The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie (2014) – This glorified toy commercial looks spectacular, and it’s got great attention to detail; it may not have anywhere near enough story to keep adults fully engaged, though, and it can be sappy and tiresome (especially in the final act), but it’s decently funny, and it’s got a lot of good moments. 6

The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation (1915) – With groundbreaking artistic, camera, and storytelling techniques, this may be the most innovative film ever made; the problem, of course, is that it’s brutally and unforgivably racist to the extent that a twenty-first century viewer may well have trouble taking it seriously; even Griffith’s otherwise-worthwhile anti-war sentiments are rendered pretentious and hypocritical by his “noble” white-on-black violence; today, the film’s worth is due completely to its status as an artifact of both film and American history. 4

Non-Stop

Non-Stop (2014) – Collet-Serra cultivates a good atmosphere and Liam Neeson carries it with his intensity, but it strains credulity throughout before breaking it to pieces in a ludicrous final act in which logic, physics, and sense-make are completely out the window. 5

RoboCop (2014)

RoboCop (2014) – It opens strong, it has a good cast, and it does a couple of things very well, but given the film’s weak and vague satire and the choice to take things in a HumanCop direction, it bears only a superficial resemblance to the vastly superior original; on its own merits, it’s passable, predictable sci-fi action with too many overlong, generic gunfights (also, the black looks really stupid). 6

WEB SERIES: Fallout: Nuka Break – Season Two

Fallout: Nuka Break (Season Two, 2013) – It looks great, and it does a good job incorporating a variety of game elements into the plot, although some of the acting is pretty dodgy and the tone is distractingly uneven; story-wise, it’s adequate, with a lot of work-up to a reasonably satisfying payoff. 6

Beverly Hills Cop

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) – It couldn’t be any more ’80s, and it hasn’t held up well; the cast is good, but the action scenes are weak, the climax is generic, and a louder-than-he-is-funny Eddie Murphy ad-libbing his way through an unambitious script hasn’t been compelling viewing for at least twenty-five years; has there ever been a film with more obvious stunt doubles than Murphy’s (one’s not even black)? 5