Tikhon Gilson

Frankly, Cage's performance was underwhelming, all that makeup didn't help. The basic plot is "the devil made me do it " as Flip Wilson used to say. Creepy but not very original. Same reason my mom laughed all through Rosemary's Baby.

Like Godzilla Minus One, this movie uses a monster attack to throw characters together and have them form a relationship . A friendship this time, not a marriage. This movie ends sweetly, but not heroically.

If I said it's like Carpenter's the Thing minus all the blood, it would leave you in the dark. I'll just say it's about an ancient race of shapeshifters. The Irish forest is one of the chief antagonists. Great first effort by M Night Shyamalan's daughter. Good acting by all. Maybe ten minutes too long.

The cinematography alone should be up for an Oscar. Not many surprises for Mad Max fans, but Anya Taylor Joy should have her eyes insured. They dominate her face and any scene she's in. I've been a fan boy for her since The Witch.

This movie asks if intelligent apes and humans would be able to coexist. It doesn't answer the question but strongly hints that the answer would be no. The muscle power of apes, with human intelligence, is a strong temptation to enslave the humans. I gave it 4/5 stars only because of the dizzying CGI work. The character of the would-be King of All Apes is especially memorable. I also liked the ape clan that specialized in handling eagles.

In a word, WOW. This is the most intense war movie I've ever seen. It makes Apocalypse Now! and Hamburger Hill seem like garden parties. The theme, however, is the ethical dilemmas of embedded photojournalists. When the unit you're in starts committing war crimes, do you intervene or just snap the photo? The civil war itself may have been ripped from next year's headlines. It wouldn't take much for our current angry standoff to escalate into war as envisioned by Garland. Garland has done for war movies what he did for sci-fi in Ex Machina and Annihilation. That is, he set the bar high. On second viewing, there are 2 civil wars going on in Civil War. One is the Western Alliance vs. a President grabbing a third term of office. The other is white nationalist paramilitaries killing whoever they don't consider "100% American," that is white protestants. The latter has been going on for centuries.

The ending really made this movie. Paul Atreides throwing over his girlfriend Chani to marry the Emperor's daughter was sad, but typical medieval/imperial politics. It saved many lives.

The one that started it all. Godzilla minus one would have been impossible without this picture. I can understand why Toho issued a "minus color" version of G-1, to harmonize with this 1954 classic.