Boogie

Alfred "Boogie" Chin, a basketball phenom living in Queens, N.Y., dreams of one day playing in the NBA. While his parents pressure him to focus on earning a scholarship to an elite college, Boogie must find a way to navigate a new girlfriend, high school, on-court rivals and the burden of expectation.

This was a pretty enjoyable sports movie.   Not much at all is surprising.  Its all very formula to be honest.  But you are hooked by the journey of Boogie and his family, team and friends.  It does a great job of showing his cultural struggles and opening a lot of viewers eyes in the process.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.   It's a very surprising sports movie and a pretty enjoyable watch.

The Courier

The true story of a British businessman unwittingly recruited into one of the greatest international conflicts in history. Forming an unlikely partnership with a Soviet officer hoping to prevent a nuclear confrontation, the two men work together to provide the crucial intelligence used to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Benedict Cumberbatch has really evolved into one of those actors that I will pretty much watch him in anything.   Never really been a history or espionage buff so didn't have high expectations for this film and probably would have pulled the plug if someone else wasn't playing the lead.  But he does such a great job of keeping you hooked and watching his journey that the movie ended up being pretty decent.

I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this one out.  It's not a must see by any means but it was a decent watch because of Señor Cumberbatch.

The World To Come

Somewhere along the mid-19th century American East Coast frontier, two neighboring couples battle hardship and isolation, witnessed by a splendid yet testing landscape, challenging them both physically and psychologically.

I couldn't even make it through the whole movie.   lt was essentially taking the forbidden lesbian love story and staging it way back in the day.  Completely formula in every way and honestly very much overacted and too dramatic for me.

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering with this movie.   This never would have made it to theaters without the coronavirus delaying everything. 

Chaos Walking

In Prentisstown, Todd has been brought up to believe that the Spackle released a germ that killed all the women and unleashed Noise on the remaining men. After discovering a patch of silence out in the swamp, his surrogate parents immediately tell him that he has to run, leaving him with only a map of New World, a message, and many unanswered questions. He soon discovers the source of the silence: a girl, named Viola.

This is kind of a tough one to review.   I liked the premise a lot.  It was very different and completely caught your attention.  However, the rest of the movie and the story playing out just kind of didn't.  It wasn't bad necessarily it just kind of didn't hook you nearly as much as it should of.   It was cool seeing the two actors outside of their Spidey and Star Wars worlds and they definitely had pretty good chemistry together.   It just never really all came together.

I would not really recommend anyone rushing to see this.   It's not a bad movie at all but it really isn't a great movie either.   It ends up being pretty much middle of the road.

Raya And The Last Dragon

Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. However, when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned, and it's up to a lone warrior to track down the last dragon and stop the Druun for good.

Disney animation does great yet again.  Why should anyone be surprised.  They took a very heavy fantasy storyline with all female leads filled with a ton of action and made it a very enjoyable roller coaster ride.  It accomplished the fantasy movie rule of taking you to the place where things are like this.  It hooked you into the main characters so that you care.  And the Disney staple of incredibly enjoyable side characters was on great display here too.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out because it was a very enjoyable watch.   Those of you with younger children though should be aware that there is a lot of fighting/violence in the movie.

Tom & Jerry

A legendary rivalry reemerges when Jerry moves into New York City's finest hotel on the eve of the wedding of the century, forcing the desperate event planner to hire Tom to get rid of him. As mayhem ensues, the escalating cat-and-mouse battle soon threatens to destroy her career, the wedding, and possibly the hotel itself.

This movie was very annoying at first because the animation and the live action was not working for me at all.  Happily - that got better as the movie went on and combining that with the good music worked in throughout this turned out to be a cute enough family movie to warrant watching.   Not a must see by any means but a decent enough watch for what it was.

I would recommend families checking this out simply due to the massive lack of options.   But like I said it's not a horribly painful watch for the parents that would be watching with the kids.

The Father

A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

This movie has to be a lock for acting nominations.   The daughter and the father were both absolutely amazing and this might be one of - if not - the best performances of Anthony Hopkins excellent career.  I would have to think he will win Best Actor for this.   This movie is not an easy watch at all.  It pulls at your heart massively from many different aspects of aging.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.   This movie could be shown in classes about acting.

Supernova

A gay couple -- one a musician, the other a novelist -- embark on a road trip as dementia starts to take hold of one of them.

Wow!  This movie is beyond the realm of emotional watching this couple struggle through what they are dealing with and it features two of the best and most genuine performances I may have ever seen.   You felt like you were there with them as part of the relationship and completely forgot that these were people acting out the parts.   This movie should be shown for years in acting classes.

I completely recommend people checking this movie out.  Don't get me wrong - it is a very sad and tearjerking movie and for very good reason but acting like this should not be passed on.

The Mauritanian

Mohamedou Ould Salahi fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.

This was a pretty decent watch.  The cast was great and all nailed their roles.  The depictions of the torture interrogations were beyond disturbing.  It was very eye opening to how things are when the curtain is pulled back.  Not that I remotely felt bad for this guy with all he was involved in but it was a decent watch regardless.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It was a pretty decent watch with not much out there anyway.

Land

A local hunter brings a grieving lawyer back from the brink of death after she retreats to the harsh wilderness of the Rockies.

Every year it seems there is always at least one movie that comes out that you know is a very well done and acted movie but it is ultimately a massive snooze fest even though you know that.  This would be that movie.  Its not that the movie was bad.  Like I said - I know that this was a well done movie but I just found myself not hooked by it in any way and was therefore completely bored.

I would only recommend this movie to fans of beautiful nature and living off the land.  Outside of those two things there really isn't much intriguing substance here.

Judas And The Black Messiah

Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.

Wow!   That movie was some powerful shit.  Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield continued their string of acting excellence in this.  And the pacing and laying out of this story was so well done.  You fully get hooked watching these people develop and go through their voyages.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.   It was a very well done movie on all fronts from beginning to end.

The Little Things

Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.

This is a tough one to review.  It was a pretty good watch with the three actors all doing great jobs but it felt more like an episode of good tv than a feature movie.  Quite honestly - I am super confused as to why Denzel Washington and Jared Leto are even in this.  Like its really more of a "just there" or run of the mill January release that is kind of below both of these actors I would think.  Again - not that the movie is bad. It's definitely a better than average watch.  It's just not great and feels overall underwhelming based on the cast of the movie I guess.

I would still recommend people checking this out - especially in the comfort of your own home with the WB/HBO Max thing that they have going on for this year.   Just don't have super high expectations based on the cast or you will be let down.

The Marksman

Jim is a former Marine who lives a solitary life as a rancher along the Arizona-Mexican border. But his peaceful existence soon comes crashing down when he tries to protect a boy on the run from members of a vicious cartel.

I feel like at this point, Liam Nesson has a movie come out every January or September where he continues to showcase some of his special skills in the battle for good.   This movie is no different.  The special skill is his long distance shooting and he is protecting a child that crossed the border.   Just from reading that you pretty much have watched the movie and there is nothing unsurprising that happens whatsoever.

I wouldn't really recommend people bothering with this one.   It's just there and you can get Covid by going to see it so like why in the blue hell would you do that?

Nomadland

A woman embarks on a journey through the American West after losing everything during the recession.

I honestly don't know if there is a better movie that could hit home more than this during 2020.  Like you can't help but watch this movie during this past year and identify in some way with what the main character is going through and trying to deal with.  Frances McDormand is a lock for another acting nomination for this movie and the movie itself will definitely be an oscars frontrunner across the board.   It told a great story with great acting and the direction completely hooks the viewer into this awesome character and very relevant drama.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.   It was great and is sure to be winning lots of 2020 awards.

Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar

Lifelong friends Barb and Star embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time ever.

This movie had ZERO business being as funny as it ended up being.   The random opening scene had me belly laughing at the randomness of it but then it fell flat for about 30 minutes.  I was about to fully stop paying attention when all of a sudden the jokes started landing and some of the most random lines had me completely beside myself.  It turned into like a female Austin Powers almost with innuendo jokes and silliness.  

I would actually recommend people checking this movie out.   Didn't remotely think I would be saying that at the start but I found myself laughing a lot more as the movie went on.