Us (2019)

As a young girl, Adelaide experiences a traumatic event involving her doppelganger at an amusement park. The trauma is still affecting her as an adult and, during a trip to their beach house, her entire family meet their own doppelgangers.

This just didn't live up to the hype. It's a standard, inexplicable, horror movie. Yeah, there's a cool little twist at the end, but it's not enough.

C

A Star Is Born (1954)

An actor who is becoming more famous for his drunken antics than for his acting happens upon a talented but unknown singer and decides to give her a push toward stardom. Well, it works, and she quickly starts rising as he starts to wane. If there were any spark between the two leads, this could've worked. But the relationship never felt like anything other than a source of pain.

And -- oof -- those musical numbers. I could barely buy that she was becoming adored for her work when the work they showed was so bland. I think this is the least successful of the three adaptations I've seen.

C

Shoeshine (1947)

Two young friends work as shoeshine boys on the streets of Rome, saving up to buy a horse together. To earn the rest of what they need, they take a job delivering blankets to an old woman -- not realizing that they're part of a bigger scheme to rob her. They are picked up for the robbery and thrown into juvie, where they must adapt quickly.

This really moved me. The terrible cycle of poverty, the joy of friendship, the pressure cooker of prison, and the pull of family obligation are all well-realized here. These boys broke my heart.

B+