Virtual Adept

3:10 to Yuma - best picture material here for sure. this is fantastic, it is definitely the best western I’ve seen this decade (not that there have been many.. any?), but it may be the best western I’ve ever seen. maybe even better than Unforgiven (1992) which is probably the reigning champ. this movie has it all, fights, gun fights, the tough frontier kid, the crazy bandit, the hard workin’ rancher who just wants to see his family through another year, the evil railroad moguls, etc. but it’s not cliche at all, it’s fairly realistic in its portrayal of nearly every character. it shows just how lawless the frontier could be (maybe a tad more lawless than it really was). and it does all this with a plot that keeps you on your seat the entire picture. plus the action is intense. just don’t miss this, you’ll be sorry you did. 9.7/10

Apocalypto - fantastic, stunning, beautiful, horrific. a visual tour de force unlike any movie ever produced. ultra-realistic sets, costumes, gore, graphic violence. astonishing brutality. this movie is very much not for the feint of heart. I do not know if this movie is realistic in its depiction of Mayan civilization, but it is amazing to watch, and it certainly felt realistic to me. i was absolutely captivated for the entire 139 minutes. the blu-ray version which is what i watched is highly detailed and looks and sounds absolutely incredible. there were a few giant coincidences in this movie that stretched believability in a few places, but it had to be that way to make a good story. all in all, one of the best movies i’ve ever seen. 9.5/10

Rocky Balboa - this was entertaining even though it’s not super-exciting and a few moments i couldn’t help but think “where is this going?”. it’s entertaining because the acting was great and it was about characters i’ve loved since i was a kid. ymmv depending on how you feel about the rocky movies. just a well done boxing movie but no real new ground covered here. 8.3/10