2018 DECEMBER MOVIE RANKINGS:

Another year is in the books people, and we are fastly approaching the new decade. December saw quite a good amount of reviews (when compared to months leading up to it), and overall I would say it was pretty fun and successful to watch unfold. The final movie of the month is unveiled, and the sixth annual Juicy Awards will be starting shortly, so sit back, curl up, and read on to find out who is the last competitor to join the race!

#7- “The House with a Clock in Its Walls”
61%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Nice set design, has entertaining moments, and the acting was okay.
Cons: While set in the 50s, the dialogue did not show any signs of it; the villain was weak (as well as his plan), the dynamic between Lewis and Tarby was confusing, and the story was just meh.

#6- “The Dead Pool”
68%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Had a young Jim Carrey and Liam Neeson, some decent action sequences, and entertaining.
Cons: There wasn’t much meat to the cool concept, the story execution was meh, and overall it just felt like a tired final outing for Inspector Harry Callahan.

#5- “The Enforcer”
69%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: There was good comradery between Callahan and his new partner, the performances are solid, and it is an entertaining watch all in all.
Cons: The villains were dull, the pacing was sluggish, and it felt like a big-budgeted TV movie.

#4- “Magnum Force”
78%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Solid cinematography, great score, interesting concept (rogue cop villains), and entertaining for the most part.
Cons: Some of the character development of Harry Callahan felt unnatural/unlike him, the ending wasn’t as climactic as I wanted it to be, and the execution of the story wasn’t as solid as the first outing.

#3- “Sudden Impact”
80%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Beautiful location, good acting, engaging story (towards the second act onward), cool cinematography (kudos to Mr. Eastwood in the director’s chair), and awesome action sequences.
Cons: The first act was pretty dull.

#3- “Mary Poppins Returns”
80%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Entertaining, fun for the family, pays homage to classic Disney, good performances, and has a few catchy songs.
Cons: It’s whimsical, musical nature causes the resolution to seem completely out of left field, and most character/story development is found only in song.

#2- “Ralph Breaks the Internet”
89%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Great animation, solid voice acting, funny, good follow-up in terms of story.
Cons: Familiar themes and plot devices compared to the first film.

#1- “Dirty Harry”
90%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Great anti-hero, awesome hero-villain rivalry (reminiscent of “Dark Knight” Joker-Batman), good acting, thrilling story, and cool conclusion.
Cons: Unnecessary nudity, some hokey dialogue, and slow moments.

Juicy Hall of Fame Inductee– “Schindler’s List” (600th review)
99%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Gripping story, brilliant acting, fantastic cinematography, impactful, and just about perfect when it comes to filmmaking.
Cons: A few minor nitpicks that are more technical than with story.

And so the official nominees for the 2018 Movie of the Year race are in: “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Darkest Hour” (2017), “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Dances with Wolves,” “Scarface,” “Rain Man,” “Shutter Island,” “Loving Vincent,” “Bad Times at the El Royale,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Dirty Harry.” Stay tuned for a Juicy Awards VI announcement!