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Mayday is a fun one. The premise is good, Ryan Reynolds brings exactly what you'd hope for, and the action is solid from start to finish. It's nothing crazy, but it'll keep your night more entertained than a lot of the movies out right now. If you need something fun and easy to watch, this is a good pick but not memorable.When a U.S. Navy pilot on a top-secret mission during the Cold War gets trapped behind enemy lines, his only chance at survival is to form an alliance with an eccentric ex-KGB agent."

This one was a bit PG for me, if that's the right way to put it — it just felt surface-level throughout. Adam Brody carries the concept well, but I think it could've been executed a lot better; the premise had more room to go darker or sharper than it actually does. Still, it's a solid film that passes the time. "A once-celebrated kid detective, now 31, continues to solve the same trivial mysteries between hangovers and bouts of self-pity. Until a naive client brings him his first 'adult' case, to find out who brutally murdered her boyfriend."

This one didn't come close to living up to expectations. The ending worked for me, but the acting was a real letdown across the board. Anne Hathaway felt miscast here, the role just didn't suit what she normally brings to the screen, and she never quite settled into it. The kids fared even worse, with performances that came across as annoying and cheesy rather than endearing. There was real potential in the premise, but the execution left it feeling like a bust. "A mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports a neighbourhood to someplace unknown. The Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognisable surroundings."

Not really sure why I watched this one, it just showed up on Disney+ after I finished the first, and I figured I'd see it through. Bad idea. This is a noticeably worse film than the original, which is saying something given how I felt about that one. "Mia (Anne Hathaway), still coming to terms with her life as a princess, graduates from Princeton. She returns to Genovia, and her best friend, Lilly (Heather Matarazzo), goes with her. When they arrive, Mia's grandmother (Julie Andrews) informs her that Mia cannot become queen unless she is married within 30 days. Nicholas Devereaux (Chris Pine) is one of her top suitors, though he is more interested in the crown than Mia. But when Nicholas realizes he loves Mia, he decides not to pursue her."

This 2001 classic didn't live up to whatever hype it had going in. Anne Hathaway is fine in the lead, but her character veers into annoying territory more often than not, and a lot of the supporting performances feel over the top. It just didn't land for me the way I think it's supposed to for most people. I wouldn't expect this to show up on anybody's favorites list, and if it's on yours, it might be worth reconsidering. "Shy San Francisco teenager Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is thrown for a loop when, from out of the blue, she learns the astonishing news that she's a real-life princess! As the heir apparent to the crown of the small European principality of Genovia, Mia begins a comical journey toward the throne when her strict and formidable grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews), shows up to give her "princess lessons."

Ryan Gosling's dynamic range was on full display even this early 2007 film It was a real showcase for what he could do. Lars is such a specific, strange premise (a delusional relationship with a life-size doll played completely straight by an entire town), and the film commits to it with real sincerity rather than playing it for cheap laughs. The plot and performances are genuinely good and unique, this isn't a "so bad it's good" watch, it's legitimately well made. That said, I wouldn't broadly recommend it. It's a niche film, and I think a lot of people will bounce off the premise before giving it a chance to earn its sincerity. If you're open to something quiet and odd, it's worth it — just don't expect mainstream appeal."Extremely shy Lars (Ryan Gosling) finds it impossible to make friends or socialize. His brother (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer) worry about him, so when he announces that he has a girlfriend he met on the Internet, they are overjoyed. But Lars' new lady is a life-size plastic woman. On the advice of a doctor (Patricia Clarkson), his family and the rest of the community go along with his delusion."

This 2004 movie is a great idea but terrible movie. The acting is some of the worst I've seen, and it drags the whole thing down. That said, it's not without its moments; there's some fun to be had here even as you're wincing at the delivery. It's the kind of movie where the concept does more work than the execution ever manages to. "Ever since her dad died, Sam's wicked stepmum has forced her to toil in the diner. Banned from the prom, she sneaks in wearing a mask to meet her dream guy, who she's been writing to on the internet. Will he accept her once he finds out her true identity?"

This 2006 film felt doomed to a bad review from the jump. It's a shame, because the plot has real potential. But the execution just doesn't deliver; the movie can't live up to the promise of its own premise. Good plot, poor movie, basically sums it up."After discovering they are all dating the same guy, three popular students from different cliques band together for revenge, so they enlist the help of a new gal in town and conspire to break the jerk's heart, while destroying his reputation."

This 2008 rom-com wasn't the most polished production, but it was still really enjoyable. It's filmed almost like it belongs to an earlier era, I was surprised to see the 2008 date pop up, since the visuals already felt a bit dated even at the time. The acting was solid and about what I expected from the genre: nothing revelatory, but everyone hit their marks. Overall, it's a solid, comfortable watch, not a movie that's trying to reinvent the rom-com formula, just one that executes the formula well enough to be genuinely fun. "Perennial bridesmaid Jane always puts the needs of others before her own, making her the go-to gal whenever someone needs help with wedding plans. So when Jane's younger sister Tess snags the man Jane secretly loves, Jane finds herself questioning her role as a wedding junkie for the first time in her life. Meanwhile, a handsome reporter sees Jane's unusual story as his ticket off the bridal beat."

I've been deep in 90s movies lately and most have held up surprisingly well — this wasn't one of them. Empire Records came with a bit of a cult reputation, so I went in with some expectations, and it just didn't deliver. The acting felt flat across the board, and the plot never really goes anywhere interesting. It's watchable enough as background noise, but I wouldn't put it anywhere near a must-watch list, especially compared to other 90s hangout movies that nail the same tight-knit-cast energy. Not one I'd recommend seeking out."Joe (Anthony LaPaglia) runs Empire Records, an independent Delaware store that employs a tight-knit group of music-savvy youths. Hearing that the shop may be sold to a big chain, slacker employee Lucas (Rory Cochrane) bets a chunk of the store's money, hoping to get a big return. When this plan fails, Empire Records falls into serious trouble, and the various other clerks, including lovely Corey (Liv Tyler) and gloomy Deb (Robin Tunney), must deal with the problem, among many other issues."

I'm honestly not sure why I keep watching Wes Anderson films at this point, because his style just isn't for me. That trademark whimsical tone comes across less like a deliberate artistic choice and more like intentionally stiff, bad acting to me. I've got one more of his films left on my watchlist, but after not clicking with his other work, I'm debating scrapping it altogether. "The year is 1965, and the residents of New Penzance, an island off the coast of New England, inhabit a community that seems untouched by some of the bad things going on in the rest of the world. Twelve-year-olds Sam and Suzy have fallen in love and decide to run away. But a violent storm is approaching the island, forcing a group of quirky adults to mobilize a search party and find the youths before calamity strikes"

This one reminded me a lot of It Follows — a solid horror-romance, but nothing I'd say is worth adding to your watchlist unless you are craving a thriller/horror. It felt like it was missing a fair amount of pieces along the way, but I did like how it wrapped up in the end. "Two teens try to escape from a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most."