32. First Reformed, grade B = the environmental movement meets religion. Highly unusual indi movie that is really a character study of a priest going through life changing events. Very small movie but memorable and well acted.

33. Overlord, grade B- = this is really a war movie that turns into a zombie movie. It’s good but not great. It needed a few more scares, but it’s a movie that is done well. The acting is good. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russel son, Wyatt stars in it.

34. Boy Erased, grade C + = don’t send your homosexual child to a camp to be turned straight. Ummmm, duh! 99.9999% of the population knows this already, but that is what this movie is about.

Ok, so great message but what about the movie. Very boring. The only thing I can compare this to is Girl Interrupted and that movie is a lot better than this. The boys at this camp are not as well defined and there is not a strong antagonist like Angelina Joli in this movie. It’s just blah. We don’t get to know the kids in this camp. Big disappointment.

Well... if you mean the population of the US, a running gag on late night is that the current Vice President isn't aware of this, and he must be indicative of an element of the population greater than 0.0000001%!

Well then they need to make a better movie than this. This movie is snorsville. It's totally boring and it's only getting good reviews because of its message, not because it's actually good.

35. Widows, grade B = good movie, it’s sort of a revenge movie with lots of twists. Not sure all the twists worked but thought the actresses were great in it.

36. Spider-man, into the Spider Verse, grade A = great cartoon, just as good as the Incredibles 2. The animation is unique but works. One of the best movies I’ve seen all year. Loved it!

Anyone been to see Aquaman yet? With the exception of Wonder Woman I tend to favor what Marvel has done over DC, but I was intrigued by this one.

I will see it this weekend. I held off because of the crowds.

37. Bumblebee, grade B+ = this is the only Transformer movie I ever liked, it’s pure Disney, if you have kids, this is a movie can feel comfortable taken them too. It’s very good.

38. The Favourite, grade A = it’s excellent. It’s about Queen Ann and two people basically competing to be her best friend. It’s a Dark Comedy and one of the best movies of the year. It’s totally original. Nothing like it.

39. Aquaman, grade B - = I will say this movie is not for everyone, half like and half don’t, it’s pure spectacle. It’s a beautiful movie with good acting and special effects. However, the story suffers because they cram too much in it. If you want to see this movie see it on the big screen. It’s not near as good as Wonder Woman, but they really tried on this one. It’s an underwater Star Wars.

Thanks for the positive review of The Favorite. Good to know that there's something out there worth seeing!

I ended up at the cinema and there was absolutely nothing worth seeing (if you think the holiday movies in the US are paltry fare, try Japan...another DragonBall anime, anyone?), so I ended up making do with Bohemian Rhapsody. Its pace made it tolerable (as did the very Freddie large cup of beer I was drinking (one of the good things about cinemas in Japan)), but the whole movie played like an airbrushed collection of clockwork hagiography written by a team of record label lawyers, solely designed to market the Queen and Freddie brands to as wide an audience as possible.

Take the scene early in the film where the pre-Freddie band's lead singer quits on them. If the film had a shred of raw realism, the remaining band members would no doubt have been swearing and kicking the car tires and all the rest, or at least had upset/worried expressions on their faces, but instead, the audience knows that Freddie will be walking around the corner in a matter of second--and from the look on the other band members faces, they know it as well. "Oh no, our lead singer has left--whatever will we do now?" (big knowing wink to camera)

If the same filmmakers made a movie about Fleetwood Mac, it would have scenes like this:

Stevie: I'm breaking up with you, Lindsey.
Lindsey: Oh, so you're just going to, like... go your own way? (Close-up on dawning look of inspiration. Cut to next day in studio)
Lindsey: Hey guys, listen to this new song I have!
(Plays demo tape. Perfect album recording of GYOW fills the studio. Stevie pulls an old top hat out of a box.)
Stevie: And I just found this hat!

Christine: Well, that's a wrap on recording.
Mick: Yes. Now all we need is a name for this great new album of hits.
John: What are you two whispering about over there? Are you spreading... rumours?
(Mick gives Christine a knowing smile. John gives Lindsey a smug grin. Lindsey raises eyebrows knowingly at Stevie. Stevie puts her foot up on a small stool and lifts her shawl back in a dramatic pose.)

I didn’t like that movie either. Everything felt fake and staged.

40. Annihilation, grade A- = great sci-fi flick that basically stars all women, buy or rent, it’s worth it, a bunch of military women go into the jungle to investigate a strange event.