Marcus Curly has been writing film reviews for over 20 years. Below are films that Marcus believes are worth watching and therefore there are no negative reviews in the list.
The tips describe the genre and other characteristics of the film, but do not detail its plot, so that its events come as a surprise to the viewer.
In his reviews, Marcus gives his own view of each film. The rating is 1.0 – 5.0 stars. New hints are added weekly.
Crown Vic (3.0/5.0) , Feb 28, 2028
Starring: Thomas Jane, Luke Kleintank
Dir: Joel Souza
Year: 2019
Running time: 1 h 50 min
Several of these police rookie films have been made in recent years, and some have even ended up as TV series. This shot is a dark depiction of a trainee’s first day at work, which happens to be extremely tough night shift in LA. An anxious and at times thrillingly exciting film, which gains more authenticity from the home theater sound system.
Let’s also mention Thomas Jane’s convincing performance as an experienced police officer.
Another curiosity is that the film’s director, Souza, was later wounded in 2021 by Alec Baldwin’s bullet while directing the film ‘Rust’.
Idiocracy (2.5/5.0), Feb 16, 2026
Starring: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph
Dir.: Mike Judge
Year: 2006
Running time: 1 h 26 min
A light-hearted sci-fi comedy that will make you smile. The film presents a dystopian future where people have become ignorant or, honestly speaking, stupid. This vision may come true sooner than the 500 years depicted in the film, thanks to artificial intelligence, robotics, and smartphone addiction.
Anecdote. I remember an incident from last year where a store cashier had enormous difficulty counting change from a cash payment, even though the cash register was calculating the amount to be refunded.
The Place Beyond the Pines (3.5/5.0), Feb 7, 2026
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes
Supporting: Ray Liotta, Rose Byrne, Mahershala Ali, Harris Yulin, Dane DeHaan
Dir.: Derek Cianfrance
Year: 2012
Running time: 2 h 20 min
A quality drama for lovers of slow storytelling. A realistic, unhurried story that has hints of the law of karma and biblical features of the transmission of sins from generation to generation. The successful cast, including supporting roles, is a testament to the filmmakers’ piety. However, for those accustomed to today’s short YouTube videos, the film may be too slow-paced. The undersigned also believes that some of the film’s 2 h 20 min length could have been cut without much loss to the story.
Finding Neverland (4.0/5.0), Feb 7, 2026
Starring: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Dustin Hoffman
Dir.: Marc Forster
Year: 2004
Running time: 1 h 41 min
A touching, feel-good film with top-notch acting, and a narrative that flows smoothly like the flow of a mountain stream.
The drama film is set in Victorian England in the early 1900s and is based on true events, the birth of one of the landmarks of Western culture’s fantasy literature, and provides background on how the story of Peter Pan began.
The Judge (3.5/5.0), Feb 7, 2026
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Bob Thornton
Dir.: David Dobkin
Year: 2014
Running time: 2 h 21 min
A high-quality drama, which is rarely made these days with a big budget and quality actors. The excellent script is not based on a novel, but the plot development is misleadingly reminiscent of John Grisham’s stories. The film is a development story about a lawyer’s growth as a person, his return to his roots and complicated family relationships. The obligatory touch of romance is also included.
Quality work for drama lovers.