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| Tom Hanks stars in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood |
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - 4 Stars. Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers befriends cynical journalist Matthew Rhys in a touching "Can you believe this guy?" story.
The Irishman - (Netflix) 4 Stars. Martin Scorsese's old school mob epic, (3½ hours) with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino. What more do you want?
Ford v Ferrari - 4 Stars. Ford Motor's Carroll Shelby & driver Ken Miles pair up to win the Le Mans competition in the 1960s. Matt Damon & Christian Bale, plus great production and an old school script make magic.
The Two Popes - (Netflix) 4 Stars. Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce share faith and friendship.
Little Women - 4 Stars. Energetic, entertaining reboot of the classic, directed with a sure hand by Greta Gerwig.
Queen & Slim - 3½ Stars. Kick-in-the-gut crime thriller.
Pain and Glory - 3½ Stars. Foreign film award contender, starring Antonio Banderas as an aging, ailing artist.
Parasite - 3½ Stars. Korean comedy/horror thriller. Lower class family worms their way into a 1% family. Then fun begins, including a couple of off-the-rails twists.
Jojo Rabbit - 3½ Stars. A young German boy conjures Hitler as his imaginary friend during World War II. Great acting. Threads the needle between comedy and tragedy.
Just Mercy - 3 Stars. Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx performances make this inspirational story worth watching.
1917 - 3 Stars. Sure-handed World War I drama features technical achievement of appearing uncut.
Harriet - 3 Stars. A thrilling performance from Cynthia Erivo (as emancipator Harriet Tubman) makes this creative biography live.
Knives Out - 3 Stars. Gentle parody of classic who-done-it stories. Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer and a cast of thousands.
Bad Boys for Life - 2 1/2 Stars. Better than expected sequel with Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, a new younger cast and a few grandpa jokes.
Bombshell - 2½ Stars. Charlize Theron amazes as Megan Kelly, reliving the Me Too movement at Fox News. Script doesn't quite deliver the celebration it desires.
Richard Jewell - 2½ Stars. Clint Eastwood directs the ordeal of the security guard wrongly accused of planting a bomb during during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. A gripping story, marred by a heavy-handed attack on the FBI and a dead newspaper reporter.
Dolemite Is My Name - (Netflix) 2½ Stars. Eddie Murphy pays tribute to comic Rudy Ray Moore's midnight movies about the outrageous character Dolemite.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - 2 Stars. Finally! It's over.
The Report - 1 Star. Fact-based drama of investigation into American prisoner torture after 9/11. This important investigation makes for a long, talky, often dull movie.
Midway - 1 Star. Cliche-ridden World War II drama includes phony looking computer graphic air and sea fights.
Marriage Story - (Netflix) 1 Star. Actress marries director. They have a child. They grow apart. This is the kind of movie that makes going to the movies a pain in the rear.
Uncut Gems - 1 Star. Adam Sandler tries something different. Good luck liking this character.
A Hidden Life - 1 Star. Beautiful, but long & boring story of Austrian farmer who suffers for not taking an oath to Hitler.
Didn't See it, Don't Wanna See it: In honor of my increasing grumpiness toward the new world of movies...
Cats - That show was stale 20 years ago, and they made a movie out of it? Sorry, but I don't have the brain cells to waste.
Joker - Saw it, wish I hadn't.
