Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame is the serviceable capstone on a decade's worth of serviceable movies worth billions of dollars. There are millions of superfans all around the world. And this is for them. This movie is 100% fan service. One last hurrah for the old guard of Avengers. I'm unfortunately not one of those superfans. I think I missed a lot of the references to the older films. I think they didn't have as much of an emotional impact for me because I am not attached to the characters and I don't recall the details of the old movies. The explanation of time travel from The Hulk is brushed over really quickly and I didn't catch it. But I think there are some significant plot holes that I'm willing to overlook. The movie runs way too long. There are a lot of subplots they could have cut out that serve only to prolong the movie. And to top it off, I fell asleep during the climactic battle scene. We can blame jet lag, but also, I have a tendency to fall asleep during battles.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

I don't even really remember anymore what I wanted to say about it. I saw it nearly a month ago. But I remember that I wasn't impressed. And I did not really like the ending.

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

In short, I didn't really like this movie. I fell asleep. It has its funny moments. There are some great scenes, like the one in which the religious leaders discuss the accuracy of the movie. There just aren't enough of them.  It really feels like a Coen Brothers movie. The humor is unusual and dry but fast and witty. But I just couldn't really get into it. The movie is loving depiction of Hollywood and the movie-making business. 

Sicario (2015)

This is a vivid portrayal of America's War on Drugs.  It is dark, disturbing, and, dare I say, hopeless.  When the FBI boss asks "Do you get the sense we're winning?" you understand the toll this War has taken on the country and its people.  This movie gives the kind of thrill that only the barren desert of the American southwest can give you.  The empty scenery isn't flashy.  It is a wasteland that inspires fear.  The masterful Roger Deakins frames some incredibly stunning shots. It kind of reminded me of Prisoners, another film worked on by Deakins.  It featured a different kind of darkness but some similar shots.

There are some excellent performances as well.  I think Benicio del Toro is exquisitely creepy and sufficiently mysterious.  In most scenes, he lurks in the background calm and cool.  But when it is his time to shine, he shows his full depth.  Emily Blunt, too, is great. I appreciate that the role of the FBI agent was cast as a woman, not conforming to the gender stereotype of men with guns.  

Everest (2015)

Everest is a film about torture.  These mountaineers inexplicably put themselves through misery for a steep $65,000 per summit. Climbing the highest mountain in the world does not look like fun. It is unbearably cold, the air is inhumanely thin, and everyone is perpetually exhausted.  I thought Jake Gyllenhaal would have a larger part in the movie, but he was hardly in it.  The visuals are incredible though.  You actually feel as miserable as the trekkers and you feel like you're on the side of the mountain.  You feel the snow pouring down as it becomes more difficult to breathe.  It is a truly immersive experience that probably would've been great in IMAX. Nothing ever goes right in the expedition doomed to fail.  It is a dangerous adventure disaster movie.  And it is done quite well. One of the scariest moments is crossing a ladder bridged across a deep crevasse in the ice.  It is a flimsy looking ladder and there is nothing protecting them from falling down into the depths.  The aerial shot over the bottomless pit is a dizzying visual.  These are some terrifying shots.