Speak No Evil (2024)

Two couples -- each with a child -- hit it off while staying at the same resort during vacation. When the "city" couple is invited by the "country" couple to come out to stay with them for a weekend, they accept. Though city wife is immediately on her guard (mostly because the country husband seems to delight in creating an uncomfortable atmosphere), they're determined to go with the flow in order to have a nice time.

It's one of those "what are you doing? RUN, for god's sake, you idiots" stories, which the trailer made pretty clear. So, I wasn't really ever surprised, but the mood was oppressive and it's done well. Basically, you already know if this is your type of movie.

B

Catherine Called Birdy (2022)

Birdy, a young teen in medieval England, has become a woman (i.e. gotten her period) and -- despite her attempts to hide it -- her father finally knows. This means that she can be sold married off, which should provide some relief for her family. But Birdy has other ideas...

Though it's little more than a trifle, I was charmed.

B-

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2024)

After receiving a "goodbye" note in the mail from a former colleague now in hospice, reserved Harold struggles with the appropriate words with which to respond. So, instead, he seizes on a tossed-off anecdote from a girl ringing up his groceries and decides to walk 500 miles or so to visit his friend in person. He leaves then and there without preparation or even checking in with his wife.

Though things make a lot more sense once the entire story is revealed, we spend so much time in the dark that Harold comes off as almost simple-minded. I have definitely indulged in "magical thinking" more than a few times, but having to wait until the script decided that we'd earned the answer to why he'd go to such lengths... especially for someone he'd not seen in at least a decade (?) was frustrating -- especially because the reveal forced my sympathies to "change sides."

C+

Lee (2024)

Former model Lee is working as a photographer for British Vogue during World War II when she decides to go to the action as a war correspondent. It takes some creative thinking to even get there and then some thick skin and balls to actually get the job done, but Lee is up to the task. Her sense of duty to make sure those "back home" understood the gravity of the sacrifice being made is something to be lauded and, in my opinion, her gender only aided her in seeking out some private moments that could've been overlooked otherwise.

Despite the interesting woman and subject, the film just felt like homework -- like I could've easily been reading this in a book as the drama never quite came alive onscreen. The bookending device of Lee, now elderly, recounting her story in an interview also didn't work. Though I now understand why that device was employed, during the watch I was annoyed as it seemed to add nothing.

C+

Drop Zone (1994)

A pair of US Marshals (who happen to be brothers for no reason at all) are transporting an important witness/criminal hacker by plane to a more secure location. While in flight, a hole is blown in the side of the plane and the witness is presumed to be among the casualties, as is one of the Marshals. But the surviving Marshal Pete believes that the witness is still alive and has been snatched by the parachuting attackers.

It never gets any more sane which, honestly, is probably the right call here. If you're trying to make a serious movie about a ring of parachuting criminals, you just might be delusional.

C-