February 2023 Movies Ranked

With February at an end, I wanted to share my thoughts and rank all 6 February new releases that I saw. February is usually a bit better of a movie month than January in terms of quality as well as the number of releases. I managed to find a movie at least once a week that I wanted to go see. This month also worked out well in that I was able to see all of the movies I wanted before leaving on vacation. With that being said, here are my thoughts on the February new releases that I saw.

6. Marlowe

Marlowe was a very disappointing film. It was marketed as a Liam Neeson detective thriller but ended up being an extremally boring film. The film was incredibly slow with very little action. I also felt the dialogue was really poorly written. Most of the lines just felt so out of place and unnaturally as if they were trying to be funny but then completely missed the mark. It also looked like there wasn't any sort of effort given from Liam Neeson and just feels like he is sleeping walking through his performance. Finally, I felt that the overall story was just unnecessarily complicated. It was difficult to keep track of different characters and the big reveal at the end felt somewhat unclear. Overall, this was a boring disappointing movie that did not deliver the typical energy that usually comes from a Liam Neeson thriller.

Score:4/10 Grade: D

5. Your Place or Mine

Your Place or Mine was an okay rom-com released by Netflix that Sarah and I decided to watch for Valentine's Day. Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher were very charming in the movie, played likable characters, and delivered some funny moments. However, in general, this movie really isn't my thing. I am not into romantic comedies at all and these types of movies just don't connect with me. I found this movie to be very unfocused, not really spending enough time with either side of the story. It also never really gave any sort of arc to the two main characters. They come out of the movie as pretty much the same people. Finally, the movie had some issues with the logic of the world, mostly with the time zones. Somehow the two leads are waking up and going to work at the same time even though they have a 3-hour time difference. In end, while this movie was not boring, it is really not my kind of movie and probably not something I would watch on my own.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

4. 80 For Brady

This movie was a lot better than I expected it to be. 80 for Brady centers around 4 80-year-old Tom Brady fans who take a trip to see him play in the Super Bowl. I went to go see this with my Grandma and was just expecting a mediocre movie. However, the movie was surprisingly quite funny at times just with the situational humor of 80-year-old women at these big parties and football events. The four ladies all have great chemistry together and are just fun to watch. It was also fun to see all of these cameos of famous people in the movie such as Guy Fieri, Rob Gronkowski, and Tom Brady. I also thought the ending was very effective as the super bowl they go to is the one where the Patriots come back against the Falcons. The way they delivered this part of the movie was very exciting and easily the best part of the film. The main issue I have with the film is that the storytelling is a bit clunky at times. It feels more like just moving from event to event instead of following a cohesive story. I also thought parts in the end just went a little too over the top. A lot of things in this movie were ridiculous but in the ending, it felt a bit much. Overall, this was a very fun movie that for the most part achieved exactly what it was going for.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

3. Knock at the Cabin

Knock at the Cabin was a straightforward and thrilling film. It was able to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire movie just through the suspense of whether the end of the world was actually happening. The film is very simple and easy to follow. It takes place in a self-contained location with little interaction from the outside world. Due to this, the movie has to rely a lot more on the actors' performances. Thankfully, the characters deliver great performances with Dave Bautista giving a stand-out performance. The actors are all able to deliver the perfect emotions and make you feel bad and want to route for everyone involved. The movie itself does a great job of keeping focused on the single question of whether the end of the world is actually happening or if these four strangers are crazy. This question is one the movie answers very effectively. The only thing keeping this from the number one spot is just because the movie is such a one-note film. It strives to only answer a single question and adds no twists or turns along the way. Because of this, I think the movie is too simple for its own good. Had it had just a bit more to the overall story, it probably would have been number one this month.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

2. Cocaine Bear

Cocaine Bear was an incredibly stupid yet really fun movie. As the name implies, it is all about a bear that is on cocaine. The movie delivers on the bear hijinks that would ensure and gives the audience the action and carnage that they want. The characters are all really fun to watch, even if it is just seeing them getting eaten by a bear. The story is very simple with a paper-thin plot. The movie also has a lot of funny moments throughout the runtime that made me laugh out loud. The main issue with this film is that there were too many characters to keep track of with the story having to constantly jump around to keep up with everyone. But with a movie about a bear on cocaine, nobody really cares how the human characters are doing. Overall, this movie knew exactly what it wanted to be and delivered the fun that was implied by the premise.

Score: 7.2/10 Grade: B

1. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the big blockbuster on the list and the best movie I saw this month. I thought the world-building of the Quantum Realm was really well done. I thought it was cool being able to explore this new world and see all these fun new characters. Easily the best part of this movie is the introduction to Kang. Kang is set up to be the next big bad in the MCU and Jonathan Majors does a great job in the role. I also liked that we got to see more of Cassie in this film and that she got some time to shine fighting alongside her dad. Finally, I really enjoyed this movie because it gets me so excited about everything that is coming in the MCU. With the introduction of Kang, we get to see who the next Thanos-level threat is as well as see all the potential for the big multiversal conflict that is coming. Overall, this was a fun movie that gets me really excited for what is coming next.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B