Now Playing

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week, all of which are on Streaming as you'd expect.

American Son (Netflix)
Starring: Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, and Jeremy Jordan
Synopsis: This film was released in late 2019, but I'm getting to it now that all movies are streaming movies for us. This one is available on Netflix, and is based on the Broadway play of the same name. It debuted on November 1, and it's really a simple set up. At a Florida Police Station waiting room in the middle of the night, a couple tries to get information on their son, who is seemingly in custody. Kendra (Washington) and Scott (Pasquale) are estranged spouses from different worlds. Kendra is African-American, a college professor and knows the pitfalls of race in America. Scott is white, an FBI Agent, and thinks that his race and position will help this situation. Caught in the middle is a deputy (Jordan), who squabbles with Kendra and reveals his true feelings about her, and his embedded racism, when he quickly mistakes Scott for a colleague and not the parent of a boy named Jamal he's seeking to find. This is a story that features a lot of tense conversations in a single room. First between Kendra and the cop, and later between Kendra and Scott. All of them center on race, and the disparity that Kendra and Scott have when it comes to seeing the way the world works. These are arguments we've mostly heard and seen before, and despite some great work from Washington and the rest of the cast, when you have 90 minutes essentially set in the same room, that can be a bit of a tough sell. Still, it's got big ideas worth considering in American in 2020, especially given our current political climate.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Blow the Man Down (Amazon Prime)
Starring: Sophie Lowe, Morgan Saylor, Margo Martindale, June Squibb, Marceline Hugot, Annette O'Toole, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Synopsis: This independent film is a crime drama focusing on a pair of sisters (Lowe and Saylor) that premiered at the Tribecca Film Festival in April 2019 and earned strong reviews in Toronto in September. It debuted on Amazon on March 20, and has drawn comparisons to the crime-gone-wrong ethos of a Coen Brothers movie. And I get that. The film centers on Priscilla (Lowe) and Mary-Beth (Saylor) who are burying their mother following her death. They're in debt, and while Priscilla wants to try and keep the family business afloat and hold on to their home, Mary Beth wants to escape small town life. It doesn't take long before Mary Beth gets drawn into a desperate act after meeting a low-life (Moss-Bachrach) at a bar, and then things spiral. Directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy add some great flourishes to the story to enhance the setting and the production. That includes some fishermen singing songs to frame each act turn, which I found captivating. There are some good shots here, too, and some strong performances. Lowe and Saylor do a nice job, but so do the older actresses who populate the town. Martindale has been a strong performer in a number of TV shows and movies, and she brings a ferocity to this role. Squibb is also quite good in a role that adds some humor to the production. Overall, I like the flourishes here, and I could easily see this being the first of many interesting films from Cole and Krudy. This is worth checking out on Amazon.
Rating:  R for language, some violence, sexual material and brief drug use.
Verdict: Four stars out of four.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (Amazon Prime)
Starring: Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Harley Quinn Smith, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Shannon Elizabeth, and Rosario Dawson
Synopsis: There was a time when a Smith film about Jay and Silent Bob felt like an event, at least for a certain group of folks. I'm one who, in college, discovered "Clerks" and "Mallrats," and I've seen all Smith's films since, the good and the bad. With "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot," it feels like a bit of a greatest hits reel, one that aims to make you feel like you did in the 1990s when you first saw his early films. And there are times where it feels a bit nostalgic. But this one finds a different Jay (Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), and looks toward the next generation. It's Jay's daughter, but Smith's real-life daughter Harley Quinn, who is a co-lead here. And it gives Smith a chance to check in on all the characters from all his previous films, and includes cameos with the people who have been a part of his extended universe, including folks like Affleck and Damon whose profile has grown significantly since their time in the Jay and Silent Bob world. There's a number of other cameos and appearances, too, including most of the cast of "Supergirl," for which Smith has served as an episode director. But in some ways this feels like a throw back in the worst way, too. I wanted to be entertained and enjoy some nostalgia, and I did at times, but I think this is a film franchise that is ready to end.
Rating: R for pervasive strong crude sexual content, language throughout, drug use and some nudity.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

The Last Thing He Wanted (Netflix)
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Rosie Perez, Willem Dafoe, and Edi Gathegi
Synopsis: This film, adapted from a Joan Didion novel, was one of the big releases of the year so far on Netflix. It obviously features an impressive cast, and comes from director Dee Rees, who has done some good work for the streaming service. The problem here is that the story doesn't hold up. In fact, while I won't spoil it, when I got to the end I was sort of mad that I watched it because the ending was a real bummer. Hathaway and Affleck are good actors, but they aren't that great in this. There feels like some overacting here to put it bluntly. But this is a high-profile project that falls short.
Rating: R for language, some violence, disturbing images and brief nudity.
Verdict: One star out of four.

Lost Girls (Netflix)
Starring: Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie, and Gabriel Byrne
Synopsis: This film, released on March 20 on Netflix, is based on a true events that inspired a book of the same name from Robert Kolker. It's about a New Jersey, working-class mother (Ryan) who tries to keep the police looking for her missing daughter. Her daughter becomes part of a bigger case, as it turns out there is a serial killer on Long Island preying on prostitutes. This film takes place over a period of a couple years as the case unfolds. Ryan plays the dogged mother, while McKenzie is her other daughter who tries to keep the media focus alive and Byrne plays the top cop in Long Island whose department is pursuing the case. This is based on a true story, so you can look up the details about how it turns out. I didn't prior to watching, so the ending sort of hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought Ryan was great in the lead role here, and really helps carry the narrative. This isn't an easy film to watch, and it doesn't have a happy ending, but it's an interesting story told well. If you're a fan of true crime, especially, this is worth checking out.
Rating: R for language throughout.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.