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

Buffaloed (Hulu)
Starring: Zoey Deutch, Jai Courtney, Judy Greer, and Jermaine Fowler
Synopsis: This film is a comedy of sorts, focusing on a talented young woman (Deutch) who is also poor. She has an opportunity to better herself, but no way to pay for it. She tries her hand at crime, and ends up in jail. Once out, she tries her hand at debt collecting, and finds a talent at it. But she also sees the dark side of debt, and the industry, butting heads with the biggest debt collector (Courtney) in Buffalo, and worrying about the debt following her mother (Greer). This lands her in hot water and threatens her new relationship with a local prosecutor (Fowler). Deutch is a talented actress, especially in comedies. She's had some good supporting roles, but this one she gets to carry the action. She does a nice job, and I liked Greer and Fowler in supporting roles, but the story feels a little odd. And then it ends with some facts about American debt and debt collectors that makes me think the goal was to shine a light on the industry. If that's the case, it didn't really work. Director Tanya Wexler keeps the film tight, running just over 90 minutes, but it still feels a little slow at times. It was a fine film, but not an overly compelling one.
Rating: N/R
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

One Night in Miami (Amazon Prime)
Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Leslie Odom, Jr., Aldis Hodge, Eli Goree, and Lance Reddick
Synopsis: The latest Amazon release comes from director Regina King, a fantastic actor in her own right, who leads a big screen adaption of Kemp Powers' stage play. It focuses on one night and a lot of heavy conversations between four giant historical figures: Cassius Clay (Goree), Sam Cooke (Odom), Jim Brown (Hodge) and Malcolm X (Ben-Adir). They gather to celebrate Clay's win in the ring, but it's also a crucial point in all their lives and careers. They join together at a hotel in Miami in 1964 to celebrate, connect as friends and hammer out their views of the world and where things are heading. As an adaptation of a play, as you'd expect, this is a lot of four characters, or at times two or three characters, talking and hammering out their ideologies, feelings and plans. But that description doesn't do this justice. In a year when we've seen a lot of great discussions begun in our country around race and hate, this feels incredibly poignant and timely. And it features some incredible performances. Goree captures some of the verbose and outlandishness of Clay, who would soon become known as Muhammed Ali. Hodge is great as the incredible Browns' running back and budding actor Brown, while Odom offers a beautiful and thoughtful performance as Cooke. But, for me, the performance that stood out among a solid group of performances was Ben-Adir as Malcolm X, which this story taking place at a crucial time in his life and work. I thought Ben-Adir was brilliant, and I wouldn't be surprised if he and others in the film get nominations. King does a great job of getting good performances here, and she creates a film that's engaging and moving. It's one of the best of 2020, and will likely be a strong award contender.
Rating: R
Verdict: Four stars out of four.

The Sunlit Night (Hulu)
Starring: Jenny Slate, Alex Sharp, Gillian Anderson, Zach Galifianakis, and David Paymer
Synopsis: This indie romance centers on a New York Artist (Slate) who is struggling personally and professionally. She takes a job painting a barn in Norway, meeting a group of eccentric locals and, perhaps, finding her creative center again. This is a quiet little comedy that features some decent performances. I liked Slate in the lead role, but the story felt odd and, at times, rushed but with no real focused point or conclusion. This is a quirky little film with a good cast, but it's not great.
Rating: R
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

You Cannot Kill David Arquette (Hulu)
Synopsis: This documentary centers on Arquette, his family, and his desire to re-enter the world of professional wrestling. The actor, best known for his work on the Scream franchise, is a life-long wrestling fan. In 2000, to support a movie, he was thrust into the world of professional wrestling and made a champion. The move rankled fans and didn't sit right with Arquette himself. Many viewed it as a fraud that damaged the integrity of the world of professional wrestling. Years later, with his career in the movies in flux, and despite a number of physical and mental obstacles, Arquette decided to go back into wrestling and do it the right way. The film chronicles his training, his small steps and his journey back into the sport he's passionate about, including some difficult health challenges that present additional obstacles. For those interested in the story, this will be a powerful and engaging documentary. I've never cared for professional wrestling, so this likely didn't mean as much to me as it might to others, but I thought the filmmaking and storytelling was solid, and I was engaged with seeing how Arquette was able to, years later, live out his dream.
Rating: R for language throughout, some bloody images, and nudity.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.