Movies

Back to the Future – I watched it last month, but it is still great.  *****

Back to the Future Part 2 – In the midst of the internet’s love for BttF a week or so ago was some very strong hate for this movie.  I don’t get it.  Some of the effects look bad today, yes.  But the movie is a ton of fun and a necessary bridge between the first and third movies.  The fact that scenes riff on the first movie is not due to lack of imagination but a storytelling conceit.  I will agree that it spends a little too much time in 1955 and not enough time in the future, but it is still a great movie.  *****

Back to the Future Part 3 – Yup. I still love it. *****

My Cousin Vinny – This movie is just really well made.  It has a lot of good actors doing good work.  I don’t know what else to say, this is just a very good legal drama/comedy.  ****1/2

42 – I don’t remember how much I liked this movie when I saw it in theaters, but I would guess it loses some impact on the TV screen.  It is a fine telling of this story, with good performances all around, but it is also very easy to shut off.  ***1/2

The Martian – review here ****1/2

X-Men Days of Future Past – I remember liking this movie a lot, but watching it again, after seeing First Class and being really disappointed in how it held up, reinforced how much I like this movie.  It still has some strangeness, like how they recruit Quicksilver to bust out MAgneto but then he just disappears for the rest of the movie, but otherwise it is pretty great.  ****

Goosebumps – review here ***

The Addams Family – Such a great cast and such a funny, macabre movie. The pairing of Christopher Lloyd and Raul Julia is just too much fun to watch, and everyone else is great too.  There is only one reason not to recommend it: the sequel.  ****

Addams Family Values – This movie is just better than its predecessor in nearly every way. Maybe it has just a little too little Julia, but it makes up for it with more laughs and a more nutty Lloyd.  The kids a summer camp is just delightful and Joan Cusak’s character is a nice addition.  That rap that plays over the end credits, though, is impossibly terrible.  ****1/2

Centurion – This is a decent movie about a Roman Centurion in Britain starring Michael Fassbender.  It is an okay action movie, with a handful of Roman’s trying to get back to their fort after being stuck behind enemy lines after a battle with the Picts. It never really rises above being alright. It is fast moving, which keeps it entertaining, but it also keeps things really simple and there isn’t a lot of spectacle.  **1/2

TV

Flash – In its first month back on the air, Flash has picked up right where it left off.  There have been moments that seem to exist just to set up the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow series, but the rest has been solid.  The latest episode even ended with King Shark.  A live action King Shark. On TV.  This show is just he best.

Arrow – While it is the older show, Arrow seems to have taken a page from Flash with its tone so far.  They are moving away from the brooding attempts to emulate the Nolan Batman movies and are moving more into superhero fun.  It is a great development, as long as the long term plotting is better than last season’s.

Supergirl – It was only the pilot, a pilot that I took the dirty pirate route to watching a few months ago, but this show is still looking really good.  It has the perfect tone, being upbeat and hopeful instead of dour and brooding like DC’s movies.  Hopefully the rest of the show it this good, and gets rid of some of the clunky dialogue that seems to be the result of being a TV pilot.