Gods and Monsters (1998) - A semi interesting story with a great performance by Ian McKellan. But Brendan Frasier ruins it. Plus some of the dialogue sucks and the symbolism is obvious and weak. B-

Frankenweenie (2012) - A nice little picture. There's not a whole lot of momentum and I wish I knew the characters better, but it's a technical marvel. B

Sweet Smell of Success (1957) - Fantastic film. Sharply written, well directed, and filled with great performances. A commentary that, at its heart, isn't as dated as it might seem. A-

The Theory of Everything (2014) - This was pretty good I guess. The pacing could have been better (I found myself too often drifting out of interest with the story) and I felt that it sort of falls apart in the second half, particularly towards the end (which is mostly because of how the central relationship was handled). It's all really tragically conventional. Stephen Hawking's life and ideas are way too interesting for a film this trite. Eddie Redmayne is fantastic, though. B