May Movies Part 1: Thunderbolts*, Another Simple Favor, All We Imagine as Light

It's only the first week of May but I've already enjoyed three movies in the theater and on streaming. Whether you're into anti-superheroes, foreign film, or wacky thrillers, one of these films is bound to whet your cinematic appetite.

Thunderbolts*: Marvel is back, baby! After a recent series of lackluster films, I left this movie with a decided spring in my step. Written by Joanna Calo and Eric Pearson and directed by Jake Schreier, this outing gathers up a ragtag crew of burnouts that you may or may not remember from prior movies and assembles them into a motley crew that will eventually call themselves the Thunderbolts. And yes, there's an asterisk on the title for a reason, that you'll get to at the very end of the movie, though it's certainly not a major spoiler.

Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, and Sebastian Stan are all excellent as they play somewhat existential superpeople trying to figure out what their next steps should be. They are reluctantly united when they have to deal with Bob (Lewis Pullman), a dangerously unstable man who underwent an experimental trial to become invincible and is now (unsurprisingly) causing some major problems. The best part of this movie is that while Bob is purportedly the "villain" of the piece, this is actually a movie about mental health and tackling depression and trauma, topics that are the especial forte of these particular superheroes. There are some great set pieces, including a return to New York that reminded of the first time I watched The Avengers with awestruck glee in 2012, and foolishly declared that no one even needs to make a superhero movie again because we had reached the pinnacle. Marvel has gone through a lot since then, and while this movie is now treading through well-worn grooves that are no longer so novel as they once were, this is a well-crafted and fun film that genuinely tugs at your heartstrings and perfectly sticks the landing. This is the Marvel we all love, and this movie represents an excellent return to form before we launch into the millionth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Another Simple Favor: Written by Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis and directed by Paul Feig, this is a sequel to A Simple Favor, a movie I loved in 2018 but no longer remembered anything about. So, after doing a quick readthrough of the plot in Wikipedia (which was not so quick because, damn, that plot was twisty and insane), I pushed Play and settled in for a truly wacky sequel.

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are both back as Stephanie and Emily, women who started out as best friends in the last film and then quickly had a bit of a falling out after Emily turned out to be a murderer. Oops. Now, Stephanie has written a book about all the drama that went down in the first movie and has moved on with her life, but then Emily shows up on bail from prison and asks Stephanie to be her maid of honor since she's getting married to a wealthy Italian. So, we all whisk off to Capri, where, of course, some murders happen, and Stephanie has to figure out what on earth has gone down again. The costumes are simply stunning, the scenery in Capri is gorgeous, and the script is ridiculous and will make you roll your eyes so hard they might fall out. But listen, this movie is only on streaming, so just sit back on the couch, relax, and gaze at all the beauty on the screen while sparing your brain from the actual plot. There are worse ways to spend a weekend!

All We Imagine as Light: Written and directed by Payal Kapadia, this movie won the Grand Prix at Cannes last year and I was devastated when I couldn't figure out how to catch it in the theatres. Thankfully it's now available on streaming, and I ate it up with a big ol' spoon, like I knew I would. Set in Mumbai, this movie follows two Malayalee nurses, Prabha and Anu (the remarkable Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha). They are roommates who work at the same hospital, but Prabha is older and wiser, while Anu is more of a starry-eyed youngster who hasn't had the hope knocked out of her yet. Over the course of the film, we follow these two women's love lives, or lack thereof, as well as their friendships and adventures in this bustling and bewildering city. 

This is not a Bollywood movie - nothing is glamorous about their lives, and throughout the film, we get multilingual voiceovers from the ordinary working-class people who make up the bulk of this city, all struggling to make a living and who talk about Mumbai like it's a fantasy. This is a city of dreams - people come here in the hopes of making some money to send back to family members in rural villages, and to make a better life for themselves. But so many of them are reduced to just anonymous, miserable lives, and even after decades of living here, they are chewed up and spit out without a care in the world. In the midst of all that, it's a wonder to watch how Prabha and Anu navigate their lives, and the final shot of this movie, which tellingly does NOT take place in Mumbai, is truly one of the most beguiling and beautiful scenes portrayed on cinema. This is not the kind of Indian movie I'm used to seeing, but it reminded me a lot of Dhobi Ghat, another Mumbai-centric movie I adore. Movies about the "ordinary" people of Mumbai always end up being the most extraordinary, and this film is a true masterpiece.

April Binges: Dying for Sex & Dope Thief

If you're looking to settle in on the couch for a spell, I have two very different shows you could watch. A comedy about sex and death or a drama about drugs and corruption. Pick your poison.

Dying for Sex: Created by Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Merriwether, this show is loosely based on the podcast of the same name by Molly Kochan and Nikki Boyer, who here are played by Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate. The show kicks off when Molly receives her terminal diagnosis of Stage 4 breast cancer that has metastasized to her bones. Faced with this knowledge and the realization that she has never had an orgasm, she decides to leave her husband, Steve (Jay Duplass), and finally explore her sexuality. Which is complicated, for many reasons, as you can imagine.

While this is a show about a woman who is trying to live out some sexual fantasies, that plot is entirely secondary to the true story here, which is that of the depth of her friendship with Nikki. Molly is dying, and rather than relying on a husband or romantic partner, the person who she is depending on in her final days is her best friend. I was entirely ambivalent about the sexcapades on this show (though the introduction of Rob Delaney as Molly's neighbor and potentially something more thrilled me to no end), but what will truly make you weep is the relationship between these two women and the deep familial bond they share.

This is just a miniseries, because, spoiler alert, Molly will in fact die at the end of the eight episodes. But you will go on a stunningly moving journey that is equally funny as it is sad and embraces a very positive and wholesome view of death that more Americans need to consider. The final episode involves a character played by the magnificent Paula Pell, who is absolutely the person I want at my deathbed, explaining why death is a normal, natural bodily process, all with a big, excited smile on her face. I'm sure most people will avoid this show like the plague because of their own neuroses about the subject matter, but for those of you brave enough to wade into these waters, I promise you will be amply rewarded.

Dope Thief: Created by Peter Craig, based on the novel by Dennis Tafoya, this show stars Bryan Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura as Ray and Manny, two small-time crooks in Philadelphia who have hit upon the brilliant scheme of dressing up as DEA agents and breaking into the houses of drug dealers, pretending it's a raid. Once there, they "confiscate" all the drugs and money, which of course makes for a nice haul for them. But things quickly go south when they decide to raid a meth house that undercover DEA agents were already working in. People are killed, a lot of money goes missing, and now Ray and Manny must go on the run.

That premise sounds exciting, and the cast is excellent, but I could NOT get into this show at all. I begrudgingly binged my way through all eight episodes, sort of hoping that maybe something would happen that would hook me, but that moment of revelation never came. This is a dark, gritty, serious affair, occasionally lightened up with the Henry's deadpan comic timing or Moura's frantic confusion, but this felt like the kind of involved plot about drugs, prisons, and vengeance that makes for a fantastic read, but a thoroughly dull TV show. If each episode was a tight half hour, maybe I would have resented it less, but I got really tired of sitting down for 45 minutes to an hour each week. Perhaps others who love crime shows would enjoy it, but this show was emphatically not made for me. It easily slots into the category of Apple TV+ shows that have great actors, high budgets, and are thoroughly forgettable. You are welcome to convince me otherwise, but for now, I am not planning on tuning into Season 2; I have suffered enough.

April Movies Part 2: Sinners

It feels like the only movie out right now that everyone is talking about is Sinners, so let's get into it!

Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, this movie in set in 1932 and stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as twin brothers nicknamed Stack and Smoke, aka the Smokestack twins. The twins have returned to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi after spending some time in Chicago, presumably doing nefarious things with gangsters. They are a bit of a mystery, and they have a reputation for being bad boys in this town. They also have some romantic entanglements with women played by Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku to deal with over the course of the film. But most importantly, the twins have arrived with a ton of cash and buy up the old sawmill, looking to turn it into a juke joint so the Black folk have some place to unwind every weekend after a long week's toil in the plantations of the Jim Crow South. 

Their cousin, Sammy (Miles Caton, in a debut role that will certainly not be his last), is the son of a preacher, but the twins gave him a guitar before they left town, and he is now an aspiring musician. So, the twins pick up Sammy, against his father's wishes, and recruit him to play the blues in their fine establishment. They also hire a number of other former associates to help with music, food, liquor, and security. It's a lot of work, but everything in this movie takes place over the course of one day, which is rather startling when you sit back to consider what happens over the course of those 24 hours.

If you've heard anything at all about this movie, or seen the trailer, you're aware it's technically a horror film and involves vampires. If you're really into that genre (like my husband), this movie will be an absolute dream for you. If you're mid on vampires, perhaps tread with caution? But again, with this cast and Coogler at the helm, even people who don't care for horror will be pleasantly entertained. The vampires are like some additional seasoning on an already delicious meal.

When the end credits rolled, I was a little surprised to see that the composer, Ludwig Goransson, was listed as an Executive Producer. But then I realized it made complete sense. Visually, this movie is the complete package, with impeccable production design by Hannah Bleacher, sumptuous costumes by the incomparable Ruth E. Carter (I wanted every dress I saw in this film, particularly an astonishingly slinky one worn by Hailee Steinfeld), and gorgeous cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapow. But the most unsettling and unique aspect of this film is its score, a weird and often discordant jumble of genres that leads up to this film's supernatural reveal. It would be spoiling too much to discuss further but just pay attention to that score when you go see this movie.

Sinners is a bold, weird, innovative, original movie amidst a sea of adaptations and sequels. "Weird" really is the word that kept coming to me when trying to describe it, and I can't say that this was my absolute favorite movie of the year. But did I have a whale of a time watching two Michael B. Jordans running around attacking vampires? Of course, I did.

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.

March Binges Part 2: Deli Boys, The Pitt, Apple Cider Vinegar, The Residence

I binged way more shows than I thought I would this month so here are some more recommendations coming your way if you feel the need to get solidly acquainted with your couch cushions!

Deli Boys: Created by Abdullah Saeed, this show is a thoroughly delightful binge. Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh star as Mir and Raj, two brothers in Philadelphia who discover in the wake of their father's death that he was actually a criminal. And they must now take over his drug empire with the help of his right-hand woman, Lucky (the indomitably great Poorna Jagannathan), and annoyed CFO, Ahmad (Brian Geroge). These two spoiled Pakistani-American men must quickly figure out how they are going to get back to making this business a profitable enterprise that can help them sustain the lavish lifestyle to which they have become accustomed, all while dodging a persistent FBI agent and negotiating with hardened criminals who would only be too happy to see them permanently put out of business.

It's a wild and wacky premise, and every episode ends on an amazing cliffhanger that makes this impossible not to binge. Trust me on this - my ordinarily "I can only watch one episode at a time!" husband was the one clamoring for us to hit Play Next Episode every day until we polished off the ten episodes that make up the first season of this show. It is funny, smart, full of desi jokes, a little bit bloody, and genuinely exciting and intriguing. Bring on the second season ASAP, but until then, just rewatch this first season on a loop. 

The Pitt: There are still a few episodes left to air to finish out the 15-episode first season, but just start bingeing already, OK? This is one of the best shows airing on TV right now, and unless you are already a doctor who cannot bear to watch a medical show, your eyeballs should be glued to Max as you soak in this ambitious and remarkable televisual feat. Created by R. Scott Gemmill, the show follows one shift in the Emergency Room of the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. Each episode features one hour in this most nightmarish of shifts and you're following the various doctors, nurses, students, social workers, and other support staff that keep this place running. As well as a varied mix of patients who are presenting with a number of complaints, some of which might be resolved within an hour, and others of which you'll be tracking over several episodes until they finally leave the ER (for either good or bad reasons). 

Noah Wyle stars as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, the senior attending who has to preside over this motley crew and ensure they do no harm while working under horrendous administrative pressures. The man is brilliant, but he is also exceedingly human, and he is still reeling from the PTSD of working in the ER during the COVID pandemic. This day, in particular, is a hard one for him, and as the day progresses, things just keep getting worse. A breakdown is imminent, but oh man, it's not clear who is going to snap first, because every single character on this show is going through some gnarly shit. Also, this is the day that the new medical students and interns have rotated into this department, so we quickly get to see who will survive this trial by fire, and who is going to suffer (one of the students faints during a gruesome procedure, and let's just say that I felt very seen.) 

Every actor on this show is doing phenomenal work, and the writers are simply geniuses, effortlessly doling out backstory as they simultaneously cover every medical complication known to man. Keep an eye on anyone you think might be a background actor - someone might seem like they're just an extra in the waiting room on Episode 1, but then they get admitted in Episode 5 and get to have a whole story arc of their own. The production design is incredible, and you will get to see hyper-realistic depictions of everything that goes on in a trauma center. This show is certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach all those bodily fluids, you are in for an emotional and thrilling ride.

Apple Cider Vinegar: From realistic medicine, we go to absolute quackery. Created by Samatha Strauss, who adapted this from the book, The Woman Who Fooled the World, by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, this miniseries is the true story of Australian influencer, Belle Gibson (played with an amazing accent by the always reliable Kaitlyn Dever). Belle was an entrepreneur and wellness guru, who faked having brain cancer in order to amass a social media following and tout her wellness recipes via an app and cookbook. Over the course of six episodes, we see how this woman got to this point, and the various institutions and people that enabled her to get away with it. 

In parallel, we also get the story of Milla Blake (a fictional character, though based on a real woman, played by Alycia Debnam-Carey), a young woman who truly does have a rare cancer in her arm, but chooses to pursue alternative medicine instead of listening to her doctors who say amputation or an experimental treatment might be her only options. She also becomes an inspirational figure in the wellness industry, with a popular blog touting her alternative medicine approach that consists of juicing and coffee enemas. All of which, of course, is dangerous and leads many people astray who need proper medical attention. 

The series is a little uneven and at times it can feel like this didn't need to be extended out into six hour-long episodes. But at its core, it's a fascinating and remarkable look at the very real dangers that these so-called wellness experts pose, particularly during a time when our society is fond of attacking and questioning scientists and medical professionals more than ever. Medical misinformation can have truly devastating consequences, and following the trajectory of these two very different but oddly similar women offers up a compelling vision of why we must always remain vigilant.

The Residence: Ready for a complete pivot? Binge all eight episodes of this murder mystery instead! Created by Paul William Davies, Uzo Aduba stars as Detective Cordelia Cupp, an avid birder who also happens to be one of the best detectives in the world, who is called in to investigate what happened when the Chief Usher of the White House (played by none other than Giancarlo Esposito) is found dead in the game room. Who could have done it?!

Turns out, a lot of people could have done it. The White House was hosting a state dinner that night, so a bunch of Australians are present (including some famous ones!), but more importantly, the White House employs a lot of staff members, a number of whom had intricate relationships with the Chief Usher and various motives and agendas that may or may not have resulted in his murder. If that wasn't enough, the President's own family members and friends are behaving awfully suspiciously as well. As Cordelia interviews all these people and runs around the White House looking for clues, she finds a very tangled web.

This show definitely suffers from Netflix bloat, constantly re-hashing the plot and re-summarizing what we have learned so far instead of just getting on with it. It could have been a lean six episodes, but instead is a very long eight episodes, that will occasionally wear on you. But the actors are charming, and the mystery itself is quite elegant when you finally unravel it all. This is one of those shows that might have been better as a novel than a series, but with Shonda Rhimes as an executive producer, you are least guaranteed sumptuous production design and a visual spectacle to keep you engaged in the duller moments. It's like watching a Poirot novel come to life, so if that's your jam, have at it.

March Movies Part 1: Mickey 17 & The Monkey

Headed to the theater? Well, I've already been and here are some thoughts on what's out right now.

Mickey 17: Written and directed by Bong Joon Ho, this is the story of what happens when an Expendable named Mickey becomes a Multiple. OK, hold on, I'll have to explain some more, won't I? This movie is set in the future where various groups of humans are striving to colonize other planets. Mickey (Robert Pattinson) is a man who is fleeing all his debt collectors on Earth, so he agrees to sign up for a mission to the planet Niflheim as an Expendable. Humans have developed the technology to print out clones that can contain the memories of the original, so as an Expendable, Mickey is basically a human lab rat who tests out various hostile environments or substances to see how a human would die, and then he gets re-printed out the next day as a new version of himself who still remembers everything that happened to him. As you can imagine, there are many dubious ethical and moral implications to this, and all of that comes to a head when his overlords accidentally print out the 18th version of him, assuming that Mickey 17 died. Only, of course, Mickey 17 is still alive, and now he and Mickey 18 must figure out how they both co-exist as Multiples. 

Everything that I've explained is contained in the 2-minute trailer for this movie, which I watched a dozen times while at the movies last year. In the movie, however, all of that backstory takes up almost the entire first half, which is why I accidentally fell asleep for a lot of it. Oops. So, I'm here to tell you that this movie wasn't quite my cup of tea. It's an intriguing premise, but the execution fell flat for me. Pattinson is doing a good job, but the comic tone of the film was often histrionic and too over-the-top for me. Particularly when we get to Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collete as the villains of the piece who are just being way too zany for my liking. I don't think this movie quite nailed its tone, and while it had a solid philosophical quandary at its center, it resolved that quandary in a way that felt a bit too pat and Hollywood. I'm sure there are a lot of people who might get a lot out of this movie. But I was not one of them.

The Monkey: Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, this movie is a very funny horror movie about a cursed toy monkey and the twin boys who unfortunately become enmeshed in its bloody vendetta. Theo James plays identical twin brothers Hal and Bill (Christian Convery plays them as young boys), who have a rather difficult relationship, with Bill constantly bullying Hal. But then the brothers find a creepy monkey toy in their closet, and every time they turn the key in its back, some random person in the vicinity dies a gruesome death. They try to get rid of the monkey after it kills someone very important to them, but then we flash forward to 25 years later where Hal is now a loner who is too terrified of having close relationships lest the Monkey rear its ugly head. Which it does.

This movie is only 98 minutes long, so while it doesn't have much plot, you'll be perfectly entertained for the entire run time. It's based on a short story by Stephen King, and you can tell there isn't much story there to stretch out, but as we are subject to increasingly zany and bloody deaths, you can't help but chuckle and settle in for the ride. It's very silly, but very entertaining, and sometimes that's all you want for a quick diversion at the movies.