March movie reviews

In theaters:

CYRANO

The well worn Cyrano story gets a pretty lively update here. It's a musical, and most of the musical sequences are very good. Peter Dinklage is just terrific as Cyrano, Haley Bennett is very sweet as Roxanne, and Kelvin Harrison is a very likable Christian. It's a better Oscar flick than some movies that got way more love. 

X

A fun slice of grimy, raunchy sex and gore. This horror flick is genuinely disgusting at times, and also throws out plenty of skin. I appreciated that it didn't hold back at really anything. Cast is game across the board, with the super underrated Mia Goth and the omnipresent Jenna Ortega as the highlights  

ALICE

This story of a slave (Keke Palmer) who escapes off a plantation only to discover that it's actually the 1970s should be better. It's itching to give off some blaxsploitation energy (A whole sequence revolves around a Pam Grier film) but comes off as very bland. It's also way too rushed. This thing either needed to be a longer film or a series. 

THE OUTFIT

A solid drama about a Chicago tailor (Mark Rylance) who gets embroiled with the Chicago mob. I'm guessing this is based off a play, as it takes place entirely within his shop and with just a few characters. Zoey Deutch felt miscast from the trailer, and still kind of does, but I would never turn down Zoey Deutch. Rylance meanwhile is excellent, and the way the twists unfold really got me involved. There is one extra story beat at the end that was throughly unneeded. 

INFINITE STORM

I'm usually an easy sell on man vs nature type films, but this one about Naomi Watts trying to save a guy on a mountain during a snowstorm is just SO boring. Much of the film doesn't even take place on the mountain, and even most of that is just a tedious succession of scenes of Watts trying to get a weirdly uncooperative guy to safety. Then there is a whole 3rd act leading to a reunion where secrets are revealed and it's supposed to be emotional and it just wasn't. 


Everything else:

DEEP WATER

An erotic drama starring Ana De Armas really doesn't need to be good. But this is really damn good. This would pair great with Gone Girl, also starring Ben Affleck, and both about really toxic marriages. Both leads are fantastic. The story is very entertaining, even if the whole 3rd act hinges on a character making a mistake you never buy that they would make. I miss these kind of pulpy adult dramas with some danger involved. Make more. 

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