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We got plenty of streaming options and a big new sci-fi film, and I have my take on all of them below. If you want to keep up with all my movie watching exploits, follow me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

The Creator (Theaters)
Starring: John David Washington, Allison Janney, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, and Madeline Yuna Voles
Synopsis: We get an original sci-fi film here from Garreth Edwards and Chris Weitz, who previously teamed to give us Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. We loved the craft in Rogue One, but it was the characters and the story—and original story in an established world—that connected so strongly with audiences. Here, we see an alternate world where AI has risen in society. All is going well until a nuclear warhead is set off in Los Angeles. Now, the United States is waging war against AI, and their stronghold in Asia. They’ve developed a powerful new ship to help accomplish the goal, but AI and their creator—Nimata—are developing a weapon of their own. Joshua (Washington) was once embedded undercover searching for Nimata. During that time, he married Maya (Chan), and they were about to have a child. Then a raid went bad. Now, five years later, there is a rumor Maya is alive, and connected to this new AI weapon. Joshua joins the mission but ends up finding what looks like a small child (Voles). Convinced the young AI can lead him back to his wife, Joshua undertakes a side mission that changes his perception of AI, his life and the war. Washington is great in the lead role, and I enjoyed Voles in a tricky child role, too. Edwards the director provides some incredible style here. The rich design and the worlds were visually engaging. The story, at times, is also engaging. Edwards and Weitz teamed on the script and it’s a bit slow with some under-developed characters and world-building at times. But the heart of the story is the connection between Joshua, Maya and Alpha, the child AI. It works well enough to create a satisfying third act. This is a solid production and one worth seeing in theaters.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence, some bloody images and strong language.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Flora and Son (Apple TV+)
Starring: Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Oren Kinlan
Synopsis: Apple TV+ has been on a hot streak. Not only has the streamer produced some of the most loved and talked about series on television, but it’s also hit big with movies in recent years. While not the most high-profile release coming this Fall, Flora and Son is another winner. The film releases on Friday and comes from writer/director John Carney (Once, Begin Again). It’s another tale of music helping someone turn their life around. In this case, we focus on Flora (Hewson), whose life isn’t going according to plan. While still a young woman, Flora has a lot going on. She’s split with her husband (Jack Reynor), she’s struggling in her job, and she’s got issues with her teenage son, Max (Kinlan), who she had when she was just a teenager herself. Max has been stealing and is close to getting real time. Flora doesn’t know how to reach him. She stumbles on an old guitar and fixes it up for Max. But he’s not interested. So, Flora challenges herself to learn. She finds Jeff (Gordon-Levitt) on the Internet and begins online lessons. Her quick connection to Jeff—and the way learning the guitar unlocks her creativity and passion—begin to transform her life and her relationship with Max. This is a beautiful and moving tale. It gets off to a slow start and sometimes it’s messy. There are strands that don’t get fully explored and maybe don’t end up being that important, but Hewson is there to deftly carry it all. She’s great in the lead role, appearing in nearly every scene. We become invested in Flora and her journey, which is a credit to Hewson. I also loved Gordon-Levitt, who appears often via screen. His Jeff is a delightful and talented character, and his interactions with Hewson are some of the best in the film. We’ve seen Carney in this genre before. He’s great at using music to drive the story forward, and that happens here as well. There are some deeply emotional moments fused to the musical performances and he gets the most out of his talented cast. Flora and Son is a beautiful film with heart that’s well worth streaming.
Rating: Rated R for language throughout, sexual references and brief drug use.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Heist 88 (Paramount+/Showtime)
Starring: Courtney B. Vance and Keith David
Synopsis: This original film dropped on Paramount Friday and came to Showtime Sunday night. It features Vance as the lead in a film based on a true story. It’s set in the 1980s when the banking system relied on phone calls and codes to approve large international transfers. Vance plays a career thief looking at going back to prison. He hatches a plan using four young bank employees to make millions and escape to Switzerland first. This has the notes of a classic heist film, but it just doesn’t crackle. The performances are fine, but we don’t get a great explanation of the world or a lot of action to draw the audience in. It’s a short film, clocking in at 84 minutes, but it could have stook to be a bit longer and provide a bit more context, character and world building. As is, this feels a little flat.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Reptile (Netflix)
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Justin Timberlake, and Alicia Silverstone
Synopsis: Del Toro plays a veteran detective here investigating the murder of a Real Estate Agent. Timberlake plays her smarmy husband while Silverstone plays Del Toro’s wife and confidant. The elements for a fun crime drama are here. The pieces are in place, but they just don’t add up to much. The case and the twists aren’t that compelling, and the film doesn’t make good enough use of its talented cast. I wanted to make more of a connection to the story and world. As is, the film is fine but unmemorable.
Rating: Rated R for language, violence and some nude images.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five