Pure fluff, this film is Tip Toes (but for Autism) meets Way of the Gun with a little Long Kiss Goodnight thrown in. Totally unhinged and frequently hilario… MORE

Rating: 5.5/10

Watched on June 22, 2025 via Streaming

The Deer Hunter

2nd Viewing Shout Select Edition I first saw this film at prep school, on DVD from Netflix. It was just after 9/11 and while at the time I'm fairly confident I understood that the Russian Roullette was a metaphor, on rewatch it was very obvious. A… MORE

Rating: 7.5/10

Watched on June 14, 2025 via UHD

Thief

First viewing Criterion 4k remaster I really enjoyed this movie. It was such an interesting counterpart to Heat. Dialogue was sharp but still natural. Characters were people with motivations and wants. The pacing was a little odd, with the final act f… MORE

Rating: 7.0/10

Watched on June 8, 2025 via UHD

The American

First Viewing Watched on my ipad on an airplane A nice little small scale thriller. Nothing specutular, but entertaining performances

Rating: 5.7/10

Watched on June 8, 2025 via Streaming

Tears of the Sun

First viewing. I think I've seen scraps of this before, and there's some nice shots early in the film to establish place. But man, none of the characters feel like people. I get what Fuqua was going for - and I agree it's an important cause - but this … MORE

Rating: 3.5/10

Watched on June 8, 2025 via Streaming

Mountainhead

A movie that showed the power of unchecked incompetence of billionaires. Written and directed by (I think) by the creator of Succession and only lightly fictionalizing America’s real life oligarchy, it felt very much like a satirical extension of the show… MORE

Rating: 6.2/10

Watched on May 31, 2025 via Streaming

Inglourious Basterds

Second? Watch Arrow 4k UHD I believe this was my first viewing since the originally watching a pirated copy of the film when it was new. The Arrow version was only in HDR10, but still looked amazing. And the idea of kill Nazis is even more relevant to… MORE

Rating: 8.5/10

Watched on May 30, 2025 via UHD

Mickey 17

First viewing 7/10 A good, entertaining film. Really well shot, and Pattinson did some really good voice work, to the point where I nearly googled what was up with his voice in the opening act before catching on that each Mickey was different despi… MORE

Rating: 7.0/10

Watched on May 29, 2025 via Streaming

Crimson Peak

First viewing Arrow Video remaster Holy hell did Del Toro photograph the hell out of this film. The contrast levels give the deepest blacks, and the plot is inventive and amazingly paced. Great watch.

Rating: 8.3/10

Watched on May 26, 2025 via UHD

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

First viewing Theater, opening weekend This is a tough one. For a film that is meant to be a pair to Dead Reckoning, it's both better and worse. The direction is better this time. It doesn't display a voice, but it's also not copying someone else's… MORE

Rating: 6.2/10

Watched on May 25, 2025 via Theater

Brotherhood of the Wolf

Shout! Factory remaster There’s absolutely no reason why a period, subtitled, martial arts horror movie should work, but this one definitely did. The plot is a bit basic and straight forward, but despite the length it’s well paced and doesn’t feel lon… MORE

Rating: 7.0/10

Watched on May 25, 2025 via UHD

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Annual rewatch The injection of lore is a bit off putting this late in the franchise, but it makes sense when viewed against the AI, free will/choice vs determinism. The creativity of film making vs the predictive, predictable AI. Tone drifts betwe… MORE

Rating: 6.7/10

Watched on May 23, 2025 via UHD

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Annual rewatch Doubles down on Ethan prioritizing his friends over the greater good Surround sound and Dolby Vision on this are both fantastic Favorite little touch, when taking the wristband off the dead body post fistfight, the body has cuts… MORE

Rating: 7.3/10

Watched on May 22, 2025 via UHD

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Annual rewatch A solid action adventure film that moved the universe forward and introduced some mainstay characters. This one builds on the model of Ghost Protocol while feeling like the official start to the MICU.

Rating: 6.8/10

Watched on May 18, 2025 via UHD

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Annual rewatch Ah, this where the formula finally comes together. This might be the true start to the MI Cinematic Universe. The tentpole stunt, the globe trotting, the Ethan won't give up a team member even for a tactical advantage. The "Find another … MORE

Rating: 7.4/10

Watched on May 17, 2025 via UHD

Mission: Impossible III

Annual viewing This one's also very of the time. But also the one where the template for future movies really starts to take hold. Best villain perhaps wasted on the weakest film. The plot is, again, a straight forward one almost repeating the plot… MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on May 17, 2025 via UHD

Mission: Impossible II

Annual viewing DVDs, Limp Bizkit, and digital cameras with 32 MB memory cards. This might be the epitome of a film from its time. And of this time, it's hard to watch this and realize that Dougray Scott dropped the role of Wolverine due to the film… MORE

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on May 15, 2025 via UHD

Mission: Impossible

Annual rewatch Could we really smoke on planes in 1996? The direction in this film is far more unhinged than I remember, and the plot is actually far more simple. I absolutely loved the pacing, which had me constantly questioning how long it had be… MORE

Rating: 7.5/10

Watched on May 14, 2025 via UHD

Spartacus

This film is a weird one. It feels very 'of the age' with a strange sense of time and reason added to things. Folks fall in love very quickly. And we just except others - like how easily the slaves were able to revolt - without a lot of setup or justifica… MORE

Rating: 7.5/10

Watched on May 11, 2025 via UHD

Thunderbolts*

A MCU weighted review be an 8/10, but for inclusion in the BradScore, it's a solid 6 - which is better than average for a film. A nice, smaller film that has continued the trend of not solving everything with punching. However, it was still 100% predi… MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on May 2, 2025 via Theater

Captain America: Brave New World

A disjointed, unfocused mess that never really found it's pacing or point of view. Still, it tried. I think there was a good story here once, I think Disney probably messed it up via edits, corrections, and test sceeners.

Rating: 5.0/10

Watched on April 16, 2025 via Streaming

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Rough day, had to put my dog down. This movie has been my go-to for those kind of days for a while.

Rating: 7.0/10

Watched on April 16, 2025 via Blu-Ray

The Way of the Gun

Not as good or as smart as I remember it being. The dialogue felt overly cute, like dialogue and not like things real people would say. Still, the plot was nicely put together. The gun play was shockingly accurate for the period. And the homage to cla… MORE

Rating: 5.5/10

Watched on March 30, 2025 via Blu-Ray

Hundreds of Beavers

Well, that's how you commit to a bit.

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on March 30, 2025 via Blu-Ray

Hype!

Not a bad deep dive into grunge from a lot of folks were where there. It's a really interesting take given how it launched into what retroactively felt like the tail of grunge as a trend.

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on March 30, 2025 via Streaming

The Beastmaster

Watched in preparation for the annual retreat. Did exactly what it needed to do.

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on March 26, 2025 via UHD

The Keep

This might be the most perfect prestige B movie. A shockingly stacked cast, surprisingly good effects for 1983, and a film where a demonic force is killing Nazis. It does try and make some of the nazis sympathetic - which is awkward and bad - but it does … MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on March 22, 2025 via UHD

Incubus

This felt like a student film that needed to either be shorter or longer. Modern editing has made me accustomed to more tightly timed films and this one would linger far too long in scenes. Still, a decent attempt very low budget film with a (appr… MORE

Rating: 5.0/10

Watched on March 17, 2025 via UHD

Gladiator II

A mostly fine, decades late half remake/half sequel to the original film. Not one of Ridley Scott's most inspired pieces of filmmaking. One thing that bothered me, mostly after the fact, was that I don't think the protagonist "learned" anything other … MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on March 16, 2025 via UHD

Virtuosity

First watch since high school. George remarked that he hadn't seen this film since VHS and that statement holds true for me too. I had, honestly forgotten most of the film. I could recall the broad plot outlines, or some of them, but my and large all I… MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on March 15, 2025 via UHD

Things Will Be Different

Another small indie horror film. Limited set space, higher concept, personal stakes. Adequately shot by a writer director, but no really pushing any grounds. Would work very well as a short story.

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on March 2, 2025 via Streaming

A Complete Unknown

It was fine. I'm not a huge fan of music biopics, despite watching two in the in the last two weeks, because they typically tell the same story. And as I noted in my Better Man reflection, they pretty much ran their course with Dewey Cox. Oddly, I kep… MORE

Rating: 5.0/10

Watched on March 2, 2025 via Streaming

The Raid

Nice small film, basically "hallway fight: the movie". Took two nights to watch and the subtitles were shockingly bright in Dolby Vision, which is not a complaint I thought I would have to make, but that's the march of technology. Some of the best figh… MORE

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on Feb. 27, 2025 via UHD

Better Man

Started late and only intended to watch 10-15 minutes, but got sucked in for an hour (the edible and wine helped with that), finished on Feb 22. This one was surprisingly effective. The gimmick never really feels like a gimmick, and potentially helped … MORE

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on Feb. 22, 2025 via Streaming

The Gorge

Bland. Didn’t know what it wanted to be and didn’t have an opinion. I’d rather watch a bad film that has something to say than a bland one that doesn’t.

Rating: 3.5/10

Watched on Feb. 19, 2025 via Streaming

Companion

Companion worked on two levels - feminism and AI - with the two metaphors blending in nicely for each other. The twists were relatively obvious, even if one wasn't exposed to the first twist, but that didn't detract from the film. Rather, it sort of added… MORE

Rating: 7.0/10

Watched on Feb. 19, 2025 via Streaming

Widow Clicquot

Watched nearly blind. Saw it trending on a site and saw a bunch of incels angry at it for being feminist and that was pretty much enough to get me to watch. I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike a lot of what I think I watch, this one feels deliberately … MORE

Rating: 7.5/10

Watched on Feb. 10, 2025 via Streaming

Kingdom of Heaven

Roughly an hour into the film, there’s a meeting between the protagonist (Balian) and the King of Jerusalem that occurs over a game of chess. In it, the King lays out what appears to be a metaphor for the film itself and Balian’s personal character arc, t… MORE

Rating: 8.0/10

Watched on Feb. 6, 2025 via UHD

Arcadian

Is cozy post-apocalyptic horror a thing? Because that’s how I’d classify this one. Small scale look at the end of the world with small stakes.

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on Jan. 31, 2025 via Streaming

The Cell

Plot was better than I remembered, but far more simple. Visuals are stunning, especially in the Arrow 4k remaster.

Rating: 8.0/10

Watched on Jan. 23, 2025 via UHD

The Ark of the Sun God

First viewing. Blind buy based on the absurd premise. Apparently not my first viewing, as I must have watched this one in the waning days of 2024 before losing my living room. It’s a bad film, through and through. Another remix of the Bond/Super Sp… MORE

Rating: 3.5/10

Watched on Jan. 20, 2025 via UHD

The Eiger Sanction

Took two nights to finish. The direction was mixed, with obvious care being given to the climbing scenes while much of the story's block and tackle being shot boringly. I'm assuming that this was early in Eastwood's career and largely a vehicle to illustr… MORE

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched on Jan. 19, 2025 via UHD

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

A very well put together spy thriller where people thinking serves as the film's action. Direction was solid - good but not great. Acting - especially Gary Oldman - was phenomenal. His scene where he's recounting meeting Karla while talking to an empty ch… MORE

Rating: 8.5/10

Watched on Jan. 18, 2025 via UHD

Den of Thieves

Felt like it wanted to be twistier than it was. An homage to Heat with more than a little Training Day thrown in. Fell down on the tactical attention to detail, which made the Michael Mann comparisons all the more stark. Strangely excited about the seq… MORE

Rating: 6.0/10

Watched on Jan. 12, 2025 via Streaming