Ted's Movie Reviews

Ted's Movie Reviews - Top 10 by Year

| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |

2023

1. Oppenheimer, A, strong performances, story, and characters
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, A-, another great take, but can it hold up?
3. Poor Things, A-, bizarre, dirty, dark, funny, but interesting
4. The Flash, A-, genuinely funny and amazing DC superhero movie
5. Ferrari, A-, good movie and performances, but weak lead
6. Wonka, A-, good fun family movie, almost too light
7. American Fiction, A-, clever setup doesn't fully pay off
8. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, A-, overly long and busy part one, but exciting
9. Polite Society, A-, not everything works, but a great, fun effort
10. Dream Scenario, A-, great concept kind of unravels at the end

2022

1. Top Gun: Maverick, A-, satisfying sequel, but overly focused on Maverick
2. She Said, A-, strong newspaper story, but so-so execution
3. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, A-, strong characters, fun plot, some weak villains
4. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, A-, neat concept and character loses a little steam
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once, B+, inventive and entertaining, but sometimes sloppy
6. Wakanda Forever, B+, good action movie, but weak on characters
7. The Fabelmans, B+, personal story of a pretty average family
8. Lightyear, B+, some interesting themes, but still formulaic
9. Glass Onion, B+, fun movie and cast, but too much exposition
10. Death on the Nile, B+, enjoyable mystery, still not that engaging

2021

1. West Side Story, A, a new and improved version of a classic musical
2. Raya and the Last Dragon, A, good adventure story with strong themes
3. The French Dispatch, A, a nice trip to Wes Anderson's version of Europe
4. Cruella, A, fun caper movie with a more complex Cruella
5. Summer of Soul, A, great time capsule of history, music, and culture
6. Dune, A-, very impressive beginning with a strong cast
7. CODA, A-, nice coming of age movie with solid performances
8. The Sparks Brothers, A-, interesting look at a very creative cult band
9. Belfast, B+, heartfelt portrait of a rough period, needs plot
10. Free Guy, B+, fun, funny action movie about a video game

2020

1. Hamilton, A, amazing music, performances, and story
2. Nomadland, A-, very slow-moving character study about people
3. The Outpost, A-, intense story of an ill-fated base in Afghanistan
4. Mulan, A-, live action works better for this strong character
5. Superman: Man of Tomorrow, A-, surprisingly solid DC animated feature
6. The Trial of the Chicago Seven, A-, entertaining story, but without much impact
7. Soul, B+, fun, imaginative movie and characters, weak ending
8. Tenet, B+, very confusing, maybe nonsense, but exciting
9. American Utopia, B+, fun concert movie, but kind of weird and sparse
10. Onward, B+, not Pixar at their best, but a good buddy movie

2019

1. Toy Story 4, A, great movie with a message about midlife
2. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, A, satisfying ending to an uneven trilogy
3. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, A-, a fitting conclusion for a strong series
4. Knives Out, A-, fun whodunnit with a fine cast and story
5. Avengers: Endgame, A-, a strong finish for a very long series
6. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, A-, nice, but fictionalized, story about Mr. Rogers
7. Yesterday, A-, great concept, funny, and good performances
8. Ad Astra, A-, weird and interesting, looks cool
9. Apollo 11, A-, highlights of the moon mission without narration
10. 1917, A-, good war movie from a soldier's perspective

2018

1. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, A, six beautiful, well-crafted short stories
2. Free Solo, A, fascinating story about an amazing feat
3. Black Panther, A, pays off in ways most superhero movies can't
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, A, cool animation, complex characters and story, fun
5. Paddington 2, A-, fun movie for kids and adults, good lessons
6. The Favourite, A-, classic royal intrigue with a dollop of sex
7. Smallfoot, A-, makes some winning choices in telling its story
8. Roma, A-, classic art film is a little slow but rewarding
9. Mission: Impossible - Fallout, A-, well made action movie with all the usual stuff
10. The Biggest Little Farm, A-, neat documentary about trying to farm sustainably

2017

1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, A, great acting, story, and character development
2. Marshall, A, strong performances, courtroom drama, and history
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, A-, little plot, but great characters and humor
4. The Shape of Water, A-, offbeat, but original, with high production values
5. Wind River, A-, well made procedural in a bleak setting
6. Thor: Ragnarok, A-, surprisingly funny and entertaining action movie
7. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, A-, great concept and cast make for a fun movie
8. Phantom Thread, A-, beautifully made movie, but kind of odd
9. Lady Bird, B+, great characters and acting, conventional story
10. Get Out, B+, a lot more going on than just a horror movie

2016

1. Rogue One, A, another great chapter of Star Wars
2. Zootopia, A, great neo-noir story, characters, and setup
3. Kubo and the Two Strings, A, a masterpiece of animation, story, and characters
4. Hidden Figures, A, a lot of ingredients come together for a fun movie
5. Manchester by the Sea, A-, slow moving but well made character study
6. Moana, A-, simple plot, but well made and entertaining
7. Queen of Katwe, A-, well made, well acted, and genuine underdog movie
8. Jackie, A-, well-made small story about a very big story
9. The Jungle Book, A-, surprisingly good as an action movie
10. My Life as a Zucchini, A-, well crafted movie about foster kids

2015

1. Spotlight, A, great acting and an excellent story told well
2. Inside Out, A, fun, inventive movie about a kid's brain
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, A, very good reboot to a new series
4. Steve Jobs, A, great acting and writing
5. Ex Machina, A-, cool looking sci-fi robot flick
6. Sicario, A-, good characters, story, and action
7. Avengers: Age of Ultron, A-, another Avengers blockbuster, with a better plot
8. Bridge of Spies, A-, great performances in this quiet Cold War story
9. Mad Max: Fury Road, B+, a big chase scene, true to original series
10. Brooklyn, B+, well done romance, if a little too simple

2014

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel, A, a grand visual experience, with a fine cast
2. Selma, A, well made movie about a pivotal piece of history
3. Whiplash, A, very good story and characters with great acting
4. Interstellar, A, great visuals, neat science, and a complex story
5. All This Mayhem, A, well made documentary about skateboarding brothers
6. Gone Girl, A-, very good story and acting
7. Guardians of the Galaxy, A-, fun and entertaining sci fi flick
8. Into the Woods, A-, great cast and characters get new music and story
9. The Imitation Game, A-, good characters, great acting, interesting story
10. The Theory of Everything, A-, a great personal story of a science celebrity

2013

1. Gravity, A, well done space disaster movie
2. Side Effects, A, well written movie with a good cast
3. Mud, A-, nicely written indie movie with a great cast
4. Her, A-, great concept and performances, kinda creepy
5. Iron Man 3, A-, series improves by leaving baggage behind
6. Bad Words, A-, Jason Bateman shines as an offensive jerk
7. Star Trek Into Darkness, A-, a lot of action, great characters and story
8. Upstream Color, B+, trippy, indie psychological thriller
9. The Way, Way Back, B+, good characters drive a sweet and funny teen movie
10. The Heat, B+, fun and funny cop movie

2012

1. Argo, A, entertaining yarn about a daring rescue
2. Zero Dark Thirty, A-, great story, not as exciting as you'd think
3. The Avengers, A-, characters and action rescue average plot
4. Moonrise Kingdom, A-, offbeat, sweet, weird, Wes Anderson
5. Frankenweenie, A-, inventive, fun, macabre Tim Burton movie
6. Lincoln, A-, good political story and cast make a strong film
7. A Late Quartet, A-, well acted drama about a string quartet
8. Hitchcock, A-, fun movie about the making of Psycho
9. Silver Linings Playbook, A-, lightweight movie with heavyweight performances
10. Safety Not Guaranteed, B+, nice indie road trip movie, time travel possible

2011

1. The Artist, A, gimmicky premise fulfilled by characters and story
2. Moneyball, A, well-written and acted atypical baseball movie
3. Too Big To Fail, A, great cast tells the story of the 2008 meltdown
4. Midnight in Paris, A-, nice mystical romance
5. The Descendants, A-, George Clooney does a nice job with a sharp script
6. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, A-, slow paced spy movie with a great cast
7. Bridesmaids, A-, very funny, obscene movie with great characters
8. Contagion, A-, prophetic movie about a global pandemic
9. The Adventures of Tintin, A-, an underappreciated fast-paced action movie
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2, A-, flawed series has a satisfying end

2010

1. Inception, A-, complex but explained well with lots of action
2. The King's Speech, A-, period piece with strong characters and writing
3. How to Train Your Dragon, A-, strong story, characters, and animation
4. The Town, A-, well made modern bank robber story
5. Tangled, B, good Disney movie, but all too familiar
6. Red, A-, great cast and action, not too serious
7. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, A-, fun mashup of genres and styles from Edgar Wright
8. Date Night, A-, Steve Carrell and Tina Fey don't disappoint
9. Winter's Bone, A-, bleak and slow, but rewarding white trash tale
10. Easy A, B+, surprisingly good tale of lying and reputations

2009

1. The Hurt Locker, A, non-stop tension and excitement
2. Up, A, rich characters, good story, a little manipulative
3. 500 Days of Summer, A-, well-written break-up movie with jumbled timeline
4. Inglorious Basterds, A-, great cast of characters as Tarantino shines
5. Avatar, A-, fun and exciting in 3-D despite flat characters
6. Moon, A-, neat sci-fi concepts, but drags a little
7. State of Play, A-, fun, fast-paced newspaper investigation
8. Coraline, A-, well written and beautifully made animation
9. The Hangover, A-, bachelor party in Vegas with good writing
10. The Princess and the Frog, B+, conventional, but well-made Disney animated movie

2008

1. Doubt, A, well-written showcase for great acting
2. Madagascar 2, A, consistently funny with strong characters
3. Young at Heart, A, fun, bittersweet movie about octogenarian rockers
4. Iron Man, A-, superhero flick features solid acting and writing
5. Ghost Town, A-, cute, funny, romantic; this is a nice movie
6. Bolt, A-, good movie about a lost dog and his sidekicks
7. The Crimson Wing, A-, beautiful footage and music of pink flamingos
8. The Dark Knight, A-, big action movie runs a little long; great joker
9. Wall-E, B+, Buster Keaton and Metropolis meet Pixar
10. Hancock, B+, a movie about a failing superhero has a twist

2007

1. Charlie Wilson's War, A, surprisingly funny and smart
2. Michael Clayton, A, well-made movie, strong story, good acting
3. Ratatouille, A, less action and more focus on story and characters
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, A, well-realized movie version better than the book
5. Lars and the Real Girl, A-, much better than typical guy-dates-mannequin films
6. Juno, A-, good writing and strong characters, cute movie
7. Gone Baby Gone, A-, solid kidnapping story delivers on all levels
8. No Country for Old Men, A-, intensely compelling with a bad ending
9. Persepolis, A-, simple animation tells a complex story
10. Meet the Robinsons, A-, surprisingly good animated movie

2006

1. An Inconvenient Truth, A, important message, but told incredibly well
2. The Lives of Others, A, well made German movie about the Stasi
3. Inside Man, A-, great caper movie is a pleasure to watch unfold
4. United 93, A-, detailed retelling of 9/11 makes great drama
5. Stranger Than Fiction, A-,
6. V for Vendetta, A-, Batman meets Orwell in a classic face off
7. Letters From Iwo Jima, A-, well-made movie, but speculative
8. The Illusionist, A-, great-looking short story brought to life
9. Akeelah and the Bee, A-, simple, but very nice movie about spelling bees
10. Thank You For Smoking, B+, funny take on spin control

2005

1. Crash, A, nice story of strangers running into each other
2. Munich, A, simple story of vengence gets complicated fast
3. Walk the Line, A, great story with outstanding performances
4. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, A, the dark side of business
5. Broken Flowers, A, minimalist Murray triumphs, with great support
6. Lord of War, A-, arms dealing movie works on many levels
7. Revenge of the Sith, A, this is why they did the 2 prequels
8. Just Like Heaven, A, sweet, funny romance
9. Serenity, A-, rewarding, but only for those who watched Firefly
10. Madagascar, A-, fast moving, funny, with great characters

2004

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, A, weird, fun, sweet, and scary
2. Riding Giants, A, surfing movie combines adrenaline and education
3. Troy, A, surprisingly good but largely overlooked movie
4. Garden State, A, warm, sweet, and eccentric with great characters
5. Proof, A-, nice mix of family, math, romance, and dementia
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, A-, the best of the series so far
7. Sideways, A-, enjoyable but not terribly complex road trip movie
8. The Incredibles, A-, somewhere between Toy Story and Monsters, Inc.
9. Finding Neverland, A-, sweet and sentimental without being syrupy
10. Collateral, B+, good writing, good performances, cool look

2003

1. Return of the King, A, a fitting finish for this epic series
2. Finding Nemo, A, warm, funny, exciting, and fun
3. The Italian Job, A, well executed caper movie
4. Mystic River, A-, good story, strong performances
5. Big Fish, A-, enjoyable group of stories that tell a bigger one
6. American Splendor, A-, unusual, entertaining look at a comic book writer
7. Love Actually, A, cruder than some Hugh Grant movies but it delivers
8. Freaky Friday, A-, well-made remake updates the story for the 00's
9. Seabiscuit, A-, at times hammy, but a triumphant story nonetheless
10. Holes, A-, good for kids with outsized villains and legends

2002

1. Chicago, A, fun entertaining movie delivers on everything
2. We Were Soldiers, A, Vietnam gets the Blackhawk Down treatment
3. The Quiet American, A, solid acting does justice to a great book
4. Antwone Fisher, A, nice story about a guy figuring things out
5. Spider-Man, A, great action movie, great hero, great villain
6. Solaris, A-, beautiful, mysterious, brooding movie
7. 24 Hour Party People, A-,
8. Catch Me If You Can, A-, well-crafted story and fun to watch
9. Dogtown and Z-Boys, A-, solid story of and by 70's L.A. skateboarders
10. Spellbound, A-, very good story of kids in national spelling bee

2001

1. Black Hawk Down, A, absorbing and intense action movie
2. Fellowship of the Ring, A, impressive start
3. Gosford Park, A, well crafted
4. Moulin Rouge, A-, succeeds in spite of itself
5. Ocean's Eleven, A-, well executed caper film
6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, A-, entertaining, but loyal to the book to a fault
7. Vanilla Sky, B+, like doing a jigsaw puzzle without seeing the box
8. Kate and Leopold, B+, nice romantic comedy
9. Monster's Ball, B+, very slow but powerful
10. The Others, B+, a very solid scary movie

2000

1. Almost Famous, A, really fun and well-balanced
2. Gladiator, A, very strong movie with a weak ending
3. The Patriot, A, similar to Gladiator, very solid
4. The Family Man, A, well-done alternative reality movie
5. Traffic, A-, a hard look at many sides of illegal drugs
6. You Can Count on Me, A-, a neat portrait of some realistic people
7. Erin Brockovich, B+, solid lawyer movie, arbitration ending fizzles
8. The Emperor's New Groove, B+, funny and light-hearted Disney buddy movie
9. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, B+, some good concepts at work in this DC animation
10. Bounce, B+, good performances but not a lot of chemistry

1999

1. Being John Malkovich, A-, lots of neat ideas, great puppet sequences
2. The Sixth Sense, A, well done and effective without being gory
3. IMAX: Elephants of Africa, A, best IMAX movie I've seen; and it has a plot
4. The Matrix, B+, very cool
5. Toy Story 2, B+, just as good as the first one and maybe better
6. The Winslow Boy, B+, well crafted and effective if a little subdued
7. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, B+, obscene, but still very funny
8. Tarzan, B+, animation is key to telling Tarzan in a new way
9. The Iron Giant, B+, good story, always entertaining
10. Fantasia 2000, B+, eclectic animation anthology is worth watching

1998

1. Out of Sight, A-, great chemistry and dialogue
2. The Spanish Prisoner, B+, fun and intriguing, but the ending fizzles
3. American History X, A-, very strong material, maybe a little preachy
4. The Truman Show, B+, interesting idea, good performances
5. Gattaca, B+, great story and fine side performances
6. Zero Effect, B, offbeat but fun take on Sherlock Holmes
7. Babe: Pig in the City, B+, great acting performances by animals
8. Pleasantville, B-, not subtle, but fun to watch
9. Mulan, B, good story and animation, but lacks zip
10. Saving Private Ryan, B, not sure what they are trying to say