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Galaxy of Terror [1981] Galaxy Quest [1999] Game Night [2018]
Games [1967] Gandahar [1988] Garm Wars: The Last Druid [2014]
Gemini Man [2019] General Commander [2019] Genesis [2018]
Geostorm [2017] Gerald's Game [2017] Get Out [2017]
Get the Gringo [2012] Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai [1999] Ghost House [2017]
Ghost in the Shell [2017] Ghost Stories [2017] The Gift [2015]
The Girl in the Spider's Web [2018] The Girl Next Door [2007] A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night [2014]
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest [2009] The Girl Who Played with Fire [2009] The Girl with All the Gifts [2016]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [2009] The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [2011] Gladiator [2000]
Glass [2019] Glass Onion [2022] The Godfather [1972]
The Godfather Part II [1974] The Godfather Part III [1990] Godzilla: King of the Monsters [2019]
Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief [2015]
The Golem [2018] Good Night Oppy [2022] The Good, the Bad and the Ugly [1966]
Goodnight Mommy [2014] Gothic Vampires from Hell [2007] Gozu [2003]
Godzilla: King of the Monsters [2019]

            

Monsters around the world are waking up and fighting each other while we're dragged into the misery of a broken family. That's about it. Far too much emphasis on the misery of this family losing their son in the 2014 film and using their angst to drive major plot points in the story. Loaded with other canned emotions of melodrama causing much eye-rolling. They're working too hard to emulate the style of the original Japanese films but, that no longer works. We need something new! Also, like the 2014 film, all the fights are in the dark. Why? Not very impressed.
The Godfather [1972]

            
  

This cinematic classic, detailing the reign of the Corleone crime family in New York in 1945 to 1955, is a masterful example of extraordinary filmmaking. Considered by many as one of the greatest film ever made, it certainly deserves that title with exceptional acting, dialogue, photography, directing and a complex and fully developed story of power, control and violent retribution. But it's not personal ...it's strictly business.
The Godfather Part II [1974]

            
  

Both a prequel, with 9-year-old Vito escaping to New York in 1901 and eventually becoming one of the most powerful crime bosses in the U.S., and a sequel with Michael becoming the new Godfather and his ruthless need for control. Easily as powerful and well developed as the first film, Al Pacino is utterly fantastic as a man who has no limits to what he'll do to, in his mind, protect his family, all the while destroying it.
The Godfather Part III [1990]

            

Taking place 20 years later, Michael has finally earned public respectability being blessed by the Vatican and on the verge of becoming completely legitimate and attempting to comes to terms with his past. However, the past is a hard thing to leave behind you. By far the weakest of the 3 films but it does a wonderful job of extending the story bringing it to a logical, if not extremely painful conclusion. It's biggest problem is Sofia Coppola whose acting is painfully difficult to watch. That was a real bad choice.
Good Night Oppy [2022]

         

A documentary on the Mars Spirit & Opportunity Rover missions. Originally the rovers were expected to last about 90 days and the mission went on for over 15 years. This doc is far more than just a science special. It's a highly personal and emotional look at the team of scientists, engineers, researchers, planners, managers who spent much of their careers on this single mission; the passion towards its success and the excitement of the data they received. My wife is not a science buff and she really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this to all ages.
Galaxy of Terror [1981]

            
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Rescue mission to a mysterious planet becomes a struggle against unknown enemies. First viewing in 40 years, I figured I've probably outgrown this Roger Corman sci-fi / horror film by now but I found it to be just as goofy and fun as it was then. The film looks awesome (James Cameron's involved) giving it a Dark Star / Alien vibe. Fully aware they're making a silly, escapist B-movie, the actors treat they're roles with all seriousness, right down to Grace Zabriskie's dramatic pauses whenever someone mentions 'Hesperes'. Erin Moran?? Good gory fun, I love it.
Glass Onion [2022]

         

The 2nd Knives Out mystery is more farcical and far less complex and nuanced than the first. That's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the characters are quite colorful, fully developed and a joy to watch and there certainly were a few twists and turns along the way, as well as a good dose of humor. But this isn't so much a mystery as a series of unusual events that plays itself out in a chaotic final act that was fun but may not sit well with some ...I'm still on the fence myself. Still, wonderful performances, well constructed and quite enjoyable.
Ghost Stories [2017]

            
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A Professor, who debunks the supernatural, receives 3 cases that have never been solved from another debunker. This is far more a supernatural drama than a scare fest, although it does have it's moments. Very slow paced but exquisitely constructed so as not to bore but to create an immersive atmosphere that pulls you in and makes you a unwitting party to the events. Superb acting all around making the fully believable characters come to life and ending with an excellent profound twist ...I was spotting the clues, but couldn't put it together. Nice!
Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief [2015]

         
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An incredibly in-depth and scathing expose of the Church of Scientology from its origin to present time. Told via interviews of those that occupied the highest echelons of power within the organization, it painfully demonstrates the power of convincing people that everything good in their lives is because of Scientology and bad things are their own fault that Scientology can fix. The total paranoia, the abject abuse of members and children, the threats of destruction to anyone against the church, all while making billions of dollars, tax-free, is terrifying. Watch this!
Gothic Vampires from Hell [2007]

     
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The best way to describe this is as a film filled with some pretty good music constantly interrupted by a cheesy vampire story. The titular band gets signed on to a record company run by vampiresses. ..and there you have it. An amateur, no-budget creation with marginal acting, dialogue that really should have been reviewed by some friends, cheap sets and makeup and copious amounts of blood. Yet, if you take it for exactly what it is it's really not bad and I never wanted to turn it off. Begs the question, though: Why would vampires waste so much blood?
Gemini Man [2019]

            

The best government assassin in the world decides to retire and finds himself being hunted by a younger version of himself. That's pretty much the whole movie as things play out exactly as you'd expect. The actors did a good job and the characters were likable and fun to watch, albeit a bit shallow. It had a couple good action sequences ...just overlook the recognizable CGI. I like Clive Owens and he did a fine job but I don't think the role really suited him. Despite its weaknesses and it having no real surprises, it was a generally fun, fast-paced, popcorn movie.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [2009]
aka Man som hatar kvinnor
            
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See my review of the U.S. version for a synopsis. Made in Sweden two years earlier, this is the first in the Lisbeth trilogy ...the other 2 films made at the same time and coming out later in 2009. Both versions place their story emphasis on different parts making each a unique take on the same story and outcome. Not as intense and well constructed as the U.S. version (well suited as a stand-alone film), this one still manages to hold up quite well as the start of the trilogy and features an excellent performances by Noomi Rapace.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [2011]

         
  
4 major story lines in one movie; a reporter's social disgrace for libel, rape and revenge, the investigation of serial killings going back to the 40's, all centered around a girl's disappearance in 1966. The characters are fully fleshed out and real, what should be a confusing mess is handled brilliantly with each story getting its proper due and fully realized, each with it's own stellar climax. Handled expertly by David Fincher (Se7en, Gone Girl), movies this well constructed are rare and Rooney Mara as Lisbeth is superb.
Garm Wars: The Last Druid [2014]

         

On the alien world of Annwn, two tribes, the Grima and the Columba, have been warring for centuries. Enter the last Druid who is supposed to have all the answers. The first 30 minutes of this film is intriguing, fascinating, and exciting with some of the most incredible and imaginative alien eye candy I've ever seen. Unfortunately, after totally grabbing my attention, the whole rest of the movie was little more than talking and traveling and, ultimately, it gets crushed under the weight of its own philosophical nonsense. Pity.
Game Night [2018]

            

A fake kidnapping planned for 'game night' among friends suddenly becomes very real ...they just don't know it. This is a seriously twisted and funny movie. My wife and I laughed out loud throughout and, in the 'bullet removal' scene and the 'bloody dog' scene, we laughed so hard we fell silent. Making numerous twists and turns and throwing in personal humor between characters, this was a superbly well-written adventure that's a whole lot of fun. Don't miss game night!
Ghost in the Shell [2017]

            
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Major, a human brain placed in a fully cybernetic body, is now a super soldier in the fight against terrorism. But who are the terrorist? A super visual treat, even if you don't particular like the movie, you'll have to admit it sure looks pretty. For me, the familiar story doesn't take anything away from the film. Scarlett Johansson is, once again, fantastic as she manages to keep her character somewhat mechanical with the emotions and memories leaking through. Stylish with good action, surreal sci fi at its best.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly [1966]
aka Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
            
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Amidst the US Civil War, an assassin, a bounty hunter, and a bandit are on a collision course to obtain a box of gold. Simply the best Western ever made. The only one that comes close is another Sergio Leone classic, Once Upon a Time in the West. The characters are fully formed and a delight to watch, the story is a complex and grand adventure, the dialogue is humorous and quotable, and the direction and cinematography are unparalleled. If you haven't seen this film, you've missed a huge piece of cinematic history.
The Gift [2015]

            
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After moving back to California with his wife, a corporate security exec runs into an old school mate ...the last person he needed to see. Another slow burn drama that is insidiously unnerving ...but, as we find out, for all the wrong reasons. What appears as the old school mate stalking the couple turns into a psychologically dark contest of wills and a past that will not be appeased. With barely any violence, the mental destruction left behind is really quite impressive. Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton, are all excellent!
Ghost House [2017]

            
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A couple, vacationing in Thailand, get tricked into removing an item from a small idol known as a ghost house. The woman is then possessed by a ghost/witch. This ultra-formulaic film is taken right from the filmmakers witch possession step-by-step instructional guide. As such, us horror movie fans have all the solutions long before the participants. The witch has some gnarly makeup that is used extensively for jump scares. The possessed girl spends most of the movie passed out or unconvincingly distressed. Pretty poor and unoriginal.
Gozu [2003]
aka Gokudo kyofu dai-gekijo: Gozu
            

No need to summarize the plot as it's just an excuse to present us with one surreal event after another. I think they were shooting for a David Lynchian 'Eraserhead' style but, imo, they failed completely. Just one bizarre event after another, they were all dull, senseless, humorless and, quite often, disgusting. Plus, I was assaulted by this nonsense for over 2 hours that I'll never get back. The ratings obviously show that I'm in the minority on this but I absolutely loathed this film.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai [1999]

         

Ghost Dog, a mafia hit man, unknowingly kills a target in front of the local mob boss' daughter. Now he's the target. Except for Ghost Dog, all the characters in this film are shallow, the acting and writing is lame, scenes go on for extended periods of time, many of which are unnecessary (there must have been at least 10 minutes of Ghost Dog just driving around and listening to bad music). If it weren't for Forrest Whitaker's performance, I would have walked out. And the ending? That's the way of the Samurai? No, Thank You!
Glass [2019]

            

The characters, David Dunn (Bruce Willis), Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) from Unbreakable and Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) from Split, are locked in a psychiatric hospital to be treated by a doctor who's trying to convince them they are not the least bit extraordinary. Best described as wholly original and incredibly strange, this film's a great showpiece for the actors who did a fantastic job, especially McAvoy, who was basically allowed free reign on his personalities. Good climax but the final reveal felt a bit too hopeful for me. Overall, good entertainment.
The Golem [2018]

         
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A slow but extremely compelling film taking place in the mid 17th century in a small Jewish village. A woman who, by sacred law is not allowed spiritual study, takes it upon herself to create a Golem to protect her village. Chaos ensues. With the same time period in both, it didn't come off quite as authentic as The Witch (few films are) but it was very well presented with excellent, personal and emotional acting, a totally believable society, and a story that has us cheering, empathizing, and despising the woman and her Golem all at the same time. Nice job!
General Commander [2019]

            

A covert CIA team loses one of their own while trying to find a notorious organ smuggler. The CIA decides to disband the group. They create their own security agency to complete their mission. This is your typical low-budget knockoff. Two short actions scenes, start and finish, aren't too bad but they're blatantly scripted and planned rendering them not very authentic looking. In between are long sequences of bad acting, banal dialogue, and canned emotions complete with a sad sound track. Weirdly, it kept my attention, though.
Get Out [2017]

            
  
Think Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? with a somewhat twisted result. Rose takes her black boyfriend to meet her upper-class, aristocratic parents who appears to accept him with open arms. In fact, all their friends do. But despite their cordial friendliness, Chris knows something is terribly wrong. And what's wrong is far worse than he could imagine. This is a tense, insidious and extremely uncomfortable movie to watch ...but in a good way. Odd, creepy, profoundly twisted and highly original.
The Girl with All the Gifts [2016]

            

A military research facility is raising a group of children who were born about the same time a virus turned everyone into flesh eaters. They can be quite normal ...as long as they're fed. This uniquely bizarre film focuses around Melanie, one of those children. Although there's gore and zombie violence, this movie is more about the ethics, dilemmas, and emotions of dealing with a new race of people and raises some very scary questions about who deserves to survive. Disturbing and fascinating story.
The Girl Who Played with Fire [2009]
aka Flickan som lekte med elden
            
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The combination of Lisbeth having to re-visit a previous nemesis and Millennium Magazine doing an expose on human trafficking results in a pair of murders with Lisbeth as the main suspect. Centering on one main story in this one, they still managed to fill up the 2 hours with plenty of good stuff including a spy from WWII now hiding in Sweden, Lisbeth's tragic past, and a huge guy who doesn't feel pain. Keeping the trilogy moving along at an excellent pace, review for Hornet's Nest coming up shortly.
Get the Gringo [2012]

            
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A thief, who stole a few million dollars from a corrupt businessman, smashes through the border wall into Mexico only to have corrupt police take his money and throw him in prison. But he's figuring out all the angles. Well written and thoroughly engaging caper film in which our protagonist has to find a way to save a boy and his mother, foil the plans of the head gangster in the prison, deal with a corrupt consulate official, get his money back all while avoiding being hit. It was genuinely fun watching him try to pull this off.
Goodnight Mommy [2014]
aka Ich seh ich seh
         
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Identical twins believe the woman who's living in the house, wrapped in bandages, is not their mother. What follows is an insidious descent into madness which climaxes in an extended sequence that is visceral, disturbing, psychotic and heartbreaking. Although the pacing may be considered slow by some, I found it perfectly suited to keep one's attention constantly questioning who's nuts and who's for real. Excellent film and I'm glad I saw it but I won't watch it again.
Gandahar [1988]
aka Light Years
         

An animated film, presented by Isaac Asimov, about a war that's brewing between the peaceful people of Gandahar and a totalitarian race of metal men seemingly controlled by the Metamorphe. I was quite pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed it. The animation is simplistic but wildly imaginative drawing me quite easily into a completely alien world. It really makes you think about the concepts of time, as well. Very enjoyable.
Genesis [2018]
aka Genesis: The Fall of Eden
            
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Several years after a biological agent was released causing an extinction event, a small group of survivors huddle in a scientific research shelter complete with dwindling supplies, an oppressive bureaucratic leadership, and a project to develop an artificial intelligent robot that can go outside. So, why the bad ratings? I loved this film. Yeah, it's low budget and looks the part and the story didn't flow well at times but I thought the philosophical angle was real strong and, overall, nicely played out.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night [2014]

            
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Another surreal, black & white art film that I didn't like quite as much as November - probably due to some scenes dragging on too long - but still a fascinating and visually entrancing story. The girl in question is a vampire and the setting is an Iranian oil town, which is as populated as a ghost town with a soundtrack that's a mix of spaghetti western and rave. The performances are extraordinary and deeply felt and I have never seen a more mellow cat in my life. And what's with all the bodies in the riverbed? Exceptional film making!
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest [2009]
(aka Luftslottet som sprangdes)
         
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Because of her actions in the previous 2 parts of the trilogy, Lisbeth recovers in the hospital while powerful people are planning to have her committed for life as she now has the key to their secret conspiracies. This one is not an action film. In fact, Lisbeth spends practically the entire film in a hospital or court, and the film is mostly about Millennium magazine's efforts to exonerate her. At this point, however, the Lisbeth character has become so compelling that, even without any real action, I was totally glued to the film and the 2 1/2 hour run time whizzed by.
The Girl in the Spider's Web [2018]

         

Lisbeth gets hired to steal a computer program from the NSA setting off a series of events that involves the US, Sweden, the creator of the software, his son, a journalist, and the Spiders that are connected to Lisbeth's past. Having seen the first film, and the Swedish, Tattoo, Fire, and Hornet, this one had a lot to live up to and they did nicely! Exceptionally well-crafted film and extremely smart with solid characters and realistic action. I'm amazed at how all 3 actresses have played Lisbeth well enough to easily accept the character as the same. Awesome!
Gerald's Game [2017]

         

Gerald handcuffs his somewhat reluctant wife to the bedposts for a bit of frivolity and promptly drops dead from a heart attack. I was amazed that a movie could be so incredibly torturous and tedious at the same time. Sitting through endless scenes of the wife dealing with fantasies about her past, an apparent specter she calls the moonlight man, a hungry dog, and her current predicament, was a real test of my patience. Huge fan of Mike Flanagan's work ..except this one. It disturbed and bored me in equal measures.
Galaxy Quest [1999]

         

An ensemble for a Star Trek style TV show is recruited by real aliens to negotiate peace in an intergalactic war. Everyone I know who had seen this film says it's really entertaining so I 'finally' got around to watching it ...and they were right! Everyone's character is perfectly cast and, although I don't recall too many LOL moments, I was thoroughly amused and entertained throughout the movie that just kept getting better and better the longer it ran. This film was just plain fun and, except for a few scary moments, suitable for the whole family!
Gladiator [2000]

         

Upon hearing that he will not rule Rome, Commodus kills his father, Marcus Aurelius, and orders the death of General Maximus, the man that was to rule, as well as Maximus' family. This ought to make Maximus pretty mad. This Ridley Scott film (Alien, Black Hawk Down), although worthy of every award its received (including best picture), it's a very simple revenge story, with no real surprises, taken to an epic spectacle. The acting is fantastic, visually stunning, and the fighting, although shaky at times, is extremely well done. Great film!
Games [1967]

         
  
An eccentric couple and a mysterious woman have a proclivity towards potentially dangerous games ...one of which goes very wrong. I've been a huge fan of this film since I first saw it as a teenager. It seems quite tame up until an incredibly sudden and shocking event that turns the whole story on end. From that point on, the slow pace accentuates the tension, suspense and bewilderment of what is going on right up until the surprising and fatal twist ending. Easily one of the most underappreciated films of the 60s and a life long favorite.
The Girl Next Door [2007]

            
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An extremely painful film about a mid-teen girl and her younger sister being forced to live with an evil Aunt and their equally evil cousins after the death of their parents. Well within the same league as Hard Candy, Misery, and Goodnight Mommy, this is one of those films that is certainly worth a watch but not more than once. There's some real evil going on here and, considering it's based on a real case, I was near tears for these poor girls. Very good film but be ready for it. Brutal!
Geostorm [2017]

            

Every so often, we're treated to a super catastrophic disaster movie featuring hollow characters who try in vain to yank on our emotional heart strings, contrived and ofttimes silly premises and story lines, punctuated by eye-bulging visuals and jaw-dropping special effects. This is one of those films ...and not done very well. The reason why the villains in this are doing what they're doing is rather moronic and nonsensical and the spec fx I've seen before ...and better. I'm still waiting for the next 2012 or San Andreas.
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