2022 MARCH MOVIE RANKINGS

What happens when you set out to watch roughly 17 movies a month? You get a ton of reviews.

Numbers like these haven’t been seen in such a long time. To that, my heart is full. I apologize for the lateness of this movie rankings, but the film set life swept me away for a bit.

March contained superheroes, Best Picture noms, and a walk down nostalgia lane. Just the right kind of hodgepodge. I will be sure to watch some newer releases come April (2022 is taking a bit to jumpstart with its films), but I hope that the marathons I post are worthy of intrigue. There’s more to come and I’m excited for you all to see what’s around the corner.

#14- “Superbabies: Baby Genuises 2”
25%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: The backstory of Kahuna could be its own movie and the look of this film is fairly iconic (at least it’s been ingrained in my mind).
Cons: Laughable plot, ludicrous ADR for babies, and a story that relies heavily on coincidence to explain things.

#13- “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D”
30%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Robert Rodriguez’s story is quite imaginative, with a world and characters that stick with you.
Cons: Horrendous visual effects, cheesy lines that will make you shake your head, and a rather cringe-worthy adventure all-in-all.

#12- “Don’t Look Up”
60%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Some funny moments, star-studded tale, and an interesting theme of selfishness is explored.
Cons: Obnoxious caricatures of characters plague the screen, political satire is not my cup of tea, and most humor falls flat.

#11- “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”
62%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Holds some humorous moments, and Michael Cera and Kat Dennings have fun chemistry.
Cons: The storyline and characters fit the box of early 2000’s teen rauch flicks, bordering the line of obnoxious and annoying. It doesn’t stand out and should have relied more on music.

#10- “West Side Story” (2021)
66%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Brilliant choreography and cinematography, solid performances, and some good songs.
Cons: The story is pretty silly (and the ending didn’t bode well with me), and I wasn’t as attached to the characters as I wanted to be.

#9- “The Shaggy Dog” (2006)
70%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Tim Allen is entertaining, quite a few funny moments (more than I expected), and it’s a harmless movie experience for the family to enjoy.
Cons: The story cuts a lot of corners to hasten the runtime (which in turn weakens the character development of Allen as an absent father, and acceptance of him turning into a dog).

#8- “The Power of the Dog”
72%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Strong performances (primarily from Benedict Cumberbatch), beautiful western landscapes, and a story that, while simple, is engaging.
Cons: The characters are unique, but I did not find myself invested in them. The drama that unfolds doesn’t really excite, and there were moments that left me puzzled. A lot of wandering in this one.

#7- “Piglet’s Big Movie”
74%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Solid animation, good voice acting, holds the Hundred Acre Wood charm, and has some nice songs by Carly Simon.
Cons: Follows the same beats as Winnie the Pooh flicks before it, fairly predictable, and doesn’t hit me as hard as their other movies I have reviewed.

#6- “Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase”
76%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Fun adventure for the Mystery Inc. gang, solid voice acting, and an iconic villain look.
Cons: The villain isn’t really active, the story is very short, and there is a montage sequence toward the end that is extended a bit too long.

#5- “Zathura: A Space Adventure”
85%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Highly entertaining, fun visuals that hold up for the most part, good message, and a nice contained story with strong direction (by Jon Favreau no doubt).
Cons: A Jumanji adjacent (though it’s written by the same author), some elements are silly, and a few of the performances can waver.

#5- “Drive My Car”
85%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Poetic in story and cinematography, engaging performances, and an interesting idea (and plot device of the play being put on).
Cons: Quite a bit of the theme/lesson between our lead characters went over my head (could have been my mind, or writing), leaving me not as connected to them as I wanted to be.

#4- “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996)
87%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Wonderful animation, great music, solid voice performances, awesome setting, good Christian undertones, and a rather beautiful story.
Cons: Not as iconic as the other Disney renaissance films (doesn’t stick with you as much).

#3- “Belfast”
88%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Great ensemble, fantastic music choices (Van Morrison is legendary), interesting backdrop/setting, and a nice slice of life movie that you can tell is personal.
Cons: I wasn’t wowed in the sense of Best Picture nominee.

#3- “Akeelah and the Bee”
88%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Strong theme/message, heartwarming story, solid acting, and all-around entertaining to watch.
Cons: There are some mushy/sappy moments (but what do you expect from a movie like this?)

#2- “Licorice Pizza”
90%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: I love the setting/look of this film, the music is fantastic, the leading chemistry works, it’s quite funny, and holds many fun moments that culminate to a satisfying conclusion.
Cons: Certain scenes didn’t land for me, and it’s an experience that you have to grow into liking more than anything.

#1- “The Batman” (2022)
94%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Fantastic cinematography, the best/most accurate Batman/Gotham we have seen, a thrilling story, great music score, killer performances, and an awesome viewing experience all-around.
Cons: The chemistry between Batman and Catwoman could’ve been stronger, and there were a few shots that I found laughable.

The Bat takes the prize of March, and will go on to face “The Princess Bride,” “Luca,” and the rest of the monthly winners to see if it has what it takes to be the next Movie of the Year.