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

The Broken Hearts Gallery (Starz)
Starring: Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, and Molly Gordon
Synopsis: This romantic comedy centers on a woman (Viswanathan) going through a break up that crosses paths with a man (Montgomery) trying to get a business up and running. She needs a place for creative expression, and he needs some cheap labor. It's a match, and off they go, falling for one another along the way. This is a sometimes clever and engaging film that's entirely predictable and doesn't do a lot to set itself apart from the crowd. Viswanathan and Montgomery are good in the leads, and it was enjoyable for what it is, but it's hardly compelling. Still, it's a decent streaming date option.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for sexual content throughout and some crude references, strong language and drug references.
Verdict: Two stars out of four

Misha and the Wolves (Netflix)
Synopsis: This documentary follows the curious tale of a woman who claimed to be a holocaust survivor, crafted and elaborate story that became a best-selling memoir and film in the 1990s and was later exposed to be a fraud. This one features file footage and interviews, including re-creations with the subject herself since she declined to be interviewed, showing how the story went from being heard by a small group to being seen worldwide. It's a fascinating and engrossing documentary shedding light on this story. Writer/director Sam Hobkinson does a nice job of capturing the people and the story in an engrossing and engaging documentary feature.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and unsettling images.
Verdict: Three stars out of four

The Paper Tigers (Netflix)
Starring: Matthew Page, Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, and Mykel Shannon Jenkins
Synopsis: This Netflix film centers on a trio of former martial arts students (Uy, Yuan, and Jenkins) whose best years are behind them as competitors. When their former master is murdered, they spring into action to defend his legacy, and the legacy of the Martial Arts discipline that is near and dear to them. This one has some funny moments and some decent action. It's not incredibly deep or memorable, but it's a fun little watch. One of a million new movies Netflix has uncerimoniously dropped this year!
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some strong language, offensive slurs, and violence.
Verdict: Two stars out of four

PAW Patrol: The Movie (Theaters/Paramount+)
Synopsis: This classic children's series gets the big screen treatment, though you can also stream it at home. I have never seen an episode of the show, but I tried the film. Even at about 80 minutes, it felt way too long. I'm sure it's engaging for smaller children, but this isn't one of those kids movies that translates to adult audiences, or at least it certainly didn't for me.
Rating: G
Verdict: One star out of four

Reminiscence (Theaters/HBO Max)
Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Hugh Jackman, Thandiwe Newton, and Cliff Curtis
Synopsis: This new sci-fi drama comes from writer/director Lisa Joy, the wife of Jonathan Nolan and co-creator of Westworld. Like some of the latter seasons of the show, this one has a good cast, a great look and an intriguing story idea that just doesn't quite come together. Jackman, Newton and Ferguson are good in their roles, and the story is engaging enough to hold your attention for a couple hours. But the final product doesn't live up to the potential of all its parts. Set in the near future where Global Warming is causing Miami to sink into the sea, a veteran (Jackman) uses technology to help keep people's memories alive and bring them to life. He meets a woman (Ferguson) and falls in love, but when she mysteriously disappears he ends up on a chase that changes his future. I liked the idea, the look and technology, and there were some strong moments here, but also some confusing and dry moments. This one had potential but ends up being just OK.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for strong violence, drug material throughout, sexual content and some strong language.
Verdict: Two stars out of four

The Stand In (Netflix)
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Michael Zegen, T.J. Miller, and Holland Taylor
Synopsis: This comedy centers on a big time comedy actress (Barrymore) who has a complete meltdown on set. It sends her life and career in a spiral leading to legal action. In order to avoid having to attend rehab in person, she employs her old Stand IN (Barrymore) to go in her place. As the Stand In begins to rehab her career, she slowly begins to steal her life, including a potential new relationship (Zegen). Hilarity and mayhem ensue... or they are supposed to. This is a weird one, and while Barrymore does her best in an odd dual role, this doesn't quite work. It's sometimes creepy instead of funny and it feels a bit darker than perhaps was the intention. Either way, this doesn't work.
Rating: Rated R for language throughout including sexual references, and for drug use.
Verdict: One star out of four

Sweet Girl (Netflix)
Starring: Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Justin Bartha, and Amy Brenneman
Synopsis: This new film centers on a man (Momoa) whose wife is ill when a drug company denies her access to a potentially life-saving drug. She dies, leaving him and his daughter (Merced) to pick up the pieces. In his anger, he blames the drug company and sets his sites on the CEO (Bartha) and politician (Brenneman) who he holds responsible. We all know what kind of film this is going to be from the jump... or do we? That's the thing here, there is a twist to the story I won't spoil that doesn't work at all. The performances aren't great, and the story is atrocious. This is a big time miss.
Rating: Rated R for some strong violence, and language.
Verdict: One star out of four

The Vault (Netflix)
Starring: Freddie Highmore, James Riley and Liam Cunningham
Synopsis: This one centers on a genius (Highmore) who gets involved in a plot to rob the Bank of Spain during a large soccer match. The cast is decent and heist films can be a lot of fun. So I was interested to see what would happen here, but this film doesn't totally live up to the billing. The idea was sound and there was potential, it played out OK but ultimately wasn't overly compelling. This feels like a bit of a miss here as the film fell flat for me.
Rating: Rated R for language.
Verdict: One star out of four

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (Netflix)
Synopsis: The Witcher was a big series for Netflix, one they hope will be the streamer's own version of Game of Thrones. While fans await a second season, Netflix is offering this animated prequel about Vesemir (Theo James), Geralt's mentor who rose from a life of poverty to prominence as a Witcher. For those who enjoy the world, this will likely fill a nice void. I wasn't taken with the live action series and I'm less taken with this animated tale, which felt long despite being only 75 minutes. This was a flat miss for me, and likely will work best for hardcore fans of the source material.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: One star out of four