Vertigo

Why I chose to watch this…. No idea. I was looking at lists of old critically acclaimed movies and landed here. The premise is cool, and definitely gives you a very uneasy feeling as you watch. I will say my issues with the movie doesn’t come from its age, but how it seemed to drag. At times it almost seemed like you got 2 episodes to a TV show instead of a singular movie. That being said, you can see so many techniques and storytelling strategies that are still used today even though the movie is from 1958. I would recommend it to someone wanting to watch classics, but probably not one you need to run to Amazon Prime and watch.

-J

Z N/A
E N/A
J 8.75

~ZEJ 8.75

The LEGO Batman Movie

Now, I wasn’t expecting an obsession to be created off of watching this film. I could not tell you how pleasantly surprised I have been from a movie since Godzilla: Minus One. From the beginning I was laughing out loud and having a great time. The story is made for kids, but I thought it played very well to all audiences. Z is the one with a soft spot for all animation, but I have fallen under the Lego Spell. I will be watching the original Lego Movies now and hopefully looking forward to even more. A movie that reminds me of Shrek due to it being a kid movie, but very relatable to adults. If you have not seen it, I think you need to!

-J

Z N/A
E N/A
J 8.75

~ZEJ 8.75

The Greatest Game Ever Played

Golf, just an extremely riveting sport to most, but somehow some people seem to think it's boring. This is the first golf movie I have watched that does a really good job of making golf look ‘cool.’ I think it created some very electric moments that were cooler than some football or basketball scenes in movies. One of the problems is how corny it is. Like most (all) Disney sports movies, it just runs into issues of following these super predictable storylines and has some story lines they take no time on developing, but then expect you to care about these relationships. I think Shia LaBeouf and his young caddies Josh Flitters relationship was given some justice and I really did enjoy it. For a true story, it is a really cool story and I think it was worth telling!

-J

Z N/A
E N/A
J 7.5

~ZEJ 7.5

MoviePass, MovieCrash

Definitely felt a little bit like homework. I never had Movie Pass, and maybe that's why I don’t care that much, but I do love movies. I did really enjoy learning about how the business started, and it does make sense why it crashed, but I don’t know if it is documentary worthy. Now, I will be honest I have thought about getting the new Movie Pass, but overall this is something that is definitely not something that needs to be watched.

-J

Z N/A
E N/A
J 6.75

~ZEJ 6.75*

*This is a documentary and the score does not enter the ZEJ ratings table.

Edge of Tomorrow

Do I like Tom Cruise? Also, I feel like I understand the Emily Blunt love a lot more. I always avoided Tom and really never knew Emily, but they worked together quite well. I don’t know if it was the terrible movie poster or if it's just not my usual movie, but in my head I thought this was a terrible movie. Talking with Z and E they convinced me that it is great and deserved a watch. Is it the best action movie ever? No. Did I absolutely enjoy my time watching it? Yes. Now, the timeline does get a little loose in my opinion. Maybe it doesn’t matter how long this has been happening, but some of the scenes seemed like too much for me. Overall though, I think they played the concept well and kept me wondering how it would come together. If you are looking for a fun action movie and love the ‘Groundhogs Day’ genre, give this a watch!

-J

Z N/A
E N/A
J 8.0

~ZEJ 8.0

Madame Web

At no point in the movie was I ever like, wow, this has potential or this is kinda good... her power was interesting to me at one point but then I got confused again and the special effects on a few scenes were cool, but it's bad

-J

E and I usually save the bad movies for Jord but in the case of Madame Web, which seems to be a lock for the Razzies Worst Picture award, and Dakota Johnson may have fired her talent agency over, we had to make an exception, and, boy, did this exceed expectations.

I mean, when a movie delivers lines like:

“Don’t do dumb things.”

or

“Hope the spiders were worth it, mom.”

or improving the iconic Spider-Man line with:

“When you take on the responsibility, great power will come.”

How can that be considered bad?

I mean, sure, the villain in this is given absolutely zero backstory or explanation of who he is, and, yeah, the three “Spider-Women” who are teased the whole movie that they will get superpowers never do, and yes, Dakota Johnson seems to completely mailing it in the final scenes, but you can’t let those things get in the way of script-writing genius.

Limiting the titular character’s use of her powers to “Duck!” and running into the bad guy with a stolen vehicle, not once, but twice is just utter brilliance that will be difficult to replicate.

I won’t go as far as to call this a masterpiece, like The Room, but it comes darn close. 3/10. Must watch.

-Z

Z 3.0
E 3.75
J 4.0

ZEJ 3.58

Babes

A fun comedy, that in a rare space, was almost exactly what I thought it was going to be like. Definitely has it's funny and memorable parts, but also had it's extremely corny parts that just wasn't that funny to be honest. If you are looking for a fun movie to turn your brain off and get some laughs, then go for it. It may have even got me to watch Broad City, but no promises yet!

-J

Ilana Glazer is infectiously funny and Babes was no exception. Broad City is one of my favorite comedies and this was very much in that vein. Ilana and her IRL lifelong friend Michelle Buteau show off their exceptional chemistry and their womance in a variety of great gags. The ending definitely gets a bit Hallmarky, which E’s cold heart wasn’t here for, but this was a very fun time overall and great way to spend just under two hours. Definitely want to see more from Ilana.

-Z

Z 8.0
E 8.0
J 7.25

ZEJ 7.75

Mad Max 2 (1981)

So glad we hung in there for the sequel, as Mad Max 2 was exactly what I had come to expect from this universe. With just 16 lines of dialogue, Mel Gibson fully delivers on the iconic stoicism we see from Max in Fury Road. The formula here is essentially the same as Fury Road and Furiosa, but god is it a good formula. The action sequences are imaginative and as impressive as 1981 could deliver, I’m sure. Comparing this to Fury Road, my only complaint is that there is virtually no character development outside of Max himself. Both films were low on dialogue, obviously, but Fury Road managed to give you a lot of context and feeling for all the non-Max characters, as did Furiosa for that matter in a way that Mad Max 2 struggled to. Super fun movie - definitely would recommend for fans of Fury Road.

-Z

Z 8.5
E 7.75
J n/a

ZEJ 8.13

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Looking back, I actually ranked Fury Road the same score. I will say that I am most likely in the rare space that if they were to go head to head, I think that I will lean Furiosa. The thing about Furiosa and Fury Road is that they are very different movies, mostly in their storytelling. It is easy to get lost in the wild action, but I was more invested in the background of Furiosa than the journey of Fury Road. Now, I will say that I told Z and E that I could watch the action sequences for give or take 3 more hours with no issue, I do think the movie flirted with going a bit too long. The surprising limited time of Anya Taylor-Joy and the size of Chris Hemsworth’s nose may have you skeptical, but you have to get over it because the movie is fantastic. Overall, I know that Dune 2 exists, but I do think this is most likely going to be the movie with the best action sequences of the year

-J

When you’re highly anticipating a movie and it sucks, that is a low, horrific feeling. However; when you’re really worried about a movie, and it totally proves you wrong, that feeling is up there with… cancelled plans? Black Cat Ice Cream? I don’t know why I ever doubted George Miller, but the trailer just really was off-putting. It looked like they were just grabbing two Hollywood darlings, Hemsworth and Taylor-Joy, slap a ridiculous prosthetic nose on Thor, and going to ride their coattails. But the reality was, they were used somewhat sparingly in this, despite being the leads (SPOILER ALERT: you don’t even see Anya until the second half of the movie). And Chris’ unbelievable nose fades away to into his intoxicating performance as Dementus. Some roles you can tell, the actor just has a blast with, and my guy is having the time of his life with this one. Anya was really impressive as Furiosa too, commanding each scene she’s in and making a truly convincing younger version of Charlize Theron. Obviously it being a prequel to Fury Road, one could probably expect some potential rehashing of the previous movie’s plot points and mechanics, and that was the case here, ala the War Rig runs, but where they did re-tread that same ground, Miller added completely new elements into the mix that let him get away it. The action was a spectacle, as we could expect, and really just incredibly impressive all the stunts they pulled off in this. The pacing wasn’t quite right at times, as they broke this up into chapters that felt somewhat clunky, and the re-treading I mentioned puts this slightly below Fury Road in score, but the context this gives to that movie, the action and stunts, and the performances from Chris and Anya made this a excellent addition to the franchise and another commendable effort from George Miller.

-Z

Z 9.0
E 8.75
J 9.0

ZEJ 8.92

How to Have Sex

As I have said before, I am a fan of the coming of age films, even the ones that are a lot deeper than comedy. If you told me this was A24, I would have fully believed it. Great color contrasts, with cool transitions and a ‘vibey’ feel. Where a lot of people will complain about this movie is that it is slow, and a lot of casual watchers will say the annoying line ‘it was pointless.’ because it is very theme based compared to telling you the exact story. How it was filmed did make it seem like there was going to be some sort of mystery to it, but leaves no mystery to its end. I was very engaged in wanting to see where it was going to end up. I also thought Mia McKenna-Bruce (main actress) was great in it, as I have not seen another film with her in it. She even won the Bafta ‘Rising Star’ award over Jacob Elordi and Eyo Edebiri, which is crazy to think neither of them would have won. A movie worth watching, but it does have deep themes that are definitely not light hearted and fun.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 8.5

~ZEJ 8.5

The Last Stop in Yuma County

A true western standoff. It is a decently unique story that does create a ton of tension. It's not an Uncut Gems kind of anxiety, but enough to keep you glued to the screen. Also, another great perk of this film is that it is not very predictable. I found myself surprised many times through the short screen time. Now, I will say that it tried to create a lot of feeling towards the characters, but sadly they didn’t develop them nearly enough. I can think of multiple times that I should have felt a certain way, but found myself thinking that I really didn’t care enough to get the feeling that the movie is going for. Now with that all being said, if you like mystery and a movie full of tension, then this is for you. This movie will be extremely fun for some and a flop for others. A real Argyle situation, if you know what I mean. Sadly, it is not one of my favorite types of movies leading to a 7.5.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 7.5

~ZEJ 7.5

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes

As a lover of the original books, and enjoyer of the movies, I was pretty excited for this movie. Now, I enjoyed them so much that I never actually read this book and waited about 6/7 months to watch the movie, BUT I did get to the movie now. This movie definitely felt more cinematic. It is also the longest of the films, but was rushed for too much of the movie. This speed causes character development issues and creates some confusion in the timeline. Because of this, I think the movie takes a pretty big hit. Overall I liked it and I think Tom Blyth was great, but wish there was more of the building of the other characters. Maybe splitting this into 2 or even 3 movies could have worked, but a 7.75 is what we got!

-J

Z N/A
E N/A
J 7.75

~ZEJ 7.75

I Saw the TV Glow

One of the more confusing movies of the last year. Once the movie was finished, I had to double check with Z and E to make sure I wasn’t alone in being completely lost on the ending and what we just watched. Things I did know is that the cinematography alone would keep the movie at least an 8. Had some awesome scenes and effects, along with some visually captivating imagery. With that, I think when 10 people watch this, there will be 10 different interpretations. In some ways, that makes movies great, but I seemingly got stuck focusing on the wrong things. Was this a supernatural sci-fi film, or was this all telling a different story. After reading more on the movie, the themes are large and makes the story deeply saddening and paints the picture of what many people have to live through. A movie I was engaged in the entire time, but having to read about it to understand helps create the score I have. On a rewatch I think I would watch almost an entirely different movie, but right now I am scoring the movie I watched.

-J

We didn’t have any context for what this movie was really about until after we saw it, and without it, the ending was really unsatisfying. It felt like it was building to something really interesting, and then it just stopped. With the context, it makes the abrupt ending somewhat more forgivable, but movies can be good without context and still be a great metaphor. That said, I was dialed in the whole time, and this movie was really beautifully shot. Tremendous cinematography and some truly unsettling horror elements. Mr. Melancholy was uniquely horrifying and I really wanted more of that.

-Z

Z 8.0
E 8.25
J 8.5

ZEJ 8.25

Hundreds of Beavers

As of today (5/23) it is the best movie of 2024. Who knew you needed a live action Looney Tunes version of a video game, but we absolutely did. For what it is, a slapstick comedy, it may be perfect... but on the whole of all movies it is not quite there for me. For a no dialog movie, I laughed way more than anyone ever should. A must watch if you get the chance and looking forward to a rewatch!

-J

Ellen deemed Hundreds of Beavers worthy of a 10, just her third ever given, and I wholeheartedly agree. Jord chickened out on his 10, honestly, as Hundreds of Beavers is a PERFECT movie. I’m already daydreaming about re-watching it, and I HATE to re-watch movies. It’s so creative, so absurdly funny, and the nostalgia of my childhood cartoons and games made it feel so warm and familiar, despite the icy and inhospitable landscape showcased in the movie. We have been blessed with some very strong movies already in 2024, but as of this moment, Hundreds of Beavers edges out even Dune: Part Two for ZEJ’s top movie of 2024, and at 9.83, it has the second highest rating of all time, just behind the movie that started this website, EEAAO.

-Z

Do I feel a little uncomfortable giving a slapstick comedy that could be from the 30s with the art style of Blues Clues and Bear in the Big Blue House on cocaine a perfect 10/10? A little bit, yeah, but it just can’t be denied that this is a perfect film. It knew exactly what it wanted to be, and leaned into it as hard as it could. The visual gags were incredible, and it somehow felt like every bit escalated perfectly and paid off right when it should. I wasn’t sure how they were gonna fit a meaningful story into such an insane genre and artstyle, but they somehow did, and it was great. I was grinning ear to ear the entire ride. I didn’t know how they were going to start at 10 and never let up while keeping me from getting burned out on the gags, but I was glued to my seat the entire time. While everything about it seems like this movie should be horrible, it is the definition of delightful.

-Tony (guest rater and official tiebreaker of ZEJ Reviews)

Z 10.0
E 10.0
J 9.5

ZEJ 9.83

Mad Max (1979)

Having only seen Fury Road going into this, Mad Max (1979) is about as far removed from that as you can get, but it was certainly fascinating to see the origins. Ellen and I definitely struggled with comprehension, as the exposition was nonexistent and the audio mix so poor that the dialogue was almost inaudible. The latter two points make this almost unwatchable, but then the ending happens, and you suddenly realize why this franchise exists at all, and the spark of what’s to come keeps me just interested enough to watch the sequel, which I hear is much more akin to Fury Road.

-Z

Z 7.25
E 6.75
J n/a

ZEJ 7.0

Mad Max: Fury Road

With Furiosa on the horizon, we watched Fury Road for the 3rd time, which is saying something, as there are very few movies I'll re-watch these days. Re-confirmed that this is one of my all-time favorite movies. Fresh off of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, this anti-CGI masterpiece is an equally enveloping world, that I also just can't get enough of. The cinematography, the stuntwork and practical effects, the energy and insanity of the characters and story is just done at such a high level that I literally have an ear-to-ear grin from open to close. Only complaint, a very small one, is the flashbacks Max has, of this unknown girl, and the way it's done don't totally jive with the rest of the movie. It doesn't quite match the tone or pacing or even the quality frankly. Never seen any of the other movies in this franchise and after watching this again, I really need to.

-Z

Z 9.75
E 9.25
J 9.0

ZEJ 9.33

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

We are so back, baby! I love the reboot series of Planet of the Apes maybe as much as Jord loves the original series (and the reboot for that matter) and after seven long years we return to our beloved CGI ape-realm. After logging the scores from Jord's rewatch I learned that each of the reboot movies thus far has been nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Oscars and that feels so right, as Apes and Avatar have to be two of the best CGI-based franchises in existence. As far as Kingdom goes, I loved it, and it felt like a true continuation of the reboot trilogy. The world felt so real, as did all the characters. As Jord put it, something was missing, and it's hard to exactly put a finger on what that was. I think, despite it being 2 hours and 25 minutes, I wanted more. There's a lot of setup in this movie for the next two movies, and that maybe leaves you with not quite enough time with the different factions. Really excited to see where this goes.

-Z

Z 8.75
E 8.25
J 8.75

ZEJ 8.58

Fall Guy

Being as obsessed as I have been with Ryan Gosling, since my formative years with The Notebook, and taken to new heights with Barbie, I was very much looking forward to Fall Guy, but this just didn't quite have it. David Leitch's tone for his movies has definitely shifted a bit from the original John Wick to Deadpool 2 to Bullet Train, and Fall Guy shaped up to be perhaps the silliest of his movies yet, but this just wasn't funny, even though it desperately needed the humor to make it all fly. Leitch didn't write this; however, and as it was an ode to his stuntperson heritage, the stunts and action shown were top-notch as expected. The ending really suffered from a lack of logic, and made the whole movie unravel. I was entertained; however, despite the disappointment, and my eternal passion for Gosling has not changed. Your heroes are sometimes just stuck in mediocre movies, and it's not their fault.

-Z

Z 7.25
E 6.75
J 7.75

ZEJ 7.25

Snack Shack

Somehow has a decent amount of Challengers vibes! But I am a sucker for all coming of age movies like this, so 8 with a grain of salt. Some funny parts, but sadly the emotional parts are pretty easy to see coming. I really enjoyed it and will watch again once its streaming for free

-J

Z N/A
E N/A
J 8.0

~ZEJ 8.0

Argylle

Argyle

I actually enjoyed it until about the last 45 minutes. It is exactly what it seems like it is, but it was fun and it was interesting figuring out the mystery behind it. It ended asking "how unrealistic can we make it" and leaned into making it really corny. A bit too long, don't regret watching, a fun little turn your brain off movie.

-J

For a movie with a runtime that is 139 minutes, and is a decently C movie for the first hour and a half, the third act is some of the worst cinema I've ever seen, definitely since we started the spreadsheet. And the frustrating part is that it's so bad and every scene drags on for so long that that third act feels like the equivalent length of the first two acts combined. The fact that Jord rated this within a quarter point of Challengers is unforgivable. (Jord would later amend his 7.75 to 7.5)

-Z

Z 5.5
E 5.0
J 7.5

ZEJ 6.0