Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

The constant barrage of emotional moments is a bit much, but aside from that, I liked the tone of The Rise of Skywalker. There isn't a whole lot to the plot, but the characters are likeable and it looks good, which is about all I expect from a Star Wars movie.

I wasn't really into the first six movies, so I don't have any allegiance to what "Star Wars" is supposed to be. I did like the two new ones, though.

I can appreciate that it's a closing of the arc, but I didn't like how every 5 seconds they hit you with saying goodbye to another big character. There was also a constant barrage of triumphant moments. Somebody described the movie as being waterboarded. Sure you like water, but that's too much water. I kind of agree.

Leia looked kind of weird. I always like Rey's outfit, though. I liked the new droid, but it's kind of weird that they keep introducing new ones.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi doesn't do a lot to advance the plot considering the length of the movie, but it still feels pretty epic in places.

I didn't really know what Star Wars: The Last Jedi was going to be about before I saw it. I guess it's not really about much of anything. It definitely feels like a middle movie. I didn't like the old Star Wars movies, although I don't really remember them, so I should probably watch them again. But I do like the new ones.

This one seemed really "big," like it was a spectacle, and I was glad I saw it at the theater. There were a couple of times when the music went up and you felt the grandiosity of things, and it was nice.

I liked what they did with Kylo and Rey connecting. Kylo really is a lackluster villain, though. He always just seems whiny and weak. The entire First Order seems pretty hackneyed, especially that red-headed general they featured so much this time.

They went really heavy on the animals, with the big donkey horses, and the ice foxes, and the bird things. It just stood out, it didn't really blend well.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

There isn't a whole lot more to the plot of Fantastic Beasts than "the guy has to get his creatures back," but I do always like the world of Harry Potter, and it's interesting to see it in a different country, in the '20s, without Harry Potter or any kids at all. It's a pleasant starting point for the series.

Last movie of 2016, in which I saw eight more movies than 2015. Still didn't quite hit my goal of one a week. I'm glad I saw Fantastic Beasts in the theater, although a lot of the CG was slightly off. I wasn't expecting much, and it delivered on that; another one of those where it's pretty much all in the trailer. Newt was a likeable character. He reminded me of The Doctor, probably because of the hair, the blue coat, and being British. All of the characters were likeable, though, especially Queenie and Jacob.

Looper

There are a lot of plot holes in this movie. There are also a lot of prosthetics on Gordon-Levitt's face, which were rather distracting and unnecessary.

I liked a lot of the concepts presented here, and I really enjoyed the first part of the movie, when we got to see a bit of the Gibson-esque future. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. Some of the quiet moments didn't work, and the ending was unsatisfying.

I don't like Emily Blunt. She doesn't do anything for me. This is the first movie where I noticed Paul Dano, though, and I loved his character.

Red

I enjoyed it despite the fact that I'm not really a fan of Bruce Willis, and I think that says something.

Sherlock Holmes

Eagle Eye

Exceeded expectations. There were a couple things I'd never seen done before, and it kept me interested in the plot the whole time. At first I was disappointed with who was behind everything, but I gradually came to accept it. Michelle is pretty, and they couldn't possibly have found a cuter kid to play Sam. Roasario and Billy Bob were nice to see, too.

Havoc

This is worth watching for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's hilarious performance alone. Freddy Rodriguez is pretty distracting if you've ever watched Six Feet Under, though.

Gozu

This is really freaking bizarre, but what else do you expect out of Miike? It's also a fairly entertaining ride, and the ending is pretty funny.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Bah. All of the songs were abominable, and they spent way too much time singing them. I feel like there were 30 minutes of story, and another 90 of pointless singing.

I do love Burton's style, but most of it was almost too dark here. The actors were excellent and I suppose the ending wasn't too bad.

The Eye

Ugh. Pathetic. There are maybe two scary scenes in the entire movie. Probably a worthwhile watch if you like Ghost Whisperer.