The Movie Guy

There’s no denying the chemistry between George Clooney and Julia Roberts puts a cool breeze through “Ticket to Paradise.” Unfortunately, they can’t save the sails from deflating when this predictable ‘rom com’ dives into its slow and sappy denouement.

“Don’t Worry Darling” is a psychological thriller that gets psychotic in its logic but thrills with its actors and atmosphere.

 Florence Pugh plays Alice, a ‘50s housewife whose husband Jack (Harry Styles) works as a technical engineer on the Victory Project. They live in a suburban cul-de-sac adjacent to a desert that houses the project’s headquarters. Every morning at the same time, the wives collectively stand in their driveways, waving goodbye to their husbands as they speed off to work- the routine is creepily choreographed.

For fans of character-driven crime dramas, “Emily the Criminal” is a movie to seek out and savor.

 Aubrey Plaza stars as Emily, an art school grad saddled with $70,000 worth of student loan debt and an assault blemish on her record that prevents her from gaining employment above menial labor. We learn early that she’s scrappy and one to stand up for herself (the assault beef from an abusive boyfriend in her teens). Even working for a catering company only gives Emily enough to pay for the accumulating interest on her loans.

Imagine “To Kill a Mockingbird’s” Boo Radley on trial for the murder of his lover and you’ve got “Where the Crawdads Sing,” an eyeroll-inducing romantic melodrama that hinges on your belief that a young girl can raise herself alone in a North Carolina marsh without any interference from the small town who knows she’s out there.

Director Scott Derrickson and actor Ethan Hawke reteam after reaching the heights of horror in 2012’s “Sinister” for “The Black Phone,” another twisted tale with a decidedly supernatural spin. Based on a short story by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son), one may feel too much of a paternal pull when it comes to “Phone’s” plot.

As sequels go, “Top Gun: Maverick” does exactly what I detest: in an effort to not offend fans of the original, it directly copies scenes from the original. Add stealing subplots from other aviation movies and “Maverick” makes lazy screenwriting seem like an art form.

For fans of A24 horror movies (like Robert Eggers’ “The Witch” or Ari Aster’s “Hereditary” where cerebral replaces slashing) comes Alex Garland’s “Men,” a movie where images flesh out the exposition. If you like your scares spoon-fed, don’t waste your time. If visuals and mood make your blood curdle, Garland’s got you covered.

To its credit, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” would have been an enjoyable breezy buddy comedy had it not starred Nicholas Cage. With Cage, the movie benefits from his manic energy, movie history and unpredictability to make it lots of fun.

With the Oscars being presented tonight, I like to focus on the films and performances that I found most memorable. In keeping with the tradition of the late Siskel & Ebert’s “If We Picked the Winners,” here are my standouts for 2021 using the nominees in the main Academy Award categories. While others try to second-guess Oscar politics with who ‘should win’ or ‘will win,’ I like to keep it simple. In case you missed any of them, these are the films and performances I’ll remember- simply put, these are the ones:  

After reinvigorating the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, director Matt Reeves puts the Goth in Gotham City with “The Batman.” Since DC started as Detective Comics, it only makes sense for Reeves to create a dark and dirty detective drama where Batman is a sleuth saving his city.