Very low budget.  I’m a firm believer in less is more, but in this case, less is definitely less.

FF=5

A real throwback to the gung-ho military films of yore. I could see Gregory Peck in Aaron Eckhart’s role. It’s Saving Private Ryan crossed with Independence Day without the latter’s soap opera. Yes, there are holes and contrivances in the plot, and maybe too much of the esprit-de-corps thing for some of you, but don’t dwell on them. It’s an action flick. Sit back and go with it.

FF=0

A documentary about the singer-songwriter scene in the late 60s / early 70s after it migrated from Greenwich Village to LA. If you don’t like James Taylor, Carol King, Jackson Brown, and their kin, don’t bother. I have some of their stuff on my ipod and listen now and again. A fair amount of navel gazing, but it was also a break from the flamboyance and glitter that was invading the rock scene at the time. The film is a nice time capsule of a period I lived through and watched from afar.  Would have loved to have lived in Laurel Canyon then.

FF=0

Heard nothing good about this one, but figured, How bad can it be? Turns out, Pretty bad. But you make excuses for low budgets. Then came the ending. No excuse for that.  Avoid.  You will not get those 90 minutes back.

FF=4

If you saw the original “[REC],” there’s not much new here except more backstory.  The action picks up right after the first film (remade here as “Quarantine”) ends.  So, if you liked the first, you’ll like the sequel (which bears no relationship to “Quarantine 2”).

FF=3

A slacker/stoner movie with an alien as one of the slacker/stoners. Nothing particularly original or unpredictable, though it did offer some sly movie references. A good-natured film that doesn’t require much focus on the viewer’s part. The Pegg-Frost chemistry was effortless. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Maybe it’s a lot funnier if you’re stoned. I wasn’t.

FF=2

With such a frabjous cast I expected to be more engaged. Maybe it’s because Wall Street types seem so vacuous. I didn’t FF because I found it hard to follow. Maybe because I don’t understand derivatives and can’t fathom bundling debt, maybe because they presented no throughline character. You’ve got better ways to spend your time. (Low FF because I was hoping it would suddenly make sense.)

FF=0

I truly enjoyed this. It’s all preposterous, of course, but I’m adept at suspending disbelief, and I loved the look of this film. It’s well paced, great sets, the actors fit their parts. I especially liked Chris Evans as the skinny, pre-hunked Steve Rogers – he really and truly looked like a Simon & Kirby character. Only FF’d through the final fight scene since these bore me.

FF=1

I’ve always been more impressed with Cameron Diaz’s eyes than her acting abilities, but she owns this role. A predictable script (if a script about a gold-digging middle school teacher can be predictable) with some nice character touches, plus a good supporting cast. Engaging and not a terrible way to kill 90-some minutes.

FF=0

Caught the trailer and thought it worth a try. Glad I did. Has elements of “Leon the Professional” (a little girl imprints on a mystery man who has a cactus instead of a peace lily), lots of Korean Bieber hair and some really twisted villains. Most Asian fight scenes drag on and on; these are sharp and to the point. The final battle is truly spectacular.

FF=0