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

1 Night in San Diego (Hulu)
Starring: Jenna Ushkowitz and Laura Ashley Samuels
Synopsis: This limp comedy is about two best friends (Ushkowitz and Samuels) who take an ill-advised trip to San Diego. Mishaps ensue in this comedy from writer/director Penelope Lawson. There are some wild sequences but none of it is that interesting. I'm not sure what I am supposed to take away from this film, but it was barely watchable, even at 85 minutes.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Zero stars out of four

Better Days (Hulu)
Starring: Dongyu Zhou, Jackson Yee, and Fang Yin
Synopsis: This film from director Derek Tsang is about school bullying. It is a Chinese film that became the Hong Kong entry into the Foreign Film competition and was chosen as one of the final five nominees at this year's Academy Awards. It's based on the novel In His Youth, In Her Beauty, and follows a girl approaching her college entrance exams who has been bullied intensely by classmates. Her fellow classmate was so distraught over bullying that she commits suicide, and Chen Nian (Zhou) comes forward to reveal the truth to a local detective (Yin). Her tormentors are punished, and that only makes things worse for Chen Nian until she finds a kindred spirit and protector in a young street thug (Yee). He protects her for a time, but eventually the pressure gets to be too much and Chen Nian snaps, bringing more trouble on both of them. This is a powerful and difficult film to watch. It touches on some important themes and offers them in a difficult and intense story. The foreign film field was loaded with some good stories, and this was one of the best. It's worth seeking out.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Four stars out of four

The Man Who Sold His Skin (Hulu)
Starring: Yahya Mahayni, Dea Liane, Monica Bellucci, and Koen De Bouw
Synopsis: This was another of the five films nominated for Best Foreign Language Feature, this one about a Syrian refugee (Mahayni) who agrees to be tattooed and serve as a living art exhibition in order to freely travel to Europe to try and re-connect with the girlfriend who was taken from him. This is loosely based on a true story and features a great lead performance from Mahayni. This is a strong cast and the story is interesting, ending with a bit of a twist that added some depth to the presentation. This wasn't the best of the foreign film group, but it was a well-made drama.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Three stars out of four

Mortal Kombat (In Theaters/HBO Max)
Starring: Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Mehcad Brooks, and Hiroyuki Sanada
Synopsis: This new version of the film comes from director Simon McQuoid and gets a release in theaters and on HBO Max as has been the case with Warner Brothers films. This one is based on the popular video game, which spawned a film franchise in the 1990s. The film is set up as an attempt to kick-start a franchise with possible sequels for the future. This one is a stylized, ultra violent take on the story. There were some interesting set pieces and action sequences, but the characters and narrative isn't very compelling. Fans of the game will likely geek out over seeing these characters and fight sequences come to life, but otherwise this one doesn't hold a lot of appeal.
Rating: R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references.
Verdict: One stars out of four

Quo Vadis, Aida? (Hulu)
Starring: Jasna Djuricic, Izudin Bajrovic, Boris Ler, and Dino Bajrovic
Synopsis: This film, one of the five nominated as Best Foreign Language Feature for the Academy Awards, is based on a true story. It follows a U.N. Translator, Aida (Djuricic), who strives to protect her husband and sons during the Bosnian War. Her small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. Things don't go as planned. This is a difficult and heart-breaking story, set during a conflict that many don't know a lot about. Djuricic does a fantastic job in the lead role. This is a powerful film, part of an incredible group of nominees in this year's category.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Three stars out of four

Songbird (Hulu)
Starring: KJ Apa, Sofia Carson, Craig Robinson, Bradley Whitford, Alexandra Daddario, and Demi Moore
Synopsis: This drama is set during a pandemic where an immune man (Apa) is working as a courier. He's desperate to earn money to get his girlfriend (Carson) out of the Los Angeles area and to somewhere safe. When the infection comes too close to her, he has to work overtime and get the aid of some illegal traffickers (Moore and Whitford) to get to safety. This one seems timed to take advantage of COVID but it's a lame story with a decent cast. It's mercifully short, clocking in at 85 minutes, but it will certainly feel a lot longer than that. This one is a miss.
Rating: PG-13 for violence including some bloody images, sexual material, partial nudity and some strong language.
Verdict: One star out of four