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Movie reviews and ratings by two married people (Z)ach and (E)llen and their third wheel (J)ordan. Scroll for the latest reviews or check out our ratings table to find our favorites.
Monkey Man
The trailer made this look amazing, and it kind of was, until the third act, in which it just totally fell apart. Dev Patel was already a must watch actor, and for his directorial debut, this was an entertaining first attempt, with story elements that were very intriguing but just couldn't quite tie all together in a way that made sense. Look forward to what Dev does next.
-Z
Z 7.25
E 7.0
J 7.5
ZEJ 7.25
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
A fun throwback to the mid-2000s, when homophobia was still considered funny. The poor agedness of that aside, it's an enjoyable noir whodunnit, and attempts to be Tarantino-esque in terms of plot points and dialogue, featuring a brilliant performance from Robert Downey Jr. in the very first role out of his rehab stint, ushering in his comeback to becoming Iron Man. Definitely worth a watch if you're looking for something comedic and nostalgic.
-Z
Z 7.5
E 7.25
J N/A
~ZEJ 7.38
Green Room
Really cleverly written movie with almost no exposition, which was refreshing, and all of the characters felt real and humanized, despite more than half of them being Nazis. As much as I love Patrick Stewart, I didn't feel like he was right for this role. Felt out of place. There was some action sequences that didn't exactly make sense, especially whenever the dogs were involved. But overall really fun movie with full adrenaline for the final four-fifths, which is always fun.
-Z
Greenroom (2015) gets a 9.0 from me. Cool story, great visuals, and believable characters. Austin was right. Patrick Stewart does play a great villain. His calmness and professionalism was pretty effin unsettling. I struggled with this one, as i don't do super well with suspensful thrillers like this, but i felt all the suspense was important in the story and not just there to make me feel nervous. All in all, highly enjoyed the film, and ill probably never watch it again.
-Tony, Guest Rater & Official Tiebreaker
Z 8.5
E 8.5
J N/A
~ZEJ 8.5
Love Lies Bleeding
What an absolute ride. It has everything. Humor, guns, steroids, Ed Harris in an absolutely ridiculous wig that somehow makes sense, Dave Franco with the most unbelievable rat tail that somehow makes sense, an incredibly tight script and pacing with no wasted moments or filler, and pitch perfect performances by every actor involved. Totally unique. Loved every second of it.
-Z
Z 9.0
E 9.0
J 9.0
ZEJ 9.0
Origin
One of the most polarizing movies of 2023 for Ellen and I. It's underlying premise is really powerful, i.e. based on the nonfiction book Caste about how racism in America is actually an aspect of a caste system which is a global phenomenon and connects the black experience in America to persecution of the Jews and the untouchables in India. I struggled with it as a movie; however, as I found it slow and dramatic most of the time. Ellen was largely dialed in for the duration. It was considered a snub by some critics for the Oscars as it had no nominations but I can't say I disagree with the academy on this one.
-Z
Z 7.25
E 8.25
J N/A
~ZEJ 7.75
The Boy and the Heron
Visually beautiful per usual with Miyazaki but the story was not very unique per his prior work and didn't grab me very much. Pattinson's dub work was top notch. 8.25. Worth a watch but not Oscar worthy IMO.
-Z
