A brilliant film. I was, frankly, surprised by the divisive reviews. I am not sure if people were caught off guard because this was "supposed" to be a comic book movie. The previews evoke, in the most obvious ways, the inspiration of the story. It is not Batman, it is Taxi Driver and the King of Comedy. This is a character study that I, respectfully, think it is not supposed to be grand social commentary. It is blunt, raw and real. It is roughly two hours of watching one of the big screen's finest actors showcase his abilities. I suspect the one universal for this film is that it is maybe not exactly what you expected, but it stands out as a triumph. The performance is this film's centerpiece without a doubt. A man who is different by a stroke of bad fortune both biological and largely social. The system does not really hate him for it, but it doesn't care for him. This is established in a matter of fact way. The world is broken. The narrative works because its all the character needs. I am not sure more is expected. Gotham is not some distance far away it's the heart of urban America right now, against the gritty backdrop of yesterday. I think this is the brilliance of the movie. You parachute into a world you already know and watch the fierce reality of how it breaks people. No one in this movie gets your sympathy. Everyone simply gets what they deserve.

Escape Room feels like watching part 3 or 4 of a franchise where everyone starts noting the formula and idea has lost its edge. The idea is interesting and there's some clever twists and turns. This is really a more PG version of Saw with no moral compass. Ultimately, the movie went too big out of the gate. The story was way too elbaorte and far too much was revealed about the orchestrators of this torture world. Saw was brilliant because of what it pulled off in a single room. Escape Room fast forwards past the opening introductions to a good premise into the overblown attempts to keep it relevant. A pity, because it will very much limit future sequels, perhaps they could go with prequels to a simpler time and less intricate traps. The actors did a reasonable job in their setting, rising above mere fodder for the machine. The sound track added to the film and the visuals were enjoyable rather than distracting. Overall a neat premise but really held back by missteps in scope and over explanation. Audiences do not need much why with this type of premise, it's all in the how.

A whimsical slice of sci-fi adventure. Reasonable acting and the polished visuals we all expect from Spielberg. I suspect I would have given it less stars if I wasn't fond of the 80s and 90s childhood experience. For better or worse the film draws extensively on childhood tropes and memories of that era. I think it would be a solid film without that notstalgia, but if that is your flavour of childhood wonder, you'll really enjoy Ready Player One. The acting overall was okay. The villain was vanilla and I am not sure the script gives the emotional range needed for the protagonists to shine. What the film does do right though is that it is emmersive and fun. Oasis is believable and the rules of this not so far away future internally work, well enough at least. The visuals are pretty and can go way over the top without being disruptive to the flow and tempo of the movie. It spoils little to say the movie is basically watching an 80s video game unfold. This combined with a thorough PG tone maybe limits the film's emotional pay off but I think it just made it more fun. This is movie that did fun well. A worthwhile watch and highly recommended for anyone whose inner child craves a flash back to their favourite 80s and 90s nostalgia.

This film predictably recycles all the tropes of a buddy action comedy. I think it was decidedly average on the strength of Samuel L Jackson and Ryan Reynolds' banter alone. There are certainly some high points in that exchange, but not as much as I hoped. I think Reynolds character was a little limp when set against Samuel L Jackson. The movie really comes apart outside of the buddy focal point. Let's be honest, expectations were not terribly high. The movie is delivering on a "oh that's a neat pairing" setup. This went a long way, but it was not nearly enough to salvage this into a good movie. The plot is painful, the action sequences are too gimmicky and it is way too long. The final 20-30 minutes is unnecessary. The action sequences are also somehow both too edgy and too dated. The movie falls into a painful trap of out-doing their own twists for, what feels like, three hours. The result is a painful mess you stop wanting to watch. I am not sure I can remember the name of even one of the supporting characters, I remember nothing of the sound track or much beyond the opening action sequence. In other words, the movie is bereft of anything other than some funny banter between two actors that are at home in this genre. A pity, really.