In summary: you could do a lot worse than this movie for a dose of World War II history. Its attempts to overcome stereotypes and instead illuminate cultural differences are refreshing.
Bong Joon Ho's "SNOWPIERCER"
As a high concept sci-fi epic SNOWPIERCER takes the cake.
Doug Liman's EDGE OF TOMORROW
I was unprepared for how really good this movie is.
Stephen Sommers' “ODD THOMAS”
What makes the movie enjoyable despite its familiarity are the characters, the dialog, and some very well scripted action sequences.
Bryan Singer's X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
But with a movie like X-Men you get the sense that there is just too much of everything — too many characters, too many action scenes, too many speeches, too many forgettable details.
David Ayer's END OF WATCH
I have no idea how realistic END OF WATCH is but it’s easily the best cop movie I seen in many years.
Bille August's NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON
Every now and then I come across a gem via streaming Netflix. Night Train to Lisbon, directed by Bille August, is one such gem.
John Ford's “THEY WERE EXPENDABLE”
Compared with too many other World War II movies that came out of Hollywood during World War II THEY WERE EXPENDABLE is exceptional.
Disney's FROZEN
I put Frozen right up there, almost with Tangled, but with better music
Keanu Reeves' MAN OF TAI CHI
Keanu Reeves deserves praise for directing this film. The blend of serious action and engrossing story work extremely well here and raises this film way above the many run-of-the-mill fight films out there. Highly recommended.
Gavin Hood's ENDER'S GAME
The first half of ENDER’S GAME plays like every “raw recruit boot camp” movie you’ve ever seen, punctuated by sequences about paintball in zero gravity.
David Twohy's RIDDICK
If you want to see a tough guy with glowing eyes kick ass from dawn to dusk, this is the movie to see.
Christopher McQuarrie's JACK REACHER
Jack Reacher is another solid action film from Tom Cruise. It is well-written, tightly paced, and it has excellent photography and editing. Night-time photography is extremely well done with bright colors and clarity throughout.
Jean-Francois Laguionie's THE PAINTING
The Painting is simultaneously charming, enchanting, and entertaining. A group of characters in a painting are involved in a class struggle:
Eric Khoo's TATSUMI
Tatsumi is an adult animated film about the life and short stories of Yoshihiro Tatsumi who is often credited with starting a movement in Japan to publish adult-themed manga comics.
Kaneto Shindô's “HOKUSAI MANGA”
What a strange but interesting movie this is. It purports to tell the story of 19th century artist Hokusai who painted the world famous The Great Wave off Kanagawa. In the movie the artist also illustrates novels, argues with his daughter, and on the side paints what we now call pornography.
Alexa Gajic's “TECHNOTISE: EDIT & I”
Edit herself is an interesting mix of naïveté, intelligence, raw energy, and stubbornness. Why she hangs out with the losers she does is never fully explained but, taken together, they make up a very entertaining ride that has some of the most interesting technology animation this side of WALL•E.
Jon Wright's GRABBERS
Jon Write’s GRABBERS is a very entertaining monster movie comedy. The story elements are fairly standard: meteor plunges into sea, creature crawls ashore and terrorizes small town, townspeople gather to fight the menace. The way these elements are assembled is original, fun, and occasionally, quite charming.
Tommy Wirkola's HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS
Hansel and Gretel The Witch Hunters is a train wreck of a movie. You know something awful is happening but it’s hard to look away.
Francis Lawrence's THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
CATCHING FIRE is a roller coaster of a movie. We spend the first half in the station twiddling our thumbs while watching dumb things happen, then the bottom drops out and we careen down a long slope with an adrenaline rush.