Giraffe

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Houses Along the River

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End of the Cycle

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Under the Skin

THE GIST: A mysterious woman picks up random men with her van, seduces them, and then they disappear. One day, her latest conquest leads her to start questioning herself, body and mind.

Under the Skin is a somewhat metaphysical and quite mysterious movie that never really fully shows its cards, which ultimately turns out to be a strength rather than a weakness.

Scarlett Johansson proves to be quite a fearless actress, taking on such a complicated and raw character. She also proves to be a very good actress, given that she carries the whole movie on her shoulders.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This is not the kind of film that would be enjoyed by the general audience. It's intriguing, but will likely appeal to a small niche of people. Still, I enjoyed it, so why not give it a whirl?

Grade: 7

Don’t Breathe 2

THE GIST: Having barely survived a brutal and deadly home invasion a few years back, our blind veteran is now training his home-schooled daughter into survival, which is good because someone else is about to invade his home again.

Don’t Breathe 2 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor and pretty closely at that. In fact, just like that movie, the action scenes are quite thrilling, but a few plot points are quite leaky—like how he makes it to the bad guys' lair so quickly and, of course, just in time.

Stephen Lang is, as before, quite good at taking a beating and giving it back. This time he faces off against Brendan Sexton III, who performs admirably.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Just like the first chapter, the story is quite predictable, but there are a couple twists and enough tension to make it worth your time.

Grade: 6

Quaint Church

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East River at Dusk

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Free Guy

THE GIST: An upbeat and charming bank teller sees his world suddenly change when he accidentally discovers he's actually an NPC (a Non Playable Character) in a massive multi-player videogame. What is he going to do next?

Free Guy's core premise is quite simple, but the final product greatly benefits from Ryan Reynolds's comedy chops and irresistible charms.

It doesn't hurt that he's flanked by other talented actors like Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, and the inimitable Taika Waititi.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Cool visual effects, a fun cast, and an interesting story pretty much guarantee a good time.

Grade: 7

Concentric Lines

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The Woman in Black

THE GIST: A recently widowered lawyer, still deeply in mourning, is sent to a remote village to settle the affairs of an estate. He encounters a lot of hostility from almost everyone he meets and soon discovers that the mansion he's supposed to get ready for sale is haunted by the vengeful ghost of a wronged woman who terrorizes the locals.

The Woman in Black is the typical horror movie that fails to impress because of a barebones backstory that is weighed down by too many trite tropes.

I found myself shaking my head in confusion and disbelief more times than I could count, which is never a good sign.

Daniel Radcliffe does a fairly good job in the lead, but sometimes he does look a bit lost. And even the always great Ciarán Hinds has to work overtime to sell us his rather unrelatable character.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I cannot recommend this movie, even though it redeems itself with a final scene I really didn't expect.

Grade: 4.5

Bursting Petals

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Respect

THE GIST: We follow Aretha Franklin from childhood to stardom, from singing in her father's church's choir to finding her own voice, style, and vocation—and eventually becoming an icon of the musical world, of the civil rights movement, and of America itself.

Respect is a well put-together biopic about the late great Aretha Franklin, played with excellent ability by Jennifer Hudson, who's blessed with one of the most powerful and unique voices I've ever heard.

I wouldn't be surprised to see her receive an Academy Award nomination for her performance.

Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Tituss Burgess, Marc Maron, and Audra McDonald are just some of the spot-on casting choices that wonderfully support Ms. Hudson's tour-de-force.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Whether you're a fan of the Queen of Soul or are just curious about the life of a world-renown artist, this movie won't disappoint.

Grade: 8

Peeking In

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In Memoriam

Jean-Paul Belmondo (April 9, 1933 - September 6, 2021)

Belmondo broke through in the world of cinema with 1960's Breathless, which helped establish him as one of the main figures of France's La Nouvelle Vague, or New Wave, an experimental and ultimately revolutionary narrative style in the history of cinema, widely influential also in American cinema.

He really was one of the last few greats left.

R.I.P.

In Memoriam

 Michael K. Williams (November 22, 1966 - September 6, 2021)

A great actor whom I appreciated in TV shows like The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, he had many roles in film as well, including 12 Years a Slave and Motherless Brooklyn.

Apparently victim of a drug overdose. Certainly gone too soon.

R.I.P.

The Last Pole

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Tall and Supertall

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Captain Phillips

THE GIST: American cargo ship Maersk Alabama is sailing off the coast of Somalia when it's hijacked by a group of pirates. All Captain Phillips and his crew can do now is hope for rescue.

Captain Phillips is a really tight and suspenseful drama with the added gravitas of being based on a true story.

The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actor (for newcomer Barkhad Abdi).

Tom Hanks serves up another indelible performance—in the final scene, he really makes you feel the mental and physical anguish and terror the real Captain Phillips must have felt at the time.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Absolutely recommended for the true story recounted and for a modest understanding of the motivations behind some people's desperate acts.

Grade: 8

Rabid

THE GIST: After an accident leaves her severely disfigured, Rose seeks out an experimental stem cells treatment. The results are extraordinarily satisfying, but soon a terrible side effect becomes apparent.

2019's Rabid is a remake of a David Cronenberg's 1997 movie. I haven't seen the latter, but this version is only partially successful.

The story is certainly interesting—especially given the real-world potentially miraculous cures connected to stem cells therapies—but a few scenes rely too heavily on convenient developments for my taste.

I'm also not a fan of camp, and this movie does have some aspects of it. Then again, maybe they show up in the original as well, which would justify their presence here, but I don't know that.

The makeup work is quite good, and the cast certainly does give it its all.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Not a bad horror movie but not that good either. I guess it's okay for a couple scares.

Grade: 5

The Ferryboat

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Pink Blooms

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Molly’s Game

THE GIST: Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who had to give up her dreams after a ruinous accident, reinvents herself as the hostess of the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game. Unfortunately, the gig comes with a hefty dose of stressors and ends up catching the eye of the FBI.

Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, Molly's Game tells a very interesting story that's a biographical drama but feels more like an action flick because of Sorkin's trademark rat-a-tat line delivery and fast-paced intercutting. I'm sure that's not everyone's cup of tea, but I like it, even though sometimes it feels like a tornado of words.

Jessica Chastain is terrific, fully embodying Molly Bloom. Idris Elba is also great and Kevin Costner is really good in a somewhat subdued role.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you like crime stories, this is for you. I definitely recommend it because it's based on a true story and yet feels totally made up.

Grade: 8

Cyan and Black Frog

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The Suicide Squad

THE GIST: The ragtag mix of dangerous convicts coerced by ruthless government agent Amanda Waller into acting like superheroes is back. They are sent to prevent some super-secret technology from falling into the wrong hands after a coup d'état in some remote country, but things go haywire and the team is forced to improvise in order to save the world from catastrophe.

Long delayed by the pandemic, The Suicide Squad sequel finally premiered and delivered another generous helping of ferociously funny shenanigans.

I've really come to appreciate the movies about the Suicide Squad's members as guilty pleasures, a very effective counterpunch to Marvel's squeaky-clean superheroes.

The casting choices are excellent and everyone delivers, with Margot Robbie and Idris Elba, along with Viola Davis, towering over everybody.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you enjoyed the original like I did, then you'll be very pleased with the sequel. Watching them in sequence is advisable but not really necessary.

Grade: 8

In Memoriam

 Ed Asner (November 15, 1929 - August 29, 2021)

An incredibly prolific actor (over 400 credits on IMDb!!) capable to shine on both big and small screens and in any type of genre, I will always remember him as the lovable grumpy old man in Pixar's Up.

R.I.P.