Oxygen (Netflix, 2021)

 Le film français "Oxygen" est, de loin, le thriller de science-fiction le plus agréable que j'ai vu depuis des années. (Sous-titres et tout.)

Those Who Wish Me Dead (HBO Max, 2021)

After watching the flick, count me in that group.

A Quiet Place Part II (2021)

 John Krasinski's A Quiet Place (2018) was nearly a cinematic masterpiece. 

It took the sci-fi and horror genres into unusual and uncharted territories: the movie was scarier because it was nearly silent, and effective as a morality play about self-sacrifice. After all, it was about what one is willing to do to keep one's family safe.  

The flick made nearly $350 million dollars world-wide. Not because it had a huge special effects budget. It made bank because it didn't.  

I was skeptical when I first heard a sequel was being planned. The quiet gimmick had been done already, so the audience will be prepared for that. And Krasinski's lead character, Lee Abbot, sacrificed himself to save his children at the end of the first movie. 

How could a sequel of any real quality be made?

It was done by adding rich texture in a variety of ways: there was more -- but not overdone -- dialogue; the audience got a peek into the day normal stopped; it was  louder when louder was necessary; and  the theme of self-sacrifice was broadened from being focused on saving a single family to being focused on saving a larger community.  

A Quiet Place Part II may be the best sequel of the past 25 years. 

Zack Snyder's Justice League (HBO Max, 2021)

 I liked the 2017 release of Justice League enough, I guess. I enjoyed the team-building aspect of the flick, and the deep debate within the team about whether they should use a power dropped into their laps to resurrect a dead Superman. 

I prefer to watch team-based superheroes debate and argue in the clubhouse more than I enjoy watching them kick invading aliens in the ass.

But in total, the Josh Whedon-polished Justice League was a major disappointment. The plot was choppy and difficult to follow and the movie lacked character development. And man, those jokes! From Bruce Wayne greeting Aquaman with "I hear you talk to fish," to the hijinks of an immature Barry Allen, the jokes stripped away a seriousness from the movie's tone that couldn't be overcome. 

Zack Snyder's Justice League remedies most of the issues I had with the 2017 film. The use of Steppenwolf and his role as an herald of sorts to Darkseid is much improved in the Snyder cut, making this movie more cohesive. Characters are better developed -- how could they not be with twice the run-time of the original? -- and the tone is more serious. Banter is an important component to superhero stories. But it was a distraction in the Whedon-produced film. 

It's not that in the Snyder cut. 

There remain small issues I have with the movie. I still hate -- I mean really, really hate! -- this version of The Flash. This character seems a hodgepodge of Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen, and I was annoyed every time he was part of a scene. Cyborg is a little too robotic for me, although that's a creative decision with which I can live. But this version of Aquaman is more serious and much more fun to watch than he was in his own movie, Wonder Woman's character is consistent, and Bruce Wayne is better portrayed by Ben Affleck than he is by any actor not named Bale.

People will debate the four-hour run time, and that debate is legit. Is it necessary, or is it a vanity play by Snyder? I think it's necessary. It allows the time to build a better foundation for plot and character development, and gives appropriate time to explore some of the plot devices glossed over in the previous film. 

I Care A Lot (Netflix, 2020)

In addition to the kayfabe culture, "turns" were what made pre-Vince professional 'rasslin' great. Face turns -- when villains became the good guys -- were fun, but it was heel turns that were the most exciting. 

When your favorite good guy went bad it hurt, man. It hurt deep into your soul.  

Smart marks could often see a turn coming;. Weeks before, the blonde-haired good guy started showing dark roots, or the villain who always cheated to win gets over by pinning his opponent in the middle of the ring. Most -- but not all -- turns were predictable: fans were never surprised to see Ric Flair turn, but we were shocked when Hulk Hogan joined nWo.

I Care A Lot seemed to have more heel turns in two hours than World Championship Wrestling had throughout the '80s. The turns were fun to watch, and I didn't see any of them coming. 

Palmer (Apple TV+, 2021)

After the end credits, I cranked up the Internet to read some review of Palmer.

"Justin Timberlake aims for redemption in familiar drama," one review read, while others described it as "heartfelt but familiar," with a plot that contained "familiar material." 

Familiar? Seriously? 

When is the last time you watched a mainstream movie about a pre-teen boy who, despite being bullied by classmates, stays unflinching true to himself? 

Name that movie where a child remains unwavering, despite being told constantly by almost everyone in his life that his perception of himself, his likes and interests, and his loyalties are wrong? 

Where are all those movies with the familiar plot about a young child who is a better parent to his mother than she is to him?

Familiar my ass.  

There are certainly parts of Palmer that are familiar. But any critic that describes Palmer as "familiar" isn't paying enough attention to Sam, a memorable character. made greater by the superb acting of Ryder Allen. He brings a genuineness and sincerity to a role that likely would have come across as flat and two-dimensional in the hands of a lessor-skilled actor. 

Oh yeah, Justin Timberlake was pretty good as Palmer, the guy who learns from Sam that diversity and acceptance makes us better people. I wish Timberlake made more movies, he's a solid actor. 

The Dig (2021)

Most things in life that hold any real value are worth the efforts necessary for you to achieve them. 

That's true for finding love, developing friendships, maintaining life quality, and having personal and professional integrity. And, of course, it's also true about finding historic artifacts buried deep within the earth.

All those things are on display in Simon Stone's mostly-true re-telling of the 1939 Sutton Hoo excavation, which uncovered Anglo-Saxon artifacts that changed how we understand our history. 

The Dig is beautifully shot, well-paced, and consistent. Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, and the rest of the cast deliver top shelf performances. For me, however, the strength of the film rests in the use of metaphor to explain what's going on in the lives of the lead actors. Those comparisons are subtle, yet powerful.

The Dig is well worth your investment.   

The White Tiger (2021)

I'm not gonna waste your time with a half-assed review, because anything I try to write about this movie will turn out to be less than it deserves. 

Insufficient. Completely inadequate. 

There are only two things you need to know about The White Tiger: 

1. Stop whatever you're doing. Now. Pop some corn, crank up the Netflix, and watch this movie. 

2. Adarsh Gourav will be nominated for, and deserve to win, an Academy Award for Best Actor. 

The Little Things (2021)

John Lee Hancock's The Little Things is, by any definition, a crime thriller. And it's a good one. Denzel Washington and Rami Malek are convincing as two cops -- polar opposites in style and career arc -- who work together to solve a series of killings in 1990 Los Angeles. 

You remember 1990. Pre-cell phones and social media, the Internet was only emerging, and only those geeky scientists were talking about DNA evidence. 1990 policing was all about putting in the time: stakeouts, walking the pavement, knocking on doors, searching for witnesses. The Little Things portrays that era well. 

(One of my favorite scenes is when one of the detectives relays some important information to his partner by pulling his car off the Interstate and using a call box to make the call. It was the Stone Age of detective work.)

Washington's Joe Deacon is nearing the end of his career, consumed by the events of a case that changed his life and career path. Malek's Jim Baxter is an up-and-coming, buttoned-down cop consumed by putting the bad guys away at all costs. Their obsession to close cases has take a toll on their professional and personal lives. Relationships have soured, their reputations are tainted, and it appears that their mental health is starting to be affected. 

Veteran cop Deacon teaches cop-on-the-rise Baxter that it's the "little things" involved in police work that are important for solving a case. Over the course of the film Baxter also learns that the "little things," too, are important to manage when you step out of bounds to achieve a greater good. 

Washington is terrific as the subdued, humbled, and haunted Joe Deacon. And Malek -- who I've not really warmed up to thus far in movies -- is very good as the flashy and aggressive Jimmy Baxter. Jared Leto, who plays the suspected killer, transforms the movie every time he's on screen. He's both scary and funny, and at different times convinces the audience of his innocence and of his guilt. 

Leto's Albert Sparma will be a character remembered.