Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
[7] Everyone in front of and behind the camera is back for another go-round in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a fun time at the movies, even if it falls a tad short of the first film's humor and…
Logan (2017)
[8] Writer/director James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line) returns to the X-Men franchise after 2013's The Wolverine and serves up a highly satisfying conclusion for its centerpiece hero. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart return as Logan/Wolverine and Charles/Professor…
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
[4] Rogue One is the first of what is sure to be many stand-alone or spin-off Star Wars movies over the next few decades. This maiden venture focuses on the events leading directly into Episode IV: A New Hope, with…
Doctor Strange (2016)
[6] Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a celebrated surgeon who loses the use of his hands in a car accident and then pursues Eastern mysticism which, of course, leads to superpowers and magic and shit. Doctor Strange is another rote effort from…
Ant-Man (2015)
[6] Paul Rudd stars as one of Marvel's new feature film superheroes, a man who can shrink to miniature proportions with the help of a special suit. Michael Douglas shares a huge amount of screen time as the suit's inventor.…
First Blood (1982)
[8] Spoiler Review! Sylvester Stallone further cemented his action super-star status with this smart, character-driven thriller about a former Green Beret suffering from post-traumatic stress who gets bullied by a small mountain-town sheriff and his deputies. When the soldier finally…
Danger: Diabolik (1968)
[6] Horror master Mario Bava tackles this James Bond-like action/adventure about a stealthy thief nicknamed Diabolik (John Phillip Law) who eludes a pursuing detective through a series of elaborate heists. I didn't find the characters terribly interesting, but the film is…
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
[6] Marvel continues putting its superheroes in line, all leading toward its big Avengers free-for-all. This one focuses on the origins of the Avengers team leader, a weakling WWII soldier named Steve Rogers who volunteers to be part of an experimental…
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
[5] I loathe Michael Bay, but to be fair, this movie wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The script pays little attention to logic and prays that you forget about certain plot elements until its convenient…
Fast Five (2011)
[4] Vin Diesel and Paul Walker star as hot dudes who drive fast cars, apparently for the third or fourth time. I would never have given this kind of movie a look if it weren't for the unusually good notices…