Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Joe Buck travels from his small town in Texas all the way up to New York City with dreams of making easy money as a gigolo. Problem is, he has no idea how to make that happen and his unguarded nature makes him an easy mark for absolutely everyone. At his lowest, one of the guys who did him dirty takes pity on him and allows Joe to crash at his place and they become a sad little team together.

The story is good. Less good are the disorienting flashbacks and artsy flourishes -- the whole "more is MORE" vibe it's got going on. If this could've stuck to the small, intimate story of two men managing to form a real bond for the first time in their lives and nearly pulling themselves out of the mire, it could've been magnificent. Instead, it just feels gross.

As for the acting: Jon Voight was a heartbreaker here, especially in the final scene, while Hoffman's work came off as hilariously ridiculous.

C-

The Odyssey (2026)

I don't often feel unqualified to judge a movie, but since 1) I have very little experience with mythology and 2) I did not enjoy this movie when so many others did, I can't help but wonder if I just didn't "get it." But then I remind myself that seeing a movie is supposed to be an enjoyable activity and if I wasn't entertained -- for whatever reason -- I'm allowed to say so.

The first adjective that comes to mind is LOUD. As I covered my ears, I looked around me and saw that I was not the only one doing so. My husband even pulled his hearing aids out during several scenes. I mean, come on. That's ridiculous. Also (see my above confession about being unversed in mythology), I was often confused about what was happening. I guess if I'd had any familiarity with the stories, I might've gotten giddy when scenes started: "oh boy, this must be Calypso!" or whatever, but I didn't so I just had to judge what was on screen for what actually happened. And, most of the time, if it wasn't LOUD it was boring.

There were, of course, some standout scenes. I found the Cyclops design to be gorgeous: twisting his eye vertical and having his nose turned as well made him pitiable -- just a sadly deformed giant, living a lonely life as a shepherd in exile. And the final battle (though deafening) was also thrilling. Nominations for Anne Hathaway, Samantha Morton and Robert Pattinson would be well-earned.

But, overall, naw.

C

xXx (2002)

Xander Cage is a bad-boy star due to his involvement in all the extreme sports and for dunking on THE MAN, so he gets recruited by a spy organization to be extreme for America. Lots of stuff explodes.

The story's ridiculous and Asia Argento (as the villain's girl) looks so young that I was halfway thinking that the foreign baddie was also a pedophile for a while, but the stunts are fun even when (or maybe because??) they defy physics. 

I wouldn't watch it again, but I won't lie and say it wasn't entertaining.

C-

Purple Noon (1961)

A French telling of Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley, in which the lower class Tom Ripley is tasked by Philippe's father to find him and bring him home. Instead, Tom decides to tag along with Philippe for as long as possible, enjoying the high life he so craves. Eventually, of course, his welcome wears out and he has to get creative to keep the fun going.

Without a clear rooting interest, even a decent thriller like this just can't really have much of a lasting effect. Tom is the villain, but the idle rich he's duping could never be called innocents or heroes, so who really cares?

C+

My Old School (2022)

Brandon Lee was immediately marked out as odd when he enrolled in school as a 16-year-old. He dressed oddly, could explain advanced concepts that his classmates hadn't grasped, and just looked older than everyone else. These differences were explained away by his upbringing: traveling the world with his mother the opera singer meant his education was a more worldly one. Or it could be that this was just his second time at bat.

It's definitely different from anything I've ever seen before: it's a documentary involving the actual classmates and teachers, a good portion is animated, and the main subject delivers his tale in his own words, but with actor Alan Cumming lip syncing them because "Brandon" doesn't want to show his own face. Although I give it props for its offbeat telling, I found the story just weird rather than captivating -- like listening to gossip about people I don't know. I honestly got a little bored.

C+