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

Brian Banks (Hulu)
Starring: Aldis Hodge, Greg Kinnear, and Sherri Shepherd
Synopsis: This is the true story of Banks (Hodge), an aspiring professional football player whose life was derailed by a rape accusation while he was still in high school. He ended up going to prison and was placed on the sex offender registry, crushing his dreams of playing ball and limiting his prospects in general. After connecting with a lawyer specializing in overturning false convictions, Banks found a way to plead his case and take back his life. At times this one is a touch slow in the early going, but Hodge is great in the lead, and Kinnear does a nice job as the lawyer who argues his case. The film also features a powerful cameo from Morgan Freeman. The ending is strong enough that I was moved. It's a powerful and inspirational story, and one worth checking out.
Rating: PG-13 for thematic content and related images, and for language.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Fatale (VOD)
Starring: Michael Ealy and Hilary Swank
Synopsis: This new "thriller" has lofty ambitions but the production doesn't live up to that. The plot is a sort of mashup of Fatal Attraction and Strangers on a Train. Ealy plays a married man running a successful sports agency who transgresses with a woman (Swank) while at a Bachelor Party in Las Vegas. When he returns home, he's a changed man, sort of, trying to be a better husband. After an intruder breaks in an nearly kills him, he discovers his affair from Las Vegas is now the detective assigned to his case. She, as it turns out, has skeletons in her own closet, and uncovers a plot in his life, attempting to force him into a deadly game for her benefit. Ealy and Swank are good actors, but the writing here isn't great. The story isn't great, either. I see what they were trying to do, which seems like a novel concept, but the execution here is hard to watch. This one is a bust.
Rating: R for violence, sexual content and language.
Verdict: One star out of four.

Gretel and Hansel (Hulu)
Starring: Sophia Lillis and Alice Krige
Synopsis: This one attempts to put a new spin on the classic Grimm's Fairy Tale, giving a bit of context to the witch in the woods and a bit of intrigue to Gretel (Lillis). But it lives up to the billing as a grim story, which has some decent performances and is mercifully short. That's about all I can say in the plus column. If you like creepy horror films, this might be a fine way to pass the time. But in terms of being a compelling film, for me this fell pretty short.
Rating: PG-13 for disturbing images/thematic content, and brief drug material.
Verdict: One star out of four.

Ingrid Goes West (Hulu)
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., and Wyatt Russell
Synopsis: This dark comedy follows an unstable woman (Plaza) who is lonely and looking for connection. She forms an unhealthy attachment to someone she follows on Instagram, and moves out West to forge a real relationship. Along the way she makes a friend in her landlord (Jackson), while infiltrating the life of the woman (Olsen) she's stalking. This one features a good performance from Plaza, who has a knack for these kind of roles. Olsen and Jackson are solid, too. But the plot here is cringe-worthy and it feels like this goes on longer than my interest in it. The film is OK, but falls short of being overly compelling.
Rating:  R for language throughout, drug use, some sexual content and disturbing behavior.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Locked Down (HBO Max)
Starring: Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Synopsis: This new release for HBO Max features a good cast, led by Hathaway and Ejiofor who play a couple that has seen their relationship splinter during COVID lock down. The film, written by Steven Knight and directed by Doug Liman, very much uses the current circumstances to tell this story. Hathaway and Ejiofor are forced to live together, but the strain of the climate is taking its toll. Then, things begin to shift. They remember what drew them together, and a plot to make off with more than $3 million in diamonds to give themselves a chance to shake off the chains of their pre-COVID life and find new happiness together. This is a ponderous exercise at times, and the heist portion of the film seems to be the part filmmakers are least interested in telling. It's more of an exploration of lock down, and the way its impacted everyone and everyone's mental state. This is slow and not great, but Hathaway and Ejiofor are great actors. There were moments that worked for me. Overall the film is meh, but it was an interesting take on the current situation.
Rating: TV MA
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Outside the Wire (Netflix)
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Damon Idris, and Michael Kelly
Synopsis: The latest Netflix film jumps to the near future and a conflict overseas with no end. The United States, and others, have now deployed robots as part of the fighting force and are seeking to prevent a genocide. A young drone pilot (Idris) makes a choice that saves lives but defies orders. As a consequence, he's sent to the front and paired with a maverick Captain (Mackie) to go on a special mission. But nothing is what it seems. Mackie is a good actor who deserves better material. There are some cool action sequences here, but the problem is the plot, which is dense, confusing, and not all that interesting. Idris does a nice job in his role, and veteran actor Kelly has some solid scenes. But mostly this is a confused mess that uses a loose plot to string together lavish and violent action sequences. We all deserve better.
Rating:  R for strong violence and language throughout.
Verdict: One star out of four.

The Rhythm Section (Hulu)
Starring: Blake Lively, Jude Law, and Sterling K. Brown
Synopsis: This action film dropped just under a year ago, though you wouldn't be blamed for thinking it felt like a longer time ago. It was written by Mark Burnell, based on his novel that kicked off a series of stories. The film centers on a distraught young woman (Lively) whose family was killed in a plane crash. As a result of guilt, she's slipped into a dark life of selling herself until a journalist (Raza Jaffrey) pulls her out of her grief and focuses it into rage by telling her the plane that killed her family was taken down by a terrorist. Though she gets off to a rocky start on her revenge tour, soon she's taken under the wing of a rouge spy (Law), who teaches her the ropes and gives her the tools she needs to accomplish her mission. This one has some layers and depth, and the way it leaves off, it's clear this film was meant to, possibly, launch a series. Lively is good in the lead role, and I enjoyed the work from Law and Brown in supporting roles. The plot isn't overly complex, and the film features some good action sequences. Ultimately I thought it was just OK. I doubt that it will be able to develop into a franchise, but it works fine for what it is.
Rating: R for violence, sexual content, language throughout, and some drug use. 
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Sometimes Always Never (Amazon Prime)
Starring: Bill Nighy, Sam Riley, and Alice Lowe
Synopsis: This little comedy/drama focuses on a man (Nighy) who is on a search. Years earlier his son left and never returned, angered over a game of Scrabble. Now he searches for his son, looking at unidentified bodies and chasing theories over the Internet, all with the aide of his younger son (Riley). While still hooked on the game that broke up his family, can the father find his missing son, and more importantly can he mend fences with the son who stayed? This is a simple little film, and the hook of the game of Scrabble gone awry was what drew me to check it out. It works, in part, thanks to Nighy and Riley, who have a good on-screen chemistry. The story is a little quirky, and probably won't appeal to everyone, but I thought it had its moments and ended on a solid note.
Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements and some sexual references.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Swallow (Showtime Anytime)
Starring: Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, and Dennis O'Hare
Synopsis: This new drama focuses on a young woman (Bennett) who was recently married and yet feels deeply isolated. When she becomes pregnant, it pushes her in her to act rashly as she begins challenging herself to swallow objects, frequently with dangerous results. It sets her at odds with her husband (Stowell) and her in-laws (Marvel and Rasche), but it also leaves her seeking answers that relate to the difficult events that led to her own birth. Bennett delivers a strong performance, and I particularly thought her scene with O'Hare in the final act was one of the more stirring portions of the film. But the plot is strange here, and the film is often weird and difficult to watch. It's a unique story, and writer/director Carlo Mirabella-Davis offers some interesting visual flourishes, but this comes down to the story. It didn't work well for me, so I thought this was just OK.
Rating:  R for language, some sexuality and disturbing behavior.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

The Ultimate Playlist of Noise (Hulu)
Starring: Keean Johnson, Madeline Brewer, Rya Kihlstedt, and Ian Gomez
Synopsis: This one focuses on a high school senior (Johnson) who is delivered a blow. A surgery needed to save his life will cost him his hearing. In the time before that happens, he sets out to celebrate all the noises that make the world come to life, including hearing a recording of his older brother, now deceased, and his music. Along the way he learns more of the truth of his own family and has to come to terms with all he's losing, and an appreciation for all he has. This is a sweet and interesting journey. Johnson does a nice job in the lead role, and I liked the work Brewer did in support. Kihlstedt and Gomez are solid as his parents, and this story has some fun and is an easy watch. I also found it to be an emotionally engaging journey. This one went a little under-the-radar as it came out, but I thought it was the best of the three new streaming releases I saw over the weekend.
Rating: N/A
Verdict: Three stars out of four.