ACADEMY AWARDS PREDICTIONS-2019 EDITION
2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Three Critics, 23 nominations and 55 predictions for 2019

AD ASTRA
(***1/2-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...marries-big budget sci-fi with engaging ideas..."

AMAZING GRACE
(***½-VITO CARLI)
"It is hard to imagine any one doing a better job within this genre"

AVENGERS ENDGAME
(***½-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...here we are at the ending that’s not  an ending to a story that’s not a story."

BATMAN HUSH
(**½-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...they’ve tried to reinvent the wheel, and failed."

BATTLE ANGEL ALITA
(***-VITO CARLI)
"It seems like they ran out of time and tried to cram too much into the ending."

BEACH BUM
(***½-VITO CARLI)
"Rarely have I been so utterly captivated by a movie that has so little-quality"

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
(***½-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...it’s loaded with charm and always attentive to heart..."

CAPTAIN MARVEL
(***-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...it just doesn’t quite thrill as a superhero origin story"

CHICAGO EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL-2019
2018, 2017, 2016
March 8th to April 4th at the Siskel Film Center, Chicago Illinois

COLD WAR
(***½-VITO CARLI)
"...outclasses most of this years best picture Oscar nominees."

GLASS
(**-VITO CARLI)
"...much less impressive than the sum of its parts."

GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS
(**-VITO CARLI)
"...the ultimate embodiment of cheap American cultural appropriation..."

HARRIET
(***-VITO CARLI)
"... a substantial and engaging effort"

HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
(***½-VITO CARLI)
"...one of the goriest art films, or the most intelligent slasher film ever..."

HUSTLERS
(***-VITO CARLI)
"...one of the goriest art films, or the most intelligent slasher film ever..."

the IRISHMAN
(****-VITO CARLI)
"...one of the finest and most absorbing American films of the year"

IT: CHAPTER TWO
(**-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"When you’ve seen one toothy, slobbering demon, you’ve seen ‘em all..."

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3-PARABELLUM
(***-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"Buster Keaton returns-an update of the dangerous ways of physical comedy..."

JOJO RABBIT
(***½-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...the perfect film for these times as we-are fed lies about the other every day..."

JOKER
(*1/2-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...an attempt to seem edgy or dark but is ultimately defiantly mediocre at best..."

KNIVES OUT
(***1/2-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...balances moral conscience & black humor-within the murder mystery genre"

LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
(****-VITO CARLI)
"...captures the fragility and loneliness of human existence in a big city..."

LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART
(***-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...the film works-it simply doesn't work as well as it did the first time."

the LIGHTHOUSE
(***½-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...a hell of a trip"

LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE
(***-VITO CARLI)
"...a decent introduction to her work which is definitely worthy of exploration."

the LION KING
(**½-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...beautifully rendered as it is, there’s  a soulless, machine-generated feel to it"

MARY POPPINS RETURNS
(***-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...a blissfully genuine two hours of emotional uplift..."

MARRIAGE STORY
(***½-VITO CARLI)
"...a strong and impactful feature that is not always easy to watch"

MIDSOMMAR
(***-VITO CARLI)
"...nuclear families can be more horrific than vampires or serial killers...."

the MUSTANG
(***½-VITO CARLI)
"...marvelous and life affirming..."

OFFICIAL SECRETS
(***-VITO CARLI)
"...a smart and competent drama"

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
(**-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...made by a man who’s favorite thing to do is name check Charles Bronson..."

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
(***½-VITO CARLI)
"...watching a Tartantino film is-like communing with the old gods of cinema..."

PARASITE
(****-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...an explosive saga of deceit, gossip, impersonation, and ultimately, conquest..."

ROLLING THUNDER REVUE: A BOB DYLAN STORY
(***-VITO CARLI)
"...far from the definitive Dylan film, it is a still worthwhile viewing experience..."

REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN
(**-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...a blissfully genuine two hours of emotional uplift..."

SHAZAM!
(***½-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...turns the DC Extended Universe into a super-charged good time"

SPIDERMAN-FAR FROM HOME
(***-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...a quiet sojourn into the mind of a grieving teen reconciling what he’s seen."

STAN AND OLLIE
(***½-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...filmmakers pour a great deal of love into this movie"

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
(***-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...undeniably messy, sometimes frustrating but it has been made with skill..."

the SOUVENIR
(****-VITO CARLI)
"...arty and-wholly satisfying film..."

3 FROM HELL
(***½-VITO CARLI)
"....masterpiece within its genre but-most probably wouldn't appreciate its genre..."

UNDER THE SILVER MOON
(***½-VITO CARLI)
"...a deliriously fun ride for most of its duration..."

US
(***1/2-JIM RUTKOWSKI)
"...an expertly crafted cinematic hall of mirrors drenched in sinister-portent"

CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE-2019
Vito weighs in with Summation of the Year in Film

CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE-2019 MIDTERM EDITION
Vito weighs in with his Look at the Year in Film at the Mid-Term

CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE-BEST OF 2010s
Vito weighs in with his Look at the Decade of the 2010s in Film

TOP FILMS-2019
JR Picks his TOP Films of the Last Year

TOP FILMS-2019 MIDTERM EDITION
JR Picks his TOP Films of the Year for the First Half of the Yeat

TOP FILMS-DECADE OF 2010s
JR Picks his TOP Films of the Last Decade