A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Tom Hanks plays Fred Rogers in a biopic that seems to want to give a bit more insight into the man in the neighborhood. There is not a lot new here, but this is told from the perspective of the journalist writing a puff piece on Rogers. It is a bit of a punishment for the journalist (ahem... investigative reporter) to be given this assignment and he sets out to find the "real" Mr. Rogers. The public persona just can't be real. But of course, it turns into a conversion story, with true and deep friendships being formed quicker than you can say Daniel Striped Tiger. If you want to feel good, this just might do it for you.

4 stars (out of 5)

 

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

The story of Harley Quinn post Suicide Squad, post Joker. We start quickly with the "joker is not in this film" and move on to Quinn (Margot Robbie) setting herself up to be an independent operator. She gets some enemies, she stumbles on some friends. In hindsight, the movie was necessary for the DC Universe and the explaining included. However, the story was predictable and really unnecessary for Quinn herself. This entire film could have been a 5 minute intro to a story that actually needed to be told. And as I just wrote that, I wonder -- what comic story exists that *needs* to be told???
2 stars (out of 5)

The Irishman

Oh boy. I don't want to say plodding, but the storytelling here is definitely ... deliberate. Going in I knew only the basic premise, that I would be seeing another portrayal of a mob family. Robert DeNiro plays Frank, a right hand man to east coast mob families (Philadelphia, Chicago, Miami) and ultimately enters the Jimmy Hoffa circle. He is the humanized face of a contract killer, an absentee dad, a trusted confidant. And this is all good and well written and acted. I enjoyed it. And then I hit pause and saw that I had been engaged for a little over an hour... and was only 1/3 of the way through. Edit, Edit, Edit or follow in the European model and make a 3 episode limited series.
3 stars (out of 5)

Ragnarok (Serial)

This is a 6-episode Norwegian TV series on Netflix. And it is fabulous. Set in a small, one industry town directly experiencing the effects of industrial pollution and climate change, local loner high school student Magne has his eyes opened to a new role he must play. He is thrown into an ancient conflict between Gods and Giants that is part of the long history documented in Norse mythology. I love the slow discovery that Magne traverses while he endures classic teenage angst and uncertainty, both in high school and his family. And while it is gods and giants, it also feels very human scaled, serving up a sort of fantasy realism that is not seen often enough. 

5 stars (out of 5)

The Gentlemen

Matthew McConaughey is the king of weed production in all of England, Charlie Hunnam his right hand man and Hugh Grant a sleazy reporter looking for a payday. The story is told as a conversation between Hunnam and Grant, laying out the development of events. Initially this mechanism annoyed me as I felt like I couldn't piece together a consistent timeline. But over the course of the movie, it became a pretty effective way to transmit information, stitching together details from several interconnected character lines. The story itself is a variation of classic criminal as protagonist. McConaughey is looking to sell the business and when a series of events threatens the sale and his position as King, he acts and reacts to fix the situation. Overall, a pretty fun little romp through the English drug world.
4 stars (out of 5)

Bad Boys - For Life

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reunite as Miami cops, 25 years older from their youthful introduction the first time around. Smith is the "bulletproof" daredevil nemesis of criminals everywhere, while Lawrence is contemplating retirement and the family life. Insert into this the return of the Mexican crime family who has a personal connection to Smith which unfolds over the course of the movie, and erupts in Miami. While this is action, and cheeky fun, it wasn't astounding and was clearly building on the memory of the originals. In fact, this felt like 2/3 backstory/plot setup, 1/6 movie, 1/6 setup for the future. I found myself generally underwhelmed.
3 stars (out of 5)