July Movies Part 1: Supergirl & Moana

July is here, with a brand-new set of summer blockbusters. We have the latest superhero offering from the DC Universe, and then Disney's latest live-action remake. Looking for original IP? Move right along!

Supergirl: Written by Ana Nogueira and directed by Craig Gillespie, this movie stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who is Superman's cousin. She is turning 23, so you may ask, why is she a "girl" and not a "woman"? That is a meta question this film also seeks to ask and answer. But first, we must give our poor heroine a purpose, because as this movie opens, she is on an epic pub crawl and has no desire to save the universe.

This film is only 108 minutes long, so I won't give away scads of plot. There's a young girl, Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is seeking revenge after the brutal murder of all the members of her family, and she crosses paths with the reluctant Kara, who is persuaded to help her for her own reasons. Naturally, our heroine is full of ennui and doesn't think there's any point to being a superhero, but she will eventually get her redemption arc and start to crawl out of her depressive funk. Prepare for lots of action sequences, many repetitive rescues of the hapless naif, and some cameos from a very concerned Clark Kent (David Corenswet) as he video calls from Metropolis to keep tabs on his wayward cousin. Oh, and also Jason Momoa shows up as an alien mercenary character called Lobo, for some reason.

This movie is rather forgettable. Now that James Gunn runs the DC Cinematic Universe, you can see his fingerprints all over it in terms of random music choices during various scenes and a desperate attempt to keep things light, even when we're talking about a lot of heavy themes. Alcock and Ridley are a great duo, and they are both very personable, even whilst their characters are being extremely angsty, and the action choreography is wonderful. But overall, this movie thoroughly failed to captivate me, and I almost forgot I watched it a few days later. It exists, and that's about all I can say about it.

Moana: Written by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller and directed by Thomas Kail, if you're a fan of the original animated film, then you'll be perfectly happy with this live-action remake, i.e. just like my husband. I do not care about Moana as much as he does, but I still found myself captivated by this movie. 

If you've never seen the original before, I suppose a short plot summary is in order. Catherine Laga'aia plays the titular Moana, the daughter of the chief of Motonui, a Polynesian island. Her whole life, she has been forbidden from venturing too far out into the ocean, but her grandmother (Rena Owen) believes the ocean has chosen her for a crucial journey. When the island is stuck by a blight, she tells Moana that she needs to set sail and find the demigod Maui (Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson who voiced this character in the original film), who can then help her restore the heart of Te Fiti, the goddess of Nature.

The cinematography is beautiful and enchanting, the songs (both English and Polynesian) are rousing and wonderful, and the actors are fully committed and having a great time - it's particularly great to see the Rock do his thing in live action this time around. Is it almost identical to the animated film? Of course. Did that dampen my enjoyment at all? Nope. Disney is gonna do its thing, but when they do it with a movie this beloved, it's hard to really screw it up, you know? There has been a lot of uproar about why we need this remake, which is the same uproar we have been getting for every single Disney remake to date, but I found myself bopping along for the ride. I know most critics are in absolute disagreement with me on this one, but I don't care. Sometimes it's just nice to get some Polynesian comfort food.

March Movies Part 1: How to Make a Killing & Hoppers

I headed back to the movie theatre and watched two very different movies this month. One is a murderous comedy that's strictly for adults, while the other is a sweet animated film that is appropriate for all ages. What are you in the mood for?

How to Make a Killing: Written and directed by John Patton Ford (who was inspired by the 1949 film, Kind Hearts and Coronets), Glen Powell stars as Becket, a young man whose mother was disowned by her eye-wateringly rich family after she slept with an unsuitable man and then insisted on keeping the baby. When the unsuitable man died, she became a single mother, who did the best she could to provide for little Becket, with absolutely no contact from any member of her family. After she died, he scrambled to make ends meet, but was then reminded that even though his mother was disowned by her family, the irrevocable nature of the family trust meant they couldn't actually disinherit her or her descendants. Which means that he could inherit a huge pile of money...provided all the other heirs in line before him were to die. I assume you can see where this is going.

When the first murder goes much more easily than he expected, Becket starts to think that maybe he could genuinely pull off this crazy scheme. Margaret Qualley stars as a femme fatale childhood friend who is the demon on his shoulder, egging him on, while Jessia Henwick stars as a new love interest who makes him want to be a better man. But murder is like a can of Pringles - one you pop, you just can't stop. While lightly comic throughout, the final tone of this movie is decidedly more ambiguous. But it's an entertaining ride, and if you enjoy that Glen Powell charisma, this movie will let you bathe in it for a crisp 105 minutes. Sometimes, that's all you want at the movies.

Hoppers: Pixar is back and better than ever. Written by Jesse Andrews and directed by Daniel Chong, this movie follows Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda), a young girl who loves animals, but is furious that the adults around her seem to be so callous to their needs. Her grandmother is the only person who seems to understand, and together, they spent a lot of time at a local glade, quietly observing the pond life, listening to the sounds of Nature, and enjoying the contentment of that serene place. Her grandmother eventually dies, but Mabel always remembers her fondly, and as she enters into college, she continues to be a passionate advocate for Nature. Which means she frequently butts heads with Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm), the local mayor whose passion project is to build a beltway that will help to reduce commutes by four whole minutes! And where will a portion of that beltway cut through? The glade, of course.

Mabel is naturally indignant and determined to save her beloved glade. But the only way to do so is to re-introduce animal life into the area, since they have all mysteriously disappeared. She discovers that one of her college professors has developed "hopping" technology, that allows users to jump into a very life-life robot replica of an animal and then interact directly with animals. So, Mabel "hops" into a beaver, and sets off to convince animals to return to the glade and help her defeat Jerry.

I've barely scratched the surface here - the plot is so deliciously twisty and inventive that you really need to experience it for yourself. And like any great Pixar film, while there are cute animals and gorgeous animation to satisfy kids, there are a lot of poignant observations about seeking meaning in your life, having to regulate your emotions, and the dangers of end-stage capitalism, to make it very resonant for adults. I didn't bawl during this film, but tears definitely threatened to make an appearance at various stages. This is such a sweet, funny, and captivating movie - hop to it!

September Movies Part 1: Caught Stealing, The Thursday Murder Club, Elio, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

We're halfway through September and I'm catching up on movies on streaming and in the theater. What are you craving? Period British drama, modern British mystery, 1998 New York crime caper, or fantastical Pixar animation? I've got it all!

Caught Stealing: Written by Charlie Huston (who adapted it from his novel) and directed by Darren Aronofsky, this is a movie about what happens when Hank (Austin Butler), a bartender living in the Lower East Side of Manhattan (Alphabet City to be precise) in 1998, unwittingly gets caught up in a lot of trouble when his neighbor, Russ (Matt Smith) leaves town and asks Hank to look after his cat. Turns out Russ was working for a bunch of drug dealers and had something they really want, and now those bad guys are all convinced Hank was working with Russ and could be persuaded to part with that information via violent means.

The movie gets a little bloody, and there's a lot of cringey body horror as various people try to torture Hank for his intel. The body count starts to go up, and yet everything is told with a bit of a comic spin. The content is bleak, but the tone is farcical, and you'll happily follow Austin Butler along on this ride through the grimy New York of yesteryear. I can't say the film is particularly memorable once you leave the theater, but while you're in there, you'll have a great time.

The Thursday Murder Club: If you're a fan of Richard Osman's British murder series, then rejoice, because the movie adaptation has arrived on Netflix, with a screenplay by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote and directed by Chris Columbus. The cast is astonishingly good, with Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Pierce Brosnan, and Ben Kingsley playing Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim, four pensioners living in a retirement community, who have unusually decided to pursue a hobby of gathering together on Thursdays to discuss unsolved cold cases. However, when someone they know is murdered, they decide they're going to partner up with the police (sometimes against the police's will) to solve this brand-new case.

I loved the book, but watching the movie did make me realize how incredibly complex the plot is. While this cast is charming, this seems like the type of murder mystery that is fun to curl up with on the couch and read, rather than try and condense into a two-hour film. However, if reading is not your thing, this movie certainly does the source material justice and will give you a good idea of why this series is so popular, with the fifth installment due to be released at the end of the month (yes, I have already reserved it at the library and cannot wait!). After all, there can never be too many British mysteries in the world.

Elio: This movie came and went from theaters and it has taken me a long time to get around to catching it on streaming. Written by Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, and Mike Jones, and directed by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi, this is a story about a young boy named Elio Solis, who was orphaned and now lives with his very overwhelmed aunt who is an Air Force major. Obviously, with that tragic backstory, this kid keeps to himself and doesn't have any friends. But he does have a deep and abiding love for space, and firmly believes aliens exist who could maybe provide him with a way out of his depressing existence on Earth. Well, turns out aliens do exist, Elio does get to meet them, and when he is accidentally mistaken for Earth's leader, things start to spiral out of control.

The plot of this movie is extremely fantastical. The animation is all beautiful as you would expect of any Pixar film, but the story is a bit trite, really hammering home the themes of loneliness and parenting failures. It's all very inventive but it's all somehow still boring, which is astonishing for such an original concept. The tragic backstory felt too classic Disney for me, and even aliens and the threat of galactic warfare couldn't save it from being maudlin and prosaic. Watch this if you love animation and want to be a Pixar completist, but otherwise, this is not their best work.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale: Speaking of maudlin and prosaic...welcome back to Downton Abbey! I went to the premiere of the 2019 movie, and we all thought that was the end of this franchise, but Julian Fellowes has returned for one last (maybe?) time to follow the fortunes of the Grantham family in 1930. Everyone's back and hitting all the same character beats - Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is going through a scandalous divorce and is being shunned by all of polite society, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) is worried about money and continues to be incensed that the world is continuing to modernize and render his way of life obsolete, and Paul Giamatti enters the fray as Cora's (Elizabeth McGovern) brother from America, who has been helping to settle their dead mother's estate and is now in London to share the terms of the inheritance. 

There are also many plot lines involving the staff of course, with Carson (Jim Carter) and Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) due to retire and pass on their duties to the next generation. It's wonderful to see how these characters have grown and come into their own over the years, and while this movie is plainly just a bit of fan service, you can consider this fan fully served. My favorite part was when Edith (Laura Carmichael) declared "Is he also Turkish?" and all of us in the theater chuckled at this callback to Mr. Pamuk from Season 1. If you know, you know, and if you don't know, do not watch this movie!

August Binges: Ironheart, The Hunting Wives, Adolescence

Need to plop down on the couch and settle in for a summer binge? Well, I've got an action-packed Marvel show, a sexy murder mystery, and a rather distressing but brilliant British crime drama. Pick your poison.

Ironheart: Created by Chinaka Hodge, this is a six-episode series that follows Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) the young genius we first met in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Riri may be smart, but she doesn't like to follow the rules. She gets kicked out of MIT and returns home to Chicago, where she falls in with a bunch of criminals, led by Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos) as they provide the fastest way for her to earn enough money to realize her dream of building a flying iron suit that is even fancier that the one Iron Man has. But of course, our hero is going to clash with Parker, aka The Hood, who seems to be dabbling in some sinister powers that might be a little bit more than the simple life of crime she was expecting.

Complicating all of this is the fact that Riri has built an AI to help her while she's in the suit, but that AI unexpectedly takes the form of her dead best friend, Natalie (Lyric Ross). As you can imagine, watching her best friend walk around and talk to her is a bit unnerving at first, and then becomes a massive liability towards the end. This is a show with a lot of classic Marvel jimjams, but the actors are great, the production design is solid, and the fast-paced six episodes will keep you engaged throughout.

The Hunting Wives: Created by Rebecca Cutter, based on the novel by May Cobb, Brittany Snow stars as Sophie, a woman who has moved to Texas from Boston with her husband and finds herself thrust into a community of Texas socialites that she believes she has absolutely nothing in common with. But this fish out of water is going to find out that maybe she does have a lot more in common with them than she realized. Queen of the pack is Margo (Malin Akerman, drawling her way through a bravura performance), who is married to Sophie's husband's boss (played by Dermot Mulroney, who also appears to be having the time of his life), and is therefore someone that Sophie must play nice with. But of course, turns out that maybe Sophie will cozy up to Margo for her own reasons.

There's a lot of sex on this show, both gay and straight, and there's also a lot of murder, because, lest I forget, the opening scene is of a woman getting shot and then we spend the first half of the season in flashback until we figure out who got murdered, and then the rest of the season figuring out who the murderer is. The show is insanely over-the-top and ridiculous, but it is quite fun to watch all these women swanning around and talking about guns and Jesus. The only problem is that it ends with a real cliffhanger. This is a show that would have been better off as a silly, fun, limited series - I don't know that I want a second season of this inanity. But give it a shot (pun intended), because maybe this is just the show you've been hunting (groan) for.

Adolescence: Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham (who also stars), this is a limited series that only consists of four hour-long episodes. But each one packs a punch. This is due to the excellent acting but also the fact that every episode was shot as one continuous take, a monumental feat that means you simply cannot tear your eyes away from the screen. The show begins with the police barging into a family's home early in the morning to arrest 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who is accused of murdering a girl he knew from school the night before. That first episode plays out like a police procedural where we get a detailed insight into how a juvenile is processed and interrogated by the British police. The subsequent three episodes are at different time periods following the arrest, and each looks at the case from a slightly different viewpoint, piecing together what may have happened, what was the motivation behind the heinous crime, and how Jamie's family are ever going to recover from this ordeal.

The show is propulsive, and engaging, and enraging. It tackles a lot of hot button issues that are relevant to today's youth, including the growth of the "manosphere" and the power of the Internet in persuading young boys that they deserve more from girls and women. It's about toxic masculinity, family dynamics, police work, and everything in between. The show is simply a masterclass in storytelling and filmmaking, and there's little wonder it has a slew of Emmy nominations, almost all of which are likely to be wins. It's certainly not easy to watch, but you will devour it once you sit down to watch it because it is compelling, urgent, and incredible. 

August Movies Part 1: The Naked Gun, Freakier Friday, The Life of Chuck

I'm behind on blogging this month so prepare for a deluge of random reviews. That's what summer's for!

The Naked Gun: Directed by Akiva Schaffer, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, this is an 85-minute spectacularly silly movie filled with sight gags, a billion puns, and the dumbest jokes imaginable. If you're having a tough day and want to see Liam Neeson disguised as a little schoolgirl, this is the movie for you. 

Neeson plays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) from the original Police Squad! TV show and subsequent Naked Gun movie franchise in the 80s. Like his father, Frank Jr. is a detective who doesn't play by the rules but manages to be surprisingly effective, much to his supervisor's chagrin. When he meets the sultry Beth Davenport, played by the delightful Pamela Anderson, he is pulled into a twisty murder case, trying to figure out who killed her brother and what devious criminal plans must be thwarted along the way. Fans of the original franchise will eat this movie up, whereas for someone like me, it was a perfectly apt diversion. My favorite joke? A shot of what is clear Crypto.com Arena, with a sign renaming it as Ponzi-scheme.com Arena. Readers, I chuckled.

Freakier Friday: Do I remember anything about the 2003 Freaky Friday movie? No. Was I still looking forward to seeing this sequel written by Jordan Weiss and directed by Nisha Ganatra? You bet!  Jamie Lee Curtis and Linsday Lohan are back as Tess and Anna, the mother and daughter who switched bodies in the original movie and got a literal lesson in how to walk in another person's shoes. Now, Tess is all grown up and made the choice to be a single mom, so she has a teenage daughter of her own, Harper (Julia Butters). Harper's archrival at school is a new girl named Lily (Sophia Hammons), and when the two girls get into a fight, their parents are brought in to speak to the principal. Well, turns out Lily's father, Eric (a very hot Manny Jacinto, with a hot British accent), is a young widower, and sparks immediately fly. Within six months, he and Anna are ready to get married, much to the deep objection of their daughters, who still hate each other. And so, of course, the universe decides another body swap is in order. 

Except this time, the two teenage girls swap bodies with the two older women, and it's all twice the fun. It's silly, it's predictable, you'll forget everything you saw the minute you leave the theater, but you'll have a good time while you're watching it. Jamie Lee Curtis is probably the most committed actor to the bit -- maybe that's why she's the one with an Oscar -- but it's clear everyone involved is having a ton of fun, and sometimes, that's all you want from your silly summer sequel.

The Life of Chuck: Written and directed by Mike Flanagan, based on a novella by Stephen King, I would be hard-pressed to tell you anything about what this movie is about. I started watching it on streaming, and then pulled up Candy Crush on my phone and promptly stopped paying attention. The movie starts as a story about a teacher named Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his ex-wife Felicia (Karen Gillan) who are living at a time when the world seems to be on the brink of ending. The news is always terrible, and the planet seems to be in trouble, and everyone is in a constant state of panic. And yet in this midst of this chaos, there are billboards for a man named Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) and we get the story of how this man lived his life and why life is a wondrous thing, full of beauty, and we must seize the moment every day. And there's a scene where he dances for a very long time with a stranger on the street.

I don't know why this movie stars all these British actors doing American accents, and it was just so vibey that I completely checked out. If there was a plot, I'm sorry, I did not notice it. I'm a huge Hiddleston fan, but this movie just felt too anodyne to compel me in any way. Upon reading the Wikipedia plot summary of this film, I can see that oh sure, there was some structure, but again, none of it felt like it had anything important to say. If you love this movie, please let me know if I'm wrong and this movie deserves a second viewing, but my first certainly left me with no impression whatsoever.

July Comedy Binges: Murderbot, Stick, Too Much, Overcompensating

Looking for your next summer TV binge? I've got four comedies for you, all very different from each other, so there should be something for everyone!

Murderbot: Created by Paul and Chris Weitz and based on a series of novels by Martha Wells, Alexander Skarsgard stars as a SecUnit, a robot designated to protect a group of researchers who are on a mission to an uncharted planet and have been forced to hire this robot as a bodyguard for insurance reasons, even though they are a bunch of hippies who think that owning a robot is tantamount to slavery. What they don't know, however, is that the SecUnit has hacked his infrastructure so that he can be fully autonomous. But rather than going rogue and becoming some sort of violent, sentient, Terminator-esque AI, this robot is interested in far more prosaic things - he has downloaded thousands of hours worth of trashy television episodes and just wants to be left alone by the crew so he can watch reruns of his favorite space dramas.

It's a fun premise, but I'll confess, I never paid much attention to this show as I was watching it, treating it more as background noise while I did other things. The cast is great, the production design is excellent, all the right components are here, and most people have been raving about how much they love this show. But for some reason, the humor was always too one-note for me and never became much more complex and engaging than this one joke about this robot that just wants to binge TV. There's a ton of action, a lot of encounters with villains and alien creatures, and plenty of excitement for people who are genuinely looking for some science fiction adventure packed into easily digestible 30-minute episodes. It wasn't for me, but it absolutely could be for you!

Stick: Created by Jason Keller, this show stars Owen Wilson as Pryce Cahill, a washed-up golf pro who is barely getting by and still stinging from his divorce and the loss of the cushy life he used to have. However, one day he discovers Santiago Wheeler (Pete Dager), a teenager who seems to be a golf prodigy. He persuades Santi and his mother, Elena (Mariana Trevino) that they should hit up the amateur circuit, and after a lot of persuasion, they agree. The reason I watched this show, however, is because the other person joining them on this adventure is Pryce's friend and former caddy, Mitts, who is played by Marc Maron. I've been hearing Maron talk about this show for months on his podcast, so obviously I tuned in. If you're a fan of WTF, you're probably going to enjoy this performance.

This is a cute show. Watching it one week at a time was the perfect pace because you didn't get too invested but were still curious enough to see what these characters would end up doing the next week. I don't know how well it will hold up as a binge, but each episode is only 30 minutes long so it will go down easy. The writing does suffer a little from the fact that the show was created by a white guy in his 50s, so there are occasionally some painfully awkward conversations about pronouns and social justice that simply don't sound quite right when coming out of the mouths of the younger characters. But this mostly seems like a well-intentioned, sweet show about found family and picking yourself up after grief, loss, and heartbreak, all wrapped in a gentle comedy that has some very exciting golf montages, if you're into that sort of thing. Give it a try!

Too Much: This show is created by Luis Felber and Lena Dunham, so that's probably all you need to know if you're wondering if this show is for you. I am not a Dunham person by any means, but this show did still have some appeal for me, so let's discuss the good parts, i.e. the cast. Megan Stalter stars as Jessica, a woman living in New York City, who can't stop stalking her ex and his beautiful new girlfriend (played by Michael Zegen and Emily Ratajkowski), so she decides to leap at the chance to move to London for work and get a fresh start. As a romcom and Austen enthusiast, her expectations of London are mostly that she's going to be stepping into a Regency period drama and meet Mr. Darcy, but instead, she quickly discovers that it's simply another big city, just filled with people with different accents.

Jessica wastes no time in striking up a romance with Felix (the charming AF, Will Sharpe), a musician wastrel, who is extremely sweet and seems to be the polar opposite of the toxic ex she left behind in New York. Of course, Dunham can't just let things be, so we end up with a lot of drama, a lot of complications, and a lot of bad behavior. This show really gets by on the strength of Megan Stalter, the most lovable and dynamic woman on the planet that you will root for 100%. She makes Jessica such a sympathetic character, that you will never accuse this woman of doing anything wrong - it's just everyone around her who's being a tool. I did not love how the show finally ended, and while I was promised a romcom in the first episode, what I got was a little too dark and dramatic for my liking, though there is one episode that chronicles Jessica's past relationship and is a very accurate portrayal of how women can get suckered in by terrible men. Your mileage may vary, but watch this show to support Stalter, who I hope gets to be the leading lady in many more (better) things to come.

Overcompensating: Remember how when I watched Adults I felt like I couldn't relate to any of it because Gen Z is so foreign to me? Well Overcompensating, created by and starring Benito Skinner, is a story of a freshman who was the valedictorian, Homecoming King, and football all-star in high school, and is trying very hard to maintain that image in college. But he has been harboring a secret all his life...he might like boys? From the very beginning, when Britney Spears' "Lucky" is playing in the background and we see how little Benny's hormones were first set aflame by watching Brendan Fraser in a loincloth in George of the Jungle, it's clear that this is a show for millennials. So even if it's ostensibly about college, settle in my fellow 30-40-year-olds, because you're going to have a blast watching this show.

Besides Benny, the other main character we follow is the delightful Carmen (Wally Baram), a woman who is also trying to figure out her college identity. She and Benny become fast friends (after an initial attempt to be more than that), and it's lovely to see the two of them bumbling through college together. Then there's Benny's sister, Grace (Mary Beth Barone), an ice-cold bitch who thaws out beautifully over the course of the season as we delve deeper into her many layers. And of course, there's Peter (Adam DiMarco), Grace's horrible frat boy boyfriend who embodies the worst that the patriarchy has to offer. Every character on this show is fleshed out and complex, with everyone having some redeeming features, and plenty of flaws, and making plenty of mistakes because that's what we all do in college. It is extremely funny, but also extremely heartwarming and I binged this show with a big smile on my face all the way through. Also, this show has some wildly good cameos sprinkled throughout that will give you a real jolt as you make your way through the season. Everything ends on a massive cliffhanger, so I am definitely clamoring for Season 2. But until then, binge this first season to your heart's content. It's an absolute winner.

June Comedy Binges: Adults & #1 Happy Family USA

Need to delve into some comedy for a bit? Depending on whether you're interested in Gen Z or Muslim families, I've got you covered!

Adults: All the marketing basically posits that this is Friends for Gen Z. Which, fine? As a millennial, I have never felt more like a boomer than when watching this show and shaking my head at how incomprehensibly silly these twentysomethings seem to be. But as with all comedies, the show managed to win me over by Episode 3. There was a line of dialogue that struck me as being so brilliant and hilarious, that I instantly knew the show had found its groove. And once you love the writing on a comedy, you can forgive any number of flaws.

Created by Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold, the show follows a group of five friends (played by Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao, and Owen Thiele) who live in Queens (very exciting for me, as I also live in Queens, though it was quickly apparent that this show was shot in Toronto, because the subways looked different, booooo). They all live in Samir's (Elassal) childhood home while his parents are off traveling, which is convenient as none of them seem to have jobs that would enable them to really live in NYC otherwise, except for Billie (Freyer) who loses said job pretty quickly. Over the course of eight episodes, the series follows the usual story arcs - there are work anxieties, sexual anxieties, romantic anxieties, and just the general anxiety of being a Gen Zer. The overall impression you get is that being a twentysomething is always the same, where you're perpetually struggling with your career or your love life, and the only thing that makes this Gen Z is that everyone's a little bit queer and everyone's deeply unprofessional. Give this show a chance - I was all set to cross my arms and declare that I was too old for this show, but it really won me over in the end. 

#1 Happy Family USA: Well, we're back to having another war in the Middle East, so I guess watching this show would be pretty timely? Created by Pam Brady and Ramy Youseff, who also voices the main character, this is an adult animated show about a 12-year-old Egyptian boy named Rumi Hussein who lives in New Jersey with his parents and older sister, Mona. The show begins on September 10, 2001, and we get a glimpse into Rumi's life and ordinary teenage struggles with school and family life. Adolescence is painful enough, but then, September 11 happens. And now Rumi's life is upended by the fact that he is a Muslim teenage boy.

The show is very funny but also very astute. In particular, I love how it deals with the ways in which Rumi's parents deal with the aftermath of 9/11. His mother decides she wants to don the hijab and embrace her religion and Muslim community, while his father is desperate to prove that he loves America...to the point of going on Fox News to prove he's "one of the good ones." If that made you groan and then chuckle, welcome to the vibe of this entire show. It's incisive and wonderful, a dark comedy about one of the most painful moments in America's history and the immigrants who suffered because of it. Which sadly is all too relevant today.

June Movies Part 2: Materialists and Lilo & Stich

Do you want a family-friendly live-action remake of a classic animated movie? Or a grown-up romcom about the perils of dating in the big city and having to choose between money or love? If the answer is both, keep reading!

Materialists: Writer-director Celine Song is back with another love triangle, this time between Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a matchmaker in New York City, her ex-boyfriend, John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor/cater-waiter still waiting for his big break in his late thirties, and Harry (Pedro Pascal), a handsome, rich man who meets Lucy at his brother's wedding, which Lucy is responsible for as she was his brother's matchmaker. Talk about a meet cute.

Lucy and John broke up years ago because they were always broke and fighting about money. So naturally Lucy is intrigued by Harry, a man who seems to be a "unicorn" in the NYC dating world and has everything she thought she wanted in a partner. But as the movie progresses, it's clear that while financially, Harry may have everything to offer, emotionally, John is the person she turns to. Who will she choose in the end?! That's for you to watch and discover.

While Song's previous film, Past Lives, was my #1 movie of 2023, this movie is not as polished and the story beats and dialogue oftentimes have a feeling of black box theater. I love this cast, I obviously love anything set in NYC, and the score by Daniel Pemberton is lovely. But this screenplay is throwing too much at the wall and nothing quite sticks. You'll probably learn a lot about yourself in terms of your reaction to Lucy's final choice of partner, so that's a fun introspective exercise. But there's a side-plot involving one of Lucy's clients that a lot of people are up in arms about because it comes out of nowhere and then is dealt with in a rather messy fashion that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Ultimately, I enjoyed this movie as a parable about the horrors of dating in NYC in your thirties - there are some great montages when Lucy is interviewing her clients and cataloguing their increasingly insane demands. All of that stuff makes for great comedy, but ultimately, I was not sold on the romance.

Lilo & Stitch: My husband loves the original 2002 animated film, and we even went to Kauai for our honeymoon and took a picture next to the Lilo & Stitch mural in Hanapepe. If you're that kind of fan, this movie will certainly delight you. As a more ambivalent fan, I still found reasons to enjoy this movie, particularly the excellent choices made by the casting director. 

Maia Kealoha, who plays Lilo, a young Hawaiian girl who finds the alien Stitch and adopts him as her dog, is deliciously charming, though over the course of two hours, hearing her scream out loud did remind me of why I don't want to have children. And Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, who plays Lilo's older sister and guardian Nani, who is struggling to take care of the bills and provide for her sister after the untimely death of their parents, is simply wonderful, a stoic, loving presence in the face of much insanity. But my favorite casting choice was Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen as the two aliens sent to Earth to capture Stitch. Magnussen in particular is always excellent at goofy physical comedy and I couldn't help but grin every time he was on screen.

Of course, one is always forced to ask when reviewing a live-action remake, does this movie need to exist? My answer is mostly, no. But there are a few intriguing deviations from the original script, and again, this cast is so charming that they make it worth it your while. Despite the title of this film, the only character I truly empathize with in this story is Nani, a woman who is trying so hard to be a responsible and good person but keeps getting thwarted by her sister and her "dog." So, I was glad to see how this film dealt with her character and ultimately let her be the hero of the story. Justice for Nani!

April Movies Part 1: Snow White, Warfare, The Amateur, Drop

I have spent a very erratic few weeks at the movies, watching a real mishmash of films that vary in terms of genre and quality. If you're ready for some cinematic whiplash, let's dive right in!

Snow White: Oof. I know the reviews were terrible, but I needed to see it for myself so that I could have my own opinion. Turns out my opinion was the same as everyone else's - this movie is awful. Also, I had somehow completely missed the controversy around the dwarves, so imagine my horror to discover they are played by CGI characters, instead of what I had been expecting, something more akin to the sexy hobbits from The Hobbit. Yeesh. 

There's nothing spectacular happening here. The costumes and production design are expectedly lovely, but the songs fall flat, the script is mediocre, and while Disney have done their usual thing of trying to make the Princess more of a feminist icon who is getting things done rather than waiting around for her Prince, it all feels pretty strained. I did enjoy how Snow White (Rachel Zegler, trying her best) is basically advocating for socialism during this entire movie, while the Evil Queen (played so woodenly by Gal Gadot) is a capitalist who is trying to hoard the people's riches for herself, but other than that, there was nothing particularly entertaining about this two-hour slog. 

Warfare: Let's take a hard turn to this remarkable movie that is tough to watch but absolutely extraordinary. Written and directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, this is a movie based on an actual US Navy SEAL encounter Mendoza and his platoon experienced in 2016 in Ramadi, Iraq. For a tense 90 minutes, we are embedded with these soldiers (played by an incredible cast of actors like Will Poulter, Jospeh Quinn, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Cosmo Jarvis, and Charles Melton) and get to experience what they went through. 

The opening scene of this movie is simply perfect and grabbed my attention from the get-go. Which was important, because the next 15-20 minutes felt so slow, concerned purely with these soldiers hunkered down in a building, looking through scopes at the neighborhood to assess potential threats, continuously offering up monotonous updates on the radio. But then things escalate quickly, and watching these men in action as they attempt to extricate themselves from an extremely volatile situation is both harrowing and grisly.

If you're squeamish (or a pacifist), this is not the movie for you. And if you are an Iraqi civilian who had their life summarily upended by American forces, this is also not the movie for you. This is definitely a rah-rah pro-US military movie, because that is who is telling the tale, but they do briefly capture some of what their impact was on ordinary civilians. But of course, those civilians don't get any say in this narrative, and we have no idea what subsequently happened to them. This is only a story about these soldiers, so your mileage may vary. But as a piece of cinema, it is powerful, tense, and searingly shot, capturing the psychological trauma these men are subject to in addition to the physical toll. To someone like me, it's a powerful condemnation of the horrors of war, but I'm sure to someone who plays Call of Duty 24/7, this move will offer up a completely different experience that only further glorifies what these admittedly brave men do on the battlefield.

The Amateur: If you are looking for more fictional action, you may turn to this film. But beware, the action is going to be more of the hacker variety, where you spend time learning about codes and surveillance systems, rather than getting caught up in gun battles. This was a plus for me, but a minus for my husband who was expecting more fights, so be forewarned. The trailer will basically tell you everything you need to know about this film, and with a two-hour runtime, it definitely overstays its welcome. But if you like Rami Malek and the genre of mindless spy thriller, this might help you while away an afternoon.

Malek plays Charlie, a CIA boffin who is distraught when his wife is taken as a hostage and killed during a random attack in London. He asks his CIA overlords to give him field training so that he can find the four men responsible for this attack and avenge his wife's murder. Obviously, the CIA thinks this is a ridiculous request, as Charlie has only ever sat in the basement poring over his computer. But, for reasons I won't spoil here, they accede to this request, and Charlie gets some light training from Colonel Henderson (gamely played by Lawrence Fishburne) before he sets off on a European revenge spree. Based on that premise, this movie really should be a lot more exciting, but unfortunately it just feels a bit rote and predictable, and at one point I found myself wishing Charlie just had to kill three men instead of four so we could be done already. This movie had a lot of promise but doesn't live up to expectations. Do you still want to give it a shot?

Drop: Based on the trailers, I thought I didn't want to see this movie. But then the reviews of it were so ecstatic, that I decided to give it a shot. And it was a 90-minute delight. This is one of those films that suffers from having a trailer that gives away too much, but despite that, I found myself thoroughly engaged in the central performances of Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar, who play Violet and Henry, a couple that are meeting up at a fancy restaurant for a first date after months of texting back and forth. Unfortunately, this is going to be the worst first date ever because Violet keeps getting memes dropped to her phone from some unknown person (who must be in the restaurant - who could it be?!) and then starts to get threatening texts. She left her five-year-old son behind with her sister to babysit at home, and it becomes increasingly clear that her family is in danger if she doesn't follow the commands that this mysterious stranger is texting her.

No more spoilers - as you can imagine, this is a tale of a plucky heroine who is trying her best to save her family while not wreaking any extra havoc on the people in the restaurant. Meanwhile, her noble date is thoroughly confused about what's going on but gamely trying to play along and be a gentleman. Honestly, the true horror of the movie is how it captures the madness of a bad first date. Fahy and Sklenar have great chemistry, but it is amazing to see how much Henry is putting up with towards the end, as well as the hapless waitstaff, who are initially rooting for this couple and then discreetly asking if they need some help extricating themselves from what is clearly a disastrous night. With a tight script by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, and impeccable direction by Christopher Landon, who really elevates many of the shots in the film to high art, this is a funny, clever, and thrilling movie that will thoroughly entertain you from start to finish.

February Movies Part 3: Nickel Boys, The Apprentice, I'm Still Here

The Oscars are less than a week away so as you can imagine, I have been desperately scrambling to finish watching the last few nominated movies I haven't yet seen. And now, here are my reviews for your viewing pleasure.

Nickel Boys: Directed by RaMell Ross who also wrote the screenplay with Joslyn Barnes, based on Colson's Whitehead's 2019 novel, this is the deeply dark and distressing tale of two teenage boys at Nickel Academy in the 1960s. Nickel is a racially segregated reform school, where the Black boys are inevitably treated harshly and cruelly and have absolutely no recourse. They are told that they could get out for good behavior, but of course, that is simply a lie, as the school benefits too much from hiring these boys out as cheap labor while not even bothering to feed or educate them properly. We begin our story with Elwood (Ethan Cole Sharp), a young man who ends up in Nickel completely by accident through a gross miscarriage of justice. He meets Turner (Brandon Wilson), another boy who has been stuck at Nickel for years after he grew up in a terrible home. The two of them form a bond, with Turner trying to teach Elwood how to fly under the radar, while Elwood, a bright kid who took part in Civil Rights protests, still can't quite fathom how this place could be allowed to exist.

Of course, the thing everyone is talking about in this movie is the way that it is shot. Told from a first-person perspective, the camera acts as the eyes of the different characters and so you are mostly looking out at the world as Elwood or Turner sees it. It's a powerful way to literally put the audience in these characters' shoes and also feels like absolute magic. There were multiple shots where I would go, "I don't understand how they shot that." That does mean that the camera work can be shaky at times though, so you might get a little unsettled and queasy if you're prone to motion sickness. Even if you're not so afflicted, the horrific story will make you unsettled all the same. While Nickel Academy may be fictional, it is based on the very real Dozier School in Florida, that was only shut down in 2011. So please do give this movie your attention. It is beautifully shot, well-acted, and a powerful reminder of this country's sordid history.

The Apprentice: Directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman, this is the story of Donald Trump's rise to power in the 70s and 80s after he was taken under the wing of the powerful and disreputable lawyer, Roy Cohn. Was I dreading having to watch this movie? Of course. But once I steeled myself to do it, I discovered it was a genuinely good film. And can now understand why Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong have been nominated for their performances as Trump and Cohn respectively. Stan, especially, is wondrous at portraying this heinous man that dominates our collective consciousness. He somehow captures all those mannerisms and tics and ways of speaking that are so familiar, without descending into all-out parody or a too-uncanny impression. He has nailed the essence of Trump but then lets us get on with the story of how this venal man came to be, under the tutelage of the equally venal Cohn.

Obviously, your mileage may vary. Far be it for me to recommend a Trump movie to anyone, because who the hell wants to give the guy more airtime? But this is a well-made film (with a great soundtrack to boot) that provides some insights into how this man has always operated and why he is currently obliterating our government. Maria Bakalova also offers up a stand-out performance as Ivana Trump, with one particularly heartbreaking scene that should fill everyone who voted for this man with shame. But they won't care, so alas. Watch it if you're an Oscar completist but spare yourself if the news already has you down. It's a good movie, but it's not worth that much trauma.

I'm Still Here: Directed by Walter Salles and written by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva's 2015 memoir, this is the true story of Eunice Paiva (played by the incandescent Fernanda Torres), a woman who is a national hero in Brazil, but who I had never heard of until watching this film. This film will quickly explain to you why she became such a hero, even if it is a rather harrowing tale. It all begins in 1970, where Eunice and her family live in Rio de Janeiro and enjoy a rather idyllic life right by the beach. She and her husband, Rubens (Selton Mello), are very much in love and have five children, who all seem to be having a lovely time. However, Brazil is under a military dictatorship, and one night, some men claiming to be the police take Rubens away for questioning. The next day, Eunice and her daughter are taken in for questioning as well, and no answers are forthcoming as to what the army thinks Rubens has done.

The movie is mostly concerned with these events in 1970, but we do then get some time jumps that explain what happened to Eunice and her family in later years. If I have one quibble about this film, it's that it felt like a superhero origin story, more concerned with how this woman acted as a wife and mother, rather than giving us the story of what she did with her life that made her a truly celebrated national treasure. This movie is so well-told and features immaculate performances from every cast member, but now I am desperate for a sequel. This is a woman who really LIVED, and one movie is not enough to contain her greatness. If, like me, you are woefully behind in your knowledge of South American history and feminist icons (or have simply never watched a Brazilian movie), watch this movie posthaste. It is a remarkable reminder of all of the many ways that ordinary people can fight back against injustice and continue to smile.

February Movies Part 1: Queer, Companion, Paddington in Peru, Love Me

Valentine's Day is almost upon us (or the far superior Galentine's Day if you celebrate), so I have been watching a lot of love-themed movies this month. I've got some real variety of genres and content for you in this post, so dive in if you're interested in queer love, family love, futuristic love, or...horrific love.

Queer: Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes, based on the novel by William S. Burroughs, this is a story about William Lee (Danial Craig), an American expat living in Mexico City in 1950, who is obsessed with a man named Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). We follow Lee's pursuit of this man and their travels to South America in search of what ends up being an ayahuasca trip and a whole lot of vibes. I'll be honest, this is absolutely not my kind of movie. Yes, it's absolutely gorgeous to look at, and every frame has some breathtaking shot and perspective. And damn does Daniel Craig look great in a fedora and linen suit. The acting is all on point here (my husband particularly enjoyed Jason Schwartzman offering up some light comic relief as Lee's friend, Joe). But ultimately, I found myself too perplexed and frustrated by this film. It started off strong but went off the rails. If you're the kind of person who wants to indulge in intense, melancholic, trippy vibes, this is the perfect movie for you. But if you want a bit more plot and structure, give this one a miss.

Companion: As is well established on this blog, I'm a sucker for comic horror. And this movie did not disappoint. Written and directed by Drew Hancock, this is the story of what happens when Iris and Josh (Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid) go up to a remote lakehouse with some friends for the weekend. The house is owned by Sergey (Rupert Friend), a cartoonish Russian millionaire who is dating Jack's friend, Kat (Megan Suri). Iris is terribly in love with Josh and is desperate to make a good impression on his friends and behave herself on this trip. But something really bad happens early on in this visit. And we are then treated to a twist that means the rest of this film becomes an absolute raucous delight with an ever-increasing body count. All of the actors are putting in phenomenal work (Sophie Thatcher is particularly a marvel, while Harvey Guillen and Lukas Gage are also present at this cabin as Jack's friends and offer up excellent comic relief), the script is tight and funny and horrific in all the right ways, and it's a beautiful 97-minute movie that entertains you for just the right amount of time without overstaying its welcome. It's perfect alternative Valentine's Day programming.

Paddington in Peru: I mean let's be real, everyone has to love this movie right? Written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont, and directed by Dougal Wilson, this is the third installment in the Paddington franchise and is just as charming and delightful as the others. In this film, Paddington and the Brown family embark on a trip to Peru after Paddington receives a worrying message about his Aunt Lucy who lives there in a home for retired bears. Once they get there, the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman playing a nun, what more could any of us ever want?) who runs the home informs them that Aunt Lucy is missing. Which means that the family must now embark on a harrowing journey through the Amazonian jungle, accompanied by a riverboat captain played by none other than Antonio Banderas. Be prepared for lots of puns, silliness, and Britishness. The production design and animation is remarkable, and there's a powerful story about identity and found family to tie everything up nicely with a lovely bow. You won't be bored for a second and will leave the theater feeling all warm and cozy. And really craving a marmalade sandwich. 

Love Me: Written and directed by Sam and Andy Zuchero, this film is about the love story between a satellite and a buoy. Yes, I too thought that was a typo when I first read a summary of this movie, but that is in fact what this movie is about. Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth where no humans are left on the planet, we get a tale about what happens when a smart weather buoy that is bobbing on the oceans connects with a satellite that is orbiting the planet and contains a full record of all human existence. They start to communicate and then build a virtual world where they exist as human avatars, played by none other than Kristen Stewart and Steven Yuen. That casting alone should convey that this movie is charming AF. It's deliriously inventive and definitely a movie for those who are chronically online. And with a 92-minute runtime, it's this perfectly portioned piece of sci-fi, fantasy, mind-bending entertainment that can thrill your brain and leave you thinking about it for the rest of the day when you leave the theater. Now that's the kind of love story we should all be seeking out.

January Movies Part 4: One of Them Days, Mufasa: The Lion King, Queer, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Trying to figure out what to watch in the final days of this month? Well, whether you want some family-friendly animation, some very predictable action, or a hilarious buddy comedy, I've got you covered!

One of Them Days: Written by Syreeta Singleton and directed by Lawrence Lamont, this is a bonkers and delightful buddy comedy about what happens when two women have nine hours to make $1500 of rent money so their landlord doesn't kick them out. Dreux and Alyssa (Keke Palmer and SZA) are best friends who are in a bind because Alyssa gave their rent money to her loser boyfriend, who decided to invest that money in some random scheme instead of handing it over to the landlord. What follows is a romp across Los Angeles as these two women try to figure out how they're going to make that money back quickly. Oh, and Dreux has a very important job interview at 4pm, so they're really on a time crunch.

I won't give away more details, because the events of this film all take place in one day and you need to let each hilarious moment wash over you so you can keep giggling your way through. It's very silly and over-the-top, but Palmer and SZA are two of the most charismatic women on the planet and they have incredible chemistry. They perfectly capture what female friendship is like - you would both do anything to help each other out, but that relationship can also be a rollercoaster where sometimes you are overextending grace when your friend seems intent on making poor life decisions. It's a great movie about friendship but also just an excellent comedy brimming with one-liners (and sometimes just one-worders), that are delivered with absolute panache and relish. If you need to get away from reality and laugh yourself silly for a few hours, this movie is exactly what you need in your life.

Mufasa: The Lion King: I just revisited my 2019 review of the Lion King remake and have to say almost all of it pertains to this movie as well. Does this movie need to exist? No. Is it a pleasant way to spend an afternoon? Kind of? If you thought that 2019 film was a money grab, this movie seems even more blatantly unnecessary, but hey, to each his own. The animation is absolutely spectacular, and it is kind of fun to imagine what Mufasa and his brother, Scar, were like as young lions, and what happened to drive them apart. Timon and Pumba, who I thought were the standouts of the 2019 film, are back, but now the filmmakers have decided to really lean into their double act and offer up a lot of meta commentary that makes this whole endeavor seem even more bizarre. Also, the editing is a little painful, with us constantly going back and forth from the story of Mufasa to the present-day where Rafiki is narrating this story. It feels like something designed for the TikTok generation, where apparently no one has the patience to just watch one story all the way through without constant cuts and stitches to other things in between.

The theater I watched this movie in definitely seemed to have some issues with the sound mix, so the dialogue was often hard to make out and the song lyrics were impossible to hear. As a result, I didn't find myself particularly compelled by any of the new music. Much like my feelings on the indigenous music in Moana 2, I could have done with fewer English songs and just more traditional African singing to set the mood. If you're a Disney person, then sure, so ahead and give this movie all your time and money. But if you're looking for something compelling and engaging, this is not what you seek. 

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl: I mean, let's be real. This movie is the single greatest thing you could watch this year. How could anyone not love a Wallace & Gromit movie?! If you've never watched one, hoo boy, are you in for a treat. Filmed in gorgeous, lovingly painstaking stop-motion claymation, these movies follow the adventures of a cheese-loving British inventor named Wallace and his stoic dog, Gromit. In this movie, Feathers McGraw, the villainous penguin from their second adventure, The Wrong Trousers, has returned to cause some trouble, which also involves Wallace's latest invention, a robotic garden gnome named Norbot.

This movie is only 79 minutes long, so rather than spoiling the entire thing, I'll merely beg you to watch it.  It is as charming as can be, thoroughly delightful and inventive, and is best accompanied by a steaming cup of tea and some cheese and crackers. Settle in for the coziest hour of your life. You're welcome.

Back in Action: Do you want to have a truly lazy afternoon and turn your brain off? Then welcome to this movie! Directed by Seth Gordon, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Brendan O'Brien, this is a truly silly film about a spy couple, Emily and Matt (Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx). They are presumed dead after a particularly dangerous mission and decide to settle down to have kids and be a basic, normal family. Well, fifteen years later, some events transpire, their cover is blown, and it turns out that there's some unresolved business from their final mission that has come back to haunt them. There are some twists and turns, all of which you'll see coming from a mile away, and a lot of action and stunt work, which will remind you of Diaz's heyday as one of Charlie's Angels. 

Honestly, you're probably better off rewatching the Charlie's Angels movies instead of this one, but if you're in the mood for a film that won't ask too much of your attention span and lets you laze on the couch for a little longer, then step right up! 

Holiday Movie Watch: Hot Frosty, Our Little Secret, The Merry Gentlemen, Nutcrackers

'Tis the season! Once Thanksgiving was over, I began mainlining Christmas movies on streaming platforms. If you're ready for some thoroughly mindless entertainment to put you into the holiday spirit, let's jingle all the way!

Hot Frosty: This is the movie everyone's talking about. Directed by Jerry Ciccoritti and written by Russell Hainline, this movie stars Lacey Chabert as Kathy, a lonely widow who runs the cafe in her small town. She puts a scarf around a snowman that was made for a local competition, and lo and behold, later that night, the snowman magically comes alive. And this is no pot-bellied snowman with a carrot nose. This snowman is played by Dustin Milligan and has some chiseled abs. Is this high art? No. But is every actor committed to the silliness and having a whale of a time in this movie? You bet. The supporting cast includes Craig Robinson and Joe Lo Truglio as the local sheriffs who are looking to identify this mysterious man who has appeared in town, and yes, while initially the snowman has no idea what's going on and seems to be about as mature as a toddler, he thankfully has a real quick learning curve so it's not too icky when an inevitable romance begins to brew. Pour out a mug of hot chocolate and settle in, because this is the coziest movie you're gonna watch this week.

Our Little Secret: I 100% support Linday Lohan's pivot into becoming a Netflix romcom queen. In this film, directed by Stephen Herek and written by Hailey DeDominicis, Lohan plays Avery, a woman who is visiting her boyfriend Cameron's (Jon Rudnitsky) family over the holidays. Unfortunately, Cameron's sister, Cassie (Katie Baker) brings home her boyfriend, Logan (Ian Harding). Who is, of course, Avery's ex-boyfriend. Naturally, Avery and Logan decide not to tell anyone that they used to date, which leads to many shenanigans and ruses. And of course, they're not the only one in this house harboring a secret - everyone's got something to hide, and by the end, all will be revealed. It's absolutely charming, classic holiday fare, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second. Kristin Chenoweth also stars as Cameron's snarky mother who goes around blessing everyone's heart and being the mother-in-law of their nightmares. Almost every beat is predictable, though there was one twist towards the end that I absolutely did not see coming, so I offer that up as additional enticement. But otherwise, this is the perfect movie to be watching while you put up your tree and wrap presents. Fa la la la la!

The Merry Gentlemen: Do you love the holidays but wish they involved more topless male dancing? Well, this movie, directed by Peter Sullivan and written by Marla Sokoloff, has you covered! Britt Robertson stars as Ashley, a dancer in Manhattan (she is a "Jingle Belle" which is basically just an off-brand Rockette), who gets canned for being too old, and sadly heads back to her small town for Christmas. When she gets there, she finds out that the bar her parents' own is in trouble and needs a massive cash infusion if they want tohang on to it past the holidays. So naturally, Ashley decides the only solution is so stage an all-male revue and put on performances till Christmas to raise money. One of the dudes she recruits is the local handyman, Luke (Chad Michael Murray, whose hair is particularly distracting throughout the film), as well as the local barman and some other men who can actually dance, unlike Murray, who laughably spends most of the time standing in the back of these routines with his shirt off, trying to look sexy without moving too much. Again, it's predictable and dumb, but it is full of holiday cheer and shirtless men, so what's not to like?

Nutcrackers: I need to be clear right off the bat that I did NOT like this movie so am emphatically not recommending you watch it if you want to feel some holiday uplift. But here's a short review nonetheless. Written by Leland Douglas and directed by David Gordon Green, Ben Stiller stars as Michael, a man who has to take a break from his high-powered job in Chicago to drive down to a farm in rural Ohio so he can serve as temporary guardian to his four unruly nephews after his sister and brother-in-law tragically died in a car accident. The children are out of control and Michael was somewhat estranged from his sister, so he basically just wants the social worker, played by Linda Cardellini, to quickly find foster parents for these kids so he can wash his hands of them and head back to his real life. And then of course, he spends more time with the kids, gets more entwined with the local townsfolk, and yada yada yada. This movie is mostly chaotic vibes, and the tone is weird throughout, never quite funny enough or dramatic enough, just aggressively mid. If that sounds like the kind of thing you're into, go ahead, but otherwise, stick to the three ridiculous movies I recommended above instead.

November Movies Part 5: A Real Pain, Fancy Dance, Will & Harper, Moana 2

Another theme this month has been watching movies about close relatives or friends take a trip together. If you're ready to watch some moving, funny, and/or serious movies that might make you tear up a little, settle in.

A Real Pain: Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, who also co-stars with Kieran Culkin, this is a story about two Jewish cousins from New York who head to Poland for a week-long Holocaust tour to honor their dead grandmother who survived the camps. Yes, nothing about that seems inherently funny, but David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) have a deeply complicated relationship, and as we see them interact with their guide, James (brilliantly played by Will Sharpe) and the bewildered members of their tour group, who all have their own fascinating reasons for why they are taking this tour, there is room for a lot of comedy and a lot of heart. 

It's difficult to describe this film without getting into a slew of spoilers. Everything is really about the acting and Culkin delivers an outrageously great performance that is sure to be Oscar-nominated next year. His portrayal of Benji is so hard to pin down until the very end when you finally understand the backstory for this trip and how David feels about him. The supporting cast are also incredible, alternately having to be annoyed by these weird cousins and their outbursts, and then demonstrating a kindness and compassion that is in keeping with the whole theme of their tour. 

The entire soundtrack is a beautiful series of Chopin pieces performed by pianist Tzvi Erez, and the cinematography by Michal Dymek (who is Polish) is wondrous, truly capturing the beauty of Poland as well as the more somber moments of the Holocaust tour. There isn't a moment of this film that isn't captivating and engrossing, and by the end of it, you'll wish this trip could go on for a few more days. 

Fancy Dance: Written and directed by Erica Tremblay, this is the story of Jax (Lily Gladstone), a Native American woman who is taking care of her niece, Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma after her sister has mysteriously disappeared. Jax isn't exactly a great role model, but she's a hustler and is trying to make ends meet in an effort to take care of this 13-year-old girl and pressure federal investigators to look into the disappearance of her sister. 

What follows is a sadly typical tale where Native American women get no respect and their disappearances fall into a black hole due to the complicated interplay between the tribal police and federal investigators. There is also a complicated dynamic with Jax's father (aka Roki's grandfather), who is white and now lives off the reservation with his white wife. They want to serve as Roki's guardians instead of Jax, but don't know much about the culture and are unwilling to let Roki attend the annual Oklahoma City powwow. No points for guessing whether Child Protective Services thinks that's an important consideration.

This is a sad but also beautiful movie, with a lot of dialogue in the Cayuga language, which is always a delight as Indigenous languages never get a lot of airtime in the media. The relationship between Jax and Roki is so tender and loving and the final scenes at the powwow are particularly uplifting and moving, even if everything else in this film has indicated that these two women are always going to be let down by the system. It's a powerful film about how Native American women often have to serve as their own champions, and the lengths they have to go to in order to preserve their culture and get some justice.

Will & Harper: Directed by Josh Greenbaum, this is a documentary about the actor Will Ferrell and his long-time best friend, Harper Steele. They met on the set of SNL in 1995 and were fast friends and comedic partners for 30 years, but in 2022, at the age of 61, Harper came out to her friends and undertook a gender transition. This film is about these two friends going on a long road trip across America, to red states and places that have a dangerous history of homophobia and denying trans rights, to see whether they can get past the media noise and just meet some real people, as well as explore their friendship. As you might expect, what they discover is rather heartwarming and affirming, but there's still plenty of bias and hate they have to combat along the way.

The film is quite bittersweet because while it showcases plenty of folk who accept Harper for who she is and don’t make a fuss, it also highlights the heinous transphobia in pockets of this country and also online on social media, where people feel free to spew hatred. Harper used to love long road trips and frequenting dive bars in the most isolated areas, but now, as a trans woman, she is deeply afraid of what she may encounter on such trips. While this road trip occasionally alleviates her fears, with some encounters even driving her to tears because of the love and acceptance she is given, it by no means clear that she can travel freely wherever she likes any longer. The fact that she is travelling with Ferrell provides enormous security along the way, and it is sad to see that this is a country where women, and particularly trans women, still cannot feel safe.

However, while it’s interesting to see who they meet along the way (including plenty of cameos from famous SNL folk), this is mainly a story about Will and Harper's friendship, and how these two people reconnect after one has gone through a pretty major life change. Ferrell voices his concerns about how he is expected to treat Harper now that she is a woman - can he still talk to his friend in the same way? Turns out the answer is yes. It’s a deeply sweet movie about the power of friendship and acceptance, and that while you might be ignorant and have to ask dumb questions, as long as you are thoughtful and care deeply about making sure the other person feels safe and comfortable, you can still maintain a loving and cherished friendship. The world is a big and scary place, but it's a lot less scary when you have a best friend by your side. 

Moana 2: If you're ready for some lighter entertainment, dive in for some Disney fun. Our hero Moana (who is emphatically NOT a princess) is off on another adventure, this time to discover the island of Motufetu that is under the curse of a vengeful god named Nalo who hates humans. Instead of going on a voyage accompanied solely by a pig and a chicken, this time she actually takes some of the villagers with her, including a canoe builder named Lato (voiced brilliantly by Rose Matafeo), an elderly farmer named Kele (David Fane) and a storyteller/historian named Moni (Hualalai Chung). 

Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, off a script written by Jared Bush and Miller, this movie features stunning animation and a sea voyage that is almost reminiscent of The Odyssey given the many adventures this crew has along the way. Of course, they finally do run into the demigod Maui (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is having quite the holiday movie season), and they then team up to take on Nalo and re-connect with the people spread out on islands across the ocean.

If you love the English songs from the original Moana, unfortunately you're going to be disappointed with this sequel. Lyricists Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear don't quite nail any of the English songs, particularly when they are then juxtaposed with beautiful traditional Polynesian songs that are interspersed throughout the movie. Given how Moana is a celebration of indigenous culture, I would have been delighted if composers Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i gave us a soundtrack that was solely composed of Polynesian chants as that music has a way of really delving into your soul and stirring up emotion even if you can't understand the words. Nonetheless, there's a lot to enjoy about this film, and if you're looking for something bright and cheerful to head into the holidays, this movie is a solid choice at the theaters.

September Movies Part 2: The Wild Robot, Transformers One, His Three Daughters

I was felled by Covid for a good part of this month so didn't go out to the movies as much. But I have rallied in this final week. One of these movies is the best thing I've seen in a long while, and the other two were equally engaging in different ways. Dive in to find out which!

The Wild Robot: I didn't know much about this animated film going into it, apart from the fact that Lupita Nyong'o voiced the main robot. But oh, was I in for an absolute treat. Written and directed by Chris Sanders, based on the book by Peter Brown (a book that you can be sure I have now requested from my local library), this is a sumptuous and moving story about what happens when a robot named Roz is shipwrecked on an island that is only inhabited by wild animals. Designed to help humans, she must adapt to speak to these animals, who are all understandably scared of her, and figure out her place in the world. 

Roz befriend a fox named Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal) and accidentally becomes "mother" to a gosling that she hatched after crushing his nest. That gosling grows up to be Brightbill (Kit Connor), and Roz is determined to help him learn how to swim and fly so he can get ready for his annual migration with the other geese. Along the way, we get a story about being an outsider, becoming a family, conservation, protecting the planet, using technology for good rather than evil, and just a whole host of other themes and topics that keep swirling around and overwhelming you with their complexity and narrative richness. 

Overlaying all this narrative is the drop-dead gorgeous hand-painted animation that deserves to be in a museum. The way Roz moves and navigates this island is fun to watch, but every single animal, tree, and river is also depicted lushly and beautifully. This is a very funny movie -- Matt Berry voicing an annoyed beaver and Catherine O'Hara as an opossum who is burdened by her many children were particular highlights -- but it is also an incredibly moving film that made me teary at multiple points (I was probably also nudged to tears by Kris Bowers's sublime score). It is so wonderfully sweet and delightful, and I demand it receive an Oscar nomination, because it's one of the best animated movies I've seen and profoundly stirred my heart.

Transformers One: Before going to this movie, I read a few sentences that said this was the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron on the planet of Cybertron. I was vaguely aware of those words, but as someone who has never watched a Transformers movie and has only hazy recollections of the cartoons from when I was nine, I will confess that I was probably not this movie's target audience. Unlike my husband, who proceeded to enjoy this movie thoroughly.

The voice cast is great, with folks like Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jon Hamm, who are all adept at providing ample amounts of comedy at the beginning and then high drama towards the end. The animation is also fantastic, particularly during battle/racing sequences when the inventiveness of these Transformers and their ability to morph into different shapes is on full display. It's also a fun and engaging story, even for someone like me, who had no idea who these characters were or any of the lore but could easily spot the classic tropes of an origin story and figure out where we were headed. This is a film that probably has a lot more appeal to Transformers fans, but if you're just a casual moviegoer who is desperate to see something new, this film offers up a perfectly entertaining time.

His Three Daughters: Written and directed by Azazel Jacobs, and starring the powerhouse trio of Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olson, and Natasha Lyonne, this is a story about three sisters who are taking care of their father during his final days as he enters home hospice care. I know that sounds grim, but this is more of a story about family dynamics and the extremely complex relationships between sisters. Each of these women are incredibly different, and they each have unique bonds with each other, further complicated by the fact that two of them are biologically related while the other is "only" a half-sister but is the one who has been taking care of their father all along. 

I won't say much more, because this is very much a character study where you need to get all the little pieces of family history revealed to you bit by bit to put together a complete portrait of the little resentments and misunderstandings that have been building up in these women over the years. They love each other, but that love is complicated by all this prior history and baggage, and watching them air it all out in this extremely fraught setting is both stifling and exhilarating. This is also a very New York movie, taking place in that claustrophobic apartment, and the soundtrack of a passing subway train or the buses and garbage trucks rumbling by made me feel right at home. 

This film has been hyped and lauded by many critics, and while it is phenomenally acted, I did find myself left a little cold. Yes, it's a great story, but the climax felt a bit overwrought to me, and overall, I had a sense that this would make a better play than a movie. Perhaps it's because I have never been particularly fazed by the idea of mortality, but I found myself more fascinated by the psychological complexities of the characters while not actually moved by their difficult circumstances. Please watch this film and then enter into a raucous debate with me about why I should feel differently!