JR'S TOP TEN FILMS
(2021 YEAR END EDITION)
"Good Old JR" Jim Rutkowski weighs in with his TOP FILMS of 202
1

CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE
(2021 YEAR END EDITION)
The "Big Tuna" Vito Carli weighs in with a Look at the Year in Film

 

ACADEMY AWARDS PREDICTIONS-2022 EDITION
2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Two Critics, 23 nominations with 38 total predictions for 2022


 

A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a worthy sequel that doesn’t reinvent or upstage the first."


 

A HERO
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...a stern cautionary tale about the fickleness of people and-social media"


 

AFTER YANG
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a profound film for the glass-half-full atheist"


 

APOLLO 10½: A SPACE-AGE CHILDHOOD
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"I cannot think of a better film that could be seen with the whole family..."


 

the AUTOMAT
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a slice of nostalgia as sweet and fluffy as a piece of-lemon meringue pie..."


 

the BATMAN
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...arguably the best superhero movie since Logan..."

 

BLACK ADAM
(*1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...Black Adam contains little that’s new, enervating, or interesting."


 

BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...emotionally bruising-is definitely worth sitting through..."


 

CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH
(***)-VITO CARLI

"... a film of exceedingly small, human pleasures..."


 

CODA
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"While-predictable, it has more resonance than many more original films..."


 

CRIMES OF THE FUTURE
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...a fitting last film-it serves as a summation of his (Cronenberg's) career..."


 

DR.STRANGE AND THE MULTI-VERSE OF MADNESS
(**½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...generally operates more on the level of self-pastiche than any real inspiration"


 

DON'T LOOK UP
(**½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...not as shrewd nor smart as it obviously think(s) it is"


 

DRIVE MY CAR
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...its patient storytelling is only matched by its temporal scope."

 

EMILY THE CRIMINAL
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...Plaza’s groundbreaking performance is a-career making thing of beauty"

 

ENCANTO
(***1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...thought-provoking and stimulating"

 

the ETERNALS
(**½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...a gutsy mess..."

 

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
(***1/2)-VITO CARLI

"...a truly original risk-taking cinematic gem..."

 

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...an all-out assault of metaphysical possibility"


 

the GRAY MAN
(**)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"The gears keep turning in a routine and predictable motion."


 

KING RICHARD
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...the film is not really about the girls so much as it is about the-God like dad."


 

LICORICE PIZZA
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...takes you back to a time when-anything was possible"


 

LIGHTYEAR
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"The best thing in Lightyear is the surprisingly mature story"


 

MOONAGE DAYDREAM
(***)-VITO CARLI

"The more normal/popular Bowie got the more conventional/boring he became..."


 

MOON KNIGHT (Marvel Universe limited series)
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...often entertaining, exciting and delightfully imaginative"


 

MORBIUS
(**)-VITO CARLI

"...a totally underwhelming mixture of the superhero and horror genre tropes..."


 

the MUNSTERS
(*½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...more of a train wreck viewing experience..."


 

NEPTUNE FROST
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...a veritable feast for both the eyes and ears"


 

NIGHTMARE ALLEY
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...reliably beautiful in its visuals-a lack of flair in the storytelling..."


 

NOPE
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...imaginative, thought provoking and exciting, but it feels a little too long."


 

the NORTHMAN
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...this film makes its characters as exotic, unknowable and brutal as possible..."


 

NO TIME TO DIE
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...destined to change how the franchise proceeds in the future"


 

PEARL: AN X-TRAORDINARY ORIGIN STORY
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...a cross between an old-melodrama and a traditional slasher horror film"


 

PISTOL
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...if you are a punk fan it is must see TV"


 

PREY
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...it smashes through a low bar with ease"


 

RRR
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...like taking that first breath of outside air after being cooped up all day..."


 

SANDMAN (DC Universe limited series)
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a heartfelt tale full of emotional depth and-an incredible amount of humanity..."


 

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
(**½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"... a spider’s web comic what-iffing its way through two and a half hours"


 

TAR
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...it's rare to see a cinematic character as-multidimensional as Lydia Tar"


 

THOR: LOVE & THUNDER
(**)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...veers from dark and dour tragedy to glib, dismissive comedy..."

 

TOP GUN: MAVERICK
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a better time than Top Gun — more nimble, more exciting, more soulful."

 

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...some of the best scenes and most memorable characters of the year"

 

TROLL
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a decent ride of large-scale action and near-misses..."

 

TURNING RED
(***1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...the broadness of anime to the usual bitter sweetness of a Pixar production"

 

WEDNESDAY (a Netflix limited series)
(**1/2)-VITO CARLI

"...hum drum and ordinary, with similar plotlines having been done better..."


 

WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...some inspired madness..."


 

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...a veritable feast for the eyes"


 

WEST SIDE STORY
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...a resplendent entertainment..."


 

WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY
(****)-VITO CARLI

"I've rarely enjoyed watching-people talk more on screen"


 

WOMAN KING
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...an inspiring tale of female autonomy and sisterhood"


 

X
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...finds clever ways to enliven and update a fairly formulaic plot..."

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