19. Spider-Man Far From Home, grade B+ = it’s a good movie, some people love it. I thought it was just as good as the first movie but It’s not something I want to watch over again. I think I’m just too old for these movies. There is a lot of teenage drama and it’s too kiddie for me. Tom Holland is a great Spider-Man and Jake Gylenhaul did a good job as Mysterio. The special effects were excellent.

20. Crawl, grade B = good little horror movie with great atmosphere. The hurricane is done well and the alligators look great. This movie is short and knows what it is. No unnecessary set-up and some nice kills and doesn’t waste your time.

21. Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw, grade B = don’t have much to say about this movie except that it’s got great stunt sequences, is totally unbelievable and very fun. It’s an action comedy and I liked it but I wouldn’t watch it again.

22. Scary Stories to tell in the Dark, grade B - = well done but not scary. This movie is really for teenagers, not adults. It was fun though but I’ve seen this all before.

23. Ready or Not, grade B- = a well made, gothic horror comedy. I liked this movie but didn’t love it because it never went far enough with the evil satanic stuff or action. Samara Weaver is going to be a star though. She had it.

24. The Peanut Butter Falcon, grade B- = basically it’s about a road trip between a young man with Downs Syndrome and a a very poor fisherman. It’s bittersweet and nice. I think the unusual location really added to this movies. The movie is nice but a bit boring. I bet the man with Down Syndrome gets nominated for an Oscar.

25. IT 2, grade B = not as good as the first one, because it’s way too long and the beginning scenes don’t make sense even though matches the book. Also the ending isn’t that much different from the first movie. However, there are lots of gorey special effects that are done well and as a horror movie it’s creepy. Really wish it wasn’t so long though. The book was over 1000 pages though.

King has said he was hitting the cocaine pretty hard during the writing of that one and a lot of it doesn't even make sense to him. (Maybe that explains turtle gods and children's orgies) :eek:

I quit reading him and Anne Rice. They’ve both lost their touch in my opinion.

TATTOO OF REVENGE by Julian Hernandez https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/ta...e/id1479277556
Grade: A

Although the most visually sophisticated and spiritually inquiring exploration of image-making since Brian De Palma’s FEMME FATALE, two lines of dialogue express the radical compassion and unexpected social scope of Julián Hernández’s TATTOO OF REVENGE:

“Stupidity knows no limits.”

“You’ll get tired of not trusting people.”

One photographer (gorgeous Irving Pena) recognizes the signature style—the vision—of a dead photographer (intense Diana Leon) in a newspaper crime photo. Thus he embarks on an investigation that synchronizes with her own grief. His desire and her agony reflect in the individuals populating the film’s cross-section of Mexico City. The narrative proves as sociologically broad in milieu as exploitative psychic radio shows to exploitative trans porn and as culturally deep in references as classical opera to classic Mexican cinema.

Hernandez always enthralls with formal daring and even playfulness (here: classic-TV aspect ratio, black-and-white “realism” combined with color tv screens and intercut with color flashbacks, and his magisterial existential tracking shots). And, of course, gay sensuality draws out capacity for physical expression and connection. Now, through cross-cutting, Hernandez achieves both expansive power and poetic poignancy, as when seemingly unconnected characters simultaneously linger over how Leon’s Aida haunts their consciousness.

No wonder. In her own quest to brand/tattoo unpunished rapists, Aida’s androgynous femme fatale slips unnervingly into character to expose the hidden motivations of victims, clients and compatriots. Leon is spectacular, as in her opening scene of hilarious seduction or when with maternal sternness she reveals the lies of a spoiled young woman who seeks revenge, not justice. Aida’s own spiritual tattoo of bitterness will be transformed by the capacity of others to surprise her by their heroism and their love and their own daring mastery of image-making as political and personal statement.

TATTOO OF REVENGE should be heralded as the epic of the #MeToo era, but its humane and necessary balancing of the culture’s “limitless stupidity” with fundamental need for trust, here made unabashedly romantic, makes it as unfashionable as it is essential.

THE GOLDFINCH
Grade: C-

Through twists of Dickensian fate and sentiment, John Crowley sneakily reduces terrorist attacks to “some people did something” with THE GOLDFINCH

Survivor’s guilt remains (the plot-twist switcharoo on “It was all my fault”).

And bourgeois fortune favors the guilt-ridden.

The Nevada section, the Dickensian rock bottom, bookended by New Order’s “Your Silent Face” and Them’s cover of Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” is the best part of the film. Yet it, too, plays an insidious bait-and-switch. It teases adolescent same-sex sympathy as attraction, only to later be revealed as betrayal (and guilt heaped upon guilt). In this way, it accidentally exposes the perverse appeal of the vile IT films.

As with Crowley’s subtly anti-Catholic BROOKLYN, THE GOLDFINCH is gorgeously mounted (Deakins!), the cast is excellent (Nicole Kidman has never looked more beautiful), and the time-jumping narrative moves fluidly.

It would be dangerous stuff if anyone cared, which, as with the far more satisfying BROOKLYN, nobody will.

I couldn’t finish the book. The way it was written bothered me.

26. Judy, grade B+ = good film, very solid and well edited. Rene Zellweiger gives a great performance. However, this is a slice of life movie. There really isn’t a plot, so it can be boring at times, but her performance pulls it through.

27. Joker, grade A - = Joker is not fun to watch. It’s basically a movie about mental illness. However, It is a thoughtful origin story that ties in with Batman’s origin. The movie is done very well and Jaqueen Pheonix probably deserves an Oscar. He gives a great performance. I would see this one if you want a different type of superhero movie.

28. Terminator: Dark Fate, grade B- = it a good action movie but as a Terminator movie, it’s a mess. Screws with the Terminator narrative too much and tries to create a new one. However, the action and acting are good, so I liked it even though I didn’t like what it did to the Terminator narrative.

This is showing up on Showtime or Starz or something, so I'll record it. I read the book years ago, and I have a hunch that as film it’s a lot more dramatic than anything Simon Winchester was capable of doing.

The other week I saw Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and I've regretted it. This movie is literally about nothing, the only good points are the performances of the talented lead actresses (Fanning, Jolie and Pfeiffer) and the stunning cgi, the rest is totally disappointing because the plot is generic and bland and the scenery is uninventive and puerile. A girl that came with me and my sister said that if she had been a child she'd have enjoyed it; I think that if I'd seen it when I was 8 perhaps at first I'd have liked it, but would have ended up forgetting this movie by the next day.

It got terrible reviews. I like Michelle Pfeiffer but not much of a fan of Jolie. Had no desire to see it and I’m glad I didn’t.

29. Doctor Sleep, grade A - = this was a good surprise. Was not expecting to like this movie so much because I never liked The Shining that much. However, I liked this movie more than the Shining. It has good villains. The villains have back stories, some more than others, and it really adds to the depth of the story. The movie is very atmospheric and well thought out. The acting is excellent. My only grip is that they should of released this in October. This is a Halloween movie. I already preordered this one on iTunes. Nice add to my movie collection. One of the best movies I’ve seen this year.

30. Frozen 2, grade B- = the movie was cute but the songs were not memorable and this is not a classic. Great animation though. Your kids will probably like it but I doubt will it become a family favorite.

31. Knives Out, grade B - = I liked this movie more until I realized it was just illegal immigrant propaganda. All the white people are greedy and self obsessed, while the illegal immigrant is selfless with a heart of gold. They should of kept the social commentary out. Hollyweird just can’t help themselves. This is a well made murder mystery with nice twists throughout and good acting. But movie goers don’t need preached too or bombarded with sneaky messages. We want to forget our troubles. The director must think we are stupid.

I won’t buy this movie.

P.S Just saw Frozen 2 = Almost the same thing. The good guys are nature loving Indians and the evil doer is white Anglican people. Like I said, Hollyweird just can’t help themselves. Why don’t they talk about how the Aztecs used to behead people in their ancient rituals.

And it's already such a mind f***. Why screw with the already great and complex narrative.

Such a weird combo. Good action movie but bad sequel

32. Dark Waters, grade A = the best movie I’ve seen this year. True story and scary as hell. It’s about Teflon poisoning. Basically DuPont made a dangerous chemical that it used in Teflon pots and pans. This chemical caused a whole bunch of cancers and thyroid problems. DuPont knew that this chemical was killing people and causing mutations but kept dumping it in the Ohio River anyway. This movie is about the lawyers fight to hold them accountable. Everyone needs to watch this movie. The dangerous chemical doesn’t degrade and is now in 99% of animal life. The people who drank the poisonous water are still developing cancers and dying. It’s a tragedy.

33. Richard Jewell, grade B =1 Clint Eastwood directed this and does a good job of describing the events of the man wrongly accused of bombing the Atlanta Olympics. This man was almost railroaded into confessesing to bombings that he never committed. Very sad movie. Kathy Bates plays his mom. I was at the Atlanta Olympic and it brought back a lot of memories.

34. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, B- or C+ = This movie is the hardest movie to rate. It’s not really bad but it’s not that good either. It’s serviceable. The problem is the plot. Every time they need to find something to continue on their journey through space, they conveniently find it. The solutions to their problems are so convenient and totally unreal. I know this is a Star Wars movie but there has to be some tension and believability. It sort of seems like an outline for a movie.Also, there are a ton of cameos in this movie and it seems like the movie relies on nostalgia too much. Plus, they give characters some love interests to add emotion but we don’t care about these people.
Now for the good. It’s a beautiful movie to look at and there are many different worlds they explore. Lots of big important questions get answered. The special effects are great and so is the action. But this isn’t a movie I would want to watch again and again and a Star Wars movie, it’s close to the bottom of my list. It’s on par with Solo.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, B+.
I was very relieved. Having read a lot online before hand I was expecting a dog's dinner of a mess. Overall, it wasn't bad...in fact, I'd say it has quite a lot that's good about it. After The Last Jedi, JJ had a real task on his hands to salvage something from this disappointing trilogy. Unfortunately he was left too much to fit into one film to make this a cohesive trilogy and tie up loose ends. As a result everything feels so rushed and crammed in. Far better than The Last Jedi. Possibly better than The Force Awakens. Too many coincidences, unnecessary McGuffins, pointless characters and too much reliance on nostalgia to be a great Star Wars film.
In my opinion far better than Solo: A Star Wars Story, but not as good as Rogue One.

I believe this should of been two movies too. Too much was squeezed into this time frame. I think the Last Jedi is my favorite.

35. Bombshell, grade C+ = this movie is about the sexual harassment scandal at FOX news which triggered the Me Too Movement. It’s not 100% true. There are made up characters. It’s choppy. One of the made up characters storyline played by Margot Robbie doesn’t even work. The best thing about this movie is Charlize Theron, who does a great job of playing Megan Kelly. She deserves awards. Nicole Kidman plays Gretchen Carlson. I didn’t buy her performance. John Lithgow gives a great performance as Roger Ailes.

The movie aimes to make FOX news look as bad as possible and is totally one sided. Hollywood hates FOX news because it’s conservative and beats the liberal news stations in the ratings consistently. I kept thinking where is the movie about Matt Lauer and NBC news? He raped women but Hollywood will never make a movie about that because it makes liberals look bad.

36. Little Women, grade B = there has never been a bad version of Little Women and this is no exception. This is the 4th movie version. It’s not my favorite version. It’s confusing. The timeline jumps around. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if events are taking place in the past or present. However, the director did that to make it different from the previous three versions and you get used it. It is still good. It’s well acted, beautiful to look act, and a solid family movie.

#TheNineWorthies – The 9 Best Movies of 2019
1. Shadow (Zhang Yimou) - In a word: Awesome
2. Pain and Glory (Pedro Almodovar) - Sublime
3. Tattoo of Revenge (Julian Hernandez) - Gorgeous
4. Domino (Brian De Palma) - Intense
5. Dragged Across Concrete (S. Craig Zahler) - Existential
6. The Legend of the Demon Cat (Chen Kaige) - Ravishing
7. Richard Jewell (Clint Eastwood) - Righteous
8. Sorry Angel (Christophe Honoré) - Cathartic
9. The Image Book (Jean-Luc Godard) - Liberating

Forget the #Oscars, here’s... the 2019 #JohnnieAwards

BEST PICTURE: SHADOW (Zhang Yimou)

BEST DIRECTOR: Julián Hernández (TATTOO OF REVENGE)

BEST ACTOR: Tory Kittles (DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE)

BEST ACTRESS: Vanessa Redgrave (MRS. LOWRY & SON)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: César Vicente (PAIN AND GLORY)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jennifer Carpenter (DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE (S. Craig Zahler)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: SHADOW (Zhang Yimou, Wei Li)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: TATTOO OF REVENGE (Alejandro Cantú)

BEST FILM EDITING: SHADOW (Zhou Xiaolin)

BEST MUSIC SCORE: DOMINO (Pino Donaggio)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: “Street Corner Felines” (written by S. Craig Zahler & Jeff Herriott, performed by The O’Jays) (DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE)

MOST ARTISTIC AND UNIQUE PRODUCTION DESIGN AND TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT: LEGEND OF THE DEMON CAT (Chen Kaige)

BEST ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: DOMINO (Brian De Palma)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: THE IMAGE BOOK (Jean-Luc Godard)

BEST ANIMATED FILM: BUNUEL AND THE LABYRINTH OF THE TURTLES (Salvador Simó Busom)

BEST GAY FILM: PAIN AND GLORY (Pedro Almodovar)

BEST FIRST FILM: SAUVAGE/WILD (Camille Vidal-Naquet)

Huh? Where did these come from?

Every year I “give out” my own awards to the best in film ... to little fanfare lol

Instead of watching Oscars, I ordered Pain and Glory on Amazon Prime. What a brave film. I loved the casting, acting and direction.

Kudos, to Julieta Serrano, who played the older mother. She was so good, I nearly cried for my grandma.

What a beautiful film.

The oscars are too political. I quit watching them long ago.

Have you seen, Pain and Glory?

Yes. Who would have thought that DePalma/Bunuel/Sirk-inspired Almodovar would achieve Renoir-like sublimity? It’s his late-career masterpiece.

I thought the same thing. Even the editing was done really well. Some great shots and I never asked myself, "What the hell are they trying to say here?"

Which is what I did with Judy, despite the brilliant performance.

Glad you liked it and responded to it! I hope you can catch up with the other films on my Best of the Year list and recipients of the #JohnnieAwards. I promise pleasures ahead!