21 Jump Street (2012)
[6] Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill star in this big-screen adaptation of the Fox TV show, about two young cops who go undercover at a high school to help find the supplier for a new, deadly drug. Young directors Phil…
Sausage Party (2016)
[7] Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg co-wrote and co-produced this R-rated animated satire about a grocery store hot dog (voiced by Rogen) that discovers the truth about life outside the store's sliding glass doors. But it's an uphill battle to convince…
Dune (1984)
[8] Dino DeLaurentiis foots the bill for this gravely ambitious film adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel about the messianic rise of an off-lander who rallies a reclusive desert civilization in a fight against galactic takeover. Hot off The…
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016)
[7] If you're a fan of the ill-mannered British TV show, you'll probably enjoy Eddy and Patsy's first big bloody screen adventure. Me? I think it's one of the funniest TV shows EVER made, so I drove two hours to the…
Suicide Squad (2016)
[6] While there are signs that Suicide Squad is a film rushed to completion and feels at times torn in different creative directions (sources report the studio made extensive revisions after the lukewarm reception of Batman vs Superman), the end…
Martin (1977)
[7] Everyone associates George Romero with his zombie flicks, but if you ask the director, he'll say the dark character study Martin is his favorite work. Martin is a young man (John Amplas) who believes he must drink blood in…
They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
[7] Errol Flynn plays General George Custer in this romantic (though not very historically accurate) panache of the accomplished Civil War general who met a celebrated fate at Little Big Horn. Despite the liberties taken in the script, it's a…
Fantasia 2000 (1999)
[6] Breakthroughs in technology make the aural component of this sequel superior to the first, while advances in computer-generated imagery often leave Fantasia 2000 feeling cold and clunky. I like the abstract butterfly battle set to Beethoven's 5th and the…
Super 8 (2011)
[6] J.J. Abrams' comprehensive homage to Spielberg's early career is a decent spooky kids' adventure movie. It does a good job stirring nostalgia among 30-somethings like myself. It's not as mysterious or suspenseful as one might expect from Abrams, the…
Troy (2004)
[6] Brad Pitt simply isn't very convincing outside his own time and place. This limitation was used to intentional comedic effect in Inglourious Basterds, and to unintentional effect in Troy. It doesn't help that his character isn't the most interesting…