"In Your Eyes"

You've been warned: You're either going to love it or hate this movie. Iy's the story about two people wo can communicate telepathically. Growing up, they have occasional encounters, but don't really understand what's happening. As adults, they learn to talk to each other and form a close bond. It's a bit sappy, but I enjoy an occasional romantic film. The chemistry between Michael Stahl-David and Zoe Kazan is terrific and helps move the story along. What a pleasant surprise! It's currently streaming on Kanopy.

4 out of 5 stars

"Shot Caller"

 Lousy title. Great movie. How a prison movie ended up in my queue, I have no idea. But I'm glad I took a chance with this one. A successful stockbroker and family man ends up in prison after he accidentally kills a friend while drunk driving. In order to survive, he becomes a total badass. The transformation from a decent, caring guy into a hardened criminal is absolutely astonishing. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is brilliant in this award-worthy performance. I figured I'd give this about ten minutes but couldn't stop watching.  An undiscovered gem. 

"The Old Guard"

 I started watching this movie, thinking it was a superhero movie, which I'm not a fan of. As it turns out, it marginally falls into that category. While it's about a group of five immortals, they really don't have any superpowers, other than the fact that they can't be killed, and they're great fighters. There are two storylines in the film. One is about the introduction of a newly found immortal, a young black female Marine. The other is about an evil head of a pharmaceutical company, who wants to capture and experiment on them to discover the secret to their longevity. The head of the gang is played by Charlize Theron, who literally and figuratively kicks ass. I really enjoyed the smart writing, great cinematography, and of course, phenomenal fight scenes. 

4 out of 5 stars

"Fisherman's Friends"

 This movie will put a smile on your face and keep you in a good mood for days. In it, a group of London record execs visit Cornwall for their bachelor party. While there, they encounter a group of fishermen who get together to sing shanties, or traditional folk songs in their local pub. They jokingly assign one of the gang to sign the group to a recording contract and leave him behind. This is one of those rare uplifting movies where almost nothing goes wrong. It reminded me a bit of "Brassed Off", another film worth watching. The scenery, acting, writing, and singing are all first rate, And to me, the biggest surprise at the end of the movie was that it's a true story! 

4.5 out of 5 stars