Top Secret! (1984) - Friend recommended this to me, but I did not expect it to be this good. The rate of gags per minute in this film is off the charts. Absurd and hilarious, never going for the obvious/easy joke, always playing with your expectations. Probably at least as good as Airplane!, not sure why more people don’t talk about it. A-
The Death of Stalin (2018) - You’d think a movie on this subject matter shouldn’t be funny, and you’d be right, but honestly thank god it’s funny or it’d be incredibly depressing. One of the best black comedies I’ve seen in awhile. B+
Isle of Dogs (2018) - I’ve seen and liked every Wes Anderson film, and while I wouldn’t say this one disappoints, I still expected to like it more than I did. Spends to much time with the human characters and doesn’t let the dogs’ story really breathe in the way it needs to. Still, it’s good. B
Unsane (2018) - One freaky as hell movie. Don’t watch if paranoia comes easily to you, as it won’t help. The iPhone of it all is distracting at first, but you quickly forget once things start to get, well, crazy. Real edge of your seat stuff. B+
A Quiet Place (2018) - Apparently it’s a great time for horror/thrillers. A fantastic premise that’s played nearly to perfection - no unnecessary exposition, no lengthy prologue, none of that. We jump right in and figure it out along the way. The burden of the film is placed on director John Krasinski’s feet, and he does not fail to make this world and this family feel absolutely real. You’re invested, and once shit starts to go down, you’re biting your nails the whole time. The movie doesn’t let up - it’s relentless in throwing problem after problem at the main characters, though they never feel repetitive or un-engaging. The only thing that keeps this movie from greatness is an unfortunately confused central character dynamic and arc. But you don’t need that deeper emotional pull to enjoy the thrills at play here. B+
The Hollars (2016) - After that, I needed to see more of Krasinski’s work. I remember wanting to see this when it came out, but the reviews weren’t great. Turns out… the reviews were right. Tonally all over the place, not very funny, too many melodrama cliches, etc. The likable cast is possibly the only thing that makes it watchable. A crazy jump in quality between these two films. On the one hand this is bad mainly because of the script, which he didn’t write, but still the directing is not great either. Who knows. C-
Twins (1988) - An amusing premise that doesn’t live up fully to its comedic potential. Schwarzenegger and DeVito are both pretty good, but the story is ultimately pretty boring. C+