The Bricklayer

Aaron Eckhart is a former CIA black ops guy who got out and has a regular job. But then the CIA needs him to fix a problem. So he does, in his regular guy way, but this lots of explosions, etc. 

2 stars (out of 5)

Madame Web

Back story first I guess. This is the development of how a group of "spider women" get their powers from a spider cult clan deep in the amazon jungle and how they overcome the wierdness of their situation to save the world from a bad guy. A new character for me (and most I would guess), so Marvel was right to make this a backstory movie. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Atlas

J Lo as a badass action hero nerd robot scientist. Her mom created general artificial intelligence, which led to a global battle between humans and machines. The chief machine (first created being) left the planet to regroup. Now the battle resumes. Kind of a cross between terminator and pacific rim. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Tig Notaro: Hello Again

I like Tig. This 1-hour comedy special is exactly what you expect, with humorous stories and slice-of-life happenings that make you laugh. Nothing that I will actually remember a month later, but enjoyable in the. moment. 

3 stars (out of 5)

The Bad Batch (serial)

Season 3

This is one of the best Star Wars series, IMO. Omega got captured at the end of last season, and opens in prison on a secret planet. The season goal is to rescue Omega and learn more about why she is so important. We get a little bit of info about project necromancer, but really I feel like I am only a part time fan and that a true fan already knows the whole story, with dialogue droppings functioning as easter eggs. Regardless, great story, pacing and characters.

5 stars (out of 5) 

American Renegades

Action, war thriller set late in the Bosnian conflict. A U.S. special forces team is tasked with seeking out and eliminating genocidal leaders. In the process, a team member falls in love with a local, and said local has a secret history. Her grandfather told her about a cache of Nazi gold that only they can help rescue and make a difference in thousands of lives. So they do. Far fetched and physically inaccurate action sequences are par for the course in order to move the simple story along. You definitely get bang for your buck here, but not much else. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Heart of the Hunter

Zuko is a regular guy, trying to be a good father to his girlfriend's son. But his past catches up with him. He was a black ops, special forces guy for the South African democracy movement during the transition out of the apartheid system. And now a presidential candidate is running who has deep roots in corruption and siphoning off resources for his own gain. Only Zuko can do the right thing for the country. In doing so he must navigate both sides of humanity - ultra violence and tender care for those he loves. It's a movie, so eventually everything works out, but Zuko will always be questioning the benefit/cost balance. 

4 stars (out of 5)