The Dark Crystal (1982)

★★★

The Dark Crystal is such a triumph of special effects and puppetry that it’s easy to ignore some of the weaknesses in its plot. Jim Henson dazzles with his creations and his imagination, but the bigger task of leading a large crew to bring his characters to life must have been exhausting. He exceeds all expectations. There is such a wide variety of creatures present here that he surpasses every other production in which has been involved. The worlds of the Muppets and Fraggles don’t compare to The Dark Crystal in terms of puppet execution.

Death Wish (2018)

★★

I don’t care if someone wants to remake a movie, just as long as the writers and directors can give me a reason why the movie was made other than to extract money from my wallet. It’s a waste of time when a remake uses the title and notoriety of an earlier movie while adding nothing new to the story. Case in point: Death Wish, a remake of the Charles Bronson original from 1974. That director Eli Roth is involved in this update isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that, given his devotion to horror and b-movies, he doesn’t generate much interest in the story. Whether it’s Hostel or The Green Inferno, we can look at an Eli Roth movie and know that it’s his. Not so with Death Wish, which has a predictable plot and contains laughable plot developments.

Annihilation (2018)

★★★½

There’s a moment towards the end of Annihilation when biologist Lena (Natalie Portman) enters unknown territory to face whatever lies ahead. Everything up to that point has defied everything she had known to be true. Reality has been altered in ways that should be impossible, but nevertheless her senses don’t lie to her. Slowly but surely, we understand just as she does what is happening around her. It’s frightening, yet that urge to know the truth is too strong to overcome. She takes those steps into the unknown because the stakes are too high. To turn away would leave questions unanswered in the short term, and certain extinction in the long term. Great science fiction movies reveal themselves subtly in this way. They build up the story, introduce the possibilities of where it can go, then leave us to discover how it all comes together. If the movie does not betray its internal logic, then that journey is fulfilled.

The 15:17 to Paris (2018)

★★★½

The arrival of The 15:17 to Paris couldn’t be any timelier. Pessimism flows out of Hollywood like a river of spoiled molasses. It’s gotten so thick that seeing a trailer featuring any number of arrogant stars induces a gag reflex. I will not discuss the larger issue of celebrity discontent in this space; that can be better discussed elsewhere. I will discuss how Clint Eastwood’s latest movie eschews casting conventions to deliver a product without the dead weight of superstardom dragging it down like an anchor. There is rage everywhere in the 24-hour news cycle, most of it delivered from C.N.N., M.S.N.B.C. and soapboxes being crushed by the pompous grandstanding of the likes of Madonna and Mark Ruffalo. Now comes Eastwood, to remind us that we don’t need to listen to them. There are better people out there with worthier things to say.

I Spit on Your Grave (2010)

zero stars

The fire started slowly and grew hotter and more intense as I Spit on Your Grave played out. It was an endurance test, orchestrated by filmmakers with questionable motives. Here is a remake that is every bit the movie its superior inspiration was accused of being, serving up improbabilities and clichés without any sort of noble purpose in mind. By the end of the movie, the fire had grown out of control, my blood boiling, putting to test all my efforts to continue watching. If I had stopped watching, I could not declare this the worst movie I’ve ever seen. I did finish and can therefore declare it so. I Spit on Your Grave is the worst movie I’ve ever seen.