Movies of a Petite Aspie

Millicent Simmons and John Krasinski Director: John Krasinski Screenwriters: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for terror and some bloody images Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense Theatrical Release Date: April 6, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 95%   Clip: "Monopoly" A Quiet Place is unlike every horror movie you've ever seen or haven't seen because the trailer looked so God-awful.  I'll admit that I haven't always liked scary movies, and hated being forced to watch The Ring  with some high school friends.  But that was when I wouldn't even watch movies with lots of blood and such.  I've now grown into a person who's fully capable of watching all kinds of movies, no matter how grotesque or frightening.  But enough about me.  Quiet Place is something of a miracle, in that it accomplishes so much in the span on 90 m...

Chief and Atari (voices of Bryan Cranston and Koyu Rankin) Director/Screenwriter: Wes Anderson Voices of: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for  thematic elements and some violent images Genres: Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy Theatrical Release Date: April 13, 2018 (wide); currently in limited release Rotten Tomatoes Score : 92% Clip: "What's Your Favorite Food?" Isle of Dogs  is, in a way, a summation of director/writer Wes Anderson's cinematic works, from his first feature film,  Rushmore,  to the 2014 Oscar-winning The Grand Budapest Hotel .  All of Anderson's films are synonymous with a certain brand of eccentricity and creativity that is unique to him.  As varied as they are, even a casual filmgoer can easily spot a Wes Anderson film, whether it's animated or live-action -- and not just because he often enlists the same talent (such as actor Bill Murray and compos...

Nick Robinson and Katherine Langford Director: Greg Berlanti Screenwriters: Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker (based on the novel by Becky Albertalli) Starring: Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual references, language, and teen partying Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2018 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 92%   Clip: "Why Is Straight the Default?" Love, Simon  is a coming-of-age rom-com tailor-made for 21st-century teenagers.  And it just so happens that it's the first one that features a gay lead.  Based on the best-selling YA adult by Becky Albertalli, Simon directed by Greg Berlanti, who spearheads CW shows such as Arrow and The Flash , and written by This Is Us  scribes Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker. Berlanti, Berger, and Aptaker bring numerous pop culture and political references, which certainly helps to a...

Even though I have cut the cord -- which I don't regret in the slightest, as commercials are often annoying, to say the least -- I will make it a point to watch the 90th  Academy Awards ceremony this Sunday, March 4, 2018, at 8 p.m. (with red carpet coverage commencing at 6:30) on ABC, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the second year in a row. Free trials are available for YouTube TV, DirecTV now, and Hulu Live, but you have to remember to cancel the subscription once the trial period is over and, knowing me, I might  will probably forget.  This does prevent me from hosting an Oscar party, although my last one was three years ago.  So I'll most likely be crashing at my parents' house, which is usually where I spending my Sunday evenings.   I did manage to see many of this year's Oscar-nominated films -- and those that were snubbed, like Wonder Woman -- whether streaming, on my Roku, or in the theatre.  Below I have ranked every single one of these movies, ...

As I've done for the past I'm-not-sure-how-many years, I intend to watch every single Oscar-nominated film, even the shorts and song nominees (yes, that means 50 Shades).  I'm going to rank every single nominated performance based on my letter grade of that film.  I still have many more to see, which I will put under TBS (for To Be Seen), and will update the list as I see each film.  (Reviews to come later , if I have time) Ranking/Grades A -- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score, Visual Effects, Film Editing) A -- Inside Out (Animated Feature, Original Screenplay) A -- Room (Actress, Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay) A -- Brooklyn (Picture, Actress, ADapted Screenplay)   A -- Amy (Documentary Feature) A -- The Big Short (Director, Picture, Supporting Actor, Film Editing, Adapted Screenplay) A -- Shaun the Sheep Movie (Animated Feature)  A -- World of Tomorrow (Animated Short) A -- Shok (Live Action Short)...

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see every single Oscar-nominated movie, but I did my best.  Here, I rank all the ones I saw, including the live action shorts.  1. Whiplash - A 2. The Lego Movie - A 3. Boyhood - A 4. The Imitation Game - A 5. Feast - A 6. Gone Girl - A 7. Virunga - A 8. The Phone Call - A 9. Birdman - A- 10. The Grand Budapest Hotel - A- 11. Interstellar - A- 12. Guardians of the Galaxy - A- 13. Selma - A- 14. The Theory of Everything - A- 15. Still Alice - A- 16. Boogaloo and Graham - A- 17. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - A- 18. Nightcrawler - A- 19. Last Days in Vietnam - A- 20. American Sniper - B+ 21. X-Men: Days of Future Past - B+ 22. Big Hero 6 - B+ 23. Into the Woods - B+ 24. Two Days, One Night - B+ 25. Ida - B+ 26. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - B+ 27. Begin Again - B+ 28. Aya - B+ 29. The Boxtrolls - B+ 30. Citizenfour - B+ 31. Parvaneh - B+ 32. Finding Vivian Maier - B+ 33. Mr. Turner - B+ 34. Unbroken - B...

Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman   Director: Tom Hooper Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried Genre(s): Musical; Drama; Romance Release Date: December 25, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70% As Tom Hooper proved with his Oscar-winning film, The King's Speech , he is a very talented filmmaker.  His latest venture, the movie based on the hit musical Les Miserables , is ambitious -- to say the least.  I think he suceeds, for the most part.  Of course, I didn't see the film until after having read varying opinions about the movie: some, like Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwartzbaum , loathed it; others, like Dallas Morning News' Joy Tipping , loved it.  All of the people I had personally spoken about the movie had said, "It's great; you'll love it."  And, I suppose, opon further contemplation, I concur -- but I would not go so far as to say that it is perfect, because few films truly are. Going to see an epic movie...

Suraj Sharma Director: Ang Lee Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Tabu Genre(s): Science Fiction, Drama, Action/Adventure Release Date: November 21, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89% In Life of Pi , Oscar-winning director Ang Lee ( Brokeback Mountain ) proves that he is one of the most gifted filmmakers in Hollywood.  That is not to say that his latest endeavor, one of the few recent 3D flicks that was actually filmed in 3D [as opposed to converted to 3D in post-production], is a "masterpiece" -- that one word implies so much.  Visually, it is a masterpiece, and I did not regret spending a few dollars more for the added experienced of that third dimension.  The rest of the film is not perfect, to be sure, but Lee takes what was deemed an "unfilmable" novel and makes it into a profound, entertaining, and at times heart-wrenching epic film. Life of Pi is meant to be a family film, and it probably does appeal to children; yet, it pushes t...