Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

You can't fault the dialogue. It's clever and it has worked for literally hundreds of years. But putting the words into the mouths of pretty people in the settings and hairstyles and clothing of the 2000s is wrongheaded, to say the least. And if that were the only problem with this, I might have been able to see past it -- but that's far from the only issue. I mean, the very first scene completely negates both the entire culture of chastity as well as the premise of mutual annoyance of the central couple for each other. What was that about?

Maybe it could've worked in a modern-day setting that deliberately refuses to evolve, perhaps a fundamentalist Mormon compound or in an Amish community, but a woman being put to death for an accusation of promiscuity is not traditional suburban behavior. The overall effect is complete affectation, including the choice to present in black and white. 🙄

D

Deep Cover (2025)

A cop recruits an improv teacher and a couple of her students to do a quick undercover drug buy. Though nervous, their commitment to the bit gets them in deeper than expected. They are so successful in proving themselves to the gang, that it only makes sense that they keep up the ruse to get even deeper. Yes, it beggars belief, but somehow still works. 

The chemistry between the full-of-himself method actor (Orlando Bloom) the socially-awkward IT guy (Nick Mohammed) and the capable yet in over her head Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard) was silly yet solid. I'd watch a sequel.

B

Bull Durham (1988)

Crash (Kevin Costner) is a veteran catcher in the minor leagues, brought on to mentor the Bulls' new pitcher (Tim Robbins) who's got a million-dollar arm and a five-cent head. Local Annie (Susan Sarandon) chooses one player each season with whom to hook up and guide and with a 100% success rate in improving that guy's game, she's earned some club respect. Crash takes himself out of the running, leaving her with the pitcher who adopts the nickname "Nuke" at Annie's insistence. But neither Annie nor Crash is comfortable with the arrangement.

What a fun story. Though Costner's line readings aren't as loose as they should be, it almost doesn't matter because the other points of this triangle are absolutely wonderful (probably didn't hurt that they were falling in love offscreen at the time). "Nuke" is dumb as a bag of rocks, but he grasps -- after much trial and error -- that Annie and Crash know their stuff and he's better when he follows their instructions. Meanwhile, Annie and Crash are committed to improving the kid but can't help what their hearts want.

On top of all of the relationship stuff, there's the baseball stuff. I admit that the first time I saw this way back when (I had this poster up in my dorm room senior year of college) it was all about the relationship and those "long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days." But this time I also appreciated hearing the internal monologues of the players as they walked up to the plate or wound up for the pitch. Yes, it's about romance, but it's also about ball. They're only together because they love this glorious game played on cool spring evenings and hot summer afternoons that only really works live, not through a screen. Magic.

B+

Argylle (2024)

I'd seen the bad reviews, so it was quite a nice surprise that I was having such a great time with this! It had the same vibe as Romancing the Stone or The Lost City: sheltered lady writer is thrust into a dangerous situation in which they're required to basically live the things they've written. Bryce Dallas Howard was perfect as the terrified yet still quick-thinking author here.

But then we find out what's really going on and the bad reviews made perfect sense. I still think it might've come off with my thumb pointing more up than down if it hadn't also gotten incredibly silly. Figure skating on oil-covered concrete with improvised knife boots was a scene that should've been scrapped once the screenwriter sobered up.

C-

Adam's Rib (1949)

Lawyer Adam Bonner is tapped to prosecute a woman who shot at her husband while he was in the arms of another woman. His wife, Amanda Bonner (also a lawyer), decides to defend the wife as she believes a man in the same situation -- fighting for his family -- would be lauded rather than maligned. Though they've got a solid marriage full of mutual respect, a contest of lawyerly skills in the courtroom is a strain.

Though the courtroom scenes are a lot of fun, the datedness of the material makes it so much of a time capsule that it's difficult to take it at face value. Case in point: the primary reason given for the husband's infidelity is that his wife got fat. Judy Holliday (left in this on-set picture) plays his wife. Also, talk about the wife getting regularly knocked-around by her cheating husband isn't even treated as a point against him. Yeesh.

B-

The Sapphires (2013)

Gail, Cynthia, Kay and Julie sing together as young girls in a tight-knit aboriginal community. Though light-skinned Kay is “stolen” to be raised as white, the other three continue to sing together and eventually compete in a local talent contest. They’re the only black act in a very white venue so they, of course, cannot win the competition, but they kind of win anyway since the messy, soul-loving (and, for some reason, Irish) emcee sees their potential. 

There are some BIG subjects here: ever-present racism, the continuing legacy of Australia's "Stolen Generation," and the horrors of war.  But, damn - they're stuck inside an inept script with amateur actors. My interest in the real story is strong, but I know this isn't it, mainly because I was compelled to do some reading after viewing. My main complaints are 1) the invention of Chris O'Dowd's character: why is a white savior necessary and why, exactly, must he be such a mess? 2) the romantic subplots, especially the one between Gail and David, which felt both gross and out-of-nowhere. Also, why did they write him as already married? Is this supposed to be feel-good or feel-sick?

Anyway. Despite my strong ick reaction to this movie, I think that -- in someone else's hands -- this could've been a fantastic family film if the romance had been excised. It felt cheap and distracted from the actual big topics.

C-

The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (2023)

Just as was the case between seasons when the show was airing, it took so long for this movie to come out that I've pretty much forgotten everything that was going on. But, just like in times past, it doesn't really matter -- it's still gonna be a good time.

My biggest complaint? Not enough Brock.

B-

Marty Supreme (2025)

Marty is extremely good at ping pong. He's also an entitled little shit. And all of the people we meet along the way are different varieties of terrible. There's no one to root for and no moral to this story unless it's "everyone sucks."

D+

Wild Target (2010)

A hitman who has grown bored with his job is hired to take out a conwoman who crossed a mobster. Despite himself, he winds up protecting her because she interests him. They also pick up an aimless stoner because why not.

This is not a good movie and the romance bummed me out. It is, however, charming and fun. Think Hudson Hawk and you're on the right track.

C+

Anaconda (2025)

Jack Black and Paul Rudd as lifelong friends separately experiencing disillusionment in their careers deciding to revisit their love for the movie Anaconda by making a "spiritual sequel" together? Yes, yes, yes, yes!!

But then I actually saw the thing and it is an absolute nonsensical jumble. The acting abilities of Thandiwe Newton and Rudd seem to fly out of the window and into the realm of "desperate sitcom actors who know they've lost the studio crowd so are going broader and LOUDER in hopes that will win them back." But, as evidenced by Jack Black (giving it his all), it doesn't matter how seriously you take the material, when it's this shit there's no disguising it.

I don't even understand how a movie can be this terrible when it has these actors and this premise. Mind-blowingly disappointing.

D

Bugonia (2025)

Michelle (Emma Stone) is CEO of a high-profile biomedical company: rich, demanding, materialistic. Teddy (Jesse Plemons), a low-level laborer in that company, is convinced she's not what she seems to be. To stop her plans, Teddy ropes his trusting cousin into abducting her and holding her hostage until she admits the truth.

Yorgos Lanthimos movies are hit-or-miss for me. Sometimes I am annoyed by what feels like a deliberately false style while, in other films, the weirdness just works. Bugonia is one of hits, right up there with The Favourite and Poor Things. I really liked the slow reveal of Teddy's backstory and how trauma could have driven him to seek a concrete target to slay. I was also really into Michelle's savvy manipulations -- her refusal to admit the upper hand may no longer be hers.

This one's a winner.

B+

Murphy's Romance (1985)

Emma and her son are going it alone after her divorce, working hard to turn their ramshackle farm in a new town into a horse boarding/training business. Murphy (popular widower and owner of the local drugstore) takes an interest and his no-nonsense advice and support turn out to be just what she needs. After buying a horse, he starts spending a lot of time with Emma, her son, and her freeloading ex, who has blown into town and is making himself at home.

It's pretty dang charming. Usually an age gap of this size would annoy me, but it's undeniable that these two good people deserve happiness and they're well-suited. Who am I to say otherwise?

A-

Romancing the Stone (1984)

Successful romance novelist Joan lives a solitary life -- her idea of a celebration is opening a bottle of wine and chatting with her cat. When she has to be out in public, she's ill-at-ease and uninterested in the men who are obviously interested in her. But, when her sister needs her urgent help down in Colombia, Joan doesn't hesitate even though she is ill-equipped for the adventure. Good thing the dashing Jack Colton shows up to take things in hand.

It's a fun, lightweight adventure -- I mean, Danny DeVito's one of the bad guys, so we're never truly worried that anything bad will happen. It's just silly fun with Douglas and Turner at their sexiest.

B

Pat and Mike (1952)

Pat, a natural athlete, has some success once she starts working with a manager -- but she's still getting the yips when her fiancee is around. Though there are some fun bits with mobsters and a jealous boxer working under the same manager, it's rather thin and very dated. Not one of the better Tracy & Hepburn outings.

C+

Remember the Night (1939)

I've seen this a few times but had never before watched it with Gary and, somehow, seeing it with him deepened the story for me. Though Stanwyck's character is a shoplifter, it's clear that she made the same mistake that MacMurray's character did in his youth: stealing from mom. The difference is that his mother used it as a teachable moment, instilling in him honesty and justice, while hers publicly shamed and rejected her, teaching her nothing other than "better not get caught." When she's able to spend a week with his family, their welcoming spirit of kindness goes to work on her and makes her want to be better.

I was wrong in my original review when I said that there's only one surprise in this movie -- it zigs when we expect zags. It both fills the heart and makes me want to extend forgiveness rather than to dispense judgment.

A-

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

I'm gonna sound like an awful grump here, but I really don't get the hype. Sure, there are a few songs in here that everyone (including me) knows and loves -- The Trolley Song, Meet Me in St. Louis, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -- but the movie that introduced them to the world is an empty (but pretty) affair.

The two elder Smith daughters are hormonal and looking for romance, the youngest is a tomboy, and the other one is just kind of around. There's also a brother and a grandpa. Mom is longsuffering and Dad is a sourpuss that the rest of the household has to tiptoe around to get what they want. But they live in St. Louis! And the World's Fair is coming to St. Louis! Yay!

Basically, I think this movie was wildly popular in 1944 because a colorful bit of escapism was welcome during World War II and it's been coasting on nostalgia ever since.

C+ 

Happy Christmas (2014)

After a break-up, Jenny moves in with her brother and his family until she can figure out what to do next. She almost seems like more trouble than she's worth: she embarrasses a friend by getting black-out drunk at a party, sleeps through a commitment to watch her nephew, and fills the house with smoke in the middle of the night when she forgets about the pizza she put in the oven. But she's also the catalyst to remind sister-in-law Kelly that she doesn't have to put her happiness on the back burner just because she's a mother now.

The story's not bad, but the mumblecore of it all makes it feel super thin, especially because neither Anna Kendrick nor Lena Dunham is any good at improvisation. The best actor in the whole dang thing is the toddler son -- but that's probably due to the cheat that his actual father is playing his fictional father.

D+

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025)

Though I don't care about their music at all and tend toward dislike for Joe Jonas (based on internet gossip), I was almost immediately on board with this silly and self-aware romp. The songs are truly fun and the script was full of both magic and nonsense -- perfect for the whole family.

In other words: oh, what fun!

B+

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Father Jud is assigned to a parish with a shrinking congregation. It's soon clear to him what the issue is: Monsignor Wicks is deliberately abrasive, aiming for at least one "walk-out" per Sunday sermon so that those who endure will feel superior and even more dedicated. What's left is a tight group of seven parishioners who are fiercely loyal to Wicks and skeptical of Jud's agenda. But then Wicks is murdered in a "locked room mystery" and Benoit Blanc is called in to solve the crime.

It's more of the same and that's just fine.

B-

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)

Bridget Jones is, once again, single. This time, however, it's due to the death of her beloved Mark, leaving her to raise children Billy and Mabel alone. Though her family is doing alright, it's definitely time for her to get back into the world: both professionally and romantically. The first is easy enough as her former employer is eager to have her back producing television segments. The second is also surprisingly easy when sparks fly between her and a much younger man.

It's a sweet wrap-up to the franchise, even if Bridget's childishness seems rather long-in-the-tooth now -- she may have even regressed a bit since the last installment.

C+