Well, shit. I have two months of movie reviews to catch up on. And I went a little crazy as I had Mubi for £1 for one month, so I binged loads of great stuff. 36 movies watched since the 1st of August.
The below four aren’t from Mubi, though. They’re just some mediocre 2023 releases on other streaming services…
Sharper (2023)
Directed by Benjamin Caron
Starring: Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton, John Lithgow
Plot Synopsis: (via IMDb)
Motivations are suspect, and expectations are turned chaos, as a con artist takes on Manhattan billionaires.
My Opinion:
A movie where the actors are better than the film itself. Intriguing story at first as they set up each character really well but it petered out a bit at the end. Justice Smith & Briana Middleton were the true stars & very good together while Julianne Moore & Sebastian Stan were reliable as always. Enjoyable double-crossing story but I think the film will be forgotten.
My Rating: 7/10
The Beanie Bubble (2023)
Directed by Kristin Gore & Damian Kulash Jr.
Based on The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute by Zac Bissonnette
Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, Geraldine Viswanathan
Plot Synopsis: (via IMDb)
Ty Warner was a frustrated toy salesman until his collaboration with three women grew his idea into the biggest toy craze in history.
My Opinion:
One of those “meh” movies where I struggle to think of anything to say about it & know I’ll forget all about it in a year. I guess the story was fairly interesting & I like Banks & Snook but I didn’t really need to know that the dude who created Beanie Babies was a dickhead.
My Rating: 6/10
You Hurt My Feelings (2023)
Directed & Written by Nicole Holofcener
Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tobias Menzies, Michaela Watkins, Arian Moayed, Owen Teague, Jeannie Berlin
Plot Synopsis: (via IMDb)
A novelist’s longstanding marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband giving his honest reaction to her latest book.
My Opinion:
This was fine but I’m getting pretty bored with all the “fine” straight-to-streaming films. Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Tobias Menzies were a believable married couple, I enjoyed some of the humor, and I liked the relationship with the sister. The gifts were cute as well. But overall this is just another pleasant romcom that I’ll forget in a year.
My Rating: 6/10
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Directed by Matthew Lopez
Based on Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Starring: Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine, Clifton Collins Jr., Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Stephen Fry, Uma Thurman
Plot Synopsis: (via IMDb)
When the feud between the son of the American President and Britain’s prince threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations, the two are forced into a staged truce that sparks something deeper.
My Opinion:
This was fine but I don’t tend to watch cheesy TV romance movies for a reason as I know they’re not my thing. I thought this would be better than the made-for-TV stuff so I gave it a chance but found it just as cringey (if not more so). An unrealistic story (which is common in romcoms, but it was just too silly) & characters that didn’t feel genuine to me.
The two main actors were lovely, though, and had decent chemistry. I liked seeing Clifton Collins Jr. in a big(ish) role (for him). Thurman’s accent was super distracting. And. Um. I dunno. An inoffensive and sweet film, I guess. But SO bland. Bros was a lot more fun. Maybe I’m just too crude.
Also, I thought I might enjoy this a bit more as an American living in the U.K. and in a British/American relationship. But all the American & British stuff thrown into this felt very cliché.
My Rating: 6/10
Cinema Parrot Disco 