I just thought I would give you a few quick thoughts of some current releases.

Bridget Jones’s Baby-

It ended up being far funnier than I ever could have anticipated. The plot is stupid but I laughed a lot- particularly whenever a news anchor Bridget worked with named Miranda was on screen. She was hilarious. Renee Zellweger looks a little different but it wasn’t as distracting as I feared it would be. It includes nods to the first two films (love first film, hate second) without making them obnoxious or overbearing Mostly it is charming and very funny.

Overall Grade- A-

Sully-

Terrific film from Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks about the Miracle on the Hudson when a plane had to make a water landing in 2009. Tom Hanks is the main reason this movie works so well. There is something about him you trust and you want to see him vindicated. It can be a bit by-the-numbers and repetitive but I found it engaging at the same time. I personally don’t think it is as good as American Sniper but it is less controversial and more easily digestible. Has some interesting things to say about media and our need for heroes.

Overall Grade- A-

Southside with You-

I’m a conservative but I found things to like about this film of Barack and Michele Obama’s first date. The script is well done and it feels authentic to the people we know. There was one moment where I felt the writers couldn’t help but worship their favorite president but for the most part it kept away from that kind of thing. If you are looking for a date movie this would be a good choice. And yes it is possible to like a movie about a democratic president and be a conservative…

Overall Grade- B

Light Between Oceans-

Based on the popular novel, Light Between Oceans is exactly the movie I thought it would be. I went into it expecting a period tearjerker with good acting and that’s what I got. For a movie like this to work you need the couple to have good chemistry and that’s certainly true here with Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender working so well together. The film looks beautiful by cinematographer Adam Arkapaw. I could look at those ocean shots all day! The melodrama is thick and certain plot developments I didn’t think made sense but if you like tearjerkers this is a decent one. Also, if you are a mother I think you will find it a lot more tragic.

Overall Grade- B

Space Dogs: Adventure to the Moon-

This Russian import is the kind of film that is very easy to tear apart.  The animation is bad and the dubbing is even worse. I don’t think a single line of dialogue matched up with the mouth movements on the screen. However, I did think there was something to the nutty plot of space dogs that entertained me more than lazy efforts like Ice Age 5. Sure Ice Age 5 is better executed but I’d personally prefer Space Dogs over it.

Overall Grade- D

Nine Lives-

You watch it and just wonder how in the world did this get made? I want to see the documentary about the making of Nine Lives. Barry Sonnenfield, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken all fantastic talents behind a talking cat movie? The strangest part is he’s actually not a bad Dad. He loves his family and is anxious to get his daughter the right present. He buys her a cat even though he hates them. Most kids should be so lucky to have such a Dad! It was a fun ‘so bad it’s good’ watch but really when they can’t get the meowing right in a cat movie that’s a bad thing.

Overall Grade- F acknowledging it has so bad it’s good enjoyment

Other films I’ve caught up on:

Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World- Werner Herzog documentary about the internet. Not his best but he’s engaging enough to make it a fun watch. Overall Grade- B+

The Fits- Some will hate this indie because it is kind of half a story but I didn’t mind just getting a piece of what was going on. About a girl who joins a dance troupe and they start getting seizures. Royalty Hightower joins the list of great child actors for 2016.  Overall Grade- B-

Weiner- Fascinating documentary about the mayoral campaign of disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner. More about a marriage than anything else. What a complete narcissist! Overall Grade- A

Dough- Interesting relationship between a Jewish baker and his Muslim employee gets lost in a dopey plot about marijuana and the mob. Overall Grade- C+

The Mermaid– If you can get over some of the horrible special effects it’s a creative story from China about a Mermaid who cuts her fins so she can go on land and convince an executive to stop polluting. It can be quite funny. Overall Grade- B-

The Lobster- I know everyone is drooling over this movie but I found it kind of frustrating. It makes the same points about love, loneliness and companionship over and over again and the performances are all intentionally flat and one-note. I couldn’t bond with the characters and by the last 30 minutes I had enough of the entire experiment. Clever premise but frustrating execution  Overall Grade- C

So there you have it! Have you seen any of these films? What did you think of them?