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Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week.

Awake (Netflix)
Starring: Gina Rodriguez, Ariana Greenblatt, Lucius Hoyos, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Finn Jones
Synopsis: The latest from Netflix centers on a single mother (Rodriguez) who is struggling to earn back the trust of her children (Greenblatt and Hoyos). When a phenomenon happens, all electrical devices fail and people are left unable to sleep. Her daughter (Greenblatt) can sleep, making her rare and valuable in a world gone mad. So Rodriguez works to find answers and keep her kids safe as the world falls apart. This film is an interesting concept but the execution ends up falling a bit flat. Rodriguez is fine in the lead role, but overall this film is mediocre at best.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: One star out of four

Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (Theaters)
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, and Selma Hayek
Synopsis: In the summer of 2017, Reynolds and Jackson teamed in an action film about a bodyguard, Michael Bryce (Reynolds), who needed to rehab his image and career crossing paths with a hitman, Darius Kincaid (Jackson), in need of a bit of protection. It was an odd couple kind of action buddy comedy, and it worked to provide some laughs. Now, four years later, Bryce and Kincaid are back, this time with Darius' firecracker of a wife, Sonia (Hayek), in another adventure. This one opens wide today, but I caught an early screening last weekend. Reynolds and Jackson are good in their roles, and Hayek seems to be having a lot of fun, too. Antonio Banderas is fine as the primary antagonist, but this film feels a bit all over the place. The cameo from Morgan Freeman is fun, too, but there just isn't enough here to be compelling, even at a slim 99 minute run time. The film deserved a better story and better script. What we get is a brash, in-your-face set of action set pieces wedged around a flat and predictable narrative. The best moment of the film is the joke in the closing moments, which gives you hope that if they wade into these waters again, they could find something more amusing.
Rating: R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language, and some sexual content.
Verdict: One star out of four

Infinite (Paramount TV+)
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophia Cookson, and Jason Mantzoukas
Synopsis: This new film from Antione Fuqua was slated for a theatrical release last summer, but due to the pandemic plans changed and it became an original film release on Paramount TV+. It centers on the concept of a group of people who live infinite lives, with their soul re-born in a new body each time they die. One, Treadway (Wahlberg), is the leader of a group that wants to make the most of it. His former friend, Bathurst (Ejiofor), is the leader of a faction that wants it all to end. Bathurst built a device meant to wipe out humanity, and Treadway hid it. The only problem is that in his new vessel, Evan, he can't seem to remember what he did with it, so the hunt is on to find the device and settle the future for mankind. It's an interesting idea, and Fuqua is a decent action director. There are some good action sequences in this film, and the performances are fine. The script feels a bit muddled and flat, so the production isn't enough to overcome those short-comings. The flash and style is here, the substance is lacking.
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some bloody images, strong language and brief drug use.
Verdict: One star out of four

In The Heights (Theaters and HBO Max)
Starring: Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Corey Hawkins, Jimmy Smits, and Lin Manuel Miranda
Synopsis: This latest release is a musical adapted from Miranda's Broadway play of the same name. It centers on Usnavi (Ramos), a young bodega owner who is wrestling with whether to follow his dream of re-opening his father's store in the Dominican Republic or remaining a part of his community in Washington Heights, in New York City. Also a part of that is his budding relationship with Vanessa (Barrera), which may be the final nudge he needs to stay. This one has a good look and feel, coming from director Jon M. Chu who helmed Crazy Rich Asians and Step Up 3D. He has a good feel for lavish production, and this one takes a Broadway story and gives it the kind of production pieces to distinguish it from a stage play. There are some beautiful story points and emotional moments. I enjoyed Ramos in the lead role and his evolving relationship with Barrera. I also appreciated the arc for Smits, who has one of the most interesting pieces of the story. But it feels a bit long, clocking in at nearly two and a half hours, and the music wasn't as sharp and engaging as Hamilton, Miranda's other recent musical set to film. This one is good, but not great. Still, it's enjoyable and worth checking out this summer.
Rating: PG-13 for some language and suggestive references.
Verdict: Three stars out of four