Divines (2016)

Two slum-dwelling teen girls see an opportunity to make some money by working for the local drug kingpin but get in over their heads.

There are some lovely segments and a romantic subplot with a dancer, but the story felt way too familiar. Though done well, it’s been done before.

B

A Mother's Son (2012)

A 15-year-old girl is murdered, and a mother suspects her teenage son is the culprit. Full of hand-wringing angst complicated by a newly-blended family. Not bad for a TV movie -- on par with PBS detective shows.

B-

Amy (2015)

Takeaways:

• Some parents are toxic and it should be encouraged/applauded when a child cuts such a parent  out of their life. I’m guessing that most of Amy’s issues could’ve been avoided if she’d had a decent father figure. But, since she didn’t, she should’ve been encouraged to get a decent therapist so she could stop looking to other men (managers, bodyguards, her husband) to fill that role in her life. 
• Paparazzi should be outlawed. Professional photographers should have to stay 100 feet away from their subjects at all times. 
• Tony Bennett is a truly decent man. 

C+

The Fate of the Furious (2017)

Got off to a really dumb/rocky start, but once the Rock went to prison we got back on track. It didn't get any smarter, but at least it got fun. And oh my word. What a cute baby.


C+

The Narrow Margin (1952)

Cop is tasked with babysitting a mob boss’s widow on the train ride from Chicago to grand jury proceedings in L.A. Solid noir with a didn’t see THAT coming twist.

B+

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Young black man joins the police force in Colorado. On a whim, he calls up the local chapter of the KKK to inquire about joining, without thinking about the impossibility of moving forward. Soon, he's made a connection and now needs someone to be the white face for his phone identity.

Although I’m impressed with Lee’s commitment to forcing audiences to see the similarities between the racism of the ‘70s and our current MAGA America, I’m not positive it’s the kind of choice that makes a film endure. I’d also really like to know just how much of the movie is true, because it is wild.

B

Life of the Party (2018)

I've come to the conclusion that I just don't think Melissa McCarthy can carry a film. She's funny in short bursts -- e.g. SNL sketches or her supporting work in Bridesmaids -- but once you force her to fill 90 minutes on her own? It just low-key riffing that gets old pretty quick.

I have a feeling that each scene in the script said something like "At home: Deanna burns Dan's stuff -- improvise" and "80s themed sorority party -- improvise" because the story is see-through thin and the jokes are barely-there. I'm sure that everyone on-set was having a ball but, unfortunately, that fun doesn't make it to the screen.

C

Masterminds (2016)

This is based on a true story, but there's no way these caricatures were based on real people. You can have successful movies where every character is way over-the-top (Raising Arizona comes to mind), but the storytelling's gotta match the vibe or it just feels inept.

D+

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

This could've been -- should've been -- uproarious, but we never got above a mild chuckle.

C+

Devil's Knot (2014)

Reese Witherspoon & Colin Firth star in this film concerning the murder of the children in Robin Hood Hills and the following trials of the "West Memphis Three."

This put me in mind of All Good Things, which was a fictionalization of the events covered in the brilliant documentary The Jinx. Just as with that film, I've seen the documentaries (Paradise Lost & West of Memphis) about this crime and those accused of it, which makes it difficult to judge this movie on its own. There's just no compelling reason for it to exist. If you want to know how things went down, you needn't bother with this when there are better sources readily available.

C- 

Finding Vivian Maier (2014)

Guy buys a whole bunch of negatives at a storage unit auction. The photos are brilliant, so he becomes consumed with getting them attention and with finding out more about the artist.

Vivian seems to be the type of person who was mysterious for the sake of being mysterious -- at one point even calling herself "The Mystery Woman" on tape -- and that's a whole lot less interesting to me than just being a person. But I have to admit that her photos are wonderful. The work deserves to be seen.

B-

Eighth Grade (2018)

I have no idea how Bo Burnham -- a male -- tapped so precisely into the mind of a young teenage girl. It's almost unsettling how right it is.

Those pool parties where you can't fit in and the desperation to get that boy to notice you could have been lifted straight from my own experiences -- I both laughed and cringed in recognition. Even though I'm now 50, as Kayla moved uncomfortably through her days I was transported to a place I'd dearly love to forget.

The thing is: I know that Kayla will be alright. She's got a father full of love and acceptance. And that's really all that a kid needs in the long run.

B+

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

The thing I appreciate so much about the MI franchise is how exciting the stunts are. I can see them clearly, following all of the beats, and they are incredible. The story is usually lacking something -- in this case it seemed to be lacking a bit more than usual -- but the stunts? Mwah. And, let's face it, when I bought my ticket, it was for the spectacle not the quieter moments.

B-