Saltburn

Set in England in the mid-2000s, it follows a young university student who becomes obsessed with his wealthy schoolmate, who invites him to spend the summer at his eccentric family's estate.

This was a very very weird movie.  And that is probably a massive understatement.   The lead was very creepy and there were certain scenes that very much make you look at the movie like WTF.  Yet you are somehow hooked by the performances throughout the movie to see how it will all play out.  

I would kind of recommend people checking this out.   It's not a must see at all but it is a very eccentric and weird character drama.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place in the dystopian world of Panem, during the tenth annual Hunger Games. It follows the story of Coriolanus Snow, who later becomes the tyrannical President Snow depicted in the original series.

I don't know how I never knew this but this is a prequel that is pretty much the origin story of the main bad guy in the rest of The Hunger Games movie.   So I was a little confused at times like am I supposed to like this guy because he kind of seems like a jerk?  LOL!   And then I was like ooooooooooooooooh that makes sense.  This was pretty good movie.  I would not say awesome or must see but it was a decent watch.  However, I feel like I have been saying this ALOT lately but it's simply waaaaaaaaay too long and again you feel it.  There are legit three acts to this movie and I was thinking that the ending would be around where act II ended.  

I would still recommend people checking this out because it is an enjoyable watch and a well done movie.   Just a heads up again that it is pretty damn long.

Napoleon

A look at the military commander's origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine.

This movie definitely delivered on the epicness of the battle scenes you would expect from Ridley Scott and the performance you would expect from Joaquin Phoenix.   I am not remotely a history buff but it was told in a way that kept you hooked and intrigued.  The only thing would have to be that the movie was crazy long and you felt how long it was.  

I would still recommend people checking this out.  It was a really good watch and is sure to be nominated for several end of year awards.   Just be warned that it is a long ass movie.

Wish

Young Asha makes a wish so powerful that it's answered by a cosmic force, a little ball of boundless energy called Star. With Star's help, Asha must save her kingdom from King Magnifico and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.

I just didn't like this movie.  I can't really put my finger on it but something about it just annoyed me.  Like the movie didn't really know what it wanted to be and I guess I was expecting something more straight forward Disney princess wise.  The music didn't work and fell very flat.  The characters were all pretty forced and dull.  I was very surprised at how not enjoyable this movie really was.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this movie out.  I thought it was easily one of the lamer Disney entries in a long long time.

Next Goal Wins

With the 2014 World Cup qualifiers approaching, down-on-his-luck coach Thomas Rongen tries to turn the American Samoa soccer team into winners.

This is pretty much every single underdog sports movie cliche to a tee.  But the trick with these is that it has to hook you enough.  This movie kind of did.  The quirky characters keep you interested enough.  It might help if you care about soccer which I don't.  But it also has Waititi's directorial touch that makes it kind of enjoyable.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out because it is a decent watch.  It's not a must see by any means whatsoever but it is watchable.

Thanksgiving

An axe-wielding maniac terrorizes residents of Plymouth, Mass., after a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy. Picking off victims one by one, the seemingly random revenge killings soon become part of a larger, sinister plan.

How in the blue hell was this a movie?   Better question - how was this a wide release in theaters movie?  LOL!!!  Just reread that synopsis and/or watch the trailer and I dare you not to tilt your head like a confused dog and mutter what the hell?   

Would I recommend anyone watching this?   Not in a million years for all the money in the world.  It was so beyond dumb.

The Marvels

Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with two other superheroes to form the Marvels.

This one was pretty disappointing.  Like kind of on a level with Thor: Love And Thunder.  I was able to enjoy it at times - mostly because of Ms Marvel and the cast from that show.  But that was the biggest problem.  The most irrelevant character in this movie was Captain Marvel.  This served as much more of a continuation of the Monica character from Wandavision, Ms Marvel and another show from the end of the movie that served as a great setup.  This movie started off good and then it was as if they just gave up while really only caring about getting to the final two scenes - both having nothing to do with Captain Marvel - that set great things up moving forward.   So like . . . . . what was the point?

I don't think my recommendation or not really matters here but this movie will definitely be on the shortlist of Marvel ones that I will likely never bother watching again.

The Holdovers

A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school's head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.

This movie was a textbook example of how to do a great character dramedy.   They built up all three main characters and helped you understand why they were how they were.  The chemistry between the was great.  And all the performances were great.  This was a perfect role for Paul Giamatti.  

I really enjoyed this movie even though ultimately it is kind of just there.  The hook got me good enough and made me care about these characters.  I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  

What Happens Later

Snowed-in at a regional airport overnight, ex-lovers Willa and Bill realize they're still attracted to each other -- but also still equally annoyed with each other. As they unpack the riddle of their mutual past and compare their lives to the dreams they once shared, they begin to wonder if their reunion is a mere coincidence or something more enchanted.

This movie seemed like a decent premise and at the start it was pretty good but it went on waaaaaaaay too long and ran its course too soon.   The whole back half of this movie was after it had past the point of being watchable.  And the staying in the same setting for that long was pretty rough for a "rom-com" and killed all of the "com."

I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out.  It's that unspoken line of thinking that all of us have but it was only good as a premise apparently.

Trolls Band Together

Poppy discovers that Branch and his four brothers were once part of her favorite boy band. When one of his siblings, Floyd, gets kidnapped by a pair of nefarious villains, Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop culture obscurity.

This is a weird animated franchise.  This is like the 3rd or 4th one, right?   The characters are cool.  The spinoff cartoons were cool.   The voice cast is great.   The music is awesome.  But somehow it's all just there.  Like I don't know that there is a massive calling for more Trolls movies.  Would easily forget this franchise if they were to just stop.  Yet they keep going and it's like oh okay.   This movie is not bad.  There are some good laughs and the story is entertaining enough.  But you definitely kind of forget about it right after watching like the rest.

I would sort of recommend people checking this out.  Not a must watch at all but a decent one for families and kids without much out there otherwise.