Movie Reviews

Here is the full list of movies I have reviewed, organized alphabetically within genres, with links to reviews. Our favorites are marked with a * and links are to my reviews (no spoilers!). 

NOTE: Some dramas are funny, and some comedies include plenty of drama - those two categories sometimes overlap.

Action/Suspense/Thriller
* The Accountant - clever, action-packed thriller
All Good Things - a creepy, psychological thriller based on a true story
American Ultra - action-packed thriller with plenty of humor, about a stoner turned secret agent
* Before I Go To Sleep – psychological thriller based on the novel
Bridge of Spies - a quiet, suspenseful story based on real-life spy swap
* The Circle - taut suspenseful story of social media gone mad
* Dark Places – another suspenseful thriller based on a Gillian Flynn novel
Extortion - taut thriller of family vacation gone wrong
* Eye in the Sky - a powerful, thought-provoking story about modern warfare
Fracture
* The Girl on the Train - dark, twisty thriller based on the best-selling novel
* Glass Onion - fun, eye-popping suspenseful mystery with an all-star cast
 Gone Girl – based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn
* Hours – set in New Orleans during Katrina
How It Ends - suspenseful, action-packed, thoughtful apocalypse movie 
* I See You   - super-twisty thriller with lots of surprises
Kingsman: The Secret Service – action-packed but uneven humorous spy thriller
The Lovebirds  - action/thriller/comedy/romance about a date night gone wrong
Lucky Number Slevin –twisty & suspenseful caper movie
A Most Wanted Man – Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s last film, adapted from John Le Carre novel
The Nice Guys - entertaining action/thriller with humor, set in the 1970's
* Nightcrawler – a suspenseful, creepy drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal
The November Man – starring Pierce Brosnan as ex-hitman hired for one last job
Ocean's 8 - all-female crew caper film
* Parasite - clever, funny, family drama that turns into a suspenseful thriller (winner: Best Picture)
Poltergeist – remake of the 80’s supernatural classic
The Power of the Dog - tense Western drama with emotional complexity (nominated for Best Picture)
* A Quiet Place - captivating family drama plus super suspense and 100% quiet
* A Quiet Place, Part II - original, genre-busting movie as good as the original
Rebecca  - remake of the classic novel (and movie)
Red Sparrow - twisty Russian spy thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence
Secret in Their Eyes
* Serenity - Man living on idyllic island asked to kill someone
* Shaft 
* A Simple Favor - fun, twisty thriller with a great sense of humor 
Spectre - the latest James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig
* Taken – first of Liam Neeson’s action-packed abduction trilogy
Taken 2 - ditto, #2
* Taking Lives - dark, twisty thriller about killer who takes on victims' identities 
* Transsiberian   -  dark, taut thriller set on a train through snowy Siberia
A Walk Among the Tombstones – Liam Neeson as an alcoholic PI
War for the Planet of the Apes - action-packed suspense with poignancy and humor
* We Own the Night - two brothers caught on opposite sides of the law in NYC
* Where the Crawdads Sing - Murder mystery/legal drama/love story/coming-of-age story set against a gorgeous natural backdrop
 * Widows 

Drama
The Age of Adaline – love story about a woman who never ages
* Air
Arthur Newman – a warm, funny (and strange) road trip
* Before I Fall - based on a YA novel, like Groundhog Day for teens
* Boyhood – amazing Best Picture Oscar-winner, filmed over 12 years
The Cake Eaters – coming-of-age story about a disabled girl
* Captain Fantastic - warm, funny story of quirky family facing challenges
Carol - beautiful novel adaptation about forbidden love in 1952 
* Chef – food, music, comedy, fun – one of my faves of the year!
* Cloud Atlas - clever, complex, visually stunning film based on the novel
* CODA 
The Dressmaker - quirky drama filled with dark humor
* El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Every Day - unique teen love story
Everything, Everything - teen romance based on popular YA novel
* Find Me - warm, poignant movie with gorgeous settings
* Flora and Son 
* The Fundamentals of Caring - warm, funny story of friendship and hope 
Gold - suspenseful drama about real-life 80's gold prospector  
* Hector and the Search for Happiness – warm, funny & uplifting
* Hidden Figures - inspirational true story of black women behind the scenes at NASA 
*Honey Boy - entertaining & moving film about a dysfunctional Hollywood childhood
 * The Imitation Game – about Alan Turing who helped decode Enigma in WWII
* The Judge – legal drama starring Robert Duvall & Robert Downey, Jr.
* Lady Bird - tender, realistic, funny coming-of-age story 
* Leave No Trace - quiet, powerful movie about father-daughter relationship, set outdoors
The Legend of Tarzan - a new twist on the classic jungle adventure
 The Life Before Her Eyes – thoughtful story about aftermath of school shooting
* Lion
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things - teen time-loop movie with lots of fun & plenty of heart 
Me Before You - warm, sweet romance 
Mr. Holmes - moving portrayal of an aging Holmes with dementia recalling his last case
* Nomadland - beautiful, gentle film about real-life modern nomads - won 6 Oscars
* Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 
* Palmer - poignant, uplifting movie about ex-con bonding with boy  
* The Peanut Butter Falcon - wonderful! Original, heartwarming & funny 
* The Rainmaker - courtroom drama with all-star cast based on John Grisham novel 
Redwood Highway – aging grandma takes off on long-distance hike
Ricki and the Flash - fun, warm, musical, funny family drama
* ROOM - Suspenseful, heartwarming - based on the best-selling novel
* Sing Street - a musical/comedy/drama about a group of teen boys who start a band in 1980's Dublin   
The Spectacular Now – high school drama/comedy
* Still Alice – based on the novel about early-onset Alzheimer, a tear-jerker!
* Stuck in Love - warm, funny atypical romcom about a family's loves
Take Me Home – uplifting road trip movie
The Theory of Everything – about Stephen Hawking’s early life and ALS onset
Unbroken – based on Laura Hillenbrand’s best-selling book
* The Way  - warm, funny, uplifting story of personal growth on the El Camino de Santiago
* Wild - starring Reese Witherspoon & based on the best-selling memoir
The Words – story within a story about a plagiarizing author

Comedy
* The Big Sick - warm, funny romcom based on a true story  
Blow the Man Down - dark comedy in a Maine fishing village 
* Edge of Seventeen - funny, poignant coming-of-age story
* Enola Holmes - fun, action-packed, humorous adventure about Sherlock Holmes' sister 
* Game Night - unique thriller comedy with suspense and lots of laughs 
Going in Style - fun, heartwarming comedy about old guys robbing a bank - all-star cast
* Grandma - warm, funny, heartbreaking movie about eccentric grandma & her granddaughter
* Happiest Season - fun, warm rom-com about a lesbian couple and a dysfunctional family
* Hello, My Name is Doris - warm, funny movie starring Sally Fields  
Holidate - light romp about two single adults sick of not having a date for holidays
Hot Pursuit – light female cop-buddy movie
* Hunt for the Wilderpeople - outstanding New Zealand movie with action, suspense, warmth & humor
If I Were You - fun, warm farce about infidelity
The Intern – light, warm, funny movie about 70-year old intern
* Like Father
* Moxie - fun, uplifting coming-of-age mother-daughter movie 
Murder Mystery
* Knives Out
* Licorice Pizza - nostalgic coming-of-age comedy/drama set ion 1970's L.A. (nominated for Best Picture)
The Lost City - a light, fun adventure-romance
 On the Rocks - warm, funny movie about marriage and a father-daughter relationship  
* St. Vincent – comedy drama starring Bill Murray
Scrooged – Bill Murray in a modern version of A Christmas Carol
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – light, fun, and full of joy
* Smart People
Thin Ice - a comedy/crime caper starring Greg Kinnear and Alan Arkin
* This is Where I Leave You – warm, hilarious adaptation of the novel
Trainwreck - light, funny, raunchy romcom
A Walk in the Woods -  light, mildly funny movie based on Bill Bryson's book
Young Adult – dark, tragic comedy starring Charlize Theron

Sci Fi
* 12 Monkeys – post-apocalyptic time-travel thriller
* The Adam Project - heartwarming, funny, action-packed sci fi adventure
* Arrival - mind-bending, powerful movie about aliens, communication & being human  
Blade Runner - dark, classic sci fi thriller set in the future world of 2019!
Captain America: Civil War - Avengers movie - action-packed with a complex plot 
Chaos Walking - action/thriller on a different world, based on a YA novel
* Coherence  - quietly wonderful with twisty supernatural plot
* Ex Machina - thoughtful, suspenseful, highly-acclaimed sci fi thriller
* Extinction - sci fi action-packed thriller with family drama
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald
* Finch - warm, funny, suspenseful drama set in a post-apocalyptic world
* Guardians of the Galaxy – fun, funny sci fi misfits save the universe
Lucy – sci fi action starring Scarlett Johansson who gets superpowers
Insurgent – based on the post-apocalyptic Divergent trilogy
* Interstellar – family drama in space, set in post-apocalyptic time
Jupiter Ascending - uneven action-packed space drama (no review)
Jurassic World - Jurassic Park sequel from 2015 - action, suspense, and thrills 
* The Martian – starring Matt Damon, based on the best-selling novel
Mockingjay, Part 1 – 3rd film based on post-apocalyptic trilogy, The Hunger Games
Mockingjay, Part 2 - action-packed conclusion to The Hunger Games series 
* Passengers - long-term space journey goes awry - suspense, humor & romance 
* Predestination – twisty time-travel movie
Project Almanac - fun, fast-paced story of teens who time travel
* Ready Player One - exciting, fast-paced virtual adventure with loads of 80's pop culture
 * Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - prequel to the original Star Wars movie
* Star Trek Beyond - action-packed sci fi adventure with a sense of humor
* Star Wars: The Force Awakens – continuation of the classic epic space saga
* Star Wars: The Last Jedi - excellent addition to the series  
* Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Under the Skin – alien life takes on human female form to prey on men 
* The Vast of the Night - 50's-style sci fi about two young people investigating mysterious sound on the radio

Musical Drama
Barbie
* Bohemian Rhapsody - moving, powerful, joyful story of Queen
The Greatest Showman - entertaining musical about P.T. Barnum
* La La Land - a joyful musical romance set in Hollywood

* Sing Street - a musical/comedy/drama about a group of boys who start a band in 1980's Dublin
* A Star Is Born - powerful musical with emotional depth & outstanding performances
* Yesterday
 
Family/Animated
The 500 Fingers of Dr. T – Dr. Seuss’s most bizarre creation, from 1952!
The Call of the Wild - a Disney remake of the classic wilderness novel
* Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (1st movie) -  unique, fun, creative fantasy
The Incredibles 2 - clever, funny, action-packed, and lots of fun
The Jungle Book - live-action/CGI version of the classic favorite
Shaun the Sheep – Claymation adventure of sheep by creators of Wallace & Gromit

Documentary
Twinsters - charming, warm story of two possibly long-lost sisters who find each other
Up Heartbreak Hill­ – about Navajo teens deciding whether to leave the reservation
* Without a Home – award-winning, about homelessness

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