Fast Color

In a future where we are in the middle of an 8-year drought, a young woman is returning home, ready to reconcile relationships which her mom and daughter. And to gain help/training with her special gift. The women in this family can disassemble objects into colors and then reassemble them again... or something like that. Kind of a slow developing sci-fi, coming of age story which doesn't have a strong enough plot hook to ever really have a purpose. Someone had a clever "sci-fi idea" and made it into a movie based only on the idea, instead of integrating the idea into a story.
2 stars (out of 5)

Little Women

I remember almost nothing from the 1994 version (other than I like it) so this was basically a fresh story of civil war family of 4 sisters who go about their lives as their father is away at war most of the time. They are poor, but know rich people. The sisters are all artists (writer, painter, musician, actress) and this story is told from the perspective of the eldest (the writer), but not in linear time. We bounce back and forth between the present and flashback, with each editing transition well done enough to make you think about where you are and what information you need to acquire from this particular flashback to complete the story. It is hailed as feminist before its time (strong, independent women) and because of that, it necessarily feels a bit preachy in that area. But good sermons have good jokes, as does this, so I was carried along and entertained throughout.
3 stars (out of 5)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The final installment of the original 9 movie storyline. I would say that this movie is quite good for fans. Not fanatics, and not for newbies. If this is your first Star Wars movie, you will be lost and have no context for 90% of the storyline. If you are a fanatic, you will be disappointed with too many important connections left out, or too many unnecessary nods to the past. But for the moderate fan, it is pretty good. Rey finishes her Jedi training and has a special connection with Kylo Ren. There are lots of personal connections revealed and personal demons needing to be excised. The battle gets taken directly to the Sith homeworld and while in the end, lots is resolved, lots is still left open for future storytelling. Well done.
4 stars (out of 5)

It's a Wonderful Life

Amazingly, I had never seen this completely through. I have several iconic scenes in my memory, probably from their being used in other contexts. So it was fun to watch the whole story through. George Bailey is the good son, always making decisions for the good of the family, or the town, or his friends. When he gets fed up, feeling like he has wasted his life, unconventional angel Clarence helps him to see his impact.
3 stars (out of 5)

While You Were Sleeping

A holiday favorite in our house, Sandra Bullock works in a fare booth for Chicago Transit. When she rescues a rider who fell onto the tracks, she becomes enmeshed with the family and mistaken for the fiancé. But then falls in love with the brother. Classic 90's rom-com, but many of the one liners have become part of our family lexicon and, similar to Pieces of April, is watched ever few years.
5 stars (out of 5)

Better Than Us (Serial)

A Russian sci-fi series with the same lead as in Sniffer which I also liked. In this show, Georgy is a former neurosurgeon currently working as a coroner. In this world, humanoid robots are common as household and workplace assistants, but they are quite obviously robots with limited functionality. When gigantic tech company Cronos imports a new robot with higher functioning neural networks and disabled robot laws, and said robot attaches itself as a family member to Georgy and his kids, the story is set in motion. In Russian, and much better with sub-titles than with english dubbing. I quite enjoyed this.

4 stars (out of 5)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Serial)

Season 3

I guess I haven't listed the first couple of seasons here. Mrs. Maisel is a 1960's wealth NY housewife who has decided that her passion is stand-up comedy. This in a world where women aren't really invited to do anything, and the standup world is really quite regulated for morality. So off-color is simply illegal. Mrs. Maisel jumps into the world with an easy manner and ability to riff on her life and whatever the audience throws at her. This comedy storyline is paralleled by the rest of her life, and her family life, and her ex-husband, and manager, and ...  Definitely one of the shows I look forward to another season dropping.
5 stars (out of 5)

The Tunnel (serial)

Season 1

The setup for this BBC series is a dead body found exactly on the border between France and England in the Chunnel. So detectives from both jurisdictions show up. When it is decided that the crime should be investigated by the French since the victim is a French dignitary, all agree and the body is moved... only to find it is two halves (and hence two separate bodies). So the French and English detectives work together. With no love lost across the channel, and a great character in the French detective, this crime drama is fabulous. I would guess that the French/English viewers look at it like LA viewers see Bosch.
5 stars (out of 5)

6 Underground

Not a new idea, people fake their own deaths so they can be ghosts in society and become benevolent vigilantes for criminals that are above the law. Here the group is sponsored by billionaire Ryan Reynolds, and the style of the film is Deadpool violence and language and action beyond compare. It is clearly Michael Bay and Reynolds cut loose of any studio restrictions. I think maybe a few restrictions aren't a bad thing? If you like action that pummels you, this is for you.
3 stars (out of 5)

T-34

World War II story of some Russian tank men who where captured, and then escaped, amazingly, with a tank. The T-34 tank is state of the art Russian tank and the back story, capture, escape and chase are each independently captivating and unbelievable. All together in one film are quite fun.
4 stars (out of 5)

Ford vs Ferrari

The story of Ford's entry into the Lemans racing program. After getting played by Ferrari in a purchase/merger attempt, CEO Henry Ford II let's his ego drive him to spend whatever money is needed to enter and win. But his business/bureaucrat self doesn't allow the car guys to do their car guy thing. Matt Damon plays Shelby, the only American to have won the Lemans as a driver who is now in the business of building cars and a race program. Christian Bale plays Miles, an eccentric driver who, when on his game, is the best around. The two put together a team, have it yanked away, given back, yanked away, etc. The beauty of this story is the dramatic tension in the striving for a goal. Ferrari is actually not a main character, but is ever present as the external motivation for the entire plot. This is really good story telling.
5 stars (out of 5)

Photograph

This is a sweet relationship movie for people older than teenager. A Mumbai street photographer take a photo of a random girl that he sees occasionally and then ends up using that photo to show his mom as "proof" that he has a girlfriend. When his mom comes to town from the village, a temporary arrangement is made to fake being boyfriend/girlfriend until mom leaves. While this is a completely predictable plot line that has been told many times over, the execution here is excellent. The story pacing is perfect, leaving time to sit in the loneliness and the confusion of the relationship and family strain. Very nice.
4 stars (out of 5)

Nobody's Fool

Tiffany Haddish in a Tyler Perry film. She is a recently paroled sister to Tika Sumpter, a business and advertising powerhouse whose only fault is that she can't find a man (you realize that it is 2019 and a film based on a woman's sole ability to find meaning is through relationship is really out of its time). So with that, Haddish is street smart, realizes her sister is being catfished, and goes to work to fix the problem. Predictable and only a chuckle here and there.
2 stars (out of 5)

Violet and Daisy

Two young girls (minors so they can't be prosecuted) are part of an assassin's guild. They are ruthless and fearless and really good at their job. With the job they are currently on, we begin to find out about the girls, and cracks in the facade. The two are a team, but very different and very dependent on each other. In some ways this is an interesting tale of how personalities develop, how relationships become intermingled. In other ways, it is a bad assassin movie, more akin to Everly than Kick Ass. I like the fact that one of the characters (an assassin I remind you) is completely non-assassin-like. So moderately interesting...
3 stars (out of 5)

Ocean's Eleven

The original 1974 version with the rat pack. This is a group of 11 buddies who are veterans from the 82nd airborne division who are brought together by Danny Ocean to pull off the perfect heist in Las Vegas. Mostly I am interested in how poorly this holds up. By modern heist movie standards, not enough detail in the planning is shown, not enough clever plot manipulations to surprise, and the protagonists don't win. As a modern heist film, it sinks. As a 70's heist film, pretty good.
3 stars (out of 5)

Jack Ryan (serial)

Season 2

This prime series sends CIA analyst Jack Ryan to Venezuela with his Senator friend. Turns out, someone has something to hide right before an election, and the Senator is assassinated. Now Ryan has a bone and won't let go until he uncovers everything. This takes him into the jungle, to London, and back again. A well done series in that clues are revealed along the way and just enough suspense and action to keep you moving along. And it doesn't fall into the trap of too-many-episodes. The 8 installments are just the right about to lay out the story without too many unnecessary tangents. I wouldn't say this is an astounding action-thriller since the twists and reveals are generally predictable, but it is serviceable, and I like John Krasinski in this role.
4 stars (out of 5)

Galaxy Quest

One of the great space opera parody movies (along with Space Balls). Here the crew of TV's NSEA Protector are doing the convention circuit, trying to make a few bucks signing autographs and playing up to the fanboys. An alien race has been watching their TV show and interpreting it as a historical document from earth. So when they get in trouble, of course they come to these earth heroes for help. And the crew of actors gets drawn into a real-life space drama. While this is 100% parody, it is also tribute to the sci-fi worlds created (and the formulaic silliness therein) of TV Star Trek. Laugh out loud funny at times, and entertaining throughout.
4 stars (out of 5)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Following the characters of the famous book, and a 1981 movie, this remake is just as cheeky as the others. Earth is destroyed, but Arthur Dent and his friend Ford hitch a ride just before destruction. Then, of course, they are embroiled in a faux kidnapping of the president of the galaxy while pursuing the ultimate question (which will provide context to the ultimate answer 42). My favorite part of the entire thing is the costuming of the Vogons, which look like giant water/gelatin filled zippered up rubber suits. Pretty good space comedy.

3 stars (out of 5)

Winged Migration

I believe this was mostly filmed via bird shaped drone back in 2001. It is some astounding footage following migrating birds. But it really plays as an extended screensaver video. For the 90 minute run time, I need more content to go along with my astounding footage.
2 stars (out of 5)

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

See Charlie's Angels
2 stars (out of 5)

Charlie's Angels

Reboot of the old TV series, this 2000 release stars Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore. Very much what you would expect from director McG, as a slapstick humor but high action in short spurts. Bordering on dumb, but since it is intentionally so, we say action-comedy. This is so much based on the concept of 3 sexy women spy/action heroes that the plot/story doesn't even matter. Save someone or uncover some bad guy's nefarious plans. Best watched after midnight...
2 stars (out of 5)

Downton Abbey

I liked the PBS series, but didn't have huge expectations for the film. I mean really, it is basically another episode (or maybe 1.5). What could they really do? But the film was exactly what it needed to be for this franchise. The plot of the Royal visit to Downton was self contained and complete, doing a pretty good job of introducing each character without lots of boring preamble. And each character got to be the best version of themself. We get high quality cranky, in charge but not confident, regal, principled and snooty, smooth, innocent yet fierce, etc. Every character was able to contribute exactly their stereotypical/trademark personality with purpose and effect and it all flowed into the story naturally. Well done to the writers. Really enjoyed this.
4 stars (out of 5) 

Reign of Assassins

A group of kung fu warriors has finally tracked down the remains of an ancient master, said to grant the one holder dominion of the kung fu world. But of the members sneaks off with it in the confusion of fight, alters her face, and settles into a 'normal' life. When she exposes her talents during a bank robbery to save her 'normal' husband, her hiding place is revealed and the warriors assemble to take back the masters remains and punish her traitorous action. But of course not everything is quite as it seems. The story is engaging and the fighting felt both novel and appropriate in scale, which is unusual in kung fu action films. Nice.
4 stars (out of 5)

Project Gutenberg

Set in Hong Kong, we follow the development of the career of "The Painter" indirectly. He is a notorious criminal who the police are hunting as a master counterfeiter, but they don't really know what he looks like or who he is. This story unfolds the complex weavings around this mastermind and the people who work with/for him as the police work to stop his organization. Really well done, while a bit over the top (maybe not for Hong Kong action) in the firepower/revenge scenes. And we (like the police) don't have the full picture until the end, which is always fun...
3 star (out of 5)

Find Me

A small film with big impact. A couple of colleagues in an accounting office become friends. One is the stereotypical accountant who is good at his job, but not really passionate about it (or anything). He senses that he is in a life rut, but isn't aware that he is sensing this. The other is a young accountant who jokes around with him during break and becomes maybe his only friend. She is adventurous in her travels and in her enthusiasm for life. When she disappears and is found to have embezzled some money from the firm, he is really confused. And then he gets a note that says 'Find Me' with some geo-coordinates. He follows and gets taken on a life changing tour of some of her favorite spots in National Parks in the west. Throughout the journey, the friendship thrives as her voiceover continues to challenge him and tell more of her story, simultaneous with his self discovery. And while I began to get a sense of the endgame, it continued to be effective and emotional, caring about both characters to the end.
4 stars (out of 5)

Wu Assassins (serial)

A young chef (Kai) in San Francisco was raised by his foster dad (Uncle Six), who happens to be part of the Chinese triad. As a young man, Kai is working to separate himself from the crime life of his father. But then he is recruited by a mysterious martial arts master to be the next Wu Assassin. His job, to save the world by killing the 5 Wu Lords who are in possession of the Wu (supernatural powers focused on Wood, Earth, Fire, Water, & Metal), and reuniting the Wu. I liked this series, the fact that Kai is a reluctant hero, and the occasional backstory flashbacks that are appropriately times and spaced to fill in context when needed. Nothing here felt forced, and the action was quality martial arts choreography. Nice series.
4 stars (out of 5)

Red Sea Diving Resort

Set in 1979 when Ethiopian Jews were the targets of mass killings, Mossad set up a rescue pipeline through Sudan to evacuate as many as possible. The front for this operation is an abandoned tourist destination on the Red Sea. In order to give credibility to the operation, the agents actually start booking guests in the hotel. Ultimately the risks they take to keep the pipeline open for more people get to be too much and the local warlords get increasingly violent in response. According to this telling, the singular personality of Ari Levinson (Chris Evans' character) more than the institutional will of Mossad or the Israeli government, is what resulted in the rescue of 1000's of people from persecution and death. On par with Argo in terms of type, but either not quite as good or not quite as familiar (not sure which).
3 stars (out of 5)

The Boys (serial)

Season 1

What happens when superheroes aren't super? In this universe, superheroes are recognized for their ability to fight crime, and regular people are already ceding their activism to the superheroes. In true capitalist form, a corporation is organized to manage crime and the appearances that top level superheroes make. And in true form, the corporation is not really interested in anything except profit. Throw into the mix a group of people with a grudge against the superheroes (personally affected by negligent homicide) and therefore a vendetta to shut down the superhero worship, and a "truly good" superhero on the corporate side. While this is ostensibly a superhero novela, it is more a commentary on power, ego, capitalism and democracy. I like it.
4 stars (out of 5)

The Kitchen

Set in 1970's Hell's Kitchen, Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elizabeth Moss see their gangster husbands locked up. When the new bosses don't quite take care of the women up to expectations, the three basically take over the business. They provide protection to the local businesses and take over collections of money. They learn how to be gangsters. Seems like this is an adequate film on its own, with the hope that women leads makes it novel and new. For me, it remained in adequate territory, with Moss' character the most interesting as she dug into what it means to be on both the receiving end on distribution end of violence. Definitely felt like a 1970's gangster movie, so there is that.
3 stars (out of 5)

Beauty Shop

Queen Latifah is a stylist fed up with her idiot boss and sets out to start her own shop in Atlanta. I am not sure whether this is supposed to be a commentary, or have a higher point, or ??? But as entertainment, I totally enjoy the glimpses into culture and practice that I have no experience with. Recognizing that this is now 15 years old, I see the stereotypes and messages that seem too obvious (in 2019) that maybe needed to be explicit (in 2005). And how can you not love Queen Latifah...
3 stars (out of 5)

Point Blank

Unfortunately, this movie is almost immediately forgettable. Anthony Mackie plays a nurse who, while caring for an incarcerated shooting victim, gets sucked into a scheme to break said victim out of custody. His motivation is that his pregnant wife has been kidnapped. Along the way, he experiences violence and traitorous behavior that makes him question his morality. But none of that really sticks with you... it is a low level, shoot-em-up.
2 stars (out of 5)

Illang: The Wolf Brigade

In this futuristic thriller, North and South Korea have been working toward unification, and the time is finally come to consummate the merger. Of course, there are detractors and the governments have developed a high tech, super warrior group to maintain order. This story follows one officer in this special force as he is confronted with questions of loyalty, subterfuge and morality in his position of power. Strange plot setup, but again, a fascinating look at the North-South relationship. Perhaps the futuristic sci-fi approach is the only way these explorations can happen without recrimination in Korea???
3 stars (out of 5)

Steel Rain

South Korean film that explores the North/South relationship through a politically intense scenario. Of course this plot is fiction and far fetched, but I found it to be interesting how the relational aspects of individual attitudes toward North-South relations played out. In this story, a coup in the North leads to a Northern special ops soldier bringing an injured "Number One" to the south. There he is attacked by North and South alike while he tries to figure out how to save his leaders life and prevent a nuclear war on the peninsula (pressured of course by U.S., China, Japan). Watch this for more than just the spy action.
4 stars (out of 5)

Long Way Round (Serial)

Ewan McGregor and his buddy Charlie Boorman conspire to take a motorcycle trip around the planet. Well, London to New York -- through Europe, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Canada, U.S. This is an 11 episode series, and probably 6 of them are really good. The introductory stuff is boring but necessary, Europe is unnecessary. Asia is fascinating, both in terms of scenery and in terms of travelogue. U.S./Canada unnecessary. But of course, you can't just skip most of the way around for the fun parts. The two travelers have a chemistry and innocence and sense of wonder at what they are doing to make this really fun to watch. Well done.
5 stars (out of 5)

also watch Long Way Down (London to Cape Town) and I've heard Long Way Up (Patagonia to Canada) is now filming.

All the Devil's Men

A bunch of former military special ops guys go to battle. Some of them are working for private military contractors, others are independent. There is supposed to be some morality or ethical line between the two differentiated, but it was really fuzzy, and not really interesting or relevant to the killing and personal grudges that drove the action (notice I said action, not plot).
2 stars (out of 5)

Destination Wedding

Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder are both guests at a destination wedding in Napa. He as the brother of the groom and she as the jilted ex. They are both cynical and dry and in a manner of speaking, hit it off. Reminds me of a Richard Linklater conversation pic, but not as well done.
2 stars (out of 5)

Spider Man: Far from Home

This is good fun and I like the personality that Tom Holland gives to Peter Parker. This fits well in the MCU and plays with us as viewers like others haven't in terms of sleight of hand plotting. My one critique is the use of the blip as a story device. The blip is introduced to describe the gap people experienced because of Thanos snap. It is shown as a marching band reappearing right where they disappeared from 5 years earlier. But now they are in the middle of a game... Haha. But wait, that means anyone who was in a car is now sitting in the road, an airplane... freefall, giving birth... ??? etc. Seems like at least half of the people who blipped back died a tragic death on return. Kind of a big story hole that bugged at least me.  Otherwise... Great.
4 stars (out of 5)

Wine Country

A bunch of friends gather in Napa to celebrate the 50 the birthday of one of them. They used to be a squad and are now all in different phases of life. And they have to learn to know and like each other again. A little bit funny. Not really thought provoking or poignant.
2 stars (out of 5)

Wolf's Call

A french Hunt for Red October of sorts. Our protagonist is Socks, the sonar/sound listening guy on a submarine. Socks has an ear that is unparalleled and he can differentiate different type of submarines, creatures, etc with exquisite detail just by listening. So invaluable on a submarine. Through a series of events, a French nuclear sub is tasked with launching a reprisal nuclear strike, and Socks is on a lesser submarine trying to stop them. In all, this is quite tense, and quite entertaining.
4 stars (out of 5)

Dark Phoenix

My understanding is that this is the final chapter of the X-Men backstory series (First Class and Apocalypse). It is the origin story for Jean Grey (Phoenix) and provides background for why, in Avengers: Endgame, she is so powerful. Which leads me to ... 1) why do the avengers have so much difficulty beating bad guys when they have two (not one, two) "most powerful being in the universe" women in Jean Grey and Carol Danvers, and 2) with so many "most powerful being in the universe" characters, where does Marvel go next without just being silly. But mostly, this film is unnecessary placeholder. It doesn't advance any storyline, and it doesn't fill in significant historical storyline gaps.
2 stars (out of 5)

Anna

Jason Bourne meets Red Sparrow. Anna is a KGB trained assassin who is placed in the Paris fashion industry as a model for cover. Her life goal is freedom, to be left alone. But of course someone with her talents will not be let go. So this had the possibility of being another generic spy/assassin thriller. But Luc Besson plays with the timeline in extremely effective ways. We jump forward and backward to paint a cause and effect picture that both makes sense and reveals twists and turns that would be plainly seen in linear time. And after the first few time jumps, I gave up trying to mentally keep track of linearity and let the story unfold. Nicely done.
4 stars (out of 5)

Turn up Charlie (Serial)

Season 1

Idris Elba is Charlie, is a down on his luck London DJ and Piper Perabo is the hottest DJ around. Perabo and her movie star husband who is a childhood friend of Charlie, get him to watch their entitled kid to help him out. Charlie and the kid hit it off and the two are pretty much good for each other amidst family relation struggle, love interest struggle, career struggle, etc. Light hearted, but sincere. Well done.

4 stars (out of 5)

Unlocked

With a star studded cast (Noomi Rapace, Orlando Bloom, Toni Collette, Michael Douglas, John Malkovich) we are introduced to Noomi Rapace as a CIA agent in Europe. She was an interrogator who has a bit too slow to stop a bombing six years ago and never really stopped blaming herself. But now she is forced back onto service to extract a plot of an active biological weapon attack from a suspect. She puts her personal hesitation aside and steps up to get the job done. Mid interrogation, she realizes something is wrong. Begin a series of events where we are looking for a CIA mole, learning who to trust, and working to do the right thing. Pretty good spy play here and maybe the best thing is the anti-stereotypical portrayal of who is a terrorist and who is the good guy protecting freedom and life. I liked this.
4 stars (out of 5)

Being Frank

James Gaffigan plays Frank. Frank is Phillip's dad and as the protagonist/narrator, Phillip's perspective drives this film. In most ways this is a completely predictable telling of a family struggling to relate, of a teen disconnected from his parents and of discovering both himself and what is actually good about his family. Completely predictable even with the twist of Frank having two families. The film has its occasional moments, the characters are largely one dimensional, the plot is mostly retread, and yet I still found myself walking out having enjoyed the telling.
3 stars (out of 5)

CBGB

Alan Rickman plays Hilly Kristal, a horrible businessman about to embark on his next great idea. He buys a bar in Brooklyn and names it the CBGB for Country, Bluegrass and Blues. There isn't a good venue for these genre artists to expand their repertoire and he will give it to them. Unfortunately, there are no CBGB bands or artists around interested in playing in his club. But he does get some other local bands to fill the stage, and his only rule is original music only. Turns out that the CBGB becomes an incubator for the punk music scene, with many bands getting their start there and then going on to mainstream popularity. Hilly becomes the patron of an entire genre and generation of musicians. And throughout the entire run, his business sense was horrible. Fascinating.
5 stars (out of 5)

Murder Mystery

An entry in Adam Sandler's multipic deal with netflix, Sandler and Jennifer Aniston go to Europe for their 15th anniversary. He is a NYPD cop, and aspiring detective. She is a hairdresser and avid mystery novel reader. They get entwined in a "Murder on the Orient Express" scenario that they must solve to clear themselves from being suspects. Several murders along the way make everything complicated, but they bumblingly find their way about. It is comedic-drama (as you would expect from the leads) and largely meets expectations.
3 stars (out of 5)

Men in Black: International

I like that this is not a reboot. Instead, it is the story of the MIB, 20 years on from the last time we saw them. Molly met an alien when she was little and didn't get neuralized. So she spends the next 20 years becoming an expert and hunting down the MIB organization. When she finds them, she gets herself hired on as a probationary agent, and promptly sent to London to work with H (Hemsworth). The first walk through headquarters is a modern Mos Eisley, and still just as fun. The story is really the same - bad aliens are coming to destroy the earth - MIB must find and destroy - who can you trust - it all works out in the end. A particular highlight was Kumail Nanjiani as Steve. The voice and character were perfection. This is low key entertainment, so as a high stakes summer blockbuster it will be considered a failure. But is you see it, you will enjoy it.
4 stars (out of 5)

Late Night

Emma Thompson plays Kate Newburry, the multi-decade host of a late night TV talk show. Turns out, her show isn't good anymore, she is completely out of touch with what is current and funny, and completely out of touch with her show. She hasn't even met many of the writing staff. Mindy Kaling plays Molly, the diversity hire in the writing room. With a prior job of quality assurance officer at a chemical plant, she has absolutely no credibility with the staff. But it turns out she is just the word of truth the show (and Kate) need to be honest about what good TV is (and who good people are). Maybe formulaic, but the writing is tight and both Kaling and Thompson are really good.
4 stars (out of 5)

Sahara

For Matthew McConaughey, this was probably supposed to be a franchise starter as Dirk Pitt. For Clive Cussler fans it was a true representation of the novels. For everyone else it was just an average action film. McConaughey is marine salvage explorer Dirk Pitt and while chasing the legend of the Confederate Ironside carrying Confederate gold coins, he crosses paths with W.H.O. doctor Penelope Cruz. Cruz is hunting down the source of a super-contagious disease in Africa and is making the wrong people mad. She gets in trouble, Pitt rescues her, and then their hunt seems to merge. True to the Cussler novels, Pitt is larger than life and his adventures are outlandish. But somehow a throwaway beach read doesn't effectively translate to big screen action-drama. Maybe today as a netflix series it would work well (certainly there are enough novels for several seasons), but in 2005 we weren't there yet.
3 stars (out of 5)

Home Again

Reese Witherspoon is a recently separated, 40-something mom of two girls who moved them back from NY to her California, childhood home. Oh, and her father was also a famous filmmaker back in his day. Overlay this with a trio of young, aspiring filmmakers with presumed talent but no real plans or sense for how to get things going in Hollywood. This felt like the old Reese's commercial where an inadvertent collision between chocolate carrying person and a Peanut Butter carrying person results in a "you got your chocolate in my peanut butter" goodness. The overlay of Witherspoon with the 3 handsome young men is just as much a staged "inadvertent" collision, and yet I didn't care because it worked. 100% predictable (it starts, travels, and ends exactly like you would expect), but the chemistry is good, the kids are cute, and everybody feels good in the end.
3 stars (out of 5)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Since it has been 5 years since the first Godzilla, and this movie picks up with characters and story that the previous left off with, I was definitely missing context. [Aside: I do think it is the responsibility of filmmakers to assess how popular the original in a series is, and how long ago it is likely to have been seen, and how much a typical audience member will remember. A good filmmaker will provide the context and history of the first film in a new way, but sufficient to allow the film to stand alone. End Aside] Maybe that is the intent of the filmmaker, so that I will go back now and watch the original. In this version, there is an entirely new cast (only Watanabe returns). The Titans are basically dormant, but an eco-terrorist wakes them up (including Godzilla's primary foe from ancient times). The goal is to yank the apex-predator title from humanity in an effort to right the natural balance of life on earth (see Kingsman, Avengers, The Happening, etc.). But the good guys are able to help Godzilla help himself and take his rightful place back at the top of the pile, thereby demanding subservience of the other Titans. Woo-hoo, humanity survives, even if Boston and D.C. don't. Pretty good 'big animal fight scenes' without losing the action in the blur. Pretty bad wave physics and explosion physics. And by 'pretty bad', I mean non-existent. But for a summer movie, it was a good excuse to go get some popcorn.
3 stars (out of 5) 

Slingshot

Everyone has heard of the Segway. No one has heard of Dean Kaman, the inventor of the Segway. But this documentary about him is astounding. This guy is a prolific inventor and problem solver. He is an inspiration for thinking about problems differently, for solving the root of the problem instead of developing solutions for symptoms. He is an odd guy, but look at his list: portable dialysis, insulin pump, segway, stair climbing wheelchair, FIRST robotics, water purification, Coke dispenser. The doc also does a pretty good job of showing the difficulties and complexities of product development. Well worth it.
4 stars (out of 5)

Rim of the World

Four mis-fit kids are at a summer camp at Rim of the World, in the mountains east of LA. A alien attack force lands and begins to destroy LA. An astronaut crash lands in their camp with the coordinates in space for the alien mother ship. The kids must make their way to JPL, deliver the coordinates, and help destroy the threat. This plays like a variant of the Jumanji, "strange scenario buddy trauma" drama. The characters are caricatures. The plot is a formula. Nothing new or interesting here.
2 stars (out of 5)

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

Chapter 3 picks up where Chapter 2 dropped. Reeves as Wick has been kicked out of the assassin club and has one hour until his life is forfeit. His friends who helped him also are being punished by "The High Table", a secret group who run the assassin club. Wick's plan is to go find the guy who is in charge and find out directly from him how to survive. The thinking is that if he shows the strength and will to get to the boss, he will show that it is worth leaving him alone and live in peace. Of course, it doesn't work out that way and in the end, Wick is right back where he started, but with a couple of more disgraced friends. This movie is exactly in line with the others in the series: brutal, bloody, constant. In this installment, it was so over the top that most people sat in the theater stunned. I noticed only 3 or 4 times where there was a collective chuckle or Oooh! Otherwise, it was a bludgeoning. My experience here was more Harlem Globetrotters. The action was so choreographed, that Wick clearly paused/moved in sync with his attackers to let them have the unnecessary upper hand in order to set up the next hit. The bad guys were the Washington Generals. They were the only guys in the world who thought that when Wick let them have a hit, that they had earned it. The problem is that as a viewer, I was an adult watching the Globetrotters/Generals and I could see behind the screen. The choreography is super effective for a first time viewer or kid. But it was either not slick enough, or was too slick, and I found myself watching mediocre dance instead of action.
2 stars (out of 5)

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Detective Pikachu is a great visual presentation of the pocket monster world if you are 10, you love seeing the live action (i.e. CGI) version of characters you have been imagining for the past several years with distinct species personalities, and you don't mind nonsensical scenes inserted into a storyline for the sole purpose of showing said characters. If you are not this target audience, spend your afternoon doing something else.
2 stars (out of 5)

Avengers: Endgame

Endgame reminded me of the series finale of Seinfeld. An overly long homage. Don't get me wrong, as an homage, this is an outstanding presentation. We are taken down memory lane, reminded of why over the past decade we have grown to like these characters as they make us laugh and at times cringe. We are reminded of those who sacrificed and of those we thought lost. This pushes us down an emotional road intended to think better of humanity, to think that we could all strive for the greater good. It is a film of hope. But take out the homage, the necessary wrap-up of a myriad of storylines, and the skeleton beneath is weak. Perhaps the former is enough, but I wanted more. I wanted that feeling and memory AND great story. Maybe that's just not possible. But is it wrong for me to hope?
3 stars (out of 5)

Long Shot

Charlize Theron is the U.S. Secretary of State about to run for president. Seth Rogan is the schlub from her past who pushes her down the path of her destiny by reminding her that she actually cares about things and people, not just about getting elected. These two have great chemistry on screen and the story is charming while reminding us of the crazy political/media driven world we live in. In fact, this reminder, comedic but poignant, is what makes this film more than a standard rom-com. We are able to laugh at them and ourselves and walk out thinking "oh, that is more real than we want to admit".
4 stars (out of 5)

Mid 90s

1990's coming of age story for Stevie. He is a middle school, wannabe skater who starts hanging around a group of high school skate kids at the local shop. One true skater, a film director in training, a party boy and the previous hanger on. These four take Stevie in and begin to teach him the life as he explores what it means to be independent and make decisions for himself. Charming is perhaps the clearest way to sum this up as each of the characters really show themselves, insecurities and dreams together, as real people.
4 stars (out of 5)

Barely Lethal

A teenage special operative working for (owned by?) a non-governmental black-ops organization decides to go rogue after completing her latest mission. Her motivation... to be a "normal" teen. So she embeds herself as an exchange student (from Canada) with a family and goes to high school. Her organization comes looking for her and mixes her innocent world with her violent world. Not awful, but kinda ordinary - a mix between Spy Kids and Hanna.
2 stars (out of 5)

Unicorn Store

A strange story with Brie Larson receiving an invitation to enter a world that could restore her childhood dreams. While completely odd, I think this is really an exploration of the millennial mindset, where people are not living lives they anticipated, are not feeling fulfilled, and really don't have the emotional skillset to begin to know how to navigate either a life of disappointment, or make the decisions to change the trajectory of their lives. So Larson (as Kit) is offered, and she pursues, an allegorical journey into fantasy land. Somehow along the way she begins to build the identity needed to cope in the modern world. I really am not sure about the message of this film, and while not nearly as strange, the message of existential struggle parallels that of Sorry to Bother You in subtle ways. I guess it is either too weird or too subtle or too soon for me to know yet if it is good.
3 stars (out of 5)

Crimes of Fashion

Sort of a poor man's version of My Cousin Vinny. And by that I mean, not nearly as good. Kaley Cuoco is a student at the local fashion school. She is really good, but her lack of self confidence and put on ditzy personality prevent her from excellence. When she finds out that she is the named heir to the local crime family (meaning she is the new boss), in comes confidence, and hijinks ensue. Note: Anytime a review mentions hijinks, this means a slapstick attempt at comedy has probably fallen flat. Cuoco uses her new position to put the bad guys out of business, make the other bad guys good guys and save her school and career. All while remaining cute and ditzy.
2 stars (out of 5)

On the Basis of Sex

A historical fiction, biopic of the development of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's career as a lawyer. While the recently viewed documentary RBG is broader in scope and tells more about her development and work on the court, this film details Ginsburg between her first days at Harvard Law School through the first case she argues in front of the 10th district appellate court. While I intellectually know, and have seen lots of portrayals, of how both individuals and systems were actively oppressing women, it is again striking to see it reenacted here.

5 stars (out of 5)

Bushwick

Somewhere I saw this on a list of best action movies available on Netflix. I might agree, only in a commentary of what movies are available on Netflix right now. This was ridiculous. In the neighborhood of Bushwick in Brooklyn, an army of mercenaries (we later find out to be sent by southern secessionists) invades and tries to take over. The idea is to control Bushwick as a forward operating base. But the people fight back. We follow one girl and one man who are thrown together as they try to get to a save evacuation zone. Nothing in this movie makes any sense, from relationships, to tactics, to politics, to action scenes. It was a bad idea, with bad implementation. I am really, really sorry.
1 star (out of 5)

Shazam!

The seven deadly sins are about to break free from their imprisonment and the wizard Shazam is growing weak. He needs a champion to take over his job of protecting people from these demons. But his champion must be pure of heart so he is not tempted by the sins. He gets this kid Billy to do it, basically out of desperation. Billy doesn't really know what is going on, but he likes the attention of being a superhero and his foster brother is geeking out on being superhero adjacent. Clearly not a dark, DC style superhero origin story, but fun and lighthearted. Most of the joy in this film comes in the form of the watching the kids as they explore this crazy thing that has happened to them. And when the seven sins do come and some serious superhero-ing is needed, it is also light and full of 'first-time' awe. Nice job.
4 stars (out of 5)

Hanna (Serial)

Based on the movie Hanna from 2011, this story follows a young woman who is trained in a remote Romanian forrest as a survivalist by her father. She is a teenager who has never had contact with any person except her father. Naturally she gets curious, leaves the forrest, and we begin a journey of discovery. Hanna is immediately taken prisoner and whisked away to a black site in Morocco. She escapes (duh), reunites in Europe with her father. Hanna is trying to uncover clues about herself, her mother, her life. The father is embroiled in a "mission" of revenge on the people he used to work for. These two purposes, while kept secret from each other, are intertwined. At the end of the (what I am sure is) first season, the feel of the series is Jason Bourne crossed with Dollhouse crossed with Nikita. So if that appeals to you...
4 stars (out of 5)

A.X.L.

A defense department contractor has developed an AI war dog, but the dog gets loose in training. It is found by our protagonist (a motorcycle riding teen who is new to the neighborhood, has no friends, but is about to get a girlfriend) and the dog (AXL) bonds with him. This personal bonding is developmentally important for the AI, so when the owner finds out, the scenario is allowed to progress. AXL helps the guy get the girls, and puts the bully in place. Everyone learns a little bit more about humanity, and the misconceptions around AI are exacerbated.
2 stars (out of 5)

The Geography Club

The story of high school teens who are exploring identity and needing a safe way to do this. Since most kids are abusively homophobic, there is no freedom to even have discussions. So a few start up a Geography Club, so named because they don't think anyone else would ever attend. This is just the backdrop to the tension of identity explored by kids in various cliques. Interesting, but it keeps getting mixed up in my head with Sex Education, and while that series hasn't explicitly dealt with identity yet, it seems much more set up to do so well than this film. Even so, the writing here puts the teen's personal angst in full light, and exposes the pain that close-minded/abusive language/actions cause, so that alone makes it worthwhile.

3 stars (out of 5)

The Apartment

1960 Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray. Lemmon works at a big New York firm and has gotten into a situation where he loans out his apartment on weeknights to his bosses so they have a place to take their mistresses. MacLaine is elevator operator is said firm, and is the mistress of big boss MacMurray. Lemmon falls in love, MacLaine is distraught that MacMurray won't actually leave his wife, and lots of misunderstandings with the neighbors, the other bosses, and between the two pawns in this story leads to true love.

What was striking about this RomCom was how dark it was. There was near death and clear condemnation of violating moral codes. And it wasn't really funny, but instead occasionally clever. I found this intriguing, both as a film watched in 2019, but also as a study of 1960.

4 stars (out of 5)

Mortal Engines

In this post-apocalyptic world, people live is giant, mobile cities that travel around the earth looking to consume smaller mobile cities and utilize their resources for fuel and technology. This world came about after a global war where a quantum weapon was used to basically destroy all civilization and reshape the geographical map on earth. Of course, an ambitious leader on one of these mobile cities has made it a life mission to collect enough tech to recreate said quantum weapon, and of course a young rebel is the only one who can stop him. In so many ways, this is a completely derivative young adult dystopian future story. So, knowing that background, it is actually a bit of fun. The imagery of the world, the function of the cities, the steampunk tech... it all works together.
3 stars (out of 5)

The Mustang

Outstanding. Based on the federally run prison programs to have inmates round up and train wild mustangs in the west as part of the mustang conservation management program. This story follows Coleman Roman, an inmate recently transferred to a Nevada prison where one such program is in place, run by ancient horse wrangler Bruce Dern. This is a fantastic film in how it intricately navigates the emotions of living in prison. Roman has to deal with his ideas of rehabilitation and self loathing, which is complicated when his daughter enters the picture. It exposes both the sterility of the prison system and ambivalence to the person that the system embraces. Juxtapose this with the discovery of life and care for life that the inmates learn while training horses. The battle of the horses as wild individuals paralleled with the emotions of the humans is striking and illuminating. I loved the depth and beauty of this film. And while it is clearly skimming over many layers, making some parts of the picture too easy and too nicely packaged, it is enough. Go see this.
5 stars (out of 5)

The Apartment

1960's romantic comedy/drama with accountant Jack Lemmon falling for elevator operator Shirley Maclaine. The problem is that Lemmon (as a bachelor) has been loaning his apartment out evenings for the executives at his firm to use as their meeting place with their mistresses. When one executive also has eyes on Maclaine, hijinks ensue. The interesting part is how dramatic this film is, at least addressing serious issues such as relationship fidelity and suicide, all in the context of a romantic comedy. Neither the style nor context of the film would fly in today's market. But as a study of culture, I find it fascinating.
3 stars (out of 5)

Captain Marvel

I knew nothing about Captain Marvel before going into this film. She was not a character that was even in my universe of existence as a kid (I was Spiderman, Fantastic Four only). So this film was a nice introduction to the character, and the Kree, and the Skrulls, and tied in nicely with Marvel Universe (as Marvel tends to do). I like the motivations that Danvers draws on for her decisions, and the people who she surrounds herself with to help her with thinking. It is a distinctly female personality to this film, which is one reason why it felt different, and one reason why I really liked it. If Carol Danvers is the center of the Marvel universe for the next 20 films, that is fine with me.
4 stars (out of 5)

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

A historical fiction biopic based on the life of William Kamkwamba. William was a kid in Malawi during massive flooding and then drought. The financial stress this put on his family made is so that he was unable to pay the fees to attend school. He would sneak into the library to read, when he came across a book Using Energy. From the pictures and his experience scavenging in the junkyard, William is able to gather the materials to build a wind generator that can power several devices in his house. I remember reading the book, and enjoying it as a quite inspirational story. The film was just OK.
3 stars (out of 5)

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

The final chapter of the trilogy started by How to Train Your Dragon. In this installment, Hiccup is the viking chief and Toothless is the established dragon Alpha. Toothless meets a girl, and a dragon hunter comes to kill all the dragons. The only option is to look to move the dragons to the mythical hidden world. Will Toothless be able to maintain focus while dating? Will Hiccup rely on Astrid and learn to lead? Will the dragons be saved? Still a fun show, but largely formulaic and unremarkable.
3 stars (out of 5)

The Wandering Earth

Chinese sci-fi, action film. The sun is dying in the next 100 years so humans finally put petty fights behind them and form a unified earth government to develop and build 10,000 earth engines. These will de-orbit the earth so it can travel for 2500 years to a new Alpha Centauri. Along they way, they will need to use Jupiter as a gravity slingshot. The story follows one of the project engineers (stationed on the lead spacecraft) and his family (still back on earth) and throws several engineering failures at the humans and we watch how problems are solved. In this, I love how the story arc and dramatic tension are science/engineering failures and solutions. It is too bad that these are more fiction than science. I would say that the most fun thing about the film was the driving scenes with the cargo transporters on the surface.
3 stars (out of 5)

One Special Night

James Garner and Julie Andrews get stranded together in a snow storm and realize how lonely they are on their way to discovering that loving again is ok. Slow, Hallmark TV special quality.
2 stars (out of 5)

Alita: Battle Angel

From the previews, the character of Alita reminded me of the GMO fighter from The Windup Girl and I could still see hints of that. But the world is modern instead of steampunk, and not nearly as in-your-face dystopian. Alita is a cyborg creature rescued from the trash heap and spends most of the film discovering her identity and character. She finds herself to be a fighter with a mission to seek justice. I didn't know anything about the original manga which means no expectations or history. I do know something about how much I like 3D movies but decided to give it a try anyway. 3D means still don't waste your money, no 3D value added. Hoping this makes enough money to become a franchise.
4 stars (out of 5)

Green Book

Set in the 1960's, an accomplished black pianist (he has played at the white House twice) needs a white, thuggish chauffeur in order to tour the deep South with his trio. Mahershala Ali plays Dr Shirley and Viggo Mortensen his Italian driver Tony. Both men are exposed to race and culture and friendship in ways that surprise them. Comedic, tragic, enlightening, heartwarming. Well done.
4 stars (out of 5)

Hell or High Water

We join two brothers on a chain of bank robberies in West Texas. The strength of this film is not the action or tension of the heist, but the story of the characters that has led them to this place and the narrowing paths the future opens for them. It really strikes at the complexity of the US identity as we get both anti-capitalism and rugged individualism.
3 stars (out of 5)

A Star is Born

Bradley Cooper is the aging rock star who happens across Lady Gaga's undiscovered talent as singer/songwriter. They develop into each other's muse and fall in love. And they struggle to balance this love with fame, addiction, and the affliction of their own personal histories. The characters reminded me a lot of the Johnny Cash and June Carter portrayal in Walk the Line. This is a fun film with great music and a series of charmed coincidences that allow the plot to move forward with ease. Thoroughly enjoyable.
4 stars (out of 5)

RBG

Documentary portrayal of the rise of Ruth Bader Ginsburg into the Supreme Court Justice and popular icon that she is today. Interesting review of her early career showing the development of her legal identity and how that has carried into her decisions on the bench. Looking forward to the biopic version of her earlier life On the Basis of Sex.
5 stars (out of 5)

Close

An entitled heiress to a mining company/fortune which gains most of its wealth from African mining sites is kidnapped after her father dies and taken to North Africa. Presumably this is something to do with some current buyout deals that the company is pursuing. Her temporary body guard is the "can't let it go" type and recovers the girl and uncovers a conspiracy while showing his commitment to his craft of bodyguarding. More stars if you watch it after midnight while have asleep.
2 stars (out of 5)

Like Father

Kristen Bell is left at the altar (although she barely notices since her head is in her phone for work - which was the problem all along). And her long ago abandoned father (Kelsey Grammar) has chosen this day to attend the wedding. They get drunk together that night and find themselves on the honeymoon cruise that Bell had scheduled. This has all the elements of a RomCom, except the relationship is Father-Daughter, and the goal is self-awareness and growth. Check and Check. Cheeky, occasionally funny, always follows the formula.
3 stars (out of 5)

Wolf (Serial)

This Turkish TV drama (8 episodes) follows a police special operations team, codename Wolf. The team is tasked with various police, paramilitary and military missions in Istanbul, and in the northern part of the country as ISIS is invading. Set in 2015, this is set up as historical fiction, and I found the political and nationalist themes fascinating. The Wolf team, and their bosses are fighting both ISIS and the internal subversive elements that have been working for years to undermine the government and the country in favor of a more religious state. Clearly this has elements of propaganda coming from the state, but since I know next to nothing, much of the emotion of nation building does feel pretty authentic, which is quite different than US special ops shows which are more about power, dominance and arrogance.
4 stars (out of 5)

The Crew

Set in Paris, Yanis is an organized, careful heist man who runs a crew to steal from armored cars. He plans 30 heists for every one they actually pull off. No mistakes, and he has never been in jail. But when he brings his kid brother onto the job, Amine makes a trivial mistake that changes everything. And the film turns into a fight for survival of self and family and honor. In the end, there are no winners, which means this is probably more realistic than most people want for an escapist form of entertainment. 

4 stars (out of 5)