Stowaway (2021)

A three-person crew headed for Mars discovers an unconscious member of the launch team aboard their ship. Due to the unplanned extra weight and consumption, this puts them all at risk.

I wasn't sure where this was going, but there's not a false moment from any of the four actors. I was just in it with them -- feeling their conflict and tension and evident decency throughout.

B+

Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

Diana Ross is not a good actress. But it doesn't really matter much because this movie is not good either. The best way I can describe it is "basic." There's no richness or depth. 

D

Yellow Sky (1948)

A group of bank robbers flee across salt flats to escape their pursuers. When they finally reach a town, it turns out to be abandoned... except for a tough but pretty young woman and her grandfather. When the men realize that the two are hiding something, they decide to find and take it.

Except for the rapey/misogynistic sections (and there are quite a few), this is a pretty good little western. The "us vs. them" turns into an "us vs. us" naturally and satisfactorily.

B-

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)

It's a time loop movie.

This time, we're hanging out with Mark who is livin' loop life: grabbing a mug before it crashes to the floor, stopping a man from taking a step that would result in a dollop of bird crap on his head, etc. But then then there's a surprise girl walking through his scripted life and they, of course, start spending time together. At this point I was like "alright. fine. but why? this doesn't do anything new." 

But then the story shifted focus a bit. Mark realizes that it's not a romance with him as the hero, it's Margaret's story. This is the something new required to justify the film's existence. I mean, I can think of three loop movies off the top of my head that are better, but this isn't bad.

B-

Fatherhood (2021)

We were looking for something funny and -- despite this being listed as a comedy/drama -- it definitely was not the least bit comical. This should've also been heartwarming, but so many necessary beats were left out that I never felt connected to this family at all. 

D+

This Beautiful Fantastic (2017)

Woman with OCD, a bleak wardrobe, and a fear of nature -- somehow caused by being left in a park as an infant -- gets on the bad side of her gruff widower neighbor. He's a lover of beautiful gardens and cannot tolerate the way that she's neglected hers. When she's given 30 days to turn her garden around or lose her lease, she cannot see a way forward. Who do you think steps up to help?

It's predictable and definitely breaks zero new ground. But it's also sweet and an inoffensive way to pass 90 minutes. Plus: Andrew Scott's in it.

C+

Ocean's 11 (1960)

A group of army buddies, led by Sinatra as Danny Ocean, decide to hit 5 Las Vegas casinos on New Year's Eve. We know how fun the concept of a heist with a big group of perpetrators can be because we've seen the 2001 film. Unfortunately, the filmmakers for this iteration weren't able to see that, so... less fun.

There's a whole lot of talking and some mild ribbing for the first 90 minutes or so. Once the heist actually starts, it somehow doesn't get any more lively. The heist consists of 1) making the lights go out, 2) marking a door in each venue with some kind of invisible paint and then 3) walking through that door to take the money. It's so boring.

C-

The King of Staten Island (2020)

Aimless guy in his mid-20s has a lot of changes in his life all at once: his sister leaves for college, his mother embarks on a new relationship, his kinda girlfriend has had enough, and his friends all get caught during a botched robbery attempt and go down for a few months. Despite his best efforts to avoid it, he has to grow up quick. With some help from the unlikeliest of places, he does just that.

Pete Davidson has never been a great actor on Saturday Night Live, but he breaks out here. Maybe it's the semi-autobiographical nature of this film, but he is truly special in the role. I was rooting for him.

B

F9: the Fast Saga (2021)

I laughed a LOT. Possibly relevant note: I was very high.

D+

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)

Barb and Star are joined at the hip -- they live together, work together, have the same friends, and are very happy with their lives. But when they lose their jobs, they decide it's time get a "soul douche" down in Florida. At the same time, a sinister plot to punish the residents of Vista Del Mar is coming to a head.

It is so dang silly, quite a bit stupid, and just a joy to watch. Probably my favorite thing about it was that Jamie Dornan was so game. He surprised me in such a good way. 

B+

Edge of Seventeen (1999)

In 1984, best friends Eric and Maggie get summer jobs together where a couple of their coworkers are gay. This prompts an awakening in Eric, who realizes that he, too, is gay. Since I graduated in 1985, I know that this is a very real depiction of how it felt to be a teen back then. They got everything right: from the cringeyness of not quite fitting in and wanting more from crushes than they want to give you, to the fear of disappointing your parents. 

But yikes. I did not have a good time with this film at all. I know I'm old now, but I couldn't get it out of my head that Eric is A KID. It's not OK for his boss to tease those under her about their sexual exploits, nor is it OK for Eric to be taken under the wings of several regulars in their 30s and 40s at the local gay bar. Fine, be gay, but providing a safe haven for gay kids and accepting them for who they are is a whole lot different than what was going on here. Maybe I just don't get it? I don't know.

C

The Wind (2019)

Lizzy and Isaac, a young couple who've been alone on the plains for a while, finally get some new neighbors. But Lizzy's not too crazy about them -- especially Emma, the young pretty wife who seems to be paying a little too much attention to Isaac. And then there are the voices...

The mood is everything here: the isolation and fear were conveyed beautifully. But I'm still not quite sure what, exactly, was going on. Was the danger real? Was it madness? I really don't know.

B

Unfinished Song (2013)

Cranky old man's lovely dying-of-cancer wife is a member of a singing group for seniors (a la Young @ Heart). When she dies, the group's young and spirited conductor kind of takes the widower under her wing, encouraging him to open up. 

It's predictable, which is not good. It also kind of feels disrespectful to the oldies in the group -- it plays their age for laughs, which felt gross. And the group's leader, played by Gemma Arterton, is no good at comedy. The lone bright spot came from Christopher Eccleston as the man's nearly estranged son.

C-

Independence Day (1996)

We saw this during its initial theatrical run. It doesn't quite live up to my memories, but it's still pretty fun.

B

In the Heights (2021)

Usnavi is telling the story of how he got to where he is to a group of young kids -- none of whom can act worth a damn. The songs are forgettable, the characters are one-note, and I frankly didn't like most of them. Pure disappointment.

D+

Light of My Life (2019)

This film unfolds organically, without the unnatural exposition that we often get in movies to "catch us up." What seems like a father/daughter camping trip is soon revealed to be a necessary way of life in the aftermath of a pandemic that has wiped out most of the female population.

The best bits are the conversations between the two. They have a true-to-life rhythm and were wonderful glimpses of good parenting. Example: after a discussion about the difference between morals and ethics, she proclaims that an antagonist in a book she's reading has neither and explains why. The father then asks her how the antagonist might defend himself against the allegations. What a lovely exercise.

I'm so impressed with Casey Affleck's work here: writing, directing, and acting all. I know we're supposed to dislike him, but his talents are undeniable. He's created a true gem here. 

A-

Holmes & Watson (2018)

It's obvious and silly and super dumb. I think I would've enjoyed this a lot more if I'd had a buzz going. But, even though I was completely sober, I couldn't help but chuckle a few times.

C+

American Animals (2018)

First: the way in which this story was told is like nothing I've ever seen before. There's the movie with actors portraying the real-life people. Then there are documentary-type "talking head" segments. But there are also some integrations of the two, for example: at one point, when memories of an event differed, one real person winds up in the scene agreeing to just "go with" the other guy's recollection of what happened. It was incredibly innovative and weirdly effective.

And, yes, it's about a crime perpetrated by 4 college kids. But, really, it's about planning a crime and the excitement of a shared project. I understood how it'd be so difficult to let that adrenaline subside and go back to real life. I got why one of the four involved said that he went along with it because the friendship was that important to him. It's like childhood shared fantasy play times came to life -- I'm not sure it was worth 7+ years in prison, but wow. It would've been hard to pass up the experience.

B+