The Lost City

 The Lost City (2022)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Brad Pitt

Directed by Adam Nee and Aaron Nee

Written by Oren Uziel, Dana Fox, Adam Nee, and Aaron Nee

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  D-

The Net

 The Net (1995)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northan, and Dennis Miller

Directed by Irwin Winkler, 

Written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

While You Were Sleeping

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden, Micole Mercurio, and Glynis Johns

Directed by Jon Turteltaub

Written by Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric Lebow

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B-

Bird Box

Bird Box (2018)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Daniele Macdonald, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Lil Rey Howard, Tom Hollander, Machine Gun Kelly, BD Wong, and Sarah Paulson

Directed by Susanne Bier

Written by Eric Heisserer

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B

Ocean's 8

Ocean's 8 (2018)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, and James Corden

Directed by Gary Ross

Written by Gary Ross and Olivia Milch

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A group of female criminals team up to steal a $150 million necklace during the annual Met Gala fashion event.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Our Brand Is Crisis

Our Brand Is Crisis (2015)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie, Joaquim de Almeida, Ann Dowd, Scoot McNairy, and Zoe Kazan

Directed by David Gordon Green

***This movie is currently available on HBO Now***

Savaged by critics and completely ignored by moviegoers, Our Brand Is Crisis was one of the biggest bombs of Sandra Bullock's career when it was released last October.  Quite frankly, I'm a bit surprised because I found the film to be an amusingly lighthearted political comedy with an engaging cast who create an atmosphere that's a lot more fun than I expected.  Bullock is Jane Bodine, an American campaign manager who is hired by an American consulting who in turn was hired by Bolivian politician Pedro Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida) to run his floundering campaign for the presidency.  The film rather simply covers a several-months period in which Jane and her crew (Anthony Mackie, Ann Dowd, Scoot McNairy, and Zoe Kazan) try to create reasons to sway the public vote to Castillo.

The performances really make Our Brand Is Crisis click with Bullock in particular offering up a strong-willed, sarcastically biting role that lifts the piece higher than I'd imagine.  Unfortunately, the film falls apart a bit towards the end with its political election proving to be highly anticlimactic and its subsequent repercussions off-putting and too dramatically out-of-place with the rest of the feature.  Still this film (a fictionalized account of a documentary of the same name) isn't nearly as bad as its lukewarm reception would have you believe.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - The Heat

The Heat (2013)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demian Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rappaport, Jane Curtin, Spoken Reasons, Dan Bakkedahl, Michael McDonald, and Taran Killam

Directed by Paul Feig

I think I may be the one critic that thinks The Heat is worse than Identity Thief.  I compare the two simply because they were both released in 2013 and have Melissa McCarthy playing similarly tough broads.  Then again, does McCarthy ever play any other movie characters other than a tough broad?  The shtick is getting old and I'm not buying into it anymore.  Her characters from This Is 40, Identity Thief, and now The Heat are really indistinguishable and, quite frankly, she's ruined any good will she earned from the film that put her on the map -- Bridesmaids.  (I will note, however, that her Identity Thief character at least was given an opportunity to have a bit of an emotional heart at its core...if only that could continue carrying over...)

Here, McCarthy's Bridesmaids director Paul Feig returns to direct his newfound star who plays a Boston cop named Mullins who is forced to partner up with a more polished and well-mannered FBI agent named Ashburn (played by Sandra Bullock) in order to hunt down a drug kingpin.  With not much of a story stretched out to nearly two hours, The Heat wears out its welcome pretty quickly with seemingly every other joke gleaning its laughs from a curse word -- there's really only so many times the F-word can be used as a punchline before it becomes irritating.  There's also a tendency by McCarthy here to repeat something over and over again in order to emphasis to the audience that "This is supposed to be funny, so you better all be laughing!  Oh, you're not?  Let me say it again and maybe you will this time.  Still not?  Let's give it one more try!"  Ugh.

Honestly, it pained me to sit through this one and it pains me even more to try and come to grips with how this was a success.  Personally, I'm saying it was because of Sandra Bullock's charms because beyond her presence, there's nothing positive to say about this one.

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - Gravity

Gravity (2013)

***viewed in 3D***

Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón

Now that my mouth has been relieved of the parched feeling I had from holding my breath for ninety minutes, it's time to hunker down and discuss what may very well be the best science fiction film I've ever seen.  I must say, though, that tagging Gravity with the nomenclature of "science fiction" feels slightly inaccurate to me.  This is a "science reality" film in the sense that every aspect of it could happen right now as I type this.  There are no man-eating aliens or spaceships "light-speeding" through the galaxy or ominous Death Star vehicles roaming the atmosphere above Earth in Alfonso Cuarón's brilliantly directed film.  Instead, a seemingly innocent NASA mission to fix an issue with the Hubble telescope turns horribly wrong when a Russian satellite is hit by a missile, gets shattered to pieces, and sends chunks of debris rapidly hurtling towards spacewalking astronauts Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) along with the rest of the crew aboard the spaceship.  Not only does the debris create havoc, but it also halts all transmissions from the astronauts to Mission Control.  Broken off from the rest of mankind, not everyone survives and those that do have any incredibly tough road ahead to try and find a way home.

Moreso than anyone else, Gravity lives and breathes on the vision of Alfonso Cuarón.  As director, Cuarón gives the vastness and openness of space a more claustrophobic feeling than I've ever seen before on film.  With stunning cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezski, Cuarón's camera is constantly spinning, moving around the landscape smoothly and rapidly which, coupled with some exquisite long takes (including an astonishing opening shot that lasts for well over ten minutes) and more than adequate use of 3D, creates a palpable tension that kept me precariously hanging on the edge of my seat the entire ride.  As a co-writer (along with his son), Cuarón eschews the spiritual tone that I somewhat expected to see here and instead focuses his film on the fight to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles both physical and emotional in nature.  We're hit in the gut with overarching theme of man (and in this case woman) versus nature and I must credit the Cuaróns with keeping things simple while still managing to create a nonstop feeling of unease for the audience.

Along for the ride is Sandra Bullock who carries the movie on her shoulders and does so with believability.  A scientist on her first space mission, Ryan Stone has certainly not adjusted to the gravity (pun not intended) of the scope of her work.  As the film begins and she's fixing an electronics panel on the Hubble telescope, you can hear the nervous tension in her voice despite attempts to appear strong to her colleagues.  We know -- just because of the basics of storytelling -- that she'll overcome this jittery anxiousness, but we're never assured she'll escape the hell that space has become for her.  Bullock brings her character's desperate longing for companionship, courage, and will to survive front and center in what is probably the best work I've seen from her.

In this technologically savvy age, one of the greatest compliments I can give a movie is if I never look at my phone once to see how much time is left.  Gravity receives this (perhaps ignominious) distinction.  This is an eighty-five minute roller coaster ride from start to finish and I never longed for it to end.  I can only hope that the unbridled success of this unique vision brings us more smart, expertly acted, and exquisitely directed films in the future.

The RyMickey Rating:  A

Movie Review - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

Starring Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, Max von Sydow, John Goodman, Jeffrey Wright, and Tom Hanks

Directed by Stephen Daldry

The last Best Picture nominee I needed to watch, I was dreading seeing Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close as it seems to be the most reviled of the nine films up for the top prize.  I had read the book and enjoyed it, but the reviews calling Stephen Daldry's flick emotionally manipulative and heavy-handed made me wait until the very last minute to see this.  Well, in the end, I can't help but feel that I've certainly saved one of the best flicks of 2011 for last because Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is powerful, heartbreaking, and inspiring -- a lovely film that has been unfairly maligned throughout this awards season.

Oskar Schell (newcomer Thomas Horn), an eleven year-old kid with symptoms of Asperger Syndrome (despite having an inconclusive diagnosis for the disorder), was having a perfectly normal day on September 11, 2001 -- but that was the day his life was personally changed forever.  His father (Tom Hanks), a jewelry store owner, had a meeting in the World Trade Center that morning and like thousands of others, he did not make it out alive.  Finding it incredibly difficult to cope with the loss, Oskar comes across a small manilla envelope holding a key in his father's closet.  On the envelope is written the word "Black" and, as a way to keep his father's presence alive in his mind, Oskar sets out on a mission across all of New York City to meet every single person with the last name of "Black" to find out if they know what the key will open in hopes that it will somehow tell him more about his father.

Perhaps the film could be labeled sappy, but I found it incredibly moving and touching.  Yes, it could be deemed heavy handed, but we're dealing with subject matter here that is incredibly intense and the film doesn't tiptoe around it.  In what is perhaps the best film I've seen that deals with the 9/11 tragedies (that isn't a "documentary-type" film a la the spectacular United 93), I'm not ashamed to admit that my eyes welled up multiple times here.  Yes, I know no one that was harmed on 9/11, but this film speaks to anyone who has experienced any type of loss, grief, and pain, and speaks to the courage and drive necessary to move on and continue living your life to its full potential.

A film which places a young fourteen year-old kid who has never acted before front and center in every single scene of the movie is asking for trouble if the kid doesn't connect with the audience.  That certainly isn't the case here -- I found Thomas Horn a revelation.  I realize that's not a word to throw around lightly, but I was really moved by this kid in an incredibly difficult role.  I wrote in my original review of the novel that I was so irritated by the character of Oskar that I almost put down the book 100 pages in.  The cinematic Oskar worked much better for me.  Perhaps I was simply prepared for the quirkiness of the character -- his carrying around of a tambourine to calm himself is just one of his eccentricities -- or perhaps Horn just embodied the character in such a way that made his idiosyncrasies more believable to me.  Regardless, despite having a completely different personality than me, I somehow felt incredibly connected to this young kid -- Horn is really playing an "everyman" trying to cope with grief and that portrayal deeply moved me.

Horn isn't alone in excelling in the acting department.  Hanks is rather charming in his small role as Oskar's father.  In his limited screen time, it's obvious why Oskar loved his father as much as he did and it was his father's joie de vivre that sends Oskar on his mission.  Similarly, Sandra Bullock is surprisingly powerful in her limited role as Oskar's mother.  Her scenes with the young Horn are gripping and oftentimes heartbreaking.

However, it's Horn's scenes with Max von Sydow that I'll remember the most.  Von Sydow plays a man simply known as The Renter, an elderly gentleman who has moved in with Max's grandmother who lives in an apartment across the street from his home.  The Renter doesn't speak and instead writes all his thoughts in a little notebook, but Oskar finds himself able to communicate with The Renter more than anyone else in his life.  With nary a word spoken, von Sydow is wonderful and positively moving, able to express everything we need to know with the raise of an eyebrow or a shrug of the shoulders.

[There is also a beautiful scene that occurs near the film's conclusion with a man played by Jeffrey Wright whom Oskar meets on his quest to discover the purpose of the key that nearly gave me chills. (Too much discussion of this scene would be a bit of a spoiler so I'll stop here, but I'll likely be discussing it more in my Best Scenes of the Year category in the RyMickey Awards.)]

What is a movie if it's not "manipulative."  Film is one of the most "manipulative" art genres around.  All movies have an agenda/story to tell and they all try to take their audience on whatever journey the director and screenwriter want us to see.  To toss the claim around that director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter Eric Roth are simply playing on our emotional connection to 9/11 isn't a fair critique.  They take a horribly tragic moment in our American history, narrow it down to a specific person's take on that painful day, but somehow manage to make it contain themes that speak to us all.  Kudos all around on this one.  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is, by far, one of the best films of 2011.

The RyMickey Rating:  A

Movie Review - The Blind Side (2009)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, and Quinton Aaron
Directed by John Lee Hancock

There's nothing wrong with a feel-good movie and I guess that's what The Blind Side is. It doesn't try to be anything more than what the sum of its parts will allow it be. Sure, it's treacly and too sugary sentimental most of the time, but thanks to a winning performance from Sandra Bullock, this flick is able to rise a little bit above its "tv-movie-of-the-week" feel.

Based on a true story, Sandra Bullock is Leigh Anne Tuohy, a rich upper-class suburban interior designer from a small town in Texas. Driving home one night from their son's Thanksgiving play at his Christian school, she and her husband (played surprisingly well by country singer Tim McGraw) spot the school's new student, Big Mike, walking along the road by himself. It turns out that Mike is homeless and struggling to survive, abandoned by his druggie mother. The Tuohys take Mike into their home and, as is the case in all feel-good films, eventually make Mike a part of their family.

Like I said, the tale is overly maudlin and mushy, and the movie really goes on for about 30 minutes too long (I thought it was going to end two reels before it did). Somehow, though, thanks in large part to good ole Sandra Bullock, this flick comes out a slight winner. Bullock (whose accent completely annoyed me in the trailer for this film, but didn't bother me at all during the movie) comes across as a completely believable woman, which given the script's by-the-book storytelling technique, is an accomplishment. She takes on the role of Leigh Anne with gusto and it's probably the best role I've seen her tackle (football pun not intended).

Certainly aiding Bullock is Tim McGraw (I can't believe I just typed that). McGraw is the second name listed in the opening credits and 80 minutes into the movie I was wondering when he was going to show up. Then I realized that he was playing Bullock's husband...it completely threw me for a loop. He looks quite different than I recall him looking, and, he's a shockingly good actor. Sure, he isn't required to do a ton here, but he played off of Bullock incredibly well. Their relationship was entirely believable and rather charming.

So despite this movie's flaws (I didn't even touch on the Tuohy's annoying son, who, although very funny, was the only character in this thing that felt like a "character"), The Blind Side is certainly a charming enough piece of fluff to warrant the box office grosses it has been receiving for the past four weekends.

The RyMickey Rating: C+

Movie Review - All About Steve (2009)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper, and Ken Jeong
Directed by Phil Traill

Like Sandra Bullock's last movie, The Proposal, All About Steve is a flick where her central character is annoying, obnoxious, and altogether unappealing, but she surrounds herself with some good actors who are actually given funny things to do. It's unfortunate that her main character couldn't be less ridiculous.

Mary Magdalene Horowitz (Bullock) writes crossword puzzles. She has no life outside of her work. Her parents set her up on a blind date with a tv news cameraman named Steve (Bradley Cooper). After a brief five minute date during which Mary alluringly pounces (or, more like sexually attacks) Steve in his van, Steve tells Mary that he just received a phone call that he needs to head to cover some story in the Midwest. However, his throwaway line to her -- something along the lines of "You should come, too" or "I'll see you there" -- is taken to heart by Mary and she travels across the country because she insanely believes that this guy wants to be with her. Of course, in the end, Mary learns her lesson that she doesn't need a man to be happy (oops...ruined it for you, but you can see that coming a mile away, I promise).

As I said above, whenever the movie focuses on Mary, it's a failure. However, when the flick spends time with Steve and his co-workers -- news reporter Hartman (Thomas Haden Church) and assistant Angus (Ken Jeong) -- it's actually really funny. All three of these guys had different comedic styles, but they all meshed and there were many moments where I laughed quite loudly because of them.

Overall, this isn't a good movie, but there's certainly worse out there. It's got some good lines and some good secondary characters...it's just got a ridiculously awful central character.

The RyMickey Rating: D+

Movie Review - The Proposal (2009)

Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Malin Ackerman, and Betty White
Written by Peter Chiarelli
Directed by Anne Fletcher

I always kind of thought Sandra Bullock was attractive. Ever since Speed, I always liked her personality onscreen and off, despite the fact that she really hasn't starred in a bunch of good movies. So, I'll be completely honest here...I was looking forward to seeing this movie for some strange reason.

Bullock is Margaret Tate, an editor at a prestigious New York publishing company who is loathed and feared by all her employees. Her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) puts up with her only because he longs to be an editor someday and also wants a manuscript of his published. Maggie gets some awful news and is told that she is being deported back to Canada because her visa has expired. On the fly, Maggie announces that she and Andrew are marrying each other. A reluctant Andrew agrees only because Maggie agrees to help him advance in his career. In order to learn more about each other (and to prove to the INS agent that they truly are a couple), they travel to Andrew's hometown in Alaska (because things are always funnier when it's cold) and meet his wacky relatives.

The worst part of the film (and I must allow my fellow moviegoer to take credit for this) is that Maggie becomes a complete dunce as soon as she steps on the plane to Alaska. She can't wheel her luggage around; she can't walk down a ladder; she can't walk in high heels. Somehow, moving Maggie out of her "comfort zone" of NYC makes her turn into this completely idiotic bitch rather than just a complete bitch. That being said, that was really my only problem with the flick.

I actually felt like there was some chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds and both of them were perfectly fine in their roles -- even though I despised the idiocy of Bullock's character, that's not her fault. Reynolds was quite good and provided quite a bit of laughs with his dry sense of humor. The supporting cast was also certainly above par -- Craig T. Nelson (Coach!) and Mary Steenburgen were both fine as Andrew's parents, and Betty White is always a joy to watch (even if she was given some awful lines to spout). In addition, there's an amusing turn from Oscar Nuñez (best known from tv's The Office) as a jack of all trades in the small Alaskan town.

I did discover a new cinematic crush while watching this film. Joining the club that currently has Amy Adams as a member is Malin Ackerman. She plays Gertrude, Andrew's ex-girlfriend, who still holds a special place in his heart. This relationship between Andrew and Gertrude was actually a very pleasant surprise. Typically ex-girlfriends are simply portrayed as "desperate to get back their man," but this relationship was actually quite sweet.

I could certainly have just been dumb, but I wasn't quite sure where the film was headed at the end...Andrew could have easily ended up with either Maggie or Gertrude or neither. I won't spoil it for you here. The fact that it wasn't spelled out completely ahead of time was definitely nice.

Now, the movie's not perfect. Many laughs fall flat, and, like I said above, Maggie's character is pretty godawful. But, overall, it's an adequate romantic comedy.

The RyMickey Rating: C