Movie roundup

On The Basis Of Sex and RBG: The RBG biopic and the RBG documentary. I liked both(I think Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer deserved some awards consideration), but the doc is overall better and more comprehensive.

Roma: Finally hunkered down and watched this on Netflix. Tbh it's a hard film to get through, especially watching it on my phone. The pace is incredibly slow and honestly so little happens it's easy to get bored. The cinematography is great and the acting is fine, but I honestly don't see this as a worthy best picture winner.

The Upside: Amazing what toning it down a little does for Kevin Hart. This one has been a deserving hit. It's predictable but all the way charming.

Serenity: The twist is already the stuff of legend. I didn't find it laughable necessarily, just that it was a real homerun swing that didn't connect. At all.

Stan and Ollie: This one kind of just appeared in theaters with no fanfare at all, but I enjoyed this movie about the latter days of Laurel and Hardy. It's an affectionate tribute. John C. Reilly is always great and for once I actually liked Steve Coogan.

Miss Bala: I root for Gina Rodriguez, but she deserves a better starring vehicle than this middling thriller that's too self-serious to be a lot of fun, but also too dopey to really work as a serious thriller.

They Shall Not Grow Old: Amazing WWI documentary by Peter Jackson. One of the best docs I've seen.

The Lego Movie 2: It's not bad, but it's not nearly as good as either the 1st one or the Lego Batman movie. This one seemed designed much more for younger kids, without that crossover appeal. Basically all the laughs I got were references to other things.

Cold Pursuit: My favorite 2019 movie so far. Not just another of the Liam Neeson action movies, although it does have cool action in it. But this one has a great Coen-esque comedy thing going on too. I really enjoyed the main bad guy, who looked like an evil Joaquin Phoenix.

Happy Death Day 2U: Really liked the 1st one. This one is a little more hit and miss, but I liked that it wasn't just a total rehash. And Jessica Rothe remains awesome.

Alita: Battle Angel: Visually spectacular. Some terrific action sequences. Alita is a cool character. It gets a bit overstuffed with some extraneous story threads and characters, but I hope they get to make a sequel.

Isn't It Romantic: Rebel Wilson is great, but she deserves a better vehicle than this rather lame romcom spoof that spends way too much time indulging in the tropes it's supposed to be sending up.

What Men Want: The other comedy in which a woman bonks her head, wakes up in a sort of alternate reality  then bonks her head later to return to the normal world. I liked this less than Isn't It Romantic cause it has fewer laughs. But Taraji Henson(how is she almost 50?) at least keeps it consistently watchable.