Addison Timlin stars in one of the darkest and most cynical films in recent memory.  She plays a social-media-obsessed teen who will do anything for views.

Ethan Hawke gives the performance of the year in this moody, introspective & layered drama.  Amanda Seyfried is also strong.  Paul Schrader directs.

Delicate and heartwarming year-in-the-life biopic of the great Laurel & Hardy, 20-yrs after their heyday, with two ‘swell’ performances from Coogan & Reilly.

Maybe the brightest new star of 2018 is Lana Condor.  This teen rom-com takes a very tired genre and generates real belly laughs and genuine romance.

Joaquin Phoenix delivers a brooding, nightmarish turn in Lynne Ramsey’s dark thriller.

Sure, the concept is gimmicky… But “A Quiet Place” scared the daylights out of me.  Emily Blunt NAILS her performance!

Alfonso Cuaron’s deeply personal film revolves around one astonishing scene near the end.  That scene completely broke me down emotionally.

Denzel Washington’s sequel goes toe-to-toe with the original in terms of action & excitement.  It is one of the best “guy films” of the year.

There are hundreds of poor Tarantino imitations.  “Bad Times” is a notable exception.  The first half is better than the ending.  The cast is great!

Rachel Weisz & Rachel McAdams play long lost lesbian lovers (The Quad L) who try to reconnect in an orthodox Jewish London community.

This movie is as French as a movie can get…  And that is a compliment.  Marine Vacth delivers a fascinating character that is going out of her mind.

I am a sucker for movies with any of the following: Cold War; Espionage; Snow; Naked Jennifer Lawrence; and bad Russian accents.  

The 3rd best ‘Mission’ movie in the franchise’s history.  The official order from best to worst is ‘Original’, ‘Rogue’, ‘Fallout’, ‘III’, ‘Ghost’, ‘2’.  No arguments.

Two teens, played superbly by Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy, hatch a plan that should seemingly solve all their problems.  Vicious and cynical.

Claire Foy carries this intensely scary scenario from credits to credits.  The latest from Steven Soderbergh is a mind-bendy thriller.

The huge crowd favorite from 2018, “Crazy Rich Asians” is a breath of fresh air.  Tons of awesome characters… Tons of plot threads… Tons of laughs.

Sexy… Fun… Pulpy… Outrageous… Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick star in a disappearance mystery with a million twists and turns.  Absurdly entertaining.

A gritty Western manhunt starring Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly & Jake Gyllenhaal.  The only complaint is a pacing issue.  It drags from time to time.

A documentary detailing the shocking story of triplets who didn’t know each other existed until well into their teens.  Fascinating.

A “last person on earth” zombie flick with a terrific central performance from Anders Danielsen Lie.  The main danger is not zombies… but isolation.

The fascinating 1978 World Chess Championship match between Karpov and Korchnoi is explored in this riveting documentary.

A remake of the Italian film, “Perfect Strangers”… 7 people gather for a dinner party and play a risky game of truth or truth with their cellphones.

Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike star in a CIA drama set against the backdrop of 1970’s middle-east tensions.  A good solid thriller.

I think this film passed everyone by.  No one I know has seen it.  Check out this female driven comedy whenever it comes your way.  It is a hoot!

The Korean remake of the 2013 Hong Kong release, “Drug War”, is good enough and different enough to earn a solid recommendation.

Ma Dong-Seok punches the fuck out of peoples faces and ribs in this Korean imitation of “Taken”.  The action is, as expected, absolutely fantastic.  However, the film insists on brightening the tone with too much silly comedy.  It doesn’t fit the mood and takes away from the gravitas of the subject matter.

Bo Burnham is a thoughtful stand-up / director / philosopher… and he imbues his film with honesty and empathy.  It may be a tad slight, but still good.

Maybe the most original and bizarre film of 2018.  It may not be your cup-of-tea, but you won’t be able to say it is boring.  What a mind-fuck of an ending!!!

Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz headline in this kidnapping mystery.  Director Asghar Farhadi doesn’t replicate his best films… but still a very solid story.

Almost all of Michael Moore’s docs are entertaining, interesting and easy to sit through.  This one feels a little less focused than most, but still worthwhile.

A solid Korean thriller that borrows heavily from other masterpieces in the genre.  This one is a low-boil puzzle that never generates a whistle.

The acting is very good throughout.  However, although based on a true story, this Korean espionage flick is generally more interesting than it is exciting.

The original 1973 version with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman is one of my 25 favorite films of all time.  The remake is fine, but falls way short.

Essentially, this is a cheap TV movie with a great soundtrack, a great central performance and some awesome concert re-enactments.

Son Ye-jin is one of my favorite actresses.  Hyun Bin is a fantastic counterpart.  Unfortunately, the plot is too hard to believe and it becomes forgettable.

A sci-fi “Robocop”clone where a man gets a cyber-upgrade, allowing him to get revenge on his wife’s killers.  The ending is better than expected.

Zhangke Jia directs a towering performance from Tao Zhao in this film about the changing times in modern China.  It does drag in the middle.

Here is a film I admire more than I enjoyed.  Coming off “La La Land”, I expected more of an emotional impact from director Damien Chazelle.  It felt flat.

I have an obsession with really good ramen.  This documentary made me hungry for more.

This true hijacking story from the 1970’s is generally intriguing, well-acted and tense.  Unfortunately it feels a little stodgy and drags from time to time.

The first half of this Korean thriller feels like something out of Hitchcock’s top drawer.  The second half dwindles into a routine and predictable TV-movie.

I once wrote a screenplay about this true-life Russian submarine tragedy. It was better than this run-of-the-mill version. “Kursk” barely gets a thumbs-up.

The first half of the film is laugh-out-loud funny… but once it switches into action mode, the film devolves into moronic chaos.  

Bradley Cooper delivers a great performance.  Gaga is very good too.  However, the entire film feels rushed and abbreviated.  I wanted more… much more.

This end-of-the-world disaster flick is very close to being fantastic… but it fumbles it all away with silly character decisions and routine genre clichés.

Spike Lee’s film is consistently well acted and the time period is beautifully captured.  However, the story is not compellingly told and my interest waned.

Four women join forces, to pay off gangsters, via one of the most absurd heist plots you will ever see.  The acting is very good.  The story is ludicrous.

It is the same issue with director Adam McKay’s “The Big Short”.  He takes a serious subject and makes it dumb for consumers.  Bale is superb as Cheney.

A group of tap-dancers must put on a show in a POW camp during the Korean war.  The film can’t decide if it is a comedy or a drama.  It ends up neither.

The kids were far more interesting in this teen-comedy than the adults.  The film tries to be “American Pie”, but ends up more like a trifle.

Dwayne Johnson is incredibly likable… but his filmography has far too many of these throw-away action adventures.  “Skyscraper” is silly fun.

The first “Sicario” was close to being a masterpiece.  This sequel felt unnecessary and bored the life out of me. Losing Emily Blunt’s character was key.

I watched this with friends, and we all expected to hate it.  In fact, each of us laughed and went along for the silly ride.  It is not as dreadful as you’d imagine.

While it towers above the Angelina Jolie “Lara Croft” flicks in terms of craft and entertainment, Alicia Vikander’s attempt is simply middle-of-the-road.

Jason Momoa tries his hand at an old-school 1980’s action flick, the likes of which used to star Seagal, Van Damme, Willis, Arnold or Sly.  It is passable.

A far weaker version of the same concept seen in “A Quiet Place”.  Everything about this film is mediocre… and it is never terrifying or remotely believable.

Liam Neeson does his “ass-kicky” thing on a train.  Liam Neeson gets 5 points for that.  The rest of the nonsense gets a big fat zero.  Hence… 5 out of 10.

Despite beautiful cinematography and undeniable technical mastery with that unbroken 60-min shot, this Chinese film is too abstract and vague to matter.

Sometimes, a film is so overconfident in its coolness, that it forgets to actually be good.  This feels like one of those low budget 1990’s Tarantino rip-offs.

Here is the perfect example of a film with a good cast, a fascinating plot, high production values and a noble intent… but was instantly forgettable.

A Thai thriller about a man who finds himself trapped in a 10-foot deep, fully-drained swimming pool, without a ladder… and a crocodile for company.

From the same Korean director who made the phenomenal “Train to Busan”.  This superhero-esque action-comedy never quite hits full stride.

A truly tragic day in Norway’s history deserves better treatment.  This “re-enactment” focuses too much on the killer and the shooting… not the impact.

One of the most critically-panned films of the year showcases a good cast and an ambitious concept.  It is not as bad as most say, but it ain’t good either.

Obviously, Jack Black’s “JackBlackness” has worn out its welcome over the years.  However, here he tries something a tad different.  It is still pretty weak.

The trailer was a 9/10.  The execution was an interesting effort on such a low budget.  Ultimately, it ends up falling way short.  A glum sci-fi entry.

Clearly, I am in the minority on this acclaimed German film.  I found it unfocused and emotionally flat.  The acting is the film’s strength.  All else was dull.

I can watch Bryce Dallas Howard in anything… which always convinces me to keep trying these “Jurassic” sequels.  I need to learn my lesson.

Korea virtually never disappoints with its cinematic thrillers.  “The Witness” is a rare exception.  A man witnesses a gruesome murder from his apartment balcony.  Out of cowardice and selfishness, he does not report this to the police.  As a result, lots of others die.  One simple phone call or explanation would have rendered this story over.  Yet, for no legitimate reason, he remains silent.  Nothing in this film is remotely believable or logical.  

A sequel with tons of flaws, dull extraneous sub-plots, dreadful sound editing and a laughably predictable outcome.  One of the worst in the fight franchise.

Amy Schumer (ugh) stars in a film that teaches young girls that they can only feel pretty if they suffer severe head trauma.  The ending is morally bankrupt.

The plot is simplistic and dumb… a revenge shoot ’em up with cliches around every corner.  All you have to buy is that a soccer mom becomes John Wick.

I never saw the first one because it seemed too much like the awful “Transformers” schtick.  Caught this on a plane and wish I had slept instead.

A gimmick of a movie, featuring one of the most hard to believe plots of the past decade.  Nothing in this film has the air of authenticity.

This film has as much to do with the Cloverfield universe as my nutsack.  It is a cheap sci-fi flick trying to capitalize on a franchise name-brand.

Two worthless and unlikable criminals surrounded by worthless unlikable cops in an overwritten mess with an absurd and contrived final act.  The first time director is trying so desperately hard to squeeze a message into film that only teenagers would find deep.  Daveed Diggs is the only good thing here.

Steven Spielberg is a legendary filmmaker.  “RPO” is his worst film — a 140-minute Easter-egg hunt that devolves into a headache-inducing visual mess.

Van Damme once did a surprisingly decent action flick called, “Sudden Death”.  Imagine that, but with soccer, bad acting, low stakes, an F-list cast, and a Pierce Brosnan cameo.  Also, the film has a ludicrous plot that features a West Ham United team going to a European club semi-final.  Preposterous! 

Ed Helms is in a lot of good TV shows and films — and he is the worst thing about all of them.  “The Clapper” is really bad — and he is still the worst thing.

I have two major issues with “Hereditary”.  The use of Milly Shapiro feels exploitative… And the final third of the film is so bat-shit that it’s laughable.

Miserable, slow and ludicrous beyond belief.  Clive Owen & Amanda Seyfried are usually far more reliable than this.

A time-travelling “Groundhog” wannabe with the most punchable face in the lead role – Adam Devine.  Even Alexandra Daddario can’t save this mess.

I like Jason Momoa… but his talent and charisma are wasted on dismal superhero flick with bad special effects and an embarrassingly self-serious plot.

There is one scene, in a bathroom, that I have to admit was entertaining.  The rest is morose, miserable and an abject failure.

Clint Eastwood continues his miserable streak of films with a dull 85-minute build-up to a 3-minute plot that wasn’t particularly heroic or interesting.  Awful.