2018 JULY MOVIE RANKINGS:

Now we’re chugging along (even though July has a track record for the biggest amount of reviews in a given calendar year for me). With an array of films including four Tom Cruise features, this July was surely a great one for reviewing (well…when not taking theatrical releases into account). I enjoyed reviewing all of these pictures, with quite a few holding rewatchability value. Read on and see who won the month!

#11- “Urban Cowboy” (1980)
40%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: The chemistry between the two leads was somewhat interesting, has its moments, and there’s somewhat decent acting.
Cons: The story drags its feet, focusing on drinking, dancing, and riding mechanical bulls within a bar with just about no excitement or thrills to be had.

#10- “Tomb Raider” (2018)
51%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Decent performances, great special effects, cool locations, and good cinematography.
Cons: Familiar story, lack of character development, bland villain, and feels like a set-up for a sequel.

#9- “Hangman” (2017)
58%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Interesting concept, entertaining, and some good acting.
Cons: Awful ending that sets up a sequel for no reason, most of the acting is phoned in (with a terrible performance from Karl Urban), and unbelievable accents from the leads.

#8- “2 Fast 2 Furious”
59%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Cool action sequences and car chases, and can be mindlessly entertaining to an extent.
Cons: It lacks substance (especially when compared to the first film), the acting is abysmal, and everything is underdeveloped from the characters to the story.

#7- “Risky Business” (1982)
78%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Solid performances, good cinematography, interesting concept, great chemistry between the two leads, and has some memorable moments.
Cons: Too much nudity and sex for my taste, and the ending was a bit too unrealistic.

#6- “I Can Only Imagine”
84%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Entertaining story, good acting, warm message, doesn’t try to be Hallmark, and has a satisfying journey/conclusion.
Cons: Predictable and there wasn’t much of a focus on Bart’s relationship with God, even though this is meant to be a religious flick centered around a Christian song.

#5- “Sicario: Day of the Soldado”
85%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Gripping performances, strong story, brutal action, has a fantastic third act, and awesome cinematography.
Cons: The first act was a bit hard to get through and the dialogue could’ve had more pulp and teeth.

#4- “Incredibles 2”
88%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Wonderful animation, cool action sequences, great voice acting, and an overall fun experience.
Cons: Predictable, with story beats and elements resembling that of the original.

#3- “Far and Away” (1992)
89%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Great chemistry between Cruise and Kidman, sprawling story, great atmosphere and cinematography, beautiful score, and humorous.
Cons: Plot elements were often predictable and there were moments of nitpick.

#3- “Baby Driver”
89%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Fantastic pacing and cinematography, cool music, solid acting, radical action sequences, phenomenal editing, and an entertaining story.
Cons: Almost zero character development, the relationship between Baby and Debora felt stretched/unrealistic towards the end, and somewhere in the third act the story lost steam.

#2- “Adaptation” (2002)
93%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Original, amazing performances, unpredictable, weird/inventive story structure, and just a refreshing film to watch in general.
Cons: The third act was less desirable than the first two, leading into a scenario that could’ve been done differently or scrapped outside of certain character development.

#1- “Rain Man”
95%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Emotional/heartwarming story, brilliant acting, engaging journey, wonderful ending, and great cinematography.
Cons: While Susanna was more of a plot device to create exposition/give Charlie someone to rationalize with, I didn’t care for her character too much.

Juicy Hall of Fame Inductee– “The Last Samurai” (2003)
96%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Beautiful cinematography and landscapes, fantastic score, stellar performances, great themes and messages, and creates a fresh story with an already familiar concept.
Cons: It can be predictable and like I said, it’s a familiar concept.

“Rain Man” is the winner of this month, and will face off against “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Darkest Hour” (2017), “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Dances with Wolves,” “Scarface,” and the rest of the Movie of the Months to decide who will be the next Movie of the Year!