10. – HOTEL MUMBAI
Released on: March 29th
My Score: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
The opening night film at this year’s Omaha Film Festival was Hotel Mumbai starring Oscar nominated Dev Patel as a hotel worker trying to save his guests during the infamous 2008 terror attack.Armie Hammer plays a guest who I was pleased plays more than a stereotypical white savior role.Violent, tense, and soul crushing Hotel Mumbai isn’t the easiest film to watch, but it is entertaining.Based on a true story, I have no clue how real to life it is.But it is pulse pounding and a treat to watch.
Hotel Mumbai is available to rent now.
9. – IN THIS GRAY PLACE
Released on: June 21st
My Score: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
Another one from this year’s Omaha Film Festival.Yes, I am quoted in the trailer for this movie.(Freeze it at the 0:57 mark) But I liked it before my loose association.A man hides in a rest stop bathroom after a robbery gone wrong.What follows is a human story about loss and desperation.An original idea and a strong story, this is the kind of movie people ask for and rarely get.
In This Gray Place is streaming for free on Amazon Prime Video.
8. – THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK
Released on: January 18th
My Score: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
One of two movies on this list that I did not review on the show.The Standoff at Sparrow Creek tells the story of a former police officer turned militia member that interrogates his fellow members after a shooting at a police funeral.It has a whodunit, Reservoir Dogs sort of vibe to it.It keeps you guessing, can be violent, at 90 minutes doesn’t waste a lot of time.
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek is available to rent now.
7. – JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM
Released on: May 17th
My Score: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
The first of two Keanu Reeves movies on this list, John Wick 3 is essentially just Keanu Reeves killing people for two hours.But like the other two movies in the series, it works.Somehow and some way, it works.Some honest to goodness hall of fame movie fight sequences make John Wick 3 pure spectacle.Bright and colorful like cotton candy.And zero substance.Like cotton candy.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is in theaters now.
6. – APOLLO 11
Released on: March 1st
My Score: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
The documentary of the moon landing is unique from other versions in that there are no talking heads, there are no interviews, there is no narration.It is simply archival footage remastered and pieced together in chronological order, telling the tale of assembling the Apollo 11 crew all the way to the end of a 2-week quarantine following their safe arrival home.I’m sure a lot of us have seen a number of documentaries on NASA, the Apollo program, and the moon landing.Maybe you even watched it unfold live on TV.Trust me when I say this is the definitive Apollo 11 documentary going forward.
Apollo 11 is available for rent.It will debut on Hulu July 20th, the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
5. – HORROR NOIRE
Released on: February 1st
My Score: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes:100%
Horror Noire the only movie on this list to not receive a theatrical run.The documentary streaming exclusively on Shudder did not get reviewed on the show per say.It’s based on a book, and we did interview the author Dr. Robin Means-Coleman on the show.Horror Noire tells the history of black culture and horror movies.The two intertwine quite often.Black characters in horror movies have evolved immensely over the last hundred years.A fun, insightful, and unique documentary is a must watch for fans of Get Out, Tales from the Hood, and Blackula.
Horror Noire is streaming exclusively on Shudder.
4. – BOOKSMART
Released on: May 24th
My Score: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
I don’t champion a lot of the movies that I really really like.I kind of let everyone find things they like.People look to me and ask what’s out that’s good.I generally shrug my shoulders and don’t say much.I assume most people know what’s out, but am always shocked when inevitably someone follows up with “I don’t even know what’s out”.Doing this job, I’ve learned that most movies are mediocre.I see it, I forget about it the next day. They’re not bad, not good.They just are.They exist.For better or worse.Booksmart is not that movie.Booksmart is amazing.Two straight A students attempt to find a high school party on the last day of their senior year.Of course, hilarity ensues.This is the funniest movie on the list and deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.
Booksmart is in between its theatrical run and DVD release.
3. – TOY STORY 4
Released on: June 21st
My Score: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
The most recent movie on the list comes as no surprise.The Toy Story franchise is some of the most consistently good work at the multiplex.Has been since the first installment hit theaters in 1995.Toy Story 4 garners the biggest laughs of the series and is a shoo-in to be nominated for Best Animated Feature at next year’s Oscars.A movie that maybe doesn’t NEED to exist, but I’m glad it does.
Toy Story 4 is in theaters now.
2. – US
Released on: March 22nd
My Score: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
So far this year 15 movies have grossed $100 million dollars or more.Only one of them is a non-sequel based on a non-existent idea.Meaning it isn’t based on a comic book or a video game.That lone movie is Us.Director Jordan Peele’s follow up to the Academy Award winning Get Out.Us centers around a family vacationing and are attacked by their doppelgangers.A puzzle box of a film rewards multiple viewings dropping several Easter eggs throughout the movie.The ending didn’t work for every viewer but it did for me.Us cements Peele’s status as this generation’s Alfred Hitchcock.A phrase I mentioned in my original review, a phrase that I do not take lightly.After Get Out, Peele had the credibility to do anything he wanted, he doubled down on the horror genre and won big.
Us is available to rent now.
1. – AVENGERS: ENDGAME
Released on: April 26th
My Score: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
I mean, was there any other option?No other movie built itself up through 21 other films over the last decade.No other film had the payoff that Endgame had.No other film had the emotional gravitas of Endgame.I’m fairly sure Endgame won’t end 2019 in this slot.But I didn’t think Black Panther would either and it ended last year on top.Endgame capped off an unprecedented cinematic run.Something that had never really been attempted before.And it worked more times than not.Endgame was a three hour long spectacle that had the entire world talking.It is everything that’s good and bad about going to movies today.Every studio wants their Avengers-like franchise.Every studio is resurrecting anything it can think of in an attempt to woo theater goers the way Avengers does.We don’t go to these movies because they’re familiar.We go because they’re good.They’re well-made action spectacles with a human story.That’s what we want.It doesn’t seem that hard to figure out, but studios are scrambling to figure out what I just told you nonetheless.
Avengers: Endgame is still in theaters believe it or not. Now with an extra scene or two attached. It will be available on DVD/Blu-Ray on August 13th.