Freebie and the Bean
This early form of the buddy cop comedy has its sensibilities stuck somewhere several decades before what a modern audience likely finds acceptable.
The Egg and I
A distasteful, mean-spirited, unfunny comedy about the hellish marriage between a spineless sad-sack and an oblivious, egg-obsessed weirdo.
The Big Country
This clever, compelling western epic is both of its genre, and a subversion of it, which represents a masterful piece of filmmaking.
F1
This racing movie’s slick charm, attention to real world details, and intensely fun driving sequences more than make up for its use of genre cliches and stock characters.
No Escape
There are two elements to this movie. The thriller part is exceptional. The political part is tone-deaf. How much you like the movie will depend on how much each of those matter to you.
Gimme the Loot
This talk-heavy, Queens based indie failed to engage me in its meandering plot and abrasive dialogue.
Two For The Road
This early entry into the “decades of a relationship boiled down into a movie” genre has some clever ideas and memorable moments, but makes some of the characters too unlikable for the piece to really work.
Brigsby Bear
Just about the best movie ever made about a fictional TV show created to teach life lessons to a kidnapping victim.
Crossing Delancey
Light on grand romantic gestures but long in genuine caring, this hyper-specific rom-com about the Jewish experience in NYC has plenty of soft romantic energy for anyone to enjoy.
The Day the Earth Stood Still
This early classic of serious science fiction delivers in its thoughtful exploration of Cold War paranoia and global antagonism but misses the mark on capturing the grand cinematic vision its premise implies.
Anne of the Indies
A ripping good yarn of pirate vengeance somewhat wrecks its galleon on the rocky shores of muddied themes and storytelling.
Bullseye!
A crime comedy whose broad and unfunny antics are a crime against comedy.