Panic Room. Nicely constrained in time and space. I like the hints for stuff that comes up in the story later on, little things that foreshadow and reward your attention. Things are often in the frame for a reason.

Seven. It's not aging very well for me. Mid-grade Fincher is still pretty darn good.

Stagecoach. It is every bit as good as you've heard. Really wish I hadn't ignored the praise for so long. I like these movies where a loosely-tied cast of characters get thrown together. Made me think of Mad Max: Fury Road, if taken down to a crisp 90 minutes. The pacing sweeps you up. I wasn't expecting a love story, too!

The General's Daughter. Ugh. Just too much.

Congo. Dumb old-fashioned '90s jungle adventure. It's not good, and not really close, but has its charms here and there. Laura Linney!

Doctor Strange. It's a nice change of pace to see a superhero who's a bit of an asshole. Great finale. But still, it's yet another superhero origin story... There has to be another way.

Alien. Perfection. Still a five-star film. I love those Nostromo jackets!

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. So, so corny, but it keeps it light and there's a good adventure waterfall scene. Thesis: bad action/adventure movies are better than most other genres done badly.

Prisoners. The older I get, torture scenes in movies are just more and more unbearable. I fear we still haven't appreciated Hugh Jackman enough. Nerdy Terrence Howard is a treat! Gyllenhaal's character is so weird and I love that they don't delve into it. much He just is.