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)