Movie 1: My Oxford Year

This is a really well done romantic drama that deals with several topics, including love, loss and grief.  It starts off light and at times funny, but soon becomes a serious drama.  Good acting and good cinematography.  Well worth watching.  On Netflix.

Rating:

Movie 2: Weapons

This is a very inventive, clever and intelligent horror film.  17 grade school kids from the same class walk out of their homes at the same moment and disappear.  This mystery has lots of twists and turns.  Really believable acting from a first-rate cast.  It’s very good seeing Amy Madigan again.

Rating:

Movie 3: Sketch

This is a wonderfully warm and simple story about a young girl’s sketch book that falls into a small lake and her characters come to life.  Lessons of love and the acceptance of grief and loss are beautifully discovered.  Knowing nothing about this film, we were pleasantly surprised how entertaining it was.

Rating:

Movie 1: My Mother’s Wedding

This British film is a warm, satisfying drama/comedy. Directed and cowritten by Kristin Scott Thomas, it parallels her life with a father and stepfather both killed in military accidents. She raises three successful daughters alone. Just the right amount of humor and drama without becoming sappy or corny.

Rating:

The Bad Guys 2

This is a family friendly animated sequel to the 2022 original hit.  We found the original movie well animated and funny.  This version seems a pale comparison to that one. We aren’t even sure what it’s about.  The humor, animation and storyline not quite up to the usual Dreamworks standards.  Most critics though gave this sequel good reviews and kids will enjoy it.  In theaters now and Netflix later this year. 

Rating:

The Naked Gun

OMG!  The latest Naked Gun in this very successful franchise is undoubtedly the dumbest movie of the year, if not the last several years.  Its only redeeming quality is that its run time is only 85 minutes.  But then again its 85 minutes we will never get back.. 

Rating:

Movie 1: The Fantastic Four: First Steps

This is the first movie in a new Marvel franchise. A quartet of super heroes are tasked with saving the planet. It has a really cool 1950’s, 60’s retro look and feel and the four main characters have good chemistry with each other. But other than that we found it confusing, rather disjointed and nothing new or special about it. It’s entertaining enough, and kids will love it. We should say that national film critics liked it much more than we did.

Rating:

Movie 2: Shoshana

This movie is set in 1930’s Palestine when the British controlled what is now Israel.  It’s a very intense, powerful thriller that doesn’t shy away from the truth and horror  of violence on all sides.  Excellent acting.   We found the story fascinating but very confusing.  But if in your area definitely worth watching.  English and Hebrew with English subtitles.

Rating:

Movie 3: Oh, Hi!

Let’s just say from the outset that this romantic comedy/drama is completely implausible. Yet somehow it’s a refreshing wanna be love story that goes wrong. After months of dating, a couple go on their first weekend getaway in upstate New York. She expecting a commitment and he just wanting a good time. Even with the wild premise, we are drawn into the movie in a very satisfying and entertaining way. Good acting, writing and humor without being slapstick or corny.

Rating:

Movie 1: Unicorns

This is a really touching, heartwarming love story between a London auto mechanic and a Pakastani drag queen. While a drama, this movie covers a wide range of human emotions, especially self-discovery and cultural boundaries, with humor and honesty. Very good cast and both leads are perfect in their roles. Wide distribution in the UK and Europe; limited USA with mostly big city art theatres.

Rating:

Movie 2: Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight

This is a very well acted and directed coming of age story set in April 1980 Rhodesia, as it votes for a new President and to change its name to Zimbabwe.  Seen from the eyes of an eight year old girl (played brilliantly by Lexi Venter) she relates the powerful drama between white and black citizens, and the enormous ‘white flight’ after the election.  Beautiful cinematography.   A very well told story we knew little, if anything, about.

Rating:

Movie 3: Eddington

This is a very tense, often chaotic and more than a little confusing satire about the beginning months of the Covid pandemic.  This movie seems to toggle between several movie genres, western, comedy and drama but always coming back to a modern day, and dystopian, western.  A not so honest sheriff is running for mayor of a small New Mexico town.  There really was too much going on to fully understand, or appreciate, the movie.  We will say Joaquin Phoenix gives a tour d force performance.

Rating:

Movie 1: Superman

This is a complete reboot of the Superman franchise. In this rendition Clark Kent and Lois Lane are a romantic couple working at the Daily Planet, and Lois knows who Superman is. There is the usual saving the world. While the CGI special effects and the humor in the script are very good, we still found this movie rather confusing. Entertaining enough, but not sure another Superman movie is needed.

Rating:

Movie 2: Jurassic World Rebirth

There really is nothing new in this eighth installment of the Jurassic empire, except the very talented cast.  The dinosaurs are dying out and scientists need DNA to help with medical breakthroughs.  Very good special effects.  And like Superman, entertaining enough, but it’s time to let this franchise go extinct.

Rating:

Movie 3: Sorry, Baby

This is a rather dark drama-comedy.  Written, acted and directed by Eva Victor.  A young woman realizes her life has become stagnant and looks for ways to move forward.  The script and acting are brutally honest, sometimes uncomfortably so.  We found this movie interesting, but slow and confusing.  But kudos though to Eva Victor for putting together a very thoughtful and, at times irreverent, debut film.

Rating:

Movie 1: 28 Years Later

This is a really well made zombie horror movie that is the third movie in this franchise (you do not need to see the first two to appreciate this one).  People live on small English islands as the English mainland is overrun by zombies.  The directing, acting and writing is very good.  This is a very sophisticated and unconventional take on a genre that can be dull and insulting.  We’ve seen this movie twice.  

Rating:

Movie 2: M3GAN 2.0

This is a sequel to the very successful original horror film.  A powerful android, who has the ability to think and make decisions, once again is tasked to protect a young girl.  And the action and horror start from there.  Not necessary to have seen the original, but it would help.  We thought the original movie was very entertaining and inventive, the sequel is just OK.

Rating:

Movie 3: F1 The Movie

Brad Pitt plays an aging Formula One race car driver looking for one last win. The racing footage, cinematography, acting and directing are all excellent. There is a lot more going on here than just car racing, a sport we knew nothing about. In addition to the visuals, the human narrative is very relatable. A movie we will for sure see again.

Rating:

Movie 1: Materialists

This is a very modern, up to the minute romantic drama. A high-end New York City dating agency matches couples to their profiles, with seemingly much success. The acting, writing and directing are all first rate and brutally honest. The chemistry amongst the lead actors is very believable.

Rating:

Movie 2: How to Train Your Dragon

This is a family friendly live action remake of the 2010 animated original.  Vikings are supposed to kill dragons, until the son of the Chief Viking decides not to.  Lessons of kindness and friendship follow.  An entertaining movie, with a message, for the whole family.

Rating:

Movie 3: Echo Valley

This is a very well-acted and scripted thriller.  A mother (Oscar winner Julianne Moore) tries to help her troubled and drug addicted daughter, going to amazing lengths to do so.  Some tense and suspenseful twists and turns.  Limited release in theatres and also on Amazon Prime.

Rating:

Movie 1: The Life of Chuck

This is a surprisingly touching and very effective three part story based on the Stephen King short story of the same name.  It follows the life of an accountant, played brilliantly by Tom Hiddleston.  While King is known for his horror and supernatural stories, this one shines a light on how we live our lives.  

Rating:

Movie 2: I Don’t Understand You

This is a comedy, horror, road trip that goes very, very bad.  A gay couple travels to Italy for one more vacation before they adopt a baby.  With obvious language issues they settle into a beautiful farmhouse.  And then a Michelin star dinner goes very wrong.  There is some genuine intrigue and suspense amongst the humor.   

Rating:

Movie 3: The Phoenician Scheme

Another Wes Anderson movie with the usual cast of hundreds.  Set in a Mediterranean village in the 1950’s, Benicio del Toro plays a father trying to leave his business to his only daughter, who is a nun.  As with other Anderson films we found this one slow and rather boring.  But also with his other movies, this one is visually stunning and beautiful.  It gets one globe for del Toro’s perfect Oscar caliber performance.

Rating:

Movie 1: Karate Kid: Legends

This is a very entertaining and feel-good sequel in this long running franchise. This time the action moves to the rooftops of New York City. Jackie Chan is perfect in his role as a wise and humorous mentor. Ben Wang is amazing as the new karate kid.

Rating:

Movie 2: Straw

This is a very tense (and intense), well-acted thriller as the life of a single mom collapses into chaos and heartbreak.  Tyler Perry directed and wrote this timely and relevant movie.  Taraji P. Henson as the mother and Sherri Shepard as the bank manager give stellar performances.  On Netflix.   

Rating:

Movie 3: Ballerina

From the creators of the John Wick empire, this is an action packed and very violent addition to the franchise.  A young child watches her father murdered and grows up to travel the world looking for his killers.  Ana de Armas is amazing as the crusading assassin.  And to think just a couple years ago she was nominated for an Oscar portraying Marilyn Monroe!  Good cinematography, but lots of blood and gore.

Rating:

Movie 1: Nonnas

Watching this movie was a wonderful reminder of my Italian childhood in Chicago. A middle age man opens an Italian restaurant on Staten Island and hires four grandmothers “nonnas” to do the cooking.  Good fun then ensues.  On Netflix, this makes for a very nice movie experience (eat before you watch it). 

Rating:

Movie 2: Jane Austen Wrecked My Life

This is a slow moving and intelligent love story/romantic comedy centering around the lead characters passion for all things Jane Austen.  Many scenes are filmed in the wonderful Parisian bookstore Shakespeare and Company.  Nice cinematography and acting.  French with English subtitles.

Rating:

Movie 3: Bad Shabbos

This is a well written and acted Jewish comedy. A New York City family on the Upper West Side has their usual weekly Shabbat dinner. Until things don’t become usual. Very quick witted and entertaining. A fun mix of Catholic and Jewish parents as Wisconsin and the big city collide.

Rating: