For most of my life, I had no way to connect with James Bond. I knew the name. I knew the ‘shaken, not stirred’ line. I knew he was spoofed in the Austin Powers films. Even the Pierce Brosnan era passed me by without leaving a mark. I enjoyed seeing some of the cool gadgets they came up with, but they were never enough to get me interested.

Then came Daniel Craig’s Bond. When Casino Royale hit 10 years ago (!), it rather deservedly changed everything. It told a compelling story with an even more compelling Bond girl in Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd. It had an interesting villain in Mads Mikkelsen and populated the screen with great British actors. The promise had been established; a new Bond had arrived, with sparkling new pedigree, and some badass, memorable action. I saw it at just the right time, when my interest in movies and their production had exponentially grown. I left the theater satisfied and excited for the new Craig adventures.

Two short years later, I spent my senior year of college mentoring some 45 freshmen, and it is such a strong memory of mine seeing how disappointed they were with 2008’s Quantum of Solace. Several students wrote “QOS Sux” on their whiteboards, after they had breathlessly waited for its release. That whole experience turned me off to the point where I never bothered to see it – even as it has earned back some goodwill over the years.

By the time Sam Mendes took over for 2012’s Skyfall, it felt like a beautiful course-correction of sorts. It had a compelling, haunting villain played by Javier Bardem, and it was expertly lensed by cinematography god Roger Deakins. I become punch-drunk in love with this movie as I saw it, enraptured by the confluence of images, action, and story.

So when 2015’s Spectre was announced, with Sam Mendes back at the helm, I was excited. By the time the movie came out, however, the response felt so much like Quantum of Solace: sharply divided opinions that praised the filmmaking craft but cared not one iota for the storytelling. Just as I ultimately didn’t get around to Quantum of Solace, I put off Spectre for months.

I finally saw it last week, and I understand the anger: Spectre is effectively the end of four movies of Bond origin, which is three more than was ever needed, leaving Craig’s Bond in a weird place both from a contractual and storytelling standpoint. Drew McWeeny of Hitfix and Devin Faraci of Birth.Movies.Death both articulated this much better than I. Skyfall finally ended with Bond where we all expected him to be, and yet Spectre almost immediately reneges on that.

My problems with Spectre are myriad, so I will just list them:

• I am normally a fan of Sam Smith’s music, but that theme song has to be one of the least-deserving Oscar winners in a long time. It certainly didn’t help that it was coming off the heals of Adele’s all-timer of a Skyfall theme. It also didn’t help to find out the song Radiohead made for Spectre is massively better.
• The movie begins with a helicopter fight scene that takes place over a massive Dias de los Muertos crowd. While it’s not weird to see a helicopter fly over a crowd, it is definitely weird to see one in which the helicopter is violently turning in unnatural ways with two men punching it out on the landing skids. And yet, the crowd never moves. Only when it is increasingly obvious that it will crash do people finally seem to go anywhere. Even worse: this should be a rousing fight, and yet it just seems to happen. Not great.
• The main villain, while Bond’s most popular and well-known, was already devastatingly spoofed as Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies. To have your villain wear nearly the same outfit and get the same scar – and even throw in a cat! – feels so wrong in ways I cannot fully articulate.
• It can be compelling when one character knows more than the others. It can be compelling when the audience knows more than the characters themselves. But it is never compelling when both rival characters know more than the audience does, and for no good reason. Bond and Blofield seem to know exactly what is going on, and they never bother to let us (or anyone) in on it. It just makes everything drag.
• A lot of effort is made to take Bond and his new Bond girl to Blofield’s lair aka The House of Spectre. It’s blown up completely only 20 minutes later (or so it seems). What a waste.
• The explanation for why Blofield is effectively destroying small pockets of the world (and thousands of lives) to chase one Mr. Bond is so lame that it’s infuriating.

However, you can’t spend 250 million on misguided storytelling without having some highlights, so in the spirit of having a Bondian Compliment Sandwhich (that doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste like the movie) here are some highlights:

• The cinematography is pretty great. Even if Hoyte van Hoytema (Her, Interstellar) is not quite Roger Deakins, I do think he managed to do his best with a problematic story.
• Mr. Hinx, played by Dave Bautista (Drax the Drestroyer from Guardians of the Galaxy), is a fantastic character and the highlight of the film for me. The only bummer with his performance is that it’s so short; I wanted him to hang around just a bit longer. In the meantime, he gets a couple scenes to rough people up a bit before really roughing up Bond in a spectacular train fight. I’m not sure how they pulled it off, but it looks as brutal and fun as possible. It just might top Spy‘s kitchen fight scene for Best Close Quarters Fight of 2015.
• I’ve always wanted to see Ralph Fiennes get a little spy action in, and he gets a few pretty killer moments here. But having a delightful Ben Winshaw and resourceful Naomie Harris show up as Q and Moneypenny as well only reinforces how much these Craig Bond films would benefit from taking a more team-centric approach to missions.
• It’s highly possible that you will watch this film, and absolutely none of the problematic areas in this will register with you and it will be a rather enjoyable movie-watching experience.

Considering how the press around Spectre seemed to dictate how much Daniel Craig does not want to play Bond again, who knows where the series will go from here. It could definitely do with bringing in another actor, but please, for the love of film and all things wonderful, do not make it another origin story.

It is now March 17, 2015. Seventy-seven whole days into the new year. Already over a 1/5 of 2016 has gone by. So I really struggled with making this my first post since July 28th until I realized that most of these movies on the list have either a) become available for home viewing, or b) will be available soon. These are the 16-plus movies of 2015 that have stuck with me, seventy-seven days into those new year. Enjoy!

2015’s Holy Trinity:

This special triumvirate of excellence all hold one thing in common: they trimmed the fat. There is absolutely no slack in the rope that pulls you throughout. Every scene counts and advances the story, even sometimes in ways you’re not immediately sure of. All three movies knew when to keep the pedal to the floor, and all knew when to back up and let things breathe a little. They explored big ideas and deep emotions. They represent, to me, the best of what 2015 had to offer. And then there’s an additional 15 films I thought of. If you call it cheating to have 3 films at #1, then you’ve got other things to worry about.

1A. Mad Max: Fury Road – This movie starts with a car chase and never lets up. The accelerator is to the floor, gas pipes roaring across the blue sky. In a movie landscape that doesn’t know how to not over-explain everything, it’s incredibly refreshing to find a movie that respects your intelligence just as much as it lusts to keep you at the edge of your seat. This is propulsive action filmmaking that will be studied in film school for many years to come, with a dense mythology that only rewards the more you think about it. I saw this in May and it’s stuck to me ever since, like a sweet bit of broccoli stuck in my teeth, never keeping me from showing a big, dumb grin.

1B. Creed – I went in this expecting a good, strong effort, but never expected to be knocked out. It is ridiculous how well-made this film is – from the economy of the story to the performances to all the fine details that lead to an emotionally overpowering experience. I sat with my heart in my throat for at least 2/3 of this movie, and it earned every moment. This is a movie that deserves every string of superlatives thrown at it, wrapping it up into one beautiful, never-ending gift.

1C. Ex Machina – You would never know that this is writer Alex Garland’s first time behind the camera. Every frame is carefully composed. Every set is immaculately designed. There is an economy of story here that only an expert writer can manage. I still laugh at the first time Caleb (Domnhall Gleeson) flies to Nathan’s (Oscar Isaac) residence and asks when they will be approaching his home. The helicopter pilot chuckles and tells him, “We’ve been flying over it the last two hours”. It’s such a simple exchange, but one that communicates volumes. Caleb and Nathan have a series of conversations throughout the film all dedicated to the problem they are trying to solve: will Nathan’s robotic creations pass the Turing Test? Will we be able to tell they are a robot, or will they pass as human? It’s an ever-evolving, thought-provoking stream of exchanges that carries throughout the film until the very last frame, where Ava (Alicia Vikander) effectively answers their question in a way they can’t respond to. While Gleeson and Isaac have been doing great work lately and are expectedly excellent here, it’s Vikander’s performance that sticks the most. She finds a beautiful line between the mannered movements we expect from a robot, and the smoother instincts of one striving to be more human. Nathan’s entire residence, a true creation of a location, is all glass doors and entrances. Every time we see a character approach the glass, they’re reflected in a different way. It’s a rather complex but satisfying way to communicate to us just how intricate and unpredictable our definition of human is, and how quickly, with just the slightest of moves, it can change.

2. Brooklyn – Before the first frame of this film rolled, I knew I was walking into something special. Normally you can expect there to be a solid 15-20 minutes of trailers before the movie starts, and you can also expect that people are going to usher in right until the last moment before the story begins. This is, at least, what commercial theaters have conditioned me to expect. And yet, as we walked in to the theater just a few minutes after the designated start time, we hit a wall of darkness. We could only see the faintest of shiny bald heads, and it was enough to tell us one thing: this place was full. Packed. I don’t want to overgeneralize about ages, but they were all over 40 or 50 years old, and either this story hits them in a deeply personal way, or it’s the rock-solid kind of story we’ve all been starved to see, or it’s some combination of the two. I can’t tell exactly, but it doesn’t matter. Nick Hornby, who impressed me so thoroughly with his adaptation of last year’s Wild, gives the story a gorgeously simple framework to lay the tapestry over. Led by the suddenly grown-up Saoirse Ronan, everyone here gives an honest, true performance, the kind that sinks you deep into the story and yet warms the insides. In our day of technology and the internet, the meaning of ‘home’ has hung over your heads in so many ways. Long gone are the days in which people always stayed in their hometown, from birth to death. We have so many new ways to connect, as well as ever more options for transportation, and it’s led to a semi-nomadic life that, while exciting, can freak us out when we have to consider what home means to us. It’s a question that’s as timely as ever to our generation, and delivered with maximum emotional impact. This is the kind of movie you can watch with anyone, finding the universal in the specific, and guiding us through a story that reminds us home is where we are happy and where we want to be.

3. What We Do in the Shadows – The first five minutes of this movie had me laughing as hard as anything I’ve seen all year, and yet, I wondered: would it keep it up? While I continued to laugh throughout the film in all kinds of ways – giggles, barks, and guffaws – the story goes into very interesting, unexpectedly emotional directions in exploring just what it’s like to be these vampires and how it affects the lives around them. It gives a surprising gravitas to the delightful comedy, making it hit all the harder.

4. Bridge of Spies – I went into this movie not really understanding what the story would be about – it turns out you can read a synopsis 900 times and still not have a clue – but it didn’t matter. Beyond the effortless craft that blows you away scene by scene (this is what you get watching a movie from a master like Spielberg), this is a story that seems deceptively simple before sucking you in entirely. It’s a movie for the cynical age we live in, and especially timely in the face of the wrongful elitism that our presidential candidates speak with. Set in the Cold War, Tom Hanks’ character has a simple task – to defend a Russian criminal just enough it looks like the US tried, but not enough to save him – and yet he cannot let go of this kind, gentle man. To say anymore would be criminal – this is a movie as well told as anything you’ll see this year, and one that leaves you with plenty to think about.

5. Inside Out – There is a simple equation that exists deep inside the halls of Pixar and in any well-educated cinephile’s brain: Pixar + Pete Doctor = Greatness. From Monsters, Inc. to Up and now to Inside Out, Doctor has shown an uncanny ability to create unique stories with unforgettable moments and the kind of emotional stakes that drain every bit of available water out of your body. Here, Doctor is in peak form, crafting a deceptively simple adventure story that all takes place within the mind of a young, growing girl. Even more impressive – though not surprising – is how well thought-out every single thing in this movie is. The Train of Thought, the Deep End, the list goes on – and the overall message of how Joy and Sadness are more alike than they are different is one that everyone deserves to witness.

6. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn has a habit of jumping movies to create something even more close to his heart. He famously left Days of Future Past when the opportunity to make Kingsman arose. And boy, can you tell. Fueled by undeniable energy and British bite, this is the kind of fun James Bond story we all wanted before he become so, so serious. Newcomer Taron Egerton is a real find – as the quality of his upcoming movies would suggest – and the rest of the cast brings their usual A-game to the festivities.

7. Bone Tomahawk – While seeing Kurt Russell in a Western (and with epic facial hair) is always going to get me out of bed, the performance that will stick with you is Richard Jenkin’s turn as Chicory. This is one of those sneaky movies that moves like a good, simple men-on-a-mission yarn until it hits the badlands and then it hits the badlands. The otherworldly tribe Russell and Jenkins run into is something out of another, weirder movie. It possesses probably the most horrific movie kill I’ve seen in a long time (you’ve been warned!) but also the most heartbreaking bit of dialogue from Jenkins, in which Chicory’s optimism depends on whether a flea circus is a real thing or not. The electric dialogue is very Coen Brothers-ish in its constant glee of using Western language quirks to make for a gut-busting listen, and the theme music has been stuck in my head for days now. Hopefully people will give this little sleeper of a movie a chance in the coming generations.

8. The Gift – Speaking of gifts: holy hell. The movie trailer for this sat in front of just about every movie this past summer, leading me (and presumably all of America) to assume it was some dark, nasty thriller. But looks can be deceiving. While there is a bit of nastiness to this, it’s far more emotional and intellectual than anything physical. It also possesses one of the best last act twists I have ever seen in a movie.

9. Chi-Raq – You may want to check your electric bill after watching this movie as there is something pulsing and crackling throughout this entire story. Spike Lee is back with a movie that is as angry as it is aiming for something resembling hope. A modern-day, satirical take on the Greek play Lysistrata, Lee uses it to great effect in looking at the gang violence in south Chicago in a whole new way. For many people, unfortunately, this is going to be their first exposure to what is actually going on in Chicago, a place in which, from 2003-2012 saw 4,265 citizens murdered. In a time in which our gun control conversation is more heated than ever, it’s movies like this that help us realize we are really missing the point: that there is something far more devastating going on in the middle of our country, and which we are either clueless of or have chosen to ignore. Lee makes this a story that hits you hard by balancing it with extremes – every heartbreaking scene is followed by something full of life and often hilarious. While it make seem jarring at first, it shows just how close comedy is to tragedy and vice versa. We have a long way to go in this country, and Lee lets us know where perhaps our biggest gap is in bright, entertaining, and ultimately devastating fashion.

10. Paddington – Just like The Gift, Paddington had omnipresent movie trailers early on that did the movie no favors. The first teaser, in which Paddington makes a genuine wreck out of a well-decorated bathroom, made it look like a rather condescendingly slapstick story, one of which would slip through the door and under someone’s bed, completely unnoticed. And then the reviews trickled in. They all said it was not only something more, but something kind of wonderful. And it is. Every bit of it. Every detail in this movie is delightful, but more than anything, it has such a pleasant air of goodness to it that you rarely see in movies these days.

11. Call Me Lucky – This movie fell on to my radar thanks to a stellar debut at Sundance, and then disappeared before popping up on iTunes. I went ahead with it and am so grateful I did. I won’t say anymore as to spoil the story for anyone, but for anyone who thinks stand-up comedians are just damaged folks who tell jokes to mask their pain – this will give you some food for thought. Barry Crimmins – thanks to the testimonials of all the Boston comics you will no doubt recognize – was a rising comic, respected by all before he decided to pick a fight bigger than himself. Director Bobcat Goldwaith gives the story all the space and respect it deserves, carefully stepping into pretty deep and dark waters that will devastate you as much as give you hope.

12. The Good Dinosaur – Pixar raised a few eyebrows in the production of this film when it changed directors and delayed it 18 months. The story wasn’t working, they said. They needed more time and some new blood. Given the fact that previous revamped movies have led to results such as Toy Story 2, Ratatouille, and even Brave, we all gave them the benefit of the doubt. While you can definitely tell the movie went through some production nightmares – the story is noticeably slimmed down and simple, and the weirder elements involve changes that were probably more cost-effective to implement (voice acting, for example) – it is pretty amazing to me just how much they were able to accomplish. I have to give serious props to director Peter Sohn and his team for their visual rhyming. They do a masterful job of bookending the film with images that start meaning one thing in the beginning and something entirely else by the end (and bring on the tears). The central relationship in this movie – between Arlo and his “dog”, Spot – is so well-calibrated and developed that if you aren’t in total, complete tears by the time Arlo draws a circle in the dirt around Spot’s new family, you’ve probably missed out on the magic. While many critics were quick to consider this film one of Pixar’s lesser efforts, I think, all things considered, they have quite a bit to be proud of with this one.

13. Trainwreck – Having been a major fan of Inside Amy Schumer for the last few years, I could not have been more ready for her big-screen writing and acting debut. While the trailers understandably pushed the comedy angle, there is a deeper emotional core to the film that really caught me off-guard. In the film (and real life) Amy and her sister have to deal with the very trying circumstances of taking care of a womanizing father who’s succumbing more and more each day to the trials of MS. It creates a transforming anchor for the movie that helps the comedy have a bit more weight, especially as Amy has to fight through some very real emotional landmines before blossoming into a new person that’s a little more ready to live up to her potential. While very few films made me laugh as hard as this one, director Judd Apatow’s love of padding his movies with unnecessary improve takes it down a notch or two in my mind. Otherwise, this is an effort that announces to the world that Amy Schumer is ready to take over.

14. Ant-Man – This past summer, two Marvel movies were released only a couple months from each other: Avengers: Age of Ultron and this much smaller film, Ant-Man. In terms of budget and star-power, Ultron stood over Ant-Man like an ever-growing shadow. But if I would bet if you asked anyone these days which one they would rather watch again – most would reach for the diminutive dynamo. I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised with a movie that had Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, and comedy secret superweapon Michael Pena in it, but while the story has the familiar Marvel tropes it has to do deal with to set up future movies, it has a great deal of fun with just how weird Ant-Man really is. Also within this film is one of the best 3rd acts of 2015. After we had been bludgeoned with 3rd Act after 3rd Act that involved the destruction of entire cities and planets, it proved incredibly refreshing to have an entire epic fight take place within a suitcase, a child’s train set, and finally a bedroom. Director Peyton Reed clearly brought his A-game, love for Ant-Man, and creative solutions to this film, giving it a texture and sense of fun that even some of Marvel’s best have sometimes lacked.

15. Spy – It’s a pretty special year to get not one but two great spy movies that show us how much fun this kind of thing can be. While Paul Feig is getting better at shooting action, he wisely keeps his focus on his fantastic actors and their hilarious dialogue. Jason Statham proves to be quite the funnyman, and Melissa McCarthy gets to play an entirely new, exceedingly competent character that shows how she can kick ass and make it look fantastic. Also, an all-timer: the brutal, hilarious kitchen fight.

16. Shaun the Sheep Movie – There is no dialogue in this movie. It’s a rather simple story. As expected: it entirely went over the heads of American audiences when it hit theaters back in August. But I will say this: I watched this with two young girls who frequently struggle to pay attention during movies (or during anything, really), and they were completely transfixed by this film the entire time. There is enough effortless wit in all the character’s movements to intimidate the most vaunted of comedy writers, and all I can say is: Aardman did it again.

Beating the Odds:

Cinderella – For those of you reading this and scoffing at home – give it a try yourself. There’s nothing new in the story, but man, it is told well. The scene where Rob Stark aka The Prince sees Cinderella arrive at the ball in her new dress for the first time is about as honest and beautiful a fairy tale scene I’ve ever seen. All the actors approach this movie with care and eagerness, making an age-old story feel both modern and timeless.

Saved By The Bell: 

Jurassic World – I grew up on Jurassic Park. I had the toys – the Ford Explorer with the cannon mounted to the roof and bite marks in the engine; the T-Rex with a mouth that became menacingly agape whenever you squeezed its neck – and so when The Lost World bounced into theaters, I was ready. It took me a really long time, and many, many viewings to figure out why The Lost World didn’t grab me like Jurassic Park did. It had more dinosaurs, cooler vehicles – bigger and better in the ways that appeals to a young teenage boy. After college, I took another look at it and solved the mystery: The Lost Word is not a good movie. I followed the production of Jurassic Park 3 only to shrug it off like much of the moviegoing public did in 2001. Fifteen years later, I was ready to forgive. I was ready to accept the fact my teenage brain had not aged like my body, and that big, badass dinosaurs still set off the pleasure centers in my brain better than mint chocolate chip ice cream on a summer day. As much as I enjoyed seeing a fully functional, open-to-the-public park – the kind of thing I still one day dream of witnessing – Jurassic World didn’t fully click into place for me until the very end. Watching that same T-Rex that so enthralled me as a kid lumber out of the padlock to save the day, only for the giant mesosaurus to really save the day set off those same teenage brain pleasure centers like a bag of malfunctioning alarms. I went absolutely nuts for it. I still have no idea where the story will go with the next movie. I’m not sure how much I even want to see it. But I will always cherish that final battle, where it felt like adults became the kids they always wanted to be and just had some good old prehistoric fun.

Tripped Up at the Finish Line: 

Magic Mike XXL – I never got around to seeing Magic Mike, but the buzz on this film had me curious. It promised something unexpected. A message that didn’t come up often in your average mainstream film. And sure enough, Magic Mike XXL has a lot to say, specifically about how important it is to do what you love and to treat the ones you love with the passion and respect they deserve. It had me all the way until the end, and then it blew it. The finale at Myrtle Beach is supposed to be the culmination of everything the film has worked for, and while it truly delivers with the final dance sequences, it films them in a way that lets every bit of air out of the bag. Every time Jada Pinkett Smith is on screen, she’s filmed from what seems like a mile away, and the energy disappears before it can even begin to build. What should be a final, fiery climax instead can’t quite get it up.

It Follows – This is a film that is an absolute masterclass in tone. From the very first frame, you know something is up, and the steady camera movement and plaintive, insistent music just feeds the paranoia. But by the end, I felt completely underwhelmed. Each film sets up its own reality and its own rules. It Follows does this with minimal exposition and great visual storytelling. But then when it really matters, it completely throws the rules out the window. It feels like such a cheat and, more than that, completely confusing. Quentin seemed to agree. 

Tomorrowland – There is a lot to like here. Brad Bird directs. Keegan-Michael Key and Kathryn Hahn are a slightly-off hippy couple with an interesting small business venture. George Clooney. The first visit to Tomorrowland is packed with imagination and even dashes of wonder. There is a compelling mystery that is being built, but the third act provides an answer that just does absolutely nothing for me. I found it confusing and full of bizarre choices that just didn’t quite add up.

Thankful For:

Jupiter Ascending – The original script was reportedly 475 pages. The average Hollywood script is about 110. If you have to condense your original story down to nearly 1/4 the size, the audience will feel it. While the actual plot itself is not particularly original, the mythology behind it is so dense it nearly stops the entire movie each time it finally gets going. Remember how Ant-Man shrinks to a tiny size but retains it’s density and, therefore, is pretty unstoppable? That’s the story machine running through this film. Once it hits the mythology beats, it becomes an immovable force and slogs through. This probably could have been made into a very expensive miniseries on cable and been given some more time to breathe. All that aside: we don’t see texture and detail like this in sci-fi very often. The designers of everything you see in the film cited many older European buildings as their inspiration and you can totally see it. Less and less are we seeing original stories given huge budgets and the chances to go in unique places – I’m just thankful the Wachowskis were able to squeak this one through the system and make it a reality.

Monkey Kingdom – If you’ve ever wanted to see a pack of monkeys ransack – and I mean ransack – a local school, robbing them of food supplies and knocking over damn near everything, then this is the movie for you. I’m not sure how they found a way to film all of this, but I’m certainly glad they did.

Avengers: Age of Ultron – I feel for Joss Whedon. It’s just about a miracle to me that he was able to string together all the storylines coming in from Phase 2 and push them out until Phase 3, all while introducing a new villian. There’s a lot of heavy lifting he’s gotta do throughout this film, and yet he keeps it fun and light. I do see why it ended up defeating him, and I do think the 3rd act rescue of all the citizens of Sokovia was a bit of a rash reaction to Man of Steel and Stark Trek Into Darkness’ destruction porn. There’s a lot to like about this film, lots of little moments Whedon clearly fought for, but they’re also lost in all the machinery that is Marvel’s ongoing story.

Aloha – I’m happy to have Cameron Crowe back, even as I wish this was a better movie. I don’t think this is the awful movie the critics made out it out to be. Yes, they probably should have hired someone at least vaguely Hawaiian for Emma Stone’s part. Yes, it does feel like 3 movies packed into one, as if Crowe did a writing exercise and then cobbled them together quickly. And yes, there is still a lot of shit that just doesn’t make any sense. But! But! There are also those Crowe moments sprinkled around just enough to remind us of why we liked the guy’s work in the first place. Sometimes you gotta have a movie to shake off all the rust, and here’s hoping this is Crowe’s way of getting up from off the floor again and making something worthy of his talent.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Like many JJ Abrams movies, this one had the all the zip and pace you could ask for. And then afterwards, the more I thought about it, the more it fell apart. You can clearly tell with this film just how much they were figuring out as they went along, and look: I get it. I totally get it. This was the assignment no one had the balls to take; to make the first good Star Wars movie in nearly 40 years, and to give Disney the confidence their investment would pay off (like we ever doubted that?). I will give Abrams and his crew this, though: I absolutely love the new characters, and I would say that TFA’s greatest strength is in just how damn excited it made me for Episode 8. There’s a new force that has awaken, and it is truly exciting to witness.

The Tribe – All my life, I have grown up surrounded by people that find sign language so, so fascinating. They find it beautiful. Enchanting, even. But while it is all those attributes, it is also a language. One of the biggest obstacles that Deaf filmmakers have had with making great movies is that sometimes what is demanded in a film with sign language defies the typical film language we are used to. We can’t do voiceover. We can’t cut to other actors when someone else is talking unless we want to miss out on all the dialogue. It’s a language that demands to be seen at all times in order for it to be taken in. To me, that’s created a challenge that has rarely been answered, and one that is an ever-evolving conversation. So when I first heard about The Tribe, and how it it used Ukrainian sign language without the benefit of English subtitles, I was definitely intrigued. But I was also wary – and ultimately curious – if this would be a story that could separate itself from the language question and tell an actual story. I will say the movie tells the story very well – even if it’s rather standard and something we’ve seen many, many times before, but what makes it most memorable is the very end. You’re not going to sleep very well after this movie, especially if, like me, you sleep in total silence.

Procrastination is not a pretty thing, guys. But it does make these Redbox Ready columns much, much longer than their weekly siblings – so it all works out! There’s loads that Redbox has to offer these days – check out the list and see if anything fits your taste. Onward!

Ex Machina

Tomatometer: 91%; Audience Score: 87%

Alex Garland has made his name as both a novelist and a screenwriter, the acclaimed wordsmith behind 28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), and Dredd (2012).  He’s always been known for writing smart, thought-provoking sci-fi/horror tales, and this is his first directing experience. As far as debuts go, this is about as impressive as you can get. Even more rewarding is just how deep Garland wants to go. He doesn’t just want to throw up interesting ideas – he wants to take them to their natural and unexpected conclusions. Garland knows how to make these ideas the center of the film while still remembering how to feed them through strong characters and emotional stakes. There’s much of the unexpected in this film, and part of the beauty of it is wrestling with your own feelings about what Garland has to say.

Story: a young programmer wins a company competition that sends him to a remote location to take part in some ground-breaking experiments that involve evaluating the humanness of a female robot with the world’s first true artificial intelligence . Things do not go as planned.

Blush Factor: Rated R for graphic nudity, sexual references, and some violence.

What We Do In The Shadows

Tomatometer: 96%; Audience Score: 87%

This mockumentary has knocked over everyone with laughter at every film festival it’s been to. This is the one film – maybe more than any other on this list – that I’m actively dying to see. The trailer gives a good sense of the vibe – which mocks the self-seriousness we treat with all vampire tales, while also reminding us that they are humans, even if very unusual ones at that. How can that picture above not make you want to see this?

Story: Four vampire roommates try to adjust to the unforgiving modern world.

Blush Factor:  Rated R for some comical bloodletting (these are vampires, after all), and some f-words that you may or may not miss due to that thick Kiwi accent.

Get Hard

Tomatometer: 29%; Audience Score: 49%

What started out as a simple mismatched buddy comedy became something far more inflammatory. The critics didn’t take too well to this film, with the audience only slightly more generous, and I think a lot of that has to do with a lack of self-awareness the film shockingly seems to show. It’s very common for R-rated comedies to cross the line; less so for them to inspire a plethora of think pieces, all confused by the racial elements in play here, and just how clueless (or careless?) the film seems to be with them.

But, hey: it’s very possible you won’t recognize any of this in the movie, and will laugh your way all the way through. You never know.

Story: A millionaire is busted for fraud and is set to join the notoriously tough San Quentin prison. He turns to the one black guy he knows to help him prepare. If that sounds like a racist premise, then you now know why many, many think pieces were written about this comedy’s racial politics.

Blush Factor: Rated R for “pervasive crude and sexual content” – including some very graphic nudity – and lots and lots of swearing.

Danny Collins

Tomatometer: 78%; Audience Score: 77%

Dan Fogelman – pulling writing and directing duty here – has brought to the big screen a great deal of movies with heart (Cars, Bolt, Tangled) and has started stretching to ever more adult far with Crazy, Stupid, Love and Last Vegas. With Danny Collins, he seems to be matching his affinity for stories with heart with a newfound bigger edge. He’s got a fine performance from Al Pacino to center it. Should be a crowd-pleaser for many.

Story: An aging 1970s rocker refuses to give up his bad habits until he’s gifted with a 40-year-old handwritten letter from John Lennon – meant to be sent to him – prompting him to clean up his act and find a better way.

Blush Factor: Rated R for a brief scene of nudity and for lots and lots of f-words. Some alcohol and drugs because this is rock and roll, after all.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

Tomatometer: 6%; Audience Score: 41%

Look, you either are the kind of person who enjoyed Paul Blart: Mall Cop or you’re not. Like his buddy Adam Sandler, Kevin James seems to be content with making more family-friendly fare that barely seems to charge to life. The critics never liked this one – nor have they liked any of James’ recent movies. And audiences will likely find this to be a passable movie to fall asleep through on a lazy Sunday.

Story: After doing a great job as a mall cop for 6 years, Blart takes a little, well-deserved vacation to Vegas as some bonding time with his daughter before she heads off to college. Things happen, and Paul Blart is clearly the only man who can save the day.

Blush Factor: Rated PG for some violence (mild, menacing violence – guns are held but not pointed or shot)

Run All Night

Tomatometer: 60%; Audience Score: 60%

Look, guys. Liam Neeson’s made a lot of action movies since Taken first came out 7 years ago. A lot of them seem to have one word titles. All of them have Neeson kicking ass and taking names, and often not much else built around it. Director Jaume Collet-Serra would know, as he’s already directed Neeson in 2011’s Unknown and 2014’s Non-Stop. Here, it seems, they have a better-than-average story with a better-than-average cast leading the way. If you like smart, simple crime films with some ass-kicking here and there, this could be a solid choice.

Story: A mobster/hit man (Neeson) has one night to figure out if his loyalties lie with his best friend, the mob boss, or with his estranged son. Anything involving the mob doesn’t tend to go too well or bloodlessly.

Blush Factor: Rated R for some sexually crude talk between men, lots of bloody violence (this is the mob after all!), and lots of f-words.

It Follows

Tomatometer: 96%; Audience Score: 66%

This is one of those movies where the critics sang it high to the heavens (96% Fresh), but the audience did not find themselves nearly as enraptured (66% recommendation). Anytime you have a 25-30% difference between the critics and the audience, you usually have a film that’s more respected than it is something to be loved and remembered. I’ve seen this film. I respect the filmmaking. The score is haunting and spine-tingling as hell. The actors all do a great job. But I don’t think it adds up to nearly as much as it thinks it does. Only time will tell how we remember this film, but if you’re looking for something to give you a nice scare and/or scare your teenage kids off sex forever, this is a good bet.

Story: After having sex in the backseat of a car, a young woman is followed by some supernatural force she doesn’t understand.

Blush Factor: Rated R for “disturbing violent and sexual content including graphic nudity, and language”. I would say one of the more disturbing things about this movie is the score – it is just haunting and fills you with an ongoing sense of dread.

Unfinished Business

Tomatometer: 11%; Audience Score: 29%

I’m a fan of writer Steve Conrad, who wrote the criminally underrated The Weather Man (2005), The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013).  Critics and audiences alike didn’t seem to get too much of out of this movie, but I believe that Conrad alone will at least create a few great, memorable moments in an otherwise unmemorable movie.

Story: a small business owner and his two associates take at trip to Europe to try and close the most important deal of their lives. And as the Laws of Hollywood decide, any trip to Europe involving a deal is bound to go very, very wrong.

Blush Factor: Rated R for “some strong risqué sexual content/nudity, as well as language and drug use”.

The Lazarus Effect

Tomatometer: 13%; Audience Score: 25%

Blumhouse Productions has climbed aboard and rocketed across the Hollywood success train with their simple, but deadly effective business model: small budgets ($2-5 million at best) horror films with name actors (such as Olivia Wilde and Mark Duplass here). Their films tend always make their money back, and often times they prove to be big hits that create tons of profit. But here’s the thing: the business model doesn’t rely on the films being good, and they rarely are. But lower budgets allow for bigger risks, and where else are you going to see a movie with a creepy-eyed Olivia Wilde come back from the dead and threaten to do awful things? I can’t vouch for this being a good movie, but it could prove to be an entertainingly bad one.

Story: A group of medical students find a way to bring the dead back to life. You saw the “Lazarus” in the title, right?

Blush Factor: Rated R for lots of violence and gore, with some frightening scenes, and some language.

Clouds of Sils Maria

Tomatometer: 89%; Audience Score: 69%

After the exhaustive success of the Twilight series, Kristin Stewart seemed intent on diversifying her portfolio as much as possible. She’s done strong work in a variety of films, and this appears to be one of the better ones. It’s a strong story that’s impressed those who’ve seen it. And you can’t go wrong with Juliette Binoche at the forefront.

Story: A veteran actress, asked to participate in the revival of the play that made her famous 20 years earlier, flies to the Sils Maria – a remote region in the Alps – for rehearsal. There she meets another actress who reminds her a lot of herself.

Blush Factor: Rated R for language and brief graphic nudity.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Tomatometer: 74%, Audience Score: 85%

I wrote earlier about this gem, one of the best films to come out in 2015 so far, an absolute blast of giddy fun, great humor, and other Britishisms. Hollywood has this weird habit of bringing out young male actors and putting them in as many movies as possible, as if they could make them a star purely by force (see: Liam Hemsworth; Alex Pettyfer; Jai Courtney). But director Matthew Vaughn has brought out something special in newcomer Taran Egerton, who plays the lead character. The guy has got the action look down, on top of great acting ability and a killer sense of comic timing. He’s one to watch for years to come, and has already booked upcoming roles alongside Tom Hardy and Hugh Jackman.

Another great appeal: for all you Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version, of course!) fans out there who’ve always wondered, “What would it look like if Colin Firth kicked an unholy amount of ass?”, look no further. This film provides the truth and the delight that comes along with it. You’ll have a great time, have loads of laughs, see some great action, and all down with style to spare. Highly recommended.

Story: As a global threat emerges from a high-tech genius, a raw, yet promising street kid is recruited by a top-secret spy agency.

Blush Factor: This is about as Hard R as it gets. Lots and lots of swearing (over 100 F words), a huge amount of violence and blood (especially in the now-famous Kentucky church scene), and some drinking (because they’re British, of course).

Woman in Gold

Tomatometer: 53%, Audience Score: 83%

Any underdog story that has a Helen Mirren performance at the center is going to hold up quite well. Even better when it’s based on a true story, and handled with sincere touch by all those involved. This is a film that blends art, history, Jewish identity into a blended taste that seems to have been greatly enjoyed by audiences. Ryan Reynolds, here in a rare supporting part, has been acting under the radar with a number of interesting, smaller projects. This seems to have brought out the best in him.

Story: An older woman, who was a Jewish refugee during the Holocaust, fights the Austrian government to get back artwork she believes belongs to her family.

Blush Factor: Rated PG-13 for some minor swearing (a couple swear words) and thematic material related to the fact this is about the Holocaust and the aftermath.

Maggie

Tomatometer: 51%, Audience Score: 35%

If you ever wanted to see Arnold Schwarzenegger, divorced from all his action iconography, actually act: this might be your best chance. This is one film that has divided critics and audiences alike since it first came out – there are those who came to love it, and there are those who found it a tedious bore. Finding out which part of the spectrum you land on is part of the fun of seeing movies that sneak under the radar.

Story: After a young daughter is infected with a disease that slowly turns her into a cannibalistic zombie, her father, The Terminator, stays by her side.

Blush Factor: Rated PG-13 for some disturbing thematic material (zombies and fathers!), some blood that you tend to see with zombie outbreaks, and some minor language.

’71

Tomatometer: 97%, Audience Score: 84%

Lead actor Jack O’Connell had a rather big-fanfare Oscar bait of a movie in Unbroken last year, with his performance standing out amidst all the noise. There are many who have worked with O’Connell that have spoke volumes of his ability, and perhaps working here, beyond the radar of Hollywood, he’s found another gear. This has been highly regarded by critics across the board, and seems to have struck a strong chord with audiences as well. If you’re interested in history and a gritty, suspenseful tale of humanity, here’s your pick.

Story: Following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971, a young British soldier is accidentally trapped and abandoned in an area completely unfamiliar to him.

Blush Factor: Rated R for some violence that comes with bloody riots (getting shot close-range, limbs missing, etc.), and lots of swearing (these are the Irish, after all).

Slow West

Tomatometer: 91%, Audience Score: 77%

Through Inglorious Basterds (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), Shame (2011), and Prometheus (2012) – only 4 of the 12 movies he’s made in the last 5 years alone – Michael Fassbender has shown that his greatness as an actor is not just in his intensity, but in his chameleon-like ability. There’s nothing this guy can’t do, and do well.

When I first moved to Austin a few years ago, I had the privilege of watching Jack White and the Peacocks perform an incredible closing set at ACL. I was already a little starstruck from having seen James Marsden right in front of me (he’s a lot shorter than I expected!), but just before the end of the show, I looked to my far right and froze in shock: it was Michael Fassbender himself. The weirdest thing about seeing him was just how normal he looked. He didn’t look intense or brooding or anything like he had been in his movies. If anything, he looked and acted like a complete goofball, giggling with his buddies about the most random of things.

In the time since then, Fassbender has only shown more shades and colors of his ability. Most of his roles, however incredible, have not allowed him to have too much fun or be anything but captivatingly intense. So let this be another motivation to see Slow West – word on this film is that Fassbender’s loose and hilarious like you’ve never seen him before, another color to add to the acting rainbow he’s planted in still endless horizon.

Story: A teenage boy journeys across 19th century America in pursuit of the woman he loves, and a mysterious man volunteers to help him out.

Blush Factor: Rated R for lots of violence/gore, and for strong language. 

Kill Me Three Times

Tomatometer: 9%, Audience Score: 32%

This is not a good movie. So there’s really only two, possibly three reasons to see this movie. They are:

1) It was shot on the western coast of Australia. The cinematographer did a pretty great job. So you’ll get pretty images of a very, very pretty area.

2) Simon Pegg is acting in what is probably his first villainous role.

3) The guys who made this were clearly influenced by Tarantino. They take great joy in spraying blood everywhere in cartoonish, slow-motion form. If that’s your thing, well, then that’s your thing.

Story: After a botched contract assignment, a professional killer gets involved with three different cases of murder, blackmail, and revenge

Blush Factor: Rated R for bloody violence (gunshots with ramifications that involve unrealistically spurted, flowing blood), language (lots of ‘f’ and some ‘s’ words), and some brief sexuality/nudity.

Focus

Tomatometer: 56%, Audience Score: 55%

Writer/Directors Glen Ficarra and John Requa delivered an underrated gem in  I Love You, Phillip Morris in 2009 and then followed it up with a film that allowed them to take advantage of a uniformly great cast and some studio polish in Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011). For their next, they combined their love of twists and turns with their love of star wattage, and brought Will Smith and rising actress Margot Robbie into the fold. Smith and Robbie are two of the most charismatic, fun-to-watch stars you can find today, so a great deal of your enjoyment with this movie is going to depend on how you feel about them. Word on this film is that it takes a few too many twists and turns, but remains buoyant solely on the chemistry and performances of its two stars.

Story: A con man (Smith) takes an apprentice under his wing (Robbie). They decide to break it off after things get messy. They meet again 3 years later, but in completely different, far messier circumstances.

Blush Factor: Rated R for lots of strong language , some sexual content (mostly suggestive dialogue), and brief violence (some graphic gunshots).

Jupiter Ascending

Tomatometer: 25%, Audience Score: 42%

An important thing to remember as you watch this movie: the original script was over 600 pages long. Most movie scripts aren’t much more than 110-120 pages. And that’s even including the $200 million blockbusters. So what becomes of the other 480 pages? After seeing this film, I firmly believe they went towards creating a sci-fi mythology that was meant to be detailed and invigorating, but became quickly, horribly exhausting. I love seeing the Wachowskis indulge their imagination here, as everything but the actors are designed as beautifully as you could hope for. But the story slogs, weighed down by the stress of a thousand backstories thrown into a blender. The special effects and visuals have a texture and dexterity to them that’s rare in movies these days (even ones as expensive as this), but good luck making it to the end of this with the same energy as when you started.

 

Story: A young woman is working a crappy job before finding out she’s the heiress of an intergalactic nobility. She must rise to the occasion to save the citizens of Earth from a bigger threat. And Channing Tatum helps her kick some ass.

Blush Factor: PG-13 for some sci-fi violence, sequences of sci-fi action, some swearing (more than usual for a PG-13 movie), and partial nudity (some bare butts).

While We’re Young

Tomatometer: 84%, Audience Score: 57%

Writer/Director Noah Bambauch has found some great success with his new muse, Greta Gerwig, with their collaborations Frances Ha and Mistress America getting great reviews and seemingly injecting some extra mojo in Baumbach in the process. Outside of writing Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (I guess he had to pay the bills somehow), Baumbach’s last sole venture was 2010’s Greenberg. The critics raved for it at the time, just as they have done with While We’re Young, but both films suffer a huge difference of opinion from the audience. Here’s the split for While We’re Young/Greenberg:

Tomatometer: 84%/72%     Audience Score: 57%/42%

With both films, there is at a 27 percentage point difference in the response. This makes both films highly divisive, with around half approving and half rejecting it. When I first saw Greenberg, I started raving about it, telling all my more cinema-minded friends about it. They almost all came back to me with a, “Wow, that was awful,” sentiment. It even somehow made them feel bad. I didn’t get this for a long time until I read a great A.V. Club article about the relative jerk nature of Stiller’s character. It was then I realized, “Wow, that Greenberg guy was an asshole.”

So here’s my point: when Baumbach is the sole writer, you know there’s a lot of thought and ideas that went into it. Sometimes they’re well made. Sometimes they’re overreaching. But the guy is a hell of writer. What I think gets people tripped up are his characters. They’re well-sketched, but they also might be too much like people you actually know. And sometimes that can be difficult for people. Sometimes that’s not a good feeling to recognize those kind of people on the screen. Who knows? You may greatly enjoy Baumbach’s latest this time out, and you might find yourself unable to bear it. It’s for you got give it a shot and decide for yourself.

Story: A middle-aged couple finds their marriage and careers at a crossroads when a new, young couple comes into their lives.

Blush Factor: Rated R for language – IMDB has calculated 38 f-words.

NEVER HEARD OF IT, SO YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN:

5 Flights Up

Tomatometer: 54%, Audience Score: 51%

I’ve never heard of this movie before. Apparently, it’s pretty good, and when you got Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton as your leads, you could do a lot worse. If you’re looking for a nice, warm story, this is a good bet.

Story: A long-time married couple who’ve spent their whole lives in the same New York apartment make a decision to move away, and find themselves overwhelmed by all the personal and real-estate issues that arise.

Blush Factor: PG-13 for some language and some nude images.

No Way Jose

Tomatometer:

There are no reviews or anything of the sort for this film. Which means its Redbox premiere is it’s premiere premiere. Adam Goldberg wrote and directed this film, and I’m going to go out on a limb with this one: he was absolutely fantastic as Julie Delpy’s American boyfriend in 2 Days in Paris. A couple years later, Delpy made 2 Days in New York with Chris Rock playing her American boyfriend. Rock later went on to make Top Five, and there’s a lot of genetic similarities between his and Delpy’s film. You can see the influence working with Delpy had on him, with him giving his characters time to talk through things with each other and enjoy nice, long walks together. So I do wonder: will No Way Jose show some of the Delpy influence?

Story: An indie-rocker who’s spent his time performing at children’s birthday parties approaches 40 and suddenly finds himself at a crossroads.

Blush Factor: Rated R for language and some sexual references.