October Movies Part 2: Forgotten Island, The Social Reckoning, The Love Hypothesis

I was on vacation for a few days so am trying to catch up on movies. Which is why I now present to you a real melange of reviews, ranging from gorgeous animation to biographical drama to steamy romcom. Let's get into it!

Forgotten Island: Written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, this is a very creative movie about two girls, Jo and Raissa (H.E.R. and Liza Soberano) in the Philippines who become best friends as children, grow into teenagers, and have one last adventure on the mythical island of Nakali where legendary creatures roam. Along the way, there will be themes of female friendship, found family, and discovering your purpose. All set to very bright and anime-esque animation, in a very unique setting, as everything takes place exclusively in the Philippines and draws extensively from Filipino folklore and mythology. As such, this should feel really unique and specific, right? Unfortunately, no.

The voice cast includes almost any Filipino actor who has become famous in Hollywood, but then we've also got folks like Dave Franco and Jenny Slate playing some of the creatures on the island because I guess fantastical beasts don't need to have a particular ethnicity. The two main characters are being voiced by Filipino-American actors, which sadly means that they have American accents, and according to my Filipino colleague, pronounce all the Filipino words with American accents, which was rather grating. It is very annoying to me when Hollywood Americanizes language like this - if your setting is the Philippines, why do your characters sound like they're from California? Oddly, the first 15 minutes of this movie, when the girls first meet, befriend each other, and grow up under the loving eye of Jo's grandmother (voiced by my girl Dolly de Leon), who is the one who tells them all the stories about Nakali, are the best part, when this genuinely feels like something you've never seen before. But once we get to the island, it just becomes a generic children's animated film, complete with weirdly cutesy characters that only seem to be there to encourage plushie sales. This movie is certainly trying to have a soul, but sadly, I don't think it fully succeeds.

The Social Reckoning: Speaking of soulless films, Aaron Sorkin is back as the writer-director of this movie where he explores how Wall Street Journalist Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Alan White) cultivated a source at Facebook named Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) in 2019, who ultimately became a whistleblower and testified before the Senate in 2021 about all the harm Facebook was causing with its algorithm designed to promote inflammatory and harmful content. That storyline runs parallel to a January 2021 practice session where Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) was meeting with his PR team to go over his responses for an upcoming Senate testimony about whether or not Facebook fact-checks political ads. If you discover something revelatory in this movie, it would mean you were living under a rock, because there's no new information here. We're treading old ground in terms of what a bane Facebook is to society and the many ways in which it has become a dangerous and immoral company that prizes profits over any other ethical obligation.

This movie is meant to be a serious drama, but to me it felt like an insane comedy because it is such a Sorkin film. The dialogue, the acting, the condescending tone and casual misogyny...it's all so terrible that it makes you laugh. White and Madison are great actors, but they have clearly been told to deliver the lines the way Sorkin intended and don't bother imbuing their characters with any nuance. Their scenes honestly feel like two Sorkin avatars talking at each other rather than the two real-life human beings they are meant to be portraying. Jeremy Strong therefore seems to be the only one doing any real acting here, but he is playing a man who is famously devoid of personality, so there isn't much he can do either. In a weird way, this movie feels like Facebook itself, with Aaron Sorkin as the demanding Zuckerberg who no one can say No to, while all the actors are Facebook employees, just showing up to collect a paycheck and turn a blind eye to the terrible work they are producing. So maybe that makes this film so Meta it's actually good? Wait no, it does not.

The Love Hypothesis: Based on the 2021 novel by Ali Hazelwood, writer Sarah Rothschild and director Claire Scanlon are here to offer us a diverting and sexy romance that follows all the usual tropes and gives us a happy ending (or two). Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman star as Olive and Tom, a biology grad student and a surly postdoc at Stanford who have to pretend that they are dating for...reasons. We all know the fake dating trope, and so yes, you can expect them to initially hate this idea but go along with it for a noble cause, and then to reluctantly catch feelings and realize maybe the other person isn't quite so hateful after all.

This movie is thoroughly charming, the actors have solid chemistry, and the supporting cast are also very fun and lovely, with Rachel Marsh playing Olive's best friend, Ahn, and providing the all-important female friendship that is so crucial to ensuring our heroine is a well-rounded human being and not just a woman in need of a man. It's a tale as old as time, but it's clear that a woman directed it with a very female gaze, which makes it oh-so refreshing. I can think of no better way to spend an afternoon than to lightly lust after these two beautiful people and watch them fall in love. I'm not made of stone, people.

September Movies: Coyote vs. Acme, Best of the Best, Pressure

September has been a bit of a slow movie month in my household but we're starting to get caught up on things. Whether you're seeking a raucous comedy or WWII drama, let's dive in for some reviews.

Coyote vs. Acme: Written by Samy Burch and directed by Dave Green, this is a movie that is so specific that I found myself both thoroughly delighted by it and also wondering if mine was the last generation that could even understand this film. In the vein of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? this is a glorious Looney Tunes film where cartoon characters live alongside humans and Will Forte plays a jaded lawyer named Kevin, who has been hired by Wile E. Coyote to sue the Acme Corporation, because they keep selling him defective equipment for his various traps to catch the Road Runner. What follows is a very silly and engaging film about how there's a whole conspiracy over at Acme, and how maybe the Coyote does have a case after all.

The first half of this movie is just an ode to nostalgia where you get to watch the Coyote's many failed ventures and it feels like you're watching a dozen Road Runner cartoons on a loop. Then the action mostly shifts to the courtroom, which is a setting I am always fond of, but may not keep you as entertained. My favorite critique of this film came from a small child that was watching this in the theater next to me, who loudly exclaimed "I thought there would be more Coyote, but this is all Acme!" This movie may have cartoons, but I don't think I would ever take a kid to see it - this is solely a cartoon movie for grownups who grew up watching Looney Tunes and are going to burst out laughing at a throwaway joke about Speedy Gonzales. The animation is great, the script is engaging, and you'll feel like you're a little kid again.

Best of the Best: Written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam and directed by Lena Khan, this is a movie about two best friends, Maya and Anjali (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia), who join a Bollywood dance team at UCLA and have to navigate the competitive nature of the enterprise alongside their own personal baggage. There are a lot of jokes about the type of people who join a Bollywood dance club, including the one obligatory white boy who speaks Hindi and is more Indian than the Indians on the team, and when I saw the trailer, I immediately wanted to inject this movie directly into my veins. Unfortunately, the final product is aggressively mid.

The lead actors are great, but no amount of charisma can prop up this script that is fairly lackluster, and Ramakrishnan feels like she's just reprising her character from Never Have I Ever. There's a reason this movie is just on Netflix and not worth a theatrical release - you can stream it on a rainy afternoon, but you wouldn't want to venture out for it. The dance choreography is definitely spectacular and worth your eyeballs, but it feels like all the effort went into those sequences and everything else is just going through the motions. I may have enjoyed this more if it were a multi-episode series where we could get more twists and turns and character development, but as a movie, it failed to either entertain or engage me.

Pressure: After all those comedies, you know what you need? A tense World War II drama about the hours leading up to D-Day when the final decision about whether or not to deploy the troops came down to a meteorologist. Directed by Anthony Maras, who co-wrote the screenplay with David Haig, based on Haig's 2014 play of the same name, this is a true story about RAF Group Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott), who was recommended by Churchill to General Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) as the best man in the country to provide a weather forecast for the upcoming D-Day landing. Preparations have been underway for weeks, and the American meteorologists, headed by Colonel Irving Krick (Chris Messina) have no doubts that the weather will be sunny and perfect, based on historical weather patterns. But Stagg is not interested in history - he wants the data to accurate forecast the future, and as he gathers that data, he doesn't have good news to report to the Armed Forces, who just want him to say that they will have clear skies ahead.

These actors are all at the top of their game and who doesn't want to watch Scott and Fraser go head-to-head in a battle of wills? The Americans are loud and brash, but Stagg is a quiet and resolute Scot who will not allow anyone to sway him from his scientific rigor. Even though we all know what eventually happened and that D-Day was a success, this movie makes you forget all of that for 100 minutes as you sit there, anxiously awaiting the final result and whether our hero will be redeemed for sticking to his guns. The footage of D-Day is also incredibly moving, set to music by Volker Bertelmann, and as with any movie about this time in our history, it all makes you feel incredibly horrified that humankind keeps engaging in warfare at all. This is a well-made and compelling film, and though it went in and out of theaters too quickly, it is well worth a watch.

August Movies Part 4: Midwinter Break, GOAT, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Anaconda

I recently flew to LA for a short trip, which means plenty of hours of in-flight entertainment. Which now means you’re about to read some short reviews of movies I watched on my trip because I never saw them in theaters. Which ones would I actually recommend? Read on, it’s a surprise!

Midwinter Break: Directed by Polly Findlay and written by Nick Payne and Bernard MacLaverty (who adapted it from his 2017 novel), this is a supremely vibey movie about an older couple, Stella and Gerry (Lesley Manville and Ciaran Hinds) who decide to go to Amsterdam for a short vacation. While they are there, we watch the accumulation of hurts between these two people who have silently been bearing slights for years (well, more like the wife has been silent while the husband has been oblivious) but have now reached a tipping point. 

We slowly unravel their backstory and the dramatic incident in Belfast during the Troubles which led them to uproot their lives and move to Scotland, but overall, there really isn't much plot in this film. It looks pretty and stars two powerhouse actors but as the end credits rolled, I was left with a feeling of, "That's it?!" I enjoyed seeing all the tourist attractions in Amsterdam as I had just been there last year, but other than that, I can't say I have much to recommend about this movie. Though I might be persuaded to get the book and see if there was a whole lot more plot in there.

GOAT: If plot is what you seek, then director Tyree Dillihay and writers Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley have you covered with this animated movie about a small goat named Will (voiced by Caleb McLaughlin) who aspires to play the highly competitive and physical game of Roarball. Unfortunately, everyone mocks his ambitions because only big animals play Roarball, including his idol, a black panther named Jett (Gabrielle Union). Through a series of (un)fortunate events, Will gets recruited to play for his hometown team, the Vineland Thorns, alongside his hero Jett, and a motley crew of other animals voiced by Aaron Pierrs, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour, Nick Kroll, and Stephen Curry himself. 

The Thorns have been playing terribly and one of the big issues is that Jett doesn't trust her teammates, feeling like she needs to score all the points herself. So of course, this is a movie that's about delegation, trusting others, and learning to work together as a harmonious team. It's wildly inventive, beautiful to look at, and has a brisk pace that will keep you engaged from start to finish. Given the Knicks' recent championship win, I couldn't help but think of who all these characters would be if they were Knicks players, so that is another fun side quest as you watch this film. You're welcome.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: Love animation but looking for a nostalgia boost with existing IP? Mario's got you covered. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and written by Matthew Fogel, if you loved The Super Mario Bros. Movie, you can rest assured you'll enjoy this one too. You'll get a rollicking adventure across the galaxy as Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, and Peach (voiced by Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key, Donald Glover, and Anya Taylor-Joy) attempt to save Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) from Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), who is just trying to save his dad (Jack Black). Along the way there will be plenty of audio and visual gags to remind you of the video games and scratch that primordial itch in your brain. 

The animation is colorful and stunning, the voice cast is spot on (Glen Powell shows up as a very Powell-esque character as well), the Lumas are cute as can be, and the story just rollicks along at a breakneck pace so you never get too bogged down in unnecessary details. It's fun and funny, and you already know if you're the target audience for it. So if you are, go forth!

Anaconda: Written by Kevin Getten and Tom Gormican, who also directed, the premise of this film is that a group of friends who love the 1997 movie Anaconda decide to remake it, despite not having a lot of money or filmmaking talent. The friends consist of Doug (Jack Black), Ronald (Paul Rudd), Claire (Thandiwe Newton), and Kenny (Steve Zahn) and when they get to Brazil, they enlist the help of Ana (Daniela Melchior) to take them on a boat down the river, and Carlos (Selton Mello), a snake handler who supplies a snake for their venture.

Of course, once they get into the jungle, it turns out there's an actual Anaconda on the loose that starts hunting them, and everything gets very meta. I cannot say I paid ANY attention to this movie. My friend, who is a fan of the original Anaconda, seemed to derive a great deal of enjoyment from it, but she had also never seen the trailer, which seemed to give away about 50% of the plot of this film. I guess all I can say is, if you love Anaconda and enjoy extremely silly comedies, this might be the movie for you. But unless you're in that very niche audience, give your eyes a rest. This movie is not worth it.

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.

May Movies Part 2: The Sheep Detectives, I Love Boosters, Obsession

What are you looking for this weekend? A breezy British murder mystery solved by a flock of sheep? An absurdist tale about end-stage capitalism and greed in the Bay Area? Or a supernatural horror thriller about the dangers of making your wishes come true? Yup, this post is really covering all the bases!

The Sheep Detectives: I was so excited for this movie and it absolutely did not disappoint. Written by Craig Mazin (adapted from the novel Three Bags Full by Leonia Swann) and directed by Kyle Balda, this movie stars Hugh Jackman for about ten minutes as a shepherd named George who lives a seemingly idyllic life in a gorgeous little English village until he ends up...murdered. Every night, he would read murder mysteries to his flock as a bedtime ritual, and turns out, these animals could fully understand him. One of them, Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), is the smartest and always figured out who the killer was in those nighttime stories. Well now she had to put all her deductive reasoning to the test to examine clues and study the cast of motley human characters who all may have had their own reasons to kill the beloved shepherd.

The mystery is very cleverly plotted, and I can honestly say that the revelation of the killer was extremely satisfying. The script hits all the mystery tropes, and there are lots of shadowy and mysterious characters who show up, while we have Nicholas Braun as the hapless British police officer who has never had to deal with a murder in this village before and therefore will need plenty of coaching from the sheep to get this case solved. The animation is perfect, lending a lot of character and sass to the sheep (otherwise famously expressionless animals) with excellent voice casting from the likes of Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, Rhys Darby, Brett Goldstein, Bella Ramsey, and Patrick Stewart. The live-action cast also features stalwarts like Emma Thompson, Hong Chau, Molly Gordon, and Nicholas Galitzine, who certainly do not disappoint. This movie was everything I wanted and expected it to be. No notes.

I Love Boosters: Written and directed by Boots Riley, this movie is certainly everything I expected it to be, i.e. weird and wacky. Keke Palmer stars as Corvette, the leader of the Velvet Gang (also consisting of Naomi Ackie and Taylour Paige, and later, Poppy Liu) who shoplift designer clothes exclusively from a high-end chain called Metro Designers that is owned by a high-strung designer named Christie Smith (Demi Moore). Christie is incensed at the amount of money she is losing because these boosters keep stealing her clothes, and most of the film consists of the juxtaposition of the bougie life led by Christie and her insanely expensive fashions alongside the very colorful but chaotic lives of the boosters who are struggling to make ends meet.

Aesthetically, this movie is a veritable rainbow of delights. The whole plot about how Christie's stores operate was wildly inventive and fun, and costume designer Shirley Kurata has done miraculous work from start to finish with every single outfit Keke Palmer and the rest of the cast sport in this movie - give the woman an Oscar immediately. But, in classic Boots Riley fashion, the third act of the movie leaps wildly into the absurdist abyss, pushing its metaphor of labor exploitation and capitalist evil to the umpteenth degree and featuring a lot of sci-fi and fantasy elements that imply a great deal of weed was consumed in the making of this film. If you're familiar with Riley's previous film, Sorry to Bother You, none of this will surprise you in the least, but if this is your first foray into his work? Settle in, you're in for a very bumpy ride.

Obsession: Yes, I gave in to the hype and headed to the theater to watch this film to ensure it continues to break box office records. Written and directed by Curry Barker, this is a classic horror movie about a man named Bear (Michael Johnston) who has a crush on a girl named Nikki (Inde Navarette) but is afraid to tell her or do anything about it. When he buys a magic object called the One Wish Willow, he expects it to just be a novelty toy, but makes a wish anyway. Obviously, he wishes that Nikki loved him more than anything else in the world. And obviously, that wish comes true in rather horrifying fashion.

What follows is a creepy and hilarious tale about how horrible it is when your dreams come true. At first, we have the honeymoon period where Bear and Nikki are deliciously in love and happy. But gradually, it becomes clear that Nikki might be a tad...unwell. She is behaving strangely, getting way more clingy, and eventually, starts to lose her mind if Bear leaves her for any period of time. Things keep escalating and getting more frightening, and eventually more bloody. 

Did this movie telegraph most of its jump scares from miles away? Yes. But was it still awesome to watch this in a crowded theater and scream and laugh alongside the rest of the audience? Hell yes. Horror movies are such a fun genre to highlight the collective spirit of movie watching, so if you only have the time and money to see one movie in theaters this month, this should probably be the movie you pick. The performances are brilliant (Inde Navarette in particular is getting a lot of love for her insanely eerie and incredible work - what she can do with her face and voice is simply a marvel), the script is entertaining, and it is endlessly compelling from beginning to end. The hype is real.

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!

January Movies Part 1: Marty Supreme, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Mrs.

I'll be honest, I saw two of these movies in December. But hey, it's hard to blog over New Year's. If you're interested in an awards contender, a blockbuster, and a quiet Hindi movie, this blog post will satisfy all your desires.

Marty Supreme: Directed by Josh Safdie, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein, this movie stars Timothee Chalamet as Marty Mauser, loosely based on the real-life Marty Reisman, who was a US table tennis champion. Set in 1952, we follow Marty's utterly chaotic life in New York City, as a man who doesn't have anyone believing in him, but that's OK, because he sure does believe in himself. The man is a hustler, figuring out any angle he can use to scrape up some cash so he can fly around the world to participate in table tennis tournaments and make a name for himself.

I genuinely wanted this to just be a table tennis movie. There are two sequences in this film, one towards the middle, another towards the end, when you get to watch Marty play table tennis against some of the best players in the world, and those sequences brought me so much joy. But the sport is secondary. This is Chalamet's Oscar vehicle, and he is going to do some Acting! This character is frenetic, whiny, always on the move, and always trying to scam someone out of something. He also gets an assist from the great Odessa A'zion who plays his childhood friend and eventual baby mama, Rachel, a woman who seems very sympathetic at the beginning, but then you realize she might be Marty's equal. Gwyneth Paltrow also stars as an actress who has an affair with Marty for her pleasure and his gain. Does this movie pass the Bechdel test? Of course not. 

I didn't love or hate this film. Chalamet is a powerhouse, but the story felt overwrought and never managed to win me over. It often felt like we were getting a bunch of hyper-intense set pieces that Safdie was struggling to string together into a coherent narrative. Also, 150 minutes tends to breach my tolerance for watching a man who is full of himself. It's a good movie, but in my opinion, certainly not a great one.

Avatar: Fire and Ash: Speaking of men who are full of themselves, writer-director James Cameron is back with yet another installment of the Avatar franchise. Do I remember anything that happened in the previous movies? No. Do I remember anything that happened in this movie despite having seen it just a few weeks ago? Barely.

At 3 hours and 15 minutes, this is yet another bloated extravaganza, that increasingly feels like I'm watching a video game, rather than a movie. This time we are introduced to the Mangkwan, an aggressive Na'vi tribe that live in a volcano and want to partner with humans to dominate the rest of the Na'vi. They are led by Varang (played by Oona Chaplin), and it's just more of the same with the Na'vi tribes having to battle the exploitative humans, environmentalism vs. ruthless capitalism, and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) having to manage his wife and children and save all the Na'vi all over again.

These movies feel like they could just be AI-generated at this point, and obviously I do not care for them. Are they visually spectacular? Of course. But is that enough to sustain that runtime with clunky dialogue and actors who feel like they're just phoning in a performance so they can make bank? Nope.

Mrs.: Every Christmas, I meet a bunch of my relatives on Long Island. And this year, they were all shocked to discover I had never watched the Hindi movie, Mrs. (that is a remake of a 2021 Malayalam film called The Great Indian Kitchen). Naturally I had to go home immediately and watch this film. 

Written by Harman Baweja and Anu Singh Choudhary and directed by Arati Kadav (shoutout to female directors!), the movie stars Sanya Malhotra as Richa, a vivacious woman who enters into an arranged marriage with a seemingly nice and attentive doctor named Diwakar (Nishant Dahiya). As is custom, she moves into his house to live with his parents, and quickly discovers that the daughter-in-law is expected to spend all her time either helping her mother-in-law prepare mountains of food for the men of the house, or cleaning the house and ensuring it is clean enough to meet her father-in-law's exacting standards.

Richa starts out happy and excited about her new married life, but as the daily routine grinds her down, she realizes that her husband expects her to be nothing better than a housemaid and cook. Oh and of course, to have his babies, which turns sex into an increasingly dreaded activity. There's nothing particularly novel about this film, as it comments on the usual patriarchal bullshit that women wade through in traditional Indian households. But what is refreshing is Malhotra's commanding performance as a woman who is slowly driven to despair. You can see the light dimming from her eyes over the course of this movie: but don't worry. She does eventually fight for herself and reclaim her autonomy. It's a sad movie with a happy ending and packs an emotional wallop. Seek it out if you can.

December Movies Part 3: Zootopia 2, Wake Up Dead Man, The Housemaid

Looking for something to watch over Christmas break? Well, I've got an animated romp, a twisty whodunit, and a sexy thriller to please all demographics!

Zootopia 2: What's not to love about this movie? The original was a great ride and this one, written by Jared Bush, who also co-directed with Byron Howard, continues the fun, with a pro-immigration, pro-diversity stance that the current US administration is sure to hate. What could be better! Our dynamic duo of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, a bunny and a fox voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, are now officially rookie cops in the Zootopia Police Department and they are desperately trying to prove they aren't more than one-hit wonders. But of course, they are overeager and keep messing up big cases. The plot revolves around a snake who sabotages a gala event, except...is the snake actually the bad guy? Turns out maybe there has been some misinformation circulating in Zootopia.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, I loved all the fun little sight gags and puns (like the state of Gnu Jersey making an appearance), and the animation continues to be beautiful, with every shot of Judy Hopps making me want to reach out and pet that soft l'il bunny. It's high-quality entertainment for all ages, and this adult did not feel remotely bored during this purported kids movie, so give it a shot! It's Christmas, be merry!

Wake Up Dead Man: Fine, you don't want to be merry? Well then prepare to feel like you've fallen into the pages of a new Agatha Christie novel because writer-director Rian Johnson's latest installment in his Knives Out series is a devious little locked room mystery that is perfectly plotted and executed. Josh O'Connor plays Jud Duplenticy, the new priest at a rural church in upstate New York. When the old priest, Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), dies in the middle of a service, Jud seems like the only possible suspect. But of course, our friend Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) aka Foghorn Leghorn, is helping the police and he thinks Jud is far too earnest to have committed this crime. 

This is a movie that involves many heated discussions of religion, with the young priest going toe-to-toe with the deeply atheist Blanc, and it also involves many examples of what it means to be morally good while having no faith and then morally bankrupt while professing to be the most faithful person of all. The supporting cast is a murderer's row (pun intended) including Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Thomas Haden Church, and Daryl McCormack, and they all put in excellent work, with red herrings and misdirects galore to throw you off the scent or lead you tantalizingly close to the solution. My husband and I had a grand ol' time pausing this movie at intervals while we theorized over motives and opportunity, and we almost got it right, but not quite. Which is the genius of this film - there are more than enough clues to help you solve the puzzle, but at the end of the day, you just can't be as smart as Benoit Blanc. Bah humbug.

The Housemaid: I loved the 2022 novel by Freida McFadden, so when I saw director Paul Feig was adapting this movie from a screenplay by Rebecca Sonnenshine, I was all for it. Starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried (excellent casting since they look very similar, which becomes increasingly important as the movie goes on), I was expecting A Simple Favor vibes and it certainly did not disappoint. There's no point in giving away any of the plot because it is very twisty and fun and Seyfried in particular seems to be having a fantastic time as a psychotic rich woman who seems determined to make her maid's life very, very difficult, while her patient husband (played by Brandon Sklenar) attends to her every whim and tries to keep the peace at home.

I imagine this movie would go down well with anyone who has no idea of the plot - reading the novel was a very satisfying experience, and watching the movie will be too. Since I already knew everything that was going to happen, I found myself focusing more on the filmmaking, and while I enjoyed Seyfried's performance, I found Sweeney to be a little lackluster. You will get to see a lot of her in this movie though, if that's something that floats your boat. I also appreciated all the shots of Sklenar's hands. Feig captures his physicality excellently in this movie which makes for good thrills as we get to the finale. This movie does get unexpectedly gory at times in a way I didn't totally appreciate, so be warned if you can't stand any body horror. But otherwise, this is a solid, fun thriller that is a good adaptation of a solid, fun book.

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!

July Movies Part 3: Eddington & KPop Demon Hunters

I can't think of a blog post where I have reviewed two more different movies. Settle in readers, it's gonna be a wild and bumpy ride!

Eddington: Written and directed by Ari Aster, watching this movie is like reading a David Foster Wallace novel (or what I imagine that must be like, since I have never read one). It's long, winding, and pompous, and doesn't seem to have any kind of point. 90 minutes into this movie, I thought it was fantastic and one of the better things I'd seen in 2025. But then, it went on for a whole other hour, and by the end of it, I was thoroughly fed up with this meandering mess of a movie.

Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal star as Joe Cross and Ted Garcia, the sheriff and mayor of a fictional small town in New Mexico called Eddington. The movie begins in May 2020, so we're right in the middle of pandemic panic and a new mask mandate, that the liberal mayor has fully embraced, but the conservative sheriff is completely against. The two of them have a past, and now their political differences are fueling even more resentment and angst. Emma Stone plays Joe's wife, Louise, a woman who is suffering from mental illness and unable to put up with her husband's drama, while her mother, Dawn (Deirdre O'Connell), is living with them and filling Louise's head full of online conspiracy theories. That's not going to end well.

The first 90 minutes of this movie perfectly capture the craziness of 2020, and the heightened anxiety, anger, and anarchy that seemed to fill every waking moment of our lives. There's also a look at the protests following George Floyd's murder, and some rather humorous commentary on white teens trying to support the BLM movement without any clear action plan. It's a perfect time capsule of that moment in history. But then things take a violent and bizarre turn and escalate into a horror film that is simply exhausting and relentless to watch. There's no point to any of it, and it has nothing interesting to say, which is a huge disappointment considering how well it all began. Who is this movie for? Certainly not me.

KPop Demon Hunters: Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Danya Jimenez and Hannah McMechan, this is an animated movie about a K-pop girl group called Huntr/x that are world famous for their singing ability, but are also secretly using the power of their voices to create a protective barrier that keeps demons from invading the human world. So yeah, this movie is nothing like Eddington.

Unless you're living under a rock, you're probably aware that the songs from this movie are currently blowing up the global music charts and people are listening to these songs on repeat. The songs are extremely catchy, and while I can't say I was a fan of all of them, I'm certainly humming a couple of them and doing the little shoulder dance to "Soda Pop" as we speak. The animation is gorgeous, and while the plot is fairly straightforward (well as straightforward as a movie about K-pop stars hunting demons could be, I guess), this is a movie that's executed with flair and panache. And it's only 100 minutes long, so it goes down easy, and you're never bored for a minute of that runtime. 

KPop Demon Hunters is an unusual movie because the premise is so wildly unexpected and unique. And yet, it still manages to be a predictable and tropey animated movie that makes for a great comfort watch. So, hop on the couch and fire it up on Netflix. You'll be bopping along to some great tunes in no time. And then you'll be jonesing for a visit to your closest Korean bathhouse.

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.

March Movies Part 2: Flow & Black Bag

I got sidetracked by TV and haven't watched many movies this month, but here are two good recommendations to tide you over till the end of the month. Whether you're looking for Oscar-winning animation or a slick and stylish spy thriller, there's something here for everyone.

Flow: This is the Oscar-winning animated movie from Latvia, the first movie from that country to win an Oscar. Even better, it was made using completely free open source software for a ridiculously low budget, and still managed to beat out top animation studios like Pixar and DreamWorks. Isn't that backstory enough to make you a fan?

Directed by Gints Zilbadolis, who also co-wrote the script with Matiss Kaza, this movie follows a little cat who is trying to make its way through a seemingly post-apocalyptic world where a flood keeps threatening the land. In a desperate attempt to escape the rising sea level, the cat manages to hop aboard a sailboat that has been boarded by a capybara. Along the way, they pick up a secretary bird and a lemur. There are also some very dumb dogs that show up and cause some complications.

This movie might be Latvian, but it has entirely no dialogue, just the universal language of these animals trying to work together in their very unique ways to survive the flood, get some food, and get on with their lives. The animation can feel like it was done for free at times, but mostly it feels quite astonishing and clever, perfectly capturing how these animals move and act, particularly the differences between cats and dogs. It beautifully depicts the natural world and is a simple story, magically told.

Black Bag: There's nothing simple about this story. Written by David Koepp and directed by Steven Soderbergh, this is a movie about a married spy couple, George and Kathryn (played by the impeccably cool combination of Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett), who work for MI6 in London. George is tasked with conducting an internal investigation when a top-secret software program goes missing and MI6 suspects they have a mole. There are five suspects, one of whom is...Kathryn. So, George invites the other four to dinner and has the world's most awkward dinner party. Following which, more things start to unravel. 

I won't get into any more plot because this movie is twisty and complex and a sheer delight. Even if you don't care about the story, you'll just be captivated at how elegantly Cate Blanchett wears her coat. Honestly, the woman prowls around a room more elegantly than a leopard. The cast is amazing, and there are many moments in this film that are quite funny, right in the middle of everything being insanely tense. You will be on the edge of your seat for much of this film, and you'll have a grand ol' time. And because it's directed by Soderbergh, the cinematography and editing are crisp and precise. I particularly enjoyed the fact that any light in this film has a bit of a halo around it, making everything seems slightly more ethereal and fantastical. You will not know who to trust in this movie until the very end, and with a tight runtime of 94 minutes, it's an absolutely perfect piece of cinematic entertainment.

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!