Movie Reviews

Here is the full list of movies I've reviewed, organized alphabetically within genres, with links to reviews. Our favorites are marked with a *. My reviews never include spoilers!

Suspense/Thriller
* The Accountant - clever, action-packed thriller
All Good Things - a creepy, psychological thriller based on true story
American Ultra - action-packed thriller with plenty of humor, about a stoner turned secret agent

* Before I Go To Sleep – psychological thriller based on the novel
Bridge of Spies - a quiet, suspenseful story based on real-life spy swap
* The Circle - taut suspenseful story of social media gone mad 

* Dark Places – another suspenseful thriller based on a Gillian Flynn novel
Extortion - taut thriller of family vacation gone wrong 
* Eye in the Sky - a powerful, thought-provoking story about modern warfare
Fracture 
* The Girl on the Train - dark, twisty thriller based on the best-selling novel

* Glass Onion - fun, eye-popping, suspenseful mystery with an all-star cast

Gone Girl – based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn

* Hours – set in New Orleans during Katrina
How It Ends - suspenseful, action-packed, thoughtful apocalypse movie  

* I See You - Unique and super-twisty

* Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Kingsman: The Secret Service – action-packed but uneven humorous spy thriller

The Lovebirds - action-packed thriller/comedy/romance

Lucky Number Slevin –twisty & suspenseful caper movie

Missing

A Most Wanted Man – Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s last film, adapted from John Le Carre novel

The Nice Guys - entertaining action/thriller with humor, set in the 1970's

* Nightcrawler – a suspenseful, creepy drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal

The November Man – starring Pierce Brosnan as ex-hitman hired for one last job
Ocean's 8 - all-female crew caper film

* Parasite - clever, funny, family drama that turns into a suspenseful thriller (winner: Best Picture)

Poltergeist – remake of the 80’s supernatural classic
* A Quiet Place - captivating family drama plus super suspense and 100% quiet

 * A Quiet Place, Part II - original, genre-busting movie as good as the original

Rebecca - remake of the classic novel/movie
Red Sparrow - twisty Russian spy thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence
Secret in Their Eyes

* Serenity - unique thriller with a twist
* Shaft 
* A Simple Favor - fun, twisty thriller with a great sense of humor
Spectre - the latest James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig

* Taken – first of Liam Neeson’s action-packed abduction trilogy

Taken 2 - ditto
* Taking Lives - dark, twisty thriller about killer who takes on victims' identities 

* Transsiberian - dark thriller on a train through Siberia

A Walk Among the Tombstones – Liam Neeson as an alcoholic PI

* We Own the Night  - dark story of two brothers on opposite sides of the law in NYC
* Widows

Drama

The Age of Adaline – love story about a woman who never ages

* Air

* Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.
* The Art of Racing in the Rain

Arthur Newman – a warm, funny (and strange) road trip
* Before I Fall - based on a YA novel, like Groundhog Day for teens 

* Boyhood – amazing Best Picture Oscar-winne, filmed over 12 years

The Cake Eaters – coming-of-age story about a disabled girl
* Captain Fantastic - warm, funny story of quirky family facing challenges
Carol - beautiful novel adaptation about forbidden love in 1952 

* Chef – food, music, comedy, fun – one of my faves of the year!
* Cloud Atlas - clever, complex, visually stunning film based on the novel

* CODA 
The Dressmaker - quirky drama filled with dark humor, based on a novel
* El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Every Day - unique teen love story
Everything, Everything - teen romance based on popular YA novel

* Find Me - warm, poignant movie with gorgeous settings

* Flora and Son 
* The Fundamentals of Caring - warm, funny story of friendship and hope  
Gold - suspenseful drama about real-life 80's gold prospector  

* Hector and the Search for Happiness – warm, funny & uplifting
* Hidden Figures - inspirational true story of black women behind the scenes at NASA

* Honey Boy - entertaining & moving film about a dysfunctional Hollywood childhood

* The Imitation Game – about Alan Turing who helped decode Enigma in WWII

* The Judge – legal drama starring Robert Duvall & Robert Downey, Jr.
* Lady Bird - tender, realistic, funny coming-of-age story 

* Leave No Trace - quiet, powerful movie about father-daughter relationship, set outdoors
The Legend of Tarzan - a new twist on the classic jungle adventure 

The Life Before Her Eyes – thoughtful story about aftermath of school shooting
* Lion

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things - teen time-loop movie with lots of fun & plenty of heart 

Me Before You - warm, sweet romance based on the novel by Jojo Moyes
*  Mr. Holmes - moving portrayal of an aging Holmes with dementia recalling his last case

* Nomadland - beautiful, gentle film about real-life modern nomads - won 6 Oscars
* Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 

* Palmer - poignant, uplifting movie about ex-con bonding with boy next door

* The Peanut Butter Falcon - wonderful! Original, heartwarming & funny 

The Power of the Dog - tense Western drama with emotional complexity (nominated for Best Picture)

* The Rainmaker - courtroom drama with all-star cast based on John Grisham novel 

Redwood Highway – aging grandma takes off on long-distance hike
Ricki and the Flash - fun, warm, musical, funny family drama
* ROOM - Suspenseful, heartwarming - based on the best-selling novel

The Spectacular Now – high school drama/comedy

* Still Alice – based on the novel about early-onset Alzheimer’s
* Stuck in Love - warm, funny atypical romcom about a family's loves 

Take Me Home – uplifting road trip movie

The Theory of Everything – about Stephen Hawking’s early life and ALS onset

Unbroken – based on Laura Hillenbrand’s best-selling book

* The Way  - warm, funny, uplifting story of personal growth on the trail

* Wild - starring Reese Witherspoon and based on the best-selling memoir

* Where the Crawdads Sing - Murder mystery/legal drama/love story/coming-of-age story set against a gorgeous natural backdrop

The Words – story within a story about a plagarizing author

Comedy

* The Big Sick - warm, funny romcom based on a true story  

Blow the Man Down - dark comedy in a Maine fishing village
* Edge of Seventeen

* Enola Holmes - action/adventure/mystery/comedy/romance about Sherlock's sister
* Game Night - unique thriller comedy with suspense and lots of laughs 
Going in Style - fun, heartwarming comedy about old guys robbing a bank - all-star cast

* Grandma - warm, funny, heartbreaking movie about eccentric grandma & her granddaughter

* Happiest Season - rom-com about lesbian couple and dysfunctional family
* Hello, My Name is Doris - warm, funny movie starring Sally Fields 

Holidate - rom-com where two single adults are sick of having no date for holidays
Hot Pursuit – light female cop-buddy movie 

* Hunt for the Wilderpeople - a favorite! New Zealand adventure with warmth and humor
*  If I Were You - fun, warm farce about infidelity

The Intern – light, warm, funny movie about 70-year old intern
* Knives Out
* Licorice Pizza - nostalgic coming-of-age comedy/drama set ion 1970's L.A. (nominated for Best Picture)

* Like Father

The Lost City - a light, fun adventure-romance 

* A Man Called Otto

* Moxie - fun, uplifting coming-of-age mother-daughter movie

Murder Mystery 

On the Rocks - warm, funny movie about marriage and a father-daughter relationship 
* St. Vincent – comedy drama starring Bill Murray

Scrooged – Bill Murray in a modern version of A Christmas Carol

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – light, fun, and full of joy
* Smart People 
Thin Ice - a comedy/crime caper starring Greg Kinnear and Alan Arkin

* This is Where I Leave You – warm, hilarious adaptation of the novel
Trainwreck - light, funny, raunchy romcom
A Walk in the Woods -  light, mildly funny movie based on Bill Bryson's book

Young Adult – dark, tragic comedy starring Charlize Theron

Sci Fi

* 12 Monkeys – post-apocalyptic time-travel thriller
* The Adam Project - heartwarming, funny, action-packed sci fi adventure

* Arrival - mind-bending, powerful movie about aliens, communication and being human  
Blade Runner - dark, classic sci fi thriller set in the future world of 2019!
Captain America: Civil War - Avengers movie - action-packed with a complex plot 

Chaos Walking - action/thriller on a different world, based on a YA novel

* Coherence  - quietly wonderful with twisty supernatural plot
* Ex Machina - thoughtful, suspenseful, highly-acclaimed sci fi thriller 
* Extinction - sci fi action-packed thriller with family drama
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald

* Finch - warm, funny, suspenseful drama set in a post-apocalyptic world

* Guardians of the Galaxy – fun, funny sci fi misfits save the universe

Lucy – sci fi action starring Scarlett Johansson who gets superpowers

Insurgent – based on the post-apocalyptic Divergent trilogy

* Interstellar – family drama in space, set in post-apocalyptic time

Jupiter Ascending - uneven action-packed space drama (no review)
Jurassic World - Jurassic Park sequel from 2015 - action, suspense, and thrills 

* Leave the World Behind

* The Martian – starring Matt Damon, based on the best-selling novel

Mockingjay, Part 1 – 3^rd based on post-apocalyptic trilogy, The Hunger Games
Mockingjay, Part 2 - action-packed conclusion to The Hunger Games series
* Passengers - long-term space journey goes awry - suspense, humor & romance

* Predestination – twisty time-travel movie
Project Almanac - fun, fast-paced story of teens who time travel
* Ready Player One - exciting, fast-paced virtual adventure with loads of 80's pop culture
* Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - prequel to the original Star Wars movie
* Star Trek Beyond - action-packed sci fi adventure with a sense of humor 

* Star Wars: The Force Awakens – continuation of the classic space epic saga
* Star Wars: The Last Jedi - excellent addition to the series  
* Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Under the Skin – alien life takes on human female form to prey on men

* The Vast of Night - teens in 50's-era town search for source of strange noise at night
War for the Planet of the Apes - action-packed suspense with poignancy & humor
* Wonder Woman - suspenseful & entertaining superhero movie

Musical
* Barbie

* Bohemian Rhapsody - moving, powerful, joyful story of Queen
The Greatest Showman - entertaining musical about P.T. Barnum
* La La Land - a joyful musical romance set in Hollywood
* Sing Street - a musical/comedy/drama about a group of teen boys who start a band in 1980's Dublin
* A Star Is Born - powerful musical with emotional depth and outstanding performances
* Yesterday
 

Family/Animated

The 500 Fingers of Dr. T – Dr. Seuss’s most bizarre creation, from 1952!

The Call of the Wild - Disney remake of classic Jack London wilderness adventure
* Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (1st movie) -  unique, fun, creative fantasy
The Incredibles 2 - clever, funny, action-packed, and lots of fun
*  The Jungle Book - live-action/CGI version of the classic favorite 

Shaun the Sheep – Claymation adventure of sheep by creators of Wallace and Gromit

Documentary

Twinsters - charming, warm story of two possibly long-lost sisters who find each other 
Up Heartbreak Hill­ – about Navajo teens deciding whether to leave the reservation

* Without a Home – award-winning, about homelessness