American Fiction (2023)

The satire is sharp (“I just think it’s really important to listen to Black voices right now”) and hilarious (see the two phone calls with publishers). The family dramedy is less engaging, with its stilted dialogue and odd time jumps (see the start of his relationship with Coraline), overall feeling too much like a bunch of thrown-in subplots, at least until the end when the thematic threads of identity and narrative perspective come together in a bow-tying, white-critic-confronting meta moment.

6

Frozen II (2019)

Take the fact that I watched this with my 4-year old on her first trip to the cinema as a grain of salt with my assessment of both the film’s flaws and strengths: the plot’s hard to follow (thanks for the running commentary, dear daughter) but damn if it wasn’t just a magical experience (that look of awe on her face I’ll never forget). A beautifully animated tapestry of mysticism, memory, music, and humour with a great set of characters (see the surprising but appropriate resolve to Elsa’s arc).

8

The Predator (2018)

The opening music and spaceship crash give a classic action/sci-fi vibe but it’s inconsistent at best in the first act. The second act with its ragtag crew shows both comedic (see the motel bed arranging) and dramatic (see the ex-soldiers’ haunting pasts) potential but then the comedy gets distasteful and the drama’s dismissed. Then the third act’s just a glut of suspense-less action (Casey’s chair move was cool though) and a poor plot. An unlikable lead and confusing villain never help matters.

3