Sam Staley

Sam StaleySam StaleySam Staley

Sam Staley

Sam StaleySam StaleySam Staley
  • Home
    • Pirate of Panther Bay
    • Path of the Warrior
    • St. Nic, Inc.
    • Unsafe On Any Campus?
    • Film & Economics
    • Beatles & Economics
    • About Sam
    • Movie Reviews
    • Workshops & FSU Resources
    • Practical Self Defense
    • Home
    • Books
      • Pirate of Panther Bay
      • Path of the Warrior
      • St. Nic, Inc.
      • Unsafe On Any Campus?
      • Film & Economics
      • Beatles & Economics
    • About Sam
      • About Sam
    • Extras
      • Movie Reviews
      • Workshops & FSU Resources
      • Practical Self Defense

  • Home

Current Movie Reviews

Movies Released in 2019 & 2020

 Generally, movies I have seen and intend to review are on this list, with links to live reviews.  If the link is not live, I intend to review it but have not finalized it.  If you have a question about a specific movie, feel free to email me with a question at sam@srstaley.com or samuelrstaley@aol.com. 


My movie reviews include an approximate word count . For reference, movie reviews in newspapers typically run about 300-400 words. I have three platforms for publishing my reviews: the Independent Institute in Oakland, California, where long reviews and analysis typically run;  Facebook  (Movie Reviews by Sam Staley, or @themovieswithsam), and on my personal blog (blog.srstaley.com).  Facebook is typically the most timely. Also, follow me on twitter @samrstaley


Don't forget to check out my book Contemporary Film and Economics (Routledge, 2018) and see why one film producer called it "subversively educational."


Timely and sometimes controversial articles

  • Supreme Court Ruckus Got You Down? Queue Up These Movies (Created Equal, On the Basis of Sex, RBG, Little Pink House)


Reviews for 2020 movie releases

  • Bennett's War  
  • Birds of Prey
  • Brave New World (966 words, Peacock Network series)
  • Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words (761)
  • Da 5 Bloods
  • Lady Driver (661)
  • Mr. Jones (732)
  • Mulan (1,247)
  • The Outpost 
  • Promising Young Woman (1,200)
  • The Rhythm Section (365)
  • Sergio  
  • The Stand At Paxton County (756)
  • Wonder Woman 1984 (900)

 

Reviews for 2019 movie releases: (* Academy Award nominee)


  • 1917 (401)*
  • A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 
  • A Hidden Life (403)
  • Alita: Battle Angel (613)
  • Alladin (454)
  • Anna (588)
  • Bharat (540, in Hindi w/ English subtitles)
  • Apollo 11 (667, documentary)
  • Avengers: End Game
  • Bombshell* (1,857 + analysis)
  • Captain Marvel (483)
    • Captain Marvel & storytelling (spoiler alert)
  • Captive State (592)
  • Dark Phoenix (365)
  • Dora and the Lost City of Gold (582) 
  • Fighting With My Family (483)
  • Five Feet Apart (613)
  • Ford V Ferrari  (503)*
  • Harriet  (674)
  • Hotel Mumbai (1,064)
  • Hustlers (753)
  • I Am Woman (437)
  • India's Most Wanted (560, in Hindi w/ English subtitles)
  • John Wick 3 (407)
  • JoJo Rabbit (564)*
  • Joker* (780)
  • Judy* (345)
  • Just Mercy
  • Knives Out (320)
  • The Current War (553)
  • The Irishman* (413)
  • The Kid (398)
  • The Lighthouse (352)
  • Last Christmas (557)
  • Marriage Story* (579)
  • Men in Black: International (272)
  • Midway (185)
  • Miss Bala (546)
  • Miss Virginia (1,215)
  • Motherless Brooklyn (1,008)
  • Once Upon A Time in Hollywood* (334)
  • Parasite (743)*
  • Queen and Slim (1,557, including commentary )
  • Richard Jewell* (896) (Commentary on controversy surrounding the movie can be found here.)
  • Rocketman* (473)
  • Run The Race (449)
  • Shazam 
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home (476)
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (518)
  • Terminator: Dark Fate (507)
  • The Two Popes (717)
  • Uncut Gems 
  • Unplanned (1,069 )
  • Yesterday (942)


For 2018 reviews click here.  

For a complete movie review archive click here. 


A movie may not be on this list for one of two reasons: I have not seen the movie, or the movie scored lower than an 8.5 on my rubric (roughly a B). 


Given the subjective nature of movies as an expression of art, and the fact negative reviews tend to prejudice the commercial success of a film more than positive ones, I generally do not post negative reviews. 


If you have a question about a movie, feel free to email me at Sam@srstaley.com or samuelrstaley@aol.com.  

image1

Wonder Woman 1984 gets lost in a meandering plot. 

Copyright © 2018 Sam Staley Author Site - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by GoDaddy

  • Pirates in the classroom!
  • Movie Reviews: 2019
  • Movie Reviews: 2018
  • Movie Review Archive

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept