The Trip to Greece

Fourth in The Trip series with Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan (The Trip, to Italy and to Spain). They are traveling this time to Greece, again as a publisher paid trip to document their buddy trip and review restaurants along the way. Finally this franchise feels tired. While it was fun to see the progression of their careers and lives and relationships over the past decade, this episode does not offer anything new or interesting. I laughed a couple times where I was supposed to, but mostly there was no drama left to unfold in these lives. Which is maybe an OK statement of what mid-life is and should be, but not worthy of entertainment.

2 stars (out of 5)

The World is Yours

This french film follows a minor drug dealer who wants to become a bigger drug dealer. He wants to be the boss (and is actually probably the brains in the operation anyway). But is his mother a bigger criminal than he is? At least she doesn't screw things up too much and is aware of the imminent double cross. Moderately fun crime thriller.

3 stars (out of 5) 

Prime Suspect 1973 (serial)

An origin story series (6 episodes) for Jane Tennison, the BBC character played by Helen Mirren in the Prime Suspect series. Tennison is a probationary constable in her first assignment and the team she is working with gets a murder case that is somehow intertwined with a bank robbery. Even though she is new, Tennison is already singularly focused on closing the case. Well played. Now to rewatch the Helen Mirren versions.

4 stars (out of 5)

Roman Holiday

Still one of my favorites and worth watching every few years. Princess Ann is traveling across Europe, and when she is in Rome is fed up with her royal obligations. She sneaks out and sees the town.
5 stars (out of 5)

Hotel Artemis

Jodie Foster is the Nurse, Dave Bautista the Orderly, and Sterling K Brown is the patient (Waikiki) in Hotel Artemis, an "underground", members only hospital for the criminal world. The story follows the interactions of 4 or 5 clients after they checked in during a riot. A steampunk version of LA with classic steampunk characters. Dave Bautista is perfect in this understated role and for me, holds the whole thing together.
3 stars (out of 5)

Den of Thieves

LA Sheriff's department major crimes squad vs. military precision bank robbers. It has the violent, vigilante justice feel of Sicario based mostly on Gerard Butler in the lead role as sheriff detective "Big Nick" who runs his team loose and fierce. He and his team are pursuing his criminal nemesis Merriman, and everyone knows that a crime will be committed. And to up the ante, there is taunting and subterfuge. Everyone knows... but what do they really know? A well planned heist with a few turns to keep you on your toes.

4 stars (out of 5)

The Nomads

Based on a true story. When the public school system in Philadelphia is short of funds, they close campuses and relocate students. A couple of teachers new to a tough school join forces to start a rugby program as a potential outlet for students. Predictable, and still heartwarming.
3 stars (out of 5)

Sergio

A historical fiction biopic focused on Sergio De Mello, the Brazilian UN diplomat who led the mission in East Timor and negotiated their independence from Indonesia, and then was charged with leading the UN mission to Iraq in 2003 as the US invaded. The story of these two events is told simultaneously in real-time/flashback as a way to tell the story of Sergio's life and evolution as a person. Very well done.
4 stars (out of 5)

The Hustle

Anne Hathaway is a sophisticated con artist working the wealthy men in the south of France. Rebel Wilson is a brash, loud, competitor working in on her territory. The two team up for a big score. Some of the scenes are clever, but overall this is what I would call a tired comedy. Amusing, but not actually funny.
2 stars (out of 5)

MLE

My Little Eye
An aspiring actress moves to London for a role, which is cut in the first 5 minutes of the film. Needing money, she takes a job where she needs to spy on the daughter of her employer. Not sure where it went after that because I quit...
1 star (out of 5)

Friday Night Lights (serial)

Five seasons of teen romance drama based on high school football in Texas. Season 1 is perhaps one of the greatest TV seasons of sports drama I have seen, containing all the appropriate pieces. Seasons 2-5 are tolerable, moving at times too far into the teen drama and forgetting that the football is the reason for existence. And only once in awhile do we see a glimpse of an actual teenage action or emotion, with most of the plot asking the 15 year old kids to function as 25 year old adults. The problem is that after a stellar season 1, you are hooked enough on the characters to watch all the way through. As a show, it'll get 3 stars, with Season 1 better and the others less so.
3 stars (out of 5)

Cashback

We open with our protagonist Ben breaking up with his girlfriend. This is a traumatic experience and, it turns out, life changing. After this, Ben becomes an insomniac and decides to take advantage of the extra 8 hours per day that he has gained by not sleeping. He gets a job at a local supermarket night shift at which point this becomes a pretty traditional (if still quirky) romantic comedy. The other night shift workers are typically eccentric English, but everything works together quite well. I rather enjoyed it.

3 stars (out of 5)