Reviews

Watching Galaxy Quest in 2022 feels great. It walks a fine line of poignant satire of classic sci-fi TV shows (Star Trek in particular), while also being respectful of the subject. Most importantly however, it's nice to see Hollywood being grateful to its fans for a change. The hero of the movie is a super fan, which is a nice touch. The cast is awesome from top to bottom, Tim Allen is at his best, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman are of course iconic, and Sam Rockwell steals every scene like he always does. Despite the final PG rating the parody never feels dumbed down. Any fan of science fiction can both laugh at, and appreciate Galaxy Quest.

Rain Man was the movie that taught me what autism was when I first watched it two decades ago. Revisiting it today, it's still every bit as touching as I remember it being though I know recognize what a great story it is. Tom Cruise has an underappreciated role as Charlie, whose arc as man who starts the film selfish, narcissistic, and bitter, learns what truly matters in life and begins to understand humility and compassion. The man of the hour award however, absolutely goes to Dustin Hoffman as Ray. He nails the idiosyncrasies and finer details of autism, a brilliant mind that struggles with the simple functions of emotion and daily life that most of us take for granted. The ending isn't necessarily happy, or sad...it's just real. Seeing Charlie say goodbye to Ray is heartbreaking, but as a viewer you know that he has changed enough that he won't forget or abandon his newfound brother. While small elements of the first act feel a tad dated and/or contrived, it's a very minor complaint when stacked against the whole, especially when Levinson and company stick the landing so perfectly. This is a movie everyone needs to see at least once in their life.

Outbreak was a scary movie when I watched it as a kid more than 20 years ago, but after the pandemic it seemed even more unsettling as an adult. It's a compelling story, where the real antagonist is an unseen enemy that causes those in power to become reactionary and dangerous. The cast is stellar, and it still looks great to this day, with some great helicopter scenes and harrowing battles with a communicable disease. The parts where you have to suspend your disbelief come mainly in the third act, where the heroes are able to evade the military with relative ease, and the triumphant victory feels just a little too neat and tidy. Otherwise, Outbreak is still worth a watch in 2022.

Prey is not the best Predator movie in the franchise, but it isn't the worst either. The stripped back story and setting lend themselves well to the universe. The cinematography is great, as is the action and gore.

The acting is passable, but nothing exceptional. The predator itself looks really cool, though how it gets defeated requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. Fan service moments fall flat, and the over reliance on CGI is very immersion breaking, with the exception of one awesome scene where the predator fights a bear. Overall, Prey is worth seeing for its setpieces and great action, but won't set the world on fire the way the original film did.

This movie is just so cool. It looks great, and Sam Rockwell gives a commanding performance(s). It makes for some great conversation as well, about cloning and the manufacture of memories. At times it can be a little unnecessarily confusing, but it's good enough to warrant multiple viewings for clarity and coming from someone who doesn't usually rewatch things, that's a compliment.

The biggest thing this movie has going for it is that is considerably better than the last one. However, it's still a mess with a plot that's way too convulted for its own good. It doubles down on the possessed family members, follows a love triangle, and has the evil force beaten by going back in time to change the natural course of events. It's all a bit messy, but still a lot more fun that other Amityville films.