November movies

Midway

Roland Emmerich can still do grand spectacle like few other directors. And he crafts some really visceral dogfight sequences in this. But he clearly had some serious budget constraints, as this film's Pearl Harbor attack scene looks very cheap, and the film is filled with that awful CGI fire that drives me nuts. Beyond that the script is okay, mostly just standard war movie stuff, albeit performed by a cast full of reliable like Woody Harrelson(who looks exactly like his SNL Joe Biden) and Dennis Quaid.

Charlie's Angels

Too bad this flopped. I would have gone for another of these. Kristen Stewart is a comedic revelation. Naomi Scott is top 5 gorgeous, with comedic timing to spare. And Ella Balinska is a badass. I wish the movie leaned into the silliness more. It spends an awful lot of time taking itself too seriously. 

Last Christmas

I could see this settling in as a new Christmas movie to watch yearly. It's not a classic, but they take Emilia Clarke and just set her cuteness and charm loose and it's irresistible. She even carries the hokie parts, including a late twist that sort of feels like it belongs in a different movie.

The Good Liar

This one is a little too classy for it's own good. Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren are consumate pros and hold your interest, but the plot holds no meaningful surprises if you've ever seen a conman movie before.

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Tom Hanks is an uncanny Fred Rogers. Too bad he is very much a supporting character here. Most of the movie is focused on the journalist character, who is uninteresting and played by a very dull Matthew Rhys. The documentary from last year is a vastly superior film, although I did enjoy some of the touches in this, such as the transition shots being done with miniature models. 

21 Bridges

All the pieces are in place for a great cop thriller, but they never give us anything on a characterization level. Chadwick Boseman has swagger for days though. 


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