The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)

Ryan Reynolds is a former top-tier bodyguard reduced to cruddy little gigs after he lost a client. He's called in by an ex to protect an assassin (Samuel L. Jackson) who's on his way to testify for the government after the team originally assigned to do it is wiped out. Wouldn't ya know it? The bodyguard and the assassin have history.

Plenty of movies attempt this (see any of Kevin Hart's action comedies), but here they nail the formula. It's a great time.

B

The Binge (2020)

In the not-too-distant future, all drugs and alcohol are illegal except for the annual "Binge" when all citizens 18 and up can indulge. The local high school, of course, takes a "just say no"-style approach to the holiday -- especially the principal (who happens to have a hot daughter finally old enough for her first binge).

Funny idea obviously inspired by "The Purge," but it wound up feeling aimless and tame.Vaughn as the principal was especially mild. I wanted to laugh, but the laughs never came.

C

The Double (2014)

Simon James is a sad sack who generally goes unnoticed; even the security guard at his work can never remember that he's a long-time employee. But then his impressive and impossible-to-ignore doppelgänger James Simon gets hired on and things start to change. At first possibilities seem to open in ways they hadn't before, but then things go off the rails -- like when James starts taking credit for Simon's work and begins wooing the girl of Simon's dreams.

This is one of those movies where everything is deliberately depressing. It's set in a grey future of constant loneliness. But why? The storyline would've been at least as interesting in a bright office with a mix of happy, scared, inefficient, overachieving, kind and cruel denizens AND it probably wouldn't have taken me more than a week to finish. This needed some relief from the aggressive grimness.

D

Sun Dogs (2018)

Ned is determined to join the marines but, due to his learning disabilities, he's something of a running-joke at the recruitment office. When an officer finally gives him a "mission" to protect the homefront rather than continually trying to enlist, he takes on the challenge with gusto. Eventually Tally, a young woman constantly in trouble for trying to scam casino patrons, joins him in his quest.

It's interesting to see how Ned affects those around him. His mother is a constant encourager who hasn't gone after her own dreams, even as she encourages Ned to chase things he won't ever get. His common-law stepfather isn't unkind, but he thinks pragmatism is the better route where Ned is concerned. And then Tally is just completely unaware that Ned is anything than what he believes himself to be: a "Sun Dog" (basically a Marine spy on the lookout for terrorist cells).

It's an unusual and effective story.

B-

EXmas (2023)

Despite their breakup 6 months ago, Graham's parents invite his ex-fiancee Ali for Christmas after he tells them he can't make it home. When he decides to surprise them at the last minute, things get awkward. The thing is, they don't get awkward enough. The shenanigans are all half-baked, e.g. the running gag of the outdoor nativity scene's Baby Jesus being stolen. 

If I hadn't been watching this with Gary who was (surprisingly) enjoying it, I probably wouldn't have finished it.

C

Disenchanted (2022)

The idea of exploring what happens on the other side of "Happily Ever After" is a great one. But though Amy Adams as Giselle is still a delight, not much else works here. 

The brilliance of the original film was that a fairy tale princess remains herself even when removed from her original world. Somehow, this film forgets that formula entirely and has people from the "real" world transform when put into a different reality. What a shame.

C

Falling for Christmas (2022)

A rich and sheltered woman gets knocked on the head and can't remember who she is. The widower who finds her decides to put her up in his small ski lodge for the holidays, where she somehow fits right in despite her initial ignorance about any domestic duties. It's basically a Christmas update of Overboard with all bawdiness and sharp edges removed, and that's OK! 

Holiday movies get graded on a curve, so -- while this isn't going to make it into our Christmas movie rotation -- it was sweet and Lindsay Lohan was charming.

C+

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)

Jimmy Fails IV is obsessed with his childhood home: a multi-story house in San Francisco that his family lost decades earlier. Despite the fact that others live there now, he makes a weekly trek from miles away to do upkeep tasks like painting the window sills, even though the current occupants have made it clear they want him to stop. When it becomes vacant, Jimmy moves in and attempts to establish squatter's rights.

Though I was interested for the first 45 minutes or so, I had to stop it to go somewhere and then wasn't motivated to finish it up for a full week, making it clear this wasn't terribly compelling.

C

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (2023)

Other than a few songs and just by virtue of being a person alive in the 2000s, I know very little about Beyoncé. I would not characterize myself as a hip-hop fan and I never even watched Lemonade. In short: I was not excited about seeing this movie. But wow -- I'm sure glad I did because this experience was nothing short of amazing.

I came away with not only appreciation for her artistry, but inspired by her. It's clear that she's as hard a worker as anyone around her and that those in her employ are there not just because she's a superstar, but because it's actually a nourishing workplace. The way she interspersed concert footage with backstage activity, planning sessions, the hard work of the crew who assemble the stage, was impressive; she made sure to highlight the fact that she's one of many.

A couple of notes, though... first: it's too long by about 20 minutes. Second: Beyoncé directed this herself, so it's impossible not to wonder if some of the cracks were plastered over. On the face of it though, she looks legitimate and like a worthy recipient of the fervor she inspires. And she sure does inspire! I went through a few tissues, mostly because of the audience singing along with such joy at being in the same place as she was. I know they'll remember the experience forever because I felt her presence even though I only got it through a screen.

A-

Men (2022)

After a traumatic personal event, Harper decides to rent a house in the country for a solo retreat. It isn't long before she's weirded out by a nude man she encounters on a walk and then, later, the same man is in her yard. Subsequent encounters with males at the local church and pub leave her shaken.

The film had an effective aura about it -- especially in the early scenes -- but it then devolved into the fantastical and Harper becomes an unreliable narrator. Are we trapped in her nightmares? I'm not sure. But all of the men (and boys) in the village have the same face and damage to one damages them all. Flashbacks to her trauma make it clear that her experiences are derived from that experience. 

This reminded me strongly of an earlier film also starring Jessie Buckley: I'm Thinking of Ending Things. They probably both seemed like a cool ideas but, in practice, they were messy and nearly nonsensical.

C

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

A woman who has been a victim of amnesia for 8 years experiences memory flashes after a car accident. Though she'd been living in a small town, working as a teacher and raising her daughter with a nice guy, her life now is nothing like the life she's beginning to recall. With the help of a low-rent P.I. she's on a mission to uncover everything she can about who she is.

It's a lot of fun, as long as you don't try too hard to pick it apart. Samuel L. Jackson and Geena Davis make a winning team.

B-

The Ref (1994)

Burglar trips an alarm at a house in a small community, which scares his getaway driver into taking off. To get off the streets quickly, the burglar forces a couple to drive him to their house until he can sort out what to do. Problem is, the couple is so dysfunctional that they even bicker through their abduction.

I'd seen this more than 25 years ago and rated it low, but have since read enough praise for it that I thought it was worth another watch. What I found out is that I can trust my old reviews! This isn't funny, it's just annoying.

C