X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Dangerously strays into “so bad, it’s good” territory that used to be a hallmark of goofy comic book movies pre-Batman. The cast deserves better than this schlocky, hammy approach to what is one of the more compelling Marvel characters. C’mon! He’s more than his claws!; C-

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; There aren’t very many perfect films. This may very well be one of them. Gorgeously shot, capturing stunning vistas along with two ridiculously talented leads playing off each other with screen scorching charisma. Every minute is a cinematic masterpiece; A+

Unfaithful

Unfaithful; Erotic thriller of a tryst gone off the rails, spiralling into the dissolving of a long married couple. Excellent performances and solid directing elevate the material above its unexplained motivations of the characters so that it becomes watchable and enticing despite its flaws; C+

Petit Jésus

Petit Jésus; What has potential to be a clever, introspective family dramedy or a hilarious, farcical comedy of errors, or both, instead settles into benign, harmless trifle that neither produces any big laughs nor pulls on any serious heartstrings. Mildly funny, mildly moving, mostly boring; D

The Hunger Games:The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes; Better than expected, yet still suffers from trying to find sympathy in an irredeemable character. It’s neat to see earlier versions of the Games, with fun takes from new cast members. Still grossly centered around child slaughter for sport; B-

X2

X2; Sequel knows key to X-Men success lies in Wolverine, and maintains focus on him and his backstory, while offering up some new mutants that explode off the screen. Some excellent set pieces and character combinations make for poignant dialogue exchanges filled w/allegory. Storm still sucks; B+

X-Men

X-Men; Great start to the film series, giving us a sense of the characters and their motivations, while keeping the moral allegories intact and underlying throughout. Centres on Wolverine, which is understandable given he’s always been the most popular mutant and Jackman doesn’t disappoint; B+

Slap Shot

Slap Shot; A relic of a bygone era that oddly has echoes of influence in our time. Sexism, homophobia, and rampant misogyny aside, the film certainly informed future comedies like Anchorman and Dodgeball. Difficulty distinguishing what’s parody and what’s sincere makes it a fascinating watch; B-