BradWesley123's Movie Journal- February 2017

The Killing Fields is littered with numerous great scenes; thrilling and chilling in ways that only a real life story can be. Problem is, there's just too much bloat; I didn't really care about the stuff involving Waterston's character. It's a story we've seen before, rendering the first half a bit dull. The second half, focused on Ngor's struggles, is fantastic though, and exceeds largely do to Ngor's powerfully restrained performance. It captures a truthfulness that few real life stories can; he isn't a hero an action star, just a man trying to survive a living hell. This section makes the movie a vital viewing.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Actor- Haing S. Ngor
Best Editing- Jim Clark
Best Makeup
Best Sound

It does start a bit slowly, but once The Third Man starts moving, it really is a masterclass in filmmaking. It's thrilling, intriguing, surprisingly funny, and incredibly entertaining. A marvel in every department.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Picture
Best Director- Carol Reed
Best Supporting Actor- Orson Welles
Best Original Screenplay- Graham Greene and Alexander Korda
Best Cinematography- Robert Krasker
Best Score- Anton Karas
Best Costume Design- Ivy Baker
Best Production Design- Vincent Korda and Dario Simoni

The first half is a bit underwhelming, but The House on Telegraph Hill does come together to become an odd mystery/thriller. The script isn't particularly good, but the acting is top-notch; Cortese sells her character's fear and her anxiety brilliantly, and Basehart expertly conveys his character's eventual motivations (he's creepy throughout though).

Monthly Wesley AwardBest Actress- Valentina Cortese

There are a few decent scenes, mostly involving the non-troll characters, but Trolls is, at times, cringe-inducing in it's saccharine-ness. It is also poorly plotted and thinly written; it somehow feels too long at just 92 minutes. The voice cast is pretty solid though, Deschanel likely does the cast's best work, and a few of the musical bits don't cloy too hard, but it's just not even close to being enough to recommend.

An expert tale of power and political corruption, All the King's Men is an intelligent look the the lengths some will go to keep their power. While its power has possibly diminished over the years due to various acolyte films, it has become even more prophetic in its allusions to the rise of cults of personality. The supporting cast is great, especially McCambridge, but this really is Crawford's show, selling his character's decent into corruption and his inherent charisma; he makes you understand why someone would follow him. The side characters do get a bit in the way though, and a little more time getting inside of Crawford's head would've been appreciated, but the film is still gripping from beginning to end.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Supporting Actress- Mercedes McCambridge
Best Adapted Screenplay- Robert Rossen

Sometimes, when I'm watching a movie, I ask the question, "who is this for?"; Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is one such instance. The answer to that question is, likely, Tom Cruise's ego; even more than the original, the film really wants you to know what a "badass" he is, and how there is nothing and/or no one better than him. Or more masculine (he is THE!!! man). Problem is, Cruise seems checked here, and the character is written so fascinatingly dully. It's a, mostly, humorless, joyless film with no reason for being. The only times that the movie is at least watchable is when they give Cobie Smulders and/or Danika Yarosh something to do; had this been just they're movie, it probably wouldn't have been this boring.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Visual Effects
Worst Picture