Good Boys

Three prepubescent tweens are determined to define themselves as "cool kids" now that they are in the sixth grade. When one of them gets invited to a "kissing" party, they go to extremes in every effort to make sure that they are prepared for the life altering event.

This was actually surprisingly sweet in spite of the vulgar language and suggestive material. It is truly a story told through the perspective of 11 year olds' as they try to navigate their way through the fine line that is their adolescent bubble and the real world.

Laugh out loud funny and so charming in its' childish innocence.

*** Must See

Rated R (for strong language throughout, sexual content and drug and alcohol use)  

Dora And The Lost City Of Gold

Dora the Explorer is now a teenager and must navigate her way through her newest adventure - high school.

For those that grew up watching the childrens' program there are several Easter eggs that will cause fans to laugh out loud and revel in nostalgia. For those of us that never watched the original cartoon - it is kind of like Romancing the Stone and Sesame Street had a baby.

It was tolerable.

** Rentable

Rated PG (for violence, scariness and rude humor)

The Kitchen

The Irish mafia runs a New York city neighborhood known as "Hell's Kitchen."  When the FBI sends three of their men to prison their respective wives take some drastic action.

This is a dark, gender swap on a genre and era that is typically dominated by men. The story is well developed and the characters are fantastically flawed.

Disheartening albeit edifying in it's portrayal of the time period and where women stood in society, it still manages to create a typical mobster flick feel that carries the audience to the very end.

*** Must See

Rated R (for violence, language and some sexual content)

Fast & Furious presents: Hobbs & Shaw

A spin-off of the Fast & Furious movies.

So this is great eye candy with some funny banter and a horrifically stupid plot.

No need to rush out and see it but its a fun summer B movie.


** Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for prolonged violence, suggestive material and language)

Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood

Rick Dalton and his long time stunt double Cliff Booth struggle to stay relevant in 1969's Hollywood scene.

I loved this movie - it was funny, it was clever, it was nostalgic and it was obnoxiously violent in traditional Tarantino fashion.

Oddly paced especially for a running time of two hours and forty-five minutes, nevertheless, the ending, believe it or not, is sweet and wistful.

The casting is spectacular - stay through the credits as it adds even more shrewd fun from the era.

***1/2 Must See

Rated R (for strong language, violence and drug use) 

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Spider-Man, now without the guidance of Tony Stark, must step it up to protect the world from a new threat.

So, I wanted to like this so much more than I did. The character and script just aren't consistent with the Spider-Man that we have seen in the past...four or five flicks. Let me explain:

First: Throughout the movie, Peter Parker is resistant to helping save the world, because he has more important things to do. Such as going on his school field trip and telling his crush that he is in love with her. Does that sound right?? I mean this is the same guy that voluntarily went into space with Tony Stark when he specifically tried to send him home, but no, he was so devout to the cause of saving the world - he hung onto the space thingamabob to help his hero, Iron Man.  Iron Man who then miraculously saved all those that had been "blipped" by Thanos and brought them back to life, at which time they then engaged in the Endgame to save themselves a second time - are we all caught up?  Now, that Nick Fury is asking for Spider-Man's help - knowing what kind of threat the world is facing...and he can't be bothered.

Second: Instead of trying to "do it all" which seems to be the m.o. of the Spider-Man in the comic books, i.e. I can save the world, but I must be back in time to take a test or go to the party that Aunt May planned - he just keeps trying to avoid being the hero.

Third: There is a major plot hole in that none of the other Avengers are helping. Thor is off world, as is Captain Marvel and apparently Dr. Strange is unavailable. OK fine, what about Black Panther? Or the Falcon? The Hulk perhaps? Or hey, Captain America didn't die in Endgame - he just kind of aged out and retired, why not bring him in as a consultant? I get this is a Spider-Man movie, but my point is, that for a threat of this magnitude it seems extremely odd and unlikely that SHIELD is going to just let the kid handle it, when he is clearly so riddled with teenage angst that he can't commit to the job.

Pitiful character development, weak storyline, and pathetic arc with great comedic dialogue.

** Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for violence, language and suggestive situations)

Yesterday

After a twelve second global blackout - Jack, a struggling musician, seems to be the only person on the planet that remembers The Beatles and their music.

This was cute but not as great as I expected. I wanted to hear more music and for them to illustrate why it still resonates with people in this century. The on-going theme throughout the film is what would the world be like without iconic pop-culture - yet it didn't seem to be much different.

Sweet, but not charming enough to rush out and see.

** 1/2 Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for language) 

MIB International

The Men in Black have expanded to cover the globe and the London branch could use some help.

Mediocre reboot of its' predecessors. It has a few laugh out loud moments, that being said, the plot is predictable and there is nothing new here that we haven't seen before - its just wrapped in a new shiny and sexy package.

** Rentable

Rated PG-13(for violence, sexual innuendo, crude humor and language)

Toy Story 4

I can't believe I am saying this but, Disney/Pixar should have quit while they were ahead. Toy Story 3 (2010) was such a perfect ending to this beloved tale. Toy Story 4 seemed like an unnecessary epilogue that didn't have the charm, the depth, the heart, or the dynamics of its predecessors.

This installment is really more about Woody, while the whole ensemble cast that we have come to love and care about lo these twenty-four years were somewhat of an afterthought and have a limited role throughout the movie. Even Buzz Lightyear had an obscure fragmented involvement in the storyline - not to mention, his character seemed to have been dumbed down a great deal.

The new characters that were introduced were fun, mind you they greatly overshadowed our original cast of heroes. And in spite of the comic relief that they provide they were unable to fill the void of the characters that stole our hearts back in 1995/1999/2010.

The animation is spectacular  - but admittedly I was disappointed.

**1/2 (I expected so much more)

Rated G

The Secret Life of Pets 2

A dog has to come to terms with life changing events when his owner gets married and has a baby...

So the first twenty minutes of this were mediocre at best... I fell asleep for the rest of it. The last time I fell asleep in a movie was 102 Dalmatians (2000). Not a good sign.

** Rentable perhaps?

Rated PG (for some action and rude humor)