"Set it Up"

A refreshingly smart rom-com about a couple of personal assistants who work for over-the-top, driven bosses. They happen to meet while fetching a late night dinner for their employers, and devise a plot: if they can get their bosses romantically involved, they'll gain a bit of personal freedom. The movie is somewhat predictable, as you'd expect, but it's still thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless.  Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell, the two leads, are both perfect in their roles as matchmakers. If you're in the mood for something light, "Set It Up" is nice evening of pure escapism.
3.5 out of 5 stars

"The Late Bloomer"

Warning: this is a total guy-flick. The absolute polar opposite of a so-called chick-flick. You know it's aimed at men when just about every third word is either dick or cock, and not referring to detectives and roosters. While it's not quite on the same level as "This is Spinal Tap" or "Wayne's World", it is a funny/dumb movie well worth watching, if you're in the mood for some mindless entertainment. The allegedly true story is about a 30-something sex doctor, who advises people on how to channel their sex urges into other positive activities. The reason he's so focused on this is he's never gone through puberty, due to a benign tumor which has been pressing on his pituitary gland. After he has an operation to correct this, he experiences puberty over an intense three-week period. Johnny Simmons did a decent job playing the doctor, but I especially enjoyed his two friends, played by Beck Bennett and Kumail Nanjiani. Their quick and humorous banter warrants watching the movie a second time. And J.K. Simmons (no relation to Johnny) was excellent as always.
4 out of 5 stars

"The Land of Steady Habits"

I don't know how the actor Ben Mendelsohn has gone under my radar, but he has. I've seen a couple of his films lately, and have thoroughly enjoyed his performances. In this Netflix original film, he plays a well-to do middle-aged man who is going through a mid-life crisis. He quits his job as a financier and leaves his wife. Then he starts having regrets about his actions, but it's too late to reverse the damage. He befriends a troubled neighbor kid and the two get into mischief together. It's a quirky little, slice-of-life movie that I thought was great. There isn't a lot of action, and the plot is pretty subtle, but overall, it was a lot of fun. One question I have is, how do Aussies manage to totally lose their accents when they play American characters?
4 out of 5 stars

"To All The Boys I've Loved Before"

I'm a total sucker for high school romance movies. This movie is one of the few Asian-American focused movies I've seen in a long time. The story is about a nerdy girl who hooks up with a guy. They pretend to be in love to get his ex-girlfriend jealous. As you'd expect, they fall in love. It's fairly predictable, but the film is very well done. Kudos to Netflix for making an  intelligent movie for young people.
4 out of 5 stars