Sunday, March 10, 2024

The Furies (serial)

The Paris world of organized crime is run by 6 godfathers, each with their own domain of crime. They are pretty much restricted to stay in their area of expertise and not start a war with other godfathers because they have a Fury. This person is charged with keeping the peace, and is brutal in her implementation of "peacekeeping" measures. This is the story of the Fury, and her heir who was in hiding, didn't know she was the heir and is really very good at Fury-ing. Very engaging crime thriller and is perfect in terms of timing and pacing. Well done.
4 stars (out of 5)

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Out of Sight

Late 1990's release: George Clooney is a serial bank robber who does all his work with charm and charisma. Of course, having robbed over 200 banks, it is inevitable that that you spend some time in prison. But that is not the life for George so he breaks out and heads straight to his next score. Unfortunately (or fortunately), during the escape he encounters US Marshal Jennifer Lopez and the chemistry is immediate. The rest of the movie is her chasing him and him chasing her. A nice little dance. Can't believe I haven't seen this before.

4 stars (out of 5)

Friday, February 9, 2024

Coin Heist

Set at an upper crust private high school, the headmaster is arrested for embezzling money from the schools endowment. To overcome the family shame, his son and a mismatched cohort devise a plan to steal from the U.S. Mint and replenish the endowment. It's the only way to keep the school open ... right? While being both improbably and unrealistic and overly simplistic, this plays as a poor cousin to The Breakfast Club in terms of teen ensemble movies. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Thursday, February 8, 2024

My All-American

Historical fiction story of Freddy Steinmark, an undersized underdog who played safety for a couple years for Texas in the late 60's. He was the heart and soul of a national championship team and played through tremendous physical adversity. Classic feel-good sports bio. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Monday, February 5, 2024

Quizlady

Awkwafina remains one of my favorite actresses. Here she is paired with Sandra Oh. The two sisters are put in a position where they need to come up with a bunch of money to bail their mom out from some gambling debt. But this premise is really secondary to the relationship building that adult siblings do. Awkwafina is the awkward, people fearing, trivia savant who needs her sister to push her into doing something that she loves and is good at. Will Ferrell brings a nice, subtle supporting role as the quiz show host. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (serial)

A nice short series following modern day Percy as he discovers his demi-god self, makes some friends, and goes on a quest to find Zeus' "master bolt" and prevent all out war between the gods. A good mixture of modernization and fantasy, kid character development and questioning the status quo. Lightweight and straight forward, but also no real flaws. What I was hoping for with The Kid who would be King and a retelling of Arthur's knights. 
4 stars (out of 5)

The Coroner (serial)

2 seasons

In a small Aussie town, the Coroner works with her police seargent friend to investigate and solve murders. In the same vein as New Tricks and Murder in Paradise, this is a feel good, low tension murder investigation series. 

4 stars (out of 5)