“Asteroid City”

7.9

One word – bizarre.

That being said, it’s Wes Anderson at the height of his powers. The aesthetic is awe-inspiring, and the alien invasion amusing. The typical cast of this time different characters unveil a narrative that had the packed theater both tilting our heads in confusion and tossing them back in laughter in unison. A really enjoyable opening night experience at the theater.

“About My Father”

7.6

A much better than expected comedy!

The chemistry of the cast really surprised me with this one, with De Niro anchoring a lesser know, but equally effective troupe. The story is pretty straightforward. Almost an Uno reverse card play on the script of “Meet the Parents.” I found myself enjoying the genuine nature of the heartfelt moments that heavily impacted the punch of the laughs.

“The Flash”

7.5

I went in with low expectations. This film blew them away, ending up being far better than it had any right to be.

Ezra Miller’s performance is good in small doses, but is more than made up for by the Bruce Wayne’s and Sasha Calle as Supergirl. She is one of the castings I hope carries over into the new DCEU because of how fantastic she is in the role. Seeing Keaton suit up again as the caped crusader was like he never left somehow.

A very strange end to this phase of the DCEU, while also being a better multiverse movie than Marvel. Again. Marvel needs to stop trying to make the multiverse happen. It’s so not fetch.

Not the best superhero movie ever made, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t get me misty eyed a couple times and leave me thoroughly entertained. A sign of hope for things to come over at Warner Bros.

“National Lampoon’s Van Wilder”

7.7

“Worrying’s like a rocking chair. Gives you something to do, but doesn’t get you anywhere.”

This around the millennium renaissance of National Lampoon cinematic universe films were one of the wave peaks in comedic cinema. This is one of the strongest contenders.

Offensive? Absolutely. Inappropriate? Wildly. Still somehow delivers a heartfelt message about life and love and finding meaning? You bet. And with an amazing underground pop-rock soundtrack to boot!

“Nuclear Now”

7.2

What “An Inconvenient Truth” should have been. I suppose that’s what happens when you trust the messaging to an actual filmmaker. Alas, Oliver Stone nails it. A well balanced tone and narrative leads to a much more palatable presentation. The infographics especially helped illustrate the data in a way that seemed particularly impactful.

In short, it’s the story of how humans stumbled upon a discovery that could have either saved or destroyed us. Of course, we first used it to try and destroy ourselves, because that’s what we do. Then, we fumbled the bag when it came to using the positive possibilities presented by nuclear generation technology.