January to February 2018 Tomatometer Predictions

Tomatometer Guess: 31%.

Actual Score: 30%. Though derivative and a bit stale, Insidious: The Last Key is well made enough and has enough thrills to prevent it from being a complete disaster.

Tomatometer Guess: 70%.

Actual Score: 81%. Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut is a sharp, suspenseful, intriguing, and well-acted feature that shows that the talented writer shows no sign of losing his touch.

Tomatometer Guess: 86%. Coming at a time of great animosity towards the press, Steven Spielberg directs what looks like a very timely and thrilling film based on early reactions.

Actual Score: 88%. Well-Acted, Engrossing, and timely, The Post is another solid entry from Steven Spielberg.

Tomatometer Guess: 53%.

Actual Score: 58%. The Commuter is a slightly above average and entertaining if a bit silly, action film.

Tomatometer Guess: 51%. Based on the previews, Proud Mary looks to be aiming for a blaxploitation vibe. Whether it pays off or backfires will be interesting.

Actual Score: 12%. After seeing it myself, it's not hard to see why Sony was anything BUT proud of this boring, uninteresting, and generic action fick.

Tomatometer Guess: 90%. Based on reviews in the UK, Paddington 2 looks like a continuation of everything that made the first movie as charming and endearing as it was.

Actual Score: 100%. Paddington 2 is even more of a delight than the first film was. It has twice the laughs, humor, and heart of the first.

Tomatometer Guess: 62%.

Actual Score: 55%.

Tomatometer Guess: 48%. The next installment of The Maze Runner franchise hits theaters after delays caused by Dylan O'Brien being seriously injured on set.

Actual Score: 44%. The Maze Runner: The Death Cure is consistent with its predecessors in that it's a well-made action film with impressive action sequences but has a story that's middling at best.

Tomatometer Guess: 36%.

Actual Score: 9%. Not surprised with the score on this one. Despite having a talented cast, Winchester is DOA. The script is full of recycled horror movie cliches, an interesting, but poorly told backstory about the titular house, and it's a snooze.

Tomatometer Guess: 9%. The Final installment of the Fifty Shades trilogy is titled Fifty Shades Freed. Rather appropriate seeing as how after this, the actors forced to star in it and the audience forced to see it will be freed from its lack of quality and effort.

Actual Score: 11%. Fifty Shades Freed is an improvement over Fifty Shades Darker.....in the sense that Freed is a traditionally bad movie with bad writing and poor acting, whereas Darker was an incoherent slog with a nonexistent story.

All I can say is that I'm more than glad to be freed of this franchise.

Tomatometer Guess: 20%. It would take a rabbit's foot for this movie to be anything other than a generic and uninspired kids movie.

Actual Score: 59%. Peter Rabbit is surprisingly okay for what I originally thought it was going to be. Not much to say about this one.

Tomatometer Guess: 70%. Continuing his trend of making films based on true stories, Clint Eastwood directs the retelling of two veterans who prevented a terrorist attack on a train.

Actual Score: 24%. The first big disappointment of 2018 in my opinion. The decision to cast the real-life heroes who averted the attack is admirable in theory, but it's apparent that acting is not their strong suit. It doesn't help that the script is rather generic and predictable.

The last 10 minutes, in which the titular train attack happens is legitimately well done, but the first 75 minutes leading up to it are so boring, that it comes too late.

Overall, Eastwood would have been better off making a documentary about the heroes if he wanted to honor them.

Tomatometer Guess: 90%. The first MCU movie of 2018 (and last before Infinity War) tells the story about the legendary King of Wakanda himself, directed by Ryan Coogler.

Actual Score: 97%. Black Panther is everything I wanted it to be and more. The acting is solid from the entire cast, the action sequences are great, the villain is easily one of Marvel's best, the visuals are (mostly) on point, and the film's message is powerful and relevant for today.

Tomatometer Guess: 80%. Aardman's latest film looks like yet another exciting and heartfelt effort.

Actual Score: 81%.

Tomatometer Guess: 82%. After finding huge success with his directorial debut Ex Machina, Alex Garland returns with this sci-fi mystery.

Tomatometer Guess: 40%. Despite the trailer making me laugh and the talent of Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman, I'm less than optimistic for Game Night due to the people directing and writing it, whose last effort was 2015's Vacation.

Actual Score: 80%. A very pleasant surprise. Game Night is a zany, dark, and hilarious time at the movies.