Bad Education (2020)

The well-respected and seemingly very good at his job superintendent of the Roslyn NY school district is found to be also quite good at embezzlement. Not as good at the game is the assistant superintendent, whose indiscriminate spending ultimately exposes their scheme.

This is based on a true story and required the incompetence and/or utter trust of several layers of oversight for their misdeeds to go unchecked for so long. The total stolen was well over $10 million. I have little idea of how much truth there was in the personality portrayals, but the movie is pretty entertaining. It is not, however, "wild" enough to be particularly memorable. 

B-

Equals (2016)

In a future society where emotions have been medically suppressed as unnecessary/unhelpful, a new ailment is starting to affect some of the population. Switched-on Syndrome (S.O.S.) sufferers are encouraged to see their doctors in order to manage this creeping-in of feelings. But everyone knows that it is a death sentence -- when the feelings can no longer be effectively suppressed, those with S.O.S. will be sent to a facility from which no one returns.

In this world, Nia (Kristen Stewart) is a "hider" -- someone who knows she's catching feelings, but has chosen to try to cope without self-reporting. Silas (Nicholas Hoult), on the other hand, is a new S.O.S. sufferer & ran to the doctor at the first sign. Eventually, they embark on a clandestine affair. When Nia is selected for insemination, the jig is up.

This movie is culled from so many other movies and stories: 1984, Gattaca, The Island, and even Romeo and Juliet. It's not bad by any means, but it is predictable and isn't the best of the bunch. It's also not the worst of the bunch -- it's basically fine.

B-

The Stranger (1946)

Orson Welles is a Nazi on the run from the War Crimes Commission, hiding in a small Connecticut town. He's been accepted by the town as a teacher at the local boys' school and as the new husband of a supreme court judge's daughter (the always lovely Loretta Young). Problem is, an investigator has tracked him down and just needs proof.

It's a tense little noir with its only drawback being the lack of finesse with which the Nazi attempts his escape.

B

One Fatal Hour (1936)

A national broadcasting network decides to air a salacious serial based on a decades-old homicide, despite the fact that the woman was acquitted as being justified by reason of self-defense. The advertisements for the upcoming show leave a bad taste in the mouth of the program manager and his secretary while wreaking havoc in the life of the killer, who has been living quietly with her second husband and is on the verge of marrying off their only daughter.

It's quick -- under an hour -- but nothing really special.

C+

A Little Chaos (2015)

A widow is hired to create an outdoor ballroom for Louis XIV. Because she beat out several other builders AND her boss is falling in love with her, she faces roadblocks borne of jealousy and sabotage.

This really should be right up my alley, but I was often confused -- there seemed to be subtext that I was expected to pick up. Instead, I was just constantly wondering at what was going on and why. The whole thing just wound up feeling disjointed and cold.

C-

Blinded by the Light (2019)

Pakistani teen in Britain is facing racism from his city and pressure from his family during a stressful recession. He has a talent for writing, but has kept that to himself. When a friend turns him on to the music of Bruce Springsteen, he feels an immediate kinship with the Boss and that feeling of belonging opens his mind and world.

Or, at least, that's what we're obviously supposed to get from this movie. Instead, I was frustrated with the wooden acting and TV movie-style directing. No scene was as rich and touching as it could have been -- for some reason it all felt like the understudies were at the wheel for this one.

C

Cruelty (2016)

Two young sisters are found murdered and the cops have to sift through several possible suspects while working the case.

It's definitely moody, but that's about it. Perhaps I missed some nuances due to the spoken language being Icelandic, but this just felt about as compelling as a standard Law & Order. Each of the suspects could have believably been the perpetrator, making the conclusion less than satisfying. 

Also, what's up with the title? Sure, it's not nice to murder kids, but "Cruelty" seems to imply something more. Something personal.

C+

Lost Girls (2020)

Mari Gilbert's sex-worker daughter Shannan goes missing. Seemingly because of her profession, police do little to work the case, which drives Mari to work it herself and become as loud as possible to force the cops to do their jobs.

Since the film is based on true events surrounding the Long Island Serial Killer, I expected more. It comes off as muted.

C+

Miss Sloane (2016)

Liz Sloane is a DC lobbyist and damn good at her job -- she's always at least a step ahead of the other side and has nothing distracting her from the task at hand. When she decides to work for a "boutique" firm to push restrictions on guns, known to be a losing cause due to the deep pockets of the gun lobby, she has her work cut out for her.

It's a solid, smart story. It also felt a little predictable.

B

The Kitchen (2019)

When three gangsters get sent to prison, their wives have to figure out how to bring in the cash themselves. They wind up being better at the protection game than their husbands were.

It's serviceable but nothing more. The most interesting storyline was the evolution of one of the women from meek punching bag to enforcer -- the film should've focused on that rather than rushing through the tough work these ladies must've had to do.

C

Suburbicon (2017)

A home invasion results in the death of the woman of the house, leaving her husband and son behind. Soon the dead woman's twin sister has moved in and the son is starting to question what he knows. At the same time, a black family has moved into this planned community of Surburbicon -- and most of the neighborhood is not happy about that.

It's a mean little movie holding no surprises. Really not worth the time.

C-

Bad Samaritan (2018)

I only stuck this in my queue because of David Tennant, but it wound up being a pretty decent thriller.

Two valets run a smart little scam: they rob the homes of people who they know are at dinner. They've usually got the house keys on the ring, they know the owners are going to be out for more than an hour, and they generally take only small things that won't be noticed as missing right away -- it's worked nicely. But when Tennant pulls up to their stand in a Maserati, everything changes. At first glance, the mark is perfect: he's a jerk, he's single, and he's obviously got tons of money. But when the thief finds an imprisoned girl at the house, he has to figure out how to save her without blowing up his own life.

There are plenty of implausibilities and the rich guy's backstory is eye-rollingly dumb, but that almost makes it easier to take. It's not the kind of story that made me worry it might actually happen; it's the kind of story that is scary with a dash of silly that allows one to dismiss it from the mind once the movie is over.

C+

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (2019)

Rosie, a young pregnant woman, runs from her apartment into the busy and rainy sidewalk to escape her boyfriend's abuse. Aila, another young woman, comes across her there and immediately takes control of the situation, offering Rosie a place to get dry while they figure things out.

It's a quiet film -- the dialogue's not clever or artificially wise -- it's just two women. One is dealing with an obvious and immediate issue, while the other is working through her own issues more quietly. I'm glad they just let it be natural, though I longed for resolution.

B

The Exception (2017)

Because the Nazis know there is a British spy nearby, their Captain Brandt is put in charge of the security for the abdicated Kaiser Wilhelm II. Though he no longer holds power, he is considered an assassination target. Brandt immediately starts a sexual affair with Meike, the newest maid in the household, to whom the Kaiser has also taken a liking.

It's a competent romance and "will they be OK"-type of story, but nothing that will remain in memory for long. The title "The Exception" refers to Brandt himself: he's not like other Nazi soldiers. He has a heart.

B-

Unicorn Store (2019)

Kit has been living in a state of arrested development, with delusions of artistic talent. When she's flunks out of art school, she moves into her parents' basement, takes a temp job, and is contacted by a salesman who carries exactly what she wants: her very own unicorn.

Two observations: 1) This wants to be the next "Safety Not Guaranteed," in which a true believer shakes the down-to-earth realists who are positive that something simply can not be. It fails in this quest. 2) Brie Larson needs a talented director to pull a good performance from her: she doesn't intrinsically know what works. This means that she should avoid directing herself -- and anyone else -- until she gets some training.

D

MI-5 (2015)

A terrorist gets away on MI-5's watch so a long-term operative goes rogue to find out what happened. To track him down, a previously decommissioned agent with ties to the rogue is pressed into service.

We actually watched the first 20 minutes or so six months ago, but neither of us could really get into it -- it felt like we'd seen it a hundred times before. It does get better, but it never feels fresh. I'd say it's pretty OK.

B-