What We Do in the Shadows

THE GIST: Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are roommates who happen to be vampires. Aside from the usual necessities a vampire has to attend to, like avoiding sunlight and feeding on human blood, the three friends have to deal with more mundane stressors, like paying rent, doing one's chores, having a social life, and dealing with each other's peculiarities.

What We Do in the Shadows is definitely not your ordinary vampire movie and is a great showcase for Taika Waititi's brand of offbeat comedy.

Waititi co-wrote and co-directed the movie with Jemaine Clement, who also stars, along with Waititi and Jonny Brugh.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you don't know Waititi, this would be a good introduction to his work. He has successfully gone on to bigger Hollywood fare since (Thor: Ragnarok), so you know he's doing something right!

Grade: 7

In Memoriam

Chadwick Boseman (November 29, 1976 - August 28, 2020)

He only had 35 acting credits to his name between television and movies, and yet news of Boseman's death ricocheted around the world because of the indelible mark he had left with his portrayal of King T'Challa, aka Black Panther, in four Marvel Studios movies.

He was  diagnosed with colon cancer a few years ago, but continued working in between treatments.

His talent will be sorely missed.

R.I.P.

Sing

THE GIST: A theater impresario fallen on hard times, but with an endless supply of hope and optimism, decides to put together one last singing competition before finally throwing in the towel. An innocent clerical error turns the event into a smash hit.

Sing was such a pleasant find for me. I knew nothing about it and the more I was watching the more I enjoyed it.

The cast is loaded with big names, like Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Offerman, Leslie Jones, and Rhea Perlman.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Definitely a movie for the whole family, it will likely delight everyone, from the littlest among you to their grandparents!

Grade: 7.5

Virunga

THE GIST: Virunga National Park lies deep in the Congo's eastern forests and is home to the last of the mountain gorillas. The park is protected by a small group of dedicated rangers who have to do battle with armed militias, poachers, rebels, and those who just want to exploit the country's natural resources for their own benefit. It is a constant war.

Virunga is definitely one of the most moving and most well-made documentaries I've ever watched.

It really makes you mad at the continued violence directed at these magnificent creatures, who wouldn't bother anyone if they were just left alone.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you, like me, have a soft spot for apes, and gorillas in particular, you should definitely watch this.

Grade: 8

Get Out

THE GIST: Rose takes her boyfriend Chris to meet her parents. He's uneasy because he's Black and Rose is White, but her parents seem very welcoming to him. During a party thrown by the parents during the same weekend they're visiting, Chris meets several of the family's friends, whose behavior and questions directed at him become more and more outlandish. What could possibly be going on here?

Get Out is Jordan Peele's directorial debut and it can only be described as a smashing success. He also wrote the script for it, positioning himself as one of the most talented creators working in movies right now, especially in the light-horror genre.

He followed this film with the equally successful Us, so his talent is not accident.

Daniel Kaluuya stars, flanked by Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Betty Gabriel, and LaKeith Stanfield; everyone turns in a great performance.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A brilliant tale from one of the most promising new filmmakers on the scene right now. What are you waiting for?

Grade: 9

Passengers

THE GIST: A 120-year journey to a distant colony on a new planet ends prematurely for Jim Preston, an unlucky passenger whose hibernation pod malfunctions after just 30 years. Faced with the heartbreaking and psychologically devastating certainties of never getting to see the new world nor having any company to interact with for the rest of his life, he starts to ponder the choice of waking another passenger from hibernation.

Passengers poses some very interesting questions that don't necessarily have easy answers. Sure, ethics and morality would point to the same result, but what would you do if you were stuck in space with no way out, nor back, nor even forward really? How long before desperation would kick in?

Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, two good and very likable actors, are perfectly cast in the lead roles. Michael Sheen also has a pretty interesting role.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The sci-fi aspects of this movie, while very well produced, are secondary to the dramatic and romantic facets. A very good film.

Grade: 8

Secret in Their Eyes

THE GIST: A counter-terrorism task force unit is called to investigate a dead body that turns out to be the teenage daughter of one of the unit's investigators, Jess Cobb. Her partner spends the next 13 years trying to solve the murder, but when he finally comes close to finding the culprit, the D.A. refuses to reopen the case.

Secret in Their Eyes is a pretty good police procedural and thriller that greatly benefits from the casting of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, and Julia Roberts. Dean Norris and Alfred Molina also star.

This is a movie born in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, so the themes will definitely resonate for a large segment of the audience.

THE BOTTOM LINE: An interesting and fairly gripping drama that should easily keep you on the edge of your seat for its entire runtime.

Grade: 7

Our Brand Is Crisis

THE GIST: Jane Bodine used to be a top political strategist whose fortunes turned badly during a campaign, tarnishing her reputation and damaging her confidence. She's now asked to run the presidential campaign of a Bolivian Senator who's polling very poorly. She accepts when she realizes her main opponent is her long-time rival and nemesis Pat Candy.

Sandra Bullock stars in Our Brand Is Crisis and from that one can assume a certain degree of entertainment, since Bullock is pretty reliable in her choices and a good actress.

She's flanked by a caustic Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie, Joaquim de Almeida, Ann Dowd, and Scoot McNairy, so great casting all around.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A dramedy with some nice light touches, the movie offers a behind-the-scenes look at how political campaigns are run, with the stakes and compromises that are often necessary to prevail. If you like political-oriented movies, this is a good fit.

Grade: 7

The Diary of a Teenage Girl

THE GIST: Fifteen-year-old Minnie is an aspiring cartoonist who wants to lose her virginity. Her bohemian mother is very open to all kinds of experiences, though she isn't too thrilled when she finds out that her boyfriend has started sleeping with Minnie.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl is an interesting comedy that shows us a time in the life of some very open-minded and free-thinking people in the heyday of the sexual liberation movement in the United States.

Bel Powley, Kristen Wiig, Alexander Skarsgård, and Christopher  Meloni are all very well cast and do a great job in their roles, mostly against character.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Definitely interesting, even cool and intriguing, if not necessarily funny (it's more of a dry humor), but if you consider the most liberal period in American history as an obscene aberration, then perhaps you should skip it.

Grade: 7

Life, Animated

THE GIST: Owen Suskind was growing normally until age 3, when he developed autism and started withdrawing from the world. Fortunately, he and his family found a way of communicating through animated movies, Disney's in particular, which allowed him to have a semblance of a normal life.

Life, Animated is an interesting documentary that tells the story of this sweet little boy whose world suddenly shrunk in size and became alien to him, until he found a way to communicate with people again through animated characters.

THE BOTTOM LINE: There's no bombast here, just the story of a gentle soul and his struggles with life, which are likely very different from what the vast majority of us experience on a regular basis.

Grade: 6

Sex with Strangers

THE GIST: A clear-eyed look at three couples who regularly swing, which means they are not monogamous and actively seek out other couples (or singles) to have sex with together.

Sex with Strangers is an interesting documentary that tries to portray these very open-minded couples in the most even and judgment-free light possible.

It's largely successful, and it's certainly interesting to witness how these couples try to find (or have found) a balance between the requirements of traditional marriage and their own human needs, whether they be individual or as a couple.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Unless you're squeamish about topics related to sexuality, or just plain disapprove of the swingers concept itself, this might be an interesting watch.

Grade: 6

Sisters

THE GIST: Sisters Kate and Maura are summoned home by their parents to clear out their old rooms since the house has been sold. They're heartbroken and decide to throw one last high-school-style party before they leave their childhood home for good.

Sisters isn't a highbrow comedy, but it's not meant to be; it's your basic light-hearted film meant to give the audience a much deserved mental break.

What it does have is two of the funniest ladies working with comedic material both on the small and big screen. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have such energy working off one another that they make the screen sparkle.

Add to them Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, James Brolin, Dianne Wiest, John Cena, John Leguizamo, and Kate McKinnon and you know you're going to have a good time.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Not memorable but certainly entertaining. Good for a couple hours of laughter.

Grade: 6.5

Burnt Money (Plata Quemada)

THE GIST: After a bank heist in Argentina turns bloody, a trio of robbers flee to Uruguay, where they go into hiding waiting for one of them to recover from his injuries. The passage of time, however, creates friction and heightened anxiety among the men, two of whom are also lovers.

Burnt Money is a both a cool thriller and a well crafted, passionate, albeit forbidden, love story. The fact that the script is based on real events only adds to its relatability and gives it more credence.

Leonardo Sbaraglia, Eduardo Noriega, and Pablo Echarri are all very good.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The sweet-but-doomed love story would be enough to make this movie interesting. The bank robbery and following escape just add to the bottom line.

Grade: 7.5

The Langoliers

THE GIST: A group of passengers wake up during their flight only to discover that every other passenger and crew member, including the pilots, have simply disappeared. Not only that, but radio silence and no movements detected on the ground would imply everyone has disappeared there as well. What do they do now?

The Langoliers is based on one of the four stories that make up Stephen King's book Four Past Midnight. I remember reading the book years ago and still vividly recall this particular tale of a group of people thrown together in the most unlikely set of circumstances.

The screenplay closely follows the book's plot, even though it feels a bit weak and trite.

The cast, which includes David Morse, Bronson Pinchot, Dean Stockwell, Frankie Faison, Patricia Wettig, and Mark Lindsay Chapman, does its best, but occasionally comes across as too theatrical and exaggerated.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This was originally a miniseries, so the runtime is a bit long, but the plot is interesting enough to keep you going along. If you've read the book then it's a nice treat to watch it playing live onscreen.

Grade: 6

Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds

THE GIST: Dumped by his boyfriend, Kyle sets his sights on a new guy, but he decides to pretend to be straight to land him. His ex, however, is eyeing the new guy as well.

Admittedly, this is the kind of movie that one watches more for the eye candy than the plot or the performances (almost like soft-core porn), but while the original Eating Out was passable, Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds is definitely not.

Honestly, even the eye candy, while enticing and lovely, after a while turns out stale.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Do yourself a favor and skip the second chapter. The first one was more than enough. This one will give you indigestion.

Grade: 4

The Bubble (Ha-Buah)

THE GIST: Noam is a vibrant gay Israeli who meets Ashraf, a closeted, radicalized Palestinian, during a tour of duty at a military checkpoint. The attraction between the two is undeniable, but can they have a future together?

The Bubble (Ha-Buah) sets out to showcase what life looks like in Tel Aviv for gays and straights, Jews and Arabs, men and women. It is largely successful and keeps your attention throughout.

Ohad Knoller and Yousef "Joe" Sweid are perfectly cast in the lead roles, and their story is very sweet.

THE BOTTOM LINE: An interesting exploration of what life must be like in Israel, one of the most heavily guarded countries in the world, constantly under threat of attacks.

Grade: 7.5

Life

THE GIST: The crew of scientists onboard the International Space Station are studying a soil sample returned from Mars, looking for evidence of life beyond Earth. They successfully identify and revive a cell that soon starts multiplying incredibly fast. Quickly, exhilaration turns to dread when the organism attacks them, showing clear signs of intent.

Life asks a very important and pragmatic question: What if we do find life elsewhere and it's hostile to humans or other lifeforms on Earth?

And as this movie shows, even analyzing samples off-planet doesn't automatically ensure complete safety.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The visual effects are pretty good and as sci-fi movies go, this one is definitely enjoyable, even though sometimes it pushes the believability level too far. Still, how often do you get to watch Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal in the same movie??!

Grade: 7

Fences

THE GIST: Troy Maxson is a blue collar worker in his fifties, bitter at life for not being allowed to play baseball professionally in his youth because of the color of his skin. He has two sons, the second from his current wife Rose, a close friend and a brother, but his anger and regrets make him hard to get along with, especially since he seems to deny others what he was denied himself.

Fences follows Troy and Rose for many of their years together, allowing Viola Davis and Denzel Washington, two of the greatest actors working in the medium, to really delve into their characters.

The result is a masterful display of prowess, with Davis and Washington running through the gamut of human emotions for us.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The film moves at a deliberate pace, and some parts are tougher to watch than others, but the performances on screen always demand your utmost attention.

Grade: 7.5

James White

THE GIST: James White is a hedonistic young man who lives a carefree existence without worrying about the future or anyone else. That all changes when his mother is diagnosed with cancer and he has to go back home to care for her.

James White is a good movie about a topic that isn't easy to talk about (or watch) when it's dealt with in such stern, raw tones.

Still, Cynthia Nixon and Christopher Abbott give unforgettable performances in their roles of mother and son.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A tough subject and excellent performances make for one good, if uneasy, movie.

Grade: 7.5

Predestination

THE GIST: A Temporal Agent, a time traveler whose goal is to stop criminals who've committed atrocities in the past, is sent on a final mission to stop the one criminal who's always escaped capture.

Predestination is a cool movie if you like time travel, but it's a helluva mind-bender as our hero is sent on trip after trip in the past and the future to the point that it's quite hard to keep track of who is who and where is when and whatnot.

Ethan Hawke, always the consummate actor, valiantly charges on, mission after mission, with an admirable dedication to the convoluted plot.

Sarah Snook is also quite good.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This is not a light movie to watch on a carefree night, but if you like the genre, it's a pretty fun ride to go on.

Grade: 8

Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal

THE GIST: In 1968, two well-regarded intellectuals, liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley Jr., went head-to-head for a series of debates on the issues of the day that forever changed the way politics is discussed on television and in the media in general.

Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal is an interesting documentary that very effectively accomplishes what it set out to do.

Buckley and Vidal were two of the most educated and respected thinkers of the day and their philosophies differed so fundamentally and dramatically that their encounters were all but guaranteed to engender a spectacle, which is exactly what the audiences at home got.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you are wondering why today's politics are so toxic, just watch this documentary and you'll gain a better understanding of where it all began. Very well made.

Grade: 7

Tangerine

THE GIST: Sin-Dee is a transgender hooker just released from prison. Her boyfriend/pimp Chester didn't show and she knows he cheated on her. With the help of her friend Alexandra, they set out to find him.

Tangerine opens up a small window in the life of a transgender woman, showing us what life is like for her and how on top of the usual issues a prostitute has to deal with, she's also dealing with transphobia.

Aside from the well-known and always good James Ransone, the cast features mostly unknowns, like Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, and Mickey O'Hagan.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Tangerine might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it and found it interesting.

Grade: 7

Bedrooms and Hallways

THE GIST: Leo is a gay man with little to no social life, who joins a men's group in search of bonding. He is immediately attracted to another member of the group, who doesn't mind the attention, but things get dicey when Leo meets his girlfriend.

Bedrooms and Hallways is a lighthearted and charming comedy that isn't afraid to shatter some taboos along the way, but it's all in good fun. The movie wears its heart on its sleeve, and it shows.

The gorgeous Kevin McKidd is adorable in the role of Leo, and he makes quite the couple with the handsome James Purefoy.

Also of note Simon Callow, Harriet Walter, Jennifer Ehle, Tom Hollander, and Hugo Weaving.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you want to spend a couple hours in the company of some funny and well-developed characters, put this on and relax.

Grade: 7

Freeheld

THE GIST: Laurel is a very committed policewoman who keeps her relationship to Stacie a secret for fear of reprisals. They are registered domestic partners, but when Laurel is diagnosed with cancer she's told that Stacie won't be able to inherit her pension like a heterosexual couple would, so she sturdily sets her mind to fix the issue.

Freeheld is a heartwrenching story that was all too common just a few years ago, when same-sex couples in the US were not granted the rights and privileges that heterosexual couples automatically got by simply getting married.

Julianne Moore and Ellen Page are fantastic in their roles and the characters they breathe life into are simply wonderful. Michael Shannon, Steve Carell, and Josh Charles also star.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A good movie to watch to get a sense of what inequality means for the LGBT+ community. The laws have changed and fortunately we are allowed to get married now, but a lot of the prejudices and mistreatments displayed on screen are still very much present all over the country, unfortunately.

Grade: 8

Dies the Fire, by S. M. Stirling

Several years ago, when the chain Borders went bankrupt, I picked up a large number of books for something like a dollar or two each. Hardcovers, mind you.

I had only minutes to get a sense of each book's story and whether I might enjoy it, since there was an entire store selling everything off, and this book intrigued me for its post-apocalyptic theme, and since it was a series, I got the first four.

I'm happy to report that Dies the Fire is a good book, with a well written tale, intelligently laid out by S. M. Stirling, an author who's new to me and who obviously documented himself at length when writing to ensure the events described would be plausible.

In a nutshell, some unknown event causes electricity and gunpowder to no longer work. All of a sudden, humanity is thrown several centuries back in time, and only the smart and the strong will be able to survive this new way of life.

There are two main threads that follow Mike Havel, a former US Marine, and Juniper Mackenzie, a folk singer and Wiccan Priestess, as they form their own very different communities to try and adapt to this new way of life. They both will have to deal with bands of marauders and a very evil guy to takes over the city of Portland and calls himself The Protector.

It's not really a light, leisurely read, given the themes, but it's enjoyable if you like the genre.

Grade: 7

Us

THE GIST: A family's summer vacation turns into a nightmare when their apparent doppelgängers show up with murderous intents.

After bursting onto the scene with the brilliant Get Out, director/writer Jordan Peele confirms and solidifies his credentials with his sophomore outing, Us.

Peele sets up the story with an introduction to little Addy and the events that led to her discomfort with crowds, among other things, as an adult. He builds the story slowly and very effectively, leading up to the arrival of the body-doubles.

What follows is astutely laid out, leading the viewer through the maze that Peele set up, all the way to the final revelations. Simply brilliant.

Lupita Nyong'o is just fantastic as the lead, flanked by Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex. Elisabeth Moss has a cool smaller role.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you like mystery movies or original horror stories, you might end up appreciating Peele's work as much as I do. I would venture to put him in the same league as Alfred Hitchcock.

Grade: 9

High Life

THE GIST: A man and his baby daughter are all that's left of a crew of prison convicts sent on an interstellar multi-year mission.

High Life is an interesting movie that touches upon some weighty concepts, like lengthy space missions with no return home; the wisdom of placing such crucial endeavors in the hands of people who were in prison for life; and what would life look like for people born in space on such a journey?

Overall, the director is successful in building suspense for the future of the survivors and also in giving us enough background information about the crew, via flashbacks, to allow us to piece together how they got to this point.

Still, some artistic choices and the deliberate pacing can result in frustration or puzzlement.

Robert Pattinson leads a good cast that features veteran Juliette Binoche in great form.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Moderate your expectations because this is more in line with 2001: A Space Odyssey than Star Trek, but I certainly found it enjoyable.

Grade: 6.5

Aquaman

THE GIST: Left behind as a little kid by his mother, Queen Atlanna of Atlantis, in order to protect him, Arthur is raised by his human father and grows up to become Aquaman. Now an adult, Arthur finds himself caught between the land world he's known all his life and an immensely more powerful Atlantis, led by his warmonger half-brother King Orm, who is gunning for a global war that will re-establish Atlantis as the world leader.

Long laughed at in the comic world for being a stupid comic book hero whose main power is talking to fish, DC Comics' Aquaman is actually a lot of fun and proves the naysayers wrong by showing that Aquaman is a lot more versatile than commonly assumed.

I loved all the wonderful worlds they created underwater, the magnificent fight at the end, and the different characters, costumes, habitats, and cultures of all the underwater kingdoms.

Already teased in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and seen in Justice League, Jason Momoa is back as the titular hero and is clearly relishing a role for which he was so well cast.

I was not fully sold on Amber Heard's Mera, but Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Temuera Morrison all do a good job.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A well cast lead generally sets the tone, and Momoa is a great Aquaman. The movie is fun to watch, has a couple funny moments, and delivers on the action side as well. A solid win for DC Comics.

Grade: 8

Captain Marvel

THE GIST: Vers is part of the Kree Empire's elite Starforce, but has no memory of her past, apart from some random images when she dreams. On a mission, she's captured by the Kree's main enemies, the Skrulls, a race of shapeshifters, who start probing her mind for information only to find an intricate mess. Attempting to escape, she ends up stranded on planet Earth, where the tangle of her past starts unraveling, revealing truths the Kree kept from her. Eventually, her incredible powers reach full potential, and she becomes Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel is the first Marvel Studios movie based entirely on a female superhero and it's a total blast.

The screenplay perfectly captures the state of mind of this young woman, who feels like she doesn't belong in her current life and who yearns for bigger things.

It also masterfully inserts the story of one of Marvel's greatest and strongest superheroes into the larger MCU timeline, placing it in 1995, way before almost any of the other well-known superheroes we have become so familiar with even emerged.

Casting the excellent Brie Larson turned out to be a great choice. Jude Law, Annette Bening, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, and Gemma Chan also are great, and it's a real treat to see Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg visually rejuvenated to play the roles we've come to love them in, but when they were just starting out discovering all these outer space beings and threats.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A fun and cool story that's also an origin one for this great character, fantastic visual effects, and great acting. What more can one ask for?!

Grade: 9.5

John Lewis

The US Representative and civil rights icon who recently passed away after a battle with cancer.

"Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring."