Ethan Hunt

I really can't comprehend choosing to watch a film on streaming when it's available at a nearby theater. Assuming you're vaccinated and feel safe with the precautions and such

I'm curious what tracking/expectations are on In the Heights. The marketing push seems absolutely massive (and also very much like they're neglecting to mention the available on HBO max angle) see a like it has great reviews and a fairly broad appeal. It wouldn't really surprise me if it was the biggest movie of the summer

Granted I assume adult audiences are pretty heavy driving force behind AQP2. Maybe that's a total misread tho

i wouldn't say adult movies are untested. Those Who Wish Me Dead (we could argue if this movie was always going to bomb. idk) just had a wide release and Nobody was in march. along with other releases all throughout the pandemic really

I did see bot Raya and The Last Dragon and A Quiet Place Part II in fairly crowded theatres yesterday all things considered. Wasn't my first time back to the theatres but it was my first time seeing a lot of people there and it was kinda life affirming. excited by the fridays for both the openers, especially after feeling the previews for both seemed a little low

I mean as long as theatres are doing limited showtimes and reduced capacity I'm not sure how feasible it is for things to be "normal"

I would say as far as musicals go I think In the Heights makes a lot more sense as acontender than Dear Evan Hansen I think

November- Everything We Miss- 180k/25.9/39.4 Returning From Hell- 210K/40.6/70.2 The Three Callaberros Ride Again- 10.4/19.6/28.5 The Bronx is Burning - 31.6/141.5/203.6 The Last Airbender: The Boy in the Iceberg- 129.8/428.6/1.3B The World We Knew- 27.1/103.8/270.6 Loving Shadow and Light 13.1/47.6/85 The Castaways- 44.2/61.9/130.3/268.4 The Turkey Squad: Fred Durst Cut -1.3/2.4/3.8 December As Fast as I Can 14.6/36.5/52.1 Christmas Shopping- 12.1/55.6/79.9 Dreams- 19.9/96.3/241.1 Endless Animation's The Un-title-able Squirrel Girl Sequel- 74.3/371.5/937.6 Sins of Their Fathers- 45/81.3/270.1/799.3 Wii Fit 5.4/9.2/26.4/69

September Penzer Dragon- 52.4/154.8/472.6 Floodbath - 32.4/102.6/225.4 The Million Dollar Jacket- 23/78.4/105.6 War Between Ants- 5.9/16.7/20.1 Green Arrow: The Ninth Circle- 47.5/132.6/489.1 October Olive's Hallow Eve- 68.9/239.4/619.4 Out of Order: The Decline of the Arced- 3.9/10.7/13.3 World of Trouble- 43.9/140.4/382.1 Tale of the Guinee Pig- 8.9/28.1/40.6 Dirty Hands- 21.5/82.6/160.3

July Meme Thieves' 2- 2.1/3.7/8.4/12.6 The Gnashing- 15.3/24.7/58.4/100.3 Eminem-esque- 4.2/14.1/20.3 Fullmetal Alchemist- 44.2/106.1/230.3 Animal Crossing- 43.2/138.2/305.3 The Exhange: Euro Studies- 15.2/56.2/117.4 Static Shock 2- 79.3/221.1/510.3 August The Wave Heist - 18.2/43.7/92.3 Frankenstein Jr 27.6/102.1/230.2 The Space Between Trees- 23/77.6/100.9 Strangers in the Town- 19.4/84.5/157.7 New Tricks - 20.2/74.3/120.6 The Outback - 5.2/13.9/18.6 Learning to Care- 260K/325k(limited 4 day)/ 55.1(dom)/74.6 Split Splat Boom- 10/12.3/26.4/38.6 Soar - 11.2/13.4/40.2/76.3

May Mass Effect: Revelation- 130.8/349.2/1.055B Walking With Dinosaurs- 14/35/49 Wet Willy- 13/31.2/48.1 Monster Bug Wars: The Spider Path - 1.5/2.5/3.1 Monster Bug War: The Scorpion Path- 1.3/2/2.4 Rhino Riders 2- 29.7/94.6/325.4 Dealer's Choice- 14.4/43.5/88.5 Heartman-44/52.1/135.2/268.3 Sandboy - 910K/13.4/52.3 The Wild Thornberries- 26.3/81.5/228.9 June Everything I Never Told You - 14.2/46.8/68.4 Bailey Buckets- 10.4/32.3/40 Dave Day- 7.9/19.8/23.5 Mighty Fall- 81.6/281.3/721.3

March Fable- 44.8/ 121.9/412.7 Flightless Bird- 8.1/34.6 Recompense 16.2/46.1/106.3 MEG 6.1/11.2 Far Cry- 57/159.6/531.6 Citizen Kale- 13.1/43.2/51.8 King of Six 1.5/2.7/3 Two Big Families - 19/44.3/45.7 April Number Theory- 24.6/63.6/156.3 Doc Dreams- 1.1/3.5/3.7 Snow Monkeys- 4.7/13.3/14.2 No Mercy- 31.4/94.6/197.4 Up in The Sky- 18/57.6/87.8 The Insect God- 9.8/31.3/61.4

January Losers Weepers - 4.3/11.1/23.4 Gunman Clive- 17/20.1/49.2/100.3 The Lost Empire- 45/58.4/157.8/485.3 White Wyvern - 7.1/16.5/27.1 Home Invasion: Part III : Haunted - 11.2/26.8/84.2 February Christie Monteiro- 23/63.2/120.4 Romance Road- 28.4/84.6/110 A Very Adam and Cindy Valentine -7.1/20.6/32.1 Funny Business 6.4/8.4/22.7/29.7 Pokémon: The Case of the Orange Outage- 105.3/135.1/281.9/847.3 Holland Hannah- 6.8/22.4/42.9

I didn't mean I didn't literally understand the sentiment. Just that the sentiment that Everything We Miss is not about the characters is nonsensical to me

I legit can't comprehend this

Learning to Care Everything I Never Told You Holland Hannah Sins of Their Fathers The World We Knew Christmas Shopping The Stranger in The Town Flightless Bird- The Downfall of the Boeing 737 MAX The Bronx is Burning World of Trouble Far Cry Doc Dreams Sandboy No Mercy The Space Between Trees The Last Airbender: The Boy in the Iceberg Out of Order: Decline of the Arcade Endless Animation’s The Un-Title-Able Squirrel Girl Sequel War Between Ants Heartman The Idiots Recompense Walking With Dinosaurs The Gnashing Million Dollar Jacket

December As Fast I Can- This film basically boasted the strongest cast and crew of any project this year. I mean THIS CAST! And DIRECTED BY CUARON. Easily one of the most hyped films of the year and uhhhh hmmmm. The films contents itself isn’t bad just more that it feels like… maybe the first third of a film. Juliane Moore in particular in the cast is good here in her supporting role but it just kinda feels like the excitement of the film is starting to reveal itself…. And then the movie ends.- 1.5/5 Christmas Shopping- I will admit that it’s curious when a drama comes along that is this singularly focused on what on paper may not sound like gripping material it kinda catches one by surprise. Many might expect this film to be trite (and don’t get me wrong there are moments) but above all else I find this film to be a really strong naturalistic Christmas tale bright to life by Noah Baumbach. The film is mostly delivered by 3 really great performance by Joan Cusack, Morgan Turner, and Charlie Plummer as they spend a day Christmas Shopping I think part of the reason that this feels so special is because we tend to see holiday movies as benign celebratory and what not (and for good reason don’t get me wrong), but this film is something a bit different. This film is about the stress and anxiety that arise with the holidays. And as such it feels like an incredibly unique and richly empathetic tale. - 4.5/5 Dreams- I admit that I tend to be kinda perplexed by anthology movies. The difficulty of finding a through line even when the segments are good can kinda make it so that a project is less than the sum of its parts. And I do think that is kinda the case here. The film uses the framing device that a bunch of creatives are brought together and given the opportunity to use a device that brings there dreams to life. And while it makes sense that this scenario would create vastly different dreams it doesn’t take away from the fact that as a viewer I just feel like I’m watching 5 different movies. The segments are of varying quality but I don’t think any of them bad per se. Patty Jenkins Take by the Rust is easily the highlight segment and the one that feels the most dreamy and ephemeral so the film does end on a strong note. The consistent here is John Williams excellent and varied score that brings a lot to the movie. All in all i think this is a good collection of segments but it doesn’t really coalesce into something more for me - 3/5 Endless Animation’s The Un-Title-Able Squirrel Girl Sequel- The hyped superhero animation sequel arrives to theaters this december and it might not feel quite as fresh this time around but I still think this is a solid effort. The film can feel a bit overstuffed at time introducing new characters, manichal villains, and kinda shifting old ones off to the side (dana seriously feels pushed of a bit here) and I don’t the action sequences are quite as fun or exciting. But I do think the strength of this film comes back to Anna Kendrick as Doreen/Squirrel Girl who has a really compelling arc here that culminates in a really rich point of poignancy. - 3.5/5 Sins of Their Fathers - This film starts out a bit slow… and it kinda seems like you know where the movie is going to go as an investigation in space movie . Which is fine . It’s an impressive tech showcase with a great cast and a great score…. Until the movie continues to build and build with surprising impact. The finale of this film hit with such an undeniable wave of anthemic swell certifying this as the blockbuster event of the year. It may be a film that sneaks up on you just how good it is. I would die to live in the final moments of this film it’s such captivating power - 4.5/5 Wii Fit- Well being a wii movie I didn’t come in with much expectations. As such I was caught off guard when Tilda Swinton shows up in this movie giving the weirdest most esoteric captivating performance of the entire year. I’m not sure the movie around her does enough to bolster her but it really makes one thing - 2.5/5

1. Rhino Riders 2 2. Everything We Miss 3. The Bronx is Burning 4 Everything I Never Told You 5. World of Trouble 6. Sandboy 7. Far Cry 8. Flightless Bird 9. Holland Hannah 10. Christmas Shopping

November Returning from Hell - I think there are topics that are certainly hard to make movies about. One of the first things that comes to mind on that list is anything with repeated blatant cruelty. It becomes a difficult thing to frame. A lot of this film delves and indulges the tendency to show such transgressions. It’s an uncomfortable spot to be as a viewer, and perhaps the point and it certainly can be done effectively and is done effectively at times here. I do think it is a bit much in this one tho where it gets repetitively ugly. I do agree with numbers take that tightening up the first half and perhaps maybe using flashbacks to break up the cruelty instead of having it be a continuous pounding train may have this film more digestible. All that said yeah Awkwafina has the sheer presence and power to just carry this movie. Effectively displaying the immense pain that she has and carries with her as she journeys out of hell. She is endlessly compelling. While I may not give the movie as a whole my highest recommendation, I absolutely think this is one of the best performances of the year. - 3/5 Everything We Miss- This is honestly the film (at least thus far) this year that I feel the most conflicted on. There is a lot to be admired and appreciated about this film I think, but it also has some aspects that leave me feeling a bit sour. To start with the good beautiful animation and a world and vibe that is very easy to sucked into. All the slowmoving creatures, figments and monsters that show up across the film really set a strong atmosphere that is not quite dread or really any existential feeling but just quietly contemplative. I think the voice cast is strong, with Poot and MacKay being strong as the two leads. The narration from McAvoy can be a bit awkward at times but ultimately pays off. MacKay’s Will feels like the more defined of the two characters even if it’s still a bit barebones i appreciate that Will in this film is well he’s a flagrantly unlikable sadsack from beginning to end. It feels brave and honest to make the character so seemingly unredeemable. Anna on the other hand kinda becomes less involved as the movie goes along. I do find probably the thing that sours me on this most in the prospect that Anna is still pining over Will much to Will’s obliviousness (despite wanting to reconcile with Anna himself) and to some degree it feels like unearned wish fulfillment for the Will character. What’s more effective and compelling to me is the moments when a character misses something that they don’t know they’re looking for like Will not nothing the girl who’s possibly interested in him at the bar. The film’s structure is also a bit loose and doesn’t really feel like there’s much buildup until we get to the final events, which isn’t necessarily a terrible thing given the film is pretty easily able to rest on the strength of it’s vibes and atmosphere. All in all I think this is a fascinating work. I’m not sure it’s one that works the best for me personally but there’s a lot to dig through. - 3/5 The Three Caballeros Ride Again - look. It’s easy to look at what this film. The pure shock value of it. Just give it a one and move on. I’m not going to do that personally. I admit I’m not even really familiar with The Three Caballeros all that much. Not gonna say we can’t give them a sex movie when I don’t know the background of their previous film. I will however criticize this for having a kinda sloppy narrative. Where Doland is a sad sack who bitches about his wife, gets drunk and basically wants to fuck everything that walks. But his friends tell him how important monogamy and he cries…. And then they have a threesome? So upon deeper analysis beyond the shock value… it’s still not good - 1/5 The Last Airbender: The Boy in the Iceberg- Jon M Chu takes on one of the most popular cartoon franchises of the 21st century making way for the biggest live action blockbuster this side of the year. The film starts a bit slow introducing a lot of character and backstory at once. The film has some lush well done production design and some incredibly well choreographed action sequences courtesy of Chu. The film’s narrative investment starts to pick up a lot when in the best section of the film we’re introduced to Jet played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan who seems set up to be the most compelling antagonist in the feature. Alas the movie moves on from there but excited to see more Jet later down the road. As far as main cast goes I think Agadong’s Katara and Goodluck’s Sokka (could even make an argument for Potter’s Zuko) feel much more defined and compelling than Chen’s Aang who despite being at the center of the film does not really do much to carry the emotional weight. This film does really feel it’s length as it shifts out of what feels like the second act to have a lot of downtime before the finale. Not to say that downtime isn’t well used, it’s probably more interesting than the finale itself actually, with the film really using that time to expand on it’s characters and introduce new ones in exciting ways.The Boy in the Iceberg may have to do a lot of heavy lifting getting this journey on it’s way but it still does feel like a fully formed picture in it’s own right. It’s an exciting adventure filled with compelling characters big and small as well as impressive effects and production design. - 3.5/5 The Bronx is Burning- Marty Scorsese brings us his take on the real life story of the 1977 New York Yankees. As one would expect with such a high pedigree behind the camera this is uniformly excellent. Michael B Jordan and Bobby Cannavale are two powerhouse performances daring the other one to top it. The film also boasts a strong supporting cast including Wyatt Russell, Jesse Plemmons, and Jason Clarke. The film is of course presented with style and the baseball sequences themselves are great. The sharp sense of humor and building tensions in the locker room make this film as such that it is never not engaging. An excellent sports drama - 4.5/5 The World We Knew- I was kinda skeptical going into this movie. Applying fantasy elements to a film centering around the Holocaust is something that on paper could very easily backfire. Now the fantasy elements that this film does use are from Jewish mythology as I understand it. I can't say that I know anything about Jewish mythology or how accurately or respectfully the film borrows from it, but I actually think those elements here work quite well. They're presence is never overbearing and it never detracts from the severity of the tragedies that occurred, and most importantly they actually serve a purpose in the film. In fact I think one of the most admirable aspects of this film is just how it is entirely centered on Jewish characters and their strengths and struggles. The World that We Knew feels like a pretty grand sweeping film covering a large ensemble on a long journey where paths cross, uncross, and then cross back again. Some of the players seem like they may be underused on paper but are really to able to pull some emotional heft out of the brief moments they have like Timothee Chalamet. The three most notable players Egerickx, Waterson, and McKenzie are all very strong here. It does feel like the film loses a bit of momentum as it goes along but ultimately the film provides a very poignant experience - 4.5/5 Loving Shadow - while I can’t say I fully understand the vitriol that this has received some critics, I do think that this is a mostly generic family pet movie. Although it has a bit more going on than say Adam and Cindy earlier this year to keep it enjoyable enough for the kids - 2/5 Castaways- I feel like this film has one cool setpiece in Las Vegas going for and uhhhh that’s about it. The hero’s have no character. The villain is lame. The structure is incoherent, Simon Pegg exists to explain the movie. Las Vegas was cool tho It just feels like a really empty experience - 1.5/5

October Olive’s Hallowed Eve- Olive returns to theatres taking on a new holiday in the outing doesn’t quite match the frenetic energy that the first movie brought. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as the film aims to dig into some of the deeper anxieties of the characters as well as introducing new ones. Some of these explorations feel pretty surface level , which makes sense for a family film but it also means that they don’t necessarily have significant impact outside of isolated moments. The cast as a whole is still fun. Waititi is probably the real comedic standout, although the addition of Joey Pants and Ted Danson in here is strong as well. The real MVP here making use of every second of screen time is Jake Gyllenhaal who really brings the heart and soul here when he share the screen with Zendeya. The movie pick up a decent amount and becomes a fair bit more fun once the real plot of the movie reveals itself and thing get moving along. It doesn’t stand up the heights of its predecessor but still a solidly fun holiday family flick. - 3/5 World of Trouble- Alright. The conclusion to The Last Policeman trilogy. And honestly I’m gonna try to not get too spoilerly but I’m still gonna put this one in tags because i know if you’re anything like me you were incredibly excited for this movie in large part because you had no idea what direction it was going to go and as such i would like to preserve that for y’all All in all i think I could argue either way between this and Countdown City for the best film in the franchise but I think this is an excellent finale -4/5 Out of Order: The Decline of the Arade- A profoundly affecting tale of changing times that it is told with lots of sincerity and love. Reverence for what has been. Acceptance for what is. Knowing that the experience of a time or place may never be captured again. Maybe even a tearjerker of a doc - 4/5 The Tale of the Guinea Pig- oh cool ,a talking another talking pet movie…. Wait what the guinea pig is a dictator…. Oh more generic now. Starts bizarre. Ends less bizarre. Everyone loses - 1.5/5 Dirty Hands - Dan Gilroy brings forth a confident workman like approach to this legal thriller. For about 80% of the films runtime the film's runtime Dirty Hand works solidly with full awareness of what it is. It solidly moves the dual timeline story in a way that is engaging and draws curiosity. The film's central characters don't really feel like they have much depth beyond being the vessels from which you witness this case and the romance subplot in particularly unaffecting. This is all fine and dandy like i said the case itself draws audience curiosity. Unfortunately the film attempts to pull a whammy on the audience in the final stretch.... and because some of that core wasn't quite built up super effectivly in the first part of the film it kind of whiffs. The film winds quietly without really rebuilding the momentum. Dirty Hands is not a bad film. It is very assured in what it's doing. but for this viewer the ending kinda derails the experience - 2.5/5

hmmm well i know 1. Finding Nemo 2. My Neighbor Totoro. well figure out the rest later

September Panzer Dragon- i would definitely say that this film is awkwardly paced. It kinda feels like it’s lacking a middle. The setpieces here are pretty great using an exciting blend of practical effects and vfx. The lack of structure and compelling characters prevents it from reaching above a solid action flick tho - 3/5 Floodbath- Whannell gets to show off his ability to point a camera in this disaster flick. His previous movies have been already been notable for the camera work in the past and this one really goes out of it’s way to show it off. The character work here is a bit flimsy but Basso does enough to sell it effectively. It’s a solid contained disaster flick with a solid technical streak - 3/5 The Million Dollar Jacket- A sweet chaotic romantic comedy with two great leads. Raucous energy and some genuine laughs - 3.5/5 The War Between Ants- A kind of darkly entertaining documentary surrounding… well basically a giant pissing contest. Personalities on both sides are larger than life and the kinda hilarious ending denoting that despite all the petty behavior and silly tiffs going on by grown men behind the scenes kids don’t give a fuck and both moives were a hit displaying the uselessness of all the ego trip is - 4/5 Green Arrow: The Ninth Circle- Trading in the hyper-clean look of Chad Sthaleski for the gritter sensibilities of Paul Greengrass to say the least gives a strong sense of whiplash. Especially when you consider the fact the content of this film is trading out the hard drugs and forrest fighting for urban, silly corporate conspiracies, and set up points for a larger universe. Hunnman tries to keep this afloa. Matt Damon comes across as silly as the incredibly brash antagonist of the film. Across the board just a huge step down. - 1.5/5

August Wave Heist- For the first half of this movie it kinda feels like we’re watching two pairs that are in two different movies. Stanfield and Barbosa being in a pretty good romantic drama while Ryan and Medina are in a bad pulpy netflix crime flick. Fortunately the former duo takes up most of the screen time, once the pairs come together the film does slow down a bit while things make their way to the goofy and exciting climax. Wish more of the second half of the film had that kinda of energy but I’m sure the studio didn’t want to put in the budget for that. But this is worth seeing regardless - 3/5 Frankenstein Jr- This dystopian action animation offers… some action i guess? It’s pretty generic and the characters are hugly under developed. Your kids would probably have just as much fun staying home and watching cartoons - 1.5/5 Inital review: The Space Between Trees- Debra Granik returns with her first feature since dominating the Oscars with a strange little "murder mystery." I agree with those that have pointed out that this is less of a murder mystery and more of a tale of unwinding yourself from a tragedy than it is intended to be an engrossing mystery. The two leading women here give solid performances, especially Silvers. Granik is able to hit some emotional impact here especially in some moments of strong imagery and a ending that is actually quite emotionally satisfying (even if the sequence leading into it is quite bizarre.) I just can't help but feel like there is a lot of empty space and treading water in this movie though. I can't help but wish that the two lead characters didn't spend so much of the runtime together. Evie as a character kinda disappears as the film goes on, where some oddities and questions about the character about the film are raised towards the beginning of the film it never really feels like those are paid off in any meaningful way. Ultimately this is an interesting film with impactful moments but too much of the runtime feels stagnant and I fear that it won't have much staying power in the minds of the audience besides curious musings of why this fascinating piece never really quite works Followup thoughts: I do think this film works a fair amount better when you know what it is coming in. The two lead performances are still compelling and while some of my prior complaints do hold up I do think Granik makes it easy to get lost in the world. 3.5/5 The Strangers in Town- Out in the early 20th century Podunk Minnesota… we find the funniest movie of the year? The technical work here is really impressive really bring to life the inviting warm atmosphere of this town. The ensemble really brings their A game here with each member being uniquely hilarious. While Hamm and Barnes may lead the show Mulaney will show up and steal the show in an instant. The film revels in starting slow and just building up the hijinks and hilarity until we reach the tremendous final run of the film that is a non stop laugh fest. This one works- 5/5 The Outback- The Animals do animal things and John Williams does a nice score - 3/5 New Tricks- i gotta say this film definitely subverts the expected plot for this kinda film in a couple ways that i think really benefit it. For starters it skips the whole “what happened we don’t believe you turned into a dog” thing, and more importantly we don’t spend the whole film focused on how to turn Greg back into a human. Nah instead a lot of this movie is just about… being a dog. It’s nice there are some fun parts. The large ensemble boasts one very strong performance from Bryan Cranston and varying qualities from everyone else. Some of the characters (Ross Lynch comes to mind) are super awkward and don’t really contribute anything to the film. I do think the ending kinda undercuts some of the more interesting thematic dwellings of the movie but as is it’s like a very good Disney Channel movie- 3/5 Learning to Care - Initial Review -It's always nice and fun to write these reviews from the perspective of this alternate reality. Ethan Hunt could be any old film reviewer who went to a festival and saw some flicks. But I think sometimes to understand why a project really works I need to be Carson Hume. In particular Carson Hume sitting in his room struggling to listen to a 3 hour lecture for his managment class. Carson Hume who had recently been broken up with by his girlfriend of 3 years who he recklessly assumed would be in his life forever. Carson Hume questioning the value of himself. Questioning the plans that he had for his life that seemingly just don't matter anymore. That's where I was when I decided to turn off the lecture and read the film that Blank had just posted for the festival. This is a film feels a lot like a warm hug. A film that speaks to the universality of anxieties for one's future. The film never seeks to provide answers to those anxieties but it lets you know that you're not alone in this big lonely world. This is perhaps the definitive comfort food in CAYOM. Of course on a more technical level the film has an excellent ensemble with Nick Robinson and Jimmy Tatro in particular giving career best performances. Brett Haley bring a certain levity and charm to the naturalistic tale. This is not a film that is necessarily designed to have an immediate impact but it sits in your mind and overtime is sure to become a hangout movie staple because it simply provides all the comfort in the world Re read thoughts: Yeah this holds up. The kind of comforting naturalist tale that I swoon for, rich with relevant thematic musings on the anxiety of future but ultimately not being lost on the confort or good of right now. Great cast. Great Story. Great Film - 5/5 Split Splat Boom- The maze setup is fun and i guess the production design of it is neat, but this film doesn’t really reach above and beyond cheap thrills - 2/5 Soar- A decent sports biopic with a solid performance from Harrier. Ultimately competently made but leaving little as far as impact - 2.5/5

July Meme Thieves 2 - Because we all know memes are funnier the second time - 1/5 The Gnashing- This film is… definitely effectively creepy. The opening scene in particular shows a bent of teenage and chaos and fun but with an erie sinking dreading evil terror dripping in underneath it all. Unfortunately the movie isn’t quite able to hold on to THAT level of atmosphere for the entire runtime but there are certainly moments especially with some ephemeral post life sequences that provide some haunting imagery. The main ensemble of the film (despite being a very well assembled cast) is pretty thinly defined with one major exception being Dean-Charles Chapman who is kinda batshit. Above all else I find this film to be bold in a really unexpected way. The kind of way that can make or break a movie, but the funny thing is that I’ve been unable to determine if it really works or not. I feel forced to say that at the very least I admire this - 3.5/5 Eminem-esque- A doc that while at times is funny about this silly court case, it also doesn’t leave one with much to think about or a feeling to hold onto other then just an amusing story - 2.5/5 Fullmetal Alchemist: A Tale of Two Brothers- Yeah…. I’m just…. Really bored with this one. The film boasts a surprisingly stacked cast of incredible actors that…. Mostly do nothing ( seriously Andrew fucking Garfield is here to be useless). And ultimately the film in general just feels like a total non-even with uhhh not really much of anything happening until the very end. The film also boasts a super juvenile sense of humor and I can’t tell if the film is aiming for children or not but it obviously has the pg-13 rating so I’m not really sure. But I wouldn’t watch this one either way- 1/5 The Exchange: European Studies- I’m honestly all here for Asa Butterfield kinda breaking type and being an absolute asshat in this movie. He’s very fun in this. All in a solid little high school dramedy that’s honestly in it’s feels more then one might expect. Solid - 3/5 Animal Crossing- On paper seems like a nice lightweight nicecore movie that while not really leaving you with much should at least be pleasant. But The main protagonist Johnny is kinda whiny and kills the whole pleasant vibe and makes you want to punch him the whole time and get back to the nice soothing happy animals - 1.5/5 Static Shock: Frozen Summer: Alright, let’s get the obvious question out of the way: Is this film derivative of Spider-Man 2? Yes. Do I think it’s a bad thing that this film is derivative of Spider-Man 2? No. absolutely not. Spider-Man 2 was a superhero movie that was willing to deconstruct the choice of being a superhero in a way that no superhero movie since really has and so if Static Shock wants to follow in that suite, yeah I still think it’s more interesting than almost everything else in the genre. All that said the execution of this film is not exactly Spider-Man 2. On paper this film has a lot of good ideas, trying to capture that balance between wanting to be a kid just hanging out for the summer and potentially his responsibility to help out a new young super powered individual find their way. Alas i feel like this commits to much to the plot, to the moving pieces of the conflict and not enough to the vibey free flowing summer fun that really would have set this movie free. The superhero action when it’s on; is good. And the wintery setpieces are cool. Alas i think this film has the ambition to reach for something more but not the confidence to really commit to being that thing- 2.5/5

June Everything I Never Told You - Chole Zhao adapts the novel of the same name and it gives her her best material to date. With a dream like languid wave across time the movie flows through a story of all the tension building under the surface of a family unit. By choice or by birth a family comes together. This film achingly meditates on the struggle to be an individual within the collective and what might get lost along the way. Michelle Williams and Daniel Wu are both incredible here with the rest of the ensemble being strong as well. A film just aching with longing -5/5 Bailey Buckets: A Hoops Story- The more down to earth nature of the newest Hoops film is a nice change of pace for the franchise, the story doesn’t quite all come together but i dig the simplicity- 2.5/5 Dave Day- The idea of a stop motion war film does certainly have a certain appeal as a visual experiment, unfortunately i don’t think this film really commits to that. The actual battle sequences are limited and the film doesn’t quite have the budget to deliver a real striking visual. Instead the film mostly acts as a satire on American propensity for war. There’s a few funny jokes in here but the end result isn’t super satisfying - 2.5/5 Mighty Falls- Well Mighty Falls is an interesting project. Placed as one of the prime blockbusters in the middle of summer and being probably the most ambitious blend of live action and animation that we’ve seen. The film takes a decent while to get going and doesn’t really start to click and find it’s grove until all the characters are brought together. And that’s where this film really works is when it’s the whole ensemble engaging with one another, and largely why the middle section of this film is what works best. Dee Bradly Baker as Trudar acts as the standout that brings a log of humor into the movie. The final stretch of the movie is a bit rushed and the antagonists of the film ultimately feel kinda irrelevant. Will Probably be solid escapism for families this summer- 3/5